"The Senate is this very day debating whether to take away my power," she told the Emperor. "You must stop them, nephew. NonReaders cannot govern Readers."
"Let me deal with one matter at a time," he replied. "Now don't worry-if what you have Read about the earthquake proves true, the family will owe you our lives, my dear Portia. If Tiberium falls-"
"The eclipse is less than a month away. Leave well before. These things are never accurate to the day, but the prophecy certainly means this summer of the eclipse."
"Then," he said, turning away from her, "the senators spending their summer debating what to do about your Readers will no longer be a problem to either of us… will they?" And with that he stalked out the door.
Portia followed the Emperor, calm and dignified, a rare public appearance. As she began to Read, Lenardo trembled, wondering if he could hold rapport with the other Readers and still prevent Portia from Reading him. He could. She showed no sign that she Read him-nor did another Master Reader waiting for her, to whom she whispered after her careful check for intruding Readers, "We have nothing to worry about, Marina. Our friends will all be away from Tiberium, and the Emperor will reward us for saving his life."
Torio understood now why Master Clement said Portia's powers were weakened. Both she and the other woman had stopped Reading, trusting their powers as Master Readers that they were not being Read. They were obviously not aware of what they had lost-not distance or discernment or the ability to perform a Master's functions, but the sensitivity to other minds that should have told them they were being Read.
"We must warn all the other Readers-and the common people, too," said Marina. "Portia, you would not let thousands of people die-!"
"There are certain people," Portia explained, "that the Emperor would rather be rid of. A natural catastrophe-"
"But Readers. We must get all the Readers away-"
"Don't be foolish! Do you want to start a panic? The Readers we fail are not true Readers, Marina. They don't understand their powers, and we must weaken them lest they misuse them. Nobody we care about will die. Now no more-there are too many Readers about today."
The incredible shock through the assembled Readers forced Lenardo to drop rapport lest he broadcast it to Portia and Marina. Torio, who had been relaying numbly to Wulfston, was alone in his head again, with an ache in his soul. Wulfston waited anxiously. "All the Readers Read what Portia said," Torio explained. "Lenardo had to drop rapport."
Forcibly composing himself, Torio Read out toward the Reader/Adept pair only a mile away, well within his range, and met fury. //They destroy our powers! By the gods, Portia will pay for this! Old crone-//
//Hush-Bevius, we don't have time for anger!// Torio said. //Overthrow Portia later-you certainly have enough witnesses. But right now, think of all the Readers in Tiberium. Are you going to let them die?//
It took several more minutes for Torio to calm Bevius down; then they waited for Lenardo to re-establish rapport. Finally it came, but there were gaps in the chain where some Readers were still too angry to concentrate. Rolf, intending only to help, broadcast, //No Reader or Adept used more than half his powers until now. I am an Adept-but I have learned to Read. You will discover Adept powers-//
Melissa joined in, //Rolf is right. You have done as much to blunt your powers as Portia, by never questioning what was told you. True-anyone who questioned was exiled. But look at Lenardo. Help us now-and we will help you unlock all your powers!//
There was a sudden pause, then //Show us,// from a hundred minds at once. Melissa looked around, picked up a small stone, and set it on the ground before her. She concentrated-blank to Reading, but Alethia watched her for the assembly. The stone tilted, toppled, rolled as if down hill-on perfectly flat ground! She resumed Reading, breathing hard, and broadcast into the astonished mental silence, her intensity growing as her powers returned, //You can all learn it. Help us this once-you will change the world!//
//We can have such powers?//
//You do have them,// Lenardo told them, //but we are still trying to discover how to teach Readers to use them. Try to calm the people who are still upset. We must ease that fault now!//
By the time complete rapport was established, the ceremony in the forum had begun. The Emperor mounted the platform in his golden robes-people cheered as more sun-adorned banners unfurled. The honor guard turned and took their places before the platform. Instead of the heads of the parties in the Senate, who were still deep in debate, Portia and Marina flanked the Emperor. Very clever of Portia, Torio realized: she had used the very debate which sought to reduce her influence to make it appear to the citizens of the empire that she and the other Master Readers were the Emperor's most trusted counselors.
When he felt his thought picked up by other Readers, Torio repressed his feelings lest he spark off their harsh anger again. Lenardo was concentrating on the fault beneath Tiberium, carefully Reading the configuration, the depth, the way the edges leaned and the direction they would slip. The natural inclination would lead to a collapse directly under the city-almost directly under the forum-and kill thousands of people. They must prevent that.
//Everyone concentrate,// Lenardo told them. //Readers, get your Adept partners chanting in unison-when I give the signal, cue your partner on your number.//
It had all been worked out from Master Clement's map-each pair must draw the stresses away from Tiberium on cue, so that the whole fault would settle gently into stability, instead of toppling the capital city into a chasm. Aradia had the job of directing the rock surfaces beneath the city itself, letting the plates of stone settle horizontally across the incipient chasm to form a secure foundation Unlikely to budge for many generations. Now she Read with Lenardo, and nodded. //Go ahead.//
Everyone concentrated. Aradia dropped out of the rapport. Torio grasped Wulfston's hands, taking up the chant Adepts used to form their circles of power. Their effort would come later, but they were in rapport with the others already as the potential forces beneath the city… moved. All the tremendous power Aradia commanded could do no more than shift one portion of one rock surface, but they had carefully researched that one spot to bring the whole thing tumbling from its precarious equilibrium.
Such forces were ponderously slow, far slower than their rhythmic chanting. The Readers Read the movement beneath the earth long before anything could be felt on the surface. Underground cliffs realigned-a low rumble growled through the city, but in the forum it was drowned in drumbeats and cheers as the Emperor stepped to the front of the reviewing platform.
Aradia Read for a moment with Lenardo, studying what she had started, gauging the pressure to make the surfaces fall into the desired horizontal position. Then she was unReadable again, the shift continuing as the Adepts all around the city exerted their strength to draw energy away from that center.
There was a shift and lurch in the floor of the forum. A minor tremor shook the army's banners, and cries of fear went up here and there. It lasted only moments, though, and was quickly dismissed as another of those annoying-
//GET OUT OF THE FORUM!//
Where it came from, Torio could not have said-it was the mental voice of one of the Readers in the rapport, using Lenardo's power to broadcast outward, breaking their secrecy to reach other Readers in danger.
Then others took it up. //RUN! THE CITY WILL FALL! ALL READERS-RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!//
At this strategic moment, Lenardo dared not break the rapport-//Stop that!// he told them. //The city will not fall if you work with your partners-//