The others nodded.
“Next, why are we traveling?” Steve asked. “There has to be a compelling reason for us to cross the Great Plains during the dead of winter. No one would do that just for fun.”
After a couple of minutes of silence, Karl said, “Why don’t I go get our maps? If we spread them out on the table and look at where we’re going, maybe an idea will hit one of us.”
Theresa stood up when Karl did, stretched and said, “If I’m going to do any serious thinking tonight, I need a cup of coffee. Anyone else want one?”
The others nodded, so Theresa and Joan went to the kitchen to fix the coffee and find some snacks to go with it. By the time Karl returned with the maps, Theresa had the coffee on the stove, Joan had a platter of cookies and seven mugs ready, and everyone else was seated around the dining room table.
Karl spread their maps out over the table. “We’re somewhere near here,” he said, pointing to a spot a little west of Abernon. Then he pointed to the town that Kalen had marked in eastern Tennessee. “And Milhaven’s right here.”
Darrell focused on the section of the map that covered Abernon and the surrounding area. “I’ve got a question. When we leave here, where are we going? We really shouldn’t go through Sheridan or Abernon again.”
“Maybe we could head north, by-pass Abernon, and get back on the road that follows the river,” Karl said. “I bet we could follow the river all the way to the Mississippi.”
“Here it is.” Joan put her finger on the road and traced it. “It runs beside the river all the way. How are we going to cross the Mississippi?”
“I’m sure they have ferries somewhere along there,” Karl said. “I’ll ask Blalick and see if he knows where.”
“I’ve got another question,” Darrell said. “Where are we going to be coming from? I mean, people are going to ask us where we’re from and where we’re headed now that we aren’t traveling as minstrels.”
“How about this? We had farms out here,” Steve said, pointing to a spot about three hundred miles north of Abernon. “There aren’t many roads or towns in this area, so we could say we had farms about a hundred miles south of Trendon.”
“And we were our own little community,” Karl agreed. “Joan and I would be a married couple. How do we explain the rest of you?”
“I can say that my wife died a couple of years ago, so I’m covered, but in that case, I’d have to have my own wagon and it would have to be loaded with household-type stuff,” Steve said.
“Blalick and I have already discussed altering the minstrels’ wagon. You could use that one. We’re planning to build another wagon, too, so that one could be for Joan and me. Then, of course, Theresa would have hers,” Karl said.
“But why are we traveling in the dead of winter?” Joan asked.
“And how are we going to explain the rest of us?” Chris added.
The coffee had perked, so Theresa stepped into the kitchen to get the coffee while Joan brought out the cookies and mugs. When they got back to the dining room, Theresa started pouring coffee in the mugs and handing them out.
Steve took a sip of his and said, “Let’s try this. Karl and Joan had a farm that was next to mine. In late November, a bad storm was brewing and two soldiers knocked on your door and asked if they could stay the night. You agreed, and during the evening, the soldiers explained that they were sick of the cold and ice, had resigned their commissions, and were heading to southeast Camden, to a more agreeable climate. They figured they could hire out easily enough once they got there. You listened, and the more the soldiers talked about Camden, the more tempting it sounded. So, all of you struck a deal. The soldiers would provide protection on the journey in exchange for meals along the way.” Steve looked around at the others. “When the storm cleared, Karl came over to my place and asked me if I wanted to join them and move to Camden, so I packed up my belongings, and we all left within the week.”
“Let me guess, Darrell and Chris are the soldiers, right?” Kevin asked. “You know, that’s not bad.”
“And all of you were camped on the side of the road one evening when my assistant,” Theresa said, nodding at Kevin as she set a cup of coffee in front of him, “and I pulled up and asked if we could join you for the night. Then, since we were all headed in the same general direction, we decided to travel together.”
“Where are we all going?” Darrell asked.
