The Warrior Elf (86 page)

The meeting only lasted half an hour, and the only topics discussed involved trade deals. After Chris wrote down the details and had the appropriate sorcerers sign the contracts, Kevin thanked them for coming and closed the meeting. Rolan was one of the first sorcerers to leave.

After Rolan left, Damien approached Kevin and nodded towards Brendolanth’s empty seat. “Anything I need to know about?”

Kevin shook his head. “Not as far as I know.”

Damien nodded. “I’ll be heading home then.”

A few minutes later, he was gone, as were most of the sorcerers.

“Ready to go?” Kevin asked.

Chris picked up his papers, put his hand on Kevin’s arm, and nodded. A moment later, they were back in the office.

“That was interesting,” Kevin said as he sat down.

Chris raised his eyebrows. “What? Did I miss something?”

“No, it was interesting because Rolan didn’t wander around trying to stir something up before the meeting. He didn’t hang around to see what he could overhear after the meeting. He didn’t do anything, but he wasn’t acting normal either.”

Chris laughed. “Because normal for him is trying to stir something up.”

“Right.”

Chris shook his head. “Don’t read anything into it. He’s still Rolan. He’s still going to come at you. Don’t let him lull you into thinking he’s giving up. It’s not in his nature.”

Kevin sighed. “I know.” Then he stood back up. “Think I’ll check on Shana’s parents. I want to get them down to Allisandra’s as soon as I can.”

~ ~ ~ ~

The rest of the weekend was quiet around the castle. Sunday morning Joan baked a small cake for Neiven. Then they set up the ice cream churn Sunday afternoon and made strawberry ice cream for everyone. Kevin took a big bowl of it down to Doreen’s when he took Nikki down for a walk. It was a big hit, especially with Shelley and Rhianna.

The next couple of weeks were quiet, too. Kevin checked on the people on the island at least every other day, but the lists of things they needed had dwindled down to a couple of grocery lists a week. Everyone seemed to be settling in.

Two weeks after the June council meeting, Kevin was in his office when Chris opened the door. “You have a visitor. Caelan’s here, and he brought Rhianna with him.”

Kevin frowned as he stood up. “Show them in.”

When Caelan walked in, he smiled and held his hand out to Kevin. After they shook hands, Kevin said, “Welcome to Milhaven. What can I do for you?”

Caelan’s smile spread. “You’ve already done it. I’m not sure how you two managed it, but Rolan’s men pulled up stakes and left North Amden.”

Kevin and Rhianna looked at each other and grinned.

“I’m not sure when they left, but I’ve checked with every section and they’re all saying the same thing. The men just packed up and left. No threats. No warnings, no nothing. Just gone.”

“That’s good news,” Kevin said as Rhianna nodded.

Caelan looked at Rhianna. “Weldon asked me to deliver his greetings and his thanks for a job well done.”

Rhianna gave a little nod. “Tell him I said thank you.”

“I will. And as far as I know, no one’s registered any complaints about the incident two weeks ago, but I’ll keep listening. If I hear any rumors or questions about it, I’ll take care of them. Smart idea bringing me in as a witness while everyone was still there.”

“I’m just glad you were able to come,” Rhianna said. “I don’t ever want to have to deal with that kind of mess again.”

“I understand. Feel free to call on me anytime you need a witness.” Caelan paused for a moment. “I hate to say it, but you have an enemy on the Council of Elders, and he’s watching for anything he can use against you.”

Rhianna frowned. “Can you tell me who it is?”

Caelan shook his head. “I’ve already said too much, but you also have some good friends on the council, so don’t worry about it. But if anything else happens, do what you did this time. Get a witness.” Rhianna nodded as Caelan took out his key. “Well, guess I’ll take my leave now. See you at the next federation meeting, Myron.”

~ ~ ~ ~

Later that evening, while they were walking Nikki, Rhianna said, “Guess it’s time for me to go home.”

“Why?”

“Well, our plan worked. Rolan’s pulled his men out of North Amden.” Rhianna laughed and shook her head. “My father’s going to be thrilled. His harebrained scheme actually worked.”

“You mean Xantha’s scheme.”

“Xantha may have been the one who came up with it, but when my father finds out it worked, he’ll take all the credit, and we’ll never hear the end of it.”

“You know, just because Rolan’s pulled his men out of North Amden doesn’t mean you have to leave.”

Rhianna looked at Kevin and raised her eyebrows. “What do you mean?”

“Do you want everyone in Milhaven to think you only became friends with them as part of some scheme?”

“Of course not! That’s not true. These people
are
my friends!”

“Really? What’s Doreen going to think when you pack up and leave? And what about Elin? Didn’t you tell her you’d teach her how to handle throwing knives?”

“Yes, but Joan or Darrell could do that,” Rhianna said slowly. “It doesn’t have to be me.”

“No, but you’re the one who told her you would. You’re the one she’s counting on. So are the other pages. How are things going with them anyway?”

Rhianna smiled. “Elin’s becoming quite good with a dagger. Cameryn’s doing all right, but she doesn’t have the same drive Elin does, which is understandable considering what Elin went through.”

“Cameryn may not have been grabbed, but she’s not as carefree as she used to be. It wouldn’t surprise me if she leaves us before long.”

