Betrayals (13 page)

“Thank you, but I believe we’ll remain here for a few moments longer,” Kambil replied, showing a still-disturbed smile. “It will probably be best if my groupmates and I establish a loose link, to be certain we remain in touch with one another even after we separate. That way we can Blend instantly if it should become necessary …”

Kambil let his words trail off as his gaze moved among the twelve men, and most of them obliged by paling a bit before heading for the door. Even Velim found it impossible to do more than nod a bit before lumbering after his associates, and a moment after the door closed Kambil showed a much better smile.

“None of them made the least attempt to listen at the door, nor are any of the servants close enough to hear us,” he told his groupmates. “Did you see how frightened they became at the idea of us linking? I got the distinct impression that their previous Blending never did anything like that, which explains part of their overall nervousness.”

“And the rest of it is probably explained by the fact that we’re all High talents,” Bron said with faint amusement from Kambil’s left. “It suddenly occurred to me that no other chosen Blending could have been the same, not when the Advisors intended to use them rather than serve them. We weren’t supposed to survive, but now that we have and are also to be Seated, they have to find a way to deal with us.”

“I really sympathize with those poor dears,” Selendi said with a laugh from her place to Delin’s immediate right. “They have to have a Seated Blending in order for them to continue to run the empire, but the only Blending available is one which is far too strong for them to control easily. I wonder what they’ll do to try to force us to obey them— and who they’ll use to make the attempt.”

“We’ll certainly find out after the ceremony tomorrow,” Homin, equally amused, said from the seat beyond Selendi’s. “We probably aren’t supposed to know it, but in the past there’s only been one ceremony. Saving our public Seating for another time probably means they intend to bargain with us, our complete cooperation in return for their allowing our Seating to become completely official. I wonder how they think they can keep it from happening.”

“I’m sure they have some plan, which is why I let them know we can link,” Kambil replied, sharing the general amusement. “They were probably counting on tackling us one at a time, but now they know that won’t be possible.”

“How can all of you find this funny?” Delin suddenly demanded, his inner thoughts in complete turmoil. “If we don’t agree to their terms they won’t let us be publicly Seated, but if we do we’ll be completely powerless. And why haven’t we linked yet the way you said we would?”

“Delin, we’re not going to link,” Kambil explained as he automatically calmed the fool’s agitation. “If we do we’ll be wasting our strength, especially since I intend to keep alert against any sort of attack. If someone tries something I’ll initiate the Blending, which will protect us from anything they care to try. You do remember that we can Blend even when at a distance from one another?”

“And don’t worry about our being powerless,” Bron added when Delin nodded jerkily to Kambil’s question. “They can threaten not to hold the public Seating ceremony, but they won’t be able to follow through on the threat. The only official power the Advisory Board has is through the Seated Blending, and that remains true no matter how far they’ve gone past it unofficially. If they keep us from being Seated, they’ll just be cutting their own throats.”

“Yes, of course, you’re right,” Delin said after Kambil touched him with complete belief. “I’d forgotten about that, and I appreciate your reminding me. So let’s forget about those fools and go have a look at our new quarters.”

With that he rose from his chair immediately and headed for the door, leaving Kambil to exchange glances with the others before they also rose to follow. Delin was back to thinking of himself as their leader, but it wouldn’t be for long. And as long as they each had their own wings of the palace to live in, putting up with Delin would be a good deal easier.

Kambil smiled as his group of personal servants came forward to greet him and introduce themselves, and then he let them lead the way into his wing. After he had a look around he would find a comfortable spot for privacy, and then he would do some thinking. Any ultimata would not be presented by Velim, that was absolutely certain. They would be brought by the real powers on the Advisory Board, the men who were closest to the late Zolind and who hadn’t shown themselves today.

