The Rambling Spy

by Mackenzie Morgan

  “So, what’s the plan?”

  “We’re spending the night in Rainbow Valley, in Karl and Joan’s old room.”

  Chris raised his eyebrows. “Have you mentioned this to Ashni?”

  Kevin nodded. “Before I came back.”

  “What did you tell her?”

  “I asked if it would be all right if I used Karl and Joan’s room tonight.”

  “Did you mention Rhianna would be with you?”

  Kevin shook his head.

  “And knowing her, she didn’t ask any questions.”

  “But she did say she’d tell Sari not to use the caves until Monday, so I think she might suspect.”

  Chris smiled. “I’d lay odds on it.”

  Kevin shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. Who’s she going to tell?”

  “Torrey for one, and Joan’s another possibility, or maybe Laryn.”

  Kevin frowned. “Do you really think so?”

  Chris shook his head. “No, I’m messing with you. She might mention it to Blalick, but she’s not likely to tell anyone else without asking you if you minded.” Chris paused. “Unless they think Glendymere should know. They might mention it to him.”

  Kevin shrugged. “The way he’s in and out of my mind, he’ll know anyway. I’m not concerned about him, or Xantha. I just don’t want any elves or humans to find out and jump to conclusions. We haven’t mentioned the ‘M’ word as far as the two of us are concerned. The only wedding she’s interested in is Doreen’s.”

  “So when are you picking her up?”

  “Around four, but first I want to get everything set up in the cave. I was wondering if you’d go down to the kitchen and fix a tray similar to the one you fixed for us that night, but don’t let anyone know who it’s for.”

  “Simplest thing in the world to slip into Miranda’s kitchen while she’s in the middle of dinner prep and sneak a bunch of food out. No problem at all.”

  “But you’ll do it, won’t you?”

  “Sure.” Chris said as he got up. “You’ll need more than a pitcher of scog if you’re going to be there until morning. Why not take a barrel? You’ll have to get that yourself though. They’re in the basement storeroom.”

  “Okay. I guess a barrel would be better.”

  “What about coffee tomorrow morning?”

  Kevin paused. “Guess I could take some coffee and a pot.”

  “Or I could take a carafe out there when I get up tomorrow morning and leave it in the dining room. I doubt you’ll be up much earlier than I will.”

  “Probably not, but that’s a lot of trouble, Chris. I hate to ask you to do that.”

  Chris shrugged. “You can return the favor someday. I’ll try to have it there by eight.”

  “Thanks.”

  Chris put his hand on the doorknob, but before he turned it, he looked back at Kevin. “I’ll tell Miranda I’m getting refreshments for a meeting you’re having away from the castle. She’ll help me if she thinks it’s for you. And if I use the key, she won’t think twice about it.”

  “Good idea.”

  “Where do you want me to put it?”

  “In the kitchen at Rainbow Valley. One less thing for me to do.”

  “Why? What are you going to do?”

  “First I’m going to take the scog, and then I want to go to Allisandra’s and get some flowers. I need to come back here and get Nikki at some point. Do you know where she is?”

  “She was out at the stable with Marshall when I came in here. Are you sure you want her out there?”

  “For a while, but I may bring her back. Can you keep her tonight?”

  Chris nodded. “Then, provided no emergencies come up, I’ll see you sometime tomorrow.”

  ~~~~

  Meanwhile Rhianna was enjoying her afternoon. Her mother had invited everyone for dessert, so the house was full. Rhianna spent most of her time with her new niece, Misha, but as much as she enjoyed the baby, she enjoyed the twinkle in Duane’s eyes whenever he looked at his daughter even more. When it was time for Misha’s nap, Rhianna hated to give her up.

  As she watched Shelandra leave with her daughter in her arms, Rhianna felt a twinge of jealousy. She hadn’t thought much about it before, she’d been focused on becoming a warrior elf, but that afternoon she realized how much she wanted to be a mother one day, and she wasn’t willing to wait too long for that day to come.

  When it was time for Kevin to get there, Rhianna hugged her mother. “I’ll be back for dinner tomorrow evening before I go back to camp.”

  “You’re leaving?” her mother asked as she squeezed her daughter’s hand.

  Rhianna nodded. “Myron will be here in a few minutes.”

  Gwynn nodded. “Have fun.”

  When Rhianna turned to her father, he asked, “Where are you going? You just got here.”

  “I know, but I’d like to get home. I’ve been gone for three months,” Rhianna said gently.

  “But you are home! Here, in Crinsor Run, with your family.”

  “And I’ve enjoyed seeing everyone, but my home’s in Milhaven now, Father.”

  Gwynn put her hand on her husband’s arm. “Leave her be, Hayden. She’ll always have a home with us but right now her home’s there, with her friends. She can have more than one home.” Then she smiled at Rhianna. “Tell Myron we said hello, and ask him to come to dinner tomorrow evening. We’d love to see him.”

  “Thank you,” Rhianna said. Then she kissed her father’s cheek and slipped out the door.

