The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3) (26 page)

The single cells were set up so that the women came first, then the men. Glancing around, Karl counted six women, but only two looked to be anywhere near eighteen. Three were in their early teens and one wasn’t even a preteen yet. Apparently the wash water that had been denied the family groups had been available to the individual slaves. All of them had clean hair, nails, and clothes. And they all stood stoically on wooden platforms about six inches off the floor. They couldn’t move more than a few inches in any direction without stepping off, and it was obvious by the guard posted in each cell that that was forbidden. There was no way for any of them to avoid the prying hands. Potential buyers ran their hands through their hair, over their faces, their breasts, their waists, their hips, and their legs. No place was off-limits to a potential customer. Karl could picture their futures, gifts to loyal supporters, possessions to be sampled and shared, and prizes in contests.

The men didn’t fare much better, and calling them men was stretching things a bit. Karl didn’t see one that looked to be over fifteen. They were poked and prodded, more often by women than by men. Whether the women were looking for a companion or a champion, the end result would be the same. They, too, would be used as possessions, gifts, or prizes. The whole idea sickened him.

After they made it through the single cells, Karl wiped his hand over his face and mumbled, “I need a shower.”

“If a shower’s the same thing as a bath, I agree,” Alek said quietly. “I feel that way every time I have to go in a place like that.”

“And there’s nothing we can do about it?”

Alek shook his head. “Not without causing all kinds of trouble.”

“Do we have time to get out of here for a bit?”

“We’ve got about fifteen minutes. We can’t go far, but we can get some fresh air. Come on,” Alek said as he led the way to the nearest exit.

After Karl walked around a bit he felt a little better. Or rather, he no longer felt nauseous. But the frustration of not being able to do anything to help those people ate at him.

When the time came to go back into the auction house, Karl asked, “If I want to buy a slave, do I have to have the money right now? Or would I pay later?”

“Since you’re a province governor, and would be buying in the name of the province, you would just sign a bill of sale and get the money to them later. Anyone else would have to have the money up front.”

Karl nodded and went inside.

~ ~ ~ ~

An hour later, a very sheepish Karl stepped out of the energy field in Kevin’s reception area supporting two terrified teenage girls and one scared little girl who looked to be about eight. He looked at Cameryn and said, “A little help here?”

Cameryn’s mouth dropped open. Then she put her arm around the youngest girl, said, “Come with me,” and motioned for the other two to follow her. She led them to the conference table, pulled out three of the chairs, and seated them as quickly as she could. “Breathe, in and out, slow deep breaths,” Cameryn coached as she eased towards the side table. “I’ll get you some water and you’ll feel better in a few minutes.” She filled three glasses with water, and took them back to the girls.

Karl nodded to Cameryn and said, “Thanks.” Then he turned to Kevin. “I’m sorry, but I’ve got to go back to Glenarbour. I’ll explain everything when I get back.”

Wrenn, who had known what Karl would face at the auction in Glenarbour, had come to the castle to be there when Karl returned. He figured Karl would need someone to talk to, and since he was one of the few people around Milhaven who had ever been to one of those auctions, he felt like he should be there. “You might want to send for Cryslyn,” he told Kevin after Karl vanished from the room.

“Why?”

“Because someone’s going to have to take care of those girls, and unless I miss my guess, there’s more.”

“More?”

“If those three were the only ones, Alek would have come back with him. Karl left Alek there with the rest of his purchases.”

“Purchases?” Chris asked. “You mean he bought those girls?”

Wrenn nodded.

“Isak, ask Cryslyn to join us,” Kevin said. “And ask Miranda to send us some sandwiches.”

With a quick nod, Isak left the room.

Before the door shut behind him, two more people emerged from the energy field, Gov. Shardin and Sgt. Nance. Kevin motioned for them to follow him into his office.

After Wrenn and Chris joined them, Kevin looked at Sgt. Nance and asked, “Did you find anyone from Syrando?”

The sergeant shook his head no. “Sorry, but none of them were there.”

Kevin nodded. “I was afraid of that.” Then he turned to Gov. Shardin and said, “Governor, we are in your debt. Thank you so much for your efforts on our behalf. I’m just sorry it turned out to be a waste of time.”

