Kingdom of Stars (The Young Ancients: Timon Book Three)

by Power, P. S.

  Bethany took off pretty fast, but it wasn't instant, since she was new and hesitant. Timon didn't run to the controls, working on his communications device instead. He didn't wait, bumping Petra off without hesitating, slamming the indicating sigil for Count Lairdgren down. They were miles away when the sound hit them, making a terrifying rumble. Then without waiting he made the windows go solid. There was a flash first, but it was at their backs, so that might not help anything. No one was blinded by the glare yet at any rate.

  Brown, his Uncle, had told him about this kind of thing, which meant that he knew the right words to say when Green, his grandfather, picked up.

  "Lairdgren here." He sounded too much like Tor for it to be comfortable. Then, they were the same person, Tor and Green.

  "This is Timon, over the Eastern Ocean. Someone just tried to nuke us."

  "What?"

  "Let me restate that, someone just managed to nuke the ocean about a hundred miles off shore. Directly in line with Printer."

  "Ah. Are you certain?"

  "No. It could be anything that causes a massive light, then a big sound and all that. We're flying. I don't suppose you know what to do?"

  "Yes, don't stop. I'll handle the rest."

  Timon lurched as something hit them, and flew into the side wall, hard.

  It could be anything of course, but he had a feeling that it wasn't going to be something good.

  Chapter two

  There was a rattling that buffeted the whole craft, making it rock so hard in the air that Bethany couldn't keep control of it. She just shook too much. That wasn't normal at all. In fact, it shouldn't have been possible. Timon was on the floor, laying face down, using all of his strength to hold himself in place. It wasn't working very well and a few of the people just didn't make it, flying against the walls under the strange forces that were assaulting them.

  "Hang on to something!" This came from a very strained Petra, over his communications device, which was back in his pocket, but Timon got what she meant. She was the Instructor and had to stay in charge.

  Plus, it wasn't horrible advice. There wasn't a lot else they could do, so they all followed her lead, with people making wild grabs for the ones that were being tossed about too much. The impact with the ground didn't register at first, until Tim managed to look up enough to see out the front window, over Beth's shoulder.

  She was bleeding from her face, but had managed to hold herself in place. By force of will, most likely, Timon figured, since there wasn't a lot to hold on to up front. The indication that they were down was that they were plowing up huge amounts of dirt and some trees. That he didn't really feel it happening was a sign that whatever had just hit them was a lot different than the normal forces he was used to dealing with. The only good thing was, when they stopped, they weren't buried totally.

  Just mostly. The dark covered all put about six inches at the top of the shield window in front. It was enough for him to navigate by, after he freed his healing amulet to be passed around.

  "Use the healing amulet. Everyone..." He nearly froze, the panic of the situation catching for a bit, but he managed to clamp it down and take a breath. "We need to get back in the air and see who needs help. Heal first." He didn't toss the amulet, which was on focus stone and wouldn't break, because he didn't know who would need it first. Looking around he handed it off to Mindy, since they were clearly best friends now. Being that he knew her name so well.

  It took a bit to get everyone healed, but they did that in the air, and found where Petra was. She'd actually outrun the blast well enough and was still flying, but had headed directly for the Capital, because they might be under attack.

  The gesture was sweet, of course, but ultimately silly. What was she going to do? Stop a bomb with her pretty face?

  Timon didn't head that way himself however, just looking at the area around them. It wasn't touched really. From the way the craft had been affected he sort of figured the forest under them would be gone, but it wasn't touched. Even closer to the beach, there was no sign of anything in particular having happened, except for people outside of their shops and homes in Printer, pointing at the strange cloud out in the water.

  "Okay, everyone needs to be ready to move once we get back to the school. Petra... How did you get back in touch with me? I don't remember turning the communications device back on." It was an odd thing to think about, but there was a gentle chuckle in return. One that sounded strained and fake, but it probably meant she wasn't hurt too badly.

  "Me either, I was a bit too busy for that. My guess is that whatever hit us and shook the craft like that did it. That or we bumped into things? I don't know. I'm about forty minutes outside the Capital. We should clear the line so I can get in touch with the Palace." Then she clicked off instantly, since it was, after all, an emergency.

  He tried not to feel a sense of being abandoned by her.

  Settling down in the fighting square with its low stone wall and dirt interior, Timon called out to people. He tried to make it seem like he was supposed to be in charge, even though the very thought would be ridiculous as soon as anyone bothered with it for a moment. He was literally the youngest person there. Also the one with contacts and magic sitting in his house off campus.

  "Karl, can you organize the school side of things? We need..." What did they need? Nothing was actually damaged as far as he could tell. "We need to make sure everyone is calm and that we can fight if another attack comes. I have some magics for it. Mindy and I will see to that part. Get everyone to the central square and be ready to move if the Countess calls for us." Not that she would.

  After all, they were just a bunch of school kids.

  "Got it. Sentle, Rodale, get with the Instructors and set that up. I'll go and see what the Countess wants done." At least he had the good sense to seem a bit anxious about that. Timon opened the door with a thought and pulled his communications device. It took some tapping, but he had it lined up right to get in touch with Holly about ten seconds later, his fingers moving a little faster than normal, thanks to fear.

