The Silence Within (The Young Ancients: Tiera) (31 page)

She waved for him to get up and keep going, since that was the task, but on the third time he went to the ground, he couldn't make himself.

"I think I have a broken hand." It was clutched to his chest, so she decided not to push it overly. After all, it was their first practice together.

Elie's knife skill fell apart at full speed. Tiera hadn't counted on that, because her ability, which wasn't half of the other girls at all, stayed about the same. She also gave up more easily than Nic had, which was bad for a fighter. She wasn't bleeding or broken at all, but a little pain set her to moaning.

Bannor at least didn't do that, and instead tried to grimly hang on, even after she broke his right arm and they slammed each other into the ground several times. No, what happened there was that he went into a combat rage, which sent everyone else running off. That made it a lot tougher, since he apparently got a good boost of strength from it, and while he didn't have a clear disorientation aura, he managed a nice direct effect power blast that knocked her back several times. It was a bit like one of Tor's force lances.

That went on for about twenty minutes, and the boy finally stopped, seeming befuddled, during one of the breaks in what they were doing. They were both on their feet, but she noticed it as she was about to move back in, so managed to stop.

"Out of it now? Let's use the healing amulet. I hear that people end up with awful headaches after things like that, otherwise." They were a bit slow too, befuddled and prone to slipping back into the things. She had to get the device for him, the large young man's eyes clearing after a while, and a pop coming from his right arm.

He started to bow, but Kolb walked over and waved for the others to come too, stopping the action.

"So, Tiera, what did you learn from this?"

"Well, they're all
much
better than I am in technical skill. I think that was what you wanted me to get for my part?" She thought she had part of what the others were supposed to get too, but telling people they were wimps was
not
going to go over well at all. She wanted to avoid doing that, unless it was also the point. Bannor wasn't that however, was he?

"Nic?" Kolb moved on smoothly, not making an issue of her words, thankfully. His head was shining in the sun, because he'd been working with some people too, before he'd come over.

"I suppose I could say that I'm a delicate little girl, but that would just look wrong right now wouldn't it? Also, it's clear I need to round out my skills. I was taught sword and single stick, along with boxing. Bannor showed how useful that would be for me against
him
at least." He grinned easily and nodded to each of them in turn.

Elie sighed.

"The same for me, except... I just fold under pain. I don't know what to do about it, I always have. I try not to, but..."

That actually got a considering look from the Head Instructor. After a moment he spoke, his voice nearly pleasant. "Some can't. That just means you need to avoid it. Greater skill in a wider range, as well as more full work, to help you push that level back over time. Knowing what to fix is a good start on doing it. I expect the work to be put in however."

Then he looked at Bannor, who was about the same size he was, but broader across the shoulders. Since he was probably fourteen like most first years, that meant he'd end up being
huge
.

"Bannor?" He looked at him blankly, just waiting for the young man to say something. After a bit he shook his head.

"I... Forgive my loss of control. I shamed myself..."

Tiera looked up at him, catching his eye, since he was looking down at the time.

"Did you? Isn't the point of combat rage to help you out in a dangerous situation? We were working full force, and actually hurting each other already. It gave you an edge, but that isn't cheating under those conditions. If I wanted you out of it I would have stuck a healing amulet on your back, or Kolb would have. Now, it's a good idea to control that, but it wasn't a shameful thing. I mean,
I
don't think so at any rate." She meant it but the boy blew air out, making his cheeks puff cutely. It didn't make him seem bright, but the way his lips protruded a bit was endearing. His hair was too long though. Not girl length, but not a proper fighters cut either.

Kolb chuckled a bit.

"Correct. Now, Tiera is normally in the early classes, but comes here often in the later part of the day. I'd like all of you to work together as often as possible when that happens. Repeat what you did today, but actually attempt to teach the others your areas of expertise instead of just using your skills. Now, go find other partners for the rest of the session, unless you have a class."

That was interesting, because they all did. They only came in for about two hours a day after all. Then, she was sort of on the fighting track, wasn't she? That, and maths. She needed to do more with economics too, clearly. That being part of her new job. She mentioned it to Kolb, who nodded.

"I'll set that up. A book and a test on it? Like you did before?"

"That would be faster, I think, than attending a class halfway through the year."

