The Builder (The Young Ancients) (42 page)

That sounded about right to him. At least in the current situation he could smile at her and raise his eyebrows in agreement. The woman pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to him. The paper was thick and high quality, almost card stock in a rich cream color. The writing on it was lovely, obviously professionally done.

“Meredith Anne Sorvee? Um... I don't think I've had the pleasure of meeting her?” That would have to do as far as politeness was concerned. A Sorvee? The two of them he'd met to talk to were both... Well, one of them had tried to rip him off, and the other was a bully that he couldn't stand. Tor couldn't say that out loud, not in front of this woman who was, most likely, some kind of agent for them, even if her real job was just to propose a marriage, his reaction had to be... proper. He made himself smile and tried to make it touch his eyes warmly.

“I'd love to know more about her and to discuss this with my advisors here. I understand that my low social standing might be a difficult factor for her to overcome and... I don't want to drag her down. I...” He was trying to be self-effacing, but the Queen and her sister both suddenly started talking him up as if he were the next Count of Wonderfulness. Kind of them, but it didn't help his escape plan at all.

He started to flounder a little, his heart beating faster in his chest. He didn't want to be connected to Sorvee. Just the fact that Dorgal was one of them tainted the whole group in his mind. That probably wasn't really fair, of course. For all he knew this girl, who turned out to be a widow and nearly thirty, according to the go between, was the sweetest woman in the world and everything he could ask for.

Except she wasn't, because she had that one glaring black splotch in her family tree. Maybe. Dorgal. Ugh. That simply couldn't be accepted.

Tor looked around for help, but Connie and Mercy seemed to think that this would be a wonderful idea. Scrambling, his mind fought to come up with something. Anything.

The only thing that came was a vast, long distance, destructive combat lance. Not a bad idea as far as a project went, in case of sudden war or if he ever went insane and wanted to destroy big chunks of the world, but not anything that would help him right now.

Scrambling he decided to try something desperate, hoping that the Queen and Mercy would at least get the idea that he was buying time and not just shut him down immediately.

“Um, the only problem here is that... last night at the party I was, um, asked to marry someone else, so that plan is already in the works.... It's a complicated thing, and may not work at all, but it predates this and well, I do love her...” She'd said for him to say that and really, it was even true as far as it went, he loved her as a friend and really, marriage wasn't normally about love anyway, but the business of having a family. The situation was impossible of course, in reality, and she was too tall for him, but for now... Maybe it could act as a shield, at least until his head cleared? A Trice-shield?

Now all he had to do was find her and tie her to his arm.

Everyone looked at him with interest, even the go between, who didn't look put out. Then again he hadn't said no, and indicated that this other situation was complicated. That meant a high likelihood of failure in theory, which was even literally true.

“Now, I don't want anyone to feel insulted, my station just isn't very high, so... well, we've been going slowly, but it wouldn't be fair to hide this any longer, even though not everything is in place yet.” He glanced at Connie, hoping she'd protect him from Mercy for what he was about to say. Maybe he could enlist Varley too? The girl was kind to him, and wicked smart. Now if he could have gotten her to marry him... The idea almost made him lose it and start laughing. Easier to get her married to a pig. Well, a royal pig at least. There would have to be that closure of separation in rank after all. Three steps. So a Duke pig at least? Oink.

Connie didn't push him, but she was clearly interested in what he had to say.

“Well... the presents for the Morgans were supposed to just be the start of a campaign to soften them up to our cause and I have to try and do something to earn a title from the King, but, um, Trice, Patricia Alyson Morgan, she asked me to marry. Herself. She said all the words and everything.” He wanted to duck his head, or activate his shield, which he got ready to do anyway in case Mercy went into a combat rage and started to try and take his head off. Who could blame her?

Instead she merely nodded.

“She did mention something about this the other day. It's... well, it's a bit of a long shot, gaining a title like that, but... well, as a Ducherina third, she isn't in line to inherit much, but brings some small properties with her. I was waiting to discuss it with the King himself, honestly. What do you think Connie, should we pursue this? Should we let them pursue it?” Her voice didn't have the normal playful lilt he would have expected from her. Still, she was backing his bid to buy time, so he smiled at her worriedly and did the same with the Queen.

Karina sighed.

“Darn. I knew I should have asked you last week myself! Even if mother said I had to honor the engagement I have...”

Next to him Varley patted his arm and grinned. “It's Tor. Of course he can swing a title. He's already helping to save a county and did that heroic well thing saving those kids, that should at least get him knighted, if he keeps it up anyway. Three heroic acts, that's the rule, isn't it? That's two already and some of what gets counted as heroic... Really, between the magic river, saving those kids and Galasia...” The Princess suddenly looked very thoughtful, eyes going a little wide for a few seconds. Then she obviously recovered herself and grinned.

“Well, I think he should have to earn it. Fight a monster or maybe sail around the world in a boat he made with his own hands. Or make some kind of new device to prove he's serious about my cousin, since that seems to be his thing, building stuff. It has to be new though, none of this recycling something you already made Tor. If we let that happen everyone will be trying to do it, and that would get tiresome.” Now her voice held a teasing lilt. She nudged his arm gently and got him another cup of that beverage.

He almost laughed at the idea of him fighting a monster, but the Queen just agreed that it seemed rather possible, all things considered. The King could shut it all down instantly of course, she warned. But until that happened, since Trice had asked first, she needed to be given a chance to give it a go. Tor sighed in relief.

