by Sharon Green
"No, you didn't," Idresia said with raised brows. "What did they approach you about? Did they want you to join whatever scam they're running?"
"That's one of the things that's making me think I'm losing my edge," Driffin replied with the same wry smile. "I was convinced that there was a scam somewhere, but I just couldn't see it. They told me that they expected me to qualify as an instructor when I finished my own training, and wanted me to take over some of the beginners' classes. When they told me how much I would be paid I almost told them they had to be lying, and then they added to my shock."
Driffin paused a moment, still finding discussing the matter difficult, and Idresia helped by remaining silent.
"They … know about the healing I've been doing on the side," Driffin said at last, his gaze on his hands where they lay on the table. "I would have sworn no one knew about that, but somehow they got around all the precautions I took. They also knew I wasn't charging for the healing, and the only thing disturbing them about the whole situation is that they believe I should be paid. So they asked if I would be willing to open a free care shop for those who can't afford to pay, and the silver and gold would be provided by the new government."
"Why, Driff, that's marvelous!" Idresia exclaimed, now keeping only one eye on the cooking eggs and cheese. "People have finally noticed how good you are, and rather than trying to push you back down they're offering you a hand up. I don't understand why that upsets you."
"It's upsetting me because that's not how the world was," Driffin all but wailed, the turmoil in his mind increasing. "Just a little while ago it was every man for himself, chaos take anyone who got in their way. Now people are actually helping each other, and those who won't - or can't - change are slowly being weeded out. People who want to work are being encouraged instead of shoved back down, and anyone looking for a free ride is being tossed off the wagon of general effort. But I know that things never really change, so how can I believe that all these new ways are really real?"
"Why is that such a terrible problem?" Idresia asked quietly, bringing over the plate of eggs and cheese she'd just filled. After putting the plate in front of him, she sat down to circle him with one arm. "If believing completely in these new ways is impossible for you right now, that's all right as long as you don't show your disbelief. Just tell yourself that you're pretending to go along, and make the best plans you can to protect us all if there does happen to be a scam going on. And if it turns out there is no scam, you'll still be in a position to add your effort to the new practices."
"And doing it that way will protect us no matter what happens," Driffin exclaimed, suddenly wide-eyed. "Now, why didn't I think of that?"
"You didn't think of it because you're hoping too hard that everything is real," Idresia told him with a fondly amused smile. "You've never been as hard and practical as you considered yourself, not when you're basically a dreamer. You've always done what was necessary, but you also always wished you didn't have to. Don't you think I know all that?"
Driffin stared at her, briefly wondering how she knew something he never had. He had always considered himself tough and able to handle whatever came, and the tiny part inside himself wishing things could be different had never really mattered…
"All right, so you know me better than I know myself," Driffin admitted with a small rueful laugh. "And I really do want this new arrangement to work. They've even opened houses for street children, a place where the children can eat and sleep and be part of a family of sorts. For myself, I've been … thinking about recruiting help for the healing shop from the night-siders who don't want to steal any longer."
"You'll probably find more volunteers than you can use, or none at all," Idresia said with her darling, dimpled smile. "I heard just yesterday that the new patrols have been catching thieves by the handful now that using talent isn't against the law any longer. Those thieves that haven't been caught are hiding out, and before very long they'll have to find something else to do or starve."
"Then I ought to get started with opening the shop," Driffin said, reaching for the fork that Idresia had put on the plate of food. "And it's just come to me that I need to list all the people who like this new way of doing things as well as I do. If those government people suddenly decide to change their minds, the rest of us can work to put things back the way they belong."
"Now, that's a good idea," Idresia said as she rose again to return to the stove. "I'll have a cup of tea for you in just a moment. And I've been wondering… What's being done to guard against trouble coming from someone other than the government people? I mean, there's bound to be some fools who want things to go back to the way they were. What's being done to protect the new ways against them?"
"You know, I think I'll step aside and let you be in charge around here," Driffin stated after a moment of sitting with the fork poised three inches from his mouth. "Damned if that question occurred to me, and it certainly should have. I don't know what the government people are doing about the possibility, but we obviously need a line of protection at the people level. I'll have to set something up as soon as possible."
"I'd like to help with that," Idresia said from where she stood holding the teapot, nothing of amusement in the words. "This new way of doing things has given me my life back, and I'd like to help protect it."
"I was about to say I'll put you in charge of whatever I arrange, but I've suddenly changed my mind," Driffin told her, his mind finally working at the speed it used to have. "An extra layer of protection inside the line of protection won't hurt anything, and can even do a lot of good if the arrangement is somehow compromised. In other words, how would you like to be my spy?"
"Oh, I'll love it!" Idresia burbled, those dimples showing again. "A secret power hidden inside the meek and mild woman worker. No one will have the least idea."
Driffin was about to laugh at the idea of Idresia being meek and mild, but chose the smarter course and closed his mouth with food. The woman he loved would be perfect to keep an eye on whatever he arranged, and if she couldn't be trusted then no one could be. He'd be able to pay attention to his own efforts with a clear mind, knowing that his side project was in good hands.
