Challenges

by Sharon Green

“For that we have those fool peasants to thank,” Delin grumbled, having taken a stronger drink than tea to a chair of his own. “How could they have told all the others about the drug and the keying phrase? And don’t say there’s no evidence that they told all the others. Dolf chose a second group at random, and to believe that that second group just happened to be the only ones the peasants told would be asinine stupidity.”

  “It so happens I agree with you about who the commoners told,” Kambil said, again soothing Delin’s annoyance. “The only thing I can think of is that the commoners realized the truth of the old saying about there being safety in numbers. If they’d been the ones to survive alone against four noble Blendings, their position would have been quite impossible. This way they have a good deal of company—”

  “And it’s our position that’s impossible,” Delin interrupted, his temper flaring again. “We expected to meet those particular peasants in the final confrontation, and now there’s only one chance in three that it will be them. If it’s a different group and they happen to be stronger than us, we could end up losing after all.”

  “That’s why we have to make sure that it isn’t a different group,” Kambil returned, still sounding calm and assured. “It’s the one point we’ll have to insist on when Advisor Zolind Maylock comes to speak with us later this afternoon. Arranging it should be no trouble at all for him, and all we have to say is that we researched that group along with our original one. Pointing out that they have the most weak spots of all the commoners will be nothing but the truth, so hopefully the Advisor won’t become suspicious.”

  “And if he does become difficult, we’ll simply have to offer to give up our place,” Selendi said so calmly that Delin was startled. “We’ll be risking our lives out there, and if he refuses to give us that one bit of help, he can go out and face those peasants himself. It won’t matter to us if we die at the hands of the peasants, or are executed by our own people. Dead is dead no matter how it happens.”

  “That’s a very good point,” Kambil agreed, smiling at her where she stood beside Homin. “It sounds like something Delin would want us to keep in mind, but there’s another point to go with it. The Advisor is extremely upset, and it won’t take much to make him turn his back on us and look for another solution to his problem. For that reason he’ll have to be handled very carefully, so I think Delin should do it.”

  “No,” Delin said at once, then forced a smile when the others all looked at him. “What I mean to say is, a good leader knows his limitations. If the Advisor is in that delicate a frame of mind, the one to deal with him should be someone able to reach his reactions. That means you, Kambil, so I’m giving the assignment to you to take care of.”

  “All right, Delin, if that’s the way you want it,” Kambil agreed with a shrug and a sigh. “I happen to think that you would do just as good a job, but since you want me to see to it, I’ll be glad to.”

  Delin smiled and nodded, then took another swallow of the whisky he’d poured. His insides still twitched at the thought of his saying something wrong to Maylock, and thereby ruining their chance of success forever. He’d be much happier having Kambil do it, but the man had better not make any mistakes. If he did…

  Delin finished the last of his drink in one swallow, then got up to get another. He wasn’t used to drinking this much, but today was a day to celebrate. He’d drink his drinks now, sit quietly while the Advisor was here, and then probably go to bed. But he still didn’t much care for Kambil, so he’d have to see to the man as soon as they won. Happily, he was all prepared to do exactly what was align=“center”>necessary…

  CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

  “At least there won’t be any more of those messengers,” I said morosely as I toyed with what was left of my breakfast. “I can’t tell you how tired I am of hearing that our names weren’t ‘picked by lot to compete today.’ Since it’s the last day, we have to compete.”

  “I’ve decided I don’t trust the ‘luck’ that left us for last,” Jovvi said, sounding no better than I had. “Those people are up to something, and have been for the last two days at least.”

  “What they’re definitely up to is eliminating our friends,” Lorand put in, sounding no happier. “The last two groups may still be alive, but Warla said they were badly hurt when they were carried off the sand. We shouldn’t have let them keep us from attending the competitions as spectators.”

  “How were we supposed to argue with that particular rule?” Vallant asked impatiently. “It’s perfectly true that a Blendin’ not competin’ is a Blendin’ free to interfere in what’s happenin’. We would have screamed if a noble group was around to attend as spectators, so how could we complain about their not lettin’ us attend?”

  “We could hardly point out that our words are better than theirs, but it might have been amusing to try,” Rion put in, but still sounding as far from amused as the rest of us. “What takes my attention the most is Warla’s report that the competitions we missed took longer than the ones on the first day. After our first experience we felt completely undrained, but today won’t be the same.”

  “And our opponents will have been getting used to that in real life, while all we’ve been doing is practicing,” Jovvi said in agreement. “We’re doing considerably better than we did that first night, but I can’t help thinking that we’re still far from being really … practiced and experienced.”

  “But you aren’t really, you know,” Naran put in, her voice filled with its usual warmth and support. “You’re all doing wonderfully well, and I happen to know that you’ll win. Those people you’ll be facing simply won’t be able to match you.”

  “It’s nice that one of us has a positive outlook,” Lorand said with a smile the rest of us couldn’t help echoing. Naran had turned out to be a really nice person, and Rion couldn’t possibly have found anyone who fit into our group better. It didn’t even bother her that she couldn’t Blend with us, which wouldn’t have been true of most other people.

