Flight to Savage Empire

Chapter Six

Hopelessly, Astra clung to the rock face high above the campfire, out of breath, her limbs aching with the exertion. She could not concentrate in her despair, and so her Reading was wide open, Zanos’ growing hunger for the white lotus turning her insides into a sucking vacuum, screaming to be filled.

“Zanos-wait!” she cried without knowing what she said. “Don’t leave me! Take me with you to Vortius-I will take the white lotus with you.”

He stopped, peering down at her, silhouetted against the growing light. Then he held one huge hand out to her. “Yes, Astra-yes, my love, come with me.”

Unthinking, she scrambled toward him, breath burning in her lungs, arms trembling. She reached for an outcropping, clung to it with her left arm as with her right hand she reached toward Zanos. Her toes lost their purchase, throwing all her weight onto her left arm-which had no strength left.

Zanos’ hand grabbed for hers, missed-

Despite all her volition, her left arm shook uncontrollably. Her elbow straightened and her hand began to slip-

Suddenly, her body was moving without her will, her thrashing right arm captured as if in Zanos’ net and wrapped around the outcropping of rock. She clung in terror, her face against the rock, blood pounding in her ears as she Read the cavern below. It sucked her downward just as the craving in Zanos sucked at him, at them-

“Climb down,” Zanos said. “I will help you, but I cannot lift your whole weight with Adept power.”

“I can’t,” she sobbed, knowing she held on by his will, not her own. She closed herself off to Reading with all her strength, enclosed in a physical world of touch and sound, her eyes squeezed tight as if to shut out the knowledge that she could not remain there, had to do something.

“You must move,” Zanos told her. “Astra, I won’t let you fall-but you have to climb down yourself!”

He climbed down toward her, but there was no ledge at that level wide enough to allow him to pull her to him. “Go on,” he insisted. “Reach down with your left foot… Astra- Read, for Hesta’s sake! Find the hand-and footholds. I promise-I won’t let you fall.”

But she was paralyzed, her head burning with fever, her hands and feet numb with cold. She couldn’t get her breath… until she allowed herself to Read Zanos beside her, ignoring the growing pain in his own body out of his concern for her.

He came back to me!

Leaning emotionally on his strength, she found the courage to Read for a lower foothold, to let go the false safety of the rocky outcropping and grope her way downward, holding her Reading very carefully to her immediate area, lest she be sucked down into that whirlpool again. Each time her physical strength failed, Zanos would blank out of her Reading. Astra felt panic when that happened, but then his Adept strength would hold her, strengthening her trembling limbs until-

Zanos let go! As he fell past her, Astra screamed- and fell-

Into his arms.

He had dropped only a short distance to the cavern floor. Astra, concentrating on her Reading, hadn’t realized they were almost down.

Zanos hugged her tightly, whispering, “You’re all right! Astra, I’ll never let you be hurt-please, don’t cry.

You’re safe now.”

But her tears came from her realization. ” You are all right, Zanos! Oh, my husband, you’ve come back to me!”

He set her on her feet, very carefully, as if she might break. Then he stared at her, blinking, the agonizing cramps ripping through his body at total odds with the joy he felt as he said, “Yes! Astra-you mean more to me than any drug!”

And then he doubled over with the pain.

Astra dropped to her knees beside him, Reading chills shaking him even as sweat beaded his skin.

“Zanos-”

“No-” he gasped. “It’s all right now. Just pain-” He gritted his teeth as a spasm convulsed him. “I know-what to do-about pain.”

He sank down again on the blankets, and this time when his presence disappeared to her Reading, Astra felt the healing fire begin in his chest, spreading outward-a raging fire burning worse than the agonizing cramps. Zanos’ face was a mask of pain as he endured long enough to be sure the fire would continue.

At last, he let himself sleep.

“Thank Hesta,” sighed Astra, sinking down next to him. Her trembling slacked off as she realized the nightmare was over. They were out of the Aventine Empire, and now they were free of Vortius-

Or were they? The gambler would certainly have his men out looking for Zanos by now, and he had to have hours of healing sleep before they could leave. Astra would have to protect him.

