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

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  “What happened?” Chris asked. “Did he try anything?”

  Kevin shook his head. “He was pretty mad, but all he did was argue a little.”

  Chris frowned. “I really thought he’d try to attack you.”

  “Maybe he’s not as stupid as you think,” Kevin said as he set up his seeing eye.

  “Maybe he is smarter than I thought,” Chris said thoughtfully.

  “What do you mean?” Kevin asked as he spotted Warren a few miles south of town, clearing a huge mudslide off the road.

  “I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to go by yourself when you go back to pick him up. You need someone to watch your back.”

  Kevin shook his head again. “You’re not going, Chris, and neither is Rigel or Alek.”

  “I don’t mean one of us. You need an experienced sorcerer with you, someone who can take Gaynor out.”

  “No way!”

  “We’ll talk about it later,” Chris said quietly.

  “Chris, I said no. Now drop it.”

  Chris let it go for the moment, but his eyes said he was a long way from dropping it.

  From everything that Rigel had heard about Gaynor yesterday, he couldn’t help but agree that Myron needed someone watching his back whenever he was around that sorcerer. But he knew if he said anything, he’d only make matters worse, so he kept his mouth shut. When Kevin turned towards him and asked if he was ready to go, he picked up his tools, and said, “Yes, sir.”

  “Where are you headed?” Chris asked.

  “A couple of miles south of town. I want to tell Warren that Gaynor’s gone.”

  “I need to talk to him, too,” Chris said. When Kevin frowned, he quickly added, “About the assistant’s job.”

  Kevin nodded. “I haven’t tried flying with two people before. Are both of you game?”

  Chris started to protest, but Rigel simply said, “Yes, sir,” and stepped up beside Kevin.

  Kevin looked at Chris and asked, “Are you coming with us or are you going to walk?”

  “I’ll go with you,” Chris grumbled, “but you better not drop me.”

  Kevin grinned, lifted all three of them, and floated down the road towards Warren.

  When they landed at the mudslide, Kevin caught Warren’s eye and motioned him over towards the side of the road.

  “Gaynor’s taken care of for the moment,” Kevin said when Warren joined him. “He’s out of Camden.”

  Warren nodded. “Good.”

  “Chris needs to talk to you for a minute before he talks to Colin. I’ll finish up here.”

  Warren walked over to where Chris was waiting. “I really appreciate your talking to Colin. He’s too good to be an assistant, but if he’s willing to take the job, I’d love to have him. I just don’t want him to feel like he has to do it.”

  “I understand. Now, tell me what you’re looking for in an assistant, the type of jobs you’d want him to handle, things like that.”

  “It’s pretty much regular stuff, nothing as involved as what he’s been doing since the storm.” Then he went on to outline some of the day-to-day work he did for people in the area.

  “What if Colin can’t do some of that? He’s never worked as a professional sorcerer, unless you count his work in Timera Valley.”

  “That’s not a problem. If anything comes up that he’s uneasy about, I’ll teach him how to do it, but from what I’ve seen, he’s as accomplished as most district sorcerers. He’ll do fine.”

  “Do you know where he is?”

  “He’s working on the east side of the road. He’s probably at one of the farms.”

  “I’ll find him,” Chris said with a nod. “Now, if you have a minute, I’d like to talk to you about something else.”

  “Sure.”

  “I’m worried about Myron.”

  “Why?”

  “He thinks Gaynor won’t attack him simply because he didn’t try it today. I disagree. Right now, Gaynor’s on an island that’s little more than a big rock sticking up out of the ocean. We went out there last night and put in a good supply of food and water, so he’ll be fine for a couple of days, and he knows Myron’ll be back before long to move him to a permanent home. I think Gaynor will wait until he sees where Myron’s going to take him, and then, once they’re there, he’ll try to take Myron out. You’ve had more dealings with him than either of us. What do you think?”

  Warren thought for a moment and then nodded. “I think you’re probably right. Tell you what, why don’t I insist that Myron take me with him when he goes back?”

