Ancient Kings (The Young Ancients)

by P. S. Power

  Ali's house was all lit up when he got there and the front room seemed to have at least fifteen people in it. Not all of them fellow school students either. In fact other than the Lairdgren Group and two fighters, Tor wasn't certain any of them were, not until Sherri walked into the room with a platter filled with cookies. Everyone already had drinks.

  Tor smiled, trying not to seem out of place in his own home.

  "Everyone! Good to see you all. Sorry I'm late, I had to stop by Grenwyn and speak with Count Lairdgren. I take it that this is the decision making committee working on our new quasi military school group?" Sherri smiled and offered him a cookie, which he took. It was crisp and made with peanuts. Not bad really. A bit dark, but not so much it ruined it. Taking a bite he waited to be corrected but Kolb just pointed.

  "The very same. Instructor Fines is taking the building students, but we're planning mixed combat groups. Hendrix is in charge of supplies, and all the non-combat sections. Tiera is teaching combat related flying. We need more rigs for that, as well as magical clothing. Farlo said she could do it. We'll need to put all the kids into combat studies though, at least a few hours per day. Mornings and evenings, to place them around regular classes. Are you planning to take over the magical section?" He said it in an offhand fashion, ignoring the fact that Instructor Fines was both right there and better able to do the job than Tor was.

  "No. I'm going to need Alyssa tomorrow too, can we get her out of classes?" This got addressed to Headmaster Hardgrove who simply cleared his throat, disapprovingly.

  "I'd hate to have students missing out on work for this, any more than we can help. This is a stopgap at best, to keep them all from running off to enlist in the military again. It won't hold long, if Count Lairdgren is difficult about it. I have to admit I've been hesitant to contact him on the idea." The man glanced at Tor as he searched through his floating chest, finding the communications device there easily. Then he contacted Barbara again.

  "Did you forget something? I swear if this is to make fun of me over Hobart I'll have your testicles for a necklace." She didn't really sound that mean though, for her. Just a bit sharp, enough that Ali took a few steps forward, to defend him from whoever was speaking that way.

  "Hello Barbara. Nothing like that. Just need a word with Burks please? Tell him I have a room full of people here, so talking about my manhood might leave me feeling a bit shy." The words came out very dry, but the woman on the other end of the thing snorted.

  "One moment." There was no sound for a while and then a faint bit of clattering, followed by the sound of someone settling into a chair.

  "Tor? Something?"

  "Yes. I've set up a pseudo-military group here at school. So they can respond to emergencies. Everyone else had the idea, but I told them it was a good one, so we won't lose as many students to the military as we did in the last war. We'll try to keep them alive and hold to support functions. No direct combat, since you mentioned that earlier. Please tell everyone that you're backing this so they don't spend weeks hiding it from you and living in fear."

  Everyone in the room looked at him as if he were insane for a moment, except Kolb.

  The voice from the device seemed perfectly reasonable at least and didn't question him at all.

  "Do it then. As you implied, it's up to us to make certain they all live through this. Make that so. Anything else?"

  He really didn't have anything, but Ali leaned in and spoke hesitantly.

  "I... Sir. We're having a dinner party here soon, in three days. I know that you must be terribly busy, but if you'd like to come? You could bring people, if you want?"

  Tor didn't let her get the whole thing out, just clapping, which had to seem strange.

  "Yes, ask Barbara to see if Hobart would like to come. He'll be a lot more comfortable here than at your place. He can actually stand up in here, for one thing. I might need a different Carriage configuration... Yes, I can do it. Please ask them as well?" They were the only people from Grenwyn he knew by name after all, and two of them were family. Of course they should be invited.

  Barbara growled audibly and made her way back into the room. Tor could hear the stomping over the device.

  "I told you not to..."

  "We'd love to Tor." The Count practically shouted over her. "Is Farlo going to be there? Hobart's her uncle after all."

  The girl herself, looking very baffled, stood and walked toward Tor too.

