The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3) (87 page)

“I heard what happened this morning,” Cryslyn said. “I’m so sorry you’re having to deal with this. It’s not right.”

“No, it’s not,” Kevin agreed.

“What can we do to help?” Serra asked.

“For one thing, keep everyone out of my office,” Kevin said. “I don’t want any of the staff to go in there unless I’m there, not to clean, not to empty trash cans, not to do anything. I don’t want to take the chance she might come back and grab someone else.”

Cryslyn nodded. “I understand. I’ll see to it.”

“And I’d like to close the playground until this mess is settled.”

Serra’s mouth dropped open, but she closed it and nodded. “I’ll take care of it when the parents pick their children up this afternoon.”

“Then you better get out there,” Cryslyn said. “It’s time for some of them to be picked up.”

Serra nodded, got up, and left the office.

“Anything else?” Cryslyn asked.

“I’m probably overreacting, but I want you to keep all the staff away from the family quarters, too.”

Cryslyn frowned. “But your room will need to be straightened up and cleaned, and your clothes will need to be washed.”

“I can live with a little dust and dirt. She’s already got two people I care about. I don’t aim to let her have any more. As for my clothes? I’ll bring any clothes that need to be washed down here and give them to you. No one needs to go upstairs to get them. And I can pick up after myself. I even know how to use a broom and dust cloth. Just please, keep your staff away from my office and out of the family quarters.”

Cryslyn took a deep breath and sighed. “All right. But as soon as this thing gets settled, and I know it will, we’re going to give your room a good cleaning, and your office too, and at that point, I’m going to be telling you to stay out of the way.”

“Deal.” Kevin stood up to leave. “And Cryslyn?” When she looked up and met his eyes, he said, “Thanks for understanding.”

~ ~ ~ ~

After Kevin left Cryslyn’s office, he headed back to the kitchen. Miranda had finished with the vegetables she’d been chopping and moved on to making bread. Her hands were in dough up to her elbows.

“If you want something, you’ll have to get it yourself,” she said when Kevin walked in. “I’m a bit busy at the moment.”

“Where’s your help?” Kevin poured himself a cup of coffee from the pot she kept on the stove.

“I gave them a few hours off. They were upset about that mess this morning and needed to get away for a while. They’ll be back soon.”

“You need an assistant,” Kevin said. “Will you at least consider it?”

“I’ll let you know when I’m ready for one.” Miranda kept kneading the dough. “Now, is there something else? Or did you just want some coffee?”

“I need to ask you to do something for me.”

“What?”

“You know I’ve sent the pages away.”

Miranda nodded.

“And you know how you like to look after everyone.”

Miranda frowned, stopped working, and looked up at Kevin. “What do you mean?”

Kevin pointed to the coffee pot. “You keep a pot of coffee on the stove all day long, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you drink a cup.”

Miranda shrugged and went back to work. “I prefer tea, but most folks around here like coffee, so yes, I keep a pot ready.”

“You take care of people. You make special desserts for Chris. You send me fruit and cheese every morning. You look after us.”

“All right. Your point?”

“I don’t want you to send me anything until I get this mess sorted out.”

Miranda looked at Kevin. “What?”

“Don’t fix a tray and send it down to the office or up to my room. Don’t send me a cup of coffee first thing in the morning either.”

Miranda frowned. “A lot of the time you’re too busy to eat during meals. Why shouldn’t I send you something? Chris isn’t here. The pages aren’t here. How else are you going to get something?”

“I’ll come get it myself. Look, Gwendolyn could decide to make another visit. I don’t want any of your staff caught in the middle of this.”

“Oh,” Miranda said softly. “I hadn’t thought about that. Why would she bother with someone from the kitchen?”

“I don’t know that she would, but I also don’t know that she wouldn’t. There’s a good chance I’ll make her angry before this is over, and I don’t know what she might do, so keep your staff away from my office, my room, and me. If I want something, I’ll come get it. Can I count on you to let me get my own stuff and keep your staff away from me?”

“If that’s what you want, I guess I can go along with it. For now.”

