The Master's Chair (The Chronicles of Terah)

by Morgan, Mackenzie

  When he returned to his room, he found Chris waiting for him. “Did you enjoy your workout?” Chris asked.

  Kevin frowned. “Actually, yes, but how did you know?”

  “I had a good view of the whole thing, as did anyone else who happened to be looking in that direction.”

  “What?! I thought I was hidden behind those willows.”

  “You were. I couldn’t see you, but I could see most of what you were doing, and it looked good. No one who was looking towards the east this morning will have any doubt that there’s a sorcerer in residence in the castle at Milhaven.”

  “I’m not sure if that’s good or bad,” Kevin said as he got dressed for the day. “Did you get a chance to ask Laryn about the court records yet?”

  “During dinner last night. The chairman and the court secretary are supposed to come in this morning to meet with Steve and set up a place for him to review the cases. Laryn’s going to handle the introductions.”

  “I’d like for you to go with them and sort of see what he’s like. No one’s said anything about replacing the members of the court and I’d like to leave it alone for a while if I can.”

  “What exactly am I looking for?”

  “I don’t know. Just check him out. I’m sure Steve will form an opinion, especially after reading the court decisions, but see what you think,” Kevin answered as they headed down to breakfast.

  Theresa joined them in the dining room, and after the others left, she asked Kevin if she could speak with him privately for a moment. When they got to his office, Theresa sat in one of the armchairs and Kevin sat down next to her.

  “When I got to the chapel Saturday night, one of the aides handed me a letter that arrived a couple of weeks ago. I thought you might like to read it.” Theresa reached into one of the deep pockets in her smock, pulled out the letter, and handed it to Kevin.

  Dear Theresa,

  I hope this letter finds all of you safely settled in Milhaven.

  When Macin came to Abernon in February, he lingered for quite a while in one of the taverns. After a few mugs of scog, he told those around him about a young sorcerer who had spent the last eight months in Willow Canyon, studying magic with Glendymere.

  One of my aides was in the tavern and quickly came to get me. By the time I got there, Macin’s audience had bought the lad more scog, hoping to loosen his tongue, and he obliged them. He told them tales of remarkable feats of magic, and said that the sorcerer must have some elven blood in him because he could create and stop the worst of nature’s storms. He told of mock battles against bands of elves, dwarves, and dragons who came to Willow Canyon to help him train.

  The longer Macin talked, the larger his audience grew. Finally one of the men asked who the sorcerer was and where he was from. Macin said that he had never heard anyone say where he was from, but he knew that the sorcerer was going to Camden and that both Blalick and Glendymere referred to him as Myron.

  One of the men in the crowd asked if he meant Badec’s son. Macin said that he didn’t know, but that he had overheard his father say that Glendymere had said that Myron’s power was even stronger than Badec’s. Then another man said that Glendymere should know, since he had trained Badec. The men began to talk amongst themselves, telling newcomers the news, and repeating the stories to anyone who would listen. Soon the stories picked up a momentum of their own, and Macin slipped out of the tavern, hitched up his team, and quietly left town.

  I feel certain that the evening was a well-planned performance, probably orchestrated by Glendymere. I’m not sure which of the young men traveling with you was Myron, but I felt that he should know that his reputation is growing throughout Terah as tales of his exploits spread from tavern to tavern. Before long, only the most foolhardy would consider challenging him.

  According to the latest news from Trendon, Rolan has been told that the minstrels perished in a freak tornado along the Pooley River and has called off the bounty hunters and cancelled the reward. I imagine Myron had something to do with that, so I feel sure that all of you are safe.

  My best wishes,

  Evelyne

  After Kevin read through the letter, he folded it back up and started to hand it back to Theresa. Just before she took it, he said, “I’d like for Chris and Laryn to read this if you don’t mind. I’d like to get their reaction. I think it’s good news, but I may be missing something.”

  “I know what you mean. I felt the same way,” Theresa said with a nod.

  “I’ll get it back to you later.”

