The Fourteenth Key (The Chronicles of Terah Book 3) by Mackenzie Morgan

gone on her own, and neither of us could have done a thing about it. I couldn’t have sent you after her to drag her back. She’s got a pendant. And she’ll only listen to me up to a point. If she thinks she knows best, she’ll act on it, no matter what I say.” Brena took another swallow of tea. “She has tunnel vision right now. She doesn’t see the larger picture and she’s not interested in seeing it. All she sees is that someone she feels responsible for is in danger, and that makes her dangerous to anyone who tries to get in her way, me included. You can’t fault her loyalty, or her sense of duty, but it may lead us into a real mess if you don’t come up with something. So, like I asked earlier, what are you going to do about it?
    “I’ve made arrangements to have someone at the auction who’ll buy any of the captives from Syrando who show up there. That person will take them to his home province where they’ll stay until arrangements can be made to bring them back to Camden, but I’m not going to take them back to Syrando.”
    “That’s fine, but I doubt it’ll be enough for Janine, especially as she doesn’t really know you.”
    “That’s why I want to put Caezar and Ramen in Glenarbour. I’m going to tell her they’re working for me and she can get a message to me through them, and if she runs into any problems, they’ll be there to help her.”
    “Or stop her,” Brena said under her breath. “All right, but why should she trust them?”
    “Does she know about the break-in last summer?”
    Brena thought for a moment and then nodded. “I don’t remember how, but she did hear about it. I got a note from her asking if there was anything she needed to know. I let her think it was just a couple of stray bandits who thought that since this chapel was the home of the Sisterhood, there’d be money here. But I did mention you’d put a couple of soldiers in the area to keep an eye out in case the thieves had been part of a larger gang.”
    “If you send her a note introducing them, would that make them more acceptable to her?”
    Brena nodded. “It should, but be sure to remind them she wears a pendant, and even good intentions, if interpreted as a threat, can spark it.”
    “I will.”
    “When are you taking them up there?”
    “I’m supposed to meet her tomorrow morning around daybreak. I thought I’d take them then.”
    “Good.” Brena stood up and put her cup in the sink. “Anything else?”
    Kevin shook his head and finished the last swallow of his tea.
    “Then I’m going to go write that note,” she said as she took his cup and set it in the sink with hers. “She should have it before you get there. And if you can, drop by tomorrow morning and let me know how she reacts.”
    Kevin nodded as Brena breezed out of the kitchen and headed down the hall to her office.
    ~ ~ ~ ~
    Kevin didn’t get back to his office with Caezar and Ramen until a few minutes before 9:00. After arranging to meet them in his office at 5:00 the next morning, he left for Ashmont.
    No one was on the street when Kevin got there, but a couple of the stores were open. He walked up the front steps of the chapel and knocked on the door.
    When Alma opened it, she said, “You’ve come to see Sister Theresa again, haven’t you? You do realize she’s a Sister of Healing and has certain obligations and duties, don’t you? She doesn’t have time for personal visitors.”
    “But you’ll still tell her I’m here, won’t you?”
    “Humph!” Alma muttered and stomped off down the hall.
    A little bit later, Theresa emerged from the back area of the chapel, wiping her hands on her apron. “Sorry. I was with a patient, although I’m not sure why. He kept saying nothing was wrong, but Alma insisted I had to check him out.”
    “Was something wrong with him?”
    Theresa shrugged. “Not that I could find. Anyway, you’re here for the children, right?”
    Kevin nodded.
    “Good. And I want you to take Hayley