“Guess it’s time to go now,” Glendymere said. “All in all, not a bad meeting.”
“I don’t think they were too pleased with my handling of the invasion of North Amden though.”
“Depends on how it plays out. If your plan works, they’ll think you’re brilliant. If things escalate before you convince him to look somewhere else, they’ll think you bungled it.”
“I’d say that’s human nature, but they’re not human,” Chris said.
“All the same where that’s concerned.” Then Glendymere turned his key and left Federation Isle.
“Are you ready to go?” Kevin asked.
“I guess. It’s nice here after everyone’s gone, so peaceful.” Then with a sigh, he nodded. “Okay. Let’s go see what surprises await us in the office.”
~ ~ ~ ~
While Kevin and Chris were at Federation Isle, Joan was having a rare quiet afternoon in the governor’s office. She was caught up on her mail, no new projects were looming, everything was done. So she decided to see what she could find out about Petri’s background. “Petri, do your parents still live in Jardin?”
Petri shook his head. “They’re both dead.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know.”
“It’s all right. They’ve been gone a long time. I was only two months old when my mother died. I don’t even remember her,” Petri explained. “But I do remember my father. He and I had a house on the edge of Claymor.”
“What happened to him?”
“He was killed.” Petri sat down opposite Joan. “One of the men from town, Haner, went crazy one morning and started attacking people. My father stopped him, but in the process, he got stabbed. Everyone said he was a hero, but my father would have said he was just doing his job. He was an army lieutenant.”
“Did you see it? When your father got stabbed?”
Petri shook his head. “I was off fishing with one of my friends. I didn’t find out until later, when Braddock came looking for me. He was my father’s best friend.”
“How old were you?”
“Seven.”
“What did you do? I mean, you were too young to live by yourself. Where did you go?”
“I stayed with Braddock for a while. He was promoted to lieutenant in my father’s place.”
“How did you end up in Starvos’s office?”
Petri laughed. “I’m not sure. It just sort of happened.”
“How? You didn’t live at the castle, did you?”
Petri shook his head. “Braddock got married when I was nine. I could have stayed with them, but I didn’t much like his wife, so when the district captain asked me if I wanted to work in his office, I said yes. I was there for a year or so, but he didn’t really need any help. I think he offered me the job out of respect for my father. I wrote some letters for him, learned how to keep books, things like that. Then Gen. Chardney asked me to work in his office, so I moved to Norris. Before long I was working in the sorcerer’s office as much as I was in the general’s office. By the time I was thirteen, I was a page in Sorcerer Starvos’s office.”
“So you weren’t a slave?”
“I didn’t think so, not until Sorcerer Starvos had me thrown in a cell with some other slaves and sent me off to Glenarbour to be sold.”
“That’s interesting,” Joan said.
Petri paused. “Braddock used to write to me once in a while. I wonder if I should let him know where I am and what I’m doing.”
“I think that would be a good idea. Are you going to tell him about Glenarbour?”
Petri didn’t answer right away. “I don’t think so, at least not in a letter. I’d rather not have to answer a bunch of questions about it. I’m still not sure what I did to make Starvos get rid of me, but whatever it was, it must have been pretty bad.”
“I’m not sure you did anything.”
“I must have. I just don’t know what. Do you think it would be all right to leave that part out when I write to Braddock?”
Joan nodded. “And if he asks any questions, you can decide how to answer them later.”
Petri stood up. “Think I’ll do that now, while things are quiet, unless you have something else you want me to do.”
Joan shook her head. “Not at the moment. Go ahead.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Later, after Kevin and Chris returned from Federation Isle, Joan dropped by Kevin’s office. “Have you got a minute?”
“Sure, come on in,” Kevin answered, nodding towards the chair across from him.
Chris asked, “Do you want me to leave?”
Joan shook her head. “No, it’ll save Kevin the trouble of having to fill you in later.” Then she told them what Petri had told her.
“So he wasn’t a slave?” Chris asked.
“Not until he was thrown in with the other slaves.”
“Well, at least we won’t have to worry about trying to get his parents out of Jardin, but selling off the child of one of your soldiers is a horrible thing to do,” Chris said. “And risky. There’s no telling what his other soldiers would think if they found out.”
“Starvos might not have known anything about Petri’s history,” Kevin said. “I don’t know the history of our pages. Do you?”
“Actually, yes,” Chris answered. “Ask me about it later and I’ll fill you in.”
Kevin nodded. “I’ve gotten the impression a lot of the pages are the children of castle slaves.”
“That may be, but he wasn’t,” Joan pointed out. “Seems to me Gen. Chardney would have mentioned he was a soldier’s son when he sent him to work in Starvos’s office.”
“Unless it happened without anyone realizing it, like all those times you borrowed one of my pages before you had one of your own,” Kevin said. “Maybe Starvos borrowed Petri so often he came to consider him one of his pages. I doubt it occurred to him to ask where Petri came from.”
“Well, it may come out now,” Joan said. “Petri’s writing to Braddock, the man who took him in after his father’s death, to let him know where he is and what he’s doing. He said Braddock has been writing to him a couple of times a year ever since he left Claymor and is probably wondering why he hasn’t written back.”
