The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3)

by Mackenzie Morgan

  “What about the others?” one of the men asked, nodding towards the sleeping men scattered around.

  “Them to, and if you could help us wake them up and move them this way without making any noise, we might be able to do this without disturbing the guards.” Kevin tilted his head towards the narrow tunnel that led to the guards’ room.

  “There are some women here, too,” one of the men said.

  Kevin nodded. “I know. We’re going to get them out, too.”

  All five men stood up and started working their way around the room, quietly rousing the others and directing them towards the alcove. Meanwhile, Kevin slipped back around the wall to the tunnel where Alek, Rigel, and Gen. Crandal were waiting. Kevin motioned for them to follow him.

  “Still quiet out front?” he asked Dani.

  “Still sleeping,” was the reply.

  In less than an hour, Alek and Rigel had cleared the room. When they took what Kevin thought was the last group, he asked Dani, “Is there anyone left? Did we overlook anyone?”

  “No. Room’s clear. Everyone’s gone.”

  When Alek and Rigel got back to the cave, Kevin took them to the passageway outside the women’s quarters. Light came through the door and there was the sound of women’s voices, but no sign of any guards.

  “Any guards?” Kevin asked Dani.

  “Not that I can find,” Dani answered. “They must not consider the women worth watching.”

  Kevin held up his hand to signal the other men to stay put and stepped out of the shadow into the doorway where the women could see him. One woman gasped, but the others just stood there, like seeing a stranger standing in their bedroom door was nothing new.

  “Good morning. My name’s Myron, and I’m here to take you back to Camden if you’d like to go.”

  The women turned to their make-shift beds, grabbed their few possessions, and gathered near the door. Kevin did a quick count. Eight women. He motioned to Alek and Rigel and then turned to the women. “They’ll take two at a time. I’ll stay here until all of you are gone to make sure nothing happens.”

  Less than ten minutes later, all the women were gone. After the last group left, Kevin held out his arm to Gen. Crandal. Without saying a word, the general put his hand on Kevin’s arm as Dani put his paw on Kevin’s leg. Then Kevin turned the key and they left the caves in Landoryn.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Kevin, Dani, and Gen. Crandal had only been back a couple of minutes when Alek and Rigel walked into the general’s office. After they gave Kevin his keys back, they headed back down to the kitchen to oversee things.

  Once they were gone, Kevin told Gen. Crandal he was going upstairs to change into some older clothes but he’d be back in about twenty minutes. Gen. Crandal said he wanted to check on things in the dining room, but he’d be back by the time Kevin was.

  Before Kevin left the office, he asked, “Still with me, Dani?”

  “Right beside you.”

  When they reached Kevin’s room, King Merdin and Nikki were both on the couch, sound asleep. Dani jumped up on Kevin’s dresser before becoming visible.

  King Merdin stretched his arms out and let them drop in his lap. “So, how did it go?”

  “Smooth,” Dani answered. “The guards never woke up. They have no idea the captives are gone.”

  King Merdin nodded. “Best possible outcome. They’ll spend today searching the tunnels. I doubt they’ll be in any hurry to notify Gwendolyn, especially as they can’t say what happened to them.”

  Kevin nodded as he returned King Merdin’s key. “We couldn’t have pulled it off without you, Dani. Thanks.”

  “No problem,” the cat replied. “Here’s hoping things go that well tomorrow.”

  “Well, I doubt the guards will be sleeping tomorrow. We’re going to hit the dungeon late afternoon, their time. They’ll be wide awake.”

  “If you want them asleep, all you have to do is say so. I can make it happen.”

  “I’ll think about it,” Kevin said.

  “So, what time do you want to go tomorrow morning?” King Merdin asked.

  “Let’s say 9:00. We were lucky tonight. In and out in about an hour. If we’re that lucky tomorrow, we’ll be back before 10:00. But if we hit a problem, hopefully it’ll give us time to sort it out.”

  King Merdin nodded. “Ready to go, Dani?”

  Dani jumped down from the dresser and joined King Merdin at the couch. Nikki raised her head, but didn’t offer any objections.

