The Dark Half of the Sun (The Young Ancients: Timon) by P.S. Power Read Free Book Online Page A
Authors: P.S. Power
Tags: Fantasy
practice in their off hours."
The Major made a note of it on a piece of paper, his eyes both relived and darker.
"Sir. If I'm still here at the end of the investigation. If not I'll leave instructions for my replacement."
Smythe nodded and handed him the same amulet the dirt smudged boy had been using. It had a simple hemp string on it, which meant it had probably come directly from Tor. He was rich, but didn't see the need for wasting funds on anything overly. Ali was better about seeming normal that way, which would, eventually, help his brother even out a little.
That started him thinking about where Tor could be, someplace dark, hiding in fear? Pretending to be someone else perhaps? It wouldn't help to keep dwelling on it. Not at all.
The Major was surrounded by the cream and golden colored glow and managed to exonerate himself from most of the wrong doing pretty fast. He was negligent on several counts, not having reported the thefts initially, but that wasn't criminal as much as being afraid that it would make him look bad. It did, so no one said much about it. He was in charge, which meant that anything done under his command, by his men, was his responsibility. Even if he couldn't have known about it.
"Of course if you'd reported this properly to begin with, we could have settled this by now and young Remy here wouldn't have been attacked earlier. There is a real reason that we have a system in place Major. If you still have your position at the end of this, I hope that you'll keep that in mind?" It should have sounded harsh and mean, but it was a lot more understanding in tone than anyone would have expected it seemed. Especially Godfrey.
"Sir." It wasn't a yes or no, but it conveyed that he understood.
It turned out that they had nearly four thousand bodies in the new city, only a thousand of them orphans there for the learning opportunities. The guidance of them had largely been shunted off to a combination of military men and prostitutes. Most of the work was actually being done by the older children, who saw that everyone was cleaned and fed each day. There was no school, except for the one to learn how to use the compressor units and make useful things.
No one was teaching reading or writing, no figuring or history either. The strange thing there was that no one in the whole place seemed to think that was odd at all. True a lot of people didn't have those skills in the Kingdom, but that normally had to do with a lack of funds or availability of teachers. Here they didn't have those problems, or at least shouldn't. It wasn't his place to speak about it, but if he didn't it was pretty clear no one else would bother.
"Alyssa... Why don't these kids have basic schooling too? Not everyone will get to make furniture and plates, and only some will make it into the military. A basic education has to be useful in finding work though."
Ali shrugged and looked around the Major's office, clearly thinking.
"It just hadn't come up yet. Sam and I put this together and were just happy that it worked as well as it has. I don't know how to set up a school."
Timon thought for a few seconds, forcing a smile to his face. It couldn't be that hard to do.
"Get in touch with the teaching schools and offer to hire any of their graduates willing to relocate here. I know it's an extra expense, but Tor can afford it and wouldn't begrudge anyone the means to learn." It wasn't his gold of course, but he felt pretty safe offering it up anyway.
Collette called him on it, if in a slightly strange way.
"You... won't take funds for your own schooling from your parents or Count Thomson, but you'll volunteer your brother's coin to see to these children's?" It wasn't scathing, even though it did kind of point out that he was being hard headed about the whole thing.
Tim shrugged and grinned at her, noticing how blue her eyes were. It wasn't any great shock what his brother saw in the woman. She was both smart and good looking.
"Right.
The Major made a note of it on a piece of paper, his eyes both relived and darker.
"Sir. If I'm still here at the end of the investigation. If not I'll leave instructions for my replacement."
Smythe nodded and handed him the same amulet the dirt smudged boy had been using. It had a simple hemp string on it, which meant it had probably come directly from Tor. He was rich, but didn't see the need for wasting funds on anything overly. Ali was better about seeming normal that way, which would, eventually, help his brother even out a little.
That started him thinking about where Tor could be, someplace dark, hiding in fear? Pretending to be someone else perhaps? It wouldn't help to keep dwelling on it. Not at all.
The Major was surrounded by the cream and golden colored glow and managed to exonerate himself from most of the wrong doing pretty fast. He was negligent on several counts, not having reported the thefts initially, but that wasn't criminal as much as being afraid that it would make him look bad. It did, so no one said much about it. He was in charge, which meant that anything done under his command, by his men, was his responsibility. Even if he couldn't have known about it.
"Of course if you'd reported this properly to begin with, we could have settled this by now and young Remy here wouldn't have been attacked earlier. There is a real reason that we have a system in place Major. If you still have your position at the end of this, I hope that you'll keep that in mind?" It should have sounded harsh and mean, but it was a lot more understanding in tone than anyone would have expected it seemed. Especially Godfrey.
"Sir." It wasn't a yes or no, but it conveyed that he understood.
It turned out that they had nearly four thousand bodies in the new city, only a thousand of them orphans there for the learning opportunities. The guidance of them had largely been shunted off to a combination of military men and prostitutes. Most of the work was actually being done by the older children, who saw that everyone was cleaned and fed each day. There was no school, except for the one to learn how to use the compressor units and make useful things.
No one was teaching reading or writing, no figuring or history either. The strange thing there was that no one in the whole place seemed to think that was odd at all. True a lot of people didn't have those skills in the Kingdom, but that normally had to do with a lack of funds or availability of teachers. Here they didn't have those problems, or at least shouldn't. It wasn't his place to speak about it, but if he didn't it was pretty clear no one else would bother.
"Alyssa... Why don't these kids have basic schooling too? Not everyone will get to make furniture and plates, and only some will make it into the military. A basic education has to be useful in finding work though."
Ali shrugged and looked around the Major's office, clearly thinking.
"It just hadn't come up yet. Sam and I put this together and were just happy that it worked as well as it has. I don't know how to set up a school."
Timon thought for a few seconds, forcing a smile to his face. It couldn't be that hard to do.
"Get in touch with the teaching schools and offer to hire any of their graduates willing to relocate here. I know it's an extra expense, but Tor can afford it and wouldn't begrudge anyone the means to learn." It wasn't his gold of course, but he felt pretty safe offering it up anyway.
Collette called him on it, if in a slightly strange way.
"You... won't take funds for your own schooling from your parents or Count Thomson, but you'll volunteer your brother's coin to see to these children's?" It wasn't scathing, even though it did kind of point out that he was being hard headed about the whole thing.
Tim shrugged and grinned at her, noticing how blue her eyes were. It wasn't any great shock what his brother saw in the woman. She was both smart and good looking.
"Right.