  ~~~~

  Kevin was waiting when Rhianna got outside. As soon as she saw him, she asked, “Where’s Nikki?”

  “I didn’t bring her. I’ll go get her in a minute.”

  Rhianna put her hand on Kevin’s arm. “Where are we going?”

  “Rainbow Valley.”

  “With the giants?”

  Kevin shook his head. “They’ll be up at Wildcat Mountain.” Then he turned the key. Once they were in the sitting room, he added, “We’ll have the caves to ourselves.”

  “I’ve only been down here a couple of times. Want to give me a tour before you pick Nikki up?”

  “Sure. Let’s start at the tunnel to Willow Canyon.”

  Over the next half hour, Kevin showed Rhianna where everyone who had been with him while he was training had stayed. He saved the room Karl and Joan had used for last.

  When he opened the door, Rhianna saw fresh flowers on the dresser, the table in the sitting area, and on top of the chest of drawers. “This is nice,” she said as she wandered around the room. “Is this where we’re staying tonight?”

  “If it’s all right with you. Ashni knows someone’s staying down here, but she doesn’t know who.”

  Rhianna grinned. “She knows.”

  Kevin shrugged. “Does that bother you?”

  “Not at all.” Rhianna fingered the embroidered bedspread. “This is lovely. Did she make it?”

  “Probably. It’s not the same one Karl and Joan had, but she made all of ours, so I imagine she made this one, too.”

  “She does gorgeous work. I’d love to have one of her bedspreads for my bed at home. Think she’d sell me one?”

  “I imagine she’ll make one especially for you if you let her know you want one. Want to go ask her?”

  Rhianna shook her head. “Not this weekend, but sometime. Where did the flowers come from?”

  “Allisandra, and no, she doesn’t know why I wanted them.”

  “Don’t bet on it.” Rhianna smelled the bouquet on the table. “When are you going to get Nikki?”

  Kevin smiled. “Now. But let’s go back to the kitchen first. I want to check out the refreshments and see if I need to pick up anything else while I’m there.”

  “Refreshments?”

  “You said you wanted to recreate our last night, and if I remember correctly, Chris brought us a tray. So I asked him to fix one for tonight.”

  Rhianna laughed. “Let’s go see what he left.”

 
~~~~

  After Kevin got back with Nikki, he and Rhianna spent the rest of the afternoon playing with her and wandering around the valley. As twilight fell, they built a small fire, settled down beside it, and chatted. As evening turned to night, the conversation turned to plans for other weekends off.

  As talk faded into a comfortable silence, Rhianna squeezed Kevin’s hand. “I’ve missed spending my evenings with you.”

  “I’ve missed it, too.” Kevin leaned over and kissed her. Then he put his hands on her shoulders, leaned closer, and deepened the kiss. When they came up for air, he grinned. “But I’ve missed that even more.”

  “Ummm,” Rhianna purred. “Maybe we should continue this discussion inside.”

  Kevin kissed her again. “I think you’re right. Why don’t you go on in? I’ll be there in a minute, after I put the fire out and take Nikki home.”

  Rhianna leaned down and kissed the top of Nikki’s head. “See you tomorrow, girl.” Then she put her hands on Kevin’s cheeks and kissed him hard. “Don’t be long.”

  ~~~~

  The next morning Kevin was enjoying watching Rhianna sleep when she sighed and opened her eyes.

  “No more sleep than we got last night, I should feel exhausted,” Rhianna said as she stretched, “but I don’t. I feel more energized than I’ve felt in a long time. I want to do something.”

