Slave Line (The Young Ancients)

by Power, P. S.

  Tor nodded, having been thinking about it already, it was based mainly on the soonest possible departure time. The faster they got out of the Capital the better off they'd all be. He hadn't been kidding when he said that some people might hold a grudge. Oddly enough those would likely be the regular people, not nobles, who were so used to being spied on they took it all as a matter of course and even applauded the Austrans on their good placements.

  "As soon as we have the goods ready for the ship, which is being put together in Warden as we speak. I have to ship some gold in for that, but we should have it all ready by early tomorrow morning. We'll fly from here in Fast Carriages, which should take about an hour and a half or so to get there, maybe less, if no one has to stop to use the facilities. Then we leave directly. It should take about five days to get to Austra or so. We could make it faster if we just flew the whole way, but that kind of lacks the feeling of luxury we want. The King doesn't want it to look like we just loaded you all up as cargo and shipped you off without ceremony. Unfortunately we don't have time to put together a real crew. You get to eat my cooking for the trip I'm afraid." That and be waited on by a group of young builders. It probably wasn't the best idea ever, but they just didn't have time to get a full staff on board. Not without stringing things out far too long.

  "I can help with that, if you want?" This came from a man that used to work in the royal kitchen as a baker. He was good, of course, or he couldn't have kept a position there. Tor hadn't planned on making them work at all, but shrugged.

  "Honestly I could use the help. We don't have that many people going, about fifty I think, but that might grow pretty quickly. We should be set on bakers then, since several of my family are going to be with us. Can you cook too?" He might not be able to, Tor knew, if he'd specialized.

  The man nodded though, smiling a bit.

  "I can. I was a four star chef before I enlisted. It was why I was groomed for this position." He looked down, a bit embarrassed for some reason, but didn't explain why. It sounded like he was proud of the stars he had. Maybe it was a military thing? Like a rank?

  "Good, um... Carlos. You can be in charge of the kitchen then and I'll do the baking. We may not even starve at this rate. Can I get with you later as to supplies? We'll want a list. Feel free to call it in to Warden if I'm not around. Ask for Petra Ward if she's there, if not just leave a message for her. She'll get it done."

  Everyone stood around staring at them both like they'd lost their minds, except Brown, who gestured toward the table.

  "Erin, why don't you come sit by me? Your parents too. I don't know what they have for breakfast today, but I bet we can work out some kind of sweets for you." He addressed this to the little girl, who looked more than a little scared of the man, even if he was just about the best looking person in the world. For men at least. Julie White, the leader of Soam, was probably the best looking person over all.

  The girl didn't move and her parents looked at her uneasily, as if she might start crying at the man or something. She looked pretty upset, like it was just possible she could.

  "Alright." She walked over to the ancient of Austra, eyes down the whole time, wiping her hands on the sides of her tan dress as she did. When she got to the table the good looking fellow pulled out a chair for her easily, as if they were old friends, not someone that had met her the day before. He was good that way, easy with people all the time.

  Not like Tor, who always felt just a little shy around people he didn't know well.

  He waved at the table, knowing it lacked grace, but not wanting anyone to feel awkward. Not more than they already were.

  "Let's see what we have today. I had oatmeal myself, but I imagine the kitchen is up to a lot less boring things if you want them. I'll duck in and check." It was his job after all. Literally. That didn't mean he had to wait on them himself or anything, but he could at least make certain they didn't have to search out crumbs of food or beg at the kitchen door.

  It took about three minutes for him to get to the right place and find Glaren, who was busily talking to her daughter Colette while her older daughter Bonita looked on. Glaren was divorced from their father, but both girls were still Baronettas for all that. That kind of thing didn't go away just because the mother changed part way through, for some reason.

  "Mother..." Collette saw him and waved, which functionally told everyone to stop talking about whatever they were plotting. It wasn't against him, Tor was nearly certain of that, but it was suspicious anyway, since it hinted at trouble of some sort. That was probably just because of his mood, he knew, taking little things too seriously, but still... It bugged him.

