The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3)

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The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3) Page 33

by Mackenzie Morgan


  Hayley finally tore her eyes off Marcus and turned towards Theresa. Her face was pale, tears were flowing down her cheeks, and her eyes were filled with fear. Theresa gripped Hayley’s shoulders and said, “Take a deep breath. Now another.”

  As Hayley breathed, she started to calm down. Theresa nodded and leaned back. “Now look at the wound and tell me what you see.”

  Hayley forced herself to look at the spot where the arrow had gone in Marcus’s shoulder. The hole was closed. It was pink and it looked sore, but it was no longer an open wound. Hayley let out a long sigh. “I didn’t see you close it. I’m sorry I yelled at you. I’ve never seen anyone get shot before, and it was Marcus!”

  Theresa smiled and shook her head. “I didn’t close it, Hayley. You did.”

  Hayley’s eyebrows knitted together as a deep frown took over her face. She shook her head. “I couldn’t have. I’m not a sister. I don’t have the power. I can’t heal. You must have done it without realizing it.”

  Theresa shook her head. “You’re the one who did it without realizing it, Hayley. I promise you, I did not close that wound. It was already closed when I peeled your hand away. You did it. You do have the power. Congratulations! You’re going to be a sister.”

  Then Theresa looked over at Marcus. “But what a horrible way to find out. Are you all right? I mean other than having been shot. And who shot you?”

  Marcus leaned around Theresa and pointed towards Alek. “Over there with Alek. He fell out of a tree when the knife hit his shoulder. I think his leg’s broken, too.”

  “Who threw the knife?” Theresa asked as she stood up.

  “Rhianna. She was over there.” Marcus pointed towards the edge of the woods to his right.

  Theresa looked over at Rhianna and nodded. “Good aim.”

  Rhianna smiled. “After you remove the knife, could I please have it back? My father gave me that one when I turned thirteen. It’s my favorite and I’d hate to lose it.”

  Theresa grinned. “I think that can be arranged.” Then she looked at Marcus. “I’ve sent someone for Darrell and Gen. Crandal, but I have no idea where Myron is. Do you?”

  Marcus shook his head. “He could be anywhere by now.” Marcus shot several energy bolts into the sky, one after another. “I have no idea whether or not he’ll see those, or if he’ll come check it out if he does, but that’s the best I can offer.” Then he turned to Hayley. “Now that you know I’m all right, would you and Rhianna go in the chapel and keep Landis company? And see if you can find us something to eat. I’ll take care of your horse and buggy.”

  Chapter 37

  Saryn

  An hour later, Theresa stepped out of the treatment room where she had been taking care of the archer. Rigel and Alek were standing in the hallway waiting to take charge of the prisoner. Theresa nodded to them and said, “You can go on in, but he’s not going anywhere unless you have some type of stretcher. I don’t want him putting any weight on that leg for at least a week.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Alek said as he took up a position inside the room.

  Rigel remained in the hall. “We’ll see to it as soon as Myron is finished with him.”

  “Is he in the kitchen?”

  Rigel nodded.

  When Theresa reached the kitchen, she returned Rhianna’s knife and looked at Gen. Crandal. “I don’t want him moved until you have a stretcher and a wagon. Where is he going to stay tonight?”

  “We can leave him here if you want,” the general answered. “I can put some soldiers down here to keep an eye on him, but I’d rather take him on to the jail.”

  Theresa fingered her pendant. “He won’t hurt us, if that’s what you’re worried about.”

  “I’m not sure what I’m worried about until I have a chance to talk to him,” Gen. Crandal answered.

  Darrell nodded. “Can we all fit in his room?”

  Theresa glanced around the table. “All of you?”

  Kevin nodded. “It would be best. That way we can all hear his answers, provided he has any.”

  Theresa glanced at Landis and Rhianna. When they both nodded, she said, “All right, but I want this done orderly. We have other patients in the chapel right now and I don’t want them disturbed.”

  “They won’t be,” Darrell said. “We’ve already talked about it. Gen. Crandal will ask questions, and the prisoner will either answer or he won’t.”

