“Will her assistant know about the meeting?” Robyn asked.
“I don’t see any way around it, but she won’t be there while you and Landis talk. I’ll see to it you have complete privacy for that.”
Robyn frowned. “I’m not sure it’s a good idea for the assistant to know anything about it. I don’t want word of this getting back to Rolan.”
“It won’t, at least not from Rhianna,” Chris assured him.
“Are you sure?”
Chris nodded. “Rhianna’s her best friend, her sister for all practical purposes. There’s no way she’ll say or do anything to jeopardize Landis.”
“Wait a minute.” Robyn frowned. “Rhianna. I’ve heard that name before. Is she also known as Rhee? Are you talking about Hayden’s daughter?”
Again, Kevin nodded.
“An elf. Landis has an elf as an assistant. Is that legal?”
“Well, as of now no one’s had any objections. Of course, no one knows either,” Kevin answered. “Are you thinking in terms of Landis being on the council?”
“If she goes up against Rolan and defeats him, she will be.”
“To be honest, I haven’t given it any thought. Guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it, but first Landis has to decide whether or not she wants to be a sorcerer.”
“Right.” Robyn sighed. “One thing at a time.”
“So, when would you like to meet with her? What works best for you? It makes no difference to me.”
“Sunday night’s the best for me right now. And I can be gone for an hour without raising any questions. Glenice has the aides clean the chapel rooms after dinner before we play Octuro. How soon do you want to do this?”
“As soon as possible. She needs to make a decision, one way or the other.”
“Next Sunday?”
“What time should I pick you up?”
“Dinner’s usually at 5:30 on Sunday, so I’ll try to be in here by 6:00, 6:15 at the latest. As long as I’m back before 8:00, no one will notice.”
Kevin nodded as he took out his key. “I’ll meet you in here at 6:15.”
Robyn nodded. “If for any reason I can’t make it, I’ll have Sister Glenice leave a note on her desk about giving Chanz some kind of herb for something or other. That wouldn’t raise any questions if someone happened to see it.”
Again, Kevin nodded as Chris placed his hand on his arm. “See you Sunday evening. Stay safe.” And with a turn of the key, he and Chris left the office.
~ ~ ~ ~
Tuesday morning, after Kevin dropped Theresa and Hayley off in Rainbow Valley, he flew to the top of Wildcat Mountain to talk to Ashni. She was seated at her loom in the living room.
“What are you making?” he asked as he stepped behind her to look at the cloth. It was pale yellow with dark green and orange geometric designs.
“This cloth is for Sister Evelyne in Abernon.” Ashni stopped working and turned to Kevin. “What can I do for you?”
“I wanted to let you know I’m picking Landis and Rhianna up Sunday evening. I want her to follow Marcus around Monday and watch him work. It may help her figure out what she wants to do.”
Ashni nodded. “Maybe she will find some peace after she makes a decision. What time do you plan to pick them up?”
“Would 6:00 be all right?”
Ashni nodded. “I can serve dinner at 5:00 if you would like for them to eat here.”
“That would be great.”
“When will you bring them back?”
“Monday evening, probably around 7:00.”
Ashni nodded. “Have you told the girls?”
Kevin shook his head. “I wanted to tell you first. I’m going to tell them now.” Kevin headed for the door. “See you Sunday.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Kevin found Landis in the same small room he used to use. Her back was to the door and she was standing with one bare foot on the ground and one in a large tub of water. Kevin had no idea what she was doing, but she was concentrating so hard she didn’t hear him come in. Rhianna did though. After holding out her hand for Kevin to stop, Rhianna stepped around the table straight into Landis’s line of sight.
“Nooo!” Landis muttered as she stomped her foot and splashed water on the cave floor. “Can’t you stay put? I just lost all of the magic I had stored in that ball. I’m going to have to start all over again.”
“Sorry.” Rhianna pointed behind Landis. “You have a visitor.”
