The Master's Chair (The Chronicles of Terah) (24 page)

The crackling of the fire was the only sound for the next few minutes. Then Theresa spoke up. “I didn’t want to say anything earlier, but I wasn’t there when Kevin apparently told the rest of you about this slavery bit. Steve, you and Darrell can fill me in during our watch tonight, but now, if no one has any objections, I’m going to turn in. Does it matter which of the tarps I take?”

“No, you can have whichever one you want,” Steve said as he stood up and stretched. “We set out four. One is for you and one is for Karl and Joan. The rest of us could bunk with the person we have watch with.”

Theresa nodded and said, “Then I’ll take the one next to my wagon.”

“Okay,” Steve said. Then he turned towards Darrell. “Which tent do you want to use? It makes no difference to me.”

“The one closest to Theresa’s would be best since she’s on watch with us,” Darrell answered as he too stood up.

“Shall we take the one next to Kevin’s wagon, Karl?” Joan asked. “I’m ready to get some sleep, too.”

“Fine with me,” Karl answered. “I’ll join you as soon as I check on the horses one more time.”

After a couple of minutes, only Kevin and Chris were left at the fire. Chris poured himself another cup of coffee and offered some to Kevin. Then he built the fire up a bit and sat back down to watch it burn. After a while he said, “I could get used to this. No briefcase to lug around, no high pressure sales meetings, no memos.”

“No hot showers, no stereos, no computers …” Kevin added, a touch of longing in his voice.

“Except for the hot showers, none of the rest particularly bothers me. I never did care much for TV, and telephones could be a real nuisance,” Chris said. “Although a microwave would be nice.”

“I have to admit I miss my computer.”

“Not me. A computer was just a tool that I used at work. I never owned one myself.”

“I’ve had my own computer for as long as I can remember. In fact, Paul gave me my first one,” Kevin said. “It was a Mac. I loved that machine.”

“Did you know Paul well?”

“Not really. He was my godfather, according to my parents, or according to the people who I thought were my parents. It’s strange, but finding out that they’re not really my parents doesn’t surprise me. In fact, it’s almost a relief. I knew that I didn’t fit in with them and now at least I know it wasn’t my fault,” Kevin paused and gazed into the fire for a bit. “Anyway, Paul would show up about twice a year and take me out for the day. Come to think of it, I don’t think he ever told me anything about himself. I knew he was a writer, and that he lived fairly close by, but that’s about it. He always wanted to hear about what I was doing, what I thought. He was the only adult who ever showed any interest in my life.”

Kevin picked up a stick and stirred the coals of the fire for a while. Then he laughed and said, “My mother’s chief complaint about Paul was the way he dressed. He always showed up in a tee shirt or sweatshirt, jeans, tennis shoes, and a baseball cap. He even kept the cap on when he was in the house, and that really set her off.”

“I guess he had to wear the cap to hide his ears. Didn’t Kalen say that Paul was an elf? I bet his ears were just as large and pointed as Duane’s.”

“You’re probably right. You know, my parents never seemed to like him. Actually, they seemed a little bit afraid of him. I always wondered about that. Mother would stay right behind the maid for a couple of days before he came to make sure the house was perfect, and if he was planning to eat dinner at the house, she would change the menu ten times.”

“I wonder if he had some kind of contract with your parents where he could remove you from their home if he wasn’t satisfied with it.”

“Maybe, I don’t know. I’m not sure they’d have cared if he had taken me away, just as long as no one blamed them.” Kevin poured himself another cup of coffee. “Until I was about seven or eight years old, I had a nanny, but after that, I was on my own. They had their lives and I stayed out of the way. To be honest, I don’t remember seeing them all that much while I was growing up. I will give them credit for making sure that I had the best clothes, the best school supplies, and a room full of things to entertain myself with though.”

“Didn’t Paul ever try to let you know what was in store for you?”

“He used to bring me books with stories about dragons and leprechauns and things like that, but my mother would take them away from me as soon as he was gone and I’d never see them again. Paul did ask me if I liked one of the stories once, and when I told him that she had taken all the books away, he got pretty angry. I can see why now, but apparently he didn’t do anything about it at the time, because she didn’t give me any of the books back.” Kevin paused and stared at the flames. “I can’t help but wonder what my real parents were like. I know Yvonne died when I was born, but it would have been nice to at least meet my father. I thought about insisting that Xantha take me to see him before we left Kalen’s house, but if he’s in a coma …” Kevin shrugged.

