Envoy to Earth (8 page)

It had saved his life, those lies
that they'd told the King. He'd been accused of claiming to be a nobleman.
Which he'd actually done, so it was likely to the gallows at the time, until
Tiera had stamped forward and seemed ready to trade blows with the giant
redheaded ruler. Then, as if it were sane, they'd contacted Count Lairdgren, in
the middle of the night as he slept, and asked if he, Gerent Nobody, who didn't
even have a last name, was his adopted son...

And he'd said
yes
.

Just as easy as that. He could
have been anyone in the world, and no one had even vouched for him with the
man. He could tell that the situation was bad, just from the words, and the
very first thing he did, was see to Gerent's protection.

Pain ran through his soul then,
because even if it had been a claim just to make things a bit better in the
moment, the man had never acted as if it were anything less than reality. Even
after he died, there were orders left that declared him his
true
son.
Another lie, but if it ever came to it, if the Baker family tried to get rid of
him, that would mean they couldn't. Not short of murder.

Not that they
would
. Even
now, after everything, Tiera offered him ships and aid, just because he'd asked
for it. She even invited him to live with her, on her world, and kept that
offer open. Just because she was that kind of a person. Better than most, by
far.

He shook and realized what
Collette had said beside him.

"It depends, of course.
Gerent, are you planning to get Tim to make you immortal, too? He offered,
didn't he? I'm taking him up on it, as soon as the killing plague here fades."

"Um..." It wasn't as if
he hadn't considered it. Both the good and the bad of it. Being young and
healthy for hundreds of years wasn't a horrible thing. Being tall now was nice,
and having resources made things better too. If he did that though, he'd need
to learn things. Magic and reading. Math too. Enough so that if he were ever
left without what he had in the moment, he could rebuild. "I'm thinking
about it. It's not a horrible offer."

There was a snort from the back
seat, one that sounded wistful, rather than upset.

"No, it really isn't."
Petra tried to sound a bit sulky, but she ruined it by giggling. "I wish
I'd
been offered that. I probably should have tried to get Tim into bed too, but he
was too young for me. Then Trice came along and stole him away. Lucky, but
still, a bit creepy. I mean, she could have handled that one better. Ali would
have divorced Tor, to save her, if she'd suggested it. Or Todd would have done
the same with Countess Thorgood. But no, she wanted the smart one. Not that I
blame her. She was a bit desperate at the time, what with the not wanting to
die thing."

That one was real enough. Patty
had been given over as a child to an arranged marriage. The problem there was
that her betrothed was a monster. Rico Gala was the sort of man that needed to
be hunted down and killed in his sleep. His breath stopped by an air stilling
device, as a tiny form floated outside his window in the night. Gerent didn't
mention that part out loud. Honestly he hadn't figured to survive it. It was
planned and done with care, but he really figured that he'd be found out and
the midget put to death, for the insane act.

Patty was already safe then.
Married to a man of good prospects, and high position. His brother Tor had even
saved the city of Gala once, from a plague. That was
why
Ger had done
it. Even though Gala had hurt him and Patty, as a whole. They deserved better
than a monster to lead them. So he ensured that. Dying for it had seemed pretty
certain, but he'd flown in, done it in the dark and then flown away. None of
the guardsmen that had seen it happen told anyone either. They knew it was
needed and kept their own council, he guessed. Not that they knew it was him,
for certain, but how many flying midgets were there in the world? There might
be one other, and there was a small chance that the men that had seen him had
confused him with a lumpy child, but that wasn't too likely.

It meant a lot to him. Those
people had kept their secret, and he thought he knew why. The kind of man that
hunted women for sport, to the death, wasn't the sort you wanted in charge of
your life.

Before he could reassure her that
Timon was a kind young man that would confer that gift of long life on her too,
Collette snorted back, from the front passenger's seat that he'd built in.

"You're his best friend,
Pet. In all the world, possibly the two worlds, Timon Baker has only a very few
close friends. That he didn't send for you already is a shock, to be honest.
Even if he secretly hated you..." There was teasing then, but the woman
sobered. "I heard a rumor that once, when a friend of his had been harmed
by a man, that Timon hunted him down and tortured him. That doesn't sound like
the kind of person to leave his best friend to die."

