Convergence (29 page)

After that she and her other brother grew apart, so when the day came that he also disappeared without a word of goodbye, Jowi wasn't surprised. It had become a matter of everyone for himself, so Jowi was surprised when she returned to the shack and Parli smiled at her.

"The best for last," she murmured, stroking Jowi's cheek once before turning back to her cooking fire. "Come and eat, Jowi, so your beauty will come more quickly to full bloom,"

Jowi had had no idea what Parli was talking about, and grew even more confused when decent food was available more often than it had ever been before. She still wore rags, but at least she now had what to eat every once in a while. It wasn't until she was almost twelve years old that the man and his bully boys came to get her, the man her mother had sold her to. That was when she realized that the baby hadn't died and the boys hadn't run away . . . and even though she was a widow her mother was pregnant again. . . .

"Now,
that
was when I first understood the meaning of fear," Jowi whispered to herself, gathering together the scraps of her courage. "But I survived it and the worse that followed, so I refuse to not survive this. There's supposed to be a way to win, and
all
 
I
have to do is find it."

All.
That had been easy to say, but doing it would prove a good deal harder. The invisible wind of all those emotions buffeted her mercilessly and with ever-increasing strength, and simple determination would never get her across those twenty-five feet to escape and safety. She'd have to calm and balance the emotions, but the way she'd already tried hadn't worked. Maybe if she ran . . .

Jowi sighed, discarding the idea of running without any further consideration. She'd been a very fast runner during her childhood, and could have managed a good deal of speed even dressed the way she was. But the strength of the invisible wind would overcome even the fastest runner in the world, knocking her off balance and off the walkway. No, she needed to find a way to shield herself from the buffeting long enough to get across the walkway, but how could she do that?

In frustration she tried to soothe the raging around her again, and actually managed to calm a group, hold it, and then calm a second group. When she tried to hold those two and reach for a third, the whole thing fell apart and she was back to where she'd been. And she staggered a little under the renewed load, which brought the sour taste of fear back to her mouth. She had to get out of there, or all her plans would die along with her.

And that wasn't something she was prepared to let happen. She'd worked too long and hard to get where she was to let it all go to waste, not even if that gauntlet of unbalance stretched all the way back to Rincammon. There
had
to be a way to get past it—

Jowi stood very still as the idea came to her, making her wonder if she could do it after all. The key to getting out of there had to be going
through
the storm, since it wasn't possible to go around it. Going through meant balancing the forces raging at her to keep from being knocked over, but that didn't mean they all had to be balanced at once. She supposedly could have drawn in enough power to do that, but her sense of preservation told her she'd never be able to handle it. No, she had to hold and balance only two groups at a time, and that way she might make it.

If she held one group on each side of her.
If she released those two and took another two that would allow her to move forward. If she could stand fast until she had the second two groups balanced well enough to move between them. If, if, if. . .

But there wasn't any other choice and Jowi knew it. Her face perspired freely now, echoing the strain the rest of her body felt, but there was no getting around it. She had to try her idea and make it work, or else her lifetime of struggle would have been for nothing. She took a deep breath, ignoring how uneven it was, and plunged into the first of it.

Balancing the first two groups of emotion on either side of her was fractionally harder than it had been the last time she'd tried, showing she was seriously beginning to tire. That meant she had no time to waste, so she moved to the far side of her small island of calm, dropped the two groups, and reached for two more. She nearly lost her balance before the second two groups were calmed, but she couldn't let herself notice that. She simply had to keep on with it, moving three or so feet ahead with every successful effort.

By the time Jowi was almost to the door, she was drenched in sweat and lightheaded. She reached to the last two groups automatically, but calming the railing storm made her clench her teeth and fists with the effort. She'd almost lost the previous groups too soon, and if she hadn't been so exhausted she would have been terrified. But there was no strength to spare for terror, only for doing what
had
to be done.

The calm in the last two groups took forever to come to full balance, but once it did Jowi was able to reach the door. It had a simple latch string coming from a hole drilled through it, but pulling the string didn't open the door. It lifted the latch so the door could be pushed open, and it took Jowi a short while to figure that out. Once she did she stumbled through into what looked like a hall, finally able to let go of the power.
If she'd had to hold it for even one more minute. . . .

Paying no attention to whether or not the hallway floor was clean, Jowi used the wall opposite the door to help her sit down without falling down. The muscles in all four of her limbs had turned to quivering water, and she couldn't understand why she hadn't passed out. Fainting wasn't something she'd ever actually done, but passing out after a time of incredible harshness . . .

"There, there, my dear, it's all over now," a male voice soothed, and suddenly there was an arm around her shoulders helping to support her. "Here,
drink
this and it will make you feel better."

"This" was a cup of what looked like water, but when the man helped Jowi to drink from it she found it was better than water. It began to return a small measure of strength to her almost immediately, so she drained it to the very last drop.

"Yes, you
will
feel more like yourself in just a few minutes," the man said as he took back the cup, giving Jowi the chance to see that he was the man from behind the table in the outer room. "And now I can offer my congratulations for your accomplishment. Your first test is passed and behind you."

