Out of the Woods (The Coalescence Book 1) Page 8

  Without pausing at all, both of them walked over to the group of people standing there with Willum, waving a bit as he did. Then they all got to bow, which the Ysidril did as well. Dareg had a copper colored square on his front. That was different enough that Willum didn’t get it, until Aunt Tiera made a yellow triangle over her heart on her chest. It didn’t go with her dress at all. It marked her however.

  So, Willum focused, making a pine tree badge appear on his own front. He didn’t know why he was supposed to do that, but the squat seeming alien opened its mouth at him.

  “I recognized Queen Tiera. You are?”

  He bowed to the creature, since it was very easily understood. Everyone else did it too then, because when someone bowed, everyone did. It was the rule.

  “I’m Willum Baker. May I ask your name, miss?” It was clear that the alien was a female. Not that she had breasts or a dress on. Also, she just wasn’t old.

  Her mouth opened, happily. All four eyes were looking right at him then.

  “I’m Neesa. Ambassador to Earth, from the three fleets. Baker… I have met others with that identifier. Is that coincidental or does it have significance?” She seemed pretty pleased to have something to speak about. The truth was, he didn't know. It was a common enough name, he thought.

  “Which ones?”

  Neesa bobbed in place, her orange eyes bright and glistening.

  “Torrance Baker? Also one called Timon, who made food units for all of us new people. Also, Queen Tiera? She has that name as well, correct?”

  Everyone was watching them, but the alien was looking only at him.

  “Right. Tor and Tim are my uncles. Tiera is my Aunt. My father’s siblings.”

  “Ah! Uncle… This means that they are your father’s brothers? That is the male identifier? Aunt would be female?”

  Dareg smiled and looked away, but Willum nodded. After all, it would probably be hard to tell that kind of thing if you had people with only two arms and a measly two eyes.

  Hence him wearing a tree on his front. After all, it could be hard to tell people apart otherwise. Things clicked into place for him then.

  “Exactly. I’m a male, by the way. This is my father, Teral Baker. My mother, Maggie Baker and my brother Carlisle. Next to him is my sister Diana.” Then he went back over each of them, Diana blooming a bright sunflower on her chest. It clashed with the dress horribly, but Neesa lit up.

  “This is a wonder, meeting you all. Are you and Diana going to be working with our fleet? Dareg suggested we might have new people soon?”

  The words got Dareg to nod, interestingly enough.

  “I was thinking that we’d try for Clemance and Dumas, but cousin Diana would also be a good idea.” He sighed then, shaking his head as he looked at Will. “Maybe cousin Willum. I have to apologize to him more for earlier, before I ask anything of him. There was a small matter.”

  Will waved that away, trying not to make a big deal of it. Even if there was going to be mild scolding and a hard look or two later.

  “All of them would be wonderful for that kind of thing. Especially Dumas and Diana. Clemance is in charge of the transport system. I don’t know how much effort that takes. Do they go to the fleet?” He wasn’t certain that would work, but Neesa nodded, her mouth open in a smile again.

  “Yes. My younger sibling Erath is in charge of that for us there. It is very important. We need more units soon, I think?”

  That got Dareg to roll his eyes.

  “Right, right. I’ll get on that. Hess has me running around building cities right now. We need more people that can make them. Tor can do it, but he thinks that we should all be stepping up and doing more that way. Aunt Tiera, you can make those, can’t you?”

  That got a slow and drawn out snort from her.

  “As if I have time? No, we need to get with someone else for that. I think that Taman is coming tonight? She’s capable. More than I am as far as magic goes. Unless she’s busy. It can happen. She’s the Ancient of Soam after all.”

  More people were coming, which had them waved over, though several other groups were forming as well. They got to have the Heir to the throne of Noram, his wife, Abbey, her mother Queen Bumie of Afrak and the tiny Prince Benjamin. The boy was a nice dark color, but not the deep brown of his mother. He had a kind smile however, and instead of being uneasy about an alien standing there, the boy simply grinned up at everyone.

  He was probably about three or four, Will decided.