“They wouldn’t have let you go anyway,” Chris said. “It really would have been too risky. There’s no way you could have gotten in to see him without being recognized. Everyone at Kalen’s said you favored Yvonne, and I’m sure the castle’s full of people who knew her.”

“I know.” After a few minutes Kevin asked, “What was your childhood like? Were you close to your parents?”

“Yes and no. We ate breakfast and dinner together almost every day and they kept pretty close tabs on what was going on in our lives, but there were seven kids. My parents both worked two jobs trying to keep us in shoes and food. I was closer to my swimming coach while I was in high school than I was to my father because I spent more time with him. My parents tried to make it to as many of my swim meets as they could, just like they tried to make it to the different football, soccer, basketball, and baseball games that one of my brothers or sisters was playing in. And then there were the musical recitals, dance recitals, plays, and so on. They tried, but there was no way that they could make it to everything. Sometimes I think about what it must have been like for them. You know, they’re the real heroes, them and all the other parents just like them. And through it all, the whole time I was living there, I never heard them complain or argue,” Chris said proudly. Then, after a bit, he added, “I didn’t keep in touch like I should have after I moved out and I know the news of my death must have come as a horrible blow to them. I might have agreed to come to this world if I’d been asked, I don’t know, but I never, not in a million years, would have let my parents think that I’d been killed like that. I would have found a better way.” Chris sat quietly and stared at the fire for a few minutes. Then he stood up and said, “Think I’ll go check on the horses. Back in a bit.”

When Chris came back, the conversation stayed light and focused more on the things they had seen since leaving Kalen’s house. They laughed about the room at the inn and decided that from now on two men could sleep in the inn to be near Joan and Theresa, but the other two could join Karl in the stable. And they thought that a rotation there might be in order, too. After all, the stable had to be more comfortable than that room had been. Almost before they knew it, it was time to wake Joan and Karl, and as soon as they got up, Kevin and Chris headed off to their tent.

Chapter 19

Sunday, April 15

Sunday morning Rolan woke up with a headache, both figuratively and literally. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something in Laryn’s statement before the council a week ago was going to cause him problems, but he couldn’t put his finger on what was bothering him. She had told everyone about Badec and that although he was still in a coma, the local sister felt sure that given a bit of time, he’d come out of it and be able to resume his duties. That comment in itself had shaken him for a moment until he realized that without knowing exactly what was wrong with him, that was about all that they could say. But there was something Laryn had said after that, something he’d missed. What was it?

While he was eating his breakfast, he thought back through the beginning of the meeting, trying to remember every thing he’d heard, the comments of the other sorcerers when it became evident that Badec wasn’t going to be there, and the murmurs that had run through the council when Laryn had explained why. Damien had been sitting next to Rolan and had said something about what a tragedy it would be if Badec didn’t recover. It was while he was agreeing with Damien that Laryn had said something else, something about next year. What could she have been talking about? What did next year matter?

Rolan got up and started pacing. Face it; he wasn’t going to remember because he hadn’t heard the whole thing, so he’d just have to figure out what she had been talking about from the little bit he did hear. He distinctly remembered her saying something about next April. What was the significance of next April?

As he paced around the room his headache got worse and worse. If he didn’t get something figured out soon, he was going to have to make his slave give him something for the pain, but anything that would get rid of the pain would also make him sleepy, and he didn’t want to sleep until he got this figured out.

Rolan grinned and thought if only he could get rid of the pain caused by the House of Nordin as easily as he could get rid of the pain in his head.

Then Rolan’s head jerked up and he snapped his fingers. That had to be it. The House of Nordin, the heir, Badec’s son. That’s what the year meant. She must have said that he was going to start his training so that he’d be ready to assume the seat in a year if his father didn’t recover. That was the significance of next April. That was when Myron would have to take over or the seat would be declared vacant. The son. The one Rolan had thought must be dead. Apparently he wasn’t dead after all. Laryn would never have mentioned him unless she planned to produce him in a year. But there was no way he’d be ready.

Rolan frowned. This could really mess things up. He was sure the boy wouldn’t be able to keep the chair; he’d be an easy target. Every sorcerer on the council could defeat him. A year was nothing in the study of magic.

