Ancient Kings (The Young Ancients) (46 page)

In the end the girls won though and escaped into the "city".

Glaren sent three new people with the floating trunks filled with food, all covered and on rather hastily constructed looking focus stone plates and bowls. They weren't artistic, but it just got Guide to walk over and look at them, shaking his head. Then he went away, not mentioning what he had planned at all.

The food was delivered, and the military men looked a bit envious of the fact, which got Tim to wave his arms.

"Don't worry, we have a meal coming for you too. Sorry about the delay, but we needed to get the supplies. In the mean time we have some fruit, both fresh and dried, to tide you over. I know it isn't a lot, but please bear with us." Then he popped the back on his craft, to show the crates there and turned to Tor. "You're paying for this by the way. Full retail value. I had other plans for it. Now I'll have to get more. I'd add a surcharge, but you haven't seen what happens after this if not enough food is available, and I have. At least no one is too hungry yet. I hope you have some kind of plans as far as that goes? This won't last long."

It was a pain, but he realized they kind of did have something, since the people at Lairdgren had probably been cooking and baking all night, worried about what was happening. He needed to get back there, or at least get a message to them. How that was going to happen he didn't know.

Finally he sent Tiera. After all, she wanted the device Blue had given her anyway, and she wasn't one of the drivers taking anyone else home, those positions being given to the older Instructors from the school. They had a lot of them, and a few advanced fighting students as well. Really capable and very well armed ones that kept showing up just at the right time.

He nearly smiled about it.

That done it was time to see to the others, which meant hovering right over the Palace and then landing on the street in a long line, with guards stationed along the route, ready to fight if they had to. It was almost everyone they could spare, including the kids, just to bulk up the number of bodies so that it would look more impressive. They all shifted to the bright green and yellow costume, which was more comical than anything, but marked them as being Lairdgren "forces" as young as they were. Even the younger fighters did it, which made it seem more official, since a lot of them were huge and muscular.

The first thing that happened, the very first, was a clutch of about eighty people pushing through the shield all at once. Tor wasn't a math genius, but even he could tell it was about thirty more people than he'd said they could take. Especially since every single one of them had luggage.

There was a moment's hesitation on the street then, as they all mixed and mingled in their large clutch, half of them dropping their trunks and bags, since they had plentiful amounts of them. The only one that seemed half ready was the old Count Isle, and the two people with him, an older woman that seemed to be a servant, but could be his wife, if she was in disguise, and a middle aged man that stood in front of them, holding a sharp looking blade, ready to protect them all if attack came. Old or not, the Count and his people had packed light and held what they had with them. A single small bag each, the rest clearly left behind. It was brilliant of them.

"
You
!" Tor yelled at him, pointing rudely with a single finger, since most of these people didn't think of him as a friend anyway. "First Carriage. Go. The driver will get directions from you in the air. Everyone else... We aren't leaving the military guards, so bags or people, but if it doesn't fit, it stays. We won't have arguments over it. You were
all
warned about this. Next group up. No pushing, we can load faster than you can get ready. Go,
go
! All of these carriages will be gone in two minutes, loaded or not. The shield won't be lifted for you either, so if you don't want to risk walking the streets, I suggest you don't dither."

He frowned at the people waiting for someone to explode at him, but they roughly moved then. It took nearly fifteen minutes to get them all in place and they weren't actually abandoned, but it left piles of luggage and twenty-three people just standing there. Most of them nobles and about two thirds being second sons and daughters. So fairly high ranking people that way. That was less than kind of their families, but it was a fact of life. The Heir was always the more important one. That left a problem though, since the Royal Guards really weren't going to lift the shield at all.

They just looked miserable and abandoned. It was sad.

"Alright, everyone under forty, please kneel." He got the intonation right, he thought, and after a bit, most of the people holding baffled expressions, actually
did
it. It was what you did when a great honor was about to be bestowed on you. A rise in social position. The words hit their training perfectly, and they followed along, even if they did come from him.

He was making it all up, but why not? They were nobles and they seemed to love that kind of thing.

