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

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  “You’re easy, Robyn. When you’re worried, your eyes cloud over, your face looks drawn, and you don’t smile. I bet everyone at the table noticed.”

  Robyn looked ashen. “I hope not! The last thing I need is for someone to report to Rolan that I’m on to something.”

  “I can’t see him bothering to have anyone look. He’s too arrogant to care what you may or may not have figured out.”

  “You’re probably right, but all the same …”

  “Well, if it makes you feel any better, you loosened up pretty quickly, so I feel sure everyone figured it was something minor, but it isn’t, is it?”

  Robyn shook his head.

  Sister Glenice held up her hand, palm out. “Don’t tell me unless I need to know. What I don’t know, I can’t accidentally tell.”

  Robyn smiled. “I doubt if you’ve ‘accidentally’ said anything in your entire life, but you’re right. You don’t need to know about this right now. Maybe later, if I find out I’m right.” Then he sighed. “This needs to get to Myron, by way of Timera Valley. Can you send it out tonight?”

  “Sure.” Sister Glenice took out a sheet of paper to write a cover letter for Brena. “And I guess I should expect a visit before long from a couple of young men from Camden.”

  Robyn nodded. “I hope so. I can’t tell you when though. I just asked him to come as soon as he can.”

  Sister Glenice nodded. “That’s not a problem. Just don’t blame me when Chanz gets spoiled rotten. The girls love him to death.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Late Thursday afternoon Kevin was sitting at his desk trying to figure out exactly how many people were employed at the castle, and in what capacity, when Chris opened his door.

  “Please tell me that something urgent has come up and I’m desperately needed somewhere else,” Kevin groaned. “I can’t make heads or tails out of all of this. How can I tell if I have a spare position that I can use for Marcus when I can’t tell how many people are supposed to work here?”

  Chris chuckled. “I know what you mean. I had a look at that earlier. I think we need to start with how many actually do work here, add a position for Marcus, throw in a couple extras for when something else comes up, and then declare that we have that many positions.”

  “And have you figured out where we’re going to get the money to pay them?”

  “What money? I’ve been working here for … what? Five months? I have yet to see any money.”

  “Same here. We have got to get this figured out.” Kevin lowered his eyes back to the paper on his desk. “We have to come up with some kind of payroll.”

  “I know, but not right now.” Chris laid a sheet of paper on top of the papers on Kevin’s desk. “Take a look at that.”

  Myron,

  I would like to speak with you at your earliest convenience. We can meet at the same place that we did before.

  Robyn

  Kevin read through the note again, but it didn’t say any more the second time than it had the first. “What do you think this is about?”

  Chris shrugged. “When do you want to go?”

  “This evening.”

  Chris nodded. “You don’t have anything scheduled after dinner tonight. You can always say you need an early night. After last week, no one would be surprised.” Chris paused for a second and then asked, “Do you think this might be what we’ve been waiting for?”

  “Maybe. We’ll know soon enough.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Shortly after dark, Kevin told everyone that he was tired and left to go upstairs. When he reached his bedroom, Chris was waiting for him.

  Kevin quickly changed clothes. Then he took out his key and asked, “Are you ready to go?”

  Chris nodded. “Where are you going to bring us in?”

  “I thought we’d come in about the same place we did last time, a little ways out of town. I don’t want to risk someone spotting us as we come out of the energy flow.”

  “Like one of the chapel aides.”

  “Or the blacksmith, or one of his children. There are just too many people in that area.”

  Kevin turned the key and within a few seconds they were standing on the road just outside of Mapleton. Kevin looked around carefully, but he didn’t see anyone who could have seen them materialize. They started walking towards town, not too quickly, and not too slowly. They tried to be fairly quiet, but not so quiet as to attract undue attention. They wanted to appear to be two strangers simply passing through town.

