someone’s head off if they tried to stop him.
Like he could.
Kolb froze in place, started to say something, but then didn’t at all, his mouth moving a bit like a fish. It was Karen that spoke, her voice a lot softer than he’d heard it before. She wore the kind of brown silks that a lot of the rich kids did for classes, he’d never seen her in anything but canvas like what he wore, he realized suddenly. Not even at the duel. Of course that had been a fashion statement of its own and a show of support for her brother, who’d dressed like a regular school kid to shame the Count. But yeah, she was one of those rich royal kids too, wasn’t she? For that matter, so was he, royal at least. For all the good that had done him.
“Tor! That’s awful, my god… But no, that’s not it… There’s a fire burning half of County Ross, in the middle of the kingdom? Mainly grass fire, it’s… really bad. A few of the guys wanted to fly over and help fight the fire, but the school won’t let us use the flying rigs or shields, because they don’t belong to the school really, being on loan from you, so we need your permission to take them. I have the one you gave me, and so do Davie, Petra and Kolb, but we need ten others…”
Ah. Tor laughed. Everyone looked at him as if he’d lost his mind, which of course, he had, most likely. Just for a minute there. He grabbed his face with his hands, making the tan bag slip a bit and groaned loudly. A frustrated sounding thing. He was, obviously, a moron. A self important one at that.
“Sorry. I have some other rigs in my room. I’ll just give them to people outright, so this doesn’t happen again. I think I even have enough for everyone plus a few. About fifty. I’m, the disaster isn’t funny, I just… I assumed you were coming to talk to me about other stuff and then…” He kept chuckling. “Sorry. The size of my own ego seems to be the theme of the day. Let’s go get people set up.”
He handed the bag off to Davie without asking, just holding it out to see if he’d take it. Not only did he, the boy carried it without perceptible effort. Tor wondered if that’s how the whole Squire thing actually started originally. Some guy like him not wanting to carry the heavy gear. It worked for now and sped the whole process up a good bit. They got to the room a lot faster than Tor had been walking on his own, the seriousness of the situation hurrying all their steps. He gasped for air at the top of the stairs but didn’t stop, since he had to trigger the door lock himself or it wouldn’t work. All the plates were still on his bed as well as the amulets, so he didn’t even have to search for anything.
“Right. Flying rigs, shields… Um, here, try these,” He handed over a clutch of copper weapons to Davie. “Those are the ones that choke off air.”
Karen gave him a quizzical look and a head tilt, so he shrugged and explained quickly.
“Um, fire needs air. Take the air away from an area and it can’t burn. That’s basically what happens when you throw water on a fire too. I don’t know that it will work fast enough, but it’s worth a shot.”
Tor looked at what was in front of him. Water pumps, yeah, those might help. Temperature equalizers. He didn’t know if it would do much, but just in case he gave them all that he had. Lights? Well, the fire wouldn’t stop at night. It should be bright enough, but what if it wasn’t in the right places? Really they needed so much and he couldn’t tell what might be useful sitting here, or off in Two Bends.
“Um, I don’t know if I can actually help fight a fire or anything right now, but maybe I should go along, in case you need a field made or copied maybe? If, I mean, I won’t just be in the way? I wasn’t doing much anyway…” Tor swallowed, expecting them to all chime in that they didn’t need him. He was barely able to climb the stairs after all, so it was a valid argument as to why he shouldn’t go. Instead Kolb clapped him on the shoulder.
“Good, saves me from having to ask. We’re all staging in the weapons square right now. Davie, run get us a trunk or two so that we can bring all this with us? Might as well take everything we can, no telling what will come in handy.”
Tor loaded up his own trunks, not leaving anything personal behind. He doubted that he’d ever be coming back this way. Sighing he tried to let go of it all. It was sad and he kind of wished he could have finished school, but maybe that had been a stupid dream all along? Would he have been happier if he’d just stayed in Two Bends and been just another baker? Well, life happened, so he had to keep going from where he was at the moment. That was all he could do after all. Even magic wouldn’t change that.
