The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3)

by Mackenzie Morgan

  “See anything you like?”

  The voice seemed to come out of nowhere and jerked Kevin back to reality. “I see a lot I like.” Kevin glanced around, finally spotting Dayed at a workbench near the back of the shop. “Did you make all of these?”

  Dayed nodded.

  “He spends all of his time out here,” Katrin whispered. “Dara says he’d forget to eat if she didn’t come get him.” She looked over at Dayed and raised her voice. “It’s time for lunch, Dayed. You don’t have time to start going through all of this stuff. We need to get inside.”

  Dayed grinned at Kevin. “Is Laryn here?”

  Kevin nodded.

  “Let’s go.” Dayed took off his heavy leather apron. “We can come out here later, while Laryn and Dara talk about this reception and wedding. Is the man she’s going to marry with her?”

  Again, Kevin nodded. “His name’s Steve, and he’d love to see this place. He’s an artist and he appreciates good work.”

  “Good. He can join us out here after lunch. I imagine he’s heard all he wants to hear about wedding plans. And while he’s here, he can pick out some furniture for their house. If I know Laryn, she won’t care one way or the other.”

  Katrin stayed next to Kevin on the way back to the house, and every time she had to step over a twig or around a puddle, she reached for his arm as if she needed help to stay on her feet. It was all he could do to keep from shaking her off.

  Once they were back inside, Dara herded everyone into the dining room and assigned seats. Just as he expected, Kevin was stuck at one end of the table between Dara and Katrin. During the entire meal, Dara controlled their end of the table and kept a constant chatter going with Katrin, forcing Kevin to be an unwilling participant in their conversation. Meanwhile the bits he could hear from the other end of the table sounded much more appealing than the inane discussion of Katrin’s accomplishments with needle and thread. Kevin really didn’t care that she could embroidery lace on tablecloths, and was not at all interested in a dissertation on how she did it. When the interminable meal finally ended he fully expected it to be dark outside, but it was just a little after noon.

  While Dara and Laryn cleared the table, Dayed invited Kevin and Steve to join him in his workshop to look at furniture for the new house. When Katrin stood up to join them, Dayed said, “I’m sure you’d be much more interested in hearing about Laryn’s reception. Why don’t you join them in the kitchen for tea? We won’t be long.”

  Katrin stepped over beside Kevin and put her hand on his arm. “Myron’s already seen your furniture, Dayed, and he’d only be in the way while you and Steve decide which pieces he wants. We’ll go for a walk while you two discuss business.”

  “I’d like for him to join us, Katrin. He may see something he’d like to have in his room or in his office,” Dayed said. “He didn’t have time to look around earlier. We had to get back in here for lunch.”

  Katrin looked at Kevin for support, but he eased his way towards Dayed. She let go of his arm and glared at Dayed, “You said you won’t be long. I’ll hold you to that.” She turned towards Kevin and smiled. “Go along with your uncle, Myron. When you’re done, we’ll go for a nice long walk and get to know each other.”

  When they made it outside, Steve laughed. “Well done, Dayed.”

  “Yes, I thought I handled that rather well if I do say so myself.”

  Kevin sighed. “All I can say is thank you. I’m not sure I could have taken much more of her.”

  “She’s nice enough, but she’s on the prowl,” Dayed said. “I’m not sure whether Dara invited her or if she invited herself, but either way, I’m sure Dara was more than willing to play along. It might be best from now on if you drop by without letting anyone know.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind,” Kevin said with a nod.

  The men spent the next couple of hours wandering around the workshop looking at furniture. When Steve asked Dayed where he got his wood, Dayed said, “From my sawmill.”

  “You run a sawmill?” Kevin asked.

  Dayed nodded. “That’s how I make a living. I give away most of the furniture, so I can’t count on that. I could make a living with my magic, but I don’t want to. I don’t mind helping people out, but I don’t want to take a position as a sorcerer. I like working with wood, and the sawmill lets me do that.” He turned towards Steve. “I made a list of the pieces you think Laryn might like. Why don’t we go rescue her and see if she agrees?”

