The Master's Chair (The Chronicles of Terah) (53 page)

~ ~ ~ ~

Thursday morning, Kevin, Karl, and Darrell rode over to the valley where the elves and dwarves had set up their camp to thank them for coming and wish them a safe journey home. Meanwhile Chris had gone over to Willow Canyon to straighten up the little room that he and Kevin had been using since June. The Tellurians had held their battle post-mortems in that room and it was a wreck. The extra chairs they had brought in took up most of the floor space, and there were papers, maps, broken arrows, new arrows, and spare bows scattered all over the place. It took him until mid-morning to clear out the extra furniture, dispose of the trash, and store the things they wanted to keep. By the time he had finished, Kevin had returned.

“I’m tired. What about you?” Chris asked Kevin.

“Yeah, I’m sort of tired, too,” Kevin answered with a yawn. “Probably because we’re finally relaxing after weeks of tension.”

“Well, whatever the cause, I could use a nice long nap.”

“So could I. Why don’t we all take a couple of days off, say until Saturday morning? We haven’t taken a break since you got here,”
Glendymere suggested.

“That’s a great idea!” Chris agreed.

“Are you sure we have the time?” Kevin asked. “I mean, don’t we have to start preparing for the magic duels?”

“Yes, but Saturday will be time enough. We’re going to work on defense against energy bolts for a couple of days first, but you don’t have a duel scheduled until Tuesday.”

“Tuesday?! That soon?” Kevin asked in near panic. “Are you sure I’ll be ready?”

“Actually, I’m quite sure you won’t be, but I don’t want you worrying about that right now. I want you to relax. Don’t do any magic at all, just rest. I don’t want you to burn out any more than I want you to burn up. Remember, I’ll be at the duels. I won’t let anything happen to you. Now, go. I want some sleep. After all, you don’t want me to fall asleep in the middle of one of your duels with a dragon, do you?”
Glendymere said as he turned around, settled down, and promptly fell asleep.

Chapter 42

The First Chills of Winter

Duane and Xantha arrived in North Amden along with the season’s first blast of artic air. As they flew into Crinsor Run around daybreak, Duane spotted his father walking in the fields, so he asked Xantha to land there.

“Good morning,” Duane said as he dismounted. The frost was so heavy that it crunched under his feet.

“Did you have a good trip?” Hayden asked. “Can you believe how cold it is this morning? Feels like the middle of January.”

“I know. It was warm when we left Willow Canyon. How long has it been this cool?”

“Oh, just for the past couple of mornings. It won’t last. We’ll warm up again before winter settles in for good. Now, how were things at Glendymere’s? Has Myron progressed as well as you had hoped?”

“Better than I had hoped. He’s already one of the most powerful sorcerers I’ve ever seen, and he still has a couple more months with Glendymere. For the first time since he returned to Terah, I really think he’ll be able to survive, and if he makes it, the others from Earth should, too. You should have seen them fight. You’d have thought that they’d been doing this type of thing all of their lives.”

“So Pallor chose the companions well.” Hayden’s pride in his nephew’s success crept into his voice. “So, what’s next?”

“Glendymere has arranged for Myron to duel with a few dragons this month, and then in January, they’re going to fight the elves and dwarves again, but this time backed up by Jonquin. Glendymere asked me if I wanted to return to watch the skirmishes.”

“Are you going?”

“I don’t know yet. I told Glendymere that I’d let him know.”

“Did you have a chance to ask him what he thought about asking Myron to tutor Landis?” Hayden asked.

“Yes, and he brought up a point that I hadn’t considered. Myron didn’t have to learn how to gather magical energy, so there’s no way he can teach Landis how to do it.”

“His elven blood. I hadn’t thought about that either. Oh well, we’ll find someone. Don’t worry about it.”

“Well, Glendymere had a suggestion. He said that if Myron agrees to tutor Landis once she’s mastered gathering and storing her energy, he would teach her that part himself,” Duane said hesitantly. He wasn’t sure how his father would react to Landis studying with Glendymere.

“Are you serious? He volunteered?”

Duane nodded. “He’s the one who brought it up. I didn’t know what to say. I just said that that was a very generous offer and asked if he was sure he didn’t mind. He said that if he’d minded he wouldn’t have offered in the first place. He’s heard about Rolan, so he knows that Landis really is in danger.”

