Light Bringer (The Young Ancients: Second Cycle Book 2) (45 page)

"I guess school must be
rather important, if we have to go to a secret vault to talk about it." He
was trying to be joking, not that the mood was dire. Both men smiled, and
Hardgrove nodded.

"This time, it might be. I
was wondering if I could suggest to you that attending Lairdgren school might
work better for you? There are some things that... Well, I don't wish to
suggest that Printer isn't hosting a good school. To the contrary, in most ways
they're at least the equal of any in the land. Lairdgren simply has a few areas
we excel in that might suit you. What do you plan to take, as for
classes?"

He thought for a second, and
shrugged.

"That hasn't been set yet.
Mathematics was mentioned, manners and customs. Fighting. I already started
practicing that there. Aunt Petra let me come in and do that. People have been
really nice about it."

The King looked at the wall, and
made a hard face, as Hardgrove leaned in, his arms on the table in front of
him. He was a bit bigger than Dare was, but not so much he loomed.

"Yes, they have a good
program for all of those things. The only thing that Lairdgren can offer that
might be of more use, is our espionage program." The man waited, probably
to see if Dareg knew what the word meant.

Really he wouldn't have, if not
for some conversations with Petra where the term was dropped a few times.

"Spying? No doubt how to
find them as well. I can see that as useful. I don't know if I have enough time
to go to school for it. Not given what I'll need it for."

Hardgrove settled back then, and
closed his eyes.

"That is what I fear as
well, Prince Dareg. More than you might guess."

As Dareg reflected on the meeting
with Count Lairdgren and the King, several things stood out to his mind. The
old man bent over backwards to not directly
order
him into the specific
path that he wanted him to take. It was a thing that was almost painful to
hear, since it was very, very clear that he truly believed it was the course
that Dare needed to take.

At first it had seemed that the
man was telling him that it would help him find spies, but after a while he'd
slipped up, and hinted that Dare would also
make
a good spy. Against
Queen Tiera. That hadn't been stated flat out, but at that point he'd cleared
his throat and simply told the man no. Thank you. After all, he was offering
free schooling, for a course of study that would have cost nearly four times
what going to Printer would.

Given all that, it was tempting,
but the underlying premise was clear. The men were plotting to use him, against
his own family. Mainly because they weren't
really
his family. Not yet.
It troubled him enough that he walked all the way home, back to his pod, so he
could think. No one bothered him, even if it was after midnight, and he was
walking through the city streets alone.

On the good side he'd nodded and
indicated that he'd consider the idea, not certain if the two men understood
that he got what they were doing. Trying to set things in motion to own him. To
rule him more than even a king had a right to, in the normal course of things.

He really didn't want to be the
kind of person that spied on others though. It just wasn't him. He didn't
think. That anyone would think that was the case baffled him for a while. After
all, he hadn't done anything that should have told anyone that kind of thing.
All he'd ever done was share information openly, with everyone. No one had
suggested that he shouldn't, so it had made sense to him.

They still hadn't, as far as that
went.

His sleep that night was a lot
shorter than it should have been, and he woke with the first light, feeling
exhausted. For the first time since he'd started getting better, Dare cheated,
and used his wakening amulet, so he could get up and run. It took him longer
that day, since he increased his trip to the city and back, by one there and
back. He moved at his best speed, and was nearly certain he hurt himself doing
it, tasting copper and iron inside his lungs when he panted to a stop.

Then he moved to Printer, because
he needed to practice. That wasn't going to change, even if he had to be a spy
against his will. The world was too dangerous for him not to try that way. When
he landed, still soaked with sweat, Petra looked at him cooly. Right until he
got near her, the din of the other students practicing filling the large walled
square.

"I was going to beat you for
being an hour late, but you seem to have been doing
something
.
Swimming?" She patted his damp sleeve, snickered a bit and wiped her hand
on her pant leg. She was in tan, but the cut was the same as the brown he, and
the other young people, wore.

"Running. To the Capital and
back four times. Fast. That... Hurts." His voice was rough, since he
really had done some damage. He just didn't want to use the healing device too
often. It was probably safe enough, now, but he was shy about it still. If he
messed up to often, he'd end up in trouble, exhausted and on bed rest, again.

Petra smiled, and looked at the
other kids for a moment.

