A Simple Darkness (The Young Ancients: Tiera) Page 17

  "Tiera Baker, Timon is my younger brother. I'm a girl. Don't let the hair fool you."

  The old woman looked at her but nodded after a second. "Thank goodness. No boy should have to suffer being that fine featured. You look just like Laurie. I helped raise her, you know."

  Tiera hadn't, but the other two still looked like they expected a fight to break out. It was a bit of insult to get that wrong, but the lady had recovered well enough, Tiera thought. She wasn't wearing a dress or anything after all and Tim was said to be young. She looked younger than her years and was even smaller than her younger brother now.

  "Tim looks decently manly for twelve. Tor is a bit fine that way, so if you've met him I could see that being a reasonable thought." It was a throwaway line, but the woman nodded.

  "Truly lovely though. I always liked that about Burks. Oh, Countess Cannor, as you might have guessed. These two are my heirs, Gemma and Gerald. Squires already."

  That got a tilted head from the boy, who looked fit and tall, being over six feet. His sister was shorter, but still about five-nine. They were both blond and attractive enough. Apparently something like her adoptive relatives too, if the Countess had helped to raise her mother.

  Tiera didn't even have to rush them into loading up, the boy doing it for them all, faster than he really needed to. That meant they got to have a light breakfast before they started, and they still had Countess York not fifteen minutes later, so they took the trip down to Printer at a slow pace. It was longer than it had to be, but not so much that it was noticed overly.

  Printer had a different look to it, with a lot of stone and focus stone construction. There was a nice compound to the west of the place, but Karen pointed toward the coast.

  "There, that castle is the right spot. I don't know what that other place is. It's been about a year since I've been here, which isn't good. I should have been around to visit."

  The reason for that being a problem became clear when they landed and Countess Printer came out. She wasn't a grand beauty, but had a nice lean form and a slightly long face with big lips that looked warm when she smiled. When Karen climbed out though the woman threw decorum to the wind and ran to her, taking her into her arms and dancing around a bit.

  "Karen! I've meant to look you up for ages. Are you going to the Council as well?" The words were slightly strange sounding, but she didn't mention why that would be.

  "Hello Holly. No, I'm playing guard for the Fast Transport line this week. Working up at Lairdgren with Kolb, mainly trying to keep this one out of trouble." With a head jerk she indicated Tiera. "Don't be fooled by her looks. She nearly managed to take Kolb, while he was wearing a shield and she wasn't, the other day."

  Tiera snorted and shook her head, but didn't say anything, until Countess Printer looked at her, as if curious.

  Then she gestured to the craft, loading the woman's two trunks in the back. If the other people had a lot more then they were going to have to make the whole thing grow. She didn't have anyone else with her at least, so that was easier.

  "Don't believe her. It wasn't close at all." She didn't explain anything more than that, since Karen grinned about it and Holly just nodded, clearly understanding it all without being told.

  Introductions didn't take long, since everyone inside knew each other already and Countess Printer moved with quick movements as if they were on a tight time schedule. So far they'd made very good time in fact and they had an hour to get to Morris and pick him and his people up.

  Then the whole lot would be delivered to various places in the Capital, and the next load would be picked up. So far it was all going fairly well. Until they got to Morris, in what was supposed to be the right place, but had no one waiting for them at all. Holly sighed, loudly, but she didn't say anything. It wouldn't due to say disparaging things about the man in his own County after all. Tiera finally went to the door and knocked, not certain that the small but well maintained palace was the correct place at all. It wasn't tiny by any means, and had a nice high wall, but it wasn't even half as big as what the King had. Or her own brother.

  The well dressed man at the door looked at her as if she'd come to sell them something and actually started to tell her to go away, before she could even speak. She made a face, raised her eyebrows and put her hands on her hips by old habit.

