Envoy to Earth (18 page)

Kimi waved to them all, and made
the needed introductions.

"I told them that you were
Gerent the giant, of the Moon. The lady in the back offers twenty-five silk
goats and seventy planted hectors for your hand in marriage. The one next to
her prefers Erid the Servant, but has not as much to offer, being willing to
only go to fifteen silk-goats, and fifty planted hectors. I think you can both
do better. Should I try to drive the price up?"

It was a bit different than
Gerent had expected, but nicer than being chased away with rocks. That had kind
of reset his expectations for the day.

"I'm already engaged,
myself. To, um, Petra Ward? You saw her on the ship? I don't know about Erid,
however."

The boy, who was about eighteen
or so, smiled and bowed to the woman that had made an offer for him. She looked
to be in her late twenties or so. Not old or anything. Strange looking, in a
slightly round faced and lean way, but not unattractive.

"I'm willing to entertain
offers, if my duties as High Servant will be allowable? I took an oath."
He shrugged a bit, looking suddenly shy, but the woman seemed pretty interested
anyway, and kept trying to chatter about it with Kimi for a while. The rest of
them just started to off load things, waiting to explain it all later. Gerent
waved Erid back to the conversation when he started to work.

"We have this part. Go...
See to your own happiness, too. She seems like a nice woman."

There was a nod then, from the
lady with the orange eyes, who touched his arm gently, as if worried that he'd
run away.

"I... help?" This came
in Standard, and Gerent smiled back, happily. It may not be great speech
making, but this lady clearly was someone in charge.

"That would be most welcome.
Thank you." Then they mainly just worked, since it was too dark away from
the craft for anything else. They were, as a group, getting good at it, though
everyone else was tired. He passed the new Wakening Device around to everyone,
which got envious looks from a few people.

The Afrak women seemed a bit
afraid at first, but relaxed after using it, simply being awake again. The main
lady, the one with the blue hair, moved closer to him as they finished the last
off loading, and touched his arm gently again.

"Daughter I have,
Abumanitalli Mutta. Words from her?" She seemed to be struggling with the
language barrier, but he recognized the name.

"Princess Abbey is your
daughter? You hardly look old enough for that." He meant it, but she
nodded, and smiled, pleased by the reaction. It was true however. This woman
looked about the right age for
him
to date, truth be told. If he weren't
engaged. Or, if noble rules were being used, even if he were. He kind of
doubted that this lady, the Queen of Afrak, was going to think that way. They
had different ways of doing things, he thought.

That let him get things around
for more communications units, and he passed them over, then showed her how to
use the thing to get in touch with her daughter. They woke her up, but when she
realized who was calling her soft and pleasant voice became very excited. That
was just for him, too.

"Gerent Lairdgren! Do you
need my aid? I can still walk the world below, if it is needed. I stand ready
to-" She stopped when he moved the screen so that she could see her mother
there. Then, without warning the whole thing switched over to another language.
Afrak, Gerent was willing to bet. He was smart that way, being that everyone
else there was using it.

Smiling he left the woman, since
she was on her own device, and moved in to rescue Erid, if it was needed. He'd
switched from marriage negotiations to food unit demonstration. The ladies were
all impressed, and another one of them tried to make an offer for his hand,
with Kimi moderating.

Finally she snapped at the other
women a little, it seemed like, and they all left to stand by the leader. Then
the girl grinned.

"I told them that I was
unimpressed with their offers, and had decided to marry him myself. Then, also,
I mentioned that I own a large part of the Moon, and that they could not
compete with my grand wealth and power."

Gerent nodded, not bothering to
smile. Neither did Erid, but he didn't tell her no, either, even if she did
just lie to a bunch of her own people. There was no particular point in giving
that away, after all. If she were clever enough to see that Erid was worthy,
who was he to keep them apart?

Princess Abbey was still talking
to her mother, who, when they started to leave, jogged over, and tried to hand
the communications device back to him.

