Authors: Mackenzie Morgan
“Wish I could. To be honest, I don’t know whether she did or not. You know how those two are. It’s hard to tell what’s play and what’s real.”
When Kevin looked at Rhianna, she shrugged. “I don’t know them well enough to be sure, but I think Danyelle figured it was just Allisandra.” She looked at Chris. “She didn’t seem upset when we took her home, did she?”
Chris shook his head. “No, but I can’t tell.” After a moment he said, “Why don’t you tell Laryn what happened? She’ll know, and if she doesn’t, she can go see Danyelle and find out.”
“Good idea,” Kevin said. “But since you were there, you need to be the one to explain this to Laryn. Let me know what she says.”
“Me?” Chris asked. “Why me?”
“You heard the conversation. I didn’t.”
“They’re your aunts. I just work here,” Chris mumbled as he headed towards the door. “You do realize she’s going to laugh at me, right?”
“Better you than me.”
After Chris left, Rhianna said, “Chris told me you went to see Kyle this morning. Is he going to invite Marshall up for the weekend?”
Kevin nodded. “I’m picking him up after lunch. He wants to ask Marshall himself.”
“Nikki can stay with me if you need someone to watch her this weekend. I’d love to have her.”
Kevin paused. “I hope to have more time to spend with her this weekend than I did last weekend, but I never know what might come up. Before I leave her with you, be sure no one at the house has any objections. She lets you know when she needs out, and she hasn’t chewed up anything in over a month, but she does bark, and she is curious. She’ll investigate anything new.”
“She’ll be fine. I won’t let her get into anything she shouldn’t. You can think about it and get back to me. In the meantime, I’m heading home. We have another planter to build.” Rhianna turned to leave Kevin’s office, then paused. “Do you think Laryn will want one?”
“I doubt it. She doesn’t do a lot of cooking. They usually eat in the dining room. Want me to ask her?”
Rhianna shook her head. “No, I will. But not today.” As she opened the door, she asked, “Are you and Nikki coming down this evening?”
Kevin shook his head. “I’ve got to see someone this evening. But if you want to take Nikki for a walk, I’m sure she’d love to go. She’ll be here, with Chris.”
“I may do that. Good luck with your meeting.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Shortly after lunch, Kevin picked Kyle up and brought him to the castle. Kyle visited with Steve and Laryn while Marshall was exercising the horses. When he figured it was time for Marshall to be winding down for the day, he went out to the stable. Marshall was grooming Watson while Nikki watched. As soon as Nikki spotted Kyle she jumped up and ran over to say hello.
After Kyle petted the horses, he asked Marshall if he had any plans for the weekend.
“Not really,” Marshall said, still brushing Watson, “Why?”
“I was wondering if you’d like to come up to my place. I’m training some herders and I thought you might like to help.”
Marshall hesitated. “I wouldn’t be much help. I don’t know anything about training herders.”
“You didn’t know much about training a companion before you worked with Nikki either. I thought you might like to learn.”
“I would, but I watch Nikki on the weekends. Who’d take care of her?”
“We could take her with us, but Myron told me Rhianna’s offered to look after her anytime you can’t.”
“Well, if it’s all right with Myron, I’d love to.”
“Good. He’ll bring you up Friday morning. Plan to be there through Sunday afternoon.” As Kyle left the stable, he added, “Don’t forget to bring a coat. It’s colder up there than it is here.”
~ ~ ~ ~
After Kevin took Kyle home, he went to Rainbow Valley. It was almost dinnertime when he got there and Torrey was in the kitchen preparing Warren’s dinner. As soon as she sensed the energy flow opening, she picked up a clean mug and poured some coffee in it. When Kevin stepped into the kitchen, she handed it to him and pointed to a plate of cookies. “Help yourself,” she said as she went back to the pot on the stove. “If you’re looking for Warren, he’s not back yet.”
Kevin sipped his coffee and picked up a cookie. “Thanks,” he said as he raised both the coffee mug and the cookie. “I’m not sure how it happened, but I missed lunch today.”
“I can fix you something if you want me to,” Torrey said as she stirred the pot.
“Thanks, but no,” Kevin answered. “I’m going home when I leave here and dinner will be ready soon. Do you know where Taelor is?”
