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

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  Gaynor glared at both Kevin and Warren. Then his lips curled into a sneer as he thought about how much fun he was going to have once he killed them. He would use that key to go anywhere he wanted, and his first stop would be right back in Walnut Springs. He’d make those sniveling deadbeats pay for complaining about him. The sneer eased into a thin smile as a new thought hit him. When he killed Myron, he’d be the new Master Sorcerer. All of Terah would be his for the taking. He could hardly wait.

  “All right, all right. Let’s go see this wonderful paradise,” Gaynor said sarcastically.

  “Get your things. I’m not going to make but one trip.”

  Gaynor grumbled, but he threw his clothes into his bag and motioned towards the sleeping blanket and tarp. “I ate most of the food, but what about these other things? They were here when I got here. Do you want me to take them?”

  Kevin nodded.

  Gaynor gathered them up and piled them on top of his clothes. Then he stood up and said, “All right. I’m ready. Let’s go.”

  Kevin rolled his eyes and said, “You need to pick up your things, Gaynor. I’m not going to do it for you, and neither is Warren.”

  With a disgusted grunt, Gaynor used his outstretched hand to pick up the bundle and hold it in front of him. Kevin enclosed both Gaynor and his bundle in an energy sphere. Then he nodded. “Warren, if you’re ready, we’ll go.” Kevin held his arm out towards Warren. As soon as Warren touched his arm, they all vanished.

  Kevin took them to the small clearing in front of the cave. He maintained the energy sphere until Warren had walked around to the other side of Gaynor. When Warren nodded, Kevin slowly lowered Gaynor to the ground and released the sphere.

  It took Gaynor a few minutes to recover from his trip through the energy flow, but once he was steady on his feet, Kevin motioned towards the cave entrance behind him. “We’ve set things up for you inside this cave. Warren, if you’ll hand him a torch, we’ll go in and show him around.”

  Warren stepped inside and uncovered the glowstone in the torch standing just inside the cave entrance. He handed the torch to Gaynor and stepped back out of the way.

  “Gaynor, if you’ll step inside you’ll see a tunnel leading off to the right,” Kevin said. “Follow it, please.”

  Gaynor stepped hesitantly inside the cave and slowly made his way to the tunnel. He didn’t trust the two sorcerers standing behind him, but he didn’t want to go into the caves without them. He was afraid he might not come back out. “Aren’t you coming with me?” Gaynor made his voice sound a bit pleading. “I’ve never been in a cave before.”

  Kevin sighed. “I’ll be right behind you. Now go on down that tunnel.” After they had gone about twenty feet, a big room opened off on the left. “This is your kitchen,” Kevin said as he stepped around and opened one of the glowstone lamps that they had set up near the entrance. “You’ll have to set it up the way you want it, but all the basics are here.”

  Gaynor looked around. He saw the table, the chair, the lamps, two large crates, and a big barrel.

  When Kevin saw him looking at the barrel, he said, “That’s fresh water in there. When we get back outside, I’ll show you where the river is.”

  Gaynor nodded and kept making his way around the kitchen. When he noticed the basket of baked goods sitting on the table, he picked up the top to glance inside. As he closed the lid, he smiled and asked, “Torrey?”

  Warren nodded.

  “What’s in those crates?” Gaynor asked as he pointed towards the two crates.

  Kevin opened the crate that contained pots, pans, dishes, and other kitchen supplies first. Then he opened the crate that contained the vegetables, fruit, and staples.

  “This won’t last long. What am I supposed to do when it’s gone?” Gaynor asked.

  “There’s plenty of fruit growing on this island, and probably a lot of nuts too, but I’ll bring you fresh supplies every couple of weeks. If you need something in particular, you need to let me know. I’ll do what I can about getting it for you.”

  Gaynor nodded. He pointed at the bucket sitting beside the food crate. “What’s that?”

  Kevin showed Gaynor how to open the bucket and then he pulled out the sheets of paper inside. “These are directions for what to do in case of illness or injury. One of the sisters in Milhaven packed these herbs for you and wrote down the directions. They should cover just about everything.”