  “That’s fine. I’m going back to Milhaven this morning to help out at the chapel. I’ll probably stay there for a while if you don’t need me here.”

  “As far as I know, everything here is as under control as it can be considering that none of us has any idea what we’re doing, but if anything comes up, I’ll send one of the pages to let you know,” Kevin said as he walked Theresa to the door of his office.

  A few minutes later, Laryn and Chris came back from the courtroom. Once they were all settled in Kevin’s office, he looked at Chris and raised his eyebrows in an unspoken question. Chris grinned and gave him a thumb’s up.

  Laryn laughed and said, “Chairman Tremayne is one of the most levelheaded men I’ve ever met, and he and Steve hit it off right away. They’ll work well together.”

  Kevin nodded, but he didn’t say anything.

  “I thought this morning might be a good time to go out to the family burial site,” Laryn said, changing the subject. “Everything’s fairly settled at the moment and no one who will be staying here has arrived yet, so neither of us are particularly needed right now.”

  “Okay. How are we going to get there? Shall I fly us out? Or should we walk?”

  “Let’s go by horseback. That’s the way we’ll go Saturday.”

  Kevin walked over to his door and opened it. Ariel stepped up to see what he needed.

  “Would you go out to the stable and ask them to saddle three horses?” Kevin asked. Then he turned back to Laryn. “Do you have a particular horse that you want?”

  “Ariel, ask if Corin’s around. If he’s not there, it doesn’t matter. Oh, and we’re going out to the burial site. Ask Miranda to fix up a basket for me to take.”

  Ariel nodded. “Shall I tell them to bring the horses to the front entrance?”

  Kevin looked back at Laryn. She nodded, so he told Ariel that would be fine. “Let me know when they’re ready.”

  “Yes, sir. Anything else?”

  “No, that will be all,” Kevin said as he shut the door. “I have something I’d like for the two of you to read while we’re waiting. I’d like your reaction to it.” Kevin returned to his desk, took Evelyne’s letter out of the bottom drawer, and handed it to Laryn.

  After she finished reading it she handed it to Chris. “I think it’s good news. Anything that enhances your image is good.”

  Chris read the note quickly. “Looks like Macin took care of the problem of your reputation for us.” Then he turned to Laryn and added, “We were wondering how to build up Kevin’s reputation so that the other sorcerers would think twice before challenging him.”

  “Is there something I should know?” There was a twinge of alarm in Laryn’s voice.

  “Kevin’s more worried about killing someone else than he is about getting killed himself, and that’s the wrong attitude for battle. I keep hoping he’ll get over it.”

  Laryn nodded. “Some of the other sorcerers may help on that score. A few of them are not exactly nice people. He’ll probably get over it before too long. Badec did.”

  “I’m still here, you know. You don’t have to refer to me in the third person,” Kevin spoke up.

  Laryn chuckled and said, “There’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. What name do you want to use? I know Kevin was your name on Earth and that’s what your friends call you, but everyone here is expecting you to be Myron.”

  “Well, since half of Terah was out there trying to col
lect the bounty on Myron’s head, it seemed like a good idea to be Kevin while we were traveling, but it really doesn’t make any difference to me now.”

  “I would suggest that you introduce yourself to other sorcerers as Myron. They all know that Badec’s successor is Myron, of the House of Nordin,” Laryn suggested. Then she frowned and added, “Pallor was supposed to insist that your foster parents call you Myron.”

  “He might have tried, but they could get stubborn sometimes. My foster father’s boss was named Kevin, and he gave my father a raise when he found out that I was named in his honor, or at least that’s the story I heard. Anyway, I’ll go with Myron officially, but I doubt if any of the Tellurians will switch to Myron.”

  “Tellurians. What does that mean?”

  “It’s just another name for people from Earth. We liked it better than Earthlings,” Chris answered. “We came up with it when we needed a name for our minstrel group.”

  “Minstrel group?”

