Ancient Kings (The Young Ancients) (13 page)

Tor doubted that he'd speak Hometongue at all.

"Hello! We've actually come to visit, not get work here." Tor smiled as the man looked a bit shocked, and stared at Gerent a little more than he should have. Then he bowed, low, as if they might be important or something. It was a decent save, since the man was clearly disappointed they wouldn't be working there. At least that's how Tor was choosing to take the look on his face. "I'm Torrance and this is Gerent. Relatives of the family. Um... I'm Countier four Lairdgren and Gerent is..." He looked at the man and tried to count in his head. "Thirteenth?"

That just got a wave from the small fellow, and a shy smile.

"But that isn't real or anything. The Count just said that so the King wouldn't put me to death. Not that I'm not grateful for it, but I can't take advantage of the offer. It would be stressing things too much." He sounded a lot more nervous than he should have. Plus he was wrong.

Tor snorted a bit and shook his head.

"Count Lairdgren said so, and until he says otherwise, you're a Countier. You won't get anything from it, but hey, you can just use my gold if you need it. Family and all. It's real enough. Pretty much just extra work." He nudged Gerent on the shoulder lightly, but not enough to make his body move.

The new butler bowed again.

"Very good sir! I'm terribly sorry about my presumption earlier. I'll go and tender my resignation at once. Please, come this way." He was perfectly calm as they walked into the house, and the man had them sit in a front room that hadn't been there the night before. That was the great thing about the magical houses. If you got tired of them, they'd change with a few thoughts and some concentration. On the negative side you could wake up in your own home and find that Collette had changed the floor plan and the bathrooms had all vanished on you.

True, that one hadn't actually happened yet, but it was coming. Tor could feel it.

Gerent sat on a light green colored sofa next to him, his eyes a little wide as they darted around and he jumped when Lauralie came into the room. He even stood and bowed, which was cute. It also forced his mother to bow back, looking confused. It was a good trick. Not one that would work for
him
, but it certainly changed the mood in the room with his mother, who was often a bit short with him, and who might have chosen to be that way with Gerent, just for being unfamiliar.

Instead she was suddenly having to use noble rules, which meant treating the unknown man with politeness. Tor waved at her and stood himself.

"Gerent, this is my mother Lauralie Baker. Conserina first Lairdgren. Mother, this gentleman is your adopted brother, Gerent Lairdgren. I don't know if you heard about that, but it's real." Tor waited, trying not to tense up, even though there might be questions.

Once again his mother decided to surprise him, swooping in and giving Gerent a hug, just as if they'd known each other forever.

"I
have
heard! Though technically Gerent is
your
brother, Tor. Tiera and Timon set the boundaries of that one, so we're going with that line, if anyone asks. Is this what you wanted to talk to me about Tor? I have to say, it's a bit better than the dressing down I expected. I am sorry for that little... difficulty I caused in Vagus. Can you forgive me? I was prepared to scream and fight, but if we can avoid that I'll look better in front of our new family member." She looked at Gerent and seemed more than a bit happy to see him. Using him as a shield against Tor.

Clever. A Gerent Shield. It even had a nice ring to it.

"Oh, we'll be talking about that later, I'm certain. But we don't need to do it right now. To answer your question however, no. I came to bring some fields that Taman can practice copying." He stopped for a second and then shrugged. "Also... She's immortal. I didn't mention it to her, so that you and da can decide how to handle it. I just thought you should know."

There was no speaking for a long time and the only response from Laurie was a tensing of the mouth that didn't look happy at all. Almost upset, to tell the truth. She sat down across from them and didn't say anything at all. Not even after most people would have. It was getting well into stress inducing by the time that a woman came in with a silver tray that held an assortment of baked goods. She was followed by a younger girl that had one with tea on it. As if he drank tea? His mother seldom did either, being too busy working for things like that most of the time.

He didn't comment.

When those two left, smiling professionally the whole time, Gerent furrowed his brow at the woman who was, Tor realized, nearly forty. Counting it up the number kept coming up as even older than that. Forty-four at least. She never said, even on her birthday. She looked nineteen at the moment and was very good looking, which kind of creeped him out, since good looking relatives were
apparently
a problem for him. He wasn't having thoughts about her, but just being there left him feeling dirty, as if he
might
at some point. Icky. Also not a real threat, since he could control his mind, but that was the kind of thing he'd have to watch for, from then on. Just in case.

His new...
brother
, wrinkled his whole face, thinking deeply and then just shook a bit.

"Is that a bad thing? I thought living forever would be nice. Did... Is this that Ancient thing Patty told me about? The Green Man and the others?"

Tor was about to answer when his mother sighed and nodded.

"Yes. I'll explain more if you want. The problem is that too many of my children are turning out that way. I shouldn't have had even one, but four... It means that someone has tampered with things. I don't know how, so... It's worrying."

The words Gerent spoke next were soft and muttered, but Tor heard him, even if Laurie didn't.

"Let me know if I can help."

Tor covered for the words, taking the amulets out of his right hand pocket and passed them to her with a grin.

"For Taman. I'll be by to show her some things too. The others as well, if they want. You should try it too. There's that thing coming.
If
it is." Because, seriously, a fleet of boats from outer space was hard to believe. That three of them would come at once was pushing the bounds of what was possible. Gerent should have asked about it, but he just didn't, which meant talking about it wasn't going to work very well. It would seem like he was trying to spread the information.

