Kevin opened the envelope and pulled several sheets of paper out. The writing was small, but neat. It was Nicolas’s contract. He sat down and started reading it. After a couple of minutes, he said, “This is really detailed. Chadwick took me seriously. He wrote down every little thing she needs to do, what the men who will be working with her need to do, what supplies and tools they’ll need to get the job done, and a time frame for doing it.” Kevin looked at the contract some more. “On second thought, I think Nicolas added the time frame. And she made notes where she’ll need a second sorcerer.” Then he looked up at Chris. “From what little I know, this looks like a very carefully drawn up contract. I have no idea if she’s charging too much, too little, or a fair price, but since they’ve both signed it, I guess he thinks it’s fair.”
“Or he thinks he had no choice since you told him to do it.”
“I didn’t say he had to accept any price she set, but I get your point. Would you send a note to Warren and tell him I’d like to talk to him Saturday morning? I’ll get him to look over this and see if he thinks it’s fair. If he’s okay with it, I’ll run by Colby Falls and thank both Chadwick and Nicolas for getting it done.”
Chris nodded. “And if Warren says she’s charging too much?”
“I’ll cross that bridge when I get to it.”
Chapter 29
Fine Tuning
Friday morning Kevin was at his desk when Chris walked in with a message in his hand. “Thought you might want to see this. It’s from Brena.”
“Have you read it?”
Chris shook his head. “It just came in.”
Kevin opened it and read through it. “Robyn said Sunday evening around 7:30 would be good, and for us to go straight to Glenice’s office.”
“That could be a little tricky. Her office is a bit small.”
Kevin nodded. “I know, but we need to do what he asked. I’m sure he’s got his reasons.”
“How do you want me to put this on the calendar?”
Kevin thought for a minute. “Right now I can’t think of anything that might not cause problems. Most of the people we know, others know, too. Can you think of anyone?”
“How about Yara? We’ve worked with her before, and she did send a message three weeks ago for you to help out with that whale.”
Kevin nodded. “Put her name down. If anyone asks, she wants me to clear an inlet of some storm debris. And if anyone wants more details, we don’t have any. She tells us where to meet her and then she takes us where she needs us.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Kevin arrived in Warren’s front yard in Walnut Springs a little before 10:00 Saturday morning. As he climbed the steps to the front porch, the door opened, and Warren stepped out. Kevin grinned. The man looked more and more like Santa Claus every time Kevin saw him. And rushing out the door behind him was his wife, Torrey, the perfect Mrs. Claus.
“Glad to see you,” Warren said as he shook Kevin’s hand. “You haven’t been around much lately. We’ve missed you. Missed Chris, too.” Warren laughed. “Torrey’s been baking ever since she got your note. We were hoping he’d come with you, but I guess someone’s got to mind the office.”
Torrey hugged Kevin. “I know you two have business to discuss. I’ll bring you some coffee and cake before you get started. But don’t forget to stop by the kitchen before you head home so I can send some stuff back with you. And tell Chris he owes us a visit.”
Kevin smiled and nodded. “I’ll tell him.”
Then he followed Warren through the house to his office. A couple of minutes later, Torrey arrived with a tray of goodies and two large cups of coffee. As she left, she said, “Now don’t forget. I’ll expect you in the kitchen when you’re done in here,” and pulled the door shut behind her.
“So, what’s up?” Warren asked. “Not another unruly sorcerer I hope.”
Kevin shook his head. “No, I learned my lesson with the last one. We’re not going through that again. But while we’re on that subject, how’s Colin working out?”
A big smile spread across Warren’s face. “That boy’s a wonder. He gets better every day. I’m having a ball watching him. And I’m not doing much of anything these days but watching. He’s doing all the work. It’s nice to know I can retire whenever I want. He can handle the job and everyone likes him.”
“Are you thinking about retiring?”
