SEARCH FOR THE LOST SOUL (5 page)

Wynne eyed
him for several minutes before speaking again. “You do not need to worry about
Loren chasing Kelly. He has been with Glenna for almost twelve years. He claims
that she is the love of his life. Besides, Kelly is too young for him, he
prefers older women.”

“That still
doesn’t explain his interest in her.”

“His
interest is professional,” said Wynne. “The magical community has been waiting
for Kelly’s birth for hundreds of years. We were all aware when she came into
this world, even I, a witch with limited power, felt the ripples through the
continuum.

“Almost as
soon as she was born the fighting over who would get the honor of training her
began. After many years of debate it was finally decided by the wizard’s
council that Loren should do it; he has a record of training those with power.
And it is well known that he would never demand payment from her in return for
those teachings. He is well respected within the community.”

“So I have
nothing to fear?” Chris asked doubtfully.

“Not in that
respect, no.”

“Are you
happy now?” Kelly asked him.

“I’m not
sure,” he replied. “I’ll let you know in a few days.”

She frowned
at him and turned to Wynne. “Are there any other interesting stories here in
the portrait room?”

Wynne
laughed. “Many.”

A few
minutes later Chris left them to their stories and returned to his own room
where he found a fire now roaring in the fireplace. He opened the connecting
door to Kelly’s room and poked his head into the room, noting with satisfaction
that a similar fire was burning in her fireplace.

He pulled
the wingback chair that hadn’t been in the room when they looked earlier closer
to the fire, realizing for the first time that he was chilly. He was staring
morosely into the fire when Conrad entered the room a few minutes later.

“Is there
anything I can get for you sir?”

Chris started
to frown at him but stopped himself; the boy was only doing his job. “I think
I’m fine.”

Conrad
nodded. “I was able to borrow a pair of pajamas from Leopold for you to use
until we can procure some clothing for you. I believe that you are almost the same
size. I have laid them out on the bed for you when you are ready. Will you need
help dressing?”

Chris did
frown now but he quickly wiped it from his face, hoping that the boy hadn’t
seen it. Different country, different customs, he realized. Still, did they
think he couldn’t dress himself? “No. I will require no help.”

He paused
for a moment, wondering how to get rid of the boy without offending him. After
a moment’s thought he had an idea, something he had once heard in a movie. “You
can go to bed for the night.”

Conrad
looked confused, remaining standing in front of Chris.

Chris
returned his attention to the boy. He thought he’d solved this problem. “What
is it?”

“Tis only
that I am not allowed to go to bed until you do.”

This time
Chris allowed his frown to stay on his face. “Well, if anyone says anything to
you tell them I told you to go to bed, ok.”

Conrad
continued to stand where he was. Shifting from foot to foot.

Chris sighed
and waved him away. “Please, go to bed. I promise that I won’t tell anyone that
you went to bed before I did. I’ll go to bed in a few minutes.”

Conrad
smiled uncertainly and bowed slightly before hurrying from the room.

Chris was
glad to see him go; he wasn’t certain that he was gong to like having his own
servant. The constant hovering was bound to get on his nerves. He stared into
the fire for quite some time before rising and walking to the double doors that
led to the balcony.

Darkness had
fallen and the full moon was rising over the mountains. After peering through
the windows for several minutes he opened one of the doors and walked out onto
the balcony. The wind had risen and was blowing loose leaves around the corners
of the balcony. He walked past the potted plants to the wall that surrounded
the balcony, leaning over to look over the edge.

He pulled
his head back when a wave of dizziness engulfed him, taking a deep breath
before daring to peek over again. a sheer drop stretching down the mountainside
as far as he could see. He hadn’t realized that the castle was that close to
the edge of the mountain.

Well, he
thought, at least I’ll have a good view of the sunrise, if I ever get up that
early.

He shivered,
that wind was cold. After another quick look around he went back into his room,
closing the doors behind him and returned to the chair, settling himself
comfortably. Despite what he had said to Conrad, he had no intention of going
to bed until Kelly was safely in her room.

