~ ~ ~ ~
Thursday evening when Kevin and Nikki got to his room, Nikki ran to the couch and sat down facing it. She pawed at the cushion like she was trying to get someone’s attention. Kevin frowned and then grinned. “King Merdin?”
“Better than being snarled at, but sure does mess up the invisibility bit,” King Merdin said as he made himself visible. He reached down and gave Nikki a good ear rub. “You wanted to see me?”
Kevin nodded and sat down on a chair opposite King Merdin. “But first, can I get you anything? Something to drink?”
King Merdin shook his head. “I’m fine. What’s up?”
“I need a telepath.”
“You need to find out if someone’s telling you the truth,” King Merdin surmised.
Kevin nodded. “I was wondering if Dani might help me out, but I don’t want to ask him to do anything he’s not comfortable with.”
“I don’t think he’d have any problems with it. I can bring him here and let the two of you discuss it if you’d like.”
“That would be fine, but before you do, I want to tell you what’s going on so you can fill him in.” Kevin paused. “You’ll be able to tell if he’s not comfortable with this. I’m not sure he’d tell me, but if he’d rather not do it, it’s all right. I’ll understand.”
“I can already tell you he’ll probably be happy to do it, but if he has any reservations, I’ll let you know.”
Kevin nodded. “There’s a man living outside Milhaven who’s here on Rolan’s orders. He was sent to kill me.”
King Merdin stopped petting Nikki and stared at Kevin. “And he’s still alive?”
Kevin nodded.
“Why?!”
“Because he’s been here over a year and so far he hasn’t harmed anyone. If he hadn’t told Cpt. Lawrence how he came to be here, I’d never have known.”
“But why did you let him live? He’s an admitted assassin! Do you have a death wish?”
Kevin shook his head. “Of course not. Let me finish. This man’s in charge of seven other men who were sent here for the same reason.”
“And they’re all still here?”
Kevin nodded again. “They were castle guards for Rolan’s father, Tsareth.”
“I’ve heard of him,” King Merdin said quietly. “He was a good man. Supposedly he died in his sleep, but there’s been a lot of speculation that that might not have been the case.”
“I’m surprised you know that, but you’re right. I’m convinced Rolan murdered his father so he could take over the seat.”
“I believe it. The man’s pure evil. You’re fairly certain he was behind Badec’s death, aren’t you?
Kevin paused, wondering how King Merdin could possibly know that.
“Dani.”
Kevin nodded. “Anyway, Rolan wanted me dead before I was seated as Master Sorcerer. I don’t know why. There’s no way he wanted it for himself, but that’s irrelevant to all of this. Anyway, this man, Cpt. Garen, says his loyalty is to the House of Gergin, not to Rolan, and that Tsareth wanted Landis to be his heir. He hadn’t made it official because she was so young and he figured he had plenty of time.”
King Merdin nodded but didn’t say anything, so Kevin continued. “Cpt. Garen wants me to put him in touch with Landis so he can offer her his services and those of his men. He says they want to protect her from Rolan.”
“The question that comes to my mind is why now? You’ve been here over a year, and you didn’t make any secret of the fact Landis was your apprentice. Why did he wait this long to come to you? Why now?”
“Landis has only been seen here once, last November, and at that time there was a warrior elf with her, Rhianna.”
“The elf you’re seeing on a personal basis?” When Kevin stared at him, King Merdin shrugged. “What? You know we watch.”
Kevin sighed. “Yes, Rhianna and I are seeing each other, which is why Cpt. Garen and his men want to offer their services as her guard. He said they were fine with the idea of Landis being protected by a warrior elf, but if the warrior elf isn’t looking after her, they want to.”
“And you want to know if this is a genuine offer or if their orders have changed and they’re trying to get close enough to her to kill her.”
“Exactly.”
King Merdin nodded. “I don’t have to explain this to Dani to know he’ll want to be part of it, but I’ll tell him what’s going on and see what he says. Can you meet us here tomorrow night?”
