Empress Unborn se-7

by Jean Lorrah

  Decius was holding Julia’s left hand. At Pyrrhus’ comment his hand suddenly went limp in hers, and she realized that he had left his body to try to help Master Clement.

  “Decius-you fool!” hissed Pyrrhus. Then with the power of his mental “voice”: “Decius-you haven’t the experience to help. Portia will use you against Master Clement!”

  “She is,” Wicket said tightly, trying to describe how Portia had seized upon Decius’ intrusion, putting the young Reader’s presence between herself and the old Master.

  “Decius-go back!” ordered Master Clement.

  Decius broke free of Portia’s manipulation and joined his strength to Master Clement’s. “There is no one else to help you.”

  Portia cut Decius off from Master Clement, surrounding him with darkness. He fought valiantly, but he was no match for the woman who had been Master of Masters.

  Master Clement projected through the cloud of darkness, providing Decius with a focus, but as the young Reader struggled-

  “Master Clement-Portia’s getting away!” Julia warned. But he could not abandon Decius!

  “Pyrrhus, no!” Wicket’s voice shouted in Julia’s right ear, his hand jerking convulsively as in the “world”

  they were Reading another presence blocked Portia’s way.

  The fury radiant from Pyrrhus wavered for a moment, overshadowed by a rush of ecstatic pleasure-away from his nerve-burned body, he could Read).

  But his need for revenge quickly overshadowed all else. More menacingly cold than Julia had ever Read him, Pyrrhus advanced on Portia. From the opposite direction, Master Clement closed in.

  Decius was free now, observing, for the darkness disappeared when Portia’s attention shifted to Pyrrhus.

  Instead of retreating, she moved toward him, her presence growing stronger as she approached.

  Heartless laughter underscored her words. “So you would kill me again, Pyrrhus? Fool! You have killed only yourself!”

  Wicket’s start of fear for his friend stabbed through Julia.

  Portia, though, seemed to grow and flourish as she absorbed Pyrrhus’ rage, Wicket’s fear.

  Despite their bodiless state, Julia felt that same menace Pyrrhus projected when he stalked someone-but again Portia only drew upon the anger, the frustration.

  Suddenly Julia recalled something Pyrrhus had told her. “Pyrrhus-remember what you told me about revenge?”

  “It’s sweet!” asserted Portia. “Go on, Pyrrhus-take your revenge! It’s all you have left, now.” Her power flared as she absorbed his fury.

  “Pyrrhus-” Master Clement began.

  “I see it,” Pyrrhus replied, his mental voice soft with amazement. Julia could feel him Read what Portia was doing. His will to revenge faded. Ill had my revenge, and it was not sweet. Such feelings are pleasant only to a creature such as Portia has become. She gains strength from fear, or hate, or anger.

  “We don’t fear her.”

  Julia felt Wicket struggle to control his fear, felt Portia weaken slightly as the negative feelings faded.

  “But you hate me!” Portia snapped.

  “Oh, I did,” Pyrrhus agreed. “It is amazing how much energy I wasted hating you, Portia. While you fed on that energy! That, and the fear and pain you generated with the storms and accidents and cold-oh, yes, you gained strength, but it fades quickly, doesn’t it? To gain permanent power in our world again, you must have a body. But we won’t allow that, now that we know you. You are nothing but a poor dead woman who won’t accept that she’s dead.”

  “I’m not dead!”

  “Portia,” Master Clement told her gently, “your time is over. Now you must rest. Come-let us escort you to the plane of the dead. It is your rightful place-you will find healing there for all your suffering.”

  “No!”

  But together, Master Clement and Pyrrhus surrounded Portia, radiating pity.

  Portia shrank from that feeling, but the two Master Readers held her inexorably within it.

  Julia Read an unspoken question from Pyrrhus. “I know the way,” said Master Clement. “I escorted Portia there once before.”

  “And I will escape, as I did before!” Portia asserted.

  “No, not this time,” said Master Clement.

  Portia replied only with a defiant moment of wicked glee.

