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

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  King Merdin smiled. He figured the battle was won.

  Jaron nodded. “You want to get the lamp and pendants back, don’t you?”

  Kevin nodded. “Of course.”

  “Then you’re going to need some help,” Dani said. “We’re your best source of information, and no one will ever know that we were involved.”

  “Then once we’ve found them, you can let Glendymere know where they are, and I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to take it from there,” King Merdin added.

  Kevin shook his head. “Everyone involved in this thing is human. I’m supposed to tend to human problems. If I let Glendymere go after the pendants and the lamp, then the dragons would be getting involved in a purely human affair, which they have pledged not to do. It doesn’t feel right to me.”

  King Merdin shook his head. “I disagree. Glendymere is one of the victims here. The lamp is his. It holds his flame. The opals are his, with his flame burning inside them. He lent them to the Sisterhood, not to any of the sorcerers. He has every right to go after his property and take it back. If a human gets killed in the process, so be it. It would be his own fault for stealing from a dragon in the first place.”

  Kevin shook his head.

  “All right, we’ll leave that one for now,” King Merdin said. “But regardless of who actually handles getting them back, neither you nor Glendymere can do much until you know for sure who has them and where they’re hidden, and that’s where we come in.”

  “So you’re suggesting that you sneak into a heavily guarded castle and observe a seated sorcerer until you either find out where the lamp and pendants are hidden, or figure out that he’s innocent, right?”

  “Dani will be there,” Jaron said. “If your suspect even thinks about them, we’ll know we’ve got the right man.”

  King Merdin nodded. “You’ll have to decide whether or not you want us to grab them for you, but that can wait until you figure out which one of the sorcerers has the goods.”

  Kevin mumbled to himself, “I already know which one.”

  “What?” King Merdin asked.

  “He thinks Rolan, the Seated Sorcerer of Brendolanth, has them, but he has no proof,” Dani answered. Then he turned towards Kevin. “Do you want us to get the proof?”

  Kevin shook his head. “Not until I know more.”

  King Merdin’s smile spread from ear to ear. “So, you agree that we can be of service.”

  “You really want to do this?”

  Jaron nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, it’s a worthy mission.”

  “It will be our privilege,” King Merdin said with a slight bow. “It would bring honor to all gnomes.”

  Dani stretched his neck and purred.

  “Well, I’ll admit that it would help to know for sure that the lamp and pendants were there before I went in,” Kevin said quietly.

  “You’re planning to go in yourself?” King Merdin asked, frowning.

  Kevin shook his head. “Not the way you’re thinking. I mean before I go see the sorcerer, before I confront him. I have no plans to try to sneak into anyone’s castle.”

  “Good,” King Merdin said as he nodded in relief. “Leave the sneaking to us. Humans are not made for stealth.”

  Kevin laughed. “No, we’re not. So, how do you want me to contact you when I have something definite? Do you want me to borrow Theresa’s chimes?”

  “We’d rather Theresa not know about this,” Jaron said.

  “I agree,” Kevin said.

  King Merdin pulled a pouch out of his pocket and handed it to Kevin. “I brought you a set of chimes. Hang these on your balcony and I’ll come here, just like tonight.”

  Kevin nodded as he took the chimes. “Thank you.”

  “We’ll take our leave now and let you get some sleep. I’m sure we’ll see you again soon.” King Merdin took his key out from under his tunic. Jaron and Dani touched his arms and, with a shimmer of light, the three of them left.

  A few minutes later, while Kevin was getting ready for bed, there was a faint and hesitant knock on the door joining his room to Chris’s. He stepped over to the door and opened it.

  “I thought I heard voices in here,” Chris said. “Is everything okay?”

  Kevin filled him in on King Merdin’s visit.

  “Are you actually going to let the gnomes go waltzing into some other seated sorcerer’s castle and spy on him?” Chris asked hesitantly.

  Kevin nodded. “If I can figure out which one took the lamp, you bet I am.”