How could she do that? She had no strength, no courage…

But looking at Zanos, who had overcome his drug craving for her sake, she decided, / must ignore my fear, as Zanos ignored his pain for me, and do what has to be done.

Apprehensively, Astra let her Reading power stretch beyond the cave, searching for their enemies.

Zanos woke to a world of light and shadow. He squinted as he sat up, for the noon sun shone almost directly down the rock chimney.

“Astra?”

There was no answer. A part of him wanted to believe that his returning memories were nothing but a bad dream, but everything he saw confirmed the truth: Astra had risked everything to free him from Vortius and the white lotus. His feelings of love and gratitude, though, were soured by anxiety. Where was she?

He climbed slowly to his feet, weak and very hungry. He needed more sleep-but it was hunger that had wakened him. There was probably some food among the supplies Astra had brought, but he couldn’t think of that until he was sure she was safe.

He heard hoofbeats outside. Was that Astra returning? What if it was someone else?

He couldn’t get out through the labyrinth-only a Reader could find the way. After a time he heard footsteps-but there were also renegade Readers in the savage lands.

His back flattened against the cave wall, Zanos braced his meager strength and waited. In moments, Astra came through the entry-and jumped when she saw him.

“Don’t do that!” she breathed. “I thought you’d still be asleep.”

His only reply was to grasp her and kiss her, needing the warm reality of her in his arms. She dropped the small sack she was carrying, and at the smell of sun-warmed berries the needs of his body overwhelmed the needs of his heart, and he released her.

“You frightened me,” he said. “I was afraid Vortius’ men had captured you.”

“They could have captured both of us,” Astra said as she sat down by the smoldering fire. “I took the horses and set up a false trail-I hope I did it right. I tried to make it look as if we headed back toward the empire.”

“Good thinking,” he said, sitting down next to her. “That will buy us a little more time.” Ravenous, he tore open the sack and began devouring berries.

Astra gave him an understanding smile. “I’m sorry I couldn’t bring you back some meat. I don’t know how to hunt or trap-and besides, I can’t cook. The Academies hire cooks. Students just serve the meals and clean up afterward.”

“I can cook,” he told her. “I had to learn after I gained my freedom. It was a long time before I could afford to pay for meals, and nutrition is important to a gladiator. Don’t worry-I’ll teach you to cook.

And to use a sword.”

“A sword? Me?” She laughed at first, then must have seen or Read that he was serious, for she added, “I don’t know a thing about fighting.”

“The best reason for you to start learning at once. Astra, we don’t know what we’ll face between here and Madura. The more combat skills we have between us, the better. I packed extra weapons among our supplies.”

“I noticed,” she said. “Very heavy. Zanos… I don’t know if I’m capable of hurting another person. I saw how helpless you were this morning, and if I had to I would try to defend you. But I hope I don’t ever have to!”

“So do I, but we cannot count on that much good fortune, as far as we have to travel.”

“Where do we go from here?” she asked, changing the subject.

“North,” he said, finishing a spring apple and still feeling ravenous. “First we get at least a day’s ride away from Vortius, to gain time to plan. Right now, my powers are too weak to risk a confrontation with him and his men.”

“You won’t have to confront him. You’re free of him now.”

“Yes, thanks to you,” he acknowledged. “But what he did cannot go unanswered. He enslaved me and my gladiators with white lotus, and further degraded us by giving us two overseers-Ard and Lanna. ‘

“So he got them to betray you,” Astra concluded, “by giving them power over their former master.”

Zanos nodded. “Call it regaining honor or call it seeking revenge, I will see them again before we reach our goal. And this time there will be no Aventine law to protect them!”

“But how did Vortius force you to take the white lotus? With all your Adept powers-”

“-I’m no Reader,” he replied ruefully. “Nor am I as powerful an Adept as you think. I can’t do most of the things the savage sorcerers do. I can’t even change the weather, as Serafon can. And no amount of Adept power can protect a nonReader from a cowardly blow to the back of the head. By the time I regained consciousness, wine laced with white lotus had already been poured down my throat… and my mind was no longer my own.”

