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

  There was a small smile on her face and then the large woman patted her shoulder again, this time letting her hand linger a little more.

  "I'm not normally into girls, as a rule. Plus, you have that whole Doretta reputation, so I wouldn't want to make any moves. You understand... so that I won't get hurt?" There was definite teasing in her tone this time at least.

  Tiera nodded.

  "Alright. I just wasn't sure what was going on. Karen told me I should just accept any overtures for now, so that I didn't mess things up I think. I've only ever even kissed one person. My roommate. My old one. Karen is in here with me now, to watch me I think."

  Chuckling a little, Petra leaned in and kissed her on the mouth. It wasn't a romantic kiss, and was a bit dry, but she winked after she stood up.

  "There, now it's two people. At this rate you'll be popular in no time. Two or three years, tops."

  They worked on Petra's make-up for a bit, a knock coming at the door a few minutes later. She figured that it would be Timon, but Karen was with him, so why would she knock? When she opened it, she saw that Sir Kolbrin was with them. Maybe she'd wanted to alert them, in case they had their clothing off or something?

  The man looked at her and nodded seriously.

  "Perfect. Now if only the rest of the first year students in my section would follow suit. Shields require it, but most try to protect their hair for some reason. It's the first test you know. If you hadn't at least taken it off to shoulder length I would have politely suggested that you be removed from the school. This is just about right however." He didn't ruffle the remaining fuzz, but seemed pleased enough with it.

  Karen agreed at least.

  "It was her decision too. We'll be able to run full combat scenarios for her in no time. After she learns to swing a sword without hitting herself, I mean." She fought a smile from her face, but Kolb nodded seriously.

  "Understood. Two weeks. We can't really afford to coddle her." He made direct eye contact with Tiera as he spoke, which was strange and slightly too intense.

  Her younger brother looked at Petra and gestured at the dress she was wearing.

  "Tiera's work? Good plan. You tend to overdo things a bit. This is nice and subdued. Here..." Without asking permission he reached out and touched the larger woman's side, just above the hip. It was almost a romantic looking thing and Tiera was about to scold him for it, but the dress changed slightly. She didn't get how, but it went from being very nearly perfect magical clothing to a real dress. It was a subtle thing, but she could see the shift.

  No one explained it to her either, so she used it as an excuse to pull her brother away, going outside, laughing slightly, as if it might be a secret. If that was the case he wouldn't have showed the trick to everyone, so it wasn't that.

  He didn't let her speak at all, looking around, his face deadly serious.

  "I added slightly frayed edges in a few places and some light wrinkling. Magical clothing tends to be pristine, so it doesn't seem real. As to the look I gave Karen earlier... She's big enough that I was reminded of Countess Alan for a few seconds. The meeting is secret, so I can't tell you anything yet. Was there anything else you needed to know?"

  There really wasn't, but Tiera felt a little like her brain must be stuck in a mud pit. She frowned at him and crossed her arms.

  "You could let me talk you know. Would it hurt you to waste ten seconds?"

  He stared at her for a bit, then shook his head.

  "No. I'm sorry, I was just trying to make sure we didn't leave everyone for too long. Shall we?"

  "Alright, but I hope you know that you're acting weird."

  "I know. I'll try harder to seem like a moron."

  She nearly hit him, but realized that he wasn't calling her stupid, he really just felt like that's what he had to do in order to fit in. For him it was probably about correct, wasn't it?

  "Good. Don't over-do it, just learn to let others talk, and, I don't know, only say about half of what you pick up from people, instead of all of it like that? It's too hard to connect to someone that knows everything about you all the time."

  They went back in then, without him saying what he planned to do, one way or the other. That was fine. She stood in front of everyone without speaking and changed into the outfit that Petra had designed for her and added in a few bits of fraying herself, and, as mentioned, two faint wrinkle lines, that would look like her gown had been folded to be packed away in a trunk at some point. Then she added a single, almost imperceptible scuff mark to her right shoe.

  That got a smile from Timon, even if the others didn't really understand why she was doing it. Then, she wasn't either. The fact was though, it made it seem like real clothing. It probably wasn't that important, since everyone at the party or meeting would be dressed just as nicely from the sound of it, but the changes wouldn't have been made on Petra if there wasn't a reason for it.

  It was frustrating, she realized, dealing with Timon. He knew things, but he didn't tell anyone what that really was, except on the surface level, which was annoying. He'd recount the details of your last meal and who you spoke to, seeing small signs that no one else would notice, and then not bother to mention that a monster lived under your bed, or something like that.

  Not that there were monsters, but... Well, it was a real point, he was a little tight with information already. She'd probably just made that worse too.

  They had some time before they needed to leave, the Headmaster not being available. She still didn't know why he'd be going, but no one else had questioned it at all. Maybe it was about trying to curry favor? She was kind in a bad spot with the man, wasn't she? Tiera decided to try and work on that. She didn't have a lot of coin for fancy gifts, but she could visit with him and try to make herself useful in her off times. If she was familiar to him there would be a lot less reason for him to simply send her packing. She hoped so at least.

