Ambassador tya-4

by P. S. Power

  Chapter six

  Someone was wrapped around him when he woke up, a tall someone who smelled nice. Like jasmine and mint. The false dawn gave enough light through the large window that he could see it was Petra when his eyes cleared enough to make anything out. Karina and he had work, so he needed to go find her he decided, wondering if she was at the palace still. Just showing up there to grab her for the day sounded like less than fun. It could take hours just to get in, and if she was hung-over, well that didn't sound much like a vacation to him.

  Locating her wasn't all that hard it turned out. As soon as Tor stood up and actually looked around. She was in bed with them, sleeping well out of touching distance, but clothed, which Petra wasn't. Well over on the other side of the huge thing Rolph was curled around a smaller form, Bonita? They were both naked and it seemed like they'd been more than a little friendly at some point. Well, that was good. It had to have been freaky for poor Karina, but she kind of deserved it.

  Selling him as a whore on the street. Hmph.

  It wasn't his normal way, but he needed to get her back before she tried to do it again.

  How?

  He didn't have a clue.

  Still the whole scene had felt a little… professional on her part. Like she'd lived the scene before in some role or another. Tor had a fear that the name Lilli would pop into the conversation if he asked about it. The more he found out about that girl… no, bitch was the right word there, the less he liked her. He was tempted to just have her rounded up for theft and sent off to prison or, lashed or whatever they did to people like her in the Capital. Normally he just let stuff like that go, but in this instance he could make an exception. Tor had too. She'd hurt his friend. Worse, she had been for a long time and no one really knew it.

  Maybe one of those mines Jerral Derring had mentioned?

  There was a lot to do and not a lot of time to get it done.

  First he had to wake up the Princess, which he expected to be a fight, probably involving dragging her from bed. The second he touched her leg she sat up and mumble that she was awake, looked around blearily and climbed over the foot of the bed without even speaking again.

  So much for that struggle… Tor grinned at her and waved towards the bathing room, but she gestured for him to go ahead, yawning a bit and sitting on the foot of the bed. After using the restroom, shaving and brushing his teeth he dragged her into the shower with him, to her stifled laughter, and helped her scrub up, which got sleepy smiles, and pleasant sounding offers for more interesting things.

  “Teh, we don't have time right now. Later maybe? If you’re not too tired out from servicing Box all morning I mean?” He was teasing, but her eyes went wide and she looked over her shoulder as he washed her lower back, slightly shocked.

  “What? I'm trading your virtue for hand pies… Sell me on the street. I'll show you, won't I? You totally deserve it too. I better not hear any complaints from him either. If he doesn’t look exhausted by the end of the day you’ll hear about it.”

  She turned back around and pushed off the wall with both hands, moving back into him, not to get away, just cuddle closer, pressing against him wetly. It was a provocative move, complete with saucily shifting hips, but he moved back a little, smiling. It wasn't like he was really mad after all.

  “Oh. That's… fair. Alphonse yelled at me about that. He said I shouldn't have done it, and that if I tried it again he'd tell mom. Normally that wouldn't be such a big deal, I mean it's a bit of a naughty game, but there's no real harm in it, right? Lilli used to do that to all of us at random. Not me, but the others. I always thought it was because I was special to her or something, but that wasn't her point was it? I was just worth more to her than the others. For a while.”

  Great… now he felt bad for her again. He kissed her neck.

  “We have to go. Were actually late already, if we were real bakers. It's not like we're really working, but Jerral could come at any time. Oh! Duh…”

  Running softly, both of them changing into soft soled shoes as they moved so there was barely a whisper on the stone floor, they went up two floors and to the left side, the east wing? Tor thought that was right, he always got a little confused on directions like that though. On Kolb's floor they found his door first, marked with his name handily enough, and knocked softly.

  “Come!” The voice came instantly, it was firm, and didn't sound tired at all.

  Still, he was in bed when they got in, covers up to his neck and eyes closed.

