by Sharon Green
Delin frowned at such callous disregard for their well-being, watching poor Selendi shudder against a worried-looking Homin. Bron and Kambil seemed just as disturbed, and the group reaction made Lord Idian nod in satisfaction.
“It relieves me to see all of you taking my caution so seriously,” he said, obviously gathering himself to stand. “There are stories about a Blending from the last competitions, whose members ignored the warning. I shudder every time I think about them, and fervently hope that nothing of the same occurs this time… I’ll have the list of exercises sent over a bit later, and tomorrow I will watch you perform one or two of them. Until tomorrow, then.”
By that time Lord Idian was on his feet, but Kambil spoke up before the man might depart.
“It was surprising to see you without Rigos again, but somehow not entirely unexpected,” Kambil put gently with the hint of pain in his voice. “Do things … continue to go badly for him? I’ve known him for years, and I almost feel as though I’ve … betrayed him in some way.”
“At the moment, young Lord Rigos is in the process of betraying himself,” Lord Idian returned stiffly. “I waited for his arrival this morning, and finally was forced to leave alone. Neither Rigos nor any explanation or excuse has thus far reached me, which puts me very much out of patience with the young fool. If I should fail to hear from him by tonight, tomorrow morning I shall demand that he be replaced.”
With that Lord Idian turned and left, marching out as though going to Rigos’s hanging. Delin felt a wave of enjoyment sweep through him at the thought of Rigos cooperating with his own destruction, and that despite the stab of disappointment which he also felt. Lord Ollon’s body should have already been discovered … unless the madman had found a reason to dismiss all his servants…
“Thank you,” Delin heard Kambil say, and he looked up to see a servant in the doorway who bowed briefly before disappearing. “He was asked to tell me when Lord Idian’s carriage pulled away, which apparently it now has. Would anyone like to comment on what we were told?”
“The idea of that … vortex really frightens me,” Selendi said simply and openly. “It may be because I sensed … something beyond our Blended state, and was tempted for a moment to find out what it was.”
“I felt the same something, and also the same temptation,” Bron put in thoughtfully. “I don’t remember noticing it yesterday, but today it was perfectly clear.”
“And I can make it three,” Homin said in agreement, equally sobered. “Not yesterday, but definitely today. What about you and Delin, Kambil?”
Delin nodded to show that it had also been the same for him, though more vaguely than definitely. His weariness had apparently cut into his strength rather severely, he thought, and then Kambil confirmed the surmise.
“I’m still too tired to be at my sharpest, so I only just noticed what the rest of you felt so clearly,” he said. “But believe it or not, the discovery isn’t what interests me most. I do happen to have enough strength left to know that Lord Idian was lying in his teeth.”
Delin exclaimed aloud along with the others, his suspicions flaring again like a beacon. He’d known there was something wrong with what they were being told, he’d known it for certain!
“I suppose they were counting on me being too distracted by having Blended for the first time to pay full attention to our mentor,” Kambil went on. “And they also think we haven’t noticed that something yet, so they’re poisoning our minds against it before we do. There’s no danger of a ‘vortex,’ and there are no chilling stories handed down from the last competitions. The only truth he spoke was about how draining Blending is, and that we all need to be well rested.”
“I’ll bet Adriari’s group isn’t being told any fairy tales,” Bron growled, clearly verbalizing what all the rest of them thought. “They’re obviously trying to keep us limited in what we can do, to be certain we don’t become a real threat to their plans.”
“Isn’t it a shame that they haven’t succeeded?” Homin said with an edge to his voice that Delin had never heard before. “I’m absolutely crushed on their behalf, and incidentally can’t wait to see that list of ‘permissible’ exercises.”
“I got the impression of limitation rather than exercise,” Kambil said after sipping at his tea, “which means you’re right to be suspicious, Homin. They need us to perform in the competitions, but they don’t want us to become too strong or effective. It’s a very fine line that they’re walking, and we should be able to slip by while their attention is on where they put their feet.”
