The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3) (20 page)

Shadron laughed and nodded. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Good.” Laryn put her hand on top of Steve’s. “We’ll talk about it and sketch out what we want. I’ll send it to you. When do you plan to build it?”

“How about during that reception you’re planning to have? There will be plenty of men there to help and we’ll have all the sorcerers we need.”

“Probably more than you need, truth be told,” Laryn mumbled. “Can all of you get along well enough to do this?”

“Well, Danyelle and Allisandra will be wherever the women are, right?” When Laryn nodded, Shadron said, “That just leaves me, Kyle, Dayed, and Myron. I imagine we can work together all right.”

For the next half hour or so, everyone was too busy eating to talk. Finally things slowed down enough for Kayla to offer coffee and dessert. When everyone was done, Kayla said, “Shadron, I know you’re chomping at the bit to show Myron around, so why don’t the two of you go on while I get to know Steve a little better.”

Shadron didn’t need to be told twice. He stood up and motioned to Kevin. “I think they’re telling us to get lost. Come on.”

For the next hour, Kevin and Shadron walked and talked about horses, magic, sorcerers, loyalty and trust, right and wrong, and the Master’s Chair.

When Kevin asked him why he hadn’t taken over when Badec became ill, Shadron said, “Well, for one thing, I wasn’t his Second. Laryn was. It has to be a non-magical. For another, I wasn’t his heir, you were. But the main reason was I didn’t want any part of it. I watched what it did to my father and then to my brother, and I didn’t want it doing it to me. I like living here, in the country. I’d feel cooped up in that castle. I like spending time with my horses and being on my own. I don’t answer to anyone other than my wife. And that’s the way I like it. I guess, in short, I like my life.”

Kevin nodded. “I can understand that. It’s just I feel you’re so much more qualified for this job than I am. There’s so much I don’t know, so many things I don’t know how to do, things I don’t understand, but everyone looks to me to have all the answers. I don’t. I feel like there are a lot of people who could do a much better job than I’m doing. Most of the time I feel like an impostor or a fraud.”

Shadron nodded. “Badec felt the same way. It’s an impossible job. Responsible for all the humans on Terah? How could one person ever be responsible for the behavior of the whole human race? Even the idea of controlling other sorcerers is a joke. You can either let them be or make them mad enough to challenge you. Then you can get rid of them, but other than that, you can’t do a thing about them, unless you’re willing to commit murder, and that’s not going to happen. So you’re stuck with being responsible for the biggest bunch of bullies around.”

“Well, they aren’t all that bad. There are some good people on the council.”

“Maybe so, but they aren’t the only sorcerers you have to deal with. Didn’t I hear something about you having to replace one last summer? And didn’t you end up having to kill him to save yourself and Warren?”

Kevin frowned. “How did you hear about that?”

“I heard about that one from several people. Warren and I have been friends for years. I may not see him often, but we write. And then there’s Cpt. Lawrence. He thought I should know you handled yourself just fine when you were faced with a life and death decision. Even Laryn wrote me about it. When I was down for Badec’s funeral, she and I had talked about whether or not you could throw a killing bolt. She wanted to let me know you could. I know it was probably one of the worst days of your life, but it was a good one for those of us who were worried about you.”

“You’re right. It was one of my worst days. I don’t ever want to be in that position again.”

“Well, you will be. But let’s not dwell on that today. Laryn said there was something you wanted to talk to me about, something about a young sorcerer and a bridge. What’s that all about?”

After Kevin explained Lynda’s problem, and that he was planning to meet her that afternoon to see if he could help her out, Shadron volunteered to go with him.

“It’s been a while since I’ve done anything like that. Could be a lot of fun,” Shadron said with a quick nod. “Want to take Steve with us? I imagine he’s about had it with talk about the wedding.”

“Sure. But I have a quick question. You haven’t asked me anything about Steve, and you didn’t ask him any questions at lunch. And if we’re in Zander working on a bridge, you won’t have an opportunity to talk to him this afternoon. Aren’t you even curious about the man Laryn’s going to marry?”

“She’s my younger sister, but she’s had a lot more life experience than I have. She’s lived with giants, worked with a dragon, and traveled all over Terah. She’s walked into all kinds of situations and managed to walk back out. When Badec was sick, she ran that office for a year, and kept things calm enough that there were no magic wars and no major problems with the other races. I trust her judgment more than any other person’s I know.”

