Strange Land (The Young Ancients Book 15) (34 page)

"I'm Sara Debri. Ancient of the Martian Circle. Or at least that's the job I've been given. It doesn't exist yet, so, you know how that is. I'm..." She nearly said she was loyal to King Richard, but stopped, realizing that she probably couldn't work for him directly anymore. Not and hold the power she did. So after a second, she shrugged. "I consider King Richard a friend and would protect him and his whole family with my life if asked. I can't swear loyalty to him anymore I don't think. I still feel that way, but it isn't mine to promise anymore." The field didn't change, but saying it left her feeling a bit dirty, inside.

How could she not be loyal to Richard? Plus, she really thought of him as a friend? That was a bit over the top, wasn't it? She was just some girl, as far as anyone else in the world knew.

One that made visits to him nearly as often as some of his lovers probably did...

Smiling, she let the other two think what they wanted. Whatever it was, it showed on neither face. Really, the amazing thing there was that Kevin stood back and for the first time ever, bowed deeply to her. It was the kind of thing that would be used for the ruler of a foreign land, she thought. Held for a long time too. She had to respond with a seated bow, and knew better than to go all that deep. If she got it wrong he'd probably lay on the ground, making sure his head was below her own.

"Ancient. I wasn't aware that any of you could live in the world now. Something about a death plague?" He was curious, and also seemed not to expect an answer.

Taking her cue from Gemma, who seemed to have the right idea, she smiled.

"The Wizard Timon made that, and also did the work on me that changed me into what I am. He did it in a way that means I can come here and not be attacked by those other magics. I don't know why, but he seems not to be making similar changes in the others. I guess I'm kind of the test, as far as that goes. Still, I'm here and alive. So far it seems to be working pretty well." She didn't even feel nervous about it.

The Royal Guard tilted his head a bit, "that's special then. I need to get with Tim and see if he can hook any of the rest of us up too. Not with that extra long life, maybe, but with the other things? Guards with greater speed and strength would be useful. I know,
you
can ask him for me!" There was playing in the words, but actually it kind of made sense. Guards with those things
would
be better able to protect the royal family, wouldn't they? It wasn't like they'd be going off to war either. If you didn't attack the King or his people, they didn't fight, in general. It wasn't their job.

She got her communications device out and tapped the right name in fast enough that Kevin the guard didn't have time to ask her not to really do it.

"Tim Baker here."

She could see his face, and felt a bit of warmth run through her middle. He was her friend after all.

"Hey Tim. One of the Royal Guards has an idea. Can you change people so that they have greater strength and speed? Without longer life. Not to the level that the Ancients had, at least. He seems to think that it would allow them to do their jobs better. Possibly increased endurance and less need to sleep? Enhanced reflexes, that kind of thing?"

The guard, standing next to Gemma, looked nearly ready to pass out. At least his face lost all color, and he started to rock a bit, as the other guards snickered at him. They stopped after a few seconds though.

Tim spoke, his voice thoughtful...

"I... Can do that. Sure. Can Gemma get them here? One at a time, and no more than one a week. I'm still at the location you left me, but it won't be a problem. I have a build that I'm working on right now, but I can do the first one tomorrow? See if you can get Kevin the day off for it?" Then the thing went blank, so she put it away as if it weren't horribly rude of him not to have said goodbye. They were lovers now after all. Plus, she'd kept the specific guards name out of it and didn't let his face show. It was a bit of a trick, how he'd figured that part out.

"There we go Kevin. I'll ask the King about it, when we get in. It will be nice small talk for the table."

Really, it was probably a bit too work oriented to be polite, but there was nothing else she could really think of that the man didn't already know about. Except that she was there as part of an investigation.

The Royal Guard at the front gate all bowed, and let them pass without any more banter. Probably because she'd kind of taken things too far. Still, it
was
a good idea, and Karina, as well as Alphonse, would probably think it a great thing.

