Prophecy (12 page)

Lorand nodded as he immediately saw the sense in that, as did everyone else, so Vallant went to speak to Holter and his group, all of whom looked even more stunned than their own group felt. In a little while, once all the guardsmen reported to them, their personal army would be increased by another two hundred or more, depending on just how many the guardsmen numbered. They’d then be able to spare more link groups for the Blendings which went with Holter, those new Blendings which hadn’t done much more than actually Blend. From the point of no one but the Seated Five being able to Blend to having half a dozen or more of functioning Blendings all around…

It was a temptation to stand there and shake his head, but Lorand resisted. The times were forcing all sorts of new things to come into existence, and Lorand didn’t quite dread what would happen next. It wasn’t
quite
dread, but it also wasn’t a wholehearted greeting for the way his world was being turned upside down…

CHAPTER NINE

It wasn’t long before their former hunters, the guardsmen sent by the Five, reported to them in the stables. After speaking to Holter and his people, Vallant walked outside for a while to wait for them, or at least that was what he told everyone else. His real reason was that he could no longer bear being inside a building with no windows, with the only exits a long distance between front and back. The hardships of the previous days had been almost a pleasure for him, being experienced, as they were, in the out-of-doors.

It had gotten to be early evening, so Vallant took a deep breath of the air once he stood to one side of the entrance to the stables. Fresh, that air was, with the promise of rain, and clean compared to what was found in the city. But not as clean as what they’d had on the trail, and not as fresh as the air above the seas. It was possible that Vallant’s aspect should have been Air rather than Water, and that thought curved his lips into a faint, almost mirthless smile. But air was simply air to him, unless it was in a small, tight building without windows or easily reached doors. Then it was completely unbreathable…

“You’reone of the ones we’ve been ordered to report to,” a voice said, one that was clearly used to authority. “But we were told to report
inside
the stables, not in front of it.”

Vallant looked at the man who had approached him, a man who was being watched surreptitiously by the others of his command. They’d been told not to converge on the stables in any obvious manner, and were in the midst of obeying those orders. The man himself was at most ten years older than Vallant, with a hardness which comes from exercising not only authority but ruthlessness. That hardness showed in the man’s craggy features and dark, unblinking stare, in the leanness of his tall build, in the broad shoulders which seemed incapable of being bowed. He was the sort of man Vallant usually disliked on sight, and it was a relief that he didn’t have to
make
himself like—or be pleasant to—this one.

“You’ll be goin’ inside as soon as you answer a couple of questions for me,” Vallant said, deliberately using the tone he’d used so often aboard ship. “The first question is, what’s your name?”

“Captain Nome Herstan, at your orders, sir,” the man replied in the same tone he’d used all along, that of someone putting up with those who were inferiors.

“All right, Herstan, here’s the second question,” Vallant continued, ignoring the attitude. “How many men did you bring here, and are all of them followin’ you here? Or won’t you know until you and they are all inside the stables?”

“All told there are two hundred and twenty of us,” Herstan replied without hesitation. “And no, I don’t have to wait to find out. Ten of my men are at a farm not far from here, where we left our horses. I’ve been rotating all of them into the town by that ten at a time, giving them all a chance to rest in turn. We had a long, hard ride getting here, and I want my men at their best when we have to fight.”

“Except that you won’t be fightin’ who you thought you would,” Vallant replied with a nod. “All right, you can go ahead on in, but leave the rest of your men out here for now. And don’t forget about tellin’ the others you have ten men somewhere else. It won’t help tellin’ me where they are, but there’s someone inside who knows this area.”

Herstan matched his nod before continuing on inside, but first he held up a hand for a brief moment. That seemed to be the signal to his men to tell them to stay where they were for now, as the men Vallant was able to see just began to loll around as though waiting for nothing in particular. Which suited Vallant perfectly, as he had no real interest in talking to anyone at the moment. What he most wanted to do was brood, since on his way out of the stables he’d seen Meerk talking to Tamrissa. The sight should have only been annoying, but for some reason it was a good deal more…

“Vallant, I need to speak to you for a moment,” Jovvi’s voice came as she walked out of the stables and saw him. “Do you mind sharing your peace and quiet for that long?”