“Thanks.” Kevin set his empty coffee cup in the sink. “See you later.”

~ ~ ~ ~

Kevin took Nikki up to his room after dinner. He’d gone to the dining room mainly so the staff would know he was there. He pushed his food around on the plate a bit, but that was about it.

When he picked up Nikki’s brush, her tail started wagging so hard her whole body shook. He moved the coffee table out of the way and sat down on the floor with his back against the couch. Nikki settled down beside him and pawed at the hand holding the brush.

“Okay, girl,” Kevin said as he started brushing her. “Let me tell you about the day I’ve had.”

As Kevin went through his day, he reviewed the precautions he’d taken and tried to think of anything he might have overlooked. Finally he asked, “Can you think of anything I left out? Of anyone else I need to get out of here?”

When he heard a voice say, “No, I think that about covers it,” he jumped up and spun around. His parents were standing beside the couch.

“Oh!” Kevin said as he stepped back. “You startled me!”

Badec grinned. “Guess you were too busy with your dog to notice when we came in.” He glanced towards Nikki. “Nice looking dog, but not much of a watchdog.”

“Maybe she just doesn’t sense spirits,” Yvonne said, holding her hand out towards Nikki’s face. “Some dogs do, some don’t. Just like people.”

“Well, let’s hope she’ll let you know if someone alive comes in,” Badec said with a bit of a huff.

“She would,” Kevin said defensively, petting her head.

“Never mind your father.” Yvonne elbowed Badec, which looked strange since her elbow went straight into his body. “She’s a lovely dog, and it’s always possible she realizes we’re no threat, therefore she doesn’t need to warn us off. At any rate, I’m sure you’ll enjoy her.”

Badec’s face turned serious. “Sorry about what happened earlier today.”

“Did you see it?”

“No, but we sensed something had happened, so we started listening. Good idea getting the rest of the pages and that young sorcerer out of the way.”

Kevin laughed. “You realize he’s a good ten years older than I am, right?”

“You are planning to do something about this, aren’t you? Some way of getting Chris and the girl back?” Badec asked.

Kevin nodded. “I’m working on a plan.”

“You’d be within your rights if you marched into her castle and tossed a few energy bolts around.”

Kevin shook his head. “I can’t do that. There’s no way I could just walk in and kill her.”

“I couldn’t do that either, but I sure could cause a bit of damage,” Badec said.

“That I might be able to do, but I’ve got something else in mind I’d like to try first.” After a moment, he added, “Of course if she’s hurt Chris or Elin, I might reconsider my no-kill position.”

“Whatever you decide to do, she has it coming, up to and including killing her. She crossed a line when she barged into your office and snatched your page, never mind your assistant.”

Kevin nodded his agreement.

“There’s not a sorcerer on the council who wouldn’t stand behind you on this one, son. No one wants to think another sorcerer could use that key to invade their homes.”

Yvonne nodded. “You can’t let her get by with this. It puts everyone at risk.”

“There must be some serious consequences,” Badec said. “You have to protect not only the sanctity of your home, but the sanctity of the other sorcerers’ homes as well.”

“I know.”

Badec nodded. “Time’s about up for this visit, but before I go, I want to thank you for getting my sister out of harm’s way.” As his image began to fade, he added, “Just remember, it won’t do anyone any good if you go and get yourself killed. Watch your back around her, and if she gives you even half a reason, don’t hesitate to kill her. She wouldn’t think twice about killing you.”

After they were gone, Kevin and Nikki walked out on the balcony. The sky was clear and there was a chill in the air. He could hear the soft crunch of the frozen ground as the guards made their rounds.

He gazed towards the faint shadows of the mountains in the east. Far past those mountains, across the ocean, on the other side of Terah, Chris was waiting. Kevin tried to throw his thoughts as far out there as he could, “
Hang in there, Chris. I’m coming.”

Chapter 74

Meanwhile in Landoryn

While Kevin was getting ready for bed, Chris was waking up to clanging and shouted orders. He felt like he had just closed his eyes when the guards started banging on the bars telling everyone to line up.