  Gaynor nodded.

  Kevin motioned towards the tunnel. “Let’s go on.”

  Gaynor led the way farther inside the mountain. After a bit, a large room opened off on the right just as the tunnel turned to the left. Kevin motioned Gaynor inside the room and then followed him.

  Kevin opened one of the glowstone lamps while Warren stepped around to the other side of the room and opened a second, bathing the whole room in light. On one side of the room there was a large table with a straight back chair, and on the other side, an easy chair sat in front of a fire circle. A vertical shaft over the fire circle would serve as a flue.

  “We thought you might like a fire in your sitting room, although this deep inside the mountain, I doubt you’ll ever really need one for warmth.”

  Gaynor looked around for a minute and then asked, “Is this it? Or is there more?”

  “One more room.”

  Gaynor led them back out to the tunnel, which headed even deeper inside the mountain. A few minutes later, the tunnel ended at another large room that opened off to the left. Gaynor stepped inside with the torch while Kevin opened a glowstone lamp near the entrance.

  There was a bed against the far wall, with small tables on each side. Along the wall to the right, there was an easy chair and another small table. Each of the small tables had glowstone lamps sitting on them. The only other furniture in the room was the crate that they had put in there for his clothes. A large pillowcase was sitting on the floor next to the crate. Gaynor looked at Kevin and raised his eyebrows.

  “Those are the clothes that you left in Walnut Springs. Warren packed them for you last night,” Kevin said in answer to the unasked question. “And the crate is a storage cabinet for your clothes. It’s empty right now, but you can get unpacked in a little while.”

  Gaynor nodded.

  “Now, if you’ll lead us back out, I’ll show you where the fresh water is, and then we’ll leave and let you explore your new home.”

  Gaynor took the torch and led them back through the tunnel to the cave entrance. When they stepped out into the sunlight, a fresh breeze was blowing through the trees and small powder puff clouds were drifting across the sky. Kevin stopped near the entrance to the cave, but Warren walked on to the other side of the clearing.

  “This really is a nice place, Gaynor,” Kevin said. “I’m sorry it came to this, but you should be comfortable here.”

  Gaynor glared at Kevin, but he didn’t say anything.

  Kevin shrugged and pointed towards the east. “If you go down the mountain and walk straight across the valley for about a mile, you’ll come across one of the rivers that flow through this valley. They’re all fresh water rivers, but that one’s the closest.” Then Kevin motioned towards the mountaintop. “And on the other side of this mountain, you’ll find a sandy beach. The reefs aren’t very far off shore, so the fishing should be pretty good along there, but remember to watch out for the sharks if you decide to go swimming.”

  Gaynor just kept glaring at Kevin, not saying a word.

  “If you fly up about a hundred feet above the mountaintops, you’ll get a good overview of the island,” Kevin said to fill the silence. When Gaynor still didn’t speak, Kevin nodded. “Well, if there’s nothing else, I guess we’ll be on our way. I’ll be back with fresh supplies in about two weeks.” Then he took out his key and held his other arm out towards Warren.

  Gaynor took a step back towards the far side of the clearing, like he was trying to give them more room. He watched them intently, waiting for them to get close enough that one bolt
would do it. As Warren walked over towards Kevin, Gaynor carefully edged his way around the side of the clearing until all three of them were lined up with Kevin in the middle. When Warren touched Kevin’s arm, Kevin glanced towards Warren, and at that instant, Gaynor shot an energy bolt at them.

  Before the bolt even registered in Kevin’s conscious mind, he had thrown an answering bolt and tossed up a shield to block the incoming bolt. Kevin screamed “NO!” as the realization of what had just happened hit him, but by that time, all that was left of Gaynor was a small pile of ashes. Kevin slowly sank to his knees, his head in his hands, and shook his head as he rocked back and forth, moaning “no” over and over again.