He yawned,
hoping she wouldn’t stay with Wynne too late; he was starting to get sleepy and
that bed was looking very inviting. Idly he wondered if it was as comfortable
as it looked, with its heavy velvet coverlet and large pillows he was
definitely anxious to try it.

Hours passed
before he heard movement in the next room. He rose and crossed to the
connecting door, rapping gently on it. A moment later it was opened by Moira,
who stood in the doorway, gazing at him with large eyes.

Chris tried
to look past her but she blocked his view. “Can I speak to Kelly for a moment.”

“She is not
here, sir.”

“I thought I
heard her come in.”

“No sir.
Twas only me readying the room for her.”

“What needs
to be done? I looked earlier and it looked fine to me.”

“I only plan
to place a bed warmer in her bed.”

“A what?”

“A bed
warmer, sir. You know, a metal pan that is filed with embers from the fire. You
place it between the sheets to warm them so the occupant of the bed will be
warm when she enters the bed. Conrad will do the same for you.”

“I sent
Conrad to bed,” said Chris, wishing that he hadn’t done so quite so soon.

She smiled
shyly. “If you like, I will do it for you once I have finished with Miss
Kelly’s.”

He smiled at
her. “I would appreciate that.”

She nodded.
“I will come to your room in a few minutes.”

“Thank you.”
He closed the door and returned to his chair.

Moira
knocked on the connecting door a few minutes later, entering after he called
for her to do so. he watched curiously as she pulled a metal pan with a long
handle from underneath the bed and crossed to the fire. She expertly fished
several embers from the fire with a small shovel from the hearth and placed
them into the pan. With a sidewise glance at Chris she carried the pan to the
bed, lifted the coverlet and top sheet and slid the pan underneath, dropping
the sheet and coverlet back over it.

She crossed
to where he was sitting and stood nervously in front of him. “Would you like
for me to come and remove it when you are ready to go to bed?” She asked in a
small voice.

He smiled at
her. “That won’t be necessary. What do you want me to do with it?”

“Place it on
the hearth and Conrad can empty it in the morning. But, please be careful; it
is very hot. Loren will be angry if you burn yourself.”

Chris smiled
at her again. “Don’t worry. If I do I’ll make sure he knows that it wasn’t your
fault.”

“Thank you
sir.”

“Did Kelly
say how long she would be?” He looked longingly at the bed again.

“I did not
speak to her. I only assumed that she would be ready to come up in a short
time. It is growing quite late.”

“Thank you,”
Chris replied. “Are you finished with me, sir?”

“Yes, I
appreciate what you’ve done for me.”

“You are
most welcome, sir.” She curtsied quickly and scurried back through the
connecting door, closing it quietly behind her.

Chris
frowned, wishing that he had the ability to release the girl to her bed; she
looked tired. But, after his conversation with Conrad, he now suspected that
only Kelly could do this. But, he was certain that she didn’t know about this
rule, otherwise she wouldn’t have stayed out so late. He made a mental mote to
inform her in the morning.

He was
dozing when he heard noises coming from Kelly’s room again. He rose from the
chair, stretching to loosen stiff muscles, wondering how long he had been
asleep. He crossed to the connecting door and tapped lightly.

Moira opened
the door a minute later, eying him for a moment before turning to talk to
Kelly.

She appeared
a moment later. “I thought you would have been asleep a long time ago.”

“I wanted to
make sure that you got back to your room safely before I went to bed.”

She frowned.
“What could harm me in this castle?”

Chris
shrugged. “You never know.”

Kelly shook
her head. “Well, I’m here now. You can go to bed.”

“Ok, Good
night.” He reached out and pulled the door closed. Once the door was closed he
stood in front of it for a moment, staring at it.

What had he
done to make her mad now?

He shook his
head as he turned away, deciding that despite what she had said after he told
her what he had done while under the spell she was upset about those actions.
Would she ever forgive him?

