by Sharon Green
"You know the woman?" Idresia asked with brows high. "How did you meet her?"
"She's the last subject Gensie Landros and I tried to work with in the guarded residence," Driff answered with a sigh. "Gensie thought we'd cured the woman of her problem, but I remember being not quite as sure. It turned out that I was right after all, because as soon as we turned our backs on the woman she disappeared from the residence. Someone's Blending was supposed to go looking for the Grohl woman, but with everything we were involved with I forgot to follow up to see if she was found."
"Well, it looks like she wasn't found," Idresia pointed out wryly. "What was wrong with her that you think she's the one helping Ayl?"
"At first she was the meek and nervous sort who never said a word out of line," Driff explained, gesturing vaguely with one hand. "But taking classes that taught her how to use her strong Middle talent changed her personality, making her strut around with self-importance. But the feeling of self-importance also made her touchy, so that she considered a passing suggestion from someone an effort to 'tell her what to do.'"
"And she made trouble because of that impression," Idresia said after voicing a sigh. "I've seen that happen to people a time or two, and it's never pretty. They spend most of their lives being beaten down and bullied, and then they suddenly find something that takes them a step above the usual obscurity. That one step always looks a mile high to them, and encourages them to start their own pushing and bullying."
"Yes, well, Gensie and I worked together to heal the damage caused by her upbringing," Driff continued with a nod of agreement. "That healing seemed to bring out a completely different personality in the woman, one that wasn't hampered by doubt and fear and crippled by repression. She thanked us in a very sincere way for helping her, and Gensie's Spirit magic apparently confirmed the Grohl woman's interest in 'helping' our efforts with the rest of the people in the guarded residence."
"But you didn't agree with that opinion," Idresia said, giving her own distracted nod. "You probably felt the Grohl woman wasn't telling the complete truth, but a High in Spirit magic would find it hard to believe that a Middle in Earth magic might know better than her own talent. You didn't press the point?"
"Not when I wasn't all that certain myself," Driff said. "I didn't know something was wrong, I only suspected it, so I let Gensie's certainty make me think I was imagining things. Now the Grohl woman is probably after the importance she firmly believes ought to be hers, and she'll be coming at us with a Blending that might even be more powerful than our own."
"What makes you think that her Blending will be more powerful?" Idresia asked, looking at Driff with her head to one side. "If I recall correctly, every Middle Blending our entity has come in contact with so far has been a lot less than our own."
"You're right about that, but you're overlooking an important point," Driff said, reaching for the cold tea he'd been sipping. "Those other Middle Blendings - as well as our own - have all been put together by the people in the Blending. The Grohl woman's Blending will have people chosen by Holdis Ayl, a man who can tell the strength of a talent without having that talent himself. I can't quite believe that Ayl will have chosen people who aren't the strongest he could find."
"No, I hadn't thought of that," Idresia agreed, now showing a frown. "And you're right about the point making a difference. I wish we knew exactly who it was who'll be in Grohl's Blending."
"I think I may know who their Fire magic user will be," Driff admitted reluctantly. "A man named Arbon Vand has been reported missing by his family, and he's been described as someone who would never just walk away without telling people where he was going. He's a strong enough Middle talent in Fire magic that he was given a job teaching classes."
"Yes, he is a strong talent in Fire magic," Idresia said, surprising Driff. "He and I were in the same training class, and we never could decide which of us was stronger. He's a decent man who felt a lot of loyalty to the new government, but if that Grohl woman did something to him with her Spirit magic…"
"Then his normal loyalties won't matter," Driff said, finishing the sentence Idresia had just let trail off. "So we know that the opposing Blending will have a Spirit magic user who can fool a High talent, and a Fire magic user who is probably one of the strongest talents found so far. Do we really need to know details about the rest of the members?"
"That sounds like you found something out," another voice said, and Driff looked around to see their other four Blendingmates coming into the room. It was Edmin who had spoken, and now he added, "My share of those reports gave me nothing but eyestrain, so I'm glad at least someone has made some discoveries."
"Let's make that 'helpful discoveries,'" Kail amended as he closed the door behind all of them. "I've also found nothing of any real use, not when we don't know what it is we're looking for."
"At the moment we're looking for the balance of a Blending," Driff answered, then he began to bring them up to date while they and Idresia took seats at the table. "So we probably know the identity of two of our opponents, but we're still missing the rest."
"We may also know the identity of the Earth magic user," Kail said with an odd shake of his head. "A woman named Kadri Sumlow has been reported missing by her merchant father. From his description of her, it's fairly certain that she probably considers herself too important to simply run away. And the description also suggests it isn't very likely that she eloped with a man. The other reports of missing people don't feel the same."
"I think I may have come across one of the same sort," Edmin mused, leaning back in his chair. "A woman named Seeli Tandor was also reported missing by her father, who assured the guardsman taking the report that his daughter would never dare to simply go off on her own. She has duties at home, the father said, and because of those duties she's also never been permitted to become involved with men. But she was allowed to train her talent because that made her more efficient in carrying out her duties. She's an Air magic user."
