Kingdom of Stars (The Young Ancients: Timon Book Three) (7 page)

"Damn.
You
certainly won't lose a coin, will
you? Here I'd heard that the Baker family was filled with soft hearted fools.
Have you no pride though boy? You come at things like a merchant, not a high
noble." He sounded patronizing and a bit cold. Like a complete jerk
really. On the good side he didn't recognize the man yet, not without seeing
him at least.

"Oh? I... Wait..." He was playing to the crowd,
but made his voice seem serious enough really. "Was I
supposed
to
threaten you with my vast army or something? I don't rightly have one yet... I
know, if you don't pay up promptly, I'll have to hold the kids hostage and feed
them sweets instead of getting them home or back to school. Then in six months
when they return they'll all be fat and soft, and it will be your own
fault." He managed a credible little kid voice for that, which worked
right up to the point that the older man started to scream at him.

"How
dare
you!" It was really more of a
roar, rather than a scream. It was quite manly and gruff, not like a little
girl at all. "I will not be mocked, boy! If we weren't in an emergency
situation I'd challenge you to a duel for your insolence! I'm Baron Talley, not
some kitchen boy to be sassing about with!"

There was no sound for a moment, as Timon sighed and shook
his head. It was bound to happen eventually. Nobles had a lot of rules, and
even more preconceived notions about who and what he should be. Eventually he
was going to insult someone enough that they actually wanted to fight. He
doubted it was the case here, from the tone of voice and the slight wheezing
that came along with it.

No, the man was just blustering. Probably because he was old
enough to get just how massive that explosion had to have been for them to see
it hundreds of miles away like that. Scared, not really trying to make him
fight.

Which was good, since he clearly had a lot to learn about
that first.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you, just as I'm sure
that you taking me to task wasn't meant as an insult either, just an elder
trying to do what they think is right. I'm sure you can give me notes on proper
behavior, later. We can write them out and make them into a book." There
was more silence then and a muffled gasp from the man, but Tim didn't let him
talk. "That part
isn't
a joke. People buy things like that in
Austra, and with the new exchange opening up with them, it can't hurt to
generate a bit of capital there for use in various projects."

Timon really expected the man to agree with him. After all,
if he provided the information, he could get Timon do to all the real work and
take half the profits.

Instead he growled.

"I will not be made a fool! I challenge you to-"

There was a sudden yelling, which came from Countess
Printer, along with some other voice that he didn't know, but who sounded like
a woman.

"
No
! Baron Talley, if you say anything about a
fight to the death, you're a fool. Timon Baker is twelve years old, but also a
full builder. Those craft he was renting the hire of are of his own making and
can take armies across the entire Kingdom in hours. This is a tense situation
and a misunderstanding, but if you do that, he
will
kill you. You won't
leave him a choice."

There was muffled outrage then, and the sound of something
hard and metal slapping against stone.

"Do you think I fear
children
? Even well armed
ones?" There was enough indigence in the tone that Karl and Bethany looked
a bit worried, but Mindy seemed nearly panicked, and was gasping in terror at
the threats already. The plain looking girl was clutching her hands tightly
together, worrying them a bit.

Countess Printer however sounded very reasonable at least.
Well, she did to Timon anyway. Others might have taken her words as being a bit
different.

"No, I don't. I think that you should step back a bit
right now however, Baron Talley. We don't have time for this, at the moment.
I'd rather you not put me in the middle of this situation. Ever."

"Oh? So I'm supposed to just eat insults from this
child? What is he to you then? He seems to be charging you, not the other way
around, so it isn't coin, is it? His brother is the Wizard Tor, so perhaps you
fancy
him
?" There was only anger in the words, not sly implication
at least, and for once a nobleman didn't go instantly to sex as the reason why,
which was rather nice of the fellow.

