Empress Unborn se-7

by Jean Lorrah

  But now the bouts of exhaustion came less often. She wasn’t sure how much responsibility she could deal with, but she was ready to try.

  It was late winter. Julia met the Healer/Adept team in the corridor, red-cheeked from the brisk winds. By the time she had wrapped herself in a woolen cloak, Decius joined her. “That wasn’t a very long strategy session,” she commented.

  “It is difficult to plan strategy against unknown factors.”

  “Pyrrhus and Wicket seem to do so quite successfully,” she commented.

  Decius gave a snort of laughter. “Some strategy! They’ve got the lowlife in this city scared to death of them. You know, I’ve been watching Adepts work for years, but when those two go into action it’s like-like an explosion. As if they don’t care who gets hurt, any more than an earthquake or a whirlwind.”

  “They never hurt anyone trying to get out of their way,” said Julia. “And those trying to get in it deserve what they get.” She thought vengefully of Capero, and felt Decius pick it up before she realized she should have shielded the thought. He was getting too good!

  “Julia, Capero was used. He was a shrewd gambler who would take fools for everything he could get, but he was not a cold-blooded killer.”

  “Galerio is just as dead,” she replied. Then, to change the subject, “Hasn’t anyone told you that using Adept power is supposed to dull your Reading?”

  “I haven’t done much today,’ he replied. “And… maybe it’s my age, when my powers are growing rapidly anyway, but it seems that after a day when I have used my Adept powers a great deal, after a good meal and a night’s sleep my Reading is even sharper in the morning.”

  Julia walked quickly against the cold, and noticed that Decius kept up easily despite his wooden leg.

  Now that he could keep the stump healed, he had no more pain and was not afraid to put pressure on it.

  If Decius can learn to use Adept powers, why can’t 1? Julia wondered for the thousandth time. But no one seemed to have the answer to why some people found it easy to access both elements of power, while others, no matter how proficient in one, found it impossible to develop the other.

  Sometimes, of course, that was fortunate. Suppose their old enemy, Drakonius, had learned to Read for himself instead of merely forcing Readers to work for him. Or Portia. The thought of Portia with Adept powers added further chill to the cold day, and Julia was happy to see the doors of the Academy looming ahead, promising warmth and a fresh task to take her mind off morbid thoughts.

  To Julia’s surprise, the assignment Master Clement had for her was training Wicket. “But… I’m not a teacher,” she protested.

  “The more you teach, the more you learn,” said Master Clement. “Pyrrhus is right-Wicket’s Reading will add greatly to their efficiency as peace officers. They are a natural team and already well practiced.

  Pyrrhus would be the ideal person to train Wicket, of course, but deprived of his own Reading powers he cannot. My tutors are all Academy-trained. Wicket needs a teacher with flexibility, and experience out on the streets where he works.”

  For the first time in weeks, Julia felt her mood lighten. “You’ll let me teach him guttersnipe Reading?”

  “Guttersnipe Reading?” To Julia’s delight, she provoked a laugh from her teacher. “I can see I have found the right tutor. Yes, Wicket’s not going to test for the upper ranks, Julia. He needs practical experience.

  So long as you drill the Readers’ Code into him, teach him what you think will help him most. You have experience at guiding Adepts, much more than my best teachers. That is what Wicket needs most of all.

  “Now,” he continued, “go find your pupil, while I contact Lilith. I wish she could Read, but the best I can hope for is that whoever is Reading for her today has strong persuasive powers. Aradia needs Lilith here, Julia-and not merely as her friend, or as a Lady Adept to strengthen our circle. She needs the example before her eyes of a woman who has borne a child and regained her powers completely.”

  Julia felt warm pleasure at the way her teacher was treating her as a full member of their circle again. “Did Aradia tell you about her mother?” she asked.

  “That is privileged, Julia. There are times when I must act as healer with Aradia now, not merely friend.

  Have I not assigned you a task? Why are you dawdling here when we both have work to do?”

  So Julia went to find Wicket, who was in an empty classroom, staring at the rules of the Readers’ Code on the wall. He was closed to Reading; Julia had to find him by visualizing, for, with casual trust in her abilities, Master Clement had not said where he had left Wicket.

