by Sharon Green
"The next turn is mine, but I'm not going to start immediately," Olskin answered after sipping at his tea. "If I wait a short while, I might catch some attackers sneaking up in place of the ones you caught. But first we need to give those people a chance to realize that some of their assassins are gone - and maybe even be gone themselves."
"I take it that Mismin got the information he needed from Tal," Reesh said after sitting down. He hadn't even tasted his sandwich yet, but he seemed more curious than hungry. "That should help quite a lot, especially if Gardan suddenly decides to run home without telling anyone."
"I don't think Gardan is going to be running anywhere," Olskin said, and then made up his mind to share the rest of what he'd been told. "Antrie let me know privately that Gardan's lovely wife has been breaking the law with her Spirit magic, but Mismin was able to pull him out of it. We're leaving Gardan alone for a while so he can gather himself together, and after this we won't mention the incident either to him or to anyone else. Unless he mentions it, of course."
"Do you really think Gardan will let the woman get away with controlling him?" Reesh asked, looking more concerned than curious. "I know for myself that I can make enough mistakes on my own. I have no need whatsoever of someone else adding to my efforts."
"I suppose it depends on how much Gardan really cares for the woman," Olskin replied with a shrug. "If the love he felt was all her doing, she won't be very happy with his reaction now that he's free."
"I have no sympathy for someone who tampers with another's mind," Reesh said with his own shrug, raising the sandwich before clearly remembering something else he wanted to mention. "Oh, yes, before I get down to eating, I ought to tell you that my Blendingmates and I did some additional healing on Korge. The fool was put in a room in the servants' quarters, and he's been complaining nonstop. We've taken away most of the fool's pain, so the servants may not have to kill him to get some peace and quiet."
"If they do kill Korge, I won't find much to complain about myself," Olskin said with a chuckle. "If, on the other hand, the servants decide to leave instead of doing a killing, I'll have a lot to complain about. After my Blendingmates and I do our own patrol, I'll also see about additional healing. The sooner Korge is healthy enough to leave, the happier I'll be."
"The happier we'll all be," Reesh corrected around a mouthful of sandwich, which made Olskin chuckle again. Yes, he thought, Reesh has definitely become someone worth knowing. If it weren't impossible, I'd wish the same change would come on Korge. But maybe coming so close to death will change Korge. An outcome like that would be well worth the hoping for…
Thrybin Korge lay on his side in the shabby little room those fools had consigned him to. He now lay on a bed rather than on a litter, but he'd shouted himself hoarse and no one had come to see what he needed. Lorimon's inept servants hadn't been able to do anything for him the two or three times they had come in, but that didn't mean they had any right to ignore him. Especially now that he was feeling so much better…
Korge eased himself down on his back, and even that didn't bring back the crippling pain he'd been feeling. For some reason he seemed to be healing much faster than he'd expected he would, which certainly proved how superior he was to everyone else. As soon as he could walk he would be out of that house, and then he'd be able to continue on with his plans. He would spend half his time making people outraged over those new High Blendings, and the other half of his time would go toward lining up powerful people to back his claim of still being an assembly member. The other assembly members would certainly support him, once he pointed out how insecure their own positions would be if they didn't.
"And I'll have to find out what all that fuss was about when we entered the city," Korge muttered, anger turning his voice to a growl. "The nerve of those idiots, refusing to tell me about what's going on! Tal was taken to the front of the column, but they left me all alone and in the dark knowledge-wise. I'll have to remember to return the favor, at least until it's time to displace those morons. Then I'll certainly tell them all about it…"
Thrybin spent a few very pleasant minutes picturing the time when he would take control of the entire assembly, but then another thought occurred to him. He hadn't tried to see if he could stand and walk, and with the servants ignoring him he wasn't likely to find a better time to experiment. If the pain came back he would simply demand that the servants pay some attention to him, but if there was no pain… Yes, this would be the perfect time to leave.
Sitting up carefully was Thrybin's first effort, and although there was a small amount of pain it wasn't anything he couldn't bear. Being out of that house and back in his own was a more important consideration, so he next got shakily to his feet. There was a moment of dizziness and a small increase in the pain he felt, but nothing he couldn't cope with for a short time. He was now standing and would soon be walking, but only until he found a coach for hire. After that he would ride, and after that…
Thrybin Korge, the man destined to rule the Gracelian empire, smiled as he slowly made his way out of his enemy's house. He would be back there one day, he knew, but only when it was time to take the house away from Lorimon. And it would be broad daylight when he did that, not late afternoon as it was now. But now, late afternoon with its very convenient shadows was much more useful…
Cleemor Gardan looked up at Antrie Lorimon where she stood, and somehow found it possible to smile at her.
"I can't decide whether I ought to be furious or miserable, so I suppose I'm all right," he said in answer to the question she'd put. "I thought I'd married a woman who loved me, but instead I got … Tenia."
"If you weren't such a wonderful person, we might have seen what she was doing a bit sooner," Antrie told him as she took a chair opposite his. "If you were mean and nasty and ugly on top of it, we would have wondered how you two could be so 'in love.' As it is, though… Have you decided what you'll do now that you know the truth?"
