by P. S. Power
Realizing that not answering wouldn't educate the man next to him, Gerent shrugged and headed out the door, walking a few steps before he started to speak.
"I was tossed into the low jail there, with a friend of mine. We were both beaten and raped, over and over. She got that part worse than I did. I failed to protect her. I tried, but... Well, I was small then. Short and weak. It was a few years ago now." Then he went over why he was taller, and how magic was involved.
To his credit the boy didn't let the wonder of that deter him from doing the right thing.
"That's horrible. I... We can go and seek retribution. This ship could do it. We can remove Galasia from the map, if you need. Or, if you can't bear to do it, I will for you." He looked scared, rather than bold in his proclamation, but there was no doubt in Gerent's mind that he meant it. If he was asked, the boy would at least try to go and do exactly that.
Gerent found himself looking at the ground then, "I... Nothing I do will take away my failure to protect her. My friend Patty. Um, Patricia Baker, now. We, Tiera, and I, we cut off the jailers arms and legs, and I took their dicks off too, balls and all. Then she ordered them to serve the rest of their lives in a whore house, being used against their will by anyone with a copper. The Baron there, the old one... two back now, he offered his life to me for it, but he didn't know it was going on. Truth amulet, so I let him live." That was, if kind of the short version, the whole tale.
Wallace stopped walking, his face showing rage, suddenly.
"Ducharina Baker? Timon Baker's wife? I know them both. I owe them my own life." He seemed confused, and enraged, but finally relaxed. "There isn't anything I can really do about it, is there? You and this Tiera, you punished the ones responsible more than I ever could. Still, if you ever need me to help you with this, or seek further retribution, I promise to aid you as best I can." It was a careful statement, but he also seemed to mean it again, which was kind. Gerent waved forward, and kept moving.
"We're alive and that has to serve for now. I do have some other things to do. A man to kill, that I'd like the rebellion to help with. You might give some help there?" He told him the story of Petra, another person he knew, and more anger flooded the boy. This time he did have some things he could do, however. One of them was give directions to the closest rebel county, Callwood.
It was just above County Baker, which would be the next destination, he decided. They moved the ship in, leaving it full sized, since most of the volunteers were still sleeping. He didn't blame them at all, and yawned, then used the new waking device. Wallace looked at him doing it, but didn't ask for an explanation.
Instead he sat next to Dorgal and started speaking as if reciting a lesson.
"Countess Callwood is in open rebellion against the crown. She feels that the King, Richard Cordes, has wronged her personally over the years, siding with others against her too often. That isn't wrong, either. The King seems to feel that she's bitchy and annoying and it influences him to move away from her desires, even if she isn't always wrong. I've heard a list of her grievances and some of them have real enough merit. Not all, but the idea of a Countess that might be a little skewed in her thinking isn't exactly original. Going in with aid won't hurt, but you need to be ready for her personality. She tends to try to demand things, rather than negotiate. The trick there is to hold power over her, and not use it. She'll fight if you do, but knowing that you're an equal, in some way or another, might get her on your side. Especially if all you need is agreement."
That was actually helpful. Dorgal looked over, first at that boy and then toward Gerent, his face thoughtful.
"We could hold back the aid? Or given what was said, simply not deliver it first? It's a nice bit of leverage."
Gerent thought about it for a bit and then shook his head.
"Nooo. That can't be used as a tool to get what we want. It's a gift and nothing more. If we can't get her to help us, well, then we can't. I don't know enough about this kind of thing to really understand what to do, but we won't do that." His tone was miserable, since it really was probably their best hope, if the woman was that demanding.
It turned out however, that after landing outside her main city, which was called Callwood too, making it simple to remember, that things were a bit different on the ground than Wallace had told him. Worse, in many ways. The people were struggling more than anyplace he'd seen but Austra, and many openly cried when they started passing out food units and even food itself. Even some of the Guardsmen that showed up did, when they realized what was going on.
The man in charge, or who spoke at any rate, bowed low to Gerent.
"Sir. We're humbled by this. Thank you. The Countess, Countess Callwood, requests an audience with you, if you have time to see her today?" It was pretty clear that the man had been told to say something else by the lady, by the looks that the other men were giving him, but no one spoke up to say exactly what that was. Probably something about them getting their butts over to see her as soon as possible.
"That would be wonderful! We have some gifts for her directly, if that's all right? Can we go now? I need to hit several places today. We can leave most of the people here. Um..." It was strange, but Erid walked over, as if it were only natural that he be included in the trip, and so did Wallace. Dorgal just waved at him and kept working, making sure that things were being set up efficiently for distribution.
They all rode in his fast craft, resized to fit the six of them, since two of the guard volunteered to stay and help people get what they needed. That, right there, was a real sign of how things had been going for them. They should have been on task, but their leader just nodded and left them there. True, he might have feared attack from the volunteers that had come in, even if that was silly, but if that was the case he didn't let it show, even remotely.