  “Hello! This is a lovely party.” The words were a bit stilted seeming, but no worse than Will had been using himself really. In fact, they were more polite. It wasn’t a bad thing to keep in mind.

  Everyone was introduced then, with Princess Abbey smiling radiantly at the new people. Then she spoke in Afrak to them.

  “It will be pleasant to discuss things with you this evening. Mother is most excited, by the way. It is fearful, but she has spent much time of late, pointing and grunting like a goat.”

  Instead of being taken to task for suggesting that, the orange eyed woman, who didn't look old enough to be Abbey’s mother at all, moved forward. She was in a lovely mint green gown with showed her dark shoulders. Nothing else however, so it wasn’t that improper.

  “This is simple truth, daughter. Is this one the man you selected for me? Willum? How much do you think his mother would require to purchase him as my new husband?” It was clear she was playing with them, though the idea wasn’t that strange to Will.

  He spoke in Afrak, hoping he had the accent close enough to be understandable.

  “Well, I think the going price in livestock in Pine Creek, that being our home, is five cows? The boy down the path was traded for fifteen sheep not long before this time. His sister, she went for ten cows, but she was very pretty, so that isn’t a fair comparison.”

  The Queen of Afrak laughed.

  “A bargain then! You already speak properly and everything. Also, you aren’t as over tall as some. Nothing against Alphonse. He’s a sweet man, but a little slow. Also ungainly in his size.”

  The words got her glared at a bit, if by Diana. She didn’t say anything at all. Interestingly Neesa nodded. Then she spoke in Afrak as well. Very well, as far as Will could tell.

  “True. The gravity here is heavy for me as well. Without magic I would trundle and move slowly here. It must be difficult to be as large as the giants of Noram.”

  That started an interesting conversation that lasted until Tor got there. He had a three-dimensional cube on the front of his jacket, as well as a rather pained seeming smile on his face.

  “Everyone. I… Sorry about being late. Trice decided that I needed to be yelled at for a while, before being seen in public with proper people like yourselves.”

  Tiera nodded, her eyes a bit upset seeming. She spoke in Afrak however, which it seemed everyone left in their little clutch of people could do. They’d lost most of his family, Count Thomson and Clemance. Dumas was right there however, near Neesa.

  Tiera growled a bit.

  “You and Dare have to stand trial. Luckily for you, Willum doesn’t seem to be taking personal offense. We’ll be discussing this later however. Now, Will noticed that the river on the wall is failing. We should get that fixed or replaced. Maybe with built in lights this time? I was thinking that we could have Willum do it.”

  That was news to him and likely a joke, though Tiera didn’t grin about it. The words triggered movement inside of Tor, which made Will’s entire body start to tickle. Being read, by magic. At least he thought that was what would be going on. He made a face, since he wasn’t certain that kind of thing was allowed. At least Tiera had found it annoying earlier.

  She grinned then, nodding serenely.

  “See? He can feel you doing that. You were even halfway subtle about it, too. We can talk about all of that later. Right now I think we’re about to be seated for the meal. Bumie, I think that you should stick with Willum for the time being. We’ll have a more serious meetin
g after we eat.”

  The small lady, with her dark skin and bright smile, as well as distinctive orange hair, stayed close to him then. They were seated very close to first, which was interesting to see. That part was going by rank, more or less. It meant they were near the top of the table, up by Count Thomson and Tamerlane. It was their house after all, so they were in charge. Even if Dumas had been the one putting things together. It would have been the same in Pine Creek though, so that just seemed correct to everyone.

  Queen Tiera was on the right hand of the Count, with her date for the evening, Carlisle, being right next to her. On the left of Aunt Terlee was Prince Alphonse. Queen M’Atumabumi was next to Carl, leaving Will one place down. A tall lady with blonde hair and a rather fortunate bust line was next to him, with Tor on the other side. The man got to have Neesa next to him. The other side of the table was more confusing, since he didn’t really know everyone there.

