The Dark Half of the Sun (The Young Ancients: Timon) Read online

  "Yeah," this came from the younger man, who looked to be about eighteen or so, standing on the left. "Master Tor opened it up for orphans, so they can learn to use compressors to make things from focus stone. Most of the building projects are done by the older kids right now. Each one is supposed to get their own rig after they finish training. It's a sweet deal for 'em. Except for the part about their being alone in the world I mean. It's a good work. Heard his missus come up with it. The wizard is paying the bills though, so we call it his, out of respect." The man didn't seem all that easy, talking to Timon, looking at him nearly as hard as the groups of passing children were.

  "I see. Well, can just anyone come in, or do I need an appointment? Part of my job is taking news around after all, and people in the Capital might just want to hear about this. Besides that, I'm curious to see what's changed." He waited, not knowing how military the whole thing was at all. If it was considered real training, he might just be asked to leave. He decided not to stay too long anyway. After all, he had things to get to and while the people here were fine, they probably didn't need his kind of people moving service. A lot of the slow transports still worked from here after all. Or had, he didn't see anything taking off or leaving at the moment. That didn't mean much really, since they could very well all be out working.

  The man on the right shrugged and waved him in.

  "No trouble, please. We run an orderly place here and don't want it to be messed up. So, no gambling, or hiring girls off the street, you want that kind of thing, or drink, go to the houses in the back set up for it." That part sounded rote and a little harsh. The man that said it blanched a little after a long pause. "I mean, uh, sir." That part came out a little bit late, but Timon didn't let it bother him. He didn't want people thinking he was annoying or anything.

  "Sounds fine. Is Godfrey still in charge here? Major Godfrey?" It was name dropping but his knowing that seemed to work well enough to get the men to stiffen up a bit more.

  "Yes, sir. Along the back wall to the left. No flying inside the city walls please and while use of Tor shoes is allowed, please don't travel faster than a quick trot."

  Tim nodded and didn't bother digging the correct amulets out, but did tap the amulet that would make his luggage follow him. He'd reworked them a bit, so they'd look like finely polished black wood with silver fittings. They got attention, floating along behind him, but the guards only looked a little, clearly having seen the trick before. They were on his list of things to learn to copy if he could, however, since Tor had never bothered to make enough of them for sale. They were kind of like the flying carriages, but less complex. Not the Fast Carriages, but the older ones that could only fly a few hundred miles per hour. They were good for getting around the city, floating low and moving slowly. His Fast Carriage could do that too, so it wouldn't be a big problem when he had to pick people up in various towns and cities. Right now he just walked, taking the chance to stretch his legs and examine things.

  The whole place was orderly, but a little light on fun. None of the children played at all, or raced along the streets. They all worked at something, even the babies that were being watched by older girls were working on something or other. Picking up bits of trash or planting flowers with exaggerated care. The whole thing almost felt more like a prison than anything else. Hopefully his school wouldn't be like that when he got there. True the kids in tan were poor and didn't have resources, but this couldn't have been what his brother, or his wife, had in mind when they started things.

  Timon didn't see much else happening in the place for a long time, until he happened on a soldier scolding a boy of about fifteen for not taking proper care of his clothing. The overall statements were correct, the boy was a mess, his knees dirty, his face showing a small bruise under the left eye and dirt in his hair, as well as on all his clothing. His face was hard under the grime and from the look of his clenched fist the soldier was about to find himself in a fight if he didn't back off a little.

  He walked over, looking up at both of the others, though the dirty kid a lot less than the military man and cleared his throat. Then he pointed.

  "Excuse me... This man has clearly been fighting, and if you look at his right wrist and hand, someone appears to have taken his compressor rig by force, look at the marks. Probably to sell. That about right?" Timon held up his hand rudely when the military guy tried to speak, as if he had a right to do things like that. It wouldn't work for long, but the young man nodded.

