But when Ebro reached to Gardan instead, the man's vitals seemed to be hidden behind an impenetrable barrier! Ebro pounded on that barrier in frenzy for a moment, and then he was suddenly back inside himself completely, as though something had blocked his connection to the power! Ebro jerked erect and stretched his hand out, mindlessly trying to touch the power physically, but his hand came in contact with something invisible instead that didn't let him move more than a single step in any direction.
"Ebro Syant, know that you're being restrained from using your ability by your former High practitioner brothers in Earth magic," Gardan intoned so menacingly that Ebro shivered from the words alone. "You've also been surrounded by an invisible wall of hardened air, so escape from the just desserts due you isn't possible. Do you have any words to say on your own behalf, in answer to the accusations made by those who now stand before us?"
"It isn't true!" Ebro screamed, wild and nearly mindless with fear. "I didn't do
anything
, not anything at all! They're all lying because they know you'll believe them! I'm short and fat, and people will believe
anything
about someone like me!"
"Do you take us for fools?" Gardan asked with faint indignation after glancing to one side of the room. "Our Spirit magic users have verified the truth of what the witnesses had to say, and now they've verified the fact that
you
are lying. Is that all you have to say for yourself?"
"It wasn't my fault!" Ebro blurted, his hatred of all of them exploding to the surface. "You're all the same, you tall and beautiful people, all the same! Every one of you laughed at me behind my back and ignored me to my face because I wasn't attractive enough to be accepted as one of you! I'm short and fat, and that's a crime you people never offer a pardon for. Why
shouldn't
I have done as I pleased to get even for that? I had the right!"
"You had no right to harm innocent people because of your own mind sickness," Gardan ground out, now speaking in a growl. "If you'd ever bothered to look around yourself, you would have seen that you're not the only one in this assembly who isn't tall and slender. But your peers in body shape know how unimportant surface appearance is, so it has never become a problem for them. What problem
you
have is of your own making, something else only you are responsible for."
That was a bald-faced lie, and Gardan must have known it as well as Ebro did. But Gardan was posturing for an audience, pretending to be innocent in order to make Ebro look as guilty as possible. Well, if that was the way they wanted it, saying anything else would be a waste of breath. For that reason Ebro simply sat down again, waiting for them to banish him or do whatever else they considered a fitting punishment. Ebro would survive just as he had once before, and as soon as they no longer watched him it would be
his
turn to hand out some punishments.
"Apparently you have nothing else to say," Gardan observed aloud to Ebro after a moment. "Your silence indicates that there are no extenuating circumstances to account for your actions, no acceptable reasons to excuse them. In view of this, I now ask for a vote on the matter of your guilt. Those who consider this man guilty as charged will now please raise their hands."
It came as no surprise to Ebro when, one after another, every member of the assembly raised a hand. They'd always been against him, all those marvelously popular people, and now they'd been given the chance to rid themselves of him. They quickly jumped at the chance, and once Gardan had seen that total agreement he turned his attention to their victim again.
"Ebro Syant, you've been found guilty by your peers of engaging in abominable activities," Gardan intoned, again bringing Ebro the urge to shiver. "There is only one fitting punishment for such an act, and that punishment will be applied immediately. And, as a body, the assembly asks the citizens of this empire to forgive us for having allowed this to happen in the first place."
Gardan nodded then, and Ebro had only an instant to wonder what the man might be talking about. The next heartbeat Ebro felt a stabbing flash of pain, so intense that he nearly cried out. But the duration of the pain was so short that it was gone before Ebro could react, and then there was nothing.
"It's done," Gardan said after glancing to one side again. "Ebro Syant, High practitioner in Earth magic, misused his gift to the detriment of others. For that reason Ebro Syant's gift has been taken away, so that it will never be misused again. Justice has been done."