"So if they haven't found a way to sneak up on a Sight magic user, that means we're just missing the Water magic member," Driff said. "But before I forget, let me ask Edmin a question. I know you've found a way to hide the strength of your talent, Edmin, but what about being able to lie? Do you think you could lie to a High talent without them knowing you're doing it?"
"Since I've never tried, I don't really know," Edmin answered with brows raised high. "Now that I think about it, though, I just might be able to. But that's only because I've spent most of my life hiding my true feelings from those around me. When you live a lie, the lie tends to become a … reality and truth of its own, you might say."
"That must be it," Driff said, nodding his understanding. "The Grohl woman spent her life being something other than what she was meant to be, so in a manner of speaking she was also living a lie. When her personality changed, all she had to do to hide herself was continue to behave the way she always had. But none of this tells us what we have to do to ruin Ayl's plans."
"I think the first thing we have to do is move a number of Middle Blendings into the palace who won't be allowed to leave," Edmin said slowly, as though he thought aloud. "Once they're safe from being tampered with, it will then be their job to examine every single person, guardsmen included, before they're also allowed in the palace. When Ayl's people can't find any Highs, they may settle for Middles."
"But what would they do with Middles?" Issini asked from where she sat beside Edmin. "They want to use Highs to take over everyone else, and a Middle by him or herself can't be used in that way."
"I don't know what they would use a Middle for, but we can't discount the possibility that they'll think of something," Driff said with a shake of his head. "I agree with Edmin, but we've got to take this one step further. We ourselves have been running to the palace on a regular basis, and that makes us just as vulnerable as anyone else. If there isn't some way for us to individually resist a Blending entity, and I don't think there is, we have to decide
if we want to stay in the palace permanently or not go back until this problem is over."
That comment caused a lot of exclamations and a bit of confused discussion, but eventually one voice rose above the rest.
"Driff is right," Asri said firmly, looking around at the others. "The last time we went to the palace, I noticed that the guards were all behaving very deferentially toward us. A watching entity would notice the same thing, and then we'd be singled out. Do any of you think that we couldn't take over the empire at this point?"
"With no Highs around to stop us?" Kail said with a snort. "Taking over would be no problem at all, if we were silly enough to want to run things. But I just had an idea that might or might not solve our problem. In Astinda we found that combining talents produced all sorts of new ways of doing things, and that leads me to wonder how much an entity can actually do."
"How much in what way?" Driff asked, having heard Kail's description of what his Astindan group had accomplished. "How could new inventions stop Ayl's plans?"
"What if we'd be better off not stopping Ayl's plans?" Kail countered. "We already know what Ayl means to do, so forcing him to come up with something we won't know about doesn't sound very smart to me."
"Kail, you'd better start from the beginning," Issini said, just about taking the words out of Driff's mouth. "I'm having no luck at all in following you."
"Yes, you're right," Kail agreed, smiling wryly. "I really should start with my idea. It came to me to wonder if our entity could … put some kind of … invisible net around each of us. The net would be sensitive to the touch of another entity, and if that other entity did try to touch one of us our Blending would come into existence at once."
"Because we are the perfect decoys," Driff exclaimed as soon as he saw all the possibilities. "Just as Asri said, a watching entity would notice how the guards treat us and that would make us the perfect targets. Once our entity came into being we'd be able to face their entity, without our having to go to all the trouble of tracking them down. Yes, I think that's the answer."
"But there are still two more interesting answers we need to get," Idresia said as everyone else began to comment excitedly. "The first of those two, of course, deals with the question of whether our entity can put a net like that around us. If it turns out that the net can be provided, we come to the last and most important question: will we be strong enough to defeat the enemy entity? If we aren't, any other success we have won't count."
Driff's excitement died away as he heard Idresia's very pointed comments, and everyone else quieted as well. They all had enough self-confidence under normal circumstances, but it wasn't death they would be facing. If they lost the encounter they would no longer be free human beings, and that thought frightened Driff more than death ever could…
Chapter Twenty-Three
"But it has to be my fault," Jovvi objected for the hundredth time. "We didn't stop being able to Blend when the rest of you initiated the Blending."
Jovvi sat miserably on a bench with Lorand's arm around her shoulders, but for once Lorand's presence wasn't able to comfort her. Ever since Jovvi had done … something they'd tried and tried, but no one had been able to initiate the Blending.
"Please stop blaming yourself, Jovvi," Naran said wearily, also for the umpteenth time. "If something like this was about to happen, I should have been able to See it. But there was no warning whatsoever, and I still don't See any signs of tragedy for us. Aside from the fact that I feel it's about to start raining again."
"You're right, Naran, and that's all we need," Tamma said in a grumble from where she stood with her fists on her hips. "More rain, and just when that group of riders is approaching the other side of the village. But at least we won't have to go out into the rain to see who they are."
"No, not when one of the other groups is startin' to Blend," Vallant said with a nod and a sigh. "At least whatever is affectin' us hasn't spread to the others."