  “Thank you,” Kevin said as the two of them left.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  After Kevin changed clothes, he took Nikki to Neiven’s house and left her with Marshall. When he got back to the general’s office, Gen. Crandal was already there, sitting at one of his tables with a plate of sandwiches and two mugs of scog.

  Gen. Crandal motioned to the plate and the second mug of scog. “Thought you might like a little something. I know I didn’t eat much dinner tonight. I doubt you did either.”

  Kevin sat down, picked up one of the sandwiches and took a big bite. After he swallowed, he said, “Thanks. That’s good. So how are things going in the dining hall?”

  “Joan was waiting when the women got there. She loaded them up and took them to the chapel. Sister Agnes and the aides were preparing a big breakfast for them, to be followed by baths and clean clothes. And since it’s morning to them, they’ll probably stay up the rest of the night.”

  “What about the men?”

  “An hour ago they were sleeping on a cold cave floor with no hope of ever seeing daylight again. Now they’re sitting in a huge room with loads of food and people waiting on them. They’re pretty much in shock.”

  Kevin nodded. “Are they eating?”

  “Yes, and they’re doing a good job of it, too. Miranda’s staff is filling up their plates and bowls as fast as they can empty them. If they aren’t careful, we’re going to have some sick guys when we take them to the mountain camp.”

  Kevin laughed and shook his head. “If that’s the worst problem we have tonight, I’ll be happy.”

  “When do you want to start taking them up there? Sisters Theresa and Hayley are checking them for sores, injuries, and any signs of illness. They haven’t had a chance to examine all of them, but they’ve done more than half. So far the men seem to be in pretty good shape.”

  “Let’s give them a couple of hours to get over the shock. I’ll go down in a little bit and suggest to Miranda that it might be time to pull back and box up the rest of the food for them to take with them. Cpt. Lawrence and I can move the supplies up there while the men relax. That’ll give the sisters plenty of time to finish up.”

  Gen. Crandal nodded. “We were lucky the guards didn’t wake up.”

  “I know. Things would have been more complicated if we’d had to deal with them.”

  “Not just that. When they realize those men are gone, they’ll go over that chamber inch by inch trying to figure out how they got out. When they come to the conclusion they didn’t escape through some opening in there, they’ll figure they slipped past the guards, and that’s when they’ll start searching every tunnel in that whole system.” Gen. Crandal shook his head. “Sure wouldn’t want to be in those guards’ shoes when their captain reaches the conclusion they were sleeping on duty.”

  “I hope you’re right about the searching. The longer they wait before notifying Gwendolyn, the better.” After a couple more bites of his sandwich, Kevin asked, “They wouldn’t kill those guards for something like that, would they?”

  “Possibly, but not until after they told Gwendolyn. She’d probably want to deal with them herself.”

  “Collateral damage.”

  “What?” Gen. Crandal frowned.

  “People or things that get hurt when you’re trying to do something else, like if you build a dam to help farmers get water for their crops, and cause a pond farther down the stream to dry up. The pond would be collateral damage.”

  “Oh, the guards.
They weren’t involved in any way, but now they’re in danger.”

  “Right.”

  Gen. Crandal thought for a moment. “I’ve been thinking about the guards at the dungeon. You wanted to offer them a way out.”

  Kevin nodded.

  “Why not take them to the cave? It’ll get them out of the castle, and once they get there, they can decide whether they want to stay with those guards or take off. And they can let the guards at the cave know what happened to their captives in time for those guards to take off if they want to. Their decision. Their responsibility.”

  “Good idea,” Kevin said. After he finished eating, he stood up. “Guess we need to move the supplies. Want to come with me so you can let your men up there know what’s going on?”

  Gen. Crandal nodded. “I sent them a note earlier today saying to expect some new men tonight, but I need to let Paddy know they aren’t the usual recruits.”

  “Is Wythe going back tonight?” Kevin asked as they headed towards the dining room.

  “He asked if he could stay until you get the people out of the dungeon. I think he wants to make sure they make it. I told him it would be all right.”

