Goddess of the Moon (Young Ancients: Tiera) (29 page)

Tiera
waved at her and sat in one of the heavy Focus Stone chairs that Tor had for
people to use.

"Not
a problem. Maris, what do you recommend today, for lunch?"

She
expected a big production to come, with the woman unable to think of anything
at all, instead she simply smiled and moved to the device and produced a fine
looking sandwich, with golden strips next to it. Then she placed it on the
already full table, the nice china plate looking a bit out of place and waited.
Taking a bite, Tiera nodded.

It
was Chicken, with a very delicate crème sauce. Spicy too.

The
strips were fried potato.

"This
is very, very nice. So, are you getting ready to open your shop? I've gotten us
all a ride up there. Well, except Remy. He has to work."

Maris
smiled happily. "To the new colony?"

"Yep,
all the way to the Moon."

Sheri
clapped, like a little schoolgirl. Which she was, so it sort of worked.

"I
bet that's expensive. I wish I could go. I was thinking, after I get out of
school, if I don't have to get married right away, that I'd go into Space Fleet,
and see if I liked it. That might not get me that far out, but it could. They
need cooks and bakers, don't they?" She eyed the device next to them and
sighed. "Or they did. I don't suppose that will last long, and everyone
tries for pilot, or Captain. What could I do?" There was less defeat in
the words than there was considering a change of plans.

Tiera
thought about it for a few seconds.

"Do
what Terry is? They run on magic, so learn to make copies. Do that without a
template, and they'll snap you up so fast that bones will break, I bet. We can
get Sam and Guide to help you practice that on the trip out."

Sheri
nodded, "out where? Oh, are we going to your County? We just finished our
off days..."

Maris
looked at the other girl happily, while Tiera ate her food. It was really good.
Nearly perfect. The all black woman, who was in a light pink dress with tiny
flowers on it, which she pulled off perfectly, looked at Remy.

"Sheri
is actually very intelligent. She just doesn't want to be presumptive, even
though it's clear that Tiera has made arrangements for her to go along as well.
Why though?"

That
was a good question. The real answer was that she was wanted because she was an
Ancient, but that was being hidden and she wasn't far enough along in the
combat section to rate that way. After a bit, Tiera tried to look sheepish.

"Well..."
She was going to say that she just wanted to sleep with her, but Remy chimed
in. Clearly proving he was faster than she was in more than one way.

"To
babysit Tiera's younger siblings?" It was a guess, but Tiera jumped on it,
because it was good.

"If
you would? That wasn't really the plan, but if we both help, mother will be a
lot happier, I think. They aren't bad, or anything, so it won't be a lot of
work. We're needed to help set up the restaurant. Possibly build it, out of
Focus Stone. Decorate it too. So, there's plenty to do. It isn't exactly a
vacation
really
. Maybe they'll let us do food on the way there, to
practice?" She tried to make it sound fun, but it wasn't cooking and she
had a feeling that managing the heat flow would be a skill worth learning.

Now
Sheri clapped again and was busily hugging first her, then Maris, when Ali
walked in, still wearing her student brown uniform. So was Tiera, though Sheri
was in a light green dress of what seemed to be velvet.

Her
sister in-law moved in for her part of the hugs, even without knowing what it
was all about, and included Remy, since he was a person she knew. After a
fashion. He wasn't a regular human, but looked that way, so it counted, as far
as she went.

"What's
this? Are we having a party?" She looked into the back, where Nik, the man
that actually worked the shop, was busily cleaning. People came in on occasion
now, since Tor wasn't there each day, scaring all the costumers off by being a
wizard. None had since
she'd
come in, which probably had to do with her
size, and the strange things going on.

Sheri
explained the device, and then got her friend a meal that could well have been
served to the King without anyone batting an eye. While they ate, she went on
about the Moon trip. It sounded almost surreal to Tiera. A trip to the Moon.
She'd even been before, and it sounded like a joke to her. Ali just seemed a
little sad though.