“That would be great.”
“See you tomorrow night then.” King Merdin turned his key and left for home.
King Merdin had been petting Nikki the whole time they’d been talking. When he left, she sat up and looked around trying to find him.
“He’s gone home, girl,” Kevin said as he reached out to rub her head. “But he’ll be back tomorrow evening.”
“Who’ll be back?” Chris asked as he came in with two mugs of scog.
“King Merdin.”
“Sorry I missed him.” Chris set Kevin’s mug down on the coffee table as he sat down with his. After he took a sip, he asked, “So what did he say?”
“He thinks Dani will be fine with it. They’re coming back tomorrow evening.”
“Do you want me here? Or would you rather talk to them on your own.”
“I think you should be here.” Kevin picked up his mug. “And we need to decide how we want to do this before I meet with Dani. I want to give him all the details tomorrow night.”
“Okay. Let’s start at the beginning and work our way through it. First, how’s everyone going to get there? I assume you’re going to use your gate key if I’m going to have the other one,” Chris said.
Kevin nodded. “And I thought King Merdin could go with us and he and Dani can use his key. That way when we finish talking to Garen, King Merdin can take Dani home.”
“Are you going to have King Merdin come here first? Or go straight there?”
“Which way do you want to do it?”
“I’d feel better knowing they’re on the island, whether they come here first or not,” Chris said. “I’ll go with you to the island and then go get Garen. Cpt. Lawrence can hang onto him until I get there.”
“I’m sure he could do that, but where? You can’t pop into Fenway’s, grab Garen, and pop out again.”
“No, I’m sure he’ll have some of his men around. I would. I’ll need to pick him up someplace else.”
“The chapel,” Kevin said as Chris said, “Theresa’s.”
Kevin nodded. “They’re used to us coming and going from their back porch. If Cpt. Lawrence takes Garen to the chapel and leaves him with Theresa, you can pick him up there. But what are we going to do with him after we’re done?”
“What do you mean?”
“Are we going to bring him back here?”
“Why not?”
“I don’t want anyone knowing we’ve talked, much less what we talked about. I know he’ll have to tell his men something. They already know he met with Cpt. Lawrence to try to get an appointment with me. But if he tells them why, and then they tell someone, before long the wrong people are going to hear about it and word will get back to Rolan.”
“So what?”
“What do you mean?”
“So what if Rolan knows Cpt. Garen has jumped ship and is offering to protect Landis?” Chris asked. “The worst case scenario is he tells his other assassins to go after Garen and his men.”
“I’m not sure that would be the worst case, at least as far as Garen’s men are concerned. What about their families?”
Chris paused. “If they’re still in Trendon and Rolan gets word of this, he’ll take it out on them.”
Kevin nodded.
“So I guess the answer to your question depends on whether or not they have families and if they do, where those families are located.” Chris thought for a moment. “If their families are someplace else, you could take Garen and his men to join them.”
&n
bsp; “That’s a possibility, even if their families are in Trendon. If they’re serious about wanting to guard Landis they’ll have to get their families out of Rolan’s reach before I’ll let them join her anyway.”
“Would you take their families to the island?”
Kevin didn’t answer immediately. “I don’t know, maybe.”
“What about the single men?”
“If I take the others home, they can go with them.”
“You could take them to their families whether you let them talk to Landis or not. It’ll get them out of Milhaven if nothing else.”
“We don’t have to decide what to do with them tonight, but we do need to have a plan before we meet with Garen.” Kevin stood up and stretched. “If Garen was around the castle before Rolan took over, Robyn should know him. Let’s talk to Robyn and see what he thinks after we talk to Garen.”
Chris nodded as he picked up the two mugs and stood up. “See you in the morning.”
