A Simple Darkness (The Young Ancients: Tiera) Read online

  She didn't speak, just trying to figure out what to do next. She was at war again after all. Possibly against her own brother. Moron. You were supposed to back your family in emergencies, not strangers.

  She put clothing back on, and noticed after a bit that Tor was following her.

  "Go away! You aren't my brother anymore. You helping them is the same as if you attacked me. This was an act of war and you're supporting my enemies." She knew that he stopped walking, but a few seconds later he panted up, jogging after her.

  "Stop being stupid Tiera. It was an awful thing, but no one was trying to start a war with you. We don't know that Sandra had anything to do with it. I keep saying that, but you keep ignoring me..."

  It was clear that he just wasn't going to allow himself to understand the reality of the situation. It had been an insult. It was Tor's way to just take things like that in the main. Not hers. She sighed and shook her head, letting her own steps falter for a few seconds.

  "No. Listen to me. You think that I'm being unreasonable, but this was an attack and my friend was harmed by it. I know that you believe that you're right and I'm wrong, but it isn't the case this time. When people attack you, it only makes sense to defend yourself. I have the right to self defense and since Sandra doesn't have the right to attack me or even enjoy someone else doing it, I have a right that no one can take away from me to stop her from doing it again. You need to back off or this isn't going to end well, Tor."

  Her brother didn't say anything for a long while. He just stood there, looking young and disturbingly pretty. She probably did as well, so to anyone watching the whole thing probably seemed surreal. Like two strange characters arguing over things that didn't make sense, in a dream.

  "Tiera... You will not go around killing people. Not if they aren't trying to kill you first. I'm your older brother and you have to do what I say. At least if I'm being reasonable. Do you really disagree that that's the part of reason? Even in this case? Sandra is a good person. She might be angry, but she didn't come at you with a new kind of weapon that would kill you instantly, but with a prank. If it was her at all. You destroyed big chunks of her County. She might even be under orders to have done it. You should have at least asked first, before taking it to violence."

  If it had been ordered then she decided to kill whoever did it, just to make certain it was all fair. At least she had a good idea where to look for Count Morris, didn't she? The Council of Counts would be going on for weeks longer. They had votes, and arguments to hear. Wars to mediate and start.

  Once that was done it would be fourteen months before the next one. It was a dumb way to run things, but that was the tradition, so it had to be done.

  She started walking again, not bothering to speak. Nothing she said would change her brother's mind and nothing he said was going to get her to calm down. Not until she killed some people.

  First she had to distract her brother and then find the ones that had wronged Reggie. An idea came to her then and she smiled.

  "Alright. I won't kill them. We need to find them however. Right now."

  She looked at him, smiling and meaning it, which he clearly didn't trust at all. It probably looked insane or something, but she didn't really care. The only thing that was needed at the moment was for her to find them all.

  Tor, of course, wasn't going to help. Even asking him to would be a waste of time. He couldn't , since, rightfully so, he suspected she was either lying to him or had something equally dark in mind.

  It was the second one.

  She found all the kids, huddling in the Headmaster's office along with Sir Kolbrin. He didn't actually huddle as much as stand between the kids that had come after her and the door, when she stood in it. She waved at him, smiling still.

  "Tor has asked that I not personally kill any of you for what you've done. Fine. You're all under arrest as of this moment. Sir Kolbrin, please see them all to a secure location. One not too easy to escape from please. We'll have a trial in the morning and see who's actually guilty. Then we'll see what the punishment for such assault is, won't we?"

  Everyone else looked shocked, except for Tor who seemed confused.

  "You can't just proclaim people arrested Tiera. That takes an official or something."

  She nodded, understanding what he was getting at. She'd been kind of surprised when she'd first learned about it all too. Not that the idea existed, they knew that, but that it applied to them.

