The Master's Chair (The Chronicles of Terah)

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  Kevin folded his arms on his desk and said, “Well, for one thing, I need a firm grasp of the laws here, of what’s actually illegal.”

  Steve nodded. “Probably the best place to start would be with the decisions that the Provincial Court has handed down over the past few years. Tyree said that they have a secretary who records the facts of the cases and the decisions. Do you think I could get access to those records?”

  “I’m pretty sure that I can arrange that. Let me talk to Laryn about it this evening and I’ll try to set up a meeting with the chairman sometime tomorrow.”

  “That’ll be fine,” Steve said as he stood up. “You know, it might be a good idea to invite Tyree to join us now rather than have him wait until next fall.”

  Kevin nodded. “I hate that I didn’t suggest that he accompany us. If he comes to the funeral with Glendymere we’ll ask him then. If he doesn’t, I’ll send an invitation back with Glendymere.”

  “Then for now, I’ll get out of your way. I think I’ll take a walk around the gardens and maybe through the woods on the other side of the river.”

  “Want me to get someone to go with you?”

  “No, I’ll be fine. See you at dinner,” Steve said as he headed for the door.

  After the door had closed behind Steve, Chris said, “That went well, don’t you think? Hope the others go as well.”

  “So do I. You want to see if you can find Karl and Joan now?”

  “I told them that you’d need to see them after Steve. They should be here by now.” Chris walked over to the door and opened it.

  Karl and Joan were seated at the conference table, each with a plate of goodies in front of them. Ariel had two trays set out, one with coffee and scog, the other with pastries and fruit.

  Chris grabbed a plate and started filling it up. “I could get used to this kind of service,” he said with a smile.

  “And gain twenty pounds,” Joan moaned as she ate one of the pastries.

  Kevin laughed. “Why don’t you bring your plates with you and we’ll go ahead and get started.”

  As soon as they were settled in Kevin’s office, Joan said, “I don’t know what you told Steve, but he was grinning like a Cheshire cat when he left your office.”

  “I asked him to do something for me that he’s looking forward to tackling,” Kevin answered.

  “So, what do you want us to do?” Karl asked.

  “I don’t know how to ask, Karl. It’s major.” Kevin paused. This was even harder than he’d expected it to be. He felt that he already owed them more than he could every repay. What he wanted to do was give them a house, some land, and everything that went with it. Instead, he was going to ask them to put their lives on hold again and do even more for him. “I know you want to have your own farm again, and what I’m getting ready to ask you to do would mean putting it off for a while.”

  “I sort of figured that much,” Karl said. “Go ahead. What’s up?”

  Kevin forced himself to look Karl squarely in the eyes as he said, “I’d like for you to be the Governor of Camden, at least for the next year or so, hopefully longer.”

  Karl frowned. “Kevin, I don’t know a thing about politics.”

  “You know as much about being a governor as I do about being the Master Sorcerer,” Kevin answered with a shrug. “Laryn said that Governor Wrenn would help you. He’ll go over what you need to know, what you need to do, and so on. The job will be twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and that’s an awful lot to ask, but I need someone I can count on, someone I trust. I really want you in that position.”

  “I’m guessing that there’s some reason you either didn’t ask Steve or that he turned it down. You know that he’s the only one of us who’s the least bit qualified to hold a position like that.”

  “I considered asking him, but I’d rather have him as an advisor for both of us than tie him down with the duties of one office, and although Steve is knowledgeable about government, you’re a natural leader,” Kevin replied. He waited a few minutes and then shifted his gaze to Joan. “Joan, if Karl accepts the position, would you be willing to be his assistant? It would be a full-time job, but I imagine Karl would be a lot more comfortable working with you than with a stranger.”

  Joan smiled. “I’ve been his secretary for years. That’s a role I’m used to.”