  "Printer here. Go."

  "This is Tim Baker. There was a nuclear explosion over the Eastern Ocean. An attack on me, if I was told right. That's... A really big and illegal explosive device. Probably an attack by the rogue Ancients. Petra went to the Capital, but we should check in there. We're scrambling the kids here, just in case you need something. I have an extra communications device, which will be going to Karl." Timon didn't know his last name or title at all. So he made something up. "Your new school student commander. I have some magics to pass out. Some fast craft and all that. Bethany will be heading that part up." Because he was going to be busy, he didn't doubt. "I should have that ready in about fifteen minutes. I want my stuff back, when this is over." It was a bit heavy handed, but in emergencies things could vanish, if you weren't clear about that right off the top.

  "Understood. Thank you, Countier Baker. I'll see what I can find out from here. Could you make a craft available to me for transport, if needed?"

  "On it. Still about fifteen minutes. We'll assign someone." Not that they had other pilots that were any good yet, other than him. It was a bit of a pain, but it was his job really, so why not?

  Most of the kids got out there, looking shaken, but not more than a bit bloody, since they'd mainly gotten a chance to heal up already.

  Then Timon did something a bit strange, by calling the other three people to come up by him.

  "I'm going to make this smaller, so I can land at my place. It doesn't have a real landing area for it." He didn't have a dorm room, so had rented a little space above the local tavern. It was loud at times, no doubt, but had a bed, and a new magical restroom out back, that was serving as his rent for the room. The Tavern keeper was a woman, who ran the place with her two decently young daughters, and their husbands. It wasn't a new building, but they didn't live in it, so let him have the room for a few improvements to the place.

  It wasn't that
he couldn't afford to pay gold for it, but they'd offered the deal and really, not wasting all his coin made a certain amount of sense to him. Especially with the way Trice spent it.

  Not that she wasted it that wasn't the case at all, but she'd started a campaign of acquiring properties and investing in businesses already, as a hobby. She'd never mentioned it directly, but Timon was almost certain that she'd been skimming coin from Tor for years, and was using these new things as a way to hide her previous wrongdoings.

  Though stealing from Tor wasn't really. Not for her. That part didn't thrill him, but it was clear that his older brother and his new wife had been together, more than once or twice. For years even. It was part of the noble way, and he wasn't supposed to be bothered by it or jealous, but he hadn't been raised in that system, so it was hard to keep in mind all the time.

  Still, it meant that they weren't going to starve, anytime soon and kept his new wife busy enough that she wasn't too worked up over him leaving after three weeks of being married. Actually, that part was almost expected, according to her, since it was clearly an arranged thing. People would understand her marrying a twelve year old a bit better if she wasn't living with him all the time.

  It just made more sense to most people.

  Shaking his head Tim focused and shrank the craft around them, leaving two seats in the back and one up front for the scary giant woman. Then he raised the thing up a bit and settled in front of the Sheepskin. That was the name of the Tavern. It was supposed to be traditional, but he didn't know the origin of the name.

  "Home. For me at least. I have the room upstairs. Um, Beth, could you stand guard here? You too Mindy, Karl can help me with the lifting and toting." It was just a bit sexist of him, he realized, as well as unfair as either girl could have done it just as well, but neither seemed to mind being excluded from the task for the moment. He really didn't want to leave the craft unguarded since it was just on the street, hovering over the slightly uneven paving stones.

  "We can hold it, I think. Unless a cart comes." She looked around, but the street was still, except for a few people still standing and trying to see the big steam spire off in the ocean.

  "Then rise up about twenty feet and let them pass under. If the horses will do it, I mean."

  "Ah." It wasn't inspired conversation, but the big girl smiled prettily enough, showing her nice white teeth.

  Karl didn't wait for him, making the door open and hopping out with surprising agility for a big person, which meant he scrambled a bit to follow along. The other man wasn't an unknown at the place, it seemed, since the woman behind the counter raised a hand in greeting to him.

  "What can we get for you today?"

  Karl froze for a second, but Timon didn't, and headed for the old wooden staircase without pause.

  "Hey Mary. There was an attack earlier, we drew them out over the ocean, but there might be fighting. I have to get some things from my room. We might have people in and out for a while." It was a tavern, but that meant tables and benches for people to sit at. It sort of made sense.

  "Oh? I don't suppose anyone will be paying, will they? Is it a real attack? Rebels?"

  Timon nearly lied, then just shrugged.

  "Worse. Ancients. Real ones, which I can explain later if you want. We'll probably have a few in here that are on our side too... I know that sounds like a joke, but it isn't. Regardless, charge everyone, naturally. You're running a business here." He kept going the whole time, but the woman, who was the owner's older daughter, and pushing thirty, but hid it pretty well, nodded as he moved past her.

  "Right-oh. Well, game or attack, we'll stand with our own, here at the Sheepskin. Especially if people have coin."

  It was a bit of a joke, really, her saying that. True, she helped in the Tavern, but she wasn't all that coin hungry really. No one in Noram was, compared to some places. It was only fair that they be paid for their work though, so he nodded back, smiling just enough so that it wouldn't look like he was scared.

