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they struggled toward the entry to the tower. Chulaika had somehow reached the
bottom of the steps, where she cowered, holding
Chaiku before her.
"The gates?" Wulfston panted to Zanos when the two came together in the melee.
"They'll hold!" the gladiator assured him, punching a man's face inward to a
crunch of mangled flesh no longer horrifying in that corridor of death.
On they fought, working step by slow step toward the tower stairs, until at
last no more guards appeared and they stood gasping, blood-covered, but alive.
Tadisha was limping.
Barak leaned on a spear to steady his steps, but he was only exhausted, not
injured.
Kamas cradled a broken arm.
Ashuru had a cut on her cheek and a blackening eye.
Chulaika held Chaiku, his face hidden against his mother's shoulder.
Zanos and Telek showed numerous scratches and bruises, but no serious
injuries.
"Kamas," said Wulfston, "I must set your arm."
"Don't put me to sleep!" the boy said.
"I won't," he assured him. "Tadisha, Ashuru, See what's happening. We don't
want another surprise attack."
Kamas gritted his teeth as Wulfston pulled the bone ends back together, then
invoked the healing fire to knit them. It would take a day of healing sleep to
knit completely, but for the time being Kamas would not damage it merely by
moving around.
"The gates are still closed," Ashuru reported. "Except for the dead, there is
no one but us in the castle&
and Z'Nelia waits for us in the tower."
They climbed the stairs.
The door to the tower room swung open as they approached.
Lenardo was standing by the window, looking pale and drawn. But he was alive!
Wulfston took a step toward him, crying his name. Z'Nelia stepped out of
nowhere, into his path.
Chulaika's features. His mother's eyes& burning with madness!
"Welcome, Beast Lord!" she said.
Suddenly his every nerve was aflame with pure pain!
Wulfston screamed, vaguely aware of the screams of his companions.
"Wulfston!"
Lenardo's voice.
"Wulfston, open to Reading!" the Master Reader gasped.
Their minds met and although Lenardo did not have his usual power, he showed
them that the pain was not real. Had Z'Nelia actually seared their nerves,
they would be dead.
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As the Seers' minds joined, the pain eased. Even Barak and Telek broke free.
Z'Nelia cried, "Seers you may be, but I am the greatest Mover of all!"
This time she caused real damage!
With no defenses, Telek fell dead.
Wulfston fought, felt Zanos' powers joined to his, and Lenardo's Adept power,
small though it was
"Tadisha! Ashuru! Kamas! Join your Movers' powers to mine!" he cried.
They did, but against Z'Nelia's strength, hoarded while they fought their way
through her guards, their power was insufficient.
Z'Nelia's mad laughter floated around them. Wulfston gripped Lenardo's hand on
one side, Tadisha's on the other. Ashuru grasped Tadisha's other hand, and the
rest joined the circle until Chulaika stood alone with Chaiku, Barak and Kamas
reaching toward her
She thrust her son into the circle and closed it.
Renewed strength flowed around the circle until thunderbolts rained on them,
too many to deflect
Looking across the circle at Zanos, feeling the man's desperate fury at being
defeated in his revenge on the woman who had murdered his wife, Wulfston
suddenly remembered Zanos and the burst water bag.
The scene seemed significant but why?
Then he knew.
"Stop fighting her!
Support her
!" he gasped through pain. "Feed& energy back to her! Flood her!"
Ashuru stared, but she and Tadisha together joined their strength to
Wulfston's, directing their energy to
Z'Nelia as if it were healing power. Lenardo joined them at once, giving what
little strength he had.
Kamas did his part, and Barak stood transfixed, maintaining the circle.
Z'Nelia drank in the energy. Their pain diminished as she greedily soaked up
the pure power.
Wulfston urged more on her, and his plan began to take effect!
From reveling, Z'Nelia's feelings turned to faint discomfort, confusion and
then fear as more energy flowed into her!
Chulaika realized what was happening, as did Zanos, and they added their
force, Chulaika focusing
Chaiku's power on her twin sister.
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