As soon as she was gone, Landis turned to Glendymere and asked, “What do you want me to do?”
“Tell me what happened while you were gone. Or, if you’d rather, I can see for myself.”
Landis sighed. “That would probably be easier, and more accurate.”
Glendymere nodded. A couple of seconds later, he said, “I’m glad you got to see your brother, but I’m sorry things ended the way they did in Milhaven. I take it the sorcerer’s all right?”
“As far as I know.” Landis sat down on the edge of the stone basin. “He seemed to be all right while we were in the kitchen.”
“Always a bit of a shock to realize someone wants you dead, and an even bigger shock when they make the attempt.”
Landis nodded. “But that’s not the worst of it.”
Glendymere tilted his head.
“It’s knowing that just by being near me, people I care about could get killed. Saryn could have shot Rhianna as easily as he shot Marcus, and she might have been killed, all because she’s my friend,” Landis said with a catch in her voice. “I don’t think I could live with myself if something happened to her because of me.” Then Landis broke down and cried. When she managed to get the tears under control, she said, “I want her to leave, her and Taelor both. I want them to go home, back to Crinsor Run. Will you tell them to leave? Please?”
Glendymere shook his head. “It’s not my decision to make, Landis. And it’s not yours either.”
“But they could get killed!”
“What you say is true, but that doesn’t make it your decision. Rhianna was there. She knows the risks. Has she said anything about leaving?”
“No, but …”
“No buts about it. She has as much right to choose the path of her life as you have to choose the path of yours. You don’t get to make that decision for her. Your choice is whether or not to become a sorcerer. Hers is whether or not to hang around and take her chances. You can’t take away her right to choose. Or Taelor’s either.”
“What if next time there’s no one there to protect her? Every time I look at her, I get so scared something will happen to her I freeze up.”
“Well, judging by what I saw, she did a pretty good job of protecting herself, but I understand what you mean. Basically, you have the same two choices you’ve had all along. You can either become good enough to protect the people you care about, or you can stop, pack up, and go somewhere safe, someplace where Rolan can’t touch you.”
Landis didn’t answer for a bit. “But what if I give it all I’ve got and I’m still not good enough?”
“If you give it all you’ve got, you will be good enough to protect yourself and anyone with you. But will you be good enough to defeat Rolan and end this threat for good? I don’t know the answer to that. Time will tell.”
Landis nodded. “I think I need to walk around for a while and think. Would you mind?”
“Not at all,” Glendymere said as he settled back down. “Just hit the gong before you come back in. You never know, I might take a nap.”
~ ~ ~ ~
It was late afternoon by the time Kevin and Chris walked out of the tunnel and into Kyle’s front yard. Even though Kevin had been there a month ago, the number and size of the dogs gave him a moment’s pause. Chris, on the other hand, was bowled over by the sight of so many obviously happy dogs.
While Kevin and Chris stood on the sidelines watching, Kyle threw sticks and balls for his dogs to chase, petted the ones who had no interest in the game, and kept an eye on the puppies. After a few more minutes of play with his dogs, Kyle joined them on the sidelines.
After greetings and introductions, Kyle asked, “See that young one over there?” He pointed to a yellow ball of fur with big feet playing on the other side of the yard. “Her name is Nikki. Go spend a little time with her. I’d like to see how the two of you react to each other.”
Kevin walked towards the young dog slowly, not quite sure how to introduce himself to a puppy. He hadn’t made it halfway across the yard before she took matters into her own hands and raced towards him, jumping up at the last moment and steadying herself with her front paws on his legs. As he knelt down to pet her, he felt an instantaneous bond with the young dog. He wanted her, pure and simple.
He wasn’t sure if the connection he felt with Nikki was due to his elven genes or not, but it was definitely there. And the more he stroked her soft fur and looked into her big brown eyes, the stronger it became. He was ready to do anything the man wanted, make any promises he asked for, if only Kyle would let him have Nikki. He sat down on the ground with his legs crossed in front of him, and Nikki stepped inside, circled once, and settled down with her head resting on his knee.