A mutter rose from the seats filled by spectators, a sound that was only faintly tinged with the puzzled confusion Ebro felt himself. It was all over, and they hadn't even exiled him? If that was Gardan's idea of justice having been done, Ebro wasn't about to argue. And they hadn't even ejected him from the assembly…!
Ebro felt the urge to smile as the members of the assembly rose from their seats and turned to talk to the people nearest them. The whole accusation thing was obviously over, and now people were getting ready to leave. No one at all was watching
him
, so Ebro considered it the perfect time to get a little of his own back from at least one of those four turncoats who had betrayed him. A small heart attack, or possibly even a stroke would do nicely…
Ebro reached for the power, certain that he was no longer being blocked from it, but for some reason he couldn't quite get a proper grip. He knew the power was there and unblocked, right beyond his fingertips, but he couldn't … quite…
Terror touched Ebro again, this time freezing him where he sat. What had Gardan said about the gift being taken away? Tears filled Ebro's eyes as he tried again and again to reach the power, but he just couldn't do it. The beautiful people hadn't exiled him, no, they'd done far worse. They'd somehow taken away his ability to do Earth magic, and now he was nothing more than a complete cripple.
Now all he had left in his life was the brilliance of his mind…
* * *
Zirdon Tal sat in his study with only one servant to see to his needs, his nerves too ragged to allow any others around him. His hands were wrapped about his teacup so that he might share its warmth, but the icy center of his being remained untouched. It had been all he'd been able to do to keep control of himself in the assembly hall…
That fat little fool,
Zirdon thought as he sipped at the tea he held.
Who would have imagined that
Ebro Syant
would
be the one to be found out and maimed? If they hadn't told me beforehand what was going on, I probably would have broken down in the middle of that … horror.
Another swallow of tea kept Zirdon from moaning aloud, but it was a near thing.
He
had used his Blending to influence that silly girl he'd been dangling in front of those assembly members interested in her, and it was more than possible at least one of the men suspected what he'd done. If one of those men ever accused
him
of misusing his position, Zirdon knew he'd never be able to face the resulting punishment. Syant's ability had been burned out at the source, leaving the man as less than the lowest of the Lows.
Zirdon couldn’t hold back a whimper this time, not to mention how his hands shook. He'd come so terribly, terribly close…
That was when he heard the tinkle of a bell outside his door, a sound that meant someone wanted to see him. For an instant he was furiously angry that his servants would ignore his orders that he wasn't to be disturbed. Then it came to him in a rush that he
wouldn't
have been disturbed under normal circumstances, so someone of importance must have come to see him. And he had to see that someone, if for no other reason than to show how guiltless he was…
"Ring a permission for entrance," Zirdon told his servant as he forced himself into unconcern and his usual negligent pose. At least he had enough practice doing
that
…
And then the door opened, shocking him out of the pose and making him sit bolt upright. The one coming in was Ebro Syant, the fool who had gotten himself crippled and thrown out of the assembly!
"What are
you
doing here?" Zirdon demanded, on his feet before he realized he wanted to stand. "Get out of my house at once, and don't ever come back!"
"We have something of importance to discuss," Syant replied calmly, more … forceful personality behind the words than Zirdon had ever seen before. "I'm not leaving until I have my say, and I know you'll want to make your own comments. If you really don't mind making those comments in front of that servant, then let him stay. It isn't
my
neck."
"What if I simply have you thrown out?" Zirdon countered, outraged over being given orders in his own home but also wary. No one had ever suspected the man of doing anything he shouldn't have, which meant he was clever…
"Yes, you could have me thrown out," Syant granted, but the small man didn't seem really disturbed over the possibility. "If you do, though, I'll go and have my say to Cleemor Gardan. Gardan probably won't believe me until he asks certain questions of certain members of the assembly, but then he'll have no choice about believing. I think you know what will happen after
that
."
Zirdon felt as though all his blood was about to drain out of his face, and he clamped down hard on the feeling. The servant was still in the room, and
looking
guilty was almost as bad as admitting the guilt out loud.
