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

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  Always,

  Blalick

  After she read the note, she handed it to her husband. “I guess this makes it official. Landis is leaving us.”

  Hayden read the note slowly. “We always knew the day would come. It just came too fast. It feels like she’s only been here a couple of years.”

  Gwynn nodded. “Rhianna’s going to be devastated.”

  “I know. Has she talked to you about Landis leaving?”

  “No. Neither one of them has said a word, and that worries me a little. I thought the two of them would almost be in mourning by now.”

  “When the girls and Taelor get up, let’s show them the note and see what their reaction is.”

  Gwynn nodded. “Be ready to handle tears.”

  An hour later, they heard stirrings in the other rooms. Gwynn put on a fresh pot of tea and put the pastries that she had prepared earlier in the oven to bake. Taelor was the first to come into the kitchen. When Hayden handed him the note from Blalick, he read it and handed it back to Hayden.

  “We’re going to tell the girls when they come out,” Hayden said. “Do you want to be here?”

  “Not really, but I guess I should,” Taelor answered. He poured himself a cup of tea and sat down at the table to wait for the girls.

  A few minutes later, Rhianna and Landis walked into the kitchen laughing and talking, but as soon as they sensed the somber mood, the laughter died.

  “What is it?” Rhianna asked as she looked at her mother. “What’s wrong?”

  Hayden cleared his throat. “I guess it would be best to let you read the note for yourselves.” He handed Landis the note from Blalick.

  She slowly sank into a chair as she stared at the message. “So soon? I knew I’d have to go sometime this fall, but that’s only two months away.”

  Rhianna took the note out of Landis’s hand and read it. She laid it on the table in front of Landis, walked over to the stove, and poured two cups of tea. She set one down in front of Landis and then sat down in the chair beside her with the other.

  Gwynn watched her daughter carefully. “You’re taking this well, Rhianna. We were afraid you’d be upset that Landis will be leaving us so soon.”

  “Yes, well … I guess it’s time to tell you.” Rhianna stared down at her tea for a moment. Then she took a deep breath and said, “I’m going to go with her.”

  “You’re what?!” Gwynn gasped. Then she slowly shook her head. “Oh no, no. I don’t think so.”

  “Mother, I’m going,” Rhianna said softly.

  “We need to talk about this, Rhee,” Hayden said. “You haven’t thought this through. What are you going to do while you’re there? Landis is going to be busy with Glendymere. She’ll have to concentrate on her magic. There won’t be time for anything else. You can’t just hang around Blalick’s house all day long.”

  “I won’t be hanging around the house. I’ll be with Landis,” Rhianna said calmly. “I’m going to be her assistant.”

  “Rhee, be sensible,” Gwynn said. “That’s not fair to Landis. She needs to have the same assistant all the way through her training. Whoever works with her in Willow Canyon needs to go with her to Milhaven.

  “I know.”

  “But you can’t live there!” Hayden exclaimed.

  “And why not?” Rhianna asked.

  “You’re an elf!” Gwynn said.

  “Shelandra lived there. She’s an elf. And isn’t Myron part elf? He lives there,” Rhianna argued. “I doubt he’ll have a problem with my being there.”

  “That’s not the point,” Hayden said, trying to remain calm.

  “Then what is the point?” Rhianna asked.

  “You belong here, in Crinsor Run, or at least in North Amden,” Gwynn said. “We can’t protect you out there among the humans. Anything can happen, especially in Milhaven. Half the Council of Sorcerers are probably trying to get rid of Myron. I don’t want you caught in the middle of all of that.”

  “But it’s all right for Landis to be there?” Rhianna asked incredulously.

  “Rhianna, it’s her destiny,” Hayden said quietly. “She’s a sorcerer. She has to live in that world. We would rather keep her here with us, but she has to follow her own path.”

  “And I have to follow mine,” Rhianna said. “I’m going with her.”

  “Taelor, how do you feel about all of this?” Hayden asked, hoping to get some support.

  “I’m sorry, but I can’t get in the middle of this. I’ll go with Landis, and I’ll do whatever I can to help her, but I can’t tell either one of them what to do.”