“Am I mistaken, or was Lord Idian really surprised when we Blended for him?” Delin asked through a haze of fury. “He said something about people not believing we could do it… Worthless little nothings actually doubting us…!”
“I discovered yesterday that the other groups—not counting Adriari’s, of course—Blended on the first try,” Kambil said gently. “I didn’t pass on the information because I didn’t care to put additional pressure on everyone, and also because I felt convinced that we, too, would be successful. I don’t know what they would have done if we hadn’t managed it… Possibly sent us in anyway, under orders to pretend.”
“Not managing to Blend wouldn’t have saved us,” Selendi said, as serious as Homin had been. “As long as we had the details about how to Blend buried somewhere in our heads, we’d still be a threat to the Advisors. Not to mention still being unwanted by our families. No, winning the competitions is still the only thing we can do.”
Delin was tempted to feel stunned again that Selendi had actually said that, but pride pushed forward too strongly. He’d done it, he’d really gotten through to his groupmates, and from now on everything would work out perfectly.
“Which means we need to begin real practicing,” Kambil said after draining his cup and then putting it aside. “I’d love to begin at once, but common sense insists that I get more rest first. I’m going back to bed, and I strongly suggest that any of you who feels the least weariness should follow my example. By this afternoon, I’ll be completely ready to go again.”
“I, for one, intend to follow your example,” Delin said as he put his own cup aside and stood. “Breakfast helped a bit, but my sleep was disturbed last night by all sorts of dreams. By this afternoon I, too, intend to be ready to go.”
“I’m going to make it three,” Bron announced as he stood and stretched. “I had a good night’s sleep and felt fine when I first got up, but now the early hour must be getting to me. A nap sounds like a really good idea.”
Homin and Selendi said they weren’t terribly tired, but if everyone else was going back to bed, they would do the same. Delin marveled at their unity as they all left the sitting room together, that brand new warmth touching him again. Everything would have been perfect … if only Lord Ollon’s body had been found, and Rigos was arrested for the second and final time…
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
Lady Eltrina Razas was enjoying herself thoroughly when the knock came at the bedchamber door. It was the deferential knock of a servant, so she ignored it and told her current toy to continue with what he’d been doing. The dear boy had such knowing hands and mouth, not to mention the fact that he’d been completely ready for her for quite some time…
“Rot!” Eltrina snarled when the knock came again, this time more insistent. “They’re supposed to go away if I don’t answer the first time. I’m not going to dismiss whoever it is, I’m going to have them drawn and quartered!”
The beautiful young man chuckled as she kissed his desire before getting out of bed, but chuckling wasn’t what Eltrina felt like doing. She hadn’t been joking about the drawing and quartering, and she barely had the patience to pull on a wrap before going to the door. But she was about to find out who was to blame for this intrusion, so she yanked open the door and—
“Please excuse the disturbance, my lady, but Advisory representatives are downstairs demanding to see you,” Shorten, her husband’s majordomo, s
aid as quickly as possible. “I tried to tell them that the hour was much too early, but they refused to be put off.”
“Give me just a moment, Shorten,” Eltrina said quietly before closing the door again. She had no idea what was going on, but when Advisory representatives “demanded” to see someone, that someone obliged or was immediately arrested. It was really bothersome, but going downstairs was preferable to being arrested.
“I’ll be back in just a few minutes, so don’t you go away,” Eltrina said to the beautiful boy as she found a decorous nightgown to put on under the wrap. “Spend the time thinking about what you’ll do next, and if I find I like it I’ll buy you a present you’ll adore.”
The boy nodded with eagerness in his lovely eyes, so Eltrina slipped on a pair of mules and went back to the door. Shorten stood waiting patiently just outside, and when she appeared he led the way downstairs to her husband’s study. Her husband wasn’t in it, of course, since he was currently away on a business trip, but the two strange men who failed to rise from where they sat reminded her strongly of him.
