Dragonlord of the Savage Empire

"No, you won't have the skill to Read such stresses for years. Why can't you learn to obey? I wish you could be sent to an Academy. They'd teach you some discipline."

Julia climbed down from the window and stood, shielding her thoughts as best she could. "I need to learn to rule, not obey. If you don't want me, Lord Wulfston will take me."

"What?" Then he remembered a recent letter from Wulfston: "So you have found an apprentice. Congratulations. If you should find any more Readers, I can certainly use someone with even a portion of your skills."

"You've been Reading my letters!"

"Well, you wanted me to practice." Defiant pride.

He stared at her helplessly. "What am I to do with you? Spank you? Helmuth, Josa, Cook-they've all punished you. What good has it done?"

Defiance melted as her eyes grew liquid. "You never punish me. You're the only one that's got the right, Father. Don't you care about me?"

He suddenly remembered that she had called him "Father" in her panic that afternoon. "I'm not your father," he said bluntly, not knowing how to approach the real problem.

"But you must be," Julia insisted. "There's nobody else like us, nobody that can talk in their minds. I feel it. You're the only one like me. You bought me from Mama. I thought you loved me because I was like you, but then you gave me to everybody else-and-and-" Angrily, she struck away the tears that rolled down her cheeks. "My mother was right. Men don't care nothing about their children, except great lords for the pride of it or the fear. I've got your powers. You had to claim me, but you don't want me. You don't love me. You just want me to stop using my powers so I won't use them against yo«!"

Lenardo was astonished. How could he handle this savage child? His only weapon was truth.

Kneeling before Julia, he took her hands. "Julia, you and I are not the only Readers in the world. I'm not your father, but if I were, I would certainly never have abandoned you. You're too young to understand that you're insecure because you never had anyone to rely on, not even your mother. Child, I will give you things you can trust in: your own abilities, the Readers' Honor, other Readers. But what you need right now is one person you can trust, and under the circumstances, that has to be me."

The wide brown eyes searched his.

"I'm going to open my mind to you, Julia. Read me."

Hesitantly, her thoughts met his. //You're not my father?//

//No. I never left the Aventine Empire before last spring.//

Because his memories were totally open to her, she caught a trace of the pain of his branding. //They hurt you,// she said, sliding her hand up his arm to rest over the dragon's head. Ill hate them!//

//No, child, you mustn't hate people you don't know. I have many friends in the empire, Readers like us. You can trust any Reader, Julia, if you yourself are trustworthy.//

Ill don't want other people, just you.//

//You have me. I promise, I'll take care of you. Trust me, Julia.// Stubbornness intruded, born of many disappointments. //Have I ever lied to you or broken a promise?//

//No, but you took me when you didn't want me.//

//I do want you. Can't you Read that?//

//Yes.// But she also felt walled off from him.

//Julia, I cannot give you every minute of my day. I have too much work. I'm the only Reader-// It suddenly occurred to him, //Child, would you like to help me?// In the empire, children were given Reading responsibilities within the Academies from the day they entered. There was no Academy for Julia, but the whole city could become her Academy.

//You'll let me work with you? All the time?//

//Not all the time but certainly a great deal more time, if you will work seriously. No tricks, and no spying on people's secret thoughts.//

Tears spilled again, but they were tears of joy. She flung her arms around his neck. Ill promise! I'll be good. Oh, Master Lenardo, I want to be with you. I love you!//

He let her hold on to him for a moment and then gently removed her arms.

"Don't push me away," she pleaded.

"You don't have to touch, Julia." //Between Readers it's the same whether we're touching or not.//

//If it's the same, then I'd rather touch.//

He smiled, brushing her tears away and recalling that Torio had never formed a Reader's aversion to touching. We assumed he needed that reassurance because of his blindness, and we didn't force him as we did the other boys. Taking Julia's hand, he said, "Very well… for now. I'm far behind in today's work. Come along and see if you can learn to Read where the drainpipes have broken."

"Master Lenardo?" Julia's thoughts were guarded, and he did not seek to break her shield. "You could be my father. You could adopt me."

"I will take the matter under consideration."

"What does that mean?"

"I'll think about it."

"Oh." She was silent for a moment and then said, "I'll prove worthy. You'll see."