The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3)

by Mackenzie Morgan

Later that afternoon, Gen. Crandal knocked on Kevin’s door. “Do you have a few minutes?”

  Kevin nodded as he straightened the papers he’d been going through. “Come on in.”

  “I’d like to bring you up to date on the raids,” Gen Crandal said as he sat down. He had a large piece of paper rolled up in his hand.

  “There’ve been more?”

  Gen. Crandal nodded. “I know Cpt. Lawrence told you about the one up at Longleaf Lake, the little settlement near Fredaport.”

  “He said most of the residents were in Fredaport for the night, if I remember correctly.”

  “That’s the one. Unfortunately, they killed as many as they captured.”

  “Wasn’t that the second raid in that area? Seems like I remember an earlier one near Fredaport.”

  Again, Gen. Crandal nodded. “One on each side. The first one was south of Fredaport, the second was north of town. But you’re right, both were in the same general area.”

  “Do you think it’s the same group as the other raids?”

  “If you mean do I think they had access to a key, the answer’s yes. If you’re asking if it’s the same men pulling all these raids, I don’t know.”

  Gen. Crandal held up the roll of paper he’d brought with him. “Mind if I spread this out on that table?” He tilted his head towards the large table near the door.

  “No, go ahead.” Kevin stood up to join the general.

  “This is a map of raids we think probably involved a key. We’ve had a few other raids, regular raids, but I didn’t include them.”

  Kevin looked over the markings on the map. There were five main areas: Kivee River, Longleaf Lake, Heron’s Gulf, Shallowford Bay, and West River. “I didn’t know about any on Heron’s Gulf.” Kevin pointed to the body of water he knew as Chesapeake Bay.

  “There have been three. One at Flander’s Landing back in early November. I thought you knew about that one, but we just heard about the other two. One, back in early December, was at Parson’s Branch. They got nineteen adults, four teenage girls, and eight children, but they left four dead, including a pregnant woman and her teenage son. The third was last week, at Myer’s Creek. That one was smaller, ten adults and three children.”

  “Casualties?”

  Gen. Crandal nodded. “Four dead. Apparently the slavers don’t want to be bothered with anyone past their prime, although one of the men they killed was in his twenties. From the report I received, they think he died trying to protect his grandmother.”

  “How many raids do you think are tied to this key?”

  “Thirteen. Of course, one of the raids I’ve listed as normal may have been pulled by the key group, and it’s possible one I’ve attributed to the key was pulled by regular slavers, but I think thirteen’s a good estimate.”

  Kevin nodded. “Do you have any idea how many people have been taken captive?”

  “I brought the breakdown.” Gen. Crandal pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Kevin.

  Kevin looked over the paper. In all 23 people had been killed, and of those, two were pregnant women. The captives included 114 adults, 79 children, and 17 teens for a total of 210. Kevin let out a low whistle. “That many stolen out of their homes in three months.”

  “Too many,” Gen. Crandal said quietly. “I know there’s nothing you can do, but I thought you needed to know.”

  “Mind if I keep this breakdown?” Kevin held up the piece of paper with the statistics on it. “I’d like to share this with Karl.”

  “It’s your copy. And if you like, you can keep this map, too. I’ve got a larger one in my office with all the raids marked.”

  “Thanks,” Kevin said. “Do you happen to know how many have been killed and captured by the regular slavers during this period?”

  “A total of 18 captured, no one killed, and just so you’ll know, that’s about normal for the fall of the year.”

  “So the key group is definitely more active, and a lot more vicious. Any ideas on how we can catch these slavers?”

  Gen. Crandal shook his head. “I haven’t been able to come up with anything, and neither has Cpt. Lawrence. I’ve asked the district captains for suggestions too, but no one’s come up with a feasible plan yet. We’ll keep trying, but I have a feeling the only way we’re going to get whoever’s behind this is with pure luck.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Tuesday afternoon, Marcus knocked on Kevin’s door. “Do you have a minute?”

  “Sure.”

  Marcus shut the door behind him and sat down. “Things have been quiet around here the last couple of weeks.”

  Kevin nodded.