  “Good!” Chris said with a grin. “I was afraid you’d think you had to do everything yourself.”

  “Not in this case. I just hope nothing happens to them. We have a good working relationship with the gnomes right now, and I’d hate to mess that up.”

  “The way I see it, the only way you could mess it up would be to refuse their offer of help. If you let them help you, that shows that you value them and their assistance. The tie will be even stronger then.”

  “Unless one of them gets killed.”

  Chris shook his head. “Even then. They know the risks going in. So, when are you going to give them the go-ahead?”

  “I’m not sure where to send them yet.”

  “Yes you are. We both are.”

  “Okay, I know, but I don’t have anything concrete to base it on. Look, I may not have to worry about the rules here like the cops do back at home, but before I send anyone into someone else’s private quarters to search, I’ve got to have more than just my gut instinct.”

  Chris opened his mouth to say something, but Kevin got there first. “And more than your gut instinct, too. Let’s give it a couple of weeks and see what happens.”

  “We’ve been waiting for two months now. What makes you think something is going to happen in the next two weeks?”

  “The last council meeting.”

  “Why? What’s that got to do with it?”

  “I can’t put my finger on it, but when Damien suggested finding a way to name a new Master Sorcerer in case something happens to me, I had the distinct feeling that someone had suggested it to him,” Kevin said thoughtfully. “And did you notice how quick Rolan was to volunteer for that committee?”

  Chris nodded.

  “I think Rolan wants a plan in place to replace me before he makes his move.”

  “Why? I mean, if he wants to be the Master Sorcerer, why not just challenge you now? If he has a pendant, there’s no way he can lose.”

  Kevin shook his head. “I don’t know, but if that was his goal, he could have challenged me two months ago, when he first got the pendant. Maybe he knows that Glendymere could still kill him, or maybe he doesn’t completely trust it, but whatever his reason, I think he’s planning a sneak attack.”

  “So why do you think something will happen soon? Wouldn’t he wait until after the next council meeting? Until the plans are all in place?”

  “Before coming after me, yes, but he’s bound to be getting antsy. I don’t know what, but I bet something happens before long. I just hope we’re smart enough to pick up on it.”

  Chapter 31

  Stormy Weather

  Kevin was in his office Monday morning when the clatter of hailstones hitting the castle walls distracted him. He leaned back in his chair and listened to the storm for a minute. The thunder was so loud that the walls vibrated with each explosive crack, and between the claps of thunder, he could hear the wind howl. When he turned around to look out his window, he saw jagged streaks of lightening cutting through the dark sky as they jumped from cloud to cloud and then snaked their way to the ground. He watched the storm, caught up in its fury and power, until he heard a quick knock on his door.

  “Kevin,” Chris said as he opened the door. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’ve got one rough storm cutting loose out there.”

  “Awesome, isn’t it?” Kevin said with a grin as he glanced back out his window.

  “You and Glendymere,” Chris mumbled as he shook his
head.

  “Huh?” Kevin turned back towards Chris.

  “Kevin, trees are coming down all around us, and I don’t even want to think about what this wind’s doing to the buildings in Milhaven. This hail has to be tearing the crops to shreds, and there’s no telling what it’s doing to the horses and cattle in the pastures. Think you might be able to do something about it?”

  “I don’t know, but I can try,” Kevin said as he got up from his desk. Chris handed him his cloak as he headed out the door.

  Kevin went out the front entrance into the brunt of the storm. He opened his mind to the wind and rain, and as he mentally joined with the storm’s energy, he used the powers he’d inherited from his elven great-grandmother to reduce the temperature differences between the upper and lower air currents, calm the up and down drafts, and tone down the winds. After a while, the storm settled down into a relatively gentle rain.

  Kevin blinked his eyes several times as he broke his connection with the storm and shook his hands to wake them up. He felt like his whole body had gone to sleep while he was working with the storm.

  “It’s about time you came back,” Chris said. “I was starting to get worried.”

