Chapter 5
The Ministers' Conference
On the surface, everything seemed ready in the Governor’s and Sorcerer’s Offices Sunday morning. The pages wore crisp new uniforms and boots polished to a shine. Every surface and window sparkled and vases of fresh flowers sat on every table. The aroma of fresh baked goods filled the air.
But under the facade of polish was a last minute rush to adjust schedules, double check details, and make sure every possible problem had been anticipated and dealt with. Even the most casual observer would have no doubt that Ariel and Petri were running the show.
When Rhianna walked into the office to wait for Kevin, Ariel glanced up and waved her towards Kevin’s office. “If you don’t mind, would you wait for him in there? He was in the dining room a few minutes ago. He shouldn’t be long.”
Rhianna nodded and headed for Kevin’s office. She’d barely sat down when Kevin walked in.
“Ready to get out of this madhouse?” he asked.
“Everything looks nice out there. They seem to have things well in hand.”
“Looks can be deceiving. They still haven’t given me a list of who to pick up and where I’m supposed to meet them. Last I heard, they’re considering splitting the list between me and Chris. It’ll make my afternoon a lot less hectic if they do, but they’re afraid they might insult someone by sending Chris.”
Rhianna frowned. “That sounds petty. Surely none of your ministers would mind if Chris picked them up.”
“Not normally, but things got pretty tense while we were taking them home after Laryn’s reception and the pages don’t want anyone wondering if I sent Chris because of something that was said at the time.” At the blank look on Rhianna’s face, Kevin explained. “That was when the ministers found out about the slaver raids. They were all up in arms wanting to know what I was going to do about it. I finally got angry and said I’d like to do away with slavery all over Terah, but it was hard for the other sorcerers to take me seriously when the ministers of Camden kept requesting more and more slaves for their districts. That’s when it got sort of ugly.”
“Why? You told them the truth.”
Kevin shrugged. “They thought I was being a hypocrite, that the castle staff was made up of slaves. The pages spoke up and said no one here was a slave, but I’m not sure the ministers believed them. I don’t know how much animosity is still floating around out there over things that were said last fall, but Karl’s bringing slavery up during his first session so it’ll all get stirred up again.” Kevin shook his head. “Anyway, it’s time to take you to Wildcat Mountain so I can go meet Glendymere. I have to get back here and clean up before the pandemonium hits.” As Kevin took out his key, he laughed at Rhianna’s puzzled look. “Pandemonium is…”
“Never mind. I get the idea.” Rhianna put her hand on his arm. “Let’s go.”
Once they were in Ashni’s front yard, Kevin took Rhianna’s hand, led her behind the trees, and rested his hands on her shoulders. “I’m going to miss you.”
Rhianna smiled. “I hope so.”
As he leaned in to gently kiss her, she put her arms around his neck and pulled him closer. As the kiss deepened, his arms slid around her in a full embrace. A few moments later, they slowly broke apart. After she caught her breath, Rhianna said, “You and Nikki could always slip away after everyone has gone to bed. We could have our evening walk up here.”
Kevin smiled. “I’ll see if I can arrange it, but no matter what, someone will be here to pick you up after dinner Wednesday.”
Rhianna nodded. “Until then.”
As Rhianna turned towards the house, Ashni and Blalick stepped away from the kitchen window.
“Looks like the boy is interested in the elf,” Blalick said.
“With the way he was looking at her, I think it is safe to say he is not a boy anymore. And from what I saw, I would say the attraction is mutual,” Ashni said with a quick chuckle.
Blalick’s eyebrows knitted. “Should I inform Hayden?”
“No. It is up to them to let her parents know. Now go open the door for her while I put on some tea.”
~~~~
When Kevin and Chris got to the office after lunch, Ariel motioned towards Kevin’s office, followed them inside, and handed each of them a folder. “We set this up like the reception. You have a list of where you need to go, maps indicating the houses where you’re meeting the ministers, and a list of who should be there. Bring each group back here. We’ll check them in and turn them over to Petri, who’ll assign them a bunk.”