  They had just stepped into the dining room when one of the men yelled out, “There he is. That’s Myron! He’s the one who rescued us!” And the whole place erupted.

  Gen. Crandal patted him on the shoulder. “One of the more pleasant duties of your job is to let people say thanks. Enjoy it. We’ll take care of the supplies.”

  Kevin handed Gen. Crandal his key to Terah and walked through the cheering men, smiling and shaking hands as he went.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Kevin had felt pretty pleased with himself when he’d come upstairs after transporting the men to the mountains, but he hadn’t been in his room ten minutes when he was besieged with doubt about his plans for Chris’s rescue. What if Gwendolyn had moved him? What if she’d given Elin away? What if the guards at the caves figured things out and warned her? What if he was leading everyone into a trap?

  He needed a good night’s sleep, but after tossing and turning most of the night, Kevin gave up and got up an hour before daybreak. He didn’t remember ever being this nervous before, not when he’d had to meet Glendymere, not when he’d had to spar with a dragon, not even the first time he’d had to go to a council meeting. Nothing in his life so far had held a candle to the way he felt that morning.

  He made his way out to his practice field as the sun was coming up. He ran through his routine four times trying to capture the high that always accompanied a good session, but he never made it. He couldn’t clear the doubts and worries out of his mind.

  There was no way he was going to be able to eat, but coffee was a must. When he stopped by the kitchen, Miranda was hard at work, fixing breakfast for the castle, and soups and soft sweets for the women and children from the dungeon. But even with all that going on, she had a pot of fresh coffee on the stove, and a cup sitting on the counter waiting for him.

  “It’ll be fine,” Miranda said without looking up from what she was doing. “Last night went well, and so will today. Relax.”

  Kevin shook his head. Good thing he’d never played poker. Every thought he had flashed across his face. “Thanks. And thanks for the coffee.”

  After he left the kitchen, Kevin went to his office to see if there were any messages for him. He was hoping for something that might distract him for a while, but no such luck. All had been quiet.

  There wasn’t anything more he could do to prepare for the rescue mission. It would either go well, or it wouldn’t. All he could do was wait.

  At 8:30, Alek and Rigel walked into the office and sat down at the conference table with Kevin.

  “Did you get any sleep last night?” Kevin asked.

  Both men nodded as Alek said, “I was worn out. All those trips through the energy field wiped me out. I was asleep almost before I hit the bed.”

  “Same here,” Rigel said. “You?” he asked Kevin.

  Kevin shrugged. “Not much.”

  “It’ll be over soon,” Alek said, “and if today goes as well as last night, we’ll be in and out before anyone realizes we’re there.”

  “I doubt we’ll be that lucky today. I don’t think the dungeon guards will be asleep.”

  “Well, if they’re smart, they’ll sit there and keep their mouths shut,” Rigel said under his breath.

  Kevin grinned. “My thoughts exactly.”

  Then Gen. Crandal and Darrell walked in. “I was just down in the dining hall,” Gen. Crandal said. “Miranda’s chasing everyone out so she can set up for the captives. That place smells wonderful.”

  Kevin chuckled. “Soup.”

  “And fresh bread,” Darrell said.

  Kevin stood up. “Guess I’d better get dressed. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

  “We’ll be here,” Gen. Crandal said.

  Kevin changed his clothes and used his key to go out to the stable to pick up Nikki. King Merdin would probably like some company while he waited for them. When Kevin and Nikki got back to his room, King Merdin was sitting on the couch and Dani was stretched out along the top of the back.

  “About ready?” King Merdin asked as Nikki jumped up beside him.

  Kevin nodded.

  “I think we should go in right in front of the door. There’s a small hall there that’s sheltered from the cells and the guards. Dani and I can make a quick check to see if everything’s all right before anyone knows you’re there.”

  “Okay, but same deal as last night. If there’s any sign of trouble, hit the floor, and use your key to get out of there as fast as you can. I’ll be right behind you. We could be walking into a trap with this one.”

  King Merdin nodded as he rubbed Nikki’s belly.