  Warren watched Kevin for a couple of minutes, and then walked back into the cave. He picked up the torch, made his way to the kitchen, found a mug, and filled it with fresh water. When he returned to the clearing, Kevin was still kneeling in the dirt, his hands covering his face. Warren put his hand on Kevin’s shoulder, and after a few moments, Kevin looked up with tears streaming down his cheeks. All of the color had drained from his face and his eyes were opened wide in horror.

  “You did what you had to do,” Warren said quietly. “He left you no choice.”

  Kevin’s eyes weren’t focused and he looked like he might pass out at any moment.

  Warren patted his shoulder again and held out the mug of water. “Here, drink this. It’s just water, but it’ll help.”

  Kevin slowly reached for the mug and held it in shaking hands. After a couple of minutes, he raised it to his lips and took a sip. As the water trickled down his throat, he seemed to revive a little. He lifted the mug again and took a swallow. Tears were still coursing down his cheeks, but the color was beginning to return to his face. He sank back on his heels and then he sat down and hugged his knees to his chest. Kevin slowly shook his head as he stared in horror at the pile of ashes that had been a living, breathing, human being just minutes before.

  “I never wanted to kill anyone,” Kevin whispered. “That’s why I didn’t want to be the Master Sorcerer.” As more tears fell, Kevin continued, “Now I’ve killed a man, and no matter what I do, I can never change that.”

  “You did what you had to do, son,” Warren said slowly. “He left you no choice, no choice at all.”

  Kevin shook his head. “I should have seen it coming. I should have been good enough to stop him without killing him.”

  “No one’s that good,” Warren said, patting his shoulder again. “It was his fault, Myron. Don’t blame yourself.”

  “But I killed him.”

  Warren shook his head and stepped into Kevin’s line of vision. “I should have seen it coming, too. I have more experience than you. If it’s anyone’s fault, it’s mine.”

  Kevin looked up at Warren and said, “No.”

  Warren nodded. “Yes. I should have paid attention when he walked over to the side like that. If I had realized what he was doing, I’d have killed him myself, before he ever had a chance to throw that bolt. Do you realize how close we both came to dying?”

  Kevin frowned. That thought hadn’t really crossed his mind, but Warren had a point.

  Warren decided to press on. “You defended yourself. You defended me, and you defended Camden and Terah. If no one else is grateful, I am, and I know Torrey will be, too.”

  Kevin almost smiled.

  “Son, you did your job,” Warren said gently.

  Kevin relaxed a little and rested his head on top of his knees. When he looked up at Warren, his eyes no longer looked quite so dazed.

  Finally Kevin nodded and slowly stood up. “Let’s get out of here,” he said in a strained voice. “I’ll come back later and get all the supplies.”

  Warren rested his hand gently on Kevin’s arm and they left the island.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  When Kevin and Warren arrived in Warren’s backyard, Warren stepped up on the porch, opened the door, and motioned for Kevin to go inside.

  As Kevin stepped into the kitchen, Torrey took one look at him and headed for the stove. “I’ll put on the coffee. Won’t take a minute to warm it up.”

  Chris had been sitting at the table, but as soon as he saw Kevin’s face, he stood up. “What’s wrong? What happened?” When Kevin didn’t answer immediately, Chris said, “He tried to kill you, didn’t he?” as he pulled out a chair and held it for Kevin.

  Kevin shook his head. “It happened so fast, Chris. It was reflex. If I’d had to think about it, I’d be dead.”

  Warren nodded. “And so would I. You saved my life as well as your own.”

  Torrey kissed Kevin on the cheek. “And for that, I will be eternally grateful.”

  Kevin looked over at Warren. “Did you see him throw it?”

  Warren shook his head. “He was out of my sight, off to the side. I think that was his plan,” Warren said slowly. “He waited until you took out the key, till we were moving towards each other so that we could leave. It was the only time we were close enough for him to get us both with one bolt.”

  Kevin nodded.

  “He knew what he was doing,” Warren continued. “Myron, he had it planned out. If I’d had my eyes on him, I’d have known what he was thinking, and I could have stopped him. But he knew that because he’d already tried it with me. That’s why he moved around so that you would be in the middle.”

  Chris sighed. “That was way too close.”

