“I won't go back David. I can't. If you try to make me I'll…” She didn't say what she'd do, but it didn't matter.
David walked over slowly and picked her up into a brotherly hug.
“Damn straight you're not! You're going to be adopted by Tor and be Alissa Baker and anyone that says different can face me over it. I won't let him hurt you now! I was just a boy then, I should have stopped him, somehow, even if it meant dying, but he always locked me in that damn cage. If he tries that shit again, I'll kill him. If we can get Jerral away from him, then we're all free. Except Heidi, but I don't know if we can help her now.”
David’s eyes got moist, which didn't go with his new huge warrior look very well. Karina looked concerned, scared, and suddenly defiant. But she didn't speak. Box just started to clean up the mess the hand pies left on the floor, scraping them up onto the metal tray using another one as a broom. It worked, more or less.
That… the whole thing seemed way too coincidental to him. What were the odds? Was it a trick, or… It was possible that it had to do with magic of some kind. Maybe even his own, which was a scary thought. By nature he ordered reality around him a little, without even meaning too. Everyone did, of course, but as focused as he was most of the time, the results might just be a lot further reaching for him. Then again, did it matter? She was going to be his daughter, his family. His grandfather had said so, and he'd agreed. Terlee had accepted her based only on that. If someone, anyone, tried to hurt her, royal or not, they'd have to kill him first to do it. He said this quietly, making a point of looking her right in the eyes.
Tor didn't explain to Debbie, she'd been right there after all, but he did ask her and Box not to say anything, to anyone, about it. Then he loaded everyone into a carriage, and after changing it to look official, in cream and gold, shaped almost identically to a real one, headed to the palace. It was a risk, sure, but one he was willing to take, because if he was going to steal a Counts daughter and make it stick, he needed both the King and Queen on his side.
They all changed in the carriage, dressing in identical black clothing, mainly because no one had the time or energy to think of anything else. It was just plain black canvas and looked like the military uniform more or less. That was fine. They weren't going to win style points. They got in fast, Tor feeling edgy and angry, not knowing why, but he was. Like something was about to go very wrong.
Down each hallway, Karina in the lead, it being her house, Tor half expected to run into Count Derring, standing there, ready to take his daughter back to his country estate. If that happened Tor was going to challenge the man to a duel. Right then and there. For existing probably. He didn't know of any real reason, other than he was so mean to his own children that they preferred death to his punishments, or being under his power.
That was enough, wasn't it?
The King and Queen were alone, thankfully, and Tor nodded, and started speaking while the others bowed, Karina gave a bow too, but Tor was too busy. The discussion was hard, the royals thinking that the kids where telling tales to avoid an merely unpleasant parent, but not truly abused for some reason. Tor pulled the truth detector from around his neck and handed it to Davie turned on, the one from his hair went to Ali.
Richard spread his hands then and nodded, his face suddenly a lot more serious, “Please, continue.”
There were lies told by each, but when they dug, instead of finding mountains turned into mole hills, they found it was a lot worse than either one of them wanted to say. Ali was crying as hard as he'd ever seen anyone and David's face turned to stone or may as well have. Some of the things…
Tor almost had to flee the room.
But couldn't.
If he was standing with them, he had to be willing to know it all, didn't he? If it was just abuse, just rape, Tor could have let justice take its course and hidden Ali away, being content to protect her and let the King deal with the rest. This was so much worse his mind couldn't even find a shape to it.
Then it got worse than that. It took an act of will for Tor not to simply vomit on the cold stone floor.
Richard looked at them all and shook his head sadly, it clearly affected him.
“I… Legally there’s nothing I can do. He did all this on Derring soil? It makes it legal there then, at the time he did it. A Count in his county has total power and right on his side. He can't even be chastised for it openly. Even as barbaric and evil as this is, if I took the Kings Army in to deal with it, every Count in the land would rise against me. It strikes at the most fundamental of their rights.” He sighed.
“Worse, as his child we're legally bound to return you now that we know who you are. Otherwise it could be construed as the crown taking hostages. I… I'm so sorry.”
The Queen cried and so did Karina, Davie looked down and didn't move. Ali had never stopped crying.
Right. Crap. What could he do?
Tor frantically searched for something, considered merely finding Count Derring and killing him, even if it meant his own death, then took a deep breath and… smiled.
The King winced.
Tor could see that. The look had to seem insane. Like Tor intended to go to war. He decided to keep that option as a backup plan though. Something else had come to mind first.
“I… see. Well then, I'll just go and um, take her back then, right? Um, I have an errand to run first, is that OK do you think? Kind of an outstanding thing, so I should really get to it. Rivers to put up in Afrak? You OK'd it and everything, so it's kind of… official, made me the Ambassador and all that, months ago even. Still, I've her brother with us to chaperon and I'm not really anyone important, so it can't be misconstrued as anything but a pleasure trip for her, can it? Just as soon as that's done, snap, right back she goes. Back to her father. Hey… question though… If she's of age and, um, married, then… she should stay with her husband right? I mean, that just makes sense, right? And the Queen could act as proxy for her mother? I mean if something were to come up? Her mom seemed nice the one time I met her. I'm sure she wouldn't mind. Not at all in fact.”
Tor was ready to fight his way out if he had to, and just wished that he'd gotten a shield on the girl first. He started to move everyone towards the door when Burks stepped forward from the back of the room. Tor hadn't even realized he was there at all. He was busily eating a sandwich.
“How old is she?” He asked, his voice calm and even. Then he took another bite as if to say this wasn't really a problem at all.
David grimaced.
“Fourteen on Aue twelfth. Until then…”
The King smiled slowly.
“Until then we haven't seen any of you. You weren't here. Sorry about the missing party invitation Tor, we actually did send one, but it didn't seem to make it to you for some strange reason. I do hope that after you're done being angry with us you'll come visit, on say, Aue thirteenth? Bring the new wife perhaps?”
Tor nodded and said nothing.
They needed to move now.
Chapter nine
They were half way to Tor’s house, flying fast when he realized something that they'd all forgotten for a bit. Maybe it was nothing, they didn't need Ali for the trial against Lilli did they? The answer that came was simple.
“Fucking hell!” Karina banged her fist angrily on the back of Tor’s seat.
“Damn it craping fuck shit… fuck!” It was a little scary and Tor wasn't sure she wasn't about to go into combat rage, that or have some kind of seizure. The pounding grew stronger and stronger, until finally Ali whimpered.
Panting filled the back seat, and everyone went silent for a while. David finally suggested they land before talking about it again. That seemed a reasonable and intelligent plan, one that Tor should have come up with on his own. Get out of the potentially dangerous situation before chatting about anything sensitive? Check. It made sense and further, prevented Tor from painfully splatting into the side of a mountain that wasn't even really there. That would just be embarrassing, crashing into a mountain that he’d built himself. They got down and in the building before anyone said anything or more than glanced at them. Tor didn't speak until they hit the top of the stairs.