Challenges

by Sharon Green

  “… know what they could do to me for this?” a thin and trembling male voice demanded. “They could end my career, and then where would I be? Please ask for something else, my dear, I beg of you.”

  “But there isn’t anything else that I want,” a female voice responded, one that Vallant seemed to recognize. “You owe me more than one favor, love, and if you don’t pay up I’ll just have to collect in another way. Would you prefer if I did that?”

  “No!” the male voice almost shrieked, and then it quieted again. “No, I would not prefer that other way. You leave me no choice but to do exactly as you wish.”

  “Stop making it sound like the end of the world,” the woman chided with a laugh. “No one will be doing anything with him until it’s time to send him on his trip, so he might as well do his waiting here. I have this perfectly lovely little box prepared for him, made out of steel so that nothing will be able to harm him. When he learns to beg properly I’ll let him out for a while, but I won’t forget to put him back again. That should satisfy your feelings of anxiety, shouldn’t it?”

  “Perhaps,” the male voice allowed grudgingly while Vallant’s insides began to twist and burn. He couldn’t quite remember why he felt like that, but it had something to do with part of what the woman had said. And his head hurt, for some reason he also couldn’t remember. What was going on here—and where in the name of chaos was ‘here’?

  “Oh, he’ll be fine,” the woman said with more laughter. “I’m just going to put him to work for a while, and then you can have him back. I’m sure he thought he’d seen the last of me, but a person’s power isn’t always linked only to her career position. When I decide I want something, I never rest until I get it.”

  “Well, now you have him,” the male voice said, still sounding extremely unhappy. “Just be sure you don’t lose or damage him, or we’ll both regret it. If I’m blamed for anything, I’ll make certain that you’re right there beside me.”

  “Worrier, worrier,” the woman laughed, then went on to reassure the man again in different words. Vallant tried to listen, hoping to find out where he was and what was happening, but everything both inside him and out began to lurch. Not sick-making lurch but sleepy lurch … as though he were being rocked in the arms of someone who needed badly for him to be there … even though he couldn’t be there … wherever there was … sleepy lurch, back and forth, back and forth … out but not in … please, please, never in…

  CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT

  Delin stood with his groupmates, glancing around casually, but on the inside he was drawn so tight that he feared something might snap. The past two days had been incredibly nerve-wracking, causing him to come as close as he had to losing everything. The peasants his Blending had faced had proven much stronger than they had any right to be, and he and the others had nearly lost to them. Somehow they’d just managed to pull out their victories, but hadn’t even been able to destroy their opponents. The Advisory representative assigned to them had been pleased about that, but Delin wasn’t able to muster the same pleasure…

  Now they stood by the as-yet-unopened doors to the arena floor, waiting for the last group of peasants to join them. The Advisory man had insisted that they come to the peasants’ side rather than having the peasants come to them, and there had been no arguing with him. It was all part of Advisor Zolind’s plan, they’d been told, which meant the orders weren’t to be argued with. Delin felt the urge to do more than argue, considering who these last peasants were. But at least they’d been subjected to the disabling bits of information and half threats Delin had himself intended to use…

  Thought of that brought a faint smile to Delin as he considered how his idea had been improved upon. Zolind’s people had worked swiftly to learn everything there was to know about the peasants, and the resulting letters had been most interesting. That useless fool Mardimil had been told how common he really was, the Earth magic user had been told that the friend he’d come to Gan Garee with was dead, Fire magic had been told that she would be returned to her father’s authority and possession, Spirit magic had been told that the woman sent to the deep mines because of her was slowly dying, and Water magic had been told that his family would be ruined because of him.

  Not quite the way Delin would have handled it, but certainly effective nonetheless. The lowborn fools would be fortunate if they even managed to Blend, not to speak of doing anything effective. They would—

  “I’ve just been given less than happy news,” Kambil murmured after he turned away from a runner who had drawn him aside. “The commoners are on their way over here, making slow going of it because of everyone who wants to wish them luck. Ophin was therefore able to send word ahead that they haven’t read the letters. The envelopes were all lying untouched just where they’d been left.”

  “How could they have done that?” Selendi asked with a frown as Delin’s mind clanged with shock. “Don’t they have anything of natural human curiosity?”

  “They’re obviously more suspicious than curious,” Homin said with a shake of his head. “I, personally, wouldn’t have touched something like that, which was why I disliked that method of passing on the information. A pity Zolind dismissed my opinion out of hand.”

  “Well, done is done,” Bron said with a sigh. “They haven’t read the letters, so we can’t expect them to be badly out of balance. We’ll simply have to win over them without that.”

  “How can all of you take this so calmly?” Delin demanded in a hiss, then let his voice turn into a growl. “It’s all Zolind’s fault for insisting on doing things his way, so I say let Zolind go out there and face them! I, for one, have no intention of being defeated by lowborn garbage!”

  “If we don’t compete, Zolind will take great pleasure in having us executed,” Kambil said calmly and gently. “He’ll find some way to keep the commoners from being Seated, but we won’t be around to find out what he does. Is that what you want?”