  "Yah. Took it right offer me. There'as three dem, big, miliboys. Black shirts. I can't say nor, or they'll have me kilt. I not have the rig-set by meal and I get the boot. Not the first this happened to. Nor on, I be the last." He looked down then, not throwing a punch, but not relaxing his hand either. His blond hair was too long to be fashionable, or much too short, depending on what he was going for. Then that, how he looked, probably wasn't a huge issue here.

  The military guy rolled his eyes and grunted, a disgusted sound.

  "They all say that. We get two or three of them a week selling off their equipment, then claiming some soldier took it when they get caught. Nothing to do but process them out. Too stupid to see that this chance is the best thing to ever happen to them and that going it a little hard and strict now will pay off later. Come on boy." He tried to grab the tan clad kid by the upper arm, but he took a step back, clearly afraid. "I said come on. If I have to take you to the duty officer with two broken legs I will."

  Timon tilted his head and finally shook it, not wanting any part of the whole thing. He was about to walk away when he saw the terrified look on the boy's face. It was a lot more scared looking than what should have happened, even if he was being kicked out on his rear.

  "Wait." His voice sounded resigned, even to his own ear. Like a spoiled little noble about to demand his own way, even if it was out of place. Since that was about right he decided to run with it. "Let's take him to Major Godfrey first. There may be something to his claims and if not I'll make sure the Major only yells at me. Let's go. Back this way?" He patted the boy on the back to get him moving, the soldier walking behind them, looking baffled about what was happening.

  "Stop... I really don't think we should bother the Major with something like this."

  Timon shrugged.

  "It's theft. The property belongs to my brother and this man is either a thief or a crime victim. Either way that makes it my business, and the Major's too. Let's go." His voice was too high pitched and young to be intimidating, but he didn't get any more arguments, nor did anyone try to attack him. When he got to the door of the command hut, which he knew was the right place, since it said so in big letters above the door in stenciled white paint, he pounded on the door. No one came for a while, but there was a rustling of papers inside. After another bout of pounding the thing slid open to show a tall red headed man with at least three days of beard growth, holding a bunch of papers. He looked grumpy.

  Major Godfrey, the base commander.

  He smelled a bit of liquor and like he needed a bath. Pretty badly too. When he spoke it was clear that the man was more than a little in his cups. That wasn't Timon's business, though drinking on the job wasn't allowed in the military as far as he knew. Most employers frowned on it in general, so that made sense.

  "Godfrey? Good to see you. Having a bit of a day?" It was pretty obvious from the way he stood, glaring at them all, as if he wanted to beat them for daring to knock.

  "Who the hell are you and why are you bothering me? Yes, I'm having 'a day'. Since these orphans have come we've lost fifteen thousand gold worth of equipment. Some of it military, belonging to the King and kingdom. If I can't find it, or at least figure out who's taking it, then I'm not just out of a job, I'll be lucky to get life in prison. So, yes, just a bit of a freaking 'day'." The words were growled for the first half, but went almost to normal for the second, giving off a defeated feeling.

  Tim gave a low whistle, a single tone that got everyone's attention.
/>   "Alright, bit of a problem. We have a victim of robbery here for you then. He claims that three military men roughed him up and yanked the compressor from his hand. Use one of the Truth amulets on him and we'll at least know a lot more than we did." Tim looked at the Major hard, wondering if the man was stupid or hiding something, not having just truth tested the last victims. With the new devices investigations had become a lot easier than they used to be.

  "This one will talk? None of the others would, I was told. All of them chose to leave instead, which is their right, as long as they don't actually have anything of ours on them. One of the rules. They aren't forced to be here. It's a choice."

  The next problem was, even though it was a handy thing to have around, no one there had a Truth amulet. Timon didn't either, but he knew someone that probably would.

  "I'll go and get one then. Can I get special permission to take off with a Fast Craft from outside? It will save a lot of time. It could still be a few hours, if not longer. Especially if I have to try and get the amulet from the King. You know how picky the Royal Guard can be about that kind of thing." He was joking, but the Major nodded, as if it was a thing that Tim had the power to actually do.