  “Have you decided what you want to do about the guards?” Dani asked.

  “If things are all right, there’s no trap or anything, I’ll want to talk to the guards, so I guess you’d better leave them awake.”

  “Let me know if you change your mind.” Dani placed his paw on King Merdin’s head.

  King Merdin looked at Nikki. “Back in a minute, girl. Don’t go anywhere.”

  As soon as he felt Kevin’s hand on his shoulder, he turned the key and they left for Gwendolyn’s castle.

  When they arrived, the only one visible was Kevin. After a couple of moments, Dani patted his leg and said, “Everything’s fine here. Three guards, playing Octuro. Most of the prisoners are sleeping but a few are leaning against the wall. Go get your people. We’re fine here.”

  Kevin used his key and went back to his office in Milhaven.

  Meanwhile, Dani reached out and touched Chris’s mind. “We’re here, Chris. In a minute you’ll feel King Merdin’s hand on your shoulder. Myron’s gone back to get some reinforcements to help with the rescue, but as soon as he gets back, you and King Merdin are heading home. It’ll just be a minute.”

  Chris’s mind was hazy from a mixture of boredom and no food, but he wasn’t asleep. “Thank you.”

  “When you get there, drop King Merdin off and use his key to come back. Are you strong enough to help with the transfers?”

  “I’m a little weak, but strong enough for that.”

  “Good. Myron’s back.” Dani switched to King Merdin’s mind and said, “Go.”

  Kevin, Gen. Crandal, Alek, and Rigel emerged from the energy field right inside the door, out of view of everyone but Dani.

  “Chris will be back with the key in a moment,” Dani said before Kevin had a chance to ask.

  Kevin handed a key to Alek and motioned for him to head inside the first cell. As soon as Alek picked up a sleeping boy, Kevin and the others started down the hall towards the guards. They didn’t try to sneak up on them, but the guards didn’t realize they had visitors until they saw Kevin standing in front of them.

  “Good afternoon, gentlemen,” Kevin began.

  One of the guards started to get up, but Kevin used his outstretched han
d to gently push him back down in his seat. “Please don’t try to be heroes. There’s nothing you can do to prevent me from rescuing these people. I have no interest in harming you, but I will if you try to interfere. All you’ll do is get yourself killed.”

  “Who … who are you?” one of the guards asked, barely above a whisper.

  “My name is Myron, of the House of Nordin, Seated Sorcerer of Camden. These people are from Camden and I’ve come to take them home.”

  “Myron? Master Sorcerer Myron?” another guard asked, his eyes big as saucers.

  “I’m also known by that name, but tonight I’m here as the Seated Sorcerer of Camden.”

  “Makes no difference what you call yourself,” the third guard said. “You’re still the Master Sorcerer.”

  Kevin nodded. “So, do we have an understanding? You’ll sit here and mind your own business and let us get on with ours?”

  “Yeah, well, it’s not like we have a lot of choice,” the first guard said, “but if we were really to mind our own business, we’d have to try to stop you.”

  “It won’t matter whether you kill us or not,” the second guard said. His face had gone a couple of shades whiter during the brief conversation. “When Gwendolyn finds out we let you take her slaves, she’ll do it herself.”

  Kevin nodded. “I see your dilemma. If you try to stop me, you die. If you don’t, you die. Not a very pleasant choice.” He paused and looked at each man. “What if I offer you a third option? We’ll have these cells emptied in a few minutes. If you like, I can take you out of here when we leave.”

  The guards looked at each other and then the first guard frowned. “To some jail cell?”

  “Did you have anything to do with raiding the villages in Camden to capture these people?” Kevin asked.

  All three guards shook their heads. “I’ve never been out of Landoryn before. And I’ve been here, in this castle, for the past five years,” the third guard said at the same time the second guard said, “We didn’t have anything to do with any slave raids.”

  “Then you’ve broken none of our laws and there’s no reason for you to be in prison.” Kevin paused as he felt Dani touch his mind. “Chris and Alek have emptied the first cell and are working on the second one. They’ll be done in fifteen more minutes.”