Slave Line (The Young Ancients) (7 page)

The man stared for a minute and then laughed.

"Well, I have no building talent and don't really have any great skill in the bedroom, for all my early popularity, so... what would you have me do? Dig ditches?"

Tor nodded, since that would be hilarious, even letting the guy think it for a few seconds was funny. They'd have to build him an extra large shovel just to make it work for one thing.

"Of course not. I do own a whore house though, but it's on a military base, so not a lot of women for you to service there and most of the men wouldn't be interested. Well, not past once or twice for the novelty of getting to use you. No, I was thinking about having you act as a figure head for the new public works project. Helping orphans and street kids. You basically just have to sweet talk some nobles into not being pains in the rear and collect some golds to keep kids from starving in the winter. I'll pay a gold for every day you do useful work for the project and double that if you go over two hundred days in the next year. So up to seven hundred and thirty golds just for helping some people get a fair shake in life. It probably won't be that hard. We'll even cover transportation and reasonable lodgings. I'll give you a magic cottage for that and a carriage. I mean if you aren't arrested and locked up for attacking the King like you just were. Over gold too. You should be ashamed of yourself. That's no way to treat family." He crossed his arms and glowered at the man who... hung his head.

Then he knelt on the floor, bowing at the waist. Towards Rich.

"I'm sorry. Your friend here is correct and chastises me fairly. It was wrong to strike the King, but worse to lash out at my own brother like that. Anger got the better of me. I hope it can be forgiven?" He stopped talking then. Most of the time people carried on for a while, listing how they'd messed up and what evil people they were, but Rich simply bowed back. Not kneeling, but then, he was the King. He did help his brother up, which was the polite thing to do in a case like this.

"I apologize as well, for not having your full draw ready for you. It honestly isn't meant as a slight brother. We will have it to you as soon as possible. Now, perhaps we should move to another room and see to some refreshments for everyone? It's good to know that I have such staunch defenders." He bowed to the people at the back of the room, then turned to Sam and bowed again, gesturing for him to move closer to them, now that he wasn't needed to subdue Kedrin's guard personally. He reached out to shake his hand as he walked up, instead of bowing.

"Thank you for your assistance. I don't believe we've had the pleasure?" Everyone stared at Tor for a second, since Sam was clearly one of his. That made the introduction his to make. It was what he'd come for though, so kind of handy that the King was getting to it right off.

"Rich, this is Sam..." The next part was dicey. Sam didn't have any other name, not even a family one, being an orphan. His name wasn't anything else either, not Samuel or Samwell, just the one syllable. He'd need something a bit more impressive for work in the palace though. Even the servants would mock him with just that. Quietly and in private, but it would happen.

"Sam Builder of Lairdgren. Attaché to the Counselor of Magic. He's my replacement for when I leave to Austra and that meeting of Ancients. While I'm gone he'll hold my proxy and all my funds to use for the Kingdom. Plus, obviously if you need anything made or copied, he's your man." Tor leaned in a bit and whispered. "I'm hoping to get Smythe to look out for him at first, if you could suggest that to him?" The King nodded.

"A full Builder? Young for that, but I'd heard a few had made it in their first year at Lairdgren. Amazing and humbling." He turned back to Tor, ignoring everyone else for the moment.

"Do you know when you'll be leaving?"

"Late tonight or very early in the morning. Probably call you from the ship if all goes well. Petra Ward is setting that up In Warden for us right now. I need to get some gold to her. Or... Well, I need to go see to that, I just wanted to introduce Sam and Lyn to you. Connie too if she's around? Alphonse already knows them both and so does Princess Karina. Old friends in fact. Honestly I'd get them to hang out with Sam for the week or two we'll all be gone, but I didn't think about it before. Where is everyone anyway? I know Alphonse was in here earlier, he was the one that asked for help, so we all came, did the Royal guard hustle everyone away? It would explain why there were so few of them in the room with you all."

