The Dragon's Flame (The Chronicles of Terah # 2) Read online

  During the next week, Kevin spent most of his mornings either with Glendymere or in his office sorting out the rest of the transfer requests, and his afternoons with Laryn preparing for the federation meeting. Kevin and Chris knew next to nothing about fairies, merfolk, goblins, or any of the others, so in addition to specific information about the individual representatives, Laryn had to explain general information about the race or species.

  As the day of the meeting drew closer, Kevin’s curiosity about meeting all these different representatives gave way to apprehension. He knew they would probably be as curious about him as he was about them, but in a different way. They would be wondering if he was up to the job, and since that question crossed his mind at least a dozen times a day, he wasn’t at all sure he could reassure them.

  Friday afternoon, after they had reviewed all the representatives and Laryn had quizzed him about each delegate, he asked if there was anything in particular that he had to say or do during the meeting.

  “Not really. Once Glendymere calls the meeting to order, I’ll introduce you to the group as the Master Sorcerer of Terah, the human delegate to the Federation Council. Then I’ll step back, behind you, like I did at the Council of Sorcerers meeting, but this time, you get to sit back and watch. Unless you’re asked something directly, or have something you want to say in answer to someone else, you don’t have to open your mouth. And you’ll find that the representatives here are more pleasant. For the most part, they like each other. Makes a nice change from dealing with the sorcerers.”

  “Yeah,” Kevin said with a sigh. “Here’s hoping it stays that way.”

  “Where’s the meeting held?” Chris asked.

  “On Federation Isle. It’s in the Kitonian Ocean,” Laryn answered. Then she stood up and opened Kevin’s office door. “Ariel, bring us a map of Terah, please.”

  While they were waiting for the map, Kevin asked, “Is the meeting room round like the Council Chamber?”

  Laryn shook her head. “There’s no building of any kind. The federation meets on the beach. For one thing, the merfolk representative needs water, and several of the other representatives are quite large, especially Glendymere. It’s easier to accommodate everyone outside.”

  When Ariel handed her the map, she took it over to Kevin’s desk and spread it out. “Here, this is Federation Isle.”

  Kevin and Chris recognized it as Bermuda.

  “I’ve always wanted to go there,” Chris said with a faraway look in his eyes. “On Earth, it’s supposed to be one of the best places to go for a real vacation, to get away from it all.”

  “I’m sure the brownies who live there will be glad to let you visit anytime you want to, especially if you take them a gift,” Laryn said with a grin. Then her eyes opened wide and she said, “I can’t believe it. I nearly forgot. Badec always had Neiven make little trinkets for them. With everything else that’s been going on, I forgot to mention it to him. I wonder if he has anything we could use. I’ll check with him when I leave here.”

  “We could always take some food,” Kevin suggested.

  “I know, and if Neiven doesn’t have anything made up, we will. That’s what most of the other delegates do. Badec just liked to be a little different,” Laryn said with a deep sigh. “Is there anything else?”

  “Not that I can think of right now. I’ll go over all the notes again tonight. When do we need to leave?”

  “We’ll go shortly after breakfast. The other representatives will probably arrive a little early so they can meet you before the meeting begins. I’d like for us to get there before they start coming in. If we’re there by 10:00 we’ll probably be the first to show up,” Laryn answered. “Since Glendymere’s the chairman, the meeting will begin at noon by Willow Canyon time, so it won’t start until 2:00 in the afternoon by our time. That’ll give you a chance to mingle and get comfortable around the other representatives.”

  “Are we going to take something for lunch?” Chris asked with a slight frown.

  “I’ll ask Miranda to pack us a lunch, but the brownies will set out some snack food after the meeting. They always do,” Laryn said. “Now, do you have any other questions about the federation meeting? I think we’ve pretty much covered everything.”

  “Not that I know of,” Kevin answered. “Chris?”

  “Not at the moment.”

  “All right. Then I’ll leave so that you can get back to work. See you at dinner.”

  Chapter 3

  The Federation of Terah

  Saturday morning, Kevin was almost as nervous as he’d been before the meeting of the Council of Sorcerers, but not quite. At least, to the best of his knowledge, no one at the federation meeting would be planning his death.

