Ancient Kings (The Young Ancients)

by P. S. Power

  He sighed himself and shook his head.

  "Tim, you forgot her family discount." His words had a slightly bitter tone to them, and Tor noticed his hand shaking a little, making the device wobble. There was sheen of sweat on the palm that held it, cool and uncomfortable. That was probably his imagination, since his temperature control amulet would keep him in good stead, but it was there, however it happened.

  His brother just looked up at the Prince and nodded.

  "That's right. Darn. Well, I guess you do get to fly for free then, don't you?"

  For her part Connie didn't make any noise, as if she wasn't certain what to do about anything at all. Tor got that one, he wasn't either. In a very real way he loved her. It wasn't the way he should feel about an aunt or daughter either. Thinking about it left him feeling slightly ill, so he didn't for a bit, making his mind go blank.

  "I think we can manage without abusing your goodwill Timon. Not too much at any rate."

  It was strange and awkward, but thankfully she was the Queen, which meant she could lay claim to being busy without having to actually lie about it too much, meaning they were off the communications device three minutes later. The only one a little disappointed about that was Terry. He wasn't going to get to solo to the Capital in a Fast Carriage after all.

  "So much for that then? It was worth a chance, I suppose." There was a sense of that little kid misery that happened when a prize fell between their fingers, and Tor really couldn't stand seeing it right then. He set up his own Fast Carriage, a purple teardrop shape and smiled.

  "You can fly us to the school. If you can do it without crashing too much we might let you do the return trip too. Remember to go easy on the controls. It's a lot more sensitive than a regular flying carriage. About four times so. Better to go way too slow than to plow into the earth. It makes a mess after all." The dialogue of instructions kept coming as they loaded up, but the fact was that it wasn't all that hard to do, if you paid attention at all and didn't let yourself get nervous.

  Terry wasn't perfect at it, his hand shaking a little on the take off as Tor gave him instructions and Timon sat next to Alphonse in the back, neither one interrupting at all. It was a good excuse not to talk about uncomfortable things and it seemed that his life was going to be filled with them for the time being. He focused on his younger brother for the duration of the flight, which was a little slow, covering the whole trip in about forty minutes. Terry was nicely accurate however and got them to the school up north with only a few corrections in course. He even landed well, settling in front of Ali's house gently, like a leaf falling to the earth.

  "There. Now do it again on the trip back and I'll have to start a new batch of these so I can give you one. I'm kind of surprised you haven't made any yet Tim. I know that you've been busy, but it isn't that hard." Tor turned in time to get another dark look from the boy.

  "So says the master builder. No one has done it yet. I didn't even know until a few days ago that they had to be grown. Count Lairdgren mentioned it to Tiera and she let that drop to me, since she isn't talking to any of the building group at school. That needs to be fixed fast. If any of them throw in with Sandra... I don't think they'll survive it. You need to get with them and take control as soon as possible I think."

  Alphonse climbed out, his huge legs making the whole thing just a bit awkward, since Tor hadn't really resized the thing for people that large. It was a bit of an oversight, but his friend hadn't complained about it. For a Prince he was good about things like that, not expecting the whole world to always reform around him or anything.

  Tor nodded to himself, but addressed the far more comfortable topic of building first. It was a bit cowardly of him, but the feeling of being overwhelmed was still on him, hovering just behind his eyes. Giving it too much attention wouldn't help, would it?

  "Yes. It's based on the growth patterns of a plant. I'll show you what it looks like. I spent about an hour a day for a month working on these. Really, once you get the idea it's a lot easier than standard building. The whole thing is a bit fiddly in that you have to remember what you did the day before perfectly, but it's not that big of a deal. We can't do that now though, unfortunately." He smiled and took the carriage down, letting it vanish, leaving only a focus stone tile and a hemp string showing. Tor slipped that to Terry, gesturing for him to put it on. After all, he was the driver for the evening.