  “No, of course not,” Delin was forced to say, a great coldness spreading inside him. “I want us to accomplish our dream, but how are we supposed to do that now?”

  “We’ll do it in the way we were meant to, by facing them and bringing them to defeat,” Kambil said, briefly putting a hand to Delin’s shoulder. “Since that’s our only option, it’s the one we’ll take. Are you with us?”

  Delin could do nothing other than nod, although he would have most preferred to scream out what fools they all were. They refused to see that they were about to lose everything, refused to try to find a way out of that mess…

  A stir in the crowds heralded the arrival of the peasants who, just like their betters, already wore their robe hoods up. It was difficult to pick out individuals like that, with faces shrouded in shadow. Delin had thought he might rattle Mardimil at least by speaking what the man hadn’t read, but he couldn’t pick out the fool from the other two men. Not to mention that the two groups were being kept separated from one another…

  And then the outer doors were being slid open, letting in the bright sunlight and the muted roar of the crowd—less muted once they noticed the doors being opened. It was nearly time when they would find out who their next Seated Blending would be, and their level of excitement was so high that Delin could feel it in the air like something tangible. But most of that excitement was on behalf of the peasants he and the others would face. If Zolind had really expected the masses to become more and more fond of Delin’s group as the days and competitions went by, that was another part of the fool’s plan which hadn’t worked.

  Delin joined the others in following their official guide out onto the sands, but he felt as though he were moving through a dream. The waves of screaming delight and applause washed over him, threatening to knock him down, making him believe that all the encouragement and support were for him. Sand began to enter his sandals the way it usually did, but this time he ignored it. All those people were waiting for him to fulfill their dreams, and he couldn’t bring himself to disa
ppoint them.

  The guide took them to the designated place in the sand and then left them, just as the other group was left thirty feet away. The sun beat down on them mercilessly, hating the fact that they were all protected by white robes and hoods. The others of his group moved into position in front of him, preserving the myth that it wasn’t possible to Blend otherwise. What the fools around them didn’t know couldn’t be used against them…

  And then the giant torches set on two sides of the amphitheater burst into flame, and Delin was swept up and devoured by the entity the five of them Blended into. His last thought was what a relief it was to be devoured so, and then the entity looked about itself. Just as it had expected, another entity waited to challenge it the way the previous ones had.

  But this latest enemy made no effort to rush to the attack, so the entity did it for its opponent. Fire flamed out as sand was hurled with strength and water was added as air was taken away—but somehow none of that worked. Everywhere the entity thrust was a shield-barrier, invisible and intangible, but still incredibly there. This had never happened before, not in any of the three battles which the entity had fought.

  And then a counterattack came, one which was so strong that the entity was nearly overwhelmed completely. Only by the expenditure of total effort was the entity able to defend itself, and even so, some of the fleshly forms of its components staggered. The truth was clear and as unavoidable as the attack: the enemy was far stronger than the entity, and the next attack would finish the matter.

  Despair wasn’t something the entity was truly able to feel, but echoes of the emotion came from one part of it. Defeat was merely something to be accepted if it came—but then the entity’s attention was taken by an oddity. Without the entity making an effort of any sort, the enemy entity suddenly disappeared as its five separate components collapsed to the sand. And the components lay there unmoving … how odd, how very odd…

  And then it was Delin back again, aware of his individuality and completely stunned. Their opponents were down, apparently unconscious… How could that possibly have happened?

  “I’m delighted to say that the major plan worked just fine,” Kambil told them all with a laugh. “Those letters were left in their apartment as a distraction, giving them something to think about even if they weren’t read. The thing we wanted them to miss was the fact that their undergarments were impregnated with hilsom powder. At the first sign that we weren’t able to defeat them, Zolind had the High Earth magic talents he sent here simply shake the undergarments. Their entity was so engrossed with ours that it never noticed, but it certainly noticed when they all breathed in the powder. They were immediately cut off from their individual abilities, and then the High talents were able to put them to sleep. They intended to use more than one High in order to reach the Earth magic member, I was told, and apparently whatever number they used was the right one.”

  “Why weren’t the rest of us told about that?” Delin demanded as the others chuckled their appreciation. “I was nearly beside myself, and might even have refused to compete!”

  “There was no real danger of that, and we had to make our act look good,” Kambil said soothingly despite the insanity now being produced by the crowds. “If we’d all strutted out here without a care in the world, the commoner officials would have known that something … extralegal was planned. But this isn’t the place to discuss it. Let’s accept everyone’s congratulations, and then go home.”

  Delin’s anger wasn’t interested in waiting, but when the others threw their hoods off and headed back toward the gathering area, he had no choice but to do the same. That certainly wasn’t the place for discussions, but once they reached some quiet spot…

  * * *

  The promised discussion didn’t take place for hours. First they had to accept the congratulations of every human being they passed, and then they were put in individual carriages and paraded up the roads and through the streets. Not many people shouted and waved in the peasant areas, but once they reached the more important neighborhoods things definitely changed. People of position applauded politely as their carriages passed, and servants shouted words of delight and support. To a certain extent it was truly gratifying, but Delin was still too angry to really appreciate it. And that was another unanswered question: why were they being returned to their residence rather than taken to the palace?

