The Dark Half of the Sun (The Young Ancients: Timon) (21 page)

"Sorry, I need to be on my way as soon as possible. Some nobles from Noram want to come for a tour here, in a few weeks. Is that alright? We can bring food and pay people for any services they provide."

The woman smiled and nodded as if it were a present for her, not him begging for help.

"That would be most welcome Timon. I simply ask that if they are too large, over seven feet or so, they not expect to meet with me personally. I... It's embarrassing, but I rather have a fear of people that are too large. I mean no insult. Could you smooth that over for me?"

He nodded.

"Not a problem. They'll understand. Or if they don't, I won't bring them. I can just set down here? Is it possible to have housing for them? I probably won't be able to stay with them the whole time, and will need my vehicle, which wouldn't be big enough for all of us to sleep in comfortably anyway. About ten people. Maybe more." He kept waiting for her to have a problem with something he said, but Julie just kept smiling and reaching out for him, making a little face when she hit shield.

"We have ample housing and food. We can also take people to places of interest. Waterfalls of great splendor and ancient ruins that have stood from before the time of my own birth. I will have to arrange for a translator... No worry for you, I know a few."

Then, without ceremony she sat on the ground, her firm breasts bare as was the custom here. It was a fact that Timon was trying to ignore. He'd seen naked women before, in the Capital, at a distance. The women here were close however and the concept of undergarments didn't seem to be a thing here. Most just wore different colored skirts.

Julie's hair was a white that was almost blue, it was so brilliant and that wasn't coloring of any artificial sort it seemed, because the stuff between her legs was the same color. The only good thing at all to the situation was that almost everyone else was staring at her as well. He looked away as she started to read the messages. Thankfully she read only one page of the long thing Green sent and both pages from Brown. For a moment he'd been afraid it would take her hours.

"I don't need to reply at this time. Will you be available to me when you return? I may have thoughts to share with the others then. Blue and Black as well. Is that a thing you can do? Contacting them?"

Timon allowed that it might be... eventually. He didn't want to promise anything he might not be able to deliver on, no matter how likely it was at the moment. Still, it was in the plan to visit both of those places.

"But not Afrak again. Gray hates me and I'm not really so sure it isn't mutual now. Don't mention that to my parents though, they'd tan my hide good just for saying it." There was a horrified look from White, but it lessened when he explained. "Just with words. They never really beat us. Well, that one time that Todd was calling Sue-Anne Moore ugly. Da did take after him with a belt for that. That's fair though, because Sue-Anne is very sweet, even if not fine looking." As it was Todd only got a few token smacks that did no damage. It was a clear message to both him and the rest of the kids that there were things you just didn't say at all.

White clearly didn't approve, even of that. It was in a different land though and there were other rules there.

"It makes sense that Lara Gray would dislike you. She has to after all. You're her worst nightmare come to life. A male of the Gray line. Her Rhetistics... do you know what those are?" She waited, her face curious rather than standing in judgment if he lacked something she considered basic knowledge.

"Sort of. Neuro-peptide combinations that are self-reinforcing, a sort of permanent memory that can influence a person forever. More or less. Don't ask me to set up a system of them. I have the basic idea." It was Brown that had taught him that too, explaining to him that Tor had those, as did the other Ancients, but Timon didn't. From the sound of it, Tim was glad. They seemed to have been a joke when they were built, causing people to like strange things, like a specific color to the exclusion of all others, or to fear things or situations. That was probably why Julie didn't like overly tall people.

She clasped her hands delicately in front of the gap her skirt left as she sat cross legged. He resisted looking again. She wasn't blood, but she was family as much as anyone. They hadn't made up what to call each other yet, but just in case it was something too close, he didn't want to start bad habits.

"Yes. That. One of those in Lara Gray's set is meant to prevent her from having male offspring. She's had a hundred daughters or more, but your mother
is
her. Free to have what children she wishes. And now here you are. A son of her line. Worse, you aren't vile and evil, not stupid or coarse, you're everything any sane grandmother could have wanted. It's simply that, in regards to you, Lara Gray simply isn't rational."

It... made a certain kind of sick sense, given what he'd been told about her. If that was the truth of it, they'd never be friends, would they? It wasn't even her fault, as rough as she'd been with him when they last met.

"Well, when I hire a female pilot we can send things there with her. Right now it's just me and Morgan. You'll like him. Wonderful person. Very happy and cheerful. Married... and I don't know if he and his wife follow the noble rules, so, you know, please be careful there." He didn't know that the woman had sex with everyone she could, but he could tell
they
certainly wanted to. It was clear on the faces of everyone, man or woman, around her.

He felt it himself, which was at least a good enough reason to leave as fast as possible.

"I'll try to get down this way, every few weeks. Oh! Red just got married. Last night. To Dorgal Sorvee, who's a merchant from Noram. If you want to open up trade with Noram or Vagus at all, he's the one to talk to. Do you want me to bring him around? Also, you might want some ambassadors in other lands, what with everything happening so fast. Let me know and I'll set up fast transport for them and pass the messages you need to set things up. I get the equivalent of three hundred gold for the whole contingent, as long as it takes less than five craft to do the work. More if I have to make several trips. You travel free, as a relative, of course, though if you try to abuse the privilege I'll put you to work."

That earned a smile and another attempt to touch him, which got an actual laugh.

"Are all the new men of Noram so very careful with themselves? The others allow me contact. My brothers and sisters."

Shrugging he moved back toward the floating silver box and grabbed the side to pull himself up. When he turned Timon smirked a bit and shook his head.

