Was the hailstorm a part of a pattern which included the whirlwinds? Or was it an independent freak of nature? Aradia sent a message to Lilith, who had no Reading powers, wishing she could talk to her friend.
The reply came back, relayed by Readers, but although Aradia was pleased to hear that everything was well with Lilith and her son, it was not the same as being together. It was the first time in her life that she did not have another strong Adept at her side in time of trouble: her father, Wulfston, or Lilith had always been there when enemies threatened.
Now her father was dead, and Wulfston was far away.
In a few weeks, Lilith would come to be with Aradia for the final days of her pregnancy and her confinement. Each day Aradia looked forward more to that event. Readers could be good friends-she felt great joy at her deepening rapport with Julia-and they had their own strengths and skills. But Reading skills were not what Aradia had relied on all her life. When the world was pulling mysterious tricks, she longed for the strength of a fellow Lord Adept.
Especially as her own powers waned.
At midmorning Julia came to report what she had found out about Pyrrhus and Wicket. They worked as hired bodyguards, of all things.
Lords Adept didn’t need bodyguards. The standing army in the Savage Empire was very small, and neither man, Wicket especially, seemed the type to be happy in the military.
What, then, could she offer them? Posts in her household? Household guards led boring lives most of the time, completely unsuited to either man’s quick mind. She didn’t really need more retainers, and both would recognize immediately that such an offer came from sympathy, not need.
Had Wicket told Julia the whole truth? Aradia doubted it. She decided to send out an inquiry to Tiberium via the Path of the Dark Moon.
A reply came back before noon: Pyrrhus and Wicket were indeed bodyguards and mercenaries, of excellent repute. They had even hired out several times to the new government of the city, helping to clean out gamblers and drug dealers who continued to prey on their citizens despite all that the combination of Readers and Adepts could do.
Before four years ago, Pyrrhus had been unheard of; he had seemingly appeared out of nowhere. His knowledge of the underworld suggested that he probably had criminal connections (Aradia laughed to herself, and had to break the connection for a moment before she let slip where Pyrrhus had really learned about corruption), but since he had teamed with Wicket there was no indication that he had been anything but scrupulously faithful to contracts he had made.
Wicket had at one time been a petty thief, pickpocket, breaker of locks-not very secure occupations in a city full of Readers. Some years before the fall of Tiberium he had apparently decided to turn his skill at picking locks to designing them, and had developed a modest business that might have expanded into a success, as his locks were impervious to the skills of common thieves.
But, as he had told Julia, the fall of Tiberium had ended his value as a locksmith. He had started hiring out as a protector of valuables, but with little success until he had teamed with Pyrrhus.
If they were doing so well, I wonder why Pyrrhus ana Wicket left Tiberium?
But Aradia decided not to question Zendi’s good fortune. Although the city was smaller than the Aventine capital, it had its share of criminals, most of whom had enough Adept power to manipulate ordinary citizens.
Unable to root out all of the criminal element even with Adepts and Readers combining their talents, Lenardo and Aradia had discussed putting together a full-time force of minor Adepts and Dark Moon Readers to police the city.
The problem was finding people who understood the criminal mind but could also be trusted. Their attempts using honest citizens had failed abysmally; it required a certain devious way of thinking to outsmart experienced criminals, a mind-set completely foreign to an Academy-trained Reader or the average healer, fire talent, or weather controller.
But now Pyrrhus and Wicket had practically fallen into their laps! From the reports she had received, they would be the perfect nucleus for the police force she envisioned. If she could only persuade them to accept the challenge.
Her morning duties finished, Aradia ate her midday meal and, having lost sleep the previous night, decided to lie down for an hour before going back to the hospital. Were Pyrrhus any ordinary patient, she would expect him to sleep almost until sunset. But he had wakened prematurely yesterday, and she expected that he would fight off sleep again today at the first moment his body was strong enough to do so.
Aradia was in no mood to fight off sleep, however. Content that she had something good to offer Pyrrhus and Wicket, she fell asleep the moment she lay down.
All the time Julia was following Wicket with her Reading, Galerio was scolding Mosca and Antonius.
When he finally let up, Mosa said with a scowl, “It’s all very well for you to be high and mighty, with Lady Julia as your friend-but Capero’s gonna be after Antonius an’ me tonight. We don’t pay him, he’s gonna slit our throats. “
“Not if we all stick together,” said Galerio. “Capero cheated you-you know that.”
“How?” asked Antonius. “We won at first.”
“I thought you were smarter than that!” said Galerio. “Of course you won at first, so you’d think it was a fair game and you could win. Then he started taking your money, and counted on you being stupid enough to think you could win it back. You know what he wants, don’t you?”
“Yeah,” Mosca said reluctantly. “He wants us to work for him.”
“Do you want to?” Galerio asked shrewdly.
“Well… he’s got money, connections,” Mosca admitted. “People that work for him live well.”
“Some do,” Galerio agreed. “But for how long? Ever notice it’s the kids the guards pick up for stealing, or cheating at gambling? You want to spend months in jail?”
“Better’n gettin’ killed,” Mosca muttered.
“Capero won’t kill you if you pay the money you owe,” Galerio said.
“But how?” Antonius demanded. “We gotta steal it. There’s no other way to get that much by tonight.”
“And then Capero will have a hold on you,” said Galerio. “Once you steal for him, he’ll find other ways to make you do the work, while he takes the money.” He sighed. “We have to show Capero that Galerio’s people won’t fall into his trap.”
By this time Wicket had returned the stolen items to their owners, and was on his way back toward the young people. Julia let her full attention return to Galerio, proud of the way he assumed responsibility for Mosca and Antonius because they were his followers.
“But how?” Mosca demanded again.
“By cheating Capero right back,” Galerio replied smugly.
“What?” Antonious asked. “How? He’s got a Reader at the game, Galerio; she’d know if we were cheating.”
Galerio looked at Julia, his dark eyes questioning.
Looking into his handsome face, Julia could deny him nothing. “You can have a Reader on your side, “
she said.
“You?” Antonius’ adolescent voice squeaked in astonishment. “But everybody knows you, Julia. You’d be recognized, and then they wouldn’t play with us.”
“I’ll go in disguise,” she said, charmed with the idea of an adventure to break up the routine of her life.
“And don’t worry-I can fool any Dark Moon Reader.”
“What’s this now?” asked Wicket’s voice-and Julia realized the man had sneaked up on her a second time. “Whore you playing, and why do you need a Reader?”
Silence fell.
“Mm-hmm,” said Wicket. He turned to Galerio. “I know you want to help your friends, but this Capero sounds like a real mean ‘un. Even if he can’t figure out how you’re cheatin’, he’ll know you have to be if you win, right?”