"That
sounds fun. How long will you all be gone?"

Tiera
didn't really want a replay of the last conversation.

"How
long will
we
, as in
you
as well, be gone? About three weeks. A
week or so to get there, the same coming back and a week on the ground. You
need to go with Sam, to see if it's suitable for your orphans to work there.
Karen mentioned something about that. They won't be paid really, but they can,
I don't know, own land? Put up their own businesses, that kind of thing?"
She was getting good at making up reasons for people to go, she thought. That
almost even sounded like what a noble
should
be doing with her time.

"Can
I do that though? What if Tor comes back?"

She
didn't have an answer to that one. It really was true too. What if he did? He'd
done it once already. Finally she shook her head.

"Ali,
you heard about the fake Kolb yesterday?"

"What?
No. I didn't hear about anything like that. I was working last night. Just
copies."

"Ah,
there was a clone that tried to lure me and Karen away. It was actually Cordes,
but he
looked
like Kolb. We need to get everyone out of here for a bit.
Remy can pretty much take care of himself, and the rest too, if it comes to it,
but we need to get most of the high profile targets out of the way. To protect
the other kids." It made sense to her and got a single nod from the
killing machine.

"Correct.
There is a fifty percent chance that you would be targeted personally Alyssa
Baker. It is known that Torrance Baker is not fully on the enemy side. Only his
magical abilities and willingness to provide such for us is protecting him at
this time. That will last as long as his good will does, since the thought is
that eventually the Cordes mentality will take over in a moment of weakness.
That doesn't fit with what I project, but it's what Gray and Cordes seem to
believe. So you not being a target is optimal. You're going with them."
There was command to the words, and Remy waited, poised as if to strike.

Ali
ignored that.

"If
Tor needs help, will you do it? Will you promise me that you'll try at
least?"

There
was a moment, and the air filled with something that might have been death, as
far as Tiera could tell, but Remy Two simply agreed.

"I
promise. I'll do whatever I can to help protect Torrance Baker, if he comes here
for aid, while you are gone."

It
was pretty specific, but Tiera only noticed that because it was what she did
all the time too. It made Ali happy, and she agreed to go, so there was that.

The
next days were spent either in meditation, fighting practice, or making copies.
Well, she did work on a slow growing device, doing it the same way as the first
food units. She kept that secret, because, ultimately, she was a girl, but it
wasn't very practical, when it came down to it. That or it was the most useful
thing ever made. One or the other, depending on what people did with it.

On
the day before the big palace dinner, she got in touch with Lawrence Morris and
summoned him to the Capital, for a meal the next night. He seemed nervous about
it, but Tiera didn't let him know about anything, since she wanted him to sign
the papers without having a lot of time to realize that when he retired, Terry
would be in charge. A lot of people got hung up on things like that, wanting
their heirs to be blood relations, so she didn't want him considering it for
too long.

The
next day she got herself into place, but didn't take anyone with her, even
though it was supposed to happen. That worked really well though, since her
right hand man was standing outside the door alone when she got there, swearing
several times that he was friendly and harmless.

"I
don't even hold Countess Baker responsible for the murder of the old Count. Or
his older daughter. I can't say that I'm pleased about the other two, but I'm
satisfied that it wasn't done on purpose. I believe that there is true remorse
there. Plus, she's the Countess." It was a point, and one that she'd never
considered, but her buddy George picked up on and questioned the man on for a
while. He was angry about the old Countess and the little girl that died, and
did
blame Tiera for it. But he wasn't going to lash out at her.

Then
oddly, several of the Royal Guard closed ranks and stared at the man, even as
she stood behind him, about ten feet back.

George
gave him a hard look that was a clear threat.

"Very
good sir. Miss Baker is a friend of very many powerful people. It would not
serve for anyone to forget that. No matter who they were, or how much power
they hold themselves." He stepped back then, and didn't let the man go
forward, but questioned her, which had Lawrence goggling, since he'd been
distracted, and hadn't realized she was standing there for most of what he'd
said. Tiera could see that. It hadn't all been exactly what a Countess would
want to hear from her top advisor, was it? Honest though.

