Ancient Kings (The Young Ancients) (59 page)

Tor flew off toward County Ward, since it was close and he wanted to see if Debbie had set up shop at all. He had another four chests for her, a duplicate of what had just been dropped off. The mess with Clark and Ethyl was horrible of course, but he had to stay out of it. They were robbed by criminals. Also their family. The very idea was nearly inconsiderable to him, but Tor would be too soft with him, if he were involved, trying to protect them all. It had happened before. Not this time though. By avoiding being in charge of it, he could let justice take place.

It didn't take long to get to Warden, and the place seemed as happy and cheerful as always. That left him with a problem, since there was no big sign announcing where his friend was. Go figure. It was like they were trying to hide her or something.

Except that, as he slowly moved over the town, headed toward the Ward's Palace, a woman walked across the well cared for lawn carrying a tray in her hands. A covered one. When she looked up Tor got a sense, just for a second, that she was his older sister, Terlee. Only bigger.

That was Debbie.

"So much for hiding her." Tor set down carefully, as the woman kept moving toward the front door of the place, looking a bit worried, her feet moving faster, nearly running up the white stone steps.

It was a bit of an overreaction to him. They were friends after all. It occurred to him from her reaction that she didn't know who was there though. Not really. That, along with the fact that his craft still looked like it belonged to the King personally, being purple with a gold stripe down the center. That might be the reason for her haste, given everything.

After he climbed out he noticed that no one had come to the door yet, even though she was kicking it with her right foot loudly.

He walked up the steps, but spoke from well back. She was in all white and looked healthy enough. A bit thinner than the last time they'd met, which wasn't good, but from the scent coming from the tray she held, a rather large thing that took both hands, she probably wasn't starving. Just not eating enough still.

"Do you want me to take the tray for you so you can knock?" The words were meant to be funny, but came out sounding
very
serious. It was kind of humorous anyway.

She spun and nearly lost the tray, which he made a grab for about halfway to the ground. He focused hard, already in a trance, and watched the wooden platter slow a lot, making it a simple thing to correct it, three different times, keeping the bread and rolls under the cover from hitting the stoop. She grabbed for it convulsively, but froze and just looked at him, her face shocked.

"
Tor
?"

"Everyone keeps saying that to me, and I always am. How have you been? I came to see you, but didn't know where to look. Are you living here?" She had been the last time he'd been there, but she'd also planned to leave in order to protect the Wards good name. Her brother was a murderer after all.

But it wasn't her fault in any way.

If anything it was Tor's. If he'd been better about reading people back when he first met Box things might have been different. The man could have been stopped. But Tor had failed, figuring it out way too late. Girls died, because he wasn't good enough.

That one at least was all him. The guilt for that was real, if misplaced. No one would have thought the killer they were looking for would have worked at a bakery. Bakers were always nice and hardworking people that made food for you. It was nearly the perfect camouflage.

"I..." Debbie swallowed, looking nervous and took the tray back. "I have a new shop. The Count and Countess lent me the funds for it, since I lost most of what I had after... You know, penalties for being related to my brother. They keep saying it's a gift, but I'm going to pay them back. Why are you here?"

She seemed upset. Which was mainly about the Wards, for some reason. That made sense, being they were on their doorstep, but why that was he didn't know really.
She
didn't know. It was just a feeling that the Wards had done something bad. Something to do with the attack on the Capital. Debbie didn't believe it, but no one had told her anything. She just ran a bake shop.

Hence the baked goods.

"I came to make a delivery. To
you
. I was going to ask for you here, but then I found you! Isn't that great? I have lots and lots of new amulets. Some gold too, if you need it. Not too much though, since I'm all poor now." He was just chattering, but she seemed concerned and when the door opened nearly a dozen armed men ran at him. They almost made it to Debbie when someone called out.

"
Halt
! Don't touch him!" The voice was deep and familiar enough, and the command got echoed half a second later by Count Ward.

Looking over he got who it was, and five seconds later the power of speech returned.

"Hello Kedrin. Marvin. I don't suppose you'd like to invite me in?" The mass of bodies roiled a bit moving to put themselves between Tor and the other men, but the King's brother held up a hand. He looked tense. Not angry or anything though.

"I had nothing to do with the attack on the Capital. I know it looks suspicious, but I swear I didn't order it, or ask for it to be done. I may not always get along with my brother, but I don't want him dead." The words were even true enough. Tor could tell that.

