"Jean Lorrah - Savage Empire 05 - Sorcerers of the Frozen Isles" - читать интересную книгу автора (Lorrah Jean)

brave enough to experiment with Adept powers for healing or other positive purpose. But others had
given up, and were trying to find a place for themselves as ordinary people with no special powers at all.

Because of the widespread corruption and rebellion in what had been the Aventine Empire, the savage
alliance had allowed little movement across the old border. After a year of savage rule little different for
most people from what they had experienced under the Emperor, it was time to allow more freedom to
travel.

Readers on the Path of the Dark Moon, however, were astonished to be offered new assignments,
instead of merely being informed by the Council of Masters that they were being sent to a different place.
Both Wulfston and Lilith wanted to set up relays of Readers in their lands, to transmit messages both
more quickly and more privately than the watchers did with their code of flashing lights.
It still frightened many of these minor Readers to find the Lords Adept unReadable. But they could Read
Lenardo, Master Clement, Torio, or MelissaтАФand they reassured them of the Adepts' good intentions.

Soon it was settled who would go to Wulfston's landsтАФbut the Lord Adept was shocked when Torio
told him he would not be returning.

"But why, Torio?" Wulfston asked. "Have I offended you in some way?"

Torio shut out the vision of the hill bandits burning to death. "No, not at all. I consider you a valued
friend, Wulfston, and I hope to work with you again when I return."

"Return? Where are you going?"

"To Madura with Zanos and AstraтАж and Melissa."

"I see. But that's not all, is it?"

"What do you mean?" Torio Read Wulfston curiously, trying once again to detect some sign that the
Adept was actually Reading. His sensitivity at times made any other conclusion seem impossible, yet
once more Torio could feel nothing when he tried to engage Wulfston's mind.

"Torio, you have been avoiding me ever since we arrived in ZendiтАФand even before we got here, you
hardly talked to me on the last day's ride. I know that you suffered terribly when I burned those
banditsтАж but you've been working with Adepts long enough to know that I had no choice."

"I know," Torio admitted. "You did what you had to, but what you had to do, what you could do, was
so terrible. I understand why you can't learn to Read, Wulfston. If you once Read the effects of an Adept
trick like that one, you would never be able to do it again. And in a similar situation, you'd be killed."

"Or I might be able to Read how to avoid getting killed without causing my attackers so much pain,"
Wulfston replied. "Adepts are not callous, TorioтАФat least not all of us are."

"Oh, WulfstonтАФI know that!" said Torio, horribly embarrassed that his friend could think he thought ill of
him. "It's not youтАФit's me. I still don't know what I'm supposed to beтАФand I guess that's why I can't
learn Adept powers, either. I'm terrified of what I might do with them. And then just when I'm confused
enough already, I have to develop this new powerтАФ"

"What new power? Show me!" said Wulfston, obviously expecting some evidence that Torio was indeed