"It is good you didn't have to ride farther," the healer said. "You haven't lost enough blood to weaken you seriously, so the rest can be healed to prevent further damage until you can sleep and heal completely."
"Just do as… what is your name?" Lenardo asked the healer.
"Fila, my lord."
"Do as Fila says, Torio. Fila, you have my gratitude and will have more than that after we have driven our enemies from the land," he promised her, and turned his attention to the battle down the road. Three of Lenardo's men were dead, but so were seven of the Aventine guard, and the rest were retreating, sure now that they had lost their quarry.
Julia had ridden to watch the rout, and now she came back, laughing in glee. "They're running away. They're scared of us now, Father." Then she dismounted. "How's
Torio?"
"He'll be fine. You did well again, Daughter."
"Should we ride ahead?" Julia asked.
Although he was itching to ride on, Lenardo told her, "Sit do,wn and rest until we know whether Torio can travel." Torio's injury reminded him of how quickly a single Reader could be put out of action. If possible, he wanted both of them to guide the Adepts in Zendi.
Torio had all the Reading ability necessary to guide Fila, and so Lenardo sat down on the grass and Read to Zendi. Battle still raged, but the Adepts' part was over for the moment. They had worn themselves out. It was a typical pattern. Savages began with a battle of Adepts, but after they had used up their strength, their armies continued to fight. Hron and two of his cohorts were now deep in recovery sleep; the fourth Adept was tired but awake, ready to answer any further attack.
There would be no immediate attack from Zendi, however. In Lenardo's house, Wulfston slept the sleep of exhaustion, as did Arkus and Josa, who must have been working with him. Searching for Aradia, he Read the infirmary, where Sandor and his aides were working as quickly as they could, but still some of the wounded died before they received attention. Here he discovered Lilith, so deeply asleep that for a moment he thought her dead. She had been placed in one of the family's rooms, where she lay healing of crushed limbs. It seemed the attacking Adepts must have succeeded in one of their favorite tricks of dropping something-perhaps a building-on her. She was alive and would be well, but she would not wake until the battle was over, unless it went on for several more days.
Relieved to find that Lilith had succeeded in reaching Zendi, Lenardo continued his search for Aradia. It was maddening. Would he have to do a building-by-building search to find her? Why was she not in his house, in recuperative sleep?
Then he thought to Read the bathhouse. It, too, held many wounded now. They were being taken there from the infirmary to sleep as they healed in the relative safety of the stone building.
But Aradia was not asleep. Her increased Adept powers had stood her in good stead. She might be tired, but she was nowhere near the total exhaustion of the others. Helmuth was with her in the room once used to store Zendi's treasures. Together they were poring over maps of Zendi and the surrounding countryside.
"I cannot find anything to use," Aradia was saying in frustration. "The land is all so flat around here, we can't drop a cliff on them. There's no bog to suck them under." She paced. "If they can find us, they can knock buildings down on us, but we have no way to attack them except with our full powers. Why was this city ever built here, where it's so hard to defend?"
"The Aventines built it, my lady," said Helmuth. "They have no Adepts."
"Yes, of course. If only Lenardo were here." "Surely he will come, my lady," Helmuth said with more loyalty than conviction. He knew, Lenardo Read, that there had been some serious disagreement before Lenardo left, and afterward a fight between Aradia and Wulfston. When things quieted, Wulfston had sent Arkus in search of Lenardo, but no one could find him.
Although he would never voice it, the old man was of the opinion that Lenardo had been driven away and that later Wulfston had made Aradia repent of her rash act. Whatever had happened, Wulfston no longer wore the wolf-stone.
But what had happened to Lenardo and Mia? I should have gone with them, Helmuth told himself. Why did I let my lord ride off alone with the child? They never reached the gates of the empire. What became of them?
Helmuth feared that, avoiding their own soldiers, they had perished in the earthquake. Why else would my lord not return when his people are under attack?
So Aradia had told no one but Wulfston about her Reading. It was no help to her now; she was making no attempt to Read, and all Lenardo's efforts could not make her notice him. I'll just have to go to Zendi.
When Lenardo drew his attention back to Torio, the boy was sitting up so mat Fila could wash the blood off his shoulder. The wound was closed and already half healed. Torio lifted his arm experimentally and laughed as only a dull ache throbbed through the area that a short time before had been pounding with agony.
"It's not my sword arm," he said. "I can fight." "You must rest first," said Fila. "Lie still now and let me complete the healing." She pushed him gently down and then touched his shoulder again, letting the healing heat tingle through it. Then she looked up at Lenardo. "My lord, it would be best if the young Reader slept for a few hours."
"No," Torio protested.
"Wait, Torio," said Lenardo. "Fila, Torio is a Reader, not an Adept. He won't be draining himself if he uses his powers. Zendi is under siege, but the Adepts on both sides are resting now. When they waken with their strength renewed, I must be there to guide Aradia and Wulfston. I want Torio there, too, not several hours away."
"I understand, my lord," said Fila, "but Lord Torio can rest in one of the supply wagons." "Very good."
Despite his protests, Torio was settled into a wagon between cases of supplies and sent helplessly to sleep. By that time, the men wounded in the skirmish with the Aventine guards were brought to Fila, who set to work healing them, promising to follow as soon as all were out of danger.
Lenardo rode among a veritable migration toward Zendi. Every road in the land was filled with people on their way to defend the capital. They would far outnumber the besieging army, but few of them were trained soldiers. Those had all heeded the watchers' summons yesterday and were already doing battle.
Reading ahead, Lenardo found that the attacking Adept army was forcing its way in a wedge toward Eastgate. Knowing that they would soon be surrounded, they were trying to break into the city, where, if they could capture them, they could hold Zendi's Adepts hostage.
Lenardo's heart sank. None of the four attacking Adepts was injured; within hours, their powers would be back to full strength. Lilith would be unconscious for days. Her son was just a child. That left Aradia and Wulfston, outnumbered two to one. If he could not reach them before they were captured or surrounded, his friends would be operating blind while their attackers still had their Reader. Try as he might, he could not contact Aradia. I must get there.
He pushed his horse forward, and people made way for him, cheering as he passed. He Read their hopes rising. The Lord of the Land was riding to the rescue. Julia followed him, and he could find no reason not to let her. If Zendi fell, it would be better if she died in the fighting than if she were taken and forced to Read for the enemy, like Galen.
Lenardo's troops fought bravely, but he was still half an hour away when they were forced back against the Eastgate portcullis, and the towers brought down on them by the newly wakened Adepts now working easily at close range. The enemy was within the walls. Their troops were met by Lenardo's, but they provided a safe path for the Adepts and Galen to enter the city.