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

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  During the afternoon, Drusilla managed to get several mugs of tea into Brena, and by dinner, she was strong enough to eat a little toast and drink some broth. Things continued to improve Tuesday, and by Wednesday, Brena was able to sit up for a few hours during the afternoon. Her color was improving and the only thing that seemed to be wrong with her now was weakness from lack of solid food.

  Drusilla felt sure that Brena would be up and about by the weekend, so she wrote a note to Theresa to let her know that Brena was recovering and that she planned to return to Drisden on Saturday, provided Kevin had time to take her. Then she wrote to Kevin to let him know about her plans. She also told him that Brena was anxious to speak with him, but suggested that he postpone his visit until at least Friday to give her time to get a little stronger.

  Drusilla’s note was waiting on Kevin’s desk when he got to his office Thursday morning. He read it quickly and then called for Chris to join him. When Chris walked in the door, Kevin handed him the note.

  “When do you want to go?” Chris asked after he read it.

  “How about tomorrow morning, shortly after breakfast?”

  “I’ll check your calendar to make sure you don’t have anything else lined up.”

  “And would you find Laryn and see if she wants to go with us?”

  Chris nodded and left the office.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Friday morning, Kevin, Chris, Laryn, and Alek arrived at the chapel in Timera Valley while Colin and Drusilla were sitting at the kitchen table, lingering over coffee. Verna answered the door and led the visitors to the kitchen.

  While Colin rounded up a couple of extra chairs, Drusilla poured four more mugs of coffee. “Have some muffins,” she said as she passed a plateful of strawberry muffins around the table. “Colin made them fresh this morning.”

  Chris raised his eyebrows and looked at the muffins.

  Drusilla laughed at his expression. “Trust me, Chris. You’ll like them.” Then she turned to Colin and said, “Unless Chris has really changed, he’s a connoisseur where pastries and things like that are concerned.”

  Laryn laughed as she reached for one of the muffins. “You’ve got him pegged, Dru. I don’t know where he puts it all. He really should be as big as a house the way he wolfs down sweets.”

  Meanwhile Chris had picked up one of the muffins and gingerly taken a small bite. After a moment he grinned, gave Colin a thumb’s up, and began eating in earnest.

  Laryn looked at Drusilla and asked, “How is she?”

  “She’s not quite up to par physically yet, but everything else is back to normal,” Drusilla answered. Then she looked over at Kevin and said, “She’s in her office right now if you want to go on down.”

  “Her office?” Kevin asked.

  Drusilla nodded. “She wanted to check her records and see if her numbers agree with mine. They will, but she has to see for herself.”

  “I’m surprised she feels up to doing that,” Laryn said.

  “Me too,” Drusilla said with a shrug. “But you know how it is. We do what we feel we must. Anyway, I know she wants to talk to you, Kevin.”

  Kevin nodded. “I’ll go see her in just a minute. Colin, may I see you outside for a moment?”

  Colin opened the back door and held it open for Kevin. Then the two of them stepped off the porch and walked towards the woods.

  “I understand that Drusilla’s planning to go back to Drisden tomorrow,” Colin said once they were out of earshot of the chapel.

  “That’s the plan right now. How would you feel about staying here a little while longer?”

  “It’s fine with me,” Colin said. “Verna’s easy to get along with, and she’s a good cook, which is always a plus. And from the little bit that I’ve been around Brena, she’s nice, too. I’ll be happy to stay around here as long as you need me.”

  “Good,” Kevin said. “I’d like for you to tell Brena about Caezar and Ramen when you get a chance.”

  Colin nodded. “I told Drusilla, but I haven’t seen them around, so I haven’t introduced them to her.”

  “That’s fine. If you have the opportunity to introduce them to Brena, do it, but don’t try to find them just to introduce them.”

  Colin nodded. Then they headed back to the chapel.

  As soon as they came in the back door, Kevin started to walk past the kitchen on his way to Brena’s office.