  Kevin looked back at Karl. “You’ll have to deal with problems from all over Camden, so there won’t be much time left for all of the things you love to do. I know it isn’t fair, and if either of you say no, I’ll understand, but I really do hope you’ll agree to do it. I wish I could give you days to consider this and discuss it, but I can’t. I have to know your answer today.” Kevin watched as Karl and Joan looked at each other with questioning eyes. “Actually, I need it now, so Chris and I will step outside and let the two of you talk about it.”

  As Kevin and Chris stood up to leave, Karl motioned for them to sit back down. “Are you sure you want us, Kevin? I’m just a simple farmer. I wouldn’t know where to start.”

  “I’m sure, Karl. You’re the one I want in that office.”

  “What do you say?” Karl asked as he turned to Joan and took her hand.

  “Sounds interesting anyway. Sure, let’s give it a try.” Then she turned to Kevin and said, “On one condition.”

  “Name it.”

  “If you find someone that you think would be better at it, someone who could do a better job, you replace us. Right then. No guilt feelings, no loyalty issues, nothing. You just do it. Okay?”

  “I agree. On that condition, we accept,” Karl said with a quick nod.

  “Deal,” Kevin said. He stood up and reached across the desk for Karl’s hand, shook it, and then shook Joan’s hand. Then he sat back down in his seat and said, “Now for the bad news. You have to take over on the day of Badec’s funeral, next Saturday.”

  “Next Saturday?!” Karl gasped. “That’s too soon. We have no idea what to do!”

  “I know. Same here. Anyway, let’s go over to Governor Wrenn’s office. Don’t be surprised if he’s already cleared his personal things out of the office. Laryn had all of hers out of here by this morning. From what she said, tradition calls for his stuff to be moved out of the governor’s house during the funeral, and for yours to be moved in. They don’t waste much time in transition here.”

  “Sort of like the Presidential Inauguration,” Chris said. “Out with the old, in with the new.”

  “But there is one good thing about all of this, at least for Governor Wrenn. Yesterday Laryn told me that he asked Badec to let him retire a year ago, but Badec got sick before he could appoint a new governor, so it’s not going to be like we’re kicking him out,” Kevin said as he stood up again. “After the funeral, we’ll ask him to be available as a consultant for a year or so. Laryn seems to think he’ll be willing to do that, but let’s not mention it yet. If we’re lucky, he might volunteer his services before we have to ask, but we’ll work out some kind of payment either way.”

  Then Kevin, Karl, and Joan went across the hall to Governor Wrenn’s office while Chris went off in search of Darrell. Governor Wrenn and Jana had finished packing up their personal belongings earlier that morning, so the office had a rather austere look. Governor Wrenn welcomed Karl enthusiastically and quickly took him into the inner office, while Jana took charge of Joan in the reception area. Before Kevin could get out of the office, Jana and Joan were huddled over a note pad.

  While everyone was out of the office, Ariel had replaced the pastries with cheeses, raw vegetables, small meat sandwiches, and cookies. While Kevin was waiting for Chris to return, he fixed a plate and ate his lunch.

  When Chris and Darrell entered the reception area, Chris eyed the tray hungrily, but since Darrell said that he’d already eaten, Chris opted to wait until after Kevin had talked to Darrell to fill his plate.

  Kevin quickly filled Darrell in on the morning’s activities and explained that a new Captain of the Guard would h
ave to take charge as of Saturday. When he asked Darrell to take over that position, Darrell frowned, but he didn’t say anything.

  After a couple of moments, Kevin quietly asked, “Is there a problem, Darrell?”

  Darrell’s frown deepened. “I’m not at all sure I’m the right one for that job, Kevin. I don’t know anything about protecting a castle or heading up a regiment of trained guards. Wouldn’t it be better to get one of Captain Lawrence’s men to take over? At least he would know the other guards, how they’re organized, and their training routines. I feel like I’d be in over my head.”

