by Sharon Green
She gave everyone a very wide smile with teeth clearly visible, and then she turned and left. Vallant grinned and followed her out after winking to everyone else, leaving Rion and Naran to chuckle their own way out. Jovvi glanced at Lorand, but he just smiled.
"I have a feeling that one of the preparations Tamrissa wants to make involves Vallant," Lorand said with amusement. "There won't be much in the way of privacy once we leave the city, so I think she has a really good idea there."
"Yes, she does, and that does happen to be what she has in mind," Jovvi agreed with a small laugh. "Everyone seems to be getting almost as good as I am at reading people, which is a really pleasant surprise. Now can you tell how I feel about the idea, Lorand Coll?"
"Nope, I haven't got a clue," Lorand replied as he put his teacup aside and rose from his chair to join her on the couch she'd chosen. "You probably hate the idea of making love to me as much as you always do, but you've decided to put up with it just to keep the peace. Unless, of course, you somehow know what it does to me when you call me Lorand Coll. But that's not very likely, is it?"
"No, not likely at all," Jovvi murmured as his strong arms closed tightly about her, drawing her to his chest. She raised her face to join him in a kiss, and in no time at all they were ready to move on to other things. Yes, Tamma had definitely had another good idea…
Rion drew his mount to a halt with the others, looking around in the early evening light at the campsite that had been chosen. They'd made good time leaving the city and on the road afterward, so their group wasn't far from the first inn on the eastern road from the city. The inn certainly wasn't large enough to house all of them for the night, but maybe it could be used for another purpose…
"I agree with Rion," Naran said suddenly to the rest of the Blending from where she sat her own horse near Rion's. "We may have to camp out tonight, but at least we can eat at the inn if we eat in shifts."
"That's a great idea, but when did Rion say it?" Tamrissa asked from her place only a few feet away. "I could have sworn he hasn't said a word in the last hour."
"Actually, I was only thinking it," Rion said, bending an inquiring look on Naran. "Have you learned how to read my mind, love?"
"To a certain degree," Naran answered with a blush and a laugh. "You were gazing toward the inn with a half wistful, half wishing expression, and that made me remember what you've said in the past about how good the cooking is at that inn. The step from there to my suggestion is only a small one."
"Aha, then it was logic rather than mind-reading," Lorand said with a laugh all the others shared in. "Speaking for myself, I'm rather relieved. If Naran had learned how to read minds, she might have taught Jovvi and Tamrissa the process, and then we would have been in real trouble, brothers. A man needs to have some secrets from his woman."
"I thought it was women who needed to have some secrets from men?" Jovvi put with a glint of amusement in her beautiful eyes. "Is your way really the proper one, Lorand?"
"Personally, I think that everyone is entitled to a secret or two," Tamrissa stated with the same kind of amusement. "When people know everything there is to know about you, they decide there's nothing left for them to learn and then they start to ignore you."
"I can't picture anyone ignorin' you," Vallant said to Tamrissa with a grin while everyone else chuckled. "Actually, I can't picture anyone ignorin' any of you ladies, and one of you has stated a desire. I'm willin' to go along with that desire and eat at the inn, but only to be sociable. It's not like my mouth is already waterin' or anythin'."
"Of course not," Rion said with a laugh, loving the close warmth they all shared. "I'm not really yearning to eat there either, but if the group has its heart set on the venture then I'm also willing to go along. Just to be sociable."
"Let's all be sociable and get our link groups," Jovvi suggested during the new laughter. "And since we thought of this first, we should get to eat first."
None of their six disagreed with that, and neither did the other Blending and their link groups. Everyone thought that eating at the inn was a marvelous idea, since they'd have more than enough of trail food once they rode farther from the city. Those who were scheduled to eat in the second wave would also set up camp, with those who ate first doing the honors tomorrow night. The chores had to be split up somehow, and that was as good a way as any.
Rion had handed over his saddle bags and bed roll and was on his way back to his horse when a young woman stepped into his path. She was tall and slender and quite attractive, with soft auburn hair and very blue eyes. She also looked nervous for some reason, and her smile was on the tremulous side.
"I hope you don't mind my bothering you, Rion, but I've wanted to say something for quite a while now," the woman said quickly in a very soft voice, her gaze locked to his. "I'm Riltha Mayner, a member of one of Tamrissa's link groups, and I just want to say how attractive I find you. I know I'm probably speaking out of turn, but I simply had to say it. Now that I have, I won't bother you any longer."
And with that the young woman hurried away, her head down as though she'd done something very difficult and possibly dangerous. Rion simply stood there staring after her, more confused than he'd felt in quite some time. It would have been understandable if one of his sisters had said something like that, but a perfect stranger? To say she found him attractive? For what purpose?
Rion continued the rest of the way to his horse and mounted, then let his thoughts roam free while he waited for the others to be ready to leave for the inn. If the young woman had said she found him odd and laughable, Rion would not have been in the least surprised. Many young women had felt that way about him while he still lived with that woman who had called herself his mother, but now so rapid a turn-around was a bit overwhelming. First Naran, and then Tamrissa and Jovvi, and now a complete stranger…
The reverie wasn't so deep that Rion didn't know when the rest of the party was mounted and ready, which was a lucky thing. He really would not have enjoyed discussing the incident right now, not until he'd done quite a bit more in the way of private thinking. Could he really have changed so much that total strangers found him attractive? If so, how should he feel about that…?
