The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3) Page 5

  “Do you think I could borrow a boat from someone while I’m there?” Marcus asked.

  “There were some boats at the dock in Syrando. I’m sure no one would mind if you used one of those.”

  “Do we have time to go by my house so I can pick up my fishing gear? No one will look twice at me if I’m just another fisherman on the river.”

  Kevin took out his key. “Do you have anything scheduled for this week?”

  “Just a couple of minor jobs. Nothing major or urgent. I’ll give Alek a list of who I’m supposed to work for and he can let them know I’m out of town. I’ll reschedule them when I get back.”

  Kevin glanced at Alek and raised his eyebrows.

  Alek nodded. “I’m sure Rigel or I can get in touch with everyone without any problem.”

  “Thanks,” Kevin said as he handed the key to Marcus. “Do you know how to use this?”

  “I think I’m supposed to picture the place I want to go, turn the key, and I’ll end up there. If there’s any more to it than that …”

  “That’s it. Just be sure my hand’s on your arm before you turn the key.” Kevin put his hand on Marcus’s arm just as Alek touched Marcus’s shoulder.

  Soon they were standing in front of a farmhouse. Kevin had expected the house to be dark and a little rundown due to Marcus’s absence. What he saw was a home full of light, laughter, and, if his ears were to be believed, children. Kevin turned to ask Marcus what had happened, but the blush on Marcus’s face stopped him.

  “Sorry,” Marcus said with a sheepish grin. “When you handed me the key, I was thinking I’d like to see my sister, and her farmhouse flashed in my mind. I guess that’s how we ended up here.”

  Kevin laughed. “That hasn’t happened to me yet, but I’m sure it will one day. How far do you live from here?”

  “Five minutes if I walk, less if I fly.” Then he cleared his throat. “I haven’t seen my sister since I left here last June, and I’d like to check on them and be sure everything’s all right if we have the time. I want to be sure Caleb’s not giving her too much trouble.”

  “Caleb?”

  “My seven-year-old nephew.” Marcus handed the key back to Kevin. “He’s the only one in her family who inherited magic, so my sister and her husband are keeping him at home. I want to be sure he’s doing all right.”

  “Would an hour and a half give you enough time to get your stuff and spend some time with them?”

  Marcus nodded.

  “Okay. See you then,” Kevin said, and with a turn of the key, he and Alek went back to his office.

  When he returned, Chris was at the desk he used in Kevin’s office. “Where’s Marcus?”

  “I’m going back to get him later,” Kevin answered as he sat down.

  Chris looked around at Alek. “I have a feeling the two of you may be up all night, so why don’t you go down to the kitchen and stock up on some snacks.”

  Kevin nodded. “Good idea.”

  After Alek left, he asked, “What are you working on?”

  “Your schedule for next week.”

  “Looks like you’re adding stuff. Anything I need to know about?”

  “Nothing you need to worry about tonight.” Chris put the calendar away. “How’s tomorrow looking, other than taking the sister to Glenarbour.”

  “I’ve got to take Gen. Crandal to see the children first, but speaking of Glenarbour, do you have any idea where the chapel is? I don’t recall seeing one when we rode through last year.”

  Chris shook his head. “But I’m sure someone can point you in the right direction once you get there.”

  “I’d rather not do that if I can help it. Sister Janine wants to get there quietly. I don’t think she’d be very pleased if she had to walk through town with me.”

  “You could wear your old clothes.”

  “Excuse me, but I was writing a note to Rigel to let him know where I’ll be,” Alek said as he knocked on the open door. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I can tell you where the chapel is.”

  “If you know where it is, you can use the key and take us straight there,” Kevin said. “Problem solved.”

  Chapter 4

  Sunday Morning

  Chris got up shortly after daybreak Sunday and opened Kevin’s door, expecting to find him asleep. The room was empty, so he stepped out on the balcony and looked towards the east. Every morning Kevin crossed the river behind the castle and, sheltered in a small grove of trees, practiced his magic. The faint glow that rose and fell above the treetops told Chris where Kevin was in his routine. As he neared the end, Chris went downstairs for coffee.

