by P. S. Power
"Hello? Is anyone here?" The deep voice was Marvin, which made sense, because he was probably wondering if Timon had run off with his wife forever. He had to walk from the kitchen, but found that the man or someone with him, had been smart enough to open the side door. It wasn't locked, but you couldn't hear through it, if it was closed.
Behind him stood Kedrin, who was smiling, and the Baron and his family. Behind them, on a heavy, but small cart, which was drawn by a pony, was a chest. Without waiting he waved them all in, and handed over the Cutter's that he'd made for the man.
"These will last at least a few years. Possibly longer." They were on silver, which wasn't as good as stone, but was still considered quality work.
The man tested each one, using a roughly finished board that he'd brought with him. No one else seemed to mind and he certainly didn't, but Kedrin looked ready to clout the man in the head.
The Baron was pretty happy with the quality of the items anyway and smiled warmly about it.
"Excellent work. Very well done. Here I thought that I was coming to complain without possible effect, my own Countess unable to help me at all. I'll have to complain to the Count more often at this rate." He chuckled and gestured for the four guardsmen to bring in the heavy case. "Fresh from the bank. I'm afraid it was a bit of a rush, so we haven't had a chance to put them in smaller portions. It isn't meant as an insult, please don't take it that way." The man bowed, and his wife actually looked a bit embarrassed by the lack of such a basic courtesy, but Wallace just stared at the inside of the craft, like he was considering getting one for himself.
"Uh... This is really nice." The young man seemed to mean it and the rest of them nodded about it, even as the large men in their red and blue outfits, marking them as the Baron's guard, set the case down on the floor, about ten feet from the door.
The King's brother clapped a few times.
"It is. Truly. We should go, since I think I smell the early meal and we don't want to intrude."
Timon wanted to roll his eyes at the man, but didn't want to be rude to someone that was trying to take over the Kingdom. Especially since, for some unknown reason, the man seemed to like him.
"We have plenty, I was just about to lay that out, would you all stay?" That was a little bit of a lie, since while they had plenty of fresh bread, there were only so many plates, but the fruit would be simple enough to come up with. It wouldn't take more than a few minutes for that.
It was a little embarrassing to explain the situation, even though no one seemed to mind at all. Count Ward smiled and popped out the door with a surprising agility and had one of the men from the house out with several more plates in less time than it took Tim to prepare the food and start putting it out. Everyone else sat around, the Baroness looking awkward, like she was saddened by his lack of servants. That started him feeling odd again. Thankfully Wallace saved the conversation.
"This is a lot better than what we get at school. Not that the food is horrible there, but it's... I guess simple would be the best word for it. Plain fare so that we won't get too fat, I guess. We can have all we want, Countess Printer makes sure of that." This last bit was for his mother, who seemed to wear her emotions on her face as a habit.
Tim nodded, "Printer School? I'm going there next year. I hear that it's off to a good start?" He didn't go into the lost scholarship situation. He could afford it now after all. The difference this next year would be that he had a wife and responsibilities...
For the first time the thought sent a line of something through him. That new emotion again. It was too much, making him feel like he'd done something wrong already, leaving Trice to fend for herself... As if that wasn't the original deal? The whole point was for him to do his part and get out, wasn't it? She was a noble for goodness sakes. To her, marriage was a financial arrangement and possibly, if you were good enough and planned things out well, a way to advance your status in the world. Him making contacts at school was a good idea, wasn't it? Plus, he had things left to learn.
Timon wasn't used to feeling these things, but he knew what was happening. He wasn't used to rationalizing what he was doing like everyone else did all the time. It was easy enough to see from the outside. People did what they wanted, but then felt bad about it, so they made up complicated lies to tell themselves and actually seemed to believe them, which was a skill he'd never learned at all. Not yet.
Smiling at the people who were settling around the large black table with the food on it, using the slick and sturdy wooden looking chairs, Timon decided that he was changing his plan. He'd sneak up on Tor, disable his shield and hit him with something heavy. Several times.
Maybe more than that.
After all, if this kept progressing like it clearly had been, Tim doubted that he'd survive much longer. Not in any way that could be recognized as being himself. That was for later, when he had a chance to think about things and decide not to actually hurt his brother.
Kedrin looked at the table and positively beamed at him.
"This is a feast, Countier Baker. I half expected dry crackers and hard cheese from a tin. I've had breakfasts in the Capital that weren't half as sophisticated."
It was just him being polite. That or the man had truly had some poor meals there. Of course he'd said "in the Capital" not at the King's Palace. That way he could pass a Truth test on the matter, as if Tim was going to force an issue like that? It was a point. No one could say anything they cared about someone else knowing was untrue casually any more. What didn't make sense was why the man would care. For a moment Tim wondered if the man thought he was cute or something. Hopefully that wasn't it.
After they each had a plate and loaded what they wanted onto them, he went to see about waking the women. That was less difficult than it seemed, since they were both busily... Well, as soon as the door was open it was pretty clear what they were doing, at least as far as the mechanics of it worked. Trying not to let the scene worry him, Timon cleared his throat.
