“Excuse me,” Kevin said as he approached the man. “Could you direct me to Sorcerer Nicolas? I don’t know where his house is.”
The blacksmith laughed. “You’re not from around here. Nicolas’s house is her house, not his house.”
“Nicolas is a woman?” Kevin asked. He made a mental note to have Chris add male or female to all personnel records.
The blacksmith nodded, still grinning. Then he pointed to the last house before the road headed up the mountain through the woods. “She lives over there, in the house with the big front porch, the last house on the left. See the one I mean?”
Kevin nodded and thanked the man.
When he got to the house, the door opened before he could knock and a woman stepped out to join him on the porch. She was neither young nor old, neither skinny nor fat, just an average woman around 40 or so. The first thing Kevin noticed was her hair. It was the shade of honey and fell in waves around her face. The second thing was her eyes. They were the same soft color as her hair, and although they were friendly at the moment, he also saw a touch of caution.
“Good morning,” she said. “Can I help you?”
“Actually, I’m hoping I can help you,” Kevin answered. Then he held out his hand. “I’m Myron, the Sorcerer of Camden.”
Nicolas’s mouth dropped as she shook his hand. “Myron. Welcome. Please come in,” she said as she opened the door for him. “Could I get you some tea? Or coffee? Or maybe scog?”
“No, thank you,” Kevin said as he sat down in her living room.
Nicolas sat down in a chair opposite him. “You said you’re hoping to help me? I’m not sure I understand.”
Kevin nodded. Right down to business. “Chadwick wrote a letter …”
Before Kevin could get any further, Nicolas shook her head. “I’m sorry he bothered you. That man is just trying to get out of paying me, and I’m not going to let him.”
“Perhaps if you could explain,” Kevin suggested.
“He wants a road from here to Briarwood. I have no problem with that, but I don’t see how he thinks I’d do it for free.” Nicolas sat back and looked at Kevin. “Briarwood is on the other side of the mountain. There’s already a road that runs between the two towns, but it goes straight up one side of the mountain and straight down the other. It’s dangerous most of the year, either covered in snow and ice, or deep in mud. Last summer a wagon turned sideways and flipped over the side into a gulch. The driver, his wife, and four of his five children were killed. That’s when Chadwick decided we needed a new road, and I’m with him on that.”
Nicolas paused and looked at Kevin. When he nodded, she continued. “The road he wants will go around the mountain, and I agree it would be a lot safer, but it’ll be difficult to build. The woods around here are thick, which is why the original road followed the path of a big landslide that happened several years ago. But in order to make the new road safe, a lot of trees will have to come down and a lot of sections will have to be reinforced. I’ve walked the path he wants to base the road on, and it can be done, but there are several places where it’ll take two sorcerers. He says he’ll supply the men, he plans to use local army units for that, but he wants me to provide the second sorcerer, as in pay them out of my pocket. I don’t mind that if I’m being paid, but there’s no way I’ll do it for free, much less at a loss. There’s just too much involved in this.”
“Why is he under the impression you should do this as part of your normal duties?”
“He says it comes under the heading of road maintenance.”
“How?”
“That’s what I asked,” Nicolas said with a frown. “The contract states that road maintenance includes clearing obstacles, shoring up weak or collapsed areas, and repairing damage to the roads. It doesn’t say a word about building new ones. I wouldn’t have signed it if it had.”
Kevin nodded. “I read over my copy of your contract before I came, and that’s what mine says. He hasn’t added anything has he?”
Nicolas shook her head.
“Then why does he think building a new road is covered under your contract?”
“He says the path already exists so I’m not building a new road. I’m just clearing obstacles and shoring it up so wagons can travel it.”
Kevin leaned back in his chair and thought. “All right. We both know that’s not what that section means, but I can see how he’s twisting it to make it fit.”
“If you tell me to build that road I will, but after it’s done I’d like to transfer to another district.”