He cringed at the humiliating memory, but forced himself to continue. “They tied me up and took me to a dark room somewhere. Vortius fed more of the stuff to me, until I believed anything he told me,” He spat out a piece of apple core in disgust. “If not for Serafon, I’d have killed him long ago. I should have!”

“I understand,” Astra said quietly. “That’s why Serafon never told you that Vortius is her son. “

In stunned silence, Zanos listened as Astra told him things Serafon had never told him in all the years he had known her. When she finished, he managed to ask, “Vortius doesn’t know?”

“No. I don’t think she could bring herself to-” Astra stopped suddenly, her eyes focused on something beyond the cave wall.

“What’s wrong?” Zanos asked. “Vortius?”

“His men are riding this way again. My false trail didn’t fool them. They’re perhaps a quarter-hour away-”

“Then let’s go!” Zanos snatched up the blankets and musical instruments, and they quickly repacked everything. Astra led the way out through the caverns. They fastened their supplies to the packhorses and climbed aboard the other two mounts.

“I know how to avoid them,” Astra said.

“Then you lead the way,” Zanos said, grabbing up the packhorses’ reins.

The trail Astra chose took them well east of Vortius’ camp, but Zanos felt as if he had missed a confrontation with his enemy by a hand’s span. And even though the men searching for him were far behind, he could not shake off the feeling that they were being closely pursued.

“We’re safe now,” Astra announced as she slowed her horse to a walk. “They’ve turned back to their camp.”

“Vortius is afraid of the hill bandits,” Zanos told her. “That’s why he needed so many men-large bands of robbers in these hills. Another reason you must learn to defend yourself.”

“I’ve already agreed,” Astra replied. “I just don’t know if I can learn it.”

The next few miles passed in silence. Astra seemed to be concentrating more than she had been back there when Vortius’ men were following them. He wondered if it was an act, to avoid discussing the lessons she didn’t want to learn. But if she doesn’t learn to defend herself what will happen to her if we’re separated- or if I’m killed? After all, male Readers were trained in swordplay, so it couldn’t be true that a Reader couldn’t stand to harm another person.

But she was a woman-and his wife. This business of being a husband carried responsibilities he hadn’t fully considered when they were back in Tiberium. / think I’m starting to understand what Serafon meant.

When they stopped to rest, Zanos used his Adept powers to kill a rabbit, then started a cooking fire to roast it. While he was skinning and gutting it, Astra went foraging again-and only when she returned and he saw her eyes skitter away from the sight of the roasting rabbit did he remember that Readers kept to a vegetarian diet to preserve their powers.

But she shared what she had found, berries and mushrooms and greens. Nonetheless, Zanos noticed that she kept her face turned away from him as he devoured the meat his body craved.

Eventually Zanos broke the tense silence. “Are you going to be uncomfortable every time I eat meat?”

She managed a hesitant smile. “No. I know you need it. I’ll learn to prepare it for you-Zanos, I understand that you have to eat such food for both your physical strength and your Adept powers.”

“And I can see why you hadn’t even the strength to lift your own body out of that cave back there. Astra, that’s not a balanced diet.”

“No, it’s not, ‘ she agreed. “But it will be if I can get some cheese and nuts and good bread. There must be places where we can buy-”

Suddenly her eyes widened, and she gasped. “A Reader! Zanos-there’s a Reader only a few miles from here-and he’s broadcasting a warning to other Readers!’

With Zanos standing guard, Astra left her body to Read what was happening on the seacoast. The Aventine fleet was attempting to enter the natural harbor on the west coast of the savage lands. On a hill overlooking the harbor she found the source of the mental voice: a young male Reader was just returning to his body, which lay on a spread cloak. Nearby two men stood facing the sea, both unReadable.

“They refuse to turn back, Wulfston,” the Reader said as he sat up. “They think their army is too big to be defeated.”

The older of the other two-a young black man with the bearing of a leader-frowned angrily. “I expected as much. Let them know that we are about to give them a demonstration.”

The Reader lay down again on his cloak, and did not even bother to close his eyes before leaving his body. He’s blind! Astra realized. This had to be the renegade Torio, whom the savages had raised from the dead!