  There was something wrong. Wicket looked nervous and upset, glancing around furtively.

  “Just open to Reading,” said Julia as she entered the room. “Then nobody can sneak up on you.”

  He gave her a forced grin. “Hello again. What’re you doing here?”

  “Master Clement assigned me to tutor you. Have you memorized the Readers’ Code?”

  “That?” He gestured toward the wall.

  “Yes, that. All Reading is taught within the Readers’ Code, so before you begin you have to learn it.” He paled and dropped his eyes from hers. “What’s wrong?” Julia asked. “Does something in it conflict with your personal beliefs?”

  Wicket stared at his hands, shielded strongly. Finally he mumbled, “I… dunno.” Having gotten that out, he sajd more clearly, “Dunno what it says. I… can’t read.”

  “Well, if you’d stop bracing to use-” Julia began, and then suddenly realized what he meant. “You mean you can’t read words? Or write?”

  He nodded glumly. “Never could learn more’n’t’ write me name. Pyrrhus tried to teach me-but everything gets all jumbled up. It… it lost us our chance in Tiberium, an’ now if it ruins us here, too-”

  “What happened in Tiberum?” Julia asked.

  “We done-did-really good at our bodyguard service, an’ then the city councilors decided to hire us.

  We did several jobs for ‘em, always as equal partners.

  “Only… there were contracts to sign. One time we had to accept one and get right to work if the terms were all right. When Pyrrhus had to read it to me, the councilors-well, they wanted’t’ change the terms.

  I knew them high-an’-mighties never liked me from the first, ‘cause I come outa the gutter. But I can talk good enough if I have to, and Pyrrhus insisted we worked together or not at all.

  “But when they found out I’m… illiterate, they told Pyrrhus he could have that job or any future ones alone, and he could hire me if he wanted to-but they wouldn’t make any more contracts with me.”

  “And what did Pyrrhus say to that?” Julia asked.

  Wicket gave a quavering smile. “I didn’t know he even knew some of the words he used. If he hadn’t got so angry, we mighta worked it out. I wouldn’t of minded working for him-it’s Pyrrhus insisted we were partners.”

  “Wasn’t he drawing on your experience?” Julia asked.

  “Yeah, I guess. Street experience. But I shoulda known better than’t’ think, even with Pyrrhus’ help, I could have what amounts to a government post-when I can’t even learn to read. I’m just stupid, that’s all.”

  “Wicket, I’ve known you long enough to know you’re not stupid,” said Julia. “Open to Reading and look at the Code.”

  “Eh?”

  “Just do it. “

  He shrugged, and complied. Julia closed her eyes and Read through Wicket’s. As he had said, it was a jumble of letters, not the words she knew. Even as he stared at them, they shifted into new combinations.

  “No wonder you couldn’t learn,” said Julia. “Now close your eyes.”

  She opened her eyes, and let Wicket Read what she saw and read. He gasped. “It makes sense! I got as far as learning the sounds of the letters-this way they make words!”

  He opened his eyes and turned to stare at her. “How did you do that?”

  “You can al
ways Read through a stronger Reader,” she replied. “I don’t know much about your problem with words, but I’ll bet Master Clement does. I do know that some people have trouble learning to read.

  If you’re a farmer or a cobbler, who cares? But if you’re a city official-”

  Wicket sighed. “I shoulda told Lady Aradia. Pyrrhus has been covering up for me, reading all the directives we get. But you’re right: how could I read an urgent written message if he wasn’t available?”

  “As long as someone else was,” said Julia, “you’d be all right. Perhaps you can learn to visualize.”

  “To what?”

  “Let’s find out if you’re doing it already. Read the next room for me, Wicket.”

  Julia Read only through him, and perceived the usual sense that there were several people there, without identifying them. “Withdraw,” she instructed. “Do not invade their privacy.”

  “Uh… you didn’t say that out loud,” Wicket observed.

  “No-you try it.”

  “Why can’t we Read the next room?”

