by P. S. Power
William smiled a bit and held the shield amulets out to the boy.
"Do you see those naked people down there? A few of them might do that work. If they don't do it right, or work hard, then send them back here. They're being punished, but only in that they need to convince people they're willing to do their part. Are you willing to take on this task?"
He looked a bit worried, but nodded and took the shields, knowing what they were. It wasn't like those people would harm him. Not even if they could. Tiera still felt a bit uneasy, but let the child handle it.
She didn't even stay to watch or anything. Except that, knowing about the project, she probably needed to go help with it.
"Well, I need to get busy myself then. I can dream up real laws or something while I shovel sand. Lake Two Bends? Really?" Smiling a bit, she waited for Ten and the three people, who were all women, to come back down the hallway and walked with them.
"I'll come with? This is one of the most important projects we have after all. Everyone should be volunteering for it." She was just talking to her brother, but one of the disgraced people snorted.
"Laying it on a bit think, aren't you?" It sounded snooty, even though the woman was short, being only six-four or so. Tiera kept walking, not saying anything for a bit.
When she did, she felt relaxed and not angry or upset at all.
"Oh, probably. Still, you'll see this isn't a kid's backyard pond. We're working on the first major water supply for the entire planet." She hoped. If it was a puddle, she was going to be a bit red faced, wasn't she?
It, delightfully, was vast. So huge that Tiera felt a bit of awe when looking at it. The space was nearly as large as the whole of the new city so far. Under ground, and all of white, perfectly smooth, glass. Except that there were little rooms built in, with balconies on them, for some reason. It had some lights already, but was still so big it was mainly dark.
Sara saw her looking.
"Those are the spaces that go up to the surface, so that we can pump water. We'll probably have to make some kind of underground pipes for that to work, but we can do that. We'll use magical pumps for the actual work portion though. We put gravity in here to help keep the water in place. I don't know what it will do, otherwise, but I don't want to find out in here." She was speaking and Tiera heard her, as well as Tenet and anyone else listening, with occasional words interrupting. The naked people just looked confused. Until they were given boxes to fill and shown where the place they were digging from was.
Then they all took turns filling the boxes and taking them back to Sara, who emptied them into the machine, which made a stream of water that was about six inches around, which poured out of the food alcove. At least as long as the sandy dust was put in constantly. They worked, and worked, and finally about ten hours later, were relieved by a group of fighters from school, there to keep everything going.
They got walked through it all, but only needed to see it done once.
No one asked about the naked people, or even stared at all. They already knew, Tiera was willing to bet. It wasn't like they had a lot of news otherwise.
The women who'd worked were taken by the restaurant, and given something to eat, but Tiera had to do that herself, since no one was there.
"You can use this device, if you need food. Please make sure the hopper in the back is full before you leave. Tell the others that too. There's a store down the way, I suggest you go and ask after some clothing? We don't have a magic shop ready yet. You may have to work for them. Really, if you're all smart, you should have full time jobs by this time tomorrow."
Then she left, her brother following along after her.
As soon as they were back in the house though, he wandered off, having just done as much work that day as almost anyone. He was probably tired. Bored too. Getting sand was not thrilling.
She was hit, by several people at once, all talking to her, as soon as she went in. On the good side they weren't oppressive questions, just people trying to chat. Sheri, Ali and oddly enough Guide, who wasn't her best friend ever, all found her happily enough.
There was a bit of awkwardness, with Guide looking at her, which required some neck craning, and Ali smiling at the boy, her face shining a bit.
It looked fake, and Tiera didn't trust it, so tried to read both of them, which caused them both to close down tightly, not letting even a hint of their thoughts out into the open. She felt like glaring, but did the same, in case there was danger or something.
Guide looked away, his sharp features a bit embarrassed.
"Tiera, I was wondering if, you'd, you know, like to, um, do something? Tonight?"
She was skeptical, and nearly pointed out that most boys didn't come armed with two cute young women when asking out a third. Instead she agreed.
"Sure. I need to get cleaned up though. I don't suppose anyone worked out a shower yet?"
The boy pointed over to the right.
"Back there. It's cool water, but not too bad really. We only have one tank, so we have to keep it filled. The drainage works though. We have to share." He blushed, but didn't take it back either. As if they were really going to have to share it at the same time.
"All right. Well, let's set that up? I need to be in bed soon. I'm actually tired, if you can believe that. I hardly did anything all day. Just took boxes back and forth. Speaking of which, we need a place to exercise too. Otherwise everyone will get fat and soft." She looked down at her own flat middle, as if expecting it to have grown already. It got a polite chuckle from Ali, who looked at her own.
The woman was growing too fast for that to happen though. Really, Tiera realized, they all were. Even Guide was taller already. It was hard to see from way up where she was, but it had happened. He was at least an inch taller now than he had been.
The shower was a thing she got alone, and she took care to not use up all the water, since they had a lot of people that needed to use it. The tank worked well enough, but like Guide had said, it was very cool still. About the temperature of the palace they were in. She could have worked out a heating element for it, but a little cool water was probably good for them all.
