Challenges (5 page)

“That, Rion, could be why you’ve changed so much so quickly,” Jovvi said, just about taking the words out of Vallant’s mouth. “You were able to see what more normal behavior consisted of, and the power helped you to adapt to it. I wonder why no one ever mentioned the power can do things like that.”

“There’s a lot about the power that no one ever mentioned,” Vallant said, and this time Rion looked as though the words had been taken from between
his
teeth. “We need to do some discussin’ on the point, but first things need to come first. Rion told me that that noble who came to talk to him wanted most to know about Tamrissa. He said somethin’ about the Fire talent bein’ the most important one in a Blendin’.”

“Oh, dear,” Jovvi said with raised brows, and Vallant had the impression she would have preferred to have used a stronger phrase, but had limited herself to the understated. “Do you think he was telling the truth, Rion? Misleading us would be easy since we don’t know any better, and it could only be a benefit to our opponents.”

“The way he approached the subject leads me to believe that misdirection wasn’t his goal,” Rion answered with a small headshake. “The very first thing he asked was about Tamrissa’s flaws and problems, and that was when he fully expected me to answer. When I simply said she was a lovely lady, he tried to press the point. Finally he urged me to speak about everyone else first if I found it easier, but he still wanted me to come back to Tamrissa.”

“You’re right, Rion, there’s too much there for it to be subtle misdirection,” Jovvi said with a distant look. “Comparing your emotions with his at the time, he knew you were about to say something and he felt elation and victory. The satisfaction wouldn’t have been so strong if his goal had simply been to pass on false information.”

“You remember emotions the way other people remember words?” Vallant asked, curiosity suddenly piqued. “That’s somethin’ else I didn’t know. It looks like we’ll have a lot to talk about, but we still haven’t settled the other matter. And a strange thought just came to me: Coll and I discovered that the testin’ authority knows all about our respective problems. If everythin’s set up for the nobles to win, wouldn’t they be told all about us? The answer ought to be yes, so why would that group need to hear it from one of
us
?”

Jovvi frowned over the point, obviously agreeing, and so did Mardimil. They all considered the question in silence for a moment, and then Mardimil made a sound of understanding.

“Of course, I should have thought of this immediately,” he said then. “I simply keep forgetting what my former peers are like. It’s common knowledge that the Advisors never leave anything to chance if the matter is important, so it’s hardly likely that they’ve left the matter of who the next Blending will be to that same chance. They’ll already have chosen one of the groups, and that group alone will have all its support.”

“So the others have to find out for themselves, or do without the information,” Vallant summed up with a nod. “Now it makes sense, along with why that friend of yours came over. He and his group don’t want to end up lookin’ like fools by bein’ unprepared and maybe losin’ to us.”

“But according to the colors of our costumes, we won’t be facing them first,” Jovvi pointed out, again looking thoughtful. “Why would they bother to question
us
… unless … Rion, is it possible that your friend and his group have decided to go against the wishes of the Advisors and intend to try to win the Throne themselves?”

“Certainly,” Rion agreed with a shrug. “Backstabbing and intrigue are the favorite pastimes of the noble class. If they’re successful they won’t have anything to worry about, but a question still remains: why us? I saw nothing to show that they approached the other groups as well, so singling us out makes no sense.”

“It does if they’ve had access to our test results,” Jovvi countered, which statement immediately shifted Vallant away from supporting Mardimil’s. “We don’t really know how we did, remember, but we weren’t able to hold back
too
far. We could well have ended up close to the top of the list…”

“Which would make us a force they decided they’d have to reckon with,” Vallant finished when Jovvi let her words trail off. “That should also mean we’re expected to win in the first competition—shouldn’t it?”

“I’d rather not count on that, and I’m glad to see that you’re as doubtful as I am,” Jovvi replied. “The noble groups know a good deal more than we do, but Rion has pointed out that they don’t know it all. We’ll have to think long and hard about this…”

“And finish discussing it at another time,” Mardimil added, looking past them. “Eltrina is over there and gesturing at us, which ought to mean our coaches are here. What a disappointment that we have to leave so early.”

