Convergence (13 page)

Jowi felt thoroughly annoyed, but her small sigh of defeat and weak, tremulous smile told the man that she'd realized she had no choice. She
had
to register for that foolish test
first,
and only then would she be free to find her perfect house. Well, if she had to she had to, and she'd done harder things in her life. Besides, the people registering her might know more about the sort of neighborhood she wanted than a coach guard would.

Feeling considerably brightened by that thought, Jowi followed the two men with her trunk to the opening in the wall, where the guardsmen who stood the post were already studying her. In point of fact they'd had their eyes on her since she'd left the coach, and their attitudes were perfectly plain. She'd seen the same on every man who had come to the residence and then had discovered her, which hopefully meant that the residences there in Gan Garee weren't stuffed full of courtesans of her caliber. When the gentlemen of this city found out she'd taken up residence here, she would hopefully have more gold than she could easily count.

"This lady's here for the testin'," the coach guard told the gate guards as soon as they were all close enough. "This here's her trunk, and you'll need to call somebody to carry it for her."

"Set it down just inside the gate, to the left," one of the gate guards directed, gesturing behind him without taking his gaze from Jowi. "We'll keep an eye on it while she's inside, and when she comes back out we'll find somebody to help her with it."

The coach guard and driver did as they'd been told, then took an awkward minute saying goodbye and wishing her luck. Jowi was as gracious to the two as she made a habit of being to all men, since a girl never knew which of them would turn out to be most significant in her life. When they finally went back to their coach Jowi turned her attention to the gate guards, but before she could speak one of them held out his hand.

"I need to see your coach ticket, ma'am," he said, the words polite but the tone inflexible. "We heard what the coachmen said, but we have to see for ourselves."

The request surprised Jowi, but not so far that it completely disrupted her plans. She reached into her bag for the stub which was all there was left of her ticket, and tremulously smiled as she handed it over.

"Everything here is so strange and frightening," she said to the guard, letting him see the helplessness in her eyes. "Are they going to
. . . hurt
me in there? If only I knew what to expect it might not be so bad."

"I wish I could help you," the guardsman said quite sincerely, apparently caught in the depth of her eyes. "If I knew what they did in there I'd tell you all about it, but all I know is what I tell every applicant: use the archway directly behind this post to enter the building, and then hand over this stub. They'll let you know what to do next. I'm really sorry."

"I understand," Jowi said warmly and gently as she took the stub back. The man was really quite attractive, and although it was unlikely he'd ever be able to afford to become one of her regular patrons, there was no sense in hurting him. He would have helped her if he could have, after all. His inability simply meant she'd have to find someone else.

The second gate guard hadn't said a word, but he stepped aside just as quickly as the first when Jowi moved toward the gate and through it. She could see the archway she was supposed to use to enter the very large building straight ahead, as well as other people heading for that building. Most of the others seemed rather hesitant about approaching, and although Jowi could understand that, she didn't share the emotion. She wanted this registering business over and done with, and then she'd be able to get on with what was really important.

The archway took her from afternoon sunshine into lamplit dimness, but it wasn't so dark that she couldn't see a table to the right of the archway with a man seated behind it. The table was clearly being used as a desk, and when the man looked up, Jowi produced her tremulous smile again.

"I was told someone in here is supposed to take what's left of my ticket," she ventured, hesitantly holding out the stub. "Is this the right place?"

"It certainly is, my dear," the older man answered with a gentle smile, taking the stub. "Just a
moment,
and I'll locate your file."

There had been a number on the ticket stub, and the man searched through a box of papers, apparently looking for a match to the number. When he found it he put the stub aside,
then
reached into a box with cards of some sort. Another moment and he'd written Jowi's name on the card, and then he looked up again.

"You'll need to wear this identification at all times, my dear," he instructed in a kindly way as he attached a chain to the middle of the card. "Just slip it over your head and take the paperwork, and then I'll have someone show you where you go next."

"But . . . my trunk is still outside near the entrance gate I used," Jowi protested weakly and helplessly as she took the card and chain. "It's been such a
long
trip and I'm so very tired
...
It won't really hurt anything if I find a place to rest and leave my things first, will it? I'd be so very grateful. . ."

"For your sake, I wish it were possible," the man answered with a sigh, his sadness as real as any Jowi had ever seen. "Unfortunately the procedural rules are very clear, but please don't let that disturb you. I'm sure they'll help you find a nice place to stay once you've finished speaking to them."

Jowi voiced her own sigh, but the accompanying smile and nod of surrender were harder to accomplish. These people were really beginning to be tiresome, especially since she did need some rest. After days of traveling, it was difficult to remember what sitting still in one place for more than an hour felt like.

"Reshin here will accompany you the rest of the way," the man said, gesturing to the
woman
he'd called over from a small group of people to one side of his table. "Just go along with her, and you'll be on your way to proper lodgings before you know it."

Jowi thanked him with automatic warmth as she slipped the chain carefully over her head, settled the card against her chest,
then
took the set of papers he'd held out. The card now blocked a proper view of her cleavage, but with another woman as her only companion, it didn't really matter. The woman crooked a finger and began to head toward an archway all the way over on the other side of the building, and Jowi had no choice but to follow. The woman walked slowly enough to let her catch up, and once Jowi did, the woman looked at her with a surprisingly friendly smile.

