by Sharon Green
"And you were supposed to have Tal under control," Vallant pointed out before Cleemor could come to Antrie's defense. "You can't claim you didn't know how unstable Tal is, not and still be tellin' the truth. You also knew how frantic Korge was, especially once his Blendin'mates refused to Blend with him again. Anyone with half a brain would have known that Korge would try to make trouble, but the bunch of you just let him go his way and do anythin' he pleased. Now you stand here cryin' about how Korge is a human bein' and didn't deserve to have a knife plunged into his back. If you'd sent him back to Liandia after the first time he tried to play games, if you'd done somethin' really effective with Tal, none of this would have happened."
"But the truth of the matter is, you people would rather play politics than be effective," Rion said, once again forestalling Cleemor. "You know exactly what should be done, but fear of having the same thing done to you in retaliation holds you back from doing as you should. There should never be retaliation for doing the necessary, but those who live their lives playing politics find that impossible to understand."
"But that won't be going on for much longer, will it?" Antrie asked bitterly, looking from one to the other of her accusers. "Our positions of power will soon be gone, our way of life about to be forced into something else entirely. We may be guilty of many things, but destroying the lives of people who never did anything to us is a charge that can only be leveled against you wonderful people."
"I'm sorry, Antrie, but you can't put the blame for that on us," Jovvi said, deciding it was time she aired her own thoughts. "You and the rest of your innocent people were given the chance the make the right decision. If you had, your lives would have changed only a little in response to the threat of the invaders. But instead of doing the intelligent thing, you chose to cling to your old ways which had already been proven totally ineffective. You chose the familiar over the absolutely necessary, still playing politics even when people's lives were in danger. If you refuse to change with the times, you can't complain when you get left behind."
"And weeping over a fool only shows how ineffective you really are," Naran said, surprising the others as much as she did Jovvi. "The only reason you wish Korge was unharmed is because you're afraid the same thing could happen to the rest of you. You're incapable of changing enough to defend yourselves, so your only answer to the danger is to wish it away. Unfortunately for you, the real world doesn't let us wish things like that away."
"You all think you know so much," Cleemor said, speaking as bitterly as Antrie had. "Changing isn't nearly as easy as you make it sound, and maybe some day you'll be unlucky enough to find that out. You'll try to cling to what you think is right, and the real world you're so fond of will plow you under in the same way that's being done to us. You'll understand us a bit better then, but the time will be far too late to offer us your apologies."
"We understand you well enough right now that I can guarantee there won't be any apologies offered," Lorand's voice came, and then Lorand joined them with Olskin Dinno and Satlan Reesh coming up behind him. "We know how you feel, Gardan, because we watched the nobles in our own land behaving in the same way. Anyone with eyes would have seen that the nobles were heading for disaster, but they just kept blithely on, playing their games the way they always did. If the day ever comes that we refuse to change our ways in response to something necessary, we'll deserve to be plowed under as much as you deserve it right now."
Cleemor glanced at his two countrymen who stood behind Lorand, but Jovvi knew well enough that neither Dinno nor Reesh would try to argue on Cleemor and Antrie's behalf. The two newcomer Gracelians felt sympathy for their embattled colleagues, but a definite lack of agreement kept the men from defending the others. It took a moment for Cleemor to realize that Dinno and Reesh would remain silent, but once he did he took Antrie's arm and the two of them simply walked away.
"I really feel sorry for those people," Reesh said with a sigh once Cleemor and Antrie were gone. "They aren't bad people, you understand, just trapped by their private lives. Antrie is afraid of what people will say about her, and Gardan… He's afraid that his wife won't stay with him if he loses his place in the assembly, but if he goes along with the new ways she might leave him anyway. I never thought I'd be saying this, but I'm beginning to believe that being disliked by those around you gives you an odd kind of freedom."
