Authors: Mackenzie Morgan
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By nine Friday morning, Nikki was with Rhianna and Marshall was with Kyle. Even though Kevin seldom spent any time with Nikki during the day, he always thought of her as being in his backyard, even though she and Marshall were out exercising horses more than they were at the stable. Now she was all the way on the other side of Milhaven. He knew it was silly, but he missed her.
And it didn’t help that they were having the quietest weekend he could remember since he’d arrived at the castle. No one needed him for anything. Even the council meeting Saturday didn’t provide much distraction. No one got upset, no one argued, no problems came up, nothing. It was the most boring meeting he’d ever been to.
He did drop by Doreen’s both Friday and Saturday evening to go for a walk with Rhianna and Nikki, but it tore at Kevin to see how happy Nikki was to run back into the house when they got back. Granted, she was running into Shelley’s waiting arms, but it still stung.
As he was getting ready to leave Saturday evening, Rhianna squeezed his arm. “Don’t worry, she’ll be back with you tomorrow night.”
“I know,” Kevin said with a sheepish grin, “and I know it’s selfish, but I want my dog back.”
Rhianna laughed and gave his arm another squeeze before she headed up the steps. “What time are you picking Marshall up tomorrow?”
“I told Kyle I’d be there before dinner.”
Rhianna nodded. “Do you want Nikki at the castle when he gets back?”
“I think so. Why don’t you join us for dinner? After we eat, we can go for a walk up there.”
“All right,” Rhianna said.
Time dragged Sunday after he got back from the canyon lands. He felt like the afternoon would never end. Finally, right before dinner, his office door opened and Nikki dashed through and all but jumped into his lap. As he rubbed her ears and neck, Rhianna laughed. “Feel better now?”
Kevin nodded as he continued petting his dog. “I’m so glad you’re home, girl.” He buried his face in her fur.
Rhianna shook her head. “I never get a greeting like that, not from anyone. Guess that’s true love.”
“That it is,” Kevin said, still intent on Nikki. “Was Shelley all right with Nikki coming home?”
“She was a little upset when she realized Nikki was leaving, but I told her she’d be back for a visit soon.”
“As long as she comes back home.” He turned to Nikki and rubbed her ears. “I don’t think you’ll be doing any more sleepovers. You can go visit, but I want you home at night.”
Rhianna laughed again. “Do you want to go get Marshall?”
Kevin took out his key. “You’ll stay with her until I get back?” When Rhianna nodded, Kevin said, “Back in a minute,” and turned the key.
Fifteen minutes later, he and Marshall were back in Kevin’s office. Nikki was all over Marshall as soon as she saw him. He sank to the floor and gathered her in his lap. After a quick greeting, Nikki started sniffing Marshall’s clothes, his hands, his hair, everywhere. “Yes, I was with other dogs this weekend, but don’t be jealous. I came back to you,” Marshall said as she explored all the scents. Then Marshall stood up and turned towards Kevin. “Thank you for taking me. I had a good time and I learned a lot.”
“I’m glad you enjoyed it, and things worked out fine here.”
Marshall nodded as he looked at Nikki. “Want to go with me to check on Watson while Myron eats dinner?”
Nikki ran towards the door and sat down as she waited for someone to open it.
“Guess that means yes,” Kevin said.
“We’ll be around the stable,” Marshall said as he opened the door. “See you later.”
Chapter 39
Good News
Joan held up a piece of paper when she knocked on Kevin’s door Monday morning. “Do you remember the man Cryslyn hired to track down Freida’s parents?”
Kevin thought for a moment. “The man’s son-in-law, the tracker, the private detective.”
Joan nodded. “He found them.”
Kevin’s eyebrows inched up. “Where are they?”
“I don’t know the name of the place, but he sent a map.” She handed him the piece of paper. “Could you go see if they’re really there?”
Chris had followed Joan in and before Kevin could answer, he said, “Not without a bodyguard.” Kevin frowned, but before he could argue, Chris said, “At this point, all we know is some man you don’t know sent you a map and said it’s where someone you want to find is located. Perfect set up for an ambush. In fact, I don’t think you should go at all until we check it out. Alek’s on standby today. He and I can go.” Chris took the map out of Kevin’s hand.
“Are you going to talk to her parents?” Kevin asked.