He walked away, moving to another group of students, these being older and while not better at everything, they were all more well rounded, it was clear. A big stick was placed on her shoulder from behind, which meant that she grabbed at it and rolled away, narrowly avoiding the incoming attack.

It was Havar, and regardless of what he'd
intended
to do, they fought full force for nearly an hour, with her trying as hard as she could to take her frustrations about his biology out on him. He didn't back off, but for once it was him that ended up being on the ground, waving a stick at her weakly while she beat him unconscious. She got the healing amulet for him, since she'd actually hit him in the head a few times and didn't want him to accidently die from it.

That was the hard part for her. The Baron was one of her favorite Instructors at the school and she
still
wanted to be his friend, but didn't know if he could ever return that. It made her so angry that her blood wanted to boil up out of her ears, but it was just what she had to deal with.

She noticed something however. His face had been pock marked when they first met, but was smooth and regular now. It had been after the first healing that he'd done.
That
wasn't new, and yes it made him better looking, but wasn't her actual thought on the matter. No, it was that the scars faded, after one healing session. But Kolb's
hadn't
.

That meant something, didn't it? He used the device, just like the rest of them, since not being crippled for weeks was useful, but that always stayed and shouldn't have. It was a trick, clearly, but how was it done?

Something on his skin, outside of the body perhaps? Nanos? She didn't know, but it was glaring, now that she realized it.

Her communications device, along with everything else that she had that wasn't clothing or inside her skin, started to glow, over on the weapons table. She jogged to it, moving around people with proper distancing, since she didn't want to end up in their fight at the moment. After tapping the device, not picking it up, a man's voice came across clearly.

That was different, since she knew he was twelve, so had to be faking it.

"Tiera? Tim here. I... could use a bit of help. It seems that grandmother..." There was a horrible retching sound then and all talking stopped for a minute. "I think I've been poisoned. I haven't worked out the delivery mechanism, but I'm in the middle of Ross and don't have a Healing amulet on me. I lent mine to someone whose family was showing symptoms of the plague, I was going to it, but... I don't think I can make it."

"I'm coming. Where are you, exactly?"

He didn't know and was fading while they spoke, which wasn't good. He had his Fast Craft, and she got him to make it light up, as brightly as he could, in red so it would be distinctive.

"On my way. Hang in there." She was panicked and sounded it, collecting her things up and getting her Tor version craft out. It was simply faster after all. She didn't run out of the practice square though, just shouting instead.

"Get back!
Emergency.
I'm leaving from here!" She slapped the vehicle into being, as if extra force would make it happen more quickly and scrambled into the seat, only to find that some girl that she'd only worked with a few times before was getting in too.

Tiera didn't have time to push her out and simply took off, explaining as she did it.

"My younger brother was poisoned somehow, and is in the middle of Ross. I have a Healing amulet and need to get to him as fast as possible."

"Right. What do you need me to do?"

"On the side toward you, in the pouch, I have a communications device. Do you know how to use it?"

"Yes." The words didn't explain much but she scrambled it out without making them crash, so had clearly gotten the idea. "Who do we need."

Tiera had to think for a second. She wanted Timon, to make certain he was alive still, but people might need to be warned, which meant someone that wasn't rushing to aid others, but would be listened to.

"Prince Alphonse. When he gets on, explain what I said and that we need him to spread the word, since we don't know if this is just Tim or all of us. Anything that might take my brother down would likely slaughter the regular people of the world."

The woman, Mags, looked shocked, but found the right sigil and didn't ask if Tiera meant it.

The device activated in about ten seconds.

"Alphonse here. What may I do for you?"

"Um, this is Mags Helms. Timon Baker is down, poisoned, somewhere in Ross, rescue is in progress, but all concerned parties need to be contacted, in case of further attack. Please alert them." She didn't turn the last bit into a question.

"On it. Who's on the rescue?"

"Tiera Baker and I. We're headed there right now, estimated time..." She had to look over, since it was clear she didn't know.

Working out the math, Tiera estimated it all, trying to be close to right. It was hard to think of, since worry filled her mind. Timon may very well already be dead. Gray knew what he was and if it was her, or another Ancient, then they'd know that her brother could survive a lot, and plan for it.