“Well, Torrey’s been making some noises along that line, but for all practical purposes, I’m already retired. And that’s what I told her, but she says there are certain folks around here who’ll come to me regardless of how good Colin is. She’s right, but they’d come to me even if I retired, so I can’t see that it’ll make much difference. And if we had an emergency, I’d pitch in whether I was retired or not. So, I guess the answer to your question is not yet.”
Kevin nodded.
“What did you need to see me about?”
“I’ve got a contract I’d like for you to look over,” Kevin said. Then he explained about the situation in Colby Falls.
After Warren read through the contract, he handed it back to Kevin. “That’s a thorough contract. It looks like everything’s spelled out. I don’t think there are any holes that will cause trouble later.”
“I thought it was pretty good, too. What about the price? I have no way of knowing if that’s a fair price or not.”
“All I can say is Chadwick’s lucky he has her. I’d have charged more. The job’s worth more than that, especially since she’s taking on the expense of hiring the second sorcerer. But if she’s satisfied with it, it’s fine. He certainly shouldn’t have any cause to complain, and if he does, tell him every sorcerer I know would have charged more.”
“Thanks.” Kevin put the contract away.
“Now, how are things going with you? I understand you have an apprentice. How’s that working out?”
For the next hour Kevin and Warren talked about Landis, Glendymere, life at the castle, and things in general. Finally Kevin said he needed to get back, so they joined Torrey in the kitchen for one more cup of coffee.
As Kevin got ready to leave, Torrey handed him a big bag full of sweets. “Don’t let Chris have all of these,” she said. “Give some to Marcus, Laryn, that man she’s going to marry, and anyone else you’d like to share them with. But do tell Chris he owes me a visit, and if he’ll let me know when he’s coming, I’ll bake him something special.”
“Will do,” Kevin said as he turned the key and left for Colby Falls.
~ ~ ~ ~
Kevin didn’t get back to his office until after lunch. The first person he saw was Rigel, and the bodyguard didn’t look happy.
Rigel folded his arms across his chest and squared his shoulders. “I thought you were taking today off.”
“I am.” Kevin set the bag of goodies on his desk and picked up the messages that had arrived while he was gone. “I just had a quick errand.”
“I do believe that’s Torrey’s apple cinnamon cake I smell. Walnut Springs is not a quick errand, and from what Chris said, you also went to Colby Falls.”
Kevin sighed, set the messages down, and looked at Rigel. “I know I’m supposed to take you with me, but when I get ready to go, I just go. I’m not trying to give you trouble. I had other things on my mind and I didn’t think about it.”
Rigel shook his head. “It’s when you have other things on your mind that you need us the most.”
For a couple of minutes the two men looked at each other. Finally Rigel said, “We need to come up with a new system. Our telling you that you need to take us with you and your agreeing to do it isn’t working.”
Kevin looked down at his desk. He was really getting tired of having this conversation. He looked up and gave one quick nod. “I agree. Find Darrell, Alek, and Chris and tell them I want to see all of you. We’re going to get this settled right now.”
Rigel slowly left the room.
Ten minutes later, Darrell, Chris, and both bodyguards were seated in front of K
evin’s desk. “Rigel made a good point a little while ago,” Kevin began. “He said we need to come up with a system we can all agree on as far as this bodyguard thing goes.”
Darrell nodded. “You keep heading off without them.”
“I do,” Kevin agreed. “And that’s not going to change.” Both Chris and Darrell looked like they were going to say something, so Kevin held up his hand to stop them. “It’s not going to change. Accept it. Look, it was different when there was a risk of a major magic war if something happened to me, but that’s been taken care of, so that’s not a problem anymore.”
“But we still don’t want anything happening to you,” Darrell insisted.
“I don’t either, and while I’ll agree there are times when it’s prudent to have someone watch my back, most of the time it’s not only unnecessary, it’s detrimental. What does it say about the Master Sorcerer if he can’t leave home without someone watching over him, protecting him? Think about the message that sends. It tells the whole world that I’m weak, an easy target, and contrary to what seems to be the popular opinion around here, I’m not, and I’d rather not give that impression.”
