Challenges

by Sharon Green

  Delin’s comment was interrupted by a knock on the door, which was immediately followed by the entrance of one of the servants. There was a figure behind the servant, which probably meant the new agent had arrived. Delin began to put his teacup on the table next to him, but froze in mid-motion when the figure behind the servant came forward to where he could be easily seen.

  “The Advisory agent,” the servant announced unnecessarily. “Lord Rigos Baril.”

  CHAPTER NINE

  Eltrina Razas entered the meeting oozing friendliness and calm, but on the inside she was filled with annoyance. Once again she was being forced to do something Ollon Kapmar should have been doing, with her there only to convince everyone that she was the one who’d actually done the work. Instead she’d had to do the work instead of simply pretending, and now she was missing the dinner engagement she’d made with a very interesting man. When she finally managed to cause Ollon’s death, her satisfaction would be double what she originally had expected it to be.

  “Good evening, Lady Eltrina,” High Lord Embisson Ruhl said in greeting, his smile as cold and unreal as usual. “We were expecting Ollon to be back in his usual place. Hasn’t he returned yet?”

  “He simply sent word, Lord Embisson,” Eltrina answered carefully, having no wish to insult the man even accidentally. He was so powerful, he took meals with the Advisors on a regular basis… “He’s still terribly broken up over the tragic death of his sister, and apparently can’t bring himself to return to work. He asked me to sit in for him again, and give your committee the final report on the commoners. Final, that is, until they’re formed into Blendings.”

  “Yes, we’re aware of which ‘final’ this is, dear,” Lord Embisson told her with cold condescension that cut like ice shards. The man was so ancient his hair was completely white, but his bulky body was still straight and apparently strong. It was said that this was his third twenty-fifth year, and that was just possible. Eltrina firmly kept herself from blushing over the faux pas she’d made, and took her seat at the large table as gracefully as possible.

  “You don’t seem to have brought many files with you,” Lord Embisson observed once she was settled. “One thin folder… Ollon usually brings everything.”

  “I’m afraid I lack Lord Ollon’s physical strength,” Eltrina replied with a smile when she would have preferred to tell the stupid old man just how much of a fool he really was. And he was the only member of his committee who ever spoke… “In view of that lack I use my memory instead, so I’m just as prepared to render a full report. Shall I begin?”

  Lord Embisson waited for the two youngest members of his committee—men who must have been at least forty—to pick up their pens and poise them over blank paper, and then he nodded his permission to proceed.

  “As you know,” Eltrina began, “this year we have six viable groups rather than five. I’ve kept the sixth group unofficial, of course, as I planned to use them when and if necessary to fill in any gaps. I’ve also discovered that some people simply aren’t able to Blend, and if that happens with one of the five original groups, we’ll have the unofficial sixth to put in their place.”

  A very soft murmur went around the table, and there was even a faint flicker in Lord Embisson’s eyes. Eltrina had had to find something to justify the existence of a group that should never have been formed, and a search of the archives had given her the answer. During the last twenty-fifth year, one of the five chosen peasant groups hadn’t been able to Blend. It had taken a lot of scrambling around to find substitutes for one member after another, and they achieved a Blending only at the very last minute. There was no danger of the same happening this time, but even better there was no way for Lord Embisson to give the credit to Ollon.

  “In the interim,” Eltrina continued, “the five primary groups have been finalized according to their test ratings. The three weakest groups are of no concern, but they’ve still been given members who can’t possibly get along well enough to Blend fully. The strongest group has had two of its members replaced, which should also keep them from Blending properly. The last group, the second strongest, has been kept intact.”

  “Is that wise?” Lord Embisson asked with a frown. “They’re the ones who traditionally face the chosen noble Blending, and it would be foolish to court disaster by overlooking them.”

  “I agree completely, my lord, and that’s why they haven’t been overlooked,” Eltrina replied with the same smile. “I had a report from the observer in their residence only two hours ago, and it was that report which convinced me to leave them just as they are. It will also help if the competition observers try to complain about substitutions in the other groups.”

  “You still haven’t told us what was in that report,” Lord Embisson pointed out testily. Eltrina could see that he wanted to find something to prove that she wasn’t doing the job properly, but he’d have to do better than question what she’d learned.

  “The report covered all five of the members of the group,” Eltrina purred, dragging out disclosure of the details as long as possible. “The Spirit magic member was given some difficulty by a former associate, and when the observer reported the incident I had the former associate arrested. The trial was held this morning, and the Spirit magic member couldn’t stay away. The accused was found guilty and sentenced to a severe punishment, and the Spirit magic member was devastated. Despite not having reported the incident herself, she nevertheless felt that the associate’s plight was her fault. Her feelings were confirmed by a Spirit magic user I sent there to check on the matter.”

  “After undoubtedly informing the young lady of the trial yourself,” Lord Embisson commented dryly. “So the unifying member of the potential Blending doesn’t even have control of herself, not to mention everyone else. And you’re certain of that?”