  Gwynn looked at Hayden. “I have a feeling he’s already been through this with them.”

  Hayden shook his head slowly. “I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all. And we’re not done discussing this, but I have to send Blalick an answer. What should I tell him, Landis?”

  No one had really noticed, but Landis had tears running down her face. She looked at Hayden and said, “Tell him I’ll be there before the beginning of September, but that I don’t know for sure how many will accompany me. It may be only one, it may be two.”

  “No!” Rhianna interrupted. “Tell him there will be two of us with her, her brother, and her assistant. Period!” Hot tears started coursing down her cheeks. “I know you and Mother need some time to get used to the idea, but I am going.”

  Hayden looked at his daughter and thought his heart was going to break. “Rhianna, have you considered the possibility that Glendymere might object? I have no idea how he will feel about having an elf around while he’s working with Landis. You know, you have magical power flowing through you all the time. It could mess her up.”

  Rhianna stared at him for a minute. “I hadn’t thought about that. I’ll still go with her, of course, but if my power will mess her up, Taelor will have to be the one to assist her in her studies. I’ll make myself useful somewhere else. But I am going.”

  “Before you decide, at least let me go talk to Glendymere and see what he says about it,” Hayden said.

  “You can go if you want to, but my mind is already made up,” Rhianna insisted. “And don’t try to make Landis feel guilty. She feels bad enough about this already. She’s tried to talk me out of it several times, but I know she needs for me to be there.”

  Hayden stood up and turned to Gwynn. “I’m going to see if I can find Xantha. If he’ll fly me down, I can talk to Glendymere this evening.”

  Gwynn nodded and choked back a sob. She stood up and began fiddling with the stove. As soon as the pastries were done, she set them on the table and quietly left the kitchen.

  No one touched the food for a few minutes. Landis looked sick, Rhianna looked stubborn, and Taelor looked miserable.

  After a few minutes, Rhianna sighed, picked up a pastry, and said, “We knew this day would come. At least it’s done now. They know.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  By the time Xantha and Hayden reached Willow Canyon, it was nearly sunset. Xantha had contacted Glendymere telepathically while they were still an hour out to let him know that they were on their way. Xantha spiraled down into the canyon and landed right outside Glendymere’s cavern.

  Glendymere was curled up against the far wall, waiting for them. “Welcome, Hayden. It’s been a long time since you’ve been here.”

  “Yes, it has,” Hayden replied. “I don’t think I’ve been here since right before Badec and Yvonne got married.”

  “So, what brings you here this evening?”

  “We got the note from Blalick this morning, requesting that Landis be here by the first of September,” Hayden began.

  Glendymere nodded, but didn’t interrupt.

  “When we showed Landis the note, our daughter, Rhianna, told us that she’s planning to come with Landis and be her assistant.”

  “And how do you and Gwynn feel about this?”

  “We’re not too happy.”

  Again Glendymere waited, giving Hayden a chance to put his thoughts into words.
<
br />   “We’re not worried about her safety while she’s here. We know nothing could harm her in this canyon, not with you around. It’s just that if she’s Landis’s assistant here, she’ll feel that she has to go to Milhaven and be her assistant there, too. I know Myron’s powerful, and he’s a good man, but he’s also a target. And Rolan’s going to be determined to get both Landis and Taelor. I just don’t want Rhianna caught in the middle of all of that. It would be bad enough to lose Landis. I don’t think we could bear to lose Rhianna, too.”

  “By lose, you mean by death, don’t you?”

  “Yes, that’s what we’re afraid of.”

  “How can I help?”

  “I don’t know that you can. I came here mainly to see how you feel about having an elf around while you’re working with a human sorcerer, while you’re teaching her to gather power.”

  “It won’t bother me,” Glendymere said, and then sighed as he realized that Hayden had been hoping he would object. “I’m sorry, Hayden, but I can’t think of one good reason why her presence would be a problem.”

  “Oh well. It was a long shot.”

  “Landis has a half brother, doesn’t she? Couldn’t he be her assistant?”