Scrubbing and rubbing with a bit of soap that was already there, she got clean, and after a few minutes used a towel, which also didn't exist, to dry herself. It gave her whole life a suddenly strange feeling. Once, everything she touched had been real, and now it was almost all magic. That probably meant something profound, but she was too tired to think about the implications. There would be time for that later, when it was certain that they'd all survive there, so far from home.
Except, and not for the first time, she felt it. This was her home. It was primitive still, and not as comfortable as some places, but that was fine. This place was hers. Not the First House, which belonged to Guide, or the tunnels of Harmony, which belonged to everyone. It wasn't about ownership at all, but fit. For some reason, this plain and silver space was like she was. Hard and cold on the outside, but hiding greater things within? She smiled at that bit of grandiose thought, and finished dressing. The leather and hemp she had around her neck from the various amulets was all damp, but she wouldn't take her shield off here. That was a poor plan, and not following the rules. It was better to put up with the discomfort.
On the third level, near the back, she had a small room. It was pretty basic inside, though the bed was pretty nice. She made it a little bigger when everyone followed her inside. The floor was a giant carpet covered thing, all in black and gold thread, and the lights were just parts of the ceiling that glowed brightly. Everyone else looked around as if she were insane, not having more, but Sheri ducked in and kissed her anyway.
"We really came to talk," The girl said, shortly after the warm kiss ended. "Ali told us that you're going back to Earth? When?"
She looked at the girl and felt baffled, since one of the things that she'd been almost certain of was that Alyssa Baker could keep a secret. She turned a nice red color when Tiera looked at her, but sh
ook her head.
"We need a team. I know that you probably don't think you do, but the more people we have, the more likely we live. The more likely the Earth lives, I mean. I know that we may not all survive this."
A bit of anger started to rise, but Tiera let go of it with a bit of focus and actually bothered to think, instead. Then she sighed and nodded to the girl.
"That's probably right, within reason. I..." She looked at the other two and shook her head however. "Ali needs to go, for personal reasons, but she isn't the best person to go at all. If Tor wasn't involved in this I'd leave her here. For that matter, neither of you really needs to go either. We won't have time for building on the fly, Guide." She looked at him directly as he stared at the floor, looking tense and miserable. As if this was a personal failure on his part? "Sheri..."
That got a grin from the still growing girl that, she remembered, wasn't any older than herself really. These others were all fifteen. That sounded pretty young suddenly.
A kiss came in again though and the sandy haired girl winked at her.
"No doubt at all. If I tried to go with you Kolb would cry. Possibly with moaning and lamenting too, since it would be that bad of a plan. I just have a list of people that I think you might consider. That's all. It's part of my job, after all."
Tiera nodded, and didn't ask what that job was. It just made sense that the girl that did everything would have some say, didn't it?
Guide shook his head.
"I should go. I don't have a wife, or kids or anything. No close family like you have. If I die, then no one will miss me really. As far as my family back home knows, I might be dead anyway." He tried to sound strong, but it was really just a bit lonely.
Ali... Snorted. Derisively too.
"What's this now? No one loves Guide? I think you might want to think about that one before you go running off. The entire Lairdgren Group thinks of you as family. If you go too, you know that Sam will, to protect us both. If he does that, well, he isn't a good fighter like you are. Not even like me. Mark will feel honor bound then too, and Farlo. If they all go, then Terry will, and truthfully, how can we say no there? Really, if he wasn't ten, I'd ask him to come with us. All three of us could take him on in a fight and really, I'm not sure we would win, even armed." She didn't really mean it, and it was clear that it wasn't exactly true.
Not yet.
Guide nodded though, still looking small, and like he wasn't important or something.
Sheri held up her right hand and touched her thumb.
"Sir Kolbrin, since he's the best fighter we have, and will know more about what's going on than the rest of us."
Then she kept counting, one finger for each.
"Ali, since her husband lies in the balance. Lady Patricia, for the same reason. You and..." on her little pinky she froze and her voice caught in her throat. For the longest time she didn't say anything at all. Finally, when she went, Tiera didn't really understand why she'd said the name at all. "Prince Alphonse."
Trying not to look clueless she froze, and let her mouth gape open like a fish, gasping for water on dry land. Her head started to shake side to side a little, but Ali looked at the other girl and nodded.
"I see. That... seems right. He should be there too."
Tiera threw her hands up a bit, feeling like she was missing something.
"He should? Why? Shouldn't we protect him, and keep him safe here? That sounds more sensible..."
Alyssa Baker, Easy Ali the sex toy, looked at her and rolled her eyes. It really was rude, Tiera noted again, when it wasn't you doing it. She'd have to learn to control that if she could.
"Seriously Tiera? He loves Tor. I'm his wife and fond of him, but the two real loves of his life are Trice and Alphonse, and always have been. Just because they can't be lovers, that doesn't mean that Alphonse wouldn't die for his friend. Or that he'd live long after his passing, if it happened. We should at least make the offer. Besides, I'm sure that between you and Kolb you can stop the Others, if it comes to it. We're mainly going..."