Chapter 31
April 17
While Kevin was talking to King Merdin, Darius was in a small shed a few miles outside Milhaven waiting for Rolan to show up. He hated what he was doing but he didn’t feel like he had any choice. It was either do as he was told or die. Rolan had made that clear five years ago when he’d dropped him off.
Darius had been a slave for as long as he could remember. His family had been captured when he was an infant. He’d never known his father, and as soon as he’d turned eight, he’d been taken away from his mother and sold on his own. He’d had several owners, mostly farmers, but when he was fifteen, he’d ended up with a blacksmith. Even as a boy, he’d been bigger and stronger than most, so working in a smithy had suited him perfectly.
Eventually he’d ended up working in Tsareth’s stable in Trendon. Under Tsareth, Darius had lived in a room at the back of the stable and had come and gone as he pleased. He’d always had clean clothes, sturdy boots, and good food. But when Rolan took over, things changed. He’d had to move into the cramped quarters in the basement of the castle with the rest of the slaves. Guards escorted him to and from the stable area and he hadn’t been allowed to go anywhere else. His only food had been whatever the soldiers and guards left on the table, and that had to be shared with all the other slaves. When his clothes or boots wore out, he’d had to use whatever scraps he could find to try to repair them.
Five years ago, when Rolan sent for him, Darius had been terrified. He’d heard the guards talking about the sorcerer’s temper and the ease with which he killed, so he’d fully expected to die. But instead of killing him, Rolan had offered to take him to Camden where he could pose as a free man. It was like a dream come true. All he had to do in return was get a job working at the castle and tell Rolan what was going on. Darius had accepted the deal without hesitation.
Rolan had given him some new clothes, new boots, and his own tools. Then he’d brought him to the shed, pointed out the road to Milhaven, and told him all he had to do was find out what Badec liked to eat and drink, what time he got up, when he went to bed, and any routines he followed on a regular basis. Darius hadn’t thought that information could hurt anyone, so he’d agreed. Within a week he’d gotten a job working with Neiven at the castle.
A few years later, when Badec got sick, Darius had wondered if Rolan was behind it, and if he’d used any of the information Darius had given him to carry it out. So the next time they met, he’d asked Rolan outright if he’d caused Badec’s illness. Instead of answering him, Rolan had said he needed to know where Myron was and when he was expected at the castle. When Darius hesitated, Rolan told him not to forget who he belonged to and if he didn’t do as he was told, Rolan would be well within his rights to kill him on the spot. Darius had no doubt that Rolan would kill him, so he’d done the only thing he could. He agreed to see what he could find out.
And so it had gone for the past two years. After Myron took his seat, Rolan wanted to know Myron’s routine and where his apprentice was. Whenever they met, Darius told him what he’d heard, but he was secretly glad he heard so little.
As Darius waited for the sorcerer to arrive, he hoped there wasn’t something new Rolan wanted to know. He wasn’t in a position to find out anything anymore, and if Rolan decided he was no longer any use, he’d either kill him or take him back to Trendon.
When Rolan arrived, he breezed into the shed like he owned the place. “So, what news have you got for me?”
Darius frowned. “About what?”
Rolan slammed his fist down on the work bench. “About Landis! What else have I asked you about? Where is she? Why isn’t she in Milhaven?”
Darius licked his lips and shook his head. “I don’t know, sir. As far as I know, there are no plans for her to come to Milhaven again. The last time she was here she didn’t even leave the castle.”
“Last time? She’s been here more than once?”
Darius nodded. “She’s been here twice that I know of.”
“When?”
“Well, once was near the beginning of November, the day after the big storm. The second time was after Laryn’s wedding, but I’m not sure of the date, sometime near the middle of December.”
“She came in December?”
Again Darius nodded.
“Why didn’t you tell the assassins? They could have killed her!”
“I did tell them, sir, but her plans changed. She was supposed to pick up a kitten at Cira’s house. She asked me to make a carrier for it. As soon as I finished making the carrier, I left to tell the assassins so they’d have plenty of time to get there first. They had me draw them a map so they could find Cira’s house.”
