by Murray, Dean
##
Fi'lin looked around at the other testers and upon seeing that they were satisfied with what they'd seen, waved for Va'del and the others to leave. The huge room, by far and away the largest in the Capital, was uncommonly dark. Most of the candidates hadn't made any kind of fuss over the change, but Va'del had served as a tester, and no doubt remembered that the previous time the room had been flooded with light. It was fortunate Va'del hadn't said anything. The unofficial observers very much hadn't wanted to be found out.
Still moving slowly, partially to stall, and partially because Va'del had pressed him harder than he liked to admit, Fi'lin turned towards the waiting group, and was surprised at some of the faces appearing out of the darkness.
Va'ma was the first, a heavily-scarred mountain of muscle exuding so much excitement it was a wonder he'd managed to remain quiet in the darkness.
"That was amazing. The boy is the best I've seen in ages. It's too bad I'rone's wives got to him before one of my boys. Still, I suppose if he had to go to another bloodline, Stephens' is as good as could have been hoped for. Such smoothness in someone so young, no wonder he always came out on top in his scuffles with Be'ter."
"He hasn't always come out the victor. It wasn't that long ago that the exile nearly killed him, and we on the Council let Ja'dir see to it that the offender received no more than a slap on the wrist."
Per'ce hadn't been one of the ones Fi'lin had been expecting to come down and watch the testing, but on second thought it shouldn't have been much of a surprise. Per'ce always seemed apprised of the latest development, whether as a result of his own observations or because he'd debriefed Fi'lin or one of the other members of his bloodline. Considering how big an avalanche the motion to make Va'del a sub-Guadel was likely to trigger, it wasn't surprising that he'd want to personally verify Fi'lin's report. No, the only thing that was really surprising with regards to the situation was the way that Per'ce's position on the boy seemed to finally be softening.
Va'ma shrugged the comment off. "He's fine now. Plenty of us have scars as bad or worse to show from tussles with a mated pair of snow cats. The important thing is he seems more than ready for advancement out of being a mere candidate."
"The difference is that his scars were all received from his peers."
The outburst was so uncharacteristic for Per'ce that for a second Fi'lin didn't know what to say. Va'ma was bristling, and things looked as though they were going to deteriorate quickly.
Garth's appearance gave both Council members an excuse to back down. "He really is coming along quite nicely. I don't know anything about the kinds of things you really select on, so I can't say how good a Guadel he'd make, but he'd make a fine guardsman if you all decide to discard him as you've been threatening to for so long now."
That kind of bitterness wasn't like Garth, and for the first time Fi'lin wondered just how much resentment the other man was carrying over having been passed over for candidacy when he'd been a boy. All those years of dedication and accomplishment and he still had to take orders from the newest Guadel. A certain amount of resentment would be understandable, but the guardsman was usually so careful to make sure nobody realized how he actually felt.
Most people wouldn't have noticed the way Per'ce's posture suddenly stiffened, but Fi'lin breathed a mental sigh of relief that someone else had realized the possible ramifications of having a Master of the Guard who resented the very people who he was supposed to be taking orders from.
"What kind of training would you put him through if he were to end up in the Guard?"
Garth reflected on Per'ce's question for a moment. "He's already coming along nicely in tactics and weapons work, but we'd switch him into our courses and then put him through an advanced officer training class. Your people by and large don't need that kind of seasoning. Your sheer abilities help. Also your wives tend to balance out the stupidity inherent to young men with something to prove. My boys on the other hand generally need some extra instruction in that regards."
There were smiles all around as Garth's normal manner reasserted itself. "I'd rather expect he could be ready to be shipped out to one of the larger villages in half a year as some kind of junior officer. Beyond that, if he fulfills the promise we all see in him, and is able to overcome the bitterness at having failed after coming so close to reaching his goal, he could possibly take over my job in a decade or so."
Fi'lin felt his eyebrows creep towards his hair. "That's strong praise."
"He's got the potential, and I don't plan on living forever."
Va'ma's booming laugh echoed around the cavern as he slapped Garth on the shoulder. "Of course not. Nobody remembers any stories about warriors who grow old and retire. Much better to die doing something suitably heroic and leave a glorious legacy."
Fi'lin gathered up his equipment and made as though to follow, but Per'ce shook his head. Only after the other two had been gone long enough to be out of earshot did he speak. "What is your honest opinion of the boy? Is he ready for advancement?"
Fi'lin felt a sigh trying to escape and stifled it. "My belief hasn't changed. He's been through more than any of the rest of us ever faced at his age, and done it without complaint. His instructors all report a good native ability, even in the subjects in which he still needs more instruction. The women are all still jumping like pregnant gurra over the fact that Cindi refused to link with him again, but I fail to see why that matters when young Jain seems so ready to marry him."
Where others might have paced while deep in thought, Per'ce simply took two steps, unintentionally placing himself on the dividing line where the circle of light spheres started losing their battle with the darkness. After several seconds of silence, Per'ce laced together long, slender fingers.
"That is precisely what I fear. The candidacy process is meant to do more than just instill knowledge and weaponry skills. There is a revealing process, in which the sponsoring family is given the chance to see their candidate respond to a variety of conditions and stresses."
