Food was brought out: bread and cheese and fruit, kegs of wine and ale, meat that had been roasting all morning. The city rang with celebration, and Lenardo prepared to meet with the Adepts to try to make the ancient prophecy come true.
They met in Lenardo's house, around the same table they had used before. All had taken time to change out of their funeral garb: Wulfston into his richly embroidered dark brown garments, Aradia into her favorite purple, Lilith into a dark green dress with a vivid green surcoat.
They were ready to go out and join the dancing if the occasion called for it. Lenardo, too, had dressed optimistically, in dark blue hose, shirt, and embroidered tabard that had been made for him in Aradia's land.
When they sat down, Lenardo found the eyes of the three Adepts on him. As he was searching for the right way to begin, Wulfston said, "It is your right to determine how the lands we have taken shall be divided, Lenardo. No One can deny that you alone were responsible for the victory."
"No," said Lenardo. "I cannot act like a savage lord, give you lands, expect loyalty in return, and not worry about what happens in the next generation provided that my own lands have an heir."
Aradia smiled. "Then you have decided to act on my suggestion, Lenardo? Form an empire, make-"
"No," he said, interrupting her, feeling Lilith and Wulfston already bristling. "All of you-can't you see we must find a new way of governing? The way you have traditionally used brings on ceaseless wars-while the way of the Aventine Empire results in weakness and corruption. We must find another way."
He turned to Lilith. "You do not wear the wolf-stone. What are you to Aradia, Lilith, that you are ever loyal?"
"A friend," Lilith replied. "An ally, as I was to Nerius. I have never been sworn woman to either father or daughter, but I have always agreed with their aims to rule by kindness rather than cruelty, love rather than fear. That is the reason I am your ally, too, Lenardo."
"And I," Wulfston said.
"No one intends to change those aims," said Aradia. "It is simply that we now have so much land, so many people, that we must form a closer alliance. And we have three young people well deserving of lands of their own but too young to rule them. Even Torio-"
"What about Torio?" Wulfston asked. "Where is his place among us? I do not question his powers, but what of his loyalties?"
"He trusts me, and he has no place else to go," explained Lenardo, "but he is not my sworn man, nor can I ask that of him."
"I wish I could," said Wulfston. "I need a Reader, Lenardo. Julia will have to have years of training yet, but Torio is fully trained. I am willing to swear to protect the lands you grant to him and release them to him whenever you decide he has come into his full powers if he will Read for me in the meantime."
"You are getting ahead of me, Wulfston," said Lenardo. "First, you are going to learn to Read for yourself, as Aradia has done. Second, you will have to arrange with Torio himself to exchange services and lessons. However, I will heartily recommend to him that he accept your offer."
"Then Torio's lands should border on Wulfston's," said Lilith. "None of the newly taken lands do. Lenardo, I was of no help whatsoever in the battle just past, but my son-"
"Will be granted lands, of course, Lilith, and who but you could be his guardian?" Lenardo fought down exasperation.
Lilith began, "Then I will trade some of my land which borders on Wulfston's-"
"Stop," said Aradia. "I see what you are doing, Lilith, and you, too, my brother. You seek to divert this meeting from its true purpose, for you refuse to admit that because Lenardo and I have powers you do not-"
"Aradia, no," said Lenardo. "I have told you I will not be party to your attempts to form an empire. I grew up in an empire. I know what happens when when power becomes entrenched in one family and a small circle of men-friends."
"Then what would you have us do?" Aradia demanded. "Go on as we are and spread our influence ever farther with ever less strength? We are four; soon we will be seven. We will trust Ivorn, Julia-but what of Torio? Lenardo, you know him and trust him, and we take your word. But what happens when Torio brings someone else into our alliance, or Julia does, or any one of us? What happens when we are ten? Twenty? A hundred? Your empire has a senate, Lenardo, but it cannot rule without one person who can make final decisions."
"Not my empire any longer," he reminded her. "You need not fear that I have any lingering loyalties there."
"I don't. I am pointing out that there must be one voice above the rest when many voices disagree. The Aventine succession is foolish; the whole system of suppressing those with powers is ridiculous. The person who rules here must be the person with the greatest powers."
"And if he is another Drakonius?" asked Wulfston.
"Then," said Lenardo, "the council has the power to eject him."
Lilith gasped. "You are turning to Aradia's side, Lenardo?"
"Only insofar as she is right," he replied. "Our alliance has weathered two attacks now. Other lords will wonder what we have, and some will want to join us. Aradia is right that our ranks will grow and that we must formalize our government. Casual agreements among four friends have worked tolerably well so far, but we all agree, I think, that they will not work much longer."
"Then what do you suggest?" Lilith asked.
"A government based not on the Aventine system but on the organization of the Academies. Right now that system is being tested by Portia and her cohorts, but other Master Readers are already working to weed out the corruption. Aradia is right that those with power must rule, but there must be safeguards on them, such as the Council of Masters. Portia will not hold her office much longer. She is corrupt, but the system is not.
"What I propose, then, is a council to which every Lord Adept and Reader automatically belongs by virtue of his powers. The one who can demonstrate the greatest power will have the deciding vote in matters of dispute. But," he added, Reading Aradia's glee and the strong reservations still held by Wulfston and Lilith, "there must be safeguards. The Readers have only the protection of the Reader's Oath, but it is a strong protection. I saw clearly that Portia had forfeited a large portion of her powers by violating her Oath."
"You propose such an oath for Adepts?" Lilith asked.
"Yes. An Oath and a Law that will pass from one generation to another, long after we are gone. Something beyond personal loyalties, beyond family ties-an Oath every Reader and Adept must honor, no matter how he may disagree with us in other matters."
"And it would be our duty," said Lilith, beginning to like the idea, "to formulate such an oath."
"Yes," Lenardo said. "You may be certain we will have many disputes before we are satisfied, but it will be worth all of them."
"What happens," Aradia asked skeptically, "if a Lord Adept breaks this marvelous Oath?"
"I should think," Lenardo said, "that the other safeguard would be obvious to you, Aradia. Adepts can join their powers. You are the most powerful Adept here. My powers are minimal, but Lilith and Wulfston are powerful Adepts. Would you care to stand against the three of us-" he took Wulfston's hand on top of the table, and the black Adept took the cue and grasped Lilith's hand with bis other "-if we linked our powers against you?"
Aradia stared at them, and for one horrible moment Lenardo feared that she actually would strike some blow at them. But then she smiled, her wolflike grin merging into a laugh. "Oh, Lenardo, you are certainly learning quickly how to use power." She took his hand and Lilith's, completing the circle. "You win," she said. "We'll form a council, and we'll formulate an Oath. It won't be easy."
"Nothing as important as this can be easy," said Wulfston.