Vallant made a sound of amused support for that sarcasm, and Jovvi chuckled her own agreement. For a group of “peasants who were being honored,” they weren’t being very appreciative. Instead they lost no time following Coll and Tamrissa, who once again seemed to be extremely friendly. Vallant had once discussed the matter with Coll, and had been very relieved to learn that it was Jovvi whom Coll was most interested in. But considering the discussion Vallant had overheard earlier between Coll and Jovvi, it might be time to raise the matter again—

Vallant forced himself away from that line of thought with disgust, wondering if he would ever learn and remember. How many times did Tamrissa have to show her extreme disinterest in him before he got the message? And how many times would he have to decide to stay away from
all
women before he could make his inner mind remember it? If Tamrissa and Coll became more than friends, it was none of his business. Even if it did hurt like blazes…

What seemed like hundreds of nobles stood around in dozens of groups, and all of them glared at the commoners who were getting to leave before them. That was true for the ballroom itself, along the very wide corridor leading to the front entrance of the palace, and even outside on the approach. Vallant could see the rest of his group ignoring the glares so he did the same, but the urge to teach the useless fools some manners was really strong. If they hadn’t been so aware of his presence, he might have indulged in some of those childhood tricks everyone played once their talent grew strong enough.

Like lining someone’s shoes with a very thin layer of frozen water. Vallant grinned to himself as he remembered the ploy, which was designed not to be noticed immediately. The ice simply sucked the heat out of the victim’s body through the soles of his feet, and before he knew it, the poor victim was shivering with cold. The moisture involved wasn’t enough to let you
know
what was happening, at least not until you began to squish a bit when you walked. That usually let the cat out of the bag—or the ice out of the shoe.

“Since there’s no longer a need for me to accompany the ladies, I’ve decided to return to my usual place,” Mardimil said when they stopped at their coach. “Not to mention the fact that Coll needs to be filled in about our discussion.”

“Before we get back to the residence and all those ears,” Vallant agreed, lowering his voice just the way Mardimil had. Coll had looked at them with quickly suppressed startlement, and Vallant had had to keep his own feelings out of his expression. His problem with Tamrissa was
not
Coll’s fault, a fact he kept reminding himself about as he climbed into the coach after his two groupmates. It isn’t Coll’s fault, so
don’t
start a fight with the man…

Settling back in the seat next to Mardimil, Vallant worked to keep to his decision. He listened to Mardimil’s recital of what they and Jovvi had talked about, and even added a comment or two of his own. Coll was just as surprised to learn of Tamrissa’s importance as they’d been, and finally he shook his head.

“I don’t know how she’s going to take finding that out,” he said, sounding worried. “She seems to be really strong when she’s touching the power, but I have a feeling it’s more … cover than reality. She lacks the confidence of a truly strong personality, which means all her doubts and uncertainties are still there under the surface. What are we going to do if she can’t handle it?”

“She
can
handle it, and she will,” Vallant found himself stating very flatly. “She may have her doubts, but
I
know she’s strong enough to handle anythin’
they
throw at her. As long as the rest of us are there to support her, she’ll do just fine.”

“That’s a fairly strange sentiment coming from a man who’s treated her the way you have,” Coll said, and it seemed to Vallant that the man’s tone had grown considerably colder. “If your idea of supporting her is to make her cry, we’ll probably all be better off if you support our opponents instead.”

“Make her
cry
?” Vallant echoed with a snort, beginning to lose control of his temper. “You seem to have missed the fact that she tore me to shreds before stalking off in a fury. If that’s the sort of thing makin’ her cry, I won’t mind seein’ the practice stopped here and now.”

“Are you trying to claim that your attitude had nothing to do with it?” Coll demanded, the ice in his words beginning to heat up. “‘He drove me so crazy he was almost all I could think about,’ she said. ‘He trapped me into agreeing to lie with him and I waited most of the night, but he never showed up,’ she said. If that’s what you consider
you
being torn to shreds, you’d better get some help with your definitions. You—”

“Wait just a minute,” Vallant interrupted, stunned and disbelieving. “She was never thinkin’ about
me
, not with the way she spoke to me. And she hated the idea of lyin’ with me, so why would she stay up waitin’ most of the night? You’ve got to be mistakin’ what she said…”

“Ro, I’m not mistaken,” Coll said slowly and clearly, his anger having backed off quite a bit. “She had trouble admitting that she actually looked forward to being with you, but when she had to say you never showed up, she couldn’t even get the words out. She almost cried instead, but being in close touch with the power let her refuse to allow it to happen. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t
start
to happen.”