Chris frowned. “He has a point.”
“Not much of one,” Darrell mumbled.
“Darrell, I’m a sorcerer. Granted an arrow can take me out, but if they don’t get me with the first one, they won’t get a second chance. And I’d be willing to bet most would-be assassins know that. In fact, I’d bet most of them know that unless I’m really distracted, they won’t get me with the first one either. And the same goes for an energy bolt.”
Rigel nodded. “It’s for the distracted part that you need us.”
“I’ll agree, but only to a point. There’s mildly distracted and then there’s serious distraction. I don’t need anyone when I’m mildly distracted by conversation or stray thoughts. If I’m seriously distracted, like when I’m trying to calm a storm, or repair damage, or investigate a scene like we saw in Syrando, then yes, I need someone around to watch my back. And I have no problem taking you then, but the rest of the time, no.”
“What does Laryn think about this?” Darrell asked.
“I haven’t asked her,” Kevin answered. “And at this point, and I don’t mean this in a disrespectful manner, it’s not her decision.”
Both Darrell and Chris squirmed in their seats, not pleased with the way the conversation was going. Rigel and Alek had different ways of showing their displeasure. They had both gone rigid.
Kevin sighed. “Look, I know all you want to do is keep me alive, and while I appreciate the sentiment, I can’t go along with it the way you want me to. Let’s be realistic for a moment. Take my trip today. I went to see Warren, a powerful sorcerer in his own right. No one other than Chris and Warren knew I was going to be there. What are the chances someone was hiding in Walnut Springs on the off-chance I might drop by?”
“Well, there’s a hole in that argument,” Darrell said.
“What?”
“I’d be willing to bet there’s a note on the calendar on Chris’s desk that you’d be in Walnut Springs today.” Darrell glanced over at Chris, who nodded. “There’s no telling who might have seen it. Rolan had a spy in this castle at some point. Who’s to say there’s not one here now? Maybe the same one, maybe a different one, maybe more than one. Word of that trip could have spread halfway round Terah. So yeah, someone may have been hiding in Walnut Springs, waiting for you to drop by Warren’s house.”
“Okay. You have a valid point about the calendar. We’ll address that in a minute. But keep in mind Warren’s a sorcerer. It would be suicide for anyone to try to take me out while I’m with another sorcerer. Unless the assassin can find a way to get us both with one shot, he’ll end up dead.”
“True, but we can’t rule suicide missions out,” Darrell argued. “We don’t know what pressure some of these assassins may be under to get the job done.”
Chris held his hand out for them to stop. “Okay, how about this for a compromise.” When he had everyone’s attention, he looked at Darrell and said, “Kevin’s going to go places on his own, whether we like it or not. That’s just the way it is.” Then he looked over at Kevin. “You’re taking risks, and by doing that, you’re putting all of us at risk.” Then he leaned back in his chair. “What we have to do is reduce the risks while still letting Kevin be the Master Sorcerer. So, I’m going to leave the minor stuff off the calendar, and those things he can do on his own. The more important things, like the trips to Glenarbour, go on the calendar. Anything on the calendar from now on is official, and Kevin agrees to take a bodyguard on those trips. Can we all agree to that plan?”
“I get some say as to what you write down?” Kevin asked.
“Absolutely.”
“And we have full access to the calendar?” Darrell asked.
Chris nodded and looked over at Rigel and Alek. “And that way you don’t have to wait for Kevin to tell you he’s going someplace. You can see it for yourselves, know when and where, decide who’s going with him, and ambush him in his office to make sure you’re with him when he leaves.”
“So we’re only responsible for the stuff on the calendar?” Alek asked.
Kevin and Chris both nodded. Darrell was still frowning.
“What’s the problem?” Chris asked.
“I’d like some input on the type of stuff that gets left out, but my main concern is emergencies. I don’t want him heading off to disaster areas without bodyguards, and there’s precious little warning about those things. How can I be sure he’ll have a bodyguard with him at those times?”