  Julia’s curiosity surged in frustration. Master Clement and Pyrrhus were about to move to another plane, where she could not Read them-it infuriated her to be too young to leave her body. It wasn’t fair!

  Determined to Read everything she could before they moved beyond her perceptions, Julia focused her power on Portia, Master Clement, and Pyrrhus.

  The universe shifted with a sickening jolt!

  Chaos whirled about her.

  She wanted to scream, but she had no voice, no body.

  Sheer terror gripped her as she was whipped endlessly through formless darkness.

  She staggered, and was caught by strong hands. She was in her body, on a plain, Decius beside her-standing on two healthy legs. It was his hands that steadied her.

  There were other people on the plain, walking toward a gateway through which Julia saw a welcoming warm light, much like the warmth of love that had guided her from the darkness where Portia had tried to trap her. She wanted to go toward it.

  “Julia!” Decius whispered sharply. “You shouldn’t be here! I shouldn’t be here,” he added in wonder.

  “Shhh!” she said, her fear completely gone.

  Just ahead of them, Master Clement and Pyrrhus walked with a woman between them, their arms linked through hers. It must be Portia, but not the shriveled crone Julia had known. This woman stood tall and strong, and her hair was unsilvered.

  But she struggled, twisting in their grasp, and Julia recognized her face-a face marked with frustration and determination. Portia when, with all good intentions, she had first turned from the Reader’s Code, thinking the ends would justify her means.

  “Look behind you, fools!” Portia spat. “Take me into death, and you take them as well!”

  Even together, the two men could not hold her from forcing them to turn around.

  “Julia! Deems!” exclaimed Master Clement. Julia could Read his dismay, and realized that Portia had used the insatiable curiosity of young Readers to bring hostages with her to the plane of the dead.

  “Julia, let them take me and you are dead,” said Portia. “I will take you back to your world, give you my power-together we will rule!”

  “You influenced me through your scrolls, Portia,” Julia said. “They made me accept you then-but they also made me know you. Now I see what your life made you. I will never become like you.”

  “You’ll never have the chance. Clement is about to abandon you. Neither Decius nor Pyrrhus can take you home. If you would live, you must help me to live again!”

  Julia stared at Master Clement. “Is it true?”

  “I must take Portia through the portal,” he replied. “Otherwise, she will not go.”

  “But what about us? Do we have to die too?”

  “Yes!” Portia hissed. “Pyrrhus is dead already-he can never return to his body. You will die unless Clement takes you home.”

  “No!” said Decius, taking Julia’s hand. “I’ve moved from one plane to another before. I’ll get us home.”

  Portia laughed. “You’ll be lost on the planes of existence!”

  Master Clement, for all his experience, had become lost when he brought Portia here before. How could Decius find the way?

  Portia drew strength from Julia’s fear-and Decius’.

  Pyrrhus said, “Portia is right. Take them home, Master Clement. I will take Portia through the portal.”

  “No,” said Master Clement. “I must complete the task I failed before. You will take Julia and Decius home, Master Pyrrhus.”

  Julia Read Pyrrhus’ shock. “I can’t be a Master Reader,” he said. “I wouldn’t be able to Read once I returned. If I could return.”


  “Then be a Lord Adept,” Master Clement replied. “My work in that world is finished. You have much to do yet, Lord Pyrrhus.” He turned away as if the matter were settled, and spoke to Decius.

  “Decius, learn to use both your powers well. You may be both a Master Reader and a Lord Adept one day.”

  “Yes, Master,” Decius said uncertainly.

  “And Julia,’ her teacher told her, “your powers are great for one so young-I underestimated you, child.

  It never occurred to me that you could leave your body, let alone follow us here.”

  “You see, Julia?” said Portia. “Clement did not appreciate your powers-and now you will die for it!”

  Despite herself, fear swelled in Julia. Portia fed upon it, and broke free of Master Clement’s grasp. “I am your only hope, child,” she said, reaching for Julia’s hand. “Let me take you safely home, teach you to use your powers, not deny them!”

  Julia shrank from the grasping hand. “I’m afraid of being lost-but I’m much more afraid of becoming like you!”

