Goddess of the Moon (Young Ancients: Tiera) (24 page)

There
was a somber nod from Green, a slightly subdued one from Sam and a hard look
from Karen. She wasn't a wimp after all. Leaving her home wasn't going to scare
her away from surviving.

The
woman took a deep breath. "Will it work? Can't they find some counter
magic or dig into a deep hole, and protect themselves that way?"

Lairdgren
gave her a tolerant look, but softened after a few seconds into something
nearly kind. "It's unlikely that most will discover grand magics in that
time. If Tor is not with them then, that is most likely removed from the table.
They do know it can be done, but as of yet, have not managed to learn the
process for themselves. It's hard to change greatly when you're very old, and
even the youthful clones have the minds of elders in place. It is a possibility
however, and a thing to watch for. As for digging in, Timon apparently saw to
that one. His fields will seek out those with the correct structures and remove
them. What we will need to do is prepare ourselves and loved ones, then seek
those of the older ones that may not be party to the destruction of the world.
The offer of safety and rescue should be made, if nothing else."

That
made some sense. Not that she cared a lot for those others, but they could be
asked. Even some of the people on the evil side might be good enough to go, if
they weren't spies. Or saboteurs.

For
a long time they simply walked, and not all that quickly. Finally the man next
to them shrugged and stopped.

"We
can't become complacent either. Three months is more than enough time for them
to kill us all, and if we fail, or succumb to trickery, have no doubt that
Gerent Lairdgren will kill every Ancient on the planet, even if it means ending
his own life to do so. He is a man of great internal strength. Some people miss
that about him, seeing only the outside. Those that do will be very surprised
if he is ever truly tested, I think." The words seemed wise, but dark too.
Everything did for a moment, but Tiera thought about it and realized that ten
years wasn't that long really. There was no saying they couldn't take their
friends or anything. She'd probably lose her County, but that wasn't some huge
deal. She'd originally planned to let that go anyway, eventually. In two or
three years, not inside six months, but things had changed.

They
always did.

She
turned to the man and shrugged, which was a thing he always did, so it seemed
fitting.

"I
have a good man lined up to take over my County, what do you have planned?
Leading in absentia?" She might be able to pull that off, for a while. She
just didn't want to.

Karen
looked scared then, for some reason, as if the idea that Tiera already had
something in place was strange.

"No.
I have no direct heir that will be able to stay, and no one selected. I was
thinking that I might pass it to Kyle Hardgrove, if that isn't the same man you
planned to use?"

"Nope,
Lawrence Morris. He's running things already, so should be able to manage it
well enough. I guess I should go and see about that soon? Waiting until the
last minute will let them know when we're going to act a bit too nicely."

There
was a nod, but Sam snorted.

"You're
just giving away
Counties
now? I mean it doesn't mean that much to me,
since
I'm
going to go to the Moon, and build Samville, but that's a lot
to just let go of, isn't it?"

Was
it? Tiera couldn't tell anymore. She wanted her people to do well, but some
extra magic and survival, long term was about what she could do for them,
wasn't it?

Besides,
even though no one had gotten the idea yet, she didn't need anything now, or
wouldn't soon.

"I...
In a few weeks, we'll be able to make anything we need. Like with the food
units? Gold, jewels, shoes. Hats. All that useful stuff.
If
we don't
just want to use magic for it, which is probably better for a lot of things.
All I need are the right people with me, and things will be perfect. Better
than Earth, with riches for all. Until we start fighting over silly things and
destroy it, I mean." She tried to smile, but the fake one on Burks
Lairdgren's face distracted her.

"Wisdom
from the mouths of babes." He practically whispered the words, but both
she and Sam heard him. Karen shook herself bodily, several times and then took
several deep breaths.

When
she spoke her voice sounded perfect though, like she was speaking to a lover,
not voicing a concern.

"It's
the plan, and will work, so we have to try. I'm nervous though. What if I hate
it in space?"

The
orphan next to her took her hand, and moved close, "then you hate it for
ten years and move back. I doubt it will be that bad. Tiera is right, we have
good people with us. It will be enough."

That
hadn't been what she said at all, but she could hang in for a while longer, to
make certain her family survived and thrived. It was her job. All of it, or it
would be, after she finished things with her County. That part would be hard,
she knew. The King was using her duty as a way to keep himself alive, she
thought. It wasn't completely wrong, but she had to get out of things, for her
subjects now. She never thought of them in that way, but it was what they were,
she knew.

It
was going to take some work, if she didn't want to end up in a giant fight.
Really, how was that going to work?

She
decided to just go and see about it all. If she simply did it, and didn't make
a fuss... No, that wouldn't work, would it? Of course, ultimately she had one
card that she could play, that even the King had to listen to. If he didn't let
her pass the reins of power along, she could... Simply do it anyway, and let
the County fall to whoever wanted to take it by force. She couldn't love the
idea, but it was something that pretty much had to work. If she simply left,
then... Well, she'd be gone.

Once
off the planet, King meant about the same as
farmer
. Except that a
farmer might eventually work out how to grow some potted plants or something.
In Noram he was important. Above them... Well, no one
really
knew, but
she was willing to fight the idea pretty hard.

She
walked, but not in silence, as that might seem rude. Everyone with them had
just discovered that they were about to lose all they knew. Yes, it might be a
grand adventure, and only last ten years, but Sam was only fourteen, like she
was. The Green man had just come and found them, and then said he had to go
into exile for what had to seem like a good portion of the time he'd already
lived. Some of the others might not take the news half as well either. Or they
might. Timon didn't actually pick any stupid people for his little changes, had
he?

