showing Wulfston on the tablet how they flowed. When he seemed to have one under control, she read the periphery of the field, searching for the minor Adepts creating the havoc-unReadable because they were using their powers!
Finally it occurred to her to trace the waves to their source. 'There they are!' she cried, pointing to the grid map as she located the minor talents physically. Wulfston, tense and panting with effort, looked where she was pointing-and Melissa Read the group of water talents slump to the sand, asleep.
Only now could she remember that Torio and Rolf were in trouble. She found Torio-on foot, his horse stuck firmly in sand up to its withers. Rolf's horse had apparently gotten free, and carried the boy far away from Torio- yes, there he was, she Read with Torio, who was Reading his charge and following as fast as he could.
Rolf hauled on the reins, but his frightened horse refused to stop, pounding on until the muddy sand began to give way beneath its hoofs again-whereupon it halted in terror, catapulting Rolf over its head, into a pool of quicksand.
'Rolf!' Melissa cried idiotically-he was nearly two miles away from her. 'Wulfston-help him!'
'How?' he asked, and she heard the fatigue in his voice. 'Where is he?'
She grabbed the grid and tried to show him-but the configuration of the army they had been using to gauge his efforts had changed drastically. As she frantically tried to redefine the landmarks, Rolf was struggling and sinking!
Torio was running toward Rolf, but the mud dragged at his feet. Rolf, Readable now in panic, was completely disoriented. Some moment of logic came to him, though-for he became unReadable as the water receded from him, leaving him sunk to the chest in firm sand.
Melissa breathed a sigh of relief. Now he could just wait until Torio came to dig him out. But Rolf became Readable, tired and frightened-and the water came sloshing back as fast as he has pushed it away, to engulf him. He began to sink again. Torio was still too far away-and he had no rope, no tree limb, nothing with which to pull the boy out. And no Adept talent with which to save him.
Both Melissa and Torio could Read that Rolf could save himself if he could reach the edge of the pool-the place where his horse had stopped and thrown him. He could hang on there and wait for Torio-maybe he could even climb out. But Rolf was lost. He did not know one direction from another. //Torio-shout to him!// Melissa told the young Reader.
//I have been-he can't hear me yet!//
Torio was wide open; through his ears Melissa could hear the din of the army, the horns, the shouting-he would have to be right on top of Rolf before the boy could hear him-and he was still several minutes away.
//Tell Rolf to use his powers!// Melissa said. //He can sense where the dry sand is-and he can cause the water to push him in that direction!//
But Torio could tell Rolf nothing at that moment-the nearby soldiers had spotted him running across the sand, and a volley of arrows whistled toward him. There was no Adept to protect him! He dived and rolled, miraculously coming up with no harm done except a covering of mud.
'Wulfston! They're shooting at Torio-and Rolf! Here!' Melissa pointed to the area on the grid map-a number of fires broke out nearby, but the archers were not touched-they were shooting again! 'Here-archers!' Melissa exclaimed excitedly, pointing just to the east of where Wulfston's fires had struck. 'Knock them out!'
And sure enough, the archers keeled over. //Run, Torio!// Melissa urged, but she could see that he would be too late.
//Rolf!// Melissa projected helplessly, //find the dry sand! The shore! Remember what you told me! Torio's coming to help you. Push the water away-Rolf!//
But Rolf was exhausted. His struggles had become feeble. He could barely hold his head above the mud that was sucking him down, down…
Chapter Six
Torio found his feet again, struggling through the treacherous sand toward Rolf. The boy had inadvertently created his own trap, shoving the water away from him in a wave that of course came flooding back the moment he let go. Working against nature, Wulfston called it-the worst mistake an Adept could make, wearing out his strength instead of finding a way to accomplish what he wanted by making natural forces work
'Rolf! Make it push you
From the other side of the muddy plain, Melissa was trying to pinpoint one struggling boy for Wulfston, but the target was too small-he dared not shove the water at random, lest he wash it right over Rolf instead of away from him.
Meanwhile, Melissa kept up her hopeless broadcast to Rolf, //Don't give up! Torio's coming! Use your powers, Rolf-find the shore! The shore!//
Rolf managed to raise his arms to the surface of the quicksand-but the movement drove him farther under. Torio could feel his determination, overlaid with deep fatigue. Rolf would not give up, but he had little strength left.
The water was starting to distribute through the sand naturally, now that no one was manipulating it. If Rolf could just stay afloat for a few more minutes, he would be in ordinary mud, not quicksand.
Rolf heaved himself around, facing Torio, but sinking another handspan in the process. 'Hold still! I'm coming!' Torio shouted.
Rolf must have heard him this time-he became unReadable as he made one last effort. A feeble wave lifted him toward the dryer sand-flung him with arms and shoulders on the safe purchase, and then retreated before turning that dry sand to treacherous mud.
Torio pounded up, grabbed Rolf's hands, and tugged. Neither cared about the sand scraping their skin-Torio heaved with all his strength, Rolf almost a dead weight in his exhaustion. But finally he was free.
'You're all right,' said Torio, breathing a silent prayer of thanks to all the gods that at least this time the boy placed in his charge was not hurt.
'Thank you,' Rolf whispered, gasping for breath after his exertions. 'Where's Melissa?'
'Melissa? With Wulfston.'
'No. She was here, with you. I heard her. You were both shouting at me.'
Too astonished to try to persuade Rolf of what he could hardly believe himself, Torio said, 'Yes, you heard her, Rolf, but she's not here now. You've got to rest.'
'Yes… rest,' Rolf murmured, on the edge of the Adepts' deep recovery sleep.
Torio Read Melissa already anticipating his dilemma. 'Torio's got Rolf out, Lord Wulfston-but Rolf is too tired to move. What should Torio do?'
'What's happening where they are?'
Torio Read with Melissa, dreading what he would find. He and Rolf were within easy range of the Aventine army, but the archers were still unconscious, and everyone else was busy digging out of the clinging mud-no longer quicksand. The surging waves had finally worn themselves out.
'Torio, can you carry Rolf?' Wulfston asked through Melissa.
When Torio tried to lift him, Rolf fought off his tiredness to insist, 'I can walk… if you help.' And, leaning heavily on Torio, he did. Rolf's horse hadn't gone far. Torio heaved the exhausted boy into the saddle, then climbed up behind him. Rolf leaned back against Torio and allowed himself to pass out.
Through Melissa, Wulfston directed Torio to ride to the group of unconscious water talents, and wake them. 'Lord Wulfston's apologies,' he told them. 'He had no other way to stop you when you became
While this was going on, the last of the clouds drifted away, and the sun warmed the scene: a mud-covered army of thousands, immobilized by a dozen savages.
Wulfston and Melissa rode back to where the one true battle had taken place, and Wulfston's army marched onto the plain, dividing into two columns to surround the Aventines. No one approached closely. No one flung a spear or shot an arrow. The mired-down enemy were simply allowed to see a seemingly endless parade of armed men slowly surrounding them, while their Readers Read more and more troops marching in from the north, to the limit of their range.
Torio Read the dismay among the Aventine troops. Most of their weapons were gone, burnt up or sunk beneath