  About an hour after breakfast, Laryn joined Chris and Kevin in Kevin’s office. She set the small lunch basket she was carrying on the edge of Kevin’s desk.

  “Did you get anything to leave for the brownies?” Kevin asked.

  “Neiven remembered,” Laryn said as she took some little metal sculptures out of the basket and laid them on the desk. There were some seashells, a couple of sea horses, a seagull, a pelican, and a couple of dolphins. “He thought the brownies might like these since they live near the sea.”

  Chris picked up a couple of the small sculptures and examined them closely. “These are really good. Does he do this type of thing often?” he asked as he handed them back to Laryn.

  “Whenever he has time. He enjoys it.” Laryn tucked the trinkets back in the basket. “Are you ready to go?”

  “I guess so,” Kevin answered as Chris nodded. Then Kevin took off the key to Terah and handed it to Laryn. “You know where we’re going.”

  Laryn picked up the basket, waited until both Kevin and Chris had put a hand on her arm, and then turned the key. When they materialized, they were in a grove of shade trees next to a small beach. After Kevin and Chris recovered from the energy field, she nodded in the direction of the beach and said, “The meeting will be held on the beach so that Yara can stay in the water.”

  “In our legends, merfolk could live on land for a little while,” Chris commented.

  “And they can, but it’s risky, and since there’s no real need for her to come out of the water, why ask her to?” Laryn answered. “It doesn’t hurt anyone to meet on the beach, and if the weather happened to be stormy, Glendymere, Caelan the elf, or even Myron could take care of it.”

  “I’d hate to be the one responsible for redirecting a hurricane,” Kevin said with a touch of a frown.

  “What’s a hurricane?” Laryn asked.

  “A big storm that comes in from the ocean, lots of high wind and rain,” Chris explained.

  “Oh. We call them gales. I don’t think they have many in this area at this time of year,” Laryn said. “Now, if you two are ready, let’s head on over to the beach. Some of the others will probably be arriving before long.”

  Kevin and Chris nodded so Laryn led them through the grove and down to the beach. They sat on the sand and ate their lunch as they watched the waves slowly roll in and fall apart as they approached the shoreline.

  Kevin was just starting to relax when Caradoc, the leprechaun, popped in. He was a little less than two feet tall with exaggerated facial features and long hair that combined with his beard to completely hide his neck. The shirt that he wore under his vest looked more like an old-fashioned peasant blouse than a tunic, and his pants were more like knickers than leggings. And true to the image that both Kevin and Chris had of leprechauns, there was a top hat on his head, big-buckled shoes on his feet, and a long-stem pipe in his mouth.

  Caradoc winked at Laryn, grinned at Chris, and then turned towards Kevin. “You must be Myron, Badec’s son. Hi, I’m Caradoc, from Farragon. It’s glad to make your acquaintance I am. We were beginning to wonder if you had gotten lost on your way to Milhaven. Cut it kinda close, didn’t you?”

  “Uh, it’s … it’s nice to meet you, too, Caradoc,” Kevin stuttered out.r />
  “Hello, Caradoc,” Laryn said. “What have you been up to lately? Any new grandchildren?”

  Caradoc giggled and started describing his latest grandchild.

  While Caradoc was talking, the air began to shimmer a few feet away, and after a moment or two, the hairiest man Kevin had ever seen began to materialize. He was at least ten feet tall, stocky, and covered in long white fur. Icy blue eyes twinkled like two sapphires on a white blanket, but the rest of the yeti’s facial features were hidden under his fur. When he opened his mouth to speak, Kevin prepared himself for a roar, but a gentle voice quietly said, “Hello, I’m Hagar, from Landoryn. Since you’re with Laryn, and you wear a sorcerer’s red opal, I take it that you’re Myron. Welcome.”

  “Thank you,” Kevin answered.

  Before the conversation could progress any farther, the air began shimmering in several other areas as a few more delegates arrived. Once they materialized, Laryn took over and introduced Kevin around.

