Ambassador tya-4 Page 14

  “These, they're probably more what would tickle her, don't you think Kari?”

  Karina blinked, then nodded.

  “Yeah. That would do it. All you have to do is help us catch her setting up thefts. I mean, she's really doing it, and corrupting a nice boy like you, who did you say you were?”

  “Um, Jerral Derring. Countier Fourth. Third now… my sister died…”

  “Karen.” Tor fought the grief from his voice, but not all of it left. She'd been his friend, they fought the fire in Ross together, he missed her and it showed enough Jerral's eyes went big as he nodded. “So you're Davies brother? Well, as half your punishment we're turning you over to him for the week then. He's in town. Expect a few beatings. Can't save you there, and you know, you kind of deserve it. This was about the dumbest thing I've heard of in months. Still, is it a deal? You may even get some sex out of it. If so, have fun. Meet us back here in the morning, if she tries to send you again or if you find out about her sending someone else, not just here, but to any shop or… anything really. Deal? No parents involved at all, if that's what you want.” It was, it turned out, a deal. This boy was truly afraid of Count Derring.

  The one time Tor had met the man he hadn't been wild about him either, but it was a stressful day, so Tor had decided to cut the man a little slack. This… Well it didn't say anything good about the guy at all, did it? The boy left, but promised to do what they asked, in exchange for some beatings from his brother, and a chance to not have the guards called. Tor took back the Truth device and sent the boy to collect his reward. He wondered if he'd actually get anything for it?

  Box came out of the back room holding a tray of delicious smelling hand pies and set them on the display rack, smiling hugely when he saw Tor and Karina.

  “Hey! Well, as I figured, my little friend dried up and blew away about the time she figured out I wouldn't steal from my sister for a bit of tail. Well, plenty of fish, and it's King's week. If you can't get laid then, when can you…” He looked at Karina and winked.

  “Begging your pardon for the language miss… unless you’re interested? In that case I'm-”

  That earned him a slap on the arm from his sister who’d walked up behind him, “You! Keep that up and you'll drive off half the female customers. Word gets around you know, the Capital isn't that big. Tor, I wish I had you back as my assistant this week. This one’s a dog, and only half decent as a baker. Say… care for a job?” She laughed at her own words, but Tor nodded.

  “Yes. Kari here too. She has no real experience, but she'll work hard and won't complain. Oh, and we both work for free, so that's a plus. We'll even take the morning shift? We both have duties later in the day and we may not be able to make it each morning, but…”

  Debbie clapped and Box looked pleased rather than put out. Maybe he thought he could score with “Kari” if she was going to be around? The man wasn't bad looking, so maybe he could? It was worth it for him to try, as Tor could now attest. If nothing else it gave him something to look at other than his sisters customers.

  Debbie sold them the hand pies for Bonita's father, trying to give them to him, but he wouldn't hear about it. After all, it was a business and besides he wanted to buy all the things he could from her possible for the King’s week celebration, which meant increasing production greatly. Box both liked and didn't like that when he realized what it meant.

  “Ahg, never getting laid again, am I? That schedule won't even leave time for a professional girl… Well, I'll live. Done without before a time or two. Or six. Hundred? Six hundred? That sounds about right. See you both tomorrow?” Worried about getting some or not, the decent looking man eyed “Kari” pretty intensely then.

  Speculatively.

  It was just on the verge of creepy to Tor, but that might just be jealousy. Karina seemed pleased enough at the lingering glance, didn't she?

  As they walked out, strolling so they could talk without calling attention, a dozen hand pies in a nice covered basket they'd bought across the street from Debbie's, Karina turned on him.

  “So, working in a bakery is our cover, so we won't be noticed?”

  “No… that's just for fun. I'm on vacation, remember? This way we can spend time co-opting all your old friends against Lilli and then turn her over to the King personally for leading a theft ring and coercing people into it. I mean without it being work, directly. That's obvious, right? I mean, you wouldn't be doing it, except for fun, or as a lark at least, right? So your dad will have to agree that I'm not doing anything too work adjacent?” It was kind of a real point, if a bit of a trick. Not that the King wouldn't know, but he might let it slide.