  “How long have you been standing out here?” Kevin said as he noticed Chris standing beside him.

  “I came out right behind you.”

  “How long was I up there?”

  “Nearly an hour. That’s the longest you’ve ever been gone,” Chris said as they started walking back towards the castle, “but I’m sure there are a lot of grateful people around here.”

  Kevin shook his head. “I don’t know how much good I did. It’s a massive system. It could be wreaking havoc fifty miles away.”

  “Well, if it does, I’m sure we’ll hear about it.”

  After lunch, the rain slacked off, so Karl organized the soldiers and castle guards who were not on duty into small groups and sent some of them into town to help repair roofs and sheds, and sent the others out into the rural areas to help the local farmers. Meanwhile, Kevin and Marcus spent the afternoon moving trees off roads and helping local farmers round up their livestock. By late evening, most of the major storm damage around Milhaven had been taken care of.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  The next morning Kevin and Chris were in Kevin’s office when Karl knocked on the open door and then came in. He walked over to Kevin’s desk and handed him a message.

  Governor Karl,

  Major storms swept through our area last night. Reports keep coming in from nearby towns about trees down, roads blocked, and buildings destroyed. We have a lot of injuries, but as far as I know, no deaths.

  I’ve sent out a few messages to neighboring districts asking for any extra lumber and building supplies that they have on hand. Would you ask Myron if he would be willing to transport a little of the lumber for some of the more essential repairs? We can send wagons for most of it, but there is no way the wagons can get there and back in less than a week, and they can’t even leave until we get the roads opened again.

  Ryan

  District Minister

  Ragenon

  Kevin read the note, handed it to Chris, and said, “Send Ariel out to find Marcus. I’ll pick up Colin on the way.”

  Chris quickly skimmed the note and nodded. “Which bodyguard do you want?”

  “It doesn’t matter, but whichever one goes with me is going to have to pitch in and help. No one just stands around today. And send someone into Milhaven to tell Theresa what’s going on. Tell her to get some things ready, and I’ll pick her up as soon as I can, hopefully before lunch. And tell her to bring Hayley, and that they need to pack for a couple of days.”

  “Where are you going to pick them up?”

  “Milhaven.”

  Chris nodded and headed for the door.

  Then Kevin turned to Karl. “Send out some requests for aide. See if you can get some food and clothing as well as building supplies, like the Salvation Army did back at home.”

  Karl nodded. “I’ll get Joan started on lining up some stuff. She’s really good at that.” As he turned to leave the office, he added, “I’m going to want to go to Walnut Springs later, probably this evening. I want to talk to Ryan, but I imagine he’ll be busy most of the day.”

  Kevin nodded.

  Marcus knocked on Kevin’s door as Karl was leaving. “Ariel said you were looking for me?”

  “Storms hit a few of the villages in Ragenon pretty hard last night. Want to come along and help out?”

  “Sure.”

  “Pack enough clothes for about three days and meet me back here as soon as you can.”

  Marcus nodded and left.

  Chris stepped back into the office. “Rigel’s coming. He’ll be here in just a minute.”

  “Okay. I bet Ryan’s people have been working for hours without a break. We need to take them some food. Send one of the pages down to the kitchen to make sandwiches. On second thought, send all of them. Tell them I’ll come back for the food in an hour or so. Have it in here, packed and ready to go.”

  Chris nodded and stepped back out into the reception area to tell the pages.

  A couple of minutes later, Rigel came walking into Kevin’s office with a big ax, a hammer, and something that looked like a big crowbar. “Chris told me what was going on, so I brought my tools.”

  Alek walked through the door right behind Rigel, with similar tools. “Need another volunteer?”

  Kevin smiled. “Sure. Marcus is going, too. I thought we’d all go to Walnut Springs, and then I’ll go to Timera Valley and check on things there. If everything’s all right, I’ll bring Colin to help out, too.”

  Rigel nodded.

