The Dark Half of the Sun (The Young Ancients: Timon) (4 page)

"At midnight tonight." He added, trying to be helpful. Instead of crestfallen, Maria, who it seemed was a Countess just shrugged.

"Fine then, no sex. We can hire a musician in or perhaps some players as a distraction? Or we could talk about the new vacations that Princess Karina was telling me about a few days ago. Could you imagine seeing other lands? I hear Soam is incredibly exotic, and warm all the time, though the insects can eat you alive. Afrak is like a garden and the men are both rare and timid like rabbits and Austra has their strange technology and thinking machines. I can't wait to talk to one. Do you think one of those could be arranged? I wonder what will be available first?" She actually seemed like she didn't know that he was involved in all of it, but that could just be good acting.

He tilted his head at her and smiled a little, still standing.

"Which would you like first? For a mere two hundred gold I'll set you up with a vacation the likes of which no one has ever seen. Less than that if you can find at least six others to travel with you and if you want to put together a larger group the cost will go down for each. We have invitations for most of those places already, plus Vagus. In most places you'd probably have to stay in one of the little magic cottages, since I can't make these myself yet." He patted the wall to show what he meant, which got her eyes to go big, if only for an instant. Then she looked...
Shrewd
.

Everyone else was just staring at them, not speaking at all.

"You can get that arranged? Let's say I can get a group of ten together, would a trip to Soam in a month be possible do you think?" She leaned in, honestly interested.

He nodded and took a few steps toward her, forcing his face to be nearly blank as the excitement ran through him. It wouldn't be good if he blew it now, and acting like a little kid, clapping and yelling really wouldn't inspire confidence.

"I think we can. We'll have to leave on one of my off days from school, but I should know what they are that far in advance. The same with pick up. I'll also need to go down first and set everything up... It would be better if I went with you, since you'll need a guide." He didn't know the language yet, but if he had that long he could learn it. There was a lot that needed to be done first, but he could do it.

Maria sat up then and looked pleased with herself.

"Ah? Good then I won't tease you unmercifully later for not recognizing me, even though we met before. On Postern? That morning in fact."

She stared again, waiting for him to blush or stammer. She was out of luck there though. He hadn't remembered her, but it had been a really busy day. Timon wasn't going to waste time feeling bad about it.

Then she stood and gestured at the communication device on its little table across from her. "As to the problem at hand, I think that you should inform the King. This is an important enough issue to at least let him know about it, and I think that he'll take the call if he can. If not we can start asking for anyone else that might aid us in it." She moved to the unit without waiting for anyone else to agree or object and hit the glowing word that would connect them with the Palace. Then they waited, since it could take some time for anyone to notice that a light was glowing around the unit on the other side.

About six minutes later a man's voice came across. It was mildly familiar, but no one Tim could place instantly.

"Good afternoon. How may I help you?" He sounded kind enough at least.

"Good afternoon, this is Maria Ward, here with Alyssa Baker, Timon Baker, Collette Coltress and Sara Debri." She paused for a second, probably not certain what to say next, which let the man interrupt her.

"I don't have any news about Tor. I promise to let you know as soon as I do."

She nodded happily at the device, as if the man could see here. It was a natural enough thing to do, since it really did sound like he was in the room with them.

"Thank you Sire, that's very welcome and kind. However we're calling to dump a completely different problem in your lap. We seem to have a problem at Wildlands Station? Something about theft... or corruption of minors. I wasn't really paying attention, but we have others here that can tell you more. It's a military thing and I thought it would be a wonderful idea to see if we could get William Smythe in on it. He's the best investigator ever
and
the head of the military, so I just know he'll want to help." Her voice had gone just a little too far into 'little girl' for the man on the device and he chuckled, asking to speak to Sara first.

Because the man recognized her name off the top of his head. True, his son had been her friend for a while, as in been having sex with. Timon had paid enough attention over the years to pick that up after all. For a man so busy and focused on affairs of the kingdom to not only know her name, but to want to talk to her
first
meant that there was a greater connection there. It didn't take long to understand that Sara was used to chatting with the King too. She sounded more relaxed with him than she had with Timon at least.