  "Hey all. Glaren? We have people looking for breakfast and more should be down soon. About thirty, I think. I said I'd see what was possible. I don't know what we have."

  She clapped, which got six large people, all dressed in identical green uniforms, to grab large platters. They were covered, but Glaren didn't make him guess what it all was.

  "Egg toast, fresh fruit, sweet rolls and fried ham. I know it might not seem that elegant, but we can also make whatever people want to order, if they don't mind waiting?" She grinned, because it sounded like a feast and the kitchen boss knew it.

  She was good at her job.

  "Sounds perfect. I'll just hobble back and make sure everyone has enough. I... need to talk to all of you, before I leave. Tonight would be good. Your father too? And Nita, if you see him before I do, get Burks in for it? This is important. Don't invite Carol. Please, I mean. Not to this." It was rude to not invite someone, of course, especially their step-mother, but the woman had kind of promised to kill him, which was a good enough reason , socially speaking. Not that he was worried. Death would be a bit of a relief at the moment, to tell the truth.

  No one asked why it was he didn't want Carol, though Glaren looked baffled as to why she'd been included. She shouldn't though. Tor liked her. Besides it was about her daughter, so of course she needed to be there. Family first and last, after all.

  "OK, so, here I go... Walking out now and leaving the room as fast as possible... Seriously, going now..." He really did hobble, since everything hurt. Two days before he'd been in a fight. With a giant. The man hadn't touched him, but just delivering the beating had damaged him, as weak as he was at the moment. It felt like his whole body was sprained and that might not be too far from the truth. He couldn't use magic at the time, so he'd cheated in a different way, using mental tricks to make it seem like time had slowed, and pushing his body to the limits of what was possible for him. Now he was paying for it.

  In more ways than one.

  The food got set on the table and dished out to each person as they indicated what they wanted, the servers doing a good job of the whole thing. It took a few seconds for it all to click into place, but he recognized several of them. They weren't friends. Not even people that worked for him, or regular servers from the palace, though they dressed like they were.

  No, they were Royal guards. There to keep an eye on things no doubt.

  It would have been nice if someone had mentioned it to him, but Tor decided not to make a big deal about it. It was likely that the King had ordered it and just figured that he'd pick up on it all instantly, so saying anything would be wasted effort. Then, the Royal guards might have just snuck over to do it on their own, if the actual command to do it had been forgotten. They weren't supposed to do things like that without being told too, but they weren't all that shy about taking advantage of Tor when it came up. Possibly other people too, but he knew they did it to him.

  Brown nodded at the food.

  "This is marvelous. Thank you Tor." He beamed as if serving them breakfast was special or something.

  "Don't thank me, thank Collette and Glaren for putting it all together. I just live here." Tor grinned.

  "Thank the nice Royal guards for serving it to you too. They volunteered to help out, since, you understand, the King wants to make sure nothing happens to anyone before w
e get you home and you aren't our responsibility anymore. Obviously it isn't meant as anything else, since they aren't using disguises and half of you probably know them all on sight." He raised his eyebrows but several of the Royal guards just nodded as if that was literally the truth.

  One of them, an older man that Tor didn't know by name, but who'd helped him out with things a few times spoke, his voice gentle and calm.

  "Exactly, my Lord Baker. Her majesty suggested that we send some people over, and we volunteered. We were supposed to blend in, but we aren't here to act as guards, so no disguises, as you mentioned. We couldn't expect to get past Quavel or Kenner here at all without them." He got a roll set up on Erin's plate and smiled at the young lady, who looked at him wide eyed. After all, if you lived in Noram, you learned to fear the Royal guard, by reputation if nothing else.

  "Would you like honey on your egg toast? Or perhaps maple syrup? We have both." He waited for the girl to decide, even as her parents both indicated they wanted the maple.

  "Honey please."