Then Shadron paused for a moment and looked at Kevin. “From the bits I’ve gathered, Steve’s been with you since you came to Terah. I imagine you’ve gotten to know him quite well by now, and in a lot of different circumstances. If there was some reason why Laryn shouldn’t marry him, you’d have said something by now.” Then he grinned. “Besides, Kyle wrote me after you were there Wednesday night. He liked Steve, and he said his dogs did too, and that right there was good enough for both of us. Those dogs are never wrong. So, shall we get Steve and go see a lady about a bridge?”

~ ~ ~ ~

Three hours later, three muddy men climbed the steps to Shadron’s front porch.

Kayla and Laryn were seated in the front room talking when Kayla spotted her husband. She ran to the front door and shook her head. “No, you don’t. You’re not coming in my house, not like that. I’ll bring you a bucket and soap, and some clean clothes.” Then she looked down to his feet. “And another pair of boots.”

“What about them?” Shadron asked, nodding towards Kevin and Steve.

“They can come in,” Kayla said hesitantly. “They’re guests.”

Shadron shook his head. “No they’re not. They’re family.”

Laryn stepped past Kayla onto the porch. “I wouldn’t let any of you in my house either, not with all that mud on you.” Then she shook her head. “How did you get so dirty anyway? You two are sorcerers, and you,” she said, pointing at Steve, “were just supposed to watch.”

“I couldn’t let them have all the fun,” Steve said with a glint in his eye. “Besides, I’m pretty good with a hammer.”

“And a crowbar, and a shovel, and a pitchfork,” Shadron added.

“Pitchfork?” Kayla asked, frowning. “Why did you need a pitchfork? You were fixing a bridge!”

“Helps to have a clear area when you start putting in the supports,” Shadron answered.

“We had to borrow the tools,” Kevin added, grinning, “and while we were there, we cleared up a few misunderstandings.”

Laryn frowned. “What kind of misunderstandings?”

“Seems the people of Zander were under the impression Lynda was responsible for doing the repair work all by herself,” Kevin answered. “I explained, or rather all three of us explained, that she’s a sorcerer, not a carpenter. She’s there to help them, not to do their work for them. They have to do their part. She can lift the wood, even hold it in position, but if they want it to stay put, they’ve got to get in there and make it happen.”

“You might say we encouraged their participation in fixing the bridge,” Shadron said, grinning even more than Kevin.

Steve nodded. “And since it’s a lot easier to get people to do something if they see you pitching in, we had to get into the mire and help.”

“And that’s how we ended up caked with mud,” Shadron said. “Now, are you going to let us in? We’re starving out here, and we could use something to drink, too.”

Kayla shook her head. “I’ll bring you some scog. I’ll even make you a sandwich, but I’m not letting you in my house until you clean up.”

Laryn laughed. “It’s time for us to head home anyway. These two need to get cleaned up too, and I’m sure Miranda can come up with something to hold them over until dinner.” Then she hugged Kayla. “I enjoyed spending the afternoon with you. We need to do this more often now that I’m not quite so busy all the time.” Laryn looked at her brother and frowned. “No way I’m hugging you. You’re too muddy.”

Shadron wrinkled his nose at her. “Don’t forget to send me some plans once you decide how you want your house built, and you need to figure out where you want it, too.” Then he added, “Near a well would be good. I hate sinking new wells.”

Laryn nodded. “I’ll let you know, and thanks.” She put her hand on Kevin’s arm and nodded to Steve to do the same.

Kevin took out his key. “Kayla, thanks for lunch. And Shadron, thanks for the help with the bridge.”

Kayla nodded as Shadron said, “I enjoyed it. And remember, visit anytime.”

Chapter 17

Rhianna's Role

Glendymere and Rhianna were waiting when Kevin and Chris arrived in Willow Canyon Sunday morning. After Glendymere and Kevin left for the canyon lands, Chris said, “Let’s go for a walk while we talk.”

Rhianna glanced around the canyon. “All right, but it’ll be more like pacing.”

“Do you know the way to Rainbow Valley?”