“She’ll be at her most vulnerable at the beginning of her training and there’s no one who could protect her better than Glendymere. I’ll need to think about what I can offer him for his efforts, but I think it’s a terrific idea.”

“Are you going to tell Landis? It might take her a little while to get used to the idea that she’ll be studying with Glendymere. His legend is even bigger than he is.”

“That may be, but I don’t want to tell her that everything is settled until I know for sure that it is, until after I talk to Myron. After all, we don’t really know that he’ll be able to take care of himself, much less an apprentice. I think I’ll tell her that I’ve started looking, and hope to have something arranged by next fall. That should suffice for now, don’t you think?” Hayden asked. When Duane nodded, he added, “After all, what difference does it make whether she finds out now or later? The test will come when she faces him for the first time. If she freezes, she’ll just have to get over it. I’m sure he’s used to that reaction from humans.”

“True, and they do seem to get over it. None of the Earth people seemed to mind being around him at all,” Duane said. As they approached the courtyard he added, “I’m starved. Do you think Shelandra would mind if I stopped by your house for breakfast on the way in? Mother always cooks enough for an army.”

“You’re welcome to eat at our house any time, but as to whether or not Shelandra would mind, she’s your wife. Why are you asking me?” Hayden chuckled.

“I wasn’t really. I was asking myself. And I know the answer. Yes, she would mind if I went to your house before I went to ours. So, guess I’ll catch up with you later. Give Mother a kiss for me, and tell her to save me some of her pastries. I’ll be over later.”

When Hayden reached his house, he asked Gwynn if Taelor, Landis and Rhianna were up yet. She told him that they had already eaten and gone out. After he recounted his conversation with Duane, she asked if he was satisfied with the plan as it stood.

“Yes, I think it’s perfect, provided, of course, that Myron survives his first few months as Master Sorcerer.”

“When do you plan to tell her that she might be leaving next fall?” Gwynn asked. “This is going to be tough on Rhianna, too. They’re so close.”

“I know. Maybe we should go ahead and tell her that tentative plans are set up for next fall, but not go into any details. That way they can both start getting used to the idea. What do you think?”

“I think it would be best. Oh, here they come now. No time like the present. Shall I stay, or should I go warn Duane? You know they’ll try to get details out of him. They always do.”

“Stay. Then we’ll both go warn Duane,”

“Coward,” Gwynn whispered as the girls walked in ahead of Taelor.

Hayden briefly told Landis that arrangements were being made for her to begin her training as a sorcerer next fall but he wouldn’t have any details for her until everything was finalized next summer. Then he stood up, took his wife’s hand, and said that they were expected at Shelandra’s house for breakfast.

After Hayden and Gwynn left, Taelor felt that Landis and Rhianna wanted to talk, so he excused himself, saying that he wanted to do some target practice with the bow that Hayden had given him.

 Landis collapsed in one of the chairs. “I knew I’d have to leave here one day, but it never seemed real until this very moment.”

Rhianna reached for Landis’s hand and said, “I know.”

 “I’m going to miss you so much,” Landis said as she squeezed Rhianna’s hand.

“No you won’t. I’m going with you.”

“They’ll never permit that,” Landis moaned.

“I don’t imagine that they’ll have a whole lot to say about it,” Rhianna insisted. “You’re going to need an assistant, right? Are you going to tell me that I’m not good enough for the job?”

“Of course not, but Rhee, be serious for a moment. You don’t want to leave this valley any more than I do. This is home.”

“Yes, this is home, and one day I’ll come back. So will you. But when you leave here next fall, I’m going with you. You’re going to need me and you know it.”

 “I’ll be all right,” Landis assured Rhianna, as her eyes began to tear up. “You don’t have to worry. I’m sure Taelor will go with me,”

“I’m sure he will too, but he’s your brother, not your best friend,” Rhianna said through her own tears. “And another thing, once you leave here, you’re going to be in danger. Taelor’s not a warrior, no matter how hard he tries. I’m a much better archer than he is. I can hold my own against Duane with a sword, and my aim is true with the knives. You know I’m right. And I’m going. That’s all there is to it.”