  "Correct. But as Conserina Lairdgren, at Lairdgren school, standing in County Lairdgren, I can do that, can't I? It was a real assault and when I attempted to subdue these people earlier, others unlawfully got in the way. A mistake, since I should have announced my intentions more clearly at the time." Or, had better ones. This was a far more elegant solution after all. The penalty for assaulting a noble was harsh. Probably not actually death, she knew that, but there might be loopholes for Sandra, who she had stripped again to make sure she didn't have anything hidden on her, then gave her back her clothing amulet.

  It wasn't like she couldn't make other things, but she stared at the girl hard.

  "If you try to escape, or make a weapon of any kind, I'll kill you. I won't ask about it, or let anyone talk me out of it. Twice now you've attacked me and gotten away with it. No more. Do you understand?"

  It took about ten seconds of glaring but the woman, her brown eyes glaring down, answered firmly.

  "I understand you."

  "Good. Now, I'm not certain what the outcome of this will be, but I plan to preside over it myself. In the morning however. I have other things to do right now."

  Then she stomped out, not paying any attention to what was being done behind her. Tor stayed with them at a least. She stopped at his house and got Regina, holding her close as Ali watched. It was her front room after all, so of course she did.

  "I put them all under arrest. After Tor protected them. I was just going to kill them, but he and Sir Kolbrin got in the way. Tor's paying for the new tavern. If he would have left me alone there would have been no more than some broken chairs and benches. He knocked me through a wall. That was a mistake. It showed me that he's more willing to help my enemies than his own sister." That reminded her to finish healing all the way. It stung a bit, but wasn't too bad and a few minutes later she was totally well.

  Reggie was frightened, not knowing what would come of it all, and Ali went so quiet it was like she nearly wasn't there.

  The orange eyed and pretty thing in her arms whispered to her softly.

  "What's going to happen?"

  "Seriously you mean? Probably nothing that bad. I'm upset and it was a huge insult, but not physically harmful. It will be hard to prove actual assault. Most of them probably didn't do more than laugh about it. We'll find out their intent though and go from there. It didn't happen on the school grounds even, so they probably won't be tossed out or anything."

  Standing across the room Ali took a deep breath.

  "That sounds right. I don't want to see anyone be killed over this."

  Tiera nodded.

  "The only one in real danger would be Sandra Morris. If she set this up it was an act of provocation, which, since she and her father already cheated in a duel, and then surrendered to me in our little war, would mean that she's open for the death penalty for it. Only if she did it though." Tiera smiled, trying to make herself seem fair and reasonable. She wasn't going to falsely accuse the woman after all.

  It made Ali less than happy again, but she and the older woman were friends, so it would be natural for her to worry.

  It was very odd, but Tiera was so tired that she almost had to go to sleep, even if it wasn't all that late, it was only ten in the evening after all. She managed to get back to her own room, Regina with her, and tucked into bed before she couldn't keep her eyes open anymore, but it was a close thing. She didn't open her eyes again until nearly seven in the morning, feeling better, but a little drifty for some reason. Relaxed.

  Almost like
someone had put her to sleep or something.

  "Tor." She growled the name and got up instantly, figuring that it had to be him. He'd used some magic she didn't know about to make her calm down. Probably that thing that he'd made to use on the Larvals. If it was that at all. Well. That wasn't very nice of him. She walked directly over to his house, only to find it empty, or at least that no one was answering the door. "Alright. The next step would be to thwart me somehow."

  Stealing her prisoners would be the most likely thing to have done, but when she checked on the school cells, where they kept the bad kids that got in trouble, they were all there.

  She didn't even bother talking to them. If they weren't there, then that would mean... what? Who would Tor go to in a case like this? Count Lairdgren could overrule her, of course, and so could the King. No one else really had that power, legally speaking, she didn't think. She took a deep breath and tried to think past what was coming, but nothing jumped to mind. Her brother wouldn't have put her to sleep and then left like that if he didn't have a plan though, would he?

  One that he knew she wouldn't like.