That, it turned out was exactly what had happened. They couldn't exactly run up and start beating up on Kedrin, and his men, though sworn to protect him first, were still Royal guards, so extremely dangerous. Moving to open combat would have meant death for someone. It had been close though, when Tor and the others came in. Sam blanched when he heard that but didn't say anything. Tor didn't blame him, since he didn't know these people at all. Royal guardsmen wouldn't hold a grudge for him having taken them down though, but how was he supposed to know that? It wasn't until the Prince was summoned back in with Karina that the boy said anything and that was only a whisper in Tor's ear.

"Um, why is your roommate here Tor?" Sam made a small gesture with his head, noticing the clothing on Rolph, which was nice, but still just a clothing amulet, exactly like what he used at school. It was what they all used now, since Tor had handed them out to everyone to help cut costs for the year.

"Oh... Right, well, since you're going to be around here a lot, I guess I should explain. Rolph is Prince Alphonse. You get the idea, a second identity for school, so that people won't try to kill him there? That or to keep the girls from wanting to date him too much. I've never really been certain which it was, but it works both ways."

Sam just nodded.

"Alright. I can see that." He stared at the Prince for a second and shook his head, then looked at the thin girl behind him and smiled, earning one back.

"So you're his sister Kari then? I don't suppose you remember me from the one time we met?" He bowed to them both a bit, then nearly panicked did the same to the King and his brother. Tor hadn't bothered earlier, so he hadn't thought of it no doubt. Everyone bowed back, though Kedrin looked to be doing it ironically.

"I do remember you Sam. Flirted with you fairly outrageously if I recall correctly, and here you are come to visit! If I didn't know better I'd think you actually liked me or something. No flowers though, so must be all business. Well, sigh oh put upon and heartbroken sigh." She giggled though and touched his arm, which really was pretty flirty considering everything that had just been going on.

The boy blushed and fished in his pocket for a second, pulling out a bit of metal about the size of his finger. It was silver with black glowing bands around it. Tor had to admit it looked fine. With a small movement of his thumb he activated it, causing a full flower arrangement to pop into being, a delightful thing that looked just about real, but didn't have any scent as far as Tor could tell. It was good work though. Karina took the arrangement and went wide eyed.

"Magical flowers? Did you make this yourself or..." She looked at Tor who shook his head and looked back at Sam.

"Not mine, his I believe. Attaché Sam is good, and doing his own work now. Which is why he'll be around here while I'm gone. Will you two watch out for him? Make sure he doesn't use the wrong fork or eat at the out of turn?" He felt bad for having said it that way, but Sam smiled and nodded.

"That would be most welcome. I've never been to proper meals before, except for what Tor has been feeding us, so I probably don't know all the rules. Any help I could get would be a godsend." It was a slightly odd way of saying it, but then the kid had mentioned being raised by the Sisters of Faith. They probably had a bunch of strange sayings like that.

Anything you weren't familiar with was strange though, right?

Karina didn't seem to mind, smiling at the younger boy agreeably. Good, maybe they'd be friends? It would certainly be worth it for both of them to try. Sam was going places in the world and Karina was already there. If they couldn't see the mutual benefit Tor would have to think less of both of them.

Looking around he noticed Lyn standing with Denno and Trice and waved them over. Technically Lyn shouldn't have been in Noram at all without being introduced to the King almost immediately, being the leader of the largest land on the planet. He kind of had a feeling that she'd snuck in and tried to avoid Burks as well as she could, just to learn building. She was good enough at it to make that a valid reason at least. There could have been others though.

Like finding him to set him up for death?

That didn't make sense, but then neither did seeking him out to learn how to make magical devices. There were some twenty schools that taught it all over the Kingdom, coming to him would just make it more likely that Burks would notice her. Especially since the Count owned the school she attended. When she got up to them Tor stepped back and gave her a half bow, so that everyone would get she was important. Rich smiled at least and looked at her directly, without speaking.

