The Dragon's Flame (The Chronicles of Terah # 2)

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  “Is she always like this?” Alek whispered.

  Kevin nodded. “She hasn’t even gotten started good yet.”

  A few minutes later, Drusilla charged back into the kitchen, making notes on a pad of paper as she walked. She handed Kevin a folded sheet of paper. “Here, give this to Theresa, and see that she has everything she needs. And can you be here around 10:00 tomorrow morning? I’ll be ready by then. And I’d really like for you to go see Glendymere before you come here so we’ll know where we stand. If our pendants don’t work anymore I’ve got to find a way to notify the other sisters.” She stepped over to the back door, opened it and said, “Harald, I’ll need you to drive.” She glanced back at Kevin, said, “See you tomorrow morning. 10:00,” and with a swish of her skirts, she was out the door.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  When Kevin and Alek returned to Timera Valley, Kevin found Theresa and gave her the note from Drusilla.

  Theresa,

  Please make arrangements to come to Drisden tomorrow and take care of things here while I’m in Timera Valley. You should probably plan to be here for at least a couple of weeks, possibly as long as a month.

  Harald is the only aide I have at present, and as you know, his responsibilities do not include patient care, so you’ll need to bring someone with you to help out.

  Dru

  After Theresa read the note, she passed it to Kevin and said, “I’ll need to go back to Milhaven before I go to Drisden.”

  Kevin nodded. “Do you know who you want to take with you?”

  “I need to talk to Sister Agnes first, but I’m thinking about asking Hayley. What time are you supposed to pick up Dru?”

  “10:00.”

  Theresa nodded. “I’ll need to go with you when you go to Drisden to get her. I’m sure there’ll be some things that she’ll want to go over with me before she leaves. I guess you’ll need to come get me pretty early. If Hayley wants to go with me, she’ll need time to pack. So will I for that matter.”

  “All right. What time do you want me to pick you up tomorrow morning?”

  “Around 7:00?”

  “Okay. Is there anything else you need me to do tonight?” Kevin asked.

  “Not that I can think of.”

  “Then I think I’ll get Chris, Alek, and Laryn and head back to the castle.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  As soon as they returned to the castle, Alek looked at Kevin and asked, “What time are you planning to head out tomorrow morning?”

  “I’m picking Theresa up at 7:00, but there’s no need for anyone to go with me then. I’m just going to Brena’s chapel and back to Milhaven.”

  “One of us will be here at seven, sir.”

  Kevin decided it wasn’t worth arguing about. “Fine.”

  After Alek left, Kevin, Chris, and Laryn went into Kevin’s office. Kevin sank down in his chair and leaned back. “Drusilla brought up another possible motive for the break-in. According to the legend, the pendants will protect the sisters as long as the flame burns in the lamp.”

  “Does that mean that if the flame goes out their pendants are useless?” Chris asked.

  Kevin shrugged. “No one seems to know. I’m going to Glendymere’s tomorrow morning as soon as I drop Theresa off in Milhaven and find out. Want to come with me?”

  “Sure.”

  “That could explain how Brena got bashed on the head,” Laryn said thoughtfully.

  “When Drusilla said that, the first person I thought of was Gwendolyn,” Kevin said.

  “I don’t think she had anything to do with it, at least not personally,” Laryn said.

  “Why not?” Chris asked.

  “She’s too arrogant,” Laryn answered with a shrug. “Sneaking into a building in the middle of the night to steal what she wants is just not her style. Showing up at the front door and demanding it would be a lot more like her.”

  “What about Malcolm?” Kevin asked. “He was right there, backing her up.”

  “He’s as arrogant as she is. He would have just demanded that Brena give it to him, too,” Laryn answered. “Besides, I really don’t think a sorcerer was in that workroom.”

  “Why not?” Kevin asked.

  “Because, from all appearances, Brena was hit on the head with a pestle. A sorcerer would have hit her with an energy bolt and swept up the ashes. That way she would have been missing instead of attacked. It would have been a long time before anyone got around to looking for the lamp and figured out that there had been a break-in.”