“Here?” Landis swirled around. “Myron. If you’re looking for Glendymere, I have no idea where he is. He wasn’t here when we got here this morning.”
“Actually, I’m meeting him when I leave here, but I was looking for you. I would like for both of you to come to the castle in Milhaven Sunday evening.”
Landis frowned. “Why?”
“So you can follow Marcus around Monday. I want you to see some of the things a sorcerer does on a daily basis.”
“Why?” Landis asked again.
“Well, you seem to be having trouble deciding whether or not you want to be a sorcerer, so I thought it might help if you knew a little about what a sorcerer does.” Kevin sat down on the edge of the table. “Look, both of us grew up in relatively isolated areas. I had never seen magic used for anything until I came here. I had no clue what being a sorcerer was all about. All I knew was I was supposed to prevent a magic war, and there were a lot of people who wanted to see me dead. When I started, I was learning how to use magic just so I could stay alive, but after a while, that wasn’t enough. I needed to know how I could use what I was learning for something other than fighting. It helped when I found some practical, everyday uses for what I could do.”
“So why can’t you just show me here? Why go to Milhaven?” Landis argued.
“A demonstration’s not the same. You need to see it being used. And Marcus is a good sorcerer for you to observe. He’s strong, but he’s also careful.”
“Sounds like fun,” Rhianna said. “The other day you were asking what the purpose of all this is. Now you can find out.”
Landis looked hard at Rhianna. Then she sighed. “Oh, all right. What time are you picking us up?”
“I’ll be here at 6:00. I’ve already spoken with Ashni. She’ll have dinner ready by 5:00, so you’ll have time to eat before we go.”
Kevin turned to Rhianna. “I’ve got some stuff I need to take care of Sunday morning, so I have to cancel our trip to the canyon lands. We’ll go the next weekend.”
Rhianna nodded, but Landis frowned. “If you’re going to be so busy Sunday, why not pick us up early Monday? Is there a reason we need to spend the night?”
Kevin shrugged. “Sunday evening’s better for me.” Kevin stood up and took out his key. “Any other questions?”
When both Rhianna and Landis shook their heads, Kevin nodded and left for the canyon lands.
~ ~ ~ ~
Chris was working in Kevin’s office when Kevin returned. “Any problems come up while I was gone?” Kevin asked as he sat down.
“There’s been another raid on the Kivee.”
“When?”
“A week ago.”
Kevin frowned. “Does Gen. Crandal think it’s the same crew?”
Chris shrugged. “He said if it isn’t, it’s quite a coincidence.”
“Where was it?”
“About halfway between Syrando and the Agrenon Bay. The people lived on an island near the town of Rochdale.”
“So if it’s the same crew, they’re moving south. Makes sense. Do we know how many were taken? Were any killed?”
“No deaths as far as we know, but a lot of captives. Gen. Crandal said it was another family settlement: seven women, eight men, and fifteen children between toddler and mid-teens.”
“That’s thirty people. Any sign of them?”
Chris shook his head. “Vanished. Just like Syrando.”
“Has Gen. Crandal heard anything about the captives from the Syrando raid?”
“No,
and that one was two and a half weeks ago. You’d think they’d have surfaced somewhere by now.”
“I wonder just how much this raid was like the one in Syrando. Do we have any specifics about the settlement? Was anything destroyed? Was there any fighting?”
“I don’t know, and I doubt Gen. Crandal does either, which may have something to do with his request. He wants to go to Rochdale and talk to the local sergeant, and he’d like to examine the area for himself. He thought you might want to go, too. Maybe one of you will see something that’ll either say this is the same crew or it isn’t. He’d also like for Marcus to go and ask the people in that area about any boats or strangers they’ve noticed and compare the answers he gets with the answers he got near Syrando. He thinks Marcus may hear something that, when combined with what he heard the first time, will give us some clue as to what’s going on.”