"Your magic..." She
didn't know what to call it, but he just shook his head, slowly, not even
knowing if it meant the same thing to the strange ruler in front of him. She
wore a loose outfit of shining tan silk, but it was practical other than the
material it was made from. That was very fine. They made the best stuff there,
and everyone knew it. Probably from those goats that everyone kept mentioning.

"No, that, and those other
devices, are for you to use. Gifts from Terrence Baker." Then he went
through it all again, with Abbey making a point of clarifying and explaining it
all in her own language, asking a few questions occasionally. That meant, as
day broke, they were all back to his ship.

Which, he realized, didn't have a
name yet.

He'd have to think about that,
since it was clearly a lot more than just a vehicle. It was too impressive not
to be more than just a thing that he happened to own.

It was easier to find where he
was supposed to be going in Vagus, even given the fact that as a land, it was
so vast you could have fit two or even three Noram's in it. Gerent had thought
that no one in the world had made a landing place for a giant ship like his,
but he was wrong. There, ringed in bright white lights, visible even during the
morning as the sun hit the open prairie that reminded him a lot of the area
around Ross, being filled with grass, was a vast open area. Packed into focus
stone too, and very official seeming, with a large and lightly glowing copper
red building not too far away. Perhaps a half mile? He settled the craft
himself, wondering how Captain Debri was doing in Noram and Soam. It was an odd
thought, but he'd given her the simpler job. Just taking two loads. He had the
other lands and the rebellion, himself.

It meant that a lot of resources
were going to be in Richard's hands compared to everyplace else. Well, that
wasn't exactly true, almost half of that load was for Soam. If anyone was still
alive there. He just got out through the loading bay in the back and walked out
with a line of floating boxes behind him. That meant he saw the line of red
robed and scared looking people first, with all his helpers still safely
inside.

"Hello! I'm Gerent. We have
some gifts for you?" Because everyone liked gifts, didn't they? He
wondered how to explain what was going on, when a single man stepped forward.
He was dressed in decorative black leather, and looked different than most of
the others around him. Taller, for one thing, being nearly six-foot if not a
bit over that. Six-four, Gerent figured, as well as thin and hard looking. He
had a mustache, but seemed to be from Noram, by his looks. Tan skin instead of
the gold of those around him. His eyes were different too.

"Ah? I'm always happy enough
to receive presents." The man closed with him, followed by another fellow,
who looked different to Gerent now, being smaller than he was. A person he knew
from the Ranford, however.

"Mage Deshi? I know I look a
bit different, but you remember how I told you about Tor changing me?" He
bowed, which got a smile from the other man, who was in front. He stepped a bit
to the side, so Gerent moved the bow over to him, going lower, as was proper.
After all, the man seemed to be in charge.

"Indeed! I had wondered what
the result would be, but it is as I considered. Grand Mage Torrance did
something no other could have managed, again. I stand humbled to be in your
presence, Gerent Lairdgren."

Things started to flow off the
ship then, and the man in black waved at everyone to move out of the way. Not
help yet, because they were all standing there with weapons in their hands,
ready to fight, just in case things were different than they seemed.

"What are the gifts? If that
isn't improper to ask, I mean?"

Gerent smiled and bowed again, going
for extra polite, since the man was being very pleasant about everything so
far.

"Food production magics.
They're hard to make or copy, so Timon sent a lot of them. If they're used
correctly they should make food for everyone. Perhaps Erid will show you how to
use them? He's a High Servant." That nearly got an explanation, but the
man in black just grinned.

"Oh, I've heard of that.
Something about the need to beat them into shape? That was a while ago..."
He looked at Gerent seeming pleasant and friendly.

"The very same order. Except
that Erid is the real thing. He takes his vows very seriously, and helps
whoever he can. Right now that's me. This is the first aid delivery from
Harmony. On the Moon? Did anyone tell you about that?"

