“Um, are you all right?” Tor tried to sound calm and friendly about it, but the kid was kind of scary. At least he had his shield on already. The larger boy shook his head hard; a sharp movement that made Tor nearly wish he hadn’t asked.
“It’s my district, I mean, I’m only Countier sixth, but, it’s my home. I don’t know how to fly though. I was supposed to be up in the rotation to learn next month. I…” Before the boy could start hitting anything Tor started talking.
“Walk with me then. This is a crash course on how to fly. Pay attention, because you aren’t going to have a lot of time to get things wrong.”
It really wasn’t that dangerous Tor told him, but slamming into the ground, even with a shield on, hurt. No one had died yet at least. Tor couldn’t walk and talk very well, and certainly couldn’t jog and talk, so he activated his flying gear and explained while he floated along about five feet from the ground. By the time they got there, one Countier Gary Ross was ready to try flying for the first time.
“Look… some people get scared the first time they fly and some can’t hack it at all, being up high is just too much for them. If you find that happening to you…” Tor turned and gave Gary a grin and a half way credible floating bow.
“Then toughen the hell up. People back home need you, and that counts more than being afraid, right? It counts more than dying even. If you can accept that now, then being afraid, even being terrified to the bone, won’t stop you from doing what you need to.” Tor gave the boy a single nod and went to get him a flying rig.
Not ten minutes later, they took off, Kolb in the front, because he had the map and Tor holding the rear with Gary, so that he could call out suggestions if needed. Also that way they wouldn’t bash into anyone if Gary messed up. They were needed, some flying tips, but the kid was no worse at flying than anyone else had been their first time. Better than a lot really. Way better than Tor. Of course the controls were easier now that he’d fixed them, on turns if nothing else. At least there was no five minutes of spinning in place when Gary tried to turn in the air the first time.
If Gary was afraid he hid it well. His lightly tanned face only showed a steely determination that Tor kind of admired. The look on his own face was probably still just lost and sad, if not close to tears. He thought of Trice for a few seconds and his eyes welled up, liquid dripping down his cheeks and then whipping back as soon as they fell out of the shield, making him glad that Gary was flying along side of him, about a hundred feet away. If he’d been in the back he might have gotten hit.
Tor let those thoughts go. Yes, he could accept that he was short, ugly and that no woman anywhere would be insane enough to love him, or even touch him, unless they were faking interest or being paid to do it. It should have been obvious from the start. He was just a troll after all. Could he even blame her for saying those things? They were all, well most of them, true.
Oh hell yeah he could.
Now that he knew how their royal society thing worked, how people weren’t supposed to make fun of other people if they showed interest in them, how very deeply these ideas were held, and worse, that Trice herself had never said things like that about anyone else, even the old Count that she hadn’t wanted to marry, who she always spoke of in respectful terms, even to her friends… Yes, he could blame her for it. It didn’t make him feel any better, so he dropped into a meditative trance, using flying as his focus. Trying to measure the control of his left hand as perfectly as he could, the residual tremors having been making his flight more than a little shaky so far.
Shaky or not the crew of eighteen people got to the fires before dark. Just because it was close and looked to be the biggest place around by far, they stopped at a walled city. Lines of men and women were surrounding it, digging and sweating as the fire line moved towards them. They landed well back of this line, behind the people that desperately fought, near a clutch of people that stood shouting at each other.
“We can’t hold the line, we need more people, we have to get some water on this thing or we’ll lose the Capital.” The man looked old. Around eighty or so, and had rough workman’s hands which he waved under the nose of a much younger, but still old looking man, who must have been in his forties or so. The second man was huge. Not just big like a royal, but so big that when he spoke things clenched inside Tor in fear.
“How do you suggest we do that? Bucket brigade? We could try working hand pumps out here, but that would take half a week, if we’re lucky. Burying the fires more certain anyway. We just need more people.”
“Da!” Gary yelled running up to the older men. He jumped in front of the giant and gave him a quick hug. “I’ve people from school, all fighters except, well, him… but he’s…”
“Gary! Good to see you boy! We can use all the help we can get. But, um, we aren’t taking children on the fighting line yet. Things are desperate, but we won’t throw lives away.” At first he looked at his son, which Tor thought was a trifle unneeded. The kid was more than big enough to handle a shovel. Then he realized that the man was looking at him too. Great, this crap again, Tor thought.
He had half a mind to tell the giant to go fuck himself and just leave, but instead took a deep breath to calm himself and dropped into an even deeper, calmer mental place. Or tried to anyway.
“Fuck you.” He said, the words just slipping out. Yep, he’d lost it, telling Counts to go do anything was a bad plan in general and really, no one wanted to be cursed at, did they?
“I have magical water pumps, earth moving equipment, and other things you wouldn’t even know to ask for to fight your damn fire. If you don’t want my help then fine, but insult me right now and I will be forced to kick your ass.” Tor stalked over to the man, everyone staring at him like he was crazy, except the old man, who chortled.
“Good! Let’s get the pumps set up and people on anything else you’ve got kid. Don’t mind Scotty here now, he’s just confused as to what needs to be done.”
Tor laughed, if a little weakly and popped the top on the main chest, listing things off as he set them on the ground around the chest. No one anything for a second, then ten, but the old guy started yelling at them.
“Move! Get the gear and figure out how to use it! Basic activation? Can you show us how to use it fast?”
Tor grabbed an earth moving rig first and showed them all how it was done as fast as he could. Right hand pointing at the ground, left hand directing the stream of earth. Then handed it off to Davie to try, giving the giant a dirty look as he did.
Kid indeed.
The water pumps would take a reservoir or river to use, and for best effect people that could fly, so he asked Karen to be in charge of that, since he knew her, and she was used to acting as Kolb’s second in command. At least as far as Tor went. He pointed at the giant that was Gary’s dad, who would be easy to see if nothing else, and told him to get the temperature equalizers to the front line. The people on the ground would need whatever help they could get them, even if it was just to help keep them from getting too hot.
Kolb, who had actual experience with the air stilling devices, owning one himself, headed up that section, Tor hadn’t been sure that it would work, but it was at least as effective as the earth moving devices, which seemed to be getting the job done at about a hundred times faster than a single man with a shovel. They only had twenty of those, and fifteen of the air stilling devices. It would be tight. Yeah, it represented the equal to about three and a half thousand new people coming out, and it really might not be enough, Tor realized. All they could to was fight as hard as possible.
After about twenty minutes, Karen and her team headed into town and had water roaring out in thick streams that they sprayed at the fire from the air. That worked too. Still, even with all that the fire was tenacious. As it got dark, not too long after that, Tor looked at Gary, who stood uneasily, as if he wanted to help fight the fire himself. He should have been. Tor wanted to himself, but given his health knew that would be stupid, but Gary? He had everything needed. Health, strength and courage. These people were underselling him by a lot.