  Karl came with him, but stopped in the door, which was a good idea, since the place really wasn't big enough for the man. The ceiling was about seven feet high, and Karl was nearing eight. It was big enough for a bed, with a chest at the foot of it. One that was made of magic. After Tim got to it he touched the lid and opened it with a thought. It would respond to him, and probably any of the better builders in Noram, but most people couldn't muster enough concentration to make it work.

  The bag he wanted inside it was heavy with metal bits. He had a small chest inside too, under his clothing, filled with coin, but not a lot of it, in case he was ever robbed. He could get more, if he needed, but leaving it in a box above a Tavern just seemed like a poor plan, so he only had about twenty gold with him. Most of that was in silver too. He didn't have a lot of expenses, and he wasn't certain, but he kind of thought that Helga the Tavern owner didn't realize who he was, other than some boy that was auditing classes at the new school. Some little boy that had a few magics to lend.

  In the sack he handed to Karl were about five hundred different things. All made, or at least copied, by him. He'd gotten a lot better over the last six months and had used working for the last week as an excuse for not seeing his brother or the rest of his family. Tor wouldn't complain about him building too much after all, since he did it himself all the time.

  The real trick wasn't in just avoiding his brother though. He also had to stay away from anyone that might work out that something was really wrong with him, since thinking things about Tor would be pretty obvious to the man, if they were around him a lot. Timon was a bit worried about his da and older brother, Todd, who were good hearted people and could keep a secret well enough. The thing there was that they both had obligations that might bring them around Tor in the coming weeks and months and didn't have the ability to protect their thoughts.

  Not that he knew of at least.

  The other problem was his littlest sister, Taman. She was nearly six now and already a full builder. Worse, or better, depending on who you asked, she was smart. It remained to be seen if that was in greater measure than what he had, but she was going to be a problem if they weren't careful. She was just a child and asking her to keep a secret as big as her own brother being one of the biggest threats to the world...

  Well, no one should have to bear that, should they? Timon was still mad at Tor, and still didn't want to know what he did.

  The sack clanked a bit as Karl moved it up and down, getting a sense of its weight. Then he tucked a hand under it, so it wouldn't fall. It was a rough spun sack, made of burlap and tied at the top with hemp string. It didn't look special or rich, but the man already knew they were there to collect magical items, so he probably got the idea.

  Timon secured the chest again, letting the heavy and plain looking lid, one which seemed like wood and matched the room pretty well, right down to the patina of dust on the top, slam down with a thunk. Then he took the bag back, and set it on top of the lid. The knot that he'd used was a bit tricky, but about half a minute later he had the top open and dug in to get out two of the three remaining hand held communications devices that were left.

  Or at least that he had. Tor had more of them, he didn't doubt, but Timon wasn't going to ask for them. It just wouldn't be happening.

  "Here..." He set the device up, pecking out Karl's name, and stopping when he got to the last part. "Do you have a second name you'd like to be in this?"

  Not everyone had more than one name, but some nobles had ten or more. Most just used their first and last name, unless a close relative already had them. Karl however just smiled.

  "Karl Gravis. Baron." He sounded a bit proud of that last bit, and didn't add a number, which meant he was a full Baron. Probably a sitting one. Timon tried to remember if he'd ever heard of a Barony Gravis, but nothing came to mind. That probably meant that it was either small and didn't have its own city of note in it, or that the man held a landless title. If so, he wouldn't have been that proud of it,
which indicated it would be a place that just hadn't been on a route Tim had traveled yet.

  Timon didn't ask, just filing it away for later consideration. Then he held out the sack again, with its still unsecured top.

  "All right, Baron Gravis, do us all a favor and don't let this all fall out, it will be a mess." It would too, Timon knew, having managed to do that very thing the day before, as he was packing it.

  The man pocketed his new magical device, but didn't comment on the gift. That probably meant he either expected to pay for it, or have to give it back. Those were both good things to think, so no effort was made to discourage him. It would make the gift seem more important later, he knew, if it was unexpected.

  They dashed down the stairs, getting a skeptical look from Mary, who let her eyes linger over the giant for a while, even though she was a married woman. They were Tavern people for all they weren't nobles, and the idea that she might be just a little bit more free than a good country wife was that way didn't shock Tim too much. Her sister, Bets, had flat out asked if he'd wanted to join her and her husband for sex, before she found out his real age. They were good enough people to back off once they knew though, so there was no harm in it.

  They didn't stop to chat, just heading out the front, and climbing into the craft again, which Timon took control of. This one was his favorite after all. It was no different from the others that he'd made, but he used this one all the time. So it was his personal vehicle. That was all. It didn't make a lot of sense, but it felt right. It meant he wasn't giving it up at any rate, and when they were in the central square of the school, which was about a mile and a half away from the Countess's castle, Timon set down and asked Karl for the bag again. He was holding it on his lap, with both hands, as if taking the part about not letting it spill very seriously.

  "Bethany, we need to get you a communications device and some ships. Shields too, for your pilots. I-" He was going to start digging for the things, but the girl surprised him, shaking her big head a little dumbly.