  “You’ve handled security for us ever since we left the Gate House. I think you’re the perfect choice to head up security here. And you won’t be in over your head any more than the rest of us.” When Darrell still didn’t look convinced, Kevin added, “Darrell, more than anything else, I need people I know and trust around me. I’m not all that sure about what I’m doing either. If you agree to do it, I feel sure that Captain Lawrence will work with you and show you how he has the guard set up. And you know a lot about training. In fact, I feel sure there are a lot of things you could teach them.”

  Darrell sat quietly for a few minutes. Then he said, “How about if I agree to do it for now, until you have time to get to know some of the guards. Then, if we decide that I am in over my head, you can name one of them as Captain.”

  “Okay, but I bet you find that this is right up your alley. I really do think you’ll make a good Captain. Now, let’s go over to the guard office.” Kevin stood up and led the way out of his office.

  The guard who was stationed at the front desk in Captain Lawrence’s office watched as Kevin and Darrell left the sorcerer’s office and started down the hall. When he realized where they were headed, he immediately stood up and snapped to attention.

  Captain Lawrence was sitting at his desk in the back of the room going over the week’s schedule when his guard’s reaction caught his attention. When he looked up and saw Kevin, he immediately stood up and walked around the desk to greet his visitors. After Kevin introduced Darrell, Captain Lawrence stepped forward to shake Darrell’s hand, and at that point, Kevin backed out of the room, saying, “I’ll let the two of you get started. Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”

  Chris was sitting in one of the armchairs with a plate of sandwiches on his lap when Kevin got back to his office.

  “What’s next?” Chris asked as he picked up one of the sandwiches.

  “I don’t know. Maybe we should see what Theresa’s doing and let her in on what’s been going on.”

  “Oh, I meant to tell you. Theresa’s not here right now. She and Sister Agnes took charge of Badec’s body last night and General Crandal escorted them and the body to the Chapel of Light in Milhaven. She’s still down there.”

  “From what I’ve gathered, Sister Agnes has spent a lot of time at the castle over the past year. Is there another sister who’s been handling things in Milhaven?”

  “According to Laryn, Sister Agnes handled both for several months but it became too much for one person, so the Sisterhood found someone to help out at the chapel. It was supposed to be a temporary thing. No one expected it to last this long. The relief sister came out of retirement and she is more than ready to go back home,” Chris explained.

  “Well, she should be able to now,” Kevin said quietly. “Maybe I should go down there and thank her personally for giving up her retirement to help out. Do you know when she’s leaving?”

  “If Theresa has her way, not for a month or so.”

  Kevin frowned. “Why? What’s Theresa got to do with it?”

  “She and Laryn talked for quite a while yesterday afternoon. Laryn feels that Sister Agnes really needs to take a vacation before she takes over the chapel again, so Theresa said that she would handle the patients and staff at the chapel if the older sister would agree to stay on as a consultant for one more month. Theresa’s not sure she’s quite ready for the full responsibility of a chapel yet, but at least this way, Sister Agnes could take a break. She’s going to talk to both the older sister and Sister Agnes about it today while she’s in Milhaven.”

  “Good. At least one of us will be doing what she wants to do.”

  “Yeah. She really loves it, and she’s good at it.”

  “It won’t be long before the Sisterhood gives her an assignment,” Kevin said with a sigh. “I just hope it’s nearby. I’m not ready to split up our little group yet.”

  At that point, Ariel knocked on the door and gently opened it. “Sorry to disturb you, sir, but you have a couple of visitors who would like to offer you their condolences. Would you like to see them in your office, or out here?”

  “And so it begins,” Kevin said quietly. Then, a little louder, he added, “Thanks. We’ll be right out.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  During dinner that night, General Crandal came by to tell Kevin that Badec’s body had been prepared for burial. Kevin spent a few minutes talking with him and thanking him for his service to Camden while Badec was alive. Then he asked him to continue to serve as General. Although his position wasn’t tied in to any particular sorcerer, Kevin sensed that General Crandal was pleased to have been asked to stay.