Fi'lin knew that there were those among his bloodline who felt his sponsors had made a decided mistake in choosing him, that he would have been much better served among the warriors of Va'ma's bloodline, or even among Stephens, as vicious as they could be, but it was times like this that renewed his faith in the fact that he was in the right place.
No other bloodline, no other group inside the People or out, had access to such extensive knowledge regarding the Goddess or the events from the time immediately after her disappearance.
"Va'del has in essence bypassed most of the things designed to gain a true feeling of his character, and despite this, has advanced at a rate far and away greater than what is normal. We've seen in Be'ter that it's possible for the right kind of candidate to fool the system, and yet we're rushing so many of them through before they're properly ready."
A slender hand forestalled anything that Fi'lin might have been thinking of saying. "The real question is whether Va'del is in some way Be'ter's antithesis, or merely a much better actor whose facade hides something even worse."
Fi'lin took the opportunity to reaffirm his belief in Va'del's innate goodness. "After all he's suffered for the People, doesn't he deserve a chance?"
The worry in Per'ce's green eyes was just visible in the darkness. "If I knew him to be a threat, knew his violence would harm innocents, my path would be clear. If he'd been through the normal course of testing my path, although entirely opposite, would still be entirely clear. I've always been uneasy with Javin's willingness to embrace harsh measures in pursuit of a goal, but am I allowing my distaste to mar my vision? The Goddess anointed Stephens as one of her chosen warriors. Does that mean some of the more apocryphal histories are correct, that she was as much a destroyer as a creator and healer?"
##
Jain slipped into the dark room and nearly tripped over Va'del. It seemed impossible that the commotion wouldn't wake him, but he hardly stirred, obviously much more exhausted tha
n she'd expected.
Jain pulled off her shoes and dangled her feet into the hot water before closing her eyes and reaching out to the power. As always it cut and tore at her very essence, but she only needed the barest trickle of energy for what she was doing now, so it was easy to ignore the familiar pain.
His muscles were dangerously depleted. Another day or two without rest or some kind of magical assistance and he'd find himself on the floor with convulsions. The bones hadn't changed since she'd last looked at them though, so there was some good news. Hopefully nothing too complicated was going to occur if he put on another growth spurt. She understood most of the theory now, but was a little nervous about having to actually apply it.
Jain completed her survey of his person and clucked her tongue in disbelief. So many bruises and almost all of them bone deep. It was a good thing they'd gone ahead and strengthened his bones or they would have almost certainly been broken.
What did they do, line up and take turns hitting him?
After she'd done all she could to put things in balance and speed the healing process for Va'del's abused muscles, Jain opened her eyes and conjured a small sphere of light. Even bruised and dirty as he was now, she could still look at him for cycles.
Her fingers reached out to trace the thin white line on his arm, one of the many scars that the healers hadn't been able to make completely disappear after his fight with Be'ter. Jain still sometimes had a hard time believing someone so special loved her. He always did the right thing, no matter what it ended up costing him.
Jain looked away for a second, and when she looked back a pair of heart-wrenchingly clear blue eyes were looking up at her.
"I'm sorry I fell asleep. Have you been here long?"
Jain shook her head and cupped Va'del's face in her hand. "Just long enough for your weekly checkup. All those bones and muscles are still doing what they are supposed to."
Va'del groaned. "I thought a couple of times that some of them were broken today."
"They would have been if we hadn't strengthened them like we did. As bad as the bones are though, your muscles were in even worse shape. Did you have any idea how close they were to seizing up on you? You can't exert yourself at that level indefinitely without consequences."
Jain watched Va'del try to shrug and then give the effort up as being too painful. "I figured as much with the way they were putting me through my paces. I think maybe Fi'lin made an invitation to several of the Guadel to come see for themselves that I really do know which end of the sword is the pointy one."
Jain frowned. "That doesn't sound like what they did for the first batch of people who were tested."
"It wasn't as bad as it could have been. I half expected some of them to show up with their wives and link up before coming after me."
"That couldn't have happened, at least not today. I think every female Guadel in the Capital was busy making their presence felt at Mali's disciplinary hearing."
Something about her voice must have tipped Va'del off to the unhappiness the memory brought Jain. The teenager pulled himself into a sitting position and hugged her. "What's wrong?"
"They didn't kick her out of the Daughters, but they pretty much made it clear that she should become a healer since the odds are that most of the Guadel won't marry her at this point."
"So they didn't exile her like they did Be'ter?"
Jain shook her head as she tried to sort through her conflicting emotions. "No, they loaded her up with chores. It will be months before she has even a minute of free time, but I think they didn't want to lose someone with such potential power. She's the most powerful out of all of us right now. I keep thinking that it isn't fair, that she almost got you killed and should have really been punished. Then again, it could have been me up there in her place, so part of me was glad that they didn't burn her out and exile her like we all thought they would."
Va'del went silent for a moment and when he spoke there was a huskiness to his voice. "I'm so sorry. I should have said so earlier, but I'm sorry that you ran that kind of risk for me. Sorry and grateful all at once. You saved my life."