  “Didn’t Kalen tell you? We traveled to Sheridan as minstrels. You might say we sang for our supper.” Chris grinned. “Actually, it was a lot of fun until we found out that Rolan had a bounty on our heads.”

  “Rolan? You mean the Sorcerer of Brendolanth?” Laryn said with a deep frown. “Is that what Evelyne was talking about? You were the ones all those bounty hunters were looking for?”

  “In the flesh,” Kevin said with a nod. “But Rolan thinks we’re dead now, and I don’t plan to tell him any different. Here’s hoping no one recognizes any of us.”

  “Don’t count on it,” Laryn said, still frowning. “Things like that have a habit of coming back to haunt you.”

  Ariel knocked on Kevin’s door and told them that Corin and the horses were ready and waiting out front.

  “Who’s Corin?” Chris asked after Ariel had gone back to his desk.

  “He’s a unicorn. We’ve been friends since I was a young girl. Don’t let his gentleness around me fool you though. He can be quite ferocious if anyone makes him angry.”

  “Does he communicate telepathically like Xantha does?” Kevin asked.

  “Yes, but unicorns seldom communicate with more than one human at a time.”

  “By legends on Earth, unicorns bond with maidens and stay true to one until she marries. Is that the case here?” Kevin asked.

  “Not quite. Unicorns do bond with women, but the bond is for life.”

  When they went out the front door, Corin walked over to Laryn and nuzzled her cheek. Once they were all mounted, Laryn pulled Corin out in front and led the way down the road.

  After they left the castle grounds, they rode through a countryside that was full of rolling hills backed by mountains blanketed with forests. Some of the hills had been plowed in preparation for spring planting and the smell of freshly turned soil lingered in the air. Other hillsides were dotted with cattle, horses, goats, and sheep. After a couple of miles, Corin turned off the main road onto a side road that quickly led into the forest and started up the side of a mountain.

  About a mile later, the road opened into a small semi-circular glade that surrounded a gentle waterfall and splash pool. There were several small flower gardens and half a dozen stone benches scattered around the clearing, but the waterfall was clearly the focal point of the glade.

  Laryn dismounted and stretched. “It is a lovely place, isn’t it?”

  “It certainly is,” Kevin agreed. “How much farther do we have to go?”

  “We’re here.”

  After Kevin and Chris dismounted, Laryn pointed to a small shelf behind the waterfall and explained that there was a large boulder sitting on the ledge, covering the entrance to the cave that had served as the burial chamber for several generations of the House of Nordin.

  “Today, you’ll need to move the boulder so that we can go in and make sure everything is ready for the burial. Then on Saturday, once you remove the boulder, you’ll lift Badec’s coffin and float it into the cave. The only people who will be allowed to escort the coffin inside are his brothers, sisters, and you. Sorry, Chris.”

  “That’s quite all right with me,” Chris answered with a slight shudder.

  “Myron, you’ll have to stop the water long enough for everyone to climb up the steps behind the falls. Is that going to be a problem?”

  “I don’t think so. Here, let’s try it now,” Kevin said as he stopped the water and let the steps dry for a minute. Then he moved the boulder out of the way and held it beside the cave entrance. “Why don’t you go on up and I’ll join you after you get inside.”

  Laryn climbed the steps and disappeared into the cave. Kevin turned to Chris and said, “Keep a good eye out. I don’t see anyone near here right now, but I don’t know if another sorcerer might be able to block my eye. That’s another one of those pesky details I forgot to ask Glendymere about.”

  Chris nodded and began to walk around the gardens while Kevin floated up to the ledge to join Laryn in the burial chamber.

  There were quite a few heavy iron coffins lying on rock platforms along the sides of the cave, mostly in pairs. Laryn walked towards one pair of coffins near the back of the cave. “These are my parents, your grandparents,” she said quietly. On the next platform there was only one coffin. “And this is Yvonne, your mother. Badec will lie beside her. We need to make sure that the platform is level and that the sides haven’t eroded.” Laryn ran her hand over the platform and looked along the sides to see if she saw any signs of weakness. “I don’t see any problems, do you?”

