“Do we need help in the playground? Or is she giving the girl a job because she needs a way to support herself?”
Chris shrugged. “Does it matter?”
“No, I guess not,” Kevin answered. “Well, I don’t know how successful Doreen’s plans are going to be, but if she builds a house somewhere, she’ll get out of Jana’s. We’ll deal with the rest later. But in the meantime, do we need to find someplace for Doreen to stay?”
“I don’t know,” Chris said, “but Joan can find out. I’ll mention it to her Monday morning.”
~ ~ ~ ~
During dinner Saturday evening, Theresa looked at Kevin and asked, “You do remember you’re taking us to visit Blair’s parents, don’t you?”
Kevin nodded. “Where are we going?”
“Heatherton’s the closest town according to Blair.”
Kevin thought for a minute. “There wasn’t a raid there, was there?”
Theresa shook her head. “She was captured at Garnett’s Inlet, but she just happened to be there when the slavers hit. Her parents live on a farm near Heatherton.”
“It’ll probably be easier to put the key in her hand and tell her to think of home.”
“Be careful with her, Kevin. She’s shy, and very self-conscious about a birthmark on her cheek. She says that’s why the slavers kept her at the cave to cook. They said she was too ugly to sell and cooking was all she was good for.”
Kevin frowned. “I don’t remember picking up anyone who was disfigured.”
“She’s not,” Theresa said. “You wouldn’t have noticed it. It’s a small crescent under her left eye, but she thinks it makes her look revolting, so she tries to hide it. Apparently where she grew up it was considered a blight. She’s embarrassed by it, and I doubt anything we say at this point will make any difference.”
“Is she here or do we need to go by the chapel?”
“There was no way I was going to get her to come here. She’s waiting for us there.”
Kevin finished his coffee. “Are you ready to go?”
“Anytime you are.”
Kevin stood up and held out his arm to Theresa. As soon as she put her hand on his arm, he turned the key and they left for the chapel.
Blair was in the kitchen when they got there. As soon as Theresa opened the back door, Blair picked up a dish towel and wiped her hands. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” she asked, using her hair to hide the left side of her face.
Theresa nodded. “They need to know you’re all right and that you’re not coming back. You left things a bit unsettled.”
“All right, but there’s one thing I need to tell you. They don’t have any idea I was captured by slavers, and I’d rather they never found out.”
Kevin frowned. “They probably know. Everyone in the area knew Garnett’s Inlet had been hit.”
“But they didn’t know where I was. I just left.”
“You still need to let them know you’ve found your own way and are taking care of your own future,” Theresa said. “Now, since you know where we’re going and we don’t, you’re going to have to use the key.”
“What?!” Blair’s eyes widen in alarm. “I can’t do that!”
“Sure you can,” Kevin said. “All you have to do is picture your parents’ house. Then you turn the key, and in the blink of an eye, we’ll be there.”
Theresa shook her head. “It’s not quite that simple, Blair. Working the key, yes, but remember how it made you feel when you came here? Sick on your stomach and dizzy? It’s going to make you feel that way today, too. We’re used to it so it won’t bother us, and we’ll be there for you to hold onto until the weakness passes, but don’t be surprised when it hits. It’s perfectly normal.”
Kevin handed Blair the key. “Wait until I tell you. Then picture your house and turn the key.” As soon as he had one of Blair’s arms and Theresa had the other, he said, “Now.”
The next minute they were in front of a small frame house. No one was in sight, but there was plenty of noise coming from inside as well as from the backyard.
“I’ll leave you here, ladies,” Kevin said as he took the key back from Blair’s shaking hand. “And I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
Blair shook her head, and then grabbed her stomach.
“Take it easy,” Theresa said as she looked at Kevin and mouthed, “Not yet.”
Blair took a few deep breaths and then straightened up. “Sorry, I didn’t think.” After a couple more deep breaths, she said, “An hour will be plenty of time. I’m afraid my father’s going to send for Derk, and I do not want to have to talk to that man.”