"Fifteen minutes to the edge of Ross, five to eight more to the center. It might take longer to locate him."

"Understood. Find him, Tiera."

"I will." No matter what. That was her duty.

Mags tried to call Timon then, but for the longest time there was no answer. When it finally came, he sounded so soft and near dead that he really couldn't be understood. The fifth year girl started talking, so he could hear
them
.

"We're coming. Help will be there shortly. Keep fighting. Do you understand me? Don't give in! This is important. We're nearly there." She didn't stop, even as they were nearly over the right area, with nothing to be seen at all.

It could take hours to find even a glowing craft there, the area being so large. Finally she nodded and looked at the larger girl.

"I'm taking this thing up. It's not going to be fun, and you won't be able to breath, but we'll have a better view. Get a big breath and let it out slowly."

The climb hurt, her ears popping and she did it so fast that her lungs felt like they were going to burst even when she exhaled hard. Mags started to desperately try and breathe, but the pressure inside the little craft wasn't keeping things up well enough at all as far as oxygen went. She realized then that if she'd set it up better they would have been fine for a while, just breathing the air they had, but she'd let it vent out, since that's how it was designed. Stupid of her.

On the good side she saw the glow and lowered the vehicle directly toward it, just as Mags passed out, which gave them better air, and got them to Tim fast. She could see him, sitting in his vehicle, which was large and bright at the moment, the front clear so he could see out. His eyes weren't open and it didn't seem like he was breathing, though that was hard to tell at a distance at the best of times.

She scrambled hard, leaving the other girl in the passenger's seat, gasping for air still as she used everything in her system up, trying to get to her brother. The door was open a bit, thankfully. He looked pale and so still it was frightening, so she tore the amulet from her neck and held it to his forehead.

Tiera couldn't tell if it was working at all, but the only thing she could do was wait and hope.

Most of the times that Tiera had ever seen a Healing amulet in use, it simply worked. It wasn't truly instant, but the person would feel a flash of pain, even a few minutes of it, or longer if the injury was bad, and then be better. Wounds closed, poisons left the body and things were regulated. Teeth would even grow back. It was an amplification of what would have happened naturally for the most part, a speeding up of things that took a lot from a person, but in all but the most dire of cases, left them alive and better than well.

Perfect.

Timon just sat there, slumped in his chair for a long time as she pressed the green sigiled focus stone to his head. He was breathing though, which meant it should be doing something, at least in theory. It just didn't feel right at all. She waited, not knowing what else to do. Minutes passed and Mags tried to come into the craft, but Tiera yelled at her, sounding upset.

"No! Stay out!" Relenting she bothered to explain, since it was clear she wasn't going anywhere for a bit anyway. "We don't know what caused this, or if it can spread. If it takes me too, then you need to make sure we're both destroyed utterly. Fire at least, and probably from a distance."

It sounded brave, and like she had a real plan in mind, other than dying with her little brother if this didn't work. She couldn't lose him too. Not now. It was selfish of her to think that way, wanting him to live just so she wouldn't have to grieve even more, but it was a thing inside her. It stung her mind, more than a bit, making her decide to simply kill herself rather than go through it again.

If she did it there, before anyone found them, or were called in by Mags, then no one would know she wasn't just making a noble sacrifice to save the land. She didn't think that using a cutter would work, since the only ones she had took focus to keep on while in use. That...

Count Lairdgren had suggested that was a safety measure, so that she didn't accidently go around chopping things apart, since she had one embedded in the back of each hand. It was different than that, she realized in the moment. He had to know that the discipline of holding one of those on would mean she'd be hard pressed to do it in a real fight. So if it was driven by rage, it either wouldn't be an issue, or she might just kick herself out of it, using that much focus.

Clever. She had an explosive weapon on her too, and that just took tapping a sigil. She'd have to hold her shield off to do it, but she
could
. She practiced that daily, while being beaten and attacked, didn't she? It was the same thing, more or less.

It was a plan and if no one would ever know about it other than her, it was what she'd be doing, possibly shortly.

Timon however, seemed to have a different idea, opening his eyes and groaning a bit.

"That, is
not
fun." It sounded like him, and not someone near death, though he grabbed at the healing amulet when she started to take it away. "No, this isn't done yet. I... I'm not certain, but I think someone tried to suddenly change my pattern. Into a dog."