"I'm
loyal enough, and don't plan any harm to anyone here today." She started
speaking before the Truth amulet touched her palm and George cleared his
throat.

"Do
it properly, please?"

Setting
herself she let her mind go blank. It wouldn't help, but it felt right anyway.
It wouldn't do to accidently misstate anything, especially since the guards
here would kill her for it. In theory at any rate.

"Fine.
I plan no violence here at all today. I'm not wild about the King, on a
personal or governmental level, but do consider him family, which means I can't
harm him. I don't even plan to berate or demean him, this time. Or anyone else,
that I know of."

George
shook his head.

"Have
you been in contact with the Rebellion?" That one sounded pointed, didn't
it?

"Oh,
yes." She left it at that, but he glared, even as other people started to
build up behind her.

"
And
?"

Tiera
had to read the man to get that this was
supposed
to be a set up or
something, so that other people wouldn't trust her, or at least so that word
would get around that she might be less than loyal. That was annoying. Not
really wrong though. The funny part, if it could be called that, was that
George actually thought of her as being very loyal really. To him it was all a
trick, to lead the rebels to her, so she could infiltrate more deeply.

"And
what
? I'm not currently in with them, in particular. I'd be a fool not
to listen to what they were saying though, wouldn't I? You know that. Even the
King knows that. Is that going to keep me out today? I rather came for a
reason. Invited and everything. Isn't it enough that I'm not planning anything
here at this moment?"

That
got all the guards to look upset, but George made a face and moved out of the
way.

"
Barely
,
Countess Baker. Of all the people that come through here, no one else that
answers as you do has proven truly loyal, in the long run. It would be
disappointing, if you turned out to be of that ilk." He seemed pretty mean
about it, which was over the top. Given that she wasn't a spy or anything. She
was a free person, not an employee of the
King
.

What
they thought they were doing, other than pissing her off, she didn't really know
at all. Clearly the rules for Conserina's were different than for sitting
Countesses. So much for her doing the noble thing for her people, making sure
they were taken care of...

She
grinned. Then took Lawrence by the arm and walked on. The dark skinned man, his
balding head shining a bit with sweat, was all in heavy brown material, with
long tan socks and short pants. On his feet were brown shoes, and he had a bow
tie, a giant one, that matched his socks. It was very different, and seemed
more like what a merchant would wear, rather than her top advisor. It was all
magical clothing, so he could have made it seem like anything.

That
meant, she assumed, that he thought he was being called onto the carpet by the
King and wanted to enforce the idea that he was both loyal and had the people's
best interest at heart, even at his own expense. It wasn't a bad idea. She, for
instance, had dressed up in student browns, changed to look like they had blue
and dark green brocade all over them. It was almost as bad, she decided.
Possibly worse. They looked strange, when they were led to the small dining
room. The whole thing filled with her family. That, and Smythe of Westend. Even
Tim was there, along with Trice and her parents. That was all though.

Taman
walked up to her and Lawrence and bowed.

"S'Tiera!"
Tiny arms were held out for a hug, which she got, proper for the situation or
not. After all, Tiera didn't want hard feelings there. The girl would end up
being older one day, she was sure. People almost always did.

"S'Taman!"

When
they got to the table, she was placed next to, but directly above Lawrence, with
Terry on her far side, and Tess next to him. It probably looked strange, but she
got the idea. It was in honor of the changing ranks. Except for hers, at the
moment.

King
Richard stared at Lawrence, and pulled a scroll out, along with a pen and ink
well. Then, without saying anything to him, the man bowed.

"Timon
Baker, as we discussed, do you endorse this plan? As the Heir Apparent, you
have the right to have this heard before the full council, on demand. What say
you?"

Timon
stood, and bowed at Terry, who went a little wide eyed.