  Marcus walked through the door with a small bag in his hand.

  Kevin looked around at the group assembled in his office. “Can anyone think of anything else we need to do before we go?” No one said anything so Kevin stepped into the middle of the group and took out his key. “Then let’s go.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  A few seconds later, they materialized on the street in Walnut Springs. Kevin turned around slowly, letting the scene sink in. There were roofs lying in the street, buildings missing one or more walls, and in a few instances, only a foundation where a building had once stood. Trees were on top of houses, on top of sheds, and across the roads. The street and yards were littered with tree branches, furniture, clothes, toys, and even a few pots and pans. Children were crying, dogs were barking, and above it all, there was the sound of axes, hammers, and saws.

  Kevin and his crew followed the sounds of men working and found a group of townsmen trying to get a large oak tree off of a man’s house. Kevin stepped up to the group and told them that if they would back away a little, he’d move it for them. The men stopped working and looked at him.

  One of the older men stepped up, offered his hand, and said, “I’m Jacob. I own the tavern, or rather, I own the pile of rubble that used to be the tavern. Are you a sorcerer?”

  Kevin nodded as he shook Jacob’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Myron.”

  Jacob’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Kevin closely. “Myron? Badec’s boy?”

  Kevin nodded again.

  Jacob turned back to the other men who were still standing around the house. “Hey! This is Badec’s son, Myron.” He swept his arm away from the house as a signal for the men to move away. Then he turned back towards Kevin and said, “It’s all yours.”

  Kevin concentrated for a moment and the tree began to slowly lift straight up. Once he had the tree suspended several feet above the house, he asked Jacob, “Have you decided where you want the debris yet? Or should I put it down behind the shed?”

  “That’ll be fine. We’ll cut it up later, after we get the worst of the damage cleared up.”

  Kevin moved the massive oak over the shed and gently settled it on the ground. Then he asked, “Do you have any idea where I can find Warren?”

  Jacob pointed towards the other end of town. “He�
�s down there, at the chapel.”

  Kevin nodded. “Thank you.” Then he turned to Marcus and said, “Marcus, would you stay with Jacob and his crew and see what you can do to help them?” Marcus nodded and shook hands with Jacob. “Jacob, Marcus is a sorcerer, too. He’s volunteering his services for as long as you need them.”

  “I’ll stay with Marcus,” Alek said quietly to Kevin.

  Kevin nodded. “Marcus, let me have your bag. I’ll put it at Warren’s house. You can pick it up later.”

  As Marcus and Alek joined Jacob and his men, Kevin and Rigel walked down the road to the chapel. Two trees were lying on the chapel roof. One had broken through the roof, but the other was resting on top. The porch roof had been ripped off, and its debris was scattered all over the front yard. Tree limbs had shattered several windows and both doors were completely blocked. The sister had managed to crawl out through one of the windows and was conducting a clinic at the side of the road.

  As they approached the building, one of the trees slowly lifted off the roof and floated through the air to a spot about a hundred feet away, where it began a slow descent to the ground.

  “Looks like Warren’s here,” Kevin said to Rigel. “I want to check in with him and let him know that Marcus is here.”

  Rigel nodded and walked with Kevin to the back of the chapel.

  Warren spotted them as soon as they cleared the side of the building. “Myron! Over here!”

  Kevin waved and he and Rigel began carefully making their way through all the limbs and trash that littered the chapel’s backyard. “You’ve got a bit of a mess here, don’t you?”

  Warren nodded. “We’ve cleared some of it, but there’s still a lot to do. With a little luck, we’ll have the chapel back in business by tonight.”

  “I haven’t seen Gaynor. Where do you have him working?”

  Warren frowned and his eyes suddenly looked stormy. His lips pursed in a thin, hard line. “Let’s talk about that later.”

  Kevin nodded. “Do you need any help?”

  “Not here, but there’s plenty of other damage.” Warren waved his arm around. “We’ll be clearing this up for days.”