Tor opened his right hand to her, which was the polite way to indicate someone very high ranking.

"This is Lyn Red. The Ancient of Vagus. She's been around for a while though, learning building at Lairdgren, and is one of the best new students there. I don't know why she didn't announce herself exactly, but I think she was avoiding Count Lairdgren." Tor looked at Kedrin and raised his shoulders ever so slightly with a small smile.

"Her brother. I'm sure you understand things like that?"

The man laughed and bowed, even though Lyn looked about fourteen at the moment.

"I truly do. I may have to avoid my own family for a while after today. Master Lord Baker here too. I don't suppose I could borrow that healing thing again could I? That or get some ice. Even a cold brick would be good." He smiled about it, but grimaced too. Tor could sympathize having been hit in the groin before too. He was half tempted to say no, after what the man had said about Connie and his ma, but decided to let it go. Kedrin had apologized after all and even seemed to mean it. It was rude to ignore a good apology.

Once that was taken care of and Lyn was invited to dinner with Denno and Burks, if anyone could find him, the King suggested that Tor come as well.

"Connie would love to see you. All of you no doubt." He sounded very correct and even happy, but Kedrin guffawed at him.

"I bet Connie would like to see all of him. Alone, in a locked room, with no clothes on." He said it quietly, but to no one in particular.

Lyn glared at him anyway.

"I see. So you wish to make an enemy of Torrance Purple? You'd be better served by declaring personal war on any of the other lands of this world. At least then the rest of us could try to protect you and possibly survive it." She didn't sound happy suddenly, a lot older and more formal sounding in accent than she ever had before. A bit mean to tell the truth.

It got a nod from Denno though.

"Not a bad point. I personally was going to take the royal brother aside and mention that later though Red. Let him save some kind of face, but it's a real enough point. Of all the people to anger in the world today, Tor is about the last one you want to risk. Especially just to goad your brother, as fun as that no doubt is. For that matter I'm rather fond of the Queen too and so is Green. Keep it up and you might just find not one, but three, of the worlds Ancients deciding that your life is currently too simple and relaxed." It wasn't a threat exactly, and came from a man that was, after a fashion, the leader of an enemy state, but Richard just bowed to both the Ancients and then threw a casual wink at Tor.

"Exactly. Though in his defense, I really do believe that was intended solely as a barb toward me, as if I'd take it amiss. Then Ked always had troubles with jealousy that I never bothered with. A personal failing on his part no doubt." He looked away, fighting a smile.

Lyn pointed at him a bit rudely.

"Stop teasing your brother. It's not fitting for the ruler of a Kingdom." She sounded like his mom just then, Tor realized. More... she sounded like everyone in histories mother.

The King let it go though and didn't even seem to take offense. She probably sounded like his mom too. Plus she was correct. Rich was good about not discounting good advice, even if he didn't really want to hear it at the moment.

"Of course. Why don't we go and see to those drinks I'd suggested? I could use a nice fruit juice after that. Tor?"

"That sounds really good actually." He didn't drink alcohol and the King did, but not during the day or at important meetings. Both for basically the same reason, to keep their heads clear for when situations arose.

They were led by a man in purple and gold livery to a sitting room that had a dozen sofas and some twenty-six cozily cushioned chairs set up, with people sitting in them tensely, sipping at drinks, most of them trying desperately not to drop them or spill anything. That just made sense though, since the whole room was done in white and cream colors. The only people that looked easy about the whole thing were Karina and Rolph, along with Trice who'd spent a heck of a lot more time at the palace than anyone else he knew that didn't live there full time. Everyone else looked a bit stiff for one reason or another, including the King and his brother. It wasn't a party though, so that kind of worked.

Tor gestured to Rich, getting him to lean over a bit. It was the only way to keep from having to shout to be heard given the size difference and the general low hum of the space.