  Tor kept talking, working through it all on the fly.

  “He'll… probably go easier on her than we would, not wanting to punish her just for hurting your feelings, but it's a real crime and she does kind of have to pay for it. I could look the other way if it was just me, but if she's stealing from Debbie, who else is she doing it to? Besides, this is all new information and you're not part of her group now in any way, so we don't have to mention anything you did back when. Really we should try to get the others out too if we can. It sounds like they weren't any more guilty than you were.”

  That got a nod and a guilty look at the ground. She'd done her share of things she wasn't too proud of she murmured. Then she told him that she hadn't been able to get in touch with the others at all, but then, while she knew where they lived, for the most part everything had always gone through Lilli, so short of visiting, she didn't know what to do. The answer seemed easy to him.

  Visit.

  It might be hard on Karina, he warned, if they were truly on Lilli’s team still and had decided to hate her now, but it would give them a chance to get out from under the ax before it fell if they were clever enough to take the chance.

  The walk only had one turn, and Tor had been there before, once, so ten minutes later they were at the Baron Coltress' door, gifts in hand and smiling, the older man had light blond hair shot with silver and still managed to look stately and somehow younger than he should with a twenty-seven year old daughter. He was a good looking man, which probably explained all his attractive daughters.

  “Hi!” Tor offered brightly. “Bonita sent us, with gifts? We're, um seeing her? She couldn't get away today, working with the Queen on the enhanced celebration thing, but she thought you might like to meet us?” His voice was a question the whole time and made the man frown and shake his head for some reason.

  “Why won't you people leave my daughter alone? She's a good girl! She deserves to be treated with respect, and not made fun of by noble snobs and brats that have too much coin and not half enough sense for their own good. Tell me what they paid you to set up this… whatever this game is your playing, and I'll give you double to go away and leave my baby be. Triple if you'll tell me who paid you first!”

  The man was close to being enraged, almost growling, except that he was sad too. It made Tor wonder what people had been doing to his Bonita? If her own father had this kind of reaction to them…well, it couldn't be friendly could it. Karina stepped forward just slightly and bowed a tiny bit.

  “I don't know if you'll remember me? I had a different haircut then, and my hair was more red, the dye is wearing off so you can see the color? Anyway, I'm Princess Karina Cordes and this man is Torrance Baker, you know, the Wizard Tor? I suppose he could do magic tricks and I could stand around looking regal if you don't believe us, but Nita really is seeing us both, so we kind of need to prove the point to you I think.” Her voice held good humor even though the greeting had been more than a little harsh and off putting.

  Tor took it as a father doing his job and protecting his child, as was correct, even if he didn't know why exactly, but didn't expect Karina to act that way. It seemed that once again she was more than a little full of surprises.

  Six amulets later the man relented, and decided that they were who they said, since actors wouldn't have access to that many magical
devices all at once and making a magical carriage and house appear one after the other in the front yard was a bit telling, especially since you couldn't even buy the carriages anywhere yet. He'd seen Tor before apparently, but the hair hadn't been so long. Tor brushed it back so it wasn't in his face. Laughing Karina tied it back with a truth amulet on a hemp string, wrapping it into a pony tail. The man bowed then and smiled.

  “Ooh, hand pies? The right ones too! You must be a wizard then, well come in. So both of you are seeing Bonita? That's a bit of a shock.” The man didn't sound pleased to be saying it, but didn't hesitate either.

  Tor tilted his head slightly and watched the man for a bit as he looked into the covered basket again. Giants did like to eat, as a rule.

  “We are, and she's been staying with me at my house. Um. She has her own room there though. I don't want you to think that…” Tor blushed and shook his head, wanting to wince and shy away from things.