  When they finally did reach the residence, Delin had long since decided how it would be best to handle things. For that reason he made sure to stroll into the sitting room first while the others stood in the front hall sharing the excitement and delight they hadn’t been able to show earlier. While they made fools of themselves he took out the vial he’d hidden behind the cushions of a couch, poured himself a cup of tea from the service, then emptied the vial into the rest of the tea.

  He had taken a chair and was sipping from his cup when the others stormed in, all of them acting like small children after successfully completing a prank. Delin added his own smile as he watched them all take tea, and when the last of them turned away from the service, he raised his cup high.

  “To the newest Blending of the Empire, long may we reign!” he toasted, and the others added, “Here, here!” before joining him in drinking—just as he’d known they would. He then waited until they’d all taken seats, after which he looked directly at Kambil.

  “For your information, you’ve all just swallowed a good dose of Puredan,” he announced amiably. “If the thought disturbs you, it shouldn’t. The leader of a group is entitled to know everything, and if he can’t get his answers one way, he has to get them another.”

  “What answers are you after, Delin?” Kambil asked without the least sign of agitation. “I’ll be glad to tell you anything I can.”

  “Of course you’re glad,” Delin countered, letting some of his fury show through. “You have no choice but to be glad. Now we can start with why I wasn’t told about what Zolind actually planned to do. He may not know I’m leader here, but you certainly do.”

  “You weren’t told because you simply can’t be trusted, Delin,” Kambil replied pleasantly with a continuing lack of hesitation. “Even if you managed not to brag to someone, your arrogance would have been so thick that you would have given the game away. The commoners’ observers were watching us very closely, so we simply couldn’t afford that.”

  “Are you insane?” Delin demanded in complete outrage. “I don’t brag about the things I do, and I’ve learned to be humble when humility is called for. You’re just making excuses, so I’ll give you a different question. Why are we here instead of at the palace? There are certain plans I mean to move ahead on at once, even before we’re Seated.”

  “You’re talking about arranging to have your father and mother killed,” Kambil said with a nod, shocking Delin. “Yes, I know all about it, which is one of the reasons I agreed to Zolind’s demand that we come back here rather than go to the palace as we’re supposed to. Once we get there we’ll be expected to separate, and I needed to finish up with you before that’s done. We have much more important things to worry about than your vengeance against your parents.”

  “But—what—What are you talking about?” Delin stuttered, suddenly noticing the way the others were calmly staring at him. “You can’t know—you can’t speak to me like—What’s going on here? You’re supposed to be drugged…!”

  “Not many people can be drugged with plain water,” Kambil commented with a smile after taking another sip of his tea. “And that’s all you added to the service, plain water. The Puredan you paid quite a lot of gold for was never really Puredan, I made sure of that. Letting you have it would have been like putting a weapon into the hands of a small child.”

  “A completely insane small child,” Bron added without inflection, still studying Delin. “I missed seeing it at first, of course, but certainly made up for that blindness later. Insane doesn’t necessarily also mean stupid, but you seem to be the exception to that rule.”r />
  “Which at least afforded us some amusement,” Homin said, the faint smile he wore causing Delin to feel chilled. “In the beginning you thought you were controlling Bron by calling him our leader, and never once stopped to wonder why the rest of us saw through the farce, but he didn’t. You simply grew tired of the pretense and made it clear that you were leader, and again never wondered why no one argued.”

  “It was because we were all humoring you,” Selendi told him, the gentleness of her tone like a slap in the face. “It was amusing to a certain extent, but when we saw how easily you might ruin everything, it stopped being funny. We told Kambil we thought he should control you completely, but he said it wasn’t possible yet.”

  “Which, unfortunately, it wasn’t,” Kambil said, taking up the narrative again. “There’s a definite … extra something … which comes from Earth magic in a Blending, but it doesn’t appear if the Earth magic user is being controlled. You might even call it a hidden reserve of emergency strength, but whatever it is it simply wasn’t there when I took full control of you. I had to leave you mostly uncontrolled, then, but we did without the extra anyway. Your terror was so thick that it affected the Blending entity, so you almost caused us to lose all by yourself.”

  “I did no such thing!” Delin snarled, humiliation flushing his skin to the point of pain. “I don’t get terrified and I certainly don’t lose, but you people do make me sick! It isn’t me he’s controlling but the rest of you! I know you can’t see yourselves from the outside, but you’re not the same people you were!”

  “And you’re only just noticing that,” Bron commented while Homin and Selendi showed those faint and horrible smiles again. “We remember exactly what we were like, but Kambil’s been working with us practically from the day we were first put into this group.”

  “He just didn’t let us show these much more efficient selves until there was no one around to notice and wonder,” Selendi went on. “We love being efficient and capable, untouched by all those emotions which used to choke us and trip us. We’re the same as we used to be—except for the petty problems we were hampered by.”