The Silence Within (The Young Ancients: Tiera) (2 page)

It was a bit annoying, since people were starting to look at them, and even though Tiera wasn't afraid that the guard would take them in, it was just possible that they'd be remembered by someone later. This was County Morris after all, and frankly, if the people here knew who she was, they'd probably either flee, or try to attack, so that the others could escape.

She did what anyone would though and moved in to hug the more than slightly ripe woman kneeling beside her to do it. Taking shallow breaths through her mouth.

"There, there..." It wasn't exactly brilliant speech on her part, and she felt
annoyed
, but not angry. Was this what real people felt all the time in situations like this? It was nearly relaxing. She was so used to being hammered with anger and rage at almost everything, that a mild bit of bother seemed like a true treat.

Tor, her brother, had used his magic to change her pattern, so that she wouldn't be vastly angry all the time anymore. It had only been a few weeks ago, but it still amazed her that it worked. That was also what was making her taller. She used to be five-one, and have been growing at nearly an inch per week so far since he'd done it. That would keep going, she thought, for a long time. It would be painful too, according to Tor, but that was fine. It would pass, and leave her a giant, which would help with her weapons practice.

Carol didn't explain, even though Tiera already knew the whole story about Nita and could figure out that, in that moment, the woman got the idea, finally.

She stood after a few minutes though and dried her eyes, held her head high and nodded.

"Forgive me. I just realized that I... Need to apologize to some people." She followed again, not questioning where they were really going at all. It was chilly out, and the paved street gave way to first loose rocks and then bare dirt not half a mile from the end of Benton. They didn't chat as they walked, but after a while it was clear that the woman with her was getting tired.

"Would you like to sit for a bit?" She had a Fast Carriage with her, but didn't want to risk getting it out until closer to dark. Her flying away might just alert people to the fact that a spy had been there, and that would be a little too generous on her part. True, she'd left the Count alive, but only because he'd thrown in with the traitors so fully. In most areas the troops had all been dying off from the Gray Plague, but for some reason her little brother Timon hadn't seen fit to hold the healing amulets to fix it back from this place too. She was certain it wasn't kindness. She'd have to ask though, because nothing else made sense to her.

"Oh, thank you, dear." She didn't stand on ceremony, just walking off the road a bit and sitting on a patch of ground that didn't look too soggy. "Oh! My manners... I'm Carol. Carol Coltress. Baroness, even though that's probably too hard to believe. I think..." She stopped dead and sighed, but Tiera just sat next to her, close enough to listen, even if she did sound insane.

She nodded a few times, trying to get the woman to go on.

"I... think that the Wizard Tor put a spell on me, to change me into this woman. I look like our old nanny, Nan. I don't know
why
though. I mean, I
had
insulted him, which might be the reason, but it seems like a lot of work. He
could
have just told me to apologize. I hadn't known that he was, well,
him
. I also might have mentioned something about the man being only good enough to lick the Queens nether regions..."

Grinning suddenly she let her eyes cross and then stuck her tongue out, making a face that looked like something a tiny child might do for fun.

"Clearly I needed to be better informed. If I go to him and beg, do you think he'd fix it?"

Tiera debated drawing things out and having a big and comedic reveal, but then shook her head once. It got the woman to give her a hard look, but she didn't explain for a few moments, trying to plan her actions instead of just floating along like a loon.

"It wasn't Tor. It was Count Lairdgren. He's the Green man of legend, did you know that? Most nobles don't get that about him, since he's so short."

There was a moment when nothing happened and Tiera triggered her shield, just in case the woman decided that she was a threat, or needed a beating. Instead she just sighed.

"I'm hallucinating all this, aren't I? You aren't really here and my mind has finally broken from the strain. Well, that's something at least." She poked at her own face, and then laughed a bit, sounding like something was actually humorous in the situation. "At least you're a pretty enough vision, if that's the case. Should I just follow you or what?"

Tiera rolled her eyes.

"That's a bit silly. This is all real and we're both here. I was just sent to get you, so that I can return you to your life. By the way, this is
all
about you having hired those people to torment Bonita, nothing else. It never was. If you want things to be normal again, I suggest you find her first and pound your head on the floor for a while. She might beat you a little, or possibly a lot, but you kind of deserve it."

"Bonita? But..." She shook then, her whole body shivering, as if she were simply too cold to go on. It wasn't that bad out of course, since Morris was pretty far south. The sun was starting to set, but it was still warm enough their breath didn't show in the air. It wasn't that then, but something emotional.

The conversation stopped, and Carol acted for all the world like Tiera wasn't there at all. It was a strange reaction, so she waited, planning to just the leave the woman shaped burden if she gave her any trouble. It
was
perhaps a bit much to make her whore on the streets for crumbs of bread, but it really wasn't her job to take care of this. Other than it was a family matter for her, in new and strange ways, since Bonita was set to marry her grandfather in a few weeks.

When it got dark enough, she pulled the correct amulet out of her top and took it from around her neck, hitting the sigil on the front that looked like a glowing horse. It called the whole thing into being instantly, and without discernible sound. It was a nice purple and gold color at the moment, but she changed that almost instantly, making it just about the color of the night sky.

"So, I'm off to the Capital. Would you like a ride? I swear this is all real, and not a trick. I'm Tiera, by the way. Baker. Tor is one of my brothers. Hence me getting one of these things to travel around in. I'd take more time, but my school break will be over in two days and..." Explaining felt like far too much work suddenly, so she let a smile she didn't mean cross her face. "If we're going to get you to all the places you need to in order to properly grovel, we'll have to hurry. Remember though,
I'm
the one that likes you. If you don't do what I say, at least well enough, I'll kill you and have done with it. No one else will give you that much of a chance."

