Envoy to Earth (22 page)

Wallace looked over at him, and
explained his sudden downturned eyes.

"I... My father is in
rebellion. I
have
to support him, as his Heir. I don't know that I'm
allowed to help the King like that. I don't really agree with father on that
score, but it isn't my place to undermine him." It seemed like a difficult
idea for the younger man, who looked to be about seventeen or so. Youthful, but
an adult.

Also about the age that he looked
himself in the mirror now. It made him a good reference toward understanding
what other people would see when they looked at him.

"I'm not suggesting that you
trade sides, just that we need to all be working together on some of this. It
won't be easy to face the man, even at a distance, but no matter how this thing
turns out in the end, you can't let yourself act totally from fear. You don't
have to do it, but if you're already getting in touch with all the other world
leaders, I don't think that you should ignore the King of your own land.
Whoever they plan to put in, if they succeed, too." Gerent didn't know the
plan there, but Wallace actually did.

"Kedrin, the King's brother.
He's... Actually, I don't think he'd make a better ruler. The man is fun, and
good in conversation, but his idea of being in charge has more to do with
giving his friends gifts and bedding pretty women, than actually looking out
for anyone in particular. I think he's staying in Harris right now, since no
one would think to check for him there. They're far from the richest county
after all. They do well enough, but mainly because Galasia is there. Have you
ever been?" The words came out easily enough that Gerent didn't let
himself feel angry over it.

Wallace simply didn't know the story.
They both climbed out and he took the empty little craft down, so it wouldn't
be in the way, and started walking, mentally working on the problem of making
the ship smaller with all the people on board. The trick there would simply be
getting everyone into one room for it, he thought. Probably the bridge. The
rooms with supplies would need to stay the same, and he didn't want to shift
any of the bed chambers too much, so it would take some planning to get done
right.

Realizing that not answering wouldn't
educate the man next to him, Gerent shrugged and headed out the door, walking a
few steps before he started to speak.

"I was tossed into the low
jail there, with a friend of mine. We were both beaten and raped, over and
over. She got that part worse than I did. I failed to protect her. I tried,
but... Well, I was small then. Short and weak. It was a few years ago
now." Then he went over why he was taller, and how magic was involved.

To his credit the boy didn't let
the wonder of that deter him from doing the right thing.

"That's
horrible
.
I... We can go and seek retribution. This ship could do it. We can remove Galasia
from the map, if you need. Or, if you can't bear to do it, I will for
you." He looked scared, rather than bold in his proclamation, but there
was no doubt in Gerent's mind that he meant it. If he was asked, the boy would
at least try to go and do exactly that.

Gerent found himself looking at
the ground then, "I... Nothing I do will take away my failure to protect
her. My friend Patty. Um, Patricia Baker, now. We, Tiera, and I, we cut off the
jailers arms and legs, and I took their dicks off too, balls and all. Then she
ordered them to serve the rest of their lives in a whore house, being used
against their will by anyone with a copper. The Baron there, the old one... two
back now, he offered his life to me for it, but he didn't know it was going on.
Truth amulet, so I let him live." That was, if kind of the short version,
the whole tale.

Wallace stopped walking, his face
showing rage, suddenly.

"Ducharina Baker? Timon
Baker's wife? I know them both. I owe them my own life." He seemed
confused, and enraged, but finally relaxed. "There isn't anything I can
really do about it, is there? You and this Tiera, you punished the ones responsible
more than I ever could. Still, if you ever need me to help you with this, or
seek further retribution, I promise to aid you as best I can." It was a
careful statement, but he also seemed to mean it again, which was kind. Gerent
waved forward, and kept moving.

"We're alive and that has to
serve for now. I do have some other things to do. A man to kill, that I'd like
the rebellion to help with. You might give some help there?" He told him
the story of Petra, another person he knew, and more anger flooded the boy.
This time he did have some things he could do, however. One of them was give
directions to the closest rebel county, Callwood.

