Competitions (42 page)

He gestured behind himself at the people who were undraping the hidden forms as though that was supposed to explain what he meant, but everyone seemed to be as confused as I felt. I’d never heard of “invisible” fire, and the blank looks on the woman across from me as well as on the two men who sat beside us, said they’d never heard of it either.

“As you know, invisible fire is quite a simple doing,” Odrin continued, clearly unaware of the fact that we knew no such thing. “Each participant will need to start his or her fire on the
inside
of the various targets, and the flames aren’t to show through until the entire inside of the object is consumed. How quickly the outside flares and goes to ash will tell us how thoroughly the inside has been reduced, and that will all be part of the timing.”

“If that’s what he calls simple, I’d like to see
him
do it,” the girl muttered, her words only loud enough to reach those of us closest to her. I couldn’t hold back a smile of agreement, pleased to see that someone else had noticed how incompetent those so-called Adepts were. I would also have enjoyed talking to the girl, but Odrin was still speaking.

“… and the results of the timing of each performance will be announced later,” he went on. “Now, with everything explained, it’s time to present our first competitor.”

I expected him to look toward us then, but instead he pulled out a slip of paper and squinted down at it. Hope flared inside me that it would be first come, first perform, but apparently good luck still attempted to avoid me. Odrin nodded after checking his list, then looked in my direction.

“Please come here, my—uh—dear,” he said, obviously unsure of how words made sentences now that he no longer had something memorized to recite. I sighed as I stood and went to him, wondering who had the job of calling him in out of the rain.

“You must remember not to cross the white line,” he said when I reached him, then he had to look around for a moment before he located the line he wanted to point to. Since it was painted on the floor right in front of the exercise setup, it was somewhat difficult for him to find. “And please don’t forget that you’ll be escorted from the building once you’re through. Good luck, and you may begin as soon as you’re ready.”

After that he hurried away, probably afraid that I’d confuse him with one of the targets. With Soonen or Gerdol I might not have hesitated, but with him it would be easier to wait until he tripped over his own feet and fell and broke his neck. It was a miracle it hadn’t already happened…

All of which did nothing to help me start that exercise. I’d had a light touch on the power ever since I’d gotten here, so I started things off by opening myself wide. I felt the usual tingle as the power flowed through me, and suddenly I knew just how the exercise was supposed to be handled. It related to that weaving we’d done, but this time a different pattern was called for.

My attention went then to the six targets, each of which was in the shape of a four-foot post set in a flat stand. Each post was also constructed of a different material, and starting from the thick wooden one on the left they progressed to heavy leather, pulped wood, burlap, cotton, and fine thread. But all six posts were exactly the same height and diameter, which meant their insides were completely different.

With the power flowing through me I felt tempted to start with the fine thread, which would be the hardest to keep from burning on the outside when its insides caught. Happily, though, caution was too strongly ingrained in my nature for me to do something that foolish, so I overrode the urge and started with the wood. I also deliberately took my time, since I wasn’t supposed to win. Just enough strength and speed to do the job, and not a smidgen more.

The inside of the wooden post burned fairly evenly, and when the flames reached the surface of it there was only a bit of a roar before the whole thing fell to ash. The leather post burned more … lumpily, I suppose you could say, and there was less of a roar when the flames burst through. The pulped wood was easy, as was the burlap, but the cotton almost got away from me. The near miss showed me that my flames were too hot for the more delicate materials, so when I finally reached the thread I was able to do it properly. The outside of the post blackened all over before crumbling into ash, and the exercise was completely over.

“Excellent, my—uh—dear, really excellent,” Odrin complimented as he came back to stand next to me, once again sounding as though he recited a—mostly—prepared speech. “That will certainly set the mark for the rest of the participants, and now you may retire. That gentleman there will escort you.”