  Kevin grinned. “Like what?”

  For a moment Rhianna didn’t answer. Then she laughed. “I want to go swimming.” She sat up in bed and looked at Kevin. “Can we go to that island, the one with the nice beaches, the one we took Nikki to last year?”

  Kevin chuckled. “Not what I was thinking about. I guess we could, but are you sure? If I remember correctly, the water was pretty cool.”

  “Not while we were in the water. It’s when we got out that it was chilly. We’ll need towels. Are there some here? Or do you need to pick some up when you go get Nikki?”

  “I’ve got some blankets in my room. They’ll be warmer than a towel.”

  Rhianna got out of bed and started dressing. As she pulled on her tunic, she looked at Kevin and raised her eyebrows. “What are you waiting for? Get moving!”

  Kevin laughed, shook his head, and got up. “I need something to eat. What about you?”

  “I could eat something,” Rhianna said, pulling on her boots. “I saw a basket in the pantry. While you get the blankets and Nikki, I’ll pack up the food we didn’t eat last night.” As she went out the door, she called back, “Meet me in the kitchen when you get back.”

  Ten minutes later, Kevin gently opened the door to Chris’s room and whispered, “Chris?”

  Chris didn’t wake up, but Nikki did, and with an excited bark, she leapt off the bed and ran to Kevin, sniffing around him and licking his hands like she hadn’t seen him in years. Kevin laughed and rubbed her ears.

  Chris leaned up on his elbow and squinted at Kevin. “What are you doing here? Did she throw you out?”

  Kevin grinned. “We’re going swimming, and she wants Nikki to go with us. Want to go?”

  “Are you serious?” Chris glanced towards the balcony door. “It’s not even daylight!”

  “It is on Federation Isle.”

  Chris sank back down on his bed. “Still want me to bring coffee out there when I get up? And that won’t be till well after daybreak, by the way.”

  “No, but thanks anyway. We’ll come here when we leave the island. I’ll clear our stuff out of the cave this afternoon while she’s with Doreen.”

  “Okay. Have fun.” Chris yawned and turned over. “And don’t forget to meet Glendymere at nine.”

  ~~~~

  After playing in the water for an hour, Kevin, Rhianna, and Nikki all stretched out in the sunshine to dry off.

  After they finished off the last of the food, Kevin leaned up on his elbow and looked at Rhianna. “You didn’t say how things are going with the training last night.”

  “There’s not much to tell. All we’ve done so far is work on basic skills.” Rhianna sighed as she sat up. “I’d forgotten how boring the first few months are. Glad that part’s over. Things should pick up now.”

  “Do you like your trainees?”

  Rhianna shrugged. “I guess. I don’t know them very well yet.”

  “Okay, let me try this again. Something seems off, like something’s bothering you, but I don’t know what it is, so I’m having trouble getting you to talk about it.”

  Rhianna laughed and shook her head. “One of the observers sticks with me all day long, from the first exercise until we break for the night. I know it’s silly, but it bothers me.”

  “Maybe he likes looking at you. Bet you’re the prettiest instructor there.”

  Rhianna laughed. “He’s old enough to be my father, and the way he follows me around isn’t what I’d call friendly.”

  “You said one of the observers. I take it there are several. Do the others follow one instructor around all day?”

  Rhianna shook her head. “Which is one reason it bothers me.” Rhianna paused, and then explained. “The Council of Elders decided to evaluate the instructional program we’re using. All of the observers are on the council and have been instructors, but the program they used was different from the one we use now. The council wants to take a look at the new program and see if they need to make any changes. It sounds perfectly reasonable, but I can’t help but wonder if something else is going on.”

  “Why?”

  “I’m probably being overly sensitive, but this one observer questions everything I do, everything I say, and not in a nice way. It’s like he’s trying to find something I’m doing wrong so he can file a formal complaint.”

  “Chris would say just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t out to get you.”

  When Rhianna frowned, Kevin shook his head. “Never mind. Just something Chris says when he thinks someone’s trying to kill us.”

  “Anyway I’ve told myself a hundred times I’m overreacting. My competence and judgment were called into question after that thing with Saryn. He’s on the council, so maybe he wants to make sure they didn’t make a mistake, maybe he’s concerned about my competence. It would explain all the questions.” Rhianna gazed towards the sea for a moment. “But his attitude makes me think it’s more than that,” she looked back at Kevin, “that it’s personal, and the thing is, I know his daughter. Carris and I were in the same group of trainees. She didn’t want to be a warrior elf and didn’t want anything to do with training. She missed more sessions than she went to, and whenever anyone offered to help her get caught up, she told them no. When testing came, she refused to try, so she failed. From what she told me, she knew he’d be furious, but she’d tried to tell him she didn’t want to do it. He just wouldn’t listen.”

  “Are you wondering if he’s blaming you for passing when she failed?”

  Rhianna nodded. “But it’s not like I’m the only one who passed, or even the only female.”

  “But you’re the one who’s good enough to be an instructor.”

  Rhianna shrugged. Then she stood up. “I’m probably making way too much out of a few questions. Want to go for a walk before we head back?”

  “Sure,” Kevin said as he got up. “Come on Nikki. Let’s go.”