There was a bit of a smile on his lips and he went on, giving her information about it, either so it would be remembered, or because he thought he might still die from it.

"I was in Printer, making a delivery to Holly. Countess Printer, I mean. It wasn't anything big, just some produce from Soam. On my way out a man, who looked to be a merchant, walked up and asked me to look at something he'd made. It was clearly a tech device, but different than anything I've seen. It had a bright light that bounced between mirrors and through a thin film that he said was a tissue sample from a dog, held in glass. It hit me, right through my shield, but I figured it wasn't anything really, just kind of neat, for one of
us
to make here. Then he packed it away, and left, not giving me his name at all."

Tiera just sat, memorizing what was said. It was certainly strange enough to be what had caused this, wasn't it?

"Did the man seem like Gray? You said..."

"Not really. He was friendly and seemed excited to get to talk about what he was doing to someone that knew it wasn't magic. I should have realized that it would do something, but I can't see how it would work at all. I need to get a drawing of him made or something. That's not a thing I know how to do well at all yet." He seemed stronger as time passed, and was almost normal, but didn't let go of the healing device at all, pressing it to the same spot on his head that she had.

"I want to make sure this is really fixed. It was... strange. I don't know what that thing did to me, but I was so close to dead I saw people. Dead ones. Mainly those that died from the Gray Plague. They are
not
all that happy with me, do you know that?" He said it with a bit of his old charm to the words as if his withholding the healing devices from their rebelling Counts was cute and clever, rather than mass murder. It was a thing that she wouldn't have done. Of course, due to that one action they were engaged with a few clever people trying to attack in ways they weren't ready for, rather than mass armies and conscripts from all over the Kingdom, just waiting for spring, so they could march out and kill them all.

Which was better in the end? She knew enough of history to get that invading armies didn't normally just pat those conquered on the back, did they? They'd rape and pillage, burn and kill the men. Often the young boys too, so that they wouldn't grow up to attack them later.

It wasn't better, what Timon had done, but it at least benefited their side. In the end, that mattered too.

She shook her head.

"No doubt. You'd probably best avoid dying for as long as you can, because the shades of those people have no reason not to make you truly miserable. I'm a bit surprised you aren't being haunted already. Except that isn't a real thing."

He chuckled, a dark and brooding thing.

"Oh, isn't it? It makes sense, a pattern lingering past death like that. I've seen a few things... Well, it might be nothing, which is why no one takes it too seriously. Ghosts, if they exist, aren't a real threat. Not to the living. I think I'm better now." He took the device from his head and turned it off, finally looking out the window, where Mags stood, the tall fighter staring at them. That got him to wave at least.

Tiera did too, which got her to come in, looking much relieved.

"You live then, and we
don't
have a new plague to consider?" The girl wiped a strand of slightly sweat soaked hair out of the way. She'd come from combat practice after all.

Tiera nodded.

"It doesn't seem likely, it was... different. Like a... I don't know. I think you have to stand in front of a specific device however, so as long as we don't do that, we should be fine. I'm not certain what to do at the moment however. Get in touch with the Prince and spread the word, I suppose?"

It was a thing to do and really did make sense, because they had some information and armies wouldn't be needed to fight off a hoard of attackers, most likely. Mags did that, which took time to get in, the Prince actually calling others almost constantly. At the same time Tiera called her own people, updating them. Lawrence Morris promised to spread the word to everyone to be on the lookout for the man, who Tim described to him in high level detail.

Tiera grunted once at the end of it.

"Try to take him alive, if possible. We can bring Timon in to look at anyone we find and see if it's the right person. The odds of him running to County Baker are really small, but we should be on the lookout, just in case. It's probably overkill, but I'm worried, since someone tried to kill my little brother." She wouldn't have done well with that at all, would she?

Her High Councilor made a noise that sounded nearly as distressed as she felt.

"Indeed, Countess Baker. The attempt to kill your current heir will not be taken lightly by anyone here. We wait word as to your other orders." By which he meant getting ready to march out to war, which wouldn't be what she was doing, unless they were attacked first, or it was required for some other real reason.

She felt pleased by the words anyway.

