“Cameryn?”
Kevin smiled. “We’re losing her, too. She’s getting married next month.”
“Surely not Elin.”
Kevin laughed. “No, Elin’s working with Joan now.”
Callie frowned. “What happened to Petri?”
“He’s our new head page, as of today.”
“So he and Elin switched places. But if Ariel’s coming here, and Cameryn’s getting married…”
“I know. We brought Jenni in to replace Cameryn. You might know her, she’s Wanda’s oldest. But we’ll need to find a couple more soon.”
“Good luck with that.” Callie wiped her hands. “Are you staying for lunch?”
Kevin shook his head. “I’m heading back home.”
Callie picked up a small basket, put some sweet rolls in it, pulled a list out of her pocket and handed both to Kevin. But before he could take the list, she jerked it back. “Wait. Ariel loves blackberries.” She added blackberries to her list. “And bring me a lot of them, before next weekend. I want to make something special for him, to welcome him to the island.”
~~~~
During the next week, Torrey had Warren arrange the furniture in Ariel’s cave so that one side was a sitting area and the other was a bedroom. She had Kevin bring out two more armchairs, a coffee table, two more end tables, a cabinet, and more glow stone lamps. By the time she went to bed Thursday night, Ariel’s bed was made, his clothes were put away, there were rugs on the floor, lap rugs on the chairs, doilies on the tables, and dishes, mugs, and silverware in the cabinet, all donated by the women who lived on the island. The only thing left for Ariel to do was put the clothes he brought with him away.
Meanwhile, back in Milhaven, Ariel spent some time with all the people who had come to mean so much to him. After lunch Friday, Chris closed the office as far as business was concerned so the pages could throw him a party. Most of the castle staff dropped by to tell him goodbye and wish him luck. Shortly before dinner, Chris sent everyone except the pages on their way so they could say goodbye. Isak and Petri escorted Ariel downstairs to get the rest of his stuff while Cameryn, Elin, and Jenni packed the gifts he’d been given during the party.
Since no one knew where he was going or what he would be doing, the gifts were simple and easy to transport. Darrell and the guards gave him a new dagger and had Neiven engrave his name on the blade. Cryslyn’s staff gave him a couple of new tunics. The grounds men had a new pair of boots made for him. Miranda and the kitchen staff presented him with a kettle. Neiven gave him an engraved lock box. The pages gave him a couple of new pens, and Joan and Karl gave him a large notebook to use as a journal.
After a final round of goodbyes in the office, Chris shooed the pages out and shut the door. Then he said, “I didn’t get you anything because this is not goodbye for us. I’m usually out there once or twice a month. I’ll see you then.”
Kevin picked up the lock box, which contained the gifts. “Let’s go take a look at your new home.”
Ariel took a deep breath, put his hand on Kevin’s arm, and shut his eyes.
~~~~
When Ariel opened his eyes, he was on a wide ledge on the side of a mountain. His view was partially blocked by trees, but he could see another mountain across from him with a valley in between. Beyond the mountain, he saw what looked like an ocean. “Where am I?”
Kevin laughed. “Let’s put your stuff inside and then I’ll show you around.” Kevin led Ariel into the cave, uncovering glowstones along the way. “Torrey set this up for you. You can arrange the furniture any way you want to.” There was a covered basket on the coffee table. “And unless I miss my guess, that’s either from Torrie or Callie.”
“Callie? Our Callie?”
Kevin nodded. “Remember Petar? The man she married?”
“He and some of his friends were offered a job somewhere and she left to go with him.” Ariel paused. “They’re here?”
“They’re Landis’s guards.”
Ariel looked in the basket. “Blackberry muffins!” He picked one up and took a bite. “These are good. Have one.”
“Not right now. We’ll go down for breakfast in a little while.”
“Breakfast?”
“It’s about seven in the morning here.”
“We’re on the other side of Terah?”
