The Master's Chair (The Chronicles of Terah)

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  Thursday morning a mass of humid air from the south overrode the cold, giving them dark overcast skies, and around lunchtime the snow started to fall. By mid-afternoon it was so heavy that the wagons were beginning to bog down in the drifts. They needed to find shelter and wait out the storm, but the best the prairie had to offer was a small grove of leafless hardwood trees. They stopped on the edge of the grove to figure out what they were going to do.

  “Kevin, can’t you do anything about this storm?” Theresa asked.

  “Not really. The system’s too big. The best I could do is warm it up a little right around us, but a cold rain might be worse than the snow.”

  “Then our primary concern has to be shelter, and not just for us. I don’t know how much more of this weather the horses can stand,” Karl said. “I wish we could find some kind of cave, anything to get us out of this wind!”

  “People in the prairies used to build their homes below ground.” Steve said. “It kept them warm in the winter and cool in the summer.”

  “You could dig out a hole, couldn’t you?” Chris asked Kevin.

  “We could give it a try. I don’t think I want to try digging a big hole right here under the trees though. Let me try it a little farther out,” Kevin said as he wandered away from the others.

  After a few minutes, he found an area that he thought might be pretty good. There was already a small dip in the ground, so it gave him a starting point. He made his outstretched hand as large as the shovel on a bulldozer. Then he decided that it was too small for the job and made it even bigger. He dug down into the ground, lifted out the dirt and piled it off to the side. After he had a hole about twelve feet deep, fifty feet long and six feet wide, he scooped dirt out along the side, leaving a three-foot thick overhang at the top. Every ten feet or so, he stopped, leaving a column of dirt to support the roof. When he was done, he’d made four separate rooms about 10 feet long, 10 feet wide, and nine feet high. Then he went back and packed the dirt in the roof, checking for weak spots. Next, he firmed up the sides of the hole by packing the dirt around the walls. Then he used the dirt he’d scooped out of the hole to build a windbreak around the sides. It reminded him of playing in a sandbox when he was a child.

  When he had the hole finished he stood back and looked at it. There was no way to get down into it, so he scooped out a ramp at one end of the hole. While he had been working, the others had gathered around to watch.

  “That should do the trick,” Karl said. “Good work, Kevin”

  “Having a sorcerer along definitely helps,” Darrell said with a nod. “Now, let’s get the horses out of this wind.”

  Karl, Steve and Darrell unhitched the horses and led them down the ramp and into three of the rooms. While Karl set out fresh hay and filled some feed buckets with oats, Steve and Darrell tied heavy blankets around the horses, and Kevin filled some buckets with snow, melted it down to water, and set them around the sides of the makeshift barn. Meanwhile, Chris unpacked the bedrolls and tarps while Joan and Theresa grabbed some food and kitchen supplies.

  By the time the horses were settled, the tarps were set up in the fourth room, and dinner was ready. Kevin heated the air in the hole to a more tolerable temperature and everyone sat down on the ground to eat.

  “These sandwiches are good, but I sure would love a cup of coffee,” Steve said.

  “I’m sorry, I didn’t even think of that,” Kevin said as he stood up and gathered a few rocks from the floor of the hole. “Joan if you would get the pot ready, I’ll have a stove for you in just a minute.”

  Joan had the coffee pot ready by the time Kevin had the stones stacked into a small cube. Then Kevin heated the rocks and soon coffee was bubbling away inside the pot.

  The next morning, they woke up to sunshine. The wind had died down during the night and the temperature was a little warmer. They loaded the wagons, hitched the horses, and then Kevin swept the dirt back into the hole and packed it down. The dip in the ground was more pronounced than it had been before, and there was a bare spot in the prairie, but those were the only signs of their shelter.

  They continued following the Sandover River, and around the middle of the morning on the last Saturday in February they pulled into Glenarbour. Their road followed the Sandover River as it wound its way through the center of Glenarbour to the eastern edge of town, where the Sandover flowed into the Kivee River. All along the Sandover, ferries carried people, horses, and carriages from one side of town to the other.

  At the bend where their road turned south to follow the Kivee River, there was a large livery stable that rented horses, wagons, and carriages, as well as boarded horses and wagons for the many travelers who passed through the town. As they headed south, they saw four inns, several dry goods stores, a cobbler’s shop, a tailor’s shop, a couple of farmers markets, five or six restaurants, and half a dozen taverns. All of the taverns advertised evening entertainment as well as cheap rooms. The sidewalks were crowded with humans, elves, dwarves, and a lot of other people who didn’t seem to fall into any of the three racial categories that the Tellurians had met so far.

  Houses lined all of the side streets. Streets that led off to the west seemed to end shortly after the last house, but the streets that led to the east dead-ended on an alley that ran beside the Kivee River. The alley looked like it was mainly for the oxen that pulled barges up and down the river.

  Every once in a while the Tellurians caught a glimpse of the docks. Some of them were fairly small with fishing boats tied up to them while others were large enough for loading and unloading barges, but no matter how large or small the dock, water troughs and bales of hay were stacked on shore near the edge of the dock for the oxen.

