Challenges (45 page)

“More than two,” Lorand pointed out. “They also want to be rid of any possible competition for their chosen Blending, so they also dispose of all challengers. And since you didn’t initiate the Blending while Twimmal was here, I’m assuming we were right to believe that he knows little or nothing.”

“He was all but reciting by rote,” Jovvi confirmed with a nod. “They told him what to say and he said it, and then he left. He simply isn’t bright enough to wonder about any of it.”

“But we are,” Tamrissa put in, looking annoyed. “Go ahead and practice in the morning, he said. Are we supposed to still have no idea how draining Blending can be? Even after they mentioned the point? With everything else being equal, if we practiced and our opponents didn’t, they’d start out immediately with an edge.”

“But all other things aren’t equal,” Jovvi reminded her with amused satisfaction. “We’ve built our Blending strength up to the point where we actually could practice and not lose much if anything, so that’s one less worry. We
won’t
do it, of course, but we could. Now let’s talk about the things we do have to worry about, like how the other groups are doing. Vallant? You got back just before Twimmal arrived, so please tell us now what you learned.”

“I learned that Holter is doin’ better than fine arrangin’ things,” Vallant said as Rion joined the others in giving him their full attention. This was rather important… “He told me that four of the five competin’ Blendin’s are now free of that drugged state, but we can forget about the fifth. They were too busy enjoyin’ themselves to want to hear about anythin’ that might help.”

“The ten gold dins apiece were obviously too much for them,” Lorand said with a sad shake of his head. “It’s really too bad, but I consider us lucky for losing only one of the five.”

“We’re luckier than that,” Vallant told him, leaning forward a bit. “As usual, Holter thought of somethin’ the rest of us missed. Before gettin’ rid of the drugged orders from the fourth group, he thought to ask if they’d already been
given
any orders. They weren’t told much, but it’s somethin’ we all need to know about: how to respond properly when the time comes that we
are
given orders.”

“Bless that brainy little man,” Jovvi said with her own headshake. “We’ll certainly have to pretend to be accepting their orders, but without being able to give the proper response we would have been wasting our time. What’s the right way to do it?”

“We’re supposed to say, ‘At your command, my lord,’” Vallant replied, his expression twisting into one of disgust. “That will tell them they’re doin’ it right, so they don’t have to worry. It’s goin’ to take somethin’ for me to say that, but I mean to make the effort. Seein’ their faces afterward will make it all worthwhile.”

“Yes, it certainly will,” Rion agreed, forcing his scandalized feelings well away from himself. “And afterward I mean to do more than simply look at them.”

“I’ll join you in that,” Vallant agreed with grim anticipation, then he continued, “And Holter had more good news. The two people moved out of his residence and put in that extra Blendin’ were happy to sneak back, and the five of them Blended without any trouble at all. They’ve been spendin’ their time practicin’ like crazy, and at the last minute they intend to substitute those two for the woman with Air magic they can’t abide, and our old friend Drowd.”

“And it’s unlikely anyone will notice,” Tamrissa said, obviously tickled by the idea. “If Drowd is still drinking and carousing the way Pagin said he was, even
he
probably won’t notice. But isn’t it strange that they were able to Blend with two different people after Blending the first time with others? For some reason I thought that that wasn’t possible.”

“I think we’re all learnin’ that things are possible which aren’t supposed to be,” Vallant said to her, his smile tender and personal. Rion was delighted to see her return it impishly, as though they shared some private memory. The last few days had been
so
much better, now that the two were together as they were obviously meant to be. And, happily, it seemed Tamrissa had no idea that the help Lorand and Jovvi had given Vallant had been all Vallant’s idea…

“I agree with Tamma,” Jovvi said, clearly swallowing a smile over the way Vallant had been sidetracked. “None of the officials tomorrow is likely to notice the substitution, and the residence officials won’t be able to tell them about it until it’s too late. What about our suggestions concerning accepting any hospitality from them?”