Tim just held his tongue and decided not to talk, if he
could get away with it. Nothing he said was going to help, and he really didn't
need to make a real enemy in this case. What he didn't understand, at first,
was why the man was being so easily offended. It was beyond the pale, as far as
such things went. True, he might have really just wanted a fight, but if that
was the case, he could have just declared a challenge. Timon wasn't an adult
and could just refuse to hear it after all. Yes, he'd lose face, and some would
think it less than honorable, but so what?

The man gave him some clues at least, after that. It was
subtle, but in his anger and constant repetition of words, he brought it all
together.

"I heard what he did to save Montblanc from the plague.
What kind of traitors do you let into your new school, Countess Printer?"
There was more, but that line told Timon a whole lot about what his issue
really was, and that it wasn't about him being impertinent, or at least not
just
that. He knew that a lot of older adults felt like he was a pain in the rear at
times. Being really smart could do that. Kids weren't supposed to actually know
better than their elders after all, and doing that too often was insulting to
the old. Sometimes. If they were stupid.

A lot of people were though, and being noble didn't stop
that at all.

Holly snorted at least, so that he didn't have to speak
immediately, having worked it all out for herself as well.

"You mean that thing where he walked into a rebellion
stronghold, alone and unarmed and turned them back to the King?
That
thing in Montblanc?" She sounded a bit snooty, which no one with him seemed
to notice from their facial expressions. Then, the others sitting in his little
craft were all staring at him pretty directly, so it was hard to tell.

Talley make a derisive noise that was probably rude enough
that had it been directed at a lot of other nobles there would have been a real
challenge to a fight. Maybe not to the death, but things could escalate
quickly, if you had small armies to back up your hurt feelings.

"Oh, right, because we should believe that? A mere
child walks to the woman's door and charms her into giving over? I rather meant
his arranging aid and comfort to our enemies. I noticed that you skipped that
part, didn't you Countess? He's fed and healed them all, in their time of need,
so they can turn on us at a later date and-"

Timon took his own turn making noises. His was a soft, very
dark, chuckle however.

"Lack of information on your part Baron Talley, is
leading you to the wrong conclusion. County Montblanc lost over ten percent of
their men to the Gray Plague. More than that, most likely, along with about
four percent of their women. That's not including the children that died. Yes,
you're right, I got them healing amulets, the ones that would have gone there
originally, if I hadn't stolen them in the first place. Only after Heather
Montblanc swore to rejoin the King's side did I provide them for her. Notice
that I haven't for anyone else?
Yet
. Nearly a half million people died
there, because I held back their only hope. It seemed fitting that I help them,
on the other side, when their Countess came back to us. Would you have done
differently?"

"This is a crock of shit! It was the King that held
back those amulets, not some boy that's hardly old enough to find his own cock.
You're lucky that Countess Alan didn't finish the job and make a girl of you! I
hear she and her pet assassin raped your ass boy, is that so? Do you love the
feel of a man in you now?"

Timon went still, forcing air into his lungs as a flashback
hit him. As luck would have it, the Larval Assassin hadn't stuck anything up
his butt, but he had nearly been unmanned by the woman. Before he killed her.
It didn't help that Bethany and the others were right there, looking at him,
each with a little more fear in their eyes now, for some reason.

Timon made himself sound calm. Reasonable even, if a little
flat. It was the best he could manage, given everything.

"No, they didn't do that last bit. Just other things.
It was bad enough. So, just to speed this up, I'll take your challenge. I
assume that you're armed? I'll be there in a few minutes, as soon as I off load
these others."

"No! Timon, we can't-" Countess Printer sounded
horrible, but distant, as if she'd moved away from the device. It was Karl that
spoke, his words low and respectful sounding.

"Countess... Baron Talley? I know that you can't hear
it in him, but he's in a combat rage. If it weren't for the shield I have on, I
don't think I'd be able to stand, for all the aura he's casting." Nothing
else was added, but the huge man opened the door to his right side, being in
the back and moved behind his own seat, so that the girls could leave.