"Sire. The report you were given is fairly accurate. There have been constant thefts for the last year, increasing as soon as the children came to the Station. It wasn't much at first and Tor had left orders to turn a blind eye to such things, unless it was really obvious who was doing it, but now I think that someone is truly abusing good will. This is into enough golds that sooner or later one of the framed children is going to be put in prison for it. The way it's being handled is... strange. None of the kids are facing charges, they're all just asked to leave. Why they don't insist on a trial I don't know, if they're innocent, which is part of why I didn't mention it until now. I thought it would be better for them to get away than go to prison."

It was a frank admission, but one that got a soft snort from Alyssa.

"Why wouldn't they call for a trial? They're
orphans
Miss Debri. To their way of thinking they
are
guilty, even if they haven't stolen anything. They don't expect a real hearing or even anyone treating them kindly. Calling for a trial is the same as pulling a noose over their own heads to most of these kids. Of course they'd just leave instead. That gives them a chance to survive, no matter how slim." She'd moved closer to the speaking device, her voice firm enough that Collette reached out to touch her arm, holding her back a little. She turned red then, but it was a pleasant, embarrassed red, not rage.

"Forgive me, Your Highness, I didn't mean-"

"Don't worry Alyssa. Passion when defending children is never misplaced. Builder Timon Baker, do you agree with Sara Debri?" That the man had figured out that he'd be the other person with an account meant that he knew something about who was coming and going over his city and from what direction.

That or Timon was being tracked. That probably wasn't the case, since he was moving from place to place too quickly and there weren't that many communication devices in the Kingdom. No, the simple explanation was that he knew where everyone
else
had been, meaning there was only one person in the room that could have a firsthand report. That wouldn't explain second hand ones, which could have been what had happened here. Someone else could have gotten a report too.

The King definitely had spies here then. Sara was even probably one of them.

"I don't have as much information, but that seems to fit what I found earlier. I know that Major Godfrey, the man in charge there, is very frightened that he's going to be blamed for the lapse. I got a Truth amulet from Ali, but we could use someone that really knows how to investigate, I think. There are an awful lot of people to just go around questioning everyone at random." It could work, eventually, but it would take forever that way and he didn't have that much time personally.

There was less than a week until he had to have some real gold in hand if he wanted to go to school at all. This distraction was a good thing to do, if they could save some kids and Major Godfrey, but as far as he could tell it wasn't going to
pay
anything. Even if it did, it wouldn't be enough, so hurrying things along might be a good plan.

The King sounded slightly odd when he spoke. Not worried overly, but a little stressed, as if he didn't want to bother with the problem either. Timon could agree with that, but it didn't matter. It was already too late now.

"Fine, I'll send Smythe and Builder Sam to look into this. Builder Baker, would you be free to accompany them? I've heard you have use of several of your brother's Fast Carriages? That could expedite things greatly."

Timon moved to the device and bent over it, knowing full well that the man knew he had the craft. He was trying to politely suggest that Timon use one.

"Not a difficulty Sire. I'll even do this one for free, since you've agreed to send some of your Ambassadors using my new service. Three hundred and fifty gold per round trip, as long as it takes fewer than five craft." Not that he had enough pilots for them all. He really needed to get to work on that fast actually, so that there would be other people ready to work while he was in classes.

The King cleared his throat.

"I believe it was for three hundred gold?" There was a touch of humor to it at least, which was good to hear.

"Oh, sure, but I'm upping the cost until Princess Karina agrees to marry me." He was joking, but everyone else looked at him like he'd just offered to wed a cow. Obviously he'd made a misstep there. It probably wasn't a good thing to tease about with the King then. "Or at least go to tea. I won't really charge you more, but don't tell her that. I want to see if it will work." Instead of ordering him into irons or even giving him a stern lecture the man... laughed.

"Considered the message passed then. I wish you luck. You still only get three hundred per delegation. When do you think you can begin?"

"In about five minutes. Or after Counselor Smythe and Sam are done, if I'm supposed to stay with them. I can be over directly. Flying in a silver cube."