  Kevin took out his key and looked at Steve. “I’ve got an appointment I have to keep. It’ll take me about an hour. Would that work for you?”

  Steve nodded. “Do you want to meet us out here or at the house?”

  “Can we meet out here?” Kevin asked.

  Dayed nodded. “Dara will come out here with us anyway. She’ll want to see what Steve picked out. You go ahead and we’ll see you later.”

  Chapter 26

  Back to Crinsor Run

  When Kevin arrived in Crinsor Run, he went straight to Hayden’s back door and knocked. A couple of moments later, Rhianna opened it and asked him to come in.

  “Landis is in the living room with mother and father,” she said, “but before we go in, I need to ask you something.”

  Kevin nodded.

  “Two things, actually. First, Landis needs to speak with her brother.”

  Kevin shook his head. “Rolan’s not interested in talking to her. He sent assassins out to kill her, Rhianna. You don’t do that if you want a conversation.”

  Rhianna shook her head. “I don’t mean Rolan. Landis wants to talk to Robyn, her oldest brother.”

  “Oh. That can probably be arranged.”

  “Well, there are a couple of problems. She’s not sure he’s still alive, and if he is, she has no idea where he’s living.”

  “He lives in Mapleton. And I know he was alive a couple of months ago, and since I haven’t heard any different, I assume he still is.”

  “You know him?”

  Kevin nodded. “I’ve met with him a couple of times. Why?”

  Rhianna frowned. “Does Taelor know him?”

  “I’m not sure about that. I’ve never asked either one of them, but I imagine so since they were both around the castle a lot. Why?”

  “Because Landis wants Robyn to help her figure out who to believe, and if he’s discussed Rolan with you or Taelor …”

  “Rolan’s the reason I went to see him in the first place. Robyn sent my father a letter asking him to investigate Tsareth’s death. Since my father didn’t get a chance to talk to him before he got sick, I followed up on it.”

  “Do you still have that letter?”

  Kevin nodded.

  “Good. Landis may ask to see it. She doesn’t trust anyone right now. She’s wondering if everyone’s pushing her to become a sorcerer so she’ll challenge Rolan and get rid of him for you.”

  Kevin rolled his eyes. “Nothing could be further from the truth. I don’t want her to challenge Rolan. That’s not why I agreed to take her on as an apprentice.” Then, after a moment, Kevin said, “Look, ask Duane about it. He’s the one who talked to Glendymere about asking me to do it in the first place. And according to what Glendymere told me, it was because Duane was afraid Rolan would kill her before she had a chance to learn to defend herself.”

  “Duane asked you?” Rhianna frowned. “I thought my father did.”

  Kevin nodded. “Hayden made the formal request, but months before that, Duane talked to Glendymere about it. He asked him if I would be ready to take on an apprentice by the time she was ready to start. Duane didn’t say one word to me about it until after your father asked me to do it. But you and Landis need to talk to him and find out why he went to Glendymere, and I’d like for you to do that now, before we head back.”

  “I would too, but he and Xantha aren’t here right now. They left before we got here, and Shelandra isn’t sure when they’ll be back.”

  “All right, but the next time you’r
e home, ask him. I want Landis to hear how this all came about. There is no subterfuge, no hidden agenda.” Kevin paused and took a deep breath. “You said two things. Robyn was the first. What’s next?”

  “While we were walking down the mountain the other day, Landis said she doesn’t know what a sorcerer does other than kill other sorcerers.”

  Kevin’s intake of breath caused Rhianna to put her hand up. “I don’t know what sorcerers do either, but I know it’s more than that. And deep down, so does she, but neither of us understands how human magic can be used. Do you know of a sorcerer we could follow around for a day or two to see what they do, to see what the day-to-day life of a practicing sorcerer is like?”

  “That’s not a bad idea, and I know just the person. But only one day, and only with a bodyguard.”

