“Not always. Is there anything I can help you with?”
“You can give him a message for me. That sorcerer of his stole a key from one of my employees. I want the key returned and the thief surrendered. And since Myron couldn’t be bothered to be present when I arrived, I’ll take this young lady as payment for my troubles.” Gwendolyn reached out, grabbed Elin by the hair, and pulled her beside her. “Tell him he’s to bring the key and the thief to me before the council meeting Saturday. If he fails to do so, I’ll take another page as payment for being late, and I’ll return every day after that and extract more payment until he surrenders my property and the thief.”
Gwendolyn grabbed Elin’s arm and as Elin screamed, she pulled out her key. Chris launched himself at the two of them, hoping to break Gwendolyn’s hold on Elin, but right as Chris landed on her arm, Gwendolyn turned the key and the three of them vanished from the office.
~ ~ ~ ~
When Gwendolyn arrived in her office, Elin was still screaming and Chris was hanging onto her arm. Chris released Gwendolyn’s arm and stepped back as soon as he realized where he was.
“Well, what have we here?” Gwendolyn said with a wicked grin. “A would-be hero.”
Chris looked around. Six guards, all armed, all ready for a fight. He slowly raised his hands in surrender.
Gwendolyn walked around the two of them, looking them over. “The girl will make a nice bed warmer.” Then she patted Chris’s cheek. “And I know just what to do with you. Rolan would pay a pretty sum for the chance to question you. I’m sure you know all of Myron’s secrets, including the whereabouts of that half-sister of his. He needs to get that taken care of so he can concentrate on more important things, like helping me take down the House of Nordin.”
One of the guards stepped forward, holding chains in his hands. Gwendolyn nodded, so he put chains around both Chris’s and Elin’s hands and waists.
Gwendolyn put her finger under Chris’s chin and tilted his head back. “I won’t do anything with you yet, though. I’ll wait until Saturday morning. If Myron returns my key and hands over the thief, I’ll let him have you back, but if not, by Saturday night, you’ll belong to Rolan.” She stepped back and looked at Elin. “If Rolan pays me well, I’ll let him have the girl, too. He enjoys causing pain, and he likes having an audience. Might just loosen your tongue.”
Then she turned to her guards. “Lock them up. I’m done with them for now.”
Chapter 72
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As soon as Kevin returned to his office, something felt off. For one thing, he couldn’t hear a sound from the outer office, so he opened his door. Three of his pages were bunched together in the middle of the room. Their faces were white, their eyes were too large, and Cameryn was openly sobbing.
“What’s happened?” Kevin asked Ariel.
“Gwendolyn,” Ariel said. “At least I think that’s what Chris called her.”
“Short, skinny, bony face, dressed in black?” Kevin asked.
Ariel nodded. “She said something about wanting a key and the sorcerer who works for you handed over to her before the meeting Saturday. I think she was talking about Marcus. Then she grabbed Elin and said she was payment for her trouble and if you don’t do what she wants, she’ll be back to get more of us. Chris tried to stop her, but she turned the key and they vanished.”
Kevin pulled out a chair and sat down. “Gwendolyn has both Elin and Chris?”
Ariel nodded.
Kevin looked around. “Nikki. Where’s Nikki?”
Ariel frowned. “We haven’t seen her all morning.”
Kevin sighed. “Gwendolyn would have killed her if she’d been here.”
“She’s horrible! And she’s coming back for the rest of us!” Cameryn dissolved into sobs again.
“No, she’s not,” Kevin said. “I won’t let her.”
“But what about Elin?” Ariel asked. “And Chris?”
“I’ll get them back.”
“How?” Isak asked. “By giving her Marcus? She’ll kill him!”
“I’m not giving her anyone.” Kevin took a deep breath. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here and you had to deal with her, and I’m really sorry she kidnapped Elin and Chris, but I’ll get them back. And she’s not getting anyone else. I won’t let her.”
“If you can stop her,” Ariel said slowly, his eyes full of doubt.