Torrey shook her head. “He and Sari left the cave shortly after lunch and haven’t made it back yet.”
“But they’ll be back in here before they head up, right?”
“As far as I know.”
“Would you do me a favor? I need to talk to Taelor, but I’d rather Landis not know about it. Can you ask him to meet me down here after dinner, around eight?”
“Sure,” Torrey said. “Anything else?”
“Tell him I’m looking for some information on Trendon. I don’t want him worrying about what I want.”
Torrey nodded as she wrapped a couple of cookies in a cloth. “Give these to Chris and tell him he should come visit sometime. See you later.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Taelor was with Warren and Torrey when Kevin went back to Rainbow Valley that evening. After Kevin spoke to them, he asked Taelor to go for a walk with him.
Once they were outside, Kevin asked, “You knew Cpt. Garen in Trendon, didn’t you?”
Taelor frowned, but he nodded.
“What did you think of him?”
“I’m not sure what you mean.”
“Overall, what was your impression? Was he a good guard? Did Tsareth trust him? Things like that.”
Taelor hesitated. “He was one of the best. He started out as a guard and worked his way up to Cpt. Yardner’s second-in-command. When Tsareth had to go someplace, Cpt. Yardner usually sent Garen with him. And when Landis was around, Garen kept an eye on her. I’m not sure she realized it though. He tried to stay out of her way as much as possible while still watching over her.”
“What happened after Tsareth died?”
“You mean after Tsareth was killed,” Taelor corrected. “Garen stayed on, as did most of the guards. They did their job, but not the same way they did it while Tsareth was alive. With Tsareth, they protected the castle and everyone in it, but their main goal was to make sure he and his family were safe. With Rolan, they stood their assigned post and that was it.”
“Do you trust Garen?”
“Trust him in what way? What are you getting at? How do you even know anything about him?”
“Right now that doesn’t matter, but I need to know what you think.” When Taelor didn’t answer, Kevin added, “You were there. I wasn’t. You’re smart and observant, and I value your opinion. I need to know if you trust the man.”
Taelor shrugged. “When I knew him? Yes, I’d trust him to do his job and protect whoever he was supposed to protect. That didn’t include me after Rolan took over. As to now? I have no idea. I haven’t seen him in two years. I imagine he’s still a man of his word, he always was, but without knowing what you’re getting at, I don’t know how to answer you.”
“Would he follow orders no matter what?”
Taelor hesitated. “I don’t know. Orders from Tsareth, yes. But Tsareth was a good man and he wouldn’t have ordered any of the guards to do something that would violate their sense of honor. Orders from Rolan? Maybe, maybe not. Sort of depends on what Rolan ordered him to do and what leverage he was holding over him. Garen had a family, and the last I knew they were living in Trendon.”
“I guess you’ve answered my question, at least the best you can without knowing what’s going on. I will say this. I’ve met the man. He was sent to Camden with orders to kill me.”
Taelor exhaled a long breath. “You could have mentioned that a while back.”
“You knew about that?”
Taelor nodded. “I don’t know if she mentioned it, but I told Theresa that Rolan sent his best squad out to find you and kill you, although at the time I didn’t realize it was you. Well, that was Garen’s squad. When you started asking questions about him, I figured you’d met him, but I didn’t know how much you knew. I was in the room when he got those orders, and I can tell you they didn’t sit well with him. He told Rolan he was a guard, not an assassin.”
“I doubt that pleased Rolan very much. What did he do?”
“He told him it was his duty to follow orders, and that killing you was necessary to protect the House of Gergin. I could tell Garen didn’t believe him though.” After a moment, Taelor added, “I’m glad he decided not to follow those orders.”
“How do you know he didn’t try?”
“If he had, he’d be dead, and we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
~ ~ ~ ~
Things were quiet Thursday, so Kevin called Chris into his office a couple of hours before dinner. “Is there any reason I need to be here for the next few hours?”
Chris shook his head. “Not that I know of. Why?”
Kevin handed the key to Terah to Chris. “I thought I’d go see if Rhianna has time to talk.”
Chris slid the key onto his chain. “Are you going Elsewhere?”
Kevin nodded. “Come get me if anything comes up. I should be back by dinnertime.”