  “Why a bodyguard? Can’t the sorcerer protect her?”

  “When you’re working with magic, your concentration’s on the magic. A whole army could sneak up on you and you wouldn’t realize it until it was too late. A bodyguard ignores the magic and focuses on the surroundings. That’s why everyone wants me to take a bodyguard with me. And since I don’t want to have to tell Hayden and Gwynn that something’s happened to either of you, the bodyguard is not optional.”

  “All right.” Rhianna’s eyes drifted towards the living room. “We’d better get in there before they send out a search team.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  As soon as Laryn and Steve left Kevin’s office after returning from Dayed’s, there was a knock on his door and Chris walked in. “Are you busy?” he asked as he sat down.

  “I just got here,” Kevin answered. “I haven’t had time to get into anything yet. Why?”

  “I thought we’d take a moment to go over your calendar for next week.”

  “Speaking of the calendar, there’s something we need to add.”

  “What?”

  “Landis wants to talk to Robyn.”

  Chris frowned as he glanced up from the calendar. “Why?”

  “She wants his opinion of Rolan.”

  “Wants to find out if he’s as bad as we’ve said? And if he’s really trying to have her killed?”

  “Something like that. Did Rhianna say anything to you about it?”

  Chris nodded. “But more along the lines of if Rolan’s as dangerous as we say he is and Landis decides not to become a sorcerer, what should she do.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “That Landis was going to have to live someplace far, far away and stay very quiet.”

  Kevin nodded. “That’s about the best we can offer, but I’m not sure it would be enough.”

  “I know. So, are you going to set it up for them to meet?”

  “It’s got to be his choice. He may think it’s too risky.”

  “Where are you thinking of letting them meet? Willow Canyon?”

  “I’m not sure I want Robyn to know where she is at the moment.”

  “Don’t you trust him?” Chris asked.

  “I trust Robyn not to intentionally put her in danger. It’s the unintentional I worry about.”

  Chris nodded. “So, where do you plan to let them meet?”

  “I’m not sure. I thought about bringing them here and letting them talk in my office, but I’m not sure Rolan doesn’t still have a spy in the castle. They should be able to talk in my office without anyone realizing they’re here, but why take that chance if we don’t have to? I’m wondering if maybe someplace where no one’s there to see them together or wonder what’s going on behind a closed door might be better.”

  “Like an island?”

  Kevin nodded.

  “Maybe one that has a nice private cave?”

  Again Kevin nodded. “Maybe, but there are other islands we could use too, like Spara’s Isle.”

  Chris frowned.

  “You’ve been there. We used it a couple of times when I was sparring with dragons. It’s one of Jonquin’s favorite places.”

  Chris shook his head. “We went to several islands, but I don’t remember anyone ever telling me the names of any of them.”

  Kevin nodded. “Longer than it is wide, sandy beach, lots of big fish in the area, a skinny volcano that’s always shooting up smoke and ash? Sound familiar?”

  Chris shrugged. “I think so, but it’s been a while.”

  “Or we could go to Federation Isle. There’s no one there to see us but the brownies.” Kevin shrugged. “There are several places I could use, but I don’t have to decide where until I’m sure he’s willing to meet with her, so the first thing we need to do is talk to him.”

  “Want me to send a letter through Brena?”

  Kevin nodded.

  “When do you want to go?”

  “It doesn’t matter to me, but I’d like to do it soon. If you have to cancel something else to make this happen, it’s fine with me.”

  Chapter 27

  Tying Up Some Loose Ends

  During lunch Monday, Cryslyn asked Kevin and Karl if they could drop by her office after lunch. Karl lost his appetite. He figured it was about the money for the kids.

  When they left the dining room, Karl said, “I’ll find a way to fix this, Kevin.”

  “Fix what?”

  “The money.”

  Kevin shook his head. “Forget the money. I’m sure Cryslyn’s taken care of it. Don’t worry about it.”

  Karl shook his head and knocked on Cryslyn’s open door. Then both he and Kevin walked in and had a seat.