  "Fast Transport Service, here to pick up Count Morris and his people. If this is the wrong place, let me know, otherwise... we have a time schedule. We're supposed to leave at noon. It would be rude to keep our other passengers waiting, but since you were already rude to me, I can't help but expect that's your way here." It came out a little more snotty than she intended it to, but the man bristled in a way that seemed just a bit outside of what was really needed.

  "Well! I don't believe that the Count does business with ill mannered gutter snipes! Go away now, or I'll call the guards and have you arrested." He waved his hands then in a way that seemed fussy and a bit like he was suggesting she might smell.

  She grinned instead.

  "Alright. Please tell him that you sent his transport away. We're busy and won't be sending another one, so he'll need to find alternative means of getting to the Capital." She felt like backing up her words with a few kicks to the groin, but the man wisely slammed the door in her face instead. It offered him a nice solid wall of protection.

  Without waiting, feeling ready to fight, she forced herself to take a few deep breaths and climbed back into her craft, Karen looking almost as upset as she was, and Holly laughing into her hand in the back. Countess York, who had a very white face that was as smooth as china didn't look happy about it at all. Squire Gerald however caught her eye and made a face.

  "I... Sorry, miss. Please allow me to see to fixing this? I can see how that reception might be very off-putting to you, but the Count truly does need to be at the Capital on time, or it's considered treason. I'm certain his man was just..." He shook his head and muttered something which got his sister to agree with him.

  Countess Cannor looked away, but Holly had heard it and nodded.

  "Perhaps drunkenness is the reason? Or, who knows, people have off days. We shouldn't get the man fired over this, if we can help it. Here, I'll go with you Gerald..." That got them going back to the door, Tiera going with them, since it was her job for the day. Besides, she didn't know how anyone else was armed, but she knew what she had. Karen moved up behind them, but the other three stayed in the vehicle. This time after they knocked a very nice looking and fairly young seeming dark skinned woman answered the door. She had a look that said she smiled a lot, and her eyes warmed when she saw everyone.

  "Ah! You've come already, we were told that you may be a little late, since you had several people coming first." She bowed to Holly and smiled at the rest of them. It wasn't strictly proper, but it was close enough that Tiera wasn't worried about it.

  Countess Printer let her eyes crinkle a bit.

  "Countess Morris, so good to see you. Not to be a pain, but your door man seems to have insulted our pilot and sent her away. Squire Gerald here begged leave to come and smooth things over, so that you won't be held responsible for treason when you can't make it to the Capital on time. Perhaps you'd like to see about repairing that?" Her voice was kind and mild, nearly sweet when talking to the lady in front of them. The woman seemed to nearly panicked then and ran into the house, calling out loudly enough that several armed men surrounded them, coming from the sides.

  Tiera activated her shield with a tap on the front of her tunic and dug out her explosive weapon. When she glanced around the rest of them had all done similar things as well. Including the Squire. Everyone faced outward then, almost as if it were planned, ready to fight, even as the men started screaming at them. That didn't last long, since an older man ran out, waving his hands a bit wildly.

  "Stand down! Demons... Don't start a war men, these are friends, just a little misunderstanding. Stand down." He bowed, his nice blue suit looking real, but very fine and as
if it was designed for heavy travel. "Countess Printer... and... you."

  The funny thing there was that he was staring at Gerald, not anyone else. He looked nervous suddenly, as if the boy were about to actually hurt him. To his credit the man relaxed when the Squire put his weapon away, doing it slowly.

  "Count Morris, sir." He bowed low, though no one else did. "There seems to have been a slight miscommunication? Our Pilot came to retrieve you and was told, a bit harshly, to remove herself, under threat of arrest? I'm certain it was a simple error, though calling her a gutter snipe might have been slightly too much." He winced when he said the words, leaning in a bit, even though they could all hear him.

  The man froze and got a strange look on his face, one that told them all that he really couldn't believe they were making waves over a mere pilot. Not everyone could control their faces though, and she wasn't going to judge everyone on each stray thought they had. It wasn't until he started speaking that she let her anger turn on the man himself.