  “I was wondering if you’d mind if I went home for a couple of days.”

  “When do you want to go?”

  “I was thinking Thursday afternoon and come back Friday afternoon. That way I’d be back for the weekend.”

  Kevin frowned. “What’s happening this weekend?”

  “Nothing major, but you have the council meeting Saturday, and then you’ll have Nikki until Sunday, right?”

  Kevin nodded.

  “I figured it would be a good idea for me to be here in case something comes up. Will you have time to take me Thursday?”

  “As far as I know. Are you going by yourself?”

  “I hope not.”

  “Hayley?”

  “I haven’t asked her yet, but I hope so.”

  Kevin laughed. “Today’s Tuesday and you want to go Thursday? You’re not giving her much notice.”

  “She doesn’t need much,” Marcus said. “Besides, I wanted to be sure it was all right with you before I said anything to her.”

  “You know it’s not as easy for her to leave now as it used to be, right?”

  “I know, but she was the only one in the chapel last week. And she delivered Allisandra’s baby. Surely Sister Agnes will give her a couple of days off. She hasn’t had one since she found out she was a sister, and that’s been almost two months.”

  Kevin nodded. “Well, if I were you, I’d go ask her now, before it gets any later.”

  Marcus stood up. “That’s my next stop.”

  “Are you going to let your sister know this time?”

  Marcus grinned. “I’ll send her a note tonight if Hayley says yes.”

  Chapter 63

  A New Year Begins

  Marcus couldn’t remember when he’d been so ready for a couple of days at home. Maybe it was the time of year, or maybe it was the thought of being with Hayley. They hadn’t had much time together since he’d been shot, and he was really looking forward to some time with her.

  It was early afternoon when they emerged from the energy field into six inches of snow in Marcie’s front yard. There were still a few snowflakes falling, but the bulk of the storm had moved on and the sky was starting to clear towards the west.

  Hayley laughed and picked her skirt up a few inches to keep it out of the snow as she made her way to the front porch. She’d barely put one foot on the steps when the door opened and Caleb dashed out, barreling right into her. Before she could react, a cushion of air caught her from behind and held her in place.

  Caleb wasn’t quite so lucky. He bounced off Hayley and went sprawling face first into the snow.

  “Caleb!” Marcie called from the doorway. “Watch where you’re going! You could have knocked Hayley down!”

  “Aww, Mother,” Caleb said, brushing snow off his leggings. “Uncle Marcus wouldn’t let her fall.” He grinned at Hayley. “I didn’t mean to run into you. Sorry about that.”

  Hayley laughed. “It’s all right. I’m fine.”

  Caleb looked at Marcus and his face lit up. “Can we go sledding? Please? Mother said I couldn’t go until you got here, and I still can’t go unless you or Father go with me, and he’s not here, so will you go? With me, I mean? Sledding?”

  Marcus chuckled and tousled Caleb’s hair. “I guess that could be arranged, but let me say hello to your mother and Rayne first.”
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  Caleb’s face fell. “That’ll take forever.”

  Marcus laughed again, turned Caleb around, and gave him a nudge towards the front door. “Then I guess I’d better get inside and get started.”

  By the time Marcus and Caleb made it inside, Hayley and Marcie had already joined Rayne in the kitchen.

  Caleb grabbed Marcus’s hand and pulled him towards the stairs. “I’ve got something I want to show you.”

  “All right, but if we’re going sledding, we’ll need to leave soon.”

  “I know.” Caleb pulled Marcus along as he climbed the stairs. “This won’t take long.”

  Meanwhile, Marcie put the kettle on the stove for tea. She turned around as Hayley slid her cloak off her shoulders, revealing her dragon’s flame pendant. Marcie frowned and stared at it. “Isn’t that a sister’s pendant?”

  Hayley nodded and touched her pendant with her fingertips.

  “You weren’t wearing it when you were here before,” Marcie said, still staring.

  Hayley shook her head. “It’s new. I’m still not very comfortable with it, but Sister Agnes says that’s normal at first. It’s a little scary, knowing what it can do. I’d hate to hurt someone by accident, but both Sister Agnes and Theresa say that won’t happen. I’m just not sure I believe them yet.”