Petra didn't speak then, for a
long time. Gerent didn't get it, or know why. It was the curse of being him, he
figured. He knew just enough to realize that secret information had been
passed, but not nearly enough to work out what it was about. That Tim would
torture someone...

Child or not, the boy simply
would. He'd gone in with Tiera and some Royal guards to free Patty and Ger from
a Galasian jail once. The same night that Count Lairdgren had adopted him. Or
at least claimed that he had.

So, if someone had hurt one of
his friends, Tim would do that. The thing there was that he didn't know who it
was. Collette was kind of right, since Timon, for all his intelligence and
charm, as well as good looks, managed not to have a lot of close friends. Patty
hadn't been that with the boy, and Gerent didn't count back then. That was the
last time that would have counted as torture too, what with the beatings and
rape. So... Who? Not Collette. She was strong, in a pretty way, but too
trusting by far.

He wanted to ask, but didn't, his
voice not working. It was dangerous to show ignorance to nobles. Especially if
you were one. Laurali, his sister after a fashion, had told him that early on.
It was almost always better to hold your tongue than to admit to being out of
the loop. So he did. No one explained for a bit either, until Petra snorted
again, this time sounding subdued.

"That was a pretty piece of
work, too. Judy and Tim took William and his top guards, kidnapping them all,
and then forced Will to confess to treason. I'd thought that no one could touch
him, not even the King. Marvin had been about to declare war on him over it,
even after Richard begged him not to, in order to gain purchase on the
rebellion. Before he could act, Timon Baker and Judith Kerry, two school kids,
or really, Tim wasn't even in school yet, just
grabbed
him and made him
pay for hurting me. Even the King couldn't do that." She sighed, and
shifted, which sounded like stretching, complete with little, but pleasant,
moans. "Three weeks of beatings, broken bones, cutting... well, there was
no rape. Thank goodness. That was the only mercy to it. Broken and beaten
though. Left covered in all kinds of filth." It sounded wrong, when she
said it. Probably because it was a lie.

Collette looked out the side
shield window.

"It was a mercy then."

Gerent felt a fine tremor start
deep in his gut, a shivering took him, but he managed to hold the craft steady,
thanks to the arm rest, and the redesigned control. If they'd been in his other
craft they would have been all over the place.

"Except that it wasn't a
mercy, was it? Those men... That kind of thing... They always rape you.
Always
.
If people have power over you, they do what they want, and nothing will stop
them." There was a tremor in his voice, one of fear, for this lady behind
him. That she might be sent into a rage over his words. Collette looked at him,
baffled, but from behind them there was a soft moan. Then a sob.

"You... yes. We can't tell
anyone. Ever. It isn't for me, it's that Marvin will raze County Rodriguez to
the ground if he finds out. Even now. Only that lie and the pain that Timon
delivered let the matter be considered done. Please, don't... I beg of you..."

Gerent went still. Really, he
didn't know what to do at all, did he? He wasn't like Tim, or Tiera. Brave and
willing to sacrifice everything in order to help a friend. Was he?

He tried to make his voice calm
then. Relaxed. He felt scared, as was proper, given what he was thinking of
doing, but his life as the lowest of the low had taught him a few things. One
of them was how to act brave, when it was called for. No matter how he felt
inside.

"Where is this William
now?"

Collette glanced at him, then
went back to Petra, who was still sobbing softly in the back. Her voice was
about as calm as his was, if for a different reason.

"In a cell, at the King's
Palace complex. Why? Do you think you're going to fly in there and kill the
man? Maybe you could do it, Gerent. But he's already condemned to death. He's
been tortured for his crimes, too. What can be done to him already has."
She sounded pretty certain of that. Gerent didn't answer her, letting Petra
come to herself again, as he spotted the purple glowing river that looped
around the top of the Capital city wall. It was impressive during the day, but
at night it was a marvel. Behind it, around a second palace that had its own
wall, was a silver river. That was Tim's place. Even the King wasn't so outrageous
as to have his
own
floating and glowing river. Worse, the silver one was
brighter and the color more even. His actually glowed, where the one Tor made
just had lights under it to make it pretty.

He landed there, since Collette
could be comfortable there, but wouldn't be able to get in touch with the King
quickly. Not before he did.