  “Because we haven’t asked those people’s permission to practice on them. I will in a moment. But people are easy. You’ve been Reading objects like locking mechanisms and dice without knowing it-and that’s really hard. Try the room behind that wall.”

  It was Master Clement’s outer office. His assistant was not there at the moment, so the room was empty of people. At first all Wicket Read was shapes of furniture. “Try to see what color the walls are,” Julia suggested.

  Hazily, the room “appeared” in her mind. The furnishings were only vague shapes, but the soft blue of the walls was definite. She smiled. “You can visualize already. That’s a high-level skill, Wicket. If you can hone it, then you won’t need anyone to read your messages for you. They won’t get all jumbled up if you Read them.”

  He grinned. “This is fun. What next?”

  She put him through every test she could think of, stopping him each time he would have stepped beyond the confines of the Code. They got permission to practice Reading the class in the next room, and when their lesson was over two of the children were happy to play Reading games with them, each designed to teach or strengthen a Reading skill.

  Julia spent several hours with him each day, and Wicket made rapid progress. He was unusually good at details and close work, but had a very limited range. That did not disturb him-until Pyrrhus complained.

  When Pyrrhus demanded a different teacher for

  Wicket, Master Clement called Julia and Wicket to meet with them.

  “Julia has done an excellent job,” Master Clement insisted. “Pyrrhus, surely you recall enough from training Readers yourself to recognize how well Wicket is doing.”

  “Yes-at what she’s teaching him. Wicket can tell me every item in my pocket, but he can hardly Read into the next street! We need range for our work, Clement. Get Wicket a tutor who can Read beyond the city walls.”

  “I can Read beyond the city walls!” Julia protested.

  “Then why can’t Wicket?” Pyrrhus demanded.

  “I told you,” Wicket protested. “I’m never gonna be a Master Reader! Why can’t you accept that?”

  “I’m afraid you do have to accept it, Pyrrhus,” said Master Clement. “Had Wicket’s Reading manifested in childhood, he might have accomplished a bit more than he can now, but not much more. He’s very good at fine discernment, but he does not have the power for great range. I would not even consider trying to teach him to leave his body. It would be too dangerous. Wicket is a Dark Moon Reader, Pyrrhus-not because I say so, but because that is the limit of his talent.”

  Pyrrhus rose from his chair, fists clenched, and paced away from the other three. “I’d hoped…”

  Master Clement said, very gently, “You hoped your friend would have all the powers you have lost. I’m sorry. We’ve taught him all we can. Remember that he has both Reading and Adept talents. Your job now is to work out how best to combine the powers you have between the two of you.”

  “Combine!” exclaimed Julia. “That’s it, Pyrrhus!”

  He turned, and stared at her blankly. “What’s it?”

  “You want Wicket to Read beyond the city walls. He can’t with his own powers-but he can with yours!”

  Pyrrhus frowned at her, his dark eyes wary.

  Master Clement said, “Julia, I had not thought of that. Sit down, Pyrrhus. At least try the experiment.”

  “What experiment?” Pyrrhus asked suspiciously, but he sat.

  “That is the disadvantage of growing up in the Academy,” said Master Clement. “We teach the same techniques to one generation after another, and do not think beyond them. Wicket knows what experiment. He and Julia are not bound by what has always been done.”

  Pyrrhus turned a challenging look on Wicket, who said, “A weak Reader can Read through a stronger Reader. You can Read beyond the city walls, Pyrrhus.”

  “What good does that do me if I don’t know what I’ve… oh.” The incipient anger drained from his face.

  “Yes!” he said in an intense whisper. “Let’s try it!”

  Pyrrhus opened to Reading. He was helpless to focus his powers precisely, but he directed them toward the lands south of the city. Julia was reminded of Reading with her father, for Pyrrhus’ range was that of a Master Reader, taking them far beyond the grounds of the summer fair and horse market, to farms and woodlands gray under a lowering sky. Winter was lingering beyond its time this year as if to underscore their other frustrations.

  “It’s cold,” said Wicket. “There’s some woodcutters out, but nobody else. There’s a village, people gathered around their fires, pots of soup cooking-I can smell it! And bread baking. They’re tired of the cold weather, but happy to have warm homes and enough to eat.