The King was silent for a few moments, with only a subtle hint of rustling to show that someone in the room was moving.

"I'll have them waiting on the north side, by the door. Thank you Timon."

He wanted to shrug, but didn't bother, since it wouldn't make a difference to the man.

"Be there directly Sire. I'm certain they'll have this in hand quickly. Tor always spoke very highly of Counselor Smythe." It was true, but that got a rough chuckle as well from the device.

"You do know that the man tried to kill your brother, don't you?"

Timon actually did, since it was pretty common knowledge around the Kingdom. Tor had never mentioned that part himself. All he'd said was that the man was a good investigator and an honest person. Tor had never even claimed that he'd liked him.

"And
then
they came and proved I didn't try to kill a bunch of people... together." Maria didn't say the words loud enough to be heard over the device, but Timon got it. She'd been saved by something his brother had done, and it made her like him. Probably Smythe too.

He spoke louder then, losing a few beats, which had to sound strange.

"Yes Sire, but he didn't succeed, and they made up and became friends. There are no debts between friends." It was a Two Bends thing, well, the surrounding area had it too, but it was a good tradition. You didn't count anything against a friend. Family either. Not for long at least. He was probably being less than observant of the idea, not making up with his mother, but that would have to wait. For one thing he wasn't really ready to try yet. For another...

They had a thief to catch.

That had to take point.

The trip from his brother's giant place to the Palace should have taken him about ten seconds. It wasn't far at all, only about two miles if he traveled in a straight line, but he had to account for the very slow landing that the Royal Guards wanted for anyone coming in. They had a shield that they'd slap up if anyone tried to land too fast. It didn't seem like it helped anything real, going that slow, so it was probably just there to help them stay alert and on their toes. That made sense to him. That part was a known thing though. It was the rest of the people that really slowed him down.

"We should come too." Maria Ward said, her eyes on her sister, as if Collette would be the one making the call as far as that went. He didn't want to have a problem with them, but it hadn't been what he'd expected really. Why would they want to be a part of an investigation they couldn't influence at all?

Ali stood back and closed her eyes for a moment, her clothing changing and shifting on her body, turning into a plain black uniform that wasn't exactly military, but was close enough to fool a person at a distance. The material was even mimicked correctly. She had the collar wrong, hers going a little too deep and the sides of the tunic hugged her just a little too closely for a real uniform. It looked good on her however.

"Right, the kids are my responsibility. I've been remiss, but I won't let that stand." She looked at him, as if Timon was going to tell her no. That or she was hoping for back-up from him.

After a few seconds of silence he shrugged.

"I need to get going. I don't think anyone will mind too much, but if this Counselor doesn't want you around, we'll have to leave you there." Because that made sense, threatening to drop them all off at the palace like that. He'd probably end up bringing them all back before going, but that part really would only take a minute, so he just agreed, to keep the peace.

Besides, it sounded like he was in charge or something, which was always fun. Most of the time people didn't listen to him, not because he was wrong, but because he was too young. When they forgot that part of things it made him feel more real. Like a person instead of an animal that could be locked up at night and controlled. It was an illusion of course, but one he liked.

Sara looked at him too, but her face was a bit less friendly suddenly. Probably because he'd made that crack about getting Princess Karina to marry him. It was... well, when he thought about it he understood why she might be mad. He'd offered to wed her when he turned fourteen and even though she was polite to him about it, her cool reception had kind of made him angry at her. Not a huge kind of thing, but that had prompted him to lash out a bit by pretending to make a move toward the Princess. It was rude to do that. Not something that anyone could call him on directly, because it was acceptable for a person to have several marriage alliances lined up, but she was smart enough to figure out he wasn't totally happy with her for some reason.

She spoke normally enough, sounding polite and calm.

"Timon, do you think you should take people to the palace without permission?"

Polite... but slightly patronizing. It was a valid argument, so he nodded to Countess Ward who smiled at him expectantly.

"Perhaps we should connect with them and ask? I don't suppose it would hurt anything." Except that it would take longer. That part was going to make him look bad, if this scene strung out too much.