"Yes, I think I have," Cleemor answered, only faintly surprised that he had made a decision. "Tenia gave me no true chance to fall in love with her, using her talent instead to make me think I was in love. She was the one who made the choice to cheat rather than behave fairly, so now fairness gets to be given to her. As soon as we're out of here, I'm going to have Frode arrest her."
"Since Frode hasn't yet come back from going after the man behind the assassins, we still have some time yet," Antrie pointed out with a sigh. "If you think about the matter and then change your mind, I'll certainly understand. But whatever you do, you can be certain you'll have my full support."
"I appreciate that, dear friend," Cleemor said with the best smile he was able to produce, meaning every word. "We've supported each other for years now, but this was a decision I had to make alone. My first urge was to forgive Tenia, just as I would have if she'd been sneaking around with another man. But this is much more serious than a simple affair, and I can't let her get away with it. She deliberately went after a man with power in the assembly, and she got what she wanted. Now it's time she learned that the other side of power is responsibility."
"And you consider yourself responsible for seeing that she doesn't get the chance to do the same again to someone else," Antrie said with a nod of understanding. "I admire you, Cleemor, but I certainly don't envy you. I don't know if I would be strong enough to do the same… I ought to ask, though: where do you stand now on the question of High Blendings? You do know that our time as leaders is coming to an end?"
"Yes, and now that I can think clearly again I have to change to your stance," Cleemor said, but not very happily. "I still abhor the idea of losing everything I've worked for, but the time is very close when my personal preferences won't matter. If I can't find a High Blending of my own to join, I'll simply step aside."
"But in the meanwhile you and I and Reesh and Dinno are what's left of the government," Antrie pointed out. "In my opinion that means we have to work toward survival in case the Gandistrans can't find a way
to defeat the invaders. If we have to abandon Liandia, do you have any idea where we can go?"
"Our only practical destination would be Gandistra, and from there to Astinda," Cleemor said slowly after considering the question. "If the Gandistrans fail to stop the invaders, that doesn't necessarily mean the invaders can't be stopped. It just means we'll need more time to find the method, at the same time denying the enemy as many of our people as possible. If we can take over or destroy the enemy's troops without letting those troops be replaced with our own people, finding a way to destroy the enemy Blending itself might be easier."
"If we can't find another way, we can just wait until the enemy Blending has to sleep," Antrie said just as slowly, her gaze distracted. "Even if we can't kill more than one or two of them, they'll still never be able to Blend again. That will make them a lot less dangerous and decidedly more vulnerable, and after that if we can't kill the rest then shame on us."
"I like the way you think, Exalted One," Cleemor said, feeling more amusement than he'd expected to. "Obviously women really are more bloodthirsty than men, and more practical as well. Shall we share our thinking with the others?"
"That's a good idea, but I'd like another cup of tea to take with me," Antrie said as she got to her feet and moved toward the tea service. "I asked my people to put another service in the sitting room where Dinno was when they had a moment, but I don't know if they've been able to get around to it. With so many … guests in the house, my servants will have to be given a triple bonus for taking care of us all once this is over."
"A triple bonus at the very least," Cleemor agreed, getting to his feet with a silent sigh and following Antrie's example. "And once we have our tea, will we be calling on Tal and Korge as well? We owe those two some special and individual attention."
"No, I think we need to speak to Dinno and Reesh first," Antrie said, stepping aside to wait until Cleemor had his own cup of tea. "Formally expelling Thrybin Korge from the assembly will be the easy part, but we also need a unanimous decision about Zirdon. I'm going to ask the rest of you to agree to executing him as soon as the man he hired is caught."
Cleemor turned away from the service with his cup of tea to study Antrie for a moment, and then he shook his head just a bit.
"I was about to ask you to go into detail about why you want Tal executed, but I've decided to wait," he said. "There are only four of us left in the assembly, so we might as well all hear your reasons together."
"Yes, going through the matter once will be quite enough," Antrie returned with a sigh. "Shall we join our brothers now?"
Cleemor replied by taking her arm, and when they reached the door he opened it for her. The hallway was reasonably free of people with only two guardsmen in sight, so a few moments later they walked into the sitting room where Reesh and Dinno were.
"Well, just in time," Dinno said as he and Reesh rose from their chairs. "I was about to go and join my Blendingmates for our patrol, but you two look like you have something to tell us. Has Mismin gotten back with the man he went after?"
"No, not yet," Cleemor said as he guided Antrie to a chair and then chose one of his own. "At least he hasn't gotten back yet as far as we know. We're here to take care of official business, but I have a question first. Have you been able to make arrangements yet to send High talents to help the Gandistrans and our own Highs?"
"We're working on being able to start with that as soon as all the assassins are caught," Dinno answered, his mood sobering. "Reesh and I are chafing at the delay, of course, but we can't find a way to avoid it. If any of us are killed, that will just mean more work for the rest."
"It will mean a good deal more than that to us," Cleemor assured the man as they all took their seats. "But since we have a delay we can't avoid, let's take care of what doesn't have to be delayed. I move that Thrybin Korge be officially expelled from the membership of the assembly. Do I hear a second to the motion?"
