Slave Line (The Young Ancients) (10 page)

Just as he finished and stowed everything away Rolph came out, grinning at him for some reason.

"I see you came back? I was worried that you might have run off to become a fisherman or open a bakery someplace. I know that Denno and Count Lairdgren were both very concerned. I thought Brown was going to cry after you left, but I told him that you probably wouldn't skip the whole meeting, if he could guarantee that you'd be listened to. If it makes you feel better he did promise to make sure that happened. It seems rather central to whatever plan he has that you show up. Something about rigging a vote or two? Say," Rolph took a deep breath and rushed ahead as if asking for secret information, "do you know what this meeting of the Ancients is supposed to be about? I don't know if you're allowed to mention it, but I'm curious." His eyes looked doubtful, expecting Tor not to say anything.

Like he cared to keep Brown's secrets? He wasn't really sure Brown cared. It wasn't so much a secret at all as it was just something he hadn't shared with everyone yet.

"Um..." OK, it was kind of hard to explain, wasn't it? Tor thought for a second about what to say and finally shrugged.

"There seems to be something coming from space, if what I was told was real and not a trick or meant to throw us all off the real reason for the meeting. Burks and Lyn seem to think it sounds real enough, though I don't know that they're fully sold yet either, since no proof has been given yet. It seems that a long time ago the ancients, not the ones we know, but the people from some time after they were all born, sent out a bunch of ships into space, in case the Earth died. The people on board were barely human, designed to be really tough and survive whatever they found. Those ships seem to be returning, along with two other kinds that no one recognizes. So it could be anything, from aliens that live on other planets, to a different design of ship the people that left built themselves in space. They had the time after all.

Or, of course, it could be a trick, or a trap. Brown claims he wants us all to go because he wants a large voting block to back him up. Which I guess is kind of like rigging a vote, yes. That's all I know really." It was too.

The Prince tilted his head, finally nodding.

"Yes, the problem with people that deal in intrigue is always that they do so. Even when they're being honest you can never really know what's real or not. Well, go armed, wear a shield and be careful. I'd go with you, if not for that little side trip to Austra first. Can't imagine I'd be welcome there right now." It was an understatement and meant that way, the tone dry and humorless, which wasn't Rolph's normal pattern at all.

Prince Alphonse.

They weren't at school anymore and probably never would be, not together at any rate. That just hadn't worked out for Tor too well. He'd tried twice and things kept getting in the way. Kind of a shame because he was a pretty good student over all. Tor even liked classes, unlike most people his age. The rest of school hadn't been that great all the time, being a scholarship boy putting him at about the bottom of the social heap, but hey, it was something to do that he could at least pretend mattered. Right now there wasn't anything worth doing at all, his whole life was just a wasted bit of time.

Going to Austra with the spies was just a formality that anyone could have handled. Even finding out which of the Ancients might be trying to kill him was kind of just something to do. Hiding would be more effective really, if he wanted to stay alive. The thing there was, in the moment, he really wasn't sure he wanted to. Oh, he wouldn't kill himself, but that didn't mean he had to keep struggling against what came at him.

"Say, Alphonse, do you think you could lead me to Doctor Mutta? I have no clue where she is and need something checked out before I leave, I think." He said it blankly, which made it sound weird. He knew that because his giant friend looked down at him, worried.

"Are you alright? Maybe you shouldn't go..."

"Oh, this is about something that isn't health oriented directly. Um, some kind of test that Lyn wants so she can see how I'm put together on a basic level. I get the idea, but don't have a clue how to do it, but Abby might. Besides, she's family and I should say goodbye before I leave the Kingdom. I'm kind of responsible for her here. Not that she won't be in good hands with you and your family."

The walk went quickly, because Alphonse just walked fast all the time and Tor kept up by using his Not-flyer, the new one that didn't need hand controls. His friend watched him do it and sighed.

"That is so much more interesting to look at when you don't need to stick a hand out. Can you work that into the flying rigs or Carriages? Maybe even the boats..." His eyes went unfocused as they hurried down the hallway, an empty thing lined with wood and gray stone, filled every few feet with small statues of people and animals, most of them new. At least they were made of focus stone. Not bad work either, though clearly more than one persons.

Taking a second Tor considered the idea.

"Yes to the flyers, this unit has the basic controls for that already, even the Carriages are doable... Boats though, I mean, it could be done... that would be easier even than flying, but I wonder if they could be made to drive itself? That would be dangerous for things on land and maybe even flying, if you went too fast, but on water it could work. Until you put in to dock at least." It was a clever idea. Then his friend was smart that way. Most of them were.

"Not that I'm going to be doing it any time soon. Right now I'm not even making copies. Part of the reason for leaving Sam and taking the others with me, just in case something comes up."

"Good. You work too hard anyway. When's the last time you did something just for fun. Or to relax even?" The Prince stopped and stood with his arms crossed.

"No fair counting meditation or sleep for that, I mean something done just because you wanted to that wasn't to help anyone else or work related."

Apparently Tor was actually expected to actually answer that, because his giant friend didn't move, just stood in place. Tor had to float back to him, which he did while rolling his eyes.

"I can't have fun right now Alphones. I mean that literally. It's impossible. I killed people, and the way I'm built means I have to suffer for it. It's the cost of doing things like that for me. Food all smells and tastes like rotting death all the time now, I'm constantly angry and know that I shouldn't be and nothing has any spark to it at all. It's like someone made the world over during the night and leached all the meaning from it. Even trying to relax right now is wasted effort, since the voices in my head keep screaming at me when I do. All of them except Box. So... Not to be a pain in the rear, but could we save this conversation for later? I swear I'm not working too hard. I can't do anything but talk to people. I'm even back to using the Not-flyer to get around..." It was dismal. Tor didn't sound sad about it though, no... even to his own ears he sounded angry and nearly ready for violence.