Kevin sat down at his desk, opened his folder, and counted the number of trips on his list. “I’ve got nineteen stops. How many do you have, Chris?”
Chris looked over his list. “Twelve.”
Before either of them could say anything, Ariel looked at Kevin. “A few of the groups have four ministers. We gave those to you. And, to be honest, a few of the ministers are… difficult. We gave you those, too.”
“Gee, thanks,” Kevin mumbled while Chris smiled and said, “Thanks.”
“And we had a few who requested you pick them up, so we honored their requests.”
“Did you mark those?” Kevin asked.
Ariel shook his head. “We didn’t figure it mattered. I can see if Petri has a list if you want me to.”
Kevin shook his head. “If there’s a reason, I’ll find out soon enough. What time did you tell them to expect us?”
“All we said was after lunch, so you can start whenever you’re ready,” Ariel said. “Anything else?” When neither of them said anything, Ariel slipped out of Kevin’s office and pulled the door shut behind him.
Kevin took off his key to Terah and handed it to Chris. “The sooner we get started, the sooner we’ll be done. Good luck.”
~~~~
Kevin didn’t finish transporting ministers until nearly dinnertime. After his last group, he slipped into his office, shut the door, and collapsed at his desk. He hadn’t been there two minutes when the door opened and Chris walked in with two cups of coffee.
“What took you so long?” Chris asked as he handed Kevin a cup. “I finished a couple of hours ago.”
“Thanks.” Kevin leaned back in his chair. “I had more than you did.”
“Not that many more.”
“Remember when Ariel said some of the ministers requested me?”
Chris nodded.
“I bet they were the ones whose wives wanted to introduce me to someone, and in a couple of cases, more than one someones.” Kevin sipped his coffee.
“As in female someones?”
“As in single females looking for a husband.”
“How many times did that happen?”
“Eight. And six of them had set out things for afternoon tea and expected me to eat with them. I was reminded more than once that I’d put them off last November saying I didn’t have time, but they knew things weren’t as rushed today since the wives weren’t going.”
Chris laughed. “Did you at least have something good to eat?”
Kevin shook his head. “Most of it was dainty little stuff, the type of food Dara would like. And the tea cups were demitasse size. Ridiculous little things. Barely hold a good swallow.”
“Sorry,” Chris managed between chuckles.
“At one place the girl had a bag with her. She wanted to come back with me and play hostess, said it would give us time to get to know each other. I told her I didn’t need a hostess, that I wasn’t running the conference. The governor was, and his wife was the hostess.” Kevin shook his head. “How am I going to get this mess stopped?”
“Actually it would be pretty easy to put an end to it.”
“How?”
“Karl’s scheduled a formal banquet for Thursday night. All you’d have to do is get Rhianna to walk in with you and sit at the head table.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Why not?”
“People might get the idea we’re interested in each other.”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but wasn’t that the goal four months ago? To make everyone think you two were involved?”
“But that was to get Rolan’s men out of North Amden.”
“True, but the fact that the two of you are still seeing each other is not a secret. Everyone in Milhaven knows.”
“That’s so no one figures out it was all an act.”
“Kevin, all anyone has to do is see the two of you together to know it’s no act.”
“What do you mean?”
“Everyone knows you’re interested in each other. It’s written all over your faces. I wouldn’t be surprised if Cryslyn and Miranda are already planning your wedding, so you might as well let the ministers start getting used to the idea. Your family already knows, so they won’t be surprised if they hear about it. Why not make it official? It’ll get all those women off your back.”
Kevin shook his head. “I’m not saying I haven’t thought about it, but I don’t know how she feels.”
“Want me to find out? Or better yet, want Xantha to look?”
“Absolutely not! This isn’t ninth grade. We’ll figure it out for ourselves.”
“Let me know if you change your mind,” Chris said as he stood up. “But in the meantime, it’s time for dinner, and you’ve got to welcome the ministers to Milhaven before Miranda will serve the food. We need to get going.”