  “The observer at the trial said she nearly fainted when she heard the sentence pronounced,” Eltrina agreed with a nod. “Later, when she and her escort, the Water magic user, returned to the residence, she nearly snapped his head off for the condescending way he’d been treating her. She also accused the Fire magic user of breaking her work to keep silent about the incident which had culminated in the trial, and the Fire magic user ran to her apartment in tears.”

  “The Water magic user, insulted over the way the Spirit magic user had denigrated his efforts to assist her, then turned on the Air magic user and started an argument. The Air magic user, having already had words with the Earth magic user, found no reason not to join the argument with enthusiasm. The observer felt that if the Spirit magic user hadn’t finally screamed at the both of them to be quiet, they might well have turned a verbal argument physical.”

  “As it was they both stalked out of the room, leaving behind the definite impression that the matter wasn’t yet settled. The observer feels that they’ve all been harboring resentments toward one another, but the Spirit magic user has been smoothing things over. Now that she’s out of control, actual emotions are pouring out of the others. Even if she manages to regain control, things have been said that can’t possibly be forgotten—or forgiven.”

  “So any change in the membership of the group can only strengthen it,” Lord Embisson mused, clearly having no trouble seeing the point. “Soon they may even be taking sides against one another, but that brings forward a different problem. If they despise each other so thoroughly, they’ll probably find it impossible to Blend.”

  “If that happens we’ll replace them with the spare group, but I don’t expect it to happen,” Eltrina said, showing the last of her cards. “They knew about being formed into a Blending before they were told, you see, and made the expected decision to win the Throne. That decision should hold them together long enough to Blend, but afterward they’ll certainly get in each other’s way.”

  “Yes, they certainly will,” Lord Embisson chuckled, which let the others show amusement as well. “And even if they don’t, it won’t really matter. They’ll be given very explicit instr
uctions before they face Lady Adriari’s group, instructions they won’t be able to refuse. Let them try their best then, and see where it gets them.”

  The amusement really spread and grew with that, and Eltrina joined in with a smile as she sat back. She had her own reasons for not wanting to break up that group, and they all came down to revenge. She would make those peasants sorry for the way they embarrassed her in front of the Five, and they had immunity only until the moment they lost. After that they were hers, and she knew exactly what she would do with them. She would enjoy it immensely, but the same could not be said for them…

  Sweet daydreams kept the smile on Eltrina’s face until the committee finished laughing, and then she calmly went on with the rest of her report.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Dinner was an artistically silent affair, with everyone pretending to be either angry or insulted or both. I made sure to force myself into the emotion of feeling unjustly accused, so that any eavesdropping servant with Spirit magic would believe I actually felt the way I pretended to. The others must have been doing the same, as Warla became very upset when she came into the dining room to speak to me about some household matter. No one was any more pleasant or polite to her than they were to anyone else, and after spending a number of useless minutes trying to cheer everyone up, she left just short of tears.

  I felt tempted to go after the girl who’d been my companion for two years and tell her the truth, but common sense forced me to drop the idea. Warla was terrible at hiding her feelings, and if she suddenly became unconcerned, the spy in the household would certainly notice. So I continued to sit silently among the others, at a table which had been too big for five people but which was now obviously too small. Lorand sat fairly close to me for a reason, but even he and I didn’t talk.

  I’d originally meant to go to the library after dinner, but at the last moment decided to go to my apartment instead. I could read for a while in the sitting room just as easily, and that way would avoid the possibility of needing to talk to anyone. Pretending to be angry and hurt is easier when you’re not associating with people you actually like quite a lot.

  I’d had a small tea service brought and had settled into a chair with a book, when I heard something out in the hall. I looked up at a low knock on the door, and then Jovvi was entering fast and closing the door quickly behind her.

  “None of the servants is upstairs right now, so I thought I’d take advantage of the privacy to come visiting,” she said softly, her smile strained and the words a lot lighter than the disturbance in her eyes. “I wanted to be certain you knew I wasn’t serious about blaming you for what happened to Allestine.”

  “Of course I know, and I’m so sorry,” I said at once, putting aside my book and getting up to go to her. “What that woman did was terrible, but the sentence was even more horrible. Are you sure you’re all right?”

  By then I’d hugged her, and now had a supporting arm around her shoulders. Her smile grew even worse, and she shook her head.

  “Actually I’m not all right at all,” she admitted, the strain having intensified. “I feel as though I’m personally responsible for what Allestine did and the sentence she got, even though I know I’m not. It will take a while before my balance is restored, but it helps to know that I have the strong support of good friends to lean on.”

  “You certainly do, so lean all you like,” I told her firmly, leading her toward one of the couches. “And you can also sit down, because there’s something you need to be told: Lorand and I will be out of the house for a while tomorrow morning.”

  The look she gave me was somewhat peculiar, but she simply sat at the same time I did and waited for me to explain.

  “A man came to the house late this afternoon, while you were up here in your bedchamber,” I continued. “He’s someone who’s come to see Lorand before over a matter I won’t go into now, but this time he came to say he had news. He’s finally located Lorand’s friend Hat, and he told Lorand where Hat will be tomorrow morning. The idiot was going to go alone, but I insisted on going with him.”

