Jean Lorrah - Empress Unborn

Aradia, Lady Adept of the Savage Empire, paced the halls of Castle Blackwolf as she waited impatiently for her husband, Lenardo, to bring home her brother, Wulfston.

Im already thoroughly tired of being pregnant, she thought, and I still have six months to go!

She wondered if Lenardo was humoring her, or if he, too, was concerned about Wulfston. Her brother had invited them to come for a celebration, but once they arrived he did not seem happy with their company.

In fact, today he had walked out in the middle of a family gathering.

And Lenardo had followed him, taking Julia-but not Aradia.

I shouldnt ride horseback at this stage of my pregnancy, she reminded herself. Nonetheless, it felt as if her husband had chosen his adopted daughter over his wife.

I will not have such irrational thoughts! Aradia told herself. Lenardo loves me. He will help me through this pregnancy, and afterward I will regain all my powers.

But it galled her to rely on others, when all her life she had depended on her own strong Adept powers.

Only six more months, she reminded herself, laying a hand on her abdomen. Alone, she could hardly tell there was a second life growing within her. With Lenardo, she had Read the tiny living creature that would become a little girl but it did not seem real to her.

Sometimes Aradia worried that she had no feelings of maternity. Physically, she noticed nothing so far except a slight thickening of her body; she could still move freely, and of course her powers kept her from the sickness many women suffered in their early months.

But those powers were weakening. She was so strong an Adept that only she would notice, but there was a change from day to day in the effort it took to perform any but the most ordinary Adept functions.

And for what? To give Lenardo a child when he was so obviously contented with the one he had adopted? Perhaps if the child were a son, rather than another daughter. But not even an Adept could govern that.

Where was Lenardo? Why hadnt he brought Wulfston back? Aradia strode to the tower stairs, and climbed up to where a Watcher stood waiting for signals. There were none. The day was calm, the land serene.

Lord Wulfston is riding toward the sea, my lady, the Watcher told her.

Just then flashes of light flickered from a hilltop beyond which lay the ocean. There is a ship putting people ashore, the Watcher translated, although Aradia knew the code. My lord is riding to investigate.

But how could Wulfston have known? No message had been brought to him. Why had the ship not sailed into the harbor at Dragons Mouth? Was it a prearranged meeting?

The Watchers signals began again-fast and furious!

Aradia read them as they came in, her heart sinking. Her brother was under Adept attack!

Julia rode happily at her fathers side. Lenardo was shielding his thoughts by bracing for the use of Adept power, but Julia could still Read his excitement.

She was certain hed had one of his precognitive flashes, but he had learned to shield so that he did not catch up every Reader in the vicinity in his visions. Julia hoped this one meant action. She had eagerly looked forward to their visit to Castle Blackwolf, but it ad turned out as boring as her days in Zendi.

e adventure than most people have in a lifetime. When Lenardo took her from the people who would have killed her for her Reading powers, she had become part of the small group of Readers and Adepts who defeated Drakonius, brought down the Aventine Empire, and created their own Savage Empire.

But then her father had married Aradia, and while they cleaned out the hill bandits and forestalled insurrections to establish a firm rule, Julia had spent most of her time studying, usually with old Master Clement, the Master of Masters among Readers.

Master Clement had been Lenardos teacher, and she was fortunate indeed to have the tutelage of the Master of Masters. Nevertheless, Julia often ached for the action of her younger days. Todays ride after a petulant Lord Wulfston was the closest thing to an adventure she had had in months!

As Julia and Lenardo topped the crest of the hill over which Wulfston had disappeared, they saw a ship anchored not far off shore. It had put down boats, in which people were rowing toward land.

Wulfston was already down on the beach, riding to greet these strangers. He became blank to Julias Reading as he braced Adept powers-

Thunderbolts exploded around the lone rider!

Wulfston leaped from his saddle and hit the ground rolling, bouncing to his feet in an Adepts fighting stance.

The Lord Adept used his power to deflect the thunderbolts. People began clambering out of the boats.

He sent three of them sprawling on the sand in Adept sleep.

From their vantage point, urging their horses down the hill, Lenardo and Julia saw Wulfstons attackers fan out, dividing his attention. He needed a Reader at his side!

Julia kicked her horse.

No! her father warned her. We cant help Wulfston if we fall down the cliff. And he continued to guide his horse along the precarious path.

Julia did the same, but her attention was seized by the impact of a bolt of lightning on the beach.

She looked and Read: Wulfston was momentarily blinded, and his horse, Storm, screamed and fell, taking long seconds to die in an agony of burnt flesh.

Julia fought nausea, deliberately turning her attention to guiding her own mount down the steep trail.

When she dared to Read the beach again, she saw that Wulfston had identified the most powerful Adept among his attackers: a tall man standing in one of the boats. Under the full fury of a Lord Adept nearing the peak of his powers, the man gasped once, and fell unconscious into the surf.

With a glance, Wulfston dropped another man rushing at him from the right.

But not even a Lord Adept could keep up such steady use of his powers! If someone still on the ship were an Adept-

Apparently no one was. Wulfston walked into the waves to grasp the last boat and beach it. There were only two people now in it: a woman and a little boy, huddled together in fear.

At the bottom of the hill, Julia and Lenardo spurred their horses.

Wulfston whirled at their approach, braced again.

Julia expected the Lord Adept to make some joke about their belated rescue attempt. Instead he stared as if he hardly knew them, until Lenardo demanded, Are you all right?

Then the old Wulfston was back, releasing his Adept mental stance on a wave of inner amusement. Yes, Im all right, he said. But- He sobered as he glanced toward the smoldering corpse of his favorite horse.

Julia Read weariness overtaking him now that the danger was past. After such rapid and extensive use of his powers, a Lord Adept needed to rest. Wulfston, though, started toward the man he had knocked out of the boat, who floated facedown in the water.

Lenardo swung down off his horse and helped Wulfston drag the man ashore. Why did you come out to face these people alone?

I didnt, Wulfston replied shortly.

Well, you must have had some reason to leave a celebration at your own castle and go riding this far south! I should have been Reading.

Julia could Read her lathers guilt. He could easily have Read the ship from Castle Blackwolf if he had not been relaxed, his attention on family and friends.

But Wulfston could not Read, and was pursuing his own train of thought. I was restless. Something drew me to this place, to these people.

As she studied the people who had come ashore, Julia was not surprised that Wulfston had gone out to meet them. But why did they attack you? she asked.

I dont know, Julia, Wulfston replied. I dont even know who they are.