  They took turns getting Karen and Kolb into proper clothing, which got the older girl to run out at one point, coming back with David, the boy from earlier in the day. He was even taller than the Knight, though clearly not that old.

  "Here, a date for Tiera. I'll go with Kolb and Ali... I don't know anyone that would fit there. Who should we bring along?"

  Timon shrugged, almost as if he didn't care, but then he spoke, his voice low.

  "Sam Builder? I think they're close anyway. Friends at least. He should be in on this. The whole Lairdgren group probably, but we don't have a good way of taking them all along. As it is I'll need to contact Terlee again. Let's not add anyone else actually. David can take Hardgrove's place. There are rules to these things. Alyssa will be fine."

  Tiera looked down as the tall boy stared at her, realizing that her hair was probably the issue. He bowed to her however and took her hand with a courtly flow to the gesture.

  "Would you consent to go to this event with me Miss Baker? If you aren't already engaged for it, or have alternative plans."

  It was, she realized, a very proper way of asking, so she smiled and bowed back a little.

  "I'd love to. Thank you for asking. It's most welcome."

  Instead of people ignoring the interplay, which was what should have normally happen, everyone nodded at her. Karen clapped her on the shoulder even, hard enough to rock her in place, but not push her over or make her shield kick on.

  "That's about right. Keep it up. We'll work on how to bow later. That wasn't awful, but in a dress you should probably curtsey. It looks better. Also, you could make more contact with him. Try touching his arm or something. Like this." She reached out, chin down, eyes looking to the side slightly and put three fingers on Kolb's arm. For all the world it looked like she was just trying to get his attention.

  That got Kolb to bow as well and ask her to the event, at least as well as David had managed. She made a full curtsey and accepted, batting her eyelashes just a little. It looked a bit strange on her, but Kolb didn't seem to mind overly, smiling with a look that seemed g
enuine enough.

  Tiera nodded, trying to remember it all. Then she reached out and touched her date's arm, smiling a little. He grinned back and gave her a slight bow that didn't seem ironic at all.

  The trip only took one of the Fast Craft and the whole trip wasn't a long one, so they set down at about eight forty-five, even if it was about two thousand miles away. It was what made the new kind of flying carriage so useful. You could go from one side of the land to the other in about an hour if you didn't stop or from the top to the bottom in about two and a bit. It made going off to the Capital for dinner a thing that almost made sense. She still had to be up in the morning, but since she'd be eating dried fruit in her room that would save on the wasted time of going to breakfast. As it was she was hungry right now, not having eaten that day. She didn't complain though. It wouldn't help anything and most of the people with her would probably just let her know that it was her own fault and that she deserved some minor discomfort.

  It made her dislike them all a little for a moment, even though they hadn't actually done anything. She let it go though, as they settled over Count Thomson's Capital mansion. It was a nice place, but not as grand as many there. That was mainly due to his family's tradition of not trying to compete with the others like some of the nobles did. They spent the savings on making a better life for their people instead. It made sense to her, but some of the nearby buildings really were finer looking.

  Not so much that anyone would feel bad about it though.

  As they climbed out they were met in the garden by Terlee, who came out the back door, followed by a stiff looking man in a nice suit of clothing and gray gloves, who seemed to be holding a stick, ready to defend her at need. It wasn't, but it was good to know that the people here were looking out for her.

  Timon nodded to the man, who seemed to recognize him, but he didn't take the craft down, ready to fly away if they needed to? That didn't seem likely though, did it? Tamerlane looked to be dressed for a royal visit, rather than just them, and seemed a little worried, though she wasn't hiding behind her hair. She made a face at the collected people that was a little hard, not all of them, just Karen, David and her...

  Ali fixed that for them instantly, stepping forward in her nice and slightly overdone dress that looked like pink foam, all made of lace.

  "Tamerlane! This is my older sister Karen. Conserina first now. Derring. This giant here is my brother Davie. Countier second." She didn't introduce Tiera of course, which got a slight frown from the woman, her black hair being waved out of the way.

  True, it was a little dark in the back of the house, but there were some magical lights. For a second she wondered if Terlee was just mad at her for something. If that was the case then they were going to have a fight, because she wasn't going to be scolded for the same thing over and over again. Especially not after she'd started trying to fix it already. There were limits to what she'd take, with a quick movement she crossed her arms, which caused two things to happen. First her older sister tilted her head and took a few steps toward her.

  "Tiera? You're bald!" She seemed to be worried about it even.

  Before she could answer the second thing happened, which was Karen gently touching her arm.

  "Don't stand with your hands tied up. If you have to fight you need to be ready. Keep that in mind at all times."

  It was Timon that explained things, even though he hadn't been told to.

  "It's part of her penance. She accidentally insulted some people at school. I hear she understood that she wasn't allowed to date certain people and that Count Lairdgren would have them executed or banished if they were seen with her too closely, so she managed to act the Doretta with them to drive them away. She gets it now and has apologized, but has to go though six months of humbling too. You know, first they shave her head, then she has to do all the low tasks for the school. The fighters are also going to beat her around daily for a while too, just to really make the point. It might work. Worth a shot." It was said with such a deadpanned voice that Tamerlane, Countess Thomson, Tiera's own sister...