~ ~ ~ ~

It was snowing in Trendon as Captain Yardner crossed the courtyard from his quarters to the main castle just before daybreak. He stomped the snow off his boots as he entered the great hall and shrugged out of his cloak as he approached Rolan’s office. As he handed it to one of the pages, he asked, “Is he in yet?” tilting his head towards Rolan’s closed door.

“Not yet, sir. Shall I go get you a mug of coffee?”

“Yes, thank you,” Captain Yardner said as he walked down the hall towards his own office. “And let me know when Rolan gets in.”

Captain Yardner walked into his office, sat down at his desk, and began to go through the messages that had arrived during the night. The first message was from the bounty hunters charged with finding the minstrels. Once again, they had nothing to report. The minstrels seemed to have vanished from the face of Terah. No one had seen them since the end of May.

The second message was from the squad charged with finding Myron. Captain Garen had sent a couple of his men into Milhaven posing as free-lance soldiers looking for work to see if they could pick up any gossip from the castle guards. No one there seemed to have any idea where Myron was or when he would be putting in an appearance, but no one that they had talked to seemed to be concerned about his absence.

“All in all, a strange situation,” Captain Yardner mumbled to himself. “You’d think that the castle guard would be anxious to know where their sorcerer was, what his travel arrangements were, and who was with him. If they knew, they’d talk about it; they couldn’t help themselves. And if they didn’t know, they’d talk about the fact that they didn’t know. But no one’s saying anything. Strange.” Captain Yardner glanced through the other messages. The only other message that would be of interest to Rolan was from the bounty hunters who’d tried to pick up Taelor’s trail. They, too, had only failure to report. Captain Yardner shook his head. Then he gathered up the three messages and took them down the hall to Rolan’s office. Rolan reached his office at the same time that Captain Yardner did.

“News then?” Rolan asked as he looked at the messages in Captain Yardner’s hand.

“Let’s talk about it inside,” Captain Yardner said.

Rolan opened the door to his office and led the way inside. “Let’s have the bad news.” He held his hand out for the messages.

“It’s more like no news rather than bad news, sir,” Captain Yardner said as he handed them to Rolan.

Rolan sat down behind his desk and read the three messages. Then he just sat there for a few minutes staring at the desktop. “You know, I can’t help but wonder why no one seems to be able to find any sign of the minstrels. You’d think that they’d be easy to locate, wouldn’t you? It’s been six months now. Do you have any ideas about what could have happened to them?”

“No, but I agree that it’s strange. And I think it’s also strange that no one in Milhaven has any idea where Myron is, and yet no one’s worried about him,” Captain Yardner said. “The only message that doesn’t surprise me is the one about Taelor. If they didn’t catch him when he first escaped, I doubt that they will now. He knows people are after him. He’s probably long gone, in a province on the other side of the sea. Do you want me to tell the bounty hunters to keep looking?”

“I think so, at least for another month or two, but tell them to keep an eye out for Landis, too. She has to be somewhere, and there has to be someone who knows where she is. I really should have tried to find her earlier,” Rolan said.

“What about the minstrels?”

“I think we might as well call that search off. Leave the reward in place though. You never know. They may show up again next spring. Enough people know about the reward that if they do show up, we’ll hear about it.”

“What do you want me to tell Captain Garen?” Captain Yardner asked.

“Tell him to keep looking. Myron has to be at the council meeting in April. I would think that he’d go to Milhaven first, but he doesn’t have to. He could just meet Laryn at the meeting. I bet she knows where he is,” Rolan said thoughtfully.

“Sir, I hope you’re not thinking of trying to get the information out of her.”

“It’s a nice thought, but no, that would be entirely too risky.” Rolan sighed.

“I’ll send the messages out this morning. Is there anything else you want me to pass along?” Captain Yardner asked.

“You might remind Garen that he and his squad should not plan to return to Brendolanth if Myron is still alive by the April council meeting,” Rolan said.

“Are you serious about that?”

“Very, and if Myron makes that meeting, I will have their families sold into slavery. You can remind them about that, too,” Rolan said. “Just be sure that they understand that I’m holding them responsible for his death. Period.”