He’d been planning to do away with those men, but now Kambil smiled again as he reconsidered his options. Some of them would certainly prove useful to him, and if he found it possible to take control of them, he’d have no need to deal with incompetent bunglers like Velim. In fact he’d be able to rid the Board of all its deadwood, which would be just as satisfying as ridding it of strong opposition. Yes, he’d definitely have to think about that…

Delin made himself comfortable with a cup of tea in the beautiful little study while a meal was being prepared for him, enjoying being alone after that tour. He’d never really stopped to think about it sooner, but the term “wing” actually meant what it suggested. There were thirty bedchambers in his wing, most of them part of actual apartments, and that didn’t count servants’ quarters. The kitchens were enormous, there were four dining rooms of varying sizes, and two gigantic ballrooms. There were also three libraries, four conference rooms of different sizes, and half a dozen small meeting rooms, none of which included his private suite.

The tea in his cup tasted better than any tea he’d ever had, especially since he’d taken the trouble to check it with his talent before drinking it. He’d do the same with the food they brought, and then he would enjoy it even more than the tea. He’d finally made it to where he belonged, to where he deserved to be, and he had no intention of denying himself a single moment of the pleasure.

Despite the fact that the Advisors would try to take it away from him. Delin’s fist clenched in fury as he remembered that, also remembering how lightly his groupmates had taken the danger. Apparently they were too innocent to understand just how difficult the Advisors could make life for them, which was why it was a good thing he was their leader. He knew trouble when he saw it, and was also prepared to do something about it.

A smile finally turned Delin’s lips, brought about by the discovery of the one feature of his wing that he’d taken the trouble to ask about: the section of his personal guard used for political assassinations. He’d discovered their existence by the merest accident, having thumbed through the private journal of the late husband of one of his group of older women. The man had found out about the assassins and had feared he’d become one of their victims because of the knowledge, and there the journal had abruptly ended.

Delin had asked the woman how her husband had died, and she’d told him the death was perfectly natural. She’d also told him that no one else had read the journal, and she’d even forgotten it was there. The slut was such a woolhead that when Delin took the journal with him, she’d never noticed. After reading it carefully Delin had destroyed it, making sure in that way that no one else would be able to discover what he had.

And now he stood in a position to make use of his knowledge. He’d spoken to the head of his guard only briefly, but certainly long enough to determine that there would be no hesitation on anyone’s part in accepting his orders. They would do exactly as he told them to, and the orders he gave after he finished his meal would be a schedule for tomorrow, to be carried out after he and the others were Seated.

But tonight, tonight would be the sublime end to a lifetime of fear and misery. Delin’s heart beat faster at the thought of it, excitement and delight causing his blood to rush about. Tonight he would have his parents brought to him secretly, gagged, of course, and he would sit and watch as they were slowly put to death. His mother, the slut, deserved death for never having protected him, but his father … as long as his father continued to live, Delin knew he would never find it possible to breathe freely.

Tonight would be marvelous, then, and afterward he’d have to think about seeing to Kambil. He was certain he’d meant to do something about the man sooner, and couldn’t imagine why he hadn’t. Ah well, tomorrow was another day, with any number of days coming after that….

CHAPTER ELEVEN

It felt as though the coach ride lasted forever, and I couldn’t keep from dozing for shorter and longer periods of time. Naran had fallen asleep not long after we left my old neighborhood, and Rion and Valiant Ro hadn’t awakened at any point. I felt completely alone again, but touching the power made the loneliness slightly more bearable. It also helped that Meerk was there for us, assuming he’d been telling the complete truth. If only Jovvi or Lorand could have been there to confirm what Meerk had said…

I sighed over that, then impatiently reminded myself how useless wishing was. If Jovvi and Lorand weren’t lost somewhere, we wouldn’t have needed help from anyone. Naran had tried to say she knew they weren’t dead, but thinking about it let me know the same thing with a good deal more certainty. I’d suddenly understood that I would be immediately aware of their death, and that no matter where our enemies had hidden them.