He had no
idea and wondered if he should pull Loren aside and ask to be sent home. Would
it be better for Kelly if he wasn’t around to constantly remind her of what had
happened?

He sighed as
he realized that he couldn’t leave her until he had reassured himself that she
was safe here. He owed her that much.

He carefully
pulled the bed warmer out from under the sheets, carrying it to the hearth and
laying it on the cold stones before returning to the bed. He quickly changed
into the pajamas that Conrad had procured for him, noting that although they
were slightly on the large side, they were comfortable.

He smiled
gratefully as he slid his legs under the covers. That bed warmer was definitely
a good idea. Never had he enjoyed climbing into bed so much. He reached up and
switched off the light that hung over the bed before settling down into the
bed. It was as comfortable as it had appeared.

He smiled as
he turned over and was asleep in minutes.

Chris woke
early the next morning to find Conrad moving quietly about the room. The boy
froze as Chris sat up, turning to look at him with a frightened expression on
his face. Chris smiled at him. “Good morning.”

“I did not
mean to waken you.”

“You didn’t.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed. He frowned as he stepped onto the
cold stone floor.

Conrad saw
the frown. “I will see that you have slippers before the day is over.”

Chris
laughed. “Thank you.” He reached for his jeans. “Can you turn around while I
dress? I only like girls to see me.”

The boy
turned away but not before Chris saw the smile that crept over his face. Chris
smiled again; he would get that boy to relax yet. He dressed quickly, wishing
that he had at least some clean underwear to put on. “Have you seen Kelly this
morning?”

“I believe
that I heard her go down to breakfast a few minutes ago.”

“Thanks,”
Chris called as he left the room. He hurried down the stairs and to the smaller
dining room to find Kelly and Loren engrossed in conversation. Both looked up
with a smile as he entered and seated himself. A servant appeared almost
immediately, placing a plate of food in front of him.

Loren waited
for him to start eating before speaking. “Do you have any plans for the day,
Christopher?”

He shrugged.
“I hadn’t made any plans, no.”

Loren pulled
on his beard thoughtfully for several minutes before speaking again. “Are you
perhaps interested in exploring caves? There are several excellent caves in the
area.”

“I don’t
think that I’ve ever been inside a cave.” He spooned a forkful of eggs into his
mouth before eying Loren. “Is there some reason that you want me out of the
castle?”

Loren
laughed. “Not at all. I was only trying to find something to occupy you while
Kelly is in training. I would not want you to sit around with nothing to do.
Kelly stated that she did not think that you would be interested in reading.”

“You got
that right.” He ate another forkful of eggs. “Very well. I’ll go and check out
these caves you think are so fascinating.”

“Excellent.
I will send Leopold to your room at midmorning. He has been in the caves many
times and will make certain that you return safely.”

“Thanks,”
Chris mumbled.

Loren and
Kelly returned to their conversation, leaving Chris to his dark thoughts. They
were still deeply engrossed when he finished. He rose, announcing that he was
returning to his room. They looked up long enough to smile at him before
returning to their talk. Chris scowled at them as he stalked from the room.

He took only
a few steps before returning to the dining room. “If I should come looking for
you later, where would I find you?”

Loren looked
up. “We will be on the second floor. When you reach the landing turn to the
right and take the second hallway. We will be in the third room.”

“On the
right or the left?”

“There are
only rooms on the right in that hallway. You should have no trouble finding us
but if you do simply find a servant and they will assist you.”

“Thanks.” He
turned and stalked away and was happy to find his room empty. He plopped down
in the chair, still sitting next to the now low fire. He didn’t know what it
was about Loren that made him so irate but Loren definitely pushed his buttons.

He was
unsure how much time passed before there was a sharp rapping on the door. He
rose and opened it to find a ruddy-cheeked black haired young man who appeared
to be about his own age standing there, a huge grin on his face. “Morning. I am
Leopold. Are you ready to go to the caves?”