  They went to find Ali first, since it was a school night and that meant she'd be in the student housing area. It was just about five in the afternoon, which, if he remembered properly, would mean that his wife finished with classes. That could be a little awkward, since she liked to entertain in the afternoons. At least she had before he left.

  It was still an issue for him, the way she freely had sex with almost anyone. Tor hoped that didn't include his own family, or Alphonse, but he hadn't asked. Given everything he wasn't going to that day either. Instead he knocked on the door rather properly, ready to wait and suffer the laughing and scrambling that would normally take place. Nothing did though. In fact no one answered at all.

  Shrugging he turned to look at the others, but no one had a clue what might be going on.

  "So... we should try Tiera's room then?" He really didn't want to, but she was his sister and even if she hated him at the moment, they couldn't change that. You had to be there for family, and it was his duty at the moment, so he didn't wait for anyone to agree with him and just started walking.

  There was a bit of a surprise there, since Tiera was in her room, and so was Sherri, Ali's roommate. Tor had to scramble to remember the protocols, because she was a Baronetta, but the girl didn't make him hold to that, opening the door herself and standing out of the way as soon as she saw who it was.

  "Come in. I was just sitting with Tiera for a while. It's good of you all to come see her." There was a somberness to the girl and she was wearing plain student browns, with a light blue arm band around her left arm. Tiera had the same thing on, and looked horrible, but she didn't glare at him, which was better than he expected. She just looked flat, her mind going blank even as he stood there.

  "Tiera?" It was hard, but he didn't know what to tell her. Luckily, he didn't have to.

  Tim stepped forward and patted her right shoulder.

  "It's Todd and Ursula's engagement party tonight. We had to promise mother to come and get you for it. Otherwise she was planning on leaving it to Terlee and flying off to stay with you herself. She just heard about Regina a few hours ago."

  Tor half expected a fight, possibly a physical attack when she realized he was there, but the girl just nodded, her body stretching to her full five feet as she stood, looking up at them. Then, moving around him carefully, she gave Terry a small hug.

  "So, you came to guilt me into going back with you?" Her face suddenly looked a little sad, but not as if the whole thing was crippling her.

  "No. I'm piloting. Tor lent me his Fast Craft. Just for the night, so I can learn to use it. See?" He got the amulet from around his neck to show her. The field on it was stronger than when it had been made, Tor noticed, that being slightly easier to pay attention to now that it wasn't around his own neck all the time. You had to ignore fields like that when you wore them and he almost never really thought to check his personal amulets for field strength.

  "Alright. I'll need a few minutes to get ready. We should get Karen to come too. She's sort of watching me for Sir Kolbrin. To make certain I don't fly off and kill Sandra Morris or her family, I suppose."

  That she was planning to do it anyway literally poured off of her, if only for a few moments. Even Timon went a little wide eyed at it, though Tor managed to keep his own face schooled. It wasn't exactly a shock, was it? There was no reason to hide what you were thinking all the time unless you were up to something you didn't want others to know about. His little sister was clearly planning to do some bad things, given how hard she was working to hide information from him.

  "I... The King is
having her tried. She... Sandra was tested under Truth amulet and I checked her myself to make sure she hasn't found a way around it, so she wasn't lying..." He paused, knowing that what he was about to say could set the girl off, but also knowing that Tiera had a right to know. "She was just trying to hit the ground at your feet and missed. It really was an accident. Not that she won't be punished for it. I don't know what the Council of Counts will do..." It sounded like he was making it up, at least to his own ears. As if they'd do nothing, which was about what she seemed to think too.

  "Let her go, with hugs and cuddles all around, no doubt. Why should they go against her father at all?"

  Tor didn't know, and guessed that she was right in her assessment, so got ready to try and at least get the girl to give them the few weeks they needed, hoping she might cool down a bit. Alphonse moved forward and hugged her though, holding her for a few moments, then let go and started talking.