They were still a rather large group when they reached the inn, and the stable boys seemed extremely relieved that the horses didn't have to be tended. But almost seventy horses were still a chore, so half of their group helped the stable boys while the rest entered the inn.
The host came forward to meet them looking a bit disconcerted, but when Vallant explained that they would pay for taking up almost all of the inn's dining facilities, the host's disturbance turned to pleasure. It was also a bit early for the arrival of the inn's local dinner custom, so there would be time to set up additional tables in the common area, something the man decided aloud.
After calling a boy to him and giving orders, the host led their group into the dining room. Most of the tables were empty, but the people of their group crowded around them in fives and sixes wherever possible, just to conserve room. Rion estimated that they would all fit, but only because the room was comfortably large.
"Please make yourselves at ease, gentles," the host, a short, thin man, told them with a smile. "I'll have what's prepared served right now, and then will begin fresh offerings at once."
Rion joined the others in smiling his thanks to the man, who quickly bowed and left. No more than a minute or two later, three girls hurried out of the kitchen with trays of goblets and cups. They were barely half finished with distributing the drinking accessories when two men appeared. Their trays held plates of food, and the first of the food was brought directly to Rion's table. That gesture was surely due to the desire of the host to impress them, but Rion wasn't about to complain.
The men had almost finished serving their table and the next one over when Lorand lost the pleased expression he'd been showing and stiffened where he sat. The next instant he had risen to his feet, startling everyone.
"
Don't anyone eat or drink anything!" Lorand ordered in a very loud voice. "Some of this food has been poisoned!"
This time Rion joined everyone else in exclaiming aloud, but that lasted only a moment. The next instant they were all Blended, and it was the Rion entity that acted. The first ones to be investigated were the serving men nearest the table, and then the serving girls. When those flesh forms proved to be innocent, the Rion entity headed for the kitchens.
There were quite a few more flesh forms in the place called kitchens, but most of them were as innocent as those already examined by the entity. Those who were not as innocent, three who stood out clearly from the rest, were spaced about the large area apparently hard at work. In actual fact they were tense and nervous despite their air of unconcern, and the Rion entity took them all over before speaking to the nearest.
- For what reason have you and the others tampered with the produce in this place? - the Rion entity asked. -Was the doing casual, to destroy flesh forms at random? -
"Certainly not!" the flesh form replied with high indignation. "We're not murderers of the innocent. It was those liars we were after, the ones who have to be done away with if people are going to be properly led."
- Led by whom? - the entity put next, truly curious about the matter. - By the one in whose cause you move? -
"Of course not," the flesh form responded, indignant once more. "We'll all be led by the real Chosen Blending, and Dom Ayl will know them when he comes across them. As soon as that happens they'll have our complete support, but no one who opposes us and isn't part of that Chosen Blending can be allowed to live."
The Rion entity digested that and filed the response for later consideration, then went on to question the flesh form in a matter more to the point. The two men and one woman were the only ones of their kind at the inn, and none of them had any information about the plans and intentions of others in their larger group. The three of them had been sent to the inn on the off-chance that their enemies would stop for a meal, and they'd been delighted when the "liars" had actually shown up.
The Rion entity gave the three people orders to tell the inn host what they'd done, and then they were to return to Gan Garee. Once there they were to report to the palace and tell the guards what they'd attempted, and then answer any and all questions put to them. Once the three had given their agreements the entity dissolved, and it was Rion alone again.
"That was close," Jovvi said after letting out a very deep breath as she looked around. "I hate to say it, but we were very sloppy about being alert."
"Which could have cost us our lives," Lorand confirmed with a grim expression as he sat down again. "If you stop to think about it, an ambush was something we should have expected."
"We'll have to start expectin' ambushes even when we do somethin' on a whim," Vallant said with his own grim expression and a headshake before turning to Rion's beloved. "Naran, do you have any idea why your talent didn't warn us?"
"Most likely because the probability of success of this ambush was so low," Naran replied with something of a sigh. "We may not have anticipated the attack, but we're too well equipped - with Lorand's knowledge - for this to have been a really serious effort. If there's some other reason, I'm afraid I don't know what it can be."
"At least only this food has been tampered with," Lorand said sourly. "I made sure to check everything before the entity dissolved."
"Which means we can now eat in peace, which I fully intend doing," Tamrissa said, but not as forcefully as usual. "We've had too many close calls for this one to affect my appetite, but there's something else that comes closer to doing it. Did everyone catch that declaration of intent from Ayl's man, and is anyone else bothered by it?"
"I certainly am," Jovvi said with a nod of agreement, leaning back to let the serving man hastily remove the plate of poisoned food. Rion noticed the inn host standing near the kitchen door, frantically overseeing the removal of the tainted food.
