Authors: Mackenzie Morgan
“Both,” Chris said, eying the package. “What’s that?”
“Something from Torrey.” Kevin unwrapped the pastries Torrey had sent. “She said it was for our morning break. I think it’s time for a break, don’t you?”
“Oh, yeah.” Chris picked up one of the pastries. “Now, what’s going on?”
Kevin caught Chris up as they ate the pastries. When they were done, Chris asked, “Who’s picking Torrey up tomorrow morning?”
“I am,” Kevin said. “She wants me to stop by there on my way to meet Glendymere. She must think I meet him in Willow Canyon.”
“Well, if you’re pressed for time, I can go,” Chris offered.
Kevin laughed. “I’ll get her tomorrow. Maybe next time. Now, anything I need to take care of? We’ll be busy this afternoon.”
Chris held up the messages he’d brought in. “These need your attention.” He picked up both coffee cups. “I’ll leave you to it.”
Kevin picked up the first message. “Send my coffee cup back full if you would.”
~ ~ ~ ~
When Rhianna asked Elin if she could see her for a few minutes, Elin looked at Ariel before answering. When he nodded, Elin followed Rhianna into the hall.
Rhianna didn’t say anything until they were outside. “First of all, I want you to know I’m sorry I upset you. I should have waited and asked Myron in private what had happened.”
“It’s all right,” Elin said in a small voice.
“No, it’s not,” Rhianna insisted. “I was angry with Myron for not telling me about the duel, but I should never have said anything in public, and you were correct in calling me on it. You were defending your sorcerer, and I respect that.”
Elin turned her head and looked up at Rhianna. “Thank you.”
“But that’s not the only reason I wanted to speak with you,” Rhianna said as she led Elin into the family gardens. “You went through a horrible experience, one a lot of people would have trouble dealing with. Most of the women I know would feel uneasy working in that office after something like that. They’d be afraid it could happen again. Does that ever bother you?”
Elin hesitated. “A little, not enough to make me give up being a page, but I don’t feel as safe as I used to.” She took out the dagger Joan had bought her. “Joan gave me this, and she’s been teaching me how to use it. That helps some.”
“I bet it does. I carry mine on my waist, too, and in my boot, and another one up my sleeve.”
“You carry three daggers?”
“And five throwing knives, and when I’m out on my own, I have my bow and a quiver full of arrows.”
“Wow,” Elin said under her breath. “But you don’t have to worry about anyone trying to grab you. You’re a warrior elf. No one would mess with you.”
“Why do you think that is?”
“Because everyone knows you carry lots of weapons and you know how to use them to protect yourself.”
“Don’t you think the pages who work in the Master Sorcerer’s office should be known for being well-armed and able to take care of themselves, too?”
Elin nodded.
“So do I, and that’s why I brought you a second dagger you can slide in your boot.” Rhianna took the little box out of her pocket and handed it to Elin.
As Elin opened the box, her eyes widened and her mouth formed an “o”. She fingered the little dagger, felt the blade, jiggled it in her hand, and then gently set it back in the box. “I can’t accept this, but thank you anyway.”
“You certainly can accept it,” Rhianna said. “And so can the other pages. I have one for each of you.”
“Oh.” Elin picked the dagger back up.
“I know Joan’s been teaching you and Cameryn how to handle a dagger, and I’m not trying to take her place, but I’d like to work with you, too.” When she saw a frown start on Elin’s face, she added, “Joan and I have talked about it. We want to work with all five of you, but neither of us can do it all. She has her own work to do and I won’t be here all the time, but between the two of us, maybe all of you would learn enough to feel safe again.”
Elin nodded. “I’d like that.” She held up the dagger Rhianna had brought her. “But how do I wear this in my boot without cutting myself?”
“With this,” Rhianna said as she pulled a small sheath out of her pocket. “Here, let me show you.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Kevin and the three husbands were waiting in Karl’s office when Gov. Shardin arrived with the women and children. Amid tears and laughter, Kevin explained that Trivera and Gov. Shardin had taken care of them until it was safe to bring them home. An hour later, the only one left in Karl’s office was Freida, the young woman who was on her own. Joan sat down beside her and asked if she had any family anywhere.