Theresa nodded at Kevin.
“An hour it is,” Kevin said. Then he put a finger under Blair’s chin and lifted her face until he could look her in the eye. “And if anyone tries to give you any trouble, remind them who’s picking you up.” And with that, he turned the key and went back to the castle.
Chapter 9
Preparations
After picking Theresa and Blair up in Heatherton and taking them back to the chapel, Kevin went up to his room. Chris was stretched out on the couch with Nikki snoozing on the floor beside him.
“How did things go with Blair’s parents?” Chris asked as he swung his legs off the couch and sat up.
“I’m not sure.” Kevin sat down in a chair across from Chris. “Theresa and Blair were waiting for me when I got there, but they were by themselves. And when we got back to the chapel, Blair said a quick thank you and disappeared inside. Theresa told me Blair’s parents were disappointed and a bit angry that she wasn’t going to marry Derk. They said working in a chapel was all right for now, but when she decided she wanted a husband and children, she wasn’t to look to them to set it up. Derk was the only man they’d found who was willing to take a marked woman for his wife, and since she’d turned him down, they were done trying. She was on her own.”
“Sounds harsh. Weren’t they impressed that she’d landed a position in a chapel?”
“Apparently not. Theresa said they acted like Blair was using the chapel as a shield, a hideout. That’s the impression she got anyway. They did say it was all right for a sister to devote her life to a chapel, after all she had a gift, but for anyone else it was just a way to avoid their responsibilities.”
“Bet Blair wishes she hadn’t bothered to go now.”
“Probably, but at least they know she’s safe.”
Chris nodded. “Have you talked to Rhianna yet?”
Kevin shook his head.
“You need to.”
“I will.”
“When? She’ll be here tomorrow.”
“Well, you said we need to spend time together. We can talk then. At least it’ll give us something to do.”
“You can’t talk about it where other people can hear you.”
“I know,” Kevin said as he leaned over to pet Nikki. “We’ll go someplace else to talk. It won’t matter where we are as long as everyone thinks we’re together.” After a moment he asked, “Where did the two of you talk? Rainbow Valley?”
Chris shook his head. “She didn’t want anyone to overhear. I don’t know if she’d even mentioned it to Landis at that point. And since Sari and Taelor are in and out of Rainbow Valley all day, she wanted to go someplace where we could be sure no one was around.”
“The island we set up for Gaynor?”
Chris nodded. “We need a name for that island. Something without ‘Gaynor’ in it.”
“I know, especially since we’re going to have several people living there before long. Any ideas?”
Chris thought for a moment. “How about Last Chance Isle? Or Sorcerer’s Roost.”
Kevin laughed. “I was thinking in a different direction, more along the lines of Sanctuary Isle or Safe Harbor.”
“There’s no harbor on that island.”
“Safe Haven then.”
“I don’t know,” Chris said slowly. “It won’t be on any of the maps but if Rolan thinks Landis might b
e on an island he’ll probably send ships out with orders to search every island they can find.”
“I doubt he’d find it.”
“No, but look at all the trouble he’s causing in North Amden. If he sends a bunch of boats out with orders not to come home until they find her, his men will be trampling all over uninhabited islands. It won’t take long for them to come to the attention of a certain mermaid, and she’s going to expect you to stop it.”
“If we give the island a town’s name and he hears about it, he’ll start looking for a town with that name. I can picture him cornering a brownie and demanding they find it and let him know where it is.”
“Then we need to be doubly careful not to mention it around anyone else. But we still need a name. And you still need to talk to Rhianna.”
Kevin sighed. “I have no idea how to pull this off, Chris. What does a man do when he’s courting a woman on Terah? How do we do this?”
“You’re asking the wrong person,” Chris said. “But judging by Marcus and Hayley, I think the main thing is spending time together, going places together, and introducing her to people.”