"You are all good and worthy people, needed by your land, loyal and true to us all. I hereby pronounce you members in good standing in the Military Auxiliary Forces. This isn't a fighting commission, but is rather a civilian branch, led by Sir Karen Derring, to see to the comfort and aid of those harmed either physically or financially by the actions of this war. You answer to your chain of command, and are confirmed with the rank and responsibilities of High Servant of the realm. Few hold this esteemed title. If you take this responsibility, I warn you, it will be mentally and physically challenging. It might be humbling, and a hardship. You may seek no comfort for yourself until your charges are seen to, you may not flee in battle if it comes, until those innocents you protect are guarded as well as able. You may turn this honor down, but the requisite of being recommended to the position by three of the Counselors of the land have been met in this case. The Military Counselor, The Finance Counselor, and myself, the Counselor of Magic. If you do not wish this honor and sacred duty, please rise and move back." He waited just long enough to seem real, but not enough for anyone to screw up their courage to look like the ungrateful lout afraid of a little work. "Then rise as one, High Servants of Noram."

Tor nearly cried when they not only actually did it, but almost as one, as if it were a real thing, everyone else "greeted" them, just like they would have if they were Knights.

"High Servants" Then they all bowed to them. It was sort of impressive. Also brilliant timing on the part of the others. Tor very nearly clapped his hands in glee.

Karen just stepped forward, along with Smythe and stood next to him, with the older man doing the talking.

"This brave Knight is Sir Karen Derring, your commander. She will see to your appointments and tasks. In all things she is to be obeyed. I greet you, High Servants of Noram and wish you strength and perseverance in your duties." He bowed again, which meant that Tor had to as well. Karen didn't, just smiling at them all.

"Relax, this isn't a military posting. We need to see to housing for these others with us. I think for now that we should settle them, and all of you, in Tor's Palace, outside the city walls. It's very well fortified and will make an excellent base of operations. Plus, there is a small stipend for the position, while actually on duty, four gold a week. Master Tor is also paying for that. I get ten a week, but you can all gain higher pay and position with good works and adherence to duty, so don't let the starting amounts scare you off. We need to aid in the protection of the baggage here as well." She smirked at Tor, because she was throwing his funds away, but he just looked back.

"Everyone else, please be my guest? Also, if you wish to gain the title of High Servant for yourselves, please feel free to lobby for it with any of us. There is no real age limit, I simply didn't wish to presume too much." As if he hadn't already.

It was one of those strange noble things, but the people pressed into being virtual servants of everyone around them marched off with Karen and a military guard, seeming almost happy about it, many of them looking so proud it was a bit funny. The remaining three people, two old women and a man that looked like he'd actually died a few months back but was being well preserved, got rides to his place in his Carriage, slowly though, following the people walking on foot.

It took the better part of an hour and a half to get there, but a lot of the bags were placed in the back of his craft and the people with him were all incredibly polite to him. They even seemed to mean it.

The old man chuckled a bit and shook his head after they hit the city wall at the south gate.

"High Servants.
Brilliant
. Most of these children haven't done half an honest day's work in their life. Who could refuse such an honor though? Trapped them all into it fair too. If you can, you should inform the King as to the position. At least half of the people still inside will jump at the chance I think. It gets them out of pressure to serve in the military with honor. Not all are fit to serve, either by training or inclination. Most don't wish to seem lazy in a time like this however. Doing that will have a body whisked to the country estate to play with Howard Turnbull."

It was a good point, so he put the call in and only got a small scolding from Johansson, the Finance Counselor. After all, he hadn't actually signed off on anything and Tor had announced that he had. He laughed after a bit though and announced that he did now, however, and would for any who wished to lobby for the position, thereby proving their mettle.

He was good that way, always doing what was needed.

For some reason that reminded him to see about what Alphonse and Karina were up to. Varley was safe, up on her husband's military base. As safe as almost anyone at least. He also needed to check on Wildlands Station, which he'd left unattended, by him at least, for over two years. He had people there though and owned the land it was on, even if it was kind of a military base now.

Slowly, after they got all the people inside and the house was made much larger, so that they could accommodate even more, if needed, the Fast Carriages started to come back, one by one. He worried that they wouldn't all be back in time, and two weren't, since the distances were just too large. That didn't seem to be that huge a problem however, since Count Lairdgren had his own, and actually waited for the second group of "High Servants" to kneel and be led away by Karen. The walking pilgrimage being described as part of the ceremony, leaving the soft and lazy ways of their old lives behind as they went to the new one.