Kevin shook his head. “Let me think for a minute.” Nicolas waited while Kevin thought. “The purpose of that path has always been foot and horse travel, right?”
Nicolas nodded. “Mainly foot.”
“Then I may have the solution. Let’s go see Chadwick.”
“Don’t we need an appointment?”
Kevin’s eyebrows arched as he stood up. “I haven’t needed an appointment to see any of the other ministers. I don’t see why I’d need one to see him. Of course, since he’s not expecting me, I can’t complain if he’s not home, but if he’s there, he’ll see us, one way or another.”
Nicolas swallowed a smile as she picked up her cloak and followed Kevin out the door. They followed the main street past the business section and the first few houses. Then they turned down a little side road that wound through a small section of woods to a much larger house.
Kevin looked at Nicolas and tilted his head towards the front door. When she nodded, he led the way up the front steps to the porch and knocked on the door.
A middle-aged woman opened the door and said, “Hello, Nicolas. I assume you’ve come to see Chadwick, but I’m afraid he’s busy at the moment. You should have made an appointment.”
Nicolas smiled. “Good morning, Clarise. Allow me to introduce Master Sorcerer Myron.”
The woman’s eyes widened as she looked at Kevin. “Myron? Of the House of Nordin?”
Nicolas nodded, smiling even more. “Would you be so good as to let Chadwick know we’re here?”
“Yes, of course,” Clarise said, nodding constantly. “Won’t you come in? Can I get you something? Anything? Tea? Coffee? Something to eat?”
“No, thank you, but I appreciate the offer,” Kevin said. “Now, if you could let Chadwick know we’re here?”
“Yes, yes,” Clarise said, still nodding, “Of course.”
After Clarise left the room, Nicolas whispered, “His wife.”
Kevin gave a quick nod and sat down to wait.
They didn’t have to wait long before Chadwick hustled into the living room, holding his hand out to Kevin. “Myron, so nice to see you again.”
Kevin shook his hand. “You were at the ministers’ conference this past summer.”
“Never miss it,” Chadwick said. “Now, what brings you out this way?”
“Your letter.”
“The note I sent about Nicolas?” Chadwick asked in surprise. “You didn’t have to come all the way out here. I’m sure a note to remind her of the contract she signed would have sufficed, although I do appreciate the support.”
“You may be misunderstanding my presence,” Kevin said. “I’m not here to ask Nicolas to build the road for you free of charge.”
“I’m sorry, Myron, but Nicolas must have misled you. I’m not asking her to build a new road. I’m just asking her to maintain an existing road, and that’s covered in our contract. It’s spelled out specifically. Hold on a minute and I’ll get it so you can see it for yourself.” Chadwick bounced up and started towards the hall.
“Wait a moment, please,” Kevin said as he took a folded sheet of paper out of his cloak pocket. “This is my copy. Would you look over it and see if it’s the same as yours? It’s supposed to be.”
Chadwick nodded and took the paper Kevin held out to him. He skimmed through it, nodding occasionally. “Yes, this is the copy I sent you, and see right here?” He pointed to the section in question. �
�It says she’s responsible for removing obstructions and shoring up weak areas. That’s all she’ll have to do to get this road ready. It’s been there for years. This is simple road maintenance, and it’s part of her contract obligations.”
“I think in fairness to both of you I need to see this road,” Kevin said as he stood up.
Chadwick nodded. “You saw the beginning of it when you came to my house. Just let me get my cloak and I’ll show you the rest of it.”
While Chadwick was gone, Kevin looked over at Nicolas. “The road we used to walk up here is the one he’s talking about?”
Nicolas hesitated. “Yes and no. The trail does start where the road ends, but the only reason he has a road is that I widened it so his wagon could get through. I guess that’s where I made my mistake. I did it for him for free, as a favor. I had no idea he thought I was supposed to do it.”
