by Sharon Green
“The answer to that question is rather simple,” I said, wondering why none of the others was able to see the obvious. “The time reminds me of my young manhood, and the various occasions when I ran across certain members of my supposed peer group. If I had allowed them to best me in some way they would have left me in peace for a time, but then that woman who called herself my mother would have subjected me to an endless lecture on the subject of losing face. The lecture would not have been given if I’d bested them in some way, but then they would have spent all their energies trying to regain their own lost face. My only course of action turned out to be a balancing act, wherein neither I nor they lost any face whatsoever.”
“You made the contest a draw!” Vallant exclaimed, speaking the words a heartbeat sooner than Lorand. “Of course! Why didn’t I think of that?”
“Possibly because that still leaves us nowhere?” Tamrissa suggested with a pained look. “I’m sorry, Rion, I don’t mean to insult your idea, but we aren’t dealing with a group of teenage noble fools. The people in that Blending we’ll be facing have probably lost friends or relatives—or both—to the depredations committed against them, and they won’t be in the mood to let the confrontation end in a draw. Just consider how reasonable we would be if people we loved had been horribly and uselessly killed by their countrymen.”
“Your point is very well taken,” I replied with a sigh, now seeing my mistake. “A draw is possible only when both parties are willing. So what are we to do?”
“We might—just might—be able to end the confrontation on our own terms,” Jovvi said slowly after a long moment of silence. “I’ve been thinking and digging at the question, and it just occurred to me that their greater experience with Blending just might be offset if we had much greater strength. If they find themselves about to be destroyed, they could well decide to listen to reason.”
“But … how much more of the power can we reasonably be expected to take in?” Lorand asked, his brow furrowed. “I know what that question sounds like coming from me, but it isn’t fear talking this time. I remember when our entity hesitated to draw in more power, so we all must be very close to our limit. And didn’t Tamrissa say she had to draw in more in order to do that cold fire thing? How much farther can she push herself before we lose her?”
Vallant voiced his immediate concern just as I did the same, and Jovvi put a hand to her throat as she paled a bit. The light drizzle of rain which had bothered us to begin with had now stopped, but none of us felt in the least more comfortable. I, personally, would have been happier in a downpour, if the lives of my sisters and brothers were no longer in jeopardy.
“Wait, everyone, wait,” Naran said, her stare once again on the elsewhere. “After Jovvi made her suggestion, a large number of shadows disappeared into greater solidity. Unless I’m completely misreading what I see, that is what we all have to do. And I think I can help to keep us from going too far.”
“Are you sure, Naran?” Jovvi asked, her color still not completely back. “Are you certain you can make it less of a danger?”
“In my vision, all of us are represented by various numbers of shadows,” Naran replied, her tone oddly distant. “As I look at you now, Jovvi, I’m able to see most of the possible actions you’ll take in the next … oh, say, in the next hour. By limiting it to that time frame, we also limit the number of possibilities—which range from you surviving easily, all the way to you suddenly ending your time as a viable human being. That last possibility is now rather faint, but if you were to begin drawing in more power, the closer you came to your limit, the stronger that possibility would grow. By watching that possibility closely, I should be able to tell when you need to stop.”
“And if I draw in the power slowly, I should also be able to stop in time,” Jovvi said, now considerably brightened. “I really do think it will work, so I’ll go first. But Naran … you look very tired. Are you sure you’reup to doing something like this?”
“At the moment I’m not, so that means I’m the one who gets to go first,” she replied, sending an immediate chill through me. “But don’t worry, my love, I won’t be in any danger. At the moment I can see myself just as easily as I see the rest of you, so everything will be fine.”
Her last words were spoken with warmth and a smile as she touched my hand, giving me reassurance and the support I needed to remain silent. I knew well enough that Naran must face what the rest of us faced, and for that reason would do nothing to shame or embarrass her. And yet, if it had been possible for me to face the danger in her stead…
But of course it wasn’t, so it was necessary for me to sit and watch while the reason for my continuing to live attempted to add to her strength. Long, silent moments went by as she sat motionless, and then, abruptly, it was over.
“All right, that’s all for me,” she said more briskly than she’d been speaking, smiling around at all of us. “I had no idea I’d be able to handle that much power, so I suppose I’ve been operating at something of a handicap. But now I’m filled with as much as my talent can safely process, and I feel as though I’ve had a full night’s sleep. Are you ready to go next, Jovvi?”
“I certainly am,” Jovvi replied with a smile of her own. “In point of fact I’m now looking forward to it, as I could use a good night’s sleep myself. Tell me when you’reready.”
“Go ahead,” Naran said after a brief hesitation, and again I saw that distant look in her eyes. “But go slowly, and stop as soon as I tell you to.”
Jovvi nodded and fell silent, and another timeless time dragged past. I pictured her opening herself to more and more of the power, slowly filling with that substance which wasn’t a substance at all…
“Stop,” Naran said suddenly, the word hard and commanding. Jovvi jumped the least little bit, but then Naran smiled. “You did it just right, my dear, and stopped at precisely the right time. How do you feel?”