This time Tor wasn't needed however, since all the older people opted to stay in the Kings Palace. It was, Lairdgren assured him, more telling than it seemed and wasn't about those old men and women seeking comfort for themselves.

"They plan to stand as hostages for their Counts and Countesses, to assure that betrayal doesn't take place. I doubt we'll see much of that however. Not now." The Ancient smiled and pointed to the sky, where nearly a hundred people were flying in, some of them with very large cargo containers behind them.

All wearing the new Lairdgren uniform of green and yellow. It was visible at least. He kind of wished he'd take more time on it, now that he saw them all together like that. They were flying fast and landed in ranks, not as smoothly as the military flyers did it maybe, but they clearly knew what they were doing. The big containers were placed on the street, right outside the Palace and blinking, Tor realized that the people operating them weren't school students at all. Not at Lairdgren at any rate.

They were all in rather nice looking green silk and brown leather, the uniform of Two Bends Fast Delivery service. Terry stepped forward, but most of the people were actually adults he recognized from the village.

"Delivery for Tor, from his Lady wife?" He sounded very proper, but the woman herself nearly tackled him from behind.

"Here we are. Sorry about the delay. Where does the food go?" She dimpled at him and didn't let go of the hug she placed on him for a long time.

It was nice, after the day he'd had.

"Outside the East wall. It's where the military are staging for now." He didn't have to say it twice, since the people from Two Bends seemed to know what they were doing. They rose into the air, and so did the rest of them, using flying rigs. It was, he decided, kind of impressive.

"Sherri said that we need more food, if we're going to set up kitchens here. That, and someplace to actually cook. That way we can provide hot food. People will also need someplace to sleep, if their homes have been destroyed or damaged." Ali looked a bit nervous, but held her head high and didn't break eye contact. "I said that we'd see to the funds for it."

Tor nodded, glad to see she was finally coming around to the needs of the situation. They had all the coin and needed to put it back into the system after all. This was a good enough way to really start a big push that way.

"Do it. Timon is handling the incoming food, can you find him and make certain he knows where to find Sherri? Get the High Servants to help with that." Then he had to explain what that meant, but she just went slightly wide eyed at the story he told.

"Wait, you just made up a new title, and the King and Queen agreed it was a real thing? You can do that?"

Tor snorted, letting a small smile come to his tired face. It sounded a bit more audacious when she said it like that than it had at the moment.

"Well, only with the backing of the other Counselors. We had to do something though. I wonder if that's how Knighthood started too?"

She hugged him and moved in for a gentle kiss, leaning down a bit to make it happen.

"I'll see to Timon and make sure it all works. Karen is in charge of the High Servants? So, should I just give the gold to her? Or to Sherri? I don't want to mess this up, but..." She seemed confused.

"Both. Make them sign a receipt for it though. We need someone to run the books on this. I'd get my financial man out here for it, but he's busy being the Heir and all that. Still, the books should be sent to him. He has all that training after all."

It was a funny idea, if not exactly a proper one. It turned out though that Alphonse had been thinking of him too, since he used the communications device to contact him. From County Ford, along the coast. The Count's household though, unless he'd stolen the man's communications device and run off. Ford wasn't there yet, Tor didn't think, since the vast giant of a man was in the second group to leave, with only one servant, since his wife had just had a child.

The Prince sounded a bit upset, but was trying to hide it behind glibness. Tor knew him too well to buy that however. They'd been roommates for years after all.

"I haven't had a lot of word. Father contacted me here, so I know that the city hasn't been taken and that over a thousand of our people died, though not a lot of the fighters did. Other than that I'm currently out of the loop. I'll be back later today, if the Capital isn't likely to be attacked again soon. I can catch a ride with the Fast Craft coming to bring the Count in. Horribly nice of him to lend me his hospitality, but I'm needed there." He sounded doubtful though, like that wasn't really the case.

After half a second Ali spoke, her voice sounding more adult than it normally did.