  “Speak.” He told them, voice firm, but otherwise looking like he was asleep. Was he? If so it was a trick worth learning. Crises management and rest at the same time, Tor could get behind that.

  “Hi Kolb, nothing huge, we need David Derring, it's a family matter for him, not an emergency for your crowd, I don't think, but he'll need mornings off and probably some help from a few of your people in a few days time? Maybe sooner? Till about ten or eleven in the morning each day? Then we can return him. If that’s alright, I mean?”

  Without ever opening his eyes he told them to go three doors down on the right. Kolb wasn't sharing his room, but David was, in with a Baron, a full Baron. So Tor felt a little bad about knocking on the door so early.

  It was the huge and scary guy too, the one that got sent to deliver messages to Counts and dukes when they didn't want the person bossed around by them. He looked surly all the time, especially now, sleepy and grumpy, but when he saw Karina his eyes lit up. Then he looked down and saw Tor, his face happy enough for a second, then it went serious.

  “Sir?” He said respectfully.

  “Just call me Tor. Anyway, roust Davie for us, if he's in, please? Mission for him.” That got more action than Tor expected, the young Countier, nearly as tall as the Baron next to him now, pushing seven-foot something at fifteen or sixteen years old, was at the door in less than ten seconds. He was half asleep, but nodded and asked for seven minutes to get ready, without hearing more than they needed him for the morning. Tor tossed him a clothing amulet and suggested student browns. It was what he was wearing and Karina had copied him, even to the heavy and worn looking fabric, instead of silk. It would look about right in the shop for all of them, being so young.

  Kids working the holiday. It wasn't unheard of after all. Even for nobles. It would be pretty odd if people knew who they all were, but the job itself would probably throw most people off at first. Princesses and Countiers didn't work in bakeries. That meant that these two couldn't possibly be that kind of person, right? It made for a good disguise.

  The tall boy had managed a shower and shave in that time, which was half amazing, and loaded up with gear and weapons. Tor didn't expect that level of trouble, but there was a war on and who knew what would happen? The Baron asked if he'd be needed too, and Tor nearly said no, but then he nodded.

  “Guard duty? Can you relieve us at ten in the morning? Dress like… well, nicer than us probably, low level merchant? Or maybe just a guard? The kind that a merchant would hire if theft were a problem? I don't think we could pass you off as a shop boy no matter how hard we tried.” He gave directions and sent the large man back to bed, he had hours to sleep after all and didn't look well rested. Tor reminding him to clear it with Kolb first, in case someone else would need to be sent or something like that. Stealing his people was a bit heavy handed after all, and the weapons master was not someone Tor wanted ticked at him. Karina was in the chain of command for this group, but one Torrance Baker was definitely not. Really he wasn't in the chain of command for anything.

  They used Not-flyers and sped along faster than was probably sane, both of them filling Davie in as they traveled. At the end of the story their friend didn't speak at all for a while. When he did the voice was quiet and far more gentle than Tor had expected.

  “Thank you for not calling the guards. I'll… see to his punishment. What was the value of the item he tried to steal?”

  It was a lot, a hundred gold even. Davie swallowed and offered to
pay for it in recompense out of his own pocket. Tor shook his head no, knowing what the boy made per year was only four golds more than that, as well paid as he was, and he'd need some supplies and what not. After all, Tor was paying him anyway, so it didn't seem economically sound. The restroom was cheaper for him to make than the supplies he’d have to arrange for his friend anyway, Tor told him.

  Karina's answer was better though.

  “No, he's family. If we're too close to get married that has to count. Besides, if he does anything useful we're pretending he was set to this without the little bit of real theft first, so if anyone asks tell them he did all this at my behest, understood? We don't need to shame him over it. Just make sure he learns to think first next time, yes? He's good looking enough to not need to resort to theft to get laid. Especially by the like of Lilli. Also, he got his butt kicked by a girl, a soft Princess at that. He might want to work on that, right? It would be a good reason for you and your friends to have bruised him a little. Practice I mean.”

