The Count went silent.
“Um, you can't see it, but I'm bowing to the little speaking plate. That's… rather more than I expected. I would be honored to attend. Thank you.”
“Wonderful! See you then.”
The next few days were similar, but got a little easier, thanks to him getting his health back. The only hard part, for Tor, was that nothing new was coming in from Denno. He'd said it might take a while and that seemed to be playing out. He did have some information, for instance there were fifteen agents in the kingdom, spread out some, but most in and around the Capital. Only half were women. That couldn’t account for anyone that had been enlisted by Daria as she acted as an agent though. Only the ones actually from Austra.
No one could explain the murders directly however. It certainly wasn't procedure. Daria Serge was definitely still in Austra however, working with her father regularly enough that it would be hard, but not impossible to get to her. The information about how to do that was heartening.
Because it meant that it could actually be done.
That meant another trip for Tor himself, first to the palace to get Karina and then Lairdgren to pick up Kolb. He'd taken notes and drew out maps by hand, based on a book he borrowed from Rolph, showing the best routes in and explaining what was known about her daily habits.
Tor didn't mention what his plan was and didn't let the others talk past saying hello. Karina seemed down and dark again, but Kolb just looked hard and like he could take on small armies by himself. Since he literally could, armed as he was and with his skills, that worked.
They hovered then, in a carriage that could get them anywhere in the world in less than a day, hanging over Lairdgren school about six thousand feet up. This craft was purple, and shaped like a teardrop, just because that's the shape it had been in when it was taken to Austra. Tor had made it bigger, and changed the color from blue, but that was it. Holding the thing steady, Tor passed the stack of papers back to Sir Kolbrin and waited for him to look through them. Karina didn't say anything, or even shift overly.
It was a royal thing, he knew, the King’s family in particular, learned to wait for people to get up to speed and accepted that sometimes they didn't get to know what was really going on. It had to happen and they were there too often for it to be left out of their early training. When he'd been learning his letters and helping out in the bakery for half days, this girl had been learning to fight off multiple opponents, lead a battle charge… and to wait. She was good at it.
The large bald man, smiled.
“How good is this information?” He spoke conversationally, it was friendly sounding even.
“Gotten from someone that claims to have a personal reason for it to be done, that I don't think wants to have my ill will. Who he got that from I don't know. My guess is from the Austran spy network or military, maybe both, so you know if it's possibly avoid killing that sort, since they might be our friends, even if they don't realize it.” Tor shut up and let the man think for a bit, which he did for nearly half an hour, then he passed the papers to the Princess.
“If it's good, we can go on it. Assassination of a leader is a dangerous practice, but the Austrans took that restraint off the table when they bombed the palace last year and sent assassins to attack the Queen’s day celebration.” He let the girl read then.
Finally she sat up and nodded.
“I… see it as valid. Why though? I mean I don't love Glost Serge and think he needs to be killed, but it isn't common practice. We normally act with greater honor, as a kingdom.”
They did. That was part of the reason for floating up in the air away from spies like they were. This action had nothing to do with courage or honor, not with anything good at all.
“Because Daria Serge is living with the man right now, during the last week of each month. That's unusually close for Austra by the way. I don't think it's incestuous, but he watches her like a hawk. Probably because she'd do him in if she could. If we strike at the right time it will look like simple retaliation. They don't think we can do it.” Tor waved a hand over his shoulder, not at them, but his craft, which had kept growing stronger for months. Faster.
Not the equal of the best Austran craft, but a solid two thirds of their best craft speed. Also about a million times better than the not flying at all that Austra still probably expected out of Noram. Things had changed pretty quickly on that score.
“If we do this right, we end the war inside a month. If we do it wrong, we also end it in a month, just with actual fighting and dying, which I personally would like to avoid. For either side, as much as possible.”
The Princess nodded, excitement coming off her like she was five and getting a puppy. It wasn't cute at all though, because it meant the death of at least two people. Tor couldn't judge there, it was his idea. He just wished she didn't seem so very pleased by it. It was off-putting. Scary.
“ I…” She looked at Kolb and shook her head. “I want Lilli dead Kolb, but I can't order this. Not alone. Let me get with my parents and, the others too I guess, and run it by them. If you could have your forces prepared and ready though? Say in five days?”
The man bowed while sitting.
“Yes Princess Karina. It will be done.”
She nodded, satisfied, “you know, I though Tor was going to ask us to kill Baron Diddles for him. Have you caught wind of that one Sir Kolbrin? Rochester got himself healed up from the beating Tor gave him and is coming back for more, unencumbered dual it seems. Dad got the paperwork last night from Countess York. What's your plan Tor, I… you aren't well enough to fight like that, are you? I pinned Sandra down on it the other day and she told me that you probably wouldn't survive a beating right now. Well, she said a solid sneeze, but I think she meant it. Is that accurate?” Her tone conveyed information gathering, not play.
“Yeah, I mean a sneeze wouldn't do it, not really, but being beaten solidly… I'd say it probably would, but that would be lying. I just couldn’t survive it. Without a shield right now, a solid fall might take me out. I mean off a chair, not a mountain. Notice how I haven't risked flying or used my Not-flyer past a strolling walk speed? It's for a reason.”
Karina went white hearing that, but Kolb chuckled a deep kind of thing that he'd never heard before.
“So our plan?” He said, voice rasping just slightly.
“Run away?” Tor was half playing himself, but shrugged. “Really, I'll have to send the challenge back, won't I? Eat sour over it and humble myself if needed. Otherwise I might as well walk out on the field and douse myself with lamp oil and set myself alight, because I'm dead anyway.”
The man nodded, “good. I didn't train you to be a moron. Heal up and then go kick his ass in a year when you're strong.”
“Fuck.” It was a hard word for a Princess. Her accent made it sound royal though. Like something you'd definitely want to try if you could, at least with her.
“Tor… He's specifically posted it with the King’s court. And he named you as Sir Torrance Green Baker, Knight of the realm…”
“Fuck.” Kolb seconded.
“Um, I… don't really get it, what's the issue here?”
No one spoke for a while, but finally the older man, who was actually forty-two, but appeared a strong thirty, once you looked under the scars on his face explained it.
“By citing you as a Knight specifically, and addressing it to the King’s view, he's functionally locked you into doing it. For you to avoid it, would be the kingdom saying it was wrong, or too weak to answer the man. It would create a crises of confidence. Not immediately, but over time the King’s enemies would use it against him. As if they'd do better as rulers.” There was a deep sound, which became a growl.
“So. We'll think of something. Tor can't fight and Rochester can always withdraw the challenge.”