What was Laryn thinking? Rolan paced some more. She must believe that he’d actually be good enough in one year to be able to hold the chair. He shook his head. That’s what happens when you let non-magicals make decisions about sorcerers. They just had no idea what they were talking about. But you’d think growing up surrounded by sorcerers like she had would have given her at least some idea of the kind of time it takes to become strong enough to duel. Or maybe it was just a last ditch attempt to keep the chair in the family. Maybe she knew it was hopeless, but had decided to go through with it anyway.

Rolan swirled around and his frown deepened. She was going to ruin everything. There was no way he’d ever convince Damien to challenge the boy. It wouldn’t surprise him if Damien declared himself the boy’s protector for the first few years, and that would never do.

No, the only way to take care of this was to get to the boy before he was ever named Master Sorcerer. That would be the only way to keep his plans on track. Myron had to die.

Chapter 20

Theresa’s Role as a Sister

Over the next few days, the Tellurians settled into a routine. They got up as soon as it was light, were on the road shortly afterwards, worked out for about half an hour at lunch, and pulled into the next town during the late afternoon or early evening. After they bargained with the innkeeper for room and board in exchange for a performance, they took care of the horses, put on a show, and fell into bed around midnight, exhausted.

After three nights spent in towns, they were all looking forward to another night off, but during the morning, dark clouds started rolling in. Karl stopped to ask the others if they wanted to take a chance and set up camp anyway, or if they wanted to go on to the next town. While they were talking about it, Theresa dug out the cloaks. They had barely put them on when the rain started, so they decided to go on. It wasn’t a heavy rain, but it was steady, and by the time they reached the next town they were cold, damp, and tired. After making arrangements for room and board with the innkeeper and tending to the horses, they went into the tavern to eat dinner.

Almost as soon as they sat down, an older woman approached their table and said, “Sister, I hate to bother you, but my husband’s sick and there isn’t a Chapel of Light for over thirty miles. Could you please come see him after you finish your dinner?” She looked to be near exhaustion herself.

“Of course,” Theresa said. “Why don’t you sit down while I eat, and then I’ll go with you?” She motioned to one of the empty chairs nearby.

“Oh no, I couldn’t do that. I’ll wait for you outside. Enjoy your dinner,” the woman said and then quickly turned and left.

“I’d better go see about her husband,” Theresa said as she stood up to follow the older woman. “I’ll eat later.”

“I don’t think you should go by yourself,” Darrell said as he pushed his chair back to get up. “Karl, save our dinners for us, okay?”

Darrell and Theresa got their cloaks and followed the older woman to her house on the edge of town. He waited on the porch while she went in to see her patient. After a few minutes, she came back out and Darrell walked with her to the stable.

“Are you going to be able to help him?” he asked.

Theresa nodded. “He has a touch of pneumonia. Unfortunately, there’s no penicillin, but I do have some other things that should work. It won’t take but a minute for me to mix up what I need,” Theresa answered. Then she climbed into the back of her wagon and started pulling out different herbs. “While I’m treating him, would you mind getting some firewood into the house for her? I doubt if she can do too much more tonight before she just gives out.”

“No problem. I’ll take care of it,” Darrell said as he reached up to help Theresa down from the wagon.

When they reached the house, Theresa went in the front door and Darrell went around back. He found the woodpile off to the side of the small barn and started carrying wood to the back porch. After he had enough for several days piled right outside the back door, he opened the door to start stacking wood inside.

Seated at the kitchen table were two young girls, and when they looked up to see a strange man coming through the back door, they started screaming. The older woman ran out of the bedroom to see what the problem was. Theresa followed her into the kitchen.

“What are you screaming about, child?” the older woman asked as the younger girl jumped up and buried her face in the woman’s skirt.

“That … that man. Who is he?” the older of the two whispered.

“He’s a friend of mine,” Theresa said as she walked over towards Darrell. “He’s going to put some wood in here for you.” Then she turned to the older woman and asked, “Are these your children?”

The woman shook her head. “They used to live in the house next door, but their parents died a few months ago from a fever. That’s one reason I’ve been so worried about Derek. Anyway, they have an aunt who’s going to come for them, but they needed a place to stay until she can get here, so they’re staying with us.”