  "Um, yes, Count Lairdgren. I was planning on coming. You know where Uncle Hobart is? He's well? We haven't heard from him in years. I'd love to see him. He was always my favorite when I was little."

  That shut Barbara right up.

  Good. The woman was a pain at times. Also funny, Tor allowed, but a bit intense.

  The conversation kept on then, doubling back with Burks involved, but the man mainly just agreed with everything they suggested. It was a subtle thing, but clear, now that he knew to look for it. Everything Kolb suggested, the man did. They were just ideas, but those were the ones he liked the best. The idea kind of scared Tor a little, because he had to be doing that too, didn't he? Who else was he doing that with then? All the Instructors, no doubt. The barber in town? His mother?

  Ali?

  He didn't think that was the case, but it was almost impossible to see it in himself. Green thought that he had that part of himself beaten, but it was there, even after thousands of years of fighting it. Tor suddenly realized something then.

  No matter what he did, he couldn't really be free.

  The concept that he was a slave was a part of him, and no matter how much power he collected, or what kind of wealth he had, there would always be that last second betrayal, and he'd just go along with whoever had the most pull on him, doing what they wanted.

  It was annoying. All he could do was fight against it though, and as he was seeing, that probably wouldn't work.

  On the good side they were all able to be out of his home by midnight and Ali went straight to bed. Sara sat up with him, not having school the next day, being an adult and free for the moment to set her own schedule.

  "Is everything alright Tor?"

  It wasn't. Worse, no matter what he did, it wouldn't be. Oh, he'd wake in the morning, or after he slept at least, and be fine with it, no doubt. Something inside would remind him that nothing new had happened, and that he was the same as he'd always been. A little puppet that didn't even need strings, just a few happy suggestions from the right people.

  Tor couldn't even run away from it, because no matter where he went, he'd always end up taking himself along for the ride. For about ten seconds he looked at the cute blonde in front of him, and then smiled, actually meaning it.

  After all, he loved her now. The fact that her desire for him to feel that way had probably made it happen was a factor, but short of running from the whole world, what could he do?

  "Tor?" There was a small tremble to the word and she started to mist over.

  That got him to remember that if he were a normal, regular person, he'd probably have been angry at her for getting Trice to say all those horrible things about him. He couldn't even manage that though, could he? Not with someone he loved.

  "Let's make love. Just you and I." He didn't ask if she wanted to, she wasn't him. She could just say no if she felt like it, right? That must be nice. Of course Tor couldn't complain that much, since most of the sex that he'd had was nice.

  It probably would be, right until some giant demanded he take it in the rear and bend over... and his own biology made him do it. It hadn't happened yet, thankfully, but eventually it would. There was something that Brown had said to him once, that Green had never had sex with him, even after thousands of years of suggesting it. That made him feel better for a few seconds, but Cordes, being a complete bastard no doubt, pointed out that he'd done that with Burks. A lot. For hundreds of years.

  The only way around it them would be to protect himself somehow. Some kind of...

  That part was
going to be hard. A mental field that would keep him from just doing what everyone wanted? Or something that made it seem like he was in charge of everything? Some combination of the two maybe? He could get lost in the idea, he knew, but Sara blushed and hugged him.

  They did it right there in the front room and weren't quiet about it. It was loud enough that Ali came down the stairs and stopped, looking at them for a long time as Sara cried out, an orgasm rocking her.

  "Oh, good! I thought we were under attack again. I'd join in, but..." As if planned, a real yawn hit her, her slightly disarrayed hair making her look years younger than she did most of the time. She could pass for twenty in most non-noble places. In a year or so even that would probably work for her. She already looked years older than he did. "Sorry, tomorrow? I don't know what we're doing... and right now isn't the time to ask. Go ahead and finish up."

  He did then, hard enough that he nearly lost consciousness, even though he'd been holding still, but inside Sara. Neither girl noticed what had happened, but Tor did. It was...

