The Warrior Elf (71 page)

Ainsley shook her head again. “I don’t think so, Father. I think you need to face the fact I’m no good in here. We need to find someone else to cook.”

Fenway leaned against the flour-coated table and sighed. “I would if I could, but I can’t think of a soul. There aren’t that many good cooks around, and the good ones are married and cooking for their families. They don’t have time to work here.”

Ainsley wiped her face to catch the tears that were threatening to spill out of her eyes. “I miss Callie, a lot, and not just because she was a good cook. She was also a good friend.”

“I know.” Her father slipped his arm back around her. “Just keep trying. It’ll get better.”

Ainsley laughed. “It better, or we won’t have any customers left.” Then she gave her head a good shake, wiped her hands off, and plunged them back in the bowl.

~ ~ ~ ~

Saturday morning shortly after Kevin and Chris got to the office, Kevin handed Chris the key to Terah. “Hayley wants to go to Bridgeport. Will you take her?”

Chris slipped the key on his chain. “Sure. Where will you be?”

“At Doreen’s.”

“Why?”

“Marcus and I are meeting Rigel and several of the guards down there. Rhianna asked me about it last night. They’ve got the foundation for the barn ready and the frames for the walls. They’re hoping if Marcus and I are both there to help they can have the barn finished by nightfall.”

“Just don’t get hurt. You’re not used to doing real sorcerer stuff.” Chris laughed when Kevin rolled his eyes. “When are you leaving?”

“As soon as Marcus gets here.”

Chris nodded. “If anything urgent comes up, I’ll come get you.”

There was a quick knock on Kevin’s door and when Chris opened it, Marcus was on the other side.

“Ready to go?” Kevin asked.

Marcus nodded, so Kevin took out the gate key and motioned for Marcus to join him.

“Have fun,” Chris said as Kevin turned the key.

When Kevin and Marcus got to Doreen’s, the first thing Marcus did was look for Rigel. Kevin, on the other hand, looked for Rhianna. He spotted her talking to Theresa.

“What are you doing here?” he asked Theresa.

She pointed to a bundle on the ground beside her. “I’m on bandage duty.” She grinned. “At Hayley’s request.”

Kevin frowned.

“Hayley’s in Bridgeport today,” Theresa explained.

“I know.”

“And construction work frequently leads to injuries.”

“All right, but why at Hayley’s request.”

“Marcus is here. She tries to be in the area whenever he’s doing anything like this in case he gets hurt.”

“But he’s a sorcerer. Most of what he does is from a distance.”

Theresa shook her head. “Most of what you do is from a distance, but Marcus is as good a carpenter as he is a sorcerer. After he does the sorcerer bit, he picks up some tools and starts in on the other stuff. And a lot of times he ends up hurting himself. Nothing major, just minor cuts, bruises, and blisters. Anyway, she asked me if I’d cover this for her and I told her I would.”

“So you’re going to hang out all day on the off chance someone will get hurt and need patching up?”

Theresa nodded. “But I’m not sure I’d say it’s on the off chance. I’d say it’s a pretty much guaranteed outcome.”

Rhianna laughed. “I can attest to that. You could say Doreen’s house was built with sweat and blood.”

“So you might want to stay back away from the action,” Theresa said. “Chris would get upset with us if you went back in bandages.”

Before Kevin could argue, Marcus called him. They were ready to raise the frames for the walls and needed his help.

By lunchtime, the frame for the barn was up. The plan was to close in the sides, cover the roof, and put in the loft floor that afternoon. Doreen wanted a storage room built along one side, but that could be handled later, after the main building was done.

When they went back to work after lunch, Marcus and Rhianna picked up hammers and helped nail lumber to the frame. The afternoon was noisy and rather boring for Kevin as far as the construction went. All they needed him for was to lift lumber up to the roof or loft. He worked for thirty seconds, waited thirty minutes, worked another thirty seconds, and so on all afternoon. In between the times when his assistance was requested, he sat with Theresa. They gossiped a little, reminisced some, and in general enjoyed the afternoon. And contrary to Theresa’s expectations, no one got hurt.

As the sun began to set, the hammering slowed down and fell silent. The men were done, at least with the main structure. Doreen could add all the walls she wanted later, but her barn was up.

