The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3)

by Mackenzie Morgan

  Kevin frowned. He didn’t know Nicolas that well, but she did seem to have a good head on her shoulders, and she seemed to be where she wanted to be. He might be completely off base, but if Warren wouldn’t do it and his family couldn’t, he was running out of options. “All right. I’ll see if she’s willing to do it.”

  “Just be sure she understands you’re going to survive this thing, that she’s just there for show.”

  Kevin grinned. “Well, we don’t really know I’ll survive, but that’s my intent.”

  “And is putting an end to Gwendolyn your intention as well?”

  “That I’m not quite so sure about,” Kevin admitted. “I can keep going and never run out of power. Throwing a bolt at someone who’s run out seems like cold-blooded murder to me.”

  Warren shook his head. “If she’s any good at all, she can replace her power as she uses it. And if she gets low, it doesn’t take much power to hold a shield in place. All she’d have to do is stop for a minute, keep a shield up, and she could gather enough power to keep going for quite a while.”

  Kevin frowned. “I thought gathering energy was a long, drawn out process.”

  “What made you think that?”

  Kevin shrugged. “It takes Landis a long time to get some together.”

  “Your apprentice?”

  Kevin nodded.

  Warren laughed. “I imagine so. That’s one of the hardest things to learn, but once you get it, all it takes is practice, which is one reason sorcerers apprentice for at least five years. I’ve never let an apprentice go with less than eight years of training, and I’ve only had one I let go that quickly.”

  “Seriously?”

  Warren nodded. “The more you can store and the faster you can replace it, the stronger your power. The strongest sorcerers weren’t born that way, they worked hard to get there. Someone who’s strong enough to be on the council should be able to gather and store energy pretty fast. And she should be able to keep track of exactly how much she has left. So, if Gwendolyn runs out of power, she’s guilty of stupidity, and that’s not your fault. But if you let her walk away, things will only get worse, and that will be your fault.”

  “That’s what everybody’s saying.”

  “You know why?”

  Kevin shook his head.

  “Because it’s true.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Kevin talked to Karl, Joan, and Darrell Monday morning, before he left for his practice session with Jonquin. None of them were particularly concerned about the duel. Darrell summed it up when he said they’d seen him fight and there was no way he could lose. As to what they wanted to do should he not be there after Saturday, they waved the question off as moot and said Terah was their home.

  After his session with Jonquin, he went to Milhaven to talk to Theresa. Her only concern was that winning might make him feel guilty, so she spent the next hour explaining why it shouldn’t. When he got back to the castle he realized he’d never gotten around to asking her what she wanted to do if he lost.

  Gen. Crandal heard about the duel from Darrell and approached Kevin shortly after he returned from Milhaven. “Are you preparing for this thing, Myron?”

  Kevin nodded. “I’m sparring every morning.”

  Gen. Crandal frowned. “Who with?”

  Kevin hesitated. “Jonquin.”

  “Good,” Gen. Crandal said with a nod. “That’s who your father trained against when he had to fight.”

  Kevin’s mouth dropped open. “He did?”

  Gen. Crandal nodded. “From what I understand, both Glendymere and Jonquin worked with him. Why?”

  Kevin shook his head. “No reason. I just didn’t know. Neither one of them mentioned it.”

  “Well, they know how to get you ready. Just be sure you pay attention Saturday. Don’t drop your guard around that woman, and if you start feeling the least bit bad about ending it, picture Syrando, picture those bodies on the dock. She might not be the one who raided that village and killed them, but it was done on her orders.”

  Kevin nodded.

  Gen. Crandal put his hand on Kevin’s shoulder. “You’ve got a lot of people depending on you, son. Be sure you come back.”

  As Gen. Crandal walked off, Kevin felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He knew everyone he talked to was trying to help, to give him confidence, to make him feel better about the whole thing, but it was having the opposite effect. He decided he needed to get away for a while. And he needed to find someone to stand with Chris, so he took out his key and went to Colby Falls.

  When he arrived, he was standing on the road in front of Nicolas’s house in a foot of snow and it was still snowing.