  “No, but then, I’m not all that sure what I’m looking for.”

  “Just look for loose rocks, cracks in the foundation, things like that. We don’t want the coffin to fall off the platform. Wouldn’t be very dignified.” Then Laryn grinned and added, “Although Badec would probably get a kick out of it.”

  “Let me put a little pressure on it and make sure it’s okay.” Kevin concentrated on the air above the platform. He increased the pressure on the platform to several times the weight of a coffin just to be on the safe side. “Seems sturdy to me.”

  “When we get here, you’ll be responsible for floating the coffin back here to its place beside Yvonne. Then, after he’s settled, the rest of the family will leave. You’ll be the last one out, and once you’re back on the ground, move the boulder back into place and let the waterfall start up again. Just be careful when you release the water. Remember, there are going to be a lot of very good sorcerers in the crowd, including all of the seated sorcerers. You won’t notice them, but they’ll all be watching you. First impressions are always the strongest ones. You don’t want to mess this up.”

  “I understand. I’ll be careful,” Kevin said. Then he looked around the cave at all of the coffins. “Sometime we need to come back so that you can tell me about all of these people. I really would like to know something about them.”

  “I’ll be glad to,” Laryn said with a nod. “But for now, let’s get out of here and head back. We’ve got work to do.”

  After Laryn had joined Chris in the glade, Kevin floated down from the ledge, rolled the boulder back into position, and slowly released his hold on the waterfall. His release was so natural that neither Chris nor Laryn noticed that he’d let it start up again until he asked them if they were ready to go.

  “We have one more thing to do. The local brownies tend to these gardens and make sure that the glade is kept up year round. I try to come out at least once a month and leave them a little something for their efforts. Over the last year though, I’ve had to depend on the pages to do it.” Laryn retrieved the bags that had been tied to the saddle on Kevin’s horse, walked over to what looked like a large tree trunk, and tipped it backwards. Under the tree trunk was a good size hole, lined with rocks. “Brownies leave holes at all their little gardens in the forest. People who visit are expected to contribute something to the colony of brownies that lives nearby. It doesn’t have to be much, just a little gift to recognize the work that they do.”

&
nbsp; Laryn placed her gifts of breads, fruits, vegetables, and a few trinkets in the hole and replaced the tree trunk. Then the three of them quietly left the glade.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  By the time they returned to the castle, it was lunchtime. After they ate, Laryn, Kevin, and Chris secluded themselves in Kevin’s office to begin going over the particulars about the different provinces and the seated sorcerer for each one. By dinnertime, they had only covered four of the twelve provinces.

  Chris made careful notes while Laryn and Kevin talked, and after dinner he and Kevin went upstairs to Kevin’s room to review them. They outlined the information for each province on one sheet of paper and information about the sorcerer on another.

  After they had that day’s information organized, Chris said “If you don’t need me right now, I’m going outside for a while. I need to stretch my legs.”

  Kevin nodded. “I’m going to go over these sheets one more time. See you later.”

  After Chris left, Kevin sat down in one of the large armchairs with all four sets of outlines and started going through the first set. As he read through the notes on Jardin, the province that covered the lower third of what was known as South American on Earth, he fervently wished he’d paid more attention to Mr. Craven, his high school geography teacher. If he’d had any idea that one day he was going to need to know the location of mountain ranges, deserts, flood plains, volcanoes, and other geographical features, he’d have learned them then. As it was, all he’d ever done was memorize the information the night before the test and forget it by the time he left school the next day.

  Kevin studied the outline for each of the provinces that they’d covered that day and then went back to the beginning to review them again to make sure he had it all straight in his head. At some point he became aware that his head was aching and his eyes were burning, but he kept on going. Later that night, sometime after midnight, he woke up, still holding the papers in his hand.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  For the next couple of days, Kevin rose early, ran through his practice routine, spent the day in his office listening to Laryn while Chris took notes, outlined the new material after dinner, and then studied the sheets until he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer.