Ancient Kings (The Young Ancients)

by P. S. Power

  He smiled at them all, his great niece looking at him with ice blue eyes and her bird red hair that stood straight up several inches. It was impressive with her almost truly black skin. A very deep brown really. She wore a simple blue tunic and trousers however, like a doctor. That made sense, actually being one. Smythe was in deep black, about like what the Alphonse had on, and George was in his normal day to day uniform of purple and black. Looking down Tor realized he was still dressed like a workman or a young school student. A poor one too, who wore canvas to the palace, because it was their best outfit.

  After a few seconds he decided not to care about that. Everyone here knew him and he really was there to work, even if the task wasn't all that pleasant.

  "We need to check on Sandra Morris. Some extra guards would be good, while I see what she's been up to. I take it that she's being kept in an empty room? No handy building material around?" He stole the march a bit, and realized it, since everyone looked at him like he was insane suddenly. Well, not Alphonse, but the rest of them.

  George rallied first.

  "You suspect an escape attempt?"

  Tor nodded.

  "She better be planning one. Otherwise she's not half as intelligent as I think she is. We also need to make sure the Lairdgren Group isn't going to come and free her. If you don't think they can pull it off, then..." He didn't have anything witty to end that with, but the man, who had gray hair and a sturdy build, just let his chin rise a bit.

  "Indeed. It wouldn't do to misjudge them at all. I take it that you'll be handling the magical parts of this?"

  "That's the plan. We're sending Alphonse here off to get something to eat, and the rest of us will go in to check things out. Me first, of course, since it's my fault it happened at all. I should have talked to her first. Or... I don't know. Spanked her or something the night before. Tiera did too good of a job there really." He wanted to seem confident, but figured he wasn't going to make it that early in the day, instead he refocused on efficient, hoping that would work in its place. "Too late now. Let's go and see to this as soon as we can. Abbie, will you come with us? Just to make certain she isn't abused or anything like that?"

  There was a bow from the woman in light blue then and after a second she ran off, calling back that she needed to get her supplies, just in case. It didn't take her long and less than five minutes later she padded back up carrying a large leather bag with a strong looking handle on the top. It was new, and not Afrak in design. It was the kind of thing that Noram doctors carried when they went visiting.

  "Off you go then Alphonse. Save me some toast or something?" Not that they ever ran out of food at the Palace, but it seemed like the right kind of thing to say. Hopefully it wouldn't take long or anything.

  The rest of them followed him, which was a poor plan, since he didn't know where they were going at all. Smythe got that first and moved to the front, walking as if the whole thing were his idea. That was just the man's innate leadership showing through, not him claiming responsibility. That was smart of him. After all, the time to claim that was after a plan had worked, not before, when there was still risk involved. Not that the military Counselor was the type to take anyone's credit from them.

  Or that this was anything more than looking in on someone that was in trouble.

  The room was just one of the fine guest chambers. True, a smaller one, but that had more to do with how many Counts and Countesses the palace had right then, Tor figured, than any kind of implied punishment or slight being given. It had a bed, a large red and gold carpet on the floor and several lights, all magical ones. That way no one would have to bother to refill lamp oil each day.

  The girl herself sat on the edge of her bed, with her eyes closed, clutching something in her hand. Without rousing her from the obvious work trace, Tor just walked over and pried it out, pulling on her fingers hard enough that one of them popped as he did it. It wasn't broken though, it just made a sound like some peoples joints did.

  What she held wasn't impressive on the outside really. It was just a toothbrush, one with a nice black focus stone handle that looked like glass. The field on it was a cutter, but it wasn't finished yet. Tor scanned the rest of the room then, able to feel the other patterns fairly easily. The four other things that had been made.

  There was a heavy explosive device already made, placed on a bone comb and hidden in plain sight, on the dressing table. Next to that was a Not-flyer set. Around her neck, on a metal locket there was a shield and that would have been it, he realized, if she hadn't had another one on her.

  In her.

  "Seriously?" Tor poked her for a bit, until she came out of the trance state, her eyes flying wide when she realized who was standing there, looking at her. "Come to the surface Sandra. You selfish little bitch."

  That shocked her enough that she gasped. He didn't often call people names after all. George looked baffled and moved forward, as if to put himself between the prisoner and harm.

  "She swallowed a shield. How inconsiderate is that?" He actually felt anger at it, though no one else seemed to get why at first. He waved at her head, a little agitated. "It means that if we have to kill her now, someone will have to hold the field dormant while it happens. Their minds basically touching hers while they kill her. Since no one else can really do that yet, it will have to be me. It's rude, don't you think?"

  "Ummm." There was a head shake and then the girl smiled. "That wasn't the point. I don't feel like losing my head just yet, thank you. Those jerks will have it if I don't get out of here. I don't suppose this is the rescue mission?" She didn't seem kidding about it, in fact there was a glum and morose quality to the words that almost made him feel sorry enough for her that he wanted to do something just like that. Accidentally let her go free. It had been an error, but not one that was meant to be evil.

  That didn't bring Regina back though. Of course, killing Sandra wouldn't either.

