Henry didn't get everyone, but Tor was waiting with a large chest of gold when the twenty-seven kids he did find wondered in. Most wore brown, which he did at the moment too. Tor just winked at them and raised his right hand, getting everyone to go eerily silent. A lot of the faces were new to him, but a few, like Judith and Sam stuck out. Lyn stood at the back of the room, looking down at the floor for some reason. Nervously. She fidgeted, weigh shifting more than anyone else in the room did at all.
“Alright! Get with Henry and get your payments if you want to sign up for the holiday. A gold per day, to go out and find information for me.” He made his voice smooth.
It was just a way to give them coins without people feeling too bad, he hoped. It wouldn't do to let them be shamed after all. The room was already silent but Sam walked up and… bowed.
“Yes sir. Henry and I will see to it, if that's all right?” He spoke clearly, all trace of accent suddenly gone from his voice, as if it had never been there at all.
“Um, very good. Carry on then.” Tor wondered if Sam had an actual plan or if the young man just realized what the real situation was? Fake spying to let the kids feel all right about taking the gold? It was a lot, even for that kind of work, but why not? They'd spend it and that would help the economy, wouldn't it?
Tor nodded to the boys and started out of the room, only to have Lyn touch his arm on the way past.
“Master Tor, sir… A word with you? In private?” She sounded almost scared, tentative and shaky. Tor noticed she looked better though, her face was shaped a little differently now, it still looked like her, but better. Face less pinched and lips a little more red than before.
Of course, with a good disguise device on, she could look like anything, couldn’t she?
He winked and walked, almost at a normal pace, to a little room of to the side. It was actually there just for meetings like this, Collette had told him.
It was all ego, but Tor half expected her to try and kiss him when he turned around, but she didn't. Instead she took his hand and used the other to tap her own chest.
“Look at me.” She said, her voice commanding suddenly.
It wasn't an instant change, but after a minute or so, she shifted, altered and her form grew, almost like a candle melting in reverse, flesh being added, until she look very familiar indeed.
Like a short Burks Lairdgren.
Or, Tor supposed, as good looking as she really seemed, exactly like him.
The girl smiled with his face.
Chapter Nineteen
“Now we just lock you in here and I'll go and fight in your place. It's brilliant, don't you think?” She didn't stop smiling, clearly relived.
It really was.
“This device, can you copy anyone like that? Does it remember the field if you turn it off and back on?” It was clearly a novel build, a good one too…
“Um, no, I haven't figured out how to do that part yet, I mean I can find the field in some of your stuff, but it's really complex and subtle. I have to stay like this until after the fight, but this will work. Even if he kills me… Well, as long as you make a substitution after the fight quickly enough, no one will be the wiser! Just slip in and pretend that you were hurt, but not killed. That will work.”
Tor raised his eyebrows. Then he nodded.
“Except that part where you'd be dead. Not to be a pain here Lyn, but I won't let a friend go and fight my battles for me at the cost of their own life. Better if I die than you after all.” Tor shrugged.
“After all, this is my mess.”
The image of him looked sour and shook his head.
“No, this is some bully trying to kill you when you're weak, because he's a coward. He's even announced publicly that he won't be accepting any other challenges or let anyone bait him into fighting them instead. Said it was due to “cause” but I think it's just that he knows he wouldn't make it if he didn't hide behind the rules like he is.” The face was his, and a really good likeness of young looking Burks, but the voice was all young girl.
Tor patted his own shoulder, across from him, and turned the field the girl was using off. Lyn snapped back into existence, which was a relief. Looking at her with his image had been freaky.
“It's a good build Lyn, but it shows why you can't take my place. You're good. Better than I was at your age, and I won't risk what you'll become for my own comfort now. Don't worry though. I have this in hand.” Tor winked at her, which got crossed arms and a snort in return.
“Do you now? A child with a feather could take you out, much less some crazy giant with a mad — on for you. I'm even afraid to look at your field pattern right now, because I could accidentally damage it and kill you!”
Tor held out his hand and smiled gently.
“Go ahead, be careful though.”
She touched his arm with a single finger, tilted her head… and smiled.
“Oh! I… That's a lot better than I thought. How did you do that? I accidentally brushed your field about a few weeks ago and I swear I thought it was going to kill you…”
Tor explained the meditation, which made her eyes go wide.
After he finished, she bowed.
“Well, in that case, I was wondering, do you think you could come to dinner with my family tomorrow? I've had an… offer of marriage and I know that my mother would feel better if she didn't have to face a fine go between alone. If you're not too busy? I know it's Postern and a big celebration this year.” She looked shy suddenly, as if he'd say no?
“Would it be alright to have them here do you think? We can set up a separate dining room. I'll check with Collette.”
That got another bow, a solemn thing that faded into a grin after a few seconds.
“Would that be all right? I owe you so much already…” She looked odd for a second but didn't cast her eyes downward this time.
He nodded and smiled back at her.
“More than just alright. May have a few others there too though, I have family in town that you should meet for instance.”
That got a blush in response and a conversation that tapered off into silence after a few minutes. She finally turned to leave then, but turned back at the door.
“Um, Master Tor, sir?” She said softly.
“Just Tor, Lyn. You know that.”
“Um, yeah, would it be a OK, if… Well, if I called you brother?” She didn't look at him at all.
It was an incredibly weird thing to say, but Tor shrugged and nodded. Why not?
“I'd be pleased. Sister Lyn.”
The girl took a deep breath and bowed to him again.
“Good then, my brother…” Her voice sounded older then, darker somehow.
“This Baron Rochester? Don't play with him, don't hold back. Kill him. Someone is trying to assassinate you using him. I can't say who yet, I don’t know, but it's so clear the situation practically screams it.”
Then she turned and left.
Tor followed, but by the time he made it to the door, she was nowhere in sight.
What a strange thing for her to say.
It also made a lot of sense. It did seem a bit sophisticated for the Baron to come up with on his own, didn’t it? The man seemed impulsive, a hot head, like the kind of person that led his life by what he wanted at any given moment, not someone that would plan a trap carefully over weeks, leaving another person with only two ways out. Tor didn’t know who’d bother setting something like that up though. Had he really angered anyone that much? Ever?
He didn’t think so.