“Better, but not a full night’s sleep worth,” Jovvi responded with amusement. “I must have been working at a point closer to my full capacity, so don’t be afraid that I’ll try for just a little bit more. I’m perfectly happy to leave any small sliver of difference right where it is.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Naran replied with a small laugh. “All right, who’s next?”
I answered just the least bit faster than Lorand, so I became the next to go. It was rather odd, opening myself almost by millimeters, feeling the power pour in at an ever increasing level, then stopping instantly when Naran called out. I, too, felt more that I’d taken a nap than had a full night’s sleep, and Lorand and Vallant, at the end of their turns, also agreed.
“Now it’s your turn, Tamrissa,” Naran said gently once Vallant had settled back down. “Or would you prefer to stay as you are? You did open to more of the power only recently, so it might be best if you waited a short while before—”
“All right, Naran, what have you seen?” Tamrissa interrupted to ask, her stare rather penetrating. “Under other circumstances I’m certain you would have suggested that I go before the men, but you jumped to answer Rion’s request so fast that it made my head spin. There should be no danger at all for me to do as the rest of you have, but everything you’ve done tells me that that isn’t true. So I repeat: what have you seen?”
“It’s … a more complicated arrangement that I honestly can’t interpret,” Naran admitted after a short hesitation, worry now wrinkling her brow. “For some reason your stance in the near future isn’t all that solid, but I can’t tell what might be causing the problem. Something will put you in added danger, and I’m just afraid that opening to more of the power is that something.”
“Shouldn’t you be able to tell?” Tamrissa asked with her own frown. “I mean, I’ve just decided and announced that I’m going to try opening to more of the power anyway. If that’s what’s causing the problem, shouldn’t the danger become more certain with the decision firmly made?”
“Not necessarily,” Naran denied
with a sigh. “If it was almost a certainty that you would decide that way—and it just might be—then the announced decision would make no difference. I strongly suggest that you change your mind—and mean it!—so that I can check the thing from the other end, so to speak.”
“All right, then I’ve changed my mind,” Tamrissa said, turning to put a hand to Vallant’s arm. “Yes, my love, I know what you’reabout to say, so you needn’t say it. I will not go off and leave you unprotected against all those women who will certainly throw themselves at your feet once this is all over. If I’m all that close to my top limit where opening to the power goes, I’ll simply have to continue as I am. After all, I haven’t done too badly so far.”
“Yes, for a helpless female, you aren’t doin’ too badly at all,” Vallant agreed with a grin, then exchanged a kiss with her. I, personally, was intent on watching Naran, who frowned a frown which slowly grew deeper.
“This is beginning to be very frustrating,” Naran said with a small headshake after another moment. “Jovvi, I dislike doubting Tamrissa’s word, but I really must ask: was she speaking the truth, or only what she knew we wanted to hear?”
“No, she was speaking the truth,” Jovvi said with her own frown. “Actually, it was the truth both times. Does your question mean that there’s been no change?”
“That’s exactly what it means,” Naran replied, now looking at Jovvi rather than at the unformed future. “So what are we supposed to do?”
“That question sounds familiar, but this time I believe I know the answer,” Jovvi said with a shrug. “If there’s a chance that Tamma’s … shadows won’t change if she starts to take in more of the power, then she’ll have to stay as she is. Doing anything else is an unnecessary risk.”
“How do we know that that isn’t the source of the problem?” Tamrissa asked, an undirected annoyance now in her voice. “If it is and we do nothing, we could be precipitating the trouble. If we have to err, I’d rather do it on the side of additional power.”
“I’d recommend against that,” Naran said, now speaking to Tamrissa. “It’s possible that you’reopened as widely as possible to the power right now, and even one more attempt to increase that will instantly burn you out. Considering how you feel about strength, it’s to be expected that you might insist on taking the risk no matter what the rest of us said. That could explain why nothing has changed: ultimately you may talk yourself into trying.”
“Which means that you really need to be distracted from making that decision,” Jovvi said, her tone now a good deal more brisk. “We’ve gone to a lot of trouble to isolate that one Astindan Blending, but that isolation won’t last forever. The others will begin to recover in just a few hours, so if we’reever going to find a way to make this come out right, we have to do it now. We won’t find a better time, so why don’t we go looking for a fight?”
That question seemed to refocus everyone’s attention, most certainly including mine. We’d eaten and had tea, walked about and stretched a bit, and now there was nothing else left to do. It was time to face “our greatest enemies,” but my own observations of the event are far from complete. Jovvi’s give a much wider perspective, so the next segment will be narrated just as she related the happenings to me.
CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
Jovvi waited until everyone nodded their agreement, then she initiated the Blending. She expected the time to be the way it usually was, her identity merging with those of the others to produce the entity, but this time an odd thing happened. The entity most certainly appeared at once, but the Jovvi part of it was not completely submerged. It felt more as though a larger, much more strengthened Jovvi began to float along the road, heading toward the place where the enemy entity would be found.
