The Master's Chair (The Chronicles of Terah) (65 page)

While Chris was gone, Kevin sat back down at his desk and began looking through the various drawers. In the small center desk drawer, he found paper, pens, ink, envelopes, and a wax seal that must have belonged to his father. It had a crest of some kind on it, probably the crest of the House of Nordin. He’d have to ask Laryn about that later.

A second drawer, the top right-hand drawer, held correspondence addressed either to the Sorcerer of Camden or to the Master Sorcerer of Terah. The ones that were in envelopes had not been opened. He felt sure that those were the letters that Laryn said he’d have to handle soon, but not immediately.

A third drawer held a stack of papers, covered in writing. As he looked through them, he decided that these were notes from the council meetings for the past few years. He decided to give them to Chris, let him read through them, and then Chris could tell him what he needed to know.

A fourth drawer held a bound book. When Kevin opened it, he realized that it was his father’s diary for the past couple of years. He put it back in the drawer, but planned to take it to his room that night to read.

After he finished checking out the desk, he decided to look around the outer office. When he opened the door, there was only one young man left in the office and he quickly stepped forward to see what Kevin needed. He looked to be about seventeen years old. His blond hair was shoulder length with bangs that nearly hid his eyes and his facial skin looked so smooth that Kevin wondered if he’d started shaving yet. He wore a dark green tunic, black leggings, and black boots, just like most of the household staff that Kevin had seen so far. Kevin shook his head, and the young man walked back over towards the table where he had been working.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t remember your name,” Kevin said.

“Ariel, sir,” the page answered.

“How long have you worked here?”

“Pretty much all of my life, sir. I started out helping my mother clean the guest bedrooms. Then when I reached ten, Badec let me start working in the stables. He asked me if I wanted to be a page when I turned thirteen, and I’ve been doing that ever since. He even let me go with him on a couple of trips,” Ariel said proudly. Then, in a more subdued tone, he said, “I really liked him, sir. I hate that he’s gone.”

Kevin was quiet for a few minutes, not sure what to say. “I’d like for you to continue working in the office as one of my pages. Would you like to do that?”

“Yes, sir.”

Kevin nodded and stepped back inside his office. Then he turned back towards Ariel and asked, “How many pages do I have?”

“Four, sir. Elin, Isak, Cameryn, and me.”

“Are all of the pages boys?”

Ariel laughed nervously and said, “No, sir. Isak and I are the only boys.”

“Do the four of you work here everyday, or is there some kind of shift rotation?”

“During the week, all four of us work everyday, but over the weekend there usually isn’t as much going on, so only two of us work. We alternate weekends. I work with Elin, and Isak works with Cameryn.”

“Where are the others today?”

“Earlier this morning Laryn asked the girls to go over to the aviary and help out with the falcons. We sent them out last night so they’ll be returning this morning. Isak left a few minutes ago to go get the messages that have come in so far,” Ariel answered. “I stayed here in case you need something, like coffee or food.”

Kevin nodded. “I’m going to have a couple of conferences this morning, and I’d like to have something available for people to drink. Maybe they have some coffee left in the kitchen.”

“Certainly, sir. Is there anything else you’d like? Maybe some pastries?”

“If they have some already made, but I don’t want to put anyone to any extra trouble. If you don’t see any, don’t ask.”

Ariel grinned and nodded.

Kevin hadn’t been back in his seat for more than a couple of minutes when Chris and Steve walked in. Steve sat down in one of the armchairs while Chris took his seat at the small secretarial desk again.

“Kevin, I’m sorry about your father,” Steve said. “From everything we’ve heard, he was a fine man.”

“Thank you,” Kevin said as he nodded. “Steve, there’s something I want to ask you to do.”

Steve held up his hand for Kevin to stop. “Kevin, before you go any farther, I need to say something. Tyree told me that you’ll have to name a new Governor of Camden. I don’t mean to sound presumptuous, but I really do hope you aren’t considering me for that position.”