Kevin took another deep breath and looked at Ariel. “I will stop her, Ariel. Trust me on this.” Then he stood up and said, “I need to see Marcus. And then I want to see Marshall. But I need to see Gen. Crandal first. Would you find Marcus and Marshall for me while I’m with Gen. Crandal? I’ll be back in a few minutes.”
~ ~ ~ ~
When Kevin entered Gen. Crandal’s office, he and Cpt. Lawrence were bent over a report. Gen. Crandal straightened up and said, “Just the person I need to see. We have some news.”
Kevin shook his head. “Me first. Do you remember when your men came down here? The ones from the mountains. Before we took them to Pylar’s Landing.”
Gen. Crandal nodded.
“There was a man who fell to his knees when I entered the room.”
Again, Gen. Crandal nodded.
“Didn’t he say he’d worked in Gwendolyn’s castle?”
Once more, Gen. Crandal nodded.
“I need him. Can you send for him?”
“What’s going on?” Gen. Crandal asked.
Kevin explained about Gwendolyn snatching Elin and Chris. “I need to know the layout of her castle and I was hoping he could help me.”
“You realize it’s been years since he’s been there,” Cpt. Lawrence pointed out.
“I know, but it’s a castle. How much could it have changed?”
“A seated sorcerer lives there. It may have changed a whole lot,” Cpt. Lawrence answered.
“Okay, she might have made some changes, but the basic floor plan’s probably the same. Anyway, can you send for him? I’d like to have a basic idea of the layout before I go.”
“You’re going? To Gwendolyn’s castle? On a rescue mission?” Gen. Crandal asked.
Kevin nodded. “Don’t try to talk me out of it. These are my people she’s holding. I’m getting them out.”
Gen. Crandal shook his head. “I don’t want to stop you. I want to go with you. I told you that a long time ago.”
“I can’t make any promises until I come up with a plan, and I can’t come up with a plan until I have some idea of the layout. So, can someone please go get him? And what was his name?”
“Wythe,” Gen. Crandal answered. He looked over at Cpt. Lawrence and nodded.
“Feel free to promise him anything you have to to get his help,” Kevin added.
“That won’t be necessary,” Gen. Crandal said. “He’ll help just because you asked.”
“Well, the offer still stands, Cpt. Lawrence. And bring him back here as fast as you can.”
“We’ll be back by morning,” Cpt. Lawrence said as he left the office.
“So, you wanted to see me?” Kevin asked Gen. Crandal after they were alone.
“Well, it doesn’t seem quite as important now as it did a few minutes ago, but we found another slaver team, the one that was raiding around Longleaf Lake. They pulled another raid, but the guy with the key didn’t show up, so they didn’t have any way to get the captives out of Camden. They let the captives go, but then the slavers stayed at their camp. The captives brought soldiers back, and as they say, that’s all there was to it.”
“Did they arrest them?”
Gen. Crandal shook his head. “The slavers resisted, but my men had convinced a sorcerer to go with them. It was a pretty short fight.”
“Didn’t that gang kill several people along the way?”
“Three at one place, one at another.”
“Then I won’t lose any sleep over their deaths. Let your men know I appreciate their efforts. And if you’ll get the name of the sorcerer who went with them, I’ll
send him a note, too.”
Gen. Crandal smiled. “I’ll do that. And I’ll let you know as soon as Cpt. Lawrence and Wythe make it back.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Both Marshall and Marcus were in Kevin’s reception area when he got back. Marshall had brought Nikki, so Kevin motioned for him to join him in his office first.
As soon as he shut the door behind Marshall, Kevin said, “Before I say anything else, you’re not in any trouble.” He leaned down and rubbed Nikki’s head.
The relief on Marshall’s face was obvious. “Then, why?”
“Something happened this morning,” Kevin began. “I wasn’t here, but one of the seated sorcerers used her key to come to the office. And with this particular sorcerer, if Nikki had been here, she’d have killed her.”
Marshall frowned. “Why?”
“Because she could, and there was no one here to stop her.” Kevin sat down on the edge of his desk. “If Nikki had been here, the sorcerer would have realized she was my dog, and she’d have killed her just as a slap at me. And that’s why I wanted to see you. From now on I’d like for you to keep Nikki with you unless you hand her over to me. I know it’s asking a lot, but until I get this taken care of, I’m afraid for her to be anywhere near my office if I’m not here to protect her.”