"You called me Alphonse twice in a row. I think that may be a record." It was a deflection, meant to turn the conversation away from what he'd just said, since there was nothing to be done about it anyway. Tor nodded and forced a smile.

"Yep. We're not at school now and it's your name. I should hire tutors for Ali and myself or something. Maybe get Denno to help me out with math again while we're on this trip. If I have time. When I'm not cooking. Carlos the spy said he'd actually run the thing for us though. Do most of the work, so I should be down to about half of what I did last time, when we went to Afrak I mean."

The Prince started walking again, thinking as he did it was clear from the silence.

"That makes sense at least. If he's in the Kitchen making the food and they serve themselves it will be a lot harder for anyone to poison them. Not that we'd do that, since this is all arranged already, but it has to have crossed their minds. It would mine at least."

It was Tor's turn to stop then, dropping all the way to the floor with a thought.

"Ah. That does make sense then. I was almost going to suggest we get some of the staff from my house to help, but that might be scary for the spies and their families. I guess I should check with them and see what they want done. I know I'd feel better if I got a choice, if it was me in their place." He didn't care for himself what they did, not in the moment, but if it made them feel better it would be the right thing to do. He could still tell right from wrong at least, no matter how he felt.

That didn't get a response, in fact nothing else got said, since they were in front of a rather nice door, made of highly polished red colored wood that shone in the dim light of the corridor. Alphonse knocked, then waited for a while. Nothing happened at all for a long time, but finally the door opened and a dark face, one that was nearly a true black it was so deeply brown, poked around the corner.

"Alphonse! And Uncle Court Jester! I..."

What she planned to say next Tor had no clue, since a familiar voice piped up from within.

"S'Tor?" The door got pulled open further, revealing his sister Terlee, who was adjusting her clothing. Normally in the palace that would have meant the women had been doing something that involved sex, but he really doubted that was the case here. Not that Abby wasn't cute enough, but Terlee was normally fairly shy, and worse, related to the woman. Abby was kind of shy that way too. No, this was something else.

A professional visit.

"Sorry to interrupt. I need to see if it's possible to get a full genetic work-up that Lyn Red, the Ancient of Vagus, can read? I don't know if that's possible, but it might be important. She thinks that my genetic profile might be different than Green's in some way." He spoke in Afrak, taking the chance to practice. Plus he'd learned about genetics and biology in that tongue, so it made sense to use it now.

Abby smiled at him and nodded.

"I have the needed gear for that here now. It just came the other day in fact, which is good fortune. Along with the first part of your payment for the magical sky rivers. It's mainly seeds to rehabilitate the land you own. Some marvelous and unusual plants. Trees with a dozen kinds of fruit that will grow year round and others that take water from deep in the ground and brings it to the surface to provide for other plants. Plus some wonderful fungal spores that can work miracles in the right places." She waved them both in, which got Terlee to give him a hug, then as an afterthought a much warmer one for the Prince. It went on long enough that Tor cleared his throat.

"A little discretion in front of his fiancé?" He meant it as a joke, but it came out sounding wrong, mean and spiteful. For one of the first times in her life Terlee spun on him, eyes going wide, pushing Alphonse away as if scared.

"I meant no harm. We're just friends and..." She was acting like she'd actually done something wrong , like Tor was really correcting her. He shook his head as Abby covered a smile with her hand.

"Sorry Terlee, I was trying to be playful and it just came out garbled. If it had been a real problem Abby would have corrected you herself. I just sound like a complete ass today. Again, sorry... it isn't you or anything you've done at all. It really isn't anyone."

For some reason that got him another hug from her, as if she knew the real reason. Then, given how extensive her spy network was, which had at least one person in it, so was huge compared to his, maybe she did know? Possibly by simply asking their mother. Or being told unasked. It wasn't a secret after all.

Abby clapped her hands together and smiled, but didn't say anything for a bit, waiting to see who said what. Finally Terlee did, gesturing at her stomach, which was flat again. She'd had her first child already, a girl named Veronica. After the Princess of the same name. It was a good name. His sister looked directly at Abby again though and spoke in very well accented Noram standard.

"So, am I pregnant again yet? I wasn't planning on it, but we haven't been..." She hesitated and blushed, but finished the sentence, which kind of shocked Tor. His sister was normally pretty shy about everything.

"Using birth control. I don't want another child yet. Besides, Toverland suggested that I make some "friends" and I don't want to have the wrong child."

Tor figured he should blush, but honestly he didn't care enough to at the moment. His sister was going to sleep with people, probably men, other than her husband, at his urging? It fit the social model at least. Most of the nobles had scores of lovers and friends that they did things with that would have gotten them killed in Two Bends, where they both originally came from. Terlee was Countess Thomson now though, and very good looking, so a lot of people would expect her to have relationships like that and would probably be insulted if she turned them all down. That could lead to war, or at the very least not being allowed into the best parties.

"Good thinking. Don't take ma as an example of how many children to have. Two is a good number I think. Certainly no more than three. Eleven is a few too many."

Not that anyone would care what he thought on the matter, but he wanted to show support for his sister anyway.

Alphonse apparently did too, since he gave her a small half bow.

"Well in that case, we should meet sometime soon. Perhaps for s..."

Tor hit him.

It wasn't a little tap either, but a full blown punch that caused his shield to trigger and made the floor, which was solid stone, pop a little when the force got shunted downwards into it. Everyone froze for a second and Tor surprised himself... by hitting his best friend again even harder.