"You don't have to be disliked to have that kind of freedom," Dinno said with a faint smile as he clapped Reesh on the shoulder. "You just have to understand that you can't please everyone in the world, so you might as well do what's right and in that way please yourself. Lorand tells us that you've captured that group of invaders, but you don't consider it an accomplishment. Do you really think that the next group of invaders will be too strong for you to handle?"
"It's not the ones who do the killin' who worry us, but the ones who direct them," Vallant said with a shrug. "We have reason to believe that they may be a lot stronger than we are, which means they'll be stronger than everyone else as well. Is Korge healed enough to be moved? Your groups and the villagers will have to leave this area, just in case we can't stop the next invaders."
"Korge is a good deal better, now that Lorand has worked on him," Dinno said with a wry smile. "I've never seen a healer as good, but I do feel rather foolish. Lorand asked why I hadn't used my Blending to increase my strength in healing, and the only answer possible was that I just didn't think of it."
"None of us is used to thinking about our Blendings in that way," Reesh said, obviously trying to reassure Dinno. "Assembly protocol denied us the right to Blend except under certain very strict circumstances. That made us used to acting alone rather than with the others, so your reaction is completely understandable."
"But still not very smart," Dinno said, his smile taking the sting out of his words. "If I don't change my own way of thinking, I can't very well stand here and criticize anyone else. I assume you want us all to start leaving at first light?"
"No, actually, I think it would be best to get as many people goin' now as we can," Vallant said, answering the question that had been put specifically to him. "The roads will be clogged as it is, and havin' everyone tryin' to run away at the last minute won't help to keep them safe."
"Then we ought to start with the people who are up and around," Reesh said with a thoughtful frown. "After that we can start to wake people and let them pull themselves together before we send them on their way."
"Try not to let any of them stop until you reach the city," Tamma said, her tone more gentle and concerned than usual. "If we have to retreat as we fight, we don't want to have to worry about running over any innocents."
"Just telling everyone that more invaders are coming ought to keep them going," Dinno said with a sigh and a nod. "It's a good thing we aren't all that far from Liandia, but it's also a bad thing. If the entire population of the city has to run, I have no idea where they'll all go."
"When you get to the city, try to put together a few more High Blendin's," Vallant said softly. "We'll do the best we can out here, but you'll need some protectin' in case our best isn't enough."
Both Dinno and Reesh stared at Vallant for a moment before nodding, and then the two Gracelians turned and walked away. Neither one said anything about wishing them good luck, but Jovvi knew that that was because of how frightened the men were. Intellectually they knew that their champions could well lose the fight, but emotionally they weren't able to even consider the possibility.
"And now we have to start sending people on their way," Jovvi said with a sigh, mostly to break the uncomfortable silence. "But it occurs to me that we ought to try to get the Gracelian High Blendings their own link groups. Some of those who had no interest in being part of a true Blending might be willing to act as part of a link group."
"I don't believe we missed thinkin' of that," Vallant said with a groan that more than one of their Blendingmates echoed. "And I was foolish enough to think that we'd be able to get some
sleep soon."
"Vallant, we have to get some sleep soon," Rion pointed out almost immediately. "There are things that have to be done before the next invaders get here, and they won't be accomplished if we're falling off our collective feet. Our Blending and Holter's are the two strongest among us. Both of our groups will have to sleep while the others take care of the details."
"He's right, love," Tamma told Vallant gently before Vallant could voice the protest clear in his lovely eyes. "You know I prefer to be in charge whenever possible, but there are certain times when being in charge will do more harm than good. This is one of those times."
"You're both right, so I surrender," Vallant agreed with a tired smile. "We and our link groups will be needin' all the rest we can get, and it's time the other Blendin's got to do some of the work anyway. I'll let everyone know what the plan is, and then we'll get out of the way."
Jovvi could tell that Vallant was still faintly reluctant to leave overseeing the details to others, but he still walked off to speak to the others. That meant they would all soon be able to lie down, and Jovvi was looking forward to the time more than a little.