~~~~
Shortly after breakfast Monday morning Karl watched as the ministers straggled into the Entrance Hall. After the last one sat down, Karl called the meeting to order. “Before we get started, there’s someone who wants to speak with you.” Karl motioned towards the door where Doreen was standing. She nodded and walked across the room to stand beside him.
“Thank you,” Doreen said to Karl as he sat down. Then she turned to face the ministers. “Good morning. My name’s Doreen. I wasn’t here the last time you were in Milhaven. I was living on Parson’s Branch about a mile from Heron’s Gulf. I’d be living there today if slavers hadn’t attacked.”
Doreen gazed around the entrance hall. “I can imagine what you’re thinking, that we shouldn’t have been there anyway, that living on the coast is asking for trouble. Well, if you’re a fisherman, you don’t have a lot of choice. And Heron’s Gulf is one of the safer places for fishermen. The mouth is fairly narrow, and soldiers patrol it night and day. We should have been safe.” Doreen paused. “My aunt’s screams woke me up that night. As I pulled on my robe I saw my father run out the front door. Before he made it ten feet, a man stepped out of the shadows and stabbed him with a sword. I knew he was dead before he hit the ground. I screamed and reached for the fire poker, the only weapon within reach, but before my fingers could close around the handle, something crashed into the back of my head and the world went dark.” Doreen took a moment to glance around the room. “When I came to, I was on the floor in a damp, dark room. Three of the walls were stone, but the fourth was iron bars with a door on one end. As my head cleared, I realized I was not alone. There were over a dozen women in there with me, along with children ranging from infants to teens. You’d have thought it would have been noisy, but it was strangely quiet. No one was talking, not even the children.”
Doreen glanced around the room again. The men appeared to be listening, but only a few seemed to be concerned. “There must have been a door somewhere down the hall. We couldn’t see it, but we could hear it clang, and every time we heard it, we cringed, hoping it was just the changing of the guard, because otherwise it meant they were taking someone away.” Doreen took a deep breath and continued. “I marked time by the changing of the guard. There were three sets of guards, so I figured three rotations made a day. After each third rotation, I made a small mark on one of the stones, and by my count, I was in that cell for fifty days. We got water twice a day and stale bread and moldy cheese once a day. It didn’t take long to figure out we were being stored in a cage until we could be sold, traded, or given as gifts.”
Doreen paused a few moments. “I’ll never forget the horror of the raid, the anger as I watched my father die, the despair of being caged, or the fear of not knowing what would happen next. But I was rescued from that nightmare by the kindness of complete strangers who risked their lives to come for us. Words cannot express the gratitude I feel, and I’m sure the others who were handed their lives back that night feel the same way.” Doreen took a deep breath. “You have slaves working in your district right now. They may not be in dungeons, but they’re slaves even so. Their lives are not their own. You are in a position to grant them their freedom, to let them live their lives as they wish. I hope you choose to do it. Thank you.”
Doreen nodded at Karl and quietly left the room as he stood up. After the door shut behind her, he said, “I’m sure those of you who were here last fall remember the two children who survived the raid on Syrando. They were victims of the slaver raids every bit as much as Doreen was. Their father was killed and their mother was taken away. Sad to say, we haven’t been able to locate her yet. Over the past year, slavers have killed twenty-three of our citizens and captured over two hundred and thirty. It was an unusually active year because one group targeted Camden, and that group had access to a seated sorcerer’s key. That made them more difficult to find, but Myron did it. Most of those slavers are either dead or behind bars, and over a hundred and forty of those captured have been rescued. Unfortunately around ninety of our citizens are still suffering in captivity. We’re searching for them, but with each passing day the chances of success fade.”
“What’s to stop that sorcerer from letting slavers have the key again?” one of the ministers yelled out. “How are you going to stop that?”
“Yeah, I’d like an answer to that one, too,” another joined in. “My wife’s still fussing at me about those children and Yani’s niece.”