  “That's not totally true. She has a room, but she's been sharing a bed with me.” Getting ready he moved slightly in front of Karina, in case that news triggered a combat rage in the Baron.

  Instead the man just smiled.

  “Oh? Well good for her! About time something went right for her in that way. Things haven't always been easy for her. It isn't fair at all. Come, let's chat in the drawing room.” He pointed the way with his left hand, the right holding the handle of the basket firmly.

  The talk didn't last too long, but the Baron did get an invitation to dinner, Karina couldn't be there, palace duties, but Tor would be and she promised to send over Alphonse if she could. After all, they wanted to keep at least one watcher on Tor at all time to make sure he didn't do anything too close to real work. Apparently the King and Queen were in on that one too.

  A real royal conspiracy.

  When they walked out Tor hit his Not-flyer and looked at her sideways. After about fifteen seconds he grinned and looked where he was going.

  “But if Rolph wakes me up the same way you did this morning, I'm leaving the Capital and never coming back.”

  Karina giggled.

  “I'll be sure to warn him about that. Really I think he just wants to get laid.” Giving him a sideways glance she grinned.

  “Female company, most likely, though you are rather attractive. The palace is a little dry for all of us, honestly. Everyone is either a diplomat, dignitary, or related by blood. The servants are off limits in general, so that leaves almost no one. Your place is much more interesting! Plus the spies are all available for sex. Sara Debri, she's kind of cute, isn't she? Do you know if she's seeing anyone in particular?”

  Tor thought about that. Did he know? She was cute, and lived on a military installation, sort of. If she wanted men, she had them. That didn't take a genius to figure out.

  “Well, your brother for a while, maybe still, I don't think they've really stopped seeing each other. Me a little, about what we did, a bit more, a bunch of times. Um, maybe Ursala? I don't know on that, they never said one way or the other, but they had opportunity if they wanted too and both of them are great, so why wouldn't they? Are you interested, do you think?” That would be interesting, wouldn't it?

  Karina tilted her head, clearly copying what he did all the time, and smiled a little.

  “Well, I'm not that into girls, a diversion really. Bonita was only the third for me and you were the fourth guy, so I'm not absolutely certain. Can I… Do you think I could really be your girlfriend? I know you can't speak for Bonita, but will you, I mean do you want to? I…”

  They were moving so Tor didn't kiss her.

  “I'd love to. Though at this rate I think I'm going to start messing everything up soon. I can't pay proper attention so many ways, can I? Well, at least everyone else has people too. Trice certainly seemed happy to see Ridley last night. He's a good sort though, so I can't complain there, and really, all we've ever done is kiss a few times.” It was true, but Tor suddenly felt embarrassed and that must have shown on his face because Karina smirked.

  “You and Ridley? Well, I'd better leave that out, or Alphie will feel you're putting him off a bit rudely, don't you think? I mean, you two have been best friends for a long time, years now and you're both good looking, so you'd think if you were going to do anything with the man it would be him. Really, you probably should, just to cement the relationship.” She gave him an odd look, one that spoke of thoughts he was glad he didn't know.

  “I meant Trice, thank you very much.”

  That got a laugh, “Sorry, misunderstood for a second, that's all. Really? You didn't even test her out in bed? You were going to get married. I mean, I slept with Raul just to see. He looks wild, but he's actually a good lover. Kind and gentle, attentive. I should have done more with him, and not gotten sucked in with Lilli. Yeah, Raul isn't as good looking, but looks don't matter that much do they? I mean, a good soul Counts more, right?” The tone was plaintive, as if begging him to agree. As if he wouldn't? It was just true.

  “Kindness, a good heart, intelligence, all these things are more important than looks. But you're cute. Good enough looking that I'm getting looks as we go past people, saying, “how did he get to be with someone like her.” Though that might have been about the height difference too. People could be judgmental that way.

  The Princess didn't say anything for a minute. Finally she cut her Not-flyer and settled in place, he had to float back about fifty feet to stand next to her.