  Tor nodded. Everyone in Noram had honey on their egg toast or pancakes. Maple syrup was eaten, but mainly on cakes. Most of the Austrans seemed to prefer it, but Erin and the others from Noram ate honey as was proper. Because they were of the land they were in. The one they all had to leave for whatever reason. It made him think hard for a few moments, being distracted only when the Lairdgren group came in to join them.

  They all looked a little shy about it, except Lyn, who took the chair directly next to Brown, and Tor's own brother Timon. He wanted to be called Weasel still, so Tor made the mental adjustment again so he wouldn't insult the boy by mistake. He was only eleven going on twelve in a few weeks, but a full Builder already, even without having gone to school for it. His mother and sister Tiera had gone to stay at the Thomson estate in town, since Count and Countess Thomson were there for another two weeks to see to matters of state after Postern.

  Weasel grinned as a strong looking tall woman in green stepped up behind him and started loading up a plate, leaning in to ask what he wanted very softly. Sandra got instant service too and so did Farlo. Everyone else had to wait though. The older man grimaced a little and shrugged at Tor, then walked over to where he stood near the wall, out of the way.

  "Well, this skews things nicely, doesn't it? The nobles get served first, of course, but who goes after that? It's clear that the wizards are all important people and we were told to treat the Austrans as honored guests... There is no protocol for this though, or if there is, I don't know it. Any suggestions?" He sounded serious, so Tor thought about it for a moment. It was potentially important, wasn't it?

  Well, there was only one thing to do really.

  Ask Quavel.

  Spy or not the man had been the Queen's personal butler for over a decade. If anyone knew how to handle something like this he would. Tor made his way over slowly and whispered the problem in the man's ear, which got him to smile for some reason.

  "Ah... Simple enough, in a situation where the rank, or relative position of a person is either unknown or cannot be judged, the correct thing is to start at the highest ranking person on either side of the table and then work down to the left. In this case it will require doubling back, since the highest ranking people sat in the wrong places, but I doubt anyone will mind overly. They probably won't even notice. All my people are just glad you haven't decided on a spot of torture first and the Lairdgren group is young enough to not worry overly about position yet, I think." He'd whispered all of this, so that no one else could hear him, except Tor.

  "Thanks." Tor went back to the Royal guard and explained it all, which got a simple nod from the fellow. He gave Quavel one too.

  Then they probably knew each other, having worked in the same place for all those years. It wasn't something that made Tor happy at all when he thought about it. They'd been very close to the royal family after all. Undetected until the Ancient of Austra had ordered them to all turn themselves in as a goodwill gesture. The shocking thing there had been that they all had. Tor would have bet they would have scattered, fearing for their lives. Apparently, for all their faults, the Austrans believed in their Ancient totally.

  Then, they were from there, and Brown really was a good enough person. Not the sort to tell his people to sacrifice their lives on a whim.

  That just meant that the Noram citizens going there for love, or in Erin's case because her parents had to, needed to be cared for by their own people in return. Some things were very different there, like the fact that people didn't hold to family as closely. The government didn't protect the people as much either, not that Noram was perfect that way, at least if you weren't wealthy or of noble birth. Still, that didn't mean he was going to leave them hanging in the wind, did it?

  "Weasel, how much do you think it will cost to take someone to and from Austra once you start your fast transport service? It's about five thousand miles each way from here." Possibly more, but Tor thought that was about right.

  The boy tilted his head a little and after a bit counted on his fingers.

  "Ten gold for every thousand miles. The whole trip would be a hundred gold even." He took a bite of egg toast, which he ate with nothing on it, then watched Tor closely, as if he expected to be chastised for having his prices too high.

  Tor thought so, but Denno, and oddly Kenner, both nodded. It was Brown that spoke though.

  "That's about right, given everything. It's less than a trip like that would be expected to cost otherwise going over land and sea and will take a fraction of the time. Really, given everything we might want to open a regular trip between each of the continents. Slightly better communication can't hurt." The Ancient looked wistful for a moment.