Once they were all lined up next to the cell bars, a guard went down the line with a bucket and a small dipper. Each captive got one dipper full of water, and from what Chris’s cellmates had told him the night before, that would be all the water they’d get until evening. Water came twice a day. Food, in the form of a piece of bread and some moldy cheese, came once every two days.

After the morning water, Chris looked at his cellmates, just to be sure his impression the night before was right. They were all male, and, with the exception of him, all children. The oldest appeared to be thirteen, maybe fourteen, but no older than that. He counted heads. Twelve boys and him. Thirteen total.

When he and Elin had been brought down the day before, they came down some of the steepest and narrowest steps Chris had ever seen. At the bottom, there was a heavy wood door with a large metal latch. The door opened to a long, dark hall. From the little Chris had been able to see in the dim light, one side was solid stone. The other side had two sets of bars. Between them, there appeared to be a recessed area. His best guess was two cells, one on each side of a guard station.

The guard had stopped at a door in the first set of bars, moved three latches, and shoved Chris into the cell. That was the last he’d seen of Elin, but he assumed she was in the cell on the other side of the recessed area.

After the boys got over their fear of him, they asked him who he was, how he got there, where he was from, all the questions he wanted to ask them. Eventually they told him about themselves and their families. It didn’t surprise him to find out they were all from Camden, and they confirmed that the women were in a cell on the other side. Most of them had mothers and sisters over there, or at least that’s where the boys thought they were. Some might have been sold or given away, just like some of the boys who’d shared their cell in the past.

Chris asked what had happened to their fathers and older brothers. And that’s when he learned a little more about the caves. When the captives reached the caves, the men and any boys strong enough were kept there to work the iron mines. The rest were sent to the dungeon at the castle, where they were held until Gwendolyn decided what she wanted to do with them.

The boys were hungry, dirty, weak, and scared, and there wasn’t much Chris could do about any of it. At least not yet. He knew Kevin would find a way to get him out, and when that happened, they were coming back for these kids, no matter what it took.

Chapter 75

Preparations Begin

Wednesday morning Kevin was dressed before daybreak. He hadn’t slept well and felt all bottled up, like he had more energy than he knew what to do with, to the point it was uncomfortable. And even worse, it felt unreliable. He needed to get himself sorted out before he dealt with anything else.

Kevin and Nikki went downstairs, through the dining room, and down the road towards the stable. He was planning to leave Nikki in her crate while he ran through his warm-up routine a couple of times, but Marshall was sitting on top of the crate when he and Nikki got there. “What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you.” Marshall jumped down from the crate and knelt beside Nikki. “I figured you’d want an early start.”

“I could have left her in the crate.”

“I know, but I thought I’d take her with me to check the fences around the horse pastures.” His horse was saddled and ready to go.

“She’ll enjoy that.”

Marshall nodded. “And by the time we get back, it’ll be late afternoon, and she’ll be ready to lie down for a while.”

Kevin nodded. “Thanks.”

“We should be back before dinner. Is that all right?”

Kevin nodded again. “I’ll try to be done by then. Have a good day.”

“You, too.” Marshall mounted his horse and they left.

As soon as Marshall was gone, Kevin walked over to the blacksmith section of the stable where Neiven was stoking his fires. “Your idea?” he asked the blacksmith.

Neiven shook his head. “That was all him. I just came along to make sure everything was all right out here. After yesterday … ”

Kevin nodded.

“He’s a good boy, Myron,” Neiven said. “And he’ll take good care of Nikki. It would kill him if anything happened to her. She’s the first dog he’s ever really known and he adores her.”

“Do you mind if she spends the night with him if I have to be away?”

“Not at all. She’s a sweet thing. She can move in with us if you want her to. I don’t mind, and the boy’d love it.”

Kevin shook his head. “Sorry, but if you still feel that way when this is all over, I’m sure Kyle can come up with a playmate for her who can sleep at your place.”

“We’ll see,” Neiven said. “Now, shouldn’t you get moving? I imagine you’ve got a busy day ahead of you.”