  Davie nodded. Nothing more. His look was grim though. Closed down really. Hard to read, but Tor guessed it wasn't a happy thing for him, finding out his younger brother was a thief.

  In the shop he was all smiles and hard work, doing exactly what was suggested, and working with a will. Karina took the lead there and kept giving Box worried glances, which wasn't fair at all, the man just worked, hard and professionally, mainly with Tor, batch after batch of hand pies, the cooling rack staying full the whole time, Davie and Kari filled transport trays for delivery all morning long, and by eight they had four of the tall enclosed wooden racks ready to go and a good start on the product the shop needed for the day. Shortly after Tor got floats on the front of the wheeled racks, just to make things easier, Jerral came rolling in, looking a bit hesitant.

  With good reason.

  Debbie glared at him, but that wasn't what caused him to freeze in the front section of the cool bakery. The magic plate, Tor's old style, made in copper with green acid etching for a sigil sat on the wall still doing its job after a year. He nearly reached out to check the field strength but managed to stop himself in time. That wouldn't kill him or anything, but it would jar his own pattern just a bit if he did it. The changes made to himself on that tiny level being what allowed him to perceive what other things were after all.

  Quiet the mind and focus on the other object, and you automatically went into resonance with it. Then it made slight changes to your own field, which by noticing what was different in your own mind, gave you information. You affected it too, but just sensing wasn't that huge a deal, anyone could learn that. The point though, was that it made some changes. Temporary ones, but being damaged already he didn't want to push it.

  “Jerral.” David said, his voice even and slow. “I hear you had a bit of trouble yesterday? I won't tell father, but you're going to have to be punished.”

  The other boy, only a year younger, but much smaller than his brother, a foot and a half nearly, nodded. He was dressed in very nice black velvet clothing, which was probably boiling him alive already. The kid was red at least.

  “Right. I accept that. Whatever's required. I… was stupid. Let the little head think for the big one and… Yeah, it was all a mistake.” He bowed. To everyone. Even Box, who looked surprised, but awkwardly bowed back.

  “I apologize for… everything. I cannot ask for forgiveness unearned as yet, but please know that I intend to do my very best to see this right. I ask only that no other be harmed for my actions. Please. I beg this of you.” This part got addressed to Tor directly, not anyone else.

  It was a strange way to put it, but Karina translated for him, possibly getting that some of the people in the room might not understand? That was smart of her. Correct too.

  “Yes… trying to steal from a merchant that’s a close personal friend of both a Princess and Master Tor himself is definitely a mistake. More to the point, given her resources, if Debbie decided to go after you and yours it would be a mess. She may not be able to take on the military of county Derring alone, but she could do an awful lot towards it if she decided to. Hire mercenaries, outfit them with magical resources that few have… It was a very dangerous game you played. Thankfully that isn't happening. This time.”

  The boy went white, but nodded and bowed again, much lower this time, after looking at his brother. Davie just nodded at him sharply, three times. Almost as if to say that the words were true.

  “Not a small point Jerral. Every person in this room could have your life and the lives of those dear to us, just for knowing you. I'm including Box in this. You think that Master Tor wouldn't back him if it came to a fight? He's well known for protecting his friends no matter what, Which you know. I told you about how he dueled Count Rodriguez in my place. Trust me, the Count is tougher than you are.”

  Box came out with a tray of regular bread, oat loafs, just then.

  “Ah, not that it's my business overly, but the boys been shamed enough I think. He's working to make it right. I don't… I don't think that threats will make a difference now. I mean…” He tapered off and looked down, as if remembering to act humble, even if he didn't feel that way. All the royals in the room with him probably.

  Tor clapped his hands together to break the mood a little.

  “Right. I agree with Box. Jerral stumbled. He’s on his feet again now and won't make the same mistake twice. Do you have anything for us?”

