by Sharon Green
"It's odd, but you didn't seem repelled by her," Tamrissa commented without looking around, speaking before Rion could. "Do you suddenly find her so unattractive because she's no longer in reach?"
"It wasn't me findin' her attractive, it was the drug in me," Valiant countered, suddenly appalled to realize that he'd been considering the wrong emotion. It wasn't his humiliation that Tamrissa had been thinking about, it was her own jealousy.
"She told me all about that drug," Valiant continued as quickly as possible. "It tickled her that a sedative could be used to inflame a man, somethin' she hadn't known about before. When I tried to refuse to play, she threatened to lock me in a tiny crate. That left me with nothin' to do but to pretend I didn't remember her or understand what was goin' on. She didn't like that either, and was in the process of threatenin' again just before you walked in."
"Then I apologize for the comment I made," Tamrissa replied, still sounding distant as she continued to gaze out of the window. "Please feel free to go back to your conversation with Rion."
"But it isn't Rion I'm interested in talkin' to," Valiant said, wishing he could touch her. Normally he would have, but now something told him he'd be a fool to try.... "You're the one who needs to be apologized to more, to have explained to you that I couldn't help myself. First I couldn't stand the way I'd been humiliated in front of you, and then I thought I'd lost you because of losin' my ability. That would be harder than never bein' able to touch the power again...."
Very briefly Valiant was ashamed of himself for trying to hold Tamrissa with pity, but considering what she meant to him the regret was extremely short-lived. He'd spoken the absolute truth when he said losing her would be worse than losing his ability, and when she suddenly turned to look at him he thought the plan had worked. But then he saw her expression, and her following words confirmed the dread abruptly gripping him.
"You're saying that you thought I'd turn my back on you because you've lost your ability," she accused, fury flaming in her beautiful eyes. "So now we know at last what you really think of me: that I'm a shallow, stupid woman who can't be relied on to act like a decent human being! And if you want my opinion on what was really bothering you, here it is: you couldn't stand the fact that you had to be rescued by me, a woman. If it had been Rion or Lorand showing up just in time, you never would have been so bent out of shape. Go ahead and deny it, I dare you!"
Valiant began to do just that, but his protests sounded hollow even to him. She'd hit on what really was the truth, but not for the reason she thought. He finally decided that the matter had to be explained, but before he was able to start he was abruptly interrupted.
"Oh, spare me!" she snapped, dismissing his excuses with a sharp wave of her hand. "Everything you've said boils down to the fact that you have to be the big hero, and you're far too selfish to share something that important with me. Well, it's time for me to admit that I'm just as selfish, but what I won't share is a relationship. Not with you, at any rate, so please do me the favor of not speaking to me again."
"Tamrissa, you're wrong," he tried, putting a hand to her arm as she deliberately looked back to the window. "That isn't at all what I—"
Valiant suddenly sucked his breath in sharply, the reaction caused by the brief but very intense heat touching his face. It hadn't precisely been painful, but he'd been left with the definite impression that it could easily have been just that. The hand he'd quickly pulled away from Tamrissa's arm moved to his face, where he gingerly examined what had been done.
"Now you no longer look like a derelict who needs to be hidden when we reach an inn," Tamrissa said, that same cold shoulder still pointed in his direction adding to the shock he felt. "I'm sure you've never had that kind of shave before, at least not one that close. If you ever touch me again, you'll find out what close can really mean."
Considering how smooth his face felt, there was nothing Valiant could think of to say. She'd obviously burned away his beard stubble without doing any damage to his skin, showing once again what it meant to be a High talent in Fire magic. He'd obviously done it good this time, getting her so angry that she'd had to do something to show it. Only a High in Water magic might have a chance to defend against her anger, and he no longer qualified....
Valiant took a deep breath before sitting back, forcing himself to accept the fact that pushing Tamrissa's power-backed temper right now was a very bad idea. Rion and Naran looked even more shaken than he himself felt, and he didn't blame them. He'd caught a glimpse of the very intense fire Tamrissa had used, and colored circles still floated before his eyes. They must have had a much better view of the thing, and caution was now keeping them as silent as he.
But he refused to remain silent forever. No matter how dangerous it turned out to be, he was determined to find a way to make Tamrissa listen to him. It wasn't selfishness or male pride that had caused him to act the way he had, but being shamed in front of the woman who meant everything to him. The situation would have been better even if it had been Jovvi rescuing him, as long as it wasn't Tamrissa who had seen him so weak and helpless and humiliated. But it had been Tamrissa, and now she refused to hear and understand. ...
Just as she'd refused all those times in the past. Valiant leaned back in his seat as he suddenly remembered that, the fact that Tamrissa never wanted to hear things from his point of view. It was as if his own feelings were unimportant next to hers, unimportant and decidedly secondary. And she never shared those with him either, those very important feelings of hers. She never asked him why he said or did something, and she never explained why she said and did things.
Maybe that was what they would have to talk about, whether or not his ability was ever restored....
