Free Ancient Kings (The Young Ancients) by P.S. Power

smiled.
    "I'll be back late in the day tomorrow, so that I can show you some things to practice. I'll bring a few new devices down for you to work with. You won't get to keep them though, so make sure you memorize how to make them. That's what I do anymore myself, and Tiera was just telling me that she expects you to be a lot better than me in a few years. That's going to take some work, because I'm still learning myself. Still, I think she's right. Those glasses are really good."
    There was a bit of clapping, but she settled fast enough and scampered off as if they couldn't possibly have really been talking to her in particular. After all, they were all grown-ups. That sort of person just tolerated you, they didn't care what you thought, right? Not when you were five.
    Karen smiled and shook her head, but Tiera gave him a funny look that seemed a bit like she suspected something. She was good at things like that.
    "What?"
    Tor sucked his upper lip in, and bit it, which was different for him, a new thing that had only come up since he'd started considering the value of lies. It was probably a bit too much of a giveaway, if anyone was really paying attention. He literally was keeping himself from speaking. It was probably a sign that he shouldn't be doing that. Lying to your family was almost always bad, wasn't it?
    "Well... Taman is like us . She has the Ancient pattern, I mean. Not that she's annoying and a bit too self-centered. Probably a genius too. I need to have a chat with Mother about that, which will no doubt be fun. I don't know if it would help or hurt her to know about that too young, to be totally honest. Would it have helped me to know that when I was five? Or ten? Does knowing that about yourself make anything easier for you or Tim? Luckily, that isn't my call at all. I'll just dump it on our parents and call it good." It was their decision anyway. Their child, their responsibility.
    Tiera didn't seem to care at all.
    "Oh? I guess that makes sense. Well, good luck there. I'm kind of glad I get to stay out of it. School you know. Not that I've been going to all my classes. Just the morning ones and meditation in the evenings. I finished math for the year and I won't go to the singing class. The ones that pulled that prank, in the tavern... They were mainly from that class."
    From behind them there was a bit of a bustle at the door, the sound of several bodies coming in. Most of them were servers and while they didn't shout for them to get out of their way, the idea was implied, since they had trays and needed to get them reloaded quickly.
    "We should get out of the way." He said it softly, but one of the men, an older one that was a bit taller than the others, which spoke of a distinctly non-country heritage, nodded a bit, then looked away, clearly uncomfortable about having done so. Tor just took it as meaning he was right.
    When they got into the outer room, after leaving the wide servant's hallway that led to the kitchen, Karen moved them to the side, her hand on his shoulder, guiding him gently. Her face went furtive and voice low, a single hand brushing over the fuzz on her head. It was a dark blonde now, not the lighter color of her sister, Ali.
    "So, what did you need us for Tor? Is there something we need to watch for? Or, a message from the King?" It came out as if that was the only reason he might have asked them to come along with him. He thought it through and then shook his head.
    "No. Nothing like that. Though Connie is a bit worried that Tiera is going to end them in their sleep. To hear her talk about it you'd think it was fully justified too." He looked at his little sister and made a face. "It isn't . If it makes any difference, it turns out that the Queen is actually your aunt. Which will take some explaining, but one of the other Ancients did it is the best way to say it. Old magic or technology, I guess. Princess Veronica is too, which is highly messed up. We don't know if there are others,