The Dark Half of the Sun (The Young Ancients: Timon)

by P. S. Power

  "Right, the kids are my responsibility. I've been remiss, but I won't let that stand." She looked at him, as if Timon was going to tell her no. That or she was hoping for back-up from him.

  After a few seconds of silence he shrugged.

  "I need to get going. I don't think anyone will mind too much, but if this Counselor doesn't want you around, we'll have to leave you there." Because that made sense, threatening to drop them all off at the palace like that. He'd probably end up bringing them all back before going, but that part really would only take a minute, so he just agreed, to keep the peace.

  Besides, it sounded like he was in charge or something, which was always fun. Most of the time people didn't listen to him, not because he was wrong, but because he was too young. When they forgot that part of things it made him feel more real. Like a person instead of an animal that could be locked up at night and controlled. It was an illusion of course, but one he liked.

  Sara looked at him too, but her face was a bit less friendly suddenly. Probably because he'd made that crack about getting Princess Karina to marry him. It was... well, when he thought about it he understood why she might be mad. He'd offered to wed her when he turned fourteen and even though she was polite to him about it, her cool reception had kind of made him angry at her. Not a huge kind of thing, but that had prompted him to lash out a bit by pretending to make a move toward the Princess. It was rude to do that. Not something that anyone could call him on directly, because it was acceptable for a person to have several marriage alliances lined up, but she was smart enough to figure out he wasn't totally happy with her for some reason.

  She spoke normally enough, sounding polite and calm.

  "Timon, do you think you should take people to the palace without permission?"

  Polite... but slightly patronizing. It was a valid argument, so he nodded to Countess Ward who smiled at him expectantly.

  "Perhaps we should connect with them and ask? I don't suppose it would hurt anything." Except that it would take longer. That part was going to make him look bad, if this scene strung out too much.

  A short four minutes later they talked to a rather friendly sounding man that turned out to be a Royal Guard. Kevin. No one knew him it seemed, but he was able to set up permission for them to all visit. It only took about twenty minutes for him to arrange for it too. After the man signed off, doing it first as was protocol, no doubt, Timon had to herd the women into the craft. It was like moving four cats though, each with their own agenda.

  Ali realized, as they stepped out on the front walk that she should take some gold with them, in case it was needed to buy anyone's life from the hangman. She ran inside with Collette, who actually had control of the funds for some reason. Just as they came back out Maria decided that it would be best to use the facilities there first, which got her to run inside. It took longer than seemed reasonable, so Collette went back in to find her. Ten minutes later they both came back out, wearing outfits similar to Sara's as well. The whole thing meant that Timon had to resize the Fast Carriage, which turned it into a mirrored rectangle.

  It wasn't as sharp looking, but would have to do, since he didn't want to waste time anymore than they had to. The Counselor had probably been left standing outside with Sam for over half an hour, which meant he'd be yelled at no doubt. Worse, it was his responsibility as pilot to make sure things like that were accounted for. Timon just nodded and smiled, figuring that it was going to be real practice for later. He couldn't yell at them to hurry after all. They were people, not packages. Extra time would have to be built in to each trip to account for how slow people could be.

  Even with the painfully slow and boring decent they landed outside the Palace a whole five minutes after taking off. The area for landing was bare dirt, all the grass worn down from the heavier transports, which were made of focus stone instead of shield material. His was better, but a lot harder to make. He didn't know for certain, but Tim was pretty sure he could copy the lift plates and shields for a big transport. If not personally, then some of the Lairdgren group could do it. They were all better at that kind of thing than he was. So far at least.

  Sam was decent at it, which was part of why he'd been left in place as the Magics Counselor's attaché, even though he was really too young for the job himself. He was also probably going to have to do his job from Lairdgren, if he was returning. Regardless, it was a great summer position to have, since it meant living in the palace and being able to make lots of good contacts.

  The man with him was tall, meaning a royal, at least by blood. He had white hair that was thinning on top, a thing that Timon would probably never be able to see from the ground, but had noticed through the window and wore cream and goldenrod yellow robes that matched the glow that a Truth amulet gave off when used. That probably wasn't a mistake. What it meant Tim didn't have a clue, but his brother had both created the basic amulet field and knew this man.

  Maybe it was a statement about how the Military Counselor was a paragon of truth? That or a joke.

  He hopped out quickly, noting that there were two people standing behind Sam and Smythe, wearing black and purple, with the King's livery on their chests. Royal Guards. One was a sharp looking woman with dark hair and slightly dusky skin. The other was a man that had to be in his fifties, but who looked just as hard as all that type did. The faces weren't really familiar to him, but he noticed that their eyes were trying to see who had come through the open door.

  He paused for a second, then bowed to the group. He didn't go overly low, since he wasn't the least ranking person in the world, but everyone else here probably deserved the respect. In the main it didn't hurt to seem humble either.

  "Gentles. I'm Timon Baker. The King arranged for me to take you to Wildlands Station. If you will load up, we can be underway. Our estimated time of arrival will be approximately seven to ten minutes after takeoff." He could make it faster, but he remembered to pad the time a little bit, just in case. "Please forgive our late arrival. Some... matters came up."

