presents to the Count for delivery, since it was right there anyway, and the little gift he’d worked up for the Queen as well. Why should their fun be ruined? He told them to go and have a good night, sounding like it was a funeral the whole time.
Poor Collette had to ride back with him in borrowed shame, instead of mixing and mingling like she’d planned. She looked so pretty too. Anyone keeping her out of a party was a moron, Tor decided, feeling lower than he’d felt in days.
Really he would have just left the Capital right then had it been just him, just rising into the air and flying off, dark or not, but he owed her at least something for having shown up with him. When they got to her house he off loaded a large amount of plates, water heaters, room temperature controls, a few more of the glowing amulets, five personal shields and flying rigs along with two luggage plates. It wasn’t enough, he knew, so he gave her four more amulets for luggage, but anything more would be getting redundant. Collette hugged him as he turned to leave.
“Don’t worry, it’s just an oversight I’m sure. Things do happen with large events like this.” She sounded a little worried though, slightly upset. Warnings or not, he’d really let her down, he knew. Tor should have seen it coming.
Why hadn’t he?
Because he was foolishly trusting, that was why.
Moron.
He knew she was probably right, but it felt like he was being snubbed on purpose. It wouldn’t have been a big deal, if he hadn’t been asked so very clearly like he had been. If no one had said anything about it, and just left him at the bakery after delivering his stuff, it would have been all right. Oh well. He walked back to Debbie’s, so that the carriage could get back to the party were it might be needed later. When he got back, not too late, since the Baronetta lived about a slow ten minute walk away, even with his luggage floating along behind him on the fairly busy street, he found that Debbie hadn’t even left yet. The clock on the wall said it was only about nine-thirty. They’d made decent time in the carriage for once at least.
“You’re back already? Did you forget…” When Debbie looked at his face she cringed. “What happened?”
The explanation didn’t make very much sense to him, or to her either. After all, she’d heard the Prince and Princess ask him to come themselves, and assured him that he hadn’t misunderstood or anything. It wasn’t the wrong night or time. They’d both been very clear, and she reminded him, insistent that he come. He asked her if she’d help him undo the lacing, so that he didn’t have to try and break it in order to get out of the clothing. She locked the door and went to work.
“Tor, you do know you’re glowing, don’t you? Is that…bad? Like a combat aura? Only for Wizards?”
Laughing he explained the amulet, took his off and gave it to her. They were pretty useless over all; you could just barely read by the light, but looked pretty enough in the dark. Shrugging he unpacked most of the contents of the trunk he’d loaded with various things and left it with her, setting devices on her counter. Her look seemed scared at first, but he told her that she could sell them, or if she wanted, give them away. He made little piles out of the remaining things and told her that he’d be gone in the morning and apologized for leaving her in a lurch.
“It’s, really it’s probably nothing, an oversight like Collette said or… I don’t think I’ve done anything that bad to anyone at least, but if the King or Queen is out to get rid of me, or just doesn’t want me here, I’d better get out of their city, you know? Just in case. I’ll leave in the morning, if that’s all right? They know I’ve been working here and I don’t want to track trouble to you if there is something.”
After she left, he felt like crying, but didn’t. He’d been silly to think that any of them liked him after all. Tor was just some kid their son knew from school and while they’d been nice to him, it wasn’t reasonable to expect them to want him to be around, was it? Who was he to even imagine that was possible? Some country hick that didn’t even know all the correct social rules. He hadn’t even known that he’d need an invitation on paper.
Really Tor had never even heard of that before, so even knowing to ask was out of the question.
A light came from outside, through the windows in front. Tor went out to watch the show, looking up in the sky with hundreds of others on the street, most of who clapped or made noises like it was a fireworks display. It wasn’t.
He knew what it would do, of course, he’d built the device, but seeing the huge spinning disc of colored light shift and fade over the Capital made him feel good for a second. It was complex and interesting to look at and made for a decently good show, he thought. Except that it was made by him. After a few minutes a face appeared in it, translucent and glowing still. The face of the King. His face looked strong and regal, holding just a hint of a playful smile, what he’d seen from the King every time there hadn’t been an emergency. Then Connie’s came, looking youthful and radiant. Rolph followed, a little more solid looking than the others, a little more lifelike, because he hadn’t had to work from old memories to build that face at all, just look across the dorm room. Karina looked happy, almost joyful since he’d remembered how she’s seemed when he’d given her something or other and Varley looked about three years older than she actually was. Pretty though. As lovely as her mother at least.
It was probably too gaudy and cheap for them, he found himself thinking, almost wishing they’d just turn it off. Instead they left it running all night long, the order changing after the first time through, the main colors of the wheel shifting from deep purple and gold to blue and green, then fire colors, orange and yellow.
He’d been stupid to give it as a gift, thinking it was the equal of… anything. A basket of rolls would have been as good, better even, because at least the servants could have eaten them. Or the dogs. Did they keep dogs? Probably. They could use them to chase down runty troll peasants like him, if they got too annoying. Now everyone would see how stupid he was. With that thought, he fell asleep.
Kind of.
He woke over and over again, unable to feel comfortable no matter what position he took on the hard pallet. He’d been fine the night before. But now it just didn’t work for him and he kind of ached as he laid waiting for the dawn.
When first light came, finally, he got up knowing he probably looked listless. Tor brushed his teeth, just so they’d be clean, and collected his things up slowly, feeling horrible the whole time. He waited for Debbie to get there, standing out front, so that he wouldn’t leave with the door unlocked. Not that he thought anything bad would happen. Most of the city was asleep still and even the boss came in later than she had been, knowing that would be true. But it just felt rude and right now he didn’t want to do anything that would leave anyone else feeling slighted if he could help it. He asked directions to the nearest gate in the outer wall and she pointed and told him to go up three streets and then follow the road he found on the left until he hit the wall.
“You can’t miss it. I…” She looked down but didn’t say anything.
Right, she had to get to work and here he was leaving her without a chance to find extra help. Still, since he didn’t know what was possibly going on, not for certain, it would be better if he just left, drawing off any attacks so that only he was affected. The walk to the wall took most of the morning, but the guards at the gate didn’t try to stop him, even though they stared at the boxes training after him. Probably wondering if he was smuggling something out of the city. Once outside the gate he reset the cases to fly, using the regular floats and then decided to take off without waiting any longer.
He was hungry, but he didn’t have money with him to speak of, having left the last five golds and two silvers he had under the cash box for Debbie. He hated the idea of leaving her like this after having promised to work with her, good reason or not. Also Tor didn’t want to risk being caught. They may not hurt him, but they might embarrass him in public again. Probably just standing around, pointing and mocking him for sport or something.
It might not be fair of him to think that, but the whole thing kind of felt that way already. Like they were snubbing him, just to make a point about how much less he was than they were. Maybe that was what they were really doing? Just letting the world know how little he actually counted?
The flight was faster going back to the school, since he flew directly there and didn’t bother stopping in Galasia, where they apparently thought he was a tiny evil troll anyway. With a big nose. He landed outside his room in the courtyard, the cobblestones uneven and hard under foot. He nearly tripped on one of them, so he kicked at it a little angrily, which did nothing useful at all. Then, without considering how dangerous it might prove to be, he reactivated the flight rig and the floats on the cases, lifted up slowly and resettled them on the third floor walk way just outside his room. From there he could drag them both in without having to try and get help going up the stairs.
Having nothing else planned for the day, he just sat in his room and waited. Nothing would happen he knew,