  Jinks, the brownie, favored the leprechaun in size, but that’s as far as the similarities went. His head seemed a little large for his body, but his facial features were more proportional to his head than the leprechaun’s, and the skin on his face was baby-smooth with no sign of facial hair. Jinks wore a blousy shirt under a tight, sleeveless tunic that was gathered at the waist by a thin cord. His legs were bare, but he had on long narrow shoes that curled up at the toe. A large cap hid most of his hair, but long pointed ears stuck out on each side.

  The dwarf representative, Conrad, was perhaps four feet tall, two feet wide, and solid muscle. His leathery face and hands were a little large for his frame, while his arms and legs were slightly short. Coarse brown hair speckled with gray fell to his shoulders, and a long gray beard hung down to the center of his chest. A wide leather belt circled his ample waist with a sword attached on one side and a dagger on the other. A large battle-ax was anchored to his chest by two wide leather bands that ran from his sides to his shoulders, crisscrossing at the center.

  Standing next to Conrad was a man who looked like he was made out of large stones. The gargoyle was only about three feet tall, and his chunky torso was nearly as wide as it was tall. His round face had two small black eyes, one on each side of an owl-like beak. He didn’t appear to have any neck, and his short barrel-like arms ended in hands with three fingers that looked like bird’s talons. Large wings were anchored on each side of his spine, and his short stubby legs ended in what looked like duck’s feet, only made out of rock. When he introduced himself as Sandy from Dresland, his voice chirped like a sparrow.

  While Laryn and Sandy were talking about the dry weather in Dresland, Glendymere materialized on the other side of the beach. Kevin and Chris excused themselves and walked over to Glendymere.

  “I see you both made it to the meeting all right,” Glendymere said to them privately. “How do you like the other representatives?”

  “They’re definitely an interesting group,” Kevin answered hesitantly.

  “Yes, they are that, but I feel sure you’ve had a friendlier reception here than you did at the Council of Sorcerer’s meeting.”

  “Much nicer,” Kevin agreed. “But then, none of these people consider me a threat.”

  “No, but they do consider the human race a threat. Most of these representatives have been holding their breaths for the past year hoping nothing would happen before there was a functioning Master Sorcerer. The idea of having someone to hold responsible for the rest of the humans pleases them. Don’t be fooled by an outward show of friendship. Any one of them will turn on you in an instant if the humans start causing problems.” Glendymere paused for a moment and looked around to see how many of the delegates had arrived. “Here comes Ferdic. Have you met him yet?”

  “No, I think he just got here,” Kevin said as he looked at the giant coming towards them.

  Ferdic stopped beside Chris and introduced himself. He appeared human, just magnified. Chris’s head only came a little higher than mid-thigh on the man. His bronze face was surrounded by a thick black mane of hair that fell at least a foot below his shoulders and was held out of his face by a woven headband. Directly under the headband were black eyebrows so bushy that they seemed to extend from one side of his head to the other, and peering out from under the canopy of hair were two eyes the color of jade. His long handlebar mustache blended into the full beard, which hung halfway down his massive, muscular chest. Around his waist he wore a sash, and attached to the sash was a scabbard and sword. The sword hung from the man’s waist to the middle of his calf, a good six feet at least.

  Before Glendymere finished introducing Ferdic, another delegate began to materialize. Caelan, the elven representative, was close to seven feet tall but he was as thin as a sapling. With the long bow in his hand and the quiver of arrows strapped across his chest, he looked like a skinny Robin Hood. The sword attached to his belt was long and narrow, just like the dagger he wore strapped to his leg.

  Two other representatives shimmered in while Glendymere was introducing Caelan. The first to materialize was a phoenix. When he arrived, he flapped his wings causing an explosion of color. The only difference between him and Freddy was that his chest and topknot were a shade lighter. After he folded his wings back, he introduced himself as Eryk and said that he was from Riordan.

  The second representative was Norvak, the unicorn. He nodded to Kevin and Chris, but he didn’t actually speak, staying with the unicorn tradition of only communicating with his chosen human.