  Pulling out he started to explain, making sure to hold Sara, since she liked that after sex. Ali finished coming down the steps and moved closer to the sofa they were on, sitting on the edge and gently running her hands over his side. It felt nice but he wasn't going to get aroused again that fast, he didn't think.

  To distract her he went over the whole plan, including the work he needed to do first and then sent them both of to bed. There was a lot to do and going into a deep state would keep his mind off of the new things he had to consider.

  Before anyone else woke in the morning he cleaned up, and then headed across the country to County Printer, to see if Ethyl and Clark, the shopkeepers there, wanted any of his stuff. Tor knew they were working with the Lairdgren Group too, so he'd made some new things for them. Things the others hadn't come up with yet. He had four big cases full of things for them, but when he walked in, the store already having three customers, the shopkeeper practically ran at him, yelling.

  "Deliveries come in the back! The back!" It wasn't all that friendly, but he also didn't recognize the man at all. Still, he really was making a delivery, so he backed out of the shop and walked around, to find the door there. He knocked, but no one answered. Finally he went to the place next door. It was in a connected building, but there was smoke coming from the forge chimney, which meant someone was working, or getting ready to at least.

  This time he at least recognized the face.

  "Master Tor?" Clark looked good, his clothing bright and cheerful, but just nice, not putting on airs. Considering it was magical, a Farlo Ross copy of his own work by the feel of it, that meant the man was socially very aware. That or someone else was and they'd mentioned it to him. Tor was just dressed in a brown workman's outfit. That was probably because he was feeling bad about the whole slave thing, strangely enough. It was as if he wanted people to see past that. Clark just had, too. Of course the man wasn't a noble. That made a difference.

  "Morning Clark! I have some things, new stuff mainly, for the shop next door, but the man there told me to go around back, then wouldn't answer the door. That showed me, of course, so I left, with four floating cases of goodies. Would you like to look at them? I can see you're getting set up, but I can't afford a lot of time today either. I need to get down to Ward and check on a friend, and then back to the Capital." It was probably more information than what was needed, but the man just nodded.

  "We'll take it. Same deal as before? We have some funds for you too... Hold on here, let me get some help. I ain't as fast as I used to be. Ethyl neither, so we hired a boy for things like that. Nephew of mine, sorry to say." Letting his voice go gruff the older man wiped at his already damp balding head and opened the door between the two spaces.

  Then he cleared his throat loudly and waited for the man to look up.

  "Yes, Uncle Clark?" He had an accent, but it was pretty subdued. Like Clark's was. Then, this was the Printer County capital, so that only made sense. The Countess herself lived less than a half mile away, so people here learned to talk properly.

  "We have a delivery. From Master Tor, the Wizard? Now, I need you to run and ask Ethyl to bring the wagon down with his payment." He turned to Tor and harrumphed. "Might take a bit. It's built up a little."

  Tor just turned and got out a floating trunk, then showed the man, who was at least in his thirties, how it worked. The man sighed and looked put upon.

  "Thanks. I have customers though. Shouldn't someone else go?"

  Clark had to look away then, going red in a way that meant Nephew Clark wasn't long for his job if he didn't change his ways.

  "Why, certain sure, Cory! We'll just send Master Tor here off to the house for breakfast, shall we? Don't be a fool. Go, I'll watch the stores. Hurry though, he has to be all over the Kingdom today and doesn't have time to chat with us."

  After the man left he swallowed a bit, and made a sour face that increased the amount of wrinkles near his mouth two fold. He wasn't that old, but in his late fifties or so. It was starting to mark him.

  "Forgive Cory. He heard how well we were doing and figured it would be easier than selling flour to millers wives. Which it is, but it's gone to his head and now he thinks he's too good for the day to day work. We sell flour too. Two handful for a copper candies for the kids. along with clothing for the workmen and fisher folk here in town. Turns his nose up at half our customers, but they were the ones that kept us in our house and fed for over thirty years. I won't see them neglected now that we have a bit extra."