"First and last test," Jowi corrected, making no effort to be in the least pleasant or pleasing.
After that ordeal she certainly looked a complete horror, so there would have been no point in trying to play the game. "My life is mine to live, not yours to threaten, so you will never get another chance to do the same again. As soon as I've recovered my breath I'm leaving, so you may summon a carriage for me at once."

"A coach is already on its way," the man replied in something of a murmur, looking at her the way most men did when she stood fresh and lovely and smiling. "I'm afraid it won't be taking you where you think it will, though, because this is
not
the last of your involvement with us. A series of sessions have already been scheduled for you, and you
will
appear for them. The law is quite clear on the matter, and even a woman as breathtaking as you must obey it."

The man's hand had begun to stroke her arm where it had previously rested, bringing Jowi as close to outrage as her exhaustion allowed. She quickly shifted out of reach of the fool who believed he could enjoy her without paying her price, and stared at him coldly.

"I've made it my business to have an adequate knowledge of the law, and I've never heard of the one you just referred to," she told him flatly. "If you think you can bully me into going along even further with this madness, you're very much mistaken. I'm not a fool and I never let myself be bullied."

"I quite believe that," the man responded, looking at her with faint amusement but making no effort to follow. "In this instance, however, your knowledge is somewhat lacking. The laws covering applicants for High practitioner positions are a specialized and specific group, and therefore aren't generally available to those people not directly concerned with the matter. If you wish, access to the main archives here in the city will be arranged for you."

"I do wish it," Jowi replied stiffly, showing nothing of the agitation she felt. The awful man sounded so
sure
of
himself
, and had even offered her the chance to see for herself. . .

"But until the access is provided, there will be no other 'sessions.' Furthermore, I'll be taking a house here in the city—"

"No, my dear," the beast interrupted, still unperturbed but also unmoving. "The law does not need to be held in abeyance until you confirm it. Refusal to participate in the program is not allowed, and should you attempt to do so you are subject to arrest. Trial is swift and the sentencing mandatory, which is five years at hard labor in the deep mines. Only at the end of those five years would you again be free to pursue your life according to your own desires. Is this what you wish?"

Despite what she'd so recently gone through, Jowi discovered it was still possible for fear to touch her. The man was looking too smug for his speech to be a complete lie, which probably meant the mandatory sentence was the truth. Five years at hard labor in the deep mines, where not even starving miners worked voluntarily. Even if she survived, her career as a courtesan would be over, and survival would be far from certain. She would make it a point to check the law anyway, specifically for the loopholes this creature wasn't likely to mention, but until then she had no choice but to cooperate.

"Your expression tells me you're prepared to be your usual gracious and agreeable self," the man said after a moment, straightening from his crouch before offering her his hand. "With that in view we'll get you on your way to the residence where you've been assigned and where you may rest. You need only remember that discussing the details of your test with anyone at all is strictly forbidden."

Jowi reluctantly allowed him to help her to her feet, but only because standing up alone was probably beyond
her
and she needed badly to be out of that place. But once erect she was able to stand alone, and the man made no effort to retain her hand.

"Your accommodation at the residence will be paid for by us, but your food and other necessities must be paid for out of your own pocket." The man had begun to walk around the curve of the hallway, and Jowi lost no time in following. "That may sound like a cruel burden, but after the sessions I mentioned there will be competitions, the winning of which will earn you bonuses in gold. Ah, your coach
has
arrived."

By then he'd reached and opened a door, which clearly led out of the building. Jowi stepped out behind him to find that a coach did indeed seem to be waiting for her, and one which had her trunk in its boot. These people seemed incredibly efficient, to get a coach there so quickly after her victory. And one that had also had the time to learn what luggage was hers and
collect
it. Such efficiency seemed to go beyond the normal bounds of the condition, but rather than mention it Jowi decided to keep it in mind instead.

"There you are, my dear," the man said once he'd helped her into the coach. "The driver will take you where you're supposed to go, and you'll have the opportunity to rest before your first session. Perhaps we'll even meet again."

Jowi made no effort to answer that suggestion in words, but the cool look she gave the man was designed to say it all. Whether or not they met again made no difference whatsoever; Jowi would not, under any circumstances, remember him. His rueful smile said he understood her intentions perfectly, but that ever-present amusement also said that what would happen remained to be seen. Then he gestured to the driver, and the coach began to move.

It took only a few moments before they passed through an archway in the outer wall and were on the street, and then Jowi was finally able to relax. There had been something disturbing about that entire area, and it was a positive relief to leave it. She hated the idea of not being able to get on with her plans, but there
was
a bright note in all that hampering fog: that bonus in gold the man had mentioned. It simply wasn't possible to have too much gold, and if it turned out she
had
to participate in those competitions, she fully intended to make the most of the time.

Once they left the area of the testing center, the drive became rather pleasant for Jowi. The neighborhoods they passed through slowly improved to the point of being quite lovely, and possibly even the sort of area she'd been looking for. Large private houses were to either side of the street, but most of them couldn't be seen by the casual passerby. Only occasional glimpses were visible, but those glimpses suggested the necessary combination of large-scale privacy and good taste.