  Before he started towards her house, she came out the front door. “Myron?”

  Kevin walked towards her.

  “I thought it was you. I was looking out the front window watching the snow and suddenly there you were, standing in the snow,” she said with a grin. “Come on in and I’ll fix you something warm to drink.”

  Kevin followed her inside, and while she went to the kitchen to put a pot of water on the stove, he walked over to the fireplace and held his hands out to warm them.

  “The tea will be ready in a minute,” Nicolas said as she walked back into the living room. “What brings you to Colby Falls? What can I do for you?”

  “It’s sort of a long story,” Kevin said, turning away from the fire and rubbing his hands together. “Why don’t we sit in the kitchen while I explain.”

  An hour later he had filled Nicolas in on the slaver raids, the fourteenth key, Gwendolyn’s kidnapping of Chris and Elin, and the council meeting.

  “The reason I came to see you is I need someone not related to me to stand with my assistant during the duel. Should I lose, Glendymere has to have a sorcerer to hand the key to Terah to when it’s over.”

  Nicolas shook her head, slowly at first, then faster as her eyes widened. “You’re not asking me to do that, are you?”

  Kevin nodded. “It’s not that big a deal. If anything happens to me, since I have no heir, there’ll be a competition for the Camden seat. You wouldn’t have to be involved in that unless you wanted to. All you’d have to do is attend the duel and take the key from Glendymere. Chris knows how to use it, so he can get both of you back home.”

  “That’s not what worries me,” she said quietly. “Myron, you’re asking me to stand near Glendymere. I’ve never met a dragon, much less him! I don’t think it would make a good impression on the other sorcerers if the person you chose to stand for you faints at the sight of him.”

  “I can arrange for you to meet him before the duel. Once you get over the first bit of shock, you’ll be fine.”

  Nicolas shook her head. “I doubt that, but let’s say it’s true for the sake of argument. Even if I could make it past that obstacle, I’d have to watch two sorcerers toss energy bolts back and forth in an effort to kill each other. You’re asking me to watch someone die.” Nicolas took a deep breath and shook her head again. “I’ve seen someone die from natural causes and that was bad enough, but to watch someone killed by magic? I don’t think I could do that. I know you don’t have a choice, but it goes against everything I believe in. I’d never be able to use magic again.”

  Oddly enough Kevin understood exactly how she felt. That had been his first reaction when he’d killed Gaynor. He’d wanted to walk away from magic, and he would have, if it had been left up to him. He didn’t have the luxury of standing by his beliefs, but he could let her. “I understand.”

  Nicolas looked at him with eyes full of sorrow. “I’m sorry. I feel like I’m letting you down.”

  Kevin shook his head. “No, I really do understand. I wish I had the option of saying no too, but I don’t. Anyway, thanks for hearing me out, and thanks for being honest about it.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  When Kevin left Colby Falls, he headed to Shadron’s. He was out of ideas, so he was going to ask Marcus. He might be young as far as s
orcerers go, and many might consider him inexperienced, but he could handle himself in rough situations, and he had the added advantage of already knowing the whole story. Kevin wouldn’t have to explain a thing.

  Marcus was out riding when Kevin got there, so he waited in the kitchen with Kayla. They talked about everything except Gwendolyn, slavery, or the duel. By the time Marcus and the others came back, Kevin was more relaxed than he’d been in a long time.

  Kevin asked Marcus to walk with him, and as soon as they were out of earshot, he asked Marcus if Shadron had told him about the duel.

  Marcus nodded. “He told me, but we decided not to tell the pages. Shadron told them you were leaving them here until you were sure things were settled with Gwendolyn.”

  “Were they all right with that?”

  Marcus shrugged. “It’s not like they had a lot of choice. Ariel feels like he should be at the castle, that he could work someplace other than your office if you’re concerned she might show up, but he hates feeling like he’s hiding out. Petri’s afraid Joan’s going to get used to getting along without him and not want him back, and he loves working in her office. Isak’s having a good time. He’s ready to go back whenever the rest of us do, but this is the first time he’s spent any time around horses and he loves it.”