“No good deed goes unpunished,” Kevin said under his breath. When Nicolas looked at him, he shook his head. “Something my assistant says all the time.”
When Chadwick joined them, they went out to the road Kevin had thought was Chadwick’s driveway. They followed the little road around the house. The widened section led straight to his barn, but a much smaller trail, one that could be used by a horse but was better suited for foot traffic, branched off and led into the woods.
“See? That’s the road right there,” Chadwick said pointing towards the trail.
Kevin nodded and turned to Nicolas. “Have you checked this path for obstructions? Is it clear all the way to Briarwood?”
Nicolas frowned. “I walked the trail last week and it was clear then.”
“And did you find any sections where the path had washed away or was in danger of collapsing?”
Nicolas realized what Kevin was doing and had to bite her lips to keep from smiling. “I didn’t find any weak areas anywhere along the path. It’s in good shape.”
Kevin looked back at Chadwick and smiled. “Then I don’t see what the problem is. Nicolas has lived up to her contract in that she has maintained this path.”
Chadwick shook his head. “No. We need to get wagons through on this road, and it’s not wide enough or strong enough for that.”
“Was this road ever wide enough for wagons?” Kevin asked.
“Well, no, but…”
“From the way her contract is worded, she’s responsible for maintaining what was already here, and she’s done that. What you’re wanting comes under the heading of improvements, and that’s not covered under her original contract.”
“But we need that road,” Chadwick sputtered.
“Nicolas told me about the tragic accident last summer,” Kevin said. “She agrees something needs to be done, but if you want her to help you with it, she’ll need a project contract.”
“A project contract?” Chadwick asked with a deep frown on his face. “I’ve never heard of that. What is it?”
“It’s a very specific, one-time agreement. You write up what you want done, where you want the road, how wide you want it to be, where you want bridges or tunnels, things like that. Then you give it to her and let her go over it. If she finds anything she thinks will be a problem or that she might not be able to do, she’ll let you know. Then the two of you can discuss it. When you agree on what needs to be done, she’ll give you a price for providing the magical assist.”
“She says a few sections will need two sorcerers. Am I supposed to make another contract for the second sorcerer?” Chadwick asked, still frowning.
“No. She’ll be responsible for any and all magical work. If two sorcerers are needed, she’ll provide, and pay, the second sorcerer. Anything dealing with sorcery or magic is her part. Anything dealing with manpower is yours. That’s why everything needs to be spelled out in detail in the project contract.”
“All right,” Chadwick said. “If you say this is the way we have to do it, then I guess it’s what we’ll do. But what if she tries to overcharge us? What do I do then?”
“You can open it up to other sorcerers if you don’t like her price,” Kevin suggested. “You have other sorcerers in the district, right?”
Chadwick nodded, and then frowned. “But none of them are as good as she is.”
“You might want to keep that in mind when she submits her price. If you’re going to travel the road, you want to be able to trust the person who does the work,” Kevin said as they walked back towards the front of the house.
Chadwick paused at the bottom of his steps and looked at Nicolas. “I’ll have the outline of the work to you by the beginning of next week.”
Nicolas nodded. “I’ll give you a fair price, Chadwick.”
Chadwick didn’t exactly nod, but he didn’t argue the point. Then he looked at Kevin. “Thank you for coming, Myron. And thanks for explaining about that project contract. I had no idea I needed to do one.”
Kevin nodded. “Happy to help out, and I do hope things go well with your new road.”
After Chadwick went back inside and shut the door, Nicolas and Kevin headed back towards town.
Nicolas smiled. “Thank you, Myron. We need that road.”
“I agree,” Kevin said. “And since it is needed, keep the price reasonable. Don’t get greedy.”
“I won’t,” Nicolas said. “It’s not in my nature to take more than the work’s worth. And I live here. That road’s for me, too. I don’t want to have to bury any more neighbors. Chadwick and I’ll send you a copy of the final contract. If you think I’ve charged too much, I’ll change it.”