Marshall shook his head. “It’s not a problem. I’ll be glad to keep her with me, but what do you want me to do at the end of the day if you’re not here? I mean, I can take her home with me if you want me to, I’m sure Neiven won’t mind. She can sleep in my room.”
Kevin nodded. “Let’s say if it’s time for you to go and I’m not here, you take her with you. If Neiven has a problem with it, let me know and we’ll come up with something else. This is temporary, Marshall. I’ll get it taken care of, but for right now, I want to know she’s safe, and if she’s not with me, I think she’s safer with you than anywhere else.”
“What about with Chris?”
Kevin didn’t answer for a moment. Then he said, “That sorcerer who came today? She kidnapped both Elin and Chris, so Chris isn’t here right now, and I’m not sure when I’ll be able to get him back.”
“She kidnapped Chris?”
Kevin nodded.
Marshall breathed out a low whistle. “I’ll keep Nikki with me, and we’ll stay out of the castle. When you’re going to be here for a while, send someone out to the stable to let me know and I’ll bring her to you.”
“I’ll come get her myself.”
Marshall nodded. “Do you want me to take her with me now? Or shall I leave her here with you?”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like for you to take her. I’ve got a couple of errands to run, but I should be back around dinner.”
“Yes, sir,” Marshall said. Then he turned to Nikki. “Come on, girl. Let’s go chase some squirrels.”
After Marshall and Nikki left, Kevin motioned for Marcus to join him.
As soon as Marcus was in his office, Kevin shut the door. “Have you heard what happened in here this morning?”
“You mean about Gwendolyn?”
Kevin nodded.
“I heard.” Marcus sighed. “Look, if it’ll help, turn me over to her.”
“Not going to happen,” Kevin said. “First of all, you did nothing wrong. Second, there’s no way I’ll let anyone blackmail me into doing anything. That woman’s been looking for a fight since before she even met me. This isn’t about you. You, Chris, and Elin are just pieces on her game board. She’s trying to force me to decide who to sacrifice, and there’s no way that’s going to happen.” Kevin walked around his desk and sat down in his chair. “I want to send you someplace safe, away from Milhaven.”
Marcus shook his head. “I’m not afraid of her. The worst she can do is kill me, and I accepted that possibility when I became a sorcerer.”
“Well, you should be afraid of her. She’s dangerous, make no mistake about that, and not just because she can throw an energy bolt. Killing you is just one of the things she could do, and it’s not even the worst one. If she had any idea who your sister is, she’d grab her, or the children, just to watch you squirm. I want you and everyone else she might use to threaten me stashed away someplace safe. And then I’m going to get Chris and Elin, and if I can figure out a way to do it, I’m going to pay her back in spades.”
At Marcus’s quizzical look, Kevin said, “I’m going to come up with some kind of revenge, something I can do that will make her think twice about pulling a stunt like this again.” Marcus nodded, so Kevin continued. “Now, go pack a bag. And pack enough for a couple of weeks.”
Marcus stood up. “If that’s what you want.”
“It is. I’ll see you back here in an hour.”
As soon as Marcus was gone, Kevin shut his door, took out his key, and went to pay his Uncle Shadron a quick visit.
~ ~ ~ ~
Twenty minutes later, Kevin was back. He opened his door and walked into the reception area where his pages were still in shock.
“Okay, I want each of you to go to your room and pack a bag. Pack enough for at least a couple of weeks. Ariel, you and Isak need warm clothes. You’re going to be outside a bit. Cameryn, you won’t need a lot of warm clothes, but a heavy cloak would be a good idea. And I want all of you back here in twenty minutes. Now go!”
“But,” Ariel started.
“No buts,” Kevin interrupted. “Go.”
As soon as they were out of the office, Kevin stepped across the hall to the governor’s office. When he opened the door, Joan looked at him and shook her head. “You’ll get him back, Kevin.”