Freida shook her head. “I don’t have any aunts or uncles, and my grandparents are dead. When we were captured, they took us to a cave where my father and the other men were pulled out and marched away. Mother and I were taken to a dungeon. I don’t know how long we were there before Gwendolyn took me to Wyndsor. I don’t know where my mother is. She may still be in that dungeon.”
“Could you give me the names of your parents? In case we hear anything about them.”
“Why would you? They’re slaves.”
“We heard about you,” Joan said gently. “You never know what might happen, but if we do hear anything and I’ve got your information, I can let you know. So, what are their names and where are you from?”
After Joan wrote down Freida’s information, she stood up. “Now, if you’ll come with me, I’ll introduce you to a couple of women who’ve offered to let you stay with them until you figure out what you want to do.”
Freida followed Joan across the hall to Kevin’s reception area where Rhianna and Doreen were waiting. “Doreen,” Joan said as she and Freida walked in, “I’d like to introduce Freida. She arrived today from Wyndsor.”
Doreen smiled and held out her hand. “I think I remember you. You were in the dungeon at one point, weren’t you?
Freida nodded. “I remember you, too. How did you get here? Did Gwendolyn give you to someone, too?”
Doreen shook her head. “I’ll tell you all about it when we get home. Now, do you have a bag or anything?”
Freida shook her head. “All I have are my clothes.”
“That’s all I had when I got here, too. I’m sure we can find whatever you need.” Doreen turned towards Rhianna. “This is Rhianna. She lives with me, too. As do two other women.”
Freida frowned. “Were you a slave, too?”
Rhianna shook her head as Doreen said, “No, but the other two women were. Rhianna’s a warrior elf.”
“Sorry,” Freida said. “I’ve never met an elf before. I thought they lived on the other side of Brendolanth.”
“Most do,” Rhianna said. “My parents do, as well as the rest of my family. I’m here visiting Doreen for a while.”
“Oh,” Freida whispered, at a loss for what to say.
“Let’s head home and get you settled,” Doreen said.
Rhianna looked at Elin. “I’ll be back tomorrow morning.” Then she followed Doreen and Freida out of the office.
Joan motioned for Chris to follow her and headed for Kevin’s office. His door was shut, but after one quick knock, Joan opened it and walked in. “I think we got lucky.”
“How so?” Kevin asked.
“I think Freida’s mother was one of the women from the dungeon. And I could be wrong, but I think her father was one of the men from the mines. I’ve got a list of the women we rescued, but I gave you and Chris the list of couples. Do you still have it?”
Chris left and came back with a folder. He opened it and handed Joan a sheet of paper with husbands and wives listed next to each other as well as where they went.
Joan scanned the list and pointed to two names. “Here they are. I knew they sounded familiar. According to this, you took them back to their house at Myer’s Creek.” Joan looked at Kevin. “Where is that anyway?”
“On Heron’s Gulf,” he answered. “Our Chesapeake Bay.”
Joan nodded. “If I hurry, I might be able to catch her before they leave.”
Kevin shook his head, “No, wait.”
“Why?” Joan asked.
“That’s where I took them, but we don’t know where they are now.”
“He’s right,” Chris said. “They may have packed up and moved somewhere else. I would have. I’d never feel safe there again.”
Joan sat down. “I’ll wait while you go check.”
Kevin looked at Chris, who shrugged.
“Okay,” Kevin said. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
While Kevin was gone, Chris and Joan relaxed and chatted, but after an hour Chris started getting concerned. “I can’t believe I let him out of here without a bodyguard.”
“No one had any reason to think he’d be in Myer’s Creek today, Chris. I doubt an assassin’s hiding in a bush around there on the off-chance he’ll show up.”
“I know, but...”
Before Chris could finish, the air shimmered and Kevin stepped out of the energy flow.
“So? Are they there?” Joan asked.
Kevin shook his head. “The settlement’s deserted. It took me a while to find someone to ask about it. The man I found lives several miles inland. He knew they’d come back, but he had no idea they’d left again, much less where they went.”
Joan’s shoulders dropped. “What do we tell Freida?”
“Nothing yet. The man suggested we hire a tracker. I told him I’d had a good look around and I didn’t see any tracks leading out of the settlement, that they must have been gone too long for their tracks to still be there.” Kevin shook his head. “I know he was laughing at me, but from what he said later, their trackers are our private investigators. Anyway, he said if I wanted to hire someone who knew the area and the people who lived there, his son-in-law’s a tracker.”