  Master Clement recaptured Portia. “You won’t be lost, Julia,” he told her. “Pyrrhus will take you home.

  You will study, and gain control of your powers. Your father will aid you to use them wisely, as will your mother-and you must help them with your little sister.”

  “Yes, Master,” Julia said helplessly.

  They turned and moved toward the beckoning light once more, only Portia struggling futilely. The rest were drawn to it-Julia wondered why she should want to go back when the promise of joy and peace lay ahead, through the portal.

  The first rays of light touched them.

  Portia screamed and writhed as if she were burned!

  Both Master Clement and Pyrrhus had to exert their full strength to hold her. She was burning. They could Read her pain, see flames engulf her struggling form.

  Portia’s agony was transmitted to the two men holding her, but they would not let her go, let her escape.

  Master Clement moved ahead, pulling Portia with him, reaching across her to disengage Pyrrhus’ hands as he moved farther into the brightness.

  The old Master was almost blotted out by the brilliance. Julia squinted against it, seeing Portia still writhing, trying to seize the advantage when Pyrrhus let her go-but she could not escape Master Clement’s grip.

  And then, to Julia’s amazement, the woman’s struggles ceased.

  The flames were washed away by the brilliance of the pure light-and Julia understood that they had been Portia’s last defense. As they faded, the brilliant light increased. Julia could not be sure of what she saw in that blinding light, but it seemed to be Portia as she had been when she first became Master of Masters-young, bright, honest, and determined to use her powers for good. She stared into the light, and it seemed to Julia that a warm smile made her unutterably beautiful.

  And then the two forms disappeared in the blinding light.

  Instinctively, Julia and Decius stared to follow-but Pyrrhus grasped their arms. “It is not your time,” he said. “You must go back now.”

  With gentle firmness, he turned them away from the beckoning light. “Read with me.”

  They did-and all light was gone!

  Again the sickening twist, chaos, darkness, whirling winds.

  The illusion of a physical body gone Julia struggled to stay in rapport with Pyrrhus and Decius as they r

  plummeted and twisted through the planes of existence.

  Pyrrhus in control of his Reading was a clear, strong force-no question that he was a Master Reader.

  He brought them to a halt in a starry void, peaceful and beautiful. But they were not on the ground looking up at stars; they were disembodied minds floating, with the stars around them in every direction.

  “Picture our physical world,” Pyrrhus instructed, “the room we left-now!”

  There was that odd twisting feeling again-and they were minds floating in nothingness. Even the stars were gone. Julia could not control her thought: “This isn’t home!”

  It was a vacuum that sucked at her as if it would draw her mind out into millions of separate bits, out of contact.

  “Julia!”

  Pyrrhus was there, and Decius. “It’s the plane of privacy,” said Decius-although in the naked clarity of thought here she perceived that he merely hoped that was “where” they were.

  “Again,” directed Pyrrhus. “Aradia’s room, our bodies in the circle.”

  But Julia had forgotten what it was like to have a physical body. She shared Decius’ and Pyrrhus’

  attempts to reach out for their bodies, but they were as unsuccessful as she was. Panic ruined her concentration. She began to fear they would never get home, but Pyrrhus’ strong, gentle intelligence insisted, “We will get there. You will return, even if I cannot. Read for-ah!”

  Julia felt it, too-the sweet, silly, frightened but brave presence that was Wicket’s unmistakable mental aura. Clumsy but determined, he sent out a wordless call to Pyrrhus. They followed it.

  For one moment Julia hung above the scene, looking down at herself, Decius, Pyrrhus, Wicket, still holding hands, Wicket’s mind desperately searching for theirs.

  “You’re back!” his mind shouted in glee, and with a jolt, Julia found herself, stiff and sore, in her own body on the floor of Aradia’s bedroom. Wicket looked over at her in relief, glanced at Decius as he opened his eyes-but across from Julia Pyrrhus’ body remained slumped, unconscious.

  “Pyrrhus?” Wicket questioned.

  “Yes-I’m here, Wicket”

  “Come back, Pyrrhus, please.” Wicket pleaded. “I don’t mind translating for you-you can always leave your body again if you want to Read. But come back now, please?”

