Authors: Mackenzie Morgan
“I know. I should have let him know I was leaving, but I thought I’d be back before anyone noticed.”
“Well, no one did for a while. Eryn shut the door after she went in, so we assumed you were both still in here. It wasn’t until Laryn came in to find out when you were taking them to Rainbow Valley that we found out you weren’t in your office.”
“How angry was Laryn?”
“More worried than angry,” Ariel answered. “But I think Cpt. Darrell’s angry. He figured you took off without telling anyone so you wouldn’t have to take a bodyguard with you. Alek’s not too happy either since he was on standby today.”
“How did Rhianna find out?”
“She’s the one who figured out where you went. She knew Eryn wanted you to take her home today. She told Chris she was sure everything was fine and you were probably talking to someone named Dougan.”
“Do you know why she came by to start with?”
“I think she wanted to know how things went with Eryn.”
Kevin nodded. “Thank you, Ariel.”
As he turned to leave, Ariel said, “Don’t be angry with Chris. He was just concerned.”
Rhianna walked up in time to hear Ariel’s last comment. She waited for him to leave before she went in and shut the door. “Chris wasn’t the only one worried. The way you disappeared scared your pages. I think it brought back some bad memories.”
Kevin closed his eyes and gave a little nod. “Believe it or not, I can understand their reaction, but everyone else should realize I can take care of myself. I’m not defenseless. I’m a sorcerer!” Kevin took a deep breath. “I just wish people around here would accept that I’m perfectly capable of looking after myself and let me be who I am and do what I need to do without feeling like I have to have a babysitter with me all the time!”
Rhianna looked at Kevin for a long moment, raised her eyebrows, and said, “I know exactly how you feel.” Then, after a slight pause, she added, “But I wouldn’t worry about it. I’m sure your friends recognize how capable you are when they think of you as Myron, Master Sorcerer. It’s only when they think of you as Kevin, their friend, that they get into trouble.”
It took a moment, but then Kevin burst out laughing. “I get it, I really do.”
Before Kevin could say anything else, the door opened and Chris walked in. “Sorry,” he said as he looked at Rhianna. “I didn’t realize you were here.”
“It’s all right,” she said as she got up. “I’m supposed to be out back anyway.”
After Rhianna left, Chris sat down. “Okay. Now tell me how it went in Farragon.”
Kevin explained why it took so long to find Dougan.
“Was her husband there, too?” Chris asked.
Kevin nodded. “Eryn was afraid he might have remarried. After all, as far as he knew, he’d never see her again, but he hadn’t. He’d never given up hope she’d find her way home again.”
“You’d think he would have stayed put so she could find him.”
“I think both he and Dougan figured if she managed to get free, she’d track them down.”
“So how did they react to the fact Marshall wasn’t with you?”
“That one got a little tense. Dougan thought I’d returned Eryn because she’s an elf but kept Marshall because he’s legally human. It took a lot of talking, especially by Eryn, to convince him Marshall’s not a slave and isn’t being treated as one. I offered to bring him back with me right then and let him talk to Marshall himself, but he said when he comes he plans to stay for a while and see what’s what for himself.”
“Any idea when that might be?”
“He wanted to come the first weekend in May, but I told him I had a previous engagement, that he could come the weekend before or the weekend after, but not that weekend.”
“What previous engagement?”
“The council meeting. Granted it’s only a few hours, but I want to be here the whole time that elf’s here. I don’t trust him any more than he trusts me right now. And I want Rhianna around that weekend, too.”
“Around, as in staying here, at the castle?”
“If I can get her to.”
“What about Marshall’s father. How did he feel about Marshall staying here?”
“Who knows?” Kevin shrugged. “Dougan’s his commanding officer as well as his father-in-law. He didn’t say ten words the whole time I was there. But when I was ready to leave, he did thank me for taking care of his son and rescuing his wife. I think he might be easier to deal with than Dougan.”
“Are you going to warn Marshall?”
Kevin nodded. “But not at this point. I told them I’d pick them up next Friday evening around seven their time. That’ll put them here around eleven in the morning. Would you let Cryslyn know we’ll need two rooms? Three if I can convince Rhianna to stay up here?”
Chris made a quick note. “So when will you tell Marshall?”
