by P. S. Power
"William Smythe, of Westend? I have missives for you, from Richard Cordes, The King of Noram. Also one from Constance Cordes, the Queen of Noram." That was, he hoped, formal enough. There was a bow back and a kind smile that looked oddly gentle on the masculine and square jawed face. He was lean too. The muscles on his jaw showed a bit as he spoke.
"Thank you, sir. I don't believe we've met? Are you one of Richard's messengers?"
Gerent handed the letters over, their fine paper smooth in his fingers. Before he could speak, Petra did, acting far more casual with the man than would have been expected.
"Smythe, this is Gerent Lairdgren? He's a Prince here, so you know, you should be up on who he is." There was a mild hint at humor behind the words, but the man in front of him, papers in hand, bowed low.
"Forgive me, Prince Gerent! I didn't realize."
He bowed back quickly, before the man could try and kneel or anything. That would be awkward for them all, given the crowd that was bustling in and out of the room. True, most stayed over by the far door, but some were coming in to record them on Austran handhelds. He thought that was the case, until he noticed that Tiera had a small unit out too, and was taking his picture. The problem there was that the thing wasn't made of plastic, but rather, milky white focus stone. She flipped it around to show him the image.
"You can send them to other people too. I'll get you one of these before you go. Tor did the initial design work and build, but Terry and Tenent did the copying work for all of them. Everyone here has one, nearly. They can record moving images and sounds too, and act like a communications device. Also..." She tapped the flat back of the surface, and then flipped it around again for him and Petra to look at. "Maps. Earth, Moon and coming soon, Mars."
She seemed pretty proud of it, but that was about her family having done all that work, he knew. Mainly because Terry had moved over and made a point of handing him one of the things. Petra got one too. Ger hadn't realized that the boy was just standing there, along with Taman, following them around.
"I already entered both of you into the system. Say, can you deliver some to Count Baker too? Um... I'll have some other things for him, but... I can get some of these for other people? If they want them? Your family, Petra?" He looked up at her, and smiled, but looked away quickly enough that it was clear he was embarrassed.
She looked down at him, took in his brown clothing, which was plain for the room, and then seemed to be thinking about it all for a few seconds.
"That would... Go over pretty well. Some for Richard, Connie and Varley. Count Peterson, Ward, Baker, Printer... Actually, if you could just get a few for each County? The other lands too..." She was ticking things off on her fingers, clearly making fun of the boy, but it was also something that Gerent thought he understood that she didn't yet. To her mind Terry was offering to deliver magics that were worth tens of thousands of golds as gifts. Possibly to curry favor with powerful people.
So adding more would be her way of gently poking him for doing that. True, he might have been trying to do exactly that. More to the point, he should be. Young or not. He was going to be a Count some day, and it just made sense for him to make friends, if he could. It was also clear that he liked the idea a lot.
"I'll need a few hours to run that all up. Good plan, Petra. I... Is it all right for me to call you that? Since you're going to be family? I don't actually know all the rules there." He seemed a bit wide eyed, his young face pale. Like Tim was.
It was Patty that cleared it up for him, which was good, since Gerent didn't know the rules there either.
"In public you should call her Conserina Ward, unless you start dating or being seen together as a couple. Then first names can be used. When in doubt, use a person's last name, like in fleet or the military. Title too. If they have more than one, like you or Gerent, use the highest rank first. So Prince Gerent, Princess Taman, High Servant Erid, and so on. If you don't know, try to find someone who does and likes you, and take them aside to ask first. If you can't do any of that, then be as polite as you can and promote upward. There's almost no one that's called Lord or Lady anything in particular, so those are good ones to use. The rules are different here, naturally, since everyone just uses first names for almost everything still. If you're making a point of giving away expensive gifts to everyone like that, I suggest you run and do that though. If Gerent and Petra will see to delivering them?" She smiled, and gave the boy a friendly glance, then focused somberly on Ger.
He shrugged, feeling a bit lost, with all he had to do.
"I'll do it. Petra actually has teaching duties, which will start again in a few days. So, I agree with Patty, if you can do it, we might as well start on those now." He was a bit less than clear but they were all smart people and tracked what he meant.
Terry gave a single solid nod.
"I'll be back in three hours then. I have those other things too. For Count Baker. I'll bring it all here?"
Then, without waiting for a response, he walked off, hurrying, but using his own feet. A lot of people were floating a bit, at varying heights. Using mentally controlled Tor-Shoes for the purpose. It was interesting to see. They were probably using their shields for it, he knew, rather than individual devices. It was disconcerting, after a fashion. On Earth only the wealthiest people, mainly Nobles, used magic at all most days. People didn't even have magical lights on their homes.
Some wealthy merchants might, but that was rare. Here, even small children all used magic freely. It made for an interesting scene, as people in the other room all rushed around, guiding cases and boxes into place on Sara's ship. From the way things looked, the woman was going to have to make it bigger, if she hadn't already.
Yawning, he blushed, and patted a hand over his mouth.
"Sorry, it's well after my normal bed time. So, Karen Derring?" He looked around, but had to be pointed in the right direction by Patty, who grinned.