Astra Read him move among the shiploads of soldiers, sailors, and Readers, “heard” him broadcast another warning, telling them that their ships would never reach shore. Back on the hilltop, the black man put a hand on the arm of his other companion, a frail-looking youth who was also blind. “Ready, Rolf?”

“Yes, my lord,” the boy replied, and both of them became unReadable once again as a strong wind suddenly rose, shaking the Aventine vessels to and fro. Astra watched their sorcerers’ powers in action with horrified fascination. Only two people trying to stop that vast flotilla-and she felt they actually might succeed!

The “demonstration” ended with no damage to the ships or their occupants.

Torio pleaded with the Aventine Readers to make

the fleet reverse course, but the invaders refused to turn and run from two Adepts and a renegade Reader.

It was after sundown when the first ship neared the shore, ready to unload troops and Readers. But the two Adepts conjured up another windstorm out of the cloudless sky, much fiercer than the first. Ships whirled like toys-one capsized, breaking apart and spilling people into the churning waters.

Astra watched helplessly as at least a dozen people drowned-six of them Readers. Their mental screams clawed at her like the screams of those who had died at Gaeta.

Zanos put more wood on the fire to keep off the evening chill, then carefully placed a blanket over Astra’s still body. Every few minutes he checked to be sure she still breathed.

His mind went back to the ordeal they had shared in the cave, both in and out of their bodies. It seemed like much more than one day had gone by since then, while this waiting for Astra to return felt like an eternity.

I should be with her, he told himself. If he could do that Reader’s trick while he was under the influence of the drug, surely he could do it easily now that he was back in control of himself.

But someone had to remain here, guarding Astra’s body in this strange forest while her spirit performed a Readers prime function: to search out truth. And after watching the care she had taken before leaving her body-looking for a smooth and level patch of ground, spreading a blanket on the spot, and then gingerly positioning her body on it-he knew that there was more to this trick than he had thought. There was so much he could learn from her, perhaps as much as he wanted to teach her about-

A soft moan signified Astra’s return. Zanos dropped to one knee beside her as she sat up, obviously upset. “Are you all right?” he asked. “What happened?”

“We’re in more danger than we thought,” the Reader replied, and told him what she had just witnessed.

“These Adepts may not really be able to turn ships to stone, but their methods are just as effective.”

“Wait,” said Zanos, settling beside her. “There’s something you said that I don’t understand. This Torio warned the Aventine Readers three times to turn back? And the Adepts gave them a demonstration of their power and a chance to retreat?”

“Yes, but-”

“Astra, if I had that much Adept power, and an army invading my lands, I might bother with one warning before defending myself-but certainly not three! And the storm. You said it destroyed only three ships?

What about the others?”

“They managed to get away,” Astra replied.

“When the Adepts ran out of energy? They couldn’t sink all the ships?”

“… no, ” Astra admitted. “I had the impression that they could have kept the storm going for some time, but-” She stared at him. “Zanos, are you defending the savages?”

“No,” he replied. “I’m just sharing my feelings that there is something wrong-something unexpected here. You said the three savages told the survivors of the shipwrecks to come ashore?”

“Yes, and the Reader broadcast a promise that they wouldn’t be harmed. He was wasting his time, though. No Reader would risk it, and none of the other survivors could Read his message.”

“What about you?” Zanos pressed. “Did you believe his message? Was he sincere in wanting them to come ashore?”

“Well, of course he was-think what they could do

with a dozen more Readers, their minds twisted like Torio’s to work against their own people!”

Zanos nodded, but asked, “Did anyone else go ashore?”

“Yes,” Astra admitted reluctantly. “There were people from Lord Wulfston’s lands to help soldiers and sailors get ashore. What do you make of all this, Zanos?”

“When someone invades your land with an army,” he explained, “do you waste manpower and resources taking any prisoners but valuable hostages? The commanders of the army would make bargaining tools-

but from what I know of military tactics, the commanders approach the shore only after the land has been secured. So all this ‘Lord Wulfston’ has got is foot soldiers and seamen to feed and house-a cadre of his enemies inside his own land. That sounds incredibly foolish to me.”

“Maybe he plans to turn them all into loyal savages,” Astra suggested. “Twist their minds against the empire.”

