“You know. I hate to mention this, but there’s a really good chance, given what she was saying about me and where the juice came from, that Trice was the one that poisoned me.” Tor didn’t let anyone else speak, waving them to quiet with his right hand first.
“She knows how to do it, she’s mentioned that more than once in fact. More, she could easily have gotten access to the barrel at any point in the process and stated, after the fact, that she hates me and wished I’d died. I knew that we weren’t really going to get married the whole time, I’m not that dumb. Really, I can’t see why you people keep thinking I am. Kind isn’t really the same thing, you know. But I’d thought that we were friends enough that she’d just tell me when the thing was up and we’d keep being friends after that. I don’t know why she’d want me dead, even if I disgust her. Even if she didn’t want to be my friend… It’s hard for me to believe even now, but…”
Tor’s mind made the connections rapidly then.
“God. She’s even the same height as Wensa, and knew that I didn’t wear the shield turned on all the time back then, especially after meals, when I was kicked down the stairs. I know that she has the skill physically, and she even knows when I go to dinner. Crap…” Tears stung his eyes as he spoke.
“She’s had enough access to our room to know how to get in too. The food just showed up on my bed. So whoever did it knew which bed was mine too. Not that hard to do, since Rolph’s bed is special, way nicer than mine, but still, it’s a lot of little stuff adding up…”
Everyone stared at him.
“No…” Eric said, standing up suddenly.
Next him Mercy stood as well. “It can’t be. There simply has to be another explanation. I…”
Looking confused they both stormed out quickly, as if fearing that to stay meant arrest or death. Or possibly that they’d have to face the facts, which might be even scarier for them. Had it really been her? Tor tried to line everything up, it wasn’t, he could see, proof of anything, but a lot of things fell in line really nicely. Or it did now that he knew that she’d hated him the whole time. Even that gods awful fake crying of hers. Who cries like that?
Someone trying to trick you, that’s who.
He buried his head in his hands for a few moments then sat up. Nothing had really changed for him. He didn’t know anything for sure and his absolute position in the universe was still the same as when he walked into the room. Sure… Tor felt pretty crummy, of course he did.
“Even stupid little trolls have their pride, don’t they?” He said to the room, not caring if anyone else got it at all.
Getting up slowly he went to find his trunks, Rolph walking along behind him. They were in a room just off the kitchen, which was pretty close to the first place he’d checked. The lid was up on one of them, it was clear that it had been gone through. He pointed at the state of it, it was the trunk that held all the devices, and all his normally neat stacks were scrambled. How annoying.
“If people want stuff, I really wish they’d just ask, you know? It’s not like I’ve ever refused to give someone something that they wanted. So, who do you think it was?” He re-latched the box and tapped the second float plate with his amulet, then picked the box up with a grunt. He repeated it with the second one, leaving both hanging in the air beside him. It took some pushing to guide them through the door of the small room, but he managed with some pulling and a few half hearted kicks.
“The staff? Some noble that figured out what was in there? One of your sisters?” He smiled. The idea of Varley going through his things was ridiculous. Karina might, but not the younger one. She was smart enough to just request what she wanted, or possibly just mention that having something would be nice, it wasn’t like he’d been stingy with the stuff he made or anything, was it? For that matter Karina probably got that too by now.
The large head tilted as they walked.
“Probably none of the above. My guess? The Royal Guard. Hearing you have a super-weapon they probably felt obligated to try and find it, if it was in the palace itself. If nothing else just to see to the safety of the King. Kind of their job.”
That made sense. Of course the little device was hanging on a cord around his neck at the moment, but Tor didn’t bother mentioning that. After all, shield or not, trying to use it on the ground put you too close to the blast itself. He really doubted anyone could survive that. It was a stupid weapon really. Too powerful to be used in almost any situation. From the air, pointed far away from you was about it. Maybe pointed at flying people a long ways off? Still he didn’t want to have a big fight over it.