And as Idresia brought him a cup of tea and some bread, Driffin noticed that her body showed no signs of strain at all. Maybe tonight would be a time of mutual reward after all…
Chapter 26
Frode Mismin followed the servant to the garden where Antrie Lorimon sat drinking tea with Cleemor Gardan. Mismin, as head of the special investigations branch, usually reported to the entire assembly. These days, though, that meant Antrie Lorimon and her closest associates.
"Good morning, Frode," Antrie greeted him with a warm, true smile. "Please sit down and join us in having tea."
"As long as tea is all I need to swallow, I'll be pleased to join you, Exalted One," Frode answered with a bow after stopping in front of a chair. "I'm afraid I've lost my appetite for actual food."
"You have bad news then," Gardan said heavily as Frode sat down. "And since this is a private meeting, please feel free to use our names. I always feel pretentious when I'm called 'Exalted One' in private."
"As you like," Frode agreed, accepting a cup of tea from a servant who then disappeared back into the house. As soon as the servant was gone, Frode was free to continue with, "I have word about the Gandistran army."
"Then things went badly rather than well for us," Antrie said with a sigh. "Somehow I knew our luck would run out in that particular area."
"I think it would be more accurate to say that the luck ran out with a vengeance," Frode told her after sipping at his tea. "It was the new Seated Blending themselves who questioned the officers of the army, and there was no getting the impressed statements past them. For a time there was still the possibility that the Seated Blending would return to Gan Garee after sending some of their followers to see what was going on. At the moment, however, that possibility is no longer viable."
"So they'r
e coming here themselves," Gardan said with his own sigh after exchanging a glance with Antrie. "A visit from them was always a strong possibility, but I wonder just how prepared for that visit we really are."
"We're as prepared as we can be," Antrie replied, knowing the question had been put to her. "Our investigation will have proven that Ebro Syant was responsible for what was done to the army officers. Syant is no longer a member of our assembly, something we can prove when we apologize to those people for what was done to the officers of the army."
"My advice would be to apologize for the intrusion, but not for the doing," Frode said, gaining Antrie's immediate attention. "It was necessary to keep our countryside from being destroyed, but we might have found a less invasive way of doing it if we'd looked. We should regret nothing but not having looked for that other way."
"Are the members of the new Seated Blending really that reasonable?" Antrie asked, her brows high. "Members of the old nobility would have had not the least interest in hearing of reasons why we thought we were justified in defending ourselves. These new people might listen?"
"My agents tell me that they spent quite a lot of time and effort healing and caring for the members of the army," Frode responded with a small shake of his head. "There was really no one around to impress, so the effort wasn't just for show. The officers in charge of the army were fools, and kept their people in such bad shape that they would have lost at least half their fighters before they reached Gan Garee…"
"Are you thinking what I suddenly am?" Antrie asked when Frode's voice just trailed off. "No matter how important you think you are, if you want to stay the leader of an army you take reasonable care of that army. Why did those officers do just the opposite?"
"I really don't want to think that killing their fighters with neglect was part of the ideas the officers were impressed with," Frode said slowly after something of a hesitation. "Zirdon Tal was in charge of taking care of the beliefs of the officers, and I don't feel very comfortable speaking against a member of the assembly."
"Then let me do it for you," Gardan put in with a growl. "Tal is a fool and always has been, and I would not put it past him to … embroider a straightforward idea of defense into something no normal person could live with. He would consider it 'simply making sure.'"
"With not a thought to the consequences if his actions were ever discovered," Antrie agreed in what was nearly a growl of her own. "If we hadn't realized what was done, we'd have been completely unprepared to cope with the accidental discovery of the matter. But to tell the truth, I don't know how we will cope. If those Gandistrans are as caring as Frode believes, this is the part they'll have the most trouble forgiving."
"Can we simply pretend we know nothing about it?" Gardan asked, looking back and forth between Frode and Antrie. "That way if the truth comes out, we can act as shocked as our guests will be."
"We're members of the assembly, and the assembly is supposed to be in charge, Cleemor," Antrie pointed out wearily. "If we pretend to know nothing about what was done, we'll not only look like fools, but also like liars. Any chance we had of concluding a treaty with Gandistra will go straight out the window."
"Then what can we do?" Gardan demanded, his anger clearly for the situation rather than for Antrie. "If we get into a war with Gandistra now, we won't stand a chance of defeating them. And a war with Gandistra could conceivably mean a war with Astinda as well."
"We would probably have Astinda to worry about only if we did defeat Gandistra," Frode put in quietly. "The Astindans have a large part of their country to rebuild, so they might well stay out of any conflict that doesn't threaten them directly."
"Or they might decide that Gandistra's defeat would be a threat to them," Antrie said with a shrug and a headshake. "There's no true way for us to know beforehand, and afterward will be too late. Our wisest course of action is to avoid war altogether."
"If we're given the choice, you mean," Gardan grumbled before he rose to his feet. "All right, we have to think of a way to avoid that war, so I'm going home. I usually do my best thinking when I speak my thoughts to Tenia. For a woman, she's unusually sharp."
