Envoy to Earth (7 page)

"We'd love to, of course,
and one way or another I
will
be back with aid for your people. Even if
I have to tie Tor to a chair and threaten to ruin his baking for a whole day to
get it done. As for the rest, I don't know what I'll have time for soon. If
things are this bad here, well, other places will need help too. Afrak,
Austra... Vagus and Tellerand. I don't even want to start to imagine what's
happened in Soam."

The whole room got quiet then,
and everyone stared right at him, as if he'd said something
wrong
. Not
just slightly off, but an evil so vast and dark that he might need to be
cleansed with fire to make the words right in the minds of those present. Then,
even when no one else moved, Baron Eager bowed, going low. After ten seconds he
stood, his face a bit red from exertion.

"I think, in our focus on
personal concerns, that we forgot about those others. Thank you for reminding
us. I'll..." He sighed and shook his head, then looked at Countess
Printer. "I have to see to my people first, but surely some of our young
people could be spared to help with such efforts? You could offer them extra
marks in school for good works, perhaps? Not that I'm telling you how to run
your school..." He blushed, but Holly just let her face look bemused and
nodded, which got the man to relax a good bit.

Then she looked at the darker and
shorter fellow and took a single, very deep, breath.

"Right. I'll put the word
out. I know, you can lead them, Countier Lairdgren! A students brigade of the
High Servants, perhaps?" She tried to say it seriously. Gerent was nearly
certain that wasn't being said to tease him or as a joke. It was meant as a
flat offer. She'd give him workers, drawn from her body of school children.
Unfortunately for her, she broke up after she said it, laughing uncontrollably.

Watching her for a second, he
nodded, knowing a comedy bit when he saw one.

"I'm sorry, but I must
decline. I honestly don't know if I'll have time, or I'd give it a go. We
really can use all the help we can get. That, and of course, have you work on
your presentation. I mean, if you could have held that last bit, with the
sputtering and doubling over until I left, it might have worked. I know, I'll
talk to the King tomorrow and see if he has anyone he wants that foisted on?
That isn't
me
, I mean." He let himself go still, but the reaction
in the room was pretty mixed.

It was the Dowager Ward that
cleared her throat. He expected that to be for his scolding, since he'd been
pretty flip with a sitting Countess, but she sounded relaxed about it all,
really.

"That... Might work. Thank
you Countier Lairdgren. If you could have him connect with Countess Printer
about that? Things are... Strained at the moment, but regardless of who comes
out on top in the end, we need to see to the safety of all, or what was the
point of it to begin with?" She looked at Petra, who stood up, her face
slightly stubborn seeming.

"That is a very good point,
mother. I'll head out and see to that myself, since the Royal Guard hardly
ever
executes me on the spot, unlike the rest of you. I love you all, and won't
betray you, but I think you're wrong to go against Richard. He's a good and
fair man. You all think you can do better, but it took you this long to
remember Soam, didn't it? No one is suggesting
Gerent
to replace the
King though, are they? I bet that he'll have something in place." She
crossed her arms and glared at everyone, claims of loving familial regards or
not.

Holly made a hard face at the
other woman, and then waved a hand.

"I have my reasons, Pet.
Still, we can do without you for a few days, if you can set that up? Martha
isn't wrong, after all. In the end we need to do the right thing, or there
was
no point to this. If the people with... contrary views, won't stand for good
and right, then we deserve for the world to turn its hand against us."

The words were a speech, and the
lady held her head high, as if they were a crowd, and she were winning them
over to her way of thinking. It worked too, since everyone started nodding
along. It was a good effort really, but a little off, which Gerent mentioned,
clearing his own throat.

"Look off into the horizon a
bit more. Eyes up. It gives the sense of looking into the future. Otherwise,
that was well done. Did you have classes in that? I had some, after a fashion,
from a High player that had fallen on hard times. He taught me to play the part
of King Valiant the Bold." They all looked at him, so he shrugged.
Everyone knew the classic piece, which he'd done straight, but it was still
comedic. Or had been. "Lo! There, off to the East, the fleet of the seven
arrives! Hold fast, for by morning we will see if the Austrans are men, or mere
wind, to be scattered from shore to shore!"