The marble floors made only small sounds as he walked out the door to the back of the complex, towards the guest house. The lawn was huge and well tended, which probably took specialty cutters. How did you make it perfectly flat like that three inches from the ground without some kind of guide? He tapped the float plates and let the cases settle behind him.
“Right, that makes sense. Anyway, um, I don’t know when I’ll be back around here, if I ever am, so, thanks. I’ve been glad to have you as my friend.” He held out his hand to shake, but Rolph crossed his arms instead of taking it.
“You say that like you’re going someplace. Our rooms are made up in the guest house and by the way, no one here is going to take no for an answer. Varley said that if I let you go away right now she’d never speak to me again. Now, she’s just a kid, true, but I think she was serious about giving it a good try. Have you ever tried to be the heir to a kingdom if your little sister refuses to communicate with you directly? You may think my jobs easy, but… Let’s just say I’m counting on you as a friend to help me avoid that.” He managed to say all this with a straight face.
“I… just don’t want to be a bother to anyone. I can stay at an inn or something, or, I don’t know, go camp out maybe? I mean… I basically just accused Trice of poisoning me, and she’s your family.” Tor looked at the outer wall surrounding the palace, feeling hemmed in and small.
“You’re all kind of obligated to hate me now. I’m a little surprised no one launched an attack in the room when I said it. The information fits, but, gods, Rolph. I loved her, at least as a friend, but even if I’m not good enough for anyone, that doesn’t mean I don’t have feelings. I didn’t expect her to like me back, but kill me? Why? She could have just walked away and had me giving her things for years if that’s what she wanted.” Tears ran down his cheeks, Rolph took his arm and walked him forward, his right hand pointed back at the luggage without him ever looking at it, then at the guest house with a small flip of the wrist.
“I know Tor. I really don’t get it either. I mean, I’ve known her all my life, we played together as little kids. She was the first girl I kissed, quite chastely by the way, and the first person that ever kicked my butt in a fight. We were four. Hair puller. But if I hadn’t had been in the room with you and someone told me she said those things, I’d have called them a liar to their face and probably called them out. This… It isn’t like her at all. I’m not defending her, I heard it, but it’s like she isn’t the same girl now or something.” Rolph got him inside and had him sit on a low bench just inside the door.
It was just a wooden thing, nice, but its sole purpose seemed to be giving people a place to sit if they needed to take off muddy or dusty shoes. Given that he’d yet to see it rain in the Capital he wondered if anyone here even knew what mud was. Well, the people in the potters distract, they’d know, but would anyone else?
“Yeah, well, it’s magic. An effect I seem to have on women. I guess I really need to just give up on the idea of ever being loved. Maybe those people in Galasia had it right all along? I’m a troll in disguise and too stupid to know it? I guess going off to live in a cave is fitting enough, I could work there, I suppose, and get things done uninterrupted. I don’t…” The tears still fell and he felt like he was a little kid crying because mommy had left on an errand. “I don’t want to be alone forever.”
“Hey, you’re not alone, you’ve got me.” His friend smiled and patted him on the back gently.
“Thanks. I know. That’s… not what I meant.”
Rolph sighed hugely, actually blowing a breath of air out hard.
“I know. It… this won’t last forever you know. It’s not you, it’s just a string of bad luck. It could happen to anyone. Really, a lot of women here in the Capital are fond of you…”
Sure. That’s why they were all beating down his door. He didn’t even have any as friends, they just wanted to use him for some reason. Well, that’s how it felt at least. Maybe he should make it harder for them? After all, if he wasn’t getting anything out of the deal, why should they?
He asked Rolph what room he’d be staying in, which turned out to be the same one as last time. His trunks were already sitting there, even though he hadn’t seen anyone carry them past at all. He hadn’t seen anyone except for Rolph in fact. It was… eerie. Like ghosts had done it or something. Tor had never seen a ghost, but if anyplace