  "That's the truth, there. I could maybe get a gate guard to talk to me, but I doubt they'd let me in. I... haven't exactly been reporting all of the theft, trying to figure out who was doing it first. Still probably lose the command, but maybe I can avoid being drummed out. I'd appreciate the help, if you can do it?"

  Timon shrugged.

  "I can't promise anything except that I'll try, and come back as soon as possible." He didn't wait to be released, not being in the military, or under arrest, just walking to the door and wondering why he was wasting time on something like this.

  Other than it being the right thing to do of course. That part was important, but if he didn't get more gold in the next week than most people made in ten or fifteen years, he wasn't going to school at all. Not that year at least. True, he could try again the next year, but it would make him look bad if he had to crawl home to his parents, having failed.

  He had the craft ready, and got his gear stowed away again as fast as he could. There was no way to know how long it would all take, or what he might actually manage, so he flew straight up and then due south as fast as the craft would go with him at the controls, which meant he was over the Capital in a few minutes. Slowing, he looked toward the river, wondering if Tor's old house would still be there, or if Alyssa had moved to the Lairdgren place already.

  For all that his brother spoke out against waste and conspicuous displays of wealth, he certainly didn't shy away from them, owning three different homes like he did. The one at the Capital was still there, and looked radiant, as always. It was a vast thing that actually rivaled the Kings palace in size and made it look a little poor and shabby by comparison. It had changed since he'd seen it last, a few months before, but magical houses could do that. The good ones at least.

  He landed in the front, which had started to become an actual lawn, made of green grasses, trimmed to a very uniform three inches. It wasn't evenly thick yet, but it did look pretty nice. The space was big, but there was a stone walkway to the front door. He landed there, hovering a foot above it, at the edge of the lawn, and walked to the house itself after he got the craft put away again. At least he had cases that didn't fall to the ground, which was helpful. Otherwise they'd need to be unloaded each time he landed for any length of time.

  It took a minute to make it to the door, and he had to knock and then wait for the thing to open. For a long time nothing happened, but finally it cracked a bit, then got thrown open wide, the woman standing there smiling. Until she saw him. It was Collette Coltress, who was... Timon wasn't certain as to the relationship actually. His brother's girlfriend? Lover? They lived together part of the time, with Ali, so it was clearly complicated. He nearly just asked if he should hug her or not when she stepped toward him, doing it without asking. Apparently they had that kind of relationship then. Family. Or close enough at least.

  "Do you have news?" Her voice was strained and she didn't let him go at all, holding him closer in fact, almost like she didn't want him to give her bad news. That was fine, since he didn't have any. Not like that at least.

  "Hello Collette. No news yet. You?" It probably would have been the first thing she said, if she had anything, but it sounded like the polite thing to ask. Besides, the woman was connected. If anyone here knew anything, she'd be in the thick of it.

  "Nothing. Have you come to visit us then? Or..." She smiled again, it wasn't perfectly happy, but he really doubted that she didn't want him to stay with them or anything. They had the space.

  That meant it was something else.

  A thing that she knew and she was trying to feel him out about, to see if he did as well. Given his age and who he was, that meant it was about his family most likely. There were a lot of them, but only two in the city, Ali and Terlee. If they were in the Capital at least. It was the right time of year for his sister, being married to a Count and all. Timon wasn't, as far as he knew, fighting with either one of them and they wouldn't be arguing right now. No... there was something else going on. He just didn't know what.

  "A bit of both? I have an 'or' right now, but after that gets taken care of I could use a place to stay while I try to drum up business. You'll help me with that right? For the fast transport service?" He didn't know if anyone had mentioned it to her, but she actually clapped when he said the words.

  "Oh, is that starting already? It's been the buzz of the Capital for weeks. Alphonse and Karina have been talking it up in circles, I doubt you'll have to beat the drum very loudly to get things going. Pressing concern for funds? A new business? Another one I mean, if you need to arrange funds for it? If it's alright to ask, of course." She took his arm gently to guide him in, her dress brushing up against him as she moved closer than was strictly proper. It wasn't exactly way too close, but if he were a few years older it would have clearly been an indication that he should consider asking if she wanted to have sex.

