//Take the best horse,// Lenardo instructed him as he and Julia took the two best of the three fresh animals the guards had inadvertently provided them and once more galloped off into the night.
Lenardo had not expected to leave a trail of dead and wounded, certainly not provincial guardsmen doing their duty without even knowing what the fight was about.
//They're our enemies,// Julia said as if in answer to his thought. He realized that she was working it out in her own mind. Savage she might be, but she had never before deliberately killed someone. //They're just like those men who tried to sneak in and kill you that time, Father. You were a Reader, so they wanted to kill you. Here we're savages, so they all want to kill us. What can we do but kill them instead?//
//Nothing here, Julia. All we can do is hope to change things in our own land so that people won't go on killing one another.//
Torio kept his thoughts to himself but rode steadily beside them. The teacher from the Academy at Villa Blanca relayed the message ahead of them again, and the next step after that was Adigia.
//Master Lenardo,// Torio suddenly broke his mental silence, //can you Read from here to Adigia?//
//Yes.//
//Who's on relay duty?//
Lenardo took his attention from their immediate surroundings, knowing that Torio was quite adequate to prevent their riding into ambush, and Read far ahead to the town where he had grown up.
A sturdy wooden tower had already replaced the stone one that had fallen in the earthquake, and there above the gate, two guards stretched and yawned, facing the hardest part of their watch, just before dawn. With them was the man Lenardo had Read a few days ago. He didn't even know his name.
Even as he Read, the message that there were fugitives headed their direction was relayed to the Reader. Instantly alert, he told the guards. The alarm was sounded, and the garrison was roused.
Lenardo removed his attention, letting Torio and Julia Read what he had seen. 'Now what do we do? We can't fight the whole garrison.'
'We'll have to go back to that place where we came through the wall,' said Julia.
Lenardo turned his attention there, only to find a troop of soldiers headed in that direction to block them. Why did I have to show that to Portia?
'Then it must be Adigia,' said Torio. 'All three Readers there know me, and the relays are not reporting my name.' Lenardo realized that that was true and wondered whether Master Clement had anything to do with the omission. Torio continued, 'When we get close enough, I'll make contact and try to bluff our way through.' 'How?' asked Julia.
'I don't know,' Torio replied in frustration. 'Be quiet and let me think.'
They were fortunate to be able to steal horses from a pasture just after dawn, although it delayed them while they changed the saddles to the new horses. Then they drank at a stream and rode on while they ate bread and cheese, knowing that they were riding straight into ambush but not knowing what to do about it.
Lenardo Read over the obstacle ahead, to Zendi, and his heart sank. Aradia had managed to get back there, but the city was under siege. Aradia and Wulfston were atop the Northgate tower, with a young boy whom Lenardo did not recognize but who was unReadable and thus apparently Adept. All three were peering into the melee of fighting outside the walls, obviously trying to figure out where to direct their powers. Aradia made no attempt to Read, and so Lenardo could not contact her, could not tell her that the group of Adepts she sought was circling to the east and that Galen was directing them to join forces to throw all their blows at the top of the tower.
Quickly, Lenardo superimposed over the true picture Galen was Reading his own version, in which Wulfston shouted, 'They're going to spot us soon. Let's get down from here!'
'Keep moving,' his phantom Aradia agreed, and started for the tower stair. As Lenardo carefully Read the strange boy, who seemed vaguely familiar, he noticed the symbol of the blue lion woven into his tunic. Was this Lilith's son? And where was Lilith?
He had no time to ponder, for he was too busy making Galen think his quarry on the move, making the Adepts cast their thunderbolts futilely into the street near the Northgate tower. As the strikes made a pattern in the street below them, the real Aradia and Wulfston turned to look in surprise and then stared at each other.
'Lenardo?' Aradia said in disbelief, and opened to Reading-very weakly. She had been using her Adept powers, weakening her body and thus impairing her Reading ability. It took all of Lenardo's strength to contact her. //Get off the tower and keep moving. Galen is close enough to pinpoint you. I'm on my way, but it will be hours yet. Stay alive, Aradia. I'm coming!//
Then he projected exactly where Galen and the circle of Adepts were. But even as Aradia was telling Wulfston and the boy, it was too late. Galen could not help but Read everything Lenardo projected strongly enough for Aradia. 'Master Lenardo!' Torio tugged at the bridle of his horse, bringing him back to the fields they were riding through. 'We're not going to be able to help them if we don't get out of the empire,' the boy said, and Lenardo realized that when he had begun to project strongly, Torio could not help Reading it, either.
Julia, though, was not Reading. She was struggling to stay awake and in her saddle, which was not suited to a child of her size.
'Come here, Daughter,' said Lenardo, and lifted her onto his horse before him. 'There, now, sleep while you can. We'll need your help later.'
With Torio he Read all around them, but it seemed that the attempts at ambush along the way had stopped. They were assumed to be trying to leave the empire, and all exits were blocked by empire troops. Lenardo Read that even far to the west, at the seaports, armed guards were watching the gangplank of every vessel.
But for the time being they rode swiftly, with Julia so tired that she slept despite the rough ride. And then they were within Torio's range of Adigia.
By this time, Secundus was on duty with the soldiers. 'That's good,' said Torio. 'He thinks I'm still a little kid with skinned knees. He'd never dream I'm one of the fugitives the army is after.' //Secundus,// Torio projected. //Torio. What are you doing in the relay, son?// //I'm not. I'm on my way to Adigia. Master Clement sent me.// Truth, so far as it went. //Why?//
//Because Master Lenardo was a friend of mine. Portia wants him alive. Perhaps I can persuade him to give himself up.//
A sad sigh. //Aye, son, I hope you can. Lenardo a traitor. I never understood it, from his day of exile.// //You haven't located him?// Torio asked. //No, not yet. Come join me on the tower, Torio. You're a better Reader than I am. Perhaps you can help find him.//
//I'll be there in a few minutes.// Torio stopped Reading and said to Lenardo, 'So your name came through the relays, but not mine. I'll ride on ahead and join Secundus on the tower. Somehow I'll have the gates open by the time you get there.' 'Torio.'
The young Reader turned his face toward Lenardo but could not 'look' at him because he was not Reading. 'I know,' he said. 'I'll be careful. Use that trick you have of Reading without being Read, and choose the right moment.'
'I will.'
Then Torio rode on, Reading only ahead of him, not behind. He rode openly through the streets of the city, greeted by everyone who saw him. Lenardo Read no suspicion. Everyone knew that something was afoot, and so the arrival of a better Reader than their three regulars was no surprise.
Alerted by Secundus, the tower guards were waiting to take Torio's horse and let him mount the tower, where he had access to the pulley system that drew up the immense bar holding the well-fortified gates in place. But there were two guards in the gate tower and others on the walls nearby who could turn and cast spears or shoot arrows at the tower. Torio had not chosen an easy task.
To Lenardo's surprise, Torio greeted Secundus with a hug, but then he realized that the boy dared act no differently now from any other time when he might meet an old friend after several months' separation.
Then Secundus was asking, 'Who is with Lenardo, Torio? We were told another Reader has turned traitor and they've stolen a child.'
'I don't know. Another Reader and a child was all I was told, too.'
Even though Torio was a better Reader than Secundus, the older man had known Torio since he entered the Academy. Lenardo doubted that the boy could lie to him for long. He was approaching the outskirts of Adigia now, with Julia still sleeping in his arms. He sat her up, but she merely gave a murmur of annoyance and tried to snuggle back into his arms.