“Lady Eltrina?” one of the two said, looking up from the papers he studied. “I’m Lord Anglard Nobin, and the Advisors speak through my voice.”
“Funny, but I could have sworn that the Advisors had voices of their own,” Eltrina replied dryly, strolling over to sit in a chair opposite the man. “I don’t know why you’re here, Lord Anglard, but you’ll get a lot more accomplished if you come to the point. Wasting time with vague and childish threats is … a waste of time.”
“Getting straight to the point suits me as well,” Lord Anglard agreed without showing anything even vaguely resembling a smile. “You began as the assistant of Lord Ollon Kapmar, became his mistress in a very short time, then took over his responsibilities when he … suffered a personal tragedy. When was the last time you lay with him? Was that also the last time you recall speaking to him?”
“The last time I spoke to him was after the … tragedy,” Eltrina snapped, feeling the heat which had risen to her face. “That was when he asked me to take over his duties until he felt able to return to work. The rest of what you said is disgusting, and I refuse to comment on malicious rumor.”
“Your prestige rose quite a bit when Lord Ollon was incapacitated, didn’t it, Lady Eltrina?” Anglard pursued in the same cold tone. “It was a situation you were hoping for, and one you might even have been willing to arrange. That rumor you mentioned has it that you were more than willing to make Lord Ollon’s absence permanent.”
“I don’t have to sit here and be insulted,” Eltrina said as she rose from the chair, the heat in her face having turned chill. “I don’t know what you’re accusing me of, and seriously doubt if you know. I—”
“Sit down, Lady Eltrina,” Anglard ordered in a voice of steel. “You will either speak to us here, or in your cell once you’re arrested. Our forbearance is for your husband’s position, and is merely a matter of courtesy. If you force me to it, that courtesy will be forgotten.”
Eltrina hesitated only a moment before obeying, her mind sick and wild with conjecture. How much did they really know, and how much were they simply guessing at? She had intended to have Ollon murdered, but since she never actually got around to it, how much could they do to her?
“Your aspect of talent is Earth magic, I’m told,” Anglard went on in the same chill, distant way. “Just how strong does that talent happen to be, Lady Eltrina? Middle strength, surely, or possibly even more?”
“Are you insane?” Eltrina whispered, no longer able to control her own voice or emotions. “I was declared a Low talent, just like one fifth of the rest of the people in the empire, but what can that possibly have to do with anything else? Why are you doing this to me?”
“Show me your talent, Lady Eltrina,” Anglard commanded, ignoring her plea entirely. “Open yourself to the power, and touch me with your talent.”
Eltrina’s head spun even more wildly, but very frankly she was too frightened to refuse. Everyone involved in a career played stab-in-the-back, and the only hard and fast rule was, Don’t Get Caught. If she’d really been caught, the only thing that might possibly save her was full cooperation.
So she opened her mind to the power, and reached out gingerly to touch Anglard. She gasped when she finally accomplished it, as Anglard was stronger than anyone she had ever met.
“Yes, a Low talent beyond all doubt,” Anglard said, but not to her. He spoke to the other man, who until now hadn’t said a word.
“And her guilt seemed to be over plans she’d made, not over something she’d actually done,” the second man broke his silence to agree. “She was a good possibility, but now we’ll need to look elsewhere.”
“What are you talking about?” Eltrina demanded wildly when Anglard nodded and began to gather up his papers. “What’s going on here?”
“You no longer need to be disturbed, Lady Eltrina,” Anglard said as he rose to his feet. “You were one of our main suspects, but now you’ve been cleared. And, by the way, congratulations on your advancement.”
“Advancement?” Eltrina echoed, barely able to keep control of herself. “What advancement?”
“Why, to the position of permanently replacing Lord Ollon,” Anglard said as he and the other man walked toward the door. “I’m certain it will be yours, now that Lord Ollon is dead.”
Dead! Eltrina slumped back in stunned shock as the two men simply left. Ollon was dead, but … if she hadn’t done it, then who had…?