  Miranda was pulling a tray of golden brown buns dripping with honey and nuts from the oven as Chris walked in. He practically drooled as he stared at the fresh honey buns.

  “Chris, I swear you look like you could devour the whole lot.” Miranda set the tray on the counter, trying to swallow her laughter. “Want to take a couple upstairs?”

  “Yes, please,” Chris said as he tried to remember why he was there. Coffee. He filled two cups and set them on a tray.

  “I’m going to ask Myron if he got one,” Miranda said as she handed Chris a plate with four honey buns. “And bring my plate back.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Chris picked up the tray and left.

  Kevin was in his room when Chris got back with breakfast. Kevin sniffed a couple of times and said, “Something smells good.”

  Chris set the tray on the coffee table and picked up a honey bun. “You have to try one of these. Miranda said she’ll ask you about them later.”

  “She wants to make sure you share.” Kevin picked up the smallest bun and took a bite as he sat down.

  “When are you leaving for Ashmont?”

  “Gen. Crandal said he’d meet me at 8:45. I want to get a little work done first though. I thought I’d go through the messages that are piling up on my desk,” Kevin answered between bites. “These are good.”

  “I know.” Chris reached for another honey bun. “We’ve already taken care of the urgent ones. Why don’t you let the rest go until tomorrow?”

  “I don’t know how much of yesterday’s going to spill over into tomorrow. I need to take care of everything I can while I’ve got a few minutes.”

  “Okay. Put anything you want me to deal with on my desk. I’ll check in later.”

  Kevin nodded as he finished his coffee. “Guess I’ll go on down. See you when I get back.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Kevin got two of the messages answered before his mind started to wander. How could he explain anything to Rhianna when he couldn’t put two words together when she was around? His mind went to mush, and even if he could get the words together in his head, they’d never come out of his mouth right.

  Kevin shook his head, sat up in his chair, and tried to focus on the messages. He picked up the next one, but after he read it through twice without knowing what it said, he put it back down. That elf was messing his head up from a thousand miles away. There was no way he’d ever be able to teach her.

  The knock on his door was a welcome interruption. He leaned back and said, “Come in.”

  “Are we still on for this morning?” Gen. Crandal asked as he set a small pack on the edge of Kevin’s desk.

  “I’m ready any time you are.”

  “Anything happen after I left?”

  Kevin told Gen. Crandal about Sister Janine’s request to go to Glenarbour, the exodus from Ashmont, and his decision to have Marcus stay there for a while.

  Gen. Crandal frowned. “Do you have any reason to think the slavers are still in the area?”

  “No. I was afraid bandits would hear about the abandoned stores and decide to take advantage of it.”

  Gen. Crandal nodded.

  “How did things go on your end?”

  “Fine. A squad of men should arrive around lunchtime. Cpt. Lawrence has arranged for them to use a boat that’s docked about two hundred miles from the mouth of the Kivee. If w
e have the squad on it by nightfall, they’ll be set up long before the slavers can get that far. Will you be able to take them down this afternoon?”

  Kevin nodded. “Is Lt. Martyn joining them here or there?”

  “I’d like for him to be here when they get here. After I talk to the boy, we’ll see if he’s ready to leave.”

  “If you don’t mind, I’d like to listen to that interview.”

  “All right, but it’ll be easier on the boy if he only has to talk to one person. Would you mind staying in the background?”

  “Not at all,” Kevin said as he stood up. “Are you ready to go?”

  Gen. Crandal nodded, picked up his pack, and put his hand on Kevin’s arm.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  When Kevin and Gen. Crandal arrived at the chapel in Ashmont, the town was too quiet, even for a Sunday morning. Gen. Crandal’s knock on the front door echoed in the stillness. A couple of minutes later, Hayley opened the door.

  “Good morning, General, Myron. You’re here to talk to the children, right?” she asked with a smile as she waved them in.

  Gen. Crandal nodded. “Well, to the boy. I won’t know if I’ll need to speak with his sister until after I talk to him. She’s a little young to have noticed much.”