“I’m thinking about taking him to Kyle’s for a couple of days next week for a bit of a break. I’ll tell him while he’s up there.”
“Why? To ruin his vacation?”
Kevin shook his head. “So he can talk to Kyle about it. I think he’s more comfortable talking to Kyle than any of us.”
Chris nodded. “Do you know when you’re taking him up there?”
“Not until I talk to Kyle. If nothing comes up, I’ll go see him Sunday morning after I spar with Glendymere.”
~ ~ ~ ~
After Kevin and Nikki went upstairs Friday evening, Chris made a trip to the kitchen. He picked up three mugs of scog, a small plate of cookies and brownies, a large saucer of cream and a bowl of treats for Nikki. He had barely sat down in his favorite chair in Kevin’s room when the air shimmered and Dani and King Merdin emerged from the energy flow.
While King Merdin made a fuss over Nikki, Dani stretched out along the top of the couch.
“King Merdin explained what you want me to do,”
the black cat said.
Kevin nodded. “How do you feel about it? Do you have any problems with it? I know I’m asking a lot.”
“Nothing to it. When you ask him a question the true answer will pop into his mind. All I have to do is make sure what comes out of his mouth matches that first thought. It’s not like I’ll have to go searching through a million memories to find the right one.”
“And you don’t mind doing it?”
“No, it’ll be fun, and if you want me to, I can suggest questions based on the extra thoughts floating around in his head. Sometimes those extra thoughts can lead to interesting truths.”
“That would be a big help.” Kevin looked at King Merdin. “Would you mind being there, too?”
King Merdin grinned. “I was planning to. Never know when you might need a little backup. And I want to hear what this man has to say firsthand.”
“Thank you,” Kevin said.
“Now, let’s talk details,” King Merdin said. “What’s the plan? Where do you want us, and when?”
Chris pointed to the tray he’d set down on the coffee table. “Have some scog, King Merdin, and help yourself to the cookies and brownies. And Dani, I brought you a saucer of cream. Where do you want me to put it?”
“On the dresser would be nice.”
Dani stood up on the back of the couch and stretched. He leapt down and wandered over towards the dresser and his saucer of cream.
While they were eating, Kevin said he wanted King Merdin to take Dani straight to the island. “We’ll meet you there, and when we’re ready, Chris will go get Cpt. Garen.”
“What are you going to do with him afterwards?” King Merdin asked. “I know that doesn’t involve us, but have you given it any thought?”
“Lots of thought, but I haven’t made a decision yet. I’m leaning towards taking him and his men back to their families. If they want to help Landis, they need to get their families situated first.”
“In a place where Rolan can’t touch them,”
Dani commented.
Kevin nodded.
“What if you decide they’re trying to get in position to carry out Rolan’s orders?” King Merdin asked.
“Then Trendon’s the best place for them. Rolan can deal with them.”
“Have you decided when you want to meet with him?”
“Tuesday, around one o’clock, if that’s all right with the two of you.”
King Merdin nodded. “And when do you want to take me out to that island?”
“I’d rather go in daylight so we can be sure it’s as deserted as it was the last time I was there.”
“Let’s plan to go around daybreak Tuesday morning,” King Merdin suggested. “Dani can go with us. He can check it better than either of us. We’ll meet you here at sunrise. If it’s as small as you say, shouldn’t take more than ten minutes.”
“Sounds good to me,” Kevin agreed.
~ ~ ~ ~
Saturday morning Steve got up shortly after daybreak and headed off to help Blalick move some cattle from one pasture to another. Warren left soon afterwards for his weekly meeting with Glendymere, which left Torrey and Laryn on their own. They made a fresh pot of tea and sat down at the table. While they were sitting there, Ashni came in with a basket of cinnamon buns. She set them on the table and removed the towel she’d put on top to keep them warm.
One whiff of the sweet rolls sent Laryn flying for the nearest bucket. After the first bout of morning sickness was over, she came back to the table, sat down, and apologized.
“Has this nausea happened before?” Ashni asked.
Laryn felt her cheeks grow warm as she nodded.
“How long has it been going on?” Ashni asked.
Laryn shrugged.
“A week? A month? How long?” Ashni persisted.
“About three weeks now.”
Ashni nodded.
