by Sharon Green
"Well, will you look at that," Jeemar, Deslen's training partner, murmured from Deslen's left as he stared to their right. "How did the Seated Blending get back without us knowing about it?"
Deslen looked over to see a pretty woman with reddish hair heading toward the servant who stood not far from Jeemar and him.
"She's one of the Seated Blending?" Deslen asked, feeling a shadow of disappointment. The woman was really attractive, and he wouldn't have minded asking her out to dinner.
"Yes, she's Tamrissa Domon, the Fire magic user," Jeemar confirmed with a shake of his head. "I still don't know how she got into the palace without us knowing about it, but where are the others? She couldn't have come back without the rest of her Blending."
Just as Deslen was about to suggest that the others must be in their individual wings, everything began to happen at once. A tall, thin stranger appeared from somewhere behind the pretty woman and began to walk toward her. The servant scrambled away to the right with a cry of alarm, because the tall man held two knives.
Jeemar must have seen the knives at the same time, and the guardsman didn't hesitate. He ran forward with a shout, actually pointing at the tall man, the pointing most likely an aid to using his talent. Jeemar had Earth magic, Deslen knew, and was a fairly strong Middle talent. The tall man should have gone down at once, but instead he paused to throw one of his knives, and then it was Jeemar who went down with a knife in his chest.
Deslen wasn't the smartest man ever to be born, but it didn't take much intelligence to see that using talent wasn't working on the tall intruder. Deslen had tried using his own Water magic, and the intruder had acted as if nothing at all was being done. That meant force had to be used rather than talent, but there wasn't much time. The intruder had moved his remaining knife to his right hand, raising the knife as he neared the pretty woman. The woman had begun to turn toward the intruder, but if talent didn't work against the man she was as good as dead.
Which meant that Deslen didn't hesitate. The pretty woman was one of the Seated Blending, one of those who had changed everything in Gandistra. That change had given Deslen a chance to make a life he could enjoy and be proud of, and now someone was in the midst of trying to kill one of those who had made his new life possible.
"Not while I still live," Deslen growled even as he moved faster than he ever had in his life. He reached the pretty woman an instant before the intruder, grabbed her by the arms, and spun her around. That put Deslen's back toward the intruder rather than hers, but even as he felt the terrible pain of the knife plunging into him he didn't regret what he'd done. He pushed the woman feebly, to get her as far from the intruder as possible as he whispered, "Run!" and then everything went black -
The first guardsman had screamed when Holdis Ayl's knife hit him, but the second only whispered "Run!" before he collapsed to the floor. Everything had happened incredibly fast, but suddenly I felt rage fill me as it rarely had before.
"I don't know where the others are, but you'll do for my purposes," Ayl said to me, the bloody knife still in his fist. "With you dead your Blending is finished, and that will prove that no one can expect to rule this empire without my permission. And I'll certainly get out of here as easily as I got in. Those fool guardsmen gave so much attention to capturing the cretins trying to use their Blending that I was able to walk in here without notice. While everyone stands around screaming over your death, I'll be able to walk out the same way."
"Guess again," I growled as the knife came flashing down toward me. At the end of the swing Ayl stumbled, mostly because his knife no longer had a blade. I'd melted the steel so fast that he hadn't even realized the blade was gone, and then I added the touch I'd learned from Rion. A block of hardened air struck Ayl even as he stumbled, and then he was face down on the floor and mostly unconscious.
I used Lorand's way of putting the madman into a deep sleep, and then I quickly turned my attention to the guardsman who had tried to give his life for mine. Crouching over the man's body showed me that he still lived, but that wouldn't hold true for long if something wasn't done.
"What's going on out here?" a male voice demanded, and then a group of people came hurrying out of a nearby meeting room.
"It's already handled," I answered without looking up, working to heal the guardsman I crouched near. "Go and see if you can do anything for that other guardsman."
"This one is dead," a second male voice reported, sounding as concerned as the first. "You'd better help her with that one, Driff."
"Yes, he's badly hurt," the first man, apparently named Driff, answered as he crouched on the other side of the guardsman. "Let's work together, girl, and we ought to be able to save him."
The healing talent I had from Lorand was doing a fair job of pulling the guardsman back from the brink, but suddenly a different talent joined the one I used. It wasn't quite as strong as Lorand's ability, but in an odd way it was even more effective. The guardsman's healing went at a much faster rate even as my inner eye watched, and a few moments later the smallish man crouching opposite me looked up.
"He's out of danger now," the man named Driff said as he studied me. "And with that being the case, how about telling me now what happened and who you are."
"Holdis Ayl was a Guild man, so he knew he could shrug off the use of talent against him," I said, gesturing to where Ayl still lay unconscious. "He was too far gone into madness to understand that talent can be used in more than one way, something my Blendingmates and I learned really well. He intended to kill me, but it didn't work out like that."
"Ayl?" the man Driff exclaimed, straightening to stare down at the ex-Guild member. "How did he get into the palace? Edmin, get some servants to send for more guardsmen. And we need to get this wounded man bandaged and into bed."
