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

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  “Why?”

  “Because if he thinks he can make another one, he’ll give me the one around his neck pretty easily. I might not have to kill him.”

  Kevin let Glendymere’s assumption that he would be the one to go after the pendant go unchallenged for the moment. “But then he can just make another one and we’re back where we started.”

  Glendymere grinned, which was an awesome sight. “The lamp looks harmless enough, and the little flame burning in it doesn’t look like much, but it is my flame. The only way anyone can use that lamp without being burned to a crisp is to be wearing one of my opals. Fitting end for a thief. Let it happen.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  When Kevin left Glendymere’s cave, he went up to the peak of Wildcat Mountain to talk to Ashni. He found her in her kitchen, baking.

  “Hello, Myron,” Ashni said as she wiped her hands on her apron. “What brings you up here?”

  “Theresa asked me to talk to you. Is Sari around?”

  Ashni shook her head no. “She is out at the herb beds. I can call her if you like.”

  “No. I need to talk to you without her knowing about it.”

  Ashni frowned and sat down at the table. “Is something wrong?”

  “No, nothing like that. It’s just that the last time I was up here I asked you about Theresa and Hayley staying here, remember?”

  Ashni nodded, still frowning a little.

  “And you said that you could set things up for them in the caves or they could stay up here, whichever way they wanted to do it.”

  “Yes, and you said you would let me know.”

  “Well, when I left, Sari walked outside with me. She wants Theresa and Hayley to stay in the caves, and she wants to stay down there with them.”

  Ashni raised her eyebrows, but she didn’t say anything.

  “When I told Theresa what she said, she asked me to talk to you. She doesn’t care where they stay, but if it’s important to Sari …”

  Ashni nodded slowly. “Sari wants to play hostess. I should have thought of that. Theresa is her special friend, and Hayley is Theresa’s assistant.”

  “That’s sort of what we thought. Anyway, Theresa said to let you know, and you would know what to do. She’ll be happy staying either place. She just doesn’t want to hurt Sari’s feelings.”

  “That is fine. Tell Theresa that we will set up the caves. Blalick and Macin can put up a bed for Sari, probably in your old room. That one would be more convenient in case we need to speak with her.”

  Kevin nodded. “Do you want me to bring them here or take them straight to the caves?”

  “Take them to the caves. Let Sari be the one to greet them and help them get squared away. Do you think Hayley will mind living in a cave?”

  “She’ll be fine. She’ll probably be a little nervous around all of you at first, and if she meets Glendymere, she’s likely to faint, or so she says, but the caves are nicer than most houses. She’ll love it.”

  Ashni nodded. “I will see to it that they have plenty of food. Now, when do you think they will be here?”

  “We had a bit of an emergency in one of our districts and Theresa and Hayley went there to help out. I’m picking them up this afternoon. How long do you need to get things set up?”

  “I can have the rooms ready by tomorrow if necessary, but Saturday would be better.”

  Kevin nodded again. “They’ll need a little time in Milhaven to unpack and then pack again. Saturday morning would be better for them, too.”

  Ashni smiled. “I will tell Sari. She will be so excited.”

  “I’ll stop by here after I drop them off and let you know that they’re there.”

  “Do. And I will have some chocolate chip cookies ready for you to take to Chris. I have not sent him anything lately.”

  Kevin grinned and said, “Some strawberry preserves would be nice too, if you happen to have an extra jar lying around.”

  Ashni laughed. “I imagine I can find one around here somewhere. Now go on and let me get to work.”

  Kevin smiled, took out his key, turned it, and went back to the castle.

  Chapter 35

  Yara Helps Again

  It was lunchtime by the time Kevin got back to the castle, so he and Chris headed down to the dining room to join the others for lunch. Karl and Joan were already seated.

  “Do you have to go back out to Walnut Springs today?” Joan asked.

  “Just to pick up Theresa and Hayley this evening,” Kevin said as he filled his plate. “Although Marcus may be ready to come back, too.”

