The Rambling Spy by Mackenzie Morgan

Author:Mackenzie Morgan [Morgan, Mackenzie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2018-07-06T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter 40

One Year Ends, Another Begins

Kevin was with Rhianna most of the weekend so Chris stayed near the office. Isak and Cameryn were on duty, but Elin and Ariel were in and out so much they might as well have been on duty, too. Elin wanted to finish everything she’d been working on for Ariel and oversee moving her desk and files to Joan’s office. Ariel wanted to get Petri’s desk set up. While they worked, the pages were alternately excited and quiet as they contemplated the future, a future full of new plans but without each other.

As Chris listened and watched, he realized he was feeling a bit melancholy, too. He felt like a parent sending his children out into the world. No matter how many times he reminded himself that none of them were really going anywhere, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was goodbye.

When Kevin got back to his room Sunday night, Chris was ready to think about something else, but the first thing Kevin asked about was the pages. “Did Elin get moved okay?”

Chris nodded. “And Ariel’s ready for Petri.”

“Good. I talked to Hayley and Theresa about Jenni. They both gave her a thumb’s up. Theresa said the girl was twelve going on thirty. I guess we should give her a try. When are you planning to see Wanda?”

Chris hesitated. “I think I’ll wait until after the new year, maybe next Sunday. I want to talk to Laryn first.”

“Why?”

“Well, for one thing, are the pages supposed to live at the castle or do ours live here by choice? And do we pay them? And if so, how much? And how is that handled? And then there’s what if it doesn’t work out? How do I let her know it’s okay to say she wants out if she ends up hating it? And, even more tricky, how do I get rid of her if she’s not up to the job?”

Kevin nodded. “When do you want to bring her in?”

“Probably the middle of February.”

“Why wait so long?”

Chris hesitated. “I don’t want to scare her off.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m not sure how you’re going to react as it gets closer to time for Rhianna to leave.”

“You think I’m going to turn into an old grouch?”

“I think it’s a distinct possibility. I think there’s an equally good chance you’ll get depressed. Or you may simply be absent, whether you’re there or not. At any rate, you won’t be yourself. The pages we have in there now know you. She doesn’t.”

“You aren’t afraid I’ll scare off Petri?”

Chris grinned. “Not after everything he’s seen. If Gwendolyn didn’t scare him off, I’m not sure anything would. But Jenni’s not Petri. She’s what we’d have called sheltered back on Earth. Everything going on here will be hard enough for her to adjust to. An irascible sorcerer might tip the scale.”

Kevin raised his eyebrows. “Well, all I can say is I’ll try not to be too ‘irascible.’ But I get your point. Let’s say the beginning of February though.

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