"But speaking to Gardan would be horribly hard for you, I know," Zirdon said after a moment, fighting to sound concerned and kindly. "We've never been friends, Syant, but after what was done to you the least
I
can do is listen to what you have to say. All right, you may leave us alone."
"At your command, Exalted One," the servant acknowledged at once with a bow, knowing Zirdon's last words had been for him. After the bow the man hurried out of the room, closing the door behind himself.
"You're being very wise," Syant said softly once they were alone. "They didn't hesitate a moment to violate the very essence of me, and they won't hesitate any longer over doing the same to you."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Zirdon told the distasteful little man with a grimace. "I'm innocent of any wrongdoing, and there certainly aren't all sorts of people lined up to accuse me - the way there were to accuse
you
."
"A few simple words can change that," Syant disagreed with a faint smile, walking to a chair and sitting without waiting to be invited. "Most of your former associates think that that Sheedra Kam bit let herself be used just to please you. What do you think they'd say - along with the girl's father - if they found out you'd used your Blending to make her more amenable and cooperative? Do you expect they'd laugh and consider it a marvelous joke?"
"How dare you suggest something like that?" Zirdon demanded, fighting to be outraged rather than terrified as he looked down at Syant. "It was
your
Blending that stood together to accuse you. Mine would never do the same, most especially since the accusation would be a lie."
"You do that very well, but not well enough to negate the facts," Syant observed as he looked up at Zirdon, the man's manner still utterly calm. "I made it my business to be aware of everything done by other members of the assembly, and finding out about
your
little hobby wasn't difficult at all. I'll wager anything you name that the Kam girl has no idea of the real number of the men you gave her to, and when she finds out she'll be furious. She
is
that kind, you know, the kind who works to get even after getting mad."
It was all Zirdon could do to walk the step or two necessary to bring him back to his chair. The nasty little slime knew
everything
, and Zirdon had to use sitting down to keep himself from showing that fact on his face. He took a long moment to pull himself together, then he looked straight at his visitor again.
"I deny everything you've said, but arguing the point isn't worth the time it will waste," he told Syant without beating around the bush. "What do you want?"
"Something you'll find abhorrent, but will have to learn to live with," Syant answered at once, a chilling expression in those flat, dead eyes. "I haven't yet made my plans in full, but when I do and I've gotten in touch with you again, I expect you to obey any orders you're given without hesitation. If you don't, you'll go down right along with that lapdog Gardan and his precious mistress Lorimon."
Zirdon, about to vehemently refuse to obey
anyone's
orders, paused when he heard the rest of what Syant had said. So the man meant to take down Cleemor Gardan and Antrie Lorimon, did he? An action of that sort would bring Syant nothing but satisfaction over vengeance taken, but it could well bring a good deal more to
him
. Zirdon was still a member of the assembly while Syant was not, and with Gardan and Lorimon out of the way there would be little or nothing to keep Zirdon from forming a two-thirds coalition at the very least.
"If you're against Gardan and Lorimon, you certainly have
my
support," Zirdon said after the pause, voicing an admission that would be a surprise to no one. "After the way they stole away my supporters in the assembly, I haven't the least amount of sympathy for them. If it's my cooperation you want, you'll definitely have it."
"That's very kind of you, Tal," Syant stated with a nasty edge to his tone and smile as he stood. "Just keep in mind the fact that kindness isn't really the thing causing all that cooperation. Oh, and I really ought to mention that killing me won't solve your problem, only make it infinitely worse. I've written out what I know about you and left the document with someone who is utterly trustworthy. In the case of my sudden death or disappearance, that document will be opened and read."
Zirdon paled just a little before he had control of himself again. For some reason it hadn't occurred to him to dispose of Syant, but the thought would certainly have come at
some
time. Now the idea was completely beyond consideration, something Syant's vindictive smile showed the miserable man already knew.