“Three shiploads of people?” he reminded her. “That’s at least sixty people, probably more. Even supposing this sorcerer has that much power, he hasn’t got the time. That fleet will find a place to land and march into his territory from another direction. Wulfston will have to meet the invaders and protect his people-or his own subjects will turn against him.”

Astra shook her head in confusion. “Why would he rescue Aventine citizens from a storm he created? He could have drowned them all. Zanos, you can’t suggest it was out of the goodness of his heart. Wulfston and Torio were the Reader/Adept pair who devastated the hospital at Gaeta!”

She was right-anyone capable of such an act would not be motivated by humanitarian principles. “I don’t know,” he replied. “But there’s more to these savages than we thought, Astra. We certainly can’t assume we understand them!”

The next morning, Vortius broke camp and continued north. Zanos and Astra did the same, using hill trails that paralleled the gambler’s course, but always kept them out of his sight. In recovering from his ordeal with the white lotus, Zanos had remembered that ten of the caravan’s packhorses carried nothing but sacks of gold, a fortune to rival the Emperor’s treasure house.

“That gold represents misery and death, all caused by Vortius,” he told Astra. “Before I kill him, I have to find out what he plans to do with it, why so many had to suffer for his greed.”

Zanos was unReadable, waiting for Astra to offer to try to Read Vortius’ plans. She refused to take the cue, reluctant to take part in his vengeance. I’m afraid again, but why fight if we don’t have to, and for no good reason?

When the caravan stopped to rest and feed the horses, so did Zanos and Astra. And that was when Zanos insisted on beginning his wife’s lessons in swordsmanship.

The short sword he gave her might have been light by his standards, but she found it unwieldy. And Zanos was a harsh taskmaster, insisting that she repeat the primary exercises until her shoulders ached and her palm was blistered-and although she put her best efforts into following his instructions, he soon lost patience.

“Astra, you’re not even trying!”

“Yes, I am!” she cried, throwing the sword away from her in disgust. “Zanos, I’m not a fighter! I can barely lift that thing, let alone make all those fancy moves.”

The gladiator took several deep breaths, obviously bringing his temper under control. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “It may seem I’m asking too much of you,

but I know I’m not. You may not be a swordswoman, but you are a fighter. You fought the corruption in the Readers’ system-”

“No, I didn’t,” she said on a stab of shame. “Tressa wanted to fight it, but I was too frightened. I fought Portia only when she attacked first-she forced me to defend myself.”

“And we may meet attackers who will force you to do much worse,” Zanos stated matter-of-factly. He picked up the sword and wiped the blade clean. “Here.” He replaced it on the belt too large for Astra’s slim frame. “That’s enough practice for the moment, but I want you to keep wearing it.”

“Keep tripping over it, you mean!”

“You’ll learn to move with it. Come on-Vortius will be moving soon.”

They covered several miles of hill trails without exchanging a word. Astra’s powers monitored Vortius’

party without her having to concentrate on the task, leaving her conscious mind free to think about what she had left behind. Tiberium might have become too dangerous for her to stay there, but it had been home, and she missed it. She remembered teaching music to the young girls at the Academy, ignoring her current aches and pains by remembering-

Smoke!

She was jolted out of reverie by the sight and smell of a thick black cloud on the northwest horizon. Far too big to be a campfire.

“Zanos-”

“I see it,” he said, pulling up next to her. “Can you Read that far?”

It was about two miles away. “By the gods!” Astra breathed. “It’s a village being raided!”

“Vortius?”

“No. I don’t know who-”

Three score of men were setting fire to the wooden huts of people who could barely fight back. She saw a young girl carried off by an ugly brute who laughed at her terrified screams.

An adolescent boy snatched up a sword and ran at the man, only to be cut down from behind by another raider, who laughed, “Gotta share her now, Yorgo!”

Astra screamed at the boy’s death agony, and withdrew into herself, separating her mind from the pain.

Zanos touched her shoulder.

“I’m all right,” she said tersely. “But those people are being slaughtered!”

The gladiator looked to the east, then back at the smoke column. His indecision lasted only for a moment. “Come on!” he said, kicking his horse to a gallop.

