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

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  “Chris will be back in a few minutes with some refreshments. I didn’t know for sure what you’d like, but I asked him to get scog for you and milk for Dani. Is that all right?”

  “That’s fine, but you really didn’t need to go to all of this trouble.”

  “I wanted to,” Kevin said softly. Then he added, “I’ve already gone over my plans with Chris. When he gets back, I’d like to run through them with you and see what you think.”

  “So you’ve decided when you want to do this?”

  Kevin nodded. “Tomorrow morning.”

  King Merdin let out a low whistle.

  “Is that a problem? I can put it off if I need to.”

  “No, that’s fine.”

  The door opened and Chris walked in holding a tray. There were four mugs on the tray, two large ones for Kevin and Chris, and the two smaller ones for King Merdin and Jaron, a large saucer filled with milk, and a plate piled high with cookies. Chris set the tray on the coffee table and handed King Merdin one of the small mugs. Then he set the saucer of milk on the floor beside Dani’s cushion. Finally he handed Kevin one of the larger mugs, picked up the other for himself, and sat down on the couch beside Kevin.

  “Jaron didn’t come?” Chris asked as he reached for one of the cookies.

  King Merdin shook his head. “I really don’t want him involved in this part, so I told him to stay home and take care of things there.” Then he looked at Kevin and asked, “Have you told Glendymere about any of this yet?”

  Kevin shook his head. “I’m going to Willow Canyon tomorrow morning to tell him.”

  “Won’t he want to do this himself?”

  Kevin nodded. “I’m sure he will, but we’ll just have to convince him to let me handle it my way.”

  “And how do you plan to do that?” King Merdin asked quietly.

  “I’m not sure, but I have to convince him, so I’ll need you there to back me up.”

  King Merdin nodded and took a sip of his scog.

  “Then, after that, you and I will go to the castle.”

  “Have you ever been there?”

  Kevin shook his head.

  “Then I’ll take us in. You’ll want to go to his office, right?”

  Kevin nodded.

  “I’ll take us right to his door, but Dani and I won’t be seen. Only you’ll be visible. Then once you’re in place, I’ll go on to his bedroom.”

  Kevin looked at Dani. “Why are you staying with me instead of going with King Merdin?”

  Dani sat up. “Because I’m a telepath.”

  “He’ll stay in contact with me while I’m in Rolan’s room. He can let you know when Rolan’s on his way down to the office. That’s when I’ll grab the lamp and the extra pendant. Dani’ll let you know when I’ve got them. I’ll pop back to Glendymere’s to drop them off, and then I’ll go back to the castle to wait for you.”

  “Where will you be while I’m talking to Rolan?”

  “Probably in the hall in front of his office.”

  “Why?”

  “There’s a chance you won’t make it through this, and if Rolan does manage to kill you, I’ll need to be there to get Dani out.”

  Kevin nodded, but Chris looked a little sick at the thought.

  “I assume you’ll be agreeable to letting Glendymere go after Rolan at that point, right?” King Merdin asked. When Kevin didn’t answer, King Merdin continued. “After all, Rolan will have killed a representative to the Federation of Terah, and that puts him squarely in Glendymere’s sights.”

  Kevin nodded. “I agree with that, but I want to back up a little. I don’t like the idea of putting Dani in any danger.” He turned his head and looked directly into the cat’s eyes. “Dani, if you stay with me, you’ll have to stay away from me, just in case. I don’t want you to take any chances. Agreed?”

  The cat slowly nodded his head. “I’ll be in the room, but I’ll move far enough away to make sure I don’t get hit.”

  Dani had included all of them in his comment, and the blood slowly drained from Chris’s face.

  “Don’t take it personally, Chris,” King Merdin said. “Dani is just agreeing with what Myron asked.”

  “I know,” Chris said in a shaky voice. “I just don’t like the picture that popped into my head.”

  “I understand,” King Merdin said with a nod. Then he turned to Kevin and asked, “Well, is there anything else we need to go over tonight?”

  “I don’t think so. You’re going to take the lamp and pendant to Glendymere’s before you come back for Dani, right?”