  “I’m glad you did,” she said with a better smile as she patted my hand. “Even the strong need support in times of difficulty, and if I can’t be with him, I’m glad it’s you in my place. Now there’s something you need to know about. Vallant asked me to speak to you, and—”

  By then I had stood up and turned away from her, but that probably wasn’t what had caused her words to end so abruptly. The chaos in my mind surely had more to do with it, whirling madly in all directions like a fireworks display out of control.

  “I’m glad you’re taking this so well,” she continued, the words extremely dry. “The lack of true surprise in that … great blend of emotions tells me Lorand must have mentioned the same subject. I gathered from Vallant that he’d spoken to the other men before mentioning the matter to me.”

  “Yes, Lorand told me,” I admitted without turning. “The only reason Vallant began to ignore me was because he thought that that was what I wanted, but now he’s learned differently so he’s right back to where he was. Except that he can’t say anything to me directly, or he’ll probably be transferred out of the residence.”

  “Yes, that almost sums it up,” she admitted, now sounding cautious. “And the last I heard, you were prepared to tell him about your interest and risk starting a relationship. That’s why I don’t understand all this sudden … distress.”

  “It’s there because I’d finally managed to make myself understand he was right not to get involved with me,” I explained slowly, trying to get it clear for my own benefit as well. “Even forgetting about the virtual certainty that the testing authority will send him away if they find out about us, there’s still my father and that beast he wants me to marry, and that noble who all but promised to claim me. Putting someone you care about into the middle of all that makes no sense, so I can’t picture myself doing it. We’ll all be much better off if things go back to the way they were.”

  “In other words, you’re chickening out.” Her tone was flat, with a lot of exasperation behind the comment. “The idea of a relationship has frightened you again, so you’re trying to back away from it a second time. The only trouble with making that decision is someone named Vallant. If you thought you had his interest before, you’d better think again. This time there won’t be any stopping him.”

  “But that’s absolutely mindless!” I protested, finally turning to face her again. “He has to have some idea of what he’s putting himself in the middle of, and not caring just says he’s a fool. Am I supposed to get involved with a fool simply because he refuses to face reality?”

  “I’d say you were the one refusing to face reality,” she stated bluntly, her hands calmly folded in her lap. “You’re attracted to Vallant and he’s attracted to you, and he’s determined to see if something can come of that. The only thing that stopped him earlier was the belief that you wanted something else. Now that he knows better, he’s properly ignoring the testing authority’s wants, your father and his friend’s wants, and that noble’s wants. The only wants which are relevant here are yours and Vallant’s, a reality you refuse to face. All the rest of it is a pile of excuses you’re trying to hide behind, but if you can’t see that yourself, there’s nothing I can say to make you believe it.”

  It was rather a long speech that she’d made, and at the end of it she just sat there and glared at me. At first I didn’t know what to say in answer, then I finally decided on the truth.

  “But he could be hurt,” I whispered, putting my greatest fear into words. “He’ll be in the middle of the entire mess, and if he’s hurt it will be all my fault. I’d die if that happened, Jovvi, I’d curl up and die.”

  “No, you’d just want to,” she corrected gently as she stood and came over to put a comforting arm around my shoulders. “But I do understand what’s bothering you, and I really sympathize. What you have to make yourself understand is that the choice is Vallant’s, and there�
��s really nothing you can do to stop him. That leaves you nothing but the option of going along with it, which could turn out to be extremely pleasant. Vallant said to tell you that he’ll be looking for opportunities to get you alone.”

  She chuckled at the immediate blush coloring my cheeks, gave me a hug while telling me it was time she left, and then she stepped out of the room again. I stood staring at the closed door for a number of minutes, my mind and body busy with reacting to the idea of Vallant’s getting me alone, and then another thought pushed its way through.

  Jovvi had said that I had no choice but to accept Vallant’s decision, and that had triggered a relatively new process inside me. The process involved finding options whenever someone said I had no choice about something, and it had developed to counter what my parents told me. Now it had countered Jovvi’s pronouncement, and in a way I hadn’t expected.

  “If I can’t protect him by refusing to associate with him, what if I do associate with him?” I murmured aloud, a wicked smile beginning to curve my lips. “Dom Ro may be the only one able to change his own mind, but what’s there to say I can’t give him a bit of unmentioned help? Then he’ll be safe again, and I’ll have some marvelous memories…”

  And his being safe would make it all worthwhile. I’d be able to stand the loneliness if I knew he was safe and happy, so I couldn’t wait to start my brand new plan…

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  Jovvi made it back to her bedchamber without being seen, and took a moment to breathe deeply while hating the need for all that sneaking around. But at least the requirements of secrecy were taking her mind off the devastating experience she’d had that morning. Not to mention the attention she’d had to give Tamma and her problem. It would be interesting to see how that worked out, especially since it had been fairly clear that Tamma wasn’t about to give up her worries.