"No... Deshi, you mentioned
that being part of a plan, but I thought it would take years, if it ever
happened. People actually live there now? Fantastic. I should go and visit some
day!" There was a playful happiness to the words, but then he sighed.
"Not that I can afford a trip. For that matter I should probably get home
soon and start working again. They don't need me here. I've been teaching Standard
and nothing much else, since Lyn passed. My wife. She was the leader here, but
for the most part the people don't really need one. If they did, well, they
have Deshi now. The other Mages here as well."

He looked around, and then shook
his head.

"Travel is hard to come by
however. I don't suppose you could use someone else in your crew? I'm a
merchant by birth and trade. Dorgal Sorvee, I don't think I said."

Gerent froze for a bit. Timon had
told him to help any Sorvee that came to him, hadn't he? Here one was. If this
was some kind of Assassins Guild thing then, well, he couldn't think of how
that was going to work. They had to have a long reach, but this place was
pretty isolated, and he knew for a fact that the man hadn't killed the Red
Ancient, his wife.

Gerent had.

He bowed, going low.

"I'm horribly sorry for your
loss. I... It was my hand that set the Ancient Death Plague on her. The Green
Man asked me to. He said that it was all of them, the good Ancients that-"

Dorgal looked grim for a bit, but
then reached out and patted Gerent on the arm, then pushed him back up gently.

"I didn't know your name,
but Lyn told me that she was going to die. That she had to, since it was far
past time for that. She also told me that she'd personally ordered it done.
Before it happened, so there is no blame there. Not for simply being her
hand."

He didn't ask again about a trip
home, just looking at Deshi, who had tears in his eyes. For a bit Gerent
wondered if the man would kill him, for taking the Red Lady away from her land,
but he didn't move, and managed to get control of his face before turning. He
called out in his own tongue, but other than find Erid and set up that
demonstration, no one did anything.

Looking at the man in front of
him, a possible assassin, and former King, for all that he looked about
twenty-five or so, Gerent nodded.

"I can take you where you
need to go. You can stay with me, or simply call on me at need. I'll get you a
new communications device. I guess the rest stay here with Deshi and his
people? I'm heading back to Harmony in a few days, if you want to go, and back
to Noram... In about a few hours." He didn't have any reason to lie to the
man, so didn't, just spelling it all out. "Captain Debri had the main load
of devices for Noram, the things for the King. Soam too. I have the rest of the
lands and the Noram rebellion. I don't know if you want to associate with those
people or not, but they don't deserve to starve." He felt a little
defensive suddenly, but the man just bowed a tiny bit.

"Like I said, merchant born
and trained, but living here, in this place, has taught me a lot. Do you know
that the mages here simply
give
their work away? Not a single coin
changes hand, yet they always have what they need. People bring food and gifts
to keep them healthy and well. We... They, aren't as good as the best builders
of Noram, but we have fifty three full builders since we started. Do you think
some of them could find training? In Noram, perhaps?"

Ger tilted his head and then
shrugged.

"Send them to Harmony. We
can make Tor train them. He can't come here, but that should work. You can
suggest it to him when we go in a few days. If you want to?"

There was a long pause and then a
hard look that wasn't directed at him, thankfully. A few of the Red mages
glared at Gerent, as if ready to end his existence, not waiting to even see
what the issue was, until the man relaxed and spoke.

"I suppose it's time for me
to crawl on the floor and beg forgiveness there. I was... Mean to Tor in
school. Cruel. Later we made up a bit and I apologized, but it turns out that
he's actually a
cousin
of mine, through his father. Family, and I
treated him unkindly. That part isn't going to be fun, but I guess I'll have to
take whatever beating comes of it. Worse, he's good at that. I saw him take
down Count Rodriguez in a full duel to the death once, without doing more than
simply waving some little magics at him.
While
we were in school. I
stopped teasing him after that, you can rest assured. I darn near wet myself
that day, once the implications set in."