The experience was unusual, but not enough to distract the Jovvi entity from what she was about. The invading force had made a temporary and very much emergency camp right there on the road, with quite a lot of their flesh forms hurrying back and forth. The ones who had inhaled the hilsom powder were quite beside themselves with agitation, and others apparently attempted to calm them. Those who had been disabled earlier by the entity and its allies lay stretched out on makeshift pallets, attended to and hovered over by other flesh forms. At first there was no sign of the main invading entity, but after no more than a moment it appeared.
*So those who are honorless have returned,* the invading entity sneered, hatred fairly pouring forth from it. *Is it now that you will claim all our lives?*
*Had this entity wanted your lives, it would hardly have come here unaccompanied,* the Jovvi entity replied. *This being has come instead to speak with you, in an attempt to—*
*In an attempt to gull, cozen, and destroy us!* the other interrupted, anger blazing hot. *Once before those from your empire came with sweet words of friendship, and those who believed them are long since dead! As I sense that you were indeed foolish enough to approach this entity alone, you may now pay for the deeds of those who came before you as well as for your own!*
And with that the entity attacked, all its strength poured into the boiling cloud of incandescent destruction which raged at the Jovvi entity. And that strength was enormous, just as the Jovvi entity had known it would be. Had her flesh forms not added to their own strength they would have been quickly overwhelmed, and even so raising the necessary resistance was no simple matter. But it was done, and the attack was deflected.
*It grieves this entity that one of yours was destroyed,* the Jovvi entity sent, adding a full measure of compassion. *Just as it grieves this being that one of our own was done the same. But this being’s flesh forms and those who support them were not responsible for what was done to your homeland. They, too, were victims of the same authority, an authority which has now been overthrown. Join us in sitting down together in the manner of rational beings, and—*
*No!* the other entity denied harshly, fury still blazing hot. *False words are too easily spoken by those who stand behind you! This being will listen to none of them, not now and not ever!*
And again an attack came ravening in, one which combined every aspect available to the entity. Just as it began, the Jovvi entity noticed something odd: she was able to anticipate what would happen a measurable amount of time in advance of its actually happening. Then the Jovvi entity realized that that must be the contribution of the Naran flesh form, a talent which the opposing entity did not display. The added talent allowed the Jovvi entity to block or avoid the opposing entity’s attacks, but even so the matter could not be allowed to continue as it had been going. Too much of the Jovvi entity’s strength was being used up in defense, leaving less and less should an attack of her own become necessary.
And it seemed that an attack might well have become necessary. Holding off the maelstrom of hatred and destruction accomplished nothing in the way of changing the opposing entity’s intentions, therefore a different tactic now seemed indicated.
*For an entity who is more mature than this being, you behave in an exceedingly foolish manner,* the Jovvi entity remonstrated once the second attack had ceased. *This being has come to offer true friendship, and yet you refuse to listen. Are you unable to tell that this being speaks the truth?*
*Truth is an elastic substance, stretching in the direction of choice designated by the one who speaks it,* the entity replied with impatience. *It may be ‘true friendship’ which you now claim to seek, yet in a short while that could easily change. This entity has no cause to believe your truth, and many reasons to doubt it.*
*You mean to force us to destroy you?* the Jovvi entity inquired, definitely perplexed. *Such a course of action has no logic to it whatsoever, instead being related only to emotionalism. Is that what greater maturity brings? An abandoning of logic for emotionalism? Do you wish to be destroyed?*
*The logic you value so highly should bring the proper reply to that inquiry,* the opposing entity responded with harsh intolerance. *It should by now be quite clear that this entity does not intend t
o be destroyed, rather that it means to do the destroying. Once that small chore has been accomplished, the rest of its vengeance will be taken!*
For the third time the opposing entity launched its attack, allowing no further discussion. It was now beyond doubt that simple defense would never suffice, therefore the Jovvi entity followed the demands of logic and deflected the attack, then countered with an effort of her own. As had been previously noted, the opposing entity had nothing of the talent to anticipate what the future would bring. The Jovvi entity’s own awareness was growing fainter as its Naran flesh form lost more and more strength, but that slender advantage still remained.
As did another advantage, one which more than one of its flesh forms had learned to accomplish. The opposing entity shielded itself—and its flesh forms—with its enormous strength, a shield which was impossible to penetrate. No single entity ever formed would find itself able to generate enough power to force a way through, and yet the Jovvi entity knew that force was unnecessary. It had proven possible in the past to go around such a shield, which the Jovvi entity quickly did.
Striking at both the opposing entity and its flesh forms at the same time was extremely difficult, most especially as the Jovvi entity had no wish to destroy either target. The situation demanded that her touch be exactly right, neither too hard nor too soft, so that the opposing entity might be shaken into a more reasonable state of mind. The sense of a scream came from the opposing entity, most likely due to the fact that it had believed its flesh forms disguised and impossible to locate, but the Jovvi entity knew that trick as well and had been able to negate it. The opposing entity and its flesh forms were now literally down, and the Jovvi entity deliberately loomed over them.