“You’re welcome,” Gov. Shardin answered. “I’m sorry it didn’t work out, but we needed to try. If you get another line on them, let me know. We’ll try again.”

Kevin nodded.

Gov. Shardin turned to Wrenn and shook his hand. “Nice to see you again, old friend. You and Jana are doing well, I trust.”

Wrenn nodded as he shook Gov. Shardin’s hand. “Just fine. Working with you is one of the few things about being governor that I miss. Take care.”

Gov. Shardin smiled, turned his key, and left for Wyndsor.

Kevin turned to Sgt. Nance. “Why don’t you relax in here for a moment? I have a feeling things are about to get hectic in the reception area and I imagine you’re ready for a little peace and quiet.”

Sgt. Nance nodded. “Thank you, sir.”

Kevin walked over to the door, but before he opened it, he turned back to Sgt. Nance and said, “Marcus will be here in a few minutes to take you back to Ashmont. Sorry to cut this so short, but I’ve got to get back out there. Thank you so much for doing this for us, and if there’s anything we can do to help ease the situation in Ashmont, feel free to contact us.”

After Kevin and Wrenn left, Chris said, “I’ll bring you something to drink while you wait. Coffee? Or would you prefer water?”

“Coffee would be nice,” Sgt. Nance said, “but don’t go to any trouble. I’m all right.”

“No trouble at all, and if any of those pastries are left, I’ll grab you a couple. They were really good this morning,” Chris said as he left the room to get the coffee.

A couple of minutes later, Karl and Alek arrived with two boys and another girl, all around fifteen. Alek led the boys to the couch while Karl helped the girl to a seat at the table. Cameryn poured water for the new arrivals while Karl and Alek got them settled. Then she reminded all of them to breathe, offered to get them more water, and in general fussed over them.

Alek joined Kevin as soon as he had the boys seated on the couch, but Karl continued to watch the teenagers and the young girl he’d brought back to Milhaven. Finally he made his way over to where Kevin, Wrenn, and Alek were standing.

As he walked up, he heard Kevin ask Alek to find Marcus. Then Kevin held out his hand to Karl and said, “I need the key to get Sgt. Nance back home.”

After Karl returned the key, he shook his head. “I’m sorry, Kevin. I know I wasn’t supposed to buy anyone, but I couldn’t help it. Those men, the ones who were bidding on them, had their hands all over those kids back in the cells. I couldn’t stand by and let them get the kids. I’ll find some way to pay the treasury back.”

Kevin shook his head. “We’ll figure it out. Don’t worry about it. I’d have done the same thing, or worse.”

Wrenn put his hand on Karl’s shoulder. “You did better than I did at my first auction. I came back with eight teenagers and a mother and her two-year-old daughter. I imagine there’s money set aside for things like this in the budget. I know there was when I was here. Doesn’t Cryslyn still keep the main accounts?”

Karl nodded.

“We’ll talk to her and see what she says,” Kevin said.

Just as he said that, Cryslyn walked into the main office. She glanced at the teenagers, saw the young girl, and looked around for Kevin. When she saw him standing with Karl and Wrenn, she walked over to join them. “New recruits?”

Karl nodded, still looking miserable.

“Any idea what we’re going to do with them?” she asked.

Karl shook his head. “No idea at all. And I don’t have any idea how I’m going to pay for them either.”

Cryslyn nodded. “We’ll take care of it. In the meantime, we need to get these young people settled in rooms and get some food in them.”

“As to the food,” Kevin said, “some should be arriving any minute. Isak was going to the kitchen after he left your office.”

“Have you talked to them yet?” Cryslyn asked Kevin.

“No,” he answered hesitantly. “Do I need to?”

“Yes, and soon would be good. You need to let them know they’re free now, that they’re no longer slaves, that no one is going to bother them, and that they have nothing to be afraid of. But you also need to let them know they can stay here for as long as they need to, that no one’s going to toss them out into the street. Freedom can be a scary thing when you have no money and no place to live.”

Kevin nodded and walked over to the conference table. He motioned for the boys on the couch to join the girls at the table, and after they were seated, Kevin pulled out a chair, sat down, and started talking to them.