“Yes, but after a couple of days, you won’t be able to tell any difference.” Kevin gave Ariel a few minutes to look around his cave. Then he asked, “Have you ever flown with a sorcerer before?”
Ariel nodded as he brushed the crumbs off his tunic. “With Badec and Marcus.”
“Good. Then you’re used to it. Come on. I’ll take you on a tour of the island.”
“Island?”
Kevin nodded. “Only way I could think of to keep Landis safe.”
For the next hour, Kevin took Ariel around the island, showing him the beaches, the plateau to the north, the mountains, and the valley.
When they got back to Ariel’s cave, Kevin pointed out the trail. “I’m sure most of the others are up by now. Let’s go meet your neighbors.” They went by Warren and Torrey’s and then on to the clinic where Ariel said hello to Theresa and met Taelor.
“Does everyone here live in a cave? Or do some live in houses?” Ariel asked as they walked down the trail towards the valley.
“They live in caves, but they built a community building in the valley. It has one large room that’s used as a dining room at meal times, but it’s also used for meetings or games. The kitchen’s about as big as Miranda’s and there are several smaller rooms used mainly for storage. Cpt. Garen uses one of those for his office.”
Darwyn walked out of his cave right as they reached it. After Kevin made the introductions, he joined them as they followed the trail to the valley.
When they reached the clearing in front of the dining room, Logan ran up, looked around for a moment and frowned. “Where’s Nikki?”
Before Kevin could answer, Logan’s younger brother, Bengie, ran up and asked, “Where is she?”
“Sorry, guys. I didn’t bring Nikki this time, but I did bring someone else I’d like you to meet.” When he introduced Ariel, they politely shook his hand and said it was nice to meet him, but anyone could see the disappointment. A new adult was no consolation for the missing dog. Kevin put his hand on Logan’s shoulder. “These two young men belong to Synead, one of the guards.”
Logan poked his chest out. “I’m going to be a guard too when I grow up. Father said so.”
“Congratulations,” Ariel said. “Being a guard’s quite an honor.”
“I’m gonna be one, too,” Bengie piped up.
“Then congratulations to you, too,” Ariel said. “I’m sure your father’s very proud of you.”
“He is,” said a voice behind Ariel. “Good morning, Myron. I take it this is our newest resident?”
Kevin nodded. “Ariel, this is Synead.”
“I remember seeing you around town,” Ariel said as he shook Synead’s hand.
Synead grinned. “Mainly in the tavern.” Then he looked at the boys. “Come on, you two. Time to eat.”
“It’s time we were getting inside, too,” Kevin said as he led Ariel towards the building.
The dining room tables were scattered around the room. Kevin and Ariel joined Warren, Torrey, and Landis, while Darwyn joined Theresa and Taelor at a nearby table. The guards ate in family groups, with Tyler, the only guard who wasn’t married, joining Petar and Callie at a table near the kitchen.
After most people had finished eating and the kids were starting to get restless, Kevin stood up and introduced Ariel. “For those of you who didn’t know him in Milhaven, he was the head page in the sorcerer’s office for longer than I’ve been a sorcerer. He’s here at my request to help Landis understand the nonmagical duties and responsibilities of a seated sorcerer.” Then he asked Cpt. Garen to stand. “Ariel, I’d like for you to meet the captain of Landis’s guard, Cpt. Garen.”
“Thank you,” Ariel said, “I’d like that.”
As Cpt. Garen sat down, conversations picked up and children asked to be excused. As people left the dining hall to begin their day, most of them stopped by the table where Kevin, Ariel, and Landis were still seated to say hello to Kevin and tell Ariel they were pleased to have him join them.
When the dining room was empty except for the three of them, Kevin said, “You both know why Ariel’s here and what I want him to do, but I can’t tell you how to do it. When Laryn sent Tyree to help me, I had no idea where to start and neither did he. I was hesitant to ask questions, mainly because I had no idea what questions to ask. He was hesitant to start telling me stuff because he didn’t know what I already knew and he didn’t want to insult me. As it turned out, he was safe on that score. I grew up in a place that was as isolated as this island. I had no idea how people lived anywhere else, and I had never met, seen, or even heard of a sorcerer until I found out I was one.”
