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

by Power, P. S.

  "No. I... don't do well with people. Maybe someone else can do it? Mindy..." She looked at the other girl who cringed a little as if saying she didn't want to do the work either.

  Timon nodded, trying to understand what she meant. It took a minute for him to really work it out.

  "Ah. I... see. My oldest sister, Terlee, she's like that too. Really shy and retiring. Almost like a commoner that way." He didn't mean it as an insult, but Bethany tightened her lips in a very un-pretty fashion and glared at him, even though she didn't speak. It was clear to Tim that the next time they were in the practice square together the girl was going to thrash him, if he couldn't make the rest of what he had to say work. That was always the way, wasn't it? Meet a giant girl and soon she'd be trying to hit you over something or another?

  He kept digging for a bit and tried to hand over the correct amulets anyway. Most were on silver, and about the size of coins, if different shapes. That was so he could tell what each one was in the dark. A few had glowing sigils on them, which would make that part simple enough, but the rest were just acid etched, since he didn't want everyone to know that he could make things that glowed like that yet. As far as he knew, it was just Tor and himself in that club so far, and this way, with no one knowing, he could fake things and pass them off as his brother's work without being questioned. That wasn't going to last long, but for the time being it was something to keep in mind.

  Of course passing them out to all and sundry wasn't going to help a lot on that score.

  "Terlee... You know there's a funny story about her, being as shy as she is. It's about how she came to be married. Her husband is a nice man, but I don't think he really noticed her at first. I mean, after all, she lived in a humble house, and wore plain country clothes, like the other people of Two Bends. That's where I'm from. A tiny farm village miles away from anything of note." He waited then, and handed a shield and force lance to Karl, explaining what they each were and how to use them, then did the same for Mindy, and started making up the communications device for Bethany.

  Hopefully she'd do the job, because once set, the name would just stay there. They could pass the device to someone else, of course, but that part wouldn't change at all.

  "So, my older brother, Torrance, he brought home some friends from school, one of them being Tovey, over break a few years ago. It was an amazing thing." Stopping he rolled his eyes and looked at the growing crowd of students and teachers out the window. For some reason no one had just hopped out yet. That was probably because he was passing out magics as if they were free.

  "I get those back, later." Tim smiled when he said it, but no one called him on it. They weren't people in his family, so they probably just expected as much, unless they wanted to buy them outright. "Anyway, on the day they were all going back to school, Terlee marched right out of the house and handed Tovey a basket of sweet nut rolls. That's a traditional courting gift back home. It had to have been incredibly hard for her to do it, but she did, even though it was a vast risk."

  Well, not that big of one really, since his sister is fantastically pretty, turned out to be a noble which was a thing Tovey knew, and wasn't related to the man at all, which is rare in those circles. Bethany being Countess Alan's cousin wasn't exactly that big of a stretch really. Trice was her second cousin, or something like that. It meant that Beth and her were related too, most likely.

  Karl at least sighed and nodded still holding the rough sack.

  "That would be hard. He was leaving though, so she had to strike while she could. It worked out though, you said? After some big comedy of mischance?" He managed to smile and look at Beth in a way that was a bit telling, at least to Tim. She didn't even look up to glare again for her part. That was a shame, since they knew each other and everything. If Karl liked her and was a Baron, well, if they weren't too closely related, that would be a good potential match.

  Not that he knew either of them really.

  "Nothing so comedic or pleasant. Or bad, for that matter. Tovey is smart after all, and snapped her up before the other fellow in their group could do it."

  Mindy snorted and crossed her eyes at him, which didn't help her look much better, but did lighten the mood, since Beth looked up for that one.

  "Oh? She's the type with boys buzzing all about her then? I suppose you'll be telling us that Tovey is the Prince, and the other boy was the Count of Wonderfulness?" The others gave her slightly scandalized looks, but Tim just let his head move from side to side, then winked.