Karl watched for a minute, and then turned to Cryslyn. “What are we going to do with them? I can take the young girl home with me and let her share a room with Caitlyn, at least for a while. But who’s going to take care of the rest of them?”

“Well, we have a few empty bedrooms in the basement, so for now, I’m going to put the girls in one and the boys in another. We’ll need to find some clothes for them, and some kind of work. There’s nothing worse than teenagers with nothing to do. I’ll talk to each of them over the weekend and see what they’re interested in. And for now, that’s the best we can do. We’ll have to feel our way along with them.” Cryslyn paused as Isak walked in bearing a tray heavily loaded with sandwiches, fruit, and cheese. “But first things first. We need to get some food in them.”

Chapter 23

Crinsor Run

While Kevin was explaining to the six newcomers that they were safe, his apprentice was trying to find some privacy so she could do some thinking. Finally, after lunch, Landis managed to slip out the door and into the woods without anyone going with her. She had come home to figure out what she wanted to do, and she was no closer to a decision than she was before she left Wildcat Mountain.

One of the problems was she didn’t know what to believe. If she believed Taelor, Rolan was a self-absorbed, greedy man who thought he was entitled to anything he desired. But Taelor hated Rolan, and she could understand that hate. Rolan had treated him like a slave, but in Rolan’s defense, Taelor had been a slave.

Taelor held Rolan responsible for their mother’s death, but was he? Their mother had died a natural death. Taelor said it was brought on by hard work, but was that Rolan’s fault? Then again, if what Taelor said about Tsareth’s death was true, Rolan had murdered him, and that needed to be avenged.

According to Myron, Rolan couldn’t be trusted. The only cause he was interested in was his own, and if he wanted something, he went after it, no matter who might be hurt in the process. His only concern for other people was how he could use them, and if he couldn’t find a way to use them, he got rid of them. But Myron had never told her one thing Rolan had done to hurt someone else. He couldn’t even say for certain that Rolan had killed Tsareth. All he could say was that Taelor said he did.

What Landis couldn’t figure out was whether or not Taelor and Myron were in this together. She knew they’d known each other before Taelor arrived in Crinsor Run. She’d liked Taelor when they were children, had looked up to him, and her instincts told her to trust him, but was that because he’d been kind to her all those years ago? She hadn’t seen him in over a decade. How much should she trust him now? Could he and Myron be manipulating her? Were they hoping she would somehow get rid of Rolan for them?

Or were they both telling her the truth?

Thursday evening she had asked Hayden about Rolan. All he could tell her was Tsareth was worried about him, but Hayden didn’t know why. Was her father worried Rolan would become the monster Taelor and Myron claimed he was? Did he see something in Rolan that scared him? Or was he afraid Rolan wouldn’t be able to handle the position and would end up getting killed? Exactly what was her father worried about?

She’d heard about people having visits from their deceased relatives, and she could really use a visit about now. But since she couldn’t sit around waiting for Tsareth to drop by, she needed to figure out some way to find out the truth about Rolan. She needed to talk to someone else, someone not connected with either Taelor or Myron, someone who had known both Rolan and Tsareth, someone who was family.

She barely knew her brothers and sisters. She wasn’t sure she’d recognize them if she met them on the street. The only one she’d ever spent any time with was Robyn. He’d been an adult for as long as she could remember. He’d always had time for her, to go with her when she wanted to show him something, to listen when she wanted to talk, to answer her questions, no matter how silly they were. And he’d been the first person to ever tell her that one day she’d be a sorcerer. She stopped for a moment and let the memory of that day rise to the surface.

It had either been the last time she was in Trendon, or close to it. She and Robyn had gone for a walk, just the two of them. They were in the middle of a meadow when Robyn stopped and pointed to the western horizon. They watched as dark clouds gathered and lightning flashed. As the storm came together and sheets of rain began to fall in the distance, Robyn told her that one day she’d be an exceptional sorcerer and do great things for Brendolanth.

It was the first time anyone had ever talked to her about her future. Until that day, she’d never given it any thought. But ever since then, she’d assumed she’d be a sorcerer, which was sort of strange considering she had absolutely no idea what a sorcerer did. And it never even crossed her mind that it would be a life-long thing. She’d love to ask Robyn why he’d said that, and why he’d left out so many pertinent details.