"You look really tired, love," Lorand said softly to Jovvi as he put an arm around her shoulders. "When Vallant gets back, I'm going to suggest that we take Rion up on his offer to provide private places for us to sleep in. Not only do we deserve some privacy, but I'm almost as reluctant as Vallant to let others be in charge of our safety. If I can't see what's going on, I won't have any choice but to let go for a while."
"How did you know about Vallant's reluctance?" Jovvi asked, sudden curiosity distracting her from weariness. "And did you notice how oddly Naran and Tamma have been behaving from time to time? Naran said things to Antrie and Cleemor that would have been more fitting coming from Tamma, and Tamma was actually patient and supportive when she spoke to Olskin Dinno, Satlan Reesh, and even Vallant."
"Yes, I noticed both of those things," Lorand replied, his headshake one of mystification. "I don't understand why they acted that way any more than I know how I know about Vallant's reluctance. And you can add another oddity to your list: the calmly firm way that Rion spoke to Vallant. It was almost as if they'd swapped places while we weren't watching."
"There's so much we really need to think and talk about, but there just isn't any time," Jovvi said, faint annoyance suddenly growing stronger. "I'm beginning to believe more and more strongly that those mysterious someones we were talking about are playing games with us. If that turns out to be true, I think I'm going to get really nasty when we finally find them."
"Now you're sounding like Tamrissa, and I'm feeling like Naran," Lorand said with another, stronger headshake. "I have the feeling that we will find those someones, but the meeting won't be anything like what we might picture."
"I'm really much too tired for this," Jovvi said, closing her eyes briefly as she echoed Lorand's headshake. "And to make my position even more clear, I don't know when I won't be too tired to face all this."
"Personally, I've decided to ignore it all for now," Tamma said, obviously having heard the exchange. "But when we do find those someones, I'll be the one who handles the nasty."
"Not without me," Lorand said, just as Rion put in, "Along with my help." That made all of them look at each other while Jovvi groaned silently. Naran's expression of firm agreement made them all look and sound like Tamma, and that was really more than Jovvi could bear.
"All right, everythin's set," Vallant announced as he reappeared. "Holter's Blendin' didn't like the idea any more than we did, but they also aren't arguin'… What's goin' on? You're all agitated and roilin' on the inside."
Jovvi closed her eyes again while a couple of groans were voiced, but Lorand just sighed.
"If you ask yourself how you knew we were all agitated, Vallant, you just might be able to answer your own question," Lorand said. He sounded as tired as Jovvi felt, and Jovvi didn't have to wonder why. "We seem to be borrowing each other's attitudes and talents, and we can't figure out why it's happening - or how."
"If we live through all this, I just may take a trip to Astinda to visit our former nobles," Vallant said, his anger too overshadowed by weariness for the emotion to really be in control. "Beatin' up some chosen few of those people may not accomplish anythin' to speak of, but it will sure as chaos make me feel better."
"I know I don't need to say that you won't make the journey alone, but I'll say it anyway," Rion pronounced. "Now, however, I believe it's time we retired. If we end up being bested, I would really dislike being too tired to appreciate the manner in which it's done. Where would we be best off putting our privacy areas?"
Rather than pointing out the oddness in Rion's being sarcastic, Jovvi joined the others in looking around. They were much too close to the far side of the village, an area that almost everyone would be leaving through.
"I think we ought to set up near the Gracelian High Blendings," Lorand said after a moment. "That's close enough to the other side of the village that we shouldn't be in anyone's way, and we'll also be closer to the road that the invaders will arrive on."
Everyone agreed with that, so they trooped on back to the place they'd come from. Going back also let them reclaim their sleeping pads, and once they'd positioned the pads in pairs with a discreet distance between the pairs, the rest of them stood back while Rion stepped forward. Jovvi expected it to take Rion at least a short while to produce their privacy areas, but an instant after Rion stepped forward there were three dark oblongs blocking sight of the sleeping pads.