Nineteen
The sun had almost set by the time our coach pulled into the front court of a rather large inn. The trip had been extremely silent, and there was no need to wonder why. A short while after our ... discussion had ended, Valiant had actually fallen asleep. So much for his intense desire to "apologize" to me....
I stirred a bit as the coach slowed, trying to work the aches out of my body so that I'd actually be able to walk. I hadn't realized how physically numbing and exhausting a trip like that could be, and Rion and Naran apparently felt the same. Not that they were even looking in my direction, either of them. My little explosion of temper seemed to have affected them a good deal more than it had the man it had been aimed at.
A twinge of conscience tried to take my attention, but I refused to let that happen. Valiant had brought that exhibition on himself by touching me, and I didn't regret having done it. Talk about adding insult to injury ... No, Tamrissa, I don't think much of you as a person and I don't even care how you feel, but I want to put my hand on you so I will. We both know you won't dare do anything about it.
Well, I had dared, and as I got ready to leave the coach behind Rion and Naran, I made certain not to look at the man to my right, who was just beginning to awaken. Valiant Ro had nothing to say that I cared to hear, not anymore. If what I'd done didn't convince him of that, I felt perfectly ready to find another lesson that would.
"I was just telling the others that we'll spend the night here," Alsin said as he helped me down. "I sent one of my people to follow the convoy on horseback at a discreet distance, and then he's to meet us here, at the first inn beyond Gan Garee, to report. Not many people leaving the city early stop here since it's less than a full day's ride from the city, but those getting a late start and people coming from not very far away in the other direction are plentiful enough to keep it in business."
"As long as it has a bath house and a private room with a bed for me, I don't care if it's full or empty," I said, reaching up to massage my left shoulder. "This coach rides more smoothly than most, but tomorrow will be twice as bad as today so I'd like to get some real rest tonight."
"We'll get rooms and have something to eat, and then we'll use their bath house," Alsin said, putting a hand to my elbow t
o start me toward the inn. He'd first glanced back to see that Valiant Ro was finally with us, so there was no reason to continue standing there. "I've stayed at this inn a few times, so I know you'll be comfortable and will enjoy the food. Lidris will play servant to us, and after taking care of the horses he'll eat in the kitchen."
He obviously meant the coach driver, who was already moving the coach toward the stable area. The rest of us were heading for the inn's front door, Alsin busily brushing dust from his clothing. None of us was exactly neat and tidy, but riding on the box had added a layer of road dust to the man. He stopped brushing when he reached the door, opened it, and stood aside to let me enter first, then he strode forward to receive the host's friendly welcome.
Alsin really was known, at the inn—under another name— and we were treated very well. Four rooms were assigned to us, and our baggage was taken upstairs by houseboys while we went into the dining room. The common area had only been partially filled, and there were even fewer people in the dining room. We all sat at a large table, and a serving girl began to bring out bread and soup. Dinner would be pork roast and yams, a mix of vegetables, and a choice of desserts.
The food was just as good as Alsin had said it would be, and we were sitting there considering dessert when a man walked into the room. Conversation had been rather desultory until then, but once the newcomer brought over a chair and sat down beside Alsin, that abruptly changed.
"Those people you're all interested in stopped to camp for the night a couple of hours ago," he said softly, speaking mostly to Alsin. "I had the impression that they leave the road early because their ... cargo has to be cared for before the drivers and guardsmen can see to their own needs. I also had the impression that they'll be moving on again tomorrow rather early."
"Grath has Spirit magic," Alsin explained to us just as softly, then his attention returned to the man. "Were you able to find out what they use to keep their... cargo quiet? If it's hilsom powder, there may not be much left of them by the time they get to wherever they're going."
"I'm certain it isn't hilsom powder," Grath denied with a headshake. "They began to unload kegs with some sort of liquid, and no one waters down hilsom powder. It would lose its effectiveness, and would also have to be poured down the victim's throat. If you want to use the powder, you just hold it under the person's nose."
"That's true, so they only start out using the powder," Alsin said with a distracted nod. "After that they use something else, and it would help enormously to know exactly what. See if you can find out tomorrow, Grath, once you pick them up again. But don't take any chances trying to get a sample of the liquid. If it becomes necessary, I'll take your place following them. Once I get close enough, I ought to be able to identify the substance."
"You have Earth magic, then," Rion observed, having paid very close attention to what had been said. Then he looked at Grath and added, "Was it possible to learn which wagon or wagons our friends are in? If we have to choose between freeing just them or losing all the victims, we'll have to concentrate on them. Once they're returned to themselves, they can help us to see about the others."
"It wasn't possible to tell who was in which wagon," Grath said with another headshake. "They don't unload their cargo, I think, they just feed it, clean it up, and massage it a bit. Their mind-sets were like those of people who have to care for a large number of infants."
"I think that eventually we'll all have to get nearer to their campsite," 1 said when Rion sat back looking frustrated. "We're closer to Jovvi and Lorand than anyone else could possibly be, so maybe we'll be able to locate them. In the meantime, it won't hurt to think about a way to free all the prisoners, just in case we find that we can't reach unconscious people."