Tiera got that one.
Out of love and honor. Unlike her. She was going...
Because, as petty as it sounded, she still wanted to die. She missed Regina and nothing she ever did was going to take that away. Her memory was too good. The pain was fresh, but not fading much, though time and other events could bury it a little. No one would understand that. Not really. These others weren't like her in that way. They were normal, with minds that worked well, but weren't cursed like hers was.
For a moment she saw Reggie die again, her head shattering as Sandra Morris tried for her. Little Tiera was not nearly big enough to protect her friend, even after throwing her own shielded body in the way. A millions things that she could have done came to mind, including having killed Sandra earlier, or making sure that Tor gave Regina a shield. He would have, without blinking, if Tiera had suggested it to him. She just hadn't thought about it, at all.
Blinking she nodded.
"I didn't really know that, I don't think. Alphonse and Tor? He always seems so prudish that way. Plus, they're related. Isn't the Prince technically his grandson or something? That's pretty naughty." It came out sounding wrong when she said it, the thoughts of her dead friend making it all flat and matter of fact, instead of bitchily playful.
Ali made a hard face and looked away.
"They've never had sex, but that doesn't mean it isn't real. Thank everything they hadn't, because if that had happened, I think Tor would have killed himself when he found out about it all. As it is I think it was a lot closer than he let on to the rest of us. We should ask. It seems right, to include Alphonse."
It was more people than they needed, and Trice... Tiera started to think that she wasn't her best friend ever, but she remembered that they were now, by virtue of not wanting to cause a bickering feud that would last hundreds of years. So was Guide, she realized. All of them were, really.
"Right then. I'll go and ask them. The build should be done in three days."
"Three?" Guide looked baffled by that one at least. "When did you start it?"
"A few days ago. It's a growing field, but I figured out how to make that happen faster. Little did you know that I have talents too, eh?" She winked at the boy, but he just shook his head.
"Fine, show me how you do that before you leave? If you die-" He cut himself off and went wide eyed.
She just nodded. "It's possible, Guide. Everyone looks at all the magic and thinks that we can't lose, but Grandmother Gray and the Ancient King Cordes... They're going to be hard to beat. Cordes literally came back from the dead for this. If we fail, if the Ancients are coming, it will be up to you to make certain that Harmony survives and that the Others don't win. That might mean killing the Earth. If it comes to that, don't hesitate. If humanity is going to die, then it won't be so a handful of clones can take over." Not that she was being a spoilsport about it all.
The boy kept looking down.
After a bit he shrugged. "So, do you all want to have sex? I might not get another chance."
It was funny, the way he said it and he smiled, showing that it was a joke. Ancient or not, the boy was still physically small and had lived as a commoner his whole life. That he could even ask that, playing around, was a sign that something had changed inside, wasn't it?
Tiera shrugged.
"I'm in. Sheri?"
"Sure..." That got a look at Ali, who shook her head a bit.
"Not with Tiera here. I promised Tor that I wouldn't have sex with his relatives. Later though, Guide? Before I leave?"
Then without waiting for an answer, probably knowing what it was, she walked out, smiling sadly.
They all spent the night there, making love and cuddling warmly. There was sleep too, but she was still awake before the rest of them, not needing all that much sleep. It was a thing with her, part of her pattern. Her genetics.
She took a few hours to work on her new ships, but that wasn't too hard to do reall
y. Then she walked down the stairs and made something to eat. It was just a bowl of oats and some fresh bread slices, with butter. Plain, but filling enough. No one else was around for a long time, until her da came and sat down next to her, his plate having eggs and toast.
"S'Tiera. Y'se'ta b'tinken?" He spoke in Home tongue, which Tiera knew was actually a highly sophisticated language technique, designed to allow those that spoke it to understand and learn new languages quickly, since it caused their brains to be wired differently. It was also faster and more efficient in certain ways.
She'd learned that from Cynthia Blue herself, on the very planet they were on at the moment.
"I am thinking. Deep and annoying thoughts about things that have to be done. Helping to fill the lake and who we can get to run the new stores." She looked at him and sighed, then froze for a second. "Da... You used to be an assassin, right?"
It wasn't a question, but the young faced man next to her nodded, and looked worried about her bringing it up in public.
"Yes..."
Tiera took a deep breath, and went on. She looked around first, making certain that no one could hear her. It was important enough that she cast around with her mind, but found that no one at all was near or cared about what she was saying at the moment.
"In a few days I'm going back to Earth. Gerent is going to kill all the Ancients, you know about that?"
"I was told. Good choice, Gerent. Anyone else might hesitate at the end, knowing that people they love might die, but he won't. Not with the world and everyone else in the balance. He's harder that way than most would believe. I've heard some things. From when you and Tim went to get him and Patricia from that jail in Galasia?"
Tiera nodded. She had too. How, when the guards came to rape Trice, over and over again, Gerent fought, trying to stop them. He couldn't, being too small and weak, and they raped him too, brutally, every time. To show him how little he was worth. But still, he did it, every single time they came for Trice, even when he was broken, and could barely move.