Rhianna nodded and pointed towards the trail up Wildcat Mountain. “Up to the top and down the other side. I don’t mind, but we’d have to turn around as soon as we got there.”

“Actually,” Chris said as he turned towards the cave, “there’s another way. Come on.”

As they walked through Glendymere’s reception area, Chris asked, “Where’s Landis this morning?”

Rhianna laughed. “Sleeping. She said she’s going to sleep all day.”

Chris led Rhianna down the main passageway, but before they reached Glendymere’s chamber, he turned down a side tunnel and walked several feet before stopping. Half a dozen glowstone torches were hanging on the wall. Chris took two down, took the covers off, and handed one to Rhianna. Then he opened the heavy wooden door that led to a large tunnel.

As Chris closed the door behind them, he asked, “How do you like being a sorcerer’s assistant?”

Rhianna wrinkled her nose. “I’m not sure. Most of the time it’s boring, and when it’s not boring, it’s worse. I never knew Landis could be such a whiner, and I’ve known her all her life.”

Chris laughed. “And when she’s not whining, she’s snarling, and somehow it’s all your fault.”

“Exactly. One minute she’s excited, usually because she managed to do something right, and then, ten minutes later, she’s all discouraged and wants to go home and forget about being a sorcerer.”

“At least she has that option. Kevin didn’t. But that might have made things easier for us. He had to push on, to keep trying.”

Rhianna laughed.

“What?”

“It throws me when you call him Kevin. I have to stop and think who you mean,” Rhianna said with a chuckle. “I’m not so sure she does have a choice, not if everything we’ve heard about Rolan is true.”

“Well, I’ve met him. He’s worse than anything you could have heard. And if he’s decided to kill Landis, which we all believe he has, he won’t stop until one of them is dead.”

“So what can I do about it? How do I help her?”

“First of all, she has to make up her mind whether or not she’s going to train. Then, if she decides to train, she has to decide how far she wants to take it. You can’t do any of that for her, but you can insist that she think about it and make a decision.”

“All right. But what do I do if she decides it’s not worth it?”

“You let her quit.” Chris said with a shrug. “You can’t force her to train. She has to want it or you’re both wasting your time. But if she does quit, she’ll have to live a very secluded life somewhere far away from Brendolanth. When she leaves here, she’ll be a marked woman.”

“I’m not sure she really believes he’d have her killed.”

“He will if he gets a chance, but there’s no way I can prove it to her.”

They walked in silence for a few minutes. Then they came to the round chamber that had four tunnels leading out. Chris took a moment to explain where each tunnel went and then they continued down the passage that led to Rainbow Valley.

“Have you been through the caves we lived in while Kevin worked with Glendymere?” Chris asked.

“No. Taelor has, with Sari, but Landis and I have either been on top of Wildcat Mountain or in Willow Canyon.”

“Well,” Chris said as they came to a door, “Welcome to one of the best places I’ve ever lived.”

“Better than the castle?”

Chris paused with his hand of the door knob and turned towards Rhianna. “The castle’s like living in a fish bowl. There are a lot of conveniences, like being able to send someone down to the kitchen to find something to eat any time of the day or night,” Chris said with a grin, “but there’s precious little privacy.” He opened the door and led Rhianna through the room that used to be Kevin’s and on to the main tunnel that led to the common rooms. “It’s worse for Kevin than it is for me, but it can smother you sometimes. Here? We had it made. Granted, Kevin and I were spoiled. The others took such great care of us. Joan and Ashni were forever fixing special treats for us, and I have to admit, we didn’t have to do any chores around here. It was always clean, always a pleasant place to decompress. Kevin and I lived in our own little world while we were here. Our biggest worry was what Glendymere would ask Kevin to do next. I know it wouldn’t be the same now, but there have been quite a few days when I would have gladly come back here to live.”

When they reached the common room, Chris sat down on one of the armchairs and motioned for Rhianna to have a seat. “How is Landis doing with her training? What has she been able to do?”

“She can make a ball now and pour energy into it, or at least that’s what she and Glendymere say. You couldn’t prove it by me, but Glendymere seems pleased. I know he’s planning to take us to the coast before long to let her start drawing energy from the sea. That should be fun!” Rhianna said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.