The Silence Within (The Young Ancients: Tiera)

by P. S. Power

  One of the footmen, Ronal she thought, was very pretty to look at, and not that much older than she was, but tall and blond. Steven was a bit shorter, about Tor's height at a guess, so five-ten or so, and kind of homely, with a long and bucktoothed face, but he smiled at her as if he thought he might be able to get her into bed anyway. It was a bit early in the day for things like that, but he probably figured that it was best to strike off the mark, rather than wait and have one of the others get all her attention. That was a good plan really.

  Clemance the Butler took his seat and gestured at them all.

  "We're a good bit understaffed, but not knowing the needs of the place so far I've been reluctant to add people."

  Tiera was given a bowl that was large and filled with oats that had bits of meat in it, and presented with a roll that, when she picked it up, was slightly stale. In her world that would have been normal. You ate that kind of thing early in the day, before it got too dry. If anything this was better than what she'd had in Two Bends, because the air here was moist all the time, as far as she could tell.

  "Tiera. Thank you for sharing the meal with me." She planned to eat first, knowing that she was sort of tricking them, not explaining who she was. It was, no doubt, a horror for a Countess to sit at the servants table in the back. This table itself looked well used and humble, but was clearly part of the house itself. That meant someone had designed it this way on purpose.

  She didn't eat yet, since no one was yet, just waiting for Misty to sit with them, as was polite. In fact no one touched their food until Clemance did. They all looked at her strangely when she pulled a poison detector and checked her food, but Mrs. Holst simply did the same and then passed hers down the table. That got Tiera to nod and do the other side. It came back shortly however, since everyone knew how to use it.

  That meant... She tried to actually think about it, rather than let herself be a numb brain. It probably was just that some of them had worked in a noble household before. Most likely Count Morris's. Thankfully, if that was the case, she hadn't killed them all.

  No one spoke for a while, but she was poured some coffee, Steven the footman jumping up to do it, as the chamber maids covered their mouths to hide their grins. It was a bit overdone, but Tiera thanked him as sweetly as she could anyway.

  The talk of the day was meal service for the nobles they had present. Which turned out to be mainly school kids and a few fighters at this point.

  "Conserina First Derring is in however, which is impressive. A very kind woman as well. We should go out of our way to see to her comfort." This came from Steven, who was promptly glared at by a suddenly dour looking Clemance. That was enough to get him to correct himself. "As we no doubt will with everyone, I mean."

  "Very good. Does everyone know your duties for the day? Remember, when in doubt, come find me. This household is a marvel, but we can't become complacent or let standards slip. Mrs. Holst, to that end, have you managed to procure any magical clothing for the staff?" Clemance looked at her and his mustache twitched a slight grin showing.

  The lady in question simply laughed.

  "That's the dream, isn't it? I have my sister's girl making up the new uniforms for us all, it will take a few weeks. We'll need fittings. I can't say I love the colors however. The Green is too close to dinner servants and the light blue is pretty, but not strong enough for the men. I'm half tempted to put all you men in black for daywear. It would be proper enough, but..."

  The others all nodded, as if it were a real problem for them. An actual concern. What colors to wear for working in. Tiera decided to just let Mrs. Holst and Clemance figure that out, but to see if she could dig up those amulets for them. It would save some time.

  "Tiera, you mentioned being assigned to High Councilor Morris's household?" Clemance seemed to be fairly impressed by that at least, and the others seemed to think it was a good thing.

  It was time to let things drop, she decided, but only after finishing her roll and the last of the coffee. The potage was already gone. She was just so hungry.

  "Oh, no, I said I have to go and find him. We have a lot of work to do. I've been up at school for a few days, so haven't been available to him. Well, by communications device, but he hasn't been in touch, which I hope means everything is going well." It was tempting to just let them work it all out, and before she could speak one of the maids gasped, dropping the last bit of her own roll.

  Everyone looked at her as if she'd found a bug in her food. That wasn't it though, since she was staring at Tiera, who smiled back at her.

  She stood, her chair moving back from the suddenness of it.

  "Countess Baker?"

  No one else moved, as if that were something truly shocking or something, her being herself.

  "Yes. Tiera, to you all, however. At least back here, or in private. I know, it's too familiar and all that, but I won't stand on airs with my friends. Mrs. Holst, I suggest you ask about those clothing amulets with the wizard Tor. My older brother, and not a scary person at all. I... would guess he's at his bakery right now. Or will be shortly. I'll lend my communications device for that." She smiled, trying to make it seem stately. "And yes, he owns and operates a bakery. Still a wizard, and pestering him for free things is totally allowed. For us I mean. If you want something new made, please get in touch with my younger sister, Taman. She doesn't have a communications device yet... Well, let me know and I'll see to it, if it comes up?"

  No one was speaking yet, but slowly they all stood, looking mortified, and bowed with downcast eyes.

  She sighed.

  "None of that back here. Clemance is in charge, just like Misty is in her kitchen. When we get into public that changes, but I don't really care if you make mistakes there or not, so don't let it bother you. I'll regularly have meals back here with you, so feel free to berate me for whatever you want or need at that time."