He did the whole thing, body
posture and all, which got a small clap from Maria.

"That's not bad! You know
the whole thing too, from memory? We'll have to have you perform it sometime.
In private of course. Since your station is too great for that sort of thing in
public." She moved toward him, and reached up, for another, if briefer,
hug. "You make it seem very noble and manly!"

He crossed his eyes and stuck his
tongue out.

"But imagine it, as it was
even a few years before... I stood barely to most men's... waists, that
is
what we call that area down-" He waved a hand just below his crotch,
drawing the eyes of all. "Or
not
! Well, it was a parody back then.
But yes, seek the distance when you speak, Countess Printer, for the big
speeches. Not the ones about cakes or apples, because then people will think
them of major meaning and import. Probably best not to speak of lizards that
way, too. Unless they are very grand ones."

No laughs came, but the Countess
looked at the right spot, her head high.

"Like this?"

He looked down at her, and then
had to agree.

"Exactly. It makes an
impact. Not that you didn't before. I mean, you clearly had the whole room.
Now, before I get myself either pilloried or drawn and quartered, I think I
should remove myself from this space. It was very nice seeing, or meeting, you
all." He was performing the whole thing, his voice fake sounding, but stage
like. It was doing the King Valiant bit. Even just the one line. It reminded
him of some of the happier times that he'd had in life. For the whole year that
he and Donal were together, they'd eaten almost every day, and no one had
beaten him. That had been years before, when he was about nineteen or twenty.
Not that he knew how old he was now.

He thought he was twenty-eight,
but it could be younger than that, or older, by years in either direction. If
there had ever been anyone to record his birth, Gerent had never met them.

Marvin, being kind, walked him
out, a hand on his shoulder as they neared the door.

"Do come again soon? Both of
you. We wait the day." That was a bit flowery for the man, but it seemed
like he meant it, so Gerent nodded.

"I'll return as soon as I
possibly can. With help. Don't let those others forget what they said in there?
I think that this whole rebellion thing is a bad idea right now. Not that I
know that kind of thing. Still, I don't know the reasons people have, and the
idea that we all have to bend over and take it from our masters is..." He
didn't go on, since that had been all too real to him, more than once in life.
The
King
didn't do that to anyone though. Not without flowers or sweet
words first. Not even when it was metaphorical bending. These people, some of
them, didn't know how good they had it.

"Indeed. I disagree, but I
can see your perspective. Perhaps I should send my sister along with you? Do
you head toward the Capital? She has her own craft, but I fear she might
challenge Baron Eager to a duel if the night wears on too much longer in the
current vein. The man is an able fighter in his own right, but I don't think he
realizes that Petra walks around with more weaponry
on
her than most
battle groups. Don't let this out, but more than one of the rebellion has been
removed that way. Petra challenging them to a fight and then killing them out
of hand. Three, in fact. Only two of them really deserved it however. So, if
that's acceptable? I'm nearly certain that she
likes
both of you."

Ger nodded, though Collette
looked a bit displeased about the whole thing. That got Marvin to call for her,
actually going to get the woman himself.

"Gerent was just mentioning
that it would be most pleasant for you to travel with them back to the Capital.
I think that would be a good idea." His voice was stern enough to make it
an order, but Petra was his sister. Nobleman and in charge or not, which meant
he caught more attitude from her than most men in his position would have put
up with from younger women.

"You can't get rid of me
that easily. I was thinking that it might be good if your friend the Baron met
with an accident."

Marvin let his lips tighten and
turn white.

"Pet..." He closed his
eyes, then opened them wide and smiled. "I don't mean to be a pain, but
Countier Lairdgren is within your marriage pool, and both a man of bravery
and
good heart. I even think he's managed to grow into his station
quite
nicely. If you can't see that spending time with him is possibly beneficial to
you, I might have to suggest that you aren't as brilliant as I've been telling
people all these years." It didn't sound mean, but Petra didn't laugh,
just smiling a little.