“Well, Kevin and I would probably be headed for Timera Valley, the home of the Sisterhood. Here it is, not too far from Milhaven,” Theresa said, pointing to a spot on the map. “And if I were really going there, I would probably go to Milhaven and then follow that road right there. It seems to lead through the mountains and up towards Timera Valley.”
“Where are the rest of us headed?” Joan asked.
“We could be planning to take this road,” Karl said, pointing to a road that wound through the mountains and then on to the coast. “See that town? Dayton? That looks like a good spot. Plenty of open country around, not too many towns. Looks like good farming country to me.”
“But how would we know? I mean, what reason would we give for heading to that particular spot?” Joan asked.
“No reason, other than it’s on the other side of the mountains, a road leads to it, and it’s on the map,” Karl answered. “We could always say that we figured if we got there and it’s too crowded, the local people would have some suggestions for where we could settle, but we’re traveling through the winter so that we can find a piece of land in time for spring planting. Steve and I will work together on the same piece of land, clearing it, plowing it, and planting our crops this spring. Then this summer, we plan to raise a house and a barn.”
“I think that’ll work if we have the right props. We’ll need to carry farming equipment, a little household furniture, kitchen utensils, and some bedding. Are we going to be able to get everything we need?” Steve asked Karl.
“We should. The plows are the only things I’m concerned about. They’re heavy, bulky, and big, but they’re essential if we’re going to masquerade as farmers. Maybe we could have one between us, one that we’ve shared over the years, working together to plow and plant both our fields. Would they do that on Terah?”
“I don’t know, but what if we were family? What if my wife had been Joan’s sister? Then we’d have a good reason for living near each other, working together, and staying together. No one questions family,” Steve answered.
“Good. I think we’ve got it then,” Darrell said. “Theresa will have all of her herbs and tools, so she and Kevin have their props. We have plenty of weapons for me and Chris, so we can masquerade as soldiers easily enough.”
“Blalick and I will start working on some furniture and farming tools,” Karl said. “But we’re going for simple, the type of stuff peasants would have, nothing fancy. Just a table, a couple of chairs, bed headboard, mattress pad, a loom, a spinning wheel, maybe a small chest of some sort. But this gives us a good reason to carry your harp, Joan, and I’ll take a fiddle. We’ll put a couple of flutes in Steve’s wagon. They could have been his wife’s. I don’t see how we could carry much else without inviting suspicion though.”
“I can take one of the guitars,” Theresa said.
“All right, but that’s it. Let’s not push our luck,” Karl answered.
“We’ll review the plan again before we leave, but I think it’s simple enough to work,” Steve said.
“Do we have a target date yet?” Darrell asked.
“I’ve been thinking that we’d leave around the twentieth of January,” Kevin answered. “If it takes us eight weeks, that will put us in Milhaven around the middle of March, giving me a couple of weeks to get ready for the April council meeting. That’s cutting it fairly close, but I don’t want to leave here until we absolutely have to.”
“We’ll probably get there in under eight weeks. It will be cold, but if we really were farmers and soldiers, we wouldn’t stay in inns very often. Th
at way we won’t have to stop in the middle of the afternoon simply because we’ve reached a town,” Karl said.
Chris frowned and said, “You know, there must be a reason why Kalen had us travel by wagon to Glendymere’s, and now we’re traveling by wagon to Milhaven. Xantha could have flown Kevin down here, and he would have had that much more time with Glendymere. And Glendymere could fly us to Milhaven just as easily, giving Kevin until the middle of March to stay here and work on his magic. Why haven’t they suggested that?”
“I’ve wondered about that too,” Darrell said.
“I think they want us to be immersed in the day-to-day life on Terah before we get to Milhaven, and one of the best ways to absorb the concerns, problems, and dreams of local people is to sit around in the tavern and listen to them talk. We didn’t listen all that much on the way down here because we were performing, but even so, we picked up quite a bit,” Steve said. “If we camp out all the time, we may be shortchanging ourselves. At the same time, camping is nicer. We don’t have to watch what we say, we can relax, and even with standing guard, I sleep better when we camp than I do when we stay in town.”