"She certainly is, if she lets you believe that all the good ideas are yours," Antrie responded with a chuckle, obviously indulging in a bout of teasing with Gardan. "Please remember to give her my best."
"I always do," Gardan returned with his own smile and a bow for Antrie. "I'll let you know if I think of anything."
Antrie smiled again, and after nodding to Frode, Gardan took himself off. Frode had risen to his feet, of course, then he hovered with indecision he certainly wasn't used to. There was more that needed to be said to Antrie, but Frode wasn't sure he had the courage…
"Please do sit down and stay a while," Antrie offered as Frode continued to stand in front of his chair. "Unless you happen to be pressed for time, I would enjoy your company. We never get to talk unofficially to each other."
"There's … something else that needs mentioning," Frode said as he sat again, taking the coward's way out. "I tried to have some of my people keep track of Ebro Syant just to see where he would finally settle, but they somehow managed to lose him. I don't know if his disappearance is a problem, not when he no longer has any ability in magic, but I thought that someone in the assembly ought to know."
"I'm glad you mentioned the matter," Antrie said, a faint shadow creasing her brow. "I'm tempted to dismiss Syant as having been neutralized, but it was only his talent that we took. In order to do what he did he has to have intelligence as well, and that he still has. Can your people keep looking until they find him?"
"It so happens I've already given those orders," Frode admitted, privately wondering why the previously comfortable chair seemed to have changed. "Since we can soon have important visitors, I thought it best to keep an eye on anyone who might cause trouble."
"You do have a definite talent for anticipating what the right move is," Antrie said, and her smile and clear approval turned Frode's discomfort extreme. "I commend you for your excellent efforts, and would like to ask a favor. Won't you please get to what you really came here to say?"
The abrupt question shocked Frode, since Antrie's talent was Air magic, not Spirit magic. How, then, could she possibly have known…?
"I can tell that there's something on your mind from the way you're acting," Antrie said, startling him again by reading his thoughts. "I've never seen you so nervous, so whatever you want to talk about must be important. If you tell me what it is, I promise not to scream and faint."
"You may not be able to keep that promise," Frode countered, forced to smile in spite of himself. "I've … been steeling myself to speak to you for some time now, but the proper opportunity never presented itself. If this doesn't happen to be the right time either, I'd be happy to come back at - "
"No, this is the perfect time," Antrie interrupted firmly, obviously determined not to let him talk himself out of speaking up. "Please go ahead with what you want to say."
"All right, I will," Frode decided aloud, tired of playing the coward. "If you don't like what you hear, you only have to say so and I'll stop and never raise the subject again. I don't want to make a hairy nuisance of myself, but I can't seem to get the idea out of my head. I know I'm nothing to look at, so this is really the first time I've done this sort of thing. As I said, if you don't like the idea - "
"Frode, please," Antrie interrupted, her expression odd. "Are you saying you'd like to come courting?"
"Well, yes," Frode agreed, confusion threatening to enfold him. "Haven't I been saying just that?"
"No, you've been saying everything but that," Antrie countered, and Frode noticed with relief that she didn't seem to be insulted or disturbed. In fact, she showed a smile as she continued, "I find it amusing that the strongest and most capable of men seem to fall apart when the time comes to speak their heart rather than their mind. But if my cruelty hasn't put you off, I think I would very much like having you come courting."
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br /> "You mean that," Frode said in surprise, his Spirit magic confirming the fact. "I expected you to be kind to the ugly man who had decided to overstep himself, but you aren't refusing to even consider the idea. You're actually accepting."
"I always knew you were a brave man, but never before knew just how brave," Antrie said with the warmest, most marvelous smile. "You expected nothing but rejection, but went ahead and spoke up anyway. Don't you know, my dear, that it's men who most prefer to judge on looks? Women tend to be more practical and try to consider a man's insides as well as his outsides. On that basis, you're a very handsome man indeed."
"For the first time in a very long while, I find I don't know what to say," Frode admitted, feeling an unbelievably foolish smile creasing his own features. "Except for voicing my thanks for your agreement, that is. I'll try not to make you regret the decision."
"I'll be very surprised if I do regret the decision," Antrie returned, and then she stirred and got to her feet. "But I'll definitely have regrets if I don't tell my cook right now that there will be a guest for dinner. You can stay, I hope?"
"Dear lady, I'm at your disposal," Frode responded at once as he stood and bowed. "If you don't mind, we can use the intervening time to get to know one another. You, in particular, must have many questions that need to be answered."
"And you, my dear, must learn that there's more to a woman than her appearance," Antrie countered with amusement shining in her beautiful eyes. "I'll be back in a moment and then we can begin."
Frode bowed again, then watched Antrie walk away toward the house. For a moment he felt as though he stood in a dream, his most fervent wish about to be fulfilled. But he knew well enough that this was no dream, it was a reality that could be ruined beyond repair by doing the wrong thing. He'd planned to show only the best side of him if he were given the opportunity to do anything at all, but he'd suddenly changed his mind.