Slave Line (The Young Ancients) (17 page)

Lyn giggled.

"Put one on for Vagus too while you're at it. Maybe people will start to come and visit us from someplace other than Tellerand."

Timon nodded once.

"And Vagus. In fact, reduce rates to Vagus, only ten gold per person for a round trip if you schedule a full load in advance... and free if you promise to bring business for the people there with you." He'd clearly been practicing his spiel, in fact it was smooth enough that Richard walked over to listen for a bit.

"Hmmm. I'll offer you three hundred gold per round trip for all my Ambassadors and their staff, it will save on normal transportation costs a good bit." Since he could just order the boy to do it, it was nice enough of him.

"Sire, as long as it takes less than three transports and I know at least a month in advance I think we can arrange that. I have school and need to make copies of these beasts. Right now Tor is the only one that can do it though. I may have to beg some from him to make sure people get trained quickly enough to operate them."

They shook on it, which got Ali to go through her case and pull out four more Fast Carriage amulets and hand them over.

"Just until you can make your own, naturally." She sounded very grown up when she said it.

That got Alphonse and Karina to walk over, excited.

"This is great Weasel!" The Prince patted him on the back, stooping over a bit to do it. A good bit.

"If you want I'll get a group together and we can go on a world tour. Take a few months and see everyplace of note. It will have to be on your long break, but I bet people will jump at the chance."

They started chattering about that eagerly. Tor shook his head.

"Load up. Time to go. Everybody on board or we're going to miss the tide." That was a thing, he thought. The water being in or out when they wanted to leave. That might only be for regular sailing vessels, but what did he know about it? That's why they had Petra.

The trip itself was remarkably smooth and he did manage to get a bit of a nap, drooling on himself a little, which was embarrassing, but beat not getting the sleep at all. No one was even screaming as they came in to land. Trice guided them all into place in front of the Ward Estate, which was basically their palace. Tor had been there before, so didn't goggle, but his mother seemed impressed.

"I know it's a waste, but I do so love a good mansion. It would be out of place in Two Bends I'm afraid, or I'd grab one of your houses for it Torrance. Well, maybe someday I'll break down and do it anyway. What we truly need though is a new school house. That has to come first. The one we have is barely fit in the winter. Last year we had a boy get a mild case of frost bite when he was put in the corner for speaking out of turn." She actually looked surprised when she turned around to find Ali holding out two amulets.

"For the school. They're just the little cottages, not the larger more impressive ones, and don't have furniture, but they should keep people warm in winter."

Trice nudged Ali, her arm snaking around the younger girls shoulders, holding her close with a slightly protective air about her. She watched Tor closely for some reason. More so than was normal.

Not knowing what to say, he nodded.

"We'll get you a house later, if that's alright? We'll get Weasel to start working on a full size mill as well. That or beg Sam to give it a try. Of course then I have to pay for it, but it's probably worth it. Two Bends is turning into a transportation center, so it needs one."

Then, for some reason, everyone just stared at him. He looked down, but his clothing amulet was still on, so he didn't understand what they were going on about, staring like that.

Until Trice explained.

"You got through two whole lines about building without saying you should do it all on your own. It's a miracle!"

Then they laughed at him.

Chapter five

Things actually managed to move pretty quickly after that. Petra had things well in hand, and unlike Tor, had actually bothered to check with the palace as to how many people would be coming in all. Then she got provisions for fifty percent more than would be needed. For twice the time the trip should take. If it came to that they'd all be eating dried fruit and bread by the end, but they'd be eating. Tor felt impressed. It was like they didn't need him at all or something.

Then, they never really had.

 All he'd ever added to the story was some nifty magics and occasion trouble just by being around. Now there were people to take his place for those. The only things holding him there at all were his friends and family. It was revelation for him... that he wasn't important.

True, that was mainly enforced modesty, which wasn't false, just the Rhetistics that made him a true copy of Burks, rather than an actual individual that had a chance to be an real person like everyone else. Sure, Denno, Lyn and Green had similar things going on, but real people got to make up their own minds, with only genetics and experience in the way.

Tor had to wonder what he'd have been if that was all he had to deal with. Well, it wasn't something he could find out, not unless he learned to get rid of those innate instructions. If he could figure out what they were and sense them, he might be able to eventually devise a way to get rid of them using magic. Unless they were just thoughts. If that was the case, he was stuck. He couldn't just start erasing parts of himself. Not if he wanted to survive at all. No one could do that. Memories were too linked together for that to be safe.

Needed by the world or not, he really did want to survive. So at least there was that. He hadn't been pushed into feeling suicidal. According to his grandfather he actually couldn't be, not for long at least. Another gift from the Ancient scientists that had created his line.

He'd intended to get Petra and go directly to the ship, which was already set up, if she wasn't out there already, but the situation required him to go and find Debbie, who was sitting in the front room of the giant house, dressed, with a bag packed. Tor looked at her, eyes dry and face miserable, clothing all in black, a plain shift that could have been a long shirt for a noble, and might have been for all he knew. Mourning clothes. Technically you weren't supposed to grieve when a murderer died, but there were different rules for family.

For a second Tor thought she was going to yell at him, curse his name for having killed her brother. If that was the case... then he was just going to have to take it. He might still be in a poor mood, but you didn't argue with grief. It made no difference and only made the world a worse place for people already in pain. He took a deep breath, ready to absorb whatever came at him.

It was different than he expected.