It was just above County Baker,
which would be the next destination, he decided. They moved the ship in,
leaving it full sized, since most of the volunteers were still sleeping. He
didn't blame them at all, and yawned, then used the new waking device. Wallace
looked at him doing it, but didn't ask for an explanation.

Instead he sat next to Dorgal and
started speaking as if reciting a lesson.

"Countess Callwood is in
open rebellion against the crown. She feels that the King, Richard Cordes, has
wronged her personally over the years, siding with others against her too
often. That isn't wrong, either. The King seems to feel that she's bitchy and
annoying and it influences him to move away from her desires, even if she isn't
always wrong. I've heard a list of her grievances and some of them have real
enough merit. Not all, but the idea of a Countess that might be a little skewed
in her thinking isn't exactly original. Going in with aid won't hurt, but you
need to be ready for her personality. She tends to try to demand things, rather
than negotiate. The trick there is to hold power over her, and not use it.
She'll fight if you do, but knowing that you're an equal, in some way or
another, might get her on your side. Especially if all you need is
agreement."

That was actually helpful. Dorgal
looked over, first at that boy and then toward Gerent, his face thoughtful.

"We could hold back the aid?
Or given what was said, simply not deliver it first? It's a nice bit of
leverage."

Gerent thought about it for a bit
and then shook his head.

"
Nooo
. That can't be
used as a tool to get what we want. It's a gift and nothing more. If we can't
get her to help us, well, then we can't. I don't know enough about this kind of
thing to really understand what to do, but we won't do
that
." His
tone was miserable, since it really was probably their best hope, if the woman
was that demanding.

It turned out however, that after
landing outside her main city, which was called Callwood too, making it simple
to remember, that things were a bit different on the ground than Wallace had
told him. Worse, in many ways. The people were struggling more than anyplace
he'd seen but Austra, and many openly cried when they started passing out food
units and even food itself. Even some of the Guardsmen that showed up did, when
they realized what was going on.

The man in charge, or who spoke
at any rate, bowed low to Gerent.

"Sir. We're humbled by this.
Thank you. The Countess, Countess Callwood, requests an audience with you, if
you have time to see her today?" It was pretty clear that the man had been
told to say something else by the lady, by the looks that the other men were
giving him, but no one spoke up to say exactly what that was. Probably
something about them getting their butts over to see her as soon as possible.

"That would be wonderful! We
have some gifts for her directly, if that's all right? Can we go now? I need to
hit several places today. We can leave most of the people here. Um..." It
was strange, but Erid walked over, as if it were only natural that he be
included in the trip, and so did Wallace. Dorgal just waved at him and kept
working, making sure that things were being set up efficiently for
distribution.

They all rode in his fast craft,
resized to fit the six of them, since two of the guard volunteered to stay and
help people get what they needed. That, right there, was a real sign of how things
had been going for them. They should have been on task, but their leader just
nodded and left them there. True, he might have feared attack from the
volunteers that had come in, even if that was silly, but if that was the case
he didn't let it show, even remotely.

They were led to the palace,
which had some damage near the edges. Erid looked shocked to see the charred
wood and how broken down things were, as they flew over, but the guards didn't.
The man that seemed to be in control of the group, Sergeant Conover, pointed at
the mess, his voice calm.

"We had a dragon attack
here. With Ancients using magical weapons, and other things, to damage us. Why
we were picked, no one understands. That was before the big attacks that came.
The land killers." He didn't say much more, but the palace there looked
like it was about half ready to fall down, even years later. Some work had been
done, clearly, but whatever the reason, the Countess hadn't been putting all
her effort into her own comfort, it seemed.

It took more time to get in to
see her than he would have thought. About the same that a similar trip into the
King's Palace would have taken, except that there they would have been
questioned as to their intent first. Here, they were asked things, but the men
at the door pretty much just paid attention and tried to work out if they
seemed dangerous or not. It turned out that they weren't. Hopefully at least.