  Her voice was low when she spoke, not angry or sad now, but serious.

  “They aren't looking at me, not at all, they don't even see me. Oh, a girl floating by, which is still interesting, even in the Capital, but not me. Even if they realized who I was, most of them wouldn't pay that much attention, not with you here. You're wonderful. Lovely and magical and brave. If I asked the next woman that passed if she'd like to have sex with you in an alley what do you think she'd say?”

  Um… get away from me you freaks? Tor didn't say that, not wanting to be insulting, so he shrugged and paraphrased.

  “Probably something shocked and frightened? I mean, who wouldn't? That's a weird thing to say to a woman at random, and they'd be within their rights to call the guard and have us both beaten. We'd have to let them too, because we'd deserve it.” Tor nodded at her confidently. After all, who did something like that?

  Karina didn't wait, stopping a pretty woman walking along with another female, who wasn't as good looking, but smiled at them as she stood slightly behind the first woman, which made her face seem kind and friendly. Both were dressed in clean clothes that looked well used, but didn't have an air of lower class to them, so merchants maybe? They both looked to be about thirty or so, but well kept, even so. Tor nearly fainted when she actually said the words to the first woman, asking exactly what she'd said a few seconds before. The woman looked at him hard then Karina. Then she surprised him, because instead of calling for guards, or even telling them to get lost… she smiled.

  “How much?”

  Without hesitation Karina said a gold. The woman countered with five silvers, since she wanted to save a little money for the celebration, the woman behind her offered three silvers if he'd do them both. Four if he'd use his mouth, she liked that better than regular sex anyway, she let them know. Karina clarified that to oral sex and not kissing, which seemed to be an important point to her. They agreed and money changed hands quickly. Too quickly.

  He hadn't been able to do more than stammer a bit during the negotiation. Everyone had kind of just ignored him too. Like he was incidental to the process. A good being sold. No one asked the opinion of a hand pie did they?

  It made Tor feel a little sad for the pastries in Debbie’s shop.

  The whole thing left him feeling shocked and speechless. It was a trap, one built for him personally, and so well that he couldn't get out of it. Refusing them now that they'd paid would be worse than calling them ugly, and even saying it was a joke would probably hurt their feelings. They weren't ugly or ev
en women he wouldn't have liked to spend time with in general, but there were two of them and… he wasn't a whore. Was he? Apparently Karina thought differently and had just sold him as one.

  Talk about rude.

  Tor found himself led by the Princess to an alley just as she'd said. In the end he serviced both of them twice, once each with his mouth, one with his hand the other his manhood. It was embarrassing at first, but he let go of that and tried to focus on using all he'd learned and practiced to make sure they had fun. No matter what, they'd paid a lot for him, so giving them less than the best he could manage would be unconscionable, right? Both women handed him a coin, an extra silver each, as they left, and gave him a groping hug, but when one, the prettier of the two, tried to kiss him, Karina intervened physically, an arm across the woman’s upper chest, and gave her a stern look.

  “No kissing. That's extra.” It was almost comical. After all that kissing was an issue? It was absurd.

  So much so he nearly cried.

  Tor felt used as they walked away. Not by the women, who'd paid a fair price, more than fair he thought, not really knowing normal rates, but by Karina. She turned to him though and kissed him, the taste of the women still on his lips, in his mouth. If she minded, it didn't show, instead she hugged him tightly and whispered in his ear huskily.

  “So… yes, Tor, they want you. No games, no set up. We could do that again and double the price if we went to the nice district and probably get ten golds if I hit up some of the dowagers that have come for the week. A full gold for an hour’s work… A good girl whore would be out here for half the festival to make that, unless she offered really kinky things. Before her pimp took most of it. They didn't know you were the Wizard Tor either, or a noble at all. Just some good looking, and as it turned out, talented boy whore. Do you really not know what you look like or something? You're always so down on yourself. It seems phony you know, you always pretending your ugly or a troll or whatever.”