“So how did Tyree handle it?” Ariel asked.
“Steve helped out.” Kevin turned to Landis. “There were a few people who lived where I grew up and volunteered to go with me. Steve was one of them. So were Chris and Theresa.”
Landis frowned. “I thought Steve was Laryn’s husband?”
“He is now. They didn’t know each other then. Anyway, he and Tyree talked during the day while I was busy with Glendymere, and then after dinner he’d tell the rest of us what Tyree had said. We’d ask questions, and Steve would find out the answers and get back to us.” Kevin shrugged. “It probably wasn’t the easiest way to do it, but it worked for us. I didn’t have much free time.” Then he looked at Landis. “I know you want to get on with your magic, learn as much as you can as fast as you can, but this is every bit as important if you’re still determined to challenge Rolan.”
“I am.”
“Then you need to make time to find out what you’re walking into. Even with everything Tyree told us, there was still a lot I didn’t know. If it hadn’t been for Laryn and Ariel, I’m not sure what we’d have done. I don’t know if any of your father’s people are still in Trendon. If so, maybe some of them will help you, but we can’t count on it. You need to be ready.”
“How would you suggest we do this?” Ariel asked.
“Talk to each other,” Kevin said. “That’s where you start. Landis probably has questions, questions she hasn’t asked me or Warren or anyone else because she feels like she should already know the answers.” He looked at Landis. “Right?”
Landis hesitated and then, as a faint blush crept up her cheeks, nodded.
“You can ask Ariel anything. He knows you know more about elves and North Amden than he does, so it’s only fair that he knows more about humans and Camden. You can work with magic. He can run an office. Both of you have your strengths. Share them. You tell him about elves and the way they live, he tells you about humans and the way they live, and in the process, you’ll both gain. You show him what you can do with your magic, he’ll tell you about some of the things that happen around the castle, in the office, and some of the crazy mail we get.”
“I get it,” Landis said. “Just talk.”
Kevin nodded. “Just talk.”
~~~~
Kevin didn’t leave the island until almost midnight. When he got back to his room, Chris pointed to the mug of scog on the coffee table. “I was about to give up on you and go to bed. How’d it go?”
“Okay, I guess.” As Kevin sat down, Nikki got up from her spot on the couch and settled down beside him. As he reached down to pet her, he said, “He’s there, and I’m sure everyone will do their best to make him feel welcome. Torrey had his room all fixed up and Callie had blackberry muffins waiting for him. But I’m not sure it’s going to work.”
“What’s going to work?”
“This whole idea about trying to prepare her for the job. I’m not sure there’s anyway to prepare someone.”
“You’re doing all you can. Kevin, you were younger than she is when you stepped into that office and you figured it out. She will, too. Ariel will give her a good foundation. What she does with it when she gets to Trendon is up to her. You can’t do it for her, and neither can he.”
Kevin stared off into space for a few minutes. “You’re right. All we can do is see that she gets the basics. Then, when she gets there, if she needs help, maybe Robyn will pitch in, or one of the others. They spent more time at the castle than she did.”
“And if she doesn’t think of inviting them, we’ll find a way to suggest it.”
Kevin smiled. “Rhianna can handle that one. She’ll be back by then.” He turned up his mug and finished his scog. “Think I’ll get some sleep.”
Chapter 51
And An Arrival
Shortly after breakfast Monday, right before he was supposed to leave to pick her up, Chris said, “I’ve been thinking about Anya.”
“Second thoughts?”
“It’s not that. She’s a teenage girl, and I remember my sisters getting all stressed out about dressing wrong. They were always worried they’d be overdressed or underdressed. They’d change clothes half a dozen times trying to figure out what the other girls would be wearing.”