While the guards gathered their tools, Doreen and Rhianna joined Kevin and Theresa.

“Should I offer to take them to Fenway’s for dinner, my treat?” Doreen asked Myron.

Kevin wasn’t sure how to tell her they probably wouldn’t want to eat at the tavern. “Why don’t you meet them at Fenway’s this evening and buy them a round of scog? That would give everyone a chance to get cleaned up first.”

“Good idea.” Doreen headed back to where the men were packing up.

“So, are you going back to the castle now?” Theresa asked.

Kevin nodded. “Why?”

“Hayley should be back by now. I thought I’d go to Rainbow Valley for a couple of days if you’ve got time to take me.”

“When do you want to go?”

“As soon as I let Sister Agnes know and pick up my bag. I packed it this morning before I came out here.”

“Do you stay in the caves or up at the house when you go out there now?”

“In the caves, in the room I used while we were there.”

Kevin stood up and held out his hand to pull her up. “When do you want to come back?”

“Would Wednesday work?”

Kevin nodded. “I need to talk to you about a few things and that would be a perfect time.”

“About what?”

“Remember the day Cpt. Lawrence brought a man to the chapel and left him with you? The one Chris picked up?”

Theresa nodded. “You said you’d explain what that was all about later.”

“That’s what we need to talk about.”

Chapter 42

Preparations

Shortly after breakfast Monday morning, Kevin knocked on Calhoun’s door in Brystal. When Calhoun opened it, Kevin asked, “Ready to go?”

“Anytime you are.”

“Good, but I need to see Kirken first. Do you know if Maury took the position?”

Calhoun nodded. “And then he asked his girl to marry him. They’re moving in here as soon as I’m out.”

“I’m glad it all worked out. I need to sign the contract and pick up my copy. Back in a few minutes.”

Calhoun’s bagged and boxed belongings were stacked on the porch when Kevin got back. “I’m not taking any of the furniture. Most of it was here when I came and Maury’s going to need it more than I will, what with a wife and all. Will I be able to get furniture up there?”

“Darwyn will probably leave most of his too, but if you need something you can’t get up there, I’ll see that you get it.” Kevin took out his key. “Have you ever traveled by key before?”

Calhoun shook his head.

“You’ll feel a bit wobbly when we get there, probably sick on your stomach, out of breath, and dizzy. If you stand still for a bit and concentrate on breathing, you’ll be fine. Don’t try to move until the feeling passes. I’ll come back and get your stuff. Now, put your hand on my arm.” As soon as Calhoun’s hand was on his arm, Kevin turned the key and they were gone.

When they arrived outside Darwyn’s house, Calhoun doubled over and rested his hands on his knees. After a few deep breaths, he slowly stood up and stretched his back. “Takes the wind out of you, doesn’t it?”

Kevin nodded. “The first time I traveled by key, I nearly passed out. Glad I didn’t. I was going to my first council meeting.”

Calhoun’s grin was lopsided and weak, but it was there.

“If you think you’ll be all right for a few minutes, I’ll go get your stuff.”

Calhoun nodded, so Kevin turned the key and went back to Brystal. He used an outstretched hand to pick up Calhoun’s stuff, turned the key, and went back to Lormere. He put Calhoun’s bags and boxes on Darwyn’s front porch and knocked on the door.

After making the introductions, Kevin said, “I’ll leave the two of you to get acquainted. And Darwyn, are you planning to take your furniture or leave it here for Calhoun?”

Darwyn shrugged. “I don’t know what I need to take with me. I figured you’d tell me.”

“Your clothes and anything that’s important to you. As to furniture, you and Calhoun can sort that out. You can take it with you, or you can leave it here. Either way, I’ll make sure both of you have what you need.” After both men nodded, Kevin asked, “Anything else?”

“Do you know when you’re coming back to get me?” Darwyn asked.

“A week from today, but it’ll be after dinner.”

“I’ll be ready.”

Kevin looked at Calhoun. “If you and Namir can work out the contract, I’ll sign it while I’m here. Just be sure to have a copy for me to take back with me.”

Calhoun nodded.

“See you next Monday,” Kevin said as he turned the key.