“Why?”

“That mess with Gwendolyn destroyed her sense of safety, her security.”

“Where do you think she’ll go?”

Kevin shook his head. “I don’t think it’ll be so much going someplace as getting away from the castle. She sees it as a trap now, like they’re sitting ducks waiting for someone to pick them off.”

“What?”

“Like they’re easy prey, like any seated sorcerer could pop in there any minute, grab one of them, and no one could do a thing to stop it.”

“Well, there’s some truth to that if you’re not there.”

“I know, and I can’t tell her it won’t ever happen again. All I can do is make sure anyone with a key knows it won’t be worth the price. How about the guys? How are they doing?”

“With luck Ariel will learn enough to be able to defend himself against a lone bandit. But that’s about it. Isak’s the same, although from what Darrell says, he’s pretty good with a bow. But Petri has a real knack for weapons, almost like he was born with a soldier’s spirit.”

“From what I understand, his father was a soldier, and after his father was killed, he went to live with his father’s best friend, who’s also a soldier. Chances are he had some training along those lines long before he ended up in Starvos’s office.”

“It shows. He’ll make a good soldier if he decides to go that way.”

“Well, don’t push him that way yet. We’re hoping he’ll take over Ariel’s job when Ariel decides it’s time to move on.”

“Have you said anything to him about that? Or to Isak?”

Kevin shook his head.

“You might want to before long. Isak’s worried he’ll be expected to take over, and he doesn’t think he can handle it, or maybe he doesn’t want to, but at any rate, he’s wondering if he needs to leave first so he can avoid it altogether. And Petri’s afraid Joan’ll let Corey take over as page in her office and he’s wondering what his future holds. If you want to keep him around, you might need to let him know that.”

Kevin frowned. “Joan hasn’t said anything to me about bringing Corey in. I’ve been afraid to move Petri to our office because I figured she’d be ready to kill me for stealing him away from her.”

“I’m not sure Petri heard it from Joan. Corey tags along with him sometimes so it may have come from Corey.”

Kevin nodded. “I’ll talk to Joan.” Then he grinned. “See? We need you around here. How would I have found out about all of this if you weren’t here?”

“I’m sure you’d have found out some way.”

“Probably after the bottom fell out and everyone was gone,” Kevin said. “I need you to help me avoid disaster. And who’ll explain it to Nikki if you leave? She’s gotten used to having you around. She’ll keep looking for you, but you won’t be there.”

“Myron, what are you trying to do? Make me feel guilty?”

“Is it working?”

“What?”

Kevin took a deep breath. “I’m trying to tell you I don’t want you to go. I’ve gotten used to having you around, to seeing you in the mornings out behind the castle, to eating lunch with you, to walking Nikki with you in the evening.”

“Are you asking me to stay?”

“I guess I am. If you leave, you’ll leave a lot of empty spaces around here, many of them in my day. I won’t know what to do with myself.”

Rhianna laughed. “And we both know how quickly those holes would get filled.” After they walked on for a bit, Rhianna said, “I don’t really want to go. I’m happy here. I’m having a good time, but if I don’t go now, things will get complicated. For both of us.”

“I know.”

Rhianna didn’t say anything for a while. Then she sighed and nodded. “Doreen’s gardens need someone to tend them, and I did promise some of the housekeeping staff I’d teach them how to defend themselves, although now that the assassins are gone, there’s not as much need of that.”

“The assassins may be gone for now, but trouble’s never very far away. If you don’t believe me, hang around for a while. You’ll see.”

Rhianna laughed again. “Guess I could stay a little while longer. But you’re the one who’s going to explain it to my parents.”

~ ~ ~ ~

Later that evening, while Kevin and Chris were drinking scog in Kevin’s bedroom, Chris asked, “Is Rhianna going back to North Amden or will she be joining Landis on the island?”

“Neither right now. She’s going to stay here for a while.”

“Why? I thought this was just to get Rolan’s men out of North Amden.”

“It was, but she likes it here, and she’s made a few promises she’d like to keep.”

Chris nodded slowly. “How long do you think she might hang around?”

“I don’t know, but she’s not in a hurry to go.”

Chris finished his scog and set his mug on the tray. “I’m going to turn in. I’ll take the tray down tomorrow morning when I go for coffee.”

Kevin nodded as Chris got up and walked towards his bedroom. “Good night.”

“Good night,” Chris said as he shut his door. Then Chris turned to his empty room and fist pumped the air. “Yes!”

Kevin leaned down and rubbed Nikki’s ears. “Well, we got her to stay. Now all we have to do is find some way to get her back in the castle. If you come up with any ideas on that one, feel free to share.”

“Woof!”

About the Author

Mackenzie grew up in a small town in the piedmont of North Carolina and after graduating from college, she returned to her hometown to teach high school. Thirty years later, after retiring from the classroom, she decided to pursue something she'd always wanted to do. She began to write.

Books have played a large role in Mackenzie's life. She's been an avid reader since elementary school, and has always considered reading her favorite form of entertainment. Her goal in writing is to write books that she'd enjoy reading.
To learn more about Mackenzie and The Chronicles of Terah, visit
Mackenzie’s World
(www.mcknzmorgan.com).