able to find the gregarious Leopold when he had accumulated another list of questions about the wizard. After another short silence, he asked Leopold to give him a closer look at the stalactites and stalagmites. Leopold was more than happy to do so, stating that he never tired of looking at them as he bounded out of his sitting position. For the next several hours the two of them wandered through the caverns, stopping frequently to examine the formations before they returned to the castle for lunch. Chris breathed a sigh of relief when they entered the castle; although he wanted to trust Leopold, the thoughts of getting lost in the caverns had never been far from his mind.
CHAPTER 5
Lunch was a quiet affair with only Chris and Kelly at the table. When Chris questioned her as to how her morning had gone she frowned and said that Loren had stayed with her for only a short time before falling silent and leaving her alone in the study. After she had been alone for quite some time, a young man who said that his name was Dominic and claimed to be Loren’s apprentice had come in to talk to her for a few minutes. Chris frowned when she was reluctant to reveal what Dominic wanted to discuss with her but when he pressed her she finally relented and said that he wanted to know about all the traumatic things that had occurred in her life. She was still upset over the feelings that recalling the memory of her parent’s death had brought up. She fell silent after that and refused to talk for the remainder of the meal, leaving as soon as she finished the small amount of food that had she placed on her plate. Chris watched her go before returning thoughtfully to his meal. Why, he wondered, had the wizard sent his apprentice to learn about her most painful memories? The more he thought about it the angrier he became. What right did Loren have to upset her so? He decided that he would have a word with the wizard at the earliest opportunity. Chris finished his meal and pushed his chair away from the table, wondering if he should go in search of Loren. He was still trying to decide whether he should ask one of the servants if they knew where he could find Loren when a girl in a maid’s uniform appeared in the doorway. “Are you finished with your meal, sir?” she asked in a quiet voice. Chris smiled up at her. “Yes.” She smiled back. “In that case, Loren was wondering if you would join him in his private study.” Chris rose. “Gladly. If you can tell me where to go?” She dropped her eyes. “It would be easier if I were to take you there.” “Fine.” She turned and led him from the dining room and up to the second floor. Once there he was grateful for her presence as she led him down a series of corridors with many turns, stopping in front of a thick wooden door. She tapped lightly before curtsying quickly to him and disappearing in the direction from which she had come. Chris entered when a voice from within, he couldn’t tell for sure whether it was Loren or not, called for him to. He paused just inside the doorway to look around, deciding instantly that he liked the comfortable room. It was wood paneled with eight wingback chairs, three of which were pulled up to the roaring fire. Although several pictures hung on the wall, mostly seascapes, the majority of the wall was covered with shelves that contained books that appeared ancient to Chris’ unlearned eye; most of them looked as if they would fall apart in your hands if you tried to read them, not that he had such desires. Loren cleared his throat, which brought Chris’ attention back to the fire and three chairs. Loren silently indicated one of the chairs. Chris frowned as he crossed to chair; Loren had indicated the one farthest from the fire. As he settled himself into the chair he noticed that a small man who appeared to be of Latin origin occupied the third chair; if he had been back home he would have said the man was Mexican but here he had