by Power, P. S.
Dare did, but Marvin actually leaned forward seeming amazed.
"That would be! I know the man, too. I'll have to press in a bit, and see if I can wrangle an invitation."
That was a strange thing to say, since the man, and his wife, had been part of the planning for it. It had been clear to Dareg that they were expected to come, or it would hurt King Dorgal's feelings.
Maria nodded however and went on as if the idea was brand new.
"It sounds lovely. I do enjoy travel. I've been to space, of course, but never that far away. It sounds most fearsome."
Dareg nodded, getting it all then. The mission to the new fleet was a secret, or at least could be. From who he didn't know, but if they were supposed to pretend that was the case, he could go along with it.
The food started to come shortly after that, and all they did was talk about parties, gardens and the latest season of racing horses. Apparently there were some very fast ones in the mix, at least their genetic profiles were good for it.
Princess Abbey spoke with a nice tenor, one that didn't fit her short stature, and had a lovely, very bright, smile.
"Baron Liese had me do some tinkering with his line. The latest birth seems to have taken very well. The foal is still very young, only a few months, but I wouldn't bet against him in a year. Thunder-Child. His markings look like clouds on black. You should all visit to see him, while he is still so adorable."
The only people that raced horses were the very wealthy. That meant high merchants and nobles, but these people were all in that later group, so it made sense as a topic. For his part he'd never seen such an event himself. It actually sounded horribly boring, watching people ride around in a circle, but Dare was willing to give it a try, if it ever came up.
Karina let her leg touch his under the table her skirt only getting in the way a little.
"Exactly how much faster is Thunder-Child than the other horses?" She looked shrewd, as if figuring out that she could win a lot by betting on a sure thing.
Abbey got it too and laughed. It was a rich thing that made it easy to see what Alphonse saw in her.
"Ah, that would be telling. Not so much that anyone will cry foul, I think. That is possible, but not needed for the line. Really, the biggest service there is in increasing the intelligence. Horses are big and fast enough, but are hard to train in complex tasks. As they learn to do more, they will be able to help their human partners as they labor, or ride. It makes a bigger difference than mere speed."
That was an interesting theory. He could kind of see it, when she described how they did farm work in Afrak, which got a lot of help from, as she put it, their animal friends. As in, the animals lived in such a way that they planted, tilled and fertilized the fields cooperatively, by instinct. It was a lot different than how they did it in Noram.
After finishing a bit of food, he looked down the table, leaning forward and still not really seeing her, hidden as she was by a princely giant.
"Princess Abbey, would it be possible to set something like that up here? Around the port I mean? Possibly on Harmony? That might be too hard."
"Oh, not too difficult. I could have it set up in a few years time. Less for Earth based things. It would be faster to plant by hand however. You have a project for that here, do you not? With Gerent? He mentioned that to me the other day."
"That's right. We're going to be starting soon on that. I have some new ideas. I just have to hire some people and collect the needed gear. Pumps and that kind of thing. Special ones."
Sam didn't even wait, just speaking, softly. Enough so that not everyone would hear him, Dare bet.
"Put it on the list."
The man next to Sam, Count Lairdgren, was silent through most of the meal, though he chuckled politely in the right places, and did murmur gently in response to questions. Most of the time he just focused on everyone else. That was familiar, since it was similar to what Timon did all the time. Assessing reality, and grabbing bits and pieces of things, for some purpose. No doubt that was similar too. This man was working very hard to learn about the others. Him in particular. Which was a tiny bit odd. He was, after a fashion, related to the man, Dareg guessed. Not by blood, since this was the man the old Count, the Green Man, had put in to replace him, when the others were locked from Earth for a decade. Kyle Hardgrove.
That was enough to get Dareg to pay attention to the fellow, trying to be a bit more covert about it than the man himself was being. It was even clear, over dessert, that the man figured out that he was doing it. That, or was reading him with magic. They hadn't directly spoken yet however, so it was a bit strange, when the last plate was taken from the table, that the man leaned forward and spoke to him directly.
"So, Prince Dareg. I hear that you plan to go to school starting in the mid-winter term? Printer School? I was going to suggest that we, at Lairdgren, had the superior building program, but it seems you won't really need it. Would you be available for a discussion about what courses you might wish to be taking?"
It was a question, and the words weren't unfriendly seeming. Just a bit different than he'd expected. Which had been for the topic to not really come up, or for Count Lairdgren to demand he report to his school for classes the next day. It seemed that the actual goal was different than that.
"Of course, Count Lairdgren. When would be a good time for you?" He was going to be busy for the next few days, it seemed, and then had to get to Austra, but before he could fill that in, the man smiled at him.
"Oh, now will be fine. Perhaps we could use a side room for it? Not that it's a secret, but I wouldn't want to bore anyone with something like course schedules."
The King stood, and moved to the only door that the room had.
"This way? I'll go with you, if you don't mind, Kyle?"
The older man moved smoothly, on standing. Artfully, really. It didn't fit his age or look. In fact he flowed toward the door, speaking smoothly.
"That would be fine, Sire." Nothing else came out.