  “I wish you could. I’d love for him to have someone with him who could block an energy bolt, but he’s already said that there’s no way he’s going to take anyone else along.”

  “Well, he can’t refuse to let me go. Gaynor was my assistant. I need to look him in the eye and tell him that it was my decision to cut him loose. Otherwise, it’s not finished.”

  “If you do convince him to let you go, be careful. We don’t want anything happening to you either.”

  Warren shook his head. “You have no idea just how devious that man is. I do. You don’t have to worry about me. I won’t take my eyes off of him. Now, I’d better get back to work or Myron’s going to start wondering what we’re talking about.”

  After Warren walked back over to the mudslide, Chris watched him for a few minutes. He felt pretty sure that Warren had known all along that Chris wanted him to go with Kevin, but instead of making Chris ask him to go, he’d volunteered, just like Chris’s father would have done. For the first time in months, Chris felt a twinge of homesickness. He shrugged it off and set off to find Colin.

  It took Chris nearly an hour to locate Colin, and another half an hour before Colin could stop what he was doing long enough to talk. After they settled down in the shade of one of the trees that was left standing, Chris told Colin about the job opening and asked if he would be interested in the position.

  “It sounds perfect,” Colin answered, “but what about Timera Valley?”

  Chris hesitated a moment, and then said, “We haven’t found out exactly who broke in yet, but we’ve found out enough to know that the Sisterhood is not a target, and neither is Brena. The break-in was a one-time thing. The thieves got what they came for. They won’t be coming back. We’re going to leave Ramen and Caezar in the valley for a little while longer, but mainly because they’re enjoying themselves and aren’t ready to go back home yet. They’ll keep an eye on things and let us know if they spot anything suspicious, but we really don’t think there’ll be anything to spot.”

  “What do I do? Should I submit a new application for the position here? Or will they use the one I’ve already submitted?”

  Chris couldn’t help but smile. “Colin, you don’t have to apply. The position’s going to be offered to you. Myron asked me to talk to you and see if you’d like to do it. He didn’t want to ask you himself because he was afraid that you might feel like you had to say yes, and he didn’t want you to feel trapped. You’re perfectly free to wait for something else, or to go back home if you want to.”

  “Trapped? I think it’s a wonderful offer! Of course I’d be interested.” Colin’s smile filled his entire face.

  “Good. I’m not sure whether Myron or Warren will talk to you about it, but one of them will, probably later today.”

  Colin’s eyes sparkled and a faint flush crept over his face. “Well, I guess I’d better get back to work before they change their minds,” he said as he stood up and brushed himself off. “Thanks.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Chris didn’t find Kevin until a little before lunchtime. He was holding up a porch roof while several men secured the uprights and replaced one of the broken beams. Chris walked up beside him and quietly told him that Colin wanted the position. Then he asked Kevin if he had any idea where Marcus was working.

  “Warren said he was working somewhere north of town,” Kevin answered. “If you’ll wait until we’re finished here, I’ll he
lp you look for him.”

  Chris shook his head. “That’s all right. I’ll find him.”

  Kevin nodded and turned his full attention back to the porch.

  Rigel was working nearby, chopping the limbs of a large tree into firewood while keeping an eye on Kevin. Chris walked over towards him and said, “Don’t let Myron forget that he has to go back to the castle in a little while and pick up some lunch for everyone.”

  Rigel nodded and kept on chopping.

  Then Chris headed through the center of town towards the road that led to the north. As he walked, he noticed that much of the work that was going on today was rebuilding. None of the stores in town was open because their owners were busy helping their neighbors, but he imagined that by Friday it would be business as usual along the town square. The only building that had sustained enough damage to be considered a total loss was the tavern, but it wouldn’t take the town long to rebuild it once the lumber arrived, especially with the help of two sorcerers. Overall, things were definitely looking up in Walnut Springs.

  After Chris had walked a couple of miles up the road, he noticed a tree floating through the air behind one of the farmhouses. He nodded to himself and headed in that direction. When he got closer, he saw Marcus helping a couple of farmers clear debris out of a nearby field. He stood off to the side to wait for them to finish.