“But … I still don’t understand,” Vallant groped, not caring how bewildered and lost he sounded. “If she really was interested, why did she keep pushin’ me away?”

“I believe it’s because she fears beginning a relationship,” Mardimil put in, speaking as gently as Coll had. “Her first experience with one was so far from pleasant that the idea of starting a second must be nothing short of terrifying.”

“She also said she didn’t blame you for stepping out of the way of the plans of very powerful men,” Coll added. “She took that as the reason for your sudden avoidance of her, which seemed a fairly safe guess. Nothing else had happened which would have explained your abrupt lack of interest.”

“I … thought I was doin’ what
she
wanted,” Vallant muttered, his head spinning. “She kept snappin’ at me and tellin’ me to leave her alone… I decided I was bein’ pathetic, chasin’ after a woman who didn’t want me around. I knew she wasn’t sure about associatin’ with a man after what her husband put her through, but—I thought she didn’t want to know me.”

Vallant knew his speech was just short of plaintive, but he was still too stunned to care about that, either. Tamrissa
didn’t
hate him? She’d almost cried at the thought of his not coming to her? Well, he’d just have to change
that
oversight…

“You seem to have changed your mind again,” Mardimil remarked, apparently staring at him through the darkness of the coach. “If so, perhaps I ought to remind you about the beliefs of the testing authority. If you and Tamrissa suddenly stop feuding, it’s possible the testing authority will decide to replace you in the group.”

“Or her,” Coll added in startled agreement. “They could suddenly decide that she gets along too well with the rest of us, and replace her with someone none of us could stomach. We were blind for not considering this sooner, but I think there’s a way we can fix it. Tomorrow we’ll have to have a group discussion that ends in a five-way fight.”

“Now, that sounds like an excellent idea,” Mardimil said with a grin clear in his voice. “Not only will Ro still be feuding with Tamrissa, but the rest of us will have started to bicker as well. If the testing authority has any thoughts involving shifting us around, that should end them. They’ll decide that any changes can only make the situation better rather than worse, and better won’t be what they want.”

“That’s fine for the rest of you, but what about Tamrissa and me?” Vallant demanded, only just suppressing the urge to curse. “She’s miserable thinkin’ I don’t care any longer, and I’ve
got
to tell her the truth. There’s a lot I want to tell her, and it’s waited too long already.”

“Ro, it’s just going to have to wait a bit longer,” Coll said, sounding as though he were forcing patience. “If it doesn’t, you and she could find yourselves in separate residences. What good will it do you to make up with her if the two of you are immediately separated?”

“And it shouldn’t be for long,” Mardimil added, as though he could sense the wall of stubbornness which had risen high in Vallant. “Once they actually form us into a Blending, there shouldn’t be any more danger of relocation. In the meanwhile, you can ask Jovvi to tell Tamrissa the truth. That will stop Tamrissa’s being miserable without putting your places in the group in jeopardy.”

That suggestion made Vallant pause, even though he still hated the idea of waiting. As long as he knew Tamrissa wasn’t suffering it would be easier for
him
to wait, but he still didn’t like the restriction. He wanted to go straight up to Tamrissa, take her in his arms, tell her how wonderful it felt not to be hated by the woman he loved, and then kiss her. He also burned to give her his physical love, but that didn’t have to happen right away. A delay of an hour or two would be perfectly acceptable…

“All right, you’ve both made your point,” Vallant conceded after a moment, knowing they were waiting to hear his decision. “I’ll tell Jovvi to pass on the word to Tamrissa and then I’ll join all the rest of you in pretendin’ to fight, but only until we’re formed into a Blendin’. After that…”