  "Not at all. It just occurred to me that no one would have thought to come and take all the new fields from you yet. I'll be back daily now. I suppose you wanted visitors anyway. The next time I check on you there better not be anything new in the room, or I'll have you locked in a real cell. One stripped bare of anything at all." He was trying to sound stern, but it was a little too flip for that and sounded more like teasing, which wasn't his desire. Her life was in the balance, so it wouldn't do to tease her about it.

  Hefting the objects in his hand Tor stared directly into her eyes.

  "I told everyone that you'd be fine. I practically ordered Tiera to stand down, and you went and pushed her anyway. Why? Help me understand that, please? Even if you hate her, you were bound by the surrender compact agreement your father signed." He could have gone on, asking questions, but there was a dry chuckle as she looked at the items in his hand. Deadly weapons and military gear, made in the span of a few days. Really it was kind of slow, so he double checked the room, just in case he missed anything. It was possible that she'd figured out some way to hide it all first, and then made the things he'd found. Just because he hadn't figured that part out, it didn't mean she couldn't have.

  The girl was pretty, in a tall and dark way. Her brown eyes gleaming a little as she turned toward him, still sitting, wearing a slightly puffy dress that had little dark blue flowers on a white background in a dense pattern. At the ankle there was a flash of white stockings and shiny black shoes with large brass colored buckles on them. It was all fake, of course, but how she'd chosen to dress herself was telling. It spoke of her trying to lull everyone into a false sense of security. Once you factored in the weapons at least.

  "Why? You actually have to ask that?" There was a derisive snort following the outburst, but she kept going, as if she'd wanted to vent on the topic for weeks. "She destroyed millions of golds worth of property. Hundreds of hours worth of my own personal work and effort was tossed away into the ocean. She stole every home I've ever known away from me, and why? Because my father said some mean things to her
?" She gulped air, and kept going, her voice getting a bit louder and more shrill. "You want to know why? Why? How about this; the last time she met my father she cut off his arms and legs, leaving him a terrified wreck! No one even tried to lift a finger to stop her. Is that enough of a reason?"

  The person that answered was slightly unexpected, since it was George, not one of the others. Royal Guards seldom spoke in public and when they did it was almost always just clarifying orders or passing a message.

  "She did allow him to have them back though. Also, there was the matter of you interfering, along with several of the Morris military men, in a sanctioned duel. That would be enough to have most cast out from society. You should have simply honored the terms given in the surrender and let it go. I was there when your father attacked Conserina Baker, before he lost his limbs. He meant to kill her, I'm sure. At that point she became rather less the bully and more the wronged party." He didn't excuse himself for talking either, and no one called him on it, not even Sandra.

  "What was I supposed to do, let her kill my father? Beat him to death with a club, like some lowborn animal?"

  This time Smythe stepped in, literally moving forward first.

  "Yes. I know that it's hard to stand by and watch something like that, but the path to honor was clear. We allow such duels to prevent full scale wars. Every time someone invalidates the rules, interferes with the process, the rest of the world is put in greater danger. If we don't see a bloody war over this I'll be surprised. I know you acted with good will and intent, but again, the correct thing for you to have done would have been nothing. That or talk your father into not attacking in the wrong place to begin with." His tone was actually fatherly sounding and peaceful, for all the words could have been harsh. It was one of the things the older man did well. Sounding friendly, or at least concerned.

  That got the girl to stop talking at least and after a few moments, George waved them all out of the room. In the hall he looked at the guards on the door, both women in Royal Guard uniforms.

  "No one is to be on this detail without wearing a high quality shield. The young lady had managed to manufacture several lethal weapons already. Master Tor will be by at random intervals to check on her from this point on. I believe. Unless others are being given the task?" It was a bit bossy, but not wrong, so Tor gave a single nod, trying to seem like it was their combined plan.

  "Count Lairdgren may be instead, for the same purpose. I don't know that we should trust anyone else at the moment. Possibly Timon, if I can't be found. He should be able to find things well enough and won't let his emotions get in the way. I'll try to be available myself however. Don't let anyone from the Lairdgren Group do it. She was their leader. Still is, as far as that goes. I need to assign the role to someone else. Today. We can't expect them to lose their loyalty without hesitation though. I mean, that doesn't even make sense, right?"

  The others agreed easily enough, and they all stood there until the guards were brought the needed gear. That they'd been on the door without it was such a bad idea that Tor nearly dressed George down for it when they got back outside, but he didn't bother. The man clearly got the idea now, and had been the one to fix it after all. Instead Tor gave each of the others a small bow, looking at Smythe and Abbie first and then, after a few seconds, George as well.

  "I hear that we have some visitors staying at my place here in the Capital. We should all get together and welcome them. They're Austran players of some kind? I'm sure that they'd love to meet you all. George, you should see if Wensa and Kara want to come along as well. Say in three days? I'll send invitations." It was a good enough idea after all. It might not work, but it was his part to make sure his guests met the right people and were well fed. To that end he decided to head over to his place and sneak into the kitchen, just to make certain they had everything they needed.