"You aren't the only one to change their looks, Gerent. She's there, next to Ali? The extra pretty blonde?"
It took a bit for his mind to make out what he was seeing. The woman didn't seem real, which threw him off. He found Alyssa first, even if she were taller and thinner than she had been. Her chest was still ample, and while a bit thinner, her face tended toward a natural heart shape that was pretty enough. That was Tor's wife, so he knew her too, if not as well as some people. Patty separated his hand from Petra's, a little obviously, and dragged him over, with most of the people staying back. That was nice. He was feeling a little overwhelmed by the press of bodies, as fun as it was to see everyone again.
Petra was right behind them, but everyone else stood and discussed other matters. Even Taman, who seemed to be taking an active role in the whole thing, even if she was only seven.
When they got to Ali, she smiled, and so did her older sister, Conserina First, Karen Derring. The lovely woman was also a Knight of Noram and the commander of the High Servants, a non-martial order dedicated to aid. Which, he realized, was something that he needed. Whole bushels of it, if possible. So he bowed, going low, holding out the letter for her. It was the last one he had on him, nearly. She plucked it from his fingers and opened it, then read it quietly for about a minute.
"Just an update from the King. Some minor trouble with some of the Servants. Of course. They all know that I'm stuck here, so they aren't properly scared right now. Pet, can you go and beat a few of them for me? That or drag them here, so I can do it? King Richard is about to pull his hair out over it. Some of them are using their positions to politic, which... Well, technically it isn't forbidden, but they need to see to their real jobs first." Then she looked at Gerent, and smiled warmly. A wave of interest came from her then. It triggered an instant response from him, that made him feel very friendly toward her, he realized. Not like how he normally felt with very pretty women, which was a bit shy.
It was strange and odd. Magical, nearly.
Ali cleared her throat.
"Karen has been
changed so that she dumps out chemicals that make people like her. Keep that in mind when she asks you to run errands for her. It's pretty hard to say no. Do it however, or she'll get used to thinking of everyone as her personal slave." There was no glare with it, a rather personable smile being on the younger girl's face instead. Ali was only about seventeen, he thought. Not old at all. She made solid eye contact with him too, flirting enough that he understood what she was doing.
Then she moved in and gave Petra a hug. There was none for him, even if Patty had moved closer and intertwined one of her arms with his left, and was hugging it to her chest. Protectively. Probably so that Karen wouldn't grab him up for chores just then.
Alyssa looked at Patty and then back at him.
"So, who's your friend, Trice?"
Petra rolled her eyes, and looked at the scene closely, then moved in and hugged Karen, doing it a lot more warmly than she had Ali.
"My fiancé. Gerent Lairdgren? I think you've met?"
That started several minutes of squealing, and hugging, since Ali Baker was warm and friendly as a rule. People stared and recorded them on their little devices, but she didn't seem to be concerned with that in any way.
When she calmed down, Gerent found that he'd been transferred to her arm, somehow, and that he was being taken away, as Petra talked with Karen, who was, it turned out, her old school roommate. Patty followed along, her eyes scanning the whole place carefully. Like a guard for the King.
His sister-in-law let him go after they got near a corner, and turned so that she was facing him directly. Close enough that he was nearly certain he was supposed to kiss her. She didn't move either, which made him feel uncomfortable. Not that he wouldn't touch her or anything, since noble rules said he sort of needed to, if she wanted that.
"I need to ask you something?" Her voice was a little breathy, uncertain and hesitant, almost scared sounding.
Patty snorted.
"Seriously Ali? You see him for ten minutes and try to get him into bed? Not that you shouldn't, but... really, wouldn't that work better in private?"
The girl, who had a bit of a reputation for not being hard to get into sexual situations, made a similar sound back and then grinned.
"That isn't my question, thanks so much, Trice. Besides, Tor wouldn't like that, since Gerent is his brother. Even if adopted. I asked him, you know? Because there's no blood connection, but it still stands. Which is a shame. Especially since I could have both him and Petra, if not for that, at the same time." She went dreamy seeming for a few seconds, then shook herself. It was all planned it was clear, to make her seem air headed and like all she wanted in life was sex. Anyone thinking that wasn't paying attention however. She was also a builder. A wizard that created magical amulets, young or not. "No, Gerent... I was hoping that I could get you to take some things to my older sister? Heidi? I know that you're horribly busy, but..."
She didn't go on, just screwing her mouth up and then shaking her head a little.
"Honestly, I don't think I have anything that you want or need in exchange. She's Countess Derring, so you should meet anyway."
That explained her nervousness, didn't it? She wanted him to do things, but they didn't really use coin in Harmony. Everyone just kind of got in line and was given what they needed or wanted, if he had been told correctly. The thing there was that everyone seemed willing to work too. At least they were loading the ship fast enough.
"Not a problem, I don't think. Terry has me delivering some things to Count Baker, actually, to everyone else too, nearly. So... I need to work out a plan as to how I'm going to get things around. Aid first, and then double back around for the personal things, letters and packages. I'm leaving in twelve hours. Eleven now, so if you can have whatever it is ready by then?" He yawned again, which got her to smile and dig at her neck.