Chris smiled
back at him. “Sure. Why not?”

Leopold
turned and hurried down the hall while Chris followed at a more leisurely pace.
Leopold bounded down the stairs two at a time, waiting impatiently at the
bottom for Chris to catch up with him. Chris shook his head, wishing that he
had the energy the other was exhibiting.

“I
understand that you have never been inside a cave,” said Leopold as he matched
his pace to Chris’.

Chris
nodded. “There aren’t any caves anywhere near where I grew up in California.”

Leopold
nodded. “California. I had heard that you were an American. I understand that
the new sorceress is also an American.”

“That’s
right.”

“I’ve never
known an American. Being inside the castle I have met people from all over the
world, mostly witches and such that Master Loren has rescued. I do not believe
that Americans need much rescuing; they aren’t persecuted for doing magic as
people are in other parts of the world.”

“Yeah, we’re
pretty much a live and let live society. Within reason, of course.”

Leopold
laughed. “I hear that.”

Leopold kept
up a steady stream of conversation as he led Chris to the caves. Chris was
thankful when they arrived a few minutes later. They stopped for a moment so
Chris could gaze into the cave. He was starting to have second thoughts about
entering the dark recess but Leopold urged him on, stating that they would only
go a short distance and return. He finally agreed.

Chris slowly
followed Leopold, who had produced a lantern from beneath his coat that he lit
with a twist of the knob on the bottom of the base. He quickly decided to keep
up with more rapidly moving Leopold as he wanted to stay within the small
circle of light shed by the lantern; he had no desire to be left in the dark.

At first
Chris found nothing that would spike the interest of anyone, the walls of the
cave were simple stone that appeared gray in the dim light. Mostly he kept his
eyes on where he was placing his feet, the floor of the cave was covered with
small pebbles and he was afraid that he would lose his balance and twist his
ankle or something.

That changed
within a few minutes as Leopold led him to a large chamber; stepping inside and
moving aside so that Chris could get a good look at the cavern. Chris paused in
the entrance, catching his breath in wonder. The chamber was full of spires
hanging from both the ceiling and stretching up form the floor that glistened
like jewels in the light from the lantern.

Leopold
laughed and informed him that they were called stalactites and stalagmites,
thinking that Chris would want to know the more familiar name of the wonders
rather than the local name. He let Chris gape at the formation for several
minutes before grabbing his arm and steering him further into the chamber.

“All the
caves throughout this area are filled with those,” he explained. “But, this
cave had something that I have not found in any of the others.”

Chris
wondered what could possibly be more wondrous than what he had already seen but
decided not to ask; he would find out soon enough. He did shake off Leopold’s
hand; the only people he liked touching him were of the feminine persuasion.
Leopold only laughed and led onward.

They passed
several more caverns that Chris would have liked to stop and examine but
Leopold kept moving. Chris had no idea how far they traveled before Leopold
paused at yet another cavern. He held the lantern high for a moment so that he
could peer inside but shook his head after a moment, lowered the lantern and
hurried off again.

“Now which
one is it?” Leopold muttered. He looked back and grinned at Chris. “All these
caverns look alike but we are close.”

Chris nodded
but said nothing; he was starting to feel out of breath from the fast pace that
Leopold was setting. He hadn’t realized that he was so out of shape. He hoped
that they would reach their destination soon, he was anxious for a breather.

They passed
several more caverns before Leopold let out a triumphant whoop. He rushed into
the cavern holding the lantern in front of him and leaving Chris to make his
way more carefully around the large stones that littered the floor of the
cavern. He finally made his way to Leopold’s side, dropping down to kneel
beside the other and breathing heavily as he peered around to see what Leopold
was so excited about.

Chris saw no
stalagmites or stalactites, much to his dismay; he was looking forward to
getting a closer look at one of them. Most of the cavern was crowded by a large
pool with crystal clear water and lined with some type of moss. He looked
questioningly at Leopold.

Leopold
laughed. “Look into the pool.”