  Later, while they were all relaxing after dinner, Laryn sat back and observed the way Myron and his companions interacted with each other and listened to their energetic conversations about the future. She felt that Pallor had done an excellent job in choosing Myron’s companions, and doubted that he could have done any better if he’d had all the time in the world. She couldn’t help but wonder if the elf had had any idea how things would turn out when he arranged for this mixed group to cross through the Gate.

  After one last mug of scog, Kevin told everyone good night and said that he had some things that he needed to do. Before heading up the stairs, he made a quick detour into his office to pick up Badec’s diary.

  When he got to his bedroom, he opened the door only to find that none of his clothes were there, the bed had been stripped, and the washbasin and pitcher were gone. He backed out into the hall and stood there for a moment, wondering what was going on.

  Chris, who had all the notes from several years of council meetings to read through, had followed him upstairs. He walked up while Kevin was standing in the hall, looking at the empty room.

  “What’s wrong?” Chris asked. Kevin stepped aside and pointed at the room. After Chris saw that Kevin’s room was empty, he opened his door. His room was just as barren as Kevin’s. “Where do you think our stuff is?”

  “I have no idea. Think someone’s trying to tell us something?”

  “Wait a minute. Let me check on something.” Chris headed back up the hall towards Laryn’s room and opened her door. He saw his cloak hanging beside the door. The washbasin and pitcher that had been in his room that morning were now on the dresser in what had been Laryn’s room. He opened the top drawer in the massive chest of drawers and found his clothes neatly folded. He walked over to the connecting door that led from the assistant’s room into the sorcerer’s room. When he opened it, he saw Kevin’s cloak hanging beside the hall door.

  Chris walked back out into the hall and said, “I think I know what’s going on. Come on.” Then he led Kevin to the door of what had been Badec’s bedroom.

  When Chris opened it, Kevin looked in. The room had been totally redone. Badec’s bed was gone from the center of the room, and there was a completely different bed with its head against the north wall. Next to the bed was a massive chest of drawers, with his sword lying on the top. A new couch was on the east wall next to the door that led out onto the balcony. There were two armchairs facing the couch and between the couch and chairs, there was a long coffee table. Lamp tables were scattered around the room within easy reach of every piece of furniture. Along the south wall of his bedroom, next to the door that joined Kevin’s room with Chris’s room, was a large desk and captain’s chair, just like the one in his office downstairs.

&nb
sp; Chris sighed and said, “Well, I guess you’re the Sorcerer of Camden now.”

  “Sort of scary, isn’t it?” Kevin answered quietly.

  Chris nodded. “They don’t waste much time around here, do they? It’s hardly been twenty-four hours since your father died.”

  “I know.”

  “What’s that old saying? ‘The king is dead; long live the king’? I guess this is ‘The sorcerer is dead; long live the sorcerer’.”

  Chapter 50

  The First Week

  Monday morning, Kevin woke up before daybreak. He’d been in Milhaven less than seventy-two hours and already he felt like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He had hoped that he’d have time to at least familiarize himself with the routines in his office before he had to jump in, but that was not to be. And after the funeral, he, Chris, and Steve would be the only Tellurians staying at the castle. All of the others would be scattered around, beginning their new lives. It was just too much, too fast.

  He felt the need to do something that was comfortable, something familiar. As the sun started to rise, he made his way down the stairs and out the back door. None of the guards he passed spoke to him, they all granted him a respectful distance, but he could feel their watchful eyes following his every move as he crossed the backyard. Once he reached the river, he floated across to the other side and walked a couple of hundred feet downstream to a small grove of willow trees. Near the center of the grove was a small clearing, just large enough for him to be able to practice his magic without causing any damage. He felt completely secluded in the little clearing, free from the eyes of his guards as well as the castle staff.

  It was the first time he’d had a chance to work out since leaving Willow Canyon, and although it took a few minutes to get into the routine, soon the familiar moves settled him down and he was able to close his mind to other things and focus on his magic. By the time he finished, he felt more relaxed and in control than he had since entering Milhaven.