  “Wait a minute,” Verna said. Then she got up, picked up a cup of tea, handed it to Kevin, and said, “That’s for Brena. Would you like me to make one for you?”

  Kevin shook his head as he took Brena’s cup. “Not right now, but thanks.”

  When he reached Brena’s office, he glanced in the door and saw her sitting at her desk with her head bent down over a big book. He knocked on the doorframe.

  “Come on in,” Brena answered without looking up. “I’m almost done with this page. Just give me a moment.”

  Kevin quietly stepped into the room and walked over towards her desk. When she looked up, he was standing across from her.

  “Sorry about that,” Brena said. “I thought it was Verna. She was going to bring me a fresh cup of tea.”

  “She sent me instead,” Kevin said as he set the cup down on her desk. “That’s for you.”

  “Thank you.” Brena sipped the tea as Kevin sat down. “Ahh, that’s good. Now, do you want to ask me questions, or shall I just tell you what I remember?”

  “Tell me what you remember.”

  Brena thought for a minute and then said, “I must have heard something, but I have no idea what. I just know that when I woke up, I had the distinct feeling that someone was in the chapel. I assumed it was someone from the valley, someone needing help. In the middle of the night, the first thing that always comes to mind is that a child is sick. So I got up, put on my robe and headed towards the front hall, but when I got to my workroom, I noticed that the door was open.” Brena paused and took another sip of tea. “That door is never left open unless I’m inside, Myron, never, so I went in to see what was going on. And that’s the last thing I remember. I know there wasn’t any light coming from the room, and I don’t remember seeing anyone. I don’t remember getting hit on the head either, but from everything I’ve been told, that must have been what happened. Sorry I can’t be any more help, but whoever it was must have been behind the door.”

  Kevin nodded. “That’s pretty much what we figured.”

  “I guess you’ve already figured out that whoever hit me had to be wearing a pendant,” Brena said matter-of-factly.

  Kevin nodded.

  “I wish I could be more help, but I give you my word, I’m not holding anything back. I’m not protecting anyone.”

  “That thought did cross my mind,” Kevin said quietly.

  Brena nodded.

  “Drusilla said that you thought you’d be ready to take over by tomorrow.”

  Again Brena nodded.

  “Are you sure you’re ready? I’m sure she’d stay a little while longer if you need her to.”

  “I know, but it’s time for things to get back to normal. I’m all right, and Verna will be here to help out.”

  “Colin will be here too, at least for a while.”

  “I appreciate your concern, but do you think it’s really necessary? I’m sure that young man has other things he’d rather be doing.”

  “I gave him a chance to say no, but he likes it here. To quote him, Verna’s a good cook,” Kevin said with a chuckle. “He lives by himself, so I imagine having someone cook for him is a treat.”

  “That’s fine, then,” Brena agreed. “I haven’t finished going through my records yet, but I’m sure Drusilla’s right. There’s a pendant missing, but we think it’s just one.”

  “One is all they need.”

  Brena looked at him long and hard. “I wondered if that thought had crossed anyone else’s mind. Do you want me to send out an alarm to all the sisters? I can’t see that it would do mu
ch good, and it would definitely cause a minor panic.”

  “I don’t think we should say anything right now. We don’t know enough yet.”

  Brena tapped her lip with her finger for a few moments. “We have to find out who’s behind this.”

  “I agree. I just don’t have any idea how to go about it. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.”

  Brena smiled. “I wish I had some. I guess all we can do is wait for something else to happen. Eventually this person is going to do something that will catch someone’s attention, and if we’re really lucky, one of us will get a complaint. Have you told Glendymere yet?”

  Kevin nodded. “He knows. He told me to let him know when I find out who has his opal. I think he plans to get it back himself.”

  “Serves them right,” Brena said. Then she stood up. “Did you bring Laryn?”

  Kevin grinned. “I couldn’t have kept her away if I’d tried. She’s in the kitchen waiting for us to finish talking. Do you want to go out there, or shall I send her back here?”

