The Dark Half of the Sun (The Young Ancients: Timon) (42 page)

"I can stop the pain, that agony within you. All you have to do is tell the truth. You can't win now. I know... why don't you start by telling us all about Count Wend?" He moved his head closer to the man, since that had freaked him out when Nora had done it. It seemed to work with this giant too. Good to know it wasn't just him. "That's right, we know far more than you think already. All you're doing now is protecting people that will be hanging soon anyway. All that pain, for people that would be willing to sell you out for a bit of gold and a pretty girl or two. Brave of you. Strong too. Also futile."

It would have been a lot more powerful if everyone wasn't staring at him like he was the freak. Someone had to get the man to talk, didn't they? They needed to hurry too, or else this could take days. Maybe longer.

"Brave and strong, suffering for people that don't deserve it. You're ready to tell us what we already know? To stop this?" The others started groaning already, probably realizing part of what the Count had been resisting already.

It wasn't an instant thing by any means, but by true morning the man gasped out a plea for death. Timon held up the healing device again.

"No. There is no escape that way. There's only
one
way. Answer the questions."

There was a moan then, from the huge woman, the Count looked away, still in agony.

"Fine, but... my people. They just followed my orders. You said that... You'd... see them safe? Does that stand?"

Timon looked at Smythe, who gave a short nod, agreeing to the terms.

"If they tell all they know freely. No reason not to, after you speak. Release them from their vows against that and order them to save themselves." It was clear that the man was trying to find a reason that wouldn't make him merely look weak, as if anyone there would care about that.

"Fine."

Smythe worked fast then, and inside an hour had the whole of the tale. At the half hour mark Petra asked Timon to release Stile from the pain, since peeing on her was an
insult
, but not one she couldn't forgive. It really worked fast, the man going quiet and looking better two minutes later.

Merta was left in pain. That was fine with Tim. The Count was finally given respite as well and Petra sighed, waving at the huge woman too.

The Military Councilor gave him a sad, grim look. "We need to get these people back to the Capital. We can finish the questioning there. Do you wish to take these two off to those foreign lands now, or might the bargain be satisfied after further questioning."

Tim shrugged. He wasn't actually done with them all yet.

"That second one. We have more to do. I'm afraid we can't fit everyone on the craft..."

Petra shook her head.

"I picked up mine from... someone, before I left for Austra, in case I needed to make an escape." She went out to see to that.

Timon worked out what that meant, most likely. She'd been one of the people that had gone in and defeated Austra then. There had been just over thirty of them. That meant some kind of trick had taken place to get her without even a shield on. Like the one used on him? He still wasn't going to ask. There were hundreds of ways a lover or supposed friend could do it, if they were evil. He really didn't need to know which way was used in particular.

The Royal Guard loaded the prisoners up, sticking them into three separate pens that Timon formed for them. Small things that left them sitting, hunched over. Smythe and two of them riding with him, everyone else going with Petra. From the looks on their collective faces it was a statement about him and his actions, not just a desire not to be in with the prisoners. At least one of them had soiled themselves after all. Given the pain levels, he wouldn't have been surprised if they all had.

They flew back, the other craft following him, since they didn't know where they were overly and he did. The older Counselor sat beside him, not seeming worried about his actions at all. He looked down at his robes rather obviously and sighed.

"The Truth amulet rather does match my favorite robes, don't they? What are the odds that Tor did that to honor me for my well known love of fact?" The man smiled, shaking his head. "Not too good, I fear. I tried to kill him once. It didn't work very well. Do you know why I did it however?"

Timon had no clue at all, after a few seconds he shook his head, curious but figuring the man was setting up to tell him anyway.

"I was afraid of him. He kept doing things that I just couldn't understand, so I thought the worst of him. I was wrong. He was a man wielding the forces of nature itself, making rivers in the sky to help those in need, defeating armies without harming them... I admit, I feared what would happen when he decided to turn on the rest of us. I still do, to an extent. I don't fear you however, do you know why that is, Countier Baker?"

"Because I'm a child and don't hold that kind of power?" It made sense, but the older man snorted lightly.

"Oh, no. It's because I
understand
you. I'm not fool enough to think you aren't powerful. You simply did what
I
would have, if our positions were reversed. Then, in the end you showed restraint when many wouldn't have. A brilliant thing, bribing the Count with the safety of his people like that. Very practical."

After a few seconds he nodded and whispered to the man, so the prisoners in their totally closed cages couldn't hear him. Not that they would be able to anyway.

"I'm not done yet." Oh, he was going to keep his word. They just wouldn't survive it.

The man nodded genially, the Royal Guards in the back, both men, chuckling lightly.

"We know that too. Like I said, we're more alike than not. Just remember, it can be too easy to give in to expediency and revenge. Hold to common sense as well." As lectures went it wasn't a long one, but the words seemed well meant.

He nodded.

"I'll do that. The world doesn't need more monsters. We have more than enough already."

The rest of the trip was traveled in silence. They all had a lot to think about, since several Counts were part of the plotting, and Rodriguez didn't know them all. Count Wend... That name had meant a lot to the man however. It wasn't that the recluse was part of their plot, but rather that the Larval Assassins had taken over his estate. How Lara Gray had known that Tim didn't know. What he did get was that it was a trap. One meant for him.

