“God Burks!” Head going forward and mouth open in feigned amazement. “You've already cloned my mother? How… Why?”
Holding up his hands defensively he verbally back pedaled.
“Not that my mother isn't a wonderful woman, but still, ones isenough, isn't it?” Tor was trying to be funny, but remembered that they needed to actually have that conversation for real. Lara Gray the leader of Afrak was his mother the same way the Burks was his grandfather and him. Worse, Tor really feared that his younger sister Tiera might be her too.
But for now they all chuckled.
“Even the same sense of humor. Well, Cousin Tor, come in. I guess you can leave your… thing? Right there. Probably kill the vegetation under it but we'll live.” The voice suddenly wasn't pleased.
Then who would be, if their garden was about to be starved of light? At least it floated about a foot from the ground instead of actively crushing it.
Tor didn't respond, just took out the one trunk he'd brought, a small one, mainly with amulets, for gifts if anyone wanted them, and his toothbrush and cleaning supplies. Then he tapped the sigil on the carriage making it vanish and slipped the hemp string over his neck. The sheer number of amulets he wore daily was becoming a nuisance. He could consolidate them into one, if he over got a chance. He'd never heard of it being done, but it should work well enough. Really, it was just copy work.
Actually, he realized, he'd already done it once. The new weapon he'd made that had eight different fields on it, for different situations. Ah, well, proof of concept right there if nothing else. Good.
Brenda had the same black hair he did, but her eyes were a light green, almost like the sea in sunlight. Her face was rounder than his, but it was all high and strong cheekbone and powerful jaw, not fat. She was taller than Tor was, taller than Burks, but not more than an inch or so. Her skin looked to be made of gold, lacking only the shine. Everything about her should have been stunningly beautiful, but somehow it combined into merely pretty, almost handsome. Then… he got compared to a girl at least once a week, so what did he know? She seemed nice, if a little forceful in character.
Once they got inside, without a word, she vanished.
Tor could feel her, she'd simply gone a little further down a hallway, but what looked at first like a dead end of blue gray was actually slightly bent, enough so that the point where it went at a ninety degree angle wasn't visible from the door. Burks didn't show him to a room, if he even got one here, instead he took him to some steps that went down, below ground. A basement. He'd never been in a place that had one before, not a real house at least. The King’s palace did, but that was a dank little room for keeping secrets. This was big and dry.
If the things in it weren't secret, Tor would have to change the definition of the word, at least when he used it. Most of the objects he didn't even have names for. He could name parts if, like glass windows on boxes of silver, and lenses on other, smaller black boxes, but if asked what they did he'd be lost. Other than the glass and some small bits of metal, he didn’t even know what they were made of. What he could recognize was that this was based on science. The strange and wasteful magic of Austra and possibly other places. Afrak claimed their magic as science too, and they only worked with the alteration of living things. Or at least that's all they'd told him about. It wasn't like he'd asked at the time.
“So, secret hoard of science? Is there a tiny dragon to guard it as well? If not I can get you one. I made one for the King last year. Birthday present.” Tor asked, not knowing for certain, but guessing it was illegal, or against the treaty of the Ancients, whatever that was. Probably some eight thousand page book written over the course of a century describing everything under the sun in great detail. Then forbidding it. That was basically what rules and laws were, right?
“Yes. Technically not allowed here, but I make a point of keeping up with what the others are doing. Not just science, technology or genetic research, but the spiritual and harmonic systems as well. I even try to get down to the Antarctic now and then for a visit. Now they have some technology that defies description. Magic too. They aren't much for making it, but they come in and buy it every now and then. If you want to make friends, you should send Blue a selection of your work. Something to remember… Denno Brown doesn't believe in magic. It's hardwired into him, much like we can't understand our true intelligence even when it's proved. This lack of belief has colored the whole of Austran culture for thousands of years. Great guy, Denno, but he can't see what's right in front of him at times. Glost Serge is more or less in that mold, but really kinds of hates us. Me personally that is, for thwarting his attempt to kill Laurie most likely.” He pulled out a chair in the middle of a decently sized table made of focus stone and wave for Tor to get comfortable himself.
“It was moronic of course, he brought in a group of Larvals, they must have been about thirteen years old. Tough, but not more than I could handle alone. If he would have waited another ten years we'd all probably have died. The attack came without warning or hint. Well it worked out. Not a happy memory.” That Tor could see.
Killing six little kids? Or seven, because that seemed the Larval way, groups that large being the norm. It had to be done, but… Yeah. It wouldn't be something to chat about if you didn't have to. That meant that Burks thought he needed to let Tor know. Why, he couldn't guess, so he waited without commenting.
“That, acting too soon, it's been a major part of the Serge character for generations. I really think it may be genetic, a part of the familial field pattern. Possibly Rhetistic, if one of the others meddled in the line… Which is a field we need to discuss at some point, because it effects both of us, but later, since it’s a bit hard to understand and we don’t have time now. I'm hoping it doesn't work against us. A sudden attack before we make land and the whole thing is moot. Of course in this case it wouldn't really be acting too soon, but they don't know that.” Burks smiled slightly.
Tor shuddered and looked into his own face, identical, but not him, not even like looking in a mirror, which showed the same image, but was plain and boring looking, to his mind. The whole thing was eerie, but not important at the moment, not really.
Tor shook his head, tying to clear it.
“Lilli is a problem here too. The plan has to be to kill me, or if they figured out that we'd possibly make a switch, to get you. But even if Glost is smart enough to not kill me instantly, I don't know how balanced Daria is. She could simply do it, even against orders. Then again, maybe the whole crazy thing is an act. I don't suppose you have a secret technique to let us know which it really is do you?”
Tor tapped the smooth reddish black table top under his fingers, the focus stone was from around Wildlands Station, by its color, the work was plain, but sturdy, no edging cut in or any of the other things that had been added over time, so it was from the first few months of production there most likely. Nothing in the room moved, except Tor for a moment. Burks had moved within himself, mind silent and eyes closed.
“No secret technique, but we can simply assume that they are stupid, insane, clever and setting a trap at the same time. Just like we have to assume Denno is in on it. I hope not, but if he is, then we best be prepared. The man can't see magic for what it is perhaps, but he's incredibly intelligent. Oh, he comes across as all charm and sweetness, but don't forget that he's literally twice as smart as almost anyone else you've ever dealt with. If he makes a mistake, it probably isn't one, but rather a trick to throw you off.”