“I’ll never mind sharin’ it with
you
,” Vallant answered with as true a smile as he was capable of right now. “But shouldn’t you be in there with the others, talkin’ to that guard captain? There are still ten of his men that we haven’t accounted for.”

“Lorand and Rion will take care of it,” she replied with a smile of her own. “Lorand will know whatever place the man tells him about, and later we can all take care of it. Right now I need to mention the way you left the stables, as though you couldn’t bear to be inside any longer. You’restill bothered by your problem, aren’t you?”

“Not when I’m part of the Blendin’, and that’s the important time,” Vallant answered with a shrug. “As for the rest … well, it’s just somethin’ I have to put up with since I can’t do anythin’ about it. If complainin’ did any good, I’d be willin’ to start doin’ it right now.”

“Somehow it doesn’t seem fair that complaining
doesn’t
do any good,” she came back with a wider smile. “We’d all be so good at accomplishing it… But some time ago I had an idea about how your problem might be … well, not solved but at least settled to the point where you won’t be bothered by it at the wrong time. Lorand needs the same kind of help, and if you two are willing I’ll be glad to try my idea once we leave here.”

“I’ve been willin’ since the first time you mentioned it,” Vallant reminded her, trying not to feel
too
much hope. “Even if it isn’t a complete cure, I’ll still be better off than havin’ nothin’ done. As soon as we leave this town I’ll be sure to remind you.”

“Good,” Jovvi said with a nod, and then her smile faded. “And now that we’retaking the time to talk, I’d also like to ask what you intend to do about Tamma. I would hardly be mixing into your private affairs like this except for a very pressing reason: I’m having a hard time blocking out that horrible disturbance filling you. Since it seems to refuse to go away by itself, I’m forced to offer whatever help I can be.”

“As a matter of fact, I’m glad you brought up the point,” Vallant said, forcing himself not to back away from the discussion. “I meant to talk to you about it anyway, since it’s somethin’ that needs seein’ to. If you would do me the favor of talkin’ to Tamrissa and tellin’ her that she isn’t yet ready for a serious relationship, I’d really appreciate it.
I
tried tellin’ her that, but she didn’t believe me.”

“Ah, now I see,” Jovvi murmured on a gentle exhalation of breath. “That explains a lot… But I’m sorry, Vallant, I can’t say something like that to Tamrissa—because it isn’t true. Are you willing to listen to what
is
true?”

“But of course it’s true,” Vallant said, his insides beginning to churn again. “In point of fact it’s been true all along, otherwise I wouldn’t have been sayin’ it. I’d be holdin’ her in my arms and kissin’ her, not spendin’ my time
wishin’
I could do those things.”

“Vallant, it—isn’t—true,” Jovvi repeated, speaking the words a lot more slowly and definitely than she had the first time. “And I will say it again: are you willing to listen to what
is
true?”

For a long moment Vallant simply stared down at her, feeling as though he were being threatened by a large group of very big men. It was ridiculous to feel that way, since it was only Jovvi who stood before him.
She
would never do anything to hurt him, even though some part of him didn’t quite believe that…

“My dear,
you’re
the one who isn’t prepared to have a relationship with Tamma, and I can’t really blame you,” Jovvi said when another minute passed without
him
saying anything. Her tone was very gentle and filled with understanding, but Vallant still flinched as though he’d been struck. “No, really, you
can’t
be blamed for feeling like that,” she added, putting a hand to his arm. “You’ve been through such an awful lot with her, that it’s a wonder you haven’t wandered off into the night, talking to yourself. You’restill here because you do love her, but a vital part of you can’t bear the idea of being rejected by her again. That’s why you’ve been insisting that
she’s
the one who isn’t ready. It’s easier than letting yourself admit the truth.”

By then Vallant had closed his eyes, one shoulder leaning against the stable wall to keep him erect. He didn’t want to say anything aloud, but somehow the words began to come out in spite of that.