  “She might know more than you think. Where do you want to talk to them? The parlor? Or would you prefer to go outside?”

  “The parlor’s fine if you don’t mind if I move some of the furniture back,” Gen. Crandal answered. “I have some miniature houses and people I’d like to set up for him to use to show me what happened.”

  Hayley led them into the parlor. While Gen. Crandal unpacked his props, she had Kevin move a couple of the chairs out of the way.

  “What little boy did you borrow those from?” Hayley asked.

  “Actually, they’re mine. I’ve had them for years.”

  Kevin watched as Gen. Crandal set up the houses. “You’ve had to do this before, haven’t you?”

  Gen. Crandal nodded as he stood up. “Young children can show me what happened better than they can tell me. They have trouble putting it in words.”

  “It’s like trying to describe a nightmare,” Hayley said. “I’ll get Corey. Good luck.”

  Kevin sat down in one of the chairs off in a corner of the room while Gen. Crandal sat on the floor in front of his little village to wait. When Corey came in, he plopped down beside the general and began moving things around. Gen. Crandal let him play with the pieces for a while and then prompted him to show him what had happened during the raid.

  Unfortunately, Corey didn’t know much. His father had dug an escape tunnel from their house to a cellar twenty feet away, inside the edge of the woods. Every couple of months they’d practice what to do in case of a raid. Corey was supposed to get Caitlyn, pull up the trap door under his bed, drop down into the tunnel, and crawl to the cellar in the woods. They were to wait there until either their mother or father came for them.

  Corey hung his head. “But we didn’t. We came out anyway. We had been in there for so long, and it was quiet outside.”

  “Was it light when you climbed out?”

  Corey nodded. “Light enough to see, but not bright.”

  “Did you see anything?”

  “There was a big boat out in the river, bigger than any of ours, with some men walking around on the deck.”

  “How many men?”

  Corey thought for a moment. “I think there were six, and then another one popped up. I guess there was a room under the deck.”

  “What did you do then, Corey?”

  “We hid until the boat left, and then we walked over towards the river.” Corey looked down and fiddled with his shoe. “That’s when I saw our father lying beside Uncle Curad and Aunt Anna. They were all dead.” Corey’s voice choked. He swallowed hard and whispered, “I didn’t let Caitlyn see though. I turned her around and told her we needed to stay in the woods.” A tear worked its way down his cheek.

  “That’s fine, Corey. Would you like to go find Sister Janine for me now?”

  Corey wiped at the tear as he stood up. “Are you going to find our mother?”

  Gen. Crandal hesitated. “We’re going to try, but I can’t promise you we’ll be able to.”

  Corey nodded and left the room.

  While Gen. Crandal packed up his little houses and men, Kevin put the furniture back in place. By the time Sister Janine joined them, the room was in order.

  “When would you like to leave for Glenarbour?” Kevin asked her.

  “In about an hour.”

  Kevin nodded and turned to the general. “Are you ready to head back to the castle?”

  “I’d like to take Lt. Martyn with me when I go.” He asked the sister if she had any idea where he was.

  “As far as I know, he’s at his house.” She gave them directions, then put her hands on her hips, and asked, “Do I need to have Alma show you the way?”

  Gen. Crandal shook his head. “I’ll find it.” He turned towards Kevin. “Want to walk with me? We can leave from there.”

  Kevin nodded and followed him out of the chapel. As soon as they were on the road, the general asked Kevin what he thought of Corey’s story.

  “I think he had a very smart father. Wish more of our border families had plans like that.”

  “There are some areas along the coast where it wouldn’t be practical, but it would work in most places. We’ll have to spread the word on that one.”

  “It surprised me when he said the boat was still there after daybreak. Why didn’t anyone notice it?”

  “I don’t know. According to Lt. Martyn, the men from Ashmont were there before lunch. I imagine word about the raid spread pretty quickly after that. Seems like they should have heard something from someone about a strange boat in the area.”

  “Has anyone asked the people downstream if they saw anything?”

  “I’m not sure. I assumed the boat slipped out under the cover of darkness, and I feel sure Lt. Martyn did, too.”