  “Well, I happen to like bein’ positive, so I’m goin’ to believe Naran,” Vallant announced to us as he looked around. “Here’s to victory, and all it will mean to us.”

  He raised his teacup in the proposed toast, and after only a second of hesitation the rest of us did the same. It was nice that Jovvi had made it possible for Naran, our resident ghost, to join us on a regular basis, as her raised cup made the wish unanimous. We all drank to it then, and the silliness even made me feel better.

  “The coaches will be here for us soon, love,” Rion told Naran after the toast was done. “I wish it were possible for you to go with us, but even disguising you as a maid could be dangerous. I’ll be happier knowing that you’re here and safe, and no matter what happens I’ll be back with you before you know it.”

  “Yes, love, I know you will be,” Naran answered as they held hands for a final time, her face showing warmth and love and absolute belief. “Don’t let thoughts of me distract you, because soon we’ll be together for the rest of our lives.”

  “That’s the sweetest promise ever made me, and I mean to hold you to it,” Rion responded with a smile. “Give me a final kiss, please, and then wait for my return upstairs.”

  “With pleasure,” she said with a laugh, and after the kiss she left without hesitation. We’d made it a practice not to have Naran walking around the house when we weren’t there, as the commands Jovvi had given the servants not to see her might not have held if she weren’t hidden in a crowd, so to speak.

  “Getting there and then coming home again will probably take longer than the competition itself,” I commented after making myself finish what had actually been a rather light breakfast. “It would be nice if someone thought of a faster, more comfortable way to travel.”

  “You might as well wish for wings or a personal cloud,” Lorand replied, obviously amused. “What better way to travel can there possibly be?”

  None of us could think of an answer to that, and as if the entire
topic created a magic of its own, a servant appeared to tell us that our coaches had arrived. We glanced at each other but didn’t hesitate, and a few short moments later we were on our way.

  The trip didn’t take quite as long as it had that first day, but only because the guardsmen along the way seemed to have gotten practice in keeping the traffic moving. The crowds themselves seemed even thicker, and the closer we came to the amphitheater, the more campsites there were. Not everyone was able to afford the stay in an inn or hostel even if there’d been enough room to accommodate them all, but everyone apparently wanted to see the last of the competitions.

  Jovvi and I didn’t speak much during the trip, and I suspected that the men were just as silent. Even touching the power hadn’t done much in the way of settling my nerves, and I would have enjoyed screaming out loud and breaking things just to relieve the tension. Actually, what I most wanted to do was burn things, but that had to be saved for the competition.

  When we reached the amphitheater we were escorted inside again, this time through triple or more the number of people. Their cheering and words of support would have meant more if we weren’t their last hope of taking the Throne away from the nobles, but it still felt good to have them there. Once we passed through the door into that very large gathering area, the only one there for us was our former guide, the young lord Ophin Ruhl.

  “Welcome, people, welcome to the final day of the competitions,” he said expansively when we stopped near him. “Today will see the choosing of our next Seated Blending, so let’s get you to your apartment where you’ll be able to rest for a short while.”

  “Where’s Lady Eltrina?” Jovvi asked as we followed along behind the man. “I don’t see her anywhere, and I was certain she would enjoy showing up to tell us that we were going to lose.”

  “Lady Eltrina is back in her husband’s household where she belongs,” Ophin replied in a very bland way. “An investigation of her efforts was conducted, and it was learned that much of what was supposed to be her responsibility had actually been delegated to others. That produced rather … unpleasant results, so Lady Eltrina no longer has her former position.”

  “All our groups refusin’ to stay here must have been the final nail in her coffin,” Vallant commented with barely hidden satisfaction. “What a shame that it had to happen to such a lovely person.”

  I felt the urge to cough rather loudly, and a glance around showed that the others felt the same. But we all managed to control ourselves, at least until we reached our assigned apartment. Once Ophin was gone with the door closed behind him we were able to laugh, but that didn’t last long.

  “What’s this?” Lorand said, looking down at the table he’d stopped near. “Five envelopes, one addressed to each of us. Do they contain the sincere good wishes of the government, I wonder?”

  “What else could they be?” Jovvi asked with a wry smile. “Have you checked them for anything that could harm us if we touch it? I don’t really know what that could be, but I seem to be made of suspicion today.”

  “As far as I can tell, there’s nothing on or in any of them but paper and ink,” Lorand reported after a moment. “I checked each one individually, and they’re all the same. That has to mean the trap, if there is one, lies in what each of them says.”

  “So maybe we ought not to open them,” Jovvi suggested, looking from one to the other of us. “I can stand not knowing what mine says, and the rest of you can probably do the same.”

  “There’s only one trouble with that,” I found myself being forced to say. “We have no way of knowing that these were left by an enemy. If they were left by a friend instead…”

  “You’re thinking about that Lord Carmad,” Jovvi said with a slow nod that suggested the same thing had occurred to her. “He never did come back, and he doesn’t seem to have visited any of the other groups. I’d ask how he could have managed to leave letters for us here, but that’s like asking how he found out the proper way to start a Blending.”