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” Kevin said slowly.
“Why not?” Chris asked. “The man was his father’s friend. He took him in. He has a right to know what happened to him.”
“Maybe, but I’m not sure it’s a good idea to let him know the boy was offered for sale in Glenarbour. From what Karl said, the teenagers are sold as playthings because the slavers think that’s what the buyers are looking for. If Braddock knows that, it could stir up a hornet’s nest,” Kevin said. “I doubt Starvos meant for that to happen.”
“You’re assuming he doesn’t know what’s going on in Glenarbour,” Joan said.
“I didn’t. And Karl didn’t. I think Alek knew, and Wrenn, and probably anyone else who’s ever been there, but no one told me what happens there. No one warned Karl either, even when they knew he was going. And I’d be willing to bet no one’s told Starvos.”
Joan frowned. “You may be right. Karl said Alek tried to keep him from going in the building where the teenagers were offered for viewing. If he hadn’t insisted on seeing all of it, we still might not know.”
“You do realize you’re giving Starvos the benefit of the doubt, right?” Chris asked.
“I know,” Kevin said. “But until I find out different, I’m going to assume he didn’t have any intentions of letting Petri become a toy, that he had a completely different reason for sending him to Glenarbour.”
“You’re probably right,” Joan said. “I doubt Starvos gave any thought to what might happen to Petri. I think all he wanted was to get Petri away from his daughter, and the quickest way to do that was to sell him.”
Kevin nodded.
“Back to the letter,” Chris said. “Are you going to let Petri send it?”
“I think we should,” Joan said.
“He doesn’t plan to mention anything about being sent away or sold at Glenarbour. All he wants to do is let Braddock know where he is. He asked if that would be okay and I told him yes.”
“And if Braddock asks him how he got here?” Chris asked.
“We’ll cross that bridge when we get to it,” Kevin answered.
After Joan left, Kevin said, “Well, at least we don’t have to worry about Petri funneling information back to Starvos.”
“Provided what he said was true,” Chris pointed out.
“Do you have any reason to think it wasn’t?”
“None at all, but there’s also no way to check it out,” Chris said. “And with letters going back and forth between Petri and Braddock, I can’t help but wonder.”
“You’re paranoid.”
“Yes, I am, and you better be, too.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Lunch with Allisandra Saturday went a long way towards making up for the cold reception at Dara’s. Before they ate, Kevin joined Allisandra’s husband, Craven, out in his shop while Allisandra and her three-month old baby, Lysette, showed Rhianna around the gardens. Rhianna especially liked the glowstones Allisandra had scattered around as highlights and the way she used walkways to separate the flowers from the edible plants and herbs.
While they were wandering around the gardens, Rhianna told Allisandra about the three gardens she wanted to put in at Doreen’s. After lunch, while Lysette took a nap, Allisandra invited Rhianna to go through her gardens and pick out any plants she’d like to include in Doreen’s gardens, promising to have seedlings ready for her to plant in about a month. Between planning Doreen’s gardens and playing with Lysette after she woke up, the afternoon flew by for Rhianna, and by the time she and Kevin left for Milhaven, it was time for dinner.
Sunday’s lunch with Shadron was different, but just as pleasant. Brandt and Lysa monopolized Rhianna from the moment they arrived until they left. During lunch they quizzed her about North Amden, her family, and her training as a warrior elf while Kevin had a quiet chat with Kayla and Shadron.
When the meal was over, Brandt and Lysa asked Rhianna to show them some self-defense techniques. After they’d gone outside, Kevin helped Kayla clear the table and assured her there was no wedding in the near future. Then he asked Shadron if they could go for a walk.
As soon as they were out of earshot of the others, Shadron asked, “What’s up?”
“I have a question. I know I should already know the answer, but I don’t.”
Shadron nodded.
“How do you know when someone’s a sorcerer?” Kevin asked. “I mean someone who hasn’t been trained. I know you’re a sorcerer, but even if I didn’t know it, I could tell. I can feel the energy coming off of you, and I can feel it when I’m around Marcus or Warren. But how do you know Brandt and Lysa have magic in their blood? I can’t feel a thing when I’m around them.”
“No, you wouldn’t. Most of the time I don’t either. They do have a bit of energy because of their elven blood, but it just passes through. They’re not tapping into it.” Shadron paused for a moment. “It’s in the little things, things you notice if you’re around them a lot. When children are young, maybe a year or two old, and they want something, they’ll reach for it. If they have magic in their blood, every once in a while what they’re reaching for will move, not far, but a little. They don’t know they’re doing it, but they’re using their outstretched hand. Another time magic may show up is temper tantrums. Sometimes sparks will shoot out, not enough to do any damage, but enough to be seen. But just because you don’t see any signs of it doesn’t mean they don’t have magic in their blood. It may not show up until they’re in their teens, or even later. Danyelle’s Norrie has already shown signs of magic. Teron hasn’t, but he still may.”
“You have to foster them if they do, right?”
Shadron nodded.
“Why?”
“Why do we foster them?”
Kevin nodded.
