Convergence (76 page)

"Ah, the competitions," Valiant said, turning his head to look directly at the so-called Adept. "That's what I've been lookin' forward to hearin' about, since that's where the chance to win gold lies. What's involved there, and how long will I have to starve before I get a chance to try it?"

"Oh, you won't starve while you're practicing," Wimand assured him with a chuckle. "You'll be paid a silver din for each exercise you master using ready water, and two dins for the exercises using air moisture. That should keep you for a short while at least, and then you should be up to the competitions."

"They're held out here, where the practicin' is done?"

Valiant asked casually, as if the answer were completely unimportant. "There's certainly enough room for everyone to watch whatever goes on."

"What goes on first is a general competition, where applicants show what they're capable of," Wimand said after reaching over to pour more tea in his cup. "Strength, use of ability, and amount of time elapsed are the deciding factors in choosing a winner, and those you strive against are your skill-level peers. The winner, however, goes on to face someone from the next level up, and that contest is you against your opponent directly. And there may be enough room out here to hold the competitions, but we prefer to be a bit—more formal. They're all held over there, in that round white building."

"I thought that was probably what it was for," Valiant commented as casually as possible while his insides turned over. "But I haven't even begun the exercises yet, so the buildin' won't concern me for some time. And speakin' about the exercises, when can I get started?"

"As you can see, your companion has returned to the first room," Wimand said, annoyance in his tone as he gestured. "Podon was to have gotten him to take tea now so that you might begin first, but the man appears to be unusually obstinate. I can speak to him myself if you like, and possibly point out the merits of sitting with his feet up until after lunchtime."

"No, don't bother," Valiant told him with a wave of his hand. "I don't mind beginnin' after lunch, and by then Holter should be glad to take a breather. I suppose he and I will just have to take turns for the rest of the time we're here."

"Only until the man reaches his limit," Wimand reminded him with a smirking smile as he stirred in his chair. "I know that won't take very long at all, so your patience will soon be rewarded. Right now we could use another pot of tea, and perhaps a few sweet cakes to keep it company."

The Adept rose and went to a nearby post to shake a rope attached to a bell, and by the time he'd returned to his seat a servant was already on his way over to them. The tea and cakes were ordered and then Wimand began to chat about nothing of importance, which let Valiant listen with half an ear while his mind worked on other things.

The most pressing thing was the realization that in order to compete, he would have to enter a building without windows and stay in it for an indeterminate time. On most scales the building was fairly large, but on his own private scale it was tiny and airless and would be suffocatingly confining. He'd want out of it even before he walked inside, so how was he supposed to compete? Compete and win, that is. Competing and losing would be all too simple.

Valiant smiled and nodded to whatever Wimand happened to be saying, privately wishing it were possible for him to hide somewhere. He
had
to compete and win if he wanted to keep up with Tamrissa, as the girl would find
some
way to win even if she had to half-kill herself to do it. Valiant had no doubts about that, any more than he doubted his own ability. If the competitions were held outside, nothing would keep
him
from winning either.

But they weren't held outside, and he had to sip from his teacup to hide the bleakness that touched him at that thought. First Tamrissa refused to acknowledge him,
then
he was saddled with a prejudiced fool as a mentor, and now this devastating news about the competitions. On some level he'd known it would probably be that way, but he hadn't wanted to think about it. No competitions meant
no
advancement, which would put him in the same class as the fool Wimand.

That thought held only for an instant, and then Valiant had to work to keep himself from stiffening. Wimand and the other Adepts worked with applicants, but after this week's end there would
be
no more applicants this year. That would put the current Adepts out of work, so the testing authority wasn't likely to take on any others. What, then, would happen to those applicants who didn't advance? The question had been asked before, but suddenly it had become a good deal more imminent.

". . . and you really must try the fish here for lunch one day," Wimand was saying while he examined the sweet cakes which had been brought. "It's absolutely marvelous, but that's only to be expected. Successful applicants will certainly become very important men, and no one would wish to get on the bad side of a very important man."

Valiant agreed with a smirk to match Wimand's, but privately he seethed. The applicants would
not
all become very important men, some would become very important women. Wimand's prejudices weren't just class oriented, obviously, and Valiant felt as though the fool had deliberately insulted his Tamrissa. She would reach the
exact
place she wanted to be, and anyone who tried to get in her way would have
him
to deal with!

It took something of an effort for Valiant to calm himself, and in some odd way it didn't work completely. A small part of him had become fired up by the anger, and that part had made a decision. Somehow, some way, he was going to qualify for those competitions, enter them, and win. And after that he would have a talk with Tamrissa, one she would
not
be able to ignore. And maybe that talk ought to come first, while he was in the midst of accomplishing the rest. He didn't need the distraction of their not getting along; what he needed was her.

Having made that decision caused Valiant to sit a bit straighter, and even to smile to himself.
The prospect of forcing a potential High in Fire magic to listen to him wasn't one he should be looking forward to, but insanity had obviously claimed him. He couldn't wait to get Tamrissa alone to try his best, and if he ended up singed
...
or even burned to ashes . . . wouldn't that be better than having to live his life without her?