There were some things to see to.
Things that, for some really good reasons, Marvin wouldn't be allowed to take
care of. Tim and Tor were out of reach, along with the rest of the people that
just wouldn't care what the rules were, if their friend had been hurt. That
left him to handle it. Little and useless Gerent. No doubt he'd make a hash of
it all, but someone had to try, and he was the only one left.

It was rude, but as Collette
managed to get out, he just took off, going straight up, then landing at the
palace faster than was allowed normally. They didn't get the shield slapped
into place even, though he had no doubt that his ship was trapped inside of the
invisible thing by the time he landed, seconds later. On the good side, he
realized, as he climbed out, that he hadn't slammed into the ground, leaving a
hole. The craft hovered, two feet above the Earth, just like it was supposed to
at rest.

Before he could take a step, he
noticed the six high powered weapons trained on him. Men and women in black and
purple clothing surrounded him, silently. Like death descending from every
direction. Two more hovered above him, using hands free flight units, too. It
was clever, though he just glanced at them, and held up his empty hands.

"I'm Gerent Lairdgren. I
mean no harm to the King or his family. I need to see him now. I need to see
all of them now, in secret, if possible." Because, as Petra had mentioned,
Marvin Ward could never know about what had happened, or an entire county might
die.

No one tried to kill him, but
they didn't move either, not for a long time.

"Hello, Countier Lairdgren.
I don't suppose you'd give us an explanation of your arrival here?" The
words were said by a man that was shorter than Gerent. All of the guards were,
he realized. That was sort of a new thing to him. All of these people were
looking up at him, their eyes bland, and lethal, but also with polite
expressions on their face.

Ger didn't know any of them
either. What they
were
, which was very dangerous and deadly people,
ready to kill him if he jumped wrong, but not their names. He'd met a few
before, but these weren't them.

"I can't. But it's very
important!" He stressed the words, trying to convey meaning, but no one
seemed impressed. Petra hadn't even come out of the little green craft.

The man that looked to be in his
mid-thirties and seemed in charge, being the one in front, didn't sneer at him,
or growl angrily, but also didn't move.

"I see. Well, sir, is it a
thing that can't wait for daylight? Secret information that's time sensitive?
If so, can you prove that under truth verification?" The tone was polite,
and nearly smooth.

Sighing he looked away.

"I suppose it can keep, and
that the King can have a full night's sleep. I'm a bit worked up, but I can't
explain why to you. Please don't ask. I suppose I can come again tomorrow. You
know, if I was Tor, I bet you would have let me in." He smiled then,
because his voice was just a bit petulant at the end there. Like a real spoiled
rich nobleman, instead of a make believe one. "Then, if I was Tor, I'd
have to be off planet right now, so all you get is me for the time being. Not
the same, I know." He tried for self-depreciating and it worked, since he
was good at that one. It had been part of his life for as long as he could
remember.

The man in front bowed, for some
reason, then smiled a bit. Not too much, just enough to show that he could
understand the idea.

"Perhaps. Then, if you'd
been Tor coming in like this, we might have also started fighting without
hesitation. He's not a person to let build into combat. Though standing orders
are for us to throw ourselves to the ground and beg for our lives if that ever
happens. I'm happy to report that you, sir, seem more reasonable, even if
upset. I cannot guarantee anything, but I wish you success in the resolution of
your problem. In the morning, you understand? If we let everyone that comes in
the night demanding to see King Richard do so, he'd rarely sleep."

Gerent sighed. "Sorry. I let
myself... Right, well, I really can't explain it to you. If you knew, then...
Well. I'll leave. Sorry about bothering you all." He really felt it, which
came across in his voice, also misery. It was always easier to hurt someone in
the heat of anger. Not that he had a lot of experience with that, but some.

The guard that was speaking bowed
again, going deeper than was needed for someone like him, no doubt. Gerent
nearly matched it, trying to be polite. He was, after all, the one creating
problems. Making an enemy of these people wouldn't go well for him in the long
run.

"I'll have the shield lifted
then, sir? Please use only slow landings, when coming in the future?"
There was a bit of sternness in that, but Gerent didn't ask why that was. It
was one of their rules, that left them feeling better about things, he guessed.
Not that moving a Fast Craft slowly meant much. Other than leave the shield up
all the time it was obvious that it wouldn't save them if someone were to smash
the palace at full speed.

He carefully didn't point that
out. They'd already know it and probably not want him thinking about things
like that.