  “Maybe Marcus’ll be able to find out something. I told him he could use one of the boats from Syrando while he’s here.”

  The general nodded. “I’ll let Sgt. Nance know.”

  When they reached the lieutenant’s house, Gen. Crandal knocked on the door.

  “Good morning, sir,” Lt. Martyn said when he opened it.

  “Good morning. Are you ready to go?”

  “Yes, sir. Sgt. Nance is here if you have any instructions for him.”

  “Good. Would you ask him to step out here for a moment?”

  After Sgt. Nance stepped out on the porch, the general explained what Marcus was going to do and asked Sgt. Nance to make sure everyone in the area cooperated with him. “He’s a sorcerer, so if for any reason you need help, he’ll be here, but I’m talking about help defending the town. He’s not here to build barns or dig wells. Be sure everyone understands that.”

  “Yes, sir,” Sgt. Nance said.

  “Thank you. Now, do you have any questions?”

  “Well, just one. Who’s our lieutenant now?”

  “You don’t have one. If you need anything, contact Cpt. Forman in Blackhurst. And send him your reports, too. I expect Lt. Martyn will be back home soon, but if we need someone to fill in later, I’ll send someone from Milhaven.”

  “Thank you, sir,” Sgt. Nance said.

  Lt. Martyn came out with his bag and asked Sgt. Nance to keep an eye on his place. Then he turned to the general. “I’m ready when you are, sir.”

  “Have you ever traveled by key before?” Kevin asked.

  Lt. Martyn shook his head.

  “The first few times can be a bit rough, but if you give yourself a few minutes to recover, it won’t be that bad. When we come out of the energy field, you’ll feel dizzy and sick on your stomach. Don’t try to do anything until that passes. Stand still and take slow, deep breaths and you’ll be fine. Try to show what a big strong man you are, and you’ll probably find yourself on th
e ground covered in your own vomit. Understand?”

  Lt. Martyn’s eyes opened wide. He nodded, took a deep breath, and slowly put his hand on Kevin’s arm.

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  Gen. Crandal put his arm on Lt. Martyn’s back as the lieutenant bent forward and concentrated on breathing. When Lt. Martyn was steady enough to stand by himself, Gen. Crandal stepped over to Kevin and whispered, “Sort of rough with that description, weren’t you?”

  Kevin whispered back, “I know how it hit me the first time, and I was with Laryn, one person I didn’t want to make a fool of myself in front of. Figured he felt the same way about you. Just trying to save him some embarrassment.”

  Lt. Martyn slowly straightened up and took a few more deep breaths. After he felt a little steadier, he turned towards Kevin and Gen. Crandal. “It does take the wind out of you. Thanks for the warning.”

  Kevin nodded. “Guess I’d better get back to Ashmont. I’m sure Sister Janine’s ready to go by now. See you later.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~

  When Kevin knocked on the front door of the chapel this time, Theresa opened it, stepped out on the porch, and shut the door behind her. “We need to talk.”

  “Okay. What’s up?”

  “How do you plan to rescue the captives if Janine finds them in Glenarbour?”

  “To be honest, I don’t know yet.”

  “I was afraid of that. Kevin, you’ve got to have a plan, and I mean today.”

  “It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours since I heard about the raid. I haven’t had time to catch my breath, much less come up with a rescue plan. What’s the rush?”

  “Janine’s the rush. She doesn’t know you and she’s not at all convinced you’ll do anything. She’s not even sure you care.”

  “Well, if I didn’t care, I wouldn’t be here, would I?”

  “I tried that one. She said the only reason you’re here is because it’s your job.” She looked away from Kevin and chewed on her lips.

  “Okay, what’s bothering you? Out with it.”

  Theresa paused and then shook her head. “You can’t ever let anyone know I said anything. What’s said between sisters, stays between sisters, but this time … She figures she’s got to come up with a plan on her own, that if she finds the captives, it’ll be up to her to rescue them, and you can’t let her do that. The damage it would do to the relationship the Sisterhood has with the owners of that slave house would be irreparable. You’ve got to convince her you’ll handle it, and that you know how you’re going to do it.”