"I..." She stopped and looked at the bag on the ground, then raised her eyes proudly, mouth fixed.

Maria cut her off.

"Tor, she says that she has to leave, because otherwise she'll bring shame upon us. I told her it was silly, but she feels that if she stays here it will hurt
us
, since we aren't in that great of favor right now with the Kingdom either." She was obviously looking for him to help her with the situation, to tell Debbie she had to stay or at least be sensible.

It was a good plan. Wise in a way.

"Alright. Debbie can come with us on the Austran mission. We'll set up your shop here when we get back. You'll need to come back with Petra, since I don't know if you'd be welcome or not at the Ancients summit. Though honestly they shouldn't mind too much as long as their protocols aren't being broken. I don't know. I should ask Burks, but he's avoiding me."

A voice came from behind him then, Tor almost wondered if it was going to be Burks, since he'd just accused the man of not wanting to be around him, but it was Denno. What he said was sensible enough.

"Not so much avoiding you as trying not to further anger you right now I think. I was afraid you might not come after what you said, but your Cordes Prince said that since we were family you had to come, because I need you. Is that right? Kind of a convenient rule if so." The teeth in the smile he gave were white to gleaming. The brown skin, about the color of walnut shell, was smooth and unlined.

Tor shook his head.

"Not that convenient at all. Not for me. Still, I'll go, but I'm not following any
stupid
rules. If people want me to go along with them then what they have planned better make sense in the modern world and at least have an explanation that isn't just about some person that lived two thousand years ago having said it once."

Holding out his right hand he walked to Debbie and pulled her up as soon as she took it. That she didn't just sit listlessly was a good sign. Her words had the ring of someone bitter and defeated, but she wasn't done yet. There was fight left in her. Maybe at least.

"Debbie, this man," He gestured for Denno to come over which the man did at a decent pace, " is Denorian Brown. He's... The Ancient of Austra. Which probably means nothing to you specifically, if you were raised like I was, but you know what the Ancients are at least, since Lyn is a friend of yours." That was an over statement, they'd only met once, Debbie crying most of the time.

Brown bowed over her hand.

"I'm sorry for your loss Miss Smalls. Well, I think my little brother Tor has the right idea, we'll take you to see my home and let you get away for a bit, without bringing hardship to the Wards. Good people, but not the King's favorites at the moment, and linked a bit too closely to me, or I'd invite them to visit as well. Perhaps later Countess? Once things have calmed a bit? I do believe that your King intends an outreach program, to help cement ties with my land. It might work well for you to be seen there. Delicately though, perhaps not in the first wave of the thing?"

Tor didn't think it would work at all, since the Wards had once been thought to be working with the Austrans to try and destroy Noram, or possibly steal the crown. They hadn't been, and it was mainly Tor that had thought that at the time, an idea that had mostly stayed in his head, thank goodness, but it wouldn't be a good idea to spread it around for say, twenty years or so.

People would eventually forget the part where The Count and Countess Ward had declared war on the rest of them. On the good side it had been resolved without any actual fighting at all. That made it a lot easier to forgive as just being a mistake.

Still, it might work, someday.

"Better, we'll send them to visit with Julie in Soam first, get them to run the peace tour thing that Weasel and Prince Alphonse are putting together."

Denno looked at him, curiously, just the lightest smile on his face.

"I missed that. I thought it was just about a world tour for fun. Going to see all the places spoken of only in legend. Yes... I'm almost positive neither of them spoke of peace, just fast flying craft to take people around."

Tor put his hand on Debbie's back and took her bag for her. It was handy that she was already packed, if she was going with them. He spoke to Denno, but started walking out slowly, getting everyone to follow along.

"I remember hearing that too. I wonder where the idea of a peace tour came from? Oh, well, I do that sometimes, saying things that don't make any sense. Shall we? We want to get to the ship first, or all the good rooms will be taken and we'll have to draw lots to see if we're sharing with the performers or the prostitutes."

"Heh." Maria Ward had her hair back, but tried to flip it with her hand anyway, it was a pretty golden blond now, about the same color that Collette had. Then they were sisters, so that made sense. Collette was prettier. Not much, but Tor liked her better. A lot better. He was supposed to be the Countesses friend now, but it was still hard for him to remember at times. She wasn't a comfortable person for him at all.

"Well, Marvin has them already loading onto the ship, so I doubt you'll get lodgings with them. Took away my favorite band too. Make sure to keep them safe for me, will you Lord Baker? They wrote a song about me that doesn't even involve removing my clothing, if you can imagine that. Also one about you. That one does have you naked though." She smiled, a mischievous thing, but she didn't explain what she meant.

Tor decided not to ask. It probably wasn't good, if it involved him being naked.

Debbie chuckled. It was a bit dark, but Maria smiled at it, going suddenly hopeful. Debbie sighed then and shook her head in an exaggerated fashion.

"Lord Baker. No offense, but it sounds like you should have the best pies and cakes in the Kingdom doesn't it?" She looked down at the floor then, her face falling a little.

"Of course you aren't at that level yet. Close though. We should run off and open a bakery somewhere. In a place no one knows us. We can bring your wife, don't worry. It will be all proper."

Maria sniffed.

"That would leave out the other dozen women panting after him though. Hardly fair. He's very sought after you know, and hardly sleeps with anyone. It's the only thing I can console myself with at night. Then he goes and sends my husband off on errands in whore houses... If I didn't know better Tor I'd think you were plotting against me." She smiled though, so he nodded until she looked slightly surprised.