  "Nooo. Tovey is the Count of Wonderfulness and Alphonse is the Prince, so it was the other way around, completely. My sister is Countess Thomson now. Tamerlane, if you ever meet her, though she probably won't hit you for getting it wrong, since we're all friends."

  Bethany gave him the strangest look then, and blinked a lot for a bit, her face screwed into a thinking posture, or trying to. She didn't seem all that bright, really. That could just be the shyness though. Then, no one seemed all that smart compared to him, except Taman. Maybe his Uncle Denno fell into that too.

  Finally he kept looking back at her and she reached forward and hit him on the arm roughly enough that his shield turned on due to the threat.

  "Well? I don't get how that has anything to do with this. Am I supposed to, I don't know, take more risks or something and stop being shy? Is that your point?"

  Timon held out the communications device and the other amulets he'd mentioned, which took both his hands. She managed to receive them in one though.

  "No. Not at all. I already told the Countess that you were in charge of that section, and if you want to get out of it, well, you can talk to her about it, after the current crises and rebellion are over. I was just telling you a story to take your mind off the fact that I was calling Countess Printer on your communications device at the same time. Hi, Holly. Any news?" It was too familiar, but he was a little kid and not in the same room to be beaten. Nearly, since the woman was only a little over a mile away and he'd be there with her in a few minutes no doubt. She didn't call him on that, not in public at least.

  "Tim. Good. No one else has reported anything. We have a team coming in. Count Lairdgren, Alice Orange, Kolb and a few others from the school. I told them that you had our defenses well in hand here." There was a bit of teasing in her tone, but it wasn't mean, or at least not very.

  "We will in a few moments. Mindy Damic is going to be in charge of magics for us. I have a few hundred things for her to pass out. Mainly clothing. Again, not a gift, but at least everyone will be able to look good when we walk around, for a bit." He wanted to tell the girl to make sure and get a list of who had what, but she was too busy sitting there with her mouth hanging open.

  Holly spoke clearly, as if to an audience. It was possible, since he didn't know who was on the other end of the thing. It was both a flaw and a good feature of the devices. The Austran ones did more, but also had pictures that could be sent along of the person talking. That seemed like a mistake to Tim, since a whole lot of folk wouldn't want to be seen all the time. Still, it would be nice to know if he was just talking to his friend Holly, who happened to be a Countess, or to Countess Printer, who was busily trying not to act like a twelve year old boy was on a first name basis with her. In the future he'd have to always just assume that others were listening, he decided.

  She spoke in a reasonable tone, as if he were an adult, at least.

  "For now this sounds like a good plan. Petra went to the Capital, so we're good on that score, unless something happens. I really don't want to send kids in for that, if I can help it. I don't suppose that you could arrange troop transport if it's needed? I can pay, though I'd love a discount." She was being a bit heavy handed there, but Timon nodded and waved at Bethany, so the people standing there would get that she was going to be in charge of that part of things for them.

  "Two hundred gold for each thousand shipped to the Capital. Add a hundred for every extra thousand miles past that. That's better than half off fo
r this kind of work, and I'm only doing that since I don't want you to sabotage my school marks because you're unhappy with me."

  That got a laugh at least. One that sounded forced, but several others went along with it on both sides of the device, which did let him know that there really was an audience, and not just servants. They wouldn't have let themselves be heard, so it meant nobles of some kind, most likely.

  "Yes, rather. That would be a better threat if you were actually attending classes and not just sitting in. Hopefully we won't need the transport like that, but I want to stay ready. I suppose that goes for the kids there if we have to take them out? It isn't lost on me that the whole city of Printer could have been taken, if the size of this thing is as great as I've heard."

  Timon let his face screw up a bit. It wasn't that he wanted to force Holly to give him gold, since they were friends now, after a fashion, but... Well, nobles would run all over you if you let them. It was important to make it at least seem like they were trading with you, in everything you did, or they'd try to take advantage of you later. Even the good ones did it. They just felt bad about it after the fact.