"Oh? How about off the throne?"

The man looked down at Tor, and he realized that they were almost on even footing. Except that Kedrin didn't know about that part of things. For once Tor had an advantage over one of the other nobles.

The fellow stroked his mustache and
lied
. It sounded believable, but it was so far from true Tor didn't know how anyone could miss it.

"Yes. I think I'd be much better on the throne than Richard ever could be. My good friends Marvin and Maria are giving me a place to stay, but it's important that Richard know I didn't try to harm him or his family. I don't suppose you could tell him about that, rather than say... killing us all?" His guards, who funny blue and yellow outfits or not, were Royal Guards, bristled at the idea, except for one of them, who was an older man. One that was a bit stooped and looked like someone had accidentally tanned his face with a batch of leather goods.

"Don't be fools. He won't be fighting us hand to hand, and I don't think we'd easily defeat him if it came to it, even with our stolen shields. Others have made that mistake, we can't afford to now." The rest of the people, all men, stood back though and didn't try to make fun of Tor or anything, which he would have expected from regular forces by this point.

Tor looked around and got that the large tray of baked goods made sense. The guards weren't as big as some, but they were all large people. Probably with lots of noble blood. Which meant it would be really hard for them to see him as a threat. If they could see him as a person at all.

"I'll see about passing the word on that. Or better yet, you could use the Ward's communication device and do it yourself. Awkward, I know, but he's your brother, not mine. It isn't like it would be a stretch for them to guess where to find you." There weren't a lot of places he could be after all. "Right now I have to talk with Debbie. Business. I don't want to be rude, but it might be best if you don't get me involved in this."

The giant Kedrin, who was a bit taller than Count Ward, so over nine feet tall, bowed to Tor.

"As you will. Who's Debbie? A friend of yours? The one with the ice manufactory? Or the jeweler?"

Marvin stepped forward and took the tray of goodies.

"Neither. The owner of the new bakery."

"And magic shop." Tor added the words, not knowing if that was what she'd really want. She had every right to hate him after all. He'd killed her brother with his own hand.

Marvin actually smiled and clapped him on the shoulder.

"See Debbie, I told you that your friends wouldn't forget you. A shop like the one you had before? Or perhaps larger? We can provide a larger space for you."

"I... " She looked at Tor a bit desperately, clearly not wanting to take more charity from the man. "I have a partner. Tor... but you said you were having troubles with funds right now?"

He shrugged.

"Paying for the clean-up in the Capital. I put everything I have into it. Except what I got earlier today. More than enough to buy a place, or rent something larger. We need to do it kind of quickly though, since I have an appointment at noon, and will be at the Palace in an hour. Which means that I need to call ahead. They probably won't let me in after you call. Damn it. I need Smythe of Westend. I have a little military problem."

Everyone got all tense and looked like they wanted to hit him. Because they figured that he meant to call the military in on
them
? That had to mean that they didn't get that he knew they weren't really in on the rebellion. Convoluted noble intrigue bull again, Tor realized.

Then he shook his head a bit and sighed.

"At
Wildlands
. It's a property I own, but also a military complex, which is a nightmare. Ali and Sam Builder have some orphans in to learn things, so they have a chance in life, but some of the soldiers have been trading goods with them, when they didn't have coin for the whores. Even the little ones." He looked at the Royal Guards and then the nobles. "By the way, I don't care if they're common children or not, if anyone here says anything other than that doing so was wrong, there are going to be problems." Ones more severe than a letter writing campaign too.

Count Ward looked
horrified
and Kedrin didn't even wait at all before walking away, into the complex. "Come. Everyone." He sounded... pissed.

The group lost him, even though they jogged, not knowing where he was going. The place was vast, if better organized than the King's place. They found him by following the sound of shouting and cursing. Debbie stayed with him, in the corner of the room.

"Damn you Richard! Damn your
eyes
, how could you let this happen.
Little children
, being used like
that
!" It was impassioned and there were a lot of hard names used, but... It was all fake. The man was acting, trying to make it look like he wanted to harm his brother. The King waited, and asked where he was and all the normal questions, but that was known. He was calling from Ward, which made them look guilty of harboring him. It was all a trick and Kedrin was just capitalizing on Tor happening along.

