Strange Land (The Young Ancients Book 15)

by P. S. Power

  That news got King Richard to move in, his red hair moving just a little as he shifted toward her.

  "Truly now? That's interesting. I don't suppose that could work again the same way? Have some people move in and beg them to accept sturdy shelter? It seems backwards, asking them to take such things, but we don't have time to sit back and wait for them any longer. Things are getting too dire, and we're losing too many people, worldwide. Our own losses here have been in the millions this year alone. I take it that theirs have been worse?"

  "Yes. So much so I can only guess at the true number. I think that more than half of their people are gone already, Sire. Even with food, I doubt that half that will make it to next year. If I could pull it off I'd move them to Harmony. That, or one of the new space stations. The problem there is that the vast majority of them can't even bring themselves to try and tap an amulet on. I don't really know what to do."

  For the first time she could remember, King Richard closed his eyes in her presence, but spoke instantly. It wasn't a thinking trance, which she'd seen before. It was commiseration.

  "That is one of the hardest parts of being a good ruler, Sara. How do you help those that can't see you have their best interest at heart? You can extend a hand to them, but not make them take it. That would be the move I'd make. Go to them, and make the offer, and see who takes it. Perhaps with more begging? It's harmful to the soul, and I wouldn't ask it of you, but if there is no other way, that might be the only thing standing between your new people and death."

  She managed a somber smile then.

  "My new people? You mean for the next... Thirty-nine hours? That would be a trick, getting them to do anything useful in that short of a time."

  The large man chuckled a bit, then shook his head.

  "Do you really think that Terrance Baker, after seeing what you've done there, is planning to simply let you go? My guess is that he has a real, and probably loftier, situation in mind for you. In all the world Sara, only you have managed to get the people there to eat the food provided. Gerent Lairdgren was driven from that place three times. So were the others that were sent in. You, and no other, have made a significant change there. Not that I wish to lose you from my employ. You're good at your job. Dedicated, and willing to sacrifice for the sake of others. I can certainly see why he'd want you, however."

  The look that passed between them was a lot less telling than she would have liked. It was, she guessed, possible that Terry was looking to set up a marriage alliance with her. Except that he didn't need anything she could bring to the game. Plus, he was what now, eleven? Twelve? True, his brother Tim had married at that age, but it wasn't the norm at all.

  No, it wouldn't be that yet. He hadn't sounded ready to toss her in jail though, so it could be a new job of some kind. What that would be, she wasn't going to hazard a guess. The Baker family had some odd ideas about what a good position really was, after all. Most of them kept being promoted to lofty heights and then turning the power back to someone else, as if it were a burden to be gotten rid of.

  Then, they were gifted with even greater power.

  Being a dutiful and well trained spy, she gave a full report, not leaving anything out, including how she was having Roget entertained by her mother, and the fact that the poor man would probably end up spending months in prayer over it. When she got to the end of that story she shook her head a little.

  "He has to learn though. If he's made the new Ambassador, or even just Terry's assistant, he has to have our ways down too. Anything else will just cause problems. Luckily for him he isn't that great looking. Average really. Not anything to complain about, but he shouldn't be the new pretty of the noble world, either." She had to keep a wince off her own face then, since she'd managed to come very close to insulting the man. Being a Doretta was exactly what she wanted to help him avoid. Becoming one herself wouldn't aid in that.

  The King caught the slight, but went on, taking her correction at the end as being enough to redeem herself, for the time being. Thankfully.

  "I should meet with him. Perhaps on your next trip here?" He smiled then and stood, walking around the table in two large steps as she rose herself. Then his large hand touched her shoulder gently. "If not, then perhaps we can request that Prince Gerent bring him? I'll make an effort to ensure he meets only the correct people."

  Meaning that he wouldn't leave the man unattended for the noble vultures to have at, she hoped.

  "I'll set that up, Sire. I'm certain that can happen soon."

  Then they spoke a bit more, making pleasant chatter about the weather, which wasn't good, and dire things that made the whole leaving process feel sad, rather than normal. What was needed for her new land, which was how he kept putting it, and what Noram needed. He also kept a hand on her the whole time they were walking up the stairs. It wasn't flirting either, but was rather more stately than that. He was actually treating her like an important person.

  Someone that even a King might need a favor from some day.

  Given that she worked for him, that seemed a bit odd. It did fit the act they had going on however, so she returned the light touches, hitting his lower arms mainly. It was a risk, since he might want to have sex with her, but if so, she'd survive it. She was nearly certain that the man, while large all over, wasn't as extreme in some ways as could be had. No one had ever mentioned him being over endowed at any rate. Not to her. If anything, the gossip had him as being proportional, but not so much so that he'd cause a woman pain. That was a real problem with a lot of noble men of size. They were so big that they'd hurt women, just by having relations with them.

  Then, who'd complain about the King that way?

  Not Sara, even though she'd never gotten the chance to check for herself. It was really kind of a relief, because, if he was too much for her, she'd just have to suffer through it, paste a smile on her face and tell him how wonderful he was. Being King, it was probably all he'd ever heard in that regard.

