Slave Line (The Young Ancients) (16 page)

Just about perfect for fighting though, it looked nice and sturdy, for a dress at least.

The woman turned on him, her voice raw, as if she'd been screaming.

"I don't know how she did it, but this witch turned me into this... Hideous thing!"

Oh.

Tor got it. It was amazingly fast work on Burks' part. Tor kind of wondered if the man had the thing ready to go when he'd mentioned it then. He almost had to, didn't he? If so, it was great foresight. Tor wondered if he should get some things ready like that too? Maybe that's what the Count did instead of making new things for the public all the time? Tried to get ready for any possible event?

Still, there was a plan in place, so Tor shook his head, not having to try too hard to seem confused.

"I'm... sorry. Are you saying that Glaren made you wear that dress? How? We can get you something else to wear, if it's an issue. It seems like a fine thing to wear for kitchen work though. Or even out in the barn. We don't have one of those though. Are you looking for work?" Tor watched the woman carefully, knowing that it had to seem like he was watching a madwoman for weapons. Mainly because he really was. Glaren didn't have a shield on for some reason. She needed one though, that was clear. People going around attacking her and all that.

"No! I'm Carol Coltress! She turned me into this... hag!" That started about five minutes of screaming and yelling, most of it not very coherent. Finally there was a lull.

Looking back he noticed that about thirty people were standing around holding their luggage, ready to go. Efficient of them. No one tried to intervene though, probably not sure what to do about a crazy woman in the central room. How would Tor have handled it if she really were insane?

"Ma'am..." He spoke to her gently, trying to sound like he was speaking to a rabid dog or a scared child.

"I can tell you're upset, but what you're describing isn't possible. No one in Noram could physically change you into another person. I'm probably the person best able to do such things and I couldn't even start to do that. I don't think there's anyone that could make a biological change like that in the world... I met Carol Coltress the other day and you aren't her at all. I, well, let me check this here... I'll need to touch you, it that alright? I promise it won't hurt." He turned his shield off, and stepped toward her, his hand going to her face slowly.

The implanted device used a shield to reflect light, but also added the correct texture. The woman still sounded like herself, but all her yelling was disguising that too, making her seem rough and old.

She let him stroke her face, which really did feel right to him. They had to get a mirror so that she could see he was really doing it though, since she couldn't feel it.

"I... I'm me. I really am. This... am I having a nightmare? Why can't I wake up?" She sounded manic and scared at the same time, her hands brushing her dingy skirt over and again, as if trying to wipe it away. Then she started crying.

Tor almost felt bad for her, but he didn't let that influence him. She was being punished after all.

"Can you tell us who your people are? We can send word to them perhaps?" He sounded diffident, since he was speaking to an insane person.

She gave him the Coltress family address in the city. That would have worked, except that Bonita and Collette came down about then, Burks right beside Nita. They were dressed, but everyone was, since they needed to leave in a few moments.

Collette was the first one to speak, her hands going out toward the woman slowly.

"Nan? What are you doing here?" She looked truly baffled at first.

Tor shook his head shrugging.

"Is she someone you know then? She... seems confused. She was attacking Glaren and then claimed to be your stepmother? I don't know why she thinks that, but it isn't possible. Do you know what we should do?" Tor wanted to be in charge and sound strong, but he knew that if this was really happening he would have just been left confounded himself. He looked at the women for a long time, wondering if they'd get the general idea.

"Girls! I don't know what's happened, but I woke up this way. Someone did this to me. I don't know, maybe they exchanged my body for Nan's? I need help. I can't be trapped like this!" She started crying, the girls both going to her as if unafraid of attack.

"Don't worry Nan, we'll fix this. Everything is alright. We know that Ginger dying like that had to be hard on you. You were closer to her than mother was by far. It seems to have affected your mind. That can happen with extreme grief. Don't worry, we'll get you the best care. Won't we Burks?"

The Count nodded and patted Nita's hand.

"Of course we will. I know a wonderful spa that will have her back on her feet in no time. A bit pricey, but if she's a servant of your family she deserves only the best."

Tor looked on, making his eyes wide, knowing that he couldn't pull of real acting. Instead he waved to everyone else, gesturing toward the door.

"I don't want to be mean, but we need to be going as soon as possible. We have a bit of a tight schedule I'm afraid and need to go to the palace before we get underway, so that we can pick up the Ambassador and her people." It was only half true. He could have gone to get the woman, Samantha Callings, on his own, but he really wanted to get away from the scene in front of him before he gave it all away.

Poor crazy Nan. It was cowardly of him to run off like this, leaving it to the Coltress girls, wasn't it? Plus he had to make sure he didn't give it all away by laughing.

He sighed, trying to make it seem real.

"Collette, do you need for me to do anything here? I can... Actually I'm totally outside of my depth, but like Burks said, if she's one of your people, that makes her one of mine too. Anything you need, just ask. I'm sure I speak for all of us." Tor looked around and realized that over half the people in the room that he was talking for were actually Austrans.

They all nodded though, just like everyone else.

It was touching. It also got Carol Coltress to freak out, start screaming and trying to run away. That meant everyone got to spend ten minutes trying to subdue her. Luckily Carver really had made sure that everyone had shields, so there were no injuries even as the woman panicked and struggled.

Tor reconfigured a regular Carriage, since he had more of them than the fast kind, making a locked compartment in the back, and handed it off to Collette. Carver and one of the Austran spies "helped" Carol into it. They were gentle with her, but the woman didn't go easily.

As soon as Collette and Bonita took off with the poor woman Tor thanked them all.