  Before Kevin could do much more than say hello to either Eryk or Norvak, something a few feet from the surf caught his eye. A throne of water rose up out of the waves, and seated on the throne was a mermaid with long flowing blond hair. Her face was mesmerizingly beautiful and even from a distance, Kevin could see her intense green eyes. Scales as green as her eyes covered her torso like a slinky evening gown before morphing into a tail fin. She nodded to Kevin and said telepathically, “I’m glad to see that you could make it. Welcome.”

  Kevin stammered out a thank-you, but before he could think of anything else to say, the air began to shimmer again as the rest of the delegates arrived.

  Tricie, the pixie, looked just like Tinkerbell from the old Disney movies, complete with large translucent wings on a six-inch body.

  King Merdin, the gnome, was about the same size as Jinks and Caradoc, but he looked more like a little human than either of the other two. His body was in the same proportions as humans, just on a two-foot frame, and his clothes were miniatures of the tunics, leggings, and boots worn by humans. He even wore a small sword on his belt.

  The Alysian cat, Klysa, materialized next to King Merdin. She had the arrogant and regal look of a siamese, but her soft gray coat was as luxurious as a persian’s. Sitting, she was almost as tall as the gnome.

  Yanko, the goblin, was a bit of a surprise. He was only about four feet tall, and quite skinny, with narrow shoulders and hips. He had cat-like ears, a bulldog nose, and widely separated dark eyes. His curved back made him look like a hunchback without a hump. His short neck was almost parallel to the ground, but his head was attached to his body so that he looked straight ahead, just like a human. His long arms reached halfway down his calf, and his skinny fingers brushed the ground as he walked.

  The last to arrive was Niall, the pegasus. He was so black he almost looked blue.

  After Glendymere introduced the last arrivals to Kevin, he called the meeting to order, and the delegates settled on the beach in a loose circle that included Yara.

  As soon as everyone was settled, Glendymere nodded to Laryn. She stepped forward, in front of Kevin, and said, “I would like to present Myron, of the House of Nordin, Seated Sorcerer of Camden, Master Sorcerer of Terah, human delegate to the Federation Council.” Laryn stepped off to the side a little and nodded in Kevin’s direction.

  Cheers and whistles mixed with enthusiastic applause as Kevin stood and bowed towards the group. Although he knew the applause was for
the position rather than for him, he couldn’t stop the blush that slowly crept up his cheeks. When he took his seat again, the applause and cheers began to subside.

  Ferdic was the first to speak. “On behalf of the Federation of Terah, I would like to offer our condolences on the loss that you and all of Camden have suffered. Your father was a great man. We all respected and admired him.” He paused as the other delegates nodded in agreement. “And I would like to extend our welcome and say how pleased we are that the Master’s Chair is no longer vacant.” Then with a glance towards Laryn, he added, “I mean no offense, Laryn.”

  “None taken,” she replied. “No one could be happier than I am to have someone assume the responsibility of the Master’s Chair.” Then Laryn pointed towards Chris. “And I would also like to introduce Chris, Myron’s assistant.”

  “Welcome, Chris,” Jinks said. “We hope you never have to fill in for Myron as Laryn has had to for Badec, but it’s good to know you’re there, ready, willing, and able.”

  Chris blushed as he nodded his thanks.

  “So, is there any old business that we need to discuss?” Glendymere asked. He looked around, but no one said anything. “Then is there any new business that needs to be brought before the Federation Council?”

  For a few moments, no one spoke. Then Tricie, the pixie, said in a high-pitched squeak, “I’m not sure this is really new business, but I have a question for Myron.”

  Glendymere nodded.

  She turned to Kevin and said, “I don’t mean to pry into your personal life, but have you chosen a mate yet?”

  Kevin blushed to the roots of his hair. “Well, uh … no, I haven’t.”

  “But you are interviewing prospective mates, aren’t you?” Jinks, the brownie, asked.

  Kevin stammered, “No, not really.”

  “But Myron,” Hagar, the yeti, said quietly in his deep voice, “It takes nine months for a human child to come to term. You need to take care of this immediately.”