won’t even make you feel better. Just let father do it. Or… or I’ll do it in her stead. You’d like that, wouldn’t you? I’m sure it would harm me nearly as much as her.” The words were blunt, but smooth, soft in nature. Wheedling.
“No.” Debbie spoke, tears still streaming down her face. “He’s my brother. I’ll do it. I won’t make anyone else…” The sobbing stopped the words, the shaking giving lie to the bravery of them.
Slowly the Baron walked to her, looking half crushed as his eyes sought hers. In his hand he had a long thin piece of silver, half an inch thick and eight inches long. Tor didn’t have to sense it to know what it was. The man slowly put it in Debbie’s right hand.
“It's got a three foot sweep on it. I'm sorry to make you do this. I…” It was clear he was about to volunteer to do it himself again, or to ask for an executioner to come in, something, the man had tears in his eyes and shook slightly.
He was a good man that way, but Carol started screaming. Or at least talking loudly.
“Don't. If you let her off of this, I swear I'll have you killed. I don't care if I have to swing myself. He killed by baby. They have to pay!” Her tone got more and more tense, angrier, almost incoherent.
It wasn’t a threat of war though. She was into personal retribution, trickery. Threats. Tor started shaking himself. He had to do it, didn’t he? Even if it meant going to war. Debbie was his friend. There was only two ways to end this now and one of them was to make his friend kill her own brother.
That wasn’t a real option, not to him. Besides, this was his fault too, wasn’t it? If he’d only checked more closely, done something more, earlier, Ginger and the other girls might be alive. Voices in his head chanted at him, all with different advice. He blocked them out.
“Do it.” Box growled. “A cutters a kinder fate than most. Just hit the sigil and-” he never finished the statement. His head just slid to the floor.
Debbie jumped back, dropping the cutter in her hand, even though she'd never activated it at all. Tor looked down at the device in his own hand, the white stone with its eight glowing sigils on it, his thumb still on it. He hadn't even realized that he'd moved.
Oops.
He slowly put the device away in the little pouch at his side, and looked at the Baron.
“Does that resolve this to your satisfaction? Dead is dead. Darren Smalls will never harm another girl. I consider both you and Debbie as family. I’d prefer to avoid war over this.” His eyes were dead, he knew, as he stared at the man, but instead of anger, the Baron bowed to him.
“Thank you. I… lost my courage in my anger and nearly compounded the problem, thank you for saving my honor.” He swallowed, but no one asked what he meant. That was clear. To everyone except Carol, who had to be held back by Collette and Petra. She screamed at him in truth then, it started with a sound of pure rage, animal anger that seemed to strip away the thin coat of humanity the woman had left. Then she threatened his death a dozen times. As everyone looked on, she went a step further and promised it.
That was going to be an issue he knew.
Still, it was better that way. Even if she hired the Guild to take him out later. Or sent her Barony’s forces after him.
It would have been worse by far to turn the innocent Debbie into a murder as punishment for being related to a bad man. Tor was already a killer, so the stain on his soul would hardly show now, not from this. Box…
Tor misted up and didn't bother to hide the fact that he was. This whole situation was awful. The headless body still bled, a red seeping now, the blood had splattered all of them, at least the ones standing close. People just stood though, not knowing what to do next. Tor knew.
Now it was time to mourn. Even for someone evil and crazy, there would be sadness. Most of it was for all the girls he’d killed though. Tor was shaking slightly, sore and stiff still. It was all too much, wasn’t it?
He bowed to the King, then to Connie, and gestured for Karina and Rolph to come with him. Varley hadn't been at the execution, thankfully. She was young, and just had a baby. Her time should be spent on life, not slaughter. He was shaking, true, but not with cold, or even fear. He didn't know what it was, but that didn't stop it from happening. He stopped and looked down at the floor.
“Um, I don't mean this in a threatening way…. but there will be no retaliation against Debbie or the Smalls family. If I hear of such, well, it won't be pleasant, will it? Debbie, please come with us now. And… Maria, Marvin, would you as well?” It was a request, but it would make his begging easier, if they were there for it, wouldn't it?
They looked shocked by it, but came along as if commanded by the King himself. Everyone else cleared the room as Tor went outside and cycled his clothing until it was clean, then touching her shoulder, he did the same for Debbie. No one else had been as close to the spray. She had blood on her face, a streak of it, still red and just starting to harden. He probably did too. It would serve for the moment.
Death shouldn't be pretty. Tears fell then, from almost everyone.
As they landed Tor looked at the Wards, before the door was even open on the carriage, just sitting, looking at them for a while.
“I'd like to relocate Debbie and her concern to Ward. Would she have your protection if that were to happen? From Carol I mean? There will be retribution for this, but I don’t want it to touch Debbie.” Him making commands or not in the execution chamber, it was a valid question. He didn't think they'd go after her themselves, but that was different than being marked as someone to personally protect.
Marvin nodded once, “Yes. Though I don't think anyone of Ward would harm her over this situation. Do you suspect treachery?”
“I expect that people, some of them, will be very angry and hurt for a long time and without anyone to blame, may look for the adjacent target. If she stayed here, unprotected, I don't think it would be… good.” He felt so tired. So sad.
It wasn't fair. But it was less fair to everyone else than him, so he couldn't even complain, could he? Instead he just waited, amazed as Maria moved in and hugged Debbie.
“Don't worry Debbie. You're with us now. No one will hurt or blame you. We'll make arrangements for your family to come as well. None of this was your fault.” Her voice was fierce, protective.
That got a snort from Trice who was at the controls still. Tor didn't drive them, being too worn down. Crashing wouldn't have helped them at all after all. His friend… Tor had to stop there, they were all his friends, weren't they? Trice smiled, but looked a little sad and nodded.
“Tor has the right of this. We need to send you with a guard for a while too. At least while you pack up to move. Who should we get?” Her voice was a little too knowing for Tor.
Checking her field it was clear that she was starting to suspect something was up with Kolb and his people. Still, part of that made sense didn't it?
“Her friends, Trice… Like Davie and Haver, their people. Maybe Kara from the palace and some of her buddies?” That should skew the count enough, he figured, adding Royal Guards to the mix.
Trice just shrugged.
“I'll see who I can scrounge up. Karina, give me a hand?” She asked and gave the girl a glance.
“No. I'm staying with Debbie. For now at least. She's my friend. I can't abandon her. Rolph, will you see to it?”
“On it.”
It was enough. No one doubted that Rolph would get things done. No one sane. The giant red-head climbed out, clothing shifting to a fine and official suit of clothing, a dark purple jacket that looked nearly black, with shining gold button on it. Royal crest on the heart. He didn't get five steps toward the door before people started bowing. He just stood for a second and then gave an almost imperceptible bow back.
That would kind of end the idea of people not knowing who he was at school, wouldn't it? Half the kids standing there were just gaping. Sam didn't, he just walked over and looked at the outfit Rolph wore and straightened a bit.
“Need help?” He said succinctly. Really it was an incredibly rude way to address the Prince, but Tor decided to talk to him about protocol stuff later. He was doing at least as well Tor would have at his age after all. The Prince nodded.
“Instructor Kolb? That or his people?” Then he waited.
Sam spun, but instead of taking off to look, like Tor would have, he called out.
