Free Slave Line (The Young Ancients) by P.S. Power Page A

really should take some gifts for people to, shouldn't they? It was what you did when you went to visit people.
    Maybe everyone would like some nice, decorative gold coins, with a raised picture of the king on them?
    The Ambassador, Callings, Tor made himself remember to try and fix the memory, put the amulet on with a smile and hit the sigil on the front, then sighed.
    "Oh... Yes, that is nice. Thank you Your Majesty. Master Tor." She bowed to everyone then, including Burks and Lyn, even though she probably had no clue who Red was. Then that was part of being a diplomat, wasn't it? Making sure you didn't accidently slight anyone.
    "I look forward to this trip, to help cement the ties between our land and the great continent of Austra. I fear things may be a little unsettled there. Do you think it would be possible to have an audience with Denorian Brown before we leave? It might prove invaluable. I do like to be as well prepared as possible. We've never met, but I hear he's a splendid fellow."
    Tor waved to him from across the room, getting him to say something to the man he was talking to, an older giant man that Tor hadn't met yet, and walk over. He was dressed all in brown still, but the clothing was nicer this time. For all that the man couldn't make himself believe in magic at all, he could use it easily enough. Expertly even.
    He smiled warmly at the group and held his arms out as if he hadn't seen them all in years, rather than seconds.
    "We have met, dear lady. Twice in fact. Once in Austra at a reception and once a few weeks back when I was working in the Palace guest house. I did have a disguise on that time however. Greg the room servant? I saw to your fresh linens." He'd really done it, but the woman looked disbelieving.
    Ah well. It didn't really matter.
    Tor waved at him.
    "He's traveling with us, so you should have full days to pick his brain. These other two ancients as well, if you want."
    That started a long conversation, but Tor managed to get away from the group with Trice and Burks in tow after about half an hour. He didn't know how to tell anyone about the meeting exactly, but it was important. Still, it had to be done in code, or at least not so obviously everyone in the land would know about it by dinner.
    Nothing came to mind that Trice would understand. So, he'd just have to leave out the good bits.
    "Um, skip the dinner here and come to my place for a meeting. It won't be fun, but I think both of you will want in on this. If not, well, I'll feed you anyway, so it won't be too much of a loss. If you both decided I'm full of it you can come back here easily enough." They could just land in the hole his Fast Carriage had left.
    Tor started to feel bad about it, but chose not to bother. It could be fixed, and it had been an emergency. Plus the landing had been incredibly smooth from inside the vehicle. That in itself made the whole thing worth it. It meant that a crash was a lot more potentially survivable in one of those things than he'd thought. So valuable just for that. Nearly so at least. More, he really just didn't care. That part was strange, a dark feeling that he hadn't had in a long time. Like maybe, just possibly, life wasn't really worth it. Not the one he had.
    It was because he was a killer now. It tainted everything he did, making it so that even standing in this fine room, with the King himself delivering presents for him and people treating him almost as an equal lacked substance. It didn't feel important at all. Nothing did. Maybe nothing ever had? What was the point of being him after all?
    Tor smiled, trying not to let his thoughts show on his face for once, because important to him or not, it was his life now and people counted on him to at least get his job done. Right now that was...
    He blinked and shook his head a little. What was he supposed to be doing anymore? He couldn't build right now and might not be able to for months more. The claim was that he'd worked himself nearly