  They chatted for a bit, Tor being given a low stool to sit on, which was hardly dignified, but it meant he wasn't standing. They had some time it seemed, about half an hour, if Cory hurried, which was far from certain, so they moved some metal pieces around to make up a display of his work. His were cheerier, but the others weren't just copies of things he'd made. A good ten of the things were novel works. Including a copy in pure silver of Ali's build. The shopkeeper noticed him looking, and kept working.

  "We had us a good stroke of fortune there. Just about ran out of your work. Heard you were missing, or killed, but a boy came in and told us that he had some things for sale. Your brother? Titmouse?"

  Tor grinned.

  "Timon. He used to go by Weasel, but that was years ago. So, does he own your store yet?"

  That got a snort and a chuckle as the man pointed at an amulet and asked what it did.

  "Excavates dirt and compresses the walls to make different shapes of underground spaces. Basically dwellings and basements to put a house over. Thick walls too, but with air vents that will go all the way to the surface." It might not sell, but the man just set it out with the other things, asking more questions as he went. Finally the bell over the door showed a familiar face, a gray lady in a nice violet colored dress who marched quickly enough.

  A large box floated behind her, but she didn't stop until she got to him, handing over the amulet.

  "It's not all there. We invested like you said, but kept on doing it. I held back half. This is about three thousand gold. I can do more, much more, if you wait until the end of the quarter when the payments come in?" Her field felt... guilty.

  Why that was took a bit of staring and a raised eyebrow, which convinced the woman that the little Wizard was truly reading her mind.

  "Which I am, Ethyl." That got the woman to go pale. She was normally gray faced, but now she looked ready to pass out.

  She positively gibbered.

  "I... We invested some of the funds with my sister and her family, they... ran off with it. Five thousand gold coin. We're going to repay it, I swear, it's why we don't have more of the coin on hand." Fear poured off her, so thick in the air that Tor could actually smell it. He kept looking at the woman and she folded in on herself, without him saying a word.

  "It might have been closer to seven thousand... three hundred and twelve. They didn't actually... It's her husband you see, I'm sure of it. They claimed to be working for us
, and used our codes at the vault. The people there had to give it to them. The rotten pieces of waste cleaned us out. We had some coin hidden under the house for emergencies, but... We don't know how they got the sheet of paper we had the information written on."

  Clark clenched his jaw and looked ready to be yelled at, or, more accurately, arrested, but they were innocent, as far as Tor could tell. Cory on the other hand was guilty as sin. It rippled off of him.

  Tor pulled out his Truth amulet and handed it to the man.

  "Cory, did you steal the codes for these people?"

  "What? No, no. I don't even talk to that side of the family." The black stripe that tore across the white and goldenrod glow showed differently. It was a little odd, but everyone in the place knew what that meant. Including the lying man. They sold the things after all.

  There was some yelling then. Enough that the customers stood and stared, instead of leaving. When Cory tried to run out the front door a wealthy looking man, and a woman that seemed slightly familiar grabbed him. Before he could fight enough to hurt anyone, Tor walked up and hit the man in the back of the head. It was kind of useful that he wasn't that much bigger than Tor was. Half a head at most. Cory folded and dropped like a bag of sand.

  Clark looked miserable, but he walked to the door and started calling for a guardsman. He got four.

  They ran over the question again, and the men added a few, including what kind of a moron Cory was, and if he preferred to be hung or have a cutter taken to his neck. It was a bit over the top but the man panted and then started crying. It made Tor feel sorry for him, but he fought against that feeling. The man had a good job, and could have made as much gold as he needed without robbing his own relatives. Clark and Ethyl were both very afraid they were going to be blamed too, but they were innocent. With the exception of trying to cover it up, to protect their family long enough to get it all back. Except they couldn't even find anyone at all. Cory had probably stayed to do the same thing himself, since he'd been left behind when the others had left and no one had thought to leave him anything extra at all it seemed.