“Introduce her as what? I don’t think they use the term ‘girlfriend’ here.”
Chris thought for a moment. “I don’t know. Maybe not as anything in particular, just introduce her. I have a feeling it’s more in the gesture and tone of voice than the words.”
“Great. What tone of voice?”
Chris shrugged. “I don’t know, one that says ‘I’m interested in this woman.’”
“And what does that sound like?”
Chris shook his head. “Why don’t you talk to Laryn? She managed not to tell anyone you were on Earth for twenty-three years. I imagine you can trust her not to spill the beans on this.”
“That’s not a bad idea. Maybe I can find her tomorrow morning, before I head off to meet Glendymere.”
“Don’t forget Rhianna’s coming tomorrow afternoon. You need to be here when she gets here, and you need to spend the rest of the day with her, as in she needs to be by your side, whatever you end up doing. And don’t forget, as far as you’re concerned, the walls have ears. Don’t say anything anywhere in this castle, in the yards, or in Milhaven you don’t want repeated over and over and eventually getting to Rolan. If you want to have a serious conversation with Rhianna, find another place to talk, somewhere private.”
Kevin tilted his head and thought for a moment. “Maybe we should call the island Somewhere Else.”
Chris laughed. “I like the idea but we use that phrase all the time. We need something we don’t say in everyday conversation. How about Elsewhere? Means the same thing, but we don’t use it much.”
Kevin nodded. “Elsewhere it is.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Laryn and Steve joined Kevin and Chris while they were eating breakfast Sunday morning. After a couple of minutes of small talk, Kevin asked if he could see them when they finished eating. “There’s something I’d like to run by the two of you.”
Laryn raised her eyebrows at Steve, and at his nod, asked, “Your office?”
Kevin nodded as he stood up to go. “See you in a little while.”
When he and Chris got to the office, Chris checked the mail and after a quick glance through the messages, set them aside. He poured two cups of coffee and headed for Kevin’s office. After he shut the door, he handed Kevin a cup and sat down.
“I’m not sure I want to talk to Laryn and Steve here,” Kevin said.
“Are you thinking of going Elsewhere?”
Kevin nodded.
“There’s something else I want to mention before we go.”
“What?”
“Are you still taking Warren to see Glendymere this afternoon?”
Kevin nodded again.
“There’s a good chance that by the time they’re done he’ll have a date for when they need to be in Rainbow Valley, right?”
“Probably.”
“I know Warren’ll be excited, but I’m a little worried about Torrey,” Chris said slowly. “She’s lived in Walnut Springs most of her life, and this is going to be completely different. I know you took her out there and let her look around, but she’s going to be moving there, with no one she knows anywhere nearby.”
“Chris, she knows that. What are you getting at?”
“I think it would be better if they had another couple with them, someone who already knew the ins and outs of living in the cave, someone who could introduce them to the giants, who could help them get over that first awkwardness.”
Kevin frowned. “I wasn’t planning on dumping them there and then leaving. I’ll introduce them to Ashni and Blalick before I go, and you know how Ashni is, she’ll adopt Torrey like she did Joan.”
“I know, but we were all there together, and by then we were a tight little group. It was an ‘us’ versus ‘them’, no matter who the ‘them’ was. From the first few days at Kalen’s until we got here, we were bound together closer than most families. Joan had a support group. Torrey won’t.”
“So, do you have a suggestion?”
Chris nodded. “Torrey knows Laryn. Maybe not well, but she knows her. And we both know how Steve is. He puts everyone at ease. He’s comfortable. I was wondering if you should ask Laryn and Steve to go out there and stay with them for a week or so, until the newness wears off and Torrey’s feeling more comfortable about going up to see Ashni and spending time with her.”
“You know who would be even better? Joan. She and Karl knew Blalick and Ashni better than any of us.”
“Out of our little group, but your father studied magic under Glendymere too, and Laryn was his assistant. They didn’t live down in the caves. They lived up at Wildcat Mountain with the giants. And they were there longer than we were by a long shot.”