“Did you hire him?”
Kevin shook his head. “I got his name though, and where he lives. I thought I’d leave it to Cryslyn to do the actual hiring. I have no idea what to offer in terms of payment, and there’s no way I’ll hire anyone without discussing that first.”
Joan held out her hand.
“What?”
“Give me the man’s name and location. I’ll go see Cryslyn. If I leave it to you, it may be tomorrow before you get to it. Things have a habit of piling up in here.”
Chapter 26
A Quiet Week
When Rhianna left the house Tuesday morning, Doreen, Nan, and Freida were sitting in the kitchen with a fresh pot of coffee and a plate full of sweet buns comparing their experiences with the raids and captivity. Blair had also made a stew, fresh bread, and some cookies before she left for the chapel that morning. Comfort food might not soothe all their nightmares, but it was a move in the right direction.
An hour later, Rhianna and Joan had Elin and Cameryn outside working up a sweat. When they finished with the girls, Joan went back to work and Darrell joined Rhianna for a workout with the boys. Later, while she and Kevin ate lunch on the patio, Neiven dropped by to tell her he had Doreen’s hooks and drainage tray ready.
As soon as Rhianna got back to the house, she and Doreen attached the hooks and hung the flower pots on the wooden rods. Everything fit perfectly. Rhianna poured a little water in the top pot and watched as the water made its way through all four pots and dripped into the drainage pan.
Doreen grinned as she watched the water drip. “I can’t believe it’s working.”
“Why not?”
“I’ve never made anything like this before,” Doreen said with a shrug. “I’ve built boats, sheds, things like that, but this is totally different. And it works!”
Rhianna laughed. “Do you want to fill the flower pots before you take it to Jana’s or wait until you get it there?”
“I’m not planting anything in those boxes.” Doreen stepped back from the planter. “I’ve never been able to get anything to grow. You’re in charge of everything dealing with plants.”
“All right.” Rhianna looked around the backyard. “Let’s get the dirt from over there.” She pointed towards the woods. “And I’ll get Myron or Chris to take me to Ardmore for the herbs.”
“Ardmore?”
“That’s where Myron’s Aunt Allisandra lives. She’ll have what we need. And if she doesn’t, I’ll go home. With all the herbs my mother grows, she’ll have anything Allisandra’s out of.”
Doreen’s face fell. “I was hoping to take this over later today.”
“We may not be able to have it ready today, but it’ll definitely be ready tomorrow,” Rhianna said. “Have you given any thought as to how you’re going to get it there?”
“I’ll have to borrow a wagon from someone, and a horse to pull it.” Doreen put her hands on her hips and looked past the house to the plot of land across the road. “I need my own wagon, but first I need a barn to put it in. And if I have a wagon, I’ll need at least one horse, which means a stable and a pasture.” She shook her head. “One thing at a time. Let’s get the dirt. Which reminds me, we need a wheelbarrow. One more thing to put on my list.”
“Let’s take the flower pots out to the woods and fill them one at a time. But you’re right, we’ll need a wheelbarrow and some tools when we start working on the gardens.”
“At least I’ve got a shovel.” Doreen started towards the shed. “Who knew having a house could get so complicated?”
Two hours later, the flower pots were full of rich dirt and ready for the plants. Rhianna called Corin and headed back up to the castle. When she got there, Chris and Kevin were in his office with the door shut.
“Is he busy?” she asked Ariel.
“I’m not sure what they’re doing, but he said for you to go in whenever you get here,” Ariel reminded her. “Do you want me to let them know you’re here?”
“When’s the last time one of them came out for coffee?” Rhianna asked.
“Half an hour ago.”
“Then I’m going to knock.” Rhianna walked over to Kevin’s door and knocked. When she heard him say, “Enter,” she opened the door and went in.
“Busy?” she asked.
“Not really,” Chris said. “We’re trying to find someone to switch places with one of the district sorcerers. I guess it’s a good thing, but most of our sorcerers seem to be happy right where they are.”
“Not urgent, I hope.”
Kevin shook his head. “Just need to get it done before next fall. Why? What’s up?”
“I’d like to go see your Aunt Allisandra,” Rhianna said.
“Why?”