  "Honestly... I think they'll have Sandra put to death for it. There isn't a lot else they can do. Morris signed a compact you know, when he surrendered to you. His heir is bound by it and using a weapon of war isn't a prank, no matter her intent at that moment. She attacked a Conserina in her own county, and killed a Baronetta. A protected student of this school. Even knowing that she truly didn't intend to won't help her much. Plus there's all the other stuff." He stopped there, not going into detail, as if they were supposed to already know what he meant.

  Tor didn't though, which was a bit of a pain. Did he mean the obvious fact that some Ancient was messing with their lives on a very intimate scale?

  It was Terry that asked for clarification though, so Tor didn't have to confess that he didn't understand it either. It was kind of handy, having the kid around. They didn't really know each other very well, even if they were family. He'd been three when Tor had left for school after all. They'd only met about a dozen times since then. It was even worse with the younger kids. Little Taman was practically a stranger to him for instance.

  The Prince didn't talk down to the boy, just making it sound like he was explaining something to a person that hadn't been around for a while.

  "Sandra attacked Tiera and all that, but there are the other connections to be concerned about as well. Timon flat out told my father that if anyone tried to have her harmed they were going to war with him as well. We all know that Tor would be in on that too. No one really wants to take your family on in a fight right now. For one thing about a third of all the nobles would probably side with you automatically. That's going to have an influence on how the others judge her. Count Morris isn't exactly popular either. I mean, he has his friends, but most of them are the fair weather type. No one is willing to back him in a war against you." He hugged Tiera again and looked kind of tired suddenly. "So, like I said, I don't think that this will go well for Sandra. Even if it does, everyone will just assume that Tiera will go after them. It's a political nightmare."

  That led to a discussion about what the King was going through, and while it was pretty clear that Tiera wasn't exactly happy with the man she didn't directly blame him out loud either.

  Tor smirked a bit, but made sure he got that under control. Tiera was a bit of a hot head, and bossy as all get out, but she wasn't a bad sort. They could get past things, he thought. Feeling daring he moved in and tried to give her a hug, half expecting her to throw him off. She didn't though, patting his back a bit after a few seconds.

  "We have to watch that here. People will think that we're sickos or something." Her voice was a bit rough, but not cold as she moved back.

  The words got Tor to move back a full extra step. That was so wrong that it shook him to think about. She was his sister after all. That thought made his breath catch, the rest of the day flooding back into place.

  Trying to cover he looked around.

  "So, is Ali off at entertaining?" It was a polite way of asking where she was, he thought. Alphonse shook his head and made a face, telling him it really wasn't.

  Sherri shook her head.

  "No, doing building work. She might not be around for a few days. Farlo is staying with her, since it's her first time." It was said with a nonchalant air, but the girl blushed after the words came out, since it was clearly supposed to be a secret. "Ah... I wasn't supposed to mention that. She didn't want to tell you, in case it doesn't work. It's a bit early, but she learned to make copies without a template and can do five at once. The Lairdgren Group all told her that was enough for a good build, if she felt ready."

  Tor smiled. It was a lot better to hear than that she was busily having sex with a half dozen people in the dining room or something. That was just him being selfish he knew, since it was part of her job to do things like that and she'd had a really messed up childhood that caused her to really want to make that kind of connection with people. The fact was, she was in the right, and he wasn't. That didn't make it any easier on him, but it was still reality.

  "That is... Incredible! I do wish she would have told me, but Farlo's steady. I'm sure she'll be fine. Too bad she's going to miss the party. Still, the work comes first. So, just us going? And Karen, if we can find her?" He looked around and noticed that Sherri seemed a bit crestfallen for some reason. It took him a few seconds to realize that it was a school night. She probably wasn't going to be allowed to go.

  He shrugged.

  "I'll go and talk to the Headmaster for you Sherri. You won't get to miss classes tomorrow, or anything, but maybe he'll let you come with us? I know that the others will love having you. For that matter we might want to drag him along with us. That way he'll be more likely to let you come."