Dareg stood up too, and set the rock the light was fixed to on the table. Constance looked at him and smiled.
"We can have that brought to you at the door?"
He looked at the place, the stone room, which was, if nothing else hard to get into for an attack, and figured that had been the point. The walls were thick and strong. There was only one door, and no one could listen at holes in the walls.
"Why not keep it for in here? It seems to fit well." Then he waved at Karina, not knowing if he were going to get to see her again soon. They were engaged to be married, but both busy enough that daily visits were totally out of the question.
She didn't speak, but did wave back at him, her eyes shining.
The large monarch was easy to see, being as big as he was. The hallway had lights, mainly magical ones. So the lack of light hadn't been about that kind of thing, but rather what the King had mentioned. It would have just taken too long to set them up in the space they had been in. That meant the place wasn't used most of the time. It was safe, but small, and dark.
Cool as well. The thick stone keeping the temperature fairly steady.
That wasn't always bad, given the oppressive heat of the region, but for whatever reason these people didn't use that space on a regular basis.
They didn't go to a nice sitting room however, heading several hallways over, to an unassuming door, that when opened, led them to stairs. Those were actually well lit, if by plain lights on tarnished copper. Some of them were starting to flicker, fading with age. Neither man spoke, as they descended, going down sixty-six steps before the steps ended at a rusting iron door. The King wrestled it open for them, and gestured for them to both enter.
"We can speak freely here."
His deep voice echoed a bit. When they were all inside, the man turned, carefully, and pushed the thing closed, barring the door. It made the place feel like a tomb. There was a coolness to the place, and a damp feeling that permeated the air, even if there was no standin
g water. The walls had a sheen of moisture however, that the lights in the room showed as sparkles.
There were chairs, but they were plain things, made of wood, but not adorned in any fashion. They seemed old, and not that worn. People had used them over time, there were rub marks on them, and scratches. Not much though, from that. The legs made noise on the floor, as they were pulled from the table, the King gesturing for them to sit.
Dareg looked around, his head feeling cold. That was just the lack of hair there, however.
"I guess school must be rather important, if we have to go to a secret vault to talk about it." He was trying to be joking, not that the mood was dire. Both men smiled, and Hardgrove nodded.
"This time, it might be. I was wondering if I could suggest to you that attending Lairdgren school might work better for you? There are some things that... Well, I don't wish to suggest that Printer isn't hosting a good school. To the contrary, in most ways they're at least the equal of any in the land. Lairdgren simply has a few areas we excel in that might suit you. What do you plan to take, as for classes?"
He thought for a second, and shrugged.
"That hasn't been set yet. Mathematics was mentioned, manners and customs. Fighting. I already started practicing that there. Aunt Petra let me come in and do that. People have been really nice about it."
The King looked at the wall, and made a hard face, as Hardgrove leaned in, his arms on the table in front of him. He was a bit bigger than Dare was, but not so much he loomed.
"Yes, they have a good program for all of those things. The only thing that Lairdgren can offer that might be of more use, is our espionage program." The man waited, probably to see if Dareg knew what the word meant.
Really he wouldn't have, if not for some conversations with Petra where the term was dropped a few times.
"Spying? No doubt how to find them as well. I can see that as useful. I don't know if I have enough time to go to school for it. Not given what I'll need it for."
Hardgrove settled back then, and closed his eyes.
"That is what I fear as well, Prince Dareg. More than you might guess."
Chapter twelve
As Dareg reflected on the meeting with Count Lairdgren and the King, several things stood out to his mind. The old man bent over backwards to not directly order him into the specific path that he wanted him to take. It was a thing that was almost painful to hear, since it was very, very clear that he truly believed it was the course that Dare needed to take.
At first it had seemed that the man was telling him that it would help him find spies, but after a while he'd slipped up, and hinted that Dare would also make a good spy. Against Queen Tiera. That hadn't been stated flat out, but at that point he'd cleared his throat and simply told the man no. Thank you. After all, he was offering free schooling, for a course of study that would have cost nearly four times what going to Printer would.
Given all that, it was tempting, but the underlying premise was clear. The men were plotting to use him, against his own family. Mainly because they weren't really his family. Not yet. It troubled him enough that he walked all the way home, back to his pod, so he could think. No one bothered him, even if it was after midnight, and he was walking through the city streets alone.
On the good side he'd nodded and indicated that he'd consider the idea, not certain if the two men understood that he got what they were doing. Trying to set things in motion to own him. To rule him more than even a king had a right to, in the normal course of things.
He really didn't want to be the kind of person that spied on others though. It just wasn't him. He didn't think. That anyone would think that was the case baffled him for a while. After all, he hadn't done anything that should have told anyone that kind of thing. All he'd ever done was share information openly, with everyone. No one had suggested that he shouldn't, so it had made sense to him.
They still hadn't, as far as that went.
His sleep that night was a lot shorter than it should have been, and he woke with the first light, feeling exhausted. For the first time since he'd started getting better, Dare cheated, and used his wakening amulet, so he could get up and run. It took him longer that day, since he increased his trip to the city and back, by one there and back. He moved at his best speed, and was nearly certain he hurt himself doing it, tasting copper and iron inside his lungs when he panted to a stop.
