Torio went to his room and unpacked clean clothes, eager for the luxury of a genuine bath. At Wulfston’s castle he could have a shower, the water warmed by the sun on the rooftop cistern, or in winter a hot bath with the water hauled by servants to his room. But Zendi, which had once been an Aventine city, had real plumbing-and it was put to full use in the luxurious bathhouse.
Decius, a young Reader who had come here with Master Clement, joined him, walking easily on his wooden leg. “Zanos says the Master Sorcerers of Madura might be able to grow me a new leg,” he announced as he removed his peg before sliding into the water.
“What?” Torio asked in confusion. He recalled Zanos, the huge red-haired gladiator who had turned out to have minor Adept powers. He had seduced a female Reader-Torio couldn’t remember her name.
The two had escaped the Aventine Empire in the chaos of the short war last summer, and ingratiated themselves with Lilith by keeping another band of outlaws from taking over her castle and stealing her treasures while she was away.
“He’s been asking everybody about Madura,” Decius explained in typical adolescent carelessness for logical connections. “That’s where he was born, and kidnapped and brought to Tiberium to be a gladiator. I mean, he was captured as a little boy, and then when he grew up-”
“I understand, Decius,” said Torio, luxuriating in water deep enough to swim in. “What’s this about Master Sorcerers?”
“I guess that’s what they call Adepts there- but they’re Readers, too, and they can do lots more than our Adepts. At least, that’s what the legends say. Some sailors said-”
“Sailors’ tales, Decius? Aren’t you a good enough Reader to tell they make most of their adventures up?”
“Well, other people say it, too. They say they can make cut-off limbs grow back-they could probably fix your eyes, too.”
“I get along just fine without them,” Torio reminded him.
“Well… they say they have the power to fly. And do real magic, like turning men into monkeys.
And-they even say they can bring the dead back to life!”
Torio laughed, and lunged for Decius, ducking him. The younger boy retaliated, pulling Torio under, then waiting to splash water in his face when he emerged snorting.
But Torio was bigger and stronger, and the better Reader. Decius could not shield his thoughts as well, so Torio knew which move he would make next, and captured the wriggling boy to duck him again.
When Decius shot out of the depths, blowing water out of his mouth, Torio caught him and pinned him against the pool wall for a moment. “Decius, stories like that are fun to tell around the fire in the evening, but you know they are misunderstandings, if they’re not totally imaginary. Did you counter the sailors by telling them you have a friend who was raised from the dead?”
“Well, uh-” Torio Read that the boy had had to work very hard not to yield to that temptation.
“You see? You know I wasn’t dead-just some nonReaders thought I was, so when I turned up alive they thought the savage healers had brought me back. That’s how accurate you can expect those stories the sailors told you to be. Flying, indeed!”
“Why not, if the Adept is powerful enough?” Decius demanded stubbornly.
“How long can any Adept work directly against nature? Or did your sailors claim that these sorcerers with their powers to regrow limbs and eyes used them to grow wings for themselves?”
“No-don’t be silly!” Decius protested, hurt by Torio’s mocking tone. At Fifteen, he was still fighting to be taken seriously.
“Hey-I’m sorry,” said Torio. “Decius, it’s just that you don’t understand the limitations of Adept powers yet. Talk to Master Lenardo and Master Clement about Reading for some of the Lords Adept. You’re good enough to do most of what they require, and it will give you a better idea of just how limited an Adept’s powers are when you see someone like Wulfston or Aradia collapse after an Adept trick that uses up all their reserves. If you knew how much energy it took to lift something against gravity even for just a moment, you’d realize why flying is impossible.”
“Yeah… I know,” Decius said grudgingly. “But-how can you be sure there aren’t Adepts somewhere with even more powers than Wulfston or Aradia?”
“You’re right-I don’t know,” Torio conceded. No one understood exactly how Adept powers worked, for an Adept using them was unReadable. Even Readers who had learned Adept tricks, like Lenardo and Melissa, found that they could not Read at the same time they were applying Adept power.
When the two boys had finished their bath, they dressed in familiar Aventine-style tunics, the warm-weather garb Lenardo had popularized in his lands. Torio still felt more comfortable in such clothes than in the silk shirts, hose, and tabards of the savage style.
Decius still wore the plain white linen tunic of a Reader in training, while Torio’s was green silk, edged in gold embroidery-a concession to his position as a savage lord. He would have preferred to dress in the black-edged white tunic indicative of a Reader who had reached one of the upper ranks.
Master Clement still wore the robes of a Master
Reader-scarlet cloak over a black-banded white tunic-every day. Lenardo, who had the right to them as well, wore them only on ceremonial occasions.
At nineteen, Torio knew it was better to follow Lenardo’s example than Master Clement’s, for there was no denying that the world had changed.
Lords Adept had no rules for clothing except richness, it appeared. As their powers made them individualistic, their garb was idiosyncratic-just as Readers dressed alike because their powers united them rather than setting them apart from one another.
Only it’s all the same power, Torio reminded himself as he entered Lenardo’s house and Read Melissa waiting for him in the courtyard.
“Decius, Melissa’s-”
“I know,” the younger boy told him. “Go on and get all silly with her. You don’t have to worry that /’”
Read what you’re doing!”
In another year or sd you’ll understand, thought Torio to himself, wondering if Master Clement was trying to stem that awakening in Decius. He had beaten it out of the young Lenardo, Torio had once Read to his utter astonishment. He had never known the gentle Master Reader to use physical punishment on any other student. Despite his efforts, the desire had merely lain dormant in Lenardo until he met Aradia.
Torio had experienced the vague yearnings of adolescence some years ago, too, but he had sublimated them until he had met Melissa last year. Now… neither of them knew how to achieve what they wanted.
Marriage, they were sure-but when? They were young enough to wait, but also young enough not to want to. Had they not both been brought up in the segregated disciplines of the Academy system, they might simply have followed their inclinations by now.
But both had desires beyond those of the flesh. Torio’s Reading abilities were growing at a rate which astonished the Master Readers. While Melissa’s Reading talent was maturing only at the normal rate for her age and potential, she had added Adept powers which were growing daily.
The wisdom of both Readers and Adepts who tried to advise the young couple was to wait until their growth spurt had reached its peak before consummating their physical desires.