  ~~~~

  It was almost nine by the time they left the island, so Kevin dropped Rhianna and Nikki off at Doreen’s and left to meet Glendymere in the canyon lands.

  After they finished sparring, Glendymere gave Kevin a good long look and nodded. “You were good today. Her company must agree with you.”

  “What? Who?”

  “You know who. Seems having some private time with Rhianna does you good. Hope it did her some good, too. Tell her I said hello.” Then with a turn of the key, Glendymere was gone.

  Kevin felt heat flood his face as he stood on the edge of the plateau with his mouth hanging open. Then he shook his head, turned his key, and went to Rainbow Valley to clean up, but whe
n he got there, the kitchen was spotless and the trays from Milhaven were gone. He went down to the bedroom to straighten things up in there, but it had already been cleaned, too. The bed had been stripped and the bedspread had been folded across the bottom. The flower vases were gone and the furniture had been wiped clean. With a turn of the key, Kevin went to his office.

  When he got there, he opened the door. “Chris? Could I see you for a minute?”

  After Chris came in and shut the door, Kevin said, “Please tell me you went to Rainbow Valley and took care of everything. If it was Ashni, I’ll never be able to look her in the face again.”

  Chris laughed. “It was me.”

  “Thank you.” Kevin sighed in relief. “I didn’t want to take the time to clean up before we went to Federation Isle. I planned to do it while she was at Doreen’s.”

  “I knew you wouldn’t have time. Or rather, I knew you’d have better things to do than clean up this weekend.”

  Kevin grinned. “Last night was really nice, and we had a good time this morning. In fact, I think this weekend might be the best one I’ve ever had.”

  “And if you want to keep it that way, you better get moving. Rigel was at Doreen’s when Rhianna got there, and she asked him to tell you they’re going to lunch at Fenway’s around noon if you want to join them.”

  Kevin jumped up. “I need to wash up and change. I’ve got canyon dust all over me.” As he took out his key, he said, “Thanks again for everything.”

  Chris nodded. “You’re welcome. Now go.”

  After a leisurely lunch at Fenway’s, Kevin, Rhianna, and Eryn walked up to the castle and then out to Laryn’s. When they got there, Kevin left Rhianna and Eryn with his aunt and headed back to his office.

  As he walked through the dining hall, Miranda stuck her head out of the kitchen. “Haven’t seen you around this weekend, but I heard Rhianna’s in town. Could that be why?” Then she grinned and disappeared back into the kitchen.

  “Does everyone in town know?” Kevin mumbled.

  When he got to the office, Chris followed him in, shut the door, and sat down. “So what’s the plan for the rest of the day?”

  “After Rhianna talks to Marshall, she’s coming here. I’m not sure what we’ll do then, but I’ve got to take her back to Crinsor Run in time for dinner with her family. Xantha will take her back to the camp.” Kevin sighed. “Hard to believe our weekend’s almost over. I’m not ready to let her go back.” Kevin shook his head. “Don’t need to think about that. It’ll depress me and then she’ll ask me what’s wrong and we’ll both get depressed.” He looked at the stack of messages on his desk. “Guess I could get a little work done while I’m waiting for her.” He picked up the top message and opened it. “So go on. Get out of here and let me get to work.”