"Not a wonderful way to start the expedition, but I think we handled it pretty well. Hopefully Nan will be back to normal in a day or so and can return to her day to day activities." Remembering something Tor jogged over to where Glaren was standing and handed off his healing amulet.

"Are you OK? I'm so sorry about that. You work for me and I should have seen to your protection better." Tor bowed to the women. Standing and a bit stiff, but deeply enough to look humble. It wasn't like he'd attacked her after all, so it was about right.

"Please forgive my lapse and know that I'll take steps to make certain it does not happen again. I apologize, and hope that if there is to be blame for it you place it only on myself and not those I serve." He didn't stand up, not on his own, but Glaren took his shoulder, righting him instantly.

"Thank you Lord Baker, but this is my problem. Nan is a wonderful soul that saw to the raising of all my girls from an early age, and Carol's as well. Losing Ginger was hard on us all, and had to be doubly so for her. I didn't recognize her at first, being attacked like I was, she's changed some since I last saw her. I hope she'll be alright, like you said."

If the woman was gloating, she didn't show it externally at all. That either meant she didn't get what had happened yet, or more likely, that she did and was just that good of an actress. Tor thought about it for a second and decided that probably meant she was a professional spy too. No one else was given training like that, were they?

They had three Fast Carriages ready to go, which was enough for the group they had with them. Tor was a little surprised when Weasel pulled his out, but not too much. The only problem there was that no one wanted to ride with him being so young. It was silly of course. It wasn't like driving a flying carriage was hard, and he told them he'd already made several cross Kingdom trips on his own.

He started looking embarrassed though, which got Ali to take her floating luggage and climb into his bright silver transport without a word. Tor didn't protest. After all, it really was safe.

Oddly Erin, the little girl, followed then, which got her parents and about half the Royal guard to climb in as well.

It took longer than it should have to load everyone up, and then another fifteen minutes to land at the palace proper, going extra slow, since they had a crew of invading Austrans with them. Literally. Tor wasn't planning to go in or anything like that, but was a bit surprised to find that Richard and Connie were standing outside waiting for them, along with the Prince and Princess Karina. Plus Ambassador Callings and her staff. All fifteen of them.

Tor didn't roll his eyes, but felt like it. They had the room on the ship, but not in the Fast Carriages they had with them. Not until the others came out. Lyn, Denno, Sandra and the rest of the Lairdgren group, along with Trice.

Tor blinked.

It was a whole lot of people.

"We're going to need a bigger boat." He muttered.

Ali grinned and shook her head.

"No, just more beds. The rooms are huge on that thing. Easily big enough for six to ten people each. I brought extra beds for it, in my case. One for everyone, just on the chance." She seemed proud of herself over having thought of it.

Tor felt that way too. She was brilliant.

"Thank you love! Now we just need to make sure we have enough food and we'll be set. You know what?" He waved his hand toward Ali, smiling gently, "from now on, for this trip, she's in charge of all the non-ship stuff. Clearly doing a better job than I am." He wasn't kidding even though she blushed and a few others chuckled. They were mainly the diplomatic staff, so it was a polite thing, meant to reassure him that his joke had been well received, not a mocking of Ali.

Burks walked over and patted her on the back softly, getting her to stiffen and her face to go blank. It wasn't about him at all, Tor knew, it was about the fact that he was a Count. Ali was more than a little afraid of people with that kind of power, thanks to her monster of a father.

They all pretended not to notice it.

"I suggest you get with Quavel dear. He's a master of arrangement. Knows all the most correct rules for both cultures represented here as well."

Tor looked around.

"Good point. We definitely could use all the help we can get to make certain nothing goes wrong. "

Then he had to wait while everyone said their goodbyes again. He got a hug from Karina and Alphonse, who also hugged Ali, a kiss from Connie and a handshake from Sam and then the King.

"Contact us daily Tor. I'd like to be kept in the loop here?"

That earned the man a shrug, he had spies in place already, and an Ambassador, but why not? They were friends, besides they didn't have a communications device and Tor did. Two of them actually, one around his neck for emergencies. It meant he could hand off his to someone else and still talk to Rich.

"Should be doable. If I don't do it myself I'll get Sandra or one of the others to take a turn. Not that I think I'll be too busy, I just want them to all be well known by you here, so you can call on them directly at need without a go between." It was a real enough point. Oh, as the King he could call on anyone at any time, of course, but if he knew them personally, he'd know to actually
do
it, and not rely only on Tor for his building needs.

Trice and Sandra both had Carriages and put them out. It surprised Tor that Sandra did, but it was a fast one, a device that he'd made. He could feel the resonance from it. It felt like him. Well, or Burks, but this one wasn't. He didn't know how he could tell, but he could. It called to him, claiming him as its own. Tor hadn't realized that the girl would take him seriously when he told her to get one of everything though. All the Lairdgren group should have one by now. No one else pulled out a carriage though.

"OK then... I'm riding with Trice." Tor spoke quietly, and no one questioned him, even though it meant the things would be a little more crowded. He was too tired to fly safely and knew it. There was no good reason to take the risk, so he wouldn't.

Not this time. Maybe he could even catch a bit of sleep on the way? He decided to try. He took Ali by the hand and guided her along with him, most of the Ambassadorial crew loading in with Weasel, who kept up a sales pitch for his new business while they did.

"From Printer to Ross in less than an hour, from the Capital to Warden inside an hour and a half, with a break to see the great bay. Weasel Fast Transport will pick you up on your own doorstep and deliver you to your destination safe, fast and happy. Remember to tell all your friends about our service. Soon putting in routs to Austra and Afrak!"