The comfort of that thought let me nod off again, but as soon as our rate of motion changed I awoke again. The coach had begun to slow, and the darkened neighborhood showed hulking warehouses standing silent all around. Some of them looked abandoned, while others were littered with debris showing how casually uncaring their users were. There was no pride of ownership visible—if the owners of warehouses ever did show pride. I’d never been anywhere near a neighborhood like that before, so I had no idea how such people thought.

The coach passed an intersection of streets at the slower pace, then slowed even more as we approached the middle of the block. Meerk, who had been riding on the box with the driver, dropped off the coach at a run, and not just to maintain his balance. He continued to run until he reached a wide door in one of the buildings, which he then drew open. I didn’t know how really wide it was until the coach passed through with inches to spare, taking us into a dim, vast, lanternlit area. As the driver pulled his horses to a stop, I heard the wide door being closed behind us.

“Where are we?” Naran asked sleepily, straightening up in the seat. “Have we gotten there yet?”

“I’d say yes, we’re there, but don’t ask me where ‘there’ is,” I responded, trying to see into the shadows of the immense building. “And people are starting to appear from somewhere, looking as sleepy as you sound.”

“Have you gotten any sleep?” she asked softly as I watched Meerk approach one of the newcomers and begin to speak to him. “I know you’re supposed to guard the rest of us, Tamrissa, but you can’t do that if you’re falling off your feet.”

“Since I’m not currently on my feet, I don’t think we have to worry about it,” I commented, paying more attention to Meerk and the man he spoke with. The conversation was too low for me to hear, but they didn’t seem to be exchanging any secret nods to indicate prearranged plans, nor were they looking particularly furtive. The man rubbed his eyes while listening to Meerk, nodded as he ran his hands through his hair, then turned to a group of other men while Meerk headed back to the coach.

“Paisin tells me there are quarters ready for you,” Meerk said when he reached us, looking up first at me and then at Naran. “They’d given up expecting us anymore tonight, but the quarters are still available. There’s also food in case you’re hungry, but first we have to get the men and your luggage out of the coach. The driver needs to be out of here before the neighborhood starts to wake up, which happens extremely early.”

“I thought the area was abandoned,” I said, moving toward the door he’d opened and beginning to climb out of the coach. “Recently abandoned, possibly, but definitely no longer in use.”

“None of it’s abandoned, including this warehouse,” he replied, helping me to the ground before turning to offer Naran the same assistance. “When the workday starts, our people will start with it. Wagons will come with shipments of produce to be unloaded, and later on empty wagons will come to pick up what was unloaded. No one knows that part of each shipment stays here to be used by our own people, but then it’s no one’s business but ours.”

“Is everyone here part of your organization?” I asked, watching the man Meerk had called Paisin send people in different directions before starting to lead six big men toward us. “They all seem to know what’s going on so I suppose they are, but what about the men who work here during the day? Surely some of them aren’t members.”

“We can’t afford to have anyone around who isn’t one of our own,” Meerk said, his attention returned to me now that Naran had also left the coach. “From time to time we transfer people elsewhere, and then we ‘hire’ replacements for them. What we actually do is pretend to hire people we already know and have been waiting for, making it look as though there’s a normal turnover in our workers. Dama Domon, Dama Whist, allow me to introduce my second-in-command here, Paisin Phile. You’ll also meet the others, but tomorrow’s soon enough.”

“We’re very relieved to see you ladies, and the gentlemen as well,” Paisin Phile said politely. He was a tall, thin man who looked as though he were weak-willed or possibly waspish, but his even, friendly tone and the smile on his long face belied that. “We were afraid Alsin hadn’t been able to locate you, and you were wandering around the city only two steps away from being found and arrested. We ought to be able to keep you safe here, at least for a while. If you’ll excuse us for a minute?”

His request was just for formality’s sake, as Meerk—Alsin—had already said the coach had to be on its way. Two of Paisin’s men went to the boot for our bags, and the other four, working two at a time, got Rion and Valiant Ro out of their seats. Both men continued to sleep soundly, even while they were carried toward a flight of stairs.