  Which wasn't something he should do. What had Burks told him all those times? That he needed to let other people do things for themselves? Even if he felt like the world was his responsibility. He was already planning to head over later that day and it would be enough. That just meant that he needed to get back to Two Bends and see to that situation.

  After he said his farewells he made a trip over to his house anyway. Not to check up on them, he promised himself, just to get some things for Taman to copy from his room. It should only take a minute. Plus, he was already there. Nearly at least.

  The outside of the house had been changed, down to three levels, but a slightly more golden color and with white trim around the large windows. It looked nice, he had to admit, if over done. He didn't have a reason not to, so he took his Carriage with him, sliding the hemp cord around his neck before going in. The inside had changed as well, with extra sitting rooms and a bustle of noise that he hadn't expected at all. Most of the people looked strange in one way or another, and wore various kinds of jumpsuits, which meant they were Austrans. They all had to be different from each other, so would try to show this by dyeing their hair in a strange pattern, or having things pierced in different fashions. Some had tattoos and a few were even more dedicated to whatever they were doing. Then they all wore basically the same outfit. Not all the time, but often enough that it was nearly a uniform.

  He'd met several people when he was in that land. Most of them were actually nice, for all that they kept declaring war for some unknown reason. Tor's bet was that they got bored, or at least their leaders did. True, the last person to lead them, Glost Serge, had actually been attacking because he'd felt bullied in school, but the ones before him had just been jerks. Or more likely, insane.

  Looking around at the fifty or so people that he could see from where he was, Tor didn't recognize any of them. That wasn't a huge shock, because Austra wasn't a small place by any means. At the same time, no one had noticed him yet, which meant he was able to get into his room and put together a small collection of things for his little sister to work on. Challenging things to do without a template, but nothing all that dangerous. She might be immortal, but she was also five. She could die like anyone else, as strange as it sounded. The things ran a nice line though, from lights, which were easy to do, to a magical house. The small kind. That was hard for most people, but would be good exercise for her.

  Pocketing the small tiles, he left, not planning to talk to anyone in particular yet. That wasn't going to happen it seemed, since he met someone standing in the front door when he got there.

  The man was even shorter than he was, by over a foot, and a bit funny shaped. Not ugly for it, except that his head was just a bit too big for his body and he was a little uneven, with a slightly hunched back. The hair was dark and he had brown eyes, as well as a clothing amulet on. That had been made to look like a nice reddish colored vest with orange trim and an off yellow shirt, on top of brown trousers and boots that looked like something a workman would wear. Kind of like what he had on, if a bit more festive.

  The man didn't make eye contact though, after the first furtive look. Instead he stared at the floor, as if ashamed.

  "I... Sorry. I was told by Mona to come here and see if I could borrow some flour? I should just go into the city, but I don't have any coin. Is that right? Can I do that?" It was kind of a confused sounding thing, but Tor had to imagine they had plenty of flour around to share. If they didn't he'd have to make a run into the Capital himself for it.

  "That sounds reasonable to me." He smiled, trying to put the man at ease, since he was clearly feeling a bit shy, but he didn't look up, not at first. "Come in. We'll see if the kitchen has anything. If not I'll go get some. We don't want Mona to get mad after all." Not that he had a clue who that was. This man's wife maybe? He was a midget, but decent looking enough that it wouldn't be impossible for him to find someone.

  "That's true. She's a bit scary. Then, everyone around here is. I've been staying inside most of the time, since I don't want anyone to realize that I'm actually here. I keep expecting people to wake up and toss me out on my ear. Yo
u know how it is." The little guy blushed and looked up then, shaking his head. "Or probably not. Do you work here? Like a footman or something? That would be a good job. Tim told me that Collette, the woman that runs this place, is looking for some people. I couldn't get a job here though, not really. He offered to let me fly in one of his craft though. He's a good kid." The man didn't seem to be running down at all, which was fine, especially if he was hiding out most of the time alone for some reason. After a while you just wanted to talk to people, didn't you? Tor had felt that before himself.

  Instead of interrupting the flow of words he smiled again and waved to get the man to follow along. The kitchen had moved locations, but they managed to find it in what was now Tor's traditional fashion. He waited for someone to walk by with an empty tray and led the other man along with him.

  For some reason the fellow, as shy as he sounded, kept up a steady stream of talking the whole time. That was probably due to nerves really. Tor remembered the first time he was at the guest house at the King's Palace and how awkward he felt the whole time he was there, even though Connie went out of her way to make him feel welcome.

  That got him to make a face, which coincided with the little fellow happening to look at him. He went silent so fast that it was clear he thought Tor was angry or offended.

  "Sorry. I was just thinking... I... It turns out that a woman I've been sleeping with... Well it's really complex. The long and short of it is that we're related. No one knew until the other day though. She's basically... My aunt, I guess. It's a huge problem for me, as you might guess. That really isn't the kind of thing I would ever do. I feel so... dirty now." Why he was telling a complete stranger all that he didn't know, but the man, who was probably five or six years older than he was just swallowed and stopped walking.