They were led to the palace, which had some damage near the edges. Erid looked shocked to see the charred wood and how broken down things were, as they flew over, but the guards didn't. The man that seemed to be in control of the group, Sergeant Conover, pointed at the mess, his voice calm.
"We had a dragon attack here. With Ancients using magical weapons, and other things, to damage us. Why we were picked, no one understands. That was before the big attacks that came. The land killers." He didn't say much more, but the palace there looked like it was about half ready to fall down, even years later. Some work had been done, clearly, but whatever the reason, the Countess hadn't been putting all her effort into her own comfort, it seemed.
It took more time to get in to see her than he would have thought. About the same that a similar trip into the King's Palace would have taken, except that there they would have been questioned as to their intent first. Here, they were asked things, but the men at the door pretty much just paid attention and tried to work out if they seemed dangerous or not. It turned out that they weren't. Hopefully at least.
The lady herself had red hair that was a bit curly and not all that long. Shoulder length. Her face had wrinkles on it and those around her mouth gave a pinched look to her face. The kind of person that, if he were begging on the street, would have never stopped to offer him a copper, or crust of bread. That she was angry and hard most of the time simply rang through her entire being.
Until she saw them. Then she smiled. It still looked a little icy, but the woman stood up from her throne, which was set on a platform in front of some nice glass windows. The stone work of the wall was all gray, and made from rock that was natural, but had a cutter used on it at some point. That left it slightly polished looking. Smooth and well made, each stone fitting with the next perfectly.
As she moved forward, her arms came up, then opened, finally going around Erid. Gerent smiled at the picture, since the boy hugged the woman back.
"I thought you were on the Moon. Have you finally given up on this High Servant nonsense, and decided to return to your real life?"
"No, Aunt Maude. I'm here as part of the aid mission from Harmony. We hav
e large food production units, and many other magics, to help people. Tam-carriages, communications devices and healing amulets. Home tools as well, for cooking and refrigeration. That's already being distributed here. Some of your people are seeing to it. These men have come to enlist your personal aid in a project. They wish to torture and kill the old Count Rodriguez, for allowing the torture of a friend of theirs. Conserina Ward? I've heard the tale... You should agree with it. Theirs is the side of right, and the real reason for doing this now, to prevent the destruction of County Rodriguez, is morally correct." He sounded very confident, and to Gerent's surprise, the woman just looked at the High Servant and finally stood back.
When she spoke, she looked at Wallace for a moment and bowed a bit, then at Gerent, which got her to tilt her head to the side.
"Forgive me... I don't know you, do I? You look familiar, but I can't place it. I mean no disrespect." She bowed, going lower than she had with Wallace by a good bit, probably because she wanted to be careful about that kind of thing.
He managed to go lower still. Before he stood, or spoke to tell her who he was, Erid did, a smile on his lips.
"This man is Gerent Lairdgren. Prince Gerent, of Harmony. Also the Envoy from Queen Tiera, Countier Six Baker, Countier Twelve Lairdgren."
The lady bowed again, her face going dark, but only for a few seconds.
"I was unaware that I was in the presence of such an esteemed man."
Gerent shrugged, but managed a pretty pleasant smile.
"I was overshadowed by High Servant Erid. That isn't a rare thing. He's one of the best of that number, you know. You must be very proud, to have him in your family. I only hope that someday I can live up to his standards." He tossed off a bow toward the man, which got Wallace to do the same thing. It wasn't like they were joking. It was simply the fact of the situation.
The Countess snorted a little.
"Oh? Is that faint praise then? I've heard that the High Servants are nearly useless, and that half of them have been tossed out on their ear in disgrace. Is being the best of that lot really a hard thing to accomplish?" It was a bit mean sounding, but Gerent tilted his head and thought before speaking. She had a real enough point. Most of those people were worthless.
"If you add those lesser people in, not so much. At the top though? The ones that take it seriously? Those people are the real thing. Erid is... Well, I hope that someday you'll get a chance to see him in action. Impressive doesn't start to explain what it's like. If a person is in need, he helps them, no matter how hard it is at the time. Most of the work we've managed in the last days has been due to his efforts. When I felt too tired or bored to go on, it was him, not ceasing at all, that kept me going."
The woman seemed to think that he was blowing smoke, but it was the simple truth. Blinking he pulled out his Truth amulet, and turned it on.
"I'm not lying. He honestly is that valuable." The white aura of light with its two yellow stripes stayed that way, even as Erid went wide eyed at the words. He hadn't a moment before, but now that he knew it wasn't just flattery to make him look good for his Aunt, it seemed to have an impact. Well, good. As long as it didn't spoil his hard work.
The older woman looked at him, her own eyes going wide. Then she regarded Erid, a bit of a tear forming.
"I believe I understand. Well, I think I need to start taking you more seriously then, Erid. Forgive me, for not doing it before?"
They hugged again, but when they finished the woman didn't make them wait long for her decision.
"I'll give my blessing. The man isn't a Count any longer, after all. Do what is needed to save lives. Thank you for asking, boys. Too often people forget that we who rule in our own areas should be consulted. Of course you'll still have to liberate him from his prison cell for this to work. Do you have a plan for that?"
