“Hey! How’d you rate flying gear? Even the Baron can’t get any yet I’ve heard. I’d kill to get my hands on some. I’d get you to lend me yours so I could try it, but I’m afraid I’d just fly away and never come back. I don’t want to be bad or anything, but it might be too tempting….” The boy laughed. He was bigger than Tor, by about six inches but looked to be about fifteen or so through the face.
“Hey, sorry, I’m Conrad. Conrad Gala. Yes, related, but far enough away from anything important that I don’t bother with a title at all. Baron twenty-seven or some such, you know how that is?”
Putting out his right hand Tor nodded. “Kind of. I’m Tor. Torrence Baker. I don’t use any titles either really, about the same reason, far enough away that I’m never inheriting anything. Countier some-muckity Lairdgren, I hear. Such a non-thing my mother didn’t even bother to mention it until a few months ago. Anyway, I brought some devices so that the sewer system can be rebuilt faster, I think I should find… Ferdinand Gala? I don’t know that for certain. He’s just the one I met before and we discussed it.” His voice sounded a little sad and shy to his own ear, but the boy just looked a little taken aback.
“Uncle Ferdinand? I can get you there, no problem. Um, need help with the box?”
The follow float on it worked well enough and was easier than carrying it, so Tor explained it and then slowly followed the boy. It would have gone faster, but the kid kept stopping to watch the trunk stop and move when Tor did. It probably did look kind of cool, Tor allowed, but it wasn’t a very quick way to get things done. Luckily it didn’t take too long, because the Baron second was in his office, just off the square. Handy. The building was a nice golden yellow with green trim. Colorful and happy looking, if not very serious seeming. The whole place had a friendly feel that way, under the sadness of the people.
“Hey Uncle Ferdinand… I brought someone to see you. Um, Mr. Baker? He appears to be claiming he’s not actually a troll if you can believe that. I’m still waiting on my decision. His case is floating around behind him, and really, I’m pretty sure anyone that can do that can make me think anything they want, so it could just be a clever disguise.” It was clear the boy was teasing and being playful so Tor stuck his tongue out at him and grinned. Conrad smiled and chuckled a little.
“He’s also a Countier it seems. Lairdgren? We should let Meryl know that, so that when she writes the next play it doesn’t slander him quiet as much. Maybe make him a midget instead of a Troll?” The boy winked.
“Not that your that short, but you understand, by tradition since the plays already malign you a bit, we have to keep on with the theme.”
Tor sighed.
“I didn’t know that was the tradition here. Well, can’t do anything about it now then, can we? I’m probably going to be a troll forever then.”
Conrad grinned large and patted him on the back. He was friendly at least.
“Oh, sure, but that can work for you too. No one with half a brain in their head will ever try and get in a fight with you. “Tor the Troll” just sounds fierce, doesn’t it? Besides, I promise, Meryl didn’t mean anything by it. She just a kid. It seemed like a better story to her and besides, that way she could star in it.”
It made sense to Tor at least. Maybe he could bribe her into being slightly kinder in the next one?
Ferdinand, still looking huge, and wearing a nice jacket over a white shirt came out of his office and did a double take when he saw Tor. Instead of waiting for pleasantries, Tor just jumped in.
“I mentioned excavating gear last time I was here? So I made some and brought it down. It takes a little practice to use, so I thought I’d show you all how to work with it? I can show anyone you want, but I need to be going in a few hours, so I can sleep in my own bed tonight. I don’t mean to rush you all into this…” The Baron second Gala just smiled at him and sent Conrad off to find some people, workmen probably, though some of them had the same last name. Gala.
Tor thought it was a good enough idea. After all, if the city was called “Galasia”, shouldn’t they be helping to fix any major difficulties? It was kind of what ruling meant, wasn’t it?
Inside an hour, ten men were assembled outside with the digging gear on. They made a huge mess at first, spraying dirt over themselves, Tor, and half the people that had come by to watch what was happening in the field off of the main square. A large building was going in anyway, so Tor had them dig out the foundation for practice, following the string lines that had been put in. After they got the hang of it the work was finished in about half an hour. Compared to the weeks, or even months it would have taken to dig a pit that size with shovels, it was amazing. Then he showed them how to use the loose dirt to build hard retaining walls using the second device.
“Obviously, If you want to run water or sewage through a line, you have to harden all four sides of a pit, which means making a top separately then lifting it in place, but it’s still faster than trying to lay that much pipe. It should speed things up a bit at least.”
The tall boy, Conrad bounced in place a little. “Yeah it should, about a thousand times. You should come back and visit us when we have it all done. Should be about what, a month? And that only because we’re slow and incurably lazy…”
The words could have been bitter, but there was good humor behind them. Tor smiled and turned to the trunk again with a shrug. He pulled out three sets of flying gear and shields, handing two to Ferdinand and one to Conrad. “One of those is for the Baron, of course. Send a note to me at school or something when the works done? I’d love to see what you all do. I don’t know how sewage systems work at all.”
As an afterthought he pulled another set out and handed it to Ferdinand.
“For Meryl? It’s a bribe, so that she won’t make me look too bad in her next work? Make sure to tell her that, will you?” He meant it, but for some reason everyone else laughed as if it were a grand joke. The Baron second seemed shocked when Tor didn’t immediately take the flying gear and shield back.
“You’re really just giving these to her? That’s most generous.” The man gave him a look that seemed nearly sly for a moment and then winked.
“She doesn’t have a marriage set up yet. Only thirteen, but in a few years might be interested.”
It was awkward suddenly, but Conrad saved it, holding his flying gear tightly, as if afraid Tor might take it back.
“Hey, no angling on Master Tor yet Uncle Ferdinand. At least let the next play come out first. Maybe it can be about how you tricked Tor into rebuilding the sewer system?” The boy laughed as the man groaned and looked chagrined.
“Well, it could be worse.” He muttered to Tor, a bit desperately.
Before anyone could thank him properly, or run screaming from him, yelling “troll, troll!” Tor got back into the air. It wasn’t too late, so, if he flew fast, he should be able to make it back in time for dinner. That would be good, because all he had left was half stale bread, the sweet rolls having turned into breakfast already.
The flight back was uneventful, a little boring even, but peaceful at the same time. If nothing else he knew that he had some errands out of the way and while it had generated more, that was how life worked, right? He’d just get down to Ellen’s in a few weeks and build that wall for her and Georges. Next time he’d have to take a little bit of food with him. They frowned on students stealing things from the dining hall, but it could be done if you were careful.
Tor felt half starved when he got back to the room, but to his surprise found several boxes and a small barrel resting on his bed. At first he thought that the school might have been kicking him out, or at least getting him to move to another room, so he wouldn’t be near Rolph anymore, but it turned out, when he read the letter with it, that it was a gift from the Morgans’.
Apparently they weren’t in on any snubbing at least.