"Thank you. We'll try to do this with as little harm to anyone as possible."

It was all she could promise really. Oh, some people were going to die for it, that was just what had to happen, but it didn't have to be innocent farm kids that would be just as happy going to the harvest dance or sneaking off to hold hands behind the hay barn, would it? Not if she had any say in the matter. Commoners weren't fighters by nature. They could do it, and might at times, with each other, but from what Kolb had mentioned to her in lessons, and what she knew to be true from home, anyone too tall awed them all so much that they'd rarely fight back against them if it came to it. Not even to save their own lives, or those of their families. Putting people like that in harm's way was barbaric, and almost as bad, ineffective.

Count Morris had been willing to do it, which meant it was probably a bad idea.

Timon tried to assure them that he was well enough to fly back to his palace alone, which got Mags to smirk a bit, since he was a kid claiming his home was that grand. It
was
absurd, so she rightfully thought of it like that, and Tiera didn't correct her. She also didn't let her brother go alone.

"No, I don't think so. This is at least two attacks directed at you, personally. I was there for one, so I didn't really think of it that way, but this changes things, doesn't it? No one else, just
you
. Why is that, do you think? Are you into something that caused that, or did you figure out a secret plan that someone wants to keep hidden?" Her eyes narrowed, but she couldn't see what might be going on at all. He may not talk in front of Mags either, she realized, since she was an unknown in all this. Some girl that had come to help, because she was there. She might have been involved in something,
or
just planning to jump Tiera when she wasn't looking, going for a sober version of round two, which they should do anyway.

It wasn't the time for it, or the place, but that was really when she'd stand the best chance, as long as it didn't seem like a real attack.

Timon shocked her then, just explaining. It even sounded like the truth.

"Julie White," he looked at Mags and explained. "She's the leader of Soam, she told me that Gray had a pattern put into her that would cause her to despise me, since I'm the first son of her line. Any son would do, I'm sure. That means that she's been after me since we've met. Our mother is... a duplicate of her, in a way that we don't use here, but... It's similar to how all the Larval Assassins are all one man, but many, you've heard of that?"

"Yes, it's hard to believe, but well known." She still smirked at him a bit, but at least it was that kind that seemed like an attempt to humor someone, rather than an inner battle not to mock them. Tiera wouldn't put up with that toward Tim right now.

"Something like that. So, she doesn't just hate me, on a deep personal level, instead of seeing me as the darling grandson that she's never had, but
fears
me in a way that means she almost has to try and destroy me. The only good thing is that so far she hasn't been going after the others. Tal or Todd. It was a biological attack, this thing today, but not the kind that she normally uses."

Tiera nodded and moved them to her Fast Craft, simply because she felt more comfortable piloting, which meant taking Timon's down. She expected a fight or argument, but he kept talking the whole time, mainly to Mags.

"So, Gray is the Gray Ancient, they're real, by the way. You've probably even met some of them. Count Lairdgren is the Green man, but there are others around your school. You look to be one of Tiera's fighter friends? So you know Kolb. He's one. Both of us too, except, as you would probably guess, we aren't that old.
I'm
still twelve. Tor is one too, if you've been around?"

She made a disbelieving face, but one that spoke of good humor, and winked at him.

"Pull the other one, or I'll limp. Those are just cautionary tales, meant to keep children in line with the environment and duty, all that." She looked over at Tiera for support, but found something else, which was her tapping her Truth amulet on.

"What he just said about the Ancients is true. There aren't a lot of them left, but Gray has been making clones, those copies, like of the Larval, or at least someone has." It didn't flicker and she tapped the thing off, since in regular conversation, people lied and hedged all the time. Even she did. Just being polite could be an untruth, if you didn't mean it.

Mags didn't talk for a bit, as they headed to the Capital, no one did. Big events could have that effect on a body after all. Finally she realized that they'd just run off from school, while screaming emergency, but hadn't contacted them to explain the results. Once mentioned, Mags did that for them, getting in touch with Sir Kolbrin directly.

After the update, she did something that Tiera hadn't thought she would.

"Are you really one of the Ancients? Thousands of years old, from before the Cataclysm?" It was blurted and sounded a lot more exasperated than not.

After a second, and an audible sigh, Kolb answered.