  “I think that would be best, don’t you? I don’t want to leave them anywhere unguarded.”

  “That’s fine. I just want to make sure they’re out of the castle before Rolan has a reason to grab them and move them somewhere else.”

  “I’ll take care of it,” King Merdin said. “Maybe I should make sure that the lamp and pendant are still in that closet before we do this. I’ll check on that on my way to Willow Canyon tomorrow morning. I’ll drop Dani off here and he can go with you and Chris.”

  Chris frowned. “What if you get caught?

  King Merdin gave him a sideways look. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

  Chris shrugged. “Well, it could happen.”

  “It won’t. Don’t waste any time worrying about that,” King Merdin said with a grin as he and Dani both stood up. Then he turned to Kevin and said, “Thank you for the refreshments, Myron. See you at daybreak.”

  Chapter 45

  Showdown

  Kevin went to bed right after King Merdin and Dani left, but he couldn’t sleep. He tossed and turned, thinking about the next morning and the events that had led up to it. The more he thought about it, the more angry he became. Finally, a couple of hours before daybreak, he gave up on sleep, got up, and paced around his room for about an hour. Then he dressed and went out back for his morning workout.

  Chris had also been awake most of the night, too nervous to sleep. In fact, he was so nervous that he felt sick on his stomach. He got up when he heard Kevin stirring around, and as soon as he heard Kevin’s door shut, he stepped out on the balcony and watched Kevin walk across the grounds and float over the river. Chris crossed his fingers and bit his lips.

  By the time Kevin started his routine, he’d worked up a good head of steam, and his magical energy lit up the pre-dawn sky. With the first explosion of magic over the treetops, Chris’s heart started racing, and by the time Kevin finished his routine, Chris was feeling optimistic. Kevin was better than ever. For the first time since Kevin had told him what he was going to do, Chris felt like it might actually work. He almost felt sorry for Rolan, not quite, but almost.

  When Kevin got back to his room, Chris was waiting with a big smile on his face. “That was good. Really good.”

  “Thanks,” Kevin said with a quick nod. Then he walked over to his chest of drawers and took out one of the formal tunics that he wore only on official occasions and a fresh pair of deep black leggings. While he was getting dressed, he asked, “Did you get any sleep last night?”

  “I might have dozed for a few minutes now and then, but basically, no. How about you?”

  “I didn’t even doze. I think every possible scenario ran through my head after I went to bed.”

  “And how many of those scenarios ended with Glendymere killing Rolan?”

  “Too many. That’s when I started getting mad.” He opened another drawer, took out his formal red sash, and tied it around his waist. “Are you going to get us some coffee?”

  Chris nodded. “Be back in a minute.”

  While Chris was gone, Kevin stepped out on the balcony and ran through the day as he intended for it to play out. He followed it all the way to the end, to where he was standing in the chapel in Timera Valley, returning the lamp and both pendants to Brena. “And that’s the way it’s going to be,” he whispered.

  Chris walked in with a tray containing two cups of coffee, a plate of fruit and pastri
es, and a bag. He set the tray down on the coffee table, carried one of the cups out on the balcony, and handed it to Kevin.

  “There’s some food on the coffee table if you want anything to eat, and I fixed a bag for us to take with us to Glendymere’s.”

  Kevin looked at Chris and raised his eyebrows. “Why?”

  Chris blushed. “Because I get hungry when I’m pacing, and I have a feeling I’m going to be doing a bit of that today.”

  Kevin chuckled and said, “Hope it’s a big bag.” Then he got serious and asked, “Have you got the key?”

  Chris pulled his chain out from under his tunic. Next to the pendant that Glendymere had given him hung the key to the Gate Between the Worlds. “Right here. Want it back?”

  “Yes, but not until this is over,” Kevin said lightly. “Let’s go back inside and wait for King Merdin and Dani.”

  They sat down on the couch and nibbled at the food while they waited for sunrise. About ten minutes later, a few rays of light made it over the mountaintops to the east, and right after that, King Merdin and Dani materialized in Kevin’s bedroom.

  “Good morning,” King Merdin said cheerfully. “Ready to go?”

  “As ready as I’ll ever be, I guess,” Kevin said as he stood up. “Yesterday I told Glendymere that I’d probably drop by this morning, but there’s no way he’s expecting me this early. Let’s meet outside the main entrance. I don’t want to startle him out of a deep sleep by suddenly popping into his sleeping chamber.”

  King Merdin laughed. “No, that would not be a good beginning. See you at the gongs.” King Merdin turned his key and vanished.

  Dani walked over to Kevin and put a paw on his leg. Chris picked up the bag of food with one hand and put the other on Kevin’s arm. Then Kevin turned his key, and a few seconds later they were standing in the dark at the entrance to Glendymere’s cave.

  Kevin and Chris stood outside, waiting for King Merdin, but Dani walked around inside the large cavern where Glendymere usually met with his guests, fascinated by the different smells. About fifteen minutes later, King Merdin materialized at the cave entrance.

  “I was starting to get worried. What took you so long?” Kevin asked. “Did you run into any trouble?”

  “No, no trouble. I just wanted to check things out while I was there,” King Merdin explained. “The lamp and pendant are still safely tucked away in the closet and Rolan’s snoring. The guard outside his door is asleep on his feet. No one’s wandering around in the halls and there were only two people in the kitchen, but guards are posted at the steps and on the roof. Basically, the castle’s asleep, and it looks like it’s going to stay that way for a while. It’s not even daybreak yet.”

  “Good,” Kevin said. “Now, let’s wake Glendymere up and tell him what we’re going to do.” Kevin headed over towards the gongs, but before he reached them, he heard Glendymere’s voice in his head.

  “Just what are you two up to? And why am I so sure that I don’t want to know?” Glendymere asked as he emerged from the tunnel into his large reception cavern. “Chris, are you letting Kevin do something that could get him killed?”

  “I tried to talk him out of it. Now it’s your turn.”

  Kevin cut his eyes over at Chris and glared at him.

  Chris gave Kevin a wide-eyed innocent look and said, “What? You know I’m against the whole idea. I understand why you’re doing it, but that doesn’t mean I agree with it.”

  “Hello, Merdin. How did he convince you to get involved in whatever he’s planning?”

  King Merdin chuckled. “I volunteered. Bit of excitement to break up the monotony.”

  “You, too, Dani?”

  Dani purred and curled up beside King Merdin.

  “All right,” Glendymere said as he curled up against the far wall and rested his head on his front paws, just like Dani. “Tell me what you’ve got planned, Myron. And start at the beginning.”

  Kevin explained how he knew that Rolan had both pendants as well as the lamp, and where the extra pendant and lamp were. Then he went through their plans for retrieving everything. When he finished, he held his breath, waiting to see how much argument he was going to get from Glendymere.

  Glendymere didn’t say anything for a couple of minutes. Then he sighed and said, “You know that I can get the pendant without anyone being in any danger, other than Rolan of course.”

  Kevin nodded his head.

  “Then why do you want to take this kind of risk?”

  “I have to,” Kevin said quietly. “I can’t involve you directly in human affairs.”

  Glendymere drew his eyebrows close together in a deep frown. “Then how do you justify involving Merdin and Dani?”

  “That’s different,” Kevin said. “All King Merdin’s going to do is get the lamp and pendant out of the closet and bring them to you. Rolan won’t even be in the room when he does it because he’ll be in the office with me. And as far as Dani is concerned, he’s just there to let me know when King Merdin is clear.”

  Again Glendymere sat quietly for a few minutes. “This is something you feel like you have to do, isn’t it?”

  Kevin nodded.

  “Very well. I’ll wait here, for one hour. Not two. If you’re not back here by then, I’m going to Trendon, and Rolan won’t like it. And make sure he understands that if he ever steals anything of mine again, I’ll go after it myself, and he won’t survive the encounter.”

  “I will,” Kevin said. “Okay then. Merdin, are you ready to get this show on the road?”

  King Merdin looked at Kevin a little funny and frowned.

  “What I meant was, are you ready to go?”

  “Oh. Any time you are.”