  When they got to the alley between the blacksmith shop and the chapel, they used it to cut around to the back door of the chapel. When Kevin knocked on the door, it was opened by the same aide who had opened it the last time. She looked at Kevin for a moment, and then she recognized him. “Oh, I know you. You’ve been here before. You’re here to see Sister Glenice, aren’t you?”

  “Yes, if it’s convenient,” Kevin answered.

  “Come in,” the aide said as she stepped back out of the doorway.

  Kevin smiled at her and stepped inside.

  “If you’ll just follow me, I’ll show you to her office. She said you’d be coming by, but she didn’t know when.”

  When they reached Sister Glenice’s office, the aide knocked on the open door, and said, “Sister, your guests have arrived.”

  Sister Glenice looked up at Kevin and smiled. “So nice to see you again. Won’t you come in?”

  After Kevin and Chris were seated, the aide backed out of the room and shut the door. Then Sister Glenice stood up and said, “I’ll go let Robyn know you’re here. Be back in just a minute.”

  After Sister Glenice left, Chris whispered, “Do you think she has his dog again?”

  “Probably.”

  “What excuse do you think she’ll use for leaving us in here on our own?”

  “I imagine she’ll come back with some refreshments.”

  “Good cover,” Chris said enthusiastically.

  Kevin chuckled quietly.

  The door opened a couple of moments later and Sister Glenice walked in with a tray loaded down with three mugs and a platter of sugar cookies. She set it down on her desk, handed each of them a mug of scog, and said, “The other one’s for Robyn. He should be here in just a minute. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll go wait for him at the back door and let him in.”

  Once they were alone again, Chris picked up one of the cookies and took a tentative bite. “Umm. Nice. Not as nice as Torrey’s but still pretty good. Want one?”

  Kevin shook his head. “Where do you put it all? You eat and eat, and never gain any weight.”

  Chris leaned over and knocked three times on the edge of Sister Glenice’s desk. “And here’s hoping that never changes.”

  About fifteen minutes later, the door to the office opened and Robyn walked in. “Thank you for coming so quickly,” he said as he slipped into Sister Glenice’s chair behind her desk. “I wasn’t sure you’d be able to.”

  “You said as soon as possible. I assumed it was important.”

  “Yes, well, I think it is, but I don’t know exactly what’s going on. I may have gotten you up here for nothing,” Robyn said apologetically. “I was hoping I could figure it out before you came, but I haven’t.”

  “Just tell me what’s worrying you.”

  “Rolan sent letters out to quite a few experienced sorcerers asking them to recommend a novice for a district position. Then he wrote to some of those novices, more or less promising each of them a job, depending on an interview and the terms of the contract.”

  Kevin nodded.

  “I know,” Robyn said with a sigh. “Nothing unusual about that, except that I haven’t heard of any sorcerers retiring, getting killed, dying, or even getting sick. Anyway, one of the novices that Rolan contacted lives here, in Mapleton. I’ve known him since he was about ten years old, and when he got the letter, he came to see me. He was all excited about the job and couldn’t wait to accept it. Rolan was supposed to come to see him around lunch
time last Sunday, interview him, and if they agreed on the terms of the contract, take him to his new district. All of that sounds right, I know. But when I hadn’t heard anything by Sunday evening, I went over to his house. He wasn’t there, but nothing else seemed to be gone, not any of his clothes, none of his linens, nothing. His extra pair of boots was still in his bedroom and his cloak was still hanging by the back door. And there was food wrapped up and sitting on the counter, like he expected to be back soon.”

  Kevin frowned. “That doesn’t sound right.”

  Robyn nodded. “When I realized that pretty much everything Pauli had was still right there in his house, I wrote to two of the older sorcerers that Rolan had contacted and asked them to check on the novices that they had recommended. I heard from them Tuesday, the same day I wrote to you. Both of those novices are gone too, just like Pauli. They didn’t take anything with them, they didn’t tell anyone they were leaving, and no one’s heard from them since.”

  “You’re thinking they’re all dead, aren’t you?” Kevin asked.