Kyle didn’t say much while he watched Kevin and Nikki meet each other, but when she put her head on Kevin’s knee, he nodded. “She’s the one.”
Chris nodded. “What now? Is she going home with us today?”
Kyle shook his head. “She won’t be ready for that for another couple of months. Today we need to set up the house rules and figure out how to take care of her at the castle. Shall we go inside and get started?”
“Won’t we need him?” Chris asked, tilting his head in Kevin’s direction.
Kyle nodded. “But let’s give him a few more minutes with her.” He motioned towards his house. “It’ll be feeding time before long. You can help me get their food ready.”
An hour later, all the dogs had been fed and the three humans were seated around the kitchen table drinking scog. Kyle had put some paper and a couple of pens on the table earlier. When they were done with their drinks, Kyle took one of the pens and a sheet of paper and motioned to Chris to take the other pen. “Let’s talk about what you do and don’t want Nikki to do.”
Kevin frowned. “I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Well, let’s take the way she said hello,” Kyle said. “At her size now, running up and jumping on you was no big deal. When she’s a year old, she’s going to be at least twice as tall as she is now, and she’ll weigh somewhere around sixty pounds. That’s a lot of force if she comes at you at a dead run, which she probably will if you’ve been gone a while. And she’ll greet other people the same way she greets you. Is that the way you’re going to want the adult dog to say hello?”
Kevin frowned and shook his head. “It would be fine with me, but I’m not sure it would be a good idea with everyone. Maybe a less energetic hello would be better.”
Kyle nodded. “If you don’t want the adult dog to jump on you, don’t let the puppy. I’ll show you later what to do when she does that, and she will, for a while. Next, do you want her to sleep on your bed?”
Kevin shrugged. “It’s fine with me.”
Kyle nodded again. “And what about later? Nikki will probably live twelve to fifteen years. What if you get married? How will your wife feel about sharing her bed with Nikki?”
Kevin grinned. “Well, I’m not planning to marry anyone anytime soon, but there’s a good chance any woman who has a problem with Nikki is someone I don’t want to marry in the first place.”
“Women can be funny about things like that though. She may adore Nikki and be fine with her sitting on the couch or chairs, but still insist she not sleep on the bed. You never know. But it’ll be a lot easier to allow her to do things later that you don’t allow now than it will be to tell her no after years of yes.”
“All right,” Kevin sighed, “but I’ve always rather liked the idea of a dog sleeping on my bed.”
“You can let her if you want to. I just need to know what you want. Same with chairs, couches, all kinds of furniture. She’s either allowed on them or she isn’t. I don’t mind either way, but you need to decide. We’ll leave it for now. You think about it and we’ll talk about it again later.”
Kyle made a couple of notes and then said, “You’re a busy man, and so is Chris. There are times when you’ll both be out of Milhaven most of the day, or stuck in your office all day. Some
one has to see that Nikki gets exercise. She has to be given an opportunity to get rid of some of her energy. Have you given any thought as to who you might ask to do that? And keep in mind it needs to be the same person, or same couple of people, every day. She needs to know who’s taking care of her.”
“I haven’t thought about who, but I know I’ll need someone. I’d thought about asking one of the pages, but sometimes we’re too busy in the office for one of them to go play for an hour or so.”
Chris spoke up for the first time in this conversation. “What about Marshall?”
Kevin frowned. “Marshall?”
“One of the boys Karl bought when he went to Glenarbour, the one who’s been working in the stable. Neiven and I were talking the other day and he said Marshall has a real gift with horses. Maybe he’d be good with Nikki, too.”
“That’s a possibility, I guess,” Kevin said. “But I’d like to get to know him a bit better before I ask him to take care of her. I want to be sure she’s in good hands. I’d hate for anyone to do anything to hurt her. I’d have to hurt them, and I’d rather avoid that.”