  He had some news indeed, which wasn't actionable, yet, but served as proof to Tor that they needed to get at least some of the other girls out of the trap they were in. As promised and seeming very pleased with what Jerral had “stolen” for her, Lilli had offered him Ali for the night, to do with as he pleased. At first it had seemed fun, but when he'd moved from some gentle kissing and let his hands play over her just a little, the girl started crying.

  “She didn't ask me to stop or anything, and wouldn't say what was wrong when I tried to find out, she just shook her head and asked me not to tell. She was going to, you know, do stuff, with me anyway, I think, but she was crying. I couldn't make her. It was too much like…” Jerral gave David a meaningful look and both sets of eyes closed down, emotion fading instantly.

  “She said bad things would happen to her if Lilli found out, so I played it off and told her it didn't matter. I told Lilli I was happy enough with her and she… she offered to sell Ali to me for three more devices. I mean, to keep. Like a slave. That's illegal. Well, theft is too, but, I mean, that's so much worse… I can't even, I don't know. I didn't say anything, because… I don't know… What do I do now?”

  Thief or not, Jerral didn't seem to be that bad a guy. He wouldn't force a woman, and felt bad for someone trapped in a poor situation. It counted for a lot right now. Tor walked with Debbie through the little side section shop with all the devices and they selected out five to give the boy, so that he could “buy” Ali. Then he was to bring her to Tor's house, where they could hide her away in comfort while they finished the rest of the little debacle.

  Selling people? Her own friends? What the hell? No, what the incredibly evil, freaking hell.

  The bake shop had customers coming in, and they recognized Tor, since he'd been there the year before and hadn't changed, except his new longer hair. He tried to visualize his hair on Burks younger looking, too pretty face and realized that he probably looked like his own sister, practically. Maybe it wasn't that bad, but he really needed a haircut.

  After Jerral got a good ways down the street Debbie ran out yelling “thief!” but no one could tell who she was talking about, as intended, and the black clad boy made a clean escape. They all kept working until ten, as planned. A “theft” didn't mean the baking would do itself after all. Kari learned to run the cash box, since she was prettier than Box, and Tor was actually a slightly better baker than the other man, even if he was a good bit younger.

  Tor remembered what Burks had said and tried to do everything as well as he could and figure out little
tricks so that he'd get faster and make a better product each time. That was harder than it seemed, since a hand pie was just filling with a folded pie crust around it, but he worked at it anyway. Box just worked, and even after only a few hours there was a visible difference between what they made. Tor's stuff looked more consistent in shape and more evenly golden brown when they came out of the oven.

  At ten, almost on the dot, Kolb walked through the door followed by the mean looking Baron and one of his tough looking female instructors, who was only about twenty-five, maybe a little older, and could probably take the larger men in combat half the time. She was new and even though Tor hadn't seen her closely before, she reminded him of someone.

  Karen, though for the life of him Tor couldn't figure out why. This woman was leaner, older and a good bit less attractive than she'd been. Well, with two of his dead friends brothers in the room it wasn't shocking that he'd think of her, or see her in other people, was it?

  David had said that this new girl, Dara, was better than any of them. Well, not Kolb, but he was probably one of the top thousand or so fighters in the whole world. Burks was better, at least from the one time Tor had seen the man fight, but even then Tor wouldn't have wanted to place bets one way or the other. The weapons instructor had skill and size, and while Burks may be — at least nearly — the best fighter in the world, he was only a little bigger than Tor, so not very large at all. Some people liked to pretend different, but that mattered in a real fight. Big people generally did better.

  Debbie walked over and bowed when he came in. Tor got hugs from her, but these people commanded respect and deference? Sounded about right really. If they weren't his personal friends and acquaintances he'd probably have felt the same way. They all just looked so mean.

  “I heard you may want our assistance?” The large, totally bald man asked, the question was for Tor, but Debbie, not knowing anyone was coming, answered, it being her shop.

  “We could use some help. We had a horrible theft today! Just a boy, but… well, if word gets out that we can't stop thieves, we might as well just open the door and start giving things away. How much would your services go for? We probably won't need anyone for too long, but for the length of the festival?”