The conversation drifted into what Gerent had planned for the future, which, if Tor had it right, seemed to be staying with Timon until he was kicked out and then trying to find a troop of low players that would take him on as a performer. A clown or jester of some sort. He'd done that kind of work before, he admitted glumly, as if they'd judge him for it or something.

"It's not a good life, but it's enough."

Tor shrugged.

"If you
want
. Or you can start your own group. Or, I don't know, start a business, or work for Tim. What do you really want for yourself though? What's important to you? When you dream of a better life, what comes to mind?" It was harder than it sounded like, getting a person to plan a future when they clearly weren't used to that kind of thing.

Gerent looked away, toward the outside wall, even though there was no window there. He didn't say anything for a bit and when he answered it was so soft that it couldn't be heard.

"Sorry, missed that." Tor leaned in and Gerent did his part too, speaking up a little.

"I... Always wanted a garden. I had a pot once, with a plant in it. I don't know what it was, but the stable master's son where I was staying at the time picked it and said it was just a weed. Then he broke the pot and pushed me into a pile of dung." The red color crept above his collar, and Tor had an idea why that was.

His biggest dream was to have a garden? That was awful. He should dream of palaces in the sky, or being the best tradesmen ever, or something like that. Being wealthy and having women to bathe him daily and powder his manhood. Of course he wouldn't say that last part in front of Laurie, being polite and all that, but the rest of it should be bigger, shouldn't it? How beaten down had he been his entire life that just having a plot of ground and some plants was the best thing he could imagine for himself?

Tor nearly cried, his eyes actually starting to water a bit. He could steer his new brother a bit maybe...

Lauralie smiled and gave a firm nod.

"That would be an
excellent
occupation for a Countier of your standing. You might throw in some charity work, and see if father or Torrance will lend you some property for it. We need to see to getting you a stipend as well. It won't be a lot, since your thirteenth in line and not up for the position of Count personally, but a few gold per month at least. Tor, would you see to that? Count Lairdgren should, of course, but you seem to have taken over as far as getting Gerent settled. You and Timon. I'll leave it to you. If funds are needed from Douglas or I, please let me know." She settled back a bit, as if it were all settled or something.

"Really? I can have a garden? What would I grow? I... would anyone really let me?" It was so painfully eager and unbelieving that Tor had to turn away and wipe at his face. Then, after dropping into a rather clear mental state, he turned back. It only took a second, but his mother was watching him, having picked up on it all, he was certain.

"I have some seeds from Afrak that need to go into the ground. Most of them are being used in the planting project for the Wildlands, but some of those should be available. Plus you can collect them from different places if you want. I don't know a lot about growing plants personally. You'll probably want to research that."

Laurie beamed then and let a slow smile come across her face.

"
There
. I'm almost positive that Tor will handle the rest for you, the property and that. How much should the stipend be, do you think?" There was a bit of blatant manipulation involved there, since, clearly, she wanted
him
to pay for it. That was still more than a little strange, since he was happy to, so it was probably a simple reflex on her part. Trying to get people to do what she wanted with guile, instead of simply asking. Even though she already had.

"I don't know. What would you like Gerent? I was thinking that I'd just open my vault to you and you could get what you wanted, but I can see that having some that you knew was yours alone might be good too." The members of the Kings Secret Army got two gold a week and many of them were nobles, but that was pay, not a family stipend. His mother had said that it wouldn't be much already, so there was that to consider too.

The man looked scared then and held his arms across his chest, like he suddenly felt cold.

"I'm sure I don't need anything. Everyone has been so kind already..."

Tor rolled his eyes then and laughed once.

"Right. If we don't give you anything Trice will raid the vault for it anyway. She really doesn't have a great sense of what's hers or not. No reason you shouldn't get it directly from me though. Call it ten a month? Then you can come in and get anything more you need. Just don't take to gambling and it should be fine. I'd rather you just
gave
funds away, rather than lose it like that. I'll arrange that with Collette, so that it will always be available."

Gerent stood then and shuffled his feet, looking half ready to run out of the room. It was a strange reaction to people trying to give you things. No one should have to be that uncomfortable though.

Tor covered by standing up himself.

"Right, good thinking Gerent, we should be up to the school soon. Picking Tiera up for a trip down to the Capital this evening. I already mentioned that, didn't I? Just a visit. Then I really need to get a bit of work done. Oh... I'm having a bit of a get together at the Capital house in three days. You're all invited. It's mainly to meet the Austrans that Timon brought in. Something about players? I'm sure it will be interesting. I'm going to ask Denno, if he'll come. It will give me a chance to grovel some more if nothing else." That was a bit of a dig at the woman in front of them, who stood herself, and made a displeased face that said she got his intent completely.

Good. It had been her fault, at least in part, that Tor had beaten Denno in the first place. Most of it was his, for overreacting, but it wasn't his fault that he didn't know how to handle unrestrained anger was it? Most people got years of practice doing that and he'd had what... maybe a month or two at that time? Sure, no one would have thought he would have done what he did, nearly killing a man like that, but it had started with her trying to be mean to him. If she'd been his
mother
, instead of a bossy immortal, it never would have happened.

Tor grinned though, to soften the blow. It was, like it or not, in the past. They just had to fix what they could now. It wasn't like Denno would make it too hard on him. The man was forgiving to a fault. A real one at times. So was Burks, come to that.

He
used
to be but was working up to holding a grudge or two, now that he could. Just for the experience of it.

"I believe it will be at nine. I'll see if Tiera will come and get you all. Should we expect you?"

There was a real look of consideration at least, and finally she nodded.