But Portia watched Cassandra too closely. The day she packed her belongings, she found the door blocked by the Master of Masters-and thereafter locked. With her advancing pregnancy, it became less and less possible for her to flee.
Anthony, pursued as he moved from village to village trying to find a way to rescue Cassandra, was eventually forced to cross the border into the savage lands.
Finally Cassandra’s baby was born-and died. At least so Portia had made her believe. And in her despair, Cassandra fled-perhaps escaping too easily, she thought now that she knew Portia had not wanted her, but her child.
In the savage lands Cassandra had to hide her Reading ability, for the savages, terrified of their powers, killed Readers. For almost a year she had wandered, terrified, until at last she touched minds with another at a harvest fair-and found her love.
They spoke their marriage vows to one another, and decided to travel northward, to where they had heard of verdant isles where people of both Reading and Adept powers lived in peace.
“And indeed,” Cassandra finished, “Madura was such a land in those days. We sailed here eagerly, and found welcome. It seemed that we had paid for our misdeeds, and that at last we could settle down to good lives.
“But… our children were born dead, and we knew the punishment of the gods was still upon us. We lived far in the northern hills of this island, seeking obscurity among the shepherds-and then the old Lord of the Land died.”
She looked at Maldek, and continued, choosing her words carefully. “At first, things seemed the same as always, except that the shepherds complained that the new Master Sorcerer demanded twice as many sheep and three times as much wool as his portion of their goods. But they had fine flocks, and it was little hardship for them.
“Then… the tithe was increased, and demands came for young men of the village for the army, and young women…” She let that trail off. “Then a few years ago the climate changed. Winters became longer. The newborn lambs died in the snow, and the sheep that survived grew weaker as there was less and less for them to eat.
“Anthony went out with the shepherds in a blizzard, to find and rescue as many of their sheep as possible.
None of us were strong anymore-we were suffering shortages as much as the sheep were. Anthony stayed out all night with the shepherds-and caught pneumonia. So did several other men. The village healer exhausted himself, while I did all that I could with herbs-but it had been years since I could get many herbs I needed. Five good men died that winter… among them Anthony.”
Cassandra fell silent. Maldek rose and came up behind her chair, placing his hand on her shoulder.
“Cassandra-I am only beginning to recognize what harm I have done in my attempts to strengthen Madura against its enemies. If I could bring your husband back, I would-but you know I cannot.”
I “No,” Dirdra suddenly spoke up, “you can only make orbu, you fiend!”
“And I have stopped doing that,” Maldek replied, irritation edging his voice for a moment. Then he calmed himself. “You have no reason to believe me, Dirdra-how could you, when it is your own example that has shown me my mistakes only in these past few days?”
Torio tried to Read the man’s sincerity, but he was shielding his emotions by bracing for Adept power-Melissa did that sometimes when she didn’t want Torio to know how she felt, but in Maldek he suspected it was something more.
Maldek, meanwhile, said to Cassandra, “Although I cannot restore your husband, at least I have reunited you with your daughter. It is not recompense; there can be no recompense. But I shall restore the land, and reunite those whom I can- and perhaps, one day, my people will forgive me.”
“You are your people,” Torio suddenly found himself saying. “And you are your land, Maldek. The land may demand your life to restore it.”
The Master Sorcerer stared at him. “That is so,” he replied. “But how do you know this, Torio?”
“He has the gift of prophecy,” Melissa replied. “But Torio, you said the land may demand Maldek’s life.”
“There is yet time,” the words tumbled forth, “but it is growing short. Make your words true, Maldek, or only one who dies your death for you can save you and your land.”
Chapter Six
“But what does it mean?” Melissa demanded of Torio after the group at supper had broken up. “First you said that Maldek might have to die for his land-and then you said someone else might have to die his death. I don’t understand.”
“And you think I do?” Torio asked. “How could someone die somebody else’s death? All I know is that Maldek gives me cold chills-because he hasn’t really reformed.”
“Is that a prophecy, too?”
They had walked out into the forest with Gray. Torio picked up a stick and tossed it. The dog loped after it and brought it back while Torio sorted his thoughts.
“No, it’s not a prophecy; it’s a feeling. You try to Read him when he’s making an apology-he’s hiding his true feelings.
“I could tell that he’s heard before that the Lord is the land, and may have to restore it with his own blood-only I’ll wager he never thought it would apply to him until he realized what he’d done to the beautiful, rich land that Zanos and Cassandra remember. Now he’s frightened, and he’s trying to make amends. But Maldek doesn’t strike me as really wanting to change. He enjoys controlling people.”
“Don’t be so cynical, Torio. People do reform.”
“Not the ones who have tasted power. Portia went down fighting, remember? Besides-Maldek’s reform is too quick. He couldn’t have changed overnight.”
“I don’t think it was overnight,” said Melissa, fending off Gray as he almost knocked her over begging her to play with him. She tossed the stick for him. “I think Maldek has been dissatisfied for a long time with the way his power has separated him from other people, but he didn’t know what was wrong until he watched the five of us together. We’re like a family, you know-Dirdra is here because of her brother, and Zanos is looking for his. So now Maldek is trying to bring families together-and he likes the feeling of using his powers for good. Torio, you can’t tell me you haven’t Read how Maldek feels when he’s healing!”
“He feels pride in his power,” Torio agreed. “He’s showing off for you, Melissa.”
She stopped abruptly. “Torio-you can’t be jealous, can you?”
“Do I have reason to be?” he countered.
“No!” she replied. A little too quickly? Then, “I’m tired,” she said. “It will be dark soon. Let’s go back.”
Torio refrained from reminding her that they were both Readers, to whom darkness meant nothing, and simply turned to walk with her back toward the castle.
Apparently they had been waited for. The moment they crossed the drawbridge, it was hauled up with a horrible rumbling sound. Torio shuddered, and Gray nudged his hand as if to give comfort.
“What’s wrong?” asked Melissa.
“Nothing,” he replied. “I think-yes, the sound reminds me of that stone sliding down out of the quarry onto that young man Wulfston and I rescued. It makes me think of someone being crushed to death.”
“Auf! Don’t say such things!” she said.
“It’s not a prophecy-it’s something that happened in the past.” Then he turned to face her. “But-my gift of prophecy disturbs you, doesn’t it? Every time I say something about the future, you withdraw from me. Melissa, I can’t help it.”
“I know,” she replied. “Still… it’s frightening, Torio. And this time you prophesied death!”
“Only if Maldek doesn’t mend his ways.”
“But you don’t think he can. You think he’ll have to die-or that one of us will have to die for him!”
The next day, Maldek and his guests rode into the city. Torio Read apphrehension flowing ahead of the party as word spread that the Master Sorcerer was in town.