“I plan to, but in the meantime, I want the pages out of the castle, including Petri.”
Joan nodded. “He just went down to the kitchen for some coffee. What do you want me to tell him when he gets back?”
“To pack a bag for a couple of weeks and be in my office in twenty minutes. And tell him to pack warm clothes.”
“Where are you taking them?”
“To a horse farm.”
“A horse farm?” Joan asked.
“They’ll be safe, don’t worry.”
“I’ll send him over.”
“Thanks.”
“And Kevin, be careful. We don’t want to lose you.”
Kevin nodded. “I will. Tell him to hurry.”
Kevin went back to his office to wait. Marcus was the first one back, so while they were waiting for the pages, Kevin said, “I’m sending the pages with you, all except Cameryn. It’s a horse farm. You’ve worked with horses before, right?”
Marcus nodded. “One of the jobs I had while I was waiting to be old enough to apprentice.”
“Well, as far as I know, the pages have never worked around horses. I’m not sure they even know how to ride, but this would be a good time for them to learn. I’ll leave that up to you and Uncle Shadron.”
“We’re going to be at Shadron’s?”
Kevin nodded.
“All right.” Marcus rubbed his hands on his leggings.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Marcus looked across the room.
“No, what’s the problem?”
“He’s a legend. I’ve heard stories about Shadron all of my life. He’s the best horseman in Camden. It’s a little intimidating to be working for him.”
Kevin frowned and looked at Marcus. “You work for the Master Sorcerer! What can be more intimidating than that?”
“Your Uncle Shadron.”
Kevin shook his head. “He’s a nice guy. You’ve met him before. You’ve been to his house!”
“I know, but this is different, and he’s a legend.”
Before their conversation could go any further, the office door opened and the pages trooped in.
“We’re ready,” Ariel said, “but I still think it’s wrong to run away.”
“You aren’t running away,” Kevin said. “Think about it this way. Suppose someone told you to do something you didn’t want to do. If that person was holding a
knife to Cameryn’s throat, would you do it?”
Ariel shrugged. “I’d have to. I wouldn’t have any choice.”
“Okay. Now supposed that person tells you to do something you don’t want to do, but has no one to threaten if you don’t. Would you do it then?”
“Of course not.”
Kevin nodded. “I have no intention of doing what she wants. So I’m making sure there’s no one else for her to threaten.”
“You mean give her the key and Marcus?” Isak asked, looking at Marcus.
Kevin shook his head. “She does want the key back, but she doesn’t care one bit about Marcus. The only reason she demanded him is she knows I won’t do it. She’s trying to force a showdown.”
“Then why doesn’t she just challenge you?” Petri asked.
“I wish she would,” Kevin said, “but for now, this is her game, so we have to play it.” He held out his arm. “Cameryn, wait here. I’ll be back for you in a minute. Now if the rest of you would put a hand on my arm, we’ll go.”
~ ~ ~ ~
When Kevin got back, Cameryn was at the table quietly crying.
“It’s going to be all right,” Kevin said. “I’ll get them back.”
“But it won’t ever be the same again.” Cameryn wiped her tears. “We’ll always know that at any moment someone could pop in here and grab one of us. It’s scary.”
“Yes, it is, and I can’t promise you it won’t ever happen again. All I can do is make sure it’s not worth it.”
“How?”
“I’m not sure yet, but I’m going to figure out some way to make Gwendolyn regret this. It’s going to cost her.”
Cameryn nodded and stood up. “Where am I going?”
“Do you remember my Aunt Allisandra? The one who had the baby right after Christmas?”
Cameryn nodded. “I liked her.”
“Good. You’ll be staying with her for a little while. She could use the help with the baby.”
“And she said it was all right?”
“I haven’t asked her yet.” Kevin held out his arm. “Let’s go see what she says.”
Chapter 73
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It was mid-afternoon by the time Kevin left Allisandra’s. Theresa was next on his list, so he headed for the chapel in Milhaven. When Kevin knocked on the back door of the chapel, Hayley opened it. “Good afternoon, Myron. What can I do for you?”
The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3) Page 68