  The main road curved towards the east at the end of town, passed a second livery stable, and dead-ended at the ferry park. The Tellurians considered spending the night in Glenarbour, just for the novelty of staying there, but they decided that since it was so early in the day, it would be better to continue on their way. They pulled the wagons and horses in line for the next ferry, and two hours later, shortly after noon, they crossed the Kivee River into Camden.

  Chapter 48

  Milhaven

  After they crossed the Kivee River, grasslands and gentle slopes gave way to forests and rolling hills. At first, especially while they were in the towns, Kevin was concerned that someone might notice his resemblance to Yvonne and figure out who he was, but no one seemed to give him a second glance.

  The days got longer and the temperatures gradually rose, but most of the nights were still near freezing. As the days went by, the rolling hills got steeper, and by the second week of March, the hills had become small mountains. Friday morning, as they crested one of the mountains, they saw a squad of soldiers waiting by the roadside.

  Karl pulled back beside Darrell and asked, “What do you think?”

  “I don’t know. Do you think they’re Rolan’s men?”

  “They shouldn’t be. We’re getting close to Milhaven,” Karl said, as he loosened his sword in its sheath. Then he and Darrell rode back to the front.

  One of the soldiers rode towards Karl while the others waited. When he was about ten feet away, he stopped and said, “Good morning. My name is Captain Lawrence. I’m Captain of the Guard. I’d like to welcome you to Camden, and to Milhaven. Laryn sends her greetings and regrets that she could not be here personally to greet you.”

  Karl introduced himself, and then began introducing the others. When he came to Kevin, he wasn’t sure whether he should call him Kevin or Myron, so he hesitated for a second.

  Kevin sensed the problem and took over. “Captain Lawrence, I’m Myron, of the House of Nordin. Thank you for meeting us.”

  “My privilege, sir,” Captain Lawrence said as he saluted Kevin. “Sir, I need to know how you want to do this.”

  “How I want to do what?” Kevin asked.

  “The people of Milhaven and all of Camden have been anxiously awaiting your arrival. They know t
hat you should be arriving within the next couple of weeks, but they have no idea that you’re here. Do you want to ride through Milhaven quietly, go on to the castle, and get settled before making your presence known, or would you like for us to announce your arrival and let the people of Milhaven cheer you through town.”

  “I’d like to arrive at the castle as quietly as possible. I want to talk with Laryn and see my father before doing anything else.”

  “Very well, sir. I’ll send my men on ahead to let Laryn know that we’ll be arriving shortly.” Captain Lawrence rode back to his men, gave them their orders, sent them on their way, and returned to lead the Tellurians through Milhaven.

  As they approached the town, they passed a few houses and then reached a crossroad that ran north and south. Just like a lot of the other towns that they had ridden through, the little crossroad was lined with houses and seemed to end at the last house. After the crossroad came the business section. An inn, a tavern, a large farmer’s market, and a dry goods store were on the northern side of the village square while a stable, a Chapel of Light, and a second inn lined the southern side. After the village square, there was a second crossroad with several houses on the northern end, but the southern end led through trees and gardens to a beautiful mansion. Kevin would have known that it was the governor’s house even if Tyree hadn’t told them about it.

  After the crossroad, there were a few houses scattered along the road for about a quarter of a mile and then the forest closed back in. A half-mile farther down the road there was a long barracks on the left and a large house on the right. Although the general’s house was not as large as the governor’s, it was impressive.

  The forest closed back in on the road for a little ways, and then opened up on the left for the guard headquarters and barracks. Shortly after they passed the guards’ quarters, they saw the castle and courtyard. The gray stone castle looked cold and formidable, but the colorful gardens in the courtyard softened the overall appearance and added a warm and hospitable touch.

  Captain Lawrence dropped back beside Kevin and asked,” Would you like to stop at the front entrance, sir? We could hand the horses and wagons over to the staff and let them take care of them. Or, if you prefer, we can ride on to the stables around back.”

  “We’d rather ride on to the stables.”

  Captain Lawrence nodded and rode back up to the front next to Karl. He led the group around the kitchen, beside the dining room, and on to the stables in the back. As soon as they entered the stable yard, several young men walked up to take the horses and drive the wagons into the barns.

  Captain Lawrence spoke for a few minutes with an older man and then returned to Kevin’s wagon. “Sir, I told them not to unload any of the wagons, but to wait for your specific instructions. I assume that you want all of the horses brushed down and settled in stalls. Is there anything else?”

  “No, that’s fine. Thank you,” Kevin said as he climbed down from the wagon seat. “Now, I’d like to see Laryn, if that’s possible.”

  “Of course, sir. Will your companions be joining you or would you like for them to be shown to their rooms?” Captain Lawrence asked. “We have their rooms ready.”

  “They’ll be coming with me,” Kevin answered as he signaled for the rest of the Tellurians to follow him.

  Captain Lawrence led them across a wide patio and through a large double door that opened into the dining room. Although they were familiar with the layout of the castle, they were not ready for the simple elegance of the furnishings. The tables and chairs were made of polished oak, as were the cabinets that lined the walls between the windows and doors.