“No wonder you’re worn out,” Theresa said, more to herself than to anyone else. Then she turned towards the older woman and said, “I brought some herbs for you too, to keep you from getting the fever, but I just brought enough for today. I’ll mix up some more and bring them by tomorrow morning before I leave. I want you to have enough for at least two weeks. You are to make yourself a cup of tea using these herbs twice a day, every day, once in the middle of the morning, and again in the middle of the afternoon. You are to sit down and inhale the steam as the tea steeps, and then slowly drink the tea. In all, you’ll need to sit still for about thirty minutes each time. Do you understand?”

 “Thirty minutes?” the woman said hesitantly. “That’s a long time, but I’ll try.”

“No, don’t just try, do it. Stay seated for the full thirty minutes. You can’t afford to come down with the fever, and this will help you stay healthy. Derek and the children can manage without you for that long.” Theresa turned to the older girl and said, “I want you to see to it that she follows my directions exactly. Will you do that?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the girl said shyly.

“Okay,” Theresa said as she nodded at both of them. Then she turned towards Darrell and said, “Would you please bring in a bit more wood? I’d like for her to have enough in here to keep the house nice and warm tonight.” Theresa pointed to a bare section of flooring on the other side of the kitchen and asked, “Can he pile the extra wood over here?”

“That would be fine,” the older woman said with a slow nod. Then she turned to Darrell and said, “Thank you. It’s really nice of you to go to all this trouble.”

“You’re welcome, ma’am,” Darrell said as he set the wood that he had in his arms down on the floor. “I’ll have some wood stacked up for you in no time.”

When they left the older woman’s house, Darrell asked Theresa what type of tea she had given the old woman.

“Just some apple and cinnamon tea, with a touch of sugar,” Theresa answered him with a grin.

“What was all that about sitting down for thirty minutes, smelling the steam, and slowly sipping it then?” Darrell asked.

Theresa laughed. “It was the only thing I could think of to make her sit down for a few minutes a couple of times during the day. If I had simply told her that she needed to take a break, she would have ignored me, but now, since she thinks that she has to inhale the steam and then sip the tea, she’ll probably sit still for at least fifteen minutes and that’s better than nothing.  Her husband should be all right in a week or so, but looking after him and those kids has just about done her in. I’m going to see if I can find a little help for her when we get back to the inn.”

When they returned to the inn, the innkeeper had cleared the tavern and was setting up for the performance. He motioned to Darrell and Theresa to come over. “My wife has your plates in the kitchen. Go right through there,” he said, pointing to a door on the other side of the tavern. “My wife is the older lady in the red apron.”

Theresa and Darrell thanked him and set off for the kitchen. The innkeeper’s wife motioned towards a small table near the stove where two places had been set. Their plates were sitting on the edge of the stove next to the table.

“Thank you,” Theresa said. “Do you happen to know the older couple who live in the next to the last house on the southern end of town?”

“Sure,” the innkeeper’s wife answered. “I’ve known them most of my life. Why?”

“That’s where we’ve been,” Theresa explained. “Her husband’s quite sick and she’s also taking care of two orphan children until their aunt can get here. Is there anyone in town who might be able to help them out a bit?”

“I didn’t know Derek was sick! Sure, I’ll send them some food, and we’ll help with the kids, too,” she said as she turned to one of the waitresses. “Here, take this extra food down to Derek’s house. And take that bread. Let’s see, I think I had a couple of pies left, too.”  The innkeeper’s wife and the waitress packed a basket of food and then the waitress put on a cloak and set off for the house.

Darrell and Theresa were just finishing their dinner when Steve came in to see if they were ready to go on stage. The performance was supposed to begin in ten minutes.

The innkeeper had followed Steve into the kitchen and when Darrell and Theresa stood up to head out to the stage area, he asked Theresa if he could have a quick word with her. When she nodded, he said, “Sister, do you think you could hold a healing clinic tomorrow morning? It’s been months since a sister has passed through our town and the people around here would really appreciate it.”

“Well, I suppose I could, but I’d need to talk to my friends before I said yes,” Theresa said. “Where would we hold it?”

“We could set it up in here if that would be all right with you. We’ll pay you, of course. Would provisions for all of you for a week be enough?”

Theresa had no idea how much a sister was usually paid for holding a clinic, but it sounded like a generous offer to her, so she nodded. “Give me a minute to talk to my friends and see what they have to say.”

The innkeeper nodded and then quickly added, “By the way, the next town is only about twenty miles away. If you leave here by lunch you should have plenty of time to get there before dark.”