  The food came steadily enough, and was probably the best that Willum had ever even heard of. It was all perfect, in every way. He tried to keep up a steady patter with Queen Bumie, that being his job for the evening. Interestingly enough, several other people near them joined in, including the woman next to him, who smiled winningly as she leaned in to chat with the Queen. Pressing her breasts against his arm by accident.

  “Wonderful! You should come and visit Tor and I in Vagus soon? We’re doing some interesting things there, with magic. The mages are developing nicely. I’d be interested in seeing what we could do with living creatures, using our combined techniques.”

  If that made sense, Willum didn't have enough information to make it work for him, personally. Bumie smiled though, answering in kind.

  “That would be most welcome. We could steal Willum here away for that? I wonder, Willum, can you cook at all? Tend children, and other husbandly duties?”

  Tor choked a bit on his wine. Which simply wasn’t that, Willum noticed. It was fruit juice. It was possible to tell from the smell of it. He had something similar in his own glass. Not that he was a child. At first he’d figured that it was about his age, but from the scent, everyone around him had the same thing. It was good, as well as being served to Queens and Ancients, so he decided not to take it as an insult.

  His uncle looked away then, as Will answered. Honestly, since it was just a question. Though he got the idea that husbandly duties could have included secret bedroom things. He wasn’t stupid, but the Queen wasn’t going to bring that up at the table.

  “I grew up in a bakery, so have that skill. In the past few years I’ve been learning wood working. That and doing public works. Repairing the roads around the village, helping at planting and harvest time when needed. That sort of thing?” It was fairly humble stuff, but no one took him to task for it. Princess Abbey leaned forward and smiled at him.

  “Those are all good occupations. Are you considering a move to our land of Afrak then? A small part sudden, but mother was teasing you a while ago about marriage. I say calling her bluff might be a grand plan.”

  That got a covered smile from the tiny lady next to him.

  “Bluff? I wouldn’t be that crude, daughter. Willum would be more than welcome in my home.”

  He still had a sense that she might be teasing him a little bit. Not unkindly. Just like she didn’t really need a person like him that day. Not as a husband. Still, there was a bit of a cough from the other side of the table. A rather pale lady, who looked to be no more than his own age. If that.

  She was probably about five feet tall, and was sitting directly next to Benjamin. The boy had very good table manners. Also it was clear he was brilliant. The only small talk he made was remarking on how lovely the event was, and complimenting the woman next to him. Willum needed to be doing a bit more of that himself. Suddenly blurting out that the woman had darling eyes would probably end up with him being either locked up or married however, so he needed to go slowly there.

  He did let his arm brush the Queen next to him, however. Then, carefully he did the same on the other side, in case the woman there wasn’t leaning into him on accident. Tiera had schooled them all very carefully on purpose, after all. It was clear that this woman would be Tor’s wife. Alyssa, he thought the name was.

  The woman down the table shook her head a small bit however.

  “Patricia asked me to see to his education. It was going to be Tor, but matters got in the way. It will be fun. We’ll be living in Soam?” The woman, who had brown eyes and was about as pale as Queen Tiera, shifted languages suddenly. To Soamese. “You can speak the language there, correct, nephew?”

  He blinked, shifted mental speeds and mindsets and then nodded. Replying in kind.

  “I can, of course. It was part of my school lessons. I think that Dumas intends for me to also learn a new tongue? English? Something needed for the wedding visitors.”

  That got a big smile, when she spoke it was back to Afrak however.

  “That will be part of things as well. Very good. We should discuss plans then. If nothing else I could use a helper who is willing to travel. The people in my lands are kind and good, but traumatized by the last wars. As a whole they leave their homes only reluctantly. You’re good with running errands for me, correct?”

  He nodded, not replying, since the conversation switched back to Standard. The Prince of Noram seeming rather pleasant about the whole thing, even if he was missing most of what was being said.

  “I hear that Tenet is opening his new art display in a week or so? I was considering going up to Harmony to see it. It sounds lovely.”

  From the look on her face, Bumie wasn’t getting the idea, so Will repeated it in Afrak for her. She smiled then.