  Bowed.

  "That sounds like the correct thing to do." She ducked her head at Sir Kolbrin then. "Please make sure she isn't harmed more than she can stand."

  The man didn't even crack a smile, just returning the gesture.

  "We hardly ever allow our students to be killed. I'll pass the word of your request, but I think she'll be fine, past a few bruises and sore muscles. Karen is working with her after all."

  That got the large woman a hug, since she was family and David one too, though it was a quick thing, barely making contact. There was some subtlety there, and something that she didn't exactly understand. Timon moved in beside her as they walked in, having seen the look on her face.

  "Think about it. She isn't related to David by blood. She needs to keep her options open there, so by not naming him direct family right off the bat, they can be lovers later." He sounded a little dry, his young voice deeper than it normally was. Not like a person that was aping greater age or anything, no it had the feeling of someone that just couldn't be bothered to add any energy to what they were saying. It was nearly as shocking as her little brother's words.

  Oh, it was clear he was right. She might be from Two Bends, but The Rules did mean people had a lot of lovers and things of that nature. It was just hard to think of Terlee doing something like that. Especially since David was there as her date. She felt her face go a little hard and she glared at her sister's back a bit as she moved to everyone else. The rest got various hugs and light touches as well. Petra was included as family as well, so at least her sister wasn't announcing herself interested in women too. That would have been too much to adapt to in the moment. Even if not socially wrong.

  It was a strange thought, since she also thought of Petra as being very pretty and was sort of interested in kissing her more. Just to practice for boys, of course. She didn't say anything out loud, but Timon looked at her and raised his eyebrows.

  Like he was reading her mind, except that she didn't think he could. Not yet.

  Inside the situation was a lot different than she'd figured. There was a vast table, one set for dozens of people. They were led to another room to wait, and one presumed mingle, though no one exactly told her what she was supposed to be doing. Most of the people were huge, of course, marking them as nobles, or high level merchants. She did recognize Sara Debri at least, which gave her one friendly face to talk to, so she started to wander over in her direction. The woman was dressed in a nice, if slightly plain dress that was all black and a little tight across the chest, and rear, but seemed to be that way on purpose, since it was clearly magical clothing, not an actual outfit.

  "Hello!" Tiera tried for cheery, even though most of the people in the place were a little gloomy for some reason, including the woman in front of her. It was odd, but when she checked over her shoulder the entire group she was with had followed her, as if she were in charge. It wasn't that though. She understood it almost instantly. Some of the others were just coming to connect with the blonde as well. Old friends it seemed.

  Petra moved in for a hug, keeping her cheek well away from Sara's, so that their make-up wouldn't smudge, even though at least the ship's Captain didn't have any on. Karen did something similar and Kolb actually pounded her on the back a bit. David held back, but bowed to her and Timon...

  He just looked a bit sad and nodded his head.

  That was a shock, since as far as she knew they were friends. Or at least Tim had been pursuing her for years, looking to get married. Since the first time they met practically. Sara was too old for him, except that wasn't really true, was it? If Karen was seriously trying to tell her that Sir Kolbrin was a good candidate for her, then Miss Debri shouldn't turn her nose up at her little brother. After all the ages were a lot closer there. Sara was what, twenty-two or so? Ten years older than he was, but at thirty that would hardly matter and by sixty no one would care. Of course he'd still look abou
t fourteen, so it would seem pretty strange to most people, but that was just what they had to deal with. She'd have the same problem eventually.

  Sara nodded back to the boy, looking a little hurt for some reason. Whatever had happened there, it didn't seem to have been all her fault. Or at least she wasn't acting like it.

  Tiera covered by moving in for a hug herself, since they'd met before. She didn't seem to recognize her though.

  "I'm..." She looked confused, but Karen patted her on the back.

  "Tiera Baker? She's at Lairdgren now. Fighter's section and maths, as unlikely as that combination seems." It came out as if it weren't something new, but rather what she'd been doing for years. That was nice, but wasn't exactly honest, was it?

  David moved in alongside of her, and she wasn't expected to speak, so at least there was that. It meant she wasn't making anyone else mad at her at least, even if she wasn't the center of attention. That actually seemed to be Sara for now, since it seemed that her tour was almost done in the military. She'd signed up a few years before, but only for two years, which was standard.

  The woman seemed happy about it, if a little lost.

  "So I don't have a lot to do. Next week I'm out, and need to find some work. I guess I'll go into the family business. Maybe see about setting up some new contracts with other lands? You can get me in touch with the right people, can't you Timon?" She went still then, as if expecting him to lash out at her, but he just nodded and seemed to be thinking.

  "Austra and Soam I think. I'm not welcome in Afrak anymore. We could possibly see if some of the other lands have things to trade as well. We have to barter for the most part, but if it's done cleverly there are things that can be done. No currency exchanges are available yet. Denno Brown in Austra is trying for one, but so far that's not going very quickly."

  She blushed a little and looked down at the floor.