“I was here a couple of times on break, back when Holly and I were in school together, since, you know, it's on the way to Warden. Kind of.” She took Tor's hand eagerly and led him up a smooth stone path. “This way, I think.”
The path split and wound around several times, but Petra walked it easily, possibly perfectly. In three minutes they were standing in front of a door that was probably the main one, given how huge it was. Twin doors of highly polished wood, each big enough that Tor couldn't have reached across them. Petra grabbed a bell cord, one higher than he could reach, a convention that Tor always took to mean something like “don't ring this if you aren't a giant… Peon.” or something to that effect.
If he ever had a bell like this, it was going to reach nearly to the ground, he decided right then. What if some little kid needed in? OK, so he could have flown up and reached it, but other than that, he'd have to jump, which would be embarrassing. They had to ring twice before anyone came. Petra just grinned and shrugged.
“Really people normally use the side doors, but we're bringing in a Princess. How often does that happen?” The door opened out, making them all step back as the side on their left swung slowly, The door was heavy and apparently needed to be picked up to move at all.
The man in black that was moving it grinned at them a little sourly.
“Sorry it took so long, this thing is a bear… Now, how may I help you? You're obviously not here to sell us anything, right? If so, then you would have to go around the side, after helping me close this beast.” He chuckled a little. Tor smiled and stepped forward.
“Not selling anything, here to visit Countess Printer?” The man looked suddenly skeptical. Something that Tor was getting used to finally, it seemed. Did they all really see him as that much less than everyone else just for being short? “We have peach and strawberry pie?”
The man laughed again, not just a chuckle.
“Well! That would do it then, even if you were trying to sell something. Now, may I ask who's calling? Otherwise she'll just send me back to wheedle the pie from you and send you off. She's a bit… distracted today.”
Kolb did the introductions, but added in Petra’s Counserina this time. He didn't add Tor's Countier though, which was just as well, since that kind of thing always made him uneasy. His name was just given as Tor. The man bowed low, to Varley first, since she was a Princess and then everyone else in turn, even him, though that did get done last, gesturing for them to all come in, and moving to close the heavy door on his own. Tor just grabbed the frame near the middle, where it had an edge and lifted too, after setting down the basket he carried. The whole thing had to weigh nearly two hundred pounds. Obviously made to withstand a siege, even though the place lacked a proper wall. So… maybe it wasn't for attacks at all and just meant to keep salespeople out? It should work, as long as everyone inside refused to open it.
The door didn't close with a mighty thunk, but with a creak and finally a screech that would have set Tor’s nerves on end if it had lasted even a second longer. The man took a deep breath.
“Right… Um, well, this is embarrassing, but honestly we've never had a visit from royalty before and I'm really not sure what would be correct…” The man looked about fifty, but spoke like a younger person, his voice friendly and open the whole time, as if Princesses and barons might just be people too. It made Tor smile and want to help the man out.
“Oh, well, if there's somewhere to sit, while we wait? Then you can let Countess Printer know we're here I think, if you feel comfortable with that I mean? Otherwise we can just stand here, but we are dropping in without warning, so she may want time to get ready or something?” Varley smiled and indicated that would be proper enough, which got the man to smile at her. It could be very easy to smile at a pleasant Princess after all.
“This way then. I think the main sitting room is clean. Ah, it's always clean, what am I saying? I'll have you thinking we keep the livestock in there or something at this rate.” His voice was happy enough when he said it, clearly being lightly playful. Very different than the palace.
Tor thought it kind of a big improvement. He collected the pie basket and followed the man. So far things were going a lot more smoothly than he’d thought they would. Probably the magic of pie. Who didn’t like a good pie?
The room had several soft sofa's all done in red and brown, the Printer house colors, and had a half dozen matching chairs. It was a big space that had natural light coming through stained glass in the pattern of flowers and fields of grass. It was pretty and glowed brightly at this time of day, which must have been about five in the afternoon. About ten minutes later the man that had met them at the door came back with three women, one older and brunette, followed by a round faced red-head that looked about twenty-five and another brunette who must have been close to the same age, all sporting close cropped haircuts that looked military. It was the common style in the Capital, but Tor hadn't realized it had spread this far already. The Queen had cut her hair to show support for the troops and also to make her look more like everyone else around her, a kind of camouflage, but that part wasn't public knowledge. The war with Austra was the big deal, not this stupid stuff that was distracting them right now, everyone going after Ward instead of getting ready for… Ah.
Tor wasn't a master strategist, but that made sense to him. It would even explain why the Wards would have been framed for all those attacks. If, of course, it was a frame at all.
Tor was expecting them to bring drinks, or possibly snacks to help them pass the time. Instead the women all moved suddenly, nearly as one, pulling force lances and pointing them at the group in front of them. Letting his mind range forth, he felt for the fields they had on. Several things popped into focus for him nearly instantly.
First, the force lances weren't very good quality. Oh, military grade, with strong fields on them, but the old kind that would only work for a few moments at a time and drained the user of personal energy. The second thing was that none of these people had a shield on at all, but all of his friends did.
Already turned on too. Tor stepped forward, holding up the small basket with the two pies in it.
“We come bearing gifts?” He spoke quietly, but with a smile.
“Get down!” The women started yelling loudly, voices going sharp. They looked more military now, the weapons did it, not the uniforms, which looked a little silly, red and brown shirts and pants, far too warm for the weather. These three didn't have temperature equalizers so damp spots showed under their arms. Then again he didn't either right now, so he could hardly feel superior about it. He was probably ruining the silk.
They started activating the weapons, which did nothing to the visitors, but shoved furniture back into the walls suddenly, making loud noises.
Standing in the same place Tor held his expression calm and shook his head.
“Really! Pie. We have pie!” His voice was a little desperate. Tor didn't know what anyone else had brought to the party, but anything would work on these women. Possibly lethally. The man with them looked terrified and hugged the wall, a tactic that would have worked better if he hadn't ended up nearly right behind the people being attacked. When Tor looked around everyone else had something in their hands, David Derring stood in front of Varley, two weapons pointed, getting ready to make the women stop. Just force lances, but ones Tor had made, which meant powerful and unending. He could hit these women for hours if he wanted and never even breathe hard.
“Stop!” Tor said suddenly, moving to stand in front of the attackers, shielding them with his body, which was only a psychological barrier at best. They were all nearly six foot tall, and too spread out for it to really work.
“They don't have shields on. I don't know why their attacking, but they can't hurt us with the weapons they have, so… You know, let's not, if it's all the same? I'm sure we can deal with this like reasonable people.” Well, that didn't seem to be happening really, reason not being the plan it seemed, but Kolb nodded.
“Stand down.” He told them all quietly. “Ladies, if you would please place your weapons away, we'll gladly do the same.”
It seemed to dawn on the women that they both weren't being very effective, except for in trashing the room, and that no one had responded to them violently at all yet. They all set their weapons down on the floor slowly, which wasn't what they'd been asked to do, but worked well enough for the moment.
Holly ran into the room then, looking frantic, she had a good force lance in her hand and a full shield on. That made sense, having had access to thousands of the things. She started to spray the room, sending furniture flying, some stopped when it hit people, but other pieces went straight for the ladies that had attacked them. The vulnerable ones.
Jumping wildly Tor slapped at a low table that came towards the red-headed and round faced woman,