“Holter said everyone agrees with us completely,” Vallant replied after tearing his gaze away from Tamrissa. “Those of us who win tomorrow will insist on returnin’ to their various residences. If they try to insist that we stay somewhere else, we tell them we won’t compete in the followin’ contests. Since they
have
to hold public challenges, they shouldn’t have any choice but to agree.”

“I hope you mentioned that they may try force,” Jovvi said, obviously concerned about the issue. “At that point they’ll be desperate to get us back under control, and might not be willing to give in without an argument.”

“I did mention it, but someone else had thought of it first,” Vallant said with a nod. “That means the others have already agreed: if they force us to it, we Blend against them. It’s doubtful they know what that means, but if they push us they’ll surely be findin’ out.”

“What about the flasks for water and tea we suggested they buy?” Lorand asked. “And that special oiled wrap for sandwiches? If we keep the things with us at all times, we’ll be able to know that they aren’t tampered with.”

“Holter liked the idea, and he had another suggestion,” Vallant replied. “Before we eat or drink even from our supply, our Earth magic member ought to check everythin’ over. Holter and I could both put tainted water in a flask without ever comin’ near it, so it would be foolish to think
they
couldn’t.”

“He’s right again, so I’ll be sure to remember,” Lorand agreed. “It looks like we really are lucky to be working with the others on this. Did you get a chance to ask Holter if Twimmal was the only instructor he and his group saw? We haven’t seen or heard a thing about that so-called Lord Carmad since the day he was here.”

“I did, and Holter knew nothin’ about another instructor,” Vallant returned, now looking disturbed. “He didn’t believe any of the others had been visited either, so we still have a mystery on our hands. Who was he, and why was he here?”

“And how did he find out the way to make a Blending?” Jovvi added with her own disturbance. “Considering how close the government is with the secret, that’s the biggest mystery of all. Is there anything we can do to get even one or two of the answers?”

“Short of finding the man and questioning him?” Tamrissa said with a very unladylike snort. “I don’t see what, and even that isn’t practical. It’s too bad we didn’t know enough to grab him on the spot.”

“Yes, it is,” Jovvi said slowly, “but there’s something even more important that we ought to talk about now. I try not to pry so I haven’t been sure, but—Tamma, are you still touching the power?”

“Well … what if I am?” Tamrissa replied, a faint uneasiness behind the confidence which Rion had noticed but hadn’t really
seen
. “It isn’t doing me or anyone else any harm, so why shouldn’t I? It isn’t as if anyone can regret not seeing what I’m like when I’m not touching it…”

“How do you know it isn’t doing you any harm?” Jovvi countered gently with a good deal of concern. “With as little as we know about using our abilities… Tamma
can
you release the touch?”

The last was asked as though Jovvi had had a sudden revelation, and at first Rion found himself joining the other men in producing sounds of protestation. Jovvi’s guess couldn’t possibly be right, but then Rion saw Tamrissa’s expression.

“I … can’t retain the touch when I fall asleep, but as soon as I wake up again it’s … there,” Tamrissa admitted slowly and reluctantly. “I don’t know what it means or even if it really does mean something, but I can’t seem to control it. It’s something you all ought to know, even though I can’t find the condition doing me any harm. I’m not exhausted all the time or even compulsively active…”

“Maybe we can use the Blendin’ to find out,” Vallant said when her words trailed off. He’d left his chair to crouch beside hers and take her hand, his expression one of confident support. “I feel like a fool for not noticin’ sooner, but don’t you worry, love. We’ll all help you take care of it.”

“We certainly will,” Jovvi said briskly as she rose from her chair, dispelling the air of worry which had settled over all of them. “But right now we all have things to do, including finalizing our party arrangements for dinner. We may all be going to bed early, but first we’re entitled to a pre-victory celebration. Rion, please remind Naran, and tell her that her presence is all arranged for.”

Rion nodded agreement as he also stood, able to feel good about that at least. The others had taken to Naran almost as strongly as he had, and although they couldn’t risk having her constantly among them, Jovvi had gone out of her way to arrange occasions which Naran could attend. If only this last one proved not to be the actual last…

And if only Rion could be certain that Tamrissa really would be all right…

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

The coaches came for us after breakfast the next morning, and we separated the way we used to: Vallant, Rion, and Lorand in one, Jovvi and me in the other. We’d toned down our “feuding” to merely being a bit standoffish, something we decided the authorities would be able to accept without suspicion. We weren’t in the mood to give them the full act which we’d come close to perfecting, not with the case of nerves we’d all developed.