As several other ministers added their voices to the mix, Karl waited for the room to settle back down. “As to the sorcerer, I guess you haven’t heard, but when she found out Myron had rescued the captives, she challenged him to a duel. He defeated her last February. Her heir has shown no sign of using his key in the slave trade.” Then he cut his eyes over to the minister who had brought up Serra. “As to Yani’s niece, she’s still here, working at the castle, by her choice. Ask Thanzer.”
Thanzer stood up and nodded. “Myron has been kind enough to bring Serra to visit several times so she can get to know her family, but Governor Karl’s right. The girl wants to stay here. She’s never been treated as a slave. She didn’t know she’d ever been captured until it came out last fall.”
As Thanzer sat back down, Karl continued. “Now, what I want to know is what have you done to put an end to slavery? You’ve made it very clear how you feel about any of our citizens being turned into slaves, but what about the citizens of other provinces who work as slaves in your districts? Have you found a way to put an end to that yet? After everything you’ve said, there’s no way you can justify using slaves.”
“We can’t stop using slaves,” one of the ministers said. “How else can we fill our soldier ranks?”
“I don’t know,” Karl said. “That’s something you need to figure out. I want a plan from each of you on my desk before the end of this year addressing how you’re going to do it, and I mean before the first of January. I want to review the plans, return the ones that need more work, and get revisions back before we meet next summer.”
“We’ve always used slaves. It’s how it’s done,” another minister yelled out. “You can’t expect us to stop!”
“It’s how it was done in the past, but not anymore. Look, you made your views clear last November. You want slavery ended, so we’re ending it,” Karl answered. “Camden’s becoming a slave-free province.”
“How?!” someone asked while someone else said, “No, it won’t.”
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out,” Karl said. “Talk amongst yourselves, consult your town directors, talk to your captains and lieutenants. I have no doubt if you put your mind to it, you’ll come up with a workable plan.”
“You can’t make us do that,” the first minister said. “Not if we all refuse.”
“And I won’t try,” Karl said quietly. “No one’s forcing any of you to do anything you don’t want to. All you have to do is submit your resignation and it will no longer be your problem. I’m sure we can find someone else who’ll be willing to assume the duties and responsibilities of minister.”
At that point Joan walked in, so Karl said, “Joan would like to talk to you about another matter,” and sat down.
As soon as Joan reminded the ministers she’d asked them to find out how many of their towns, settlements, and rural areas had no easy access to a Chapel of Light, the grumbling started up again. “Look, I’m not asking you to set up the clinics, or to find aides to staff them. I’ll handle that. All I need from you is the number of clinics your district needs and where they need to be located. Surely you can find the time to get that information together, but if you can’t, ask your wife to do it, or your assistant. All of you have assistants, right? If you can’t get your assistant to do it, ask the army captain to have his lieutenants look into it. I don’t care how you do it, just get it done, but I’m warning you, if you don’t have that information to me by the first of January, you’ll find me on your doorstep one day and I won’t leave until we find someone who can get it done. Do you understand me?”
As the ministers sat in stunned silence, it was all Karl could do not to laugh.
When no one spoke, Joan nodded. “Good. I’m glad we understand each other.” Then she turned to Karl. “Thank you. I’ll hand it back over to you now.”
As Joan left the room, there was an audible sigh of relief.
Karl held up two sheets of paper. “Those of you who would like an appointment with Gen. Crandal need to sign this sheet,” he said as he set it on a table near the left hall door. Then he crossed the room to a table near the right door. “And those who wish to speak with Myron need to sign this one. When you’re done, break for lunch. We’ll meet back in here in two hours.”
~~~~
Monday evening while Chris was scheduling conferences for the next day, Kevin asked him to schedule Ryan, the minister of Ragenon, for first thing Tuesday morning.
“Okay, but he didn’t request a conference so don’t be surprised when he doesn’t show up.”
“Where’s he staying tonight?”
“I don’t know. Petri has that list.”
Kevin wrote a quick note, folded it, and put Ryan’s name on the outside. “Ask Ariel to find Ryan and give him this note.”
Chris frowned as he took the note.
