ready himself so that he wouldn’t look like a fool. It wasn’t like it was a real engagement or anything and it probably wouldn’t even be a sham one for much longer the way things had been going. It was a little sad — for him — but that didn’t mean she shouldn’t have a real life while she waited for Count “way to old” Lockland or Overland, whatever his name was, to forget about her or pick a new girl to try for.
For that matter, maybe he already had? The guy was a Count after all. Even if he was eighty or whatever, a lot of girls would be willing to marry him, just to be a Countess for a while.
After a minute of increasingly loud conversation, it became clear that they were talking about him, which surprised Tor to no end. People talked about him when he wasn’t there? Rolph sat up suddenly as the conversation turned a little. Pointedly so.
“What about Tor? You think I want to be married to a midget? He kisses like a dog. Well… OK he’s not that bad, but even hugging him feels like I’m trying to make a move on a little boy.”
One of the men said something that he didn’t pick up, but then the woman, clearly Trice, continued, getting even louder, making it easy to hear all over the room. “He has the personality of a doorstop. I could probably have sex with both of you in front of him, taking one in each hole while saying that he was never going to get any off of me and he’d still agree to marry me, just because he’s that desperate. It makes sense, what woman would ever want him? He knows it too. He told me once that he figured his best bet was to try and make enough money that his parents could bribe some naive country girl into thinking he was worth something.” A loud and sloppy snort followed.
“But I doubt even country girls would fall for it. They want a real man, not a lap dog.”
Ah. Well, Tor thought letting his body go still and dropping into the deepest trance state he could on short notice, he hadn’t realized that she’d felt exactly that way. He’d really thought they were at least friends.
It seemed not.
A different voice, male and deep spoke next. He sounded a little pissed.
“I don’t know… he hooked us all up with those poison detectors, and gave me ones to pass to my parents, didn’t even blink about it. Could have charge six thousand gold for it, I was ready to pay, but then he gave them to us even knowing that, just because we needed them. Then he made and gave out over four hundred of them? That’s what, eight hundred thousand gold? That doesn’t sound like a doorstop to me, more like a hero. He doesn’t know me from a hole in the wall, but when he heard I needed his help, he was there. Didn’t even hesitate or hint that I owed him anything. I do, but he’s never come to suggest it, has he? Look what he did for Galasia… they’d all be dead if not for him.”
That got Trice laughing long and loud. Her voice was a little slurred so Tor assumed drunk, at least to some extent.
“Yeah, sure, he saved Galasia… you know what they think of him in Galasia? They think he’s an evil troll! They’re not far wrong are they? Well, he’s not evil… Just stupid. He doesn’t even realize that we’ve pocketed all the money from those devices of his we’ve sold here at school. Too dumb to even ask what happened to all those thousands of golds. Who’s that slow on the uptake?”
A female voice, softer and much more gentle, spoke then.
“I have his money Trice. Just because he’s not greedy about it that doesn’t mean we’re going to steal it from him. I’m just holding it for him in case he demands a large payment suddenly; it was my mother’s idea. We really are strapped for ready cash right now with the retooling and all that, and will be for another few months.”
Patricia cackled.
“Right! Admit it, you’re all just taking advantage of him too. He was enough of a sap that he almost married Ursala Thorgood when she popped pregnant with Count Wards’ kid. If he wasn’t such a genius at making things, I’d wonder if he was actually retarded. Well, I say we milk him for all we can get now. Even a moron like him won’t let it go on forever. If Rolph catches on to us, the deals up. He at least has a spine. Bit of a doof, but at least when he’s dicking you Sara, you don’t have to worry about him making puppy eyes. Not that Tor’s even ever tried to get me into bed. Maybe he really does like little boys like Maria said? That would explain so much…”
Trance state or not, the blood left his face and head in a rush. He slapped the shield amulet on and stood carefully. He couldn’t afford a fight right now, he was too weak. Not a physical one at least. Digging into the inner pocket of his trousers he pulled out the small tube that carried the force lance field and took a deep calming breath.
“OK… you heard all that, right? I’m not imagining it or, I don’t know, they aren’t talking about someone else and I’m just being egotistical about this, and thinking it means me, not some other guy name Tor that she doesn’t want to marry and saved Galasia, right?”
The Prince looked about as white as Tor felt.
Well, it was instructive at least, coming to this restaurant, even though he couldn’t really recommend the experience to anyone. Rolph stood up too, even more slowly than he had. Tor made himself shrug. No big thing. He’d already known that women didn’t like him. He’d just thought…
Tor didn’t know what he’d thought, not any more.
Trice, apparently however, wasn’t done yet.
“You know what I hate about him most though? He drinks half a glass full of cyanide and pops right back up like one of those little toy dolls. Push him over, he comes back up, push him over he comes back up! He didn’t even have the common decency to die like a normal person. I was in his room with Rolph and you, Sara, crying, because I just wished I didn’t have to deal with him anymore. Then he turns around and is nice to my parents! They probably had him poisoned! And he’s all “How are things going in the County Ford relief program going.” He deserves for Debri house to be robbing him blind.”
Probably. Tor knew he wasn’t that good with money. He’d never had any to be good with and didn’t know the upper crust rules for making collections. It was time for him to learn it seemed. Well, he could do that. Tor would make a point of starting right then in fact.
He walked over to the divider and rounded the corner quickly. Rolph followed right behind him, standing just a little to the side as if to stop anyone from running away. Nice of him if it came to it. All Tor had in mind was talk though. For now.
He grinned. It must have looked half mad, because everyone at the table went wide eyed at seeing him, even Trice. He stared at her directly. She started out by smirking at him. It didn’t help at all.
“So… obviously the weddings off. By the way, I knew it wasn’t real the whole time, I was just trying to help you out so you wouldn’t have to marry Count Overland. You’re welcome by the way. I’ll be sure to send him a note letting him know that you’re free again. You,” He pointed at Sara with the force lance in his hand. “Please inform your mother that thanks to this… informative little meal, she has one week to pay in full everything that’s owed. One penny less and I’ll come collect it myself. I do not think she wants that.” His voice popped and crackled still and he sounded formal and cold. Harsh.
“Oh! Patricia, please tell your parents that I want the gear I gave them back, as well as everything you’ve gotten from me. False pretense invalidates all claims of them being gifts, don’t you think? If you’d just broken up with me I would have let you keep it all, so thank god we came tonight, so I could find out what you really are. You have twenty-four hours for that. Just give it to Rolph, since I never want to see you again. Either of you. I’m sure we can find a better home for that junk. Some pigs might want it for instance? Or I can throw it in a trash heap.”
He turned and left then, Rolph stayed, but what he said didn’t concern Tor at all. It took everything he had not to kill them all as they sat at the table. This, even when he knew that most of them had nothing to do with anything. One guy had even sounded favorable about Tor. Defended him. That fact didn’t help anything. They were robbing him on purpose? Trice hated him and thought he was sub-human? How had he been so wrong about them for so long? Maybe he really was just that stupid? Well, he’d have to stop that now. He may not be loved, or even liked, but he could be feared.
Damn straight he could.
If he applied himself, he could probably do that really well. Couldn’t he?
It took an act of will to force himself into a trance state deep enough to stay out of a full combat rage. He couldn’t spare the time right now. He had things he needed to get ready, and little time to do it in. He tucked his rage and sense of betrayal down, deep inside. His trust for anyone in the whole world evaporated a little more with each step.
They’d all lied to him. Everyone, over and over again.