That wasn't a happy thing to mention, but was both honest, and got the woman to walk to the craft. She needed help getting in, but just sat in the back, looking down the whole time.

Finally, as they passed through the air at thousands of miles per hour, at least nearly that fast, there was a soft voice from the back.

"So, this is really all real and I'm not insane?"

"Well... It's real. I can't tell you how your mind is doing, and you have been acting a little off. I'm not a wizard or anything. I just kill things." And then, if she were lucky, once the right people were gone, she'd join them in death.

It was a dark thing to think and one that she tried to hide from everyone, but it was her long term plan. She was going to kill Sandra Morris for murdering her girlfriend, then do the same to her father, for causing the things that led to that.
Then
, if she didn't take a cutter to her own throat, she had to figure that the Morris heir would. If nothing else she'd hire it done.

"You've killed people?"

"Yes. In the attack on the Capital, along with Tor and some of my school friends. Count Morris and some traitors used Austran weapons, very powerful ones, to try and kill most of the other Counts and Countesses. We killed most of their forces. I killed... I don't really know. I think it was about a thousand though, more or less." It hadn't troubled her at all and didn't now, talking about it. She knew it should, but she wasn't concerned about those men and women. They'd been helping a monster and that was enough of a reason to take their lives. It did occur to her that the woman next to her might just think she was lying, to make herself look good. She wasn't, but it didn't matter.

Carol's words were surprising though.

"I have family that might have been there. My daughters and husband. I don't really love him, but... Duty and all that. It..." She took a huge, almost gasping breath. "When we married, my father... It's really too hard to explain, but he hates me, my husband. Even from the start he did. I was forced on him, and he always resented it. For my part I thought that my way with men and good looks would make up for that, but he loved someone else and had to leave her. Divorce. To stop my father and his friends from going to war with his. Then... I didn't want my children not to gain from it, but he already had daughters. I wanted Bonita and Collette to get out of the way, so that my two would have a chance."

She sat for a bit then and finished by growling a bit.

"Except that Ginger was murdered. My only living child, Maria, hates me. I doubt that she'd take me in, after this, either. What am I going to do? I have no one, do I? Even if, by some miracle, they would take me, I look like this. No one would know me at all, would they?" There was a bit of crying to her voice, and she shifted a bit. It was pretty clear that she intended to throw herself out the side of the craft, but the doors didn't open like that. There were no handles or knobs, you had to think the command to the craft for it to work. Luckily most people didn't know that, so she just grasped at the wall, helplessly.

"Oh, that. It's just a disguise amulet, set to look only like that. I can turn it off for you." She didn't have to do a lot to make that work either, since there was no shield in the way. She just thought the command, focusing clearly enough, and the woman transformed instantly. It still wasn't a great sight, since she was dirty and ill kempt, but her face smoothed a lot and took on a new shape, that was prettier by far than the long horsey one that she'd had before. Her hair lightened and the gray vanished. Tiera didn't stare, since she had other work to do, but the eyes would be blue, she thought, if she could see them. After a second she made the wall next to the woman into a mirror, so that she could see for herself.

"Ah! I'm... me! Again! Thank you!" There was no attempt to hug her or anything, but there was a bit of happy sounding crying.

After it calmed down a bit, Tiera nodded, leaving the mirror in place.

"Remember though, If you mess this up, I won't help you. I'll leave you alone to face whatever is coming. Do what I say and... Well, I can't promise that it will work. People know what you did, and a lot of them hate you for it. All I can do is set it up so that you might have a chance. Just... Don't be stupid? Beg
everyone
for forgiveness and make it work. I wasn't kidding about Gerent needing a house woman however. I don't think he has anyone yet, at least." That was a bit of a plan at least.

Tiera didn't know for a fact that it would be a good one, since Carol Coltress was pretty vain and held herself above everyone else and her new brother was a midget. A real one, not just a short man. He was getting taller too, or should be, so that wouldn't be something that lasted forever, but the lady next to her could make an issue of it, if she weren't really going to try.

"Oh? I... Can sew and cook a bit. Clean too, I suppose. I spent more time with household management, as you might imagine. Is that going to be enough? I don't know if anyone would take me in, so something like that might be the best I can do. Do you think it would help if I slept with him?"

That was a good question. She didn't really know the answer at all, but nodded anyway.

"Why not suggest it? Once you get cleaned up, I mean. He might be a little shy, he's very kind and gentle, but short. A midget. Is that a problem for you?" It was better to have the woman express that now, than with the man himself facing her.

"I can't see why it would be. We might need some pillows or something to make the heights match..." It wasn't said with any ill feeling to it, there was just a bit of practicality to her tone. Almost as if she was claiming that would be the only problem that might exist at all.

Maybe it was now? If she'd been taking the clients that the regular streetwalkers wouldn't, in a middling sized town, she might not be as picky as all that. Gerent was clean and a good man. She could do worse.
If
he wanted her around at all. That wasn't a given. After all, he was decently bright as well.

"Good. I won't go into all of that, but he might be your best shot at impressing everyone, so I suggest you don't abuse him. The last people that tried that had their arms and legs taken and their genitals shaved off with a cutter." She smiled, which probably didn't show, even in the glow of the purple river... Which someone had made all red and green in alternating colors. There was a smaller river going from the water to what seemed to be a walled dwelling on the East side of the city, that hadn't been there the last time she'd seen the place, less than a month before.