  When Marcus headed back towards the road, he saw Chris and walked over towards him. “Were you looking for me?”

  Chris nodded. “I’d like to talk to you for a couple of minutes.”

  Marcus nodded.

  “Would you like to work for Myron as an associate sorcerer on a permanent basis?”

  Marcus frowned. “A what?”

  “An associate sorcerer. It’s a new position. Myron stays so busy that he often needs someone to help him, like you did when you went with Theresa and Hayley, or even coming up here. You’ve been so much help that Myron would like to put you on staff.”

  Marcus stared at Chris. As Chris’s words sank in, his eyes got as big as saucers and his mouth dropped open. He shook his head for a moment, and then said, “I’m not sure I understand.”

  “Would you like to work for Myron on a permanent basis?”

  Marcus continued to stare at Chris.

  “Myron would have asked you himself, but he was afraid that you’d feel pressured into saying yes if he did, no matter what you really wanted to do. That’s why he asked me to mention it to you first,” Chris said, mainly to fill the silence. “If you’d rather wait for a district position, I’m sure one will open up before long, and with your skills and experience, I know it would be offered to you. You don’t have to accept the job as associate sorcerer unless you want to.”

  Marcus swallowed a couple of times, cleared his throat, and said, “Let me see if I’ve got this straight. You’re offering me a job helping the Master Sorcerer of Terah?”

  Chris nodded.

  “And you don’t know whether or not I want to accept it?” A flush slowly spread over Marcus’s face. “Are you kidding? Of course I want to accept it! But, Chris, I’m not good enough. I don’t have enough experience.”

  “Myron says that about once a day,” Chris said with a chuckle. “But before you say yes, you need to know that I have no idea how much, if anything, this will pay.”

  Marcus frowned a little. “That’s not usually much of a concern, but once in a while …”

  “I know. Sometimes you just simply need to have some money. I wish I could tell you something definite, but we haven’t formalized anything yet. Like I said, it’s a new position. We have a lot of details to work out.”

  “I could always trade my skills for what I need, if that’s all right,” Marcus said slowly. “But I don’t know the district sorcerer of Tamarack, and I don’t know how he might feel about it. It would almost be like taking money out of his pocket.”

  Chris nodded. “Let me look into it. I’ll try to have some answers for you before long.”

  Marcus nodded.

  “Myron will probably talk to you about this sometime this evening, but if he doesn’t, it doesn’t mean he’s changed his mind. He’s juggling quite a few things right now.”

  Marcus nodded again. “Well, I guess I should get back to work. I’d like to get this area completely cleared today, and I have a few more roadblocks to go. Do you want me to take you back to town first?”

  Chris shook his head. “I’ll walk. You go ahead with what you’re doing.”

  Marcus nodded, rose through the air, and floated off down the road.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  By the time Chris got back to town, it was mid-afternoon and Sheryl was packing up the remnants of the lunch that Miranda and her staff had sent. As he looked at the empty table, he realized just how hungry he was. He thought about asking her to let him fix a plate out of some of the leftovers, but he was in hurry to get back to the castle.

  A few minutes later, he found Kevin and Rigel working with Ryan. Several wagons were lined up to haul lumber and building supplies to the places where they were needed, and Kevin was lifting stacks of lumber and loading them onto the backs of the wagons.

  After Kevin had all the wagons loaded, Chris asked, “Have you got time to take me back to the castle? I need to check on a few things.”

  Kevin nodded and turned to Ryan. “We’ll be back before long, but there are a few things I need to check on, too. See you later.”

  After he told Rigel to find Alek and meet him in the square at dinnertime, he and Chris left for home.

  When they got back to Kevin’s office, Chris opened the door and called Ariel over. “I need something to eat. I don’t care what, a sandwich, cheese, a piece of pie, whatever you can find.”