Davie came back with two large trunks, both without flying plates, which only made sense, as no one was making those except him and he’d never sold any. He also brought large young man that filled the doorway as he held the second trunk. At first, in silhouette, it looked like a royal man of about twenty, but when he walked closer and Tor could see his face clearly it was obvious that the boy was even younger than he was, about Davies age of fourteen or so. Face still rounded with baby fat, even though that should have been impossible given how large he was.
The kid must eat like a horse, Tor thought, good thing he was a royal, or his poor parents wouldn’t be able to keep him fed.
They didn’t have time for introductions, as Tor started pointing at things and giving orders, his breathy voice so raspy that he wondered if flying into a fire would be wise for him right now. Then again, if he died… he died. No big loss to the world. Even less to the universe. He kept pointing at things.
“Just use the straps to hold the float plates in place. Normally, if we had time, I’d nail them on, but this will work. I flew to the Capital and back using the same technique once. Just stack the devices in, then the amulets, try to keep them a little bit separate, so that we won’t have to fight to figure out what’s what in the weapons court. Their all metal, so don’t worry about breaking them.”
Everyone worked, even Kolb, who helped get the trunks outside and tapped the plates on each one, then, without warning, lifted off for the weapons section. Everything went with him. Even Davie and Karen lifted off almost instantly, Tor started too, but noticed that the boy that had helped with the trunks just stood, right fist clenched hard enough that it turned white. He looked off at the retreating backs of the flyers, legs locked and stiff as they stood on the stone walkway.
“Um, are you all right?” Tor tried to sound calm and friendly about it, but the kid was kind of scary. At least he had his shield on already. The larger boy shook his head hard; a sharp movement that made Tor nearly wish he hadn’t asked.
“It’s my district, I mean, I’m only Countier sixth, but, it’s my home. I don’t know how to fly though. I was supposed to be up in the rotation to learn next month. I…” Before the boy could start hitting anything Tor started talking.
“Walk with me then. This is a crash course on how to fly. Pay attention, because you aren’t going to have a lot of time to get things wrong.”
It really wasn’t that dangerous Tor told him, but slamming into the ground, even with a shield on, hurt. No one had died yet at least. Tor couldn’t walk and talk very well, and certainly couldn’t jog and talk, so he activated his flying gear and explained while he floated along about five feet from the ground. By the time they got there, one Countier Gary Ross was ready to try flying for the first time.
“Look… some people get scared the first time they fly and some can’t hack it at all, being up high is just too much for them. If you find that happening to you…” Tor turned and gave Gary a grin and a half way credible floating bow.
“Then toughen the hell up. People back home need you, and that counts more than being afraid, right? It counts more than dying even. If you can accept that now, then being afraid, even being terrified to the bone, won’t stop you from doing what you need to.” Tor gave the boy a single nod and went to get him a flying rig.
Not ten minutes later, they took off, Kolb in the front, because he had the map and Tor holding the rear with Gary, so that he could call out suggestions if needed. Also that way they wouldn’t bash into anyone if Gary messed up. They were needed, some flying tips, but the kid was no worse at flying than anyone else had been their first time. Better than a lot really. Way better than Tor. Of course the controls were easier now that he’d fixed them, on turns if nothing else. At least there was no five minutes of spinning in place when Gary tried to turn in the air the first time.
If Gary was afraid he hid it well. His lightly tanned face only showed a steely determination that Tor kind of admired. The look on his own face was probably still just lost and sad, if not close to tears. He thought of Trice for a few seconds and his eyes welled up, liquid dripping down his cheeks and then whipping back as soon as they fell out of the shield, making him glad that Gary was flying along side of him, about a hundred feet away. If he’d been in the back he might have gotten hit.
Tor let those thoughts go. Yes, he could accept that he was short, ugly and that no woman anywhere would be insane enough to love him, or even touch him, unless they were faking interest or being paid to do it. It should