  From the looks on the collective faces, she was being the worst Countess ever. Tiera just shrugged and laughed a bit. After all, she probably really was.

  Then she stood, and had to bow to them all so they'd stand up. Clemance was red faced and seemed ready to resign, but she winked at him instead of letting that happen.

  "I don't know my schedule today. I'm going to try to get with Lawrence Morris, but after that I have no clue what to do next. We might be all over the County seeing to things. Oh, I don't have a firm date, but we should plan a party here soon. I was told by Baronetta Bonner that I needed to do that, so people would get that this is real." She thought about things and then shrugged, deciding that they might as well know everything. "While I'm not always happy with King Richard on a personal level, I'm not supporting the rebellion at this time. I'm nearly certain that Count Morris was doing that mainly because of me, at the root of it, so please don't think ill of him or his family for that reason. If any of you have questions of me, please come and ask."

  It was meant to be a throwaway line, but Mrs. Holst, still standing, had something right then.

  "The uniform colors, Countess Baker?"

  She tried to be definitive that way.

  "We'll go with your idea. Black daily wear for the men, and something pretty for the women."

  That got a happy look and slightly efficient nod from the older lady, and the others seemed to be ignoring the whole thing, looking straight ahead. She sighed, getting that it was going to take a while for them to become comfortable with her.

  "Clemance? Would you attend me? I'd like to discuss schedules with you."

  That got the man to dismiss the others and move away from the table, hesitating so that she could lead. Not that she knew where anything was at all. They walked out into the hallway to speak.

  "I'm attending school right now, up in Lairdgren County, but I'll get you a communications device so that you can be in touch at need. If we have any left at least. I'll try to contact you a day ahead of time when I plan to come down so that everyone can pack the card games away." She smiled, and the man loo
ked ashamed for some reason, which she didn't get, even if they had been playing games in their down time.

  "You clearly know this is a magical house. Do you know how to use it?" She was a bit surprised to find that he didn't, which had her demonstrating the whole thing, arranging furniture and changing the colors and textures of the walls and flooring. Then she put it all back, since they didn't need a hall sofa, she didn't think.

  The man tried it himself and after a few rough starts, seemed to have the idea. They shifted the walls a bit and made an addition to the back, for the kitchen, to be used as food storage. She showed him how to make heating and cooling elements as well, which left him gasping slightly. Breathless from the strangeness of it.

  "As Butler, you control the household. Unless I ask you to change something, naturally. You can teach the others to do this however, since it can be used to instantly make the beds and change the linens, that sort of thing. That leaves only the physical objects we bring in to care for each day, so the work should be lighter for people that way. You'll have to think of projects to keep them all busy." She was running out of things to say, but had a lot of time to say it in, and kind of liked the company, so she walked outside, through the front, to find her guards eating bowls of potage while standing.

  She didn't mind, since it was so early, and the house was basically a shield anyway. They were there to impress people more than anything else. Clemance walked with her, as they went around the whole dwelling, with her making a few suggestions and the man changing things. The only time he balked was on the color scheme for the place. It was a deep green, with sky blue trim, which didn't look good at all. She thought they should go with something commanding, like brown and green, but he wanted pale cream with a lightly golden trim.

  She looked at him for a bit as he stood stiffly, after mentioning it, then gestured for him to make the change his way.

  "You're in charge of the place. Just make certain I can get in if I suddenly drop by."

  Then after they killed time doing that, with her flat out telling the man that was what they were doing, she put her craft back up and got herself to Lawrence's dwelling outside the wall. This time she used her disguise amulet, so she'd have hair, and repeated a simple version of her velvet pilots outfit, only in her colors. It made her look like a guard, most likely, but it was a work day and the disguise was a bit too made up for that. She had to form a mirror in the craft and change it, making herself look less made up and a bit younger. She wasn't hiding her age after all. The hair had to shift too, she realized, but she still made it long, having it back in a complex braided pattern.

  There were no guards on the door here, but there was a servant that answered the door, a younger looking man that seemed very nervous when he answered it. He bowed instantly and went low enough to show he meant it. This time she barely bowed at all, which was correct, given that she was the Countess, and it was her County.

  She thought. Really, etiquette lessons were in order for that. She still didn't know how to curtsey, for instance.

  "Good morning Miss, may I help you with anything?" He was about seventeen, and his voice was a bit unsteady, but he managed a smile at her anyway. The boy was tall, and had dark skin, which, given everything, probably meant he was a Morris relative, trying to make certain he wasn't executed. Hiding as a humble servant, or perhaps not even that, just working a job that would make him seem less than a threat?

  "Hello! I know it's early, but I was hoping to meet with Lawrence Morris? If you could let him know that Countess Baker is here?" That would have been enough, normally, except that the boy went wide eyed and started to run. He actually got fifteen feet away, back into the palace, before he noticed that she was just standing there, waiting. With a smile even.