  They parted with a lot more bowing, some of it toward her for once, than she would have expected, all things considered. Ambassador of the day or not. It was almost like King Richard was trying to tell her something. Signaling to her that she was worth more to him than some silly Ambassador from a different land? A strange place where an imagined being ruled, and not a proper monarch?

  Probably not. He might have also just been playing with her. She was kind of a girl that he'd had around for years after all. One that most of the people watching him probably suspected of being either a spy or a piece of flesh for him to use when he liked. Given that one of those was actually correct, it made sense for him to try and change the playing field now, didn't it? To confuse those that might have the right idea?

  Regardless, even though luncheon was served at two and they'd finished talking things out by four, Sara had to get ready for her date with Squire Gemma. If her little brother weren't going to be put to death that day for his crimes, there was really no reason for her to rush off and miss that. Making a new contact was too valuable to put off, and just ditching the girl would cause hard feelings. It was better for her to keep her word anyway.

  Besides, after months in Tellerand, she really wanted a drink. The desire for it came over her hard enough she nearly went back to her mother's to start early. Hopefully though Heather would still be changing Roget's mind about what kinds of things were proper to do with friends. At least in the land he currently was in. If not... Well, Sara didn't really like the fellow all that much. It wasn't that he was bad, really, or anything like that. She certainly wouldn't call him names or suggest he was less than desirable. That could be social suicide and she'd come to that point too closely already that day. In front of the King too.

  It was just that she couldn't help shake the feeling that he didn't really take her seriously as a person. He was polite enough, by his own standards. All the men in that place had been. It was just that they also all kept acting like she was... Less than they were. Because she was a wo
man. Each man that bothered to talk to her would look away, and then give orders half the time, without even realizing they were doing it.

  Not that she could prove they didn't know about it, that was just the only thing that had allowed her to refrain from hitting a few of them with a force lance to the middle. That and the fact that the one she was carrying, a thing most there wouldn't even see as a weapon, would have killed anyone not wearing a shield. It had still been tempting, and well before the end of the walking tour they'd been on.

  So if she didn't have to spend a lot of time with Roget, that was all to the good. Most of the time, if she'd spent three months with any man, or woman for that matter, they would have been fast friends. She'd even gotten close with a few from Austra in that time. Even Sam from Vagus was closer to her than Roget was, and they'd barely spoken the entire time. The man had bothered to smile at her from time to time though, hadn't he? Even as they all suffered from horrible blisters and infections.

  So that meant she had time to kill.

  It was a bit of a shock, realizing that. Normally she would have gone shopping about that time, if she had nothing better to do. She grinned at the thought, knowing that what she had in mind was a lot different than what most people would have meant. She liked to go to the central market and pick up unique goods, so that her brother, Kurt, could replicate them in his shop.

  Right now that was probably a poor plan though. So for once Sara felt almost at loose ends.

  Climbing into her jump ship, which was still made small for town driving, she headed straight up into the air, wondering where all her friends had gotten to. Most of them were still around, and not hidden up on the Moon, after all. Flynn for instance would be off working for some noble or another, making focus stone carvings for their gardens, or doing decorative trims for their great houses.

  It normally paid to look him up, since the man was decent looking and nicely attentive, even outside of bed, but she only had about three hours before she'd need to get ready. That would take all of five minutes however, given all the magic she had on her. Taking another bath sounded nice, but there was a small chance that Roget and Heather wouldn't be out of the bathing room yet. Not that big of one, but she really didn't feel like risking it.

  So, not really understanding why, Sara went almost straight up in the air, then landed next to a large black focus stone aircraft in the walled compound that was Timon's palace. It was in what had been the battlefield. The largest attack on the Capital in generations. Thousands of men and women had died in that attack.

  Most of them the enemy. The rebels had come in with Austran death weapons, rockets, and had started to pummel the city. That had gotten some school kids from thousands of miles away to come and handle it. About fifty of them, if she heard right. Against thousands of armed men and women.

  It had been a slaughter. The Lairdgren kids had come in fast craft, and all had good shields. Tor had led them, but it had been Queen Tiera and Weapons Master Kolb that had taken the lion's share in death. Those two people had killed thousands each. Even her little friend Tor had killed hundreds or more. It still didn't seem like something he could do.

  Except, when she thought about it, it really did. Oh, he was kind and gentle most of the time, but she'd never seen him back away from a fight, had she? Not one where anyone else would have been at risk. It was part of why she loved him. Even now that he'd changed himself, and become a giant. There was still something about him that drew her in. Called to her inner self so strongly that she almost couldn't resist him.

  It really wasn't fair, was it? That she was trapped in love with him, and she knew that he could really just take or leave her. It had always been that way. At first it had seemed like Tor just really loved Trice, but she was being spurned a lot harder than Sara was now. It was almost like her friend just didn't really love anyone at all. Oh, he did all the right things, and said the correct words, but if she were the wizard and he was just a normal person, she was willing to bet that inside he'd feel... Kind of blank, in that regard.