  For her to be doing that at his age meant... Honestly it probably meant she was lonely. She smoothed the white lace of her clothing and swished a little as she walked, making her steps smaller than normal, since she was over six feet tall. About six-four he thought, compared to his five-two or so.

  "I'm in need of some golds. It seems that Tor mentioned to someone that I didn't need a scholarship, even though I won one at the new Printer school. It's seventy-five gold per year, plus expenses, so I'm scrambling a bit. Good to hear people are excited about the idea. Maybe I can raise the funds before the year will start? Then, if I can talk the headmaster into it, I can work on off days and evenings... I don't know. I'll figure it out... How are you doing?" That was what he should have said first, but Collette didn't seem unhappy to be asked, even if it was a bit late.

  "Scared. Worried about Tor. A bit about Ali too. Trice is off... working, she couldn't tell us what's going on, so business for the Kingdom no doubt. You didn't hear it from me. How about you? Other than the fact that I know Tor intended to pay for your schooling himself. He wasn't trying to undermine you, just to free up a scholarship for a person that didn't have rich relatives to pay their way. Speaking of which, you do have some of those lying around..." She looked concerned again, but this time her eyes focused on him, probing carefully.

  Tim just shrugged.

  "My parents offered to pay, but my mother and I aren't doing too well right now. Tense, more than actually fighting. I can see it as a trap, so I'm avoiding it. Count Thomson offered too... but I can't take his money like some kind of beggar. Not when I can just get my backside out there and earn what I need. At least that's what I was thinking at the time. Now I'm having second thoughts. Not really your problem. What I really need, at the moment, is to borrow a Truth amulet." They walked as they talked, the floor under their feet a very fine looking single piece of marble, polished to gleaming. Their feet ma
de the correct noises on it, but for some reason Collette made less noise than he did. Her shoes were soft slippers instead of boots like he wore. They were flat, but not hard enough to make a lot of noise. It was a good thing to remember, since he could do that too, if it was ever needed. Tim didn't even have to use slippers. Shoes or boots could be given a soft sole as well, which would make being quiet easier. Say if he had to leave the room while his roommate was sleeping? There had been a package of information suggesting that each person would have one, even though space wasn't at a premium, it being the first year for the place and all that. They wouldn't have a lot of kids, he didn't think.

  She nodded at him then, her eyes slightly wider than was really needed, feigning interest in what had been said. It was out of place again, but slightly flirtatious. Not over the top, but it wasn't anything he'd expect from her. It could just be that she saw him as a stand in for Tor, but Timon doubted that too. No, this felt like... intrigue. She was, in a very light fashion, trying to get him to like her, so that she could use him to some end.

  Like he'd fall for that?

  For nearly two years Tim had been out in the world, going from place to place. Some of those spots had nobles in them, and as his mother had always told him, in that world you had to be ready for nearly everyone to be plotting something. If you couldn't figure out what it was, that just meant it probably had something to do with you.

  In this case it could just be that he didn't know enough of course.

  "A Truth amulet? We have some of course..." That got her to go silent again, since they were closing in on a sitting room, one that held three other women. All were pretty enough, in their own way, though only one of them really got his instant attention.

  Sara. For half a second he almost stared at her, but remembered himself in time to not seem like a total freak, or a love struck puppy. His heart hardly pounded at all even. Looking around he noticed that there was a preponderance of blonde women in the room. It was his favorite hair color, but he doubted that they'd come just for him. Ali stood and ran to him, giving him a big hug, her ample chest pressing into his. She was a lot taller than she had been when they were in the land of Vagus a few months back. Nearly five-ten now, he figured. That meant she had to stoop a bit not to hit him in the face with her chest. She did it though, which showed that she was trying to be good in his brother's absence. At least with him.