Kevin nodded. “When does he want to go?”
“Thursday, if you can. He wants to let the sergeant know he’s coming so any witnesses will be available. And he’s going to ask the sergeant to arrange for a boat to take you to the island.”
“I could take Gen. Crandal and Marcus over to the island. We don’t need a boat for that, but if Marcus is going to stick around and ask questions, he’ll want one. Tell Gen. Crandal Thursday will be fine.”
Chris nodded. “When do you want to talk to Marcus?”
“As soon as possible. He may have something planned that he’ll have to reschedule.”
“I’ll have one of the pages find him,” Chris said. He gathered the papers he’d been working on and left Kevin’s office.
Kevin glanced at the messages on his desk and sighed. Might as well get started on those. He picked up the first one and started reading.
Before he could make a serious dent in the stack, Marcus knocked on his open door.
“Come on in,” Kevin said as he set the letter he was reading aside. “Do you have anything major planned for Thursday?”
Marcus slowly shook his head. “A couple of little jobs, but nothing I can’t handle either tomorrow or Friday. Why? What’s up?”
Kevin told him about the raid and Gen. Crandal’s request. “Would you be willing to go see what you can find out?”
“Sure, but if you want me to look around and ask questions, I’ll need more than one day. Will I be able to stay until Friday night?”
Kevin nodded. “What time do you want me to pick you up Friday?”
“Would 7:00 or so be all right?”
“As far as I know,” Kevin said. “While you’re here, there’s something else I need to talk to you about.”
Marcus nodded.
“You know I’ve accepted an apprentice.”
Again, Marcus nodded.
“How much do you know about her?”
Marcus shrugged. “Not much. I’ve heard she’s Rolan’s sister, and since she isn’t here, I assume he’s not happy about you working with her.”
Kevin laughed. “That’s an understatement, but you’ve got the basics. Anyway, she’s never lived around sorcerers so she has no idea what they do on a day-to-day basis. I’d like for her to follow you around one day and watch. Would you be willing to let her do that?”
“Sure, but I’ll need to know when to make sure I have some work lined up.”
Kevin nodded. “I’d like to do it Monday, but Marcus, don’t tell anyone she’ll be here. Rolan has put a bounty on her head, and I don’t want him or any of his bounty hunters to hear about her visit.”
Marcus nodded. “No problem.”
“I’ll have a guard go with you, probably either Alek or Rigel, to keep an eye on things while you’re busy with the magic. I’m not expecting any problems, but you never know. Do you have any questions?”
“Is there anything in particular you’d like for me to set up?”
Kevin shook his head. “I just want her to see that magic can be used to help people, that there’s a reason for learning how to handle it.”
“Has she started training yet?”
“She’s working on gathering energy right now.”
“I remember how frustrating it was to spend hours and hours trying to gather energy and store it. And the headaches …” Marcus shook his head. “I was ready to call it quits half a dozen times before I got to the point I could start using it.”
“That’s where she is right now, wondering if it’s worth the time and effort. I’d like for her to decide it is, but it has to be her decision. She’ll probably have some questions for you. Just answer her honestly. Oh, and her best friend will be with her.”
“Is her friend going to be a sorcerer, too?”
Kevin shook his head. “Her name’s Rhianna, and she’s an elf. She’s here for moral support.”
Marcus nodded.
“Do you have any other questions?”
Marcus shook his head. “Not that I can think of. I’ll see what I can arrange for Monday. I may be able to put off the jobs I‘d lined up for Thursday and Friday until then. What time do you want to leave Thursday?”
“I don’t know,” Kevin said as he glanced at Chris, who had walked back in.
“After breakfast,” Chris said.
“Shall I meet you here?” Marcus asked as he stood up to go. When Kevin nodded, Marcus said, “See you then,” and left.
Chris shut the door and sat down in front of Kevin’s desk.
Kevin raised his eyebrows and waited for Chris to say whatever was on his mind.