  “Do you think I could go with you Saturday when you pick up the building supplies?” Karl asked. “I’d like to thank the ministers personally.”

  Kevin nodded. “I’ve got to take Theresa and Hayley to Rainbow Valley Saturday morning, so it’ll be after lunch before I make any pick-ups. Is that all right with you?”

  “Actually that works better for me than Saturday morning,” Karl said as he topped off his coffee cup.

  “Why are you taking Theresa and Hayley to Rainbow Valley?” Joan asked. “Aren’t they going to stay with Ashni?”

  “Not this time. Sari thinks it would be more convenient if all three of them stay in the caves, near the workroom and the herb beds.”

  Joan looked at Kevin a moment and then grinned. “Sari wants to be the hostess.”

  Kevin nodded.

  “I bet she’s excited.”

  “Want to go out with us?”

  “No, not this time, but let me know when you go back to pick them up. If I have time, I might drop in for a quick visit then.”

  Kevin nodded. For the next few minutes, everyone concentrated on eating. As soon as Joan and Karl finished lunch, they excused themselves and went back to their office.

  When Kevin finished eating, he turned to Chris and said, “I need to go find Yara. Want to come with me?”

  Chris nodded as he ate the last bite of pie on his plate. “We’ll need to let Ariel know that we’ll be gone most of the afternoon.”

  “And I need to change tunics and put on my sash. I’ll meet you in the office in about ten minutes.”

  As Kevin stood up and started for the dining room door, Chris grabbed a small tart and followed him.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  When Kevin and Chris materialized on Federation Isle, Kevin picked up a conch shell and blew through it. Then they settled down on the beach to wait for Yara.

  About half an hour later, a large wave rose out of the ocean and headed towards the shore. As it approached the beach, Yara and her watery throne rose through the top of the wave.

  “Hello again,” Yara said as she waved towards Kevin and Chris. “What can I do for you? More islands?”

  “Actually, yes,” Kevin said as he picked up Chris and floated the two of them over the water towards Yara.

  Yara grinned. “How many unruly sorcerers do you have?”

  Kevin laughed. “Only one. And right now, he’s on the island you found for us last spring. I need to find another one for him to live on, preferably large enough to have trees, fruit, a beach he can fish from, and some kind of shelter. Caves would be wonderful.”

  Yara nodded and thought for a few minutes. Then she nodded again. “I think I may know just the spot. There’s a beautiful little island in the Trynordic Ocean, a little more than halfway between Chamber Isle and the southern tip of Havernia.”

  “And it’s not inhabited?” Kevin asked.

  Yara shook her head. “Not by humans, brownies, gnomes, or anyone. I don’t think there are even any animals living there, and that’s a shame. It’s a beautiful place. There are mountains around the southern end with a lovely valley in the middle, and the weather’s good year round - nice temperatures, and most of the days are at least partly sunny. The only drawback is that during the fall season it’s subject to bad storms.”

  “What kind of storms?” Chris asked.

  “High winds, high seas, lots of rain, usually lasts a couple of days
.”

  Kevin frowned. “Do you know if there are any caves around the island?”

  Yara thought about it for a minute. “I don’t know for sure, but with that many mountains, there must be some.”

  “Are there any other drawbacks that you know of?” Kevin asked.

  “There are some reefs a little ways off shore and there are always plenty of fish around the reefs, but there are also a lot of sharks in that area. If he fishes from shore, the sharks won’t be a problem.”

  Chris looked over at Kevin and asked, “Think he knows how to fish?”

  Kevin shrugged. “I have no idea, but I feel sure he can learn.”

  “Sorcerers usually use their outstretched hand to lift the fish right out of the sea. He won’t even have to bother using a net, but unless he wants to eat them raw, he’ll need to know how to cook them.”

  Chris mumbled, “I’ll get Miranda to write down some directions.”

  Kevin laughed.

  “Want to go check it out?”