  It made sense to him, but the girl acted surprised.

  "I didn't know I was invited. I don't know either of them, the Countess or your brother. I'm not high ranking or anything, so..." She looked at the floor, which got Timon to pat her arm, a bit more gently than seemed totally proper, to tell the truth. Then, Tor was probably being a little oversensitive to everything at the moment, wasn't he?

  "I'll go talk to Kyle. As to being invited, well, we're adding people to the line-up already. You may end up sitting at the table with the kids, but there will be space and if I know mother and father, plenty to eat. Have you ever been down to Two Bends?"

  With that he changed the topic totally. It was smoothly done and left the girl feeling included without very much effort at all. Tor felt a bit jealous, to tell the truth. He would have gotten to the same conclusion with Sherri, he thought, but not half as quickly or without making her blush a few more times. It was a good thing though. The girl was staying with his sister when Ali couldn't, just to make sure she wasn't left alone in her grief. That was the sign of a very good person. Possibly a good friend.

  Tor and Timon went outside while the others went to find Karen so that she could be asked to attend.

  "So, you call Headmaster Hardgrove by his first name? I didn't know you were friends." The stones underfoot were a little uneven, but very familiar to him. It felt strange, walking across the courtyard, even though he lived just down the street at the moment. The whole thing with school felt so unfinished to him. He'd tried twice and had to stop going both times. In a way it made him feel incomplete. Most people got through school, didn't they? He was old enough to graduate now, and if he went back would have still been in his fourth year. If they didn't make him redo the third for skipping out like he had.

  There was a lag in the answer to the question, Timon walking at his normal pace, which was quick compared to Tor's. It took a bit of work to match him, and their footfalls landed in time. Tor noticed that his little brother wasn't anymore. Tim was the same size he was now. A bit thinner, but even that was close. Five-five already, and only twelve years old. At that growth pace he was going to be huge when he was finished growing. Probably six feet tall, at least.

  "I don't go to school here, so why not?"

  "Hey... weren't you supposed to start at the new Printer school this year? Did something happen with t
hat?" It was a bit of a lapse, not having asked before. Tor had noticed of course, but they hadn't exactly had a lot of time to hang around chatting about things, had they?

  The boy didn't respond for a bit, and when he did there was a slight current of anger in the words.

  "I had a full scholarship, but someone told Countess Printer that I could pay for it myself. It rather cut that short, since I only got the letter saying that a few weeks before the term started. Before you ask, people did offer to loan me the funds for it. Ma and da did, but after the thing with you and her in Vagus we had a bit of a falling out, so I couldn't take it. Then Tovey offered to cover it for me, but it would have been an insult to Ma if I accepted. You get the idea." The footfalls actually sped up, causing Tor to have to run a bit, even as his brother simply walked. "Some jerk went and ruined what I'd worked for, and then took off so that no one could even needle him on the fact."

  That got Tor to wince. It hadn't been his intent at all. Blowing out a large breath he frowned.

  "Sorry. I meant to pay for that myself. Still, you seem to be managing alright. Are you going next year?" It came out sounding a bit colder than he meant it too, since he was actually a bit embarrassed by the lapse on his part, but Timon laughed a bit.

  "I'm fine. It was a change of plans, but I doubt that Countess Printer would have actually barred me from coming if I explained it all to her. Or, you know, I could have just lifted the gold from your vault. Collette would have helped me with it, I'm sure. She offered, but you know, short of actually stealing it, the whole thing about insulting our parents was in force by then. I still have to ask if I can attend next year instead. I don't know, I want to go, but..." There was a silence from the boy and he waited until a couple of kids in brown walked past them and got around the corner before going on. They were wearing silk, but it wasn't real. The magical amulets they wore for it were his design. He could feel that. The younger kids didn't all have them, so these two, a boy and a girl, must have been at least second or third year students. They were tall and looked slightly familiar.