“I don’t sleep well when we stay in towns either,” Darrell agreed.
“All right. Let’s plan on about three or four nights a week in town and three or four nights out,” Karl nodded. “When we do camp, we’ll need something really warm to sleep under, Joan, and we’re going to need some heavy horse blankets.”
“I know,” Joan said. “Ashni and I have already talked about that. Macin’s already gotten several blankets for us and he’s going to pick up three or four more each month. No one will notice that amount, especially since some of the local farmers ask him to get stuff for them, too. And as for us, I’m going to make sleeping bags. We’ve been gathering and preparing down from the chickens and we set aside some of the wool from the llamas. We won’t have zippers, but I’ll sew the bottoms together, and I’ll sew ties along the side. The ties will be a couple of inches from the edges so that once you tie them, the sides will pretty much stay together. We’re also going to make some mats filled with straw and a little wool for us to sleep on to keep the ground cold out.”
“We’ll probably sleep in just one or two tents. It might be a little crowded, but it’ll be warmer,” Karl suggested.
“If it gets too cold, I’ll heat some rocks and we can use them for bed warmers,” Kevin offered.
“Oh, I just thought of something. Theresa, have you decided what name you want to use?” Chris asked. “I know my paranoia is showing again, but I don’t think we should call you Theresa around Tyree.”
Kevin and Darrell laughed, but they nodded in agreement.
“I think I’d really prefer Teri. But do you think that’s too close? Should we go with something completely different?” Theresa asked.
“I think it’ll be okay, don’t you?” Joan asked Karl.
Karl nodded. “If anyone comments on the similarity, just smile and agree that it’s quite a coincidence. If we don’t make much out of it, no one else will pay much attention to it.”
“I agree,” Steve said. “Our reaction is the key. We’ll also have to watch how we react if anyone asks if we’ve come across the minstrels, Taelor, or Myron in our travels.”
“Play the role,” Joan said. “We can probably carry that off by now.”
“I think this scenario will work,” Darrell said with a nod. “Now, unless anyone can think of anything else we need to work on tonight, I’m for clearing up the table and going to bed.” When no one could think of anything else, Darrell gathered up several of the mugs, took them to the kitchen sink, and started washing them.
~ ~ ~ ~
On the last Friday morning in October, Glendymere was waiting out in the canyon when Kevin and Chris arrived.
“Things are going to get hectic around here soon. I’m going to go get Tyree Monday, and the elves and dwarves will start arriving by the middle of next week. Oh, and have I mentioned that Duane and Xantha are coming to observe the games? They should be arriving near the beginning of next week, too.”
“How long are they going to stay?” Kevin asked.
“I’m not sure, but they’ll be here long enough to see all of you in action.”
“Where are they coming from?” Chris asked. “Kalen’s?”
“No, at least not as far as I know. Duane was at home when he answered my note.”
“Where’s home?” Kevin asked.
“A valley called Crinsor Run. His parents live there, as well as his brother and sisters, their families, and Pallor, when he’s on Terah.”
“Where’s Crinsor Run? I mean, how far away, which direction?” Chris asked.
“It’s near the western coast, a little north of where we are now, in the redwood forest,” Glendymere said. Then he changed the subject. “I’ve been thinking about battle strategies. Sometimes it helps to break your enemy’s concentration, to direct his attention to something other than yourself.”
“How do we do that?” Kevin asked. “What could possibly distract a warrior in the heat of battle?”
“It would have to be something threatening, more threatening than the enemy,” Chris answered with a frown. “But what could be more daunting than having a sorcerer throw your own arrows back at you? Add a few lightning bolts, and you’d have my undivided attention.”
“How about a tornado headed your way?”
“Now, that would be a distraction,” Chris said with a nod. “But where are we going to get a nice tame little tornado that will attack the enemy but leave us alone?”