"You are too lovely to take risks with Julie White. You
know
it too. That's one thing Tor was right about, in his warning about that to me. If I stayed in your presence too long I'd do things that would shame me. Or try to at least. I'll avoid that for now. I'm too young to have all other women ruined for me anyway." It sounded like a polite enough rebuff. It was all true too, which got her to bow again as he closed the door.

"Come again soon, Timon of Noram."

The trip back to the Capital was actually the shortest leg of the journey so far, which probably meant that setting up a regular route to the place was a good idea, especially if they had anything unique to trade. Carrying around things that people already had didn't make a lot of sense. Dorgal had said something like that even.

Timon reflected that he seemed to have married off a member of the Assassins Guild to the leader of a foreign land without mentioning that fact to her, which was a bit of a problem. In potential at least. Not that Lyn was in danger. In
that
Tim was certain Dorgal was in fact a very safe bet. You didn't keep a secret like that if you were prone to lazy violence or combat rage, did you? He hadn't even tried to attack Tor at school he'd said.

The man's entire family was probably in the Guild. No doubt the Sorvee family were all in on it in some form or another.

It was something to consider as he traveled home.

The Capital was shining orange in the setting sun, the King's river running like a band of shining tan in front of it. The thing wasn't overly clean, not compared to the one on top of the walls. It was clear that a few industrious people had figured out ways to shunt some of the water off for use both inside and out of the walls. On the river side there was a strip of green growing, a constant rain falling from wooden pieces stuck into the flow. The green was nice, the land in the area being decently brown and barren. Of course the water constantly hitting the wall was going to be a problem over time. It was already starting to melt away in places. As soon as someone in charge noticed it, they'd make the people take their rainstorm away.

That would be sad. Really they needed a better way of dealing with it. A scaffold with an irrigation ramp or at least a long pipe to keep the wall clear. They had a lot of water to work with after all, it was a shame to let the one thing stop the other. Especially since it probably wouldn't work. People would just slap things back up when no one was looking, not wanting to lose their little luxury garden.

He realized that he'd just been hovering, about eighty feet up, looking down at the scene. Shaking himself he settled. Then he realized that he hadn't gone to pick up Collette. He let his head hang for a few seconds, and then decided that if it wasn't an emergency, he'd get her in the morning. It wasn't late, and he was rested enough physically, Tim was just feeling like he didn't want to do it. Growling a little he put the craft away and got his chests out of it, knowing that honor and duty required him to go and see if he was needed.

After all, the rule was, that if he was going to play at being an adult he had to carry a full load. Maybe two. He didn't have a wife or family, not yet. Not his own. Still he'd selected his burdens hadn't he? The world had kind of assisted in the direction he'd gone, but not totally. His decision to put off school was his now. Oh, true, he couldn't
afford
it, not yet, which was a difficulty. Count Thomson had offered him gold for it though, as had his parents. It was
his
choice to give his work away to orphans so they'd be able to learn to read and write, and no one had demanded that of him at all. Or even thought of it.

Did he not want to go to school? It made sense to go. Tor had. His mother and father had. No one else was given the chance and he hadn't been either. He'd gone and gotten that for himself. So, yes, he really did want to attend, he just needed to get himself around for it. Tim decided to try and set a meeting with Countess Printer when he could. Or at least her head master.

First however, no matter what, he had to do a few things. Contact Collette and make certain she didn't require him that moment. Then... if possible he wanted to shower. It didn't have to be a long one, just a little soap, a little warm water. It wasn't that much to ask for, was it?

After that...

Well, what he had to do was so audacious he almost wanted to pretend it wasn't his task at all. Sighing he set himself to the task and went to the communications device and hit the Ward sigil first. There was no wait at all, just a gentle laugh that answered sweetly.

"This is Countess Ward. How are you doing this evening?"

He tried to force a smile to his face, remembering her looking grumpy and snappish the other morning. He was a little tired now. There was a lesson in there in comportment he figured. At least in how not to act.

"Hello Countess Ward, this it Timon Baker. Calling to see if Collette Coltress needs my services tonight? I can also be there for her in the morning. Or later, though we need to set the dates. Oh, also, while I have you, I was in Soam earlier in the day and not only are you cleared to go, Julie White, the leader there, is looking forward to having such interesting guests. We should probably take some things to trade. They don't use coin there, I don't think."

There was a sound of girlish clapping then.

"Marvelous. I have most of those going already arranged. Collette isn't here at the moment, out with a friend of hers, Martya? I don't know if you've met. They're plotting to control the ice manufacturing for the entire Kingdom no doubt. I won't complain, even if it does leave me at loose ends this evening. Oh... One moment, Marvin wants to speak to you."

There was a rustle of shifting fabric and then a low voice that sounded like a whisper, forcing Tim to bend toward the device in front of him to hear all the words.

"I've been called to the palace as soon as possible, would this evening be something that could be done? I don't know how long I'll be staying, perhaps through the council in a few weeks. I'll pay rate plus a bonus if you can have me there for dinner. I'd love to impress King Richard with my desire to please."

It was just past seven right then. The meal would be at nine, like always.

"Stand ready. No fair hiding inside so that we show up late."

"Are you serious? I'll be ready! Thank you."

Timon clicked the device, calling the palace instantly. It was a good plan, since it took nearly ten minutes. Finally there was a voice he didn't really recognize. Only in passing if at all.

"This is the palace, how may I aid you this evening."

"Timon Baker here. I just got a transport job from Count Ward. Would it be alright for him to come to dinner?" He was willing to be late and even lose the offered bonus if he had to, so the woman could find out if that was allowable or not. She just chuckled however.