"Right you are. I need you to help with the economics of this mess. Distribution of funds and all that. Tor said you were in charge of it for the kingdom? At least the repair of the city and making sure we have housing and proper food stuffs. We already have some things in place, but we need someone to organize it that will be listened too, and not cheated. We're... Tor and I... Um." She stopped dead and seemed almost ready to run away, but her voice held firm. "We're putting our whole fortune into this. All of it. From the vaults and what's in the treasury to the last copper in my pocket at least. You don't get the businesses. Try not to spend that though, that last coin of mine, I need some new pens for school." There was a little pat on her left hip, as if guarding those funds for later.

It was just about perfect. Yes, a lot of people would say he was stupid, not keeping all the gold he had for himself, to use as he wanted, but really, he didn't need hardly anything at all, and by extension, neither did his wife. As far as Tor knew, she'd never spent much on jewelry for herself, or fancy clothing or even better food. She'd had access to the funds, without him being around for months and knew to spend them, but hadn't. Not on
herself
. Just some orphans and street kids that had nothing, without their help. In a way it might have been better if she had been willing to waste the funds, since it wasn't a good idea to sit on top of that kind of thing in great amounts. It was a known issue, but all the most wealthy still did it, didn't they? It was a sign of something. Greed. Maybe a desire to protect themselves from future harm?

Whatever the reason, it hurt everyone else, a lot. The top few shouldn't hold all the wealth. It just didn't work.

He sounded nearly happy when he spoke then, his words ringing with honesty too. Tor thought so at least.

"Exactly. I can count on you to do that? I know it's an imposition, but it would be a great favor.
Please
?"

There was a bit of laughter then from the device in his hand, it sounded pleased, more than anything.

"I guess we can work that out. It gives me a reason to come back and actually visit with you two at any rate. Speaking of which I should go wait for the Craft to get here, or I'm going to miss it and have to fly the old fashioned way." Then he laughed in truth, not stopping for ten seconds or so. "That sounds so wrong, doesn't it? It takes too long to hurl myself through the air at hundreds of miles per hour, so I'm waiting for a trip that will take me at ten times that speed? Remember when everything was done in real carriages Tor? All those months ago?"

He did. This way was better, but only the privileged few could really do it. The rest of the world couldn't even get flying rigs in the main. It was so easy to forget that, given the day he'd had so far, where hundreds were flying about, one way or the other, but almost all of them had gotten their ability to do that directly from him. It was centered on the Capital too. That and the Lairdgren School and Two Bends. The places he most often went. In the rest of Noram most people that wanted to travel had to walk, or, if lucky and wealthy enough, ride a horse.

"It works, for now. We'll see you in a few hours? I'm supposed to go and have an uncomfortable conversation with the Queen, since she is, like it or not, family now. I also need sleep, so please be ready to come up and stay with us in Lairdgren. At least overnight. Sara Debri is coming too, but Ali and I are going to claim her, so... hands off, understood?" He laughed, since the two of them, the Prince and the high merchants daughter, had a lot more of a history than Tor did with the woman.

It was supposed to be funny, but the last part of that got almost ignored. The Prince just sighed, loudly enough to be heard over the device, as far away as he was at the moment.

"It's a bit of a disaster, but do try to smooth things over. It wasn't either of your faults and this shouldn't be something that creates too large a rift. Literally no one could have known it was the case and honestly... I'm not certain it
matters
. Even now that you both know."

Tor scowled at the device in his hand, but he knew what his friend was getting at without going through the whole conversation. They were biologically related, but couldn't have children, since Tor just wouldn't be able to for centuries yet. They hadn't been raised together after all, and the older woman was essentially his daughter, that or his aunt. He counted it as daughter though, since that was closer, bloodline wise.

"The problem is that it
does
matter, to me. I can't help it either, it's just the way I was raised. I know, intellectually, that I'm blowing this all out of needed proportion, but it's the way I feel, and on such a deep level that I can't let it go. It would have been better if I was brought up as a nobleman, I think. I wasn't though, and my heart belongs in Two Bends. Backwards and socially awkward, just like almost everyone I know. Really I should get out of all this, the noble society thing. I can't handle your ways yet." He stopped short of saying the rest of it however.