  Cryslyn pulled a sheet of paper out of her drawer and set it on her desk. “I talked to each of the teenagers you brought back Saturday, and I think I know what to do with most of them. Two of the girls want to learn to cook, so I can assign them to Miranda. One wants to be a chapel aide, so I’ve sent Sister Agnes a note to see if they can use her. As to the boys, one would like to work with horses, maybe become a blacksmith. He can work with Neiven. It’s the last boy that may be a problem.”

  “Why?” Kevin asked.

  “He’d like to work in your office. Apparently he talked to Isak and Ariel and he liked what he heard.”

  “I don’t know …”

  “I don’t either,” Cryslyn said. “We usually know the pages for a long time before we let them work in that office. He’s fifteen, so the age is right, but he’s a complete stranger. It’s your decision, but I’m not sure I’d recommend it. We don’t know anything about him.”

  “Have you asked Ariel or Isak what they thought of him?” Kevin asked.

  Cryslyn shook her head. “I didn’t feel it was my place.”

  Kevin nodded.

  “So, what do you want me to tell him?”

  “Why don’t I take him?” Karl asked. “It’s not the same as being a page, but Joan and I could use some help. He can do some of the running, especially right now with all of the reception details.”

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Cryslyn said. “It would give us a chance to get to know him and let him have some experience working in an office.”

  “Great,” Karl said. “He can start this afternoon. Now, how do I pay the slavers in Glenarbour?”

  “Already handled,” Cryslyn said. “They sent the bill Saturday afternoon and I paid it this morning.”

  “How?”

  “Alek and I borrowed Myron’s key and went right after breakfast. Why?”

  “I didn’t know how it was done.” Karl frowned. “And there was enough money in the budget to cover it?”

  Cryslyn nodded. “We have a special account for unexpected expenses. It’s taken care of.”

  Karl sighed. “Thank you.”

  “No need to thank me. That’s my job. Now, let’s go find Petri, your new aide.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  After all the children were in bed, Joan carried two mugs of scog into Karl’s office and handed him one. “About ready to call it a day?” she asked as she sat down across from him.

  “Almost.” Karl leaned back and sipped his scog. “What did yo
u think of Petri?”

  “He seems nice, and he has nice manners. Wonder where he learned those?”

  “No idea. Did you find out anything about his history?”

  Joan shook her head no. “We were busy all afternoon. Actually he came in quite handy. And we owe Ariel a big thank you for showing him around and explaining some of the basic stuff.”

  “Well, until we know him a lot better, don’t tell him anything about anyone’s schedules or plans.”

  “You don’t really think he’s a spy, do you?”

  Karl shrugged. “My gut reaction’s no, but just because he isn’t one now doesn’t mean he can’t be recruited.”

  “You’re almost as paranoid as Chris.”

  “Maybe, but I keep remembering how they got to Badec. We don’t want anything happening to Kevin.”

  “You’re right.” Joan sipped her scog for a few minutes. “No one pushed you into buying any of those kids, did they?”

  Karl shook his head. “And no one pushed me into letting him work in our office. I was the one who offered the position with us as a compromise. Plus I figured we could use the help, especially over the next few weeks. Then, if he doesn’t work out, we’ll see if we can find something else for him to do. He knows it may be temporary. No one made him any promises.”

  “Good.”

  Karl turned up his mug and finished his scog. “So, ready for bed? We’ve got another busy day tomorrow.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Tuesday morning started before daybreak for Kevin. He had to pick Ramen and Caezar up at 6:00. On his way back from his morning exercises, he stopped by the kitchen for coffee. He pulled two cups out of the cabinet as Chris walked through the door. Kevin poured coffee in both cups and handed one to Chris.

  Miranda stepped out of the pantry as both of them took their first sips. “I’ve got a morning cake in the oven ready to come out if you’d like some.”

  Chris turned to Kevin and said, “Why don’t you go on up and change into one of your off-duty tunics. I’ll bring the cake up as soon as it’s ready.”