“I want to find out what he knows about where Warren and Torrey are and what they’re doing. Torrey and Ryan’s wife, Sheryl, are close friends. If she’s told anyone the truth, she’s told Sheryl, and if she’s told Sheryl, Ryan knows.”
“Are you going to come right out and ask him?”
“I’ll ask about Colin first, then steer the conversation over to Warren. I’ll have to play it by ear from there, but I’m hoping that given the opening, he’ll tell me what he knows without my having to ask.”
“Good luck with that,” Chris said. “After I give Ariel that note, I’m going to dismiss the pages, shut down the office, and head upstairs. Want anything other than scog?”
Kevin shook his head. “Did you get a chance to check on Nikki?”
Chris nodded. “Marshall was finishing up in the stable when I got out there and Nikki was crashed out in her crate. I don’t know where they went today, but she was worn out. He said they were going home as soon as he was done.”
“Good,” Kevin said as he stood up. “Guess I’ll head out back and play host.”
~~~~
Shortly after breakfast Ryan knocked on Kevin’s open door. “You wanted to see me?”
“Come on in,” Kevin said as he gestured towards the visitors’ chairs in front of his desk. “How are things going with Colin? I haven’t been to Walnut Springs lately.”
Ryan smiled. “He’s doing fine. Everyone loves him. Half the women want to adopt him, the other half want to marry him. He’s gaining respect as a sorcerer now that he’s not standing in Warren’s shadow.”
“Good. I was hoping he would work out.”
“He’s more than worked out. If Warren’s not careful, he’s going to take his place before long.”
“That might not be a bad thing. I think Warren’s hoping Colin will be the district sorcerer by the time he gets home.”
“I don’t know about that.” Ryan leaned back in his chair. “I can’t see Warren giving up being a sorcerer any more than I can see me resigning as minister.”
“There’s a difference between being a sorcerer and being a district sorcerer. I think Warren’s ready to end his career as a district sorcerer, but you’re right, he’ll always be a sorcerer.”
“Is that why you sent him wherever you sent him? To let him be a sorcerer without the responsibility of a district?”
“Yes and no. I needed a topnotch sorcerer for a special assignment, and since Colin was already in Walnut Springs, Warren was a logical choice. That he was ready for something new had more to do with his accepting the position than with my offering it.”
Ryan nodded. “Well, I don’t know what he’s doing, but the couple of times I’ve seen him, he’s been in a terrific mood. Whatever he’s doing suits him, and he’s having a good time. So is Torrey.” Ryan laughed. “And that’s driving my wife crazy. She’s done everything she can to get Torrey to tell her where she is and what they’re doing, but so far Torrey’s answered her questions without telling her anything. Sheryl’s hinted that she wants to go back with Torrey for a visit, but Torrey hasn’t taken the bait. She won’t tell Sheryl anything about the people she’s meeting other than they’re nice and have been helpful, but Sheryl hasn’t been able to find out anything else. One thing I do know, someone Torrey’s met is a really good cook. She brought some sweet buns home with her last time that were wonderful, even better than hers, and I didn’t think anyone could top hers. I hope she remembers to bring Sheryl the recipe. I want some more of those.”
Kevin’s grin spread from ear to ear. “Well, if she doesn’t, let me know. I know who made them and I’ll get you the recipe.”
“Thanks. I’ll hold you to that.” Ryan leaned forward. “Anything else?”
Kevin shook his head. “That was all.”
“Then I’ll let you get on with your day.”
After Ryan left, Chris stepped in. “Find out?”
Kevin nodded. “We’re fine. She’s not talking.”
“Good.” Chris handed Kevin a list of his appointments for the day. “The minister of Lormere, Namir, is your first appointment. Ready to get started?”
Kevin took a deep breath as he looked at the list. “I guess so. Send him in.”
Namir wanted to know where Darwyn had ended up. “I’ve asked around, but no one’s taken on a new sorcerer lately except Kirken, and he hired Calhoun’s apprentice when Calhoun took Darwyn’s place. I know it’s none of my business, but Darwyn was with us for over ten years, and I consider him a personal friend. I’d like to know where he is so I can make sure he’s all right.”