“I’ll admit that I’ve thought about it, a lot. You’re better qualified to put a government together than any of us. You understand politics, economics, legal systems, all that stuff. You could definitely handle the job, but I’m going to be selfish here. I need you as my personal tutor, and I don’t want you so tied up with your own duties that you don’t have time to help me with things I don’t understand.” Kevin paused and then said, “Later today I’m going to ask Karl to serve as governor. I don’t know whether he’ll be willing to do that or not, but if he does accept the position, I’d like for you to serve as his advisor, too. We could inadvertently do some real damage here out of ignorance. Right now, I’ve got a lot of bits of information in my head, like pieces of a puzzle, but there are so many missing pieces that I can’t get the big picture. Would you be willing to help us get a handle on things?”

Steve’s relief was almost tangible. “I’d be happy to. Is there anything in particular that you want me to do?”

Kevin folded his arms on his desk and said, “Well, for one thing, I need a firm grasp of the laws here, of what’s actually illegal.”

Steve nodded. “Probably the best place to start would be with the decisions that the Provincial Court has handed down over the past few years. Tyree said that they have a secretary who records the facts of the cases and the decisions. Do you think I could get access to those records?”

“I’m pretty sure that I can arrange that. Let me talk to Laryn about it this evening and I’ll try to set up a meeting with the chairman sometime tomorrow.”

“That’ll be fine,” Steve said as he stood up. “You know, it might be a good idea to invite Tyree to join us now rather than have him wait until next fall.”

Kevin nodded. “I hate that I didn’t suggest that he accompany us. If he comes to the funeral with Glendymere we’ll ask him then. If he doesn’t, I’ll send an invitation back with Glendymere.”

“Then for now, I’ll get out of your way. I think I’ll take a walk around the gardens and maybe through the woods on the other side of the river.”

“Want me to get someone to go with you?”

“No, I’ll be fine. See you at dinner,” Steve said as he headed for the door.

After the door had closed behind Steve, Chris said, “That went well, don’t you think? Hope the others go as well.”

“So do I. You want to see if you can find Karl and Joan now?”

“I told them that you’d need to see them after Steve. They should be here by now.” Chris walked over to the door and opened it.

Karl and Joan were seated at the conference table, each with a plate of goodies in front of them. Ariel had two trays set out, one with coffee and scog, the other with pastries and fruit.

Chris grabbed a plate and started filling it up. “I could get used to this kind of service,” he said with a smile.

“And gain twenty pounds,” Joan moaned as she ate one of the pastries.

Kevin laughed. “Why don’t you bring your plates with you and we’ll go ahead and get started.”

As soon as they were settled in Kevin’s office, Joan said, “I don’t know what you told Steve, but he was grinning like a Cheshire cat when he left your office.”

“I asked him to do something for me that he’s looking forward to tackling,” Kevin answered.

“So, what do you want us to do?” Karl asked.

“I don’t know how to ask, Karl. It’s major.” Kevin paused. This was even harder than he’d expected it to be. He felt that he already owed them more than he could every repay. What he wanted to do was give them a house, some land, and everything that went with it. Instead, he was going to ask them to put their lives on hold again and do even more for him. “I know you want to have your own farm again, and what I’m getting ready to ask you to do would mean putting it off for a while.”

“I sort of figured that much,” Karl said. “Go ahead. What’s up?”

Kevin forced himself to look Karl squarely in the eyes as he said, “I’d like for you to be the Governor of Camden, at least for the next year or so, hopefully longer.”

Karl frowned. “Kevin, I don’t know a thing about politics.”

“You know as much about being a governor as I do about being the Master Sorcerer,” Kevin answered with a shrug. “Laryn said that Governor Wrenn would help you. He’ll go over what you need to know, what you need to do, and so on. The job will be twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, and that’s an awful lot to ask, but I need someone I can count on, someone I trust. I really want you in that position.”

“I’m guessing that there’s some reason you either didn’t ask Steve or that he turned it down. You know that he’s the only one of us who’s the least bit qualified to hold a position like that.”

“I considered asking him, but I’d rather have him as an advisor for both of us than tie him down with the duties of one office, and although Steve is knowledgeable about government, you’re a natural leader,” Kevin replied. He waited a few minutes and then shifted his gaze to Joan. “Joan, if Karl accepts the position, would you be willing to be his assistant? It would be a full-time job, but I imagine Karl would be a lot more comfortable working with you than with a stranger.”

Joan smiled. “I’ve been his secretary for years. That’s a role I’m used to.”