“Where are Landis and Rhianna going to sleep?” Chris asked.
“Sleep?”
“Yeah, sleep. Where are you going to put them?”
“What are you getting at?”
“We have no way of knowing whether or not Rolan still has a spy in this castle. She’ll only be here for one night, but we don’t want her stabbed to death in her sleep while she’s here. Where are we going to put them?”
Kevin didn’t say anything for a moment. “You have a point. When I told Landis I wanted her to follow Marcus around, she suggested I pick them up Monday morning after breakfast and take them back either before or after dinner. And if it weren’t for that meeting with Robyn, that’s what I would have done. There’s no telling what Rolan would do if he found out Robyn has talked to me, much less that he’s meeting with Landis. That’s why I wanted to cover the meeting by having her spend the night here, but now I’m not so sure it’s a good idea.”
“Have you decided where they’re going to talk?”
“The island we found for Gaynor.”
“First or second one?”
“The second one. The nice one with caves.”
Chris nodded. “We could set up the cave again and let them spend the night there. They’d be safe on that island.”
Kevin thought for a moment. “You and Marcus packed up after Gaynor’s death. Did you bring everything back here?”
Chris shook his head. “We brought back the food and herbs, some of the kitchen stuff, the sheets and pillows, but we left the heavy furniture. Marcus had never carried stuff like that through the energy field before, so we kept it to small bundles.”
“So there’s a sitting room and bedroom still set up?”
Chris nodded. “As long as we take some sheets back out there.”
“You realize there’s no way I’m leaving them there by themselves. We’d have to spend the night out there, too.”
“I know. We’ll need a cave for us to sleep in. And we’ll need to take some beds out there. I’m not sleeping on the ground if I don’t have to.”
“Guess the first thing we need to do is find another cave.”
“And we’ll need to do that during daylight. The time difference is close to twelve hours. When do you want to go?”
“Later tonight?”
Chris nodded.
Chapter 32
Rochdale
Thursday morning, Gen. Crandal, Marcus, and Rigel were in Kevin’s office when he got back from breakfast. Before Kev
in could say a word, Rigel shook his head. “It’s on the calendar. I’m going.”
Kevin laughed. “Do you know where we’re going?”
“Rochdale.”
“Do you know why?”
“No idea.”
Kevin filled Rigel in about the raid. “I’m not sure what we’ll find, but we’re going to see if it looks like Syrando did. We think it may be the same crew of slavers.”
“Maybe Alek should go since he saw Syrando. He might spot something I’d miss,” Rigel said. “He’s in Cpt. Darrell’s office.”
Kevin nodded, so Rigel left. A couple of minutes later, Alek walked through the door. “Another raid?”
Gen. Crandal nodded. “It’s been over a week since it happened, and from what I’ve gathered, a lot of people have trampled around the island since then, but I hope we can get an idea of what happened and see if it matches the Syrando raid.”
Alek put his hand on Kevin’s arm as Gen. Crandal and Marcus did the same. Moments later, they were in Rochdale. Contrary to the reaction of the people in Ashmont, Rochdale was carrying on business as usual. The shops were open, the boardwalks were full of people, and several wagons were parked in front of stores, ready to load.
A middle-aged man stepped off the boardwalk and headed in their direction.
“Any idea who that is?” Kevin quietly asked Gen. Crandal.
“My guess would be Tubin, the town director. Looks a little old to be Sturic, the local sergeant,” he whispered.
The man walked up to Kevin and held out his hand. “Welcome to Rochdale, Myron. I’m Tubin, the town director. I’m happy to meet you, although I’d prefer different circumstances. We’re here to help in any way we can. Please let me know if there’s anything you need while you’re here.”
“Thank you,” Kevin answered. “I understand Sgt. Sturic is expecting us and has secured a boat for my associate, Marcus, to use while he’s here. Is that correct?”
The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3) Page 28