  Kevin suddenly realized that although he’d picked up the food for lunch, he hadn’t taken the time to eat either. “Ariel, make that two plates, and check with Miranda to see if she’s planning to send any more food to Walnut Springs today.”

  Ariel nodded and left for the dining room. Elin stepped up to Kevin’s door and handed Chris a stack of messages. “Karl asked me to let him know when the two of you got back. I think he wants to see you.”

  Kevin nodded. “Tell him to give us about half an hour to grab a bite to eat, and then come on over.”

  When Elin stepped back out of the doorway, Chris spotted Isak, and said, “Isak, would you please find out where Laryn is?” Then Chris shut the door, sat down in one of the big armchairs, and started thumbing through the messages.

  Kevin sat down at his desk and asked, “Did you get a chance to talk to Marcus?”

  Chris nodded. “He wants the job.”

  “What name did you give it?”

  “Associate sorcerer.”

  “Associate?” Kevin said with a frown.

  “Yeah, you know, like associate professor. We can’t use assistant, that’s me. And sorcerer’s second’s already a position. What’s left?”

  “Okay, it just sounds a little strange,” Kevin said.

  “You’ll get used to it,” Chris said, still thumbing through the messages. “When I told him that the position’s new and that I wasn’t sure how much, if anything, we could pay him, he asked if it would be all right with the sorcerer of Tamarack for him to barter his skills in town. I told him I didn’t know, but I’d try to find out. But come to think of it, I don’t even know who the sorcerer of Tamarack is.”

  “His name’s Dylan. You’ve met him. He’s an older man, not as old as Warren, but getting there. I wouldn’t be surprised if he decides to retire before too many more years.”

  “Does he live in Milhaven?”

  Kevin shook his head. “He lives in Fall Creek, with the other district officers.”

  “Where’s Fall Creek?”

  “It’s up in the northern section of Tamarack.”

  Chris shook his head.

  “What?” Kevin asked.

  “I know more about places hundreds of miles away than I do about our own backy
ard.”

  “Only because we haven’t had any problems here. Anyway, maybe I should go see Dylan and see if he has any problems with Marcus working in Milhaven.”

  “That’s why I asked Isak to find Laryn. I thought she might know, and then you’d have an answer by the time you talk to Marcus.”

  “Good. I really don’t have time to go visiting right now.”

  “What’s on tap for tomorrow?” Chris asked.

  “I want to go to Willow Canyon tomorrow morning. And then I need to find a permanent place for Gaynor.”

  “Any idea where?”

  “No. I thought I’d talk to Yara again and see if she has any suggestions.”

  Chris nodded “How much longer do you expect to be in Walnut Springs?”

  “I’ll drop by tomorrow afternoon to see if they need anything, but I don’t think they will. Most of the immediate stuff has been taken care of. With Marcus and Colin there, Warren will have plenty of help for whatever’s left.”

  “Good,” Chris said as he tapped the stack of messages. “We have several things here we need to take care of before too long.”

  “Anything urgent?”

  “No, nothing even important, just details.”

  There was a soft knock on the door, and then it slowly opened. Ariel and Cameryn walked in, each carrying a tray of food. After they set the trays on one of the tables, Ariel said, “Miranda said that she’ll have the food for Walnut Springs packed and ready to go in about half an hour. She wants you to find out whether or not they’ll need food tomorrow.”

  Kevin nodded. “I’m thinking that they won’t, but I’ll check when I take this out. Tell her I’ll let her know this evening. If I don’t get back before she leaves, I’ll leave a note on her desk in the kitchen.”

  Ariel nodded and left the room, pulling the door to behind him.

  For the next few minutes, Kevin and Chris were too busy fixing their plates and eating to worry about anything else.

  Just as they were finishing up, Ariel knocked on the door, slowly opened it, and quietly said, “Karl’s here.”

  Kevin wiped his mouth and nodded. “Ask him to come in.”

  When Karl stepped in, Kevin motioned to the trays. “Have some coffee. And there’s plenty of pie left, but I’m afraid we’ve pretty much finished off everything else.”