Valiant smiled again, knowing there was no question about it.

forty-four

Lady Eltrina Razas walked into the room beside Lord Ollon Kapmar, enjoying the way the others jumped to their feet at sight of him. Ollon was one of the most powerful men in the entire empire, and he was never handicapped by sentiment. He always did what was necessary without hesitation, no matter
who
it was he had to do it to. It was said he'd once had the woman he was sleeping with removed, simply because she hadn't handled some matter as well as she should have. That made sleeping with the man even more deliciously exciting for Eltrina, although there was really no risk at all for
her.
She had always handled matters perfectly, and also always would.

"You may be seated," Ollon said to the others once he and Eltrina were in their chairs, hers the first one to his right. There were still more than a dozen liaisons
present,
although by meeting's end that number would be lessened as more files were closed out. Looking at Ollon's strong handsomeness, the man still broad-shouldered and vital despite the gray in his blond hair to match the gray in his eyes, Eltrina wondered how most of the others could be eager about no longer needing to report to him.

"It always pleases me to reach the final week of categorization," Ollon told them after leaning back in his chair, letting his cold gray gaze touch each of them in turn. "There will be no further applicants arriving until after the beginning of the
new year
, and then this process will start all over again. Some of you will find it possible to pursue other interests until then, and I do believe I'm beginning to envy you.
Twenty-six years of seeing this through to its ever-surprising end has grown rather nervewracking in my old age."

Eltrina joined the others in giving him the polite laughter his joke had called for, a variation of the same joke they said he made every year. This was the first time she'd heard it personally, but she'd certainly chuckled over it secondhand before.
An ever-surprising ending to the sorting out indeed.

"We'll begin with those of you who have closed out the residences you've been responsible for," Ollon said once the laughter had ended. "You may submit your final reports and then leave."

Four people, three men and a woman, rose to come
forward clutching
their reports. One by one they handed over the paperwork, told Ollon it had been a pleasure working with him, and then they'd made good their escape. For supposed members of noble families, their craven behavior annoyed Eltrina no end. But at least the girl was gone, which was quite a relief. Among the remaining ten there were only three women, and Eltrina was now the most attractive of them.

"This year our efforts have a double purpose," Ollon said once the four had left and closed the door behind them. "In most respects it will be business as usual, but I caution you again to keep in mind that this is a twenty-fifth year. There must be an absolute minimum of five challenging common Blendings to match the five put forward by our noble brothers, so you mustn't waste anyone capable of being put into one. Begin thinking now about which of your charges will be saved, and which will be fed to our Seated Highs."

"Sir," one of the younger men said, raising a questioning hand. Eltrina recognized him from parties and such, but couldn't remember his name. "I still have three residences filled with advanced applicants, but I'm told that most of them won't even make the competitions, much less win in them. Two or three of them have the proper temperament to make adequate Adepts, but the rest I'd expected to send to my father. I happened to see him last week's end when he came home for a brief visit, and he mentioned that he needs them."

"I'm aware of your father's needs, Lord Kogrin," Ollon replied, frowning at the situation rather than at the man he spoke to. "He took the opportunity to visit me as well, but there's only so much I'm able to do for him. A twenty-fifth year finds us short in many areas, and we can do nothing other than cope. For instance, we have more than enough Adepts right now. Use the best you have as members of a Blending and substitute the ones you would have used as Adepts to challenge the Seated Highs. The Highs have been cautioned to destroy only the very strongest of their challengers, leaving the rest alive to help fill our other needs. Does that sound workable to you?"

Young Kogrin nodded and settled back in his chair already sunk in thought, obviously having no idea how ridiculous he was being. This was Ollon's
second
twenty-fifth year, which meant his suggestions had little need of being approved by a child. Everything would work out just as it was supposed to, adding another marvelous triumph to Ollon's record.

"All of you have written reports, I know, but I'll need an oral summary for my own preliminary report," Ollon continued after sipping at the cup of tea which servants had provided before the meeting began. "I have an appointment with one of the Advisors this afternoon, after which he means to leave for a few days of personal enjoyment. By the time he returns everything will have been settled, and I'd very much like to tell him then that nothing but small details need be added to my report. Lady Eltrina, you may begin."

"Of course, Lord Ollon," Eltrina replied with her best smile, privately laughing at the others. They would now be terrified of giving Ollon incorrect information, but she had nothing of the same to worry about. "I still have four residences under my wing, and I've already begun to rearrange them with an eye toward this being a twenty-fifth year. I expect to have at least one full Blending to offer for the Grand Competition, possibly two."

A murmur went through those seated at the beautifully polished oval table of gray wood, a sound of surprised dismay which widened Eltrina's smile only on the inside. Some of those present had fairly powerful relatives, and it simply wouldn't do to flaunt her superiority.

"Most of those in my residences have already completed their sessions, of course," Eltrina went on as though unaware of the reaction she'd caused. "Six of the remaining ones might well qualify today, and I've put them in a single residence together. If they do qualify, they'll already be settled in and will simply go on to the practice sessions. If they don't, their disposition will be the same as any of the others who haven't managed to qualify."