  “I think so. It sounds exactly like what I’m looking for,” Kevin said as he laid a hand on Yara’s shoulder. As soon as Chris put his hand on her other shoulder, Yara turned her key and the three of them vanished.

  A few minutes later, they were on the other side of Terah, about half a mile east of the island. All three of them cast long shadows across the water in the half-light of dawn. Yara pointed to the island and said, “Why don’t you two go look around. I’ll wait for you out here.”

  Kevin nodded and slowly floated Chris and himself across the water to the beach. When they landed, he said, “I want to get an idea of the layout of the island. I’ll be back in a minute.”

  Chris nodded and settled down on the beach to watch the sunrise.

  A few minutes later, Kevin cleared the tops of the mountains and then flew around over the island. He estimated that it was about thirty miles long and ten miles wide at the two ends, but it narrowed quite a bit in the middle, reminding him of a bow-tie.

  The northern end of the island looked like some kind of plateau, with cliffs dropping off to the sea. The middle portion was hilly, and a horseshoe shaped mountain range encircled the southern end. There were a few narrow stretches of sandy beaches, but for the most part, a dark forest covered the island. There were no lakes or ponds, but a couple of small rivers crisscrossed the island as they meandered from the plateau to the mountain valley.

  Kevin lowered himself back down to the beach beside Chris. Then he picked up a shell and drew a general outline of the island in the sand.

  “Up here,” Kevin said as he pointed to the northern end, “the ground looks relatively flat with cliffs dropping hundreds of feet into the sea. But down here things look a little more promising. I’d like to check out the valley.” Then he stood back up and asked, “Ready?”

  Chris nodded and Kevin lifted them both up and over the mountains. They floated slowly around the edge of the valley, searching the mountainsides for caves. They saw several, but none that looked quite right. After a few more minutes, Kevin lowered the two of them towards the ground.

  “Find something you like?” Chris asked.

  “I think so.” Kevin pointed up the side of the mountain. “It’s only a couple of hundred feet up, if we can get through all the underbrush.”

  “One thing he’ll need to do before long is clear a few paths,” Chris mumbled as he stumbled along behind Kevin, brushing vines and limbs out of his way. “Do you think we need to bring some kind of machete out here?”

  Kevin was too busy trying to make some headway to answer. Finally he emerged into a small clearing in front of the cave entrance. “At least it’s clear around the cave.”

  “Makes you wonder if it’s already inhabited,” Chris said quietly. “Maybe you should check it out before we go charging inside.”

  Kevin nodded and used his seeing eye to see if anyone or anything was already living in the cave. After a couple of minutes he said, “Not as far as I can tell, and I followed it all the way back into the mountain. A few bats, but that’s about it.”

  “So, do you want to set this cave up as his home base?”

  “I think so. There are several fairly large rooms farther back inside. If a typhoon blew ashore and you were in one of them, you wouldn’t even notice it. Besides, he can always move if he finds one he likes better. I’m going to go tell Yara that this island will work.”

  When Kevin returned from thanking Yara for her help, Chris was leaning against the cave entrance writing on a sheet of paper. Kevin stood there for a moment and then asked, “What are you doing?”

  “Making a list of things he’s going to need, like a frying pan to cook those fish you think he’s going to be able to live on.”

  “That’s not all he’ll have. I’ll bring fresh food out here for him every week or so, at least for a while, until he learns how to take care of himself.”

  “Are you going to bring someone out here to teach him how to do that?”

  Kevin shook his head vigorously. “No. He’ll just have to muddle along on his own.”

  Chris nodded. “Personally I don’t care if he starves to death, but I don’t want you worrying about him. This is a minor thing compared to the pendants. You need to focus on that.”

  “I know,” Kevin said as he looked around the inside of the cave. “Okay, we’ll put in a good supply of food tonight. I’ll ask Neiven to make a machete. What else?”

  “Glowstone lamps, a couple of knives, some cooking utensils …,” Chris said as he continued to write.