Chris
complied and leaned over the edge so that he could see as Leopold held the
lantern high so that the circle of light would be larger. Chris gazed into the
pool for several minutes before leaning back and turning a quizzical look at
Leopold.

Leopold
laughed again. “The fish, man. Look at the fish.”

Chris
frowned and leaned over again. It took him several minutes to spot several of
the white fish swimming slowly through the water. His frown deepened. “So what.
They might be a little strange in color but they’re just fish.”

Leopold
laughed again. “Look at their eyes, man.”

Chris leaned
over further for a closer look He felt unbalanced and tried to push himself
back into his original position but found that he was unable to do so. The
thought suddenly filtered through his mind that if he were to fall into the
pool it would take him some time to climb out again, especially if Leopold
abandoned him and took the light with him. if that happened he might never find
his way out of the cave system.

Had that
been Loren’s plan all along? To get rid of him so that there would be nothing
standing in his way of getting to Kelly for whatever purpose he had in mind? It
would be an efficient way to get rid of him; if his body was ever found the
inhabitants of the castle could simply claim that he had gotten lost in the
caves and they had been unable to find him. Then he could tell Kelly that Chris
had requested to be sent home; Kelly wouldn’t even be suspicious and might even
be glad to have him gone.

But these
thought were put to rest when Leopold grabbed him by the belt and pulled him to
safety. “You should be more careful. I fell into this pool once; there is
nothing to hold onto to help you get back out. It took me hours to scramble
back up to the ledge. Let me tell you that these caves are very cold when you
are wet.”

“Thanks,”
Chris muttered but the troublesome thoughts refused to go away completely. He
leaned over again, not quite so far this time, he was eager to see the eyes of
these fish. After several minutes he was able to spot another fish and
concentrate on the head. His eyes opened wide, “There are no eyes.”

“Exactly,”
crowed Leopold. “There are no exits from this pool and these fish have probably
been trapped here for millions of years. Without light they had no use for
their eyes so they lost them.”

Chris said
nothing for several minutes as he gazed at the fish in astonishment. He finally
leaned back into his original position and turned his gaze on Leopold. “How do
you know that?”

“I read it
in a book. After I discovered these fish I mentioned it to Loren who conjured
the proper book for me. I read the whole thing but it took me months, I had to
look up many of the words.”

“Do you
always do that, I mean look up the words you don’t understand?”

Leopold
nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yes. I have been doing that for years. That was
why I was so surprised when I had to look up so many of the words in this book.
When I said as much to Loren he laughed and said that it was because the book
was a third year textbook from a college in America.”

Chris shook
his head; he didn’t understand how anyone could be so interested in books. “You
should go to college or something.”

“Loren will
send me next year, after I work for him for a year.”

Chris eyed
him. “He’s sending you of his own free will?”

Leopold
nodded. “My father asked him for help in getting me into college. They tried to
get me into the University of Edinburgh but my application arrived too late for
this year.”

“Does your
father work for Loren?”

“He is the
House Steward. My mother is one of the maids.”

“What about
your brothers and sisters?”

“My eldest
brother, Dwight, works in the stables. He hopes to become one of the grooms one
day. He has always loved horses and that is the prefect place for him. Loren
always chooses the right job for his servants. My other brother, William, and
my three sisters are all much younger than I am. But Aislin, my sister, shows
promise as a scholar. She may be only six years old but she is so smart. She
can already read Sophia’s books, and she is almost ten.”

“Will Loren
send her to college when the time comes?” Chris asked curiously.

“If she
continues to show promise and so desires then he will see that she goes.”

“It sounds
like Loren takes good care of his servants.”

Leopold
nodded. “That he does. Last year we had a visitor from another castle. He
brought several servants with him, one of them was a boy about my age so Loren
had him bed down with me. We talked and I was appalled at the treatment the boy
receives. His master forces the children of all his servants to work for him,
claims that they owe him that for allowing them to live in the castle as they
were growing up. Can you believe that?”