~ ~ ~ ~

Tuesday evening King Merdin and Dani arrived shortly after Kevin and Nikki went upstairs. After Chris set out refreshments for everyone, Kevin asked, “So, how are things going with Garen’s men?”

King Merdin drank some of his scog. “They’ve spent a lot of time talking about it, both the good and the bad.”

“One thing you might want to know,”
Dani said.
“None of them has had any thoughts of harming the woman. Even those who think it might be a mistake to get involved don’t want her hurt. If they go, they’ll be there to protect her.”

“That’s good to know,” Kevin said, “but I have a question. Why do some of them think it might be a mistake to go?”

“A couple of them are worried about what Rolan might do to their families if he finds out they’re protecting her.”

“Well, it is something to consider, but more after she’s trained than while she’s training. Until she comes back, they’ll be so isolated Rolan won’t be able to touch them.”

King Merdin nodded. “That’s the conclusion most of them came to.”

“So what other concerns do they have?”

“Access to a sister’s high on their list, especially among the women. Most of them remember the man who worked at the chapel in Trendon, and they trust him for most things, but they’re not sure it’s a good idea to be that far from a sister.”

“But they’re not that close to a sister now, are they?”

King Merdin shook his head. “Twenty miles, but they know where a sister is. They’re afraid if they’re as isolated as you say, there won’t be one within a hundred miles.”

“More like a thousand,” Chris mumbled. “Do you think they’d feel better if a sister agrees to make regular visits? As in they’d know the sister would be there every Saturday morning?”

“Probably,” King Merdin said. “It might be a good idea to have something along those lines set up before you talk to them again. I’m sure someone will bring it up. I got the feeling from a couple of the wives it might be a deciding factor. Three of them have young children, and they’re the ones who were most concerned about not having a sister on hand.”

“Are all of them planning to go?” Kevin asked.

King Merdin shook his head. “Several of the families are going back and forth on it, but one family’s pretty much decided not to go.”

“Why?”

“Two teenage daughters. The wife said her daughters need to be around other teenagers right now, not stuck someplace until they’re in their twenties. Her husband’s planning to ask you if he can join them after she’s trained, once she returns. He wants to be part of her guard, but he agrees they have to put their daughters first.”

Kevin nodded. “That’s valid.” After a moment he asked, “That wasn’t Cpt. Garen’s wife, was it? I know he has a teenage daughter.”

“She’s planning to go. She’s already packing.”

“Anything else I need to know?”

King Merdin shook his head. “The only other thing I can tell you is they’ve really talked this out. They talked as one big group, talked in families, husband and wife, two or three friends, every way you can think of. The only one who didn’t seem to have a lot to say one way or the other was a woman named Callie. From what I gathered, she doesn’t know the other wives, and she only knows a few of the men. For the most part she went along with whatever her husband said.”

“I’m not surprised,” Chris said. “She’s from Milhaven. The only reason she’s there is she and Petar just got married.”

King Merdin raised his eyebrows. “Did she know what she was getting herself into before she married him?”

Kevin nodded. “But she didn’t know any details.”

“Well, that’s about it,” King Merdin said. “Do you want us to keep listening?”

Kevin shook his head. “You found out what I needed to know, and the fact that none of them intend to hurt her is a bonus. I wasn’t expecting you to pick up on that. Thanks, Dani.”

“You’re welcome,”
Dani said.
“I thought you might want to know, so I did a little extra peeking.”

Kevin smiled. “I appreciate it.”

“If there’s nothing else, I guess we’ll be on our way,” King Merdin said. “If you need us again, hang the chimes. Ready, Dani?”

Dani jumped down from the top of Kevin’s dresser where he’d been perched. As soon as he put his paw on King Merdin’s shoulder, King Merdin turned the key and they left.

Chris got up to put King Merdin’s mug and Dani’s saucer on the tray and then sat back down to finish his scog. “Have you talked to Theresa about any of this?”

“Not yet, but I’m going to tomorrow. I want her to help Taelor make up a good supply of herbs, teas, whatever he might need out there. He’ll be it as far as medical help goes.”

“Are you planning to ask her to visit the island once in a while?”

Kevin nodded. “I don’t like the idea of people coming and going, but if a sister’s going to, she’s the one I want.”

“Do you think Sister Brena will have any objections? She might have plans for Theresa, you know.”