“From Kevin, of course.”
“You mean like the one Paul made?” Kevin asked shaking his head. “I’ve just gotten to the point that I can get a good thunderstorm going.”
“Don’t you think a tornado would be a better distraction than a thunderstorm?”
“Oh, definitely, but can you really control one of those things once it gets going?” Kevin asked.
“I can. And apparently Pallor can. It remains to be seen whether or not you can, but you’ll never know until you try.” Glendymere stretched his wings and extended his foreleg. “Come on up, both of you. I don’t want to stir things up too much around here. We’ll go south to the canyon lands.”
After Chris and Kevin were seated, Glendymere soared into the sky. When they reached the deserted canyon lands, Glendymere settled on the same butte he had perched on when he had brought Kevin to the area back in June. After Kevin and Chris dismounted, Glendymere walked over towards the southern edge of the butte and concentrated on creating the warm and cool masses of air necessary for unstable weather. He generated some warm updrafts and cold down winds to get things started, and then he stirred it up with some energy bolts until he had a good thunderstorm brewing.
“Kevin, I want you to join with that storm just like before. You have to experience the formation of a tornado before you can spawn one. Just let yourself go,” Glendymere said. Then, while Kevin was concentrating on the storm, he privately told Chris that he had wanted him to come for two reasons. “First of all, I want you to pay attention to the way a tornado forms so that you’ll be able to recognize the signs. Secondly, I want you to see what it’s like when Kevin projects himself mentally. Watch him closely. You need to be familiar with the physical signs that Kevin has left his body. He won’t see you or hear you, and if you touch him, he won’t feel it, unless you touch his forehead. That’s the only way you can call him back, but only do that in the event of a dire emergency, like if the two of you are about to be attacked.”
Kevin gave himself over to the storm, joining with the wind and rain, and reveling in the immense power of the storm swirling around him. Lightning streaked by him as it leapt from cloud to cloud, and a strong updraft swept up from the ground and punched through the clouds above. As the updraft grew, it began to spiral, and as the storm gathered in intensity, the spiraling motion became faster and tighter, until a funnel formed and snaked its way down towar
ds the ground.
Kevin was centered inside the immense vortex. The deafening roar shut out all sounds and became a numbing silence. The swirling dust blocked all light out of the vortex except for the thin shaft of sunlight that beamed through the eye of the storm. Kevin felt completely isolated.
Chris watched Kevin closely as the funnel reached out to grab the ground. Kevin’s eyes took on the vacant stare of the dead as the tornado made contact, and if he was breathing at all, his breaths were too shallow and too slow to move his chest. Chris barely resisted the urge to grab Kevin’s wrist to feel for a pulse.
“Glendymere!” Chris shouted above the roar of the distant tornado. “Is Kevin all right?”
The dragon was thoroughly enjoying the storm and had completely forgotten about his human companions. “What? Oh, sure, he’s fine. Isn’t the storm grand?” Glendymere answered without taking his eyes off the approaching tornado. “I wish you could see one of those things from the inside! They’re awesome!”
“No thanks. I saw one from the inside, and that was enough to last me a lifetime,” Chris mumbled as he nervously inched closer to Kevin. “What about Kevin? Shall I touch his forehead and bring him back? Don’t we need to get to safety?”
“No, no, we’re fine. I’m going to start calming things down in a few minutes anyway. I don’t want the storm to do any damage. We’ll give it just another minute or two …” Glendymere’s voice faded as he lost himself in the storm again.
Chris was so concerned about Kevin that he didn’t notice the funnel lose its grip on the ground and flounder around in the air. By the time Chris looked towards the storm again, the funnel was trailing after the cloud like the tail on the end of a kite. Glendymere stretched and turned towards them just as Chris noticed Kevin blink and try to focus his eyes.
The Master's Chair (The Chronicles of Terah) Page 50