  “A couple of lamp tables,” Kevin said, trying to picture the cave set up as a sitting room. “A table, no make that two, some chairs …”

  “Wait a minute. Why two?”

  “He might want to use more than one room, and wherever he is, he’ll want a table.”

  Chris nodded. “Okay.”

  “A bed, and bedding.”

  “How about something to put the food in? Yara said she didn’t think there were any animals here, but …”

  Kevin took a moment to look around at the shadows along the cave walls. “Or snakes. Maybe we better put in a good supply of herbs and bandages.”

  “And directions as to when to use what. Who are you going to get to do all of that?”

  “Maybe Theresa will have a chance to get it all together tonight after she gets back to Milhaven. If not, I’ll bring it later.”

  Chris nodded and kept writing. “Maybe we could use some of those crates we used to take food out to Walnut Springs for storage. They were pretty sturdy. We could get someone to put a few shelves in one of them for the food.”

  “And we could use another one for his dishes, utensils, pots and pans.”

  “He’ll need one for his clothes, too.”

  “That makes three crates. With shelves. We have three crates, don’t we?”

  Chris nodded. “Anything else?”

  “Not that I can think of right now. I guess we’d better go back and get started on all of this.”

  “You’re going to want to get this set up tonight, aren’t you?”

  Kevin nodded. “We should be all right as long as it’s ready to bring out here by midnight. I don’t want to be any later than that. I’m not sure when sunset is.”

  Chris folded the paper and slipped it in his pocket. Then he put his hand on Kevin’s arm and they vanished from the island.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  It was late afternoon in Camden when they returned to the office. As soon as they got back, Kevin said, “I’ll go ask Neiven about the machete.”

  “And I’ll start getting all the rest of this stuff together. When are you going out to Walnut Springs?”

  “After I talk to Neiven. I need to see Warren, and if I’m going to ask Theresa to get some things together for Gaynor, I need to get her back to Milhaven.”

  “Are you taking a bodyguard with you?”

  “Not if I can help it. That’s why I’m going to leave from Neiven’s workshop.”


  “Okay. Are you going to eat at Warren’s?”

  Kevin shook his head. “With a little luck, I should be back here in time for dinner. If not, ask Miranda to fix a plate for me.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  By the time Kevin got to Walnut Springs, it was getting close to dinnertime. Most of the men had knocked off for the day and were on their way back to their homes. Kevin spotted Warren talking to Ryan near the center of town, so he waited off to the side to let them finish their conversation. When Warren turned to head towards his house, Kevin stepped out onto the road and joined him.

  “Myron,” Warren said. “I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”

  “I have to pick up Theresa and Hayley, and I need to talk to you for a few minutes,” Kevin said as he fell in step beside Warren.

  “Oh?”

  “You know I said that I wanted to go get Gaynor around daybreak.”

  Warren nodded.

  “Well, I need to change that.”

  “All right.”

  “We found an island today that will be perfect. It’s a decent size and is covered with vegetation. He’ll have plenty of fruits and nuts, and there are reefs right off shore, so the fishing should be pretty good. But the best part is that it’s uninhabited.”

  “Is there some place where he can ride out the storms that blow across the oceans?”

  Kevin nodded. “The southern end has a mountain range surrounding a small valley, and the mountains have caves in them. We found one that we’re going to set up for him to live in. If he finds one he likes better, he can move.”

  Warren nodded. “So when do you want to go get him?”

  “The island’s on the other side of Terah. If we go at our daybreak, it’ll be the middle of the night over there. I hate to drop him on a strange island in the dark, so I thought we would wait until early afternoon. That way he’ll have a whole day to explore the island.”

  “You do realize that he’s going to be a lot more alert in the afternoon than he would have been in the morning.”

  “I know. We’ll just have to be careful and not let him get the drop on either one of us.”

  “I’ll go out to his house tonight and pack up the rest of his things. And I’m sure Torrey will want to cook a few things for him so he won’t have to worry about meals his first day there.”