  Robyn looked down at the desk for a minute, then looked at Kevin, and slowly nodded. “I don’t want it to be true, but I can’t see it any other way. One of the novices left his dog and horse without making any arrangements for them. Another left a wife and child. And Pauli had just asked Vanda to marry him. He asked her the day he got the letter from Rolan because he wanted her to go with him. She hasn’t heard anything from him either.”

  “Umm, that doesn’t sound good.”

  “Would Rolan have had any reason to want to kill your friend?” Chris asked.

  Robyn shook his head. “No. Pauli hasn’t done anything that Rolan could misconstrue as a threat. He hasn’t had time! He just finished his apprenticeship about six months ago. He hasn’t even been hired to do any grunt work yet.”

  “Could this be a strike at you?” Kevin asked.

  “I’ve thought about that, but I don’t see how. Rolan doesn’t know me well enough to know who my friends are, and I’ve never even met the other two novices. I had never heard of them before I got the letters Tuesday. No, this isn’t personal, at least not against me.” Then Robyn sat quietly for a moment, thinking. “I really don’t know what’s going on. I can’t see any reason Rolan would have for killing off novices. None of this makes any sense at all.”

  Chris didn’t say anything, but he could think of a reason. He thought it was entirely possible that Rolan was practicing for a much more dangerous duel, the one for the Master’s Chair.

  “I know there’s not much that you can do,” Robyn said. “I can’t prove that Rolan killed Pauli or the other two novices, and I don’t know for sure that any of the other novices that he contacted are even missing. But I felt like someone should know what’s going on around here. I’ve got a really bad feeling about this.”

  “So do I,” Kevin agreed. “So do I.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  After Kevin and Chris returned to Kevin’s bedroom, Kevin asked, “Do you get the feeling that Rolan’s trying out his pendant?”

  Chris nodded. “In preparation for challenging you.”

  “Or for catching me off guard. I really don’t think he’ll challenge me. He’d have to use that pendant with Glendymere standing right there watching.”

  “I don’t know. He’s awfully arrogant. He may think he’s perfectly safe from Glendymere as long as that pendant’s around his neck.”

  “Please let him be that stupid,” Kevin murmured. “I still think he’ll come at my back sometime when he thinks I’m not expecting trouble.”

  “And if your reflexes kick in like they’re supposed to, and you throw a bolt, the dragon’s flame will get you.”

  “I know, but there’s no sense in worrying about it. If it happens, it happens.”

  They talked on for a few minutes and then Chris said goodnight and headed to his own bedroom.

  Once he was alone, Kevin took the chimes that King Merdin had given him out of their pouch and hung them on the balcony.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Just as the first rays of sunlight made it over the tops of the mountains and into Kevin’s bedroom Friday morning, he felt something soft touch his hand and heard someone whisper his name. He managed to cast off the last remnants of sleep and sit up on the edge of the bed.

  “Good morning,” King Merdin said quietly. “I hated to wake you, but it was either that or wait until tonight. I wasn’t sure how urgent your call was.”

  “That’s all right,” Kevin said. “It could have waited, but I’m glad you’re here.”

  “So, have you heard something?”

  “Sort of. It’s nothing definite, but I think it’s the connection I’ve been waiting for.” Then he told King Merdin what Robyn had said.

  “It does sound a little strange, and ominous. What do you think is going on?”

  “I think he’s practicing with the pendant, learning how it works.”

  King Merdin thought about it for a minute. “Could be. I guess it’s time to go check things out. We’ll go tonight.”

  Chapter 39

  King Merdin Visits Trendon

  Friday evening, near sunset, King Merdin, Jaron, and Dani arrived on the western edge of Trendon. Although the area was fairly busy, no one from Trendon had any idea that they were there.

  King Merdin looked around for a few minutes and then mentally said, “Dani, I don’t suppose you have any idea where the castle is, do you?”

  “No. And no one around here is thinking about it either. Guess we’ll just have to start walking and hope either we come across it or I hear something.”