“Thank you,” Kevin said. “And now, if there’s nothing else …”
Nicolas shook her head.
“Let me know how it goes with the road. I look forward to seeing the finished product.” Then Kevin turned his key and went back to his office.
~ ~ ~ ~
Gen. Crandal was in the reception area with Chris when Kevin got back from Colby Falls.
“Just the man I was looking for,” Gen. Crandal said. “Are you on your way out? Or do you have a minute?”
Kevin motioned for the general to join him in his office. “I just got back from Colby Falls.”
“Anything I need to know about?” the general asked as they sat down.
“A contract dispute,” Kevin said. “Why were you looking for me?”
“I got a message from Lt. Martyn this morning.”
“Have they had any luck?”
Gen. Crandal shook his head. “None at all. They haven’t spotted anything big enough to have a dozen people on it, much less seventeen captives plus a crew. And it’s been ten days. If the slavers are taking the captives down to the Agrenon Bay, they should have passed Lt. Martyn by now.”
“I don’t think they’re in Glenarbour either. I got a note from Brena today. Sister Kaja sent her a letter. No new slaves have shown up since Janine left.”
“I thought Janine didn’t want anyone to know why she was in Glenarbour. I’m surprised she told Sister Kaja.”
“I think Brena told her,” Kevin said. “Maybe the slavers still have them on the Kivee, hiding out somewhere.”
“I doubt it. Slavers tend to rely on brute force for the capture and speed for the getaway. Hiding just isn’t their style.”
Kevin thought for a minute and then said, “I don’t know what else we can do. Do you have any ideas?”
Gen. Crandal shook his head. “The only thing we can do is wait. Maybe something will happen somewhere to give us a lead. Who knows? Maybe they’ll show up Saturday. You’re still going to have someone at the auction, right?”
Kevin nodded. “Karl’s going, and Sgt. Nance.”
“Might not hurt to send a guard with them, just to keep an eye on things.”
“I thought I’d ask Alek to go. He knows his way around Glenarbour.”
“So does Rigel,” Gen. Crandal said as he stood up. “If I hear anything else, I’ll let you know.”
Kevin nodded as Gen. Crandal left his office.
Bef
ore the door shut, Chris walked through. “Any news?”
Kevin shook his head.
“How did things go in Colby Falls?”
Kevin laughed. “We now have project contracts as well as regular service contracts.” Then Kevin told Chris about Nicolas, Chadwick, and the path that needed to become a road.
“But there was one embarrassing moment,” Kevin added. “We need to find out which sorcerers are male and which ones are female and put it on their contracts. I told the blacksmith I wanted to talk to Nicolas and asked him to point out ‘his’ house. When he finished laughing at me, he showed me where her house was.”
Chris chuckled and shook his head. “Sorry about that, but who would have thought Nicolas was a female name?”
“Obviously not me, so talk to Laryn and see if she can help us out on that. Since Badec witnessed the contracts, she might know.”
Chris nodded. “Anything else?”
“One other thing. Nicolas is going to send us a copy of the project contract, probably sometime next week. I want to ask Warren to look over it and see if her charges are in line with what they should be. Let me know when it comes in.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
“Not that I know of.”
“Good.” Chris stood up and left the office for a minute. When he came back, he handed Kevin a stack of messages. “Then you have time to work on these.”
Chapter 20
Dinner at Danyelle's
Wednesday was quiet around the castle, so when Laryn and Steve came to get Kevin for dinner at Danyelle’s, he was ready for a distraction. He knew she lived near Heron’s Gulf, the body of water he recognized as the Chesapeake Bay, and he’d been secretly hoping for a seafood dinner ever since he’d found out where she lived.
When they emerged from the energy flow in front of Danyelle’s house, Kevin took a deep breath, hoping to catch at least a whiff of the ocean, but no such luck. All he could smell was freshly turned ground and manure.
The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3) Page 18