“Then why is she still alive? And why didn’t I hear about it from the assassins?”
“Because she never went out there,” Darius blurted out. “I asked around but no one saw Landis after she went back to Myron’s office, not in the castle, not in Milhaven, nowhere. And no one saw Marcus either. I figured something must have happened somewhere and Marcus had to go help out and she went along to observe. That’s why she was here, to watch Marcus do stuff with magic.” Darius took a deep breath. “I do know Marcus went out to Cira’s the next day and picked up the kitten for her.”
Rolan stared at some point in the distance. Then he frowned and focused on Darius. “Was the elf with her? The warrior elf who was with her in November?”
Darius shook his head. “No she wasn’t. I’ve only seen Rhianna with Landis that one time.”
“Rhianna? You know the elf’s name?”
“Everyone in Milhaven knows her. She’s around here a lot.”
“She is?”
Darius nodded.
“Why?”
Darius shrugged. “All I know is she’s staying in town with one of the women Myron rescued from the slavers.”
“See what you can find out about Landis. And see if you can find out why that elf’s hanging around Milhaven. If you hear anything I need to know, you know how to contact me. And don’t forget, I own you, and how long you’re allowed to live here is up to me. Prove you’re worth it or I’ll take you back and put you to work in my stable.” Then, with a twist of his key, Rolan was gone.
Chapter 32
Sorting Things Out
Friday morning shortly after Kevin reached his office, Ariel knocked on his doorframe and said, “Eryn’s here to see you.”
Kevin put the papers he was working on away. “Send her in.”
Eryn smiled as she walked in. “I’m ready to go home if you’ve got time to take me.”
“Are you sure?” Kevin asked. “You’re welcome to stay as long as you like.”
“It’s time, but I’ve enjoyed my visit. Doreen has been a gracious hostess, and it did me a world of good to spend time with some other women who’ve been through the same ordeal I have. It helped to see how well they’ve adjusted to their new lives. I hope I’m as fortunate with my own.”
“At least you’ll have your husband and father to help you.�
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“I hope,” Eryn said quietly. “My husband may have remarried by now, and as for my father? He may have left Farragon. He’d have left after my mother died if it hadn’t been for me. With me gone,” she shrugged, “there’s no telling where he is.”
“Well, you’re welcome here anytime you want to come, to visit or to live. All you have to do is let me know.”
Eryn smiled. “Depending on what I find in Farragon, I may take you up on that.”
Kevin nodded and walked over to the big map of Terah hanging on his wall. “Show me where we need to go.”
Eryn studied the map and pointed to a spot on the southeast coast of Farragon. “It’s not marked on your map, but our settlement is near that little bit of land jutting out there.”
Kevin focused on the spot as he put his hand on her arm and turned the key. Moments later, they were on a deserted beach.
After she recovered from the energy flow, Eryn looked around and shook her head.
“Are we at the right place?” Kevin asked.
“We’re at Rocky Shores, but I don’t think this is the right place anymore.” She scanned the beach in both directions. “I guess everyone who escaped moved on, including my husband.”
“All right,” Kevin said. “You said he trained soldiers. Would the soldiers in the next town know where he went?”
“Possibly,” Eryn said, still distracted by the emptiness around her.
“Where is it?”
“Caster’s Point is the closest thing to a town around here. It’s twenty miles up the coast.” She pointed towards the northeast.
Kevin set up his seeing eye. He hadn’t tried to see something that far away before, but if he could spot a clearing several miles up the coast, they’d use the key to get there and try again. He felt like he’d pushed the eye out as far as he could without losing focus when he spotted a road running along the coast. He aimed for the road, put his hand on her arm, and turned the key.
Once they got to the road, he set his seeing eye up while he supported Eryn.
She recovered a lot quicker that time. “This road,” she said as she looked around. “If it’s the one I think it is, it leads to Caster’s Point.”
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