“Because it’s human nature to want to teach what you know to your children. And over the past thousand years, we’ve figured out magic and youth don’t mix well. When our children hit their teenage years, the last thing we need is for them to have full use of their magical abilities. They aren’t ready for the responsibility that goes with magic. They may be able to do it physically, but they do not have impulse control.” Shadron laughed and shook his head. “I don’t know about you, but I had a bit of a temper when I was a teenager, and Lysa’s a hundred times worse than I ever was. At least when I got angry, I’d blow up and be done with it. She lets things simmer until they reach a boiling point and when she erupts, she goes all out, and that girl knows how to hold a grudge.” Shadron shook his head. “I love her with all my heart, but I’m so grateful Kayla’s sister can handle her. It’s a lot nicer around here when she’s over there. Brandt, on the other hand, is more like Kayla. He’s even-tempered. It takes a lot to make him mad, and when he does get angry, he throws the anger into his work. He could probably handle training at this point, but why rush it? He has plenty of time for that after he’s grown.”
“Do most sorcerers foster their children with non-magical relatives?”
“Not really. We did with Lysa, but Brandt’s with a friend of mine who raises horses. I don’t know where life will lead him, and if he decides to earn his living as a sorcerer, that’s fine with me. But if he doesn’t want to go that route, I want him to have something to fall back on, another means of making a living, and raising horses has worked well for me. If he follows that path, I’ll let him take over the farm one day. If I owned a store, I’d have found a shop keeper in another town to foster him. Kayla’s sister is teaching Lysa things she needs to know, like how to cook, how to sew, how to take care of a house and garden, skills most women use all their lives.”
“So it’s like they’re apprenticing now?”
“In a way. They’re learning things they would have learned from us if they’d stayed here, but with them somewhere else, I’m not tempted to show them how to use their magic to make things easier.”
Kevin nodded and they walked in silence for a few minutes. “How about elves? How could I tell if someone has elven blood in them?”
Shadron shook his head. “Unless they’re full-blooded, which means they have red eyes, you can’t be sure without checking their parentage. Of course things like translocation or controlling the weather are pretty good indicators, but chances are you won’t observe either of those on a casual basis. There are some other clues, little things, like a special rapport with animals, or the ability to make plants flourish where they haven’t before, or an uncanny musical or artistic ability. But there are plenty of people who are purely human who have those traits, too. Unless you can trace their heritage back to an elf, all you can do is wonder. Why?”
“We have a young man at the castle, Marshall, who has elven blood. Kyle thought he might after he worked with him a bit with my dog, but Rhianna found out for sure when Marshall said her eyes were the same color as his grandfather’s. I was wondering if I missed something because I didn’t know what to look for.”
Again Shadron shook his head. “Rhianna wouldn’t have known for sure if he hadn’t mentioned the eyes. Was he a slave?”
Kevin nodded. “Karl bought him in Glenarbour.”
“Ouch,” Shadron said. “That could cause some problems.”
“It already has. It was his mother’s father, and she’s still a slave.”
“You’ve got to get her out.”
“I know.”
“Has Rhianna reported it?”
“Not yet. She’s giving me a little time to rescue the woman before she reports it, but she’s putting herself at risk by not saying anything so I can’t wait long. The problem is I haven’t figured out how to do it.”
“Just be sure you have the woman physically in your presence before you let anyone know she’s an elf. Otherwise she might disappear, for good.”
“Rh
ianna’s already warned me about that. I don’t have a plan yet, but I have a feeling it’ll involve showing up unannounced, asking to see the woman, and then explaining why she’s leaving with me.”
“That could work, depending on who you’re dealing with.”
“If I go that route, should I offer to buy her? What’s the protocol?”
Shadron laughed. “I have no idea. If Badec ever encountered this particular problem, he didn’t tell me about it. All I can suggest is ask Laryn.”
“She’s in Rainbow Valley right now or I’d have already talked to her about it.”
“Why’s she there?”
“She and Steve are visiting the giants.”
Shadron nodded. They had circled the pasture and were closing in on the house. “Anything else?”
Kevin shook his head. “Not today, but thanks.”
“Anytime,” Shadron said as they approached the house. “And I mean that. Anytime.”
Chapter 19
A Busy Monday
Monday morning, shortly after they’d come back from dueling practice, Franco walked into Alastar’s office. “I’ve found someone who knows where the mines are.”
Alastar leaned back in his chair and gave Franco his undivided attention. “Who?”
“His name is Meachum. He’s a guard and he used to work at the mines.”
“What’s he doing here?”
“He brought a group of slaves up here for your mother. He kept waiting for her to send him back, but she never did, so he stayed. Personally, I think she forgot about him.”
“How long ago was this?”
“A couple of years.”
“That was before Mikos started using the key. Did he bring the slaves by himself? Just one guard?”
Franco shrugged. “I didn’t ask and he didn’t say. But the important point is he knows where the mines are, as in he’s been there and he can take you there.”
Alastar frowned. “Are you suggesting I let him use the key?”
“Unless you plan to spend a few days on horseback, yes.”
Alastar nodded. “Have him report here tomorrow morning. We’ll go then.”
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