The man he referred to was rather grim-faced and certainly no noble, but I didn’t mind leaving with him in the least. Odrin was beginning to get on my nerves, and with the power still coursing through me I might not be able to keep from saying so. So I followed my escort through the polite applause of the audience, and by the time we got outside I’d closed off all but a faint touch of power. It had gotten to be a habit to keep a touch on that minimal amount, and I felt a good deal better doing it.

It wasn’t hard to find an empty table even with the greater number of people still standing around, and after ringing a bell for a servant, my “escort” positioned himself behind me. For a moment it felt as though I were being guarded instead of accompanied and I was startled, but then I realized that the thought of being guarded was comforting rather than disturbing. With the smaller flow of power my self confidence had shrunk down to its usual low ebb, and the idea of being protected felt good.

The servant came quickly to take my order for tea and anything wickedly fattening that might be available, and then I sat back to relax until it came. If that girl happened to come out before I left I intended to talk to her, and if the coach had to wait then it would wait. Getting in contact with someone else in my position seemed a very good idea, and I wanted to—

“Good morning,” a voice said, breaking into my thoughts. “Your performance was delightful just now, so I thought I’d come out and tell you so.”

The man who spoke looked familiar, but for a moment I couldn’t place him. A bit on the heavy side but of average build and looks, he was an older man with an air of easy authority to him. My “escort” stepped out to the left of where I sat, apparently ready to order the man away, but one look from the newcomer immediately silenced my guard. His expression said he suddenly recognized the older man and therefore wasn’t about to challenge him, and an instant later I recognized him myself—with a gasp. He was the one who’d been there for my very first test, the test I’d almost died taking. He’d been much too attentive for my liking, and he’d said—

“I promised that we’d meet again,” he said with an odd smile when he realized that I’d recognized him, sitting down as though he’d been invited. “You’ve grown into your talent a bit since we last saw one another, which I really do find quite delightful. There are a large number of women in our aspect, but few of them have a really decent amount of strength.”

“But how can they survive that initial test without it?” I found myself asking, a question probably caused by the residue of power in my system. “We all do go through the same testing procedure, don’t we?”

“Certainly we do,” he agreed, that odd smile broadening just a hair. “The system would hardly be fair otherwise. But I was saying how thoroughly attractive I find you—”

“You know, a very learned friend of mine made an interesting point,” I rattled on, pretending I heard nothing of a personal nature in his conversation. “He said that the nobility
had
to keep the testing fair, otherwise they would be the ones who were penalized. Exempting your children from having to prove themselves makes for weaker heirs, who then breed and raise even weaker ones. If the testing wasn’t fair, my friend said it would eventually be difficult to find anyone in the nobility as strong as a Middle. Don’t you agree?”

By then I had my hands in my lap to keep them from trembling. The man hadn’t taken his eyes from me, and I silently cursed myself for having reworded what Lorand had told us. The man whose name I didn’t even know wasn’t amused, and there was no telling what he would do because of what I’d said. His eyes frightened me most, the unblinking stare of them terrifying, and I really wished I’d never said anything at all. He continued to stare for a very long minute, and then that smile was back.

“Of course I agree with something that sensible,” he said, the words smooth and unexcited. “The same point was made by noble scholars quite some time ago, but with one small addition. They pointed out that although it was quite unthinkable, the problem could be solved by bringing in … new blood, so to speak, every once in a while. By using such women to bear his children, a man would be assured of healthy and
strong
offspring. But such a practice would be barbaric, don’t you agree? I mean, the woman would be nothing more than a slave and brood mare.”

I felt the blood drain from my face, leaving me faintly lightheaded and very cold. His smile had widened again, and those eyes…

“I really would recommend against trying anything like that,” something inside me made me say, the something not caring that the words came out a whisper. “I’ve had one very bad experience with a man, and if the circumstance ever arises again, I won’t be the only one having it. Now please go away.”

“You really are delightful,” he said, actually chuckling as he stood. “Once again it’s been a pleasure to meet you, and I sincerely look forward to … third time lucky? Do enjoy the rest of your day.”