"I love that suit you're wearing," the woman Reshin said, sounding as if she really meant it. "Did you buy it here in Gan Garee?"

"No, actually I had it made for me in Rincammon, where I live," Jowi answered, trying to put the same sort of friendliness into her voice. She never got along as well with women as she did with men, but that was usually because of their jealousy and resentment. Very few women were able to be successful courtesans with all the benefits which went with the position, and that naturally turned them resentful. Jowi understood the feeling very well, and would have shared it if
she
hadn't been able to live the life.

"Well, that pale violet really suits you," Reshin continued in the same friendly way. "I wish it suited me as well since I love the color, but I've learned that it doesn't love me back. But that's just as well, I suppose. My husband-to-be likes to see me in red, and that color I do get along with."

The woman's black hair made that a given, and there was nothing really wrong with the red-trimmed gray dress she had on. It was a bit too severe for Jowi's taste, but it seemed to go well with the dimness and distance of that building. Jowi remained silent until they had almost reached the far archway, but then she simply had to ask about what lay ahead. Making decent plans without knowing what you were about to face just wasn't possible, and there was too much at stake not to take the chance.

"Reshin . . . what's supposed to happen next?" she asked diffidently, deliberately slowing the pace they'd both been walking at. "
I'm ,
. .
not
really used to things like this, and I hate to admit it but I'm . . . frightened. Is there
anything
you can tell me?"

"I could tell you everything I know, but none of it would help you," Reshin answered, flashing
her a
compassionate smile before touching her arm to increase her pace again. "My job is to accompany applicants to the proper testing area, but I don't even get to go through the door. What goes on in the building, I'm told, is none of my business, and if I'd tried to find out anyway they would have dismissed me. Since I'd rather not give up this position until I marry, you can understand why I've curbed my curiosity."

Jowi nodded, understanding the woman's position perfectly. There were few enough positions for women in the business world as it was. Losing a good one for being too nosy would have been horrible, but that left
her
swinging in the wind. Well, there were bound to be people inside that building Reshin had mentioned, and at least one of them would
have
to be a man. . . .

Stepping outside again was something of a relief, at least until Jowi got a good look at the circle of buildings beyond the wide walk separating them from the very large entrance building. The buildings that were part of the circle were made of resin, a material Jowi had seen only once before in her life. It had been used by a very wealthy man to form his "playroom" just beyond his back garden, and Jowi had almost ended up inside it. She'd been very young at the time and hadn't yet met Allestine, and hadn't known what that very wealthy man did to young girls in that room of his. If he hadn't decided to take that other girl in first, and if Jowi hadn't been lucky enough to hear the girl's screams when a servant had opened the door . . .

"Well, this is it," Reshin said, drawing Jowi back from nightmare memories. "Just go straight in, and try not to worry. They really do need people like you, remember, so they can't possibly do anything
too
terrible to them."

The point was a good one, and helped Jowi pull herself together. Reshin patted her arm in comfort and support,
then
waited while Jowi forced herself to walk inside. At least the door was open, and hopefully looked as if it would stay that way.

Inside there were lamps to brighten up the cream-colored resin of the walls, not to mention colorful hangings covering what seemed to be multiple
doorways.
Seeing hangings rather than actual doors made Jowi feel even better, enough so that she was able to approach the man at another table with something like her usual confidence.

"Is this what you're supposed to have?" Jowi asked the man, shyly proffering the papers. When he took them with a smile Jowi felt even more encouraged, and so decided not to waste any more time. "I . . . was told you might be able to help me find a decent place to rest for a while," she ventured carefully. "I've been traveling for days, and I'm absolutely exhausted. It's—"

"All in good time, child," the man interrupted gently, his smile still very evident. "We'll make sure you have what you need, but first you have to speak to some of our people. Just go through that doorway all the way to the right, and they'll take care of you."

Jowi was getting very tired of thanking people for being of no help at all, but she did it again anyway and then walked to the proper doorway. Beyond the hanging was a long hall, and in an alcove to the left sat three men. They got to their feet when they saw her, and the one in the lead smiled faintly.

"Come this way and I'll get you settled into a room," he said before Jowi could try to get somewhere with him. "There are things we need to know, and after we get our answers we'll answer any questions
you
may have."

Jowi sighed as she followed the man, but she wasn't so impatient that she didn't know the other two men also followed her. That made her faintly uneasy, but she forced herself to keep in mind what Reshin had said. People with talent like hers were
needed,
so it wasn't likely that the government would allow her to be savaged. They didn't know she meant to fail their very first test, after all, so she ought to be perfectly safe at least until that happened.

The man who walked ahead led her around a curve in the hall,
then
stopped in front of a door. It was made of the same resin as the rest of the building, but opened easily when the man pushed on it.

"This is the place," he said, stepping aside in the gentlemanly way to let her walk in first. She began to do just that, but stopped short only one step in. The room was as dark as a moonless night, maybe even darker. It wasn't even possible to see the floor under her feet where she stood.