  “No, I’m ready to get out of here for a while. Let’s go,” Brena said as she led the way out of her office.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Late Friday afternoon a falcon arrived in Timera Valley with a note addressed to Brena. Since she was napping, Drusilla opened it to see if it was anything that needed immediate attention. The note was from a chapel aide in Glenco, a village at the foot of the mountains in Prosidian. It was dated the previous Friday.

  Brena,

  No one in Glenco has seen Sister Gerry for a week. She was at the chapel when I left for my night off last Friday, but she was not here Saturday morning when I got back.

  I have asked around the village and I have talked to the farmers in our area, but no one has seen her, and no one heard her say anything about going away. I have no idea where she could be or when she plans to return. What should I do?

  Dora

  Chapel Aide

  Glenco, Prosidian

  Drusilla read the note several times, trying to make sense of it. Finally she put it aside and started dinner. A little while later, Brena walked into the kitchen and offered to help.

  “You might want to take a look at this first,” Drusilla said as she handed Brena the note.

  Brena read the note quickly and frowned.

  “How often do we misplace sisters?” Drusilla asked, trying to lighten the mood.

  “All the time, for a day or so, but it usually just means there’s a woman having a difficult labor somewhere. I don’t think we’ve ever had one go missing for a week before.”

  “Do you know her?”

  Brena thought for a moment and then slowly nodded. “She worked here for several months after she completed her training. Let’s see,” she said, knotting up her forehead. “That must have been nine or ten years ago. I haven’t seen her since.”

  “Did she leave here and go straight to Glenco?”

  “No, as I remember it, she floated for a few years first.”

  “What kind of girl is she?”

  Brena frowned again. “She was rather self-indulgent, out for what she wanted, with little regard to the consequences for other people. I really didn’t expect her to stick with healing very long even though she had the gift.”

  “Do you think she just walked away from her post?”

  “It wouldn’t surprise me a whole lot, but I guess we need to send someone down there to check things out.”

  “Do you want me to go?” Drusilla asked.

  “No, you’ve been away from Drisden long enough looking after me. Maybe I should send Verna.”

  “You’re not strong enough to take care of everything around here by yourself yet.”

  “I know, but I can get someone from Milhaven to come over and help out. Maybe your Theresa would like to.”

  “Verna knows her way around here, and she knows the people and their histories. Why not send Theresa to Glenco?”

  “She’s so young,” Brena said. “I hate to send her into a situation like this, and things are so different in other provinces. Even the towns are laid out differently down there. There’s a central courtyard and the shops are in a circle around it. It would seem so strange to her, so unsettling.”

  Drusilla smiled and choked back a laugh. Brena had no idea that Theresa was from Earth. From everything Dru had heard about Earth, if Theresa could adjust to Terah, she wouldn’t bat an eye at a circular village. “Brena, she might be young, but keep in mind that she spent a year traveling with Myron before he took over as Master Sorcerer. She sang with a minstrel group and held clinics in exchange for room and board. She’s even lived with Glendymere.”

  “That’s true,” Brena said thoughtfully. “Do you really think she can handle this?”

  Drusilla nodded. “And I think she’ll find out as much about what happened as anyone else could, even one of us. She knows how to listen.”

  “All right. I’ll speak with her this weekend after she gets back from Drisden and see if she’s willing to go. Do you think Myron will take her?”

  “I’m sure of it,” Drusilla said as she picked up the note and put it back in its envelope.

  Chapter 18

  Last Weekend of Spring

  Shortly after breakfast Saturday morning, Kevin and Alek left Kevin’s office for the chapel in Timera Valley. As soon as they arrived, Drusilla stepped out on the porch and motioned for Kevin to walk with her. Alek sat down on the porch to wait.

  When they were out of earshot, Drusilla stopped and handed Kevin the note from Glenco. After he read it, he looked at her with questions in his eyes.