  “And if he doesn’t?” Theresa looked at Gen. Crandal.

  “We’ll wait until we have him at the jail and try again there.”

  “Well, I do have some tea that might make him a little more cooperative.” Theresa shrugged. “He hit Marcus with an arrow. I want answers as much as the rest of you.”

  Gen. Crandal smiled. “I wasn’t going to suggest it, but as you offered, I think a cup of tea is just what he needs to help him relax. I’d be willing to wait while you fix it.”

  Theresa nodded and stepped over to the counter. “This won’t take but a minute. If you want to go on in and introduce yourselves, I’ll bring it in when it’s ready. And his name is Saryn, by the way.”

  They all stood up and filed out of the kitchen.

  By the time Theresa had the tea ready, all five of them were in the archer’s room and Alek and Rigel were back on guard duty in the hall. Theresa opened the door and stepped inside.

  “Sister Theresa wants to give you some tea to help you rest after your injuries,” Gen. Crandal said. Then he turned to Theresa. “I’ve explained that we have a few questions. He doesn’t object to answering them.”

  The archer, Saryn, sipped the tea and then shook his head. “He said he’d pay me to kill her. He didn’t say anything about paying me to keep my mouth shut. I’ll tell you what you want to know, but it won’t do you any good. There are plenty more just like me out there.”

  “Who is ‘he’?”

  “Rolan. He’s the one who sent me.”

  Gen. Crandal shot a quick glance at Kevin.

  “Rolan, of the House of Gergin?” Kevin asked.

  “That’s the one. The Seated Sorcerer of Brendolanth.”

  Kevin nodded at Gen. Crandal and leaned back against the wall.

  “You said he was going to pay you to kill her. Who were you supposed to kill?”

  “Her.” Saryn pointed at Landis. “Landis. Tsareth’s youngest daughter. Rolan’s sister.”

  Kevin looked over at Landis while Saryn was talking and watched the blood slowly drain out of her face. Then he saw Rhianna slip her hand into Landis’s and give it a slight squeeze.

  Landis straightened her shoulders. “You must not be a very good archer. You missed.”

  “Why did you shoot Marcus?” Gen. Crandal asked at the same time.

  “I wasn’t aiming at you,” Saryn said, looking at Landis. “My first arrow was meant for the sorcerer.” He gave a quick nod towards Marcus. “Why did you jump like that? I’d have had you if you hadn’t.”

  Marcus shrugged. “I saw a movement. I wasn’t sure what it was, but I didn’t stop to think about it. I just jumped.”

  “Bad luck, I guess,” Saryn mumbled.

  “For you,” Gen. Crandal said. “But back to my question. Why did you shoot at Marcus?”

  “With him out of the way, getting to the girl should have been easy.” Saryn cut his eyes over at Rhianna. “Didn’t count on the elf though. No one bothered to mention her.”

  The slight smile that tugged at the corners of Rhianna’s mouth caught Kevin’s eye, but she didn’t say a word.

  “How do you know Marcus is a sorcerer?” Gen. Crandal asked.

  Saryn shrugged. “That’s what I was told this morning, that Landis would be at the chapel at lunchtime. She’d have one guard and one sorcerer with her, but not Myron.” Saryn glanced over at Kevin. “You weren’t supposed to be anywhere around here.” He looked back at Rhianna. “But like I said, no one mentioned the elf. I wouldn’t have tried it with both of them there.”

  “Who told you all of this?”
Gen. Crandal pressed.

  “I don’t know his name but he’s given us information before, things like whether or not Myron’s around or if Landis has been seen around the castle. Today was the first time he had anything worthwhile to tell us, and then he leaves out something that important. Not much of a spy if you ask me.”

  “So he’s a spy?”

  Saryn nodded.

  “For Rolan?”

  Again, Saryn nodded.

  “Does this person work in the castle?”

  “I don’t know, but I imagine so. How else would he know where people are going to be and whether or not Myron’s around?”

  Gen. Crandal nodded. “You say you don’t know his name though.”

  “He never said and we never asked.”

  “Could you describe him?”

  Saryn frowned. “Sort of average. Didn’t really pay much attention, and he always has on a cloak and a hat.”