"We have guests. It's breakfast time."
Trice looked guilty for some reason, her face both flush and slightly covered with sweat from her endeavors, but Maria just winked and waved him away. It was a bit high handed, given that it was his bed, but her voice was polite enough.
"Oh, thank you for the information. Please tell them that we'll be there shortly?"
"Right." There was a sense to his words that he was angry, but that wasn't it. Not about this little scene at least.
The door was closed and he made a basic excuse for them, that he indicated without too much difficulty, just repeating what had been said. No one acted as if it were strange at all.
Ten minutes later they both came out, dressed in fresh clothing and looking like they'd been getting ready for the day for a while. Trice was all in black, but it was a rather thin looking dress with black shoes on underneath. Maria was in a pale blue that worked well with her hair, which was pulled back in a pony tail.
"There you all are!" Maria said it as if the people that had been sitting and casually chatting about nothing in particular had been keeping her waiting. It got a smile from the men. The Baroness seemed tolerant at least, but not amused. Wallace looked ready to push Count Ward out of his chair so that his wife could sit and Kedrin noticed it, but didn't comment or tease the boy. After all, he wasn't great looking perhaps, being about average that way, but the young man was clean and polite, and if Timon had heard correctly, Maria didn't tell anyone no really. Why that was no one had ever mentioned to him, but there had to be a story behind it.
The result was that, if a person were so inclined, being nice and attentive to Countess Ward was said to pay off.
His wife walked over to Timon and kissed him on the cheek. It was a compromise really. It would have looked better if they were more attentive to one another that way, but no one would expect it. She was actually just showing everyone that she was taking her new position seriously. That made some sense. After all, it was real enough. Plus as an a
dded incentive, she wanted to fool the Gala family for long enough that they'd forget about her.
The talk was small then, and covered almost everything except the real situation. Kedrin talked all around his desire to kill his brother and take his throne, making it seem like he was fully backing the people that were against the King and his friends without reservation. The problem there was that he didn't actually say that at all. At first Tim thought the man was trying to avoid direct treason, but that wasn't it. Not really. The whole thing, when put together made it painfully obvious as to what was going on. The King's brother was, in the end, his family. That meant he wasn't going to actually help the people that wanted Richard dead. It was good to know, but nearly made the whole situation they had going on at the moment seem a little bit empty.
Except that it was pretty clear that Baron Eager was well and truly on the side of the rebellion. He wasn't there to get tools for his business, that was only an excuse for travel. This trip was all about finding out whose side the Wards were really on. It was so plain that no one in the room missed what was going on at all.
"So, Count Ward... I've heard a rumor that you swore fealty to the King, publicly, and yet here you are aiding his foes. How did you ever manage to get past that? My understanding is that no one can beat the Truth amulets made by the Wizard Tor."
It was blunt to a level that had both Count Ward and Trice covertly reaching for weapons. The Baron didn't get that yet at all, since both of them were decently subtle about it. Of course, killing the man was one way out of the situation, but it would kind of make the Wards look a little bit bad, a guest of theirs dying like that, from multiple weapons blasts. Then the Baroness and Wallace would need to be killed too, since hiding what had happened would be important. Then the guardsmen they'd brought. It sounded pretty messy, and would have to be cleaned up. That was too much work, so Timon dug at his neck, which got almost everyone to look his way, which Trice used to free a small force lance. It was hidden the palm of her right hand, out of sight.
Timon winked at her.
"We might as well tell them. But... I have to ask you all to keep this secret. If Tor finds out, or my grandfather, Count Lairdgren, they'll kill me." He pulled out his special Truth amulet and freed it from the silver chain he was wearing. "I mean that too. There's no love lost with the Count, and Tor... He isn't what people think. Not at all."
Chapter nine
Timon didn't let anyone have time to think about what was happening, since that would lead to someone else trying to get creative to back up his scam. He had a real one, a very good act ready to go, and it didn't need a lot of help with it. That could only mess things up.
Handing the small white tile with its pink sigil on the front over to the Baron he smiled.
"Please, sir, activate the amulet."
The cream and goldenrod field that came then was very nearly perfect. Most people could look at it side by side with a field that Tor had made and never realize it was different. The center stripe, that was different, a fraction larger, a tiny bit brighter than the original. It was so little a difference that everyone seemed to think it was real.
He let his face look sly then, which was an expression he was actually good at.
"Now, please lie to us."
The man did, looking at the tile in his hand and frowning.
"My name is Boris Monty and I'm eighty-nine years old. I love sharp cheeses and hate women."
The field didn't change at all. Not even a little bit.
The man stood, his face looking both amazed and shocked, but that faded to simple excitement as he tried it again.
"I'm forty feet tall and made of brick. This is amazing! How did you do it? Will it work for anyone? The expense of such a thing... How did you ever procure it?"
It was rude, but Timon rolled his eyes at the man.