  That got a smile from Sam, who was wearing the Lairdgren group uniform, which wasn't too far off of what Timon had on. It was even made to look like heavy velvet. Sam had purple stripes on the legs, a single one on the outside of each, which was the only visible difference. It wasn't a mistake, since it was what Tim had stolen the idea for his own outfit from. He didn't know clothing that well, so it made sense. Borrow from those with the skills.

  Kind of like what he did with magic.

  It was Smythe that approached him, causing him to look up, since the man was over six and a half feet tall. He didn't frown at him however, just bowing back a little, which was polite of him. The rest did it too then, as if they'd forgotten they should. Sam had an excuse, since they were friends after a fashion and he was from humble origins, but the Royal Guards didn't really.

  "Well met young man. I'm Smythe of Westend, this is Sam Builder and these worthies behind us are Royal Guards George and Kara. The King asked that they go with us, to provide assistance if needed. Is that allowable?" He was being very polite it was clear, but smiled in a friendly fashion anyway.

  "I resized for up to ten passengers. In a pinch the craft can carry twelve. Less if they're very large people. We should be fine however. On board already we have Countess Ward, Baronetta Coltress, Sara Debri and my sister in law, Lady Alyssa Baker." He stressed the words on Alyssa's name. It was a bit of a warning and proper enough. Basically he was telling the men that if they tried to hit on her in his presence he'd fight them. It was ridiculous of course, since he was the smallest person in the area, but Smythe smiled and bowed again. There was no irony in his voice when he spoke.

  "Wonderful. I'm sure that they'll all be most useful to use in this investigation, shall we embark then?"

  These people didn't take very long to get situated at all. In fact they hustled into the vehicle like there was an actual emergency, moving like they knew what they were doing, just as soon as the pleasantries were finished.
The only odd thing being that the older guard, George, moved directly into the seat next to him, looking out the front of the craft. He watched carefully, but didn't comment on anything as they sped toward the new city.

  Tim was good to his word and had everyone moving off the craft in front of Godfrey's office space about eight minutes after takeoff. When they got out it was with more decorum than before, since the Major had come out to stand at attention, along with the boy that might be a thief, and a hastily put together line of military men, all at attention, with lines of children behind them in tan. They were less disciplined and gawked a little, but no one spoke overly, so the whole thing was fairly quiet and dignified.

  The Major, who'd wisely taken time to bathe it seemed and shave, saluted crisply. Each of the military men followed suit and that got most of the littlest children to do the same thing. It was a bit slow, but all the older kids did it too then, probably not sure if it was proper or not.

  "Sir! Welcome to Wildlands Station, sir!" He received a similar movement from Smythe, which signaled him to break the movement. All the military men held theirs however, until the Military Counselor spoke loudly.

  "At your ease!" He nodded, his face serious then, not waiting to see what anyone else actually did it. It took a bit for all the kids to relax, trying to copy what the soldiers did it seemed.

  There was no bowing this time. No mention was made as to who the rest of them were either. Instead Smythe waved back at them and spoke calmly about it.

  "Dignitaries sent to see that no children are being harmed or abused. I trust that this won't be an issue?" He said it softly, pitching his voice so that not everyone would be able to hear it.

  "No sir. The children are being well cared for. Except..." He turned a little red then, which with his light complexion was decently visible. Darker than Tim's, but the man was probably the second lightest person around at the moment. "Well, there have been some problems. Thefts. Some of the youngsters have left us. I thought it was to avoid prison, but..."

  Smythe nodded, looking well in command of the situation.

  "Exactly what we're here to investigate. Let's go inside and see to that then. This is the accused?"

  The miracle of Truth amulets was that, once used, a person was going to be shown to be telling the simple truth, or lying. There was no doubt left. The boy retold his story, about how three large men, dressed like military men, grabbed him, pulled him to the ground and stole the compressor unit he'd been using for practice.

  "Building furniture, sir." He was working very hard not to sound like a country hick, even though he clearly wasn't well educated. It didn't always work, but the effort made him look pretty good. It turned out he wasn't fifteen, as Timon had figured earlier, but was only thirteen.

  None of the children were over fourteen, since that was the age that you got dumped out of the orphanages in the main. You were an adult then, so the kids had to learn to fend for themselves. It was, according to the boy, why everyone was trying to learn to be like the military men. If they could do that, a lot of them figured they might make it into the ranks.

  Smythe nodded when he heard that part of things.

  "Good thinking. Major, see that all the children that want it receive early training to aid them toward that end. They can practice in their off hours."

  The Major made a note of it on a piece of paper, his eyes both relived and darker.

  "Sir. If I'm still here at the end of the investigation. If not I'll leave instructions for my replacement."

  Smythe nodded and handed him the same amulet the dirt smudged boy had been using. It had a simple hemp string on it, which meant it had probably come directly from Tor. He was rich, but didn't see the need for wasting funds on anything overly. Ali was better about seeming normal that way, which would, eventually, help his brother even out a little.