Again Theresa nodded, and then she turned towards Darrell and said, “I need to talk to everyone about this. Would you ask the others to step in here for a minute?”

As soon as Darrell came back with the rest of the Tellurians, she explained that she had been asked to hold a healing clinic the next morning. “I know it’ll give us a late start, but I really should do it. Would you mind?”

No one said anything at first, but most of them shook their heads no.

“I don’t see any problems with it,” Karl said. “What can we do to help?”

“I’m not sure. I’ve never done anything like this before,” Theresa answered quietly. “I know I’ll need help getting set up, and Joan, I’ll need you to help me with the herbs.”

Joan nodded.

“If we have much of a crowd, I may need some of you to sort of direct traffic.” Then Theresa added as an afterthought, “Oh, and the town is going to pay us in groceries. He said they’d give us about a week’s supply.”

“That’s fine,” Karl said. “We’ll load the groceries into your wagon after you finish with the clinic.”

While the others returned to the stage area, Theresa found the innkeeper and told him that she would be happy to hold the clinic after breakfast the next morning.

During the performance, the innkeeper circulated among the crowd, quietly telling them about the clinic and asking them to spread the word. After the show, he asked Theresa how she wanted him to arrange the tavern.

Theresa glanced around and said, “I need a couple of different work areas. Is there any way we could string up a curtain so that the patients would have a little privacy?”

The innkeeper nodded. “We can mange that. Would those two corners be all right?” He pointed to the ones closest to the kitchen.

“That would be fine. I’ll also need a couple of tables set up in the kitchen for my herbs.”

The innkeeper nodded again and told her that he would have things set up before he went to bed.

~ ~ ~ ~

The next morning, Theresa woke up a little earlier than usual. She was a bit nervous as well as excited about holding her first clinic. She made her way downstairs quietly, expecting to find that everyone else was still asleep, but people were already standing in line outside the tavern door, waiting to see her. It was drizzling rain and they were huddling under the eaves of the buildings trying to stay dry.

Theresa made her way to the kitchen, grabbed a cloak hanging by the back door, and ran over to the stable. Although she was trying to be quiet, Karl woke up as soon as she opened the door. He climbed down out of the hayloft and said, “Do you realize that it’s not even 6:00 yet? You should still be in bed.”

Theresa led him over to the stable door and pointed to the line forming outside the front door of the inn. “There’s no telling how long they’ve been lined up out there. I need to get started.”

Karl nodded and said, “Okay. You go on back to the tavern. I’ll drive your wagon over as soon as I get the horses hitched up.”

 When she returned to the kitchen, the innkeeper’s wife was stoking the fire under a big pot of coffee. Joan walked into the kitchen about the same time that Karl pulled the wagon up to the door, so she helped Theresa unload the herbs and get them sorted. By the time they finished with the herbs, the innkeeper’s wife had finished cooking breakfast and the rest of the Tellurians had gathered in the tavern.

As soon as everyone had eaten, the innkeeper opened the doors to let the crowd in. Kevin and Chris kept the line moving, sorting the problems as the people came in. Theresa had set Karl and Steve up with a good supply of woundwort, hops, and bandages, so anyone who needed to have wounds cleaned and dressed was siphoned off to them. Theresa saw the patients who were complaining of illnesses, chronic problems, or who had open wounds. Joan stayed in the kitchen, mixing the various poultices, teas and powders that Theresa prescribed. Darrell entertained the children as they either waited for their turn to see Theresa or waited for their parents to be finished.

By mid-morning, the last of the patients had been seen and the only sound in the tavern was the sound of rain on the roof. Joan carried a large tray with cups and a fresh pot of coffee in from the kitchen and set it down on one of the tables. Then she started pouring coffee, handing a cup to each of the Tellurians.

“When you two get done, pack up the herbs and get the wagon ready to go,” Karl said, looking at Joan and Theresa. “Steve, you and I are going to find out about the provisions that they offered us in exchange for the clinic. Darrell, Chris, could you two take care of getting our horses ready? And Kevin, when you get your team hitched, how about pulling your wagon in front of the inn?”

They all nodded and continued drinking their coffee. When the pot was empty, Joan loaded the tray with the cups and returned to the kitchen.

Theresa followed her into the kitchen where she bagged up some apple cinnamon tea. When she was done, she said, “I’m going to take a couple of minutes to go check on the man I treated last night. I’ll feel better about leaving if I look in on him first.”