  "Uncle Lawrence! Uncle Lawrence!" In all she had to feel the casual welcome Clemance had given her to be a bit more to her liking. She activated her shield and stood, looking around, in case an attack came. Nothing changed for several minutes and when it did, the scene was one of contrasts, to say the least. The young doorman was back, holding a force lance and looking ready to fight, if out of fear of her, and her High Councilor, who was in front of him seemed genuinely pleased that she'd shown up. Since he'd obviously hopped out of bed and was still in a robe, that had to be hard to pull off, what with all the screaming and no doubt being shaken awake.

  Behind both of them an older woman trailed. She wasn't wearing a robe, and her clothing was a bit provocative, being mainly lace that hugged her body. She was attractive, but in a normal way, and from the fact that she moved in front of the others, Tiera had to guess she wasn't a prostitute, or even a kept woman.

  She bowed low, and held it.

  "Countess Baker. Thank you for gracing our home. I fear we aren't ready for the day as of yet, but we shall be shortly." She didn't introduce herself, but thankfully Lawrence saw to that.

  He bowed too, though the boy didn't, looking scared and wide eyed.

  "My wife, Edith, and my second nephew, Jeffery. He..." The man turned and looked at him, after standing and sighed. "You can place that away, I think. I'm sure that if the Countess had come to kill you, she would have brought forces with her, and not announced her presence."

  Jeffery swallowed hard enough that he winced, a thing that looked pained, but did it, making the force lance vanish. It was an early Tor model, which is why she knew what it was, having seen one before. A good weapon. Lethal even, if you didn't have a shield on. Useless against her.

  "Why would I do that?"

  Lawrence bowed again. "Jeffery Morris would have inherited, in normal circumstances, when the others perished. He'd been attending the Printer school, but was called home a few weeks ago, so that no one would hold him hostage. I... was planning to send him back, unless that is forbidden?"

  She smiled and shook her head.

  "Not at all. I need to review the finances for the County, can we afford to cover his tuition? If not I'll have to go and earn some for that. I can get in touch with Countess Printer and make certain she realizes that we're on the same side. That should keep him safe there." For now.

  The boy actually started to pant and looked down, his hand patting the force lance in his pocket. He didn't speak, and Edith covered smoothly, offering refreshments, or perhaps a meal. They clearly hadn't eaten, so Tiera waved to Jeff.

  "We'll chat while you two get ready for the day? We should make certain that everything is right between us anyway."

  That was a real point, since the boy clearly expected to be killed, not given an education, or be cared for at all. He bowed properly this time, remembering his manners.

  "We have a sitting room, over here?"

  The others looked a tiny bit nervous, but Edith more so than her husband. They both left anyway, vanishing back into the house.

  Tiera started, trying to think about what she'd have wanted to know if it were her family that had been murdered. She felt her breath catch, but before sitting, she bowed, which almost had the boy pulling his force lance again.

  "I apologize to you for the death of the Countess, and her younger daughter. They weren't my targets and their deaths weigh upon my soul. I hold you no personal malice and would take you as a brother, as far as your care goes." She stood then, since the boy had frozen in place, too shocked to sit, it seemed. She did, which got him to perch gingerly on the front of the sofa cushion across from her.

  "Now, how were you finding school? I don't know if you missed too much for the season or not, so that might be a problem, but I'll ask about it with the Countess." As if she knew her at all. Still, they were peers and part of the job meant meeting the others.

  They chattered about things. He'd never actually expected to inherit, thank the gods, which meant that he had other plans. That was mainly to go into his Uncle's chosen profession as an archivist, which was a thing he loved anyway. Of course that was a little out of balance now too, since that position had been pretty much guaranteed before, the man in charge
of it being a relative, as it were.

  Tiera didn't promise it to him either, but half an hour later, when Lawrence came in, with a large leather bound book that was at least six inches thick, she had a feel for the man. Jeffery was terrified that he was going to be killed, but for good reason, since it was what happened to any heirs left behind, most of the time. He didn't have the funds to run away, or good enough contacts to protect him from the new Countess, who, he assured her with a bit of a manic grin, he'd heard was wonderful, and not vindictive at all.

  Smiling, his Uncle suggested that his duties as entertainment might be done, and waved him toward the front door again.

  "He's really a good boy. Not as dedicated to his studies as he should be, but the young often need time to understand that." Then he generated a table for them to sit at, a square thing that put them close together, and cracked the book open. "I don't know if you're up on accounting practices?"

  That one was a bit odd, since she actually was, it turned out. She'd finished several years of mathematics already, in the first month. It was what she'd originally gone to study after all.

  "Yes, at least the basics. Let me look here..." The books seemed to be real, and also indicated that they were doing... remarkably well, even with the harm that she'd done to the economy and the drain of a sudden military buildup by Count Morris.

  "We have five million gold in the accounts right now, Countess Baker. Plus a million that came in suddenly, from the Wizard Tor? That was unexpected, to say the least. I wasn't aware that we had backing from there. Is it a loan? If so, I suggest you turn the funds back to him now, before the first interest accrues. We don't actually need it, if we're careful." Which, clearly, left a problem he wasn't talking about, since he took a deep breath. After a moment he cleared his throat too. It was rough, and a bit scared sounding, so she got ready for bad news.