  Kevin nodded. “Has Shadron explained the duel procedure?”

  Marcus shook his head. “I assume it’s basically just throwing energy bolts back and forth until someone drops a shield at the wrong time.”

  “Pretty much.” Then Kevin explained about needing a sorcerer to stand with Chris.

  Marcus hesitated, swallowed hard, and said, “If you want me to do it, I will.”

  “What’s the problem?”

  Marcus took a deep breath. “No problem.”

  Kevin looked at him for a moment. There was definitely a problem. “Okay, Marcus. Something’s bothering you. Is it Gwendolyn? Glendymere? Watching a duel? What’s the problem?”

  Marcus swallowed hard. “All three?”

  Kevin chuckled and shook his head. “I know how you feel. I’m sort of sick about the whole thing, too.” Then he said, “As to Gwendolyn. She has no idea what you look like and you won’t be introduced. You’ll stand beside Chris with the rest of the spectators. You won’t have to interact with her at all.”

  Marcus nodded.

  “Now, as to Glendymere. Have you ever met a dragon?”

  Marcus shook his head.

  “Well that’s something we can take care of before the duel. I’ll take you with me tomorrow morning and you can meet Glendymere and Jonquin. After you’ve been around dragons once, you’ll be fine.”

  Marcus didn’t say anything, but Kevin could tell he didn’t believe it.

  “As to the duel, it is what it is. All I can say is I’m going to do my best to make sure I survive it. As to anything else?” Kevin shrugged and shook his head.

  Marcus nodded. “When is it?”

  “Saturday, at noon. I’ll pick you up on the way, so be ready by 11:00. I’m not sure when I need to be there, but that should be early enough. And don’t mention this to anyone other than Shadron. He’s done this before, for my father, so you can ask him what it’s like. He’ll know more about it than I do. Any questions?”

  Marcus shook his head. “But if you’re going to make me be there, you better win. I am not going through this to watch you get yourself killed.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  The next couple of days were relatively uneventful. Kevin sparred with Jonquin every morning, walked through the woods with Nikki every afternoon, and spent his evenings visiting each of his aunts and uncles to let them know what was happening. He saved Kyle for last, and by the time he left there, he felt like if anyone else said he had to end this thing with Gwendolyn he would scream. Easy advice to give, but he’s the one who’d have her death on his hands.

  One bright spot had been introducing Marcus to the dragons. Marcus had been shell-shocked at first, but it hadn’t taken him long to loosen up. By the end of the morning, he’d even sparred with Jonquin for a few minutes, and had actually done pretty well.

  Thursday evening, shortly after dark, Kevin and Chris left for Mapleton. When they got there, Glenice’s office was empty, but there was a tray on her desk with two mugs of scog and half a dozen cookies. They each took a mug of scog and sat down to wait.

  Ten minutes later the door opened and Robyn walked in. “What’s happened?” he asked as soon as he shut the door. “Is Landis all right?”

  “She’s fine,” Kevin said. “This isn’t about her, at least not directly.”

  Robyn let out a deep sigh. “Your note scared me. It sounded urgent.”

  Kevin nodded. “It was. Something’s come up you need to know about.” Then he told Robyn about the last council meeting. He didn’t go through the whole story, just the challenge. “If anything happens to me, Landis will be all right. She’ll be taken care of. I’ve got her someplace safe with someone who will protect her. He knows about you and he’s known her foster parents for years. She’ll be fine.”

  Robyn frowned. “I hope nothing happens to you, but who’ll teach her if you’re not there?”

  Kevin nodded. “The one she’s with now is more than capable of teaching her everything she needs to know. I’m sure someone will get in touch with you if things don’t go well for me Saturday. I just wanted you to know about the duel beforehand.”

  “It’s not a good idea for me to know where she is, but I hate not knowing.”

  “I understand, but believe me, she’s in good hands.”

  Robyn nodded. “Well, I guess all I can say is good luck, be careful, and for all our sakes, win!”