The lady herself had red hair
that was a bit curly and not all that long. Shoulder length. Her face had wrinkles
on it and those around her mouth gave a pinched look to her face. The kind of
person that, if he were begging on the street, would have never stopped to
offer him a copper, or crust of bread. That she was angry and hard most of the
time simply rang through her entire being.

Until she saw them. Then she
smiled. It still looked a little icy, but the woman stood up from her throne,
which was set on a platform in front of some nice glass windows. The stone work
of the wall was all gray, and made from rock that was natural, but had a cutter
used on it at some point. That left it slightly polished looking. Smooth and
well made, each stone fitting with the next perfectly.

As she moved forward, her arms
came up, then opened, finally going around Erid. Gerent smiled at the picture,
since the boy hugged the woman back.

"I thought you were on the
Moon. Have you finally given up on this High Servant nonsense, and decided to
return to your real life?"

"No, Aunt Maude. I'm here as
part of the aid mission from Harmony. We have large food production units, and
many other magics, to help people. Tam-carriages, communications devices and
healing amulets. Home tools as well, for cooking and refrigeration. That's
already being distributed here. Some of your people are seeing to it. These men
have come to enlist your personal aid in a project. They wish to torture and
kill the old Count Rodriguez, for allowing the torture of a friend of theirs.
Conserina Ward? I've heard the tale... You should agree with it. Theirs is the
side of right, and the real reason for doing this now, to prevent the
destruction of County Rodriguez, is morally correct." He sounded very
confident, and to Gerent's surprise, the woman just looked at the High Servant
and finally stood back.

When she spoke, she looked at
Wallace for a moment and bowed a bit, then at Gerent, which got her to tilt her
head to the side.

"Forgive me... I don't know
you, do I? You look familiar, but I can't place it. I mean no disrespect."
She bowed, going lower than she had with Wallace by a good bit, probably
because she wanted to be careful about that kind of thing.

He managed to go lower still.
Before he stood, or spoke to tell her who he was, Erid did, a smile on his
lips.

"This man is Gerent
Lairdgren. Prince Gerent, of Harmony. Also the Envoy from Queen Tiera, Countier
Six Baker, Countier Twelve Lairdgren."

The lady bowed again, her face
going dark, but only for a few seconds.

"I was unaware that I was in
the presence of such an esteemed man."

Gerent shrugged, but managed a
pretty pleasant smile.

"I was overshadowed by High
Servant Erid. That isn't a rare thing. He's one of the best of that number, you
know. You must be very proud, to have him in your family. I only hope that
someday I can live up to his standards." He tossed off a bow toward the
man, which got Wallace to do the same thing. It wasn't like they were joking.
It was simply the fact of the situation.

The Countess snorted a little.

"Oh? Is that faint praise
then? I've heard that the High Servants are nearly useless, and that half of
them have been tossed out on their ear in disgrace. Is being the best of that
lot really a hard thing to accomplish?" It was a bit mean sounding, but
Gerent tilted his head and thought before speaking. She had a real enough
point. Most of those people
were
worthless.

"If you add those lesser
people in, not so much. At the top though? The ones that take it seriously?
Those people are the real thing. Erid is... Well, I hope that someday you'll
get a chance to see him in action. Impressive doesn't start to explain what
it's like. If a person is in need, he helps them, no matter how hard it is at
the time. Most of the work we've managed in the last days has been due to his
efforts. When I felt too tired or bored to go on, it was him, not ceasing at
all, that kept me going."

The woman seemed to think that he
was blowing smoke, but it was the simple truth. Blinking he pulled out his
Truth amulet, and turned it on.

"I'm not lying. He honestly
is
that valuable." The white aura of light with its two yellow stripes stayed
that way, even as Erid went wide eyed at the words. He hadn't a moment before,
but now that he knew it wasn't just flattery to make him look good for his
Aunt, it seemed to have an impact. Well, good. As long as it didn't spoil his hard
work.