He'd been meant to go in and end up being captured or killed. It hadn't been a peace offering at all, but an attempt to get rid of him. A declaration of war. The others didn't get that part of things yet. Also of interest, Count Holder wasn't in on the plot at all. His family had been taken by the other nobles and he was being threatened with their deaths if he didn't do as told. Some of the King's biggest supporters were right there in the north, in Duchy Keene. By tying them up in a skirmish, it removed them from the playing field for a time.

That had to mean that an attack would be coming soon. That would be a problem, since most of the Counts, except for Wend, would be coming to town in a few weeks, if they weren't coming in the next days for Lyn's wedding.

On top of that, someone had corrupted at least one Royal Guard.

"Did that man, the Royal Guard that tried to kill Count Lairdgren, was he ever available for anyone else to get to? Some remote detail or..." Timon shook his head, knowing that no one would answer him. One of the men in the back did however.

"Four years with Prince Kedrin. That wasn't lost on us either. It's not proof. Not enough to question the King's brother like you did these others, if that's your thought."

"Of course not. I was just working some things out. That isn't my business anyway." It really wasn't, he decided. He had a few other things to finish up, then he could get back to his real life. The first one was just making sure that Lyn and Dorgal had a good wedding. It was what he tried to think about as they landed outside the palace, the Royal Guard from the other craft moving out first, some standing back as the others surrounded his craft. He took it down as soon as they were ready, the prisoners landing after a three foot drop, with a thump. Their chains rattled too.

In the few seconds they laid on the ground, stunned, they were swarmed and picked up, being dragged away faster than seemed reasonable for the large forms. A few seconds later they all stood alone. Smythe cleared them all, asking them if they were loyal to the King. Then Timon did the same to him, making the man smile tightly.

"Good thinking. I am loyal to the King. King Richard Cordes. His family as well, and I am not working against them, save in a game of chess with Richard, that I intend fully to win." That worked well enough for Tim. They walked into the place as if expected, which was the case, early or not. Petra was standing next to Judith and after a few seconds of walking they both ended up standing next to him, one on either side.

Guards.

For the life of him he couldn't tell at first if they meant to keep him from running off or were trying to protect him from something. It wasn't until they got to the King and Queen that he understood it was really both. The very first words out of the ruler's mouth shocked him more than a little.

"We ask, no, we beg you, stay your hand against the Larval for now. A force is being put together to remove them, but if you go in first, we won't have time to bring all our forces together. It's within your rights to strike at them, but I can only request that you allow my much larger army to handle this." He stared at Judith for a few seconds, then smiled, as if recognizing her. Petra as well, but she was a known person to him.

The Queen, Constance, looked at him, very worried for some reason.

"Are you well? Your ordeal, and then this latest trial..." What she wanted from him he honestly couldn't tell.

Then he got it. She wanted to protect him, but she wasn't certain from
what
herself.

"That sounds fine to me. We should stop the Larval, but I don't care how it's done. Why would I? It's not my job to go and fight an army of killers. That's why we have an
army
." It was a little rude of him to say it that way, but he was tired. He shook his head, making himself smile. "Which was your point. Not trying to snap at you. I just have an awful headache."

Petra nodded, her face grim.

"Hours of combat rage will do that. It was off and on, but impressive. Will and the others had to know they were going to die at any moment. I almost missed it, until Denno left. He could hardly stand from the aura you were casting."

That got some coffee brought in, no one even having to suggest it. He was told to drink it all by Richard. It was cool enough, so he slugged it back and poured another from the silver pot, repeating the process, not bothering to grimace. It was a little bitter, but that just didn't mean as much to him anymore as it did even a week before.

Smythe started talking then, listing the five Counts and Countesses they knew of that had been named. That might be all of them, or half. Or any percentage really. That didn't make sense most people actually liking the King, so it probably was a smaller number, rather than a larger one. There were some others involved as well, including Baron Fell. The one that had so badly wanted his ice delivered that he'd paid in silver for it.

That got Denno to tilt his head. It was a curious thing that his brother did too. Timon thought that it might have been placed in their Rhetistics for some reason.

"Some explosives are very sensitive while being mixed. If you had enough ice there are some things that could be made..."

The King didn't wait, asking that the good Baron be escorted to him for questioning.

That, Timon figured, was one of the good parts of being in charge. He would have had to drag the man out of his house and questioned him very carefully, while wearing a mask. The King could just ask the man to tea and see what came of it.

Timon yawned and tried to stay with the conversation, not really wanting to sleep yet, as tired as he was. Remembering Nora slicing him up wasn't worth it. Not yet. Eventually sleep would come, like it or not. Maybe he could learn to control his thoughts as he did it?

It was early enough that they ended up having breakfast, though for nearly the first time he knew of, the conversation continued while they ate it. Even when Lyn, Dorgal and Count Lairdgren came in, along with Prince Alphonse and Princess Karina. She patted Petra on the shoulder and got her to move up the table one place, so that she could take her seat. That was special, since she outranked the girl.

"What's the situation?" She sounded pleased enough to be home and made a point of holding his hand under the table. It wasn't something he wanted, but he didn't let go, trying to make himself move past the thoughts that haunted him.

The King waved in an abstract way, his head bare, but wearing a purple and gold robe of office that looked like fur. The rest of what he wore was simple and black. It wasn't a mistake. He was dressed up for Lyn and Denno, and down for the coming war. Green noticed it immediately, but not the others. They didn't know the man as well.

"Treason. As we feared. The difference is that today, thanks to Countier Baker and some
close
questioning, one of the conspirators, Count Rodriguez, has agreed to give witness against the others. The Army is being set into motion as we speak. It will almost certainly be war. There's more than that, but those are the important things for now."