Kevin looked back at Karl. “You’ll have to deal with problems from all over Camden, so there won’t be much time left for all of the things you love to do. I know it isn’t fair, and if either of you say no, I’ll understand, but I really do hope you’ll agree to do it. I wish I could give you days to consider this and discuss it, but I can’t. I have to know your answer today.” Kevin watched as Karl and Joan looked at each other with questioning eyes. “Actually, I need it now, so Chris and I will step outside and let the two of you talk about it.”

As Kevin and Chris stood up to leave, Karl motioned for them to sit back down. “Are you sure you want us, Kevin? I’m just a simple farmer. I wouldn’t know where to start.”

“I’m sure, Karl. You’re the one I want in that office.”

“What do you say?” Karl asked as he turned to Joan and took her hand.

“Sounds interesting anyway. Sure, let’s give it a try.” Then she turned to Kevin and said, “On one condition.”

“Name it.”

“If you find someone that you think would be better at it, someone who could do a better job, you replace us. Right then. No guilt feelings, no loyalty issues, nothing. You just do it. Okay?”

“I agree. On that condition, we accept,” Karl said with a quick nod.

“Deal,” Kevin said. He stood up and reached across the desk for Karl’s hand, shook it, and then shook Joan’s hand. Then he sat back down in his seat and said, “Now for the bad news. You have to take over on the day of Badec’s funeral, next Saturday.”

“Next Saturday?!” Karl gasped. “That’s too soon. We have no idea what to do!”

“I know. Same here. Anyway, let’s go over to Governor Wrenn’s office. Don’t be surprised if he’s already cleared his personal things out of the office. Laryn had all of hers out of here by this morning. From what she said, tradition calls for his stuff to be moved out of the governor’s house during the funeral, and for yours to be moved in. They don’t waste much time in transition here.”

“Sort of like the Presidential Inauguration,” Chris said. “Out with the old, in with the new.”

 “But there is one good thing about all of this, at least for Governor Wrenn. Yesterday Laryn told me that he asked Badec to let him retire a year ago, but Badec got sick before he could appoint a new governor, so it’s not going to be like we’re kicking him out,” Kevin said as he stood up again. “After the funeral, we’ll ask him to be available as a consultant for a year or so. Laryn seems to think he’ll be willing to do that, but let’s not mention it yet. If we’re lucky, he might volunteer his services before we have to ask, but we’ll work out some kind of payment either way.”

Then Kevin, Karl, and Joan went across the hall to Governor Wrenn’s office while Chris went off in search of Darrell. Governor Wrenn and Jana had finished packing up their personal belongings earlier that morning, so the office had a rather austere look. Governor Wrenn welcomed Karl enthusiastically and quickly took him into the inner office, while Jana took charge of Joan in the reception area. Before Kevin could get out of the office, Jana and Joan were huddled over a note pad.

While everyone was out of the office, Ariel had replaced the pastries with cheeses, raw vegetables, small meat sandwiches, and cookies. While Kevin was waiting for Chris to return, he fixed a plate and ate his lunch.

When Chris and Darrell entered the reception area, Chris eyed the tray hungrily, but since Darrell said that he’d already eaten, Chris opted to wait until after Kevin had talked to Darrell to fill his plate.

Kevin quickly filled Darrell in on the morning’s activities and explained that a new Captain of the Guard would have to take charge as of Saturday. When he asked Darrell to take over that position, Darrell frowned, but he didn’t say anything.

After a couple of moments, Kevin quietly asked, “Is there a problem, Darrell?”

Darrell’s frown deepened. “I’m not at all sure I’m the right one for that job, Kevin. I don’t know anything about protecting a castle or heading up a regiment of trained guards. Wouldn’t it be better to get one of Captain Lawrence’s men to take over? At least he would know the other guards, how they’re organized, and their training routines. I feel like I’d be in over my head.”

“You’ve handled security for us ever since we left the Gate House. I think you’re the perfect choice to head up security here. And you won’t be in over your head any more than the rest of us.” When Darrell still didn’t look convinced, Kevin added, “Darrell, more than anything else, I need people I know and trust around me. I’m not all that sure about what I’m doing either. If you agree to do it, I feel sure that Captain Lawrence will work with you and show you how he has the guard set up. And you know a lot about training. In fact, I feel sure there are a lot of things you could teach them.”