Melissa left her own room and went to Torio's. //Come in, Melissa,// he told her. Wulfston looked up as she entered, but said nothing.
"What are you going to do, Torio?" she asked.
"You Read that sandy mud the army was getting bogged down in."
"I know the area," said Wulfston. "It's just sand, no good for growing anything."
"Deep sand," said Torio. "If we can saturate it with water-" He could Read that Melissa had no idea of what he was getting at, and Wulfston offered no indication that he understood. "Quicksand!" he explained, picking up the map. He didn't look at it, but Read it, and said in annoyance, "But there is no source of water. I didn't Read far enough in any direction while we were there-but it doesn't matter. No lakes to spill into the plain with a simple avalanche."
A «simple» avalanche? Melissa thought, but remained silent.
"The sea is the closest source of water," Torio was saying, "but there is no way to move that much water to the plain over the intervening hills. Working against nature that way, you'd be worn out before you'd moved a tenth of what is needed."
"Quicksand?" asked the Lord Adept. "You know how to turn ordinary sand into quicksand?"
"Of course," said Torio. "It has to be deep sand, and it has to be saturated with water, that's all. When I Read the way that sand seemed to suck at the army trying to march across it… But it's a bad idea anyway. If we could sink the army, how would we ever get them out? We would unleash another force of nature that we couldn't control."
"Wait," said Wulfston. "We don't want to sink the whole army. Think of it this way: pools of quicksand here and there. Under their best equipment-what did they bring along? A catapult? We concentrate the water under it-and it sinks. A battering ram? Down it goes! What do you think of that?"
"Lord Wulfston," Melissa whispered incredulously, "Can you do that?" It was obvious now-they were not out to kill anyone.
"I can do it," said Wulfston, "with a little help. Torio is the only Reader I have-there's not enough time for Lenardo to get here. The Aventine army will leave that plain in the morning. With fast horses we can be there before dawn. Melissa-are you going to report our plan to the Aventine Readers, so they start moving the army now?"
"It would do me no good to try," she replied. "Torio can tell you."
"They won't trust Melissa any more than they would me," Torio said. "She tried to warn them, and they wouldn't listen. That's why I went there before coming back to report to you, Wulfston-I thought Melissa might be a good enough Reader to contact them from here. I was right, but they rejected her."
"Then come along and watch," said the Adept.
//Torio,// asked Melissa as they went downstairs, //how did you ever come to think of quicksand? I never would have.//
Fastening on his sword, he replied, //For the same reason I can use a sword and you can't: Male Readers are trained to aid the army. When we're scouting terrain, quicksand is just one of the hazards we're to Read for.//
//Lord Wulfston doesn't wear a sword,// Melissa noticed.
//If he couldn't use his powers, he would be far too weak to use a sword.//
Rolf was waiting in the great hall, with several other men and women dressed in rough, sturdy garments. "Excellent!" said Wulfston as he looked them over. "We have a plan-Torio, is anyone from the Aventine army Reading us here?"
"Not that I can tell-but you are the hardest of all of us to Read. You explain the plan."
So Wulfston gathered the others around him while Torio and Melissa hung back.
"Do not Read," Torio cautioned. "Readers are too easy to locate. Wulfston is right that one of the Readers, out of body, could have found us since you and I returned. I'm taking the risk that it will take longer, as they don't know the territory, and I checked carefully to see that no one followed you and me."
"You did? I didn't notice. Apparently you do deserve the title you claim, Torio."
"The only title I'm claiming from now on is Lord Reader," he said grimly. Melissa looked at his face-and saw that his eyes were drifting, unfocused.
"That was why Master Florian thought I was confused when I told him about Rolf-you're blind, too!"
"Yes, but it makes little difference to a Reader. Wulfston thinks Rolf should find it easy to learn to Read for that reason, but I've been unable to teach him-or learn Adept tricks myself."
"Is it true, then-?"
"Yes. Lenardo learned it. Aradia learned to Read. If we had them with us tonight, we wouldn't need all of these other people."
"What can they do?" Melissa asked. "There are over a hundred Readers with the army. They are sure to pick up our plan from these nonReaders. Why are they being told?"
"They are minor Adepts," Torio explained. "Each has one talent-Rolf can control weather, Irmy can cause fires, several of them can move light objects. They will combine their powers and be almost as effective as another Lord Adept-maybe two."
"Their powers can be combined?"
"Yes. It's not like Reading. Not one of them could do more than move a pebble alone-but together they can lift a person… or gather water to pool in one area."
Melissa was fascinated. Readers worked together, of course, but their talents did not combine. The best
Reader in a group could Read for the others to his own limits of distance or discrimination-but no further.
"I wonder," she said, "what it would be like to have both powers?"
"So do I," said Torio, "and I am going to learn if it takes the rest of my life!"
By this time Wulfston had explained the plan to the minor Adepts, and they were ready to leave. Both Torio and Melissa were free to Read again-and Melissa quickly Read why it was safe for the minor Adepts to know what they intended to do: All were as unReadable as Lord Wulfston.
//When an Adept is braced to use his powers,// said Torio, //he cannot be Read-nor can he Read, Lenardo tells me. Somewhere in that restriction there is a clue to the use of the two powers, but we haven't yet been able to fathom it.//
Fine, fast horses were waiting in the courtyard, and Hilda came running out with a warm cloak for Melissa. No one questioned her riding with them; the Lord Adept's word was law.
All along the road, troops marched southward. Cheers went up as the Lord Adept passed with his entourage. Melissa Read other groups of armed men moving southward, taking the best routes to converge just north of the plain where the army was camped. She felt no touch of any Reader but Torio, but there were sure to be Readers watching them, out of body, as they rode along the main road.
Near midnight they stopped at an inn, where they were given fresh horses and where hot food was laid ready for all of them-it took only minutes for the group of Adepts to eat meat wrapped in bread; then they picked up cheese and fruit to take with them, and rode swiftly along the road again. Neither Melissa nor Torio was hungry, but they tucked apples into their cloaks for later.
Neither Reader could Read over the distance they yet had to cover before the watcher's reports began, lights blinking on the hilltops and runners and riders coming to them with messages: The Aventine army was breaking camp.
"They've Read our troops converging," said Wulfston. "They have to attack now, while they still outnumber the army directly before them. Torio, can you-?"
"No, my lord-it is still too far. I can stop here, though, leave my body, and stay in touch with you through Melissa."
Wulfston pondered a moment, then said, "No-I want you on the scene. Watcher," he added to the rider who had brought the latest message, "see if anyone can provide us with fresh horses again-we've got to ride faster!"
They pushed their mounts-and Melissa Read something strange happening to the animals. They did not seem to feel the tiredness in their legs, the ache of their overworked lungs-//Torio-the horses?//
//Wulfston's doing it. It's not good for them-he would never mistreat an animal, though. It's probably safe enough for a few miles.//
And in a few miles there were fresh horses-but only four riding horses, probably belonging to huntsmen. The rest were farm horses, strong but slow. Still, they were better than the tired-out animals they left to be cared for by Wulfston's people-with a warning that they needed to be walked slowly for a good long time to cool off after their effort.