  “That’s cold,” Chris said.

  “No colder than bashing someone on the head and then smearing their blood and hair on a counter top to make it look like an accident,” Kevin said as he sat up in his chair and folded his arms on his desk. “I was thinking earlier about asking Marcus and Colin to stick around. I’d like to have one of them stay out at Brena’s for a while and the other could go with Theresa.”

  “Why?” Laryn asked. “What could they do?”

  “For one thing, they could set up some protection wards on the doors and windows at night,” Kevin answered.

  “That’s not a bad idea,” Laryn agreed. “When were you planning to approach them with this idea?”

  “Tonight, I guess.” Kevin said with a sigh. “Do you think they’re still up?”

  “Probably. It’s not really all that late; it just feels like it,” Chris said as he stood up and stretched. “I’ll go see if I can find them. Do you want to talk to them in here?”

  Kevin nodded. “If Ariel’s still out there, ask him to go down to the kitchen and see if he can scrounge up some coffee.”

  “I’m going to find Steve and let him know what’s going on,” Laryn said. “I’ll be in the castle if you need me for anything else tonight.”

  After Chris and Laryn left, Kevin leaned back, closed his eyes, and thought. If he was going to station a couple of armed men at the chapel in Timera Valley for the foreseeable future, maybe he should use soldiers instead of guards. He’d check with General Crandal later and see what he thought. But he could only get away with sending one man to Drisden, and he really wanted a sorcerer up there.

  Rolan would be justifiably upset if he knew that a sorcerer who was reporting directly to Kevin was staying in Brendolanth. They needed to come up with some kind of cover story, some reason why he was there. What reason could they use? What would cause a sorcerer to leave his home and accompany a woman to another province, even temporarily? Then Kevin smiled to himself – love.

  Kevin’s thoughts were interrupted by Ariel’s arrival. He had a tray of meat sandwiches, some fruit tarts, a pitcher of scog, and a large pot of coffee. As he set everything out, he said, “You didn’t get to finish your dinner before you had to leave, sir, so I brought you something to eat, too.”

  While Kevin was fixing himself a plate, he asked Ariel if he knew whether or not General Crandal was in the castle.

  “Yes, sir. At least he was a little while ago.”

  “Good. Go see if he’s still here. If he is, tell him I’ll be down shortly. I need to fill him in on what’s been going on tonight.”

  “Yes, sir,” Ariel said as he turned to go.

  Before Kevin could finish eating, Chris knocked lightly on his open door and said, “I have Marcus and Colin with me. Do you want to talk to them now, or should we wait a minute?”

  “No, bring them in,” Kevin said as he wiped his hands on a napkin and stood up. “Chris, go ahead and fix yourself a plate.” Then he addressed the sorcerers. “Would either of you like something to eat, some scog, or some coffee?”

  Marcus and Colin both shook their heads no.

  “I’m going to get right to the point,” Kevin said, sitting back down. “Last night, we had a break-in at the Chapel of Light in Timera Valley. I don’t know much at this point, but I’d like for one of you to stay there for a while, probably a couple of weeks, possibly longer, until we can figure out what’s going on. Your main responsibility will be to put wards on all the wind
ows and doors. Most of the wards can be left on once they’re in place, but a few would have to be removed every morning and then set up again at night. I’d like for the other one to go to Drisden, a small village in Brendolanth, and do the same thing at the chapel there.”

  “Was it broken into also?” Marcus asked.

  Kevin shook his head no. “Drusilla, the sister in Drisden, is next in line to take over the Sisterhood. She’s going to come to Timera Valley tomorrow and stay for a while, at least until Brena is back on her feet. In the meantime, Theresa, a sister from here, is going to cover Drusilla’s chapel. I want one of you to go with her.”

  Colin frowned. “How can a sorcerer from Camden just show up in Drisden and move into their chapel? Wouldn’t the local sorcerer get upset over that?”

  “Probably, unless the man with Theresa was her fiancé,” Kevin said with a grin.