  “Then, maybe two miles farther south, there’s a big farm with a huge new house. Man and his wife in the main room, talkin’ about-”

  “Privacy, Wicket!” Pyrrhus warned automatically, and for the first time Julia truly believed that he had once taught in an Academy.

  Wicket laughed. “You sound just like Julia. All right, there’s some deer in the woods-cold an’ awful hungry. Frightened.”

  “I’ll have Aradia tell the foresters,” said Julia. “The farmers should put out hay for them, or our hunters won’t find enough game next year.”

  “And I’ll have the Dark Moon Readers check the game in that section more carefully,” said Master Clement. “There may be other hungry animals.”

  “It’s starting to snow!” Wicket said suddenly. “Oh-it’s beautiful! Big flakes, stickin’ on the trees. Are we far enough north to get real snow? I’ve never seen it except in the mountains. I mean more than a few flakes, that is.”

  “No, we don’t get much here, either,” Julia said, adding wistfully, “I’d like to have enough to play in, just once.”

  “Where is the snow?” asked Pyrrhus.

  “Huh?” responded Wicket.

  “How many miles? What direction?” But Pyrrhus’ snarl of impatience didn’t have its usual bite.

  “Urn…”

  Master Clement pulled a map from the scroll rack and unrolled it. How often they had done this during Adept battles, Readers showing Adepts where to center their powers.

  “Here!” said Wicket, drawing a circle with his finger in an area several miles south of the city, near the main road to Tiberium:

  “Julia, you’d like some snow to play in?” Pyrrhus asked her.

  “Yes!” she said with a delighted grin that he echoed back at her.

  Suddenly their panorama of the lands south of the city was cut off as Pyrrhus braced Adept powers.

  Wicket blinked, startled until he realized what had happened.

  “Read with me,” Master Clement invited, and again they saw the woods and farmlands-and felt the wind shift, blowing the storm northward.

  “Wicket, keep Pyrrhus informed-” Master Clement began.

  But Pyrrhus raised a hand, sayin
g, “No, just tell me if I lose it.”

  He did lose it once, but after that he began to open to Reading every few minutes, letting Wicket rather than Master Clement be the one to keep him on target.

  Well before the snow reached Zendi, the Watchers reported its unnatural movement. “It’s all right,”

  Mas-ter Clement assured them. “Spread the word-we are controlling this storm. It’s an experiment, not an attack.”

  The light from the windows dimmed as black snow clouds concentrated over the city. The first flakes began to fall, then a steady stream of pure white beauty, for the wind died now, leaving the clouds to empty their burden on Zendi.

  “Let’s go outside!” Julia said.

  Wicket jumped up, eager as a child himself, and Pyrrhus smiled indulgently at him and got up as well.

  Taking her cloak off the peg by the door, Julia noticed how Pyrrhus moved, stretching his body, testing his balance. He looked much healthier and stronger than the man Aradia had healed of burns last autumn.

  Before, he had been all bone and tendon. Now he carried a layer of muscle, laid on by the Adept regimen he was following. Adepts never put on fat; Pyrrhus had simply filled out to his natural physique.

  “I’m not tired,” he said to Master Clement, half surprise, half satisfaction in his words. “I’m learning not to expend more energy than necessary.”

  “7 coulda taught you that,” Wicket said in mock scorn, and Julia realized that she had never seen the minor Adept exhaust himself, nor noticed his Reading impaired by the use of Adept strength.

  ” You,” Pyrrhus told him, “practice laziness, not efficiency.”

  By this time they were all wrapped up in woolen cloaks, ready to venture into the snow.

  The Academy faced on one of the little parks dotting Zendi. It was rapidly filling with fluffy whiteness.

  Julia could not resist running out into it, glad she was wearing woolen stockings under her boots as she felt the cold attempt to penetrate.

  The snow was ankle-deep already and falling fast. Wicket scooped up a handful, tossed it into the air, caught it, then in one motion turned and flung it at Pyrrhus, hitting him dead center in the chest. “That’s for calling me lazy!”