  “Do you think you’d recognize him if you saw him again?”

  “If I heard him talk, I might. I’m better with voices than faces.”

  “And you’re sure it was a man?”

  Saryn thought for a moment. “Yeah, I think so. Didn’t much sound like a woman. Or look like one.”

  “You said ‘we’ a few minutes ago. Are you working with someone else?”

  Saryn nodded. “From what I’ve gathered, there are a lot of us scattered around, but I only know three of them. One came down with me and the other two arrived about a month later.”

  “Are they nearby?”

  “Some are. Some aren’t.” Saryn’s voice was fading. “I don’t know how many others might be in this area. I know he sent some to Nandelia and last summer he sent some towards the west coast and some up north. I don’t know if he sent anyone to any of the other provinces though.” He looked over at Landis. “I just know he really wants you dead and he’s not going to stop until you are.”

  “What about the ones around here? The ones you know. What can you tell us about them?”

  Saryn’s eyes clouded. “I’m not telling you anything about them. I’m not going to help you kill them.”

  “We don’t want to kill them, just keep them from killing any of us.”

  “It’ll amount to the same thing.” Saryn shook his head. “You wouldn’t have taken me alive if it hadn’t been for that elf, but there was nothing I could do with both my arm and my leg gone.”

  Gen. Crandal nodded. “Lucky for you she has good aim.”

  Saryn shook his head. “I know a cage’s waiting for me, but I knew the risks when I came. I could have left, gone off somewhere else and started over. Some did after they got those orders. But I wanted to go back to Trendon. I figured once she was dead, I’d be able to go back home, whether I was the one who got her or not.”

  “Is there someone waiting for you there?” Theresa asked. “Back in Trendon?” When Gen. Crandal looked at her, she said, “I could send a message through the Sisterhood and let them know he’s alive and in jail. At least whoever’s waiting won’t have to spend the rest of their lives wondering what happened to him.”

  Saryn shook his head. “There was this one girl I was interested in, but we weren’t betrothed. I was hoping after it was all over … She’s probably already found someone else anyway.”

  “Well, if you change your mind, let me know and I’ll get a message to her.”

  Saryn nodded, leaned his head back on his pillow, and closed his eyes.

  “I’d say the tea has done its job,” Theresa said as gentle snores filled the room. “You’ll have to continue this later.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Alek and Rigel stayed outside Saryn’s room, but everyone else went back to the kitchen.

  “I’ll send a squad down with a stretcher and a wagon as soon as I get back to the castle,” Gen. Crandal said. “I’d like to move him while he’s still groggy.”

  Theresa nodded. “Do you want me to mix up some more tea? I doubt you’ll get any more information, but it might give him an easier night.”

  “Give it to my men. They’ll see to it that he gets it.”

  “Hold on a minute and I’ll ride back with you,” Darrell said. Then he looked at Kevin. “What are you planning to do now?”

  “I’m going to take Landis and Rhianna home, and then I’ve still got some work to do. We haven’t finished with the damage from the storm yet.”

  Darrell nodded. “I want bodyguards with both you and Marcus.”

  “Why me?” Marcus asked. “No one’s after me. I was just in the way.”

  “He has friends out there who might blame you for his capture,” Darrell said. “At least that way you’ll have someone with you if you get shot again.”

  “And speaking of that,” Kevin said, looking at Marcus. “There’s a much better way for you to protect people than using your body as a shield.”

  Marcus’s face turned red to the tips of his ears. “I know. I should have thrown a shield up, and I did later, but my first reaction’s the same as it was ten years ago.”

  “And you ended up with an arrow in your shoulder.” Kevin shook his head. “We’ll talk about it later.”

  “Meanwhile Marcus,” Darrell interrupted, “I’ll assign a guard to you for the next few days. I want Alek with you this afternoon. You can wait here until Gen. Crandal’s men pick up Saryn.”

  Marcus nodded. “I don’t have many jobs left anyway. We hit most of them this morning.”

  “Good. I’ve only got four or five left myself,” Kevin said as he took out his key.

  “We need our bags,” Rhianna said.