  “Fiancé?” Marcus asked as Chris burst out laughing. “What’s a fiancé?”

  “Someone who is engaged to be married, someone who has already declared his intention of marrying a particular girl, and she has agreed to the union,” Kevin answered.

  “Marriage?!” Marcus gasped. “To a girl we’ve never even met?!”

  “I didn’t say you would actually get married,” Kevin reassured them. “It’s called a cover. It’s like being a performer, an actor, and this is your role. I’d like for one of you to go with Theresa and pretend to be her future husband. You would observe all the proprieties. One of the aides at the chapel here is going with you, and she’ll know that it’s all just an act. You’ll sleep in the chapel, but not in the same room with either of the girls. Drusilla’s aide will also be there. A young man named Harald. He’ll be able to reassure any of the nosy villagers that you’re only there to look after your future wife while she’s on this temporary assignment. If it’ll make you feel any better, you don’t even have to use your real name while you’re up there.”

  Marcus frowned while Colin grunted.

  “Can either of you think of another story we can use? Another reason why a young man would pick up, leave his home, and follow a woman to a distant village?” Kevin asked.

  After a few minutes, they both slowly shook their heads.

  “Look, I’m not ordering you to do this. If you don’t want to, I’ll find somebody else, no hard feelings, and it won’t affect your chances for a position as a district sorcerer in the future. Nothing about either of these assignments is typical work for a sorcerer, and you may well be putting yourselves in danger if you go to either place,” Kevin said. “I’d like for you to have plenty of time to think about it before you have to decide, but time is one thing that we just don’t have. I can give you maybe half an hour while I go see General Crandal, but I’ll have to know your answer then.”

  When Kevin stood up to leave, Marcus and Colin looked at each other. Then Colin cleared his throat and said, “We can give you our answer now, sir. We’d be honored to protect the chapels. We just need to let our families know not to expect us back home for a while.”

  “Your families?” Chris asked. “I thought both of you were single.”

  “We are. I mean our parents, brothers, and sisters,” Colin said. “If we could just send a note? We won’t have to tell them where we’re going to be, only that we have accepted a temporary assignment and will be delayed for a while.”

  “Ariel will get you everything you need and will take care of sending off your letters. Thank you,” Kevin said. “When I get back from General Crandal’s office, we’ll decide which one of you is going to go to Drisden.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  General Crandal’s office door was open, so Kevin knocked on the doorframe and waited for the general to invite him in. Then Kevin sat down in front of the general’s desk and asked, “Have you heard about Timera Valley?”

  “Bits and pieces. Not enough to really know what’s going on.”

  Kevin filled him in on what they knew and what they surmised. “I’d like to have a couple of armed guards stay at the chapel until we find out for sure what’s going on. Right now I have two of Darrell’s men out there, but I have a feeling that getting to the bottom of this is going to take a while. The sister’s pendants may work; they may not. I should find out the answer to that question tomorrow morning, but either way, I want guards out there.”

  General Crandal nodded. “By guards, do you mean actual guards, or would soldiers do?”

  “I want someone who has seen battle, someone who would know how to defend himself and others,” Kevin answered. “And I’d rather they not look like guards, if you know what I mean.”

  “I may have a couple of men who could fill that bill. They’re not active soldiers, they’ve retired, but they’ve seen plenty of action against slavers and river bandits, and they know how to fight. They’re in their fifties though. Would that be a problem?”

  “Not unless it’s a problem for them.”

  “Fine. They both live near Milhaven, one about five miles out, the other maybe three. I’ll go see them tonight and see if they’d be willing to go. When would you need them?”

  “Tomorrow, if at all possible.”

  “Do you have any idea how long you’ll need them?” General Crandal asked. “I doubt it will make any difference to them, but I’d still like to have some kind of time frame in mind when I talk to them.”

  “Not really. I’m pretty sure it’ll run a month or so, but there’s a good possibility it’s going to be longer than that. And tell them that I’m putting a sorcerer out there, too.”

  “A sorcerer?”