It was both brilliant
and
annoying. So often things involving nobles really were.

Then they both started screaming so loud that it was pretty clear Tor couldn't get help with the problem even if he wanted to, the King being forced to dig his heels in to make it look real. Which... Tor didn't know what to do. On some level he'd been counting on some help and in one move Kedrin had taken that away from him. The military men wouldn't really listen though, would they? Not enough of them. What was he going to do to protect those kids?

Nothing at all came to mind.

After about ten minutes of screaming he'd had enough.

"Stop." No one heard him of course. He tried again, but only Debbie even noticed him talking. Taking her hand he led her outside, to where a group of people were trying to look at, and into, his carriage. He climbed in first, and transferred a hundred gold, which was in a small cloth sack, into the least full of the trunks. He still had to make it larger and it wasn't tiny at all to start with.

When he got out he handed Debbie the amulets and leaned in, whispering almost into her ear.

"A hundred gold in the largest box." It would be enough, even for land rent. "I suggest you use one of the houses for the shop. It will save time and funds. Plus be nicer, most likely."

Then with a distracted hug he got into the thing and took off, headed for Lairdgren school, since he wasn't going to get much help from the King he didn't think, especially since he was probably still yelling at his brother.

Taking several deep breaths he tried to work out what to do and nothing at all came. Finally, about halfway to his house, Tor realized that there was something he could do after all. He'd even thought of it the day before. He could find the worst offenders, and
kill
them.

Except for the killing part, it was a great plan.

His stomach dropped as he realized that, realistically speaking, he had nothing. All he could do was let those little kids down. That wasn't even halfway good enough though.

A strange idea occurred to him then and he rerouted for Grenwyn.

After all, the men wouldn't listen to him, because he was small and weak looking? He knew someone that might just get their attention, didn't he?

That plan didn't work at all.

Hobart was off to the market, to get materials for his various projects and left a note saying he'd be back later in the day on his own door. It wasn't what Tor wanted, but he couldn't fault the man. He hadn't contacted him or mentioned the idea at all before, and the man even let everyone know what his plans were.

There was still a sour feeling in his stomach, since he just didn't know what he was going to do. He felt oddly abandoned, like no one in the world would be there for him. Not really. He was all alone and forced into being a second class citizen, no matter what he did. Standing on the man's walkway for a while he tried to think, but nothing came to him. There was just nothing he could do that would work. Even killing the men involved wouldn't do a lot. Most of the Elite soldiers were from noble lines, one way or the other. A good half of them at least. That meant they couldn't see anything done to commoners as being all that wrong.

Well, some could, it was clear. Trice would have at least complained a little about it. So might someone like Baron Coltress, since it had happened to one of his own daughters once and he nearly went to war over it. These kids didn't have anyone that could stand for them like that though, did they? All they got was him, and that wasn't going to be good enough. He was too small and weak to protect them in the mind of too many people.

At least there were several people waiting for him at Ali's House when he got in, just sitting in the front room on what seemed to be very different furniture, all done in a horrible color that reminded him of half dried blood. Tor let it be though, since it would change in a few days anyway and it would just hurt someone's feelings if he didn't like what they'd picked. The group was a bit strange though, at first, until he thought about it for a few seconds.

Sara, Ali and Sam builder he sort of understood. Sara had been stationed at Wildlands for two years while in the military after all, so she'd know a lot more people than he did. Maybe even enough to be listened to. Ali and Sam were the ones that came up with the plan to help the kids in the first place. Tor was taking responsibility for them perhaps, because that was the kind of person he was, but the fact of the matter said that his wife and Sam were really the people that should be there.

That didn't explain why Baron Havar was there though, especially without his little sister. Those two were friends, and it was clear even to someone like him that they liked each other, but weren't acting on it, because Havar was her Instructor and that would be sort of wrong. On the good side he was big though.

The strange thing there was that when the man saw him it was pretty clear that he had that whole anti-commoner thing going in full swing. Tiera might be his pet, and attractive enough to consider having sex with, but the man had little to no use for Tor in particular. He'd been ordered to come by Kolb and had forced himself to, but it took a lot of work on his part. It was almost too much. Did everyone tall hate him or something? That wasn't pure truth, but he wasn't thrilled at all to find out just how bad it was.

