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agree.
Years passed, and Portia extended her power. There was too much to do alone.
She found a few select
Master Readers who understood how she helped both the Readers' system and the
Aventine Empire.
Occasionally someone discovered what they were doing, but such Readers could
either be drawn into the circle or exiled in one way or another. Young
upstarts often found themselves on the Path of the Dark
Moon, but a circle of Master Readers made certain they would be quite happy
there.
The scroll ended. Julia put it aside and lay back, wondering what had gone
wrong. Portia was so successful, so strong, so intelligent. She worked with
human nature, just as Adepts did. As far as Julia could see, Portia was far
better qualified than her foolish nephew to rule the Aventine Empire.
Just as Julia was far better qualified than the child Aradia carried to be
Lenardo's heir.
Practically on cue, Aradia's screams erupted through the cold silence of the
night. Julia Read her sobbing in Devasin's arms again, and felt contempt.
If you could see Aradia now, Father, you would see that she is no fit wife for
you

and any child of hers not fit to be your heir
!
* * *
Aradia woke feeling cold, even though blankets were piled over her and the
fire was burning. She sat up, conscious of her awkward body, and felt cold air
move in behind her to chill her spine.
Her breath clouded in the air of her bedroom.
Wrapping the blankets around her, she thrust her feet into felt slippers and
went over to the fire. It heated only a tiny area, and she felt the chill air
on her back even as she sat down facing the fire and held out her hands to it.
How could it be so cold? Especially inside? The calendar said it was nearly
spring!
Ordinarily, this time of year brought sunny days interspersed with cold rain,
occasionally sleet or a few flakes of snow. She had never known such
bone-penetrating cold to come so late.
Devasin came in with an armload of warm clothing, saying, "I've never felt it
so cold! You'd think it was the middle of winter instead of nearly spring."
"I'm sure the weather watchers are working on it," said Aradia.
"I certainly hope so!" Devasin replied with a shiver. "All the fountains are
frozen, and so are the water pipes. Every fire talent in town is out thawing
them."
Devasin helped Aradia dress in wool over silk, woolen stockings, two
undertunics, a robe over her usual outer woolen dress. Still she was chilly as
she went to breakfast despite Devasins offer to bring it to her room. "Walking
is good for me," she insisted. "Besides, I must get ready for Lilith. "
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Tomorrow. Tomorrow her friend would be here, a powerful Lady Adept, able to
ward off
Ward off what
?
If only their enemy would show himself!
Herself?
At the thought, Aradia tried to Read the child in her womb. But with no more
powerful Reader to help her, all she could tell was that her daughter seemed
healthy, and was sleeping. No wonder, after tormenting me all night
.
No that was a dream. It all came from feeling so weak, with her powers
diminished. When Lilith arrived she would feel safer, and perhaps the dreams
would stop altogether.
At breakfast she carefully hid such thoughts from Master Selina, allowing the
Reader to check her physical condition. "It wont be much longer," the woman
said, delivering the platitude in a gentle voice that gave it genuine
reassurance. But there was still a month to wait for Lenardo's daughter to
enter the world. With each passing day, Aradia's hope weakened that he would
be home to greet her.
After breakfast Master Clement contacted Aradia from the Academy, not
subjecting himself to a walk outdoors in the bitter cold which held the city
paralyzed.
//Our weather controllers are trying to dissipate the cold. It came in last
night, out of nowhere.
Yesterday's snow is frozen, making the streets nearly impassible. But the
strange thing is, the snowstorm we so casually evoked left here at dusk and
traveled up the North Road, to empty into the passes in the hills north of
here. Our weather controllers could not stop it. Unless she is willing to
expend a good deal of Adept strength, Lilith will not be able to get through
until the cold lets up and the snow melts.//
Aradia tried to hide her pang of disappointment, excessive response to the
news that Lilith would arrive a day or two later than expected.
But Master Clement said, //I will be glad to have her here, too, Aradia. We
need a fully functioning Lord
Adept. Pyrrhus will be that soon, but right now he is still learning to
control his powers, and he lacks experience.//
Pyrrhus didn't lack energy, however. Before Master Clement had finished
reporting what had happened
in the night, the ex-Reader was charging up to the villa, melting a path for
himself through the frozen snow, Wicket trailing in his wake.
Although well wrapped up against the cold, both men were also using Adept
powers to keep themselves warm, a technique Aradia could no longer sustain. As
both were braced to use Adept powers, they could only be Read visually and the
impression Aradia got was that Pyrrhus' angry eyes were melting the snow as he
looked at it.
//I had hoped after yesterday,// Master Clement commented sadly, //that
Pyrrhus was losing his furious response to every small setback.//
They soon learned, however, that Pyrrhus was not overreacting. The moment he
and Wicket were ushered into Aradia's study, he asked, "Is Master Clement in
contact with you?"
"Yes," Wicket responded before Aradia could reply.
Pyrrhus glanced at his friend, almost apologetically. But his mind was on a
new problem. "Good. I've been working with the weather controllers since
dawn and we cannot break this cold wave with all our combined strength!"
"Then we will have to gather more Adepts," said Aradia. "Form a stronger
circle."
Pyrrhus nodded. "Yes% The weather talents can direct the strength of other
Adepts, correct?"
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"That's right," agreed Aradia. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]