“I—don’t know what to do,” he whispered, feeling Jovvi take his hand in both of hers and squeeze it tight. “I can’t give her up, not when she’s the woman who makes me whole, but the idea of facin’ that … horrible rejection again… Every time she turns and walks away, somethin’ inside me dies a little. If it happens even one more time, the somethin’ is goin’ to die all the way, I know it will. But I won’t be lucky enough to have it take me with it…”

The flow of words choked off then, turning itself into a knot in Vallant’s throat. Jovvi’s grip on his hand tightened even more, and loving, soothing compassion tried to envelop him.

“Please, my dear, you have to believe that everything will work out right,” Jovvi urged, her voice striving to match what her mind tried to send. “You’rein such a turmoil that you won’t even let me ease you a little, which is exactly the state Tamma is in. I think she’s given up completely, and hasn’t simply walked away because she knows she’s needed by the rest of us. Let me talk to her, and maybe something can be worked out between the two of you.”

“What do you mean, she’s given up completely?” Vallant asked, opening his eyes to frown at Jovvi. “I haven’t seen her behavin’ any differently from the way she usually does, and that includes talkin’ to Meerk. You don’t think she’ll … do somethin’ foolish?”

“Why should she be any different from the rest of us?” Jovvi asked, her expression now rueful. “But no, I don’t think there’s any
immediate
danger. Later, though, is another matter entirely, and it can’t really wait to be taken care of. It’s too easy to wait just a little too long, and then you lose the chance to do anything at all.”

“Maybe I should be the one to talk to her,” Vallant said, still more than a little disturbed over what Jovvi had told him. “I know she doesn’t believe me most of the time, but… All I have to do is figure out what to say… No, I’ll figure it out once I’m standin’ in front of her.”

“Vallant, wait,” Jovvi said as he began to walk around her and back into the stables. “It might not be the best of ideas for
you
to be the one. Let me start it off for you, and then—”

But Vallant had put a hand to Jovvi’s face as he passed her, and then he just continued on into the building. He might be too much of a coward to want to let himself be hurt again, but sooner him than Tamrissa. He’d done his share of hurting her, something he’d sworn he never would, so now it was time to repair the damage. Afterward … well, afterward would take care of itself. Right now the woman he would love forever needed him…

CHAPTER TEN

After we dissolved the Blending everyone went in a different direction, and that included me. I wasn’t exactly bothered by what we’d done with those guardsmen, it was more a matter of wondering what we would find it possible to do next. I wandered off away from the link groups we’d used, also realizing that we’d drawn strength from them so automatically that the entity hadn’t even consciously noticed the action. It was nice to know that we weren’t helpless, but how far do you have to go before you cross the line between not-helpless and horribly-overbearing…?

“Excuse me,” a voice said, breaking into my distraction. “I don’t mean to interrupt you while you’reso obviously deep in thought, but I’d appreciate a minute of your time. And it really won’t take more than a minute.”

“I’m going to hold you to that, Dom Meerk,” I countered, pausing to look up at him. “I’m not as tired as I was a few minutes ago, but I’m still too tired to listen to—”

“No, there won’t be any of
that
,” Alsin said quickly, raising one hand and looking serious about what he was in the midst of saying. “I’ve decided not to keep
telling
you that I’m the better man, but to start showing you. With that in mind, I’m not going to talk bitterly about Dom Ro again, nor am I going to take offense at anything he does. In fact I’m not even going to mention him again, not unless you ask me to. You have enough things to worry you with this … semi-private war you and the others are waging. You don’t need me adding to it.”

He gave me a brief smile and began to turn away, apparently ready to keep his word about only taking a minute of my time. I’ll admit I was more than a little surprised, so I raised one hand to stop him.

“Alsin, wait,” I said, which did stop him from walking away. “I’d like to know what suddenly brought this on. Only a little while ago you were so angry I thought your blood was about to boil over.”

“It was,” he replied ruefully, smiling without humor. “I couldn’t seem to stop the anger, but then someone told me that my actions were just adding to your unhappiness. Since that’s the last thing I want to do, I finally got it through my head that the whole thing had to end—and with me making the first effort. I want you to be able to pay attention to what you’rein the middle of, without having to worry about what I’ll do next.”