"Sorry. I'll... Strive to
make an appointment, next time."

"
Thank you
, Countier
Lairdgren." Turning he waved, which after a second had the man standing
back. "You may lift now. Goodnight, sir."

He climbed back into his craft to
find a smiling Petra sitting in the front passenger's seat, her eyes not even
red anymore. After sealing the door up, he lifted, moving carefully and slowly
enough that the friendly man on the ground wouldn't look bad for letting him
go. Then he moved away, and landed back at Tim's. The whole thing had taken
about two minutes, and Collette wasn't even inside yet. Better than that, she
didn't seem angry or anything.

Amused, slightly, though it was
hard to tell that in the dark. It was a feeling more than anything, and a
warmth in her words.

"Back already? I'd expected
to hear explosions from the palace by now. What did you think you were going to
do, Gerent? Beat the man? Torture him more? Have him raped in retaliation? He
was once a sitting Count, taken for treason. The King can't allow anything more
harsh than a swift and painless death for him. He's been kept alive for a reason.
So that the others of his station won't fear giving over to the King, when they
lose. This is about politics now."

Her words were savvy and probably
correct, but Ger grunted, and then placed his hand on the control again,
waiting for her to climb into the back. Fast craft were good at moving people
quickly, so they were around the city a few minutes later, no one speaking.
When he was in front of Tor's grand palace, he stopped, and didn't move for a
bit, struggling to think of something to make things better. Anything that
would let Petra know that justice was being sought.
Without
alerting her
brother, who would, no doubt, do exactly what she thought he would. Kill
everyone he could in that County, to punish them as a group for what a handful
had done.

"The ones that did it aren't
Counts. I think that trimming off the offending organs will be enough to start
with. If Count Ward ever finds out about this, and eventually he will, Petra,
no matter how well you hide it, then we need to be able to go to him and prove
it was handled." He was faking his best noble accent again, and as amazing
as it always felt when he did that, no one got after him over it. He really
needed to practice that more however. He overdid the hard sounds. Emphasized
the T's and K's too much.

From the back Collette did something
that he wouldn't have expected, being the voice of reason most of the time. She
leaned forward, touched his shoulder from behind gently and then patted it.

"That... Sounds like an
excellent plan, Gerent. One that we should have thought of already, just for
the torture. I think we were all so focused on Rodriguez that we forgot that
part. We need to go carefully however. Get the right people, and make sure they
can't ever retaliate against us, once punished. There are others that will want
to help us too. If..." She moved, and touched Petra lightly on the arm, as
if the warrior was fragile or something.

She'd hidden being raped, but not
out of
shame
, simply because she wanted to save innocent people. She did
it well enough that no one else had even guessed otherwise. Not even Timon.
Gerent had, only because he knew that kind of person too well. Guards and
bullies always did what they could to steal away a person's worth and
self-value. He'd never even stopped to think about it before, but Petra Ward
was a strong person, and not just with a weapon in her hand.

The pretty woman in the back
spoke softly anyway. Hesitantly.

"Is this what you will, Pet?
The wrong was done to you, but I agree with Gerent's assessment. If this is
found out some day, and in our world, it will be, given all the spies, it would
be best to show Marvin that real action was taken."

Petra shook her head, but when
she spoke it was full volume, not the half whisper her friend had used.

"I... I was just trying to
let things go. If they were ordered to do it, then they didn't have a choice.
Not that they didn't seem to enjoy themselves. Do you really think this is the
best course? If... As long as no one talks..." She looked over at Gerent,
as if
he
were going to be the one to let the secret out.

Because she didn't know how very
good he was about keeping his own council. There was a rustling from the back,
a soft hiss of fabric on leather, none of it real. Collette pushed in half on
top of Petra, between the seats, cradling her closely. Like a mother with a
child, as ridiculous as that image was.

"Nothing is secret, Pet. You
know
that. It's the first lesson. Never speak, or write anything, and
never suppose that anything is kept from the prying eyes. Maria may seem like a
ditz half the time, but she has spies
everywhere
. Eventually one of
those guards will get drunk and recount what happened, and word will spread. If
it hasn't already. We need to get in front of this, or it might end with the
death of thousands before you can get to your brother to beg for their lives.
Marvin isn't a hothead, but he
can't
let something like that stand.
Rodriguez the man is out of his reach, so that only leaves his old county as a
target."