  “All right. I’m confused. I thought you were a sister’s assistant. When did you become a sister?”

  “When Marcus got shot,” Hayley answered. “It was almost funny. There we were, on the ground. An arrow was sticking out of his shoulder and blood was everywhere. Alek pulled the arrow out, so I pressed my hand over the wound while we waited for help. We were in the backyard of the chapel, so I knew someone would be there soon, but it seemed to take Theresa forever to get out there. When she finally came, she peeled my hand off his shoulder and stared at me. I was yelling at her to do something, but all she did was look back and forth between me and the wound. I was so confused. I couldn’t understand why she wasn’t doing something, but the wound was already closed. I have no idea how I did it, but I had closed it, and that’s when we found out I have the gift.”

  Marcie’s mouth had dropped open with Hayley’s first sentence and she just stared at her in shock, but Rayne’s eyes had gotten bigger and bigger while Hayley was talking. When Hayley paused, Marcie put both hands flat on the table and shook her head once. “Back up. Start over. My brother got shot? That’s the Marcus you’re talking about?” she asked while Rayne asked, “So you healed him without even knowing it?”

  Hayley nodded to both of them.

  “Hey, that’s awesome!” Rayne exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear, while Marcie yelled, “Marcus! Get down here! Now!”

  Marcus and Caleb were already headed down the stairs when they heard both Rayne and Marcie. Caleb ran into the kitchen, plopped down in a chair beside his sister, and asked, “What’s awesome?”

  Marcus followed Caleb into the kitchen, but at a much slower pace.

  Rayne started to explain, but before she could get half a dozen words out, Marcie shushed her and glared at Marcus. “Shot? And this is the first I’m hearing about it?”

  “Honest, Sis, I’m fine. No harm done. See?” Marcus waved his arms and turned around. “All’s fine.”

  “What kind of job do you have anyway? People don’t shoot at sorcerers. And don’t tell me it was an accident. No one mistook you for a deer in the backyard of a chapel! Why was someone shooting at you?!”

  “Well, they weren’t exactly shooting at me …” Marcus started.

  Before he could get any further, Hayley interrupted. “Actually, from the little bit I heard, he was, but I never did understand why. I wouldn’t mind hearing this story from the beginning.”

  Marcie looked at her children. “Out. Go play in the snow, go play in your rooms, I don’t care, but out.”

  Caleb’s face fell. “We miss all the good stuff,” he mumbled as he got up.

  Rayne put her hands on her hips and glared at her mother. “I don’t see why I have to leave.”

  “You have to leave because I said so,” Marcie snapped. “Now out!”

  Rayne stomped out of the kitchen and up the stairs as Caleb slowly made his way to the back door. With a heart-felt sigh, he said, “I’ll be out back, Uncle Marcus, waiting for you.” As he opened the door, he glanced back at Marcus. “Hope you’re not in too much trouble.”

  “I do, too,” Marcus said under his breath.

  Once the children were out of the room, Marcus told his sister and Hayley about Landis, the assassins Rolan had sent after her, and that someone had told the assassins where she’d be and that she’d have a sorcerer with her.

  When he explained he’d been shot first so they’d have a better chance of getting Landis, Hayley nodded, but Marcie was furious. “Why didn’t you get him before he had a chance to shoot? Why did you let him shoot you?”

  “I didn’t know he was there! Do you honestly think I just stood there and let him shoot?” Marcus asked. “He might have hit Hayley!”

  “Why didn’t you throw up a shield? Isn’t that what sorcerers do when they’re attacked?”

  Marcus felt a blush creep up his cheeks. “And I would have if I’d know we were going to be shot at. The first clue I had we were in danger was when the arrow hit my shoulder.”

  “So what’s going to happen next time? Is another arrow going to be sticking out of your body? What if it’s not your shoulder? What if it hits something vital?”

  “I hope there’s not going to be a next time, but just in case, I’ve been training with some of the guards. I’m a lot quicker with a shield now than I was, and I’ve gotten pretty good at stopping arrows before they hit me.”