  “Art! Yes, that does sound lovely. A very good task for a man to be involved in. I didn't know that Prince Alphonse enjoyed that kind of thing. We should take him to see that, if he wishes.”

  Princess Abbey stifled a laugh, with Alphonse seeming a bit wary about what had been said.

  Will glanced at him then.

  “She said that she didn't know that you enjoyed art and suggested they take you. I’m not that certain why it was funny to Princess Abbey. Probably because you don’t need to be led by the hand? It was well meant, I think.”

  The Princess let her eyes light up then.

  “That’s the true feeling. Yes, we should all go. Perhaps Queen Constance and King Richard would like to attend as well? I always feel poorly about how they’re locked up all the time.”

  Willum got to translate for a while then. It wasn’t hard or anything. The only difficult portion of the night came when the lady next to him, Tor’s wife, set her hand on his leg by accident. Then rubbed it enough that he understood she knew what she was doing the whole time. That, or her own leg had fallen asleep and she was trying to bring life back into it without screaming about how she was paralyzed. If so, that meant she was a brave soul.

  The whole thing was enough to have him run out of town, except that several people had suggested he remain ready for that kind of thing. Though, to be fair, he’d expected it to be more about hugging for some reason. It was difficult to keep a straight face and not jump as her hand moved up his leg. Thankfully she stopped and placed both hands above the table before she got to anyplace that would have forced Tor to fight him.

  Not that the man didn’t have cause now already. For a moment Will wondered if that were the plan. The wife could make advances, then Tor would be required to fight, killing him before there could be a trial for wrong doing. Except that no one seemed all that concerned over those events. Well, Clemance had, but Tiera was at least pretending she’d already managed the whole thing for them. No one was claiming that they were wronged or anything so far at least.

  The last dish was a soft cake, made of fine flour, sugar and spices. There was a bit of chopped and sugared pear on the top. It was delicately done. Willum could have done as well, he thought. Better would be hard to pull off however. Much like the vast wooden table they were seate
d around, it had been made by a master of the craft. He thought that it would be possible to make a smaller version of the table that would be as nice, but the raw size of it made the project mind-bogglingly complex. To him anyway.

  The edging was really familiar however. There was a cloth on the table to protect it, but wood was visible in several places. Looking up he spoke in Standard.

  “Is this table one of Master Elis’ efforts?” It was probably a stupid thing to say, even if true, but the Count just nodded.

  “A fine eye there. Yes, we commissioned it from him about… What was it dear, six years ago?”

  Tamerlane nodded.

  “Just over that. He also did the upholstered sofas in the main sitting room. I’ve been considering some new beds as well. Now that we don’t have to hide that kind of thing from you, Willum.”

  She didn’t so much as crack a smile then. No one even acted like they weren’t up on everything, though it was kind of clear that everyone actually was, more or less. Down the table his uncle Timon nodded.

  “I have some things I could use for the house in the Capital here, actually. I just get in touch with Elis in Pine Creek?”

  They all agreed that was a good idea. Even Taman seemed pleased with it. Though she didn’t mention anything. When they got up from the table, Count Thomson stood and smiled.

  “If it would be allowable, could Willum, Tor, and Dareg please attend me in the privacy room?”

  That was a bit daunting sounding, but interestingly they were apparently allowed advisors that night. At least Queen Tiera stood up, looking ready to punch anyone that told her not to. Prince Alphonse stood as well, which had Queen Bumie coming along, even as her daughter called out to stop her.

  “I don’t think they meant you, Mother.” She sounded kind about it at least, instead of scolding.

  The older woman made a strange noise.

  “I know this. However, I was told to stay near Willum this night. If they seek to abuse him, it will have to be done in front of my regarding gaze.”

  They also got Taman, and a short fellow from down the table a way. He had a corn cob pipe in his hand, but looked to be about Carlisle’s age, more or less. He was dressed about the same as the rest of the Baker men, though in much more brown. As if it made any sense at all they managed to pick up Trice and Timon before they got to the door of the small side room.