  Chapter 82

  Last Minute Details

  Friday afternoon, Kevin pulled out a map of Nandelia and found Prindley. He figured he’d be gone half an hour, forty-five minutes at the most. After that, he wanted to take Nikki for a nice, long walk through the woods. The thought that it might be their last one seeped into his mind as he turned the key.

  Kevin emerged from the energy field on the bank of a river somewhere in the area he knew as the southwestern US, probably in either New Mexico or Arizona. The town of Prindley was to the east, at the foot of snow-capped mountains. As he walked towards town, he used his seeing eye to look around. The buildings were all similar: stucco with clay tiles on the roof, arched doorways, retaining walls, and small front courtyards. He spotted one that was larger than the others. He wasn’t sure it was Damien’s castle, but he started walking towards it anyway, figuring he’d find someone to ask along the way.

  As soon as he asked someone where the castle was, he understood why Jason had insisted on coming to Milhaven. Word that Myron had arrived spread quickly throughout the town, and people lined the walkways to get a glimpse of him. By the time he reached Damien’s home, he’d already spent over half an hour in Prindley.

  The reception at the castle was drawn out and formal. As he entered the courtyard, the Captain of the Guard presented his guards for inspection. After speaking with them and shaking a lot of hands, Kevin made his way inside, only to find another receiving line made up of household staff. At the end of that line, there was a door that opened to a garden. When Kevin stepped outside, the grounds men were waiting to greet him. He spoke to each man and shook his hand, slowly making his way towards Damien, who was standing off to the side with a devilish grin on his face.

  “Didn’t know what you were getting into when you said you’d be here this afternoon, did you?” Damien asked, laughing.

  Kevin shook his head. “But now I know why Jason begged me not to come to Wellbourne when I wanted to talk to him.”

  “Next time, let me know you need to see me and I’ll come to you. Much easier that way, for both of us.”

  Kevin glanced back, smiled, and nodded at the men still lingering in the area. “Is there someplace we can talk?”

  “Let’s walk.” Damien led Kevin away from the castle into open land. �
�No one will bother us out here.”

  After they’d gone far enough that Kevin wasn’t concerned about being overheard, he said, “I want to talk to you about what you said after the meeting last Saturday.”

  Damien nodded. “I figured as much. I meant every word I said and still do.”

  Kevin shook his head. “You can’t do anything tomorrow. It’s not worth it.”

  Damien turned to face Kevin. “It is if it prevents a war with the dragons.”

  “Look, if something happens to me, you’re the best candidate for that seat, but you can’t be Master Sorcerer if you’re a pile of ashes. And you will be if you interfere tomorrow.”

  “As long as she is too, that’s acceptable.”

  “Not to me.”

  “Then be sure you win.”

  Kevin took a deep breath and tried again. “I know how you feel. I’d feel the same if I were in your shoes. Gwendolyn as Master Sorcerer is a disaster in the making, but there’s another way to handle it.”

  “How?”

  “Wait until the March council meeting and challenge her for the seat. She has to honor the challenge and set up a duel. You know you can beat her. You’re stronger than she is.”

  “What you say may be true, but we have no guarantee she’ll set up the duel. You had to go to Glendymere and have him set the date, right?”

  Kevin nodded.

  “And that’s where the problem is. I’ve known Gwendolyn a lot longer than you have. If she’s on that chair, she’ll consider herself the final authority. I seriously doubt she’ll go to Glendymere about anything. If I were to challenge her in open council, she’d probably ignore it and go on her merry way.”

  “Would the others let her get away with that?”

  “Who’s going to stop her? I could go to Glendymere and tell him to arrange the duel, but who’s going to make her show up?” Damien shook his head. “I can’t take that chance. If you don’t kill her tomorrow, I will. She cannot leave that island alive.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Friday evening, after a much shorter walk with Nikki than he wanted, Kevin took her and Marshall to Kyle’s to stay until after the duel, or for good if he didn’t make it back. Kyle wasn’t pleased that Kevin was even considering not surviving, but in the end, he agreed to take care of them.