  “See if you can pick up any thoughts about Rolan while you’re listening. And tell Jaron to stay close.”

  The trio from Camden headed east into town, looking for some hint as to where the castle was located.

  Trendon was like a lot of towns with one main road leading through the center of town and several short side roads branching off. There was a town square with an inn, a dry goods store, a farmers market, a chapel, a tavern, a blacksmith shop, and a stable. Although there were several people milling about, the town center was not exactly teeming with activity.

  From overheard bits of conversations and various thoughts, Dani figured out that the castle was east of Trendon, so they continued along the main road. About half a mile later, they came to a smaller road that led off to the right. They followed it until it ended in an open courtyard. A couple of small houses and a building that looked like some kind of barracks stood off to the left. Off to the right, there was a big barn and a road that led to a stable. Directly in front of them was Rolan’s castle.

  The castle didn’t look anything like the one in Milhaven. There was no second floor, and from the looks of things, no basement. There were no watchtowers on top, but half a dozen guards patrolled the roof. There were two sets of steps leading up to two different front doors, dividing the front of the building into thirds, with guards stationed at the foot of each set of steps. Between the two sets of steps, there was what looked like the remnants of a garden, but the few flowers and bushes that had managed to survive looked like no one had bothered with them in years.

  The more King Merdin looked at the castle, the more he was certain that the original building had been one big square. Then, probably years later, two wings had been built, one on each side of the back half of the original building. There weren’t many windows, only two on the front of the original building, one at each end, but they were both huge. There were no windows at all in the wing that lead off to the right, and only a few on the left wing, and as far as King Merdin could see, there were no doors on either wing. All in all, not a very hospitable or inviting place.

  “Are we going in the front door?” Dani asked. “Jaron wants to know.”

  Before he answered, King Merdin took a minute to look back and forth between the two doors. They seemed to be identical, even down to the two guards who were standing at attention at the foot of the steps. “I guess, but I
have no idea which one. Tell him that we’re going to stay put and watch for a minute. I want to see who uses which door.”

  After a few minutes, a young man walked out of the door on the left. Shortly after that, an older man who walked with an air of importance used that door to enter. No one had come or gone from the door on the right.

  “Let’s go in the one they used,” King Merdin said. “If it’s the wrong door, we’ll worry about that after we get inside. We need to explore the castle anyway. Myron needs a floor plan before he comes.”

  “Got it,” Dani said.

  King Merdin waited a minute for Dani to pass the message on to Jaron. Then he said, “All right, let’s move out. Make sure Jaron stays with us.”

  The three invisible intruders slipped past the guards and waited patiently near the door for someone to either come out or go in. After a few minutes, the door opened from the inside. King Merdin darted through the door and scooted a few feet along the wall to give the others room to slip in. Then he shouted, “Hey!” causing the man at the door to turn around to see if someone was calling him. When he didn’t see anyone in the hall, he shrugged and walked on out the door, but the diversion had given Dani and Jaron enough time to slip inside.

  “That was close,” Jaron said to Dani.

  “Not too bad,” Dani answered. “The door didn’t hit either one of us, so we made it all right.” Then he directed his thoughts to King Merdin. “Where to now?”

  “I’m not sure. Let’s split up and explore. You and Jaron take the left. I’ll take the right. Meet me back outside in the little garden between the two doors in an hour.”

  “Left side of the hall and then turn left at the end, right?”

  “Yes, and keep a close eye on Jaron. He’s never done anything like this before, and I don’t want him to attract any attention.”

  “Got you,” Dani said. “Meet you outside in one hour.”

  King Merdin slipped slowly along the wall on the right-hand side of the hall, listening, observing, and forming opinions as he went. He figured that Rolan’s office was the first door on the left. Pages were standing in a line beside the door and there were rough wooden benches across the hall. King Merdin shook his head and kept walking. Rolan wasn’t very considerate if he kept his visitors waiting on those hard seats, and he apparently didn’t use his pages for anything more than errand boys.