"Not bad. Do a half stone
rotation, just the heavy half of them, and work a pell until it breaks. Then I
want you to drill with... Wendra. Knife work. Tell her that you need to learn
the first two sets on point,
today
. Run one trip tomorrow and get here
early, since you're working with Havar on blade. Live steel. That means he's
going to cut you." Then she walked away, like that was a normal thing to
tell someone.

There was probably a trick in it
somewhere. Or, possibly, she'd decided that mercy killing was the kindest option.
He could see that one, actually.

Heavy stones didn't get lighter
because you stalled, so he got to work, and actually managed to have his tasks
finished inside two hours and Wendra was right there, working with a large boy
that seemed to be intent on killing her. It was kind of the course of study, so
he waited for a bit, until they broke apart and the large man nodded at him.

"Want to work in?"

"Normally, but I have to
steal instructor Wendra here. Petra is setting her the punishment of teaching
me knife work. The first and second point set? She says I have to be ready to
work with Baron Havar tomorrow, live steel. That means with real knives,
right?"

The bigger man, who he didn't
have a name for, shook his head.

"
Fuck
. That's messed
up. No one has to go live until year five, generally. If you're just learning
today... What did you do to Instructor Petra? I know, she invited you on a date
and you turned her down, right? Except I don't think even that would get her to
be that cruel." He shook his head, and sounded a little slow. As in his
words weren't fast in coming. He had a heavy Printer accent, which marked him
as a local, but was using understandable speech, really.

Wendra looked annoyed by the
words, and crossed her thin arms, looking away. It was a bit strange, really,
since it was clear the new guy was joking with him, not trying to be insulting
to anyone. It was probably a bit dangerous to say that about their
instructor
,
but it had enough qualifiers that no one would really get angry with him over
it.

Dare shrugged.

"Nope. She's my aunt. By
marriage. I think this is some of that nepotism I've heard so much about. The
rest of you have to wait for
years
for a good stabbing, but I get to
jump right into it. I'm privileged that way. Clearly." He smiled, and the
large boy nodded back, as if he were being serious.

"Right. I always wondered
what that would look like. Well, good luck. Wendra is good on blade, so learn it
all. I can help you drill later, if you need? I can skip out on my history
class, to save a life." There was seriousness to it, saying the offer was
real.

Dareg shook his head.

"Not happening today. My
building tutor has me working for the rest of the day after this. Possibly
longer. As it is I need to hurry through this. We can set up extra practice for
later though? I'm going to need the help." It was just true. He was
picking things up well, he thought, but the truth was that he was stronger than
most, and it was his body getting him through so far. That wasn't going to hold
against the Adversaries, it was clear. He needed more. Skill, that time trick,
and an even stronger body.

"Sure. If you live past
tomorrow, we can do that! Oh, um, I'm Rick, by the way. Named after the king,
but not all that related. Baron Third, Pense." He bowed a bit, and seemed
shocked when Dareg matched it.

"Dare Canton. Dareg, if you
have to be proper about it. Nice to meet you. Now, not to be rude, but lessons
on not dying?" He tried to look hopeful, and Wendra smiled at him.

She seemed to relax for some
reason, which seemed to be about him not having rejected Petra, rather than
anything else. That probably meant that she liked him, in a romantic fashion.
It was different, since she hadn't flirted with him much, but she was good
looking enough, in a thin, tall way, and as she proved over the next two hours,
her skill in teaching knife work was actually impressive. He had to go over
several things more than once, but by the end he had the patterns down. How to
cut, thrust, block and protect vital spots on his body.

Mainly by dodging and timing his
enemy's reactions.

At the end she took the short
wooden blade back, and nodded at him, seriously.

"You need to get better. What
she's thinking... Well, that's her job. If you can keep the moves it will help,
but one day
isn't
long enough to integrate them. Unless you know some
trick I don't. If so, teach me that?" She grinned, but didn't seem all
that worried, probably expecting a trick from Petra too.

"I'll let you know if I work
that out. I need to get going now, I think. Oh, Timon mentioned that the new
ship build is going fine? I lost mine the other day, so have to wait to get a
new one, too. Before you ask, yes, I feel stupid. It was... A
thing
."
He waved that away, but didn't mention what it was, since others could hear,
and for the time being, knowing about it wasn't going to help anyone.

She hissed, under her breath.

"And they're giving you a
new one? Being a Prince must be nice." Then she winced a bit and look
apologetic.

