Strange Land (The Young Ancients Book 15) (15 page)

Probably not in any way.

To show that he nodded.

"If we can find someone from Tellerand that's willing to learn to do that, will you teach them too, Sara? I know I have no right to ask anything of you right now, but I'd agree to those rules, too. We should get some for each land, as long as their leaders agree."

Sara didn't sigh, since training people to fly, or even jump, wasn't
that
hard. It would give her something to do, if nothing else.

"I can do that. Since, you know, we're adding people to the original deal anyway. I wasn't even aware that Gemma
had
a brother. Is he cute? And more, is he still unmarried?" That was almost a joke, since she was too far out of the three steps to be considered by a Countier, but Gemma nodded, looking over at her carefully.

"My twin brother. He's actually been being trained though, since his Knight is good about things like that. Not that I'm bitter or anything. Much. What little I've learned has been because he's flown back to the Capital once a week to work with me. It would be good if I could set up something for him."

That got nods from the others, since to them it was all about family, wasn't it? Possibly to Gemma too, it seemed.

That reminded her that she had a family problem to deal with too.

"Egh. So, Kurt... Do we need to make him vanish into the void, or what?" They didn't have the death penalty there, but Tiera made a face that told her how close things really were to that.

The Queen growled before speaking.

"He found out that a lot of the Afrak women could be worn down by his advances if he were persistent enough. Really, that part is within the rules, since he hasn't been using force, or acting before they gave consent. The thing there is that, to their minds each woman he slept with is
married
to him. It's up to three already, and would be more if Tim hadn't offered to turn him into a girl if he didn't cut it out. He has some real problems, Sara..." She shuddered a bit. "I don't want to give insult here, but he's... not well. Inside.
Everything
is about sex to him. Day and night. It's warped him into something that nearly isn't human. Sooner or later he's going to step so far out of the bounds that we'll have to do something drastic. There are a few things that have been rumored that we've carefully not asked him about with a Truth amulet on. Just to give you an idea of how bad this it, Tenet nearly went after him last week.
Tenet
."

Sara blinked. That was the
good
brother. She knew that much. He was
also
ten, she thought. Kurt was twice his age, size and probably fighting skill. So for the boy to be that angered, something
really
wrong had to have taken place.

"What... What did he do?" Sara knew that she was supposed to be upset that her brother had been threatened, but as Tiera had said,
Tenet
.

He was sensitive, and so kind that he made his sisters seem like dock workers.

Terry looked away, looking more than a bit upset himself.

"
Tess
. She's of age, but Tenny doesn't really see that as being a good enough reason, given all the other trouble Kurt's been getting into. I wasn't the only one being scolded lately by ma though. I don't mean my sister either. As it is, Tenet hasn't really calmed down. He made a statue of Kurt... It's next to his shop, carved into the wall. Well enough done that no one is calling it vandalism, but... Well, if we were in Noram, there would probably be a duel over it." There was tension in the words. In both Terry and his older sister, really.

Timon was more laid back now. Focused on what was in front of him.

"No one wants to risk a war with you over it, so we've held off doing anything. What do you think should be done? Tiera's right, by the way. He's sick. As in truly ill inside, not bad. I could strip him of his sex drive. That or turn him into a girl, or... both? We could also make him honor his marriages. We don't have any rules saying he can't be married to three women, just that if he gets them pregnant he has to care for the children himself. Queenie over there is leaning toward exile back to Earth. Blue Four is actually on my side. The rest either don't care enough to have opinions or are suggesting the death penalty for it. It's your call though. He's your brother. I won't support anything too far against your decision on this one."

She suppressed a shudder, since her hands were pretty well tied on the matter, weren't they? Kurt was her responsibility, and she
couldn't
let them hurt him, if it was in her power to stop. Still, just sending him back to Noram, even in disgrace, wouldn't fix him, would it?

There was no speaking for a long time and Gemma looked away, her face set, but not hard. The others all looked at her, expecting a snap decision.

Finally, after five minutes, she looked over at Tiera.

"Queen Tiera... Would you accept him here, if he got treatment for his illness, and honored the marriages that were assumed by those other people, if they're still willing to have him, I mean?" She held her breath, knowing that the easiest thing to do would be just getting rid of the problem. Tiera wasn't averse to killing, personally, for all the laws in her new world forbade the practice.

"What treatment?" The words were a little cold, but Sara looked over at Tim then, desperately seeking help.

"We could strip his libido, like Timon said? And... Turn him into a girl for a while so that he can't act out as easily?" He had too many bad habits for either of those to be a perfect fix, but Tiera perked up.

Terry however shook his head.

"Not against his will. That's evil. It would be kinder to kill him than make him feel that helpless."

Sara frowned at the boy, even if he was one of the most important people on the two planets.

"Being a girl is that big of a thing? That huge of an insult?"

To his credit, he rolled his eyes at her and smiled a bit.

"No, that's probably a good idea. I might even try it someday, myself. Just to learn what it's like. It's the part where we're talking about taking what he is from him, without giving him any kind of choice.
That's
wrong. He's sick, but is he really? He likes sex, and wants it all the time, but is that bad? It's what he chooses to do in order to get it that are at issue. I don't know what to do though. Does the state have the right to strip what a person is from their very being?"

It was more philosophy than Sara was ready for, but Tim covered that part nicely enough.

"Yes. Sometimes the government has to do things to people, or make them do things for the good of society, that they might not want for themselves. If a person had a plague and was going around spreading it, we'd have to heal them, wouldn't we? Even if it was against their wishes or religious beliefs. Kurt Debri is impacting the lives of others with his choices, and can't really see it as anything except normal. The biggest danger here is that we might change him, only to find that he doesn't change. Like Sara said, so much of what he does now is habit. Plus, he's been doing things that skirt the law so strongly that in Noram he'd have been put to death. More than one person has gone for drinks with him, only to wake up the next day having been used."