“You need to do that. All I want to do is make sure this is legit.” Chris held his hand out. “Let me have the key. We’ll be back in a minute.”
After Chris left, Joan asked, “What are you planning to say when you talk to them?”
“I’ll tell them their daughter’s here and ask if they’d like to come see her. After Freida talks to her parents, she can let me know what she wants to do, go with them or stay here. Either one’s fine with me.”
Joan nodded. “I think she’s out back right now, with the children in the playground. She came up with Rhianna this morning.”
Kevin nodded. “I’ll bring them back here, to the reception area. Keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn’t leave while I’m gone. Rhianna usually finishes up about this time.”
“By the way, Elin’s come a long way since Rhianna started working with her.”
“Good. How about Cameryn?”
Joan shrugged. “She knows what to do with a dagger, but the only time she wears it is during practice. It won’t do her a lot of good if she doesn’t have it with her.”
“You wear yours all the time, don’t you?”
Joan nodded. “I got used to wearing it while we were traveling, and now I don’t feel quite dressed without it.” She tilted her head towards Kevin’s closed door. “I’ve noticed Chris has been wearing his a lot more lately, too.”
“I think that bit with Gwendolyn got to him more than he’s let on. I can’t blame him, not that a dagger would be much good against a sorcerer.”
“You never know. Catch one off guard and it will, which is something you need to keep in mind.”
Before the conversation could go any farther, Chris knocked on Kevin’s door.
“So?” Kevin asked.
“All clear.” Chris handed him the key. “It’s a quiet little settlement with maybe eight or nine families. No problems, and no ambush.”
Kevin smiled. “So I could have gone to start with.”
Chris nodded. “This time.”
An hour later, a tearful reunion was taking place in a corner of the reception area. After a few minutes, Kevin asked Joan to gently prod them out of there and have Freida take them to the dining room where they could talk as long as they wanted to. As they were leaving, he whispered to Joan, “I’ve got someplace to go this afternoon, but I’ll leave a key with Chris. If they get ready to go before I get back, he can take them.”
“What about Freida’s stuff?” Joan asked softly.
“If she has more than she can take, put it in my office and I’ll take it later.”
Joan nodded and left to catch up to their guests.
~ ~ ~ ~
When Kevin and Rhianna got to Crinsor Run Monday afternoon, Hayden and Gwynn were eating lunch. The knock on the door made Gwynn jump and Hayden frown.
Before either of them could get up to answer the door, Rhianna walked in, followed by Kevin. Hayden’s frown turned into a big smile. “Since when do you knock?” Hayden asked his daughter. “No one knocks around here. I thought Rolan’s men had finally found us.”
Gwynn had stood up to get more cups, but Rhianna stopped her. “We’re fine, Mother. Sit back down and finish your lunch.”
Gwynn sat down, but she eyed her daughter suspiciously. “Is anything wrong?”
Rhianna shook her head and pulled out a chair. “No, everything’s fine.” She turned to Kevin and tilted her head towards a chair. After he sat down, Rhianna said, “We wanted to discuss the next phase of Landis’s training.”
Kevin explained about his plans to move Landis.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Hayden asked. “She’s safe as long as she’s in Glendymere’s area.”
“I know, but it’s time for her to work with a human sorcerer,” Kevin said.
“Surely you’re not planning to take her to Milhaven,” Gwynn said.
Kevin shook his head. “No. I’ve found a place I think is every bit as safe as where she is now. Would you like for me to show it to you?”
Gwynn looked at Hayden, who nodded.
“It’s still dark there now, but I can take you tomorrow afternoon.”
“Dark? So it’s on the other side of Terah?” Hayden asked.
“It’s a deserted island, one that has never been found by humans.”
“How do you know that?” Gwynn asked.
“The merfolk told me. They discourage boats in the area because the reefs around the island are a breeding area.”
“And you’re sure it’s deserted?” Hayden asked. “Some folks are hard to spot.”
Kevin nodded. “Glendymere checked it out for me, and he’ll check it again before I take her there.”
“I’m sure Taelor will go with her, but will they be there by themselves?” Gwynn asked.
Kevin shook his head and explained about Warren, Torrey, the guards, and their families. When he was done, he asked Hayden what he thought.
“Garen was a good man when I knew him, and Landis was always his responsibility when we were in Trendon. It’s like he’s still carrying out Tsareth’s wishes. I can’t see him meaning her any harm.”