  “Then let’s get this over with.” Kevin looked over at Chris as he put his hand on King Merdin’s shoulder.

  Chris nodded as he held up his fist, shook it, and mouthed, “Go get’im.”

  As soon as Dani raised his paw and put it on the gnome’s arm, King Merdin turned the key and the three of them vanished.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  A few seconds later, Kevin was standing in the hall outside Rolan’s office. Kevin felt a slight tug on his pants leg. When he looked down, he saw two eyes looking up at him.

  “King Merdin has gone to Rolan’s room to get the lamp and pendant,” Dani told Kevin telepathically. “I’ll let you know when he has them out of here.”

  “Thank you.”

  Kevin had been standing in the hall waiting for someone to show up for nearly ten minutes when the front door opened and a teenage boy walked in. He walked over to Kevin and asked, “May I help you, sir?”

  Kevin smiled at the young page. “Yes, you may. Please inform Rolan that Myron, the Master Sorcerer, is here to see him.”

  The page’s eyes popped wide open and his jaw dropped. He seemed to be frozen in place.

  “Now would be a good time,” Kevin urged gently.

  “Bu…bu … but he doesn’t c … c… come to the office on Sunday’s.”

  “I think he will today. Please tell him that I’ll wait fifteen minutes. If he isn’t here by then, I’ll come to his quarters.”

  “Y … y … yes, sir,” the page stammered, and then he took off running down the hall.

  Kevin struggled to keep from laughing.

  A few minutes later, the front door opened again and an older man walked in. From the look of his uniform, Kevin thought he was probably the captain of the guard. He walked up to Kevin, nodded, and asked, “Can I help you?”

  “Thank you, no.”

  “Are you waiting for someone?” Captain Yardner asked. Then he noticed the red sash on the younger man’s waist.

  “Yes. I’m waiting for Rolan. One of his pages has gone to let him know that I’m here.”

  “Fine, sir. If you need me for anything, I’ll be in my office,” Captain Yardner said with a slight bow. The corners of his mouth were twitching and his eyes were sparkling as he turned to walk down the hall towards his office.

&nb
sp; “He’s figured out who you are and he thinks it’s funny that you’ve come to see Rolan. He figures Rolan’s in trouble, and that pleases him.”

  “I thought so,” Kevin said and allowed himself a little grin. Nice to know not everyone at the castle was in Rolan’s corner.

  A few minutes later, the page returned from Rolan’s quarters. He stepped to the side of Rolan’s door, nodded at Kevin, and said, “Sir, Rolan’s guard ordered some coffee from the kitchen. He said to tell you that he’ll wake Rolan up and let him know that you’re here just as soon as the coffee arrives.”

  “That’s fine, just as long as Rolan is here within the next few minutes.”

  “Would you like to sit down, sir?” the page asked as he nodded towards the old wood benches across the hall.

  “No, thank you.”

  The page remained beside Rolan’s door, nervously switching from one foot to the other.

  A little over fifteen minutes later, Rolan came walking down the hall at a leisurely pace. “Myron. To what do I owe this rude intrusion on a Sunday morning?” he asked arrogantly.

  Kevin tilted his head towards Rolan’s office, but he didn’t say a word.

  Rolan stormed through the door as soon as his page opened it and didn’t look back until he was standing behind his desk. Then he turned and glared at Kevin.

  Kevin had followed Rolan into the room, waited a second to give Dani time to scoot in, and then quietly shut the door.

  “Merdin is back. He’s in the hall. The lamp and pendant are with Glendymere,” Dani said as Kevin walked across the room towards Rolan’s desk. “And I’m out of the way.”

  Rolan took a deep breath and roared, “Who do you think you are?! Charging in here and demanding that I see you! What’s this all about?!”

  “I’ve come for the pendant that you stole from the Sisterhood,” Kevin said quietly, but authoritatively.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Rolan sneered.

  “Yes you do. I know you didn’t actually lift the pendant or the lamp from the chapel yourself, but you’ve got them now, and I’ve come for the pendant. Hand it over.”

  Rolan raised one eyebrow and tilted his head to the side. “If I had a sister’s pendant, what makes you think you could take if from me?”