* * *
“Now I’m feeling marvelous,” Delin announced as he joined everyone in the sitting room. “I’ve slept for hours, and I feel like a new man.”
“I’m sorry, Delin, but Kambil has already claimed the new man title,” Bron informed him with a grin while everyone else chuckled. “I’m beginning to think that you two have the same person writing your passing comments for you, and whichever of you arrives first gets to speak them first.”
“Say, I never thought of that,” Delin returned, much too pleased to let some innocent banter disturb him. “Hiring someone to write my comments, I mean. It would certainly save me the effort of having to do it myself, and then I’d be able to avoid the fate of sounding like Kambil’s echo.”
“If you find someone, do let me know what his name is, won’t you, old man?” Kambil drawled, turning away from the tea service with a freshly poured cup. “Just to satisfy my curiosity, of course.”
Kambil’s words had been so thickly coated with innocence that everyone began to laugh really hard, including Delin. It was no longer possible to be angry or impatient with those wonderful people, not since they’d Blended. They were now part of each other, and everything said was simply said in fun. Delin not only knew that, he was endlessly thankful for it.
“Hmmm. I wonder if the rest of us should also be curious,” Bron said after a moment, glancing to Homin and Selendi. “That way we could say the words with them, and correct any mistakes they might make…”
That set them off again, and Delin laughed till the tears ran down his face. Never in his life had he enjoyed himself so much, not even when he—
“Pardon the intrusion, gentles!” a voice said rather loudly, as though it had tried to say the same before. Delin joined the others in turning to the doorway, and was startled to see Lord Idian behind the almost-shouting servant.
“You’ll have to excuse this unscheduled visit, but there’s a very important reason for it,” Idian said as he made his way forward, gesturing at the servant to leave. “Something extremely upsetting has happened, and I’ve been asked to inform all my people.”
Delin disliked the way Idian said, “my people,” but had no intention of making an issue of it. This was probably the announcement he’d been waiting for, and he intended to enjoy every word of it.
“I know you all have reason to remember the source of the scandal Rigos became embroiled in,” Idian said as he sat heavily in the same chair he’d used earlier. “The life which wa
s lost belonged to your stepmother, Lord Homin, and I’m afraid I’m now the bearer of further ill tidings. Your late stepmother’s brother, Lord Ollon Kapmar, has also been murdered.”
Delin joined everyone else as they gasped or made some other show of surprise, and then Bron spoke up.
“You see?” he said, looking around at everyone. “I knew that doing it once meant it was only a matter of time before it was done again. They’d better have already arrested Rigos, and this time they’d better keep him locked up.”
“Considering the fact that Rigos and Ollon made a scene at a party last night, they did indeed go to arrest him,” Idian agreed with a nod. “The major problem arising there is that they found him to be beyond arrest. After leaving orders with the servants that he wasn’t to be disturbed under any circumstances, he apparently then proceeded to take his own life.”
This time there was a deep, shocked silence in which Delin fully participated. Rigos had found a way to escape from the horror Delin had planned for him, and it just wasn’t fair!
“Young Rigos apparently left a letter for his father,” Idian continued after a moment. “In it he asked forgiveness for his cowardice, but he simply couldn’t bear the accusation any longer. Had he been guilty he could have easily accepted the blame, but as it was… He felt that his life was no longer worth living, as proving the truth to everyone would be impossible.”
“He … could have been lying,” Bron tried hesitantly, the words more a hope than a certainty. “He could have intended to seem to kill himself, but expected to be stopped or saved. Afterward people would have believed—”
“Lord Bron, he went to the bath house, entered the water, and opened his wrists with a razor,” Idian interrupted to supply. “After the orders he’d given about not being disturbed, he had no hope of interruption. Special investigators were called as soon as he was found, and they determined that it would have been impossible for him to have killed Lord Ollon. Rigos was, beyond doubt, already dead when Ollon was killed.”