Astra slapped her horse’s flank and took off after Zanos, the sword slapping against her thigh.

They rode into a scene of devastation. Bodies littered the ground, the cries of the dying mingled with the crackle of flames. Astra Read a handful of survivors as she and Zanos dismounted.

“Which one first?” he asked, eyeing the bleeding bodies.

Astra ran to the side of a girl of about twelve. She lay unconscious, a large gash in her right side. Even with her limited medical training, Astra could tell that no Aventine healer could stop that bleeding- but…

“Zanos-?”

He knelt beside her, placing his hands over the wound. The bleeding stopped almost immediately, and the girl drifted from unconsciousness to healing sleep as her severed flesh drew together.

As Astra began Reading other survivors, Zanos suddenly exclaimed, “This one!”

She whirled at the intensity of his voice, to find him kneeling over a leather-garbed man who writhed in pain. Her husband gripped the man’s upper right arm in anger, not concern.

“He’s one of the raiders, Zanos, not-”

“I know that! Read him for me!”

Startled at his tone and manner, Astra nonetheless complied. “Internal bleeding, and severed tendons in his upper calves.” She guided Zanos in stopping the bleeding and reconnecting the tendons, but in the midst of it their patient suddenly passed out.

“There,” Zanos said with satisfaction. “He’ll stay unconscious until I can question him.”

“Question him about what?” Astra wanted to know.

“Later. Right now there are his victims to help.”

With Astra’s guidance, Zanos used his healing powers on two other severely injured villagers, then asked,

“Are there any others in danger of death?”

“No, but-”

“Good.” But as he turned back toward the unconscious raider he coughed. Their eyes watered in the acrid smoke. “Maybe some of their homes can be salvaged,” said Zanos-and where he looked, the flames died away, revealing that several dwellings might be made habitable.

But Astra saw that Zanos’ efforts were depleting his strength. “Please,” she told him, “use your powers for healing.” There were still an old woman with a skull fracture and concussion, and a young man with a broken collarbone. Zanos worked on them while Astra Read the others-but when he joined her at the side of an unconscious middle-aged woman, he staggered against her, breathing heavily, close to exhaustion.

Just then a scream from behind them caused both Reader and Adept to turn. From the other side of the village came a young woman, hair loose and disheveled, shrieking an attack cry as she charged them with a sword.

The moment of surprise brought Astra’s Reading wide open. She could sense the girl’s frenzy and Zanos’

weakness in the same moment.

Instinctively, Astra jumped to her feet and stepped in front of Zanos-

Within five paces of Astra, the girl suddenly seemed to trip and fall. She landed at the Reader’s feet, unconscious.

With a sigh of relief, Astra turned to thank her husband, who was sinking back on his haunches, barely able to stay awake-

And only then did she realize that she had drawn her sword, and was gripping the hilt tightly with both hands.

Zanos woke to find himself lying on a straw mat in one of the huts he’d saved from the flames. Astra sat tailor-fashion not far from him, cleaning her sword with an oil-soaked rag.

“Good morning,” she said as he sat up. “How are you feeling?”

He almost replied, “You’re the Reader-you tell me,” but remembered that they were in a land where Aventine Readers were feared and killed. Looking around warily, he asked, “Did I pass out? The last thing I recall was… stopping someone from attacking you.”

“You expended all your energy saving the villagers, putting out the fires, and then saving me-again,” she told him. “You hadn’t had time to recover completely from the white lotus, either. But you didn’t pass out; you went into a kind of trance. After I straightened things out with Trel, we got you into this hut, where you fell asleep.”

“Trel?”

“He’s sort of the village elder. He and Kimma- the woman with the sword-were returning home when they saw the smoke, just as we did. When they arrived and saw the destruction, Kimma assumed the strangers she saw here were responsible. That’s why she attacked. But when Trel saw you put her to sleep

rather than kill her, he wasn’t so quick to assume we were his enemies.”

“But how could you communicate?” asked Zanos. “You don’t speak their language-”

“No, she doesn’t,” said a voice from the doorway, “but I still speak Aventine.”