Torrey reached across the table and took Laryn’s hand. “You’re pregnant, aren’t you?”
Laryn’s face went a shade darker as she nodded.
“How far along are you?” Ashni asked quietly.
“Two months.”
“So it will be born this year, in November?”
Laryn smiled. “That’s what Sister Agnes said.”
“Congratulations!” Torrey’s whole face erupted in one big smile. “How does Steve feel about it? Is he excited?”
“I haven’t told him yet,” Laryn admitted.
Ashni frowned. “You do not think he will be happy?”
“No, that’s not it,” Laryn said, shaking her head. “I think he’ll be thrilled, but I wanted to tell him while we were here, in Rainbow Valley. I’m not sure, but I think this is where we got pregnant.”
Ashni smiled. “So when do you want to tell him? We will make sure you are not disturbed.”
Laryn felt her face warm back up. “I was planning to break the news last night after we went to our room, but I went down first and by the time he got there, I was sound asleep. I thought I’d try again tonight.”
“You’ll need something to celebrate with,” Torrey said. “Some scog would be nice. Do you have any Ashni?”
“As it happens, I do. I will bring some down this afternoon.” Then she looked at Laryn. “What would you like to go with it? Would you like some cake? Or would you rather have cheese and bread?”
“You don’t have to go to all that trouble,” Laryn said. “We don’t need anything.”
“Honey, you haven’t seen anything yet. When news about this gets out, you’ll be snowed under with presents and everyone for miles around will be making stuff for you. You’ll have so much fun!”
Laryn raised her eyebrows. “I hadn’t thought about that.” She shook her head. “If anyone starts planning anything even close to what they did for my wedding, I’m moving in here and staying until the baby’s born. I am not going through that again.”
Torrey laughed, shook her head, and patted Laryn’s hand. “But for tonight, you do need to have a little something. We’ll take care of it. You just sit back and enjoy.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Saturday morning, Doreen was outside in the tool shed when Rhianna walked in and said, “You’ve got company.”
“Rigel?” Doreen asked.
Rhianna shook her head. “I’d have sent him out here to find you himself. No, this is a woman. I’ve seen her around Milhaven but I don’t know her name, and from the way she’s acting, I have a feeling you don’t know her either.”
Doreen wiped her hands on a towel. “Did she say what she wants?”
“Just that she’d like to talk to you for a moment if you have time.”
Doreen shrugged as she and Rhianna headed towards the house.
“I left her in the front room,” Rhianna said as they went in. “Go see what she wants while I get some tea ready.”
When Doreen reached the front room, an older lady stood at the window gazing across the road. Doreen had seen her before, but only from a distance. “I understand you wish to speak with me?”
The woman turned towards Doreen and smiled. “You don’t know me, but I’m a friend of Jana’s. My name’s Debra.”
Doreen waved her hand towards the chairs. “Would you like to have a seat? Rhianna should be in here in a minute with some tea.”
Debra nodded and sat down. “I want to hire you.”
Doreen’s eyebrows lifted. “Hire me? For what?”
“I saw the planter you made for Jana. I’d love to have one, but there’s no way I’ll ask you to make one for me unless you let me pay you.”
Doreen’s face relaxed and a smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. “You liked it?”
“Oh yes. It’s a wonderful idea. And the way one box drips into the next is perfect. I’ve never seen anything like it and I love it!”
Rhianna walked into the room while Debra was talking. She grinned as she set the tray down.
Doreen looked at Rhianna. “Rhianna, I’d like for you to meet Debra. She’s interested in having a planter. Debra, this is Rhianna. She’s the one behind the design. We built it together.”
Debra smiled. “You’re the elf who’s friends with Myron.”
Rhianna nodded.
“It’s lovely to have you here, dear. I hope you’ll make Milhaven your home.” As Rhianna poured the tea, Debra looked back at Doreen. “So will you? Make one for me? And how much would you charge?”
Doreen paused. “I haven’t given any thought as to how much one would cost, but I can work something up for you. How large a space do you have?”
Debra pulled a sheet of paper out of her pocket. “I made Korman measure it for me last night.”
Doreen looked at the dimensions. “This is a little larger than Jana’s. Do you want the planter to fill the space or do you want me to make it smaller than this?”
“I’d like for it to be as close to that size as possible.”