Tor too, since he was still in love with Constance. That part hadn't worked out for some reason. Sara had been told about it, but the whole thing didn't really make sense. Some kind of Ancient plot, by Doris, so not one of their enemies, had made it so that Tor was basically the Queen's father. Except of course that he really wasn't. Burks Lairdgren had been. That being the case, while it was perhaps a bit naughty for them to have sex, it wasn't forbidden really.

Except that to Tor it was.

Sara didn't get it, herself, but she was glad anyway. The Queen was hard to beat, as far as his attentions went. You didn't have to be around them long to understand that he was well and truly hers, in his heart. He had been, since the first time they'd met, Sara was willing to bet.

That being the case, she was perfectly fine with him not being able to have her. It was one less attractive woman vying for his attention. Thinking that was a bit desperate, she knew, but it was still the truth.

They parked the vehicle, which was small, and rounded, as well as made to look like purple and gold colored glassware. The thing was lovely, but clearly not a Tam-car. That Kevin had thought that... Well, it would be down to who was driving. In general, that kind of thing was the best even a Conserina could have done for herself. Having a jump ship was far too great a prize for a girl so young. Except that it
wasn't
just a gift. It was a burden and responsibility at the same time.

They were led in by four more guards, but the two men and two women let Gemma take the craft down first. She did it a bit clumsily, and missed the amulet grab after the tap to turn it off. She hurried to pick it up so fast that she nearly caught it before it touched the ground however. It was a bit too expensive to be careless with. Not that the focus stone would break if dropped. It just wouldn't do to lose track of it. They were on a pad of more focus stone however, which was very official seeming.

Sara always landed there herself, when she came, if the visit allowed for it. That was rare though. Only when she was expected and bringing in people that were more important than her.

The guards weren't ones she knew really, so they didn't banter like Kevin had, though they all seemed to understand who Gemma was. Sara too, she thought. They were polite enough, even if she was a bit short, compared to a lot of their visitors.

They were led down several wonderful hallways, and taken to a dining room that held a large table, but only six chairs. The King was at the front, with Queen Constance at his left hand. Across from her was Count Peterson, and next to him, Princess Veronica. They
all
stood, when Sara and Gemma came into the room.

The King beamed at her.

"I just got word, and checked it with my daughter, to see what it means. Ancient of the Martian Circle. Amazing.
And
co-Ancient with my own daughter! I'm not certain, but I think that practically makes you family, Sara. I may call you that?" It sounded polite, but he'd called her that since the first time they'd met, when she'd been brought in by Burks, at eleven.

It was a test then, to see how much power was going to go to her head? That was fair enough. It would be pretty easy to become full of herself, she knew. A thing to fight against.

"Of course, Your Majesty." That, it seemed, was close enough to the right answer for the man. The Queen too.

She practically did her own version of beaming then.

"Sara Debri! I've heard much of you. All good, I assure you. Both from my son, Prince Alphonse, and from Torrance Baker. In fact I spoke to him of you just a few hours ago, once we had word of your new position in the world. You weren't unknown to us, but I fear that I should have paid even greater attention there!" She bowed, doing it first, which got Sara to do it then as well. You didn't always have to bow to the Queen, or the King, but clearly this wasn't supposed to be something casual and small. Regardless of the numbers there. Still, it stayed between them, and Sara used a very humble bow, signifying that she felt the Queen was far more important than she was. At least while they were in Noram.

Given how hard it was not to go into a full abasement, it would have to do.

The woman grinned then, her face moving from serious and stately, to almost happy. In a genuine fashion.

"Please, sit. I hope you don't mind if we sit family fashion? Karina suggested that we treat you as if you two are married. Have you been close long?"