  "So? She's a servant. I don't see why there should be an issue here." He stared at Tiera then and sneered a little, moving toward her with a single step. "Now, go sit in your carriage and wait on us. We'll be along when we're ready and there will be no more talk of leaving us behind. This silliness is ended now." He seemed to think that was enough for some reason.

  Tiera smiled and took two steps toward him, then a third, putting herself in range of him for a nice kick to the groin. She was just about to shift her weight for it when she noticed that Countess Morris was behind the man, kneeling, her head on the ground.

  "Forgive us! Please... This situation... It... Forgive us please!"

  That annoyed the Count and he pulled her up, a little roughly. "Stand up. We don't have to worry. Nothing these people do here will cause us grief. This is my County. My word is law here."

  Tiera felt her chest tighten, anger wanting to pour out all over these people, but she just nodded instead and walked, stiffly, back to her craft. She was most of the way back when the man made his big mistake and spoke again.

  "See dear, the common class is fit only to lick clean our boots."

  She got behind the controls, and waited for everyone else to get inside, then carefully closed the door, and left. No one said anything for a long time, but finally Squire Gemma chuckled a bit. "Um, is this a good idea? He is a Count after all."

  Tiera didn't speak, her lips compressed in fury, going white around the edges. She tried to keep calm about it and focused on doing her job. That... thing, didn't deserve her efforts, she decided. She wasn't going to be insulted and then still help the man. It was all she could do to just get them back to the Capital. She dropped everyone off and no one said anything to her in particular, not even Karen.

  They got more baskets of food and managed the next pick-ups in time, not having lost too much to the earlier events. It still bothered her, but it also wasn't her responsibility. Count Morris was an adult and had chosen his own path. That it wasn't a very good one was all on him and not her responsibility.

  It took a while to get everyone situated, but the whole thing was easier after that, with no one saying more than that it was a pleasant day, thanking her for coming to them as she was. She liked them a lot better, and the Count in the group remarked that she had pretty eyes. It was a little forward, but it made her feel like someone actually cared enough to be polite to her.

  He was an old man, as in truly old, nearing the age when he needed to plan for his own death soon. His voice had that tremor that meant it wouldn't be too much longer, a decade or two at most and then he'd fail. Still, he didn't let that stop him, which made her kind of proud of him for some reason.

  "Are you looking to marry soon dear? I've been seeking a new wife for my dotage. You'd get to be a Countess..." He smiled when he said it, but she shook her head. It was the residual anger at Morris, but she answered him a little too bluntly.

  "I wasn't planning on it. Still, if you want we could get together, if I get some time off? I'm not very experienced, but maybe you could show me some tricks in the bedroom?" She was actually trying to seem like she wasn't a total commoner, but Karen glared at her as if she were being crude.

  The Count, Overland, laughed and clapped his hands once.

  "Ah, if only you weren't putting me off. There was a time that young women didn't you know... Of course I was young back then too." He sounded calm about the whole thing, but she shrugged.

  "I wasn't putting you off. Sorry, I know I sound funny, I... had a bit of a fight earlier. With Count Morris? Anyway, we should at least have dinner or something." She was trying not to be a Doretta, but Karen was still glaring and finally pushed her arm.

  "Sorry, I should have introduced you two. Count Overland, this is Tiera Baker. Conserina Lairdgren? You two are related aren't you?"

  The man laughed then and winked when Tiera looked over her shoulder, shocked.

  "Dodged that one then, didn't we dear? Yes, my family does have some ties there. Nothing too close, but enough to make marriage out of the question, certainly. Well, I still have to say you're a delight Miss. How about you then?" He switched immediately to Karen who actually gave him a considering look.

  She smiled about it though.

  "I might consider marriage, but as to the other..." Then she shrugged. "Why not? Schedule permitting I mean?"

  The others with them seemed to be very concerned about something, but Tiera wasn't certain what it was, until they let the older Count off at his Capital house, which was a decently large and nice place. Karen ran to him and helped him with his trunks, then lingered inside for a bit. When she came out she whispered to Tiera, loud enough for them all to hear.