Everyone seemed to agree with that, including a still-silent Valiant Ro, so Grath pushed his chair back and stood.
"Tell Lidris to leave the coach where it can be seen from the road tomorrow night," he said to Alsin. "That way I won't have any trouble finding you, since there isn't a coach quite like it anywhere. I'm going to get a room, some food, and a quick bath, then I'm going to bed. Tomorrow is bound to start even earlier than I expect it to."
He nodded to us all then strode away, and Alsin took a deep breath which he let out slowly.
"I have no idea where Grath gets all that energy from, but talking to him when I'm tired makes me even more tired," he commented. "I, for one, am going to skip dessert, and go straight for a bath and then bed. May I call the serving girl for any of the rest of you?"
It turned out that no one was in the least interested in eating any more, so we went to our small but pleasant rooms to fetch clean clothing. It came as a surprise to find a cheap wrap and a pair of scuffs in the room, obviously supplied by the inn for the use of its guests. Not having much experience with inns, I had no idea whether or not that was usual. But that didn't mean I couldn't take advantage of the courtesy, which I did as quickly as I was able to get out of my clothes.
When I stepped out of the room again, I found Alsin waiting for me in the hall He wore the same sort of wrap and scuffs, and when he saw me he grinned.
"It's fairly obvious they expected those things to be worn by someone my size rather than yours," he said, referring to how big the wrap and scuffs were on me. "But I have to admit that that's better than the reverse. I'd look incredibly foolish wearing a wrap made to fit someone your size."
"If I trip and kill myself in this thing, you may be forced to change your mind," I countered, nevertheless smiling at his amusement. "Which way is the bath house?"
"It's bath houses, plural, and they're attached to the back of the inn," he replied, beginning to lead the way to the stairs. "One for men and one for women, and a single hall leads to them both. If I ever build a house of my own, that's the arrangement I mean to have. Most people are scandalized at the thought of having a bath house connected to their residence, but once the weather turns cold I become less and less concerned with propriety."
"As a fellow lover of warm weather, I have to agree with that," I said as I made my careful way down the stairs. "I've always hated having to leave the warmth of the bath house for the cold of outdoors, but I've always been told that that's the only proper way to do it. My one consolation is that at least I don't have to face the cold while I'm damp."
"A definite benefit in having Fire magic," he said, looking ready to catch me if I happened to trip. "Not having the same myself, I'll just have to settle for the improper."
I had the feeling that Alsin Meerk would have chosen the improper no matter what the circumstance or situation, but I didn't say so. The man was going out of his way to help us; to offer what he might consider an insult wasn't my idea of a way to thank him.
Alsin led the way to a hall which ran to the back of the inn, where the wall held a sign showing a picture of someone washing and an arrow below pointing to the right. We turned right as directed, then turned left in obedience to a second sign, where we found the others waiting a short way down.
Naran looked just as silly in the wrap and scuffs as I did, but no one said anything as Alsin and I joined them. The first door had a sign projecting from the wall showing a picture of a featureless face with a high-piled hairdo, and a second sign, some feet down the hall, showed another featureless face sporting wide, sweeping mustaches. That was clear enough, so we separated to go into our own sections of the bath house.
"There haven't been many times in my life when I've so looked forward to taking a bath," Naran said once we were inside, flashing me a brief smile as she began to remove her wrap. "Although it feels odd not having to walk outside to reach it."
"Alsin was just saying how much he enjoys that oddness," I commented back as I also hurried to get out of the wrap and scuffs. "It's made me wonder why bath houses aren't attached to residences, rather than standing at a distance from them."
"Someone powerful and opinionated must have set the style, and now everyone follows along," Naran
suggested as we approached the steps and began to descend into the water. "That's usually the reason something that doesn't make sense continues ... Are you feeling any better now?"
"Some," I lied with a shrug as I spread my arms wide to embrace the marvelous water all around my body. "I should have apologized to you and Rion for that outburst, but I'm afraid I'm still not much in the mood for apologies. Maybe that will change once I've had a decent night's sleep."
"Not in clothes," she agreed fervently, then submerged to wet her hair. I did the same, and when we'd both come up and wiped our eyes, she looked at me with clear hesitation. "Tamrissa ... will you mind if I say something to you?"
"That all depends on what you say," I pointed out, pushing back sopping wet hair. "But in case you were wondering, this is probably the best place to say something that might get a Fire magic user angry. It would probably take quite a bit of time and effort for me to burn away all this water—and I couldn't possibly do that until after I washed."
I smiled to show her I was only joking, but the smile wasn't a very successful one. Her own smile was full of sympathetic understanding, that and real concern.
"Then I guess I'd better take my chances while I can," she said, trying to share the joke. "It's ... something I don't know if you've noticed, and that's why I'm mentioning it. That man, Alsin Meerk—he's more than just slightly interested in you."
"Really, Naran, you have to be imagining things," I said with a startled laugh, having expected her to talk about something else entirely. "Alsin is helping us in the hope that we'll eventually be able to help him in turn, and I know him from when he first contacted us through Lorand. All he's doing is being friendly."