  “We thought he would be, but apparently the girls had other ideas.”

  “Strong will is good in a sorcerer.”

  “But not such a good thing in a daughter,” Hayden said with a heartfelt sigh. “Well, thank you for seeing me, Glendymere. I guess I need to go up to the house and let Blalick and Ashni know to expect three guests.”

  Chapter 20

  Theresa Goes to Glenco

  Monday morning, as soon as Rigel and Marcus arrived in his office, Kevin opened the map of Prosidian and concentrated on the village of Glenco. A few moments later, the three of them were standing on the side of a small road in the middle of a forest at the foot of a mountain. Kevin set up his seeing eye and spotted the village about a mile to the east. He could see a river on the other side of the village, farms beyond that, and then more mountains. The valley looked like it was at least ten miles wide.

  “This looks fine to me,” Kevin said. “If you two will wait right here, I’ll be back in a minute with the girls.”

  “Sir, I think I should go with you to Milhaven,” Rigel said as he laid his hand on Kevin’s arm.

  “I’ll wait here,” Marcus said. “I want to look around a bit before we head into town anyway.”

  Kevin nodded, turned the key, and a few moments later, he and Rigel were standing in the backyard of the chapel in Milhaven. Two tote bags full of clothes sat on the back porch. Just as Kevin was stepping up to knock on the back door, it opened and Theresa stepped out with another tote bag, bigger than either of the other two.

  “Good morning,” Theresa said as she caught the door with her leg so that Hayley could get through. Hayley’s tote bag was bulging over the top.

  “Here, help me before I drop something,” Hayley said to Rigel.

  “What’s all this?” Kevin asked.

  “Well, I packed a few herbs and some extra bandages,” Theresa said. “All we know about Glenco is that the resident sister has been missing for over two weeks now. I have no idea what they have and what they’re out of.”

  Rigel sniffed. “The stuff in this bag doesn’t smell like herbs to me.”

  Hayley blushed as Theresa said, “Hayley wanted to take a few things with us, such as jams, jellies, dried fruit, chocolate, coffee, and so on. I tried to tell her we’re going to a village, not to a wilderness.”

  Kevin looked at all the bags and slowly shook his head.

  Hayley’s eyes flared for a moment. Then she tossed her hair back and met Kevin’s eyes. “I grew up on a farm less than ten miles from Milhaven. Until I met Theresa, I had never been farther than that. Since then, I’ve camped with gnomes, traveled through energy fields, and spent two weeks in a town a thousand miles away. Not that I’m complaining mind you, but I decided that when we take off, I want a few comforts from home with me. If this is too much for you to handle, fine. It can stay here.”

  “No, it’s all right,” Kevin said with a chuckle. “I’m just trying to figure out how the three of you are going to carry all of this stuff a little more than a mile.”

  “A mile?” Hayley asked.

  Kevin nodded. “I’m not going into Glenco. I’m taking you to a spot about a mile outside of town. You’re going to have to walk it from there.”

  “Oh,” Hayley said, crestfallen. “I guess we could leave the preserves, and maybe the cheese.”

  “No, we’ll figure out something,” Kevin said. “Rigel, you carry the bag with the food in it.”

  Rigel grinned at Hayley and inhaled deeply as he gathered the bag up in his arms. “Smells good. I might even be convinced to lighten your load a bit.”

  Hayley smiled and picked up her other bag.

  “Theresa, hand me one of your bags,” Kevin said as he held his hand out. Theresa handed him the bag with her clothes. “All right. Are you ready to go? Marcus is waiting for us on a road outside Glenco.”

  Theresa laid her hand on one of Kevin’s arm, Rigel and Hayley touched his other arm, and Kevin turned the key. When they materialized on the road to Glenco, Marcus was waiting off to the side.

  “See anything interesting?” Kevin asked.

  “Not really,” Marcus answered. “The town looks a little different from what we’re used to, but there’s the usual inn, tavern, blacksmith, stable, dry goods store, and farmers market. They even have a cobbler. The chapel’s a good size too, and the barn out back is big enough for several horses and a couple of buggies.”