"I'm glad I did, and I think I would have done the same thing even if I'd known it would lead to having my gift removed and then being exiled. I just don't know what to think anymore. Everything is all jumbled in my head. I feel guilty for wanting her punished even though I think she deserved worse than she got."
It was obvious that Va'del didn't know what to say. In the end, he probably picked the best response and simply held her close with his aching muscles while Jain cried out all of the guilt and fear.
Chapter 13
On'li leaned forward against the stone table to better hear Jo'sep's report. "In short it appears that rather than decreasing as we'd expected it to, the bag'lig presence has steadily gotten worse."
Ja'dir shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense. I wouldn't have thought there were that many bag'ligs in the whole mountain range."
Va'ma shot the other man a look of disbelief. "You've been on the caravans we send down to trade with the lowlanders. We don't send so many of the Guard and the Guadel down just to protect ourselves from the lowlanders. Bag'ligs have always more or less controlled the band of the mountain range between us and them."
The bag'ligs had always served as a welcome buffer between the People and the outside world. On'li knew there were more than a few lowlanders who thought that the Capital was paved with gold and diamonds. The bag'ligs had always guaranteed that a small group couldn't make it up the mountain to the areas the People claimed as their own. Of course a large group, suitably outfitted, was a whole different proposition as recent events had proved.
Ja'dir's wife, Hom'ly, looked at Va'ma in confusion. "But why are they moving up now when we've never had any major problems with them before?"
Per'ce looked like he was as unsure whether to really attribute the comment to Ja'dir's incredibly timid wife, or whether to just assume it was something her husband had put her up to. "Normally migrations of animals occur because of some kind of change in their environment. Climate changes, or a population explosion or implosion, either of them, their prey, or their natural predators."
Va'ma shook his head. "There haven't been any reports of a drought anywhere nearby, there isn't anything up here to eat, and bag'ligs don't have much in the way of predators other than man."
Ja'dir slammed his hand down on the table. "I'm tired of you all insinuating that our allies in the lowlands are responsible for this. They are not. In fact, they are encountering significant pressure from the bag'ligs themselves. It's all my people can do to convince them we aren't driving the bag'ligs down towards them. I'm sure this is just some kind of cyclical anomaly that will sort itself out if we wait long enough."
A'vril let the discussion proceed for another half cycle, and then reined everyone in before they could start coming to blows. "It's obvious nobody has anything constructive to add. I move that we continue to increase the size of our patrols and food caravans whenever possible and also move that a search of our written records be undertaken to see if there is historical precedent for something like this happening."
On'li quickly seconded both motions, and discussion then turned to the results of the last batch of candidates to be tested for sub-Guadel status. For the most part, the most promising candidates had been selected for testing in the initial group, so it wasn't surprising that the majority of the boys had proven unready for advancement.
The lack of discussion regarding motions to disqualify all of the other boys was no more surprising than the intense discussion that surrounded Va'del's eligibility.
Ja'dir turned an amazing shade of red as he realized just how many of the Councilors seemed favorably inclined to support the idea of Va'del advancing. "This is ridiculous. The child hasn't even been a candidate for two full months and you are actually considering advancing him?"
Per'ce interrupted Ja'dir. "That young man has been taking classes with the candidat
es for far longer than that, and has accomplished more before becoming a candidate than some full Guadel currently out on patrol."
Va'ma opened his mouth, and the cracks that had been starting to show in his alliance with Ja'dir lengthened slightly as he nodded at Per'ce. "We need more people out on patrol right now. Not just warm bodies that will be killed by the first bag'lig they run into either. The boy is as good with a weapon as any of the other batch we just promoted. In fact, he'd serve as a decent training partner for just about anyone here, and we'd lose nothing by getting him out where he can do us some good."
"So now we're letting any atheist become a Guadel so long as they can wield a sword?"
Va'ma shot Ja'dir a nasty look. "Last I checked it wasn't a lack of religious skills that was getting our people killed when they run into a group of bag'ligs."
Before Ja'dir could turn on his nominal ally and say something truly vicious, Per'ce calmly interrupted. "Although I have tremendous respect for Va'del, and I'm as aware as anyone how shorthanded we are right now, I have to admit to worry over his low test scores. Especially in the area of comparative religions and negotiations. He apparently knows less about the Goddess than students who haven't even been through any of our classes yet. Not only that, he shows a decided tendency to favor force and direct action over discussion and compromise."
Before On'li could shoot to her feet and point out that Va'del hadn't even had the comparative religions class yet, Per'ce continued. "I think we're all aware of the worries that various members of this group have had regarding the boy's nature, and his amply demonstrated capability for violence. The real question is if, by allowing this to go through, would we be giving him power before he's had the chance to gain the maturity required to wield it responsibly?"
On'li sat back in the silence and pondered Per'ce's point, while Ja'dir launched into a damning analysis of the various mistakes, real or imagined, that Va'del had made since coming to the attention of the Council. It was obvious that Ja'dir's contingent, with the possible exception of Va'ma, would vote with him as they always did. Ja'dir wasn't important, but Per'ce was. He had tremendous influence over the swing voters and he'd hit on an incredibly powerful argument.