  That just meant she had to hurry, since as long as she followed the law, nothing she did before orders to the contrary came could be disputed. Not that she was a legal expert. She didn't know who was for the area either. It was a dilemma, since waiting would probably mean that nothing got done at all. She had to struggle along, asking people almost at random as to who would be in charge of such things, which took until nearly noon. She was almost certain that everyone was drawing things out on purpose. Because they knew...

  Finally she went to the little school jail and was about to just start using a Truth amulet on them all when the Fast Craft settled right outside of the building behind her. Almost as if it had been waiting for her to take action. Tor got out, naturally, as well as Count Lairdgren and several of the Royal Guard. A second vehicle settled too, coming in behind the first slowly. A gleaming silver cube instead of a purple teardrop. Timon.

  She tried to hold her face still and finally just didn't bother at all.

  "Truth amulet. I'll have the facts in the matter first. If any of you try to stop me... Then I guess we all just fight, don't we?" The idea didn't frighten her at all. Not even the fact that she couldn't win. What she could do was take down the building behind her, which wouldn't give the kids inside any kind of chance at all.

  Two things happened at once then. Three really, but Tim wasn't going to physically try to stop her, so she ignored him for the moment. He was so smart, and more clever than she was by far, but he was still just twelve and wasn't likely to start a war just to protect some people he didn't know very well, who had already harmed his family. He was a good brother that way. Unlike a certain annoying wizard.

  Count Lairdgren spread his hands lightly, looking pretty bored with the whole idea, and next to him Tor shook his head, too hard for being in denial of what would probably be a small hearing.

  "Tiera, I talked to the King, he demands that you let Sandra go, unharmed."

  That explained the guard then, didn't it? Also why George wasn't there. She actually liked him and might have asked what it was he intended. He wouldn't have hesitated to try and kill her, but these others were already holding weapons. Poor ones from the look of it, that wouldn't do that much to her, or at least remakes of her brother's work, made larger for the hands of near-giants. It was hard for them to accurately control the things if they were too small after all.

  She gave a single slow nod.

  "I don't believe that's up to the King, is it? He can demand all day long, but if he sends his men in here to stop me from taking lawful action, all the counties would rise against him. He doesn't want that right now, does he? No... we'll have this trial. Bring them out please, one at a time."

  Off to the side Tiera saw Reggie, who looked terrified and cute all at the same time. She walked over to where Tiera stood, since for all the world, it looked like it was one rather tiny school girl facing off against the Green man, the Wizard Tor and six armed and aggressive Royal Guardsmen.

  After a moment it looked like all of those people versus two girls.

  They didn't stand a chance then, did they? Tiera took her friend's hand, but let it go after a man from town who she didn't know, brought them to her. Roland first.

  Roland Gala it turned out, the boy that had spit in her food.

  It didn't make her feel good about him when she realized that part of things. He put on the Truth amulet though and didn't seem that sorry at all when he spoke, even though, for all he knew, he was about to die.

  "I heard some of the others suggesting they do something the other day and realized that you didn't get who I was in class, so set up that part. Just getting you there, but it was fair. After all, I got in trouble because of you. Six black marks, just for putting you in your place. Hardly right."

  The rest were just as guilty. Well, three of them were. William Sorenson from singing class, who it turned out was Mark from the Lairdgren group's older brother. They were the sons of a landed Baron. The girl with the pitcher was just put up to it by William, and another girl that was in on it, but mainly because she really liked the boy.

  The others were mainly innocent, more or less. They'd known that something was going to happen, but not exactly what, which was why they'd all come. To see Tiera be taken down a peg.

  As if she wasn't already down far enough?

  "Fine, get me Sandra Morris. The charge here isn't playing a prank, but fomenting war. If she's innocent, then we can discuss the proper behavior of someone once they surrender. That's fair, isn't it Count Lairdgren?"

  It was his County after all. If he said otherwise then the whole thing was up, regardless. If he wanted to ignore the King, he could do that too. Any sitting nobleman could in their own area.