  “Brena’s going to ask Theresa to go to Glenco and see what she can find out about Gerry’s disappearance,” Drusilla said. “I offered to go, but she insisted that I had been away from Drisden long enough. She was going to send Verna, but I suggested that she send Theresa instead.”

  “Why?”

  “Theresa will ask more questions than Verna.”

  Kevin looked at the note again. “Where exactly is Glenco?”

  “It’s near the west coast of Prosidian, at the foot of the mountains.”

  Kevin nodded and fingered the note. “When is Brena going to talk to Theresa about this?”

  “She’s planning to ask you to bring her over this afternoon. She’ll ask her then. Will you be able to take Theresa to Glenco?”

  “As far as I know,” Kevin said. “Is there anything else I should know about?”

  Drusilla shook her head. “Not as far as I know. It’s been quiet here for the past couple of weeks.”

  “Good. Now, are you ready to go home?”

  Drusilla nodded. “Just be sure to pop in once in a while and let me know what’s going on.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  After Kevin had taken Drusilla back to Drisden and Alek, Theresa, Hayley, and Marcus back to the chapel in Milhaven, he asked Theresa to take a walk with him. They headed over towards the gardens surrounding the governor’s house.

  “How did things go in Drisden?” Kevin asked.

  “It was fun,” Theresa said. “I couldn’t believe how many people remembered me, and Marcus was the talk of the town. I don’t know if I’ll dare show my face up there again without him. Half the women in town are in love with him.” Theresa stooped over to smell a rose. “So, what’s up?”

  “What makes you think something’s up?”

  “I know you.”

  “Brena wants you to come to Timera Valley this afternoon for tea.”

  “Tea? Do we have afternoon tea here?”

  “I guess Brena does,” Kevin said with a grin. “Anyway, she’s going to ask you to go to Glenco for a bit.”

  “Glenco? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it,” Theresa said with a frown. “Where is it?”

  “It’s in Prosidian.”

  “Like I said, where is it?” Theresa insisted.

  “Prosidian pretty much takes up the middle of South America. It goes from one coast to the other.”
/>   “Amazon River area?”

  “If I remember the map right, I think the Amazon forms its northern boundary. I’ll have to look it up to be sure though.”

  “So I’m going to be in a jungle this time?”

  “No, I don’t think so. There are mountains along the west coast, and Glenco is at the foot of the mountains, according to Drusilla. I’m not sure which side of the mountains it’s on though. You may be near the coast.”

  “But you’ll know before you pick me up to go to Brena’s this afternoon, right?”

  Kevin laughed. “Yes, I’ll look it up. Are you going to want Hayley to go with you this time? There’s already a chapel aide in Glenco.”

  “Exactly why am I going?”

  “It seems that the sister there, Gerry, has disappeared. I think Brena is sending you there first of all to cover the chapel until she can get someone permanent in there, and secondly to see if you can find out what happened to Gerry.”

  Theresa nodded. “I guess I’d better take Hayley then. She’ll have a better chance of getting gossip out of Gerry’s aide than I will, and the women in the shops will be more likely to gossip with an aide than with a sister, especially about another sister.”

  Kevin and Theresa walked back towards the chapel in silence. Right before they got to the back porch, Theresa said, “At least I’m already packed. Guess I need to get inside and tell Hayley to stop unpacking her stuff. Are you planning to take Marcus, too?”

  “I hadn’t thought about it. Do you want me to?”

  “Yes, I think so,” Theresa said with a slow nod. “It seems your little cover story worked, only not with me. There’s something brewing between Marcus and Hayley, and I’d hate to split them up right now.”

  “Isn’t he a little old for her?”

  “Kevin, the man I was engaged to back on Earth was four years older than Marcus. And have you looked around Terah? Most of the men are quite a bit older than their wives. Besides, I think they make a good couple.”

  “So you’re playing matchmaker now?”

  “No way!” Theresa laughed. “I just don’t want to be responsible for breaking them up.”