beds.
It didn't take long for the initial report, though the list of who was spying for who had to be sent to several people, which meant copying first. Tor decided to grab one for himself. Not that he loved intrigue, but just knowing who was bothering to try and collect information was interesting. Some of them were people he'd actually met for instance, like the Coltress'. That they hadn't found the girl using Ginger's identity was a little odd, but then, the girl had just started, about two months prior. Still, that was very nearly when the girl had been murdered. Close enough to be really suspicious.
There was something there, but Tor couldn't think of it, too tired for anything but lying down. In the morning, as he forced himself to walk, slowly, down the hall to the bathroom, it hit him. They needed to check to see if anyone was using the other murdered girls identities. Also, they needed to check for men doing the same thing. Dying and then showing up somewhere else. It would be hard, since the Capital killer had a signature, taking the heads and… violating the women first. It meant that one was a man at least. How the guard had figured that floating headless corpses were drowning victims Tor didn’t’ really know, but he highly suspected it had to do with the fact that the first six girls just weren’t that important, so no one really cared.
Except the King. He’d mentioned it months before hadn’t he? That issue he wanted Tor to work on with Smythe?
But there could be murders for the purpose in other places. It was a bit of a waste in the main, unless, of course, someone was faking royal connections. That didn't seem likely though. The nobles were a small and tight community. What, three thousand people in all? Four? Out of the sixty or seventy million in Noram… It would be easier to just make up a name and go to a new place.
Still, it had to be looked into.
After he shaved, Tor worked his way to the student’s dining room and grabbed a bowl of wheat cereal and an apple. An exhausted looking group of builders sat at a table already, so he walked towards them, on his own feet, but still shuffling like an ancient or desperately ill person, which got Lyn to hop up and push another chair in for him.
There were more people around, worked in to the group, than he figured there would be and they didn't all look happy. After a few seconds Sandra reported, which told him why that was.
“Half of us can't do it. The best I managed in a group was twenty. I did get it in an hour and a half, but, um, Guide can't do more than ten in two hours and Farlo there can still only manage one at a time. Sam is on groups of fifty and so is Mark. Lyn… She managed two groups of a hundred. All solid work though. Except the wasted batches…”
Tor smiled at all of them.
“Don't worry, it's mainly a focus issue. Um, Farlo?” The girl looked scared, but was tall and clearly royal tall and had short hair, a slightly grown out military cut that had a nice copper sheen to it, that was clearly fake. “What year are you in?”
“Four, Master Tor Sir. I mean Lord Tor…” She seemed flustered.
“Just Tor, since your part of the group. OK, today your doing batches of ten. No problem. I can't monitor you, so… Guide, after you do a batch of twenty, I want you to watch Farlo and keep her on task. Don't do the work for her though, Just get her to feel what she needs to do and let her do it.”
They both looked shocked, but Tor shrugged.
“Look, everyone has always told you how hard building and copying is, but you have the skills already, the talent, so forget that. We need to outfit all the military here by the end of the day with class seven shields and you only have half that right now. No one else can do this and frankly, I can't spare you to playing around with it for too long. We have half a dozen other projects needed for the kingdom, and need more of everything. Plus, when that's done, I want to see at least a novel build a month from all of you. Or more. Sandra is with me today, but all of you need to stand ready. We may have to move to other locations at any time. Some of you may have to go alone too. So be ready for that. Keep a bag packed.” Tor finished eating, and felt guilty about pushing them like that, but other than the deep and gloomy silence, no one else seemed to mind.
Yay. Tor grinned at everyone before they left.
“Oh, also haircuts and a few nice outfit designs. Um, get with Petra Ward for help there if you need it. Combat giant, but the best person I've ever seen on clothing design. Also, you'll be getting some projects from Instructors Fines and Weapons Instructor Kolb. If you don't do them well, I'll get yelled at, so you know, your efforts are appreciated.” Tor winked and grinned at the group that just looked at him, not even groaning at the idea.
Tor started walking out after putting his bowl through the little window near the back of the room. A scared looking first year boy took it without saying anything. Tor got that at least, it was frightening, the whole situation.
“Thanks.” It wasn't much by way of reassurance, but the kid bowed back a bit and kept working. It never hurt to be polite after all, right?
Tor was outside, walking slowly and very carefully down the stone steps to the commons when he noticed that Sandra was following him. He looked over at her and smiled gently, knowing that it had to be a pain walking along like that, being so tall and healthy like she was. He had to build up though and that meant walking when he could.
At the bottom he pointed to where “General” Teller had set up and started over. That made the girl seem very uncomfortable, but she didn't hesitate, so it worked well enough for a start. When he got to the man Tor stopped and gestured to the girl, a woman really, who had probably already graduated and just sticking around because she was at loose ends.
“General Teller? This is Sandra Morris, head of the Lairdgren group. She's going to be delivering the shields for your men today. The first half are ready to go. They'll stop death dust and other nano particulates. You have to turn them on manually for that, so caution the users of that please. It will turn on automatically once they encounter the threat a single time, but not before that most likely, so…” The look on the man’s face and the twitch of his thick mustache told him that he needed to explain the subconscious and deep mind link that turned the shield on in case of emergency.
None of the military's gear did that yet. The guy was impressed and promised to make sure everyone understood. Sandra didn't say much, just running to get the first half of the order. That delivered, they both were at loose ends for a bit.
For about ten seconds.
“Right, now we need to get in touch with the King and then check on the builds for the day. After that, you should get a nap. Really, I can check on the kids, where are they working?”
“Building seven… But… I don't really need to talk with the King, do I?” She sounded nervous, but Tor just shrugged.
“Well, yeah. Him and the Queen both. I don't see why it should be a problem, aren't you all related or something?” It was a teasing stab in the dark, the girl was tall and named Morris, so it made sense but she shook her head.
“Not too closely. I was… Nearly engaged to Prince Alphonse when I was little. Ursala Thorgood got it instead. I'm… supposed to inherit. Um, you know, Counserina first and all that. Dad's not wild about me trying to learn building, he thinks I should just marry and set up house, maybe learn to do accounts. We, don't get along too well.” She didn't seem happy about the admission at all.
“Oh, well, I'm sure that your father’s reputation won't affect yours with the King. He thinks you have a lot of potential. So does Count Lairdgren, who ask for you specifically to be in charge of this.” The King was probably looking forward to her taking over for her stick in the mud da, Tor guessed but didn't mention out loud.
“He knows who I am? I mean the King. We talked once on your communications device… I didn't think… Well, that anyone would really remember me.”
Tor shrugged, “He suggested you, personally, by name, be given this job too. I wasn't kidding when I said you were in charge of the group here. It's all official and everything. You don't get paid for it though, not much, two gold a week.” Tor pulled the figure because it was what the secret army members got paid. Why not, he could spare it, right?
“So don't let it go to your head. Plus, you can only manage twenty copies at once?” Tor shook his head sadly. “You have great potential Sandra, but little kids can do better than that. You even know several of them. You'll have to fix that. Today in fact, if we get time. We need to get to the Capital first though.”
