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

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  “No thanks,” Karl said. “I’ve already eaten. I just wanted to know how things are going in Walnut Springs.”

  Kevin nodded. “Most of the immediate damage has been taken care of. I think by tonight all of the homes will be livable. Some are going to need more extensive repairs later, and the tavern will have to be completely rebuilt, but at least they’ll all have roofs over their heads again.”

  “Several of the ministers are going to have lumber and nails ready for you to pick up over the weekend. Do you know if they need anything else?”

  “I have no idea. Do you want to go back with us later and talk to Ryan?”

  “I’d like to, but I don’t want to be out there too long,” Karl said. “While I’m there, he feels like he has to more or less take care of me instead of handling things for the town.”

  Kevin nodded. “I know what you mean. I don’t plan to stay too long either. I want to talk to Warren for a few minutes, and then I need to talk to Marcus. It’ll probably take me an hour, maybe an hour and a half at the outside.”

  “Then I’d like to go,” Karl said as he started to stand up.

  “While you’re here, I have a question,” Kevin said.

  Karl sat back down.

  “I want to hire Marcus as an associate sorcerer. How much can we pay him?”

  Karl wrinkled his eyebrows in a light frown. “I have no idea. You aren’t really at full staff, so we can probably come up with something. Give me an idea what I should look at. How much do you want to pay him?”

  Kevin shook his head. “I don’t know. I don’t even know how much I make.”

  “How about if he makes the same as the bodyguards?” Chris asked.

  Karl looked at Kevin and raised his eyebrows.

  “Sounds good to me,” Kevin said.

  Karl nodded. “Okay. Let me go back and see what our deal is with them, and I’ll try to work out something similar for him, but don’t make any promises until I see what we can do.”

  “Fine. I’ll probably just tell him to see you.”

  Karl nodded and asked, “Anything else?” Kevin shook his head no, so Karl stood up. “Then I’m going back to my office. When are you going to Walnut Springs?”

  “As soon as the food’s ready. I’ll send one of the pages to let you know.”

  “Do you want me to meet you here?”

  Kevin shook his head. “Meet me in the dining room. That’s where Miranda’s going to have the food.”

  As Karl left the office, Laryn came in. “I hear you’re looking for me.”

  Chris glanced up and said, “Laryn, I’m sorry. All I asked for was your location.”

  “No problem,” she said as she sat down. “What’s up?”

  Kevin filled her in on his plan to hire Marcus as an associate sorcerer.

  “That’s not a bad idea. An extra sorcerer could really come in handy around here.”

  “That’s what we were thinking,” Kevin said.

  “How well do you know Dylan?” Chris asked.

  “Pretty well,” Laryn answered. “Why?”

  “How do you think he’d feel about Marcus doing some work in Milhaven?” Kevin asked.

  Laryn shook her head. “Dylan wouldn’t care at all. He pretty much leaves Milhaven to whomever’s here. Until he got sick, Badec handled whatever they needed.”

  “Did he charge?” Kevin asked.

  Laryn nodded. “You have to. It’s the only way you can do something for someone without either insulting them or making them feel indebted to you. If you charge, everyone’s on an equal footing. Except, of course, for major things, like that storm the other night. Sorcerers never charge for emergencies, just for everyday things and luxuries.”

  “Good,” Kevin said. “Then I’ll tell Marcus that’s an option when I ask him if he wants the job.”

  “How are you going to pay him?”

  Kevin shrugged. “I don’t know. I asked Karl and he said that he’d try to work out something similar to what we pay the bodyguards.”

  Laryn nodded. “That should be about right, and he’ll have the extra work if he wants it.”

  “When he’s here. He hasn’t spent much time around the castle since the competition, but he’s been working for me the whole time.”

  “True, but we can always hope that things will settle down.”

  They were interrupted by a light knock on the door. A moment later, Ariel opened it and said, “Miranda asked me to tell you that the crate of food is ready.”

