Baluka’s eyebrow rose. “Oh. Well I…”
“Let’s talk.” Tyen turned to Daam. “Is there anything to drink here? Anything other than water?”
Daam smiled. “I’ll see what I can find.”
Tyen led Baluka to the dorm room. He sat on the end of one of the two beds, as they were the only furniture. Baluka half leaned, half sat in one of the deep window frames. He was curious, and a little apprehensive, as to what Tyen wanted to talk about.
“What do you know of leadership, Baluka?”
The Traveller shrugged. “Only what I have observed of my father, and of the various rulers my family traded with.”
“You were trained all your life to take over as head of the family,” Tyen pointed out, as he saw the truth in the young man’s mind.
Baluka looked down and laughed softly. “I will never get used to how you do that.”
“You would do it too, if you were in my position.”
The young man’s eyes rose to meet Tyen’s, and he nodded to acknowledge that Tyen was right.
A soft tap at the door interrupted them. At Tyen’s call Daam came in with two roughly blown glasses, handing one to each of them. Tyen sipped; the contents were a syrupy, faintly alcoholic liquid but he couldn’t tell what it was derived from. Most likely a tonic of some sort. He thanked Daam, who took the hint and left again.
“Nobody likes having their thoughts read.” Tyen grimaced. “I don’t much like reading everyone’s minds all the time either. I’m a little afraid I’ll get so used to it I’ll forget how not to.”
Baluka’s gaze moved beyond the walls briefly. “You’ll remember, once you see something you don’t want to.”
“Yes.” Tyen sighed and looked away, as if in thought, then turned back and made his expression serious. “Volk can read Frell’s mind. Frell can read Hapre’s. If Hapre were leader, how would she overcome this?”
Baluka blinked, the only sign of his surprise at the question. “I… I am not sure. Perhaps she would require the others to open their minds to her–but that would leave them vulnerable to others seeing their thoughts as well.” He scratched his chin. “Perhaps she would have to trust them. Perhaps she would have the other two watch each other and report to her. Perhaps she would have to rely on you to read their minds, as the former leader did.”
Are you going to hand over the leadership to one of them? Baluka desperately wanted to ask.
“None of them would accept it,” Tyen replied. “As you may have guessed already, I did not want it, but there was nobody else at the time willing to take the risk.”
Baluka stared, half triumphant that he was correct, half wondering why Tyen had admitted this to him.
“To be more accurate, there was nobody suitable,” Tyen continued. “There still isn’t.” He smiled as Baluka frowned and looked away. “But we do what we can with what we have. Everyone has weaknesses. Yours, for example, is inexperience. Mine is a reluctance to be responsible for sending anyone to their death.” He sighed. “Your weakness is more easily overcome than—”
“What are you saying?”
The young man’s frown was so deep he appeared to be scowling, but that wasn’t his intention. Anger simmered, ready to flare if Tyen proved to be mocking or teasing him.
Tyen took another sip, decided he didn’t like the cloying sweetness of the drink and set it aside. “I’m saying that you’d be as good or bad a leader as I am–just with different strengths and weaknesses.”
Baluka relaxed a little, but he was still wary. His shoulders rose and fell as he pretended amusement. “I’m not sure whether to be flattered or insulted.”
“I’m not trying to achieve either. Do you agree?”
The Traveller paused to consider, then nodded. “Yes.” Why is he doing this? He looked from his glass to Tyen’s. Well, at least I don’t have to pretend to like this. Setting it beside him on the sill, he crossed his arms. “I get the feeling you’re going to ask me to do something.”
“I am.”
“Something that will send me far away where I can’t be a nuisance?”
“No.”
“Are you going to ask me to be your assistant?”
Tyen shook his head.
“Adviser?”
Tyen shook his head again.
Baluka’s eyes narrowed. “A general?” he asked, disbelieving.
“I had something else in mind.”
The young man shook his head. “What else is there?”
“The leadership.”
Baluka’s control of his expression finally slipped completely. Every feature betrayed his astonishment.
“Not immediately,” Tyen cautioned. “You have only just joined us. The others are impressed by you, but they’ll always worry about your inexperience if you don’t prove your leadership abilities first. We’ll all have to work together to make sure you’re ready for the job, when you take it.”