"True! After the last failed
set of plans I'd just figured it was the life of the spinster for me. At least
until the new crop of thirteen year olds gets old enough to be interesting. So,
what do you say Gerent? Are you open to marriage proposals?"

He nearly froze, but Count Ward
laughed and patted him on the back, buying him a few extra seconds. Blinking
Ger looked at Collette, who seemed actually upset, even if she were hiding it.
Normally things like that went through go betweens and often had mothers
involved, to make certain it was a good match. He didn't have one of those, so
didn't know what to suggest.

"You know, I am. I think.
Both Alice Orange and Collette have first call, but neither have confirmed
anything yet. At least I think that's right." He meant that Alice had
spoken of marriage, as a joke, but he didn't think she really meant it. She was
his friend, but it wasn't like they were lovers. Collette had agreed to be his
girlfriend however. So had Sara Debri, now that he thought about it. He
mentioned all that, but Petra just looked at her brother and tilted her head.

"Oohhh. But there are no
real
proposals on the table yet? How did everyone miss this one? Collette is hard to
beat, but Sara, while sweet and lovely, is only merchant class. You have to
marry within three steps if you can, and you have a wide open pool... Still, I
won't stick a fork in your eye, Collette. Do you plan to ask for him? If so,
I'll back off. At least on the marriage part. Dating the Lunar Envoy might be a
good plan, regardless, even if he wasn't cute."

They chattered about that, as
they went out and he set his Timon Craft up. He had a faster one, but used the
more comfortable of the two. Petra offered her Fast Craft, and let her eyes pop
wide when he explained his reasoning.

"That... Do you have a space
ship in your pocket too?" She was, clearly, flabbergasted.

Collette answered, letting him
get into place, making extra seats for Petra. Two, which let her drop her
little bag next to her.

"He's getting one in a few
days. One of the new
Jump Ships,
too. Family connections, but
still."

Petra was behind them both, as he
took off, moving straight up first, and then finding west, heading that way
fast, but keeping an eye out the shield glass window. It was dark out and
harder to navigate that way. Besides, it was interesting, listening to people
talk about him as if he had value. That part didn't feel real at all, and never
would, he knew. That wouldn't keep him from taking all the benefits of it that
he could get, however. Gerent wasn't that smart, but he was clever enough. He
wasn't that big, but he'd been able to grow, thanks to magic. He wasn't
wealthy, but Tor had left him with chests of gold, and more came in every day.
Not his, but for him to use, if he wanted. And in return, people had asked
almost nothing of him.

Except that he killed about two
thousand people. Some of them wanted the rest of the people dead, but not all
had. Many had been brought back from the dead, as clones, because others
thought they might be useful, but they hadn't had a choice in the matter. They
were innocent victims, some less than six months old, no matter what they
looked like, and Gerent had killed them all.

Other than that though, no one
had wanted anything much of him. Even the small bits of life that had been
required of him weren't work. He was asked to parties, and given sweets and
cakes to test for ladies. Tor had offered to let him have any business he
wanted, or even to pay for schooling. As old as he was, and as wasted as that
might be, it had been put forward, without pause or hesitation. When Gerent had
suggested a silly dream that he'd had once, of having a garden, the man had
arranged for him to have access to magics that would have cost more than most
counties, so that he could plant trees and bushes in places they had no normal
cause to be growing.

Just like that. He spoke, and the
wizard Tor himself acted like it carried weight. Just because someone else had
said he was his brother. That person wasn't even Count Lairdgren. The old man,
who Gerent had killed with the rest of the Ancients, had been told that he'd
adopted him. By Tiera. Before she was anyone, except a schoolgirl. She'd stood
in front of the King of the land himself, and said that Gerent, beaten and
tiny, who almost no one had ever stood for at all, was her brother, and
counted. That he, of all people, mattered to the world.