Kevin bit back a smile. “He’s not in Camden.”
Namir’s eyes widened. “What? Where is he? What did you do with him?”
“He’s fine. I can’t tell you where he is, but he’s enjoying himself. He’s in an isolated area working as the sorcerer for a small settlement. The only way to get there is by key, and as only a handful of us know where they are, they’re perfectly safe.”
“Then why do they need a sorcerer?”
“For building houses, clearing trees, everyday things. I can’t tell you much, but I can tell you he’s warm. He won’t have to deal with snow or ice the whole time he’s there.”
“I want to believe you, but he’s a friend. I want to be sure he’s all right.” Then Namir sighed. “He saved my life five years ago. I’d never forgive myself if he was in a bad situation and I didn’t do something to help him.”
Kevin nodded. “I understand, but I’m afraid you’ll just have to take my word for it that he’s fine. Sorry.”
Namir didn’t look happy when he left the office.
Chris stepped back in and asked, “Everything okay?”
Kevin shrugged. “As okay as it can be, I guess. I’ll fill you in later. Who’s next?”
For the next couple of hours, Kevin saw a steady stream of ministers. Duncan, the minister of Sandifer, wanted an update on the search for the residents of Syrando and to find out if the slavers who attacked Syrando had been captured.
Kirken, the minister of Brystal, dropped by to let Kevin know the sorcerer he’d hired to replace Calhoun, Maury, was working out and to thank him for making it so easy to hire him.
Thanzer, the minister of Lochland, wanted Kevin to talk to Serra about visiting more often. He said his wife and his mother-in-law were both nagging him to do something about it. Kevin sent Ariel to find Serra and told Thanzer to work it out with her.
A couple of ministers whose districts had been hit by slavers wanted to thank Kevin for rescuing the captives, while others wanted to know if Kevin had any leads on the ones who were still missing.
A few wanted to address issues they were having with their sorcerers, and several wanted to let Kevin know their sorcerers had gone above and beyond the call of duty to help out.
And then there were the ministers who asked for a meeting so they could complain about Karl and his insistence that they run their districts without slaves. Those conferences were quick and to the point. Kevin told them if they had a problem with Karl’s request, it was time for them to resign and let someone else handle it. Period.
Around noon, Chris walked in with a tray. “You’re running late, so I brought your lunch. You’ve got fifteen minutes to eat before your next meeting, and since he’s already here, that’s all the time I can give you.”
Kevin ate as quickly as he could and got back to work. The afternoon was more of the same and by the time the last minister left, Kevin was ready to call it a day. He called Chris into his office and asked, “Is there anyone else I need to see today?”
Chris shook his head. “As far as I know, you’re done.”
“Good. Then I’m getting out of here for a while.”
“Where are you going?”
Kevin thought for a moment. “Elsewhere. Talk to Petri and find out where Namir is sleeping.”
Chris frowned.
“I’ll tell you later. If anyone else needs to see me, tell them I’ll be in my office tomorrow. I’m done for today.”
~~~~
Shortly before midnight, Kevin asked Chris to have one of the guards go to the barracks and get Namir.
“I could do that. We don’t need a guard,” Chris argued.
Kevin shook his head. “If you go there will be a lot of questions about why we needed to see him in the middle of the night.”
“You don’t think there’ll be questions if a guard goes?”
“If a guard wakes him up it could just mean he got a message from his wife. If you go, it makes it bigger, more important, so more questions.”
Chris shrugged. “If you say so.”
“Just send someone, okay?”
“Do you want refreshments?”
“No, they won’t be here that long. I just want Namir to know Darwyn’s all right. Otherwise he’s not going to let this go.”
“You wouldn’t either,” Chris said as he left to find a guard.
Kevin turned his key and went to the island where Darwyn was living with Cpt. Garen’s men and their families. Darwyn was waiting for him near the cave he’d chosen for his home.