  Kevin nodded. “Thank you, and would you let Karl know that we’re getting ready to leave?”

  Ariel nodded and pulled the door shut again.

  “Was there anything else?” Laryn asked.

  “Not that I know of.” Kevin said. He wiped his hands, stood up and stretched. “Come on, Chris. One more trip. Then, when we come back, we’re going to call it a day.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Kevin took the crates of food to Walnut Springs first. Sheryl was waiting near the makeshift tables with a half-dozen other women when he arrived. She smiled, walked over towards him, and said, “You have no idea how much having this food has helped out. The women have been able to pitch in and help with the cleanup without worrying about how we’re going to feed everyone.”

  “It’s been our pleasure,” Kevin said. “I think the staff at the castle has enjoyed having a new project. Breaks the monotony.”

  Sheryl laughed. “Most of our kitchens are back in working order and the farmers market’s going to open again tomorrow, so I think we can handle things from now on. We’re about ready to get back to normal.” She pulled an envelope out of her pocket and handed it to Kevin. “Would you give this to Miranda, please? It’s a thank-you note from a grateful community.”

  Kevin put the note in one of his pockets. Then he said, “Karl wants to talk to Ryan this evening. Do you know where he is?”

  Sheryl nodded. “He’s over at the house right now, writing some thank-you notes of his own. I imagine he’ll be down here in a little while to eat though.”

  “I’ll bring Karl here then,” Kevin said. “Have you seen Rigel?”

  Sheryl nodded and pointed towards the rubble where the tavern had once stood. Alek and Rigel were sitting on the steps that used to lead to the front door.

  When Kevin motioned for them to join him, they picked up their tools and made their way across the square.

  “Are you two ready to go back home?” he asked.

  “Are you going home, sir?” Rigel asked in reply.

  “Right now, but I’m coming back in a little bit to talk to Warren. Chris will be with me though, so you two can call it a day.”

  Alek sighed and said, “You won’t get any argument from me. I’m pretty much done for today.”

  Rigel hesitated, but then he nodded and said, “If you’re sure you don’t need us.”

  “Good. Let’s go.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  By the time Kevin returned to Walnut Springs with Chris and Karl, most of the food had been unpacked and men were lined up along the sides of the tables fixing their plates.

  “Sheryl said Ryan should either be at his house or on his way down here,” Kevin told Karl. “We’re going to go on out to Warren’s. Why don’t we meet back here in two hours?”

  Karl nodded and started off towards Ryan’s house.

  When Kevin and Chris knocked on the back door at Warren’s, Torrey opened it and waved them in. “You’re just in time,” she said as she poured two large mugs of scog and set a plate of freshly baked cookies on the table. “These just came out of the oven. I’m expecting the guys any minute.”

  Kevin and Chris sat down at the table with their scog.

  Torrey pulled another tray of cookies out of the oven and shoved the next one in. “There. That’s the last tray of those. Now, what else can I get for you?”

  “Nothing, really,” Kevin said. “We didn’t eat lunch until about an hour ago.”

  Torrey nodded. “Well, dinner won’
t be ready for at least a couple of hours, so your appetite should be back by then.”

  Kevin shook his head. “We can’t stay for dinner tonight, Torrey, but thanks for the invitation. I’ve spent so much time out of the castle over the past couple of days that things are piling up on my desk. Chris and I are going back as soon as I talk to Warren.”

  Before Torrey could say anything else, they heard the front door bang shut and Marcus called out, “Hello?”

  “In here,” Torrey answered, pouring another mug of scog.

  Marcus was wiping his face with a handkerchief as he stepped into the kitchen. He looked hot, dirty, and tired. He nodded to Kevin and Chris and said, “Torrey, I just came in for some clean clothes. I’m going to step out back and wash up a bit. I’m filthy.”

  Torrey handed him the mug. “Why not have some scog first? You can wash up in a minute. You look worn out.”