  That started him thinking about where Tor could be, someplace dark, hiding in fear? Pretending to be someone else perhaps? It wouldn't help to keep dwelling on it. Not at all.

  The Major was surrounded by the cream and golden colored glow and managed to exonerate himself from most of the wrong doing pretty fast. He was negligent on several counts, not having reported the thefts initially, but that wasn't criminal as much as being afraid that it would make him look bad. It did, so no one said much about it. He was in charge, which meant that anything done under his command, by his men, was his responsibility. Even if he couldn't have known about it.

  "Of course if you'd reported this properly to begin with, we could have settled this by now and young Remy here wouldn't have been attacked earlier. There is a real reason that we have a system in place Major. If you still have your position at the end of this, I hope that you'll keep that in mind?" It should have sounded harsh and mean, but it was a lot more understanding in tone than anyone would have expected it seemed. Especially Godfrey.

  "Sir." It wasn't a yes or no, but it conveyed that he understood.

  It turned out that they had nearly four thousand bodies in the new city, only a thousand of them orphans there for the learning opportunities. The guidance of them had largely been shunted off to a combination of military men and prostitutes. Most of the work was actually being done by the older children, who saw that everyone was cleaned and fed each day. There was no school, except for the one to learn how to use the compressor units and make useful things.

  No one was teaching reading or writing, no figuring or history either. The strange thing there was that no one in the whole place seemed to think that was odd at all. True a lot of people didn't have those skills in the Kingdom, but that normally had to do with a lack of funds or availability of teachers. Here they didn't have those problems, or at least shouldn't. It wasn't his place to speak about it, but if he didn't it was pretty clear no one else would bother.

  "Alyssa... Why don't these kids have basic schooling too? Not everyone will get to make furniture and plates, and only some will make it into the military. A basic education has to be useful in finding work though."

  Ali shrugged and looked around the Major's office, clearly thinking.

  "It just hadn't come up yet. Sam and I put this together and were just happy that it worked as well as it has. I don't know how to set up a school."

  Timon thought for a few seconds, forcing a smile to his face. It couldn't be that hard to do.

  "Get in touch with the teaching schools and offer to hire any of their graduates willing to relocate here. I know it's an extra expense, but Tor can afford it and wouldn't begrudge anyone the means to learn." It wasn't his gold of course, but he felt pretty safe offering it up anyway.

  Collette called him on it, if in a slightly strange way.

  "You... won't take funds for your own schooling from your parents or Count Thomson, but you'll volunteer your brother's coin to see to these children's?" It wasn't scathing, even though it did kind of point out that he was being hard headed about the whole thing.

  Tim shrugged and grinned at her, noticing how blue her eyes were. It wasn't any great shock what his brother saw in the woman. She was both smart and good looking.

  "Right. Different things altogether. I've had a free education already, which means I have what I need to go it alone if I have to. These people didn't get that kind of privilege. We should do it. If Tor wants to charge me for it when he gets back he can. I don't think it will be a problem."

  No one else really thought so either, which was a little strange, but Ali still didn't want to use the gold on it, since it wasn't hers to spend, even if that wasn't true at all. It was clear she thought that spending the gold on it was theft, even if Tor was her husband and had more coin that anyone could ever get rid of.

  He shook his head and sighed. The amulets and items he'd copied were his back up, in case he didn't make enough to pay for his own schooling, but it was clear that these orphans needed it worse than he did. It was a hard thing to consider, since he didn't really care about them, but it was clearly the correct thing to do.
Going to the largest of his three floating cases he let it settle down to the floor and started pulling out the acid etched pieces inside. They looked pretty nice, even if they didn't glow and weren't on stone. He said what each one was as he put them onto little cloth coin bags so that they'd stay separate.

  "That's fifty of them, all I have right now. Except for shields, which I can't part with. I can only make five at a time. Take them and sell them. It should be enough to get some kind of school started. I'll try to get more for it as soon as possible." It wasn't fair, since Ali had a lot more gold than he did and it was her program, but life hadn't been easy for these kids. He got how she felt about it anyway. She hadn't earned the coin herself and to her mind Tor had only married her to protect her from her da. An evil beast that made the world a better place by dying like he had.

  Sara went wide eyed and stared at the bags as he handed them over to Ali.

  "That's... almost twenty thousand gold Timon. Conservative resale for the work." She was a merchant by birth, so she knew about things like that. "If you need gold for school, even one of those would be enough."

  "If I had the contacts to make the sales. Which I don't yet. Hopefully I can get the Fast Transport going soon enough that I can attend this year. If not I'll work for a year first. This is more important than my personal comfort." It was true, he knew, even if the idea did leave him feeling a little sad. That was just him being responsive to his plans changing. It wasn't that big of a problem. He could get books that would teach most of what he needed to know, and find a tutor for the rest anyway. A lot of nobles got their educations that way. His mother had suggested it for most of the kids, so they wouldn't have to leave Two Bends.

  It was strange, but everyone in the room bowed toward him then. A sign of respect that the nobility used when they realized they'd been "out nobled" by one of their own. It was easier than trying to outdo them later. Ali clapped a little, happily, and gave him a hug after that.