  Marcie frowned. “The only way you’d know that is if someone’s shooting at you.”

  Marcus wished he’d kept his mouth shut. “That’s how we practice. They shoot arrows at me and I grab them out of the air and stack them up.”

  “They shoot arrows at you,” she said slowly, “and you think this is a good thing?”

  “How else will I get good enough to defend myself and anyone who happens to be with me?”

  “By practicing with your shields? Or maybe you could start paying attention to who’s around you?”

  “Throwing shields was the first exercise we did when I started training with the guards. Besides, you wouldn’t believe how careful they are. I had to wear a padded vest and they used blunted arrows for a long time.” Marcus sighed. “Look, I need the practice, I need to get better, and if I weren’t working for Myron, I’d have to figure out some way to get better on my own.”

  “If you weren’t working for Myron, no one would be shooting at you.”

  “Maybe, maybe not. But for now, I’m where I want to be, and I’m a better sorcerer now than I was six months ago.”

  “Well, at least tell me the man who shot you is dead.”

  “He is.”

  “Good. Glad you threw a bolt before he finished what he started.”

  “I’m not the one who killed him, Sis. It’s kinda hard to question a dead man, and we needed answers.”

  Marcie frowned. “But I thought you said he was dead.”

  “He is. He was killed in his jail cell that night, but not by me.”

  Marcie didn’t say anything for a moment. “If you get yourself killed, I’ll never forgive you.”

  “Sis, I’ll be fine. There’s nothing to worry about.”

  Marcie looked at Hayley. “Would you please let me know the next time my brother gets shot? Apparently I can’t trust him to tell me what’s going on.”

  Hayley bit her lip to keep from laughing as she nodded.

  Marcie exhaled a deep sigh and looked at Marcus. “Try to stay alive, all right?”

  “Will do.” Then Marcus grinned and asked, “Now, can I go outside and play in the snow?”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  A couple of hours later, Caleb and Marcus burst through the back door two steps ahead of a barrage of sno
wballs. Their hair, clothes, and boots were all caked with snow.

  “Stop!” Marcie yelled as soon as she saw them. “Hold it right there. You’re not dripping snow all over my house! Back out on the porch until you get that snow off of you.”

  She turned her head and called, “Rayne! Bring me some towels.”

  “We can’t go back out there,” Caleb explained through his giggles. “They’ll kill us!”

  Marcus cracked the back door open to glance out and narrowly missed being hit in the face by a snowball. He ducked, slammed the door, and laughed. “He has a point.”

  Hayley came into the kitchen with an armload of towels. “Rayne can’t hear you. She’s outside, on the other team.”

  Marcie frowned. “What other team?”

  “The one pelting us with snowballs,” Marcus answered with a big grin on his face.

  Marcie looked back and forth between her brother and her son. “Do I want to know how this got started?”

  “Probably not.” Marcus reached for a towel and started drying his hair.

  “But we got them good!” Caleb said as he dissolved into more giggles.

  “Looks like they got you good, too,” Marcie teased as she wrapped her son in a big towel.

  Hayley handed Marcus a second towel. “What happened to the sledding?”

  “Snow’s too soft. The sleds were bogging down too much. We’ll try again tomorrow morning, while there’s still a good coat of ice on top, before the sun turns it to mush.”

  “And everyone’s coming,” Caleb added. “Even Thom and Marissa.”

  “Marissa’s going sledding?” Marcie asked, looking at Marcus.

  “That’s what she said.”

  Marcie turned to Hayley. “You’d better go with them.” At Hayley’s questioning look, she added, “Marissa’s only got a couple of weeks to go, and sledding could throw her into labor.”

  Marcus laughed. “I could be wrong, but I think that’s what she’s hoping.”

  Hayley shook her head, slowly at first, and then faster. “No, no, no, no, no! I’ve delivered my baby for this month. No!”

  “Lysette was last month. It’s January now,” Marcus said with a grin.

  “It was last week!” Hayley argued. “I’m not over that one yet! No, she can’t go into labor, not now, not with me, not while I’m here. Make her stay home!”