  The man shrugged, which hardly looked royal at all, but then spoke.

  "That does seem reasonable, don't you think Tor?"

  Her brother made his face hard though, as if trying to thwart her just to be a pain.

  "No... I... The King said."

  Tiera rolled her eyes just as Conserina Morris came out, and the man that held her arm gently lost control of her as she shrugged out of it, her face looking sour and grumpy.

  "Let go of me. What is this? I'm a Conserina and I demand I be let go at once, or else it will be deemed an act of war."

  Tiera felt her breath fall short. It wasn't what she'd really expected from the older girl, was it? Not that Sandra was weak, but she wasn't the kind to try and get out of telling the truth, was she.

  "If you fail to answer the questions, it's an act of war too. I think your response is a pretty clear indication of what's coming, but let's do this anyway, so that when the King complains at me, I have proof of your wrong doing, shall we?" The Truth amulet was dropped over the other girl's fuzzy hair, her face set as hard as stone. Since Tiera probably looked the same she let that part go, watching the white and yellow glow clearly.

  "Did you plan this attack Sandra?" Her question was simple and clear and the larger girl refused to answer at first.

  After she asked several times Tiera got her own Explosive Weapon out, making the Royal Guard all act as if she were suddenly committing treason. Sandra made a face and then turned her head a bit.

  "Yes. I did it. I planned it and I did it, because I hate you. I just didn't think you were smart enough to figure out who'd done it, to tell the truth."

  Tiera waved the others away from the other Conserina.

  "So, you were starting a war with me on purpose and you admit it to everyone present? This was a clear act of instigation, don't you agree?"

  "Well, not if you didn't know who'd had it done it wasn't. It was just a way to get back at you for all the wrong you've done to me."

  That one nearly started an argument, but she held her tongue.

  "Fine, Count Lairdgren, what's the sentence for people that instigate war here? A stern talking to? A spanking? Le
tting them go free and unharmed to do it again? You swore to me that she wouldn't be a problem. That she was a good person, but look at her... If she had a weapon right now I'd be dead, wouldn't I? Not that any of you would care." She glared over at Tor and made a face. "My own brother, working to try and get me killed. Shame on you Tor. You've grown so big in your own mind that you can't even see your own sister all the way down here in reality, can you? You wouldn't care at all if I were humiliated or killed, as long as it didn't threaten your precious plans." Her voice was calm again and she shook her head.

  He was doing it again, trying to calm her so that she wouldn't act correctly.

  "No. You will not use your magic to get her out of this! Count Lairdgren..." She was about to ask him what the punishment should be again, but he waved at Tor instead.

  "You heard her. Stop now." He held his forehead like it hurt and then looked over at Sandra, his face less than amused.

  "Clearly she doesn't mean you real harm Tiera. A container of urine, while an insult, isn't the same as a knife to the throat. It was wrong however and there needs to be punishment for it. Six days on a work crew sounds fair. See to that." He waved again to the jailer, who nodded and moved to let everyone go. It didn't seem like enough somehow, but Tiera tried to let that part go. Regina seemed happy enough about it, and nodded firmly to her, after giving her smaller friend a tight hug.

  "There. That should keep them from doing it again. No need to make a bigger thing of it than it already is." Her words were bright and almost cheery, though Tiera noticed something over her shoulder.

  It wasn't a huge thing, but the man that ran the little cells for the school was handing around boxes that held the belongings of people. Including the ones Sandra had. But, being a builder, she was always armed...

  "No!" She spun her body around to protect Regina, just as the explosive weapon came up. Most of it hit her and the ground, but the rest of the field lapped around her, taking anything off of her friend that wasn't protected by Tiera's body. Bloody shreds of the girl, bone, blood and flesh, rained across the ground, the hard stones suddenly slick and wet. Most of the right half of her head was gone in an instant and Reggie's body was blown out of her grasp, her shield making it too hard to hold her.