He just nodded back.

"No doubt. It was needed at
the time, so I don't think anyone is holding it against me all that much. Sam,
my magics tutor, is insisting that I do my own ships up. That will be interesting,
if I can. It's supposed to be one of the hardest things you can do with magic.
I only did my first build yesterday."

She just nodded back, and then
wrinkled her brow.

"Wait... You're a wizard,
too
?
Fine. We're dating now. I'm decreeing it using my power as a nobody. I'd be an
idiot not to catch hold of you, wouldn't I?" She blushed, but didn't take
the words back.

Dareg blinked a few times, and
then tilted his head.

"All right. That sounds fun,
actually. I don't know if I ever get free time again, but we can make time. I
do have a fiancé, but I think I'm expected to date, too, and not bother her too
much. Princess Karina?"

Wendra laughed and shook her
head.

"Really? That's... I'm not
really
anyone
you know? Master Timon is paying for my schooling. I'm not
even really certain if he knows that, given the other day. I'd be short and
working in the city somewhere right now, if not for him. My mother is his house
lady... So that's pretty humble." She seemed a bit sad about it, as if her
mother having a good job was a bad thing.

"Oh? So you've been
selected
out for great things? Tim wouldn't bother if you weren't worth it, I bet. Trust
me, not much gets by him. If he's paying for this, he's also getting weekly
reports on you. Count on it." He knew no such thing. Relative or not, he
barely knew the man. It sounded like a good thing to say, however.
"Besides, I don't care about things like that. So, I'm busy for the next
few days, call it four or five? After that... We should get together? Go
someplace fun. You get days off here, right?" He knew that, but not when
they happened. The girl smiled at him then.

"Three days a week. Two on,
one off, two on, two off. We just had our long two day break. We could spend
part of the next one together? That sound nice, actually. I don't really date a
lot." She seemed embarrassed by that.

"Great! I'll plan something
that I think is nice, that will probably be annoying and boring for you. That
sounds good, doesn't it?"

That got a laugh, and a touch on
his sticky and damp arm, which hurt a bit. Just inside, from all the work he'd
done. It was enough to remind him to heal however. He did that as he flew up
into space, resisting the urge to linger in space. It was quiet and no one
expected anything up there. Except that the expectations didn't really end just
because he got away. It was always there.

First though, he cleaned up,
showering and getting a clean outfit. Then he cleverly accosted Sam at his own
home, to borrow a focus stone making device, and a cutter, so he could produce
tiles. He needed a lot of them, so the man didn't even make him create his own
devices for it, just handing the things over, after a few minutes of talking
about what was needed, and practically pushing him out the door, laughing and
yelling at him.

"Three hours for a thousand!
Bring them to me directly when they're done." He sounded cheery about it
all. It
kind
of pissed Dare off, but he didn't turn around and tell the
man to stuff it up his behind.

He was the Ancient of Noram, and
his tutor. Even if Dare was mad, he owed a certain amount of respect there. The
reason for the anger was that it was kind of clear that the whole thing was
being set up to mock him. To show him that building was hard, as if he didn't
get that already. It
was
hard, mind numbing and the idea that it
actually worked still felt unreal to him. Holding concepts instead of words
made his head hurt, too. Not physically, but in some indefinable mental way. It
wasn't his normal practice, so it left him feeling wrong, after a fashion, when
he was done.

That couldn't stop him. If he
failed, he was probably going to die. Really, he'd die regardless, like
everyone else, but doing it in the next weeks wasn't his favorite idea. On top
of that, if he lived, he had to figure out how to navigate the whole spying
thing that Count Lairdgren and the King wanted him to do. Against his own Aunt.
A woman that he didn't even know.

Sighing, he used the low flying
option on his shield to hurry back to his hut, and then went out into the dry
lands beyond the small floating river. Not too far, but he found a nice patch
of dirt, which was about half sand, and piled it up, then used the device that
Sam had given him to concentrate it. That was kind of interesting, since it
just sort of moved together, merging, and turning from sand and dirt into
glassy tan stone. It had a milky color to it, which was just like the port
itself, so he was used to that. Then after making four, rather long logs of the
stuff he cut it into a thousand different parts. They weren't that equal, but
they were all about half the size of a handheld, since being bigger than that
would mean the things were too heavy to get back to his pod to work on.