in his mind and turned the earthquake back upon the Adept army. Lenardo had to believe that. And if the boy bad learned his lesson… then, if Masters Portia and Clement could get Lenardo readmitted to the empire, they could bring Galen home as well!
Home. Home with the news that only one Adept with his followers was attacking the empire. With the fact that others, like Aradia, might be willing to make peaceBut that was the treason for which both he and Galen had been exiled.
He pushed that thought aside. It would not be regarded as treason if the senate knew there really were Adepts who wanted peace. Galen's theories had been speculation, but now Lenardo knew they were truth. There was a chance to put an end to the constant warfare.
His step grew lighter than it had been in many a day as he followed the funeral party back to Aradia's castle to join the feast
Chapter Five
The Quarry Sighted
In (he days that followed, Lenardo set out to discover everything he could about Aradia's alliance with Dra- konius. At the funeral feast he had found some curiosity concerning himself.
'You are the man the watchers were seeking, are you not?' asked one man.
'Uh… yes. The watchers,' Lenardo replied. He had heard the term before-the watchers had reported the rain clouds.
'You look well enough now,' said a red-haired woman. 'They said you was an exile Aradia took in, and you was sick and lost your way.'
Lenardo knew his accent would identify his empire origins, even if the brand on his arm was covered. 'Yes… I got lost,' he said uncertainly.
Wulfston, who was seated not far away, put in, 'Aradia has asked Lenardo to stay here now. He has useful skills.'
Feeling someone staring at him, Lenardo looked down the table to find Helmuth, the old man who had been with the rescue party that first brought him to Aradia. You wear Aradicts sign. Even though Lenardo was Reading only superficial emotions, the old man's suspicious thought came through clearly. Deciding to brazen it out, Lenardo smiled at him and said, 'I have not had the chance to thank you for your kindness. I do not believe I have been told your name.'
'Helmuth.'
'Well, thank you, Helmuth. I owe a great deal to you, and Wulfston, and Aradia. I must find a way to repay all of you.'
As he hoped, the man seemed to accept that. After all, Lenardo was accepted into the company at Aradia's table.
Not exactly at Aradia's table, as she was seated in the ornate chair behind the permanent table, with the family of the dead woman. Trestle tables had been added down either side of the great hall to accommodate the large number of guests. Lenardo suspected that Wulfston belonged at the high table but had taken his present seat to keep an eye on Lenardo. He soon found out why.
The red-haired woman was looking him over. 'They're afraid of Adepts in the empire, I hear. Was that why you was exiled, a fine-looking man like you?'
'Lenardo has… unusual abilities,' put in Wulfston. 'I'd not advise you to try your wiles on him, Jenna.'
'Someday a woman will tempt you, me black beauty,'
she replied.
'Probably so,' said Wulfston, unperturbed, 'but not you, unless all you are seeking is Wulfston's wedding
right!'
That puzzling exchange, which was greeted with raucous laughter, reminded Lenardo of the fact that Aradia claimed virginity was necessary to keep her powers intact, yet her father was supposedly a more powerful Adept than she was. The next day, he asked Wulfston about it.
'Aren't you more likely to have Readers born of Readers than of non-Readers?' Wulfston asked curiously.
The two men were in Wulfston's room. Lenardo under orders from Aradia to keep the young Adept occupied in conversation so he would rest physically. He didn't mind, as he had many questions to asic-except that Wulfston had the annoying habit of answering questions with new
questions.
'Yes,' Lenardo told him, 'but the very best Readers remain celibate, virgin, so as never to impair their powers. I take it you, as well as Aradia, are 'virgin-sworn,' as she puts it, for the same reason?'
'True. However, both of us owe it to future generations to pass on our powers. As a man, I can wait for a long time yet, and of course a man's part in the production of a child is quickly done. Nerius regained almost all his abilities, by maintaining celibacy once Aradia was conceived.' He gave a sad smile. 'He says it took over two years to regain the strength he has now, and that he can-could- sense distinct limitations. I just hope that one day I might attain the power Nerius had before his illness!' 'And Aradia?'
'Her powers were approaching her father's when he fell ill. It is possible she will exceed his abilities, but she owes her people an heir. One day she will have to sacrifice her powers, unless she can find a younger Adept her people will accept as her successor.' 'You?' suggested Lenardo.
'I am only five years younger than Aradia. Perhaps my child one day, once our lands are safe from attack. If it destroyed my abilities permanently, I would do it to save Aradia from her mother's fate.'
'Aradia's mother… died in childbirth?' 'No. Terrible as that is, it would have been preferable.' As Wulfston did not seem to be inclined to continue, Lenardo suggested, 'If it's a secret-'
'No. Everyone knows. Aradia's mother was an Adept, of course-two Adepts always produce an Adept child. Is that true for Readers?'
'Yes, although we test all children because sometimes Readers are born in families where both parents are non-Readers.'
'You test every single child?'
'Of course. Readers are precious, and all are academy-trained to their highest level of ability.'
'That is something to consider-a system for reaching and training every Adept…'
Lenardo noticed that Wulfston was only too eager to change the subject. 'What happened to Aradia's mother?' he prompted.
'A woman's part in bearing a child is long and difficult. She could not regain her powers after her child was born. When Aradia was two, she killed herself.' 'How terrible for Aradia,' said Lenardo. 'They say-servants' gossip- that she claimed Aradia stole her powers and that she tried to kill the child.'
'Her own baby? Surely she was mad.'.
'Aradia was already showkig Adept abilities.' 'At two years old?'
Wulfston nodded. 'There are legends of great Adepts who emerged from the womb and proceeded to heal their mothers, but those are fancy, I think. Two is early but not impossible. I was three.'
'You don't really believe a child could steal her mother's powers?'
'I don't know,' said Wulfston. 'The very act of sex limits the powers of both parties, even if no child is conceived. It is the only instance of the state of the body affecting Adept abilities. It is a mystery, Lenardo-the passing of life from one generation to another. It is best not to question such things too deeply.'
'Why not?' asked Lenardo, who had been taught to seek knowledge above all.
'People who become obsessed with that mystery become depressed and may even..-. abandon life.' Wulfston's tone, and the euphemism, suggested that suicide was unacceptable here.
'Wulfston,' said Lenardo, 'do you not believe that a person's life is his own, to do with as he sees fit?'
'No! My life, for example, is pledged to Aradia. I would give it in her defense, but I have no right to abandon it, no matter what grief or pain I suffer.'
'But there are circumstances… What about Nerius? He is dying, and while he lives he is a danger to those around him-'