"Havar, why are you here?" Tor knew, but he needed to get some distance from the idea, or he was going to snap at the man, which wouldn't help anything.

"Kolb sent me. Thought a little muscle might make things easier for you." He stopped there, which showed more intelligence than Tor normally associated with the man. It didn't stop a line of pure disdain from following the words though, directed mainly at him.

"Oh? Well, tell him I said thank you, but..." How could he phrase it? Nothing good came to mind, so he shrugged. "The truth is that I was just reading your field, and I know that you really don't think this is an issue, because the kids are all from common stock, more or less. I don't trust you to back me up here. Not on this topic. I know that it isn't fully your fault, but it might be best if we didn't have you along. If this goes badly, I need people I can trust with me, and I can't do that with you. Not with the way you hate me."

There were two gasps, both from girls, and Sam shifted a bit, a force lance suddenly visible in his right hand, his shield flickering on. Ali's went next, though it was clear she was reacting to his words, not the potential threat. Sara reacted last, not able to sense what was going on with the fields very well. She was smart though, and well trained enough that she understood that Havar would take the words as an insult.

He pretty much had to, which meant Tor was goading him unfairly. Before the man, who was starting to let his anger rise, could say anything, Tor held up a finger.

"I know, I'm not being fair. Tell me that I'm wrong and I'll humble myself and beg forgiveness. Well, if you tell the truth at least."

"Are you saying that I'm a liar?" The man's face turned red, then started to pale. It was the start of combat rage, most likely. Tor honesty didn't
care
. He was tired of being pushed around and looked down on, and this, even if it wasn't a big deal, even if just having the giant stand there behind him would have made a difference in how things came out, it was just too much suddenly. He'd had enough and couldn't let it go. Sense and logic be damned.

"Not particularly. Oh, you'd lie to do your duty, or maybe to hide from the fact that you're a bigot, which can't be a pleasant thing to know about yourself, but that wasn't my point.
I'll
know if you lie, that's all."

The situation presented a problem for the man then, since he didn't get a choice about going, since his Commander in the Secret Army had given it to him as a mission, but if Tor said he couldn't go, he had no sensible reason to.

"I'm going, and you can't tell me otherwise." The feeling that came with it was basically a long string of negative things about Tor.

"Sure I can. Baron Havar, you have a right not to like me. You can call me all the names you want inside your head, and think that the world would be better off without me. I won't let you get in my way in this however. Go talk to Kolb and tell him what I said, and that I have a reason for it. Also, thank him for the thought. I doubt he really understands what a miserable excuse for a human being you actually are inside. I'd also appreciate it if you stayed away from my sister. She isn't some 'common doxy' at all, and you can't see that most of the time. If you harm her, I
will
take measures... Which you are totally unable to believe in. I'm just a little target for you... Never mind, just leave. I don't have time to waste with people like you today."

To his full credit, given how he felt and what he was thinking, Havar left, storming out instead of saying anything. No one else spoke of it, but Sara glared a bit and finally gave him a sidelong smirk that would have looked more at home on Trice.

Tor tried to get himself under control. He hadn't been shouting, but he certainly wasn't being smart either.

"Is it a good idea to goad a nobleman like that?"

It was Sam that answered, his face dark and brooding.

"Maybe not, but it was like with those guards in the Capital. The man hates us. Tor and me. Because we aren't nobles. Or... hate is wrong. He
hates
Tor, and didn't think of me much at all, but he clearly doesn't think good things of the orphans either. I figured on a fight though. This will come back on us. Noblemen don't let things lie often, do they? Like on as they
can't
." The words were rougher than normal, carrying a slightly thicker accent than Tor had heard from the boy before.

He shook his head though, so that the boy would feel a bit better about it all.

"Probably just me. Let's go and see to this, if we can. I don't know, but I might have to kill some people to make this stick. If so, try not to get in my way. I haven't lost my mind, they just won't listen otherwise." He was about to ask them all to stay, in case it got bad, but they all started leaving then, out the front door.

Where Havar stood, fists clenched.

"I don't like you. I know I should, but I
don't
and I can't make myself. You're
wrong
. You're in the wrong place, and have power that can't belong to you...
Wait
." He took a deep breath and growled a bit, which was pretty intimidating. The man scared other giants, so it was meant to have an effect on the four of them, if a subconscious one. "It's... You aren't who you're supposed to be... I can't explain it. You should be getting me a drink, or at best be the bedroom toy of some noble woman, not someone with the ear of the King who can do... all this." A big fist gestured at the house and the purple floating Fast Carriage behind them.