Zanos looked past Astra to the gray-bearded man entering the hut with a tray of food. This had to be Trel, a tall, thin man of more than sixty years, but with the stride and bearing of a younger man. His most striking feature was clear blue eyes. They seemed to take in everything, revealing little. The eyes of a hunter.

“In fact,” Trel continued, “everyone in the village speaks at least a little.” He gestured Zanos to remain seated, handed him the tray, and sank to a sitting position. Smiling, he held out his hand. “I welcome you to my home, friend Zanos, and thank you for what you did yesterday. “

Zanos and Trel grasped one another’s forearms as a sign of newfound friendship. It was a long time since Zanos had done this with sincerity… not since he had befriended Ard. He pushed away that memory as their host bade them eat.

“One of the people you saved is Deela, my wife,” Trel added. “Astra told me when she Read Deela this morning-”

Zanos stared at Astra in astonishment.

She said calmly, “No, I didn’t tell them I’m a Reader. I didn’t have to.”

Trel chuckled. “You missed the sight of your wife holding me at bay with her sword. The moment she spoke, I knew she was Aventine, and well educated. But she doesn’t have the arrogance of the highborn.

She was more than a little surprised when I assumed she was a Dark Moon Reader.”

“And when did you escape from the empire?” Zanos asked.

Trel’s smile faded. “I didn’t. Thirty-five years ago, this area was part of the Aventine Empire. My family had a small farm in the lowlands. Then Drakonius pushed the border back a few miles-right over our land. We and some of our neighbors fled into the hills, and survived by staying out of Drakonius’ way.

Our village had a Reader, which made it much easier for us.

“Eventually we settled here, fighting off the roving bandits until our rights were respected. Then we found we could trade with them.”

“You never tried to get back into the empire?” Astra asked.

The old man snorted. “From what I’ve heard, the present Emperor is no better than the one who ruled when our lands were lost. If there was justice in the empire, would you two have run away? Here, we enjoy a good measure of freedom… or we did until recently.” He continued sadly, “Many of the clans call these the Red Hills, for all the blood that’s been shed in them. Robberies, raids-not to mention feuds between clans. Our village was always the calm within the storm-until yesterday. We’ve paid a severe price for becoming lax and overconfident. Yesterday morning we were nearly fifty. Now we are fewer than twenty.”

“But who attacked you?” asked Zanos. “And why?**

“The clan of the White Crow,” Trel said tightly. “Of all the bandit clans, they’re the most vicious and cowardly. They usually camp southwest of here, robbing people on the trade routes between the lands of the Black Wolf and the Red Dragon. But when the Aventines invaded the lands of the Black Wolf two days ago, the Crows took flight-raiding any settlement in their path. It was bad enough that they took the food we worked so hard to store, but to kill and destroy, just for sport-”

“Perhaps because of envy,” Astra said. “Success draws many jealous enemies. That’s a harsh lesson my husband and I recently learned.”

Zanos said, “We’ll find out what their motives were when we question the prisoner. Is he still unconscious?”

“No, but he’s not going anywhere,” the old man replied. “I bound him hand and foot before he woke up.

He’s been doing a lot of cursing. Why did you save his life? Do you know him?”

“Not exactly,” Zanos replied. “I recognized the sunburst tattoo on his arm. The last time I saw it was over twenty years ago-on the arm of every crew-member of the Sunrider, the slaver ship that took me to the Aventine Empire!”

Zanos cut the ropes that bound the prisoner, then backed away toward the tree stump where Astra was sitting. Except for these three, the village center was deserted. The raider stared at them warily as he rubbed circulation back into his limbs. But he couldn’t get up.

“We stopped the bleeding and closed your wound,” Zanos said as he sheathed his knife, “but I didn’t heal the nerve damage in your legs-so you can forget about running away. We’ll finish healing you after you’ve answered our questions. I am Zanos, and this is Astra, my wife. What’s your name?”

The man said nothing, staring defiantly.

Zanos let out an exasperated breath. “Astra?”

“His name is Sarno,” she said flatly, and terror leaped into the hill bandit’s eyes.

“Yes, she’s a Reader, ” Zanos said. “She could pull every thought, every secret out of your mind, but we’d rather you tell us freely. I don’t want to hurt you, even though I have plenty of reason. You are a former slaver, and I… am a former slave.”

