Ancient Kings (The Young Ancients) (16 page)

That he was talking about Tiera wasn't lost on her, even if he had changed the gender. She crossed her own arms then, but other than a softly derisive snort she didn't bother saying anything.

Guide had a list of clients at least, but it took hours to collect most of the weapons. Two had been sent home for the kid's parents, which was verified by Truth amulet, and a third had been lost somewhere, the girl feared forever. She wasn't pleased to be talking about it, or to hear she wouldn't be allowed to get another one.

She was tall, and slightly familiar looking to Tor, but a fifth year girl, not someone he knew personally he didn't think. She would have been around however, and short back when he saw her, so that could account for it.

"I'd rather not go unarmed if I have a say in it. I know the rules, but things are unsettled right now and it was suggested by my mother that I take what precautions I can. Do any of
you
walk around unarmed?"

Everyone just looked at her, except Gerent who smiled.

"All the time. I'm protected by my good looks though, so you understand, it isn't needed very often."

The girl was, Tor decided, a darling, since she played with her hair and dimpled at the man.

"Maybe I should keep you around then? You can protect me..." It was
clearly
meant to be flirtatious and the woman didn't take it back or anything.

Gerent however seemed to take it the wrong way, closing down and looking at the far wall after that. The poor girl seemed horrified by the reaction.

"If I gave offense..." Her eyes went wide, but Tiera stepped forward and sighed.

"That wasn't you. A situation. Don't take it personally." It wasn't a real explanation, but the blonde girl, who was named Olivia, Tor thought, accepted it as if it were. She just bowed to the smaller man and apologized for causing him pain.

It was well done, but he feared that Gerent didn't know what the rules were in a situation like that one. Tor was about to try and nudge him into action when Karen did it, very openly making the suggestion.

"Bow back to her. You'll want to match the angle of it, since she wasn't in the wrong here, but neither were you. A simple misunderstanding, but you wish to part as friends, don't you?" There was a softness to the voice, but it had a scholarly air.

For his part Gerent did what she said instantly, his hands on the front of his legs, in a very formal bow. It wasn't wrong really, but it was what peasants did when they saw very tall people and marked him as that kind of person. Then, so did being so short, and having dark hair. The six-foot plus woman didn't mock him for it, not even with a raised eyebrow.

Karen spoke again, her voice slightly lilting.

"Oh! I should have done this earlier. Olivia Brenna, Baronetta second, Claris. This gentleman is Gerent Lairdgren, the fully adopted son of Count Lairdgren. By technical application that would make him Countier thirteenth. He's not in line to inherit the County of course, but he's
very
wealthy. Holds an open key to Tor's vaults. Not that coin matters to you, but just in case you're interested."

That got everyone but Kolb to blink or at least stare at her, except Olivia, who bowed again.

"I
knew
all my flirting would pay off someday. We should get together for a meal sometime and talk." It was a lot friendlier than the flirting had been, if promising less fun in other ways. She sounded pretty serious though, which was a good thing. No one was going to get away with being mean to his new brother while he was around. Not that he had any clue as to how to stop her if she were. It wasn't like they could have a fistfight about it.

Tiera smiled too.

"That still won't find your force lance. We'll set my brothers to it, so they can ferret it out. I'm sure that between them Tor and Timon can do it. If not we can see if Gerent will help." If she was teasing at all it didn't show, even though Karen elbowed her for some reason.

Tor felt clueless there.

Cordes however understood the interplay completely and dropped that piece of information directly into Tor's awareness.

'Your sister is promoting Gerent a bit too much. Especially after the very forceful way that Conserina Derring did it moments ago. They're on the verge of being rude to both of these people here. Clearly in an attempt to cover for the strange reaction Gerent just had. That's a funny name, Gerent. I like it though. Gerent... Rolls off the tongue, don't you think?'

After a few seconds Tor looked at the girl and remembered her flipping her hair at him once, years ago. He hadn't been able to get what it meant then, but now he could. She'd been doing some of the flirting she'd just mentioned. Even way back then when he'd thought himself a plain and rather dull person.

"Alright. Olivia, would you try to find your force lance? I'll try to make certain that you're well enough armed and shielded for protections sake, but it will take a few days. At the moment we need to be going though. This took longer than I thought it would and it's nearly seven already. Trice will have my hide. I said to be there around five. I feel awful about it." He did, but the words had that city feeling of dryness to them they all used, as if his emotions were just something to remark upon, not actually experience.

That did get everyone to hurry however and Olivia kept smiling at Gerent as they left, which was a good sign. They left directly from outside the dormitory rooms, Kolb making ready to walk away on foot. As if that was going to happen? He might not want to admit who he was, but that wasn't getting him out of giving all the information he had, if Tor could pry it from him at all.

Before he could step away from them, the craft was put up and made a bit larger, especially in the rear seats, so that Karen and the Weapons master would be more comfortable.

"Everyone in. You too
Sir Kolbrin
. We're all family after all, aren't we? It's only natural that we drag you along with us." He didn't explain what he meant but the scarred man grimaced and shook his head.

"So, you're really just going to out me in front of everyone? That's hardly fair. I've had this identity for nearly two decades you know. Not everyone has always been as accepting of people being different as all that."

"Tough. I'm not telling the world, but someone has been messing with things here, since before I was born by a good bit. Possibly hundreds of years. Finding out that the Queen is basically my daughter and that the Green line of descent has been passing without any contact in the normal fashion can't be a good thing. I'm getting to the bottom of it if I can and I need back up for that. You might not be in on it, but you'll know things that could help. If nothing else
I
can use the back-up in case it comes to a fight, don't you think?" It made sense to him, so he set his face and pointed at the craft, knowing full well that he couldn't force the bigger man into it against his will. Not without a lot of magical preparation first.

