knew that. So he was smelling what he'd done? Or more like it, he was making himself imagine that stench?
Fair enough.
If you kill it shouldn't be easy, should it? This was part of the price he had to pay, and eventually there would be more of one.
There always was. Actions had consequences, and killing someone was a big action. No matter who they were or why you did it.
He could have gone to breakfast, or had some of whatever meal was closest, but Nita wanted him to stay there and rest. So after remaking the bed, letting the sheets clean, he climbed in and lay there, looking at a ceiling he knew for a fact wasn't there. Food was brought on a nice wooden and metal tray, and was bland, either made that way or because he couldn't taste anything except rot. After that, Tor wanted to take a nap, but couldn't. He had work to do, vacation or not.
“The fire-” the words were worried not grumpy or rough at least.
“Is out. Some people were injured fighting it and in the bombing, but no one was killed from the attack itself. The area around the palace was already cleared, I guess because this could happen? So everything is fine and you're still on vacation. How fun! We should do something together, if you get the time. I know you're a busy man and all and may have other plans, so it's not problem for me if you can't. We're still having King’s week I hear, to show the Austrans that we aren't afraid. Even if everyone is secretly terrified. I want to help with it, but I don't know what to do.” She chattered merrily, not waiting for him to speak or really giving him a chance to at all. It was nice though, and reminded him a bit of being home in Two Bends. When thirteen people spoke all at once no one got heard, so you had to learn to wait.
Tor grinned.
“There's lot's to do for it, you can help me organize my stuff? And um, would you sleep in here, with me? It may be a little awkward when we have other people in for sex, but I'll deal if you will.”
It was a throwaway line, Tor was trying to act all royal and sophisticated, but he ruined it with a smile, Nita didn't though, she lowered her head and gave a smile that definitely didn't ruin anything at all.
“I've never done that. Sex with more than one person. Maria has. She said it was fun, but complicated, and it really helps if you liked everyone involved. She does, like everyone, I mean, so not a huge issue for her. But I'd love to stay! Does that mean you're my boyfriend? It would be grand to tell father I finally caught a man I didn't have to pay and who wasn't being bribed to be nice to me by someone else.” Her hand went to her mouth and eyes widened. She suddenly looked worried, though it was hard to tell why.
“Oh! I didn't mean… I'm not trying to pressure you or anything. I was just talking…” Her voice trailed off soft and embarrassed, but Tor nodded his head against the deliciously soft pillow.
So it was just Nita being shy again, that and not thinking she was good enough. Silly of her. Tor decided sleepily to correct that if he could.
“Oh, yes. Of course you're my girlfriend. Apparently I have several, however that works. Though it would be nice if people would let me in on things like that earlier. Like this. Thanks.” He was drifting off as they spoke, so he put his arms out for a hug and pulled her into bed with him, it was meant to be playful, but he really did fall asleep. Exhaustion just took him hard and didn't let go, wouldn't listen to his arguments and made him sleep for a while then. She was gone when he got back up, but then he didn't expect her to actually lay in his arms awake while he slept or anything like that. It would be uncomfortable and waste her time.
Tor got up and stretched, not really feeling stiff or anything, but knowing that collapsing due to… whatever it had been, wasn't normal for him. Dehydration? That had happened recently, and he really wasn't really drinking enough water. He'd been out all day and all he'd had was a bit of fruit juice that morning. Kind of a brilliant plan actually, not having any liquid like that. Thinking it a good point he went to the bath room and drank cool water from the tap. If anyone had managed to poison this, then he deserved to die. It was clean and crisp when it came out, filtered, and probably about as pure as it could get.
Normally he'd, well, he'd probably run off to the palace and then try to fix everything he could with magic, instead of letting people do some actual work and use their own ideas. Right now he should rest, but… well, other than sleep, which was simply done for now, what else could he do?
How about check on Petra and Collette, then on all his other friends? Petra had been leading the fire fighting, at least the flying pump portion of the events. Was she all right? He'd been sleeping and hadn't even thought to check! How selfish was that? Stupid sleep, always getting in his way every day like that.
It didn't take him long to find her at all, about ten seconds, because the dark and pretty girl was standing in the hallway, not ten feet from his door, nodding seriously at someone. A much smaller, incredible good looking looking dark haired man was saying something to her. It took a second for Tor to get who it was, as he was dressed in a plain brown and green canvas outfit and black boots, instead of the servants uniform or nice black or green jacket he'd seen him in most of the time before. His grandfather, Burks Lairdgren. A sitting Count of all things.
“Petra! Are you all right, is everyone well?” His voice sounded scared and a little girlish, but they were all friends. They wouldn't mock him for it. Not too much at least.
“Tor love! You're up. Good. Bonita said you'd eaten and talked to her earlier, but she's not too sure if you're in your right mind yet. Everyone is fine, a few burns, a couple even major ones, but the healing devices did the trick, and everyone is fixed already. Most of the wall around the King’s palace is gone, but we have crews rebuilding right now. The shield seems fine. It held perfectly of course. Do you need anything?” Her voice was kind and warm, Burks smiled.
The older man, who looked maybe thirty, if that, and was actually over three thousand, or so Tor had been told by the King, and no one had denied that it was simple truth, walked to him directly. The hand that came out wasn't there to shake, it touched his head in an annoying and invasive fashion, resting over his eyes, fingers wrapping the top of his head. Eyes closed, Burks looked at Petra and nodded. Or he would have been looking, it was a weird way to do things, but what could they say? When a person got to be an elder, over eighty in most places, they were to be revered, even if they were doing bothersome or annoying things.
Burks Lairdgren, his grandfather, had lapped eighty so many times it probably seemed like a joke to him if he bothered to think about it at all.
“His field pattern is badly degraded. Too much building with too little rest for far too long, I'd guess, then he ripped his field nearly into pieces using direct effect to create a blast that should have taken days to build for even the best, months more likely. He needs to rest and recover. I'm not really sure why he isn't dead to tell the truth.” The old man looked at him and nodded.
“Not trying to talk past you Tor, but Miss Ward here needs to know what to do with you. Right now that pretty much means anything but building or magic of any other sort. You know what it means to degrade your field! You should have been checking for it. Did you really think you could shape the world using your own information and never pay the price? The way you've been doing it?”
The man continued on for a long while, as Tor and Petra stood there. The meaning was clear, if Tor had to do something like that again soon, build a super-weapon out of thin air, it would kill him.
“Which would be annoying, and make your mother cry, so, how about you skip that one? Rest for a while and don't do anything too big.”
Looking at him Tor tilted his head.
“Um, how long?” He asked, wondering if he'd be able to get back to work in the next few weeks, when vacation was over.
“About twenty or thirty years.” The Ancient said firmly.
Chapter four
That hit hard.
Well, what could he do? Die or switch careers? The answer he wanted to give was simple, the most likely one a lot harder. If he switched jobs, the sensible course, he'd eventually get caught in a situation like the day before and end up killing himself, wouldn't he? Maybe it would be better to just save up now and go out doing something that might actually help people? He nodded gently his eyes going a bit dim. It was what he'd made his