"Can't you see?" There was an almost plaintive note to it, and Tor nodded.

"I'm afraid I really can. I just don't know how to fix it for you. Right now, I have work to do though, so, if you'll excuse us?" Tor managed to sound halfway civil at least and nodded his head a bit, which meant that the big fist hitting his shield had to have looked like it smacked him in the head. The others moved away rapidly and Tor shook his head.

Then he rolled his eyes at the man.

"Calm down Havar. This doesn't have to turn into anything violent. I just refuse to be cowed by your kind anymore. Hate me if you will, but I'm not going to take abuse and act like it's all my fault anymore." Not even if his secret heart was trying to force him to his knees to beg forgiveness. He wasn't being nice in this, but he wasn't
wrong
, either.

The Baron was gone though and just fighting, uselessly. Tor didn't strike back, but he turned the man's shield off and focused as hard as he could on him. After a few minutes he managed to actually do something useful, which caused the man to drop to the ground, asleep. He had a new weapon that could do the same thing, meant to stop a person in a combat rage without hurting them. It was almost instant and he had one on him even. This worked though and meant that he didn't have to give that card away yet.

Trying to sound chipper, he ushered the others onto the craft and hurriedly climbed in himself. It was all just a waste of time, dealing with these people, wasn't it? They weren't going to change their ways just because of words, and even deeds only had so much influence on them. What else could he do though?

They flew in silence for a long time, at least most of the way to the Station. Finally Ali moved to the front passenger's seat and patted his arm gently.

"Are you out of the rage now? I don't want to take my shield off to check." She sounded very diffident, but Tor laughed.

"What? I wasn't in one. Havar, now he was, but I was fine the whole time. Just trying to figure out how to fix this situation. I can't make them listen to me, can I?"

Sam shrugged.

"Probably not. That doesn't really matter though. Get their Major to tell them to stop, or else, and they'll do it. Or
else
. They're in the Army, they don't get to have opinions that change the rules. They aren't the lord of that place, you are and if they don't like it, they can be beaten, thrown out, or killed for it, by their own rules. At least if anyone will speak for the children. I don't know how to make that stick. It's always the problem with those of us that don't have people." He sounded very sad, and Sara patted his shoulder, which got him to look very scared. Tor got it, since the kid broadcasted it pretty solidly. He thought Tor was going to beat him, or at least yell, over the contact. Sam wasn't noble born, and Tor had just taken a
giant
to task for his
thoughts
, and left him unconscious in the street.

It sort of made sense, except for the part where Sara was her own person and not his to order around or be jealous over at all.

They were over the place in about twenty odd minutes, and lines of people stood in front of his hut. Or the storage building or whatever it was used for now. It was a good building, if plain compared to a lot of the others, made without an eye to decoration at all. The craft was settled, nearly two dozen men, and six women, standing there dressed in black. The single person in front was Major Godfrey, looking stern and holding what seemed to be a punishment lash.

That heartened Tor a lot, since he seemed to have a plan in mind to change some thoughts, and was just waiting on them to get there to start in on people. It warmed the center of his being to see. They all climbed out and he marched over to the man and bowed, the others right behind him, looking mean, he was sure. If small.

Fierce though.

"Major, thank you for assembling these individuals. First, before we begin, I want to make something very clear. I
own
Wildlands Station, hold full land rights to the entirety of the Wildlands in my own person and am providing, along with my wife and business colleague Sam Builder, for the care and outfitting of the apprentices stationed here. As their Master, I stand for them, in absence of a parent to do so. No one can deny any of this."

From the sudden frown on the faces of most of the people in line and the rather happy smile on Godfrey's lips, he had a pretty solid argument it seemed.

"I'm exercising that right now. Major Godfrey, in that light, I believe you have the duty of seeing to that?"

Then Tor just moved back and waited. It could all have gone horribly wrong, but Godfrey, for all he was decently tall, was like Sara, Tor thought. A line that was, more or less, untouched by Cordes and Green's initial tampering all those thousands of years ago. What he thought of as merchant class. Not all of them would fit in that category, but more than the nobles did. Maybe half?