"Wait a minute," Jovvi said, strangely gentle shock pulling her away from the misery she'd been drowning in. "I also know that it's about to start raining again, I can feel the approach of riders, and I know that a Blending is forming. I can also feel that the most likely probability of the identity of the riders is that they're High talents coming to be link groups for the Gracelian Blendings. If we aren't Blended, how do I know all that?"
Jovvi no longer sat slumped against Lorand by now, so she was able to see that he stared at her in the same way the others did. Brows were high and incomprehension showed clearly in eyes, probably a perfect match to what she looked like.
"Well?" she prompted, continuing to look around. "Is there anyone who doesn't know and feel those things?"
Rion and Lorand raised their brows even higher, but neither one spoke up to say that he had no idea what she was talking about. Instead, it was Tamma who spoke.
"That's the best question I've heard today," the Fire magic user mused, now looking thoughtful. "I'm aware of everything I usually am when we're Blended, but when I'm the entity I can float through the wall and flash to the place I want to be - if I've been there before. Well, I've been to the other side of the village before…"
Tamma's voice trailed off as she took on the look that Naran usually wore when she checked probabilities, and then she exclaimed aloud.
"I don't believe this!" Tamma said excitedly, just about dancing in place. "All I did was decide I wanted to see what was happening at the other side of the village, and I could! Will somebody else please try this, so I'll know whether or not I'm dreaming?"
Jovvi felt Tamma's excitement so strongly that there was no hesitation about following Tamma's request. Jovvi decided she wanted to know more about what was happening on the other side of the village, and suddenly she could see what was happening! The approaching riders had been stopped by one of their associate Blending's entity, and the entity now questioned the people. She could hear the entity's questions and the answers being given, and also saw the entity as clearly as she saw the riders.
"This is incredible," Lorand said from where he sat beside Jovvi. "I'm aware of everything going on over there, but I'm also aware of what's happening around my physical self. I'm looking at the other side of the village, but I'm also able to look back here in an instant."
"In other words, along with everything else our bodies are no longer at risk," Rion said, sounding as elated as Jovvi suddenly felt. "We can still function as a Blending, but we're no longer vulnerable in the way we were."
"I've got the sudden feeling that you're understating things, Rion," Tamma said, and clearly she'd withdrawn her attention from the approaching riders. Jovvi hadn't withdrawn all of her attention, but she still had no trouble following what was now going on around her.
"Okay, now it's time to test my next theory," Tamma said as Rion gave her a questioning look. "Naran, I want you to light a small fire in the air right in the middle of this very loose circle we're standing in. Go ahead, you should know how to do it."
Jovvi saw that Naran seemed ready to protest, but the words apparently died on her lips. Instead of speaking, the Sight magic user frowned at the place Tamma had indicated. A moment later a small length of fire appeared in the empty air, and Tamma laughed.
"See, I knew you could do it," Tamma said as everyone else - including Jovvi - exclaimed wordlessly. "Now watch me put the fire out with water."
A globe of water appeared just as suddenly around the length of fire, but the fire didn't go out. It continued to burn inside the globe of water, and this time both Tamma and Naran laughed aloud.
"You almost got me, but I saw at the last instant how to keep the fire alive," Naran said in delight, sounding for all the world like a child with a new toy. "I was able to experience this when part of the Blending, but I never thought I'd be able to do it at any other time."
"But that's the whole point," Tamma returned as the globe of water disappeared again. "I think it's obvious that we are Blended, but in an entirely different way. An
d right now I have just one more question: Jovvi, will you please try to dissolve the Blending?"
Jovvi might have been confused and distraught earlier, but now she had no trouble understanding and following what was going on. Without speaking she made the usual effort to dissolve their Blending, but nothing happened.
"Since I'm still feelin' and seein' everythin' I did a minute ago, I'd guess that our Blendin' is permanent now," Vallant remarked with an odd smile. "Obviously, it's a good thing we like each other so well."
"No, it's more than a matter of 'like,'" Lorand said, wearing the same smile. "If you'll remember, we all had to love each other before we could all be heard individually in the Blending entity. That came before we started to take turns initiating the Blending."
"How is it possible that no one knows that this is what the Blending experience is meant to lead to?" Rion asked with a shake of his head. "And even beyond that, how could anyone give up the possibility of achieving this by suppressing knowledge of how to Blend?"
"You're obviously talkin' about the nobles in Gandistra," Vallant responded, his smile having turned wry. "I think it's safe to assume that this only happens to a complete Blendin', otherwise our former enemies would have reached this point a lot of years ago. And so would the Gracelians have, come to think of it. What we don't yet know is if their unbalanced Blendin's would have reached this point if they'd had Sight magic users added in."
"I have the feeling that that unbalance you mentioned would keep it from happening," Jovvi put in as she stood. "Balance comes from like joining like, and my guess is that any properly balanced Blending will reach this same point even if they don't happen to be High talents. If our training programs back home have gone as well as we hoped they would, we should have the chance to find out."
"But now we have to talk to our associate Blendings," Lorand said, also getting to his feet. "We have to let them know what's happened, but this time we really should charge them. Personally, I would have paid any amount to keep from being scared witless the way I was."