That nearly got her to blink. It was probably a joke. Or, on second thought, a
brilliant
move on the other girl's part. She was the second daughter, so not going to be placed on the throne at any point most likely, but it was
required
that she have a spouse. A husband, actually. That had been hard for her to come by so far though. In fact, the younger daughter, Veronica, had kind of stolen her betrothed, getting pregnant by another man. Politics and propriety had forced the royal family's hand, so they set Count Peterson up to marry the younger daughter quickly. That had left poor Karina a bit stuck. She had been making a play for Timon Baker, but Patricia had managed to steal him away by acting way sooner than was strictly correct, socially. To save her own life, true, but still, it had been a bit wrong. There just weren't a lot of options left for the Princess that way at the moment. But as the co-ruler of a planet, and being immortal, she
could
have a woman for that role, if she wanted.

It was a bit of a shock for a second, since she hadn't been asked first, exactly, and wasn't totally certain that was Karina's end game and not a joke, or misunderstanding, but as far as getting the parents off her back went, that might just work. For a short time, at least. They'd at least know their daughter wouldn't be all alone out in space. After all, on paper, she was an Ancient now. A
real
one. With her own strange land to guide and shape, if she could pull it all off. That looked good enough for even the most jaded of Noram noble, or should. That was the real end goal, wasn't it? To make those that would have a problem with Karina not having a husband back off a bit?

Sara smiled quickly enough and hoped she got the game right.

Co-Ancients. Like two Queens? Not
really
, since they were both planning more behind the scenes things. She could work with that, however.

"Not that long. We'll both marry, eventually, but for now... you understand. Things are new and delicate, so we have to both find the right men for the job. Ones that can keep up with us, long term."

That was meant to be funny, and at least Count Peterson smiled about it.

"I have a nephew not much younger than you. Should I send him by? He's interested in seeing space anyway. Guzman. Unlike the rest of us Peterson's, he's an even tempered and intelligent boy. A scholar, more than a fighter, but in the coming world, I think that might be a benefit to him." Next to him, his young wife gave a tiny nod, not looking directly at anyone else in the room. Either telling her mate that he was parroting the right words for Sara to be interested, or to her, saying that it might be a good match. Like she knew her that well?

She nearly shrugged. He'd be a noble, this Guzman, and probably not that great looking, being a Peterson. Still, she really did have to get married eventually, didn't she? Tor wasn't going to be available for that, nor would Tim, so why not? At the very least she could use the new contact.

"I'd
love
to meet him, Count Peterson. We should set something up, if he's willing. I'll understand if he can't, or has other plans already, of course." She was outside of his three steps after all.

Except, she realized, that wasn't true anymore. She was the Ancient of the Martian Circle. That meant, to the people she was with at the moment, she was probably ranked third as far as power, even in the room they all sat in. If they ever came to her new place, she'd be ranked first, above the King of Noram. The idea left her feeling a little odd. Not bad, but like she was a fraud, really. Luckily, that was a feeling she was used to.

The Count seemed to think that would be fine, and everyone smiled at her. Then the King insisted they all sit, so the food would start to appear.

She was more than a bit hungry, she realized. Starving really.

Chapter ten

No one spoke much during the first course, which was a fine salad, made with fresh greens. Each plate was identical however, which meant a food unit had been used to make them. The cook that used it was clearly a master however. They were perfect, and the greens lacked any trace of normal bitterness. The dressing was fine and thin, but had a sharp and savory tone to it that worked, the other parts of the creation not needing to be masked as much as was a regular such thing would need.

There were no bits of decay either. It was, in that way, perfect. She hadn't realized how much even something like that would have normally been missed. The entire world seemed more interesting to her now too. Fascinating, to tell the truth. Incredibly so.

From the dust in the air, to the heat being given off with each breath from the others in the room. Even the pheromones coming off of the Queen caught her attention. She didn't know what they were at first, but got it when the fine cloud hit her nose. She felt an instant liking for the lady. That was a very interesting thing. No
wonder
Tor loved her. It would be hard not to with her pumping things like that out into the air. She kept glancing at Sara too, clearly trying to be pleasant. Not sexually flirtatious however.