  “How is it different then?” Hayley asked.

  “For one thing, the road is circular, around a central courtyard, and the hitching posts are on the courtyard side of the road rather than the shops side.”

  “What’s in the courtyard?” Theresa asked.

  “It looks like herb beds to me,” Marcus said. “Not a bad idea.”

  Rigel handed the bag with all the food in it to Marcus.

  Marcus frowned and asked. “What’s all this?”

  “Hayley thought a few comforts from home might come in handy, like preserves, and so on,” Rigel said with a grin.

  “You have to admit, Drusilla’s kitchen didn’t have many extras,” Hayley said. “We had the staples, but that was about it.”

  “True, but we got whatever we needed in town,” Marcus said, still frowning.

  Theresa decided it was time to defend her aide. “Well, personally, I’m glad Hayley was thoughtful enough to go to all that trouble. Now, how are we going to these bags to the chapel?”

  “I can carry them. No problem,” Marcus said as he used his outstretched hand to pick up all the bags.

  Kevin shook his head. “If you do, anyone who sees you will know you’re a sorcerer. I’d rather you get settled in town and sort of get the feel of the place before they find out.”

  “All right,” Marcus said slowly, “but how are we going to carry all of this stuff?”

  “You three go on ahead,” Kevin answered. “When you reach the chapel, one of you go check out the barn. Rigel and I will meet you in there with the bags.”

  As soon as Marcus and the girls left, Rigel leaned up against a tree and settled in to watch the road. Kevin sat down on a stump and concentrated on his seeing eye. He checked in on the others as they walked to town, but he also gave the valley a thorough search. Thick forests sloped down the side of the mountain behind them and covered the valley floor between the foot of the mountain and the river, except for the small area where the town was sitting. It looked like a section of the forest had been cleared for the town so that it could be set apart from the farms that dotted the eastern side of the river.

  Kevin used his eye to follow the road as it entered town from the west, circled around the courtyard, and then continued east, crossing the river over a bridge and meandering beside several farms before disappearing into the woods at the foot o
f another mountain. A smaller road ran north and south of the courtyard, but only for about a quarter mile each way, just enough for a few houses.

  About half an hour after they started out, Theresa, Marcus, and Hayley reached Glenco. The Chapel of Light was the first building on the left, directly across from the town inn. Theresa climbed the steps to the front porch and knocked on the door.

  After a few minutes, it was opened by a short, plump lady who looked like she was in her forties. Her green eyes peeked out from under the curly black hair that was bunched around her face, almost hiding her eyebrows. She frowned as she looked back and forth at the three strangers standing on her doorstep. “I’m sorry, but we don’t have a sister in residence right now. Is there something I could do to help?”

  Theresa smiled and asked, “Are you Dora by any chance?”

  Dora nodded and looked puzzled.

  “I’m Sister Theresa,” Theresa said as she pulled her pendant out from under her cloak. “Sister Brena sent me. I’m here to help out until either Sister Gerry comes back or Sister Brena assigns this chapel to someone else.”

  “Oh, thank you,” Dora said with relief. “I’ve been so afraid something serious was going to come up before someone could get here. I don’t know what I would have done.”

  Theresa eased her way into the building, and then stood to the side to let Hayley and Marcus enter. “Dora, this is Hayley, my aide, and our friend, Marcus.”

  “Hello, pleased to meet you,” Dora said as she wiped her hands on her apron.

  Hayley and Marcus both nodded.

  “How long have you worked here?” Theresa asked Dora.

  “Two years, ma’am. That’s all the chapel’s been open.”

  “I didn’t realize that. Shall we go into the kitchen? I could use something to drink.”

  “Right this way, ma’am.” Dora led them towards the back of the chapel.

  When they reached the kitchen, Dora stepped to one side of the doorway to let the others pass. Once they were in the kitchen, she slipped inside and stood against the wall next to the door.

  Theresa started opening cabinets, looking for mugs, while Hayley looked around for a teapot. Dora kept wringing her hands.