By this time, though, Wulfston could hardly follow Kamas’ Seeing, and could Read almost nothing for himseE Tadisha, they found, had sensibly gone to her room, and was sound asleep in her own bed. “She burns with Shangonu’s fire,” said Kamas. “It is well.”
“Healing sleep,” Wulfston identified. So Tadisha had enough of the Mover’s power that her body could call up that state-as Wulfston’s body yearned to do after the long, tense night. Dawn was breaking. He forced himself to stay awake long enough to eat, then went to his own bed, and fell helplessly into dreamless slumber.
“Wulfston! Wulfston, wake up!”
“Mmpf?”
Then he realized that the voice was in his head. “Who-?”
“Wulfston, what happened? Why are you sleeping in the middle of the afternoon?”
“Lenardo!”
Wulfston sat up, wide awake. “Lenardo, has something happened to you?”
“No, but something has to you. Careful-let me control our Reading. I can keep the Seers from listening in. Why is everyone in healing sleep?”
Wulfston started to tell him, verbalizing, but felt Lenardo pick up the whole memory from his mind at once. “You must teach me how to do that!”
“You’ll learn it. Your Reading has improved overnight. You gave control over to me the way a Magister Reader might. Subtlety and control are much harder to learn than distance.”
" I always knew I ought to be a Reader. But you have information for me.”
He “heard” Lenardo’s pleased laughter. “Very good- but the news isn’t. A message just arrived from Norgu: the survivors of the wreck of the Night Queen are to be sold to the slavers in Ketu.”
“Norgu has them?”
“Just the sailors. I still haven’t located Zanos or Astra.”
“Huber?”
“No, not Huber either, although I have tried. Contrary to your exaggerated opinion of my powers, I cannot Read the entire continent of Africa.”
Nor could he Read across the sea to home, although he confessed to Wulfston that he had tried. Ill worry about Aradia. If I dared go out of body, I would try to Read to Zendi. At least I hope she has gone there. I want her under Master Clement’s care.”
Wulfston told him of trying to send Aradia a letter from Freedom Island. Ill don’t know whether my request will be honored, or whether the coins were pocketed and the letter thrown away.”
“If Aradia receives it, at least she will know we reached Africa alive.”
“I will send a letter from here before we set out,” Wulfston assured him. “Tadisha will know a trustworthy messenger.” Then he asked, “Out of body… could you really Read all the way home?”
There was a long mental silence. Then Lenardo replied, III don’t think so, Wulfston. But if I get the chance, I’m certainly going to try!”
But at the moment their concerns were there in Africa. “Can you help the Night Queen crew escape?”
Wulfston suggested. “All of you get out together?”
“They don’t know I’m here. None of them are Readers, and Norgu has me locked up and guarded.”
“Why is Norgu suddenly selling them?”
“Because you want them,” Lenardo replied. Ill can’t predict that boy’s moves. He has too much strength, and he acts on impulse-like giving my ring to you and telling you I was dead.”
Wulfston started. In the turmoil after Z’Nelia’s attack, he had forgotten Lenardo’s ring. But he quickly discovered it now lay gleaming on the table beside his bed. He picked it up and slid it back onto his finger. “Yes-he had to know I’d find out he was lying.”
“But not so soon. He wants you to come to him, Wulfston.”
“Oh, I plan to! Ill get you out of there. Where’s Ketu?”
“Between here and the Karili castle. You can liberate the Night Queen crew on the way-if someone else doesn’t buy them first. White men are considered exotic in Africa.”
“Norgu may be cleverer than we give him credit for,”
Wulfston realized. “He can’t hold you long, so he’s trying to force my hand. Lenardo, I’ll get there as soon as I can. Don’t try to escape on your own. Although you re conspicuous in Africa, I don’t want to have to hunt for you. I’m not that good a Reader yet.”
“You don’t think I could track you down?” Lenardo asked with mild amusement.
“Of course you could, but why complicate matters? Let me come to you. Once the two of us are in the same place, no one in Africa can stand against us!”
Lenardo agreed. “But Wulfston, if you were a trained Reader, I would not have been able to waken you today.”
“Why? Oh-I remember. Readers are not supposed to Read while they’re asleep so they won’t intrude on anyone or broadcast anything.” A prickle of fear went through him. “What am I going to do? I have to sleep!”
“Aradia automatically braces her Adept powers when she sleeps,” said Lenardo. “Apparently you don’t have the same instinct, but cant you do it consciously?”
“Yes,” Wulfston replied in relief. But what of all the time he had slept, drugged and undrugged, since his Reading had begun, all the strange dreams, the fragments of thoughts and memories? Who could tell what Seers might have been listening in?
When Lenardo withdrew, Wulfston got up and dressed, testing both his Adept and his Reading powers.
He felt normal. In fact, he felt positively good. There were no guards on his room, but the castle was battle-ready. It was exhilarating not to have to leave his room to discover that; he could Read into every part of the castle, out into the courtyard, and to the city beyond. He didn’t “see” what he Read, but sensed it in a way he could not have explained in words.
Having “seen” the visions produced by Norgu and Barak, he now understood the difference between ordinary Reading an what the Readers called “visualization,” a higher-order skill. He wondered if he would ever develop that, or would always be dependent on a better Reader for visualization.
Interesting that in Africa the word for Reader meant “Seer.” He must ask Tadisha whether that meant that the ability to visualize was what distinguished someone with minor powers from someone who might command respect- and power.
At the thought of Tadisha, he Read her room, but it was empty. His conscience prodded him: Readers observed strict rules of privacy. The problem was, not having been a Reader before, he had never learned them! However, he chided himself, Reading into people’s private rooms was certainly forbidden except in an emergency.
Restricting himself to the public rooms of the castle, he found Tadisha in a small dining room off the kitchen, Traylo and Arlus on either side of her, begging for tidbits. “Tadisha?”
“Lord Wulfston,” she acknowledged. “Won’t you join me? I woke up as hungry as a Mover!”
So had he, so he hurried down the stairs. “Your Seeing powers are back.”
“Not yet back to normal, but returning,” she told him.
When Wulfston entered the dining room, Traylo and Arlus came running to meet him, fawning on him as if they had been waiting desperately for his appearance rather than perfectly content with Tadisha.
The Karili princess looked tired, her eyes puffy as if she still needed sleep. She was wearing a silk caftan in shades of green and tan, and her hair was tied back with a scarf of the same material.
She was eating bread and fruit, but only picking at a savory stew whose aroma had Wulfston’s mouth watering. “You need the meat,” he told her. “The weakness of your body will blunt your Seeing more than meat will. After your strength returns you can go back to eating like a rabbit if you want to.” He followed his own advice, helping himself to a liberal portion of the stew. “How are your mother and Barak?”
“Still healing,” she replied. “Our scouts confirm what Norgu showed us of the Savishnon-they are ready to move. The members of the Assembly are returning to their own lands to ready their armies.”