“Stay put when we get to my office. I don’t want anyone but Namir to see you,” Kevin said. “And remember, you can’t tell him where you are, why you’re here, or mention anyone’s name, and especially don’t mention Landis or apprentice.”
“I’ve got it. Don’t worry.” Darwyn put his hand on Kevin’s arm. “I’m sorry about this. It never crossed my mind he’d be so concerned.”
“Well, from what he said, you saved his life once. I imagine he feels the least he can do is make sure you’re all right. He’d probably have been fine with it if I could have explained, but I can’t. Not now. And neither can you.”
Kevin turned the key and took them back to his office. As soon as Darwyn recovered from the energy field, Kevin opened the door and asked Namir to come in.
When Namir walked through the door, Darwyn smiled and held out his hand. “I understand you were wondering what happened to me.”
Namir’s mouth dropped open as he looked back and forth between Darwyn and Kevin.
“I’ll give you two a few minutes to talk, but Namir, Darwyn can’t tell you where he is or why. When the assignment’s over, he’ll be able to explain, but for now, he has to keep it to himself. Don’t push him to tell you things he can’t.”
Namir nodded as he shook Darwyn’s hand. After Kevin left, Namir asked, “So you’re all right? Do you like where you’re living now?”
Darwyn grinned. “It’s great. I haven’t been cold one time since I got there, and from what I understand, it stays the same temperature all year. I couldn’t have asked for a nicer place.”
“What about the people? Are they treating you all right?”
Darwyn nodded. “They’re nice people, and thoughtful. One of the ladies is a terrific cook, so she does most of the cooking for everyone. Myron checks on us at least once a week and brings us anything we need. I could stay there forever.”
Namir smiled. “I’m glad. I figured you had transferred to another district, but when none of the ministers knew anything about you, I was worried something had happened to you.”
“I’m fine, but tell me, how are things going in Lormere? Is Calhoun working out all right?”
“So far he’s doing fine. He’s not a real friendly sort, but you know the folks up there. They’re pretty accepting. Of course we haven’t had a winter yet. We’ll see how he does with that.”
Kevin knocked once on the door and then opened it. “I need to take Darwyn back home. Are you about ready?”
Darwyn nodded, so Namir said, “Thanks, Myron. Now I can tell everyone he’s fine.” He looked at Darwyn. “A lot of the folks up there were wondering where you got to since no one’s heard from you. I have to admit my wife was feeling a little hurt that you hadn’t kept in touch. Now I can tell her it’s because you couldn’t.”
“Actually,” Kevin said slowly, “he can. You can send letters here for him. I’ll deliver them and when he answers them, I’ll send his letters from here. It’ll take more time than normal, but it’s doable. I should have offered to do that when he first went, but I didn’t think about it, and to be honest, I wasn’t sure I wanted anyone to figure out he wasn’t in Camden, but since you know...”
“Thanks,” Namir said. “If anyone mentions wanting to send him a letter, I’ll tell them to give it to me.”
“There won’t be many, if any,” Darwyn said, looking at Kevin. “My friends up there don’t tend to write letters.”
“No, but my wife does, especially during the winter,” Namir said. “She’ll write and tell you everything that’s going on and when she hears from you, she’ll share it with everyone around. You know that, right? So don’t tell her anything you don’t want spread.”
“Not much to tell,” Darwyn said. “My life’s quiet, just the way I like it, nice and calm.”
Namir laughed. “Hope it stays that way. It’s been good to see you.”
“You, too,” Darwyn said as he put his hand on Kevin’s arm. “Take care.”
While Kevin took Darwyn back to the island, Chris ushered Namir out and headed for the kitchen for a couple of mugs of scog. He’d just gotten settled in Kevin’s room when Kevin walked in.
“Did you go back by the office?” Chris asked as he pointed towards Kevin’s scog.
Kevin nodded as he picked up his drink. “I wanted to make sure no one had come in after I left.”
“If anyone had, I’d have thrown them out. We’ve had enough for one day.” Chris turned up his mug and finished his scog. “Put your mug on the tray when you finish. I’ll take them down tomorrow morning. I’m going to bed.”