  The main dining table was at least twenty-five feet long and four feet wide with ten chairs on each side and one at each end, and all of the chairs had embroidered seat cushions and wide arm rests. There were three separate sitting areas, each furnished with a couple of couches, several large armchairs, a long coffee table, and a few small lamp tables. Several square tables with four chairs around them were scattered between the sitting areas.

  Two sets of double doors opened onto the large patio area at the back of the castle, and a door in the south wall opened onto a smaller patio facing the vegetable gardens. Large windows gave the room an airy and spacious look, and Kevin could easily picture a couple of hundred people eating in there.

  They left the dining room and went down the hall between the groundskeeper’s and the housekeeper’s offices. When they stepped into the entrance hall, the first thing they noticed were the two guards stationed at each of the three doors leading into the hall, including the one they had just come through. Although the guards acknowledged Captain Lawrence with brief nods, they eyed his guests with caution.

  The floor of the entrance hall was so highly polished that it reflected the beams that supported the ceiling. There were a few clusters of two armchairs on either side of a small lamp table scattered about the room, but other than those, and a few paintings on the walls, the vast foyer was empty, and the echo of their footsteps made the entrance hall seem even more imposing.

  As they approached the door that led to the government offices, one of the guards stepped up to open it. Captain Lawrence led them down the hall to the first door on the right, a wide double door of heavy oak. He knocked three times and waited. The guard standing beside the door saluted him but did not acknowledge his companions or make any move to open the door.

  When one of Laryn’s pages opened the door, Captain Lawrence stepped inside and said, “Would you please inform Laryn that I have returned with our guests?”

  As Captain Lawrence led the Tellurians into the reception area, the page turned to go get Laryn, but before he could knock on the door to the inner office, Laryn opened it and walked through. At first glance, the Tellurians thought she was one of the pages. She was shorter than Kevin, slim, and had shoulder length brown hair that fell around her face in a pageboy style. There were no signs of age around her mouth or eyes, but she carried herself with a confidence far beyond the teenage years.

  “I thought I heard your voice,” Laryn said as she smiled at Captain Lawrence. “Thank you for escorting them, Captain.” Then she turned to the pages and said, “I’m going to be busy for a little while. Why don’t all of you take a break?”

  She waited until Captain Lawrence and the pages had left the room, and then she walked straight towards Kevin. “Welcome home, Myron. I wish I could have been at Kalen’s to welcome you and your companions to Terah, but circumstances didn’t permit it. I hope you’ve had a pleasant journey.”

  Kevin thanked her and then introduced the rest of the Tellurians. After a few minutes of polite conversation about the weather, the onset of spring, and the lovely countryside around Milhaven, Laryn suggested that they go back to the dining room for some refreshments. “I’m sure someone’s alerted the kitchen staff that you’ve arrived. They’ll have some refreshments ready for you by now.”

  On the way to the dining room, Laryn turned to Kevin and said, “There’s a lot we need to discuss, but first I’d like to get all of you settled in your rooms.” Then she told Kevin that the staff had prepared two rooms in the family quarters and five rooms in the guest quarters.

  “We won’t need quite that many,” Kevin said. “Karl and Joan are married.”

  “I know. Kalen sent me a little information about each of your companions. I asked housekeeping to prepare five rooms in case you needed a couple of days to select your assistant,” Laryn explained.

  “Oh. I’ve asked Chris to be my assistant. He was my assistant while I worked with Glendymere. I don’t know how long he’ll be willing to do it, but he’s agreed to do it at least until after the first council meeting.”

  “That’s fine,” Laryn said as she stopped by the door of the housekeeping office. “Why don’t you and your companions go on to the dining room? I need to stop in here for just a minute and then I’ll join you.”

  When they reached the dining room, the large table was spr
ead with sandwiches, fruit, small cakes, tarts, cookies, cheese, bread, a pot of coffee, and pitchers of milk, water, and scog. While the Tellurians ate, they quietly talked about Milhaven, the castle, the guards, Captain Lawrence, Laryn, and how out of place they felt.

  As soon as they set down their silverware and leaned back from the table, everything except the mugs and drinks were quickly whisked away by the kitchen staff. Then, a few minutes later, Captain Lawrence and Laryn entered the dining room together.

  “I hope you enjoyed your lunch,” Laryn began. “Now, if you’re ready, we’d like to show you to your rooms.”

  “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble, could we please get some hot water?” Joan asked. “I’d really like to wash some of the dust off.”

  “And I would like to shave,” Karl added as the other men nodded.

  “That would be no problem at all,” Laryn said with a smile.

  “I’ll ask housekeeping to prepare baths for all of you,” Captain Lawrence said, and then he left the dining room.

  While he was gone, Laryn said, “Please let us know if there is anything we can do to make your rooms more comfortable. If you need anything, anything at all, just ask someone from housekeeping. And if there are any problems, please let me know. We want you to be comfortable here and to consider this your home.”

  When Captain Lawrence returned, Laryn said, “Now, we’ll show you to your rooms. Myron, if you and Chris would come with me, please.”

  Kevin nodded and he and Chris stood up to follow Laryn. Then she turned to the others and said, “Captain Lawrence will show you to your rooms as soon as you’re ready to go up. I’ll see you at dinner.”