When Kevin reached Doreen’s, Rhianna was out in the yard working in the garden. She stood up and stretched when she saw him. “Do you need something?”
Kevin nodded. “We need to talk. Do you have time now?”
Rhianna glanced at the garden and shrugged. “I guess, but I’ll need to put my stuff away first.”
“Where’s Doreen?”
“Over there.” Rhianna tilted her head towards the road. “Rigel and a few of the guards are going to start putting her fence up this weekend and she wants to be sure she has everything marked out the way she wants it.”
“Any idea what she’s planning to put in the pasture?”
“I know she wants a wagon so she’ll probably have a couple of horses, and the other day she said something about getting some cows.” While Rhianna was talking, she gathered her tools and put them in the wheelbarrow. “She’s put markers down where she wants the posts, but she wanted to wait until the lumber got here before she started sinking any of them.”
“If she needs Marcus to help her, all she has to do is ask.”
“She’s letting Rigel handle making arrangements with Marcus. I think he’s having fun overseeing things, and in a way, it makes it his as well as hers.”
“Something going on I need to know about?”
“Not at this point, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it grows into something.” Rhianna picked up the handles to the wheelbarrow and started towards the shed. After she put her tools away, she asked, “Where did you want to talk?”
“I think we need to go Elsewhere.”
“Let me get something to drink and wash up a bit first.”
Half an hour later they were in the sitting room in the cave on the island. Kevin told her about Garen, his men, and his offer. “I’ve talked to Robyn and Taelor and they both have high opinions of the man. Do you remember him?”
Rhianna thought for a moment. “There was a guard who followed us around, always nearby, but not with us. Actually he followed Landis. If we went in different directions, he stayed with her. That might have been Garen. I don’t think anyone ever told me his name.”
“Do you think she’ll remember him?”
Rhianna shrugged. “I imagine she knew he was there, but I doubt she gave him a second thought. How much did you notice the guards around the castle when you were a child?”
“I was never there. The first time I saw the castle was right before my father died.”
“I didn’t realize that,” Rhianna said. “So you never visited him in Milhaven?”
Kevin shook his head.
“Well, I guess that makes sense. You were his only heir. He had to be careful. But surely he had a guard with him when he went to visit you.”
Again, Kevin shook his head. “He never visited me. The first time I laid eyes on my father was at the castle.”
“You hadn’t even met him?” Rhianna frowned. “From what I heard your mother died shortly after you were born, but I always assumed you knew your father and Laryn.”
“I didn’t even know my name was Myron until my father was in a coma.”
Rhianna stared at him for a moment and then slowly nodded. “That’s why Chris and the others call you Kevin. They knew you before you were Myron.”
Kevin took a deep breath.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to ask you any questions, although I’d love to. I have a feeling there’s quite a story there, and one day hopefully you’ll trust me enough to tell me about it, but that’s not for today.” Rhianna shook her head when Kevin started to speak. “No, it’s all right. You don’t need to say anything. Let’s get back to Garen.”
“What do you think? Should we talk to Landis about this?”
Rhianna was quiet for a moment. “She doesn’t need protection now, not as long as she’s with Glendymere. And when she comes here, she’ll be safe enough, especially with Warren with her, but one day she’ll be trained and on her own. She’ll need someone watching her back then, and it can’t always be me.”
“I know.”
“So what are you going to do? Leave Garen and his men in Nandelia until she’s trained?”
Kevin shook his head. “I want them here, on the island. I want her to get to know them and be sure she trusts them before she needs them.”
“What about their families?”
“That’s up to the men and their wives. But if their families come, they’re staying here until she’s trained, no matter how many years it takes. The only way off this island is with a key.”
Rhianna nodded. “So you’re going to accept their offer?”
“That’s not my decision to make. I want you and your father in on that. And Landis, of course.”
“So I guess our next step is to tell my father. When do you want to do that?”
“I’m going back to see Garen a week from today. We could go to Crinsor Run this weekend if you want to. I can leave Nikki with Chris while we’re gone.”
Rhianna shook her head. “No, I promised Marshall I’d keep her with me. If you’re not meeting with Garen until Thursday, we have time.”
“All right. We’ll plan to talk to your father Monday afternoon, provided nothing comes up.”