  "That depends. If they're working for me then it's at my expense, clearly. As for the rest, well... let's call it a gold per head? Depending on the distances traveled and only for this emergency."

  There was a rustling on the other end of the small focus stone device in his left hand and finally a voice that sounded like it belonged to an older male grumped at him from across the room. The man had to speak up to make that work too, it seemed.

  "Damn. You certainly won't lose a coin, will you? Here I'd heard that the Baker family was filled with soft hearted fools. Have you no pride though boy? You come at things like a merchant, not a high noble." He sounded patronizing and a bit cold. Like a complete jerk really. On the good side he didn't recognize the man yet, not without seeing him at least.

  "Oh? I... Wait..." He was playing to the crowd, but made his voice seem serious enough really. "Was I supposed to threaten you with my vast army or something? I don't rightly have one yet... I know, if you don't pay up promptly, I'll have to hold the kids hostage and feed them sweets instead of getting them home or back to school. Then in six months when they return they'll all be fat and soft, and it will be your own fault." He managed a credible little kid voice for that, which worked right up to the point that the older man started to scream at him.

  "How dare you!" It was really more of a roar, rather than a scream. It was quite manly and gruff, not like a little girl at all. "I will not be mocked, boy! If we weren't in an emergency situation I'd challenge you to a duel for your insolence! I'm Baron Talley, not some kitchen boy to be sassing about with!"

  There was no sound for a moment, as Timon sighed and shook his head. It was bound to happen eventually. Nobles had a lot of rules, and even more preconceived notions about who and what he should be. Eventually he was going to insult someone enough that they actually wanted to fight. He doubted it was the case here, from the tone of voice and the slight wheezing that came along with it.

  No, the man was just blustering. Probably because he was old enough to get just how massive that explosion had to have been for them to see it hundreds of miles away like that. Scared, not really trying to make him fight.

  Which was good, since he clearly had a lot to learn about that first.

  "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, just as I'm sure that you taking me to task wasn't meant as an insult either, just an elder trying to do what they think is right. I'm sure you can give me notes on proper behavior, later. We can write them out and make them into a book." There was more silence then and a muffled gasp from the man, but Tim didn't let him talk. "That part isn't a joke. People buy things like that in Austra, and with the new exchange opening up with them, it can't hurt to generate a bit of capital there for use in various projects."

  Timon really expected the man to agree with him. After all, if he provided the information, he could get Timon do to all the real work and take half the profits.

  Instead he growled.

  "I will not be made a fool! I challenge you to-"

  There was a sudden yelling, which came from Countess Printer, along with some other voice that he didn't know, but who sounded like a woman.

  "No! Baron Talley, if you say anything about a fight to the death, you're a fool. Timon Baker is twelve years old, but also a full builder. Those craft he was renting the hire of are of his own making and can take armies across the entire Kingdom in hours. This is a tense situation and a misunderstanding, but if you do that, he will kill you. You won't leave him a choice."

  There was muffled outrage then, and the sound of something hard and metal slapping against stone.

  "Do you think I fear children? Even well armed ones?" There was enough indigence in the tone that Karl and Bethany looked a bit worried, but Mindy seemed nearly panicked, and was gasping in terror at the threats already. The plain looking girl was clutching her hands tightly together, worrying them a bit.

  Countess Printer however sounded very reasonable at least. Well, she did to Timon anyway. Others might have taken her words as being a bit different.

  "No, I don't. I think that you should step back a bit right now however, Baron Talley. We don't have time for this, at the moment. I'd rather you not put me in the middle of this situation. Ever."

  "Oh? So I'm supposed to just eat insults from this child? What is he to you then? He seems to be charging you, not the other way around, so it isn't coin, is it? His brother is the Wizard Tor, so perhaps you fancy him?" There was only anger in the words, not sly implication at least, and for once a nobleman didn't go instantly to sex as the reason why, which was rather nice of the fellow.

