Competitions by Sharon Green

that
they
would become the Seated Blending. Adriari and her five were weak in all ways, and their competition would be very public. When Bron’s five defeated Adriari’s in front of hundreds of people, they would become the ones who were ultimately Seated on the Fivefold Throne.
    And there would be nothing the Advisors could do about it. Bron’s smile changed to a grin as he pictured the way they would all assure the Advisors how loyal and obedient they would be once Seated. That would mollify and silence all protests from the Advisors, but once their Five was Seated their first official action would be to arrest that pack of fools. Simply dismissing them and sending them home would be a good deal more satisfying, but Delin said they were too dangerous to be treated lightly.
    Bron’s grin disappeared as his thoughts turned to Delin Moord, high lord and Earth magic practitioner. Delin might have been the one to first suggest that they go against the Advisors wishes, but Bron couldn’t swear to that. For some reason he thought of it as his own idea, one that Delin simply supported. Bron sometimes found himself confused in Delin’s presence, but most often he felt flattered. Delin’s power and social standing were a bit higher than his own, but it was always clear that Delin admired him. Most certainly as he should.
    And Bron was certainly the leader of the group that everyone looked up to. Delin made that clear every time they got together
without
the agent, just as he quietly took over handling things when the agent did happen to be there. Lord Rigos and his high-handed ways tended to upset Bron, and it was a relief to have Delin handle the man for him. Especially since Delin made no effort to
keep
control.
    Bron smiled again, pleased that Delin’s loss was his gain. Almost every member of the nobility Bron knew was as ambitious as he to gain independent gold and power, but not Delin. He seemed content to let others take the lead, which was probably very wise of him. As unassuming as the man was, he’d never get very far.
    But the carriage was moving too slowly, Bron suddenly noticed. A glance at a clock before leaving Nialla’s house had shown that Bron was running late as usual, something his driver should have known without being told. He’d certainly have to dismiss the man tonight, no matter that the low-class peasant had worked for him for years. The man deserved to be dismissed, but now he needed to be hurried.
    Bron leaned forward to shout at his driver, picturing how upsetting Lord Rigos would be when Bron walked in late again…
     

CHAPTER SEVEN
    Selendi Vas, Air magic
     
    “Selendi, dear, why
are
you rushing around like that?” Mother asked from where she sat at her precious loom, paying more attention to the weaving than to her own daughter. “I did remind you of your appointment just when you asked me to, you know.”
    “No, Mother, I don’t know any such thing,” Selendi retorted, throwing the scarves she didn’t want to the floor. The chest was piled high with them, every scarf ever bought except for the one she wanted. “You were supposed to have reminded me over an hour ago, not ten minutes ago. Since you know how I hate to be late to appointments, I’m convinced you waited the extra hour on purpose.”
    “But dear, you were with that marvelous young what’s-his-name, the son of Alette Rumil,” Mother protested in that high voice she used when she felt unjustly accused—and which never failed to jangle Selendi’s nerves even more. “He’s going to be a very important man some day, just like his father, so how
could
I interrupt?”
    “You could have done it easily, and he probably wouldn’t even have noticed,” Selendi told her with an angry glance her mother never saw. “He’s as thick in the head as Alette has always been, and he’s only good for one thing. He may well be a very important man one day, but only if he can perform as he does now, face down in a