Then he moved to Printer, because he needed to practice. That wasn't going to change, even if he had to be a spy against his will. The world was too dangerous for him not to try that way. When he landed, still soaked with sweat, Petra looked at him cooly. Right until he got near her, the din of the other students practicing filling the large walled square.
"I was going to beat you for being an hour late, but you seem to have been doing something. Swimming?" She patted his damp sleeve, snickered a bit and wiped her hand on her pant leg. She was in tan, but the cut was the same as the brown he, and the other young people, wore.
"Running. To the Capital and back four times. Fast. That... Hurts." His voice was rough, since he really had done some damage. He just didn't want to use the healing device too often. It was probably safe enough, now, but he was shy about it still. If he messed up to often, he'd end up in trouble, exhausted and on bed rest, again.
Petra smiled, and looked at the other kids for a moment.
"Not bad. Do a half stone rotation, just the heavy half of them, and work a pell until it breaks. Then I want you to drill with... Wendra. Knife work. Tell her that you need to learn the first two sets on point, today. Run one trip tomorrow and get here early, since you're working with Havar on blade. Live steel. That means he's going to cut you." Then she walked away, like that was a normal thing to tell someone.
There was probably a trick in it somewhere. Or, possibly, she'd decided that mercy killing was the kindest option. He could see that one, actually.
Heavy stones didn't get lighter because you stalled, so he got to work, and actually managed to have his tasks finished inside two hours and Wendra was right there, working with a large boy that seemed to be intent on killing her. It was kind of the course of study, so he waited for a bit, until they broke apart and the large man nodded at him.
"Want to work in?"
"Normally, but I have to steal instructor Wendra here. Petra is setting her the punishment of teaching me knife work. The first and second point set? She says I have to be ready to work with Baron Havar tomorrow, live steel. That means with real knives, right?"
The bigger man, who he didn't have a name for, shook his head.
"Fuck. That's messed up. No one has to go live until year five, generally. If you're just learning today... What did you do to Instructor Petra? I know, she invited you on a date and you turned her down, right? Except I don't think even that would get her to be that cruel." He shook his head, and sounded a little slow. As in his words weren't fast in coming. He had a heavy Printer accent, which marked him as a local, but was using understandable speech, really.
Wendra looked annoyed by the words, and crossed her thin arms, looking away. It was a bit strange, really, since it was clear the new guy was joking with him, not trying to be insulting to anyone. It was probably a bit dangerous to say that about their instructor, but it had enough qualifiers that no one would really get angry with him over it.
Dare shrugged.
"Nope. She's my aunt. By marriage. I think this is some of that nepotism I've heard so much about. The rest of you have to wait for years for a good stabbing, but I get to jump right into it. I'm privileged that way. Clearly." He smiled, and the large boy nodded back, as if he were being serious.
"Right. I always wondered what that would look like. Well, good luck. Wendra is good on blade, so learn it all. I can help you drill later, if you need? I can skip out on my history class, to save a life." There was seriousness to it, saying the offer was real.
Dareg shook his head.
"Not happening today. My building tutor has me wor
king for the rest of the day after this. Possibly longer. As it is I need to hurry through this. We can set up extra practice for later though? I'm going to need the help." It was just true. He was picking things up well, he thought, but the truth was that he was stronger than most, and it was his body getting him through so far. That wasn't going to hold against the Adversaries, it was clear. He needed more. Skill, that time trick, and an even stronger body.
"Sure. If you live past tomorrow, we can do that! Oh, um, I'm Rick, by the way. Named after the king, but not all that related. Baron Third, Pense." He bowed a bit, and seemed shocked when Dareg matched it.
"Dare Canton. Dareg, if you have to be proper about it. Nice to meet you. Now, not to be rude, but lessons on not dying?" He tried to look hopeful, and Wendra smiled at him.
She seemed to relax for some reason, which seemed to be about him not having rejected Petra, rather than anything else. That probably meant that she liked him, in a romantic fashion. It was different, since she hadn't flirted with him much, but she was good looking enough, in a thin, tall way, and as she proved over the next two hours, her skill in teaching knife work was actually impressive. He had to go over several things more than once, but by the end he had the patterns down. How to cut, thrust, block and protect vital spots on his body.
Mainly by dodging and timing his enemy's reactions.
At the end she took the short wooden blade back, and nodded at him, seriously.
"You need to get better. What she's thinking... Well, that's her job. If you can keep the moves it will help, but one day isn't long enough to integrate them. Unless you know some trick I don't. If so, teach me that?" She grinned, but didn't seem all that worried, probably expecting a trick from Petra too.
"I'll let you know if I work that out. I need to get going now, I think. Oh, Timon mentioned that the new ship build is going fine? I lost mine the other day, so have to wait to get a new one, too. Before you ask, yes, I feel stupid. It was... A thing." He waved that away, but didn't mention what it was, since others could hear, and for the time being, knowing about it wasn't going to help anyone.