One of the other five people nodded and hurried back into the meeting room, and my curiosity refused to be held down any longer.
"All right, now it's time for you to answer some questions," I said, putting my fists to my hips after I also straightened. "You seem to be giving the orders here, but Wilant Gorl and his people are supposed to be in charge. Who are you, and what happened to Wilant and the others?"
"You still haven't told me who's asking," the man pointed out, sounding significantly more reasonable than I had. "I'm Driffin Codsent, and my Blendingmates and I are in temporary charge. Would you like to tell me who you are and why Holdis Ayl tried to kill you?"
"I'm Tamrissa Domon, Fire magic," I answered without thinking much about what I said. "Ayl wanted to kill me because he thought that would cripple my Blending, but he was wrong on any number of counts. Now tell me what happened to Wilant and the others."
"Why does your name sound so familiar?" Driffin Codsent muttered instead of answering me. "I know I've heard it before, but - "
"Sir, she's one of the Seated Blending," the servant who had dodged out of Ayl's way put in, his voice still quivering noticeably. "We had no idea that the Excellences were back, otherwise their wings would have been properly attended. We offer our most abject apologies - "
"That's it, of course that's it!" Driffin exclaimed, pointing a finger at me. "We've never met, but the Highs have mentioned your name often enough - The Highs! And you're a High! We've got to get you out of here as quickly as possible!"
"What are you babbling about now?" I demanded, moving my arm to keep him from grabbing it. "And you'd better tell me where Wilant and his people are before I ask again in a way you definitely won't like."
"Every High talent in this city is in some sort of trance," Driffin answered, now looking even more harried. "It happened to them all at the same time, and I've been trying to break them out of it but can't. Since all High talents seem to be in the same danger, we have to get you out of here before whatever got them comes after you."
"A trance?" I echoed, feeling my eyes narrow. "And one that left no one but Middles to run things? I think I'd better get my Blendingmates here as soon as possible."
&nb
sp; "But how can you take the chance of all of you being here?" Driffin demanded. "If we lose you as well, I don't think any of us will be able to stand it. But how can you be here if the others aren't? And you said you had Fire magic. Ayl has been made unconscious, and that guardsman was being healed even before I touched him. How can someone with Fire magic do all that?"
"Those are questions that will take time to answer, and we don't have the time," I told him, quickly making up my mind. "I'm going back to my wing for a couple of minutes, and then we can start to get everything straightened out."
At least I hope we can get things straightened out, I qualified silently as I hurried back in the direction I'd come from. It had just come to me that my Blendingmates might not be able to join me in the palace. Most of the changes had happened to me first, and if the others weren't yet ready to move themselves as far as I had -
I didn't even want to think about what would happen then…
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Vallant felt frantic, and the others weren't doing any better. They'd awakened to find Tamrissa gone, and it hadn't been possible to locate her anywhere in the village or even in Liandia. She could certainly take care of herself, Vallant knew, but that wasn't the issue. Where she could possibly be was the question, and whether or not she'd gone voluntarily.
"She would never just up and walk away without letting us know," Jovvi said for the tenth time, worry fairly radiating from her. "Tamrissa just isn't that uncaring or thoughtless."
"But if someone has taken her against her will, who could that possibly be?" Rion countered, the same worry coloring his words. "Can you imagine how powerful some outside force would have to be to just … steal her away without the rest of us noticing?"
"And without her bein' able to do anythin' about it," Vallant agreed, his thoughts now going grim. "But if somethin' did take her, they won't have the same luck with me. If I get my hands on them…"
It was clear that Rion agreed with Vallant's unspoken threat, but before anyone could say anything else Lorand appeared in the doorway.
"I found something out, but I don't know how helpful the information will be," Lorand said at once as he entered. "Tamrissa's link group members remember being partially awakened during the night or early this morning. They found themselves linked and having their strength drawn on, and then they weren't linked any longer. Most of them thought they'd been dreaming, so they went back to sleep."
"That does nothing to help me See any more than I already have," Naran complained, her gaze still unfocused. "The probabilities are acting as if nothing has changed, as if Tamrissa is still here with us. I'm sure that means something, but I have no idea what the something is."
"Well, wherever she is, we know she's all right," Jovvi said with a shake of her head as she paced back and forth. "If anything terrible had happened to Tamma, we'd all know about it."
Vallant realized that that was true, but it was only a small consolation. He still had no idea where Tamrissa was, and he couldn't let that state of affairs continue. He was about to ask again if anyone had any idea at all when he felt something odd. It was as if someone were trying to say something to him…
"Wait a minute," Vallant said as the others began to make comments or voice opinions. "I think someone is tryin' to contact me, but can't quite reach me. Maybe if I - "
Vallant cut off his words as he reached out toward his link group members. He knew exactly how to link them together to give him more strength, and once he'd done so he thanked whatever agency had given him the idea.
… can you hear me? came what sounded like Tamrissa, but from a great distance off. Vallant, please try to hear me. I'm doing this alone, so you've got to do something to hear me.