Somewhere in there they'd all figured out what he was trying to do and decided to work with him? Thank god. The go-between outlined her plan, an attempt to explain how interested he was, while also showing that he had prior interests that had to be examined first. It would, she assured, be handled delicately and it was, after all, not a “no” just a request to see where love might take him. Even merchants had room in their hearts for a romantic story.

After the woman left he almost melted out of his chair, the soft red cushion on the seat holding him in just enough. That had been too close. What would he have said if he hadn't come up with that bit about Trice? The audacity of the claim, even just as a ruse to throw off Sorvee was incredible. Now they just had to make it look good in public. He could only hope that Trice wouldn't be so insulted that she killed him.

Mercy, not even seeming angry with him about saying those things involving her daughter, left at the same time that the go between did. Trice's mom seemed amused by him at least and didn't even wait to scream at him or anything. Good enough.

Connie sent him off to his room to work on something, anything he wanted, but asked him not to leave the palace for a bit. Tor didn't have anywhere to go anyway, and no money to spend in town even if he went, so told her that he'd be running up some new specs for flying devices, there were some things that needed to be fixed on the original design anyway.

For instance, if he could figure out how to let people breathe at best speed, they could go a lot faster without too much trouble. The field itself just had to allow for greater organization along the path of movement to increase that without stress on the field. That should keep it from heating the amulet uncomfortably. Having enough air to breathe easily was really the big limiting factor right now. He also needed a left hand control unit. They were all minor things, but it could make a big difference in flight, especially against the Austrans, who had machines that could fly so fast they roared like thunder as they traveled. Tor had never seen one, but Kolb had told him about them.

It sounded scary.

Using the field on his current flight gear as a guide, he was able to make up the new template inside a day. He hadn't meant to take that long, but the idea caught his interest and he figured out that he didn't have to do all the work over again, just make one simple change, the controls being on the left, and add a field that would catch air as it passed and funnel it to the mouth and nose, while allowing the air to be constantly refreshed. That way the exhalations of the person flying wouldn't foul the air around them too much to breathe after a couple of minutes. Add a slightly stronger basic field and boom, faster flying. Fix the turning controls so they weren't as sensitive... Then, just because he didn't want to risk Sorvee rage yet, he made up a hundred copies of the new field.

No one could fault him for dodging the problem if he was actively working could they?

Of course they could, but he doubted that merchants would. Product meant money to their minds; they probably put that poor woman, Meredith, up to it just in order to steal his working contracts with Debri house anyway.

Really, it was a good plan.

Dorgal had probably told them how Tor couldn't get a girl on his own, and that he'd probably be willing to take anyone offered without thinking about it. Then, after he did, well, of course he'd have backed his new family first. That was just normal and polite. Luckily for him Meredith didn't have a different last name. If not for the connection to Dorgal he probably would have just said yes. Just having someone make the offer was flattering enough that he would have taken it, most likely.

Then Tor turned around and spent half a week designing the cargo floats, and making a hundred copies of those as well. After that... Well, he had some drying units to make and nearly five days left before he and Rolph could escape back to school. To safety.

Rolph, naturally, had been spending almost all his time with Sara, and who could blame him? The girl was great after all and did things with Rolph that Tor didn't even know about exactly, except what he'd seen animals doing out in the fields. It surprised him a little bit when his big friend popped in at lunch the day he finished everything he could figure out to do for the time being and sat down, with a huge grin on his face.

“So, have you finished saving the kingdom by yourself for now? A few people want to see you, you know. Prime among them your new potential in-laws. I told them I'd have you there tomorrow night at nine for dinner. Don't worry; it's just a planning and strategy session. No Tor torture on the menu at all. At least not the one they showed me.”

Tor grinned and asked Rolph if he'd ferry the dryer template for him, getting it from Debri house, since the Queen still wouldn't let him go out of the palace, due to his ankle. Or possibly to prevent kidnapping... she hadn't said why actually, now that he thought about it, just asked him to stay there.

His friend had it back to him before dinner. By the next night he had another fifty cargo haulers and a hundred dryer plates ready. It had taken all night, but he managed to get a nap early in the morning, until nearly noon. Lazy of him, but hey, it was a vacation, he could afford one or two days like that, right? Sleeping late felt weird though and he decided not to make a habit of it. It just seemed wrong and put everything a little out of balance.

Rolph came to get him at seven for the carriage ride to the Morgans, since they'd be going the slow way. Why that was he didn't know and Rolph wouldn't tell him. They chatted about stuff, the new fields he'd been making and how Rolph wanted one of the newest flying rigs if he could get it. Tor had gotten Burks and another man to help him load all the fields going with them that night in a single heavy chest. It was a sturdy, but beautiful thing, dark stained wood with carnations and owls carved on the top. Carnations had all those little petals, so someone had done a lot of work to make them look so real, he could tell, even if he wasn't really savvy about art most of the time.

He knew effort when he saw it.

Tor had fifty cargo hauling fields, each device the size of his palm. That many food dryers and an equal number of the new flight devices, which were smaller in physical size and tidier in appearance than the old ones he'd made. The hand controls had nice leather thongs that looped around the wrist and two fingers for stability too. It just looked sharper; less like a little kid just tied something on with string while playing make-believe. Burks had arranged for those, not even blinking oddly when Tor had asked, even though it wasn't his job at all.