"Ah! Maybe I do have something to trade you for! Here, use this." It was a plain piece of cut rock, polished on two sides, made into a disk. It was a plain gray, with small pores in it, and had the word awake scratched into the surface in fairly decent hand. It was on a fine gold chain, one that seemed to be made of braided wire, rather than tiny loops. The whole thing was dropped in his hand and she mimicked a tapping gesture. The universal sign that you were supposed to just use a magical item.
He did it, wondering if it would explode or something, but he just felt alert, suddenly. Like someone had replaced all the tired in his body with energy. Blinking he smiled and tried to give the amulet back, only to have the girl close her hands around his, trapping the thing inside.
"No, keep it. I have loads of them. I made it." She seemed proud of that fact, and he realized, that she should. There were about a hundred really good wizards in the world, or now, in the two worlds, and about half of them lived there, in Harmony. It skewed the perception, since everything there was wondrous and a miracle, but this little amulet was just as grand as anything, if not as flashy. "You still need to sleep, but if you have to go for a few days without, this will let you, without feeling tired. Is that a good enough trade?"
He nodded, and then dared to give her a little hug. It was a friendly one however, not sexual.
"Considering I'm just running errands for everyone anyway? Sure. It will help though. If I can keep a clear head, maybe I can actually stay on top of all of this? I need more bodies. Do you think that your sister, Commander Derring, will lend me some of her High Servants? I have a promised commitment of some school kids from Printer too, but nothing has been firmed up yet. Ideally I should be able to just drop things off and have the aid delivered to everyone, but right now I doubt that will happen. I'd probably put it down and the cases would just sit there, with no one even using them. If they aren't stolen first." There was a time when, if he'd found a box full of magic, he would have walked off with it, wasn't there? Not that long ago, even. Now he didn't need to, but the poor and desperate had to play by different rules, at least if they wanted to ever be anything other than that.
So he needed help. From somewhere. That probably wasn't going to be from the High Servants, he realized, as the event wore on. Karen wasn't pleased with them at all, and had been serious in her request of having Petra beat them into shape. To that end she called for someone, a young man that arrived about half an hour later, covered in a fine sheen of perspiration.
"Forgive my tardiness. I was deep on Captain Debri's ship, loading, when you called. I thought I could get here faster, but there were others in the way." He bowed, and made it humble enough that Karen just waved it away.
"Don't worry Erid. I know that you were working. Which is part of why I want you here. Lairdgren here is running the aid delivery and allocation for Earth. The whole thing. He mentioned wanting help. Would that I could give him a thousand of you, or more, but I only have the one so far. Would you go with him and see that he has whatever support you can offer?"
It was stated as a question, but the man just tapped a little pouch on the side of his white robe.
"I stand ready. Are we to leave right now?" He looked over at Gerent, as if that was all the information he needed.
"A few hours. Ten, I think. We haven't even put my ship up. I should probably go and help get this one loaded too. I hadn't thought about that." He wasn't tired anymore, thanks to that little magic thing that Ali had given him.
Mrs. Baker, since they weren't dating or anything. He needed to make a point of keeping to that kind of thing too.
Patty followed him and Erid to the ship, which they immediately had to leave, since Sara was ready to take it up, into orbit, to wait for him to get his ready. That seemed like it would be a problem, not having a ship yet, but the instant the one Sara had was out of the way, a tiny sphere appeared where it had been and Tiera waved him over, her clothing having changed to look workman like, all in brown, and plain, not having any decoration.
She walked him through what to do carefully, but it wasn't hard. The functions were mainly built in, and while he could change them on comma
nd, he didn't really need to worry about things like air circulation, or sanitation, unless he was on a long trip. He would need to get some water, if he were doing that, or living in space, she informed him, and some material to use for the other devices she had for him in a giant case. It was about three feet deep, but nearly that wide and thick too. A square that was, when opened, not filled with magical treasures at all. There were some, in cloth bags, but most of the things inside were papers. Letters that people wanted to send to the folks back home.
As the box followed them down the hallway to his room, or at least the space closest to the bridge that seemed convenient for that to him, she explained it all.
"There are three food units, but keep one for yourself. Another for crew if you have them and a third because chances are one of those will be stolen at some point. Maybe all of them, but I can give you more, if you need them later. Three Makers too. I'll show you how to use that. If you hook it up to sanitation you can... Well, you know, use the byproducts of the crew to make whatever you want. It's a little gross, but once you get past that, it works pretty well." She held up a hand. "Yes, Maker is a stupid name. I didn't come up with it. Try not to let those out on Earth. It will ruin economies. You can make gold, silver, jewels, whatever you want. If someone stupid gets one of these, then... yeah, that won't work too well. Everything will end up being worthless there."
"Except new things? Magic and art? That kind of thing?"
"Exactly. But coin? We can't even use that here. Everything is free, so people just give away their labor. The hardest thing to come by is a job. Say, um... I heard that you wanted people to help with the allocation of things? We can get you some, if you wish? A crew too. People will volunteer for things like that. This is important."
He nodded.
"I can use the help. I... Erid... High Servant Erid? Who started people loading right off back there? I don't know if you know him?"