“So you think having the guards on the island is a good idea?” Rhianna asked.
“You don’t?” her father asked.
“I didn’t say that. I want to know if you think it’s a good idea to bring them in at this point.”
Hayden paused. “She’ll need guards later, and since she’s from the House of Gergin, I don’t think we can do it. Having warrior elves guard a sorcerer from a seated family might be crossing a line we shouldn’t cross. I don’t think you should be involved in any way once she’s trained.” When Rhianna started to argue, Hayden shook his head. “You’ll always be her friend, but you can’t be her protector, not if she’s a sorcerer who may one day be seated. Both their council and ours would have a fit.”
Rhianna sighed. “I guess I knew that, but I didn’t want to think about it.”
“She’ll have to rely on human guards once she’s trained. Best to start now.” Hayden thought for a moment. “Yes, the more I think about it, the more I think having the guards with her is the right thing to do, provided we can trust them not to harm her. Keep in mind Rolan’s sent out a lot of men with orders to kill her. Are you sure none of these men are planning anything along those lines?”
“To be honest, no,” Kevin answered. “I did have a telepath listen to Garen’s thoughts while he and I were talking, so I feel pretty good about him, but as to the others...”
“You did what?” Rhianna asked. “You didn’t tell me that.”
“I wasn’t planning to tell anyone. It’s a gray area ethically to have someone listen to someone else’s thoughts while you question them. I wouldn’t have done it if I hadn’t thought her safety was at stake.”
Hayden nodded.
“But I’ll make sure these men know that if they join her, they’re there for the duration. There won’t be anywhere to run or hide, and none of them are leaving the island until she’s fully trained and ready to go, not alive anyway.”
“Then I’m for it,” Hayden said.
“Gwynn? How do you feel?” Kevin asked.
“I just want her safe, and I’m trusting you to keep her safe, but I’ll feel better about her living on an island if there are some families around.”
“Then the next step is to talk to Landis.” Kevin glanced at Hayden. “I’d like for both of you to be there. You’re the closest thing she has to parents.” When Hayden and Gwynn both agreed, he said, “I’ll pick you and Landis up tomorrow afternoon and take you to the island. We’ll talk out there.”
Since the conversation seemed to be at an end, Hayden stood up and stretched. “I’ve got a couple of things I need to do out in the barn. Want to come with me, Myron?”
Kevin followed Hayden out of the house. When they got to the barn, Hayden said, “I went to see Weldon a couple of weeks ago and asked him about that elf in the council meeting, the one the sister said had it in for Rhianna. I found out what was behind it. It’s nothing for you to be concerned about.”
Kevin frowned so Hayden explained. “His daughter was in training at the same time Rhianna was. When it came time for testing, she failed and her father was livid. The girl told him the only reason she failed was all the trainers were so busy working with Rhianna no one was left to help her. He even went so far as to file a formal complaint with the council. And I’m sure it didn’t help that Duane was in charge of the testing that year.” Hayden shook his head. “I asked Duane about it when I got home. He said the girl didn’t want to be a warrior elf to start with, she was only there because her father insisted. She told Duane she didn’t want the responsibility of defending anyone. She wanted a family, pure and simple. So she refused training. Unfortunately she didn’t have the courage to admit it to her father.”
“So Rhianna doesn’t have anything to worry about along that line?”
Hayden shrugged. “She’s not in any physical danger, but he’ll be watching and waiting for her to make a mistake. But don’t worry about it. We’ll keep an eye on him, and if we have to, we’ll insist his daughter tell him the truth. She can’t lie about it if the trainers whose help she refused are standing there. Besides, she’s married now. I doubt she’s as worried about what her father thinks now as she was.”
“Are you going to tell Rhianna about him?”
Hayden shook his head. “She doesn’t know how he acted, does she?”
“Not as far as I know. Theresa was the only one from Milhaven who was in the room and I know she hasn’t told her.”
“Let’s not mention it. There’s no need for her to worry about something she can’t do anything about. If anything else comes of it, we’ll tell her then.”
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As soon as Kevin and Nikki went upstairs Monday night, Kevin pulled King Merdin’s chimes out and hung them on the balcony. When Chris walked in and spotted the chimes, he asked Kevin what he was planning.