"I made it. I am a builder after all. It took some effort to make it look right, you have to be very careful with its use, since Tor and several others might be able to tell the difference if they see it. Away from my brother or grandfather, as long as they don't examine it carefully, it will serve. That's how the Count and Countess did it. They had help. It was costly too." After all, nobles knew that everything had a price tag attached, didn't they? The more vague it was, the higher it would be thought to be. For something like this...
Kedrin nodded as if he'd known that was the secret the whole time.
"This is, as you were informed, a secret. As long as no one else knows about this new form of magic, we can continue to work our people into the Palace and other places of power. I shouldn't have to mention how delicate this is?"
It had to have an impact on them all, since Wallace was wide eyed and a bit less interested in the Countess just then. No one else did much but smile.
Trice shook her head.
"Honey... Is this a good idea? Telling people?"
Timon shrugged.
"They're in this with us." The words were slightly hissed, which he was kind of proud of. It made it sound like they were arguing a little. Just enough to sell the whole thing.
The Count bowed toward him without standing, which was polite, but not deferential really. It was the kind of thing you did with an equal. Not that he really was, but it made him seem important.
The Baron shook his head and stared at the front of the thing.
"I was told that no one else had mastered the glowing sigil on stone yet. Good thinking to have hidden that from the world."
Tim sighed and took the tile, then held it sideways.
"If you look you can see how it's actually two pieces? The line is faint, but you can see where I separated it, and then glued them back together. The front piece just has the sigil on it and the back has the surround field. Here..."
Timon took it and smiled, activating the second setting on the amulet, which caused a black streak to cut across the glowing light around him. There was no need to talk, because everyone understood what that meant. He could lie to anyone he wanted too, as long as they used the right amulet.
"It won't work at the King's gate. The Royal Guard have their own amulets and those are all real. They test them, before each shift, so it's no use trying to slip one in, expense aside. It wasn't easy to get this one in place when it was needed. I won't go into how we did it, but try to avoid needing it on short notice."
Because, of course they'd use it for their friends.
"If you get called to the Palace just stand there and say you don't mean harm and aren't all that wild about the King at the moment, but won't hurt him that day. You know, the tell the Truth. I've used that more than once myself there. They aren't stupid, they get the general idea, but it can work for a time."
Then, wisely, Timon shut up. The others spoke about it, but Kedrin was adamant that they not overuse the device. Which was good, because it really would have been hard to hide the switch from the Royal Guard. He thought he could do it, but hadn't actually bothered to try yet. It was just a bit of insurance for later, if he ever had to say, cause a certain Aunt of his to find a bad batch of cookies delivered to her at lunch? It was a petty revenge, but something that probably wouldn't have him put to death, if it was found out. Salt instead of sugar would do.
Count Ward sat, looking very smug about something, and Maria made eyes at him that promised a lot more than he wanted from her. It fit. No one thought it was less than reality even, except Trice who crossed her arms and looked away, like she was annoyed with him.
The conversation became a lot more open after that, since the Wards were pretty well cleared suddenly. It had been the most obvious flaw in their plan, working their way into the center of things, and wasn't perfectly patched, but it was a decent start. Now there was a mechanism that would allow for them to have faked their vows. Before there wasn't.
The others made their polite excuses about an hour after that, Baron Eager making a point of clapping him on the back several times as they left.
"Say, what did you cha
rge them for the use of that new magic?" This was expected, since the man was angling to get hold of it for himself, if the need arose. That was pretty smart of him, because win or lose, not being able to lie was a handicap.
Being able to when no one else could, that was a power.
"Several things." Trice looked uneasy enough that Timon smiled at her and shrugged. "One of them was my new wife. How else do you think a twelve year old manages a lovely Ducharina? She isn't pregnant and, I assure you, it took a lot of leverage on Countess Wards part to cause that to happen. There was also some coin and a few things that I can't tell you about. You understand that, I'm sure. Of course that was for unlimited use, and a few other things that I provided to them. Nothing too big." It was a whisper, but Trice could hear him and nodded once, then stopped. It was so subtle it had to have been a trained response.
Then, she was a professional spy. It made sense she'd know to do things like that.
They all left, with Kedrin going last, making a point to linger a bit. He didn't say anything, but made a point of patting him on the back as well. Trice stayed and made herself smile at their backs as they walked away. Timon did too. They could be being watched after all. The assumption was that they always were, no doubt.
She whistled as soon as the door was firmly shut.
"Damn. That was good. How long have you had that amulet?"
"About three months. I figured it might come in handy. So, message all delivered?"
There was a bit of hesitation then, but after a few moments a firm nod came.
"We've been invited to stay as long as we want, but it might be best if we left. Today."
It was a little frustrating that she didn't explain why she thought that. These were her friends after all, but Trice didn't, just looking at him, as if he were too dense to take the hint she was hurling in his face. Timon had to suppress a sigh, then make himself not speak for a few moments, so he wouldn't snap at her for being dense. Given everything there were going to be times she didn't share information with him freely. There almost had to be.