Karen interrupted handily, hands going to hip and a nice scowl forming.

"What? I... are you related to Queen Constance? That's not in the genealogy charts at all. Or Kolb..."

"That's because someone has been doing something more than a bit sinister. Kolb is an Ancient. Hiding here for some reason. Or really, maybe not actually hiding, since he didn't try to deny it when I mentioned the fact, but he doesn't go around telling people. Who knows how many others are around. He denies being in on the plot to destroy my love life using family lines, and I know that's true enough, but he's family after a fashion, so he has to help now. It's a
rule
."

Tiera made a face and then shook her head a little bit, turning it into a smile not five seconds later. It seemed real enough, but her mind was pretty blank, clearly being held that way so that he wouldn't be able to read what she was thinking easily. He still could if he forced the matter, he thought, but it seemed more than a bit rude.

"Here I thought being immortal was rare and special. Well, I guess we should all go then. So much for me getting married to Sir Kolbrin then, eh, Karen? Or is it? I know that not all of the Ancients are real family, it's more of a courtesy, right? Like calling Mayor Tom the Mayor, even though we never vote on the position at all. That kind of thing?"

Without comment Kolb climbed into the vessel and everyone else followed, Gerent still not making eye contact with anyone at all. It wasn't what Tor expected, but instead of a run down as to who was an Ancient or not, Karen started speaking to the much smaller man, who she took pains to make certain was right beside her.

"Sorry about what I said earlier. I didn't want you to feel out of place, but we needed to distract from the way the conversation was going, if we weren't to tell everyone all about it. It isn't a secret or anything, but no one has put it around. Your treatment in Galasia. What happened." Her voice carried up to the front, and even though Tiera was next to him, she spun to carry on a conversation as he took off. The world was a bit dark already, but not the pure black of night, so it wouldn't be that hard to find the Capital. He'd made the trip before after all.

Gerent spoke before his little sister could, meaning whatever she had to add to things was lost, since she very wisely stopped talking the instant he did.

He was the one that needed to be listened to at the moment after all.

"It... I didn't protect Patty at all. I tried, in that tavern, when that man said she was a whore, but when the guard came, I... I just listened to her and did what I was told. I shouldn't have. I should have fought and gotten us out. Then those... scum creatures, hurt her. They made me watch. They said that it was because I wasn't a real man that they had a right to do it. That's probably why they did me too, to prove I wasn't worth anything to her. They said as much. Like I didn't know that already? But I
failed
her. What that woman back there said... I can't protect anyone at all, can I? Not really. This is a world for the big and the strong and I'm pretty much the smallest person in it."

Those words got a strange reaction from everyone, since Tiera looked angry about it and turned her head away. It wasn't her normal glare that said she was angry at anyone present however, so Tor figured it was at the guards. That or the world, for having wronged someone she knew, that much. Karen tensed sharply enough he could feel the change in her field and Kolb just sat for a few seconds, thinking it seemed.

When he spoke his voice was soft and not aggressive at all.

"Then change. You can't be made larger, not in Noram, but you can learn to fight. You can arm yourself at all times and hire people to see that your will is done, protecting others. That's what a nobleman
should
be anyway. A protector of the weak. It almost never happens, but that doesn't mean you can't take that up. We can find you a tutor for that kind of thing if you wish. You're a bit old to attend Lairdgren officially, but if you want to do more than whine about how unfair the world has been to you, you have that power now. Do you want to really do something about it or are you content merely being wealthy and of good position now? No one will blame you if that's the case. Hired guards are also a tradition amongst the upper classes and have been for longer than I've been around."

No one moved for a bit, until there was a shifting from the back and Karen cleared her throat. Nothing followed it, since unfair or not, they were waiting to see what Gerent really wanted to do. It was a lot to dump on the man, but at least he didn't blurt out denials and claim his new wealth and position were a fiction this time. It seemed that they were wearing him down on that point at least.

"I'm too small to really fight. I'm not magic or anything either. What can I do really? It's hopeless."

Kolb actually chuckled then.

"We just had to confiscate nearly fifty weapons from school students, because they're too dangerous. Even in the hands of the least adept. A good shield or two, some top of the line weapons and perhaps a flying rig planted under your skin would be a good start. Most people couldn't afford that kind of thing, if they could even find someone willing to do the work. You however can. True, I won't lie to you, you probably can't really go toe to toe for long with a well trained warrior, and might never be able to, unarmed. That being the case, don't let yourself be without weapons. Tor will see to that." The last was a command if he'd ever heard one, but it still made sense.

"Right. You'll still need to practice, so you know what to do though." After a few seconds he shrugged. "Kolb must like you. When I was learning to fight it was all about running away. He made me run
all
the time too. You get to use the cool things right off. The fun stuff." Sighing dramatically to show how put upon he'd been Tor smiled, but didn't turn around.

Kolb grunted though and sounded halfway happy about the situation.

"That's because Tor is a bit lazy when it comes to physical things. Always had to push him into action and beat skill into him. Normal people won't need that."

Tor had to fight against turning to stick his tongue out, but laughed instead.

"There
is
a bit of truth to that. It took me a while to figure out I was supposed to do more than just try to survive the training. Study and think about it and all that."

No one said anything very important after that for a long time, just riding in silence, but when they landed, directly in front of Tor's house in the Capital, Gerent seemed reluctant to get out of the craft. He did it, with only a bit of pulling on his arm by Tiera, which half propelled the man out the side, forcing Kolb to catch him to prevent injury. He still didn't have a shield on, Tor realized.