"Shouldn't we have been on the inside before you did that?" Vallant asked as he stared at the oblongs. "Gettin' in and out without your help might be a problem."
"I didn't harden the air, I merely made it opaque," Rion answered with a smile. "We all have blankets to protect us from the cool of the night air, and maintaining simple opacity will be easier for the others as well as for us. If for some reason any of us needs to leave the sleeping area for a brief time, leaving won't require the aid of someone with Air magic."
"Good thinking, Rion," Lorand told him with a smile, and then he turned to Jovvi. "Come on, love, let's get you bedded down."
Jovvi had no need to be asked that twice, so she went along with Lorand while Tamma went with Vallant and Naran with Rion. They were finally back to their original pairings, with Naran and Rion no longer separated by misunderstanding. The arrangement was a relief to Jovvi, but one other thing wasn't: Lorand and Vallant were still showing faint traces of jealousy, and Jovvi was very much afraid that those feelings would bring trouble at the very worst of times…
"Why are you just sitting there?" Lorand asked, and Jovvi came back to awareness to realize that they were in their privacy area and she was sitting on her sleeping pad. The fact that she didn't remember walking in and sitting down would have been upsetting under other circumstances, but with everything that had been going on it was a miracle that she even remembered her name.
"I was just appreciating how nicely dim and private it is in here," Jovvi temporized as she looked around, not in the mood to explain the truth. "We don't have as much room as we did in the tents, but we do have privacy enough for me to get out of these clothes. I'll enjoy sleeping a lot more without them."
"Yes, that's a good idea," Lorand agreed, and then he began to undress the way she was already doing. Jovvi merely folded her clothing in a pile near her sleeping pad, and once she put herself under her blanket she became aware that Lorand's shadowy face was turned in her direction.
"Is something wrong?" she asked, reaching out to touch the face that seemed to be studying her even though they were nothing but shadows to each other.
"No, it's nothing," Lorand replied, and Jovvi could almost feel the faint, humorless smile curving his lips. "I was just waiting for you to be ready so that I could put my arms around you before you fell asleep."
"Is that the only thing you have interest in doing?" Jovvi asked, moving closer to him. "Just holding me whil
e we both sleep? We could have done that without a privacy area."
"Do you really think I'd take advantage of you when you're this tired?" Lorand countered, sounding slightly offended and torn both at the same time. "You nearly emptied yourself of strength trying to break through the conditioning on that invader Borvri Tonsun, and now you need to sleep to regain your strength. We can make love again when you're feeling up to it."
"Our associate Blending returned a good measure of my strength, and I think you're forgetting something," Jovvi said, making sure that a smile was clear behind her words. "I may not be able to touch you and the others, but I can still tell what you're feeling. You have no more interest in going straight to sleep than I do, my love. You don't intend to make me force myself on you, do you?"
"That would be impossible, my love," Lorand returned, and now there was clear amusement in his words as his arms went around her. "For you to be able to force yourself on me I would have to be unwilling, and unwillingness is the only thing I'll never be able to give you. As long as you're sure I won't be taking advantage…"
"You'd never take advantage, and I know that even if you don't," Jovvi assured him as she moved even closer. The feel of his body against hers was as marvelous as it always was, but there was something the least bit odd about the contact. Lorand lowered his face to begin a kiss, and Jovvi joined him so quickly that all oddness disappeared. Being held in Lorand's arms had always been a magical experience for her, and this time was no different from the others.
Jovvi's rising desire quickly enhanced Lorand's, and they kissed and touched as though for the first time. After a very short time it was Lorand's burning need that fed Jovvi's, which meant that she was more than ready for him when he rose to his knees and began to enter her. Having Lorand in her possession was pure delight for Jovvi, and she was just about to give herself over to nothing but bodily sensations when Lorand ended their current kiss and put his lips right next to her ear.