  Ill can’t… find the way. 11

  It was as Portia had said: he could not return to his body.

  Julia Read his problem: he could not “feel” his body through the destroyed nerves that should have made the connection between the mental and the physical. Wicket Read with her and choked down panic.

  “What can we do?”

  “I don’t know,” she told him, feeling sick now that she once again had a body capable of reacting to her emotions. Master Clement should have known this would happen!

  But the old Master had seemed so certain that Pyrrhus could return. Oh, surely Portia could not be right and Master Clement wrong!

  Then she remembered. “Master Clement said to be a Lord Adept, Pyrrhus!”

  “What? I can’t use Adept power without-” As if to demonstrate, he attempted to brace for Adept power-and they all felt the shock as he fell back into his body. With a gasp, he opened his eyes. Then he blinked, and laughed. “Not graceful, but effective. Thank you, Julia.”

  “Yes, thank you,” said Wicket. “I don’t think any of us were ready for anther ghost hanging around!”

  He turned back to Pyrrhus, who was stretching with a wince. Then his Adept powers automatically began to ease his cramped muscles, and the headache from his abrupt transition to the physical. Decius also exerted Adept strength to relieve his discomfort, but all Julia could do was stretch, with a grunt as her mistreated body protested her leaving it in that position on the cold floor.

  Lilith had come over when Pyrrhus first spoke. Now she put a hand on Julia’s shoulder, and healing warmth eased away her misery. “What happened?” the Lady Adept asked.

  “Portia is where she belongs,” said Julia. “Master Clement…”

  Lilith’s eyes darted to the still form on the lounge by the window. “Oh, no,” she whispered, paling.

  “Lilith,” said Julia, “he took Portia, knowing he would have to go with her. But-it’s beautiful. I can’t tell you…”

  They were all climbing to their feet now, Wicket sniffing as a tear escaped his control. “Poor old man,” he said.

  “No,” said Pyrrhus. “If you had known him longer, Wicket, you would not grieve. If any man ever fulfilled his life, it was Master Clement.”

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nbsp; Lilith nodded. “Pyrrhus is right. We all miss him, but if we grieve it will be for our loss of his strength and wisdom, not for the unfulfilled potential that causes our grief over most deaths.”

  And Julia felt no grief at all-only a deep determination to pattern her own life after that of the Master of Masters.

  Aradia wakened to a cramping pain. After a few moments she realized that she was in labor, and that her body had been coping with such pains for some time. At least to the extent of suppressing pain, her Adept powers were back!

  She Read, and found her child in position for delivery, but it would be hours yet. It was not quite dawn.

  She should try to get some more sleep before—

  Suddenly she remembered-when? Yesterday afternoon. Portia possessing Julia, threatening to possess her unborn child.

  “Julia! Julia-wake up!”

  But it was Wicket who answered her call. “Aradia! You’ll wake up every Reader in the city. Julia’s all right. Everybody’s all right, except-”

  Wicket was too upset to verbalize it, but even with her weakened powers, Aradia caught the knowledge.

  “Master Clement… is dead.”

  “He took Portia to the plane of the dead, Pyrrhus says. Aradia, should I wake Lady Lilith for you?”

  Then: “Hey! You’re Reading!”

  “I’m all right,” Aradia said, realizing that although she would miss Master Clement deeply, she did not feel the shocking grief she had when they had thought him dead before.

  “You are all right,” a familiar “voice” suddenly spoke in her mind, “but you are also in labor, Aradia.”

  “Lenardo! Oh, Lenardo-where are you?”

  “On the fastest horse from Wulfston’s stable-except for the one he’s riding.”

  “We’ll be there by this evening, Big Sister,” came another familiar “voice” although she had never Read it before.

  “Wulfston! You’ve learned to Read!”

  “And that’s not all the news-but we’ll tell you when we get there. If my new niece arrives before we do, tell her hello for me.”

  “Father!” Julia suddenly joined the conversation. Aradia let her ask questions, discover Wulfston in the rapport, while she coped with another contraction.