  Marcus nodded as he sipped his drink, but he didn’t sit down or lean against anything. After he’d finished about half his scog, he set the mug down on the table and said, “I’ll be back in a few minutes. I’ve got to clean up some.” He disappeared into the dining room for a moment and came back with his bag. Then he stopped, turned back around, went back into the dining room, and picked up a second bag. “I might as well get Colin’s, too. He’s bound to be as filthy as I am.”

  While Marcus was out back, Warren came in, wiping sweat off his face. Before he could drink more than a couple of swallows of scog, Colin opened the back door. He nodded to everyone and said to no one in particular that he was going to get cleaned up, and that he’d be back in a few minutes. When Torrey suggested that he come in and have some scog first, Colin shook his head and pointed towards his feet. His boots were caked with mud.

  Half an hour later, the three sorcerers were back in the kitchen, clean, and with fresh clothes on. After everyone had eaten their fill of cookies, Torrey ran them out of the kitchen so that she could get started on dinner.

  When they reached the living room, Kevin said, “Warren, I’d like to talk to you for a few minutes,” and nodded towards Warren’s office.

  Warren opened the door to his office and stood off to the side to let Kevin enter first.

  After the door was shut and they were both seated, Kevin asked, “How are things going? Is there a lot more that needs to be done?”

  Warren shook his head. “Not really. If I can have Colin and Marcus for one more day, we should be in pretty good shape. There’s a bit of rebuilding and repairing that needs to be done, but we can’t do too much of that until we get some more lumber.”

  “I’m picking up some this weekend. Karl is with Ryan right now trying to figure out how much more they’re going to need.”

  “That’s fine, but like I said, we’re in pretty good shape. The repairs to the chapel are finished and the houses are livable. The tavern’s going to take some work, but Jacob’s doing pretty good selling scog off the sidewalk. We’ll get to it before too long. Then we’ll tackle the barns, but all of that can wait for the wagons to get through. You don’t need to take up your time messing with lumber.”

  “I don’t mind. And this weekend’s deliveries have already been arranged.”

  Warren nodded. “Just don’t let them tie you up with this any longer than that. They don’t mean to take advantage, but they’ll do it if you let them. I’m serious. Tell them that unless there’s an emergency, and I’ll let you know if we have one, they’ll have to wait for the wagons. We’ll have the roads open by this weekend.”

  Kevin smiled and agreed. Then he said, “Chris talked to Colin today. He likes the idea of being your assistant.”

  Warren sat back in his chair and a slow smile spread across his face. “I’m glad to hear that. I was afraid he’d feel like it was beneath him. It’s going to be such a pleasure working with him.”

  “Especially after Gaynor,” Kevin said with a chuckle. “I’m going to offer Marcus a position as my associate sorcerer. It’s really come in handy having someone at the castle who can help out with some of the stuff that lands on my desk. I thought I’d talk to him while you’re talking to Colin.”

  “Good, but before we do that, I want to talk to you about Gaynor.”

  Kevin frowned. “What about him?”

  “I want to know what your plans are for him. Where are you going to take him? What are you going to tell him?”

  “I’m going to find an island tomorrow, a place where he can live in relative comfort, but where there aren’t any other people.”

  “Completely by himself?”

  “I can’t take him to some other province and just dump him. He’d pull the same junk there that he did in Zander and up here.”

  “I know. He’s the type who’ll end up working for slavers or bandits one day anyway, no matter where you take him, so eventually you’re probably going to have to go after him and kill him.”

  Kevin shook his head. “That’s why I’m going to leave him on the island.”

  “Until some slaver ship comes along,” Warren said with a shrug. “But it’s the best you can do for now. Go with it, but I’m going with you when you tell him.”

  Kevin shook his head vigorously. “No way.”

  “Yes,” Warren said quietly, holding Kevin’s eyes with his own. “I have to look him in the eye and tell him that it’s my decision that he no longer has a place in Ragenon. I took him on. I have to let him go.”