  “I’ll bring them out later. Right now my main concern is getting both of you out of Camden.” Kevin turned to Darrell. “Have Rigel ride back with Saryn. I want to drop by my office for a minute after I take them home. He can join me there.”

  A couple of minutes later, only Theresa and Marcus remained in the kitchen. Theresa looked at him and asked, “You never did get any lunch, did you?”

  Marcus shook his head. “And neither did Alek. At least Hayley managed to get some food together for Landis and Rhianna. And speaking of Hayley, do you know where she is?”

  Theresa nodded. “She’s in with Sister Agnes right now. I know today’s been rough, but something wonderful happened, too. Seeing you injured woke up Hayley’s power. Sister Agnes is talking to her about joining the Sisterhood.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  While Kevin waited for Rigel to get back from Milhaven, he caught Chris up on the day’s events.

  “One big question sort of jumps out at you,” Chris said.

  Kevin nodded. “How did they know she’d be there?”

  “I didn’t know they were going to the chapel for lunch. Did you?”

  Kevin shook his head. “But someone must have.”

  “Wait a minute.” Chris opened the door between Kevin’s office and the reception area. “Do any of you know where Marcus was going to take Landis for lunch today?”

  Elin looked up from the stack of letters she was sorting and nodded. “They were going to drop by the chapel.”

  Chris frowned. “How do you know?”

  “They were talking about it in the dining room. I was eating breakfast with them. Landis wanted to go to Milhaven, so Marcus said they’d go into town for lunch. He was going to get Brandon to take a message to Hayley.”

  Chris nodded. “That’s fine, Elin. Did you notice who else was around?”

  Elin thought for a few minutes and then named several of the kitchen staff, a few of the housekeeping staff, some of the grounds men, a couple of guards, a few soldiers, Chairman Tremayne, and his secretary, Darcy. “I think that’s all, but I might have missed someone.”

  “Thanks,” Chris said as he shut the door. “I guess that answers that question.”

  Kevin sighed. “And whoever any of them might have mentioned it to in passing. The better question might be who didn’t know they were going to be there for lunch.”

  “So, what’s our
next step?”

  “I’m not sure, but we’ll need to come up with someplace else for her to go when she leaves Willow Canyon. She can’t stay here.”

  Chapter 38

  Repercussions

  When Kevin dropped Landis and Rhianna off, they went inside long enough to let Ashni know they were back, and then headed down the mountain. Landis worked harder that afternoon than she ever had. She focused so hard on drawing in energy and storing it that by mid-afternoon her hair was stringy and her tunic was damp.

  Rhianna called a halt and insisted that Landis sit down and drink some water. “You’re pushing too hard. You need to take it easy.”

  “I can’t,” Landis said, near tears. “Rhianna, he killed my father. And he really is sending people out to kill me. I didn’t want to believe it, but it’s true, and it won’t end until one of us is dead.” She shook her head as a tear made its way down her cheek. “I don’t want it to be me.”

  “I don’t either, but you can’t do it all in one afternoon.”

  “I know, but if I’m focusing on the energy, I’m not thinking about what happened this afternoon.” She looked up at Rhianna. “I don’t think I’ve said it yet, but thanks for saving my life.”

  Rhianna laughed. “I didn’t save your life. Alek had you covered before the arrow hit Marcus. You’d have been fine whether I was there or not. Marcus, I’m not so sure about.”

  “He wasn’t expecting an attack.”

  “No, and he wasn’t ready. He could have died because of it, sorcerer or not.” Landis started to say something, but Rhianna shook her head. “Look, I’m not saying he’s not a good sorcerer. From everything I saw, he is. But he wasn’t ready. You’re going to have to be.”

  “I know.”

  “It’s going to take a lot of training. I know you can do it, but I’m not sure you’re willing to do it. No, don’t say anything right now. It’s too close, too fresh. You need to think about this. You’re looking at a long, rough road. I’ll walk it with you, but only if you’re committed to it. Otherwise, we need to find some quiet little corner of the world Rolan’s never heard of and go there to live.”

  “I’m not sure there’s any place where I’d be safe.”

 

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