Even
someone like Judy Kerry, who wasn't exactly Tiera's best friend, had enough
resolve to get past a little mild discomfort. So, instead of being a total
downer, she suggested they all get off to the Capital later. That got Green to
finally produce a tear drop shaped Fast Craft, that was all in his color,
naturally. It looked ridiculous, of course. Not the color, which was actually
fine, but the fact that he used it for
everything
he could.

The
man winked at Karen, possibly understanding how good looking she was now, if he
could care about anything like that. He was also going to be stuck with her for
a while, so it might pay to be friendly, if he had the will for it. Sam saw
that and sighed, moving closer to her, protectively.

Not
wanting to lose her already.

Tiera
just moved toward the vehicle, and reached out, almost by accident, to touch it
with her mind. It was complex. Nearly as much as the unit that she'd made for food.
Or, she realized, more so. It was just a little better organized. That got her
to blink, since the feeling of age that came off of it was intense. Clearly it
was Green's own work, and not Tor's at all.

"So...
You made a Space Ship?" She let the words come out sounding low and a bit
impressed, even though she was trying to sound jaded and bored. It wasn't
working however. After a second, she understood that this was the original
version and that what Tor had made was the copy of it. "Not... bad. It
needs to be faster."

The
last bit was hard for her to add, since it was nearly an insult, but it was
also the truth. Burks looked at her and then Sam. His eyes held age and wisdom,
but also slight annoyance. For some reason that made her feel better, which was
horrible of her, no doubt. It made her smile anyway.

The
man grumped at her, which was a thing she'd never seen from Tor at all.

"I
know. It's possible, but I think that I've worked myself into a place where I
can't see the answer, over all these years. Much like Black and his aversion to
magic. He can't even turn a thing like this on now, but that's all habit and
thousands of years of repetition, eschewing magic. My guess is that it's doable
with our new technologies however. We have the communications devices after
all."

She
nodded, getting that one, having worked with something similar already.

"I
can see that, I think. I don't know how to turn it into much faster travel,
but... Well, I can think about it, right? I'm no Tor or Tim, of course."
That came out sounding humble really, when she just meant it to be true. Burks,
her loving grandfather, simply nodded, which, Count or not, got him pushed a
little by Sam. The boy went wide eyed and stared at his hand, as if it had
betrayed him or something.

"I...
Sorry!" He did start to bow down low, dropping to his knees, but Count
Lairdgren smiled and picked him back up.

"No
need for that. I simply meant that Tiera was herself, and not them. It would be
a mistake to think them too similar. Tor is more like you, Sam Builder. At
least at this point in his life. Protective of others without thought, even at
the potential cost to his own life and well being. It is a good trait, so
please don't think I'm insulting you. Timon is... Well, clearly insane. A fine
maker of magic, but I worry for him more than you others. Tiera is our new
warrior though. I imagine the same is true of you Karen? Though that might
change now, so we'll have to watch and see. Shall we go? I know that people
would love to meet you all, again."

Tiera
just climbed in, not using the little step provided for her. The craft was a
bit tight in the back for her and Karen, and Sam was invited to sit in the
front. The trip itself was quick though, and made her miss having her own
craft. Touching it again she sighed and realized that she could make one. Or a
hundred. Copies of it at least. It was fantastic, and scary at the same time. A
person that could do that might do anything at all. In a few weeks time she,
personally, could destroy the world if she wanted.

She
could think of ten different ways to crack the whole thing in two, kill all the
people, or even burn all the air off, so that nothing would ever live there
again. It wasn't even hard. Insane to even imagine, but doable. It occurred to
her that reality wasn't built for people like her and these others really.
People that could create things out of nothing that could reshape everything,
in mere moments.

Even
the four of them there were probably too dangerous to let live, if she wanted
to be honest. Any sane and reasonable person would simply release the Ancient
killing plague right then, and end them all, before they became a real threat.
Not that she wanted her friends and family to suffer, but it was a thought,
wasn't it? Sam wasn't Timon, as far as building skill went. Yet. But what would
he be in a year, or five? His mind would become sharper, his reflexes and
abilities would grow, and what he'd had to learn as a regular boy would amplify
into something more than she could imagine.

Or
not. Tim may have put some kind of limit in, which would, most likely, be the
fact that while the new ones would all be smarter, they wouldn't reach his
level of intelligence. She was pretty certain she wasn't there for instance.

She
forced a smile and cleared her mind, trying for real happiness. She was going
to get out of being a Countess soon, and also see to the protection of her
people. That was enough. It was the really important thing too. Sitting up
straight, her head hitting the low ceiling, she looked out the side shield
window, since they were almost at the Palace. She wanted to hurry down, rushing
in before anyone could understand what was happening, but instead she waited.
Slowly drifting into place, like a snowflake.

It
was what they did at the King's Palace, even if it didn't make sense at all.
After all, once through the large palace shield, all they had to do was fly
around through the building for a while. Nothing in the place would stop them.
Not without also destroying the whole thing. But it was the rule, so she let it
go and made herself be patient. A Countess could whine at the King and Queen
about things like that if she wanted, but Tiera Baker, regular person, didn't
have that right. Letting that sink in, she rode the craft down, and climbed out
when it was time, simply holding her hand out to the Royal Guard that moved
forward.

Kevin.

He
was in his twenties, and about six-four or so. Cute, in a guardy way, wearing
the black and purple of the King. Real fabric too, not magical clothing. It was
heavy cloth, but probably wasn't too warm, since it was early in the spring
still.