"I couldn't have missed it," Vallant said, also in answer to Tamrissa's question. "Ayl's takin' advantage of what he started to make himself the power who gets to Seat the Blendin' of his choice. Unless Ayl gives his okay, any Blendin' tryin' to take the Throne will be killed by his fanatic followers. We really do have to make catchin' that man a top priority."
"We'll have to send back word with two of our guardsmen to have that put at the top of the list," Jovvi said as she accepted a cup of tea with a nod of thanks for the serving girl. Rion noticed that Lorand was busy checking everything being served, which made him feel a good deal better. "I know that Ayl is one of the things the Blendings left behind are supposed to take care of, but they need to be told to see to that first."
"Let's have those three assassins deliver the message," Tamrissa suggested as she, too, accepted a cup of tea. "They have to go back anyway, so why not take advantage of the fact?"
"I'm with Tamrissa," Lorand said as Rion joined the others in making various sounds of agreement. "We brought the guardsmen because we may need them, so why reduce their ranks when it isn't necessary?"
"Doing that would be less than intelligent," Rion said to throw in the weight of his own opinion. "There are quite a few houses belonging to the former nobility where we're headed, and we may well need everyone available when we get there."
"That's settled, then," Jovvi said after looking around to see that everyone did indeed agree. "Let's take care of the matter now, and then we can relax and enjoy our meal."
"But we won't relax too far," Vallant warned as he also looked around. "There could be more of those assassins lurkin' around out of sight, with the three we caught bein' none the wiser. I'm also goin' to send some of our guardsmen into the kitchens, to keep an eye out for anyone else who's a stranger who tries to come in."
That, too, was a good idea, and once everything was taken care of they were able to give their attention to the meal. But not to relax completely, Rion said to himself, not when relaxation could well mean death…
Chapter 19
Lorand rode into the campsite with the others, feeling the urge to stretch out somewhere and not move for a while. They'd been on the road for six days and had made fairly good progress in reaching the area where the eastern army was soon expected to be. Now they meant to stay put until the rest of their people caught up to them, and then they would see about stopping an army.
"I'm glad it's someone else's turn to set up camp this time," Tamrissa said from where she still sat her horse, looking as tired as Lorand felt. "I'm going to stay awake just long enough to eat, and then I'm going to fall into my bed roll. Rion, you said there would be large houses in the area we reach tomorrow?"
"Quite a number of them," Rion confirmed in a weary voice with a nod to match. "The area is called Sunrise Slipping, and was rather popular with the former nobles. It took quite a lot of gold to have a house there."
"Then I'm definitely going to sleep early," Tamrissa said with her own nod. "Then, after we take care of that army, I ought to have the strength for a long, lovely bath. As soon as we find a decent bath house, of course. And if the water happens to be cold, I volunteer to warm it myself after it's filtered clean."
"I may be able to do the filterin' on my own," Vallant said, looking just a bit less tired than the rest of them. "I've been thinkin' about which pattern I would use, and I believe I've found the right one. I'll just have to try it and see."
"That makes me feel a good deal better," Jovvi said as she began to dismount. "If I have a bath to look forward to, I'll find the strength somewhere to fight that army. Right now, though, even the promise of a bath would be pushing it."
"That's because we've been pushing it," Naran told her as she and Rion also began to dismount. "We've been moving a lot faster than we ever did before, but at least we'll have the time to rest before we have to face that army. It would have been nice, though, if we could have stopped at another inn every once in a while. It's too bad that another stop might not have turned out as well as the firs
t."
Everyone made sounds of agreement, and Lorand discovered that he was now the only one still mounted. He hadn't expected them all to be this tired, and how fast they'd moved was only a part of the reason. As he forced himself to leave the relative comfort of his saddle, Lorand decided that they would not work with the members of the other Blending again before they all faced the army. The other Blending might be one of the really new ones that needed as much instruction and practice as possible, but the other Blending would not be helped if Lorand and his Blendingmates fell over dead.
"Here, Jovvi, let me take your horse," Lorand said when he realized that Jovvi just stood there holding her rein as if unsure of what to do next. "You go and sit down somewhere, and I'll join you in just a few minutes."
"Lorand, if I didn't already love you, that offer would have made it happen," Jovvi said with a smile that was a pale shadow of its usual radiance as she handed him her rein. "If I'm asleep when you find me, please wake me up so that I can eat. For some reason I feel extremely hollow."
Lorand nodded with his own strengthless smile as he took her horse, and then he led the two mounts to where they would be unsaddled and turned loose for the night. He had discovered that it was a simple matter to use their Blending entity to make sure the horses didn't wander off, and that had become a nightly ritual for the group setting up camp. And oddly enough, the other Blending and their link groups didn't look nearly as tired as Lorand and the rest…
"Hollow is too mild a word for what I feel," Rion said as he joined Lorand, leading his own horse and Naran's. "If left to my own devices, I just may devour all the rest of our supplies."
"Even if they happen to be raw," Vallant agreed as he joined the group on Lorand's other side, Tamrissa's horse beside his own. "I've been thinkin' about eatin' for the last hour or more."