A short four minutes later they talked to a rather friendly sounding man that turned out to be a Royal Guard. Kevin. No one knew him it seemed, but he was able to set up permission for them to all visit. It only took about twenty minutes for him to arrange for it too. After the man signed off, doing it first as was protocol, no doubt, Timon had to herd the women into the craft. It was like moving four cats though, each with their own agenda.

Ali realized, as they stepped out on the front walk that she should take some gold with them, in case it was needed to buy anyone's life from the hangman. She ran inside with Collette, who actually had control of the funds for some reason. Just as they came back out Maria decided that it would be best to use the facilities there first, which got her to run inside. It took longer than seemed reasonable, so Collette went back in to find her. Ten minutes later they both came back out, wearing outfits similar to Sara's as well. The whole thing meant that Timon had to resize the Fast Carriage, which turned it into a mirrored rectangle.

It wasn't as sharp looking, but would have to do, since he didn't want to waste time anymore than they had to. The Counselor had probably been left standing outside with Sam for over half an hour, which meant
he'd
be yelled at no doubt. Worse, it was his responsibility as pilot to make sure things like that were accounted for. Timon just nodded and smiled, figuring that it was going to be real practice for later. He couldn't yell at them to hurry after all. They were people, not packages. Extra time would have to be built in to each trip to account for how slow people could be.

Even with the painfully slow and boring decent they landed outside the Palace a whole five minutes after taking off. The area for landing was bare dirt, all the grass worn down from the heavier transports, which were made of focus stone instead of shield material. His was better, but a lot harder to make. He didn't know for certain, but Tim was pretty sure he could copy the lift plates and shields for a big transport. If not personally, then some of the Lairdgren group could do it. They were all better at that kind of thing than he was. So far at least.

Sam was decent at it, which was part of why he'd been left in place as the Magics Counselor's attaché, even though he was really too young for the job himself. He was also probably going to have to do his job from Lairdgren, if he was returning. Regardless, it was a great summer position to have, since it meant living in the palace and being able to make lots of good contacts.

The man with him was tall, meaning a royal, at least by blood. He had white hair that was thinning on top, a thing that Timon would probably never be able to see from the ground, but had noticed through the window and wore cream and goldenrod yellow robes that matched the glow that a Truth amulet gave off when used. That probably wasn't a mistake. What it meant Tim didn't have a clue, but his brother had both created the basic amulet field and knew this man.

Maybe it was a statement about how the Military Counselor was a paragon of truth? That or a joke.

He hopped out quickly, noting that there were two people standing behind Sam and Smythe, wearing black and purple, with the King's livery on their chests. Royal Guards. One was a sharp looking woman with dark hair and slightly dusky skin. The other was a man that had to be in his fifties, but who looked just as hard as all that type did. The faces weren't really familiar to him, but he noticed that their eyes were trying to see who had come through the open door.

He paused for a second, then bowed to the group. He didn't go overly low, since he wasn't the least ranking person in the world, but everyone else here probably deserved the respect. In the main it didn't hurt to seem humble either.

"Gentles. I'm Timon Baker. The King arranged for me to take you to Wildlands Station. If you will load up, we can be underway. Our estimated time of arrival will be approximately seven to ten minutes after takeoff." He could make it faster, but he remembered to pad the time a little bit, just in case. "Please forgive our late arrival. Some... matters came up."

That got a smile from Sam, who was wearing the Lairdgren group uniform, which wasn't too far off of what Timon had on. It was even made to look like heavy velvet. Sam had purple stripes on the legs, a single one on the outside of each, which was the only visible difference. It wasn't a mistake, since it was what Tim had stolen the idea for his own outfit from. He didn't know clothing that well, so it made sense. Borrow from those with the skills.

Kind of like what he did with magic.

It was Smythe that approached him, causing him to look up, since the man was over six and a half feet tall. He didn't frown at him however, just bowing back a little, which was polite of him. The rest did it too then, as if they'd forgotten they should. Sam had an excuse, since they were friends after a fashion and he was from humble origins, but the Royal Guards didn't really.