Now I can hear you, Vallant responded, relief flooding over him. Tamrissa, where are you? Tell me what happened.
I woke up to find myself back in Gan Garee, came the equally relieved answer. I meant to come back before the rest of you woke up, but I wanted to get a bath and clean clothes first so I went to the palace. Now I realize that I wouldn't have been able to come back, not without the help of other Highs acting as my link groups. And at the moment there aren't any other Highs available here.
Why not? Vallant asked, worry suddenly returning. There ought to be more Highs than you need, right there in the city.
Ought to be, but aren't, Tamrissa replied. Something took all the Highs at once, and they're all in a trance of some sort. There's a Middle Blending handling things right now, but they're very anxious to hand the reins back. Do you think you and the others can follow me here in the same way I used to get here? Preferably without falling asleep first…
We'll tell the others, and then give it a try, Vallant promised her, more than aware of how alone she felt. Don't try to do anything on your own. Wait until the rest of us get there. Where are you now?
I'm in my wing of the palace, came the answer. Be careful, but come as fast as you can.
We will, so be patient, Vallant said, then turned to the rest of his Blendingmates.
"That was Tamrissa, and she says she woke up in Gan Garee," Vallant told them, then waited only a moment for the exclamations to die down. "She also says that all the High talents in the city have fallen into some kind of trance, so a Middle Blendin' had to take over. She asked us to follow her there, goin' the same way she did. I told her we would try, but first we have to tell the others."
"Let's do that telling now, and then get our link groups together," Lorand said, his expression showing a bit of relief along with a different kind of worry. "If Tamrissa managed the trip we should have no trouble, but even she obviously needed her link groups to get there. I just hope this isn't one of those things that she can do but we aren't yet able to."
"We won't consider failure until and unless it actually happens," Jovvi said briskly as she looked around. "From what I can See, there's nothing to suggest that we won't be able to do exactly as we wish. Naran, do you See anything that I'm missing?"
"No, nothing more or even different," Naran said, and now she no longer studied the distance. "With the help of our link groups, we ought to be able to do just as we please."
"Then let's get to it," Vallant said, a heavy burden now gone from his shoulders. "We don't want her to get bored waitin' for us and start to look into the mystery of the trances by herself."
The others agreed with a laugh, then followed as Vallant led the way to the door. They'd all talked about how much they wanted to go home, and now they were on the verge of doing it. Only not precisely in the way they'd expected to…
"…so that's what you have to look forward to," I said to the six people having tea with me in my sitting room. "Once a complete Blending gets to a certain point, life really starts to become interesting."
"I don't know if 'interesting' is the word I would have used," Edmin, their Spirit magic user, said wryly with an odd smile while the others simply looked stunned. "But you believe that even Middle Blendings will have the same experiences?"
"There's no reason why they shouldn't, and every reason they should," I answered, the knowledge coming into my mind the way it had been doing lately. "In fact, even Low Blendings ought to experience the same, assuming their members are really close to each other. It's the closeness - called love - that turns the trick."
"Well, we've certainly discovered that kind of closeness," Driff put in with a fond glance for his Blendingmates. "I can't imagine ever Blending with anyone but my sisters and brothers."
"I can see now that your Blending has taught us an important lesson," I said, again accessing that odd information. "Even people who once considered themselves enemies can achieve the necessary mix, if their motives are as sincere as yours obviously are. And a second lesson is that we may not be holding those competitions for strongest High Blending in a year's time. Having one Seated Blending running everything now strikes me as unnecessary, especially the part about limiting the office to Highs. You people aren't Highs, but you've done a m
arvelous job keeping things running smoothly. Instead of strength, I think the Blending in charge ought to have a talent for running things."
"You'd better add 'desire' in along with 'talent,'" Driff told me dryly with a grin. "Wilant and Oplis and the rest of their Blending did a great job sitting in for you and your Blendingmates, but they weren't any happier about being in charge than we were. As soon as the rest of your Blendingmates get here and help to bring the Highs back to themselves, there's a good chance you'll never see them or us again."
"Actually, I think we want to avoid people with the desire to run things," I said after joining the others in a laugh. "My people and I are no more eager to run things than you or Oplis and his group, and that could well be the key. If you have capable people doing the job they don't want to do, you can promise to let them loose in a certain amount of time if they perform really well. That gives them the motivation to do the best they can, and saves you the trouble of having to fight to get them to turn loose the reins of power. Giving power to people who live for nothing else is just asking for trouble."
"You can say that again," Idresia agreed with a wry smile, but then her amusement faded. "But talking about people who live for power, I'd like to ask what you think will be done with that Grohl woman and Holdis Ayl. Will you spend time trying to help them, or simply put them down?"
"Where the Grohl woman is concerned, I've decided that I agree with our neighbors in Gracely," I said slowly, finding that I really had come to a decision. "Her final disposition will be made by the courts, but we can't afford to let her keep her talent. She's already shown that she has no qualms about taking over innocent people, and Driff said that one effort has already been made to help her past her problems. If she gets loose again the way she is, too many more innocents can be hurt."