  Tim just held his tongue and decided not to talk, if he could get away with it. Nothing he said was going to help, and he really didn't need to make a real enemy in this case. What he didn't understand, at first, was why the man was being so easily offended. It was beyond the pale, as far as such things went. True, he might have really just wanted a fight, but if that was the case, he could have just declared a challenge. Timon wasn't an adult and could just refuse to hear it after all. Yes, he'd lose face, and some would think it less than honorable, but so what?

  The man gave him some clues at least, after that. It was subtle, but in his anger and constant repetition of words, he brought it all together.

  "I heard what he did to save Montblanc from the plague. What kind of traitors do you let into your new school, Countess Printer?" There was more, but that line told Timon a whole lot about what his issue really was, and that it wasn't about him being impertinent, or at least not just that. He knew that a lot of older adults felt like he was a pain in the rear at times. Being really smart could do that. Kids weren't supposed to actually know better than their elders after all, and doing that too often was insulting to the old. Sometimes. If they were stupid.

  A lot of people were though, and being noble didn't stop that at all.

  Holly snorted at least, so that he didn't have to speak immediately, having worked it all out for herself as well.

  "You mean that thing where he walked into a rebellion stronghold, alone and unarmed and turned them back to the King? That thing in Montblanc?" She sounded a bit snooty, which no one with him seemed to notice from their facial expressions. Then, the others sitting in his little craft were all staring at him pretty directly, so it was hard to tell.

  Talley make a derisive noise that was probably rude enough that had it been directed at a lot of other nobles there would have been a real challenge to a fight. Maybe not to the death, but things could escalate quickly, if you had small armies to back up your hurt feelings.

  "Oh, right, because we should believe that? A mere child walks to the woman's door and charms her into giving over? I rather meant his arranging aid and comfort to our enemies. I noticed that you skipped that part, didn't you Countess? He's fed and healed them all, in their time of need, so they can turn on us at a later d
ate and-"

  Timon took his own turn making noises. His was a soft, very dark, chuckle however.

  "Lack of information on your part Baron Talley, is leading you to the wrong conclusion. County Montblanc lost over ten percent of their men to the Gray Plague. More than that, most likely, along with about four percent of their women. That's not including the children that died. Yes, you're right, I got them healing amulets, the ones that would have gone there originally, if I hadn't stolen them in the first place. Only after Heather Montblanc swore to rejoin the King's side did I provide them for her. Notice that I haven't for anyone else? Yet. Nearly a half million people died there, because I held back their only hope. It seemed fitting that I help them, on the other side, when their Countess came back to us. Would you have done differently?"

  "This is a crock of shit! It was the King that held back those amulets, not some boy that's hardly old enough to find his own cock. You're lucky that Countess Alan didn't finish the job and make a girl of you! I hear she and her pet assassin raped your ass boy, is that so? Do you love the feel of a man in you now?"

  Timon went still, forcing air into his lungs as a flashback hit him. As luck would have it, the Larval Assassin hadn't stuck anything up his butt, but he had nearly been unmanned by the woman. Before he killed her. It didn't help that Bethany and the others were right there, looking at him, each with a little more fear in their eyes now, for some reason.

  Timon made himself sound calm. Reasonable even, if a little flat. It was the best he could manage, given everything.

  "No, they didn't do that last bit. Just other things. It was bad enough. So, just to speed this up, I'll take your challenge. I assume that you're armed? I'll be there in a few minutes, as soon as I off load these others."

  "No! Timon, we can't-" Countess Printer sounded horrible, but distant, as if she'd moved away from the device. It was Karl that spoke, his words low and respectful sounding.

  "Countess... Baron Talley? I know that you can't hear it in him, but he's in a combat rage. If it weren't for the shield I have on, I don't think I'd be able to stand, for all the aura he's casting." Nothing else was added, but the huge man opened the door to his right side, being in the back and moved behind his own seat, so that the girls could leave.