  A great man, truly. A hero. Almost anyone in the world would admit to that. Even the people that hated him for being too... Everything that he was.

  There was also a great sadness inside of him. It didn't show a lot, not on the outside, but Sara had caught the looks that settled on his face when no one else was around to see. That had come after whatever Timon had done to remove the Ancient King from his mind. Cordes the Great.

  She'd seen parts of it, and had word from Tiera that both Tim and Tor had almost died in the attempt. Wasting away in front of the rest of them, locked in a working of magic so great and detailed that even they had both expected to dissolve into nothingness during the attempt. It had worked, but both of them were different now.

  Tim was so focused all the time that he seemed to barely be present, even as he addressed a person directly. If he turned his full attention their way it came off of him as a nearly physical force. Pushing you back.

  Tor was as bad that way, but it was like he'd been changed more. The sparkling smiles he used to give everyone had faded. Now it seemed like he had to work to just remember her name most of the time. When they had sex... Well, he wasn't really there, was he? His mind was always working on something else. True, there was damage there, and some things had been lost. Taken from him, in order to free his mind from the evil being that tried to possess him. It had to be done, but it was hard to look at the results and think that it had all worked out for the best.

  This was what she was thinking about when she stepped out into the smooth focus stone courtyard. It was a landing area for flying vehicles really, or at least the part she was in was. There were trees and bushes too. Both inside and outside the stone wall that surrounded the incredible looking place. It was all magic of course. Everything good was anymore.

  Sara didn't really know why she'd come, but went to the large front door. It was inlaid with what seemed to be silver metal, and when she used the bell a chime rang out that was both pure and louder than she would have expected. It hadn't been like that the last time she'd been there, had it?

  To her surprise it was a Count that answered the door. One who was only about her own size, being five-ten or so, which was small for a noble. He made up for it by being well above average in looks. Pale, being a very light tan color, but with dark black hair and deep brown eyes. At the moment he also had a beard, which was thick, but well trimmed. Probably meant to make him look older. It sort of worked, since she would have guessed his age at about twenty, instead of the eighteen or so he really was.

  "Count Thorgood! I was just stopping by to see who was around." She smiled, trying not to seem like she was planning to stay for any length of time. That wasn't in her plans after all. "You may not remember me, but-"

  Todd smiled at her before she could go on.

  "Sara Debri! Of course I remember you. You do make an impression after all. Please, come in. My Countess is around here somewhere, actually working. We've decided to plague Tim's hospitality, since Ursula doesn't really want to stay in our other house here. Too many memories, of her parents. Good ones, but she doesn't wish to be distracted right now."

  There was a gentle bow, which she returned, going only a bit deeper. Just the barest touch, which got a larger smile from the young man. Most would have either panicked, or been angry, but he was a Baker by birth. Which he didn't hide from.

  "I have some fresh muffins? Lemon walnut. I'm trying a new recipe, but I think they turned out well. Would you care for some?"

  She nodded, even though she wasn't hungry. You didn't tell noblemen no. Not even if they only had the position by marriage. Especially when they could just get in touch with their siblings and demand your head on a platter.

  "That sounds good, actually. I don't want to put you out though. I really just stopped to say hello. I have an appointment at eight. With a Squire Gemma? I don't know if you've met?"

  There was no slowing to the man's walk as they moved
to a side sitting room. The inside had been redone in wood and cream colors, and was about as nice as anything she'd ever seen. Until they got into the sitting room itself. It was off to the right, near where it always had been, but it had been done in green and blue plaid. The whole thing.

  It was hideous. Grandly so, since it was accented with polished hardwoods, but everything in the space was like that. Matching. From the paper on the walls to the throw rugs on the floor. Sara didn't comment on it, since she had a suspicious feeling that Countess Thorgood had done the decorating in this part of the place herself.

  Todd ignored all of that, just ringing a little bell that sat on a table, to summon one of the servants. That turned out to be an older man, who dashed in with good speed, for someone that old.

  "Sir?" He spoke very properly, but there was a bit of a merchant accent in his voice still.

  Todd smiled at him.

  "Thom, would you be willing to get a tray with some of the lemon muffins on it? Perhaps some tea too, if it's no trouble?" The words were too polite for a nobleman, but Thom looked ready to physically run to get them, which probably wasn't needed.

  "At once, Sir. Anything else?" There was a glance over at her, which held recognition, but the man didn't call out to her by name. He wouldn't, since she was a guest.

  The man was actually a friend of Tor's, and she suspected, Trice's. That would explain him having a rather plum job like this one. That he was trying to do it well was good to see. Not that Timon was around to fire him. Or would, most likely. The man had been in his dotage, but alone in the world, if she remembered correctly. Regular healing had helped a lot of older people return to full vigor however. He still looked old, but his movements were nearly as youthful as anyone's ever could be.

  There was a bit more speaking, and the servant practically ran from the room, to make sure they had sweets and tea in a timely fashion. It really did sound good, she realized. Tellerand had been a little plain that way. No one had anything sweet at all there. Or hadn't before the new food devices were brought into play.