He looked at Sara closely, and so did Tiera. Terry however went wide eyed.

"He... did that to you?" There was no glancing at any of the others, just her.

She had to look away.

"I don't know. I think so. It was that clear in my pattern?" It was hard to remember that all of the Baker kids there were builders. Good ones too.

Tim grimaced, having already worked it all out, no doubt. In fact he'd probably known for a long time, she realized. It was kind of him to have left Kurt alive, given that.

"So, Terry, what do you say, given that information? Is it still wrong to change him? Should we make him disappear instead?"

That got a hard look in return. New hormones of his own or not, the boy was still very honorable, wasn't he? It practically poured off of him.

"I think we should present all of this to him, and see what he wants. Now though. There's no benefit to letting him do this to anyone else."

Then he stood, as if to say they should go right then.

Gemma did too, her left fist clenched into a fist.

Tiera shook her head slowly.

"No. Terry, I like that you're a good soul, but this has to be
my
decision. We go with what Sara said. He's lost his right to beg mercy, or plead innocence. I do agree that we should do it right now however. Let's see to it. Tim, you have the magic parts?"

Standing, his frame smaller than his sister's, if blockier, Timon just moved toward the door, not speaking. Then, he didn't really need to did he? His plans seemed to be going along with what she'd just told them all to do to her brother. Sara moved with him, feeling like the world was about to burst open. Not in a fun way like a surprise party either.

No, this was big, and dark, and scarier than going into a strange land to try and make the world a better place. This was, as Terry had told them, more than a bit evil. It was also just about the last bit of concern she could manage for her little brother. She didn't even really
like
him, if she were going to be totally honest about it. She never really had, since he'd discovered that girls had different parts than boys did. It wasn't that she hated
all
her brothers. Kris was fine that way, wasn't he? There was no hint of
him
sneaking off to screw their mother in the middle of the night.

No, it was far past time that Kurt was dealt with, and it had to be done outside Noram. There it was impossible to hide what was going on, and that shame could bring down the largest trading and manufacturing house in the Kingdom, if word got around. Which it would the instant any other high merchant found out about it. That went without needing to be said.

It was embarrassing, walking behind these people, with Squire Gemma stalking along side of her, seeming ready to kick someone down a flight of stairs. They knew what she'd suspected for all those years, about what might have happened with her brother. What, if she were going to be honest with herself, really had taken place. He'd drugged and raped her. Repeatedly.

Their mother too. Sara wasn't certain about the drugs there though. It had
probably
been that kind of thing. It would have been better, she knew, if she'd had the nerve to offer Kurt a ride out into the space away from everything, and then dumped him out into it, where no one would ever find him again. That might make Heather sad, but then again, it might not.

Now there was a chance that word could get back to people in Noram. If this wasn't handled very carefully. There could be no public trial, or things would spread so fast they couldn't be controlled. There was a way around part of that though, wasn't there? She had a glimmering of an idea there, at least. If Terry would go along with her.

When they got into Kurt's Everything shop, which really did have almost everything that could be made, or if it didn't, he could work the Maker behind the counter to come up with it, Tiera closed the front door and locked it, after gesturing for everyone else to leave the room.

Kurt, in the back, behind a low counter that was made of stone on the bottom but covered with a delicate gold lace, smiled. It didn't reach his eyes though.

"Queen Tiera. Sara! How nice to see you both?"

The tall, thin and pale woman, who was so lovely it nearly hurt to look at her, shook her head a bit. Almost imperceptibly. "Not really, Kurt. You might not like this at all. We left judgment for your behavior in the hands of your sister. It saved your life by the way. I'm going against the ruling council and almost all the Wizards in Harmony here. Tor offered to cut your throat himself, did you know that?"

Her brother swallowed, his blond head turning away, as a denial came to his lips.

"Tor? Why would he do that? Because I slept with his sister? She's of legal age."

Timon snorted then, getting everyone's attention.

"More or less. But that isn't what this is about. You've been found guilty, by... Well, two different secret courts. The High Council here, and the people in this room. There are so many counts of perversion and rape that Tiera had to beg the others not to execute you. I mean that Kurt. On hands and knees, trying to keep you alive. You
have
to know how she loved that. Kolb nearly came for you anyway, when he found out, since he says that your kind can't fix themselves. So, you have a choice, you can either agree to the treatment we're putting forth here, in secret, or you can die. Right now. Squire Gemma, you'll do that part for us, if he chooses death, since you don't know him? I'll hold his shield off. I made it after all."

The gears in Kurt's head spun almost visibly, as he worked it all out. First his mouth slowly opened and then his eyes went big. The whites showed all the way around as his tan skin faded to a much lighter shade.

"What... are you going to do to me?"

Tim grinned, his face looking happy, actually, Sara thought.

"
Help
you. It's a two step process. The first half of it is the real treatment however. I'm going to make it so that you won't want sex any more. You'll still be able to have it, but it won't be a constant burden on you anymore. You won't desire it, or take pleasure from the act. It won't hurt, but it won't be a constant draw to you either."

Her brother made a face that basically said he didn't think that was possible. There were no words however, and Timon went on.

"The second part of this is that we need to make certain you won't reoffend out of habit for a while, so I'm going to gender swap you, make you smaller and weaker than you are now. I'll leave you cute enough that you can still get sex though, so don't worry, you aren't going to be cut off that way. Until you show you can handle life, and those around you fairly though, you have to stay that way."

Tiera nodded then.