"I second the motion," Reesh said before either of the others could speak. "And I notice officially that it's about time."
"All in favor," Cleemor said, doing nothing to hide his smile. Reesh was turning into a truly amusing fellow… "Four hands in favor, leaving none to vote against. The motion is carried, and Thrybin Korge is no longer a member of this assembly. Now on to other business. Antrie Lorimon has proposed that Zirdon Tal be executed as soon as the man he hired has been caught, but she hasn't yet spoken about the reasons behind her stance. Would you care to speak now, Antrie?"
"I wish I didn't have to, but there's no getting out of it," Antrie replied with another sigh. Both Dinno and Reesh had shown raised brows, but neither spoke against the proposal. "Zirdon Tal is directly responsible for the deaths of nine members of the assembly, and guilty of plotting against the rest of us. We all know that for a fact, but if we leave him alive his family could well decide to come to his defense. If they do we'll have a terrible fight on our hands, and I can't bear the thought of Zirdon getting away with what he's done. If he's already been executed, his family can argue and complain forever and I won't care."
"I think it's more than just not letting him get away with what he's done," Dinno said, his tone thoughtful. "If we leave Tal alive, he's certain to find some way to push himself forward again even if he no longer has any talent. Letting Tal live will be a terrible example to others, and we have enough trouble without that."
"And we owe the effort to those High Blendings who will be in the assembly after us," Reesh pointed out, looking just as thoughtful. "Leaving the problem for them to see to will taint their first efforts, and that isn't fair. I move that we execute Zirdon Tal as soon as his main hireling is found and arrested. Does anyone second the motion?"
"I second the motion," Cleemor said, deciding to make his own position perfectly clear. He hadn't added any other words because he considered them unnecessary. He already agreed with everything the others had said.
"All in favor," Reesh said, then continued after a glance around. "Four hands in favor, leaving none to vote against. The motion has been passed, and Zirdon Tal will be executed as soon as his hireling has been found and arrested."
The last word had barely left Reesh's mouth when a knock came on the sitting room door. Since the door hadn't been closed, Cleemor turned to see who was knocking. Frode Mismin stood in the doorway, and a smile was clear on his face.
"Since the assembly has never before acted with such efficiency, I couldn't bring myself to interrupt until you were done," he explained as he came farther into the room. "Now that the vote is over, however, I'm here to tell you that we have the man Tal hired. We also have five of his last six assassins, so in a very short while you'll be able to get on with the rest of what you said you have to do."
"In a very short while," Cleemor mused while Mismin stopped near Antrie's chair. "Does that mean you know where the last assassin is, but just haven't put your hands on him?"
"We haven't put our hands on her, but we expect to shortly," Mismin answered after giving Antrie a wry smile. "We know the area she was assigned to watch, so my men ought to have her in just a few minutes. For that reason I put out the word on my way back here. In another hour or so the city's High talents ought to be showing up."
"And then we'll need to do some heavy recruiting," Dinno said to Reesh before getting to his feet. "But first we have an execution to attend, or at least the rest of you have one to attend. I have one to perform."
Cleemor felt a small jolt of shock as he stood, finally realizing something that Dinno had obviously known right from the start. As the only Earth magic member of the assembly left, it would be Dinno's place to put Tal to sleep and then to stop the man's heart. It might be necessary to execute someone, but there was no reason to be cruel about it.
"Yes, let's get this done and put behind us," Antrie said as she rose and took Mismin's arm. "You may be the one performing the execution, Olskin, but the responsibility for your actions lies with all of us. Taking responsibility isn't easy, but it'
s time we all learned how."
"More than time," Cleemor muttered to himself as he followed the others out of the room. A lot of people would be taking responsibility for their actions in the next few days, and not all of them would be embracing the effort with a whole heart. But at least the Gracelian empire was about to start over again in the right way…
Zirdon Tal had gone from confusion to fury. It had taken a while for him to understand what had been going on, but he finally seemed to have it all worked out. Those miserable Gandistran peasants had done something to him, and because of that he'd been behaving like an ass.
Not that I regret having tried to kill Korge, Zirdon thought as he glared at the men who were obviously there to guard him. Korge is an ambitious fool without a mind, and we would have been well rid of him. It's his fault as well that I'm now being treated like an animal.
Or less than an animal, Zirdon realized. Not only was he being kept in what looked to be a storage room, but his hands were still tied behind his back. They all had a nerve treating him like this, but they'd soon be paying for their presumption. As soon as his family realized that their good name depended on his being exonerated of all charges, no one would be allowed to continue accusing him. He'd be free to take his revenge, and would make plans to do so immediately.
Zirdon had only just begun to formulate those plans when the door to the storage area opened. Olskin Dinno walked in first, with Reesh, Gardan, Lorimon, and Mismin behind him. Mismin dismissed the three guards, and once they were gone Zirdon sat up straighter.
"If you expect to get away with this, allow me to disabuse you of the notion," Zirdon told them all stiffly. "You had no right to treat me like this, and I demand to be taken home to my family."