There was a returned hug, but
Petra nodded.

"I guess. So, who else do we
need? I can probably track them all down on my own. One at a time none of them
can match me."

That one got Gerent to snort.

"No. If you do it, then your
brother, when he finds out, will still act. We have to show that everyone else
agreed with this and did it without telling him, only to save others that have
done no harm from his wrath. Not that I know who's needed. You mentioned
Captain Kerry? Judy? I bet she'll help us. She's nice." That seemed
backward, but she was
also
the kind of person that found out that a
woman had been tortured and helped to kidnap Counts.

Collette touched his arm too, as
they sat in front of the palace, hovering over the well cared for green lawn.
She didn't speak for a moment, but finally nodded.

 "Right. Judy is Holly
Printer's heir, so that will work for one county. We can get Count Peterson, I
bet. Tovey too." She looked over at Petra. "Count Thomson, his wife,
Tamerlane, as well."

That last bit got Petra to look
baffled for a bit, and furrow her brow. It was cute, Gerent realized. Like a
lost child. That thought struck him as unkind, so he forced it away as she
spoke.

"Why would Countess Thomson
do anything for me? I think we've met a handful of times, but we aren't close.
I only know Tovey from school, really. He's a cousin of mine, and too close to
marry, so we were never put together that much. He might help, being a good
sort, but..."

Gerent thought for a moment and
then stared for longer than was polite. At Collette, who hadn't answered yet.

"Petra... Tamerlane is Tor
and Timon's sister. You're their friend. When Tim, who was what, twelve then?
When he found out about you being tortured, he stole a whole
Count
and
did unspeakable things to him. Can you imagine what his sister, the Countess,
would do?" He couldn't. Not at all. Tamerlane, Terlee to family members,
was kind, shy and gentle. Still, Collette Coltress nodded, as if the words were
true.

"Exactly. So, that will
round things out. They'll have resources and be able to aid us in this. Gerent
and I will handle that part, before we leave. We should get some sleep. Petra,
you're going with us, to Harmony. You have the latest shield, the one for space
work?"

The larger and more muscular
woman snorted, her voice mellow when it came. Pleasant.

"From the first batch. I...
Thank you, both. I don't know that this is the right thing to do, but... Thank
you."

They got out and he took his
Timon Craft down, putting it away. He'd need a room, but they all went in, and
he was shown to one directly, since Collette had simply expected him to stay.
As if he had a right to. Being family. It was big, and had everything needed
for a good night's sleep in it. If anything it was close to the nicest such
place he'd ever been in. Most of his early life he'd lived in pits, and
hollows, a few shacks and sometimes barns with pigs and chickens. Near the
livestock. Not like a person, since most hadn't really thought of him that way.

Now he was given a room that was
nicer than most people had ever even dreamed about seeing. More than that,
while it was close to the grandest place he'd been in, it
wasn't
. He'd
been in the King's palace, and Tim's. The Estate too, in Ward, which was what
they called their palace. Each was different, but it would have been hard to
point at one and claim that that one, there, was the best.

The bed he was in certainly was
more comfortable than sleeping curled up under a bush, which was a thing that
he'd done more than once too. Much more. In fact, it was hard to fall asleep, in
that nice of a place, and he ended up on the floor, in the corner that the bed
made by the wall, on the far side of the door. It was uncomfortable, but let
him get some rest.

That meant that when Petra came
in, at first light, sneaking a bit, he wasn't visible to her.

"Gerent? I came to get you
up for the day? Collette said she wanted to get an early start?"

When he stood up she just looked
at him for a long time, her face totally blank. He smiled and waved at the
floor, where he'd made a little nest of blankets and pillows.

"Survival sleeping. It
wouldn't do to get all soft, having a comfortable bed each night, would it? This
way I'm ready to sleep in a ditch, if it comes up. I try to do it at least once
a week, just to stay in shape for it." He deadpanned the whole thing, and
to his surprise she tilted her head a little.

"That's a good idea. I
hadn't thought of it. Give me a comfy bed, and I just climb in and sleep until
I can't most days. We should get a workout in, before we start for the day.
It's about six right now. Breakfast at nine, which is unheard of for the
Capital. Meet me out back in ten minutes?" Then she left, as if he'd
agreed.