That would just be hurtful. The Idea that Rolph, his old school friend, had been shut down because of the same thing, the fact that he was a backwoods boy in the center of his being. Any other noble would have thrown themselves at the Prince, even if they didn't really enjoy sex with men. It was too good a chance to pass up, since he'd be King one day. Tor
had
though.

Now he was going to have to do the same thing to Connie, and it wasn't fair. Not for any of them. It was what he
had
to do though.

There was a sudden noise and the Prince yelled.

"Hold the Craft! It's here, I need to run. See you both in half an hour?"

"Yes. Especially since you'll need to land outside the shield. We'll meet you at the rally point. You can tour the prison, so that you know what's going on there, and can tell everyone else."

"Half an hour then!" There was a soft tap and then device went silent, the glowing sigil vanishing.

That left them a lot of time, Tor realized. A whole twenty minutes they could rest. Or bathe.

"I need a shower. Want to get my back for me?" He was teasing, but it was Ali, so there was a simple nod.

"Always. If we can navigate the house fast enough. Let's get Sara. If we're claiming her we need to actually make that clear, or she'll get bored, and wander away."

It took five minutes, and another five to use their flying rigs to get to the house and into his room. It wasn't badly crowded yet, but the new High Servants
all
wanted to talk, mainly about what they were supposed to be doing. Finally Tor looked at the fifteen or so people around him all in different finery and waved for them to get away from the stairs to start with.

"Go and have a seat please. I need a quick shower and to freshen up, then have to go and see about giving a tour. I have some things for you all though, so... Fifteen minutes?"

It was more like twenty, and he didn't get to do anything adventurous with the women at all. Ali did help wash his back for him, but that was it and Sara helped get him dry, which left him feeling a little aroused, but without time to do anything about it. They both noticed too, but didn't push the issue.

They did help him carry a large box filled with an assortment of amulets down the stairs. It wasn't even a magical one, since he was out of those now, he realized.

He looked at the assembled people and then the thing being carried between Sara and Ali, since they were of a similar size now. Both taller than he was, blonde and pretty, each in a different way.

"Gather around. This is the chest. It has all the magical items I can give you for now. There should be magical clothing for each of you and other things, some buildings and the like. The rest will have to come the old fashioned way, so unless any of you are able to make magical copies, please use this wisely. Keep tabs on it too, if you can? Make sure Karen gets it. If you
can
make copies of things, please let her know that too. These don't have templates however." Then he started to leave, only to have a rather dour looking tall man stop him. He was painfully thin and reminded Tor a bit of a stork.

"You're just going to leave this with us? I don't know the value of the contents, but at a guess I'd say more than should be entrusted to a group of strangers. Even noble ones."

He was about to make a speech, but Sara smiled at the man and brushed her hair out of her eyes, even though it was still in a short military style cut.

"That would be true, if you weren't High Servants. While you hold that title you are completely trustworthy, because you
have
to be. The whole world
needs
you to be, so you are. Yesterday you might have been a thief, or a liar, or possibly even a Doretta. As long as you hold the title of High Servant though, you're better than your flaws, no matter what they were. It's part of the job. Notice that Tor didn't even bother to tell you that? It's something everyone already knows. A High Servant isn't called that to humble them. It's a sign of pure devotion to task."

Then, as the people gathering looked shocked, more coming from the next room to see what the interesting talking and muttering was about, they actually made their escape and got back just before the Fast Carriage flew in from the West. It was all pink and looked remarkably cheerful, glowing a bit, since it was getting dark out now.

Only three people got out, Judith Kerry, who was the pilot it seemed, Alphonse and of course, Tor's old nemesis, the Royal Guard Captain Wensa. She looked younger than he remembered her. Not a lot, but it was enough that he realized she was using a disguise amulet. She looked like her, only a bit better.

So, all friends of his.

"Rolph!" Tor called it out loudly, knowing that it wouldn't fool anyone for long. He was the Prince and everyone knew it, if only from pictures. He wasn't in disguise or anything either, which was stupid, if he was going to be out and about. Except, of course, it wasn't, since people turned to look and even in the gloom a large crowd started to gather.

So much for his lame attempt at misdirection then.

For his part the man before them, with his distinctive red hair and golden tan skin waved to everyone, as if they were all old friends. Then he lied to them. A bit.