It wasn't lost on Timon that he held his own ground
otherwise though. That was rare, since most people confronted with a person in
combat rage tried to get away as soon as possible. As soon as Bethany moved
out, helped by the man, he closed the door and moved into the front passenger
seat, as if he had no fear at all. Then, he was big and Timon wasn't a great
fighter, was he?

"We're coming now. Perhaps it would be best to set up
outside? I'd recommend you offer to fight him bare handed, Baron. It won't be a
fair fight, but if you insist he have a real chance, you'll likely die this
day."

"I think not." He sounded pretty certain at least.

Timon nodded, working it out. It was, for whatever reason, a
trap. He wasn't thinking clearly, but he could see the set up and really, being
right on top of the other one, it was most likely related. That would mean
what? It was difficult to put it all together, his head feeling slow and funny.
Almost like a regular person or something.

Focusing he managed to kick himself into a higher mental
state, his brain running faster, and hopefully clearly enough to make sense. It
might not be part of the Ancient plot, directly. Or it might be. The man was a
Noram noble, but that didn't mean people with thousands of years of experience
couldn't influence him into taking action like this. If that was the case however,
he had to have a real chance of killing Timon, didn't he? Either very high
levels of fighting skill, or weapons that Tim wasn't ready to meet. That or it
was all about getting him to kill the man, for some reason. Or beat him and not
leave him dead? That was a mistake though, and a thing that wasn't going to
happen.

No, this would be to the death, but he had to assume the man
had come ready for a real fight, with a very well armed person. Some kind of
technology that he wasn't used to might do it.

Nodding again, to himself, Timon waited, trying to make sure
that they'd all be outside when he got there. That would work best, regardless
of what was going to happen. He was still in a combat rage at least and the man
had challenged him, and goaded him into the fight, so it was fair to kill him.
Legal even.

"Hang on. We'll meet you out front in... seven minutes?
Or I will at least. No need to drag Karl into this. He doesn't even know
me." His mouth felt full of mush and his words were slurring a bit. It was
a side effect of the state he was in. He'd be stronger, and faster too, as well
as casting aura out all over the place. Technically he wasn't certain if he had
a shield or not, but wearing one would work for that part of things. He let the
other people talk for a while, rage settling into his bones, making his breath
come quickly, as his eyes went from their normal brown color with clean whites
to bloodshot and itching.

Then he heard what he was waiting for. The grown man mocking
him for being late.

"Is he too afraid to show his face, even in a
rage?"

Timon motioned to Karl, who stepped out, without asking if
he were certain it was a good idea. After all, the definition of rage was that
a person was angry and unreasonable, wasn't it?

The second the door was secured, Timon rose into the air, to
about five hundred feet so he wouldn't hit any trees as he flew and was at the
castle about fifteen seconds later. He hadn't gone fast, since his silver craft
was so close to the ground. Not
that
fast, just enough for the people on
the ground to look up at him as he assessed the situation. Countess Printer was
near a man that looked to be in his fifties or so, but was big and strong
looking. Muscular as well as tall.

It was hard to see how much, so Timon moved a little closer,
still in the craft, which was all that saved him when the man pulled a tiny
black box from his rather nice tunic and pointed it at him. At first nothing
happened, but a half minute later there was a roaring, and then...

Everything went black as his shield kicked in and the ship
suddenly moved. He couldn't work out what had happened, but the others all had
vanished. That wasn't really the case, of course, it was just that something
had covered his craft, totally. From the sky.

"Heh. Stupid. I'm the
Lord
of the Sky." It
was a joke that Trice had made once. Still, he was trapped pretty well, and
couldn't fly in any direction at all. He was pushed against the ground, with
something over him, it seemed.

So he moved down. The earth wasn't soft there, with a lot of
rocks, but the fast craft moved anyway, forcing the dirt out of the way.
Slowly. It took a minute for him to move down far enough, or at least he hoped
it was. Then he had to move to the side.