“Good point.” Chris stood up, walked over to the door, and opened it. “Ariel, I’d like to see all the pages for a moment, please.”
While they waited for the pages, Chris turned to Darrell. “We find out about those things through messages, and since the pages read them first, they know about disasters before we do, even if it’s only by seconds.”
Once the pages were in Kevin’s office, Chris said, “New rule. As soon as a message comes in about any kind of disaster, whether it’s a bad storm, a slaver raid, or anything else that needs Myron’s attention, I want one of you to notify the guard office. If Cpt. Darrell is there, tell him. If not, leave word with his office to find him and let him know. It’s not your responsibility to find him and tell him yourself. He’ll leave instructions about that with his staff. Any questions?”
Ariel shook his head. “I assume this also holds for messages that come in for the Governor’s Office or the General’s Office, right?”
Darrell nodded. “And if you’re not sure whether something should be considered an emergency or not, notify me. Myron’s life may depend on it.”
A look of alarm flickered over Ariel’s face, but before it could settle, it was replaced by his usual calm confidence. He nodded and asked, “Anything else?”
When Chris shook his head, Ariel motioned for the pages to return to the outer office. After they left, he pulled the door to.
“He’s good,” Darrell said. “You’ll miss him when he leaves. Any idea what he’s planning to do after he ages out of this job?”
Chris shook his head. “I hope he hangs around for a few more years, at least until he has one of the others trained to take his place. Isak’s good, and he could do it, but he doesn’t want to be in charge and I don’t want to force the issue. Cameryn’s a possibility, but she’s not as strong as I’d like for her to be. And Elin’s too immature and flighty.”
“Give her time. She may grow into it,” Darrell suggested.
Chris shook his head. “She may, but I doubt it. Anyway, are we in agreement now? The bodyguards cover anything on the official calendar and all emergencies and disasters. And Kevin can go visit his sorcerers, friends, and family on his own as long as he doesn’t make his plans public knowledge.”
Darrell nodded at Chris and then looked at Kevin. “But if your plans become public knowledge, which means we hear about them, whether they’r
e on the calendar or not, a bodyguard will find you and go with you.”
Kevin paused and then nodded. “Agreed. Anything else?”
Darrell and Chris looked at each other, but neither of them said anything. Then Darrell looked at his guards, but they both shook their heads, so he said, “That’s it for now. Just be careful out there when you’re on your own.”
“I will,” Kevin answered. Then he sighed and added, “Finally, a plan I can live with.”
“Yeah, well, that remains to be seen,” Darrell said as he and the bodyguards filed out of the office.
Chris mumbled, “I’m going to need a second calendar,” as he followed the others out.
The door had barely closed when there was a knock on it.
“Come in,” Kevin called out, wondering what Chris or Darrell had decided to add to the agreement, but when the door opened, Marcus walked through.
“Hi,” Kevin said as he leaned back in his chair and relaxed. “How’re things going?”
“Pretty well,” Marcus answered as he sat down. “I want to ask a favor.”
Kevin nodded.
“I’d like to go to Bridgeport tomorrow and spend the day with my sister and her family.”
“I don’t think that would be a problem, not unless something major comes up between now and then.”
“I’d also like for Hayley to go. I want her to meet my family, and I want them to meet her. Theresa said it was all right with her if it’s all right with you.”
Kevin smiled. “Fine with me. When do you want to go?”
“Shortly after breakfast, if you have the time.”
“It’ll have to be around 8:30. I have to be in the canyon lands by 9:00. When do you want to come back?”
“Around dinnertime, if that fits your schedule.”
“Six?”
“That would be perfect.”
“Okay.”
Marcus stood up. “I really do appreciate this, Myron.”
Kevin smiled again. “It’s no problem. I hope you have a good time, and I hope Hayley and your sister hit it off.”
Marcus frowned.
The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3) Page 25