“How do you know?”
“Laryn and I have talked a lot,” Chris said. “While you’re out doing stuff all over the place, I’m usually here, and for a long time, Laryn stayed with me in case something came up. Back at the beginning, before we knew each other very well, we talked about things we had in common, like being assistants, Glendymere, and the giants. I probably know more about the things that happened while your father was working with Glendymere than you do. And I know Ashni and Laryn became and have remained close friends. She’d be the perfect bridge, and Steve would fall right in there with her.”
“Okay,” Kevin said thoughtfully. “Guess this morning would be a good time to bring that up, too.”
“And that way, when you take Warren home and he tells Torrey they have to pack up and leave, you can tell her Laryn and Steve will be with them for a while.”
“What excuse can I use for why they’ll be there?”
“The truth works for me, but if you want something else, you can always say that since the duel’s over and things have settled back down, the newlyweds want a vacation from the chaos of the castle. I’m sure anyone would understand that. I know I would.”
A knock on Kevin’s door interrupted them. A moment later, the door opened and Laryn stuck her head in. “Are you ready for us now? Or do you want us to wait a bit?”
“No, come on in.” Kevin picked up his coffee and drank the rest of it. “I’d rather not talk in here. Would it be all right with you if we went Elsewhere?”
Laryn’s eyebrows tilted up, but she nodded. “Fine with us.”
Kevin stood up, walked around his desk, took out his key, and as soon as the others had a hand on his arms, he turned it. When they reached the island, they were standing on the ledge in front of the cave in soft moonlight.
“Where are we?” Laryn asked as she looked around.
“Welcome to Elsewhere,” Chris said as he walked inside the cave to get a glowstone torch.
“Is this an island?” Steve asked. “I think I smell the ocean.”
Kevin nodded. “We’re on a deserted island in the Trynordic Ocean.”
At Steve’s puzzled look, Kevin added, “Pacific.”
>
Steve nodded. “That makes sense. It’s dark. I should have realized.”
“If you’ll follow me,” Chris said as he took the cover off the glowstone. As he led them deeper into the cave, they walked through the room that had been set up as a kitchen. The table was still there, but most of the other stuff had been taken back to the castle. When they reached the sitting room, Kevin and Chris walked around uncovering glowstones while Steve and Laryn looked around.
“Who did you set this up for?” Laryn asked.
“Originally Gaynor, but we may have other plans for it in the future,” Kevin answered.
“It would make a good place to hide Landis,” Steve said. Then he blushed. “I shouldn’t have said that.”
“It’s okay,” Kevin said. “Do you happen to know where she is now?”
Steve looked over at Laryn. At her nod, he said, “Yes, but don’t worry. It’s not something we talk about.”
“There wasn’t much way around it,” Laryn said. “You had to know we’d find out when you insisted we stay in Rainbow Valley until you got things settled with Gwendolyn.”
“I did, and I want to talk to you about that,” Kevin said. Then he told them Warren had agreed to work with Landis since there was no way she could stay in Milhaven. “Glendymere wants Landis to spend half the day with him and half with Warren for a couple of months, so Warren and Torrey are going to live in the caves at Rainbow Valley. I’ve already taken them out there and let them look around, and they’re fine with staying there for a while. Warren will be busy with Landis but Torrey’s probably going to feel a little lost, at least until she gets to know Ashni. We were wondering if the two of you would be willing to stay with them for the first week or so.”
Steve nodded and Laryn said, “It’ll be fun. But you aren’t planning to let Landis live in Walnut Springs, are you?”
“No, that would be every bit as dangerous as having her in Milhaven. It might take Rolan a little while to find her, but he would. And then he’d send assassins. For a while I considered hiding her at Shadron’s or Kyle’s, but the same thing would happen there. I don’t think there’s any place in Camden where she’d be safe.”
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