  “So what do we do?” Vallant asked, looking down at the envelopes as though they were living beings. “If we leave them untouched, we could be leavin’ valuable hints and help behind. If we open them, we could be helpin’ our opponents instead of ourselves.”

  “There’s only one possible solution,” Rion said, stirring where he stood. “We don’t all have to open them, only one of us does. That should minimize any possible harm, and as the idea was mine, I claim the privilege of being that one. With the rest of you there to sustain me, I should come to little harm in any event.”

  The rest of us exchanged glances over that, but it wasn’t possible to argue with the idea. It gave us the only practical solution, and Rion knew it. He therefore reached for the envelope with his name on it, opened it and removed the sheet of paper, then began to read. There seemed to be quite a lot of writing, but after a moment or two he closed his eyes and let the sheet fall to the floor.

  “These letters are definitely not from a friend,” he said in a dead, toneless voice. “And I was quite mistaken about their ability to do harm.”

  He put his hand over his eyes with that, seeing nothing of the way Jovvi bent to retrieve the letter. Vallant, Lorand, and I were in the midst of trying to comfort Rion when Jovvi made a sound of deep scorn.

  “Those people would be pathetic if they weren’t so disgusting,” she said with anger in her voice. “Can you imagine—this was left here to tell Rion why his mother raised him in such isolation and turned him into a pet. It seems that Rion isn’t fully human, because his father was a commoner who worked for his mother as a gardener. She took the ‘peasant’ into her bed and enjoyed him, and as soon as she had what she wanted from him—a child she could control all alone—she sent him away. Everyone of any importance knows all this, and they’re so upset by such a disgusting act that they can’t under any circumstances consider Rion one of them. His mother knew he would never be considered acceptable, but that just made things better for her own plans.”

  “And that’s bothering you?” I said to Rion once Jovvi had finished speaking. “I find that really hard to believe since that’s the best news you could have gotten.”

  “I don’t think I’d care to hear what you would consider the worst news, dear lady,” Rion replied tonelessly without opening his eyes. “Considering that horror the best news means I could never withstand the worst.”

  “Rion, please stop emoting and start thinking,” I said with all the exasperation I felt. “How many times have all of us—including you—pointed to something to show what miserable excuses for human beings those nobles are? Almost everything they do proves it, and I was beginning to feel sorry for you for having the same blood. But now we know you don’t have the same blood, you have your father’s blood, and that’s why you’re as wonderful—and capable!—as you are. Would you really rather be completely one of them?”

  “That seems to be the major point,” he said, disturbance in the eyes he’d now opened. “Rather than being one thing for certain, I’m now neither fish nor fowl. And it’s all well and good to say I have my father’s blood—whomever he might be—but I still have my mother’s as well.”

  “So what?” Lorand asked, sounding honestly puzzled. “There’s no difference between the person you are now and the person you were five minutes ago, except that you now know something new. I can’t see how that’s supposed to change you. You became one of us because of what’s inside you, not because of who your parents are.”

  “I happen to love my parents,” Vallant put in, “but I’m not an extension of them, I’m an individual. Knowin’ who we basically were is one of the things my folks helped my brothers and me to learn about ourselves, includin’ the fact that we didn’t have to do and like what they did and liked. And they accepted us as we were without tryin’ to change what couldn’t be changed, just the way those of us here accepted you.”

  “And if nothing else, you no longer have to consider yourself an outsider among us,” Jovvi
said, delight now filling her voice. “Your father’s sacrifice—that of not even knowing he had a son—can be considered full payment for full membership on your behalf. It’s the least he’d want you to have, and he’d be very proud of you.”

  “Do you really think so?” Rion asked, and for the first time in a long while he looked like the innocent he’d started out as. “Mother always said my father had been killed in a tragic accident, and she always found it impossible to discuss any of the details without breaking down with grief. Now … Do you think I might actually get to meet him one day?”

  “Why not?” Lorand countered with a grin of relief that must have been just like my own. “Anything’s possible, and there’s a definite benefit in meeting a parent for the first time when you’re already grown. If you don’t happen to like him or her, you can simply shrug and walk away. Small children don’t have that option.”

  I had to add my own copper’s worth of agreement with that idea, and the discussion became one of the sort we usually had, rather than a case of most of us trying to convince one. It was marvelous to see Rion pulling out of the pit our enemies had dug for him, and the rest of us made sure to stay away from the other envelopes. As Jovvi had said, we could stand not knowing what they were there to tell us.

  After a few minutes, Rion retrieved the letter he’d dropped and Jovvi had tossed to the floor again, and he refolded it neatly and replaced it in the envelope. Then he returned the envelope to where it had been, and the rest of us began to chuckle. There was no reason to let the nobles know that one fifth of their plan had almost worked, and every reason to keep it from them.

  We sat around talking for a short while after that, until two servants came to deliver our robes and sandals. The servants were enthusiastic but cautious as they wished us good luck in whispers but with big grins. Jovvi had already told us that we weren’t being eavesdropped on, but we didn’t mention that to the servants. They were happier to think they were getting away with something, and I couldn’t blame them for that.