Page 51 of Keeper of the Flame: Orrick

“But is that possible? After all, he is a wizard and will be able to scry to find it, I would think.”

“Sorcerer. He’s a sorcerer,” she told her sister. “And I plan on letting him find it – or letting him think he found it.” A grin spread across her face. “We’ve got some work to do, Grace, so I hope you are ready.”

“Oh, I’m ready,” she said, always wanting to do things she shouldn’t.

“The first thing I need to do is to hide the flame. And the best place to put it is somewhere that Orrick will never suspect.”

“Where is that?” asked Grace curiously.

Hope smiled and looked back over at the flame. “We’ll hide the Eternal Flame in plain sight.”

* * *

It was morning by the time Orrick returned to Blake Castle. He’d spent all night in the storm looking for Noah, but hadn’t been able to find the boy anywhere. He wasn’t in the cave, in town, nor was he at the church in the village.

Defeated, tired, wet, and discouraged, Orrick rode his horse over the drawbridge and into the courtyard.

“Sir Rick,” called out Corbett, rushing over the cobbled stones to meet him. Orrick was still in the form of his young self so Corbett called him Sir Rick when others were listening. “Did you find him? Where is the boy?”

“Nay, I didn’t find him. Didn’t he show up here?” asked Orrick, knowing the answer but having to ask anyway.

“Not to my knowledge,” said Corbett, shaking his head. “I’ll head to the kitchen and see if he showed up for food. Noah is always sneaking food from the cooks as they prepare the meals.”

“I’ll go with you,” offered Orrick, handing the reins of his horse to a stable boy.

“Nay, you look terrible,” said Corbett. “And that hand doesn’t look good either. Go to your chamber and I’ll send the healer up to look at it.”

“I don’t need a healer. I haven’t needed one in the past hundred years, and I don’t need one now,” he complained.

“Orrick, this is different,” said Corbett. “You’ve been immortal for the past hundred years. You’re not anymore. Now you are mortal. You need that wound looked at.”

“I’m a sorcerer. I’ve got herbs and can heal myself.”

“Then get to it. I’ll let you know if I find the boy.”

“All right, but don’t hesitate to call for me. We need to find that flame before it falls into the wrong hands or possibly hurts Noah.”

Orrick turned and headed to the keep, looking at his hand in amazement. He hadn’t had a wound in so long that he didn’t know how to react. He almost ran into Lord Irwin as the man hurried out of the great hall with his head down.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you,” said Orrick.

Lord Irwin looked up quickly and then back down, trying to hide his face. However, Orrick noticed that he had a split lip and his cheek was swelled.

“What the hell happened to you?” he asked with a chuckle.

“Nothing,” snapped the man. He lifted his hand to cover his mouth. “Is that mark on your arm from a bite?” asked Orrick, turning his head to see the teeth marks embedded there.

“What happened to you?” Lord Irwin asked, instead of answering.

Orrick suddenly felt self-conscious and hid his hand behind his back. He didn’t want to look weak to anyone, and certainly not in front of this imbecile. It irked him to no end that Lord Irwin would be the one marrying Hope instead of him.

“Good day,” Orrick said quickly, bolting up the stairs and making a beeline for his tower chamber. He was passing by Lady Hope’s chamber when the door opened and she and her sister walked out.

“Hope,” he said, stopping in his tracks, his heart beating faster just by looking at her. She had a glow about her today that made her seem happy. Her stance was tall and confidence filled her eyes.

“Good morning, Sir Rick.” She smiled and nodded, matching his stare instead of diverting her gaze to look away like he thought she’d do. “What happened to your hand?”

“It’s nothing,” he told her. “I just got a scratch on the practice field, that’s all.”