  "We used to have a lot more travel, before things fell apart."

  Tor shrugged.

  "Alright. Well, for now, I'd like to open up free transportation for our citizens that are moving there. If that won't have them named spies or anything, on the Austran side I mean? I don't know, maybe some of you would want to hire on with Weasel as drivers? Then you can visit your friends and family here regularly." He swallowed and looked at the far wall before saying the next part. Someone had to at least offer though, didn't they? Erin was one of theirs and shouldn't be yanked away from her homeland totally. She wasn't even old enough to decide not to go on her own.

  "I... Would it be alright if Erin came to spend summers here? Or, really with some of my relatives? If she wants to I mean." He asked Denno, who beamed at him again, but then looked at the girl's parents, since it was their decision, though he nodded that it would be OK. They both looked freaked out by the idea for some reason.

  Not just a bit either. He really didn't get it at all, and Denno seemed just as baffled until Quavel spoke from his own seat down the table.

  "I assure you all that Lord Baker is a most honorable man. You heard that he killed Baron Rochester the other day no doubt?" He addressed this to the parents, both of whom looked uncomfortable with the topic.

  The father answered.

  "Saw it. Most frightening thing I've seen the whole time I've been here. Straight up executed the man with his bare hands. Didn't have to either, from what I could tell. Not that I blame you, sir, after the man pulled a knife on you like that in an unarmed fight, but still..." He didn't finish with how that didn't mean he'd want to trust his own daughter with someone that could do that. He was thinking it though. Tor could feel it pouring off of him without even trying.

  Quavel smiled. It was a look more genuine than what he normally managed.

  "The Baron was..." He looked at the youngsters at the table and then at Tor, censoring what he said as he went.

  "He was harming a young boy, most probably several as that sort is prone to do, and had promised to harm more when the fight was over. A child that Lord Baker had never even seen before. That was why he killed the man and made certain he'd stay dead. I'm not saying you should have your daughter coming and going like that, it's no
t my decision. Just don't think that Tor is a danger to her. Probably already thinks of her as a family member or something. That's the Noram way after all." He chuckled a bit and for some reason most of the others did as well. The spies did at least.

  Brown ate through the whole thing, not looking at anyone while he did. Finally he glanced at Weasel and smiled.

  "I get a discount on rides, don't I? Being family and all?"

  Tor knew the answer, but his little brother spoke without hesitation.

  "Of course. Free even. Erin and our other people moving there too. Still, it would be good if any of you wanted to try it as a job, at least part time. I know that Austra has their own speedy craft, but..." He just stopped talking as Denno shook his head.

  "Not exactly. The military has some fast airplanes, but they don't take passengers. It's forbidden to have commercial craft that use non-renewable resources. Your "Sky carriages" don't have an energy load though, do they? I don't understand it, but the sensors say it's true."

  Then the Ancient got stuck explaining the idea of the treaty. It was an accord of the Ancients that outlined what each land could do or not, in order to protect the planet. Magic wasn't listed in it anywhere, and since what Tor had built didn't stress natural resources at all, it probably wouldn't be an issue later. That was good to know, even if Tor wasn't strictly bound by it anyway. At least that's what Green kept saying.

  Denno gestured toward Timon.

  "So, really, it's a good idea. Maybe a very good one. True, only the very wealthy could afford it at first, but that just means that their wealth has a chance of going back into the population. Especially if some of your employees live in each part of the world."

  They chatted like that while everyone ate, which took about half an hour. Most of the people there didn't have a lot to do until they left, so they had no reason to hurry. Tor didn't either, but most of the Lairdgren group did, his meeting. He paced a bit, trying to keep from stiffening up totally as he waited, finally heading out to the sitting room where the get-together was to be held when it got close enough in time to not look lazy for sitting down. It was empty inside when he got there, but the room was bigger now than it had been last time he'd been in it, two days before. Touching the wall he focused on having the house produce some nice brown sofas. They popped into place, just appearing as if he'd blinked and they'd always been there.