  “It won’t make any difference.”

  “Not to him. I’m doing this for me. You have to let me have my say.”

  Kevin hesitated a moment and then said, “All right, but he’s dangerous now, more dangerous than he’s ever been before. He has more to lose.”

  “I know, but I don’t think he’ll try anything with me. He went for it once, and found out that I’m quicker than he is.”

  “He may try again.”

  “I’m still quicker than he is, and with both of us there, maybe he’ll think twice about doing something stupid.”

  Kevin nodded slowly. “I’m thinking about going to get him around daybreak Friday. And his daybreak is a couple of hours before ours.”

  Warren grinned. “Before he’s awake.”

  Kevin nodded again. “I want to catch him unaware. It’s safer. I’ll put an energy sphere around him before I take him through the energy flow, and I won’t release it until both of us have recovered from the trip.”

  Warren nodded. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve traveled through the energy flow enough times with Badec that I probably won’t be affected very much. At least I didn’t used to be.”

  Kevin nodded and changed the subject. “When do you want to talk to Colin about taking the job as your assistant?”

  “How about right now? I’d like to get that settled.”

  When Kevin opened the door to Warren’s office, he said, “Colin, Warren would like to speak with you for a minute.”

  After Colin had gone into Warren’s office, Kevin shut the door, turned to Marcus, and said, “How about taking a walk with me. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

  Then Kevin and Marcus went out the front door and walked down the road, away from town.

  Chris was left in the living room by himself, so he went into the kitchen with Torrey. As he sat down at the table, a slow smile spread across his face.

  “What’s going on?” Torrey asked.

  “I think Warren is about to get a new assistant.”

  “Really? One of those young men? That would be so nice. Which one?”

  “Colin.”

  “Oh, I do hope he’ll take the position.”

  “He will.”

  “But what about Marcus? He’s nice too, and from what Warren says, he’s just as competent. What’s going to happen to him?” Torrey asked with a slight frown.

  “Don’t worry. He’s being offered a job right now too, as Myron’s associate sorcerer. He’ll work out of the castle, handling things that Myron doesn’t have time t
o take care of.”

  “Associate sorcerer to the Master Sorcerer?” Torrey asked, blinking her eyes in surprise. “Why, that’s wonderful! But isn’t he a little inexperienced for something like that?”

  Chris grinned. “No, he’s perfect. He’s already been doing the job for about six weeks. Myron’s just making it official.”

  “Will he go back with you tonight?”

  Chris shook his head. “I don’t think so. Myron’s planning to leave him here as long as Warren needs him.”

  “Then I need to come up with something a little extra special for dinner tonight.” Torrey started opening cabinets and pulling things out. “We need to celebrate!”

  Chapter 34

  Willow Canyon

  Thursday morning, Kevin went to Willow Canyon for his regular training session with Glendymere. After they had been at it for over an hour, Kevin told Glendymere that he needed to talk to him about the dragon’s flame pendant and lamp.

  “Have you found out who has my opal?”

  “Not exactly,” Kevin answered. Then he told Glendymere about Glenco, Sister Gerry, and the mysterious friend who came to visit her at the cave.

  When he told Glendymere what Espen had seen, Glendymere sighed and said, “I was afraid of that. A seated sorcerer with a pendant. That’s about as bad as it gets. Which one is it?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Have you come up with a way to find out?”

  “Not yet, but we’re working on it.”

  Glendymere nodded. “Who do you think it is?”

  “I think it’s Rolan, but I don’t have any proof.”

  “Do you think he made a second pendant for someone else?”

  “I don’t think so. If he had been planning on making two pendants, I think he would have taken two from the chapel,” Kevin said slowly. “I got the feeling from what Espen said that the reason he killed Gerry was that she was insisting on returning the lamp. Killing her was reaction, not planned. But once she was dead, and the pendant was just lying there, he grabbed it, probably as a back-up.”

  “So now he thinks he has a spare. Good.”