  Warren nodded. “By the time I realized that he’d thrown a bolt, Myron had answered it and put up a shield. I’ve never seen anything that fast.” Then he put his hand on Kevin’s shoulder and said, “Son, you are good.”

  Kevin shook his head. “Not good enough. If I were good enough, I’d have handled the whole thing better. No one would have died.”

  “Look,” Chris said. “I told you back in April that you were going to have to kill him one day. If not today, it would still have happened. There’s no way you could have prevented it forever.”

  Warren nodded. “He’s right, you know. You would never have been able to let him off that island, and every time you went out there with supplies, you would have been putting yourself at risk. He had to try to kill you; it was his nature. And he would have kept trying until one of you was dead. At least it’s over now.”

  The coffee had warmed up, so Torrey poured some into two mugs. She handed one to her husband and put the other down on the table in front of Kevin. He picked it up and slowly sipped it in silence. After he finished, he asked, “Do you need Marcus any longer?”

  Warren’s eyes popped open in surprise, but he shook his head. “Not really. We’re pretty much done until we get some more lumber, and Colin and I can handle it then. But thanks for lending him to us. He was a lot of help. He’s a good sorcerer, and a fine man.”

  Kevin nodded and looked over at Chris. “Do you know where he is?”

  Chris shook his head and stood up. “But I’ll go find him.”

  Kevin nodded again, but he didn’t say anything else.

  “He’s helping Colin move into the assistant’s house,” Torrey said. “I’ll go with you.” She squeezed her husband’s hand and when he glanced at her, she tilted her head towards Kevin and mouthed, “Do something.”

  Warren nodded.

  After Torrey and Chris left, Warren sat down directly across from Kevin and said, “Myron, listen to me, and you listen good. I knew your father, and I’m going to tell you exactly what he’d tell you himself if he were here to do it. You did the right thing today, and you cannot afford the luxury of guilt. If you harbor any guilt feelings about what happened, the next time it happens, you might hesitate, and that will mean your death.

  “Above all else, you must survive. Not just for you, not just for Camden, but for all of Terah. Can you imagine what life on Terah would be like with a sorcerer like Gaynor sitting in the Master’s Chair? That’s not the legacy you want to leave the children of this world. You are the only thing that stands between them and the likes of Gaynor. You did the right
thing today. Never, ever regret it. Not for a moment. Put the blame where it belongs. On him.

  “Blame him for being so greedy, so selfish, so self-serving that he put you in the position of having to destroy him. It was his fault. You did all you could for him, more than you should have. If he had not repaid your kindness with treachery, he’d still be alive today. He attacked you when he thought you were distracted, when he thought you wouldn’t notice. He caused his own death. You have nothing to feel guilty about. All you did was defend yourself and me.”

  Kevin heard Warren’s words, and somewhere in his head, he knew they made sense. But somewhere else, deep inside, he knew he’d killed a man, and that he’d have to live with the guilt of that for the rest of his life.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  When Kevin, Chris, and Marcus got back to Kevin’s office, Kevin thanked Marcus for helping out in Walnut Springs and told him to get some well deserved rest.

  “What I really want is a hot bath and some clean clothes,” Marcus said with a small chuckle. Then he glanced over at Chris for a moment, and left the office.

  “What was that about?” Kevin asked.

  “What?”

  “That look he just gave you. What was that about?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Chris said dismissively. “Now, we have someplace we need to go.”

  “I’m not going back out to that island today, Chris.”

  “No, I’m not talking about that. Marcus and I will go out there and get everything packed up tomorrow.”

  “That’s what that look was about.”

  “Okay, yes. I told him what happened today. But right now we need to go to Willow Canyon. You need to talk to Glendymere.”

  Kevin thought about that for a few moments and then nodded his head once. “I think you’re right.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  As soon as Glendymere saw Kevin’s eyes, he knew what had happened. He looked into Kevin’s mind to get the details. “I’m sorry it came so soon, but it’s better to get it out of the way. There will never be another time like this one, the first one.”

  “There won’t ever be another time, period,” Kevin said.