Kyle swallowed his grin. His nephew was going to be as protective of Nikki as he was. “It’s not a decision that has to be made today, but it needs to be set up before she comes there to live.”
“When do you think that might be?” Kevin asked.
“Another couple of months anyway,” Kyle answered.
Kevin’s face fell. “Why so long?”
“She’s still a puppy. She needs to get a little older, and I’ve got some work to do with her before she’ll fit in around the castle. I want to be sure she won’t chew up any of Cryslyn’s rugs or table legs, or dig in Neiven’s gardens, or steal meat off the counters in Miranda’s kitchens.”
“Oh, yeah,” Kevin said, frowning, “but if she’s my dog, they wouldn’t do anything to her, would they?”
Kyle nearly laughed. “Not if they wanted to keep living there they wouldn’t. If you didn’t kick them out, I would, and they all know it. They may yell at me, but not one of them has ever raised a voice to one of my dogs, no matter what they’ve done. No, that’s one worry you don’t have. Now, about commands. I’ll teach her the basic ones, like sit, off, down, stay, and come. Are there any others you want her to know?”
Kevin shook his head. “Not that I know of. Chris? You’ve been around dogs more than I have. Do you think she needs to know anything else?”
“Roll over might be a good one, especially if she needs the hair on her belly brushed out.”
Kyle nodded and made a note. “Anything else?”
“I don’t think there’s a command for it, but it would be nice if she didn’t grab food off a plate if you set it down for a second. Had that happen once. A friend’s dog grabbed a steak right off my plate and took off with it while I was gone to get a drink.”
“That one’s on the two of you. A lot of people finish eating and set the plate down to let the dog eat the left-overs. If they’re used to eating off your plate and you set it down and walk away, they figure you’re done with it. Have a dish that’s hers, and always put her food in that dish. Never let her eat off the ones you use. Anything else?”
“Not that I can think of,” Chris said.
Kevin shrugged again. “I feel like there should be more, but I don’t know what. Keep in mind I’ve never lived with a dog before, so I don’t know what problems might come up.”
“Well, we’ll come for a couple of visits and spend at least one night before she comes there to live, so you’ll have a chance to see how she does and decide if there’s something that might turn into a problem. She’s a smart dog. Once she understands what you want her to do, she’ll cooperate.”
“When can she come for a visit?” Kevin asked.
“I don’t want her anywhere near that place until after the wedding. I want her first couple of visits to be when things are relatively calm. If things are like they used to be, weekends are better than weekdays. Shall we say the Sunday after Laryn and Steve sign the register? I think it’s the eighth, right?”
“But that’s a month from now,” Kevin said, frowning.
“Well, you do have a key. Feel free to pop in any time and say hi, but I don’t want her first visit to be in the middle of the chaos that surrounds major events at the castle.”
“You’re right,” Kevin said, “but I’m giving you fair warning. I’m going to pop in to see her at least once a week. I may not be able to stay but a few minutes, but I don’t want her to forget who I am.” He stood up and stretched. “Think I’ll head back outside for a few minutes to tell her goodbye. Chris, come get me when you’re ready to go.”
Chapter 45
A Decision Is Made
Sunday morning Kevin and Chris went to the canyon lands for Kevin’s practice session with Glendymere. While Kevin blocked energy bolts and dealt with all the other hazards Glendymere bombarded him with, Chris walked around the butte, enjoying a little peace.
All too soon, Kevin joined him to tell him he was going to pick up Rhianna.
Chris walked back towards the edge of the butte where Glendymere was waiting. “Are you going to help Rhianna with the storms?”
“Not today,” Glendymere answered. “I was waiting for you. Is something bothering you? You seem a bit preoccupied.”
Chris shook his head. “Just enjoying the view and a few minutes to myself.”
About that time, Kevin returned from Willow Canyon with Rhianna.