Sarno’s reaction was a laugh full of bitterness and anger. “Aye,” he replied, “I was a slaver. For less than a year.”

“Aboard the Sunrider?” Zanos prompted.

“Aye.” Sarno slapped at the tattoo on his arm. “I signed on an’ took ‘er mark, then found I was in a dyin’ business-a slaver on a route where slaves were becomin’ hard to get and even harder to sell. They need lots o’ slaves in an empire that’s growin’, not one that’s havin’ its borders pushed back ever’ few years. And there ain’t many kingdoms buys slaves anymore, not in this part o’ the world, anyhow.”

“And the Sunrider got its slaves from the northern islands, right?” the Maduran pressed.

“Wrong,” Sarno threw back. “Hadn’t fer years afore I signed on. Somethin’ happened in them islands…

tales the old crewmen whispered about when they got drunk. Bunch o’ nonsense, sounded like’t’ me.”

“What kind of tales?” Zanos demanded. “Tell me!”

“Only one that made any sense, ” the slaver said. “Another slaver ship, the Hawkwing, was the last one’t’

take slaves out o’ Madura. And the crew didn’t take em on in chains-they run aboard, glad’t’ get away, no matter how!”

“Refugees?” Astra questioned. “What were they fleeing?”

“Don’t know. Whatever it was, it killed every crewman who had any kind of Adept powers, cep the captain-an’ he went mad, they say. The survivors landed on the western shore somewheres, and fell in with the hill people. That was about four years ago. Some o’ me shipmates an’ me left the Sunrider last year, after business dried up an’ smugglin’ had too much competition-”

“Zanos-duck!”

Even as Astra tried to knock him aside, Zanos instinctively dropped and sheltered her with his body.

Two arrows whistled over them-one of them thunking sickeningly into human flesh. Sarno screamed once and slumped, the arrow through his heart. Scrambling behind the inadequate shelter of the treestump, Zanos looked toward where the arrows had originated.

“There!” Astra pointed. “Up in the trees!”

Yes! About fifty paces away. With a wave of his hand, Zanos set the trees aflame. The two archers yelled in fear as they leaped from their hiding place. Even before they hit the ground, the Adept was on his feet, concentrating his powers. The killers’ hearts stopped.

He concentrated again to extinguish the fires, just as Astra warned, “Behind you!”

Zanos spun and leaped aside as a ball of fire came hurtling at where he had been. The Adept who threw it was standing openly at the north edge of the village, pressing his attack with more fireballs. Zanos stood his ground and deflected them, then tried to stop the hill bandit’s heart. The other Adept clutched at his chest, but resisted-just as Zanos had done in his last arena battle. They were locked in a struggle of powers and wills when-

“Zanos!”

He heard Astra’s cry, heard other bandits attacking, felt Trel and Kimma rushing into the fray, swords swinging.

But he dared not move, couldn’t let his concentration slip or the other Adept would win out and kill them all.

He kept up the pressure, knowing they were evenly matched, knowing that only determination would decide the winner-until finally his opponent screamed and dropped to his knees.

But Zanos dared not collapse in relief-it could be a ruse to make him let down his guard.

And as, indeed, the bandit glanced in his direction to see where to direct another Adept blow, Zanos reached out once more with his full powers-and the man collapsed, dead.

Breathing heavily, he turned to look for Astra- and found a world of silence. The battle was over.

Several bandits lay dead. Trel and Kimma were unhurt, looking grimly satisfied, while Astra-

Astra stood by the tree stump, unmoving, staring at nothing. Her dress was covered with blood, as were her hands-and the blade of Zanos’ knife. He didn’t even know when she had taken it from him.

Slowly, her fingers loosened their grip and the knife fell. Zanos ran to her as she tried to sit down on the stump, stumbling over the corpse of the man she’d killed.

Zanos grabbed up his wife and held her gently in his arms. “It’s all right, Astra, ” he whispered. “It’s all right…”

But she was not all right. Her skin gray with shock, she suddenly clutched him with incredible strength, and screamed.

And screamed. And screamed.