rivers.” Tor mock shivered.
“Giant hairy red butt.” He said, fake fear in his voice.
It earned a big smile.
Inside the room he went right to the rivers and earth moving rigs, explaining which was which and how to set them up, activate and control them by tapping different sigils. She nodded along, looking at the bed several times. Finally he got it, the restraints used on Ridley were still there, attached to the headboard and the bed was unmade. Ooops. And he'd told her it was his bedroom too. How embarrassing. She didn't say anything but did give him a faintly wild eyed look.
Probably wondering if it was just polite to be tied up like that, and if there was any way to decline without being rude.
He handed her the amulets that let the boxes, decorated as lovely wooden chests with brass work, in a golden colored wood, follow her. That made her stop in the door as they rose into the air and came along.
“Are these… are they truly the desalination systems? I… Can we set one up? I know that it's an imposition, but…”
But the idea of her “Court Jester” even having something like that wasn't something she could grasp, not really.
Tor got the gist of what she meant. Well, why not? He wanted to learn Afrak anyway. He'd grab some of Kolb's people and… Karina, and make an outing of it the next day. The fighting instructors had set one up before, and it should take less than a day to make a loop. They could raise it somehow and use it as a decoration for the big party the following evening maybe? No one else would be expecting a decorative river, would they?
He was later for his run than he liked and didn't find Kolb until after he finished, nearly three hours after he should have. The huge bald man thought it the height of rudeness to make anyone wait, Tor knew, so he wasn't surprised when he held out his large hand for Tor’s shield, then set three of his largest men after him, making Tor start unarmed again. The fight was brutal until he managed to get one of the big blades from the men and started swatting at the weak points in the armor at their knees. It wasn't very effective really and they killed him after a while, then interspersed drinking water with going after each of the giants three on one as well, Tor with only a stick about his own height for that part. It was the very first time that Tor had ever worked with the combat giants, rather than just being their target.
He tried to focus and cooperate with them, remembering what had worked on him in the past. It was a little strange, but no one seemed to think he sucked at it totally. He even made a single kill himself. The huge mean looking Baron. The other two men managed to pin him to the ground while Tor pantomimed hitting him in the head with his stick until, laughing more than a little, the Baron admitted that even his hard skull wouldn't have lasted through the beating.
When Kolb came over he had Petra with him. Along with a serious look that was caught halfway between bland and giddy. Tor didn't trust it at all.
“Petra, if you would?” Was all he said.
Tor half expected her to start beating him, but instead she had an analysis of all their performances ready. All of them. It was excruciating in its detail, down to the times his feet had been slightly off position and when he dropped his blade tip while leaping back a few times. At first he felt bad about how he'd done, but he realized that everyone else was getting the same treatment.
Right…
This was part of how they got so good. Focusing Tor memorized what was said, then moved off to the side to try and practice it all.
After a few minutes Petra came over and watched, calling out suggestions which he followed pretty well, at least she didn't scream at him for doing it all wrong. Finally she stopped him and handed back his shield.
“Good. Keep that up and you may actually make a fighter some day.” Then she hugged him. It wasn't the typical “warrior's hug” being too soft and smooth, but it was nice.
Looking down and feeling about five feet high, he blushed.
“Petra? If you don't have anything to do later, would you like to spend the night with me? And Karina and her friend Ali?” He was going to spend the time with the Princess, but having Petra there would be fun too. She nodded.
“I'd love too, just remember, Karina and I are related, distantly and we're both girls, but you know, doing anything too close would be… off putting.”
Ah.
That hadn't really been what he'd had in mind, but he nodded seriously. Who knew what they'd get up to? He got it set up without hesitating. The communications device was nice for that. He actually got to talk to Karina and make plans, which made her sound a lot happier. Ali got on and jabbered at him about her day, as if they didn't have all evening for that. She even told him about the baking parts. Tor smiled and listened, making appropriate noises until the King himself intervened, sending the girls off on an errand. It seemed the plan, instead of cosseting the girls was going to be keeping them busy and working for the time being.
It made sense. It was avoiding the pain of the situation with Yardley, but they couldn't do anything about that. Sitting around and crying wouldn't make them any better either, keeping them busy would be no worse. That and making sure they weren't left alone at all. Not that Karina would kill herself, thank all things good in the world. No, but she might torture Lilli to death. Even without reading her field Tor could feel the ideas coming off of her. They were strong and starting to influence the world around her with their intensity. If the field for it got too powerful, she'd do it. That or someone else would. But that would be cheating Yardley's people of their own vengeance and Lillith Degray of justice. Everyone deserved that. Even an insane monster.
What is it Davie had said? They could put her on trial first, find her guilty, and then kill her? It seemed a pretty good plan to Tor at the moment.
Organizing everything took time and Tor was supposed to try and eat at the formal diner each night at his house if he could. People expected it apparently. Something about him being the host and all that.
The service was a bit weak, compared to the palace, but they had more guests and fewer servants, all of whom were pulling out the stops to make the meals special and unique each night. The food was good, at least as good as the King’s table would be without Laura, the head cook that ran their kitchens before she died. Part of it was that the facilities at his house were simply better, and the kitchens bigger. The other part was all these people the Queen had sent them. If they weren't professionals he couldn't tell. They were flawless most of the time and the few small errors he noticed were fixed so fast it was like magic, even though they used skill for it. That and cleverness.
The seating arrangements were a bit confusing, they had several full Counts and countesses each night, usually coming at the last minute, which meant that things had to be changed so that they were near Tor at the head of the table. Collette played hostess, so she was next to him the whole time, no matter what, but he had a lot of close friends that he wanted near him at table, but who ended up halfway down. Tonight he had Rolph to his right, as if Tor were the King or something, which made him smile, feeling more like he should have been working in the kitchens himself than up front. Across from the Prince sat Karina. The seating was boy-girl after that, so Burks sat next to her with Bonita on his left, as his date. She kept smiling and touching his arm which half filled Tor with panic.
After all, he doubted many people in the world could compete with a good looking, fantastic looking, he admitted to himself, three thousand year old man in bed. But… if she liked him and he liked her back, well… Burks was a sitting Count and wouldn't die. That meant Bonita could be a Countess for the rest of her life if they married. It hurt a little thinking of it, but it would be best for her. Shouldn't he want that for his friend? Not liking it at all Tor decided to investigate the idea later. Even if it meant losing her for himself, he had to try, right?
Ali was next to the Prince, and to her left was Count Ross and his wife, the sitting Countess. If they minded being sat next to a sixteen year old girl that had basically been a whore and a thief for the last several years, they didn't show it. Then, Rolph saved the day on that point rather gallantly, when Count Ross, clearly meaning no harm, asked after what Ali did.
The Prince stepped in nodding.
“She's currently Master Tor’s ward and personal assistant. In the next term she'll be attending Lairdgren school, one of the finest academies. She's to study domestic management I believe.”
From across the table Burks nodded, it was his school after all, so for him to chime in wasn't only not rude, it