“I’m actually glad that we’re going this early,” Jovvi said as our coach began to follow the men’s down the drive. “If we’d had to do our waiting here, I would probably have ended up flat and useless. I can refuse to receive the emotions of anyone I choose—except for you four.”

“I wonder why we’re starting out
this
early,” I said, trying to ignore the knot my insides had become. “The placard said that the festivities begin at noon, which means that once we get there we’ll have more than two hours to wait—the exact amount of time depending on how long this trip turns out to be. Why do they need more than two hours to hand us robes and tell us to lose?”

“They may also intend to do something to make the wait more unsettling or uncomfortable,” Jovvi suggested with a shrug. “We can’t put even the smallest dirty trick past them, since they’re obviously believers in the saying, ‘Something worth doing is worth overdoing.’ And speaking of doing, how are
you
managing? Did you have any luck working with Vallant to release your hold on the power?”

“No, and it’s beginning to be annoying,” I said, finally distracted to a small extent. “We should have realized even before we tried that Blending wasn’t likely to help, because when we Blend we all touch the power. Lorand said that hilsom powder would certainly do the job, because that’s what they use on people who go insane and won’t release the power. But the effects of hilsom powder hang on for a while, so I can’t afford to try it until after the competitions. Oh, well, being permanently attached doesn’t seem to be harming me in any way…”

“I thought of one way in which you’re being harmed,” Jovvi responded, also looking distracted. “You were only just beginning to learn self confidence, how not to let yourself be taken advantage of. Am I wrong in believing that you aren’t really learning those things any longer?”

“But now I don’t need them,” I pointed out with the puzzlement I felt. “I have all the confidence and assurance I need, without having to fight for it every inch of the way. How can that be bad?”

“Considering the circumstances, I suppose it can’t,” she replied with a sigh and a faint smile. “We’ll just have to wait to see what happens after the competitions. But no matter what else might be uncertain, at least our relationships with the men have improved.”

“The problem between you and Lorand was easy, because Blending solved it,” I reminded her. “Lorand and Vallant feel nothing of their previous fears and difficulties when we’re all Blended, so it’s stopped being something to worry about. And as far as Vallant and I go… The Blending bond increased a good deal more than I expected it to.”

“I think we were all surprised,” Jovvi said as she narrowed her eyes at me. “What surprises me now, though, is what you’re
not
saying. There isn’t any trouble between you and Vallant…?”

“Trouble? No.” My smile must have been on the strange side, considering what my feelings were. “He’s blissfully happy, and I’m simply waiting for it all to end. I can’t seem to get rid of the feeling that it will, and soon. It’s made me … cautious.”

“About committing yourself to the relationship,” she said with a nod of understanding. “He’s very deeply committed, but you’re only pretending to be. When did you intend to tell him?”

“It won’t be for
me
to say anything,” I told her with a mirthless smile. “It won’t even be my idea. One day soon it will just be over, and then I’ll have the choice of staying with him in my memories, or forgetting about him completely. I haven’t yet decided which I’ll do.”

“Tamma … can you think about the possibility that your basic lack of confidence is making you believe all that?” she suggested gently, comfort flowing from her mind. “It can just as easily be a fear-induced misconception as a true premonition, maybe even more easily. Will you at least consider the possibility?”

“Sure,” I agreed without hesitation, but only to make her feel better. There wasn’t any real possibility of my being wrong, and I knew it even if she didn’t.

We rode in silence after that, watching the city disappear after a while as we took one of the roads leading to the amphitheater. I’d never been out to it myself before, but everyone in the city knew approximately where it was. It was used only once in twenty-five years, for the Blending competitions, and was supposed to be almost four hundred years old. The government maintained it in between those times, and very often school children were taken out to see it.