"Well met young man. I'm Smythe of Westend, this is Sam Builder and these worthies behind us are Royal Guards George and Kara. The King asked that they go with us, to provide assistance if needed. Is that allowable?" He was being very polite it was clear, but smiled in a friendly fashion anyway.

"I resized for up to ten passengers. In a pinch the craft can carry twelve. Less if they're very large people. We should be fine however. On board already we have Countess Ward, Baronetta Coltress, Sara Debri and my sister in law, Lady Alyssa Baker." He stressed the words on Alyssa's name. It was a bit of a warning and proper enough. Basically he was telling the men that if they tried to hit on her in his presence he'd fight them. It was ridiculous of course, since he was the smallest person in the area, but Smythe smiled and bowed again. There was no irony in his voice when he spoke.

"Wonderful. I'm sure that they'll all be most useful to use in this investigation, shall we embark then?"

These
people didn't take very long to get situated at all. In fact they hustled into the vehicle like there was an actual emergency, moving like they knew what they were doing, just as soon as the pleasantries were finished. The only odd thing being that the older guard, George, moved directly into the seat next to him, looking out the front of the craft. He watched carefully, but didn't comment on anything as they sped toward the new city.

Tim was good to his word and had everyone moving off the craft in front of Godfrey's office space about eight minutes after takeoff. When they got out it was with more decorum than before, since the Major had come out to stand at attention, along with the boy that might be a thief, and a hastily put together line of military men, all at attention, with lines of children behind them in tan. They were less disciplined and gawked a little, but no one spoke overly, so the whole thing was fairly quiet and dignified.

The Major, who'd wisely taken time to bathe it seemed and shave, saluted crisply. Each of the military men followed suit and that got most of the littlest children to do the same thing. It was a bit slow, but all the older kids did it too then, probably not sure if it was proper or not.

"Sir! Welcome to Wildlands Station, sir!" He received a similar movement from Smythe, which signaled him to break the movement. All the military men held theirs however, until the Military Counselor spoke loudly.

"At your ease!" He nodded, his face serious then, not waiting to see what anyone else actually did it. It took a bit for all the kids to relax, trying to copy what the soldiers did it seemed.

There was no bowing this time. No mention was made as to who the rest of them were either. Instead Smythe waved back at them and spoke calmly about it.

"Dignitaries sent to see that no children are being harmed or abused. I trust that this won't be an issue?" He said it softly, pitching his voice so that not everyone would be able to hear it.

"No sir. The children are being well cared for. Except..." He turned a little red then, which with his light complexion was decently visible. Darker than Tim's, but the man was probably the second lightest person around at the moment. "Well, there have been some problems. Thefts. Some of the youngsters have left us. I thought it was to avoid prison, but..."

Smythe nodded, looking well in command of the situation.

"Exactly what we're here to investigate. Let's go inside and see to that then. This is the accused?"

The miracle of Truth amulets was that, once used, a person was going to be shown to be telling the simple truth, or lying. There was no doubt left. The boy retold his story, about how three large men, dressed like military men, grabbed him, pulled him to the ground and stole the compressor unit he'd been using for practice.

"Building furniture, sir." He was working very hard not to sound like a country hick, even though he clearly wasn't well educated. It didn't always work, but the effort made him look pretty good. It turned out he wasn't fifteen, as Timon had figured earlier, but was only thirteen.

None of the children were over fourteen, since that was the age that you got dumped out of the orphanages in the main. You were an adult then, so the kids had to learn to fend for themselves. It was, according to the boy, why everyone was trying to learn to be like the military men. If they could do that, a lot of them figured they might make it into the ranks.

Smythe nodded when he heard that part of things.

"Good thinking. Major, see that all the children that want it receive early training to aid them toward that end. They can practice in their off hours."

The Major made a note of it on a piece of paper, his eyes both relived and darker.

"Sir. If I'm still here at the end of the investigation. If not I'll leave instructions for my replacement."

Smythe nodded and handed him the same amulet the dirt smudged boy had been using. It had a simple hemp string on it, which meant it had probably come directly from Tor. He was rich, but didn't see the need for wasting funds on anything overly. Ali was better about seeming normal that way, which would, eventually, help his brother even out a little.