Prophecy (55 page)

CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR

The amount of strength we’d expended wasn’t excessive, so we merely had a light meal once Jovvi dissolved the Blending. It seemed obvious that not one of us would have eaten anything if we hadn’t had another battle to look forward to, not after having lost one of our supporting Blendings. We hadn’t known the people in the lost Blending all that well, but we
had
known them. They’d been living, breathing,
High
practitioners, and now, because of the leader Blending from Astinda, they were dead. Our entity had felt only mild regret, but we ourselves felt considerably more.

“Yes, Rion, I’m just as disturbed about it as you are,” Jovvi said once I stumbled through an inadequate explanation of how I felt. “But I have to admit that I’m equally disturbed about what
we
did. Those people came here with a legitimate complaint and I can’t blame them for wanting vengeance, and yet we destroyed some of them as well. That cold fire thing… Is that something you only just recently thought of, Tamma?”

“I suppose it’s related in some way to invisible fire,” Tamrissa replied, weariness apparently still covering her. “That enemy entity was so horribly
strong
in Fire magic… Our own entity held the memory of cold fire, and I was able to produce it so I did. But once again I was almost an individual inside the entity, and the effort was … somewhat harsh. I also had to draw in more of the power to do it, or the enemy would have bounced the effort back at me and gotten me first. They have a
lot
more experience with Blending than we do…”

That utterance of truth silenced us all for a time, as I had gained that very same impression. Even if the strength of our Blendings turned out to be equal, our opponents had the advantage of … better training? More practice? A clearer grasp of what it was they did? Possibly all of those things, and if so then we were very much risking defeat if we faced them directly.

“Why do I have the feelin’ that we can’t use any more clever ploys?” Vallant asked after a time, looking around at us in an obvious request for an answer. “I’m sure I could come up with somethin’ to win this thing for us, but a part of me deep inside won’t even try.”

“It could be because our future shows eventual destruction along just about every possible line of that sort,” Naran replied, nothing left of the diffidence she’d once shown—but weariness etched more deeply into her lovely face. “We
can
destroy them, but if we do it will mean our own destruction as well. Just as they said, others will come after them and in even greater numbers.”

“How can that be?” Lorand asked, disturbance clear in his eyes. “If we
don’t
defeat them, they’ll tear down Gan Garee and probably kill hundreds of people at the same time. Now you say that we don’t dare defeat them, so what are we
supposed
to do?”

“Apparently we’resupposed to do as the Prophecy demands, and
face
our greatest enemy,” Jovvi said, faint annoyance in her tone. “It would have helped considerably more if that prophecy had suggested
how
we’reto face them, as it can’t be in victory nor in defeat. When you can’t afford to win and you can’t afford to lose, what in the name of reason
can
you do?”

“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?”