  “Uh-huh, but he’s young, and relatively inexperienced. One of the applicants who competed today.”

  “And lost?”

  Kevin grinned. “Only because he was male and from up north. It’s a long story, but after the competition, we all agreed that since all three of the sorcerers were acceptable, we’d go with the woman who was from the area.”

  “Exactly what are you expecting the sorcerer to do?”

  “All I’m asking him to do is to put protection wards on the windows and doors. I know the front door will have to be unprotected during the day and evening, but once everyone at the chapel settles down for the night, I want a ward put over that one too,” Kevin said. “The thief broke in through the back door, or at least that’s what we think. I want to prevent that from happening again.”

  General Crandal nodded as he stood up. “Well, if I’m going to go see both of them tonight, I’d better get started. If they agree to go, I won’t bother you tonight. I’ll have them here by lunchtime tomorrow. But if for any reason either one of them says no, I’ll let you know.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  By the time Kevin returned to his office, Marcus and Colin were drinking scog and relaxing in the reception area.

  “Get your letters sent off all right?” he asked as he walked over to them.

  “Just fine, sir,” Marcus answered.

  “Now, how are we going to decide who’s going to go where?” Kevin asked as he sat down.

  “They’ve already tossed a coin for it,” Chris said with a grin. “Marcus is going to Drisden and Colin’s going to Timera Valley.”

  “Fine. Do either of you have any questions?”

  “Not at the moment, but by tomorrow morning we may,” Colin answered.

  “Well, I have one, sir. Does this Theresa know that I’m going to be pretending to be her intended?” Marcus asked.

  “Uh, no, but I’ll handle her. Don’t worry. She won’t blame you.”

  Marcus didn’t look convinced, but he nodded. “Then I guess we should get some sleep. Is there anything else?”

  “No, and thank you,” Kevin said as he shook hands with both men. “I really appreciate your being willing to help us out like this.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  After they had gone, Kevin went to his office and collapsed in his chair. When Chris followed him in, Kevin motioned him to one of the secretarial desks and said, “We need to make a l
ist of everything that has to be done tomorrow before I forget something.”

  After they finished the list, Kevin crossed his arms on his desk and laid his head down. It was getting close to midnight and his day had been incredibly full.

  Just as he was thinking about heading upstairs to bed, Chris said, “I hate to mention this, but we have some food, water, and supplies sitting on an island out in the middle of the ocean.”

  Kevin moaned. “I don’t suppose it would do any good to say that I’ll go get it tomorrow, would it?”

  “We can wait if you want to, but from the looks of that list we just made, tomorrow isn’t going to be much better than today.”

  Kevin sighed. “Okay, take my arm. Let’s get it over with.”

  Chapter 16

  Sunday

  Sunday morning, Chris woke up as soon as daylight hit his eyes. He opened Kevin’s door to wake him, but Kevin was already up and out. Chris walked out on the balcony and watched the glow of Kevin’s magic for a few minutes.

  Then, as Kevin neared the end of his routine, Chris went down to the kitchen to see what he could scrounge up for breakfast. He found plenty of fruit and breakfast pastries, but he wanted something with a little more punch, a little more energy. It was going to be another long day, and Chris wasn’t sure when Kevin might get a chance to eat again.

  He looked through the pantry, the cookie tins, the bread boxes, and finally found what he was looking for in a covered tin beside the stove: brownies with nuts. Chris chuckled to himself. Not exactly traditional breakfast food, but definitely high energy. He put six of the large brownies on a tray with two mugs of coffee and went back upstairs.

  Kevin was in his room when Chris got back. He knocked lightly, opened the door, and walked in with the tray.

  “Ready for coffee?” Chris asked as he handed Kevin a mug.

  “Thanks.”

  “Do you want me to go with you to tell Theresa that Marcus is going to play her fiancé?”

  Kevin laughed. “I’m tempted to say yes, but other than the fact that it’s not going to go over too well, I can’t think of any reason why you should. Why don’t you stay here and field whatever comes up?”