Kevin frowned. “What do you mean?”
“If they were going to a picnic at the park with some friends, they didn’t want to be the only one in shorts if everyone else was in a sundress, or be the only one in a sundress if the others were in tees and shorts. And same with shoes. If everyone else was in sandals, it was the kiss of death to show up in tennis shoes.”
“Seriously?”
Chris nodded. “And from what some of my friends said, my sisters weren’t the worst of the lot. Some of those girls would dress one way and stuff a complete change of clothes in their tote bags in case they got the dress code wrong.”
Kevin shrugged. “I didn’t have sisters, but now that you mention it, all the girls did seem to dress pretty much the same no matter what we were doing. The guys did too, but we only had three options. We either wore jeans and tees, dress pants and a shirt, or a suit. Not hard to figure out which one would work.”
“And guys don’t care if they’re different. Girls do, and teenage girls even more so.”
“So how does this relate to Anya?”
“After the way her mother had her dressed when I took her father home, I bet she’ll make the girl put on a fancy dress to come here. Anya’s going to be nervous enough without feeling like she’s sticking out like a sore thumb.”
“But what can we do about it? She’s supposed to be ready when you get there, and if you insist she change clothes, her mother’s going to be insulted.”
Chris shook his head. “No way I’d do that, but I think I’ll go by Cryslyn’s office and ask her to put some leggings and a tunic in Anya’s room. Then, if Anya’s in one of those gaudy dresses, I’ll take her straight to her room and let her change clothes before we introduce her around.”
“You know which room is hers?”
Chris nodded. “I asked Cryslyn yesterday so I can put her bags in there after I drop her off in Cryslyn’s office.”
“Okay. Let me know when someone brings her in here to meet the pages. I’d like to meet her, too.”
“Just don’t scare her to death. I’m still hoping we can bring her in here as a page.”
After Chris set things up with Cryslyn, he left for Conner’s house.
When Chris knocked on Conner’s door, Conner opened it, stepped outside, pulled the door to, and said, “I’m sorry. It’s all such a mess…”
“Has Anya changed her mind?”
“No!” Conner sh
ook his head. “No, not at all. Anya can’t get out of here fast enough to suit her. And I can’t wait for her to be gone either. All they’ve done this morning is yell at each other.” Connor took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. “I imagine it’s my fault. I’d told Anya that everyone at the castle wears leggings and tunics, so when she got up, that’s what she put on. Her mother had a fit and told her she was either going to change into the dress she’d had made for her or she wasn’t going at all. Then she made her put on a new pair of boots that have bows on them! Then Sassie went through Anya’s bags, took out every pair of leggings and all the tunics and made her take dresses instead. She said if they want her to wear leggings while she’s working, they’ll give them to her, but at other times she’s to dress and act like the daughter of a minister.” Conner shook his head again. “I had no idea my wife was such a snob, but that’s my problem. I’ll deal with that later. But now you’re going to have one frustrated, angry young lady on your hands. She’s furious with her mother, and I don’t blame her.” Conner dug in his pocket, pulled out a small bag of coins, and handed it to Chris. “She’ll need some new clothes. Would you get someone to help her make arrangements to have some made?”
Chris nodded and put the bag in his pocket.
Conner took another deep breath, opened the door, and motioned towards the parlor. “They’re in there.”
A tray with dainty pastries, a pot of tea, and tiny little cups was on a small serving table in the parlor. After Sassie greeted Chris, she picked up the teapot.
Chris held his hand up to stop her. “None for me, please.”
“Are you sure?” Sassie asked with the tea pot poised over a cup.
“I’m sorry, but I’m in a hurry. I’ve got to get back.”
“Surely you have time for tea,” Sassie insisted as she poured the tea anyway. “Cream and sugar?”
“No, thank you. We need to get going.” Then Chris turned to Anya. “Are you ready?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Where are your bags?”
The Rambling Spy Page 54