Glendymere greeted the elf, and then spread his wings. “I’ve several places I need to visit before I head back home, so if there’s nothing else,” he said, looking at Kevin. When Kevin shook his head, Glendymere said,“I’ll be off.” With a whoosh, he flapped his wings and lifted off the butte into the sky.
Kevin was wondering how to explain building a thunderstorm to Rhianna when she turned to Chris and asked, “How’s Marcus doing? I know Hayley closed his wound, but did it heal up all right?”
“He’s fine, and working out with Myron and some of the guards every day.”
“On using shields to stop arrows instead of his body?” she asked with a grin.
Chris grinned, too. “That, and his outstretched hand.”
“His outstretched hand?”
Chris nodded. “He catches the arrows and stacks them on the ground beside him. Or at least that’s what he’s supposed to do. He can knock them down pretty well, but grabbing arrows in flight and stacking them takes a bit of time, and when you have six archers firing at you, time is one thing you don’t have much of.”
“No, I wouldn’t think you would. But he is able to keep from getting hit, right?”
Chris laughed. “Pretty much. At first Myron had to intervene quite a bit, but now he doesn’t do much more than watch. Which is a good thing.”
“How about Saryn? Did you get much information out of him?”
Chris shook his head. “We didn’t get any more than what you heard.”
“Why not? I thought he was going to tell you everything except who his friends were.”
“He probably would have if he hadn’t been murdered in his sleep.”
“While he was in jail? At the castle?”
Chris nodded.
“Wow. Bet Gen. Crandal wasn’t too pleased about that.”
“I’d say that’s an understatement.”
Kevin watched the flow of conversation between Chris and Rhianna. He’d hate to admit it, but he was jealous. Chris could talk to her so easily about all kinds of things, but whenever the conversation between himself and Rhianna veered away from magic, he found himself at a loss for words. He could manage a couple of sentences, but after that he either found something he had to do or switched the topic back to magic. Why did he find it so easy to talk to Theresa or Hayley or any of the other women in his life when it was so hard to talk to the one woman he really wanted to talk to?
While the conversation was paused, Kevin cleared his throat and said, “We need
to get started.” He looked at Chris. “Keep an eye on things around here for me.”
When Chris nodded, Kevin turned to Rhianna. “I want you to join with the wind and feel the storm’s life cycle from the inside. Don’t try to do anything, just go with it.” He turned towards the canyon, and closed his eyes.
As Rhianna closed her eyes to find a connection with the wind, Kevin began playing with different air currents, stirring things up until he had the beginnings of a nice little storm. He intensified things a little and soon the clouds darkened and lightning began jumping between the clouds and down to the canyon floor. Once the storm reached its peak, Kevin stepped back and enjoyed it for a bit. Then he helped it calm down.
He broke his connection with the storm and turned his attention to Rhianna, but she was still caught up in the remnants of the storm. Her eyes were no longer shut, but they looked vacant, like no one was home, which was pretty close to the truth.
Finally the last of the rain sputtered and the clouds drifted apart. Rhianna blinked several times and gazed around her. She stared at the ground with a puzzled look on her face.
“The first time I joined with a storm, I expected to be soaked and standing in a puddle a water when I came out of it,” Kevin said.
“That’s exactly what I was expecting,” Rhianna said as she looked up from the ground. “It seemed so real, like I was right there, in the middle of all of that rain, but there’s not a drop of water on my clothes.” She ran her hands over her face and hair. “My hair’s not even wet.”
Kevin laughed. “The only answer I could come up with is I wasn’t really there, at least not physically. I saw it and felt it with my mind, not with my body. I don’t know if that’s the real explanation, but it worked for me.”
Rhianna nodded. “I’ll go with that one, too.”
“So, how’d you like being in the middle of a storm?”
Rhianna grinned. “It was fantastic. I want to do it again.”
Kevin felt warm inside seeing the grin on her face and knowing he’d caused it. “Now?”
The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3) Page 40