  "We arranged a meal in a week. He's a nice man don't you think?" That got the Countess and her people in the back to smile.

  Had they thought that they were playing with the man? It was clear they had been thinking the worst, but she'd meant it and it was clear Karen did as well.

  Countess Fallen nodded and spoke loudly, "indeed dear. He's been a favorite of mine for decades. He actually is very skilled in a certain fashion. I recommend you inquire on your date. It will be well worth your time." There was no rebuke or anything, just the recommendation. Then she kept speaking. "As for you dear, you should consider my nephew, Erid, if you have the time."

  The boy in question was tall and looked about twenty, he had a thin and bookish look, and blushed when spoken about.

  "Aunt Madrid..." The tone was the kind of thing that she was used to hearing from her sister Terlee. That painful kind of thing that said a person just didn't want to be noticed. He didn't say more either.

  Tiera had to pay attention to the road in front of them, but when they got to their house she helped them unload, and waved to the boy before he could get too far away. He didn't stop to talk to her, but did wave back and smile at her, which was nice.

  When they were headed back to Timon's, Karen sighed at her.

  "I was afraid you were going to tease Count Overland. Normally there are allowances for that, but he's been looking for a wife for years and doesn't have a lot of time. I feel sorry for him to tell the truth. It's hard to get a second wife as a Count, if you already have heirs. Though he could marry a low ranking girl and set her up, that would work and no one would say much about it. After all, they'd both benefit from it. I'll suggest it to him, if I decide not to see if he wants me. He really is a pleasant fellow."

  Tiera couldn't tell if the other girl really meant it or was just willing to be polite about it, no matter what. It probably didn't matter, not really.

  "I hadn't thought about being related to people in noble circles before. How did you know that?"

  She shrugged and started to relate a long list of noble heritage, off the top of her head, counting on her fingers as she did.

  "I had to learn it from my tutors when I was a girl, before I was allowed to go off to school. Luckily I was the ugly one, so my father let me go. Heidi wasn't so lucky. It
... wasn't a good situation. It was so bad that I plotted to kill him myself. I mean I was actually going to sneak in and do it, even if it meant dying. I didn't have to though, since after the trip to Afrak, well, he died in that flying accident."

  Tiera nodded. She didn't know what it all meant, but it had to have been a bad situation. Tor had married Ali to protect her from that man after all. She couldn't imagine how bad it had been, really.

  Rather than tell her, Karen just directed her toward the palace gates, keeping the vehicle in city driving mode. At first she didn't get why, but Karen shook her head a little and sighed sadly.

  "Well, you kind of declared war on Count Morris, if not his County. I'd be surprised if he doesn't call for your death. Of course, he didn't know who you were, so it will depend on how he responds to the news really. If he has half a brain he'll get on the communications device and beg you to come and allow him to apologize in person. If not he should at least declare war on you personally so that he can bring in his full force against you. That would turn into a mess, but at least it would make sense on paper at first." The giant fighting woman pulled one of the baskets from the back and ate a roll, plain. Almost as if she just wanted something to do.

  "What do you think he'll do?"

  "Honestly? My guess is challenge you to a duel. It's the worst thing he could do at all, but he isn't known for being sensible. He's Sandra Morris' dad, if that helps you decide not to just kill him. Seriously..."

  Then there was a ten minute critique of everything that Tiera had done wrong in the situation. The first part of it was not using her title when she went to the door.

  "That butler would have acted differently if you'd done that. As it was he'll probably be put to death for the slight, once it's learned of. Not that he shouldn't learn some manners, but that seems a bit harsh. I mean, clearly you aren't some gutter child, but you were offended by how he spoke to you, so you were hard on him and he didn't realize that it was a problem, so took offense himself. I guess it comes down to how you think of his honor, doesn't it? He was rude, but that's just a personal thing, between the two of you."