Gerent nodded, then looked at the others.
"We do. We have an inside man in the King's Palace. He doesn't know that he's helping yet, but he will."
"Oh? Who is that? Or is it a secret? Some deep spy you placed long ago, perhaps?"
Ger smiled, it wasn't really a secret after all. Even if this woman hated the man.
"The King. He doesn't want to risk harming the old Count, based on the idea that others might see him as willing to punish the rebellion with death. I'm not part of any of that. He'll do it, if you all give your breath to it. Justice shouldn't be denied just to keep the peace. Not that I blame him for trying, but he probably should have simply contacted you all about it already." That was naive of him to say, but the lady seemed happy to hear it, rather than upset about who their inside man really was.
"That sounds like him. You seem to have a better take on this one however, Prince Gerent. I'll throw in with you on this. When do we do it?"
That, he explained, would take some time. The first part, getting at the guards, would be faster, if he could make it happen, but after his return in a few days, from Harmony. He still had a lot of other things to do and organize. When the whole thing was explained, the other Counts and Countesses, she simply sat, and took a deep breath.
"So the plan is to not let Marvin know? You need to act quickly then. He and his wife have spies to watch their watchers. It's rather a talent of Maria's. Half of what I know I learned from her. If you've told that many, she, at least, knows of it. I'll try to get word to her and explain, to hold things off. I urge alacrity, gentlemen. This will need the speed of the wind, if it is to work as planned. That no one mentioned that..." She glared a bit, but at the wall to the side, not at any of them.
Ger bowed.
"Understood, Countess. If there is nothing more at the moment, we should go and see to this at once. May I call on you later? Oh, the gifts!" He passed the correct things to her and showed her how to connect with Erid, who grinned about it, but didn't speak until they were out of the room and well down the hallway.
"Well, there goes my last bit of peace. I'll be woken twice a night with her checking on me, no doubt." He seemed pleasant about it, and didn't try to hit anyone, so Gerent figured it was just an offhand statement. "She raised me, more or less. My parents... Well, they tend to live from place to place. Visitors, you know?" There was no sense of pride in the words. Shame was more like it.
Wallace swallowed, but didn't speak about it.
The thing there was that Gerent actually had no clue what that meant. He knew that some people went visiting from time to time, and that it was a noble thing, but the way Erid made it seem, his parents did it for a living? Was that even possible? The one thing that he was certain of was that asking would be a horrible idea. If it had been something truly minor, then Wallace would have said something about it. One way or the other. The very lack of words on the topic was instructive.
He just didn't know what the lesson was supposed to be.
"So, we need to hit Baker next, and then head off to... Actually I don't really know. Anyone have thoughts as to the best order?"
Erid didn't really have a clue, but Wallace cleared his throat, and then looked around the hall they were in, heading toward the front door of the once grand place, with two guards following not too far behind.
"We should head up to Sinclair next. They're supposed to have gone against the King, and then back again. Like Montblanc, except that the royal larder hasn't been opened for them the same way. They aren't on the rebel side, but... They're being slowly starved anyway, to keep them weak. It's a good enough plan, except that the soldiers never starve, do they? It's always the old and poor first. It would be undermining the King a bit, but so is going and handing off these magical devices to his enemies, so I'd guess the same idea should hold true. After that... Well, Harris, comes to mind. They're squeezed into the middle of a group of loyal Counties, so things have been going hard for them for the last months. Have you been there before?"
This was said to Gerent, which got him to snort at the boy, if softly. He didn't really want to go over everything for Erid too, or whoever the Counte
ss Callwood had watching them. To that end he shorthanded the whole thing and then shrugged.
"Galasia is there. Before that, I lived there for about half of my life. When I was young, before I really took to the road as a player." It wasn't a thing to be proud of, since in most places a low player basically meant talented beggar, but neither man with him commented on that either.
Not until they were back to the ship, in the control section, on the bridge. Dorgal was still there, playing captain in his absence. The man looked pretty natural in the position, really. Older than the rest of them and fit looking. Not hard, like a soldier, but still lean and relaxed, like he could spring into motion at any time without warning. It was probably just his imagination, Gerent knew, but the man just felt deadly, now that he bothered to notice it.
Wallace spoke, his words harkening back to the old conversation.
"I... Could take the supplies into Harris, if you want? I know that you may want to avoid that county. Erid and I should be fine doing it. Or Mr. Sorvee could help us?"
Dorgal looked curious about why he'd be invited anywhere, but Erid simply nodded.
The High Servant, it seemed, was well aware of the situation involving him and Galasia, at any rate. Part of it. So his asking if Ger had ever been there had been a chance for him to deny it? To disavow anything having happened there at all? That was strange, but sounded like a noble enough sort of thing.
"Is it the entire county, or simply the one city that you feel averse to? I don't want to drive you away from your sworn duty, but I can understand the reluctance..."
It was strange, but Dorgal looked at him and shook himself a bit. Then he glanced at the others, and affected a large and sad sigh.