He walked away, and once he was gone the servant appeared. I had the distinct impression that the servant had waited to keep from intruding, but I didn’t ask. I needed to give all my attention to steadying my hands, so that I might drink the hot tea and melt the ice inside me.
Not another one
, was all my mind could say, over and over.
Please, not another one. And why can’t I find this ridiculousness funny…
?

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

“But Delin, why did we have to come all the way into the city?” Bron asked as they walked into the establishment, sounding to Delin as though he were thoroughly annoyed. “What’s wrong with the dining parlors in our own neighborhood?”

“Come on, Bron, you can’t tell me you’re even too lazy to get tired of eating at the same dining parlors all the time.” Delin made sure his tone was very amused and just a little mocking, and Bron reacted self-consciously—and predictably—with silence. “Besides,” Delin continued then, “it’s safer to discuss certain things among you and Kambil and myself in a place where we aren’t that well known. Less chance of someone deliberately trying to listen in.”

Bron couldn’t argue that point, and Kambil only looked as if he wanted to. When Delin had insisted that they three go out to dinner together, he hadn’t told the other two exactly
where
they were going. He’d said he wanted to discuss certain things about the group, and he hadn’t been lying. They would indeed discuss the ideas which had come to him, but their presence in that particular dining parlor had another purpose entirely.

The host came forward with a bow to conduct them to a table, and Delin allowed himself a moment of pure enjoyment. This establishment was one of the best in Gan Garee, offering silver eating utensils, beautifully delicate plates and dishes, crystal glasses, chandeliers boasting over a hundred candles each, and superb chefs who prepared exactly what each patron wanted. It had been much too long since the last time he’d been here, and he’d earned the treat—even if he hadn’t been warned to be here tonight.

The host sat them at a fine table, off to one side of the room for privacy, but in a location which commanded a view of everything going on. Delin had paid good silver for that, and expected it to be worth every copper. They each placed their orders for food and drink, and once the host had left, Kambil leaned back in his upholstered chair and pinned Delin with a stare.

“All right, now you can tell us why we’re really here,” Kambil said in that calm and unaccusing way that he had. “You’ve been … bubbling over with excited anticipation since you picked us up in your carriage, so I think it’s time you told us the truth.”

“The truth is that I was
advised
to be here tonight,” Delin admitted readily enough with a grin. “I happened to …
meet
a lovely lady whose husband is an investigator for the Advisors, and she told me about an extraordinary find that they’d made. It has to do with something we’re all tangentially involved with, and the investigators mean to move tonight—which is why we’re here.”

“You’re not referring to the competitions, I hope?” Bron asked, immediately looking frightened. “If you are, then I should have been notified at once. I
am
leader of our group, after all, so—”

“No, it has nothing to do with the competitions,” Delin replied with a laugh, his mood so good that nothing conceivable would be able to spoil it. “But it does have to do with something related to them, only I won’t say what. I have a very strong suspicion, and I don’t want to spoil the surprise.”

Bron began to protest again while Kambil simply looked thoughtful, but their arrival at the parlor had been nicely timed. All protests and stares broke off at the appearance of a new group of four arrivals, each of whom fairly exuded personal power when they strolled in. The ladies on their arms were all beauties, and Bron, who faced the door, suddenly gasped low.

“That’s Rigos with them!” he hissed, as though the man would have been able to hear him if he’d spoken normally. “Does
he
have something to do with the reason why we’re here? Never mind, I don’t care even if he does. Just cancel my dinner order, because I’ve completely lost my appetite.”

“Rigos does have something to do with all this, but I can’t tell what,” Kambil said, studying Delin narrowly. “I’m even less happy to see the man, Delin, so I’d appreciate the courtesy of a full explanation.”

“You’ll both understand everything in just a little while,” Delin assured them, soaring high on the unmatchable feelings brought about by the exercise of power. “Right now you’ll have to trust me, since I don’t really
know
anything. As I said, I have my suspicions about what will happen. Let’s wait and see if I’m right.”