Deals and Dangers

by Kay L. Ling

  Today, when Tyla returned to the office after settling a dispute between two of the Anns, she found Franklin waiting for her.

  “Is this a bad time? You look a little harried,” he said.

  “No, I’m glad to see you. How did your visit go?”

  “Great. We discussed everything from Lana taking over the family jewelry store to my life with a breghlin clan.”

  “Did you tell Lana and Jules about your feridium experiments?”

  “I did. Which reminds me, I haven’t told you how I’m doing with Loud Mouth. I mixed some powder in with his seeds, and after he ate it, he started shouting, ‘More! More!’ So I gave him another couple doses, and as you predicted, he talks incessantly now. His vocabulary has tripled in days.”

  Tyla grinned. “It sounds like you’re getting along so well you won’t want to give him back. Is Bounder jealous?”

  “No, and I can tell they’re communicating. The other day, Loud Mouth told me, ‘Bounder is hungry.’ So, I let Bounder out of the cabin to hunt, and he came back with a holedigger and ate it on my front porch.”

  “Did anyone watch Bounder and Loud Mouth while you were away?”

  “Amos stopped by to check on them.”

  Tyla was about to say she actually missed Loud Mouth when she was summoned to the Pedestal Room. “I’ll be back in a few minutes,” she told Franklin. “Someone at Aberell needs to speak with me.”

  Normally, Finnack contacted her, so when she opened the link, she was surprised to find Pentar.

  I have bad news, Tyla. Finnack was targeted.

  Tyla’s breath caught in her throat. What happened? Is he all right?

  No, I’m afraid not. He still has his gem powers, but they took his memories—everything to do with Aberell Fortress. I’ve taken over command, and I’m trying to convince Finnack to stay, but not only has he forgotten everything about our daily operations, he doesn’t remember any of us. I’m willing to retrain him. It would be a long process, but he’s an excellent gem master as well as a good friend, and I don’t want to lose him.

  Tears stung Tyla’s closed eyelids. She felt empty inside. How did they get to him? He was using protective wards.

  Wards can’t withstand the Focal Gem.

  Dread settled in Tyla’s stomach like a rock. No one was safe, including her.

  The other day, Finnack sent a couple officers to the O.D., thinking residents might know where Emanicus gem masters had gone. The gem shop and gem services shop owners have closed their shops and disappeared. The timing makes us think they have ties to The Emanicus.

  Do you think The Emanicus targeted Finnack because he’s looking for them?

  I wouldn’t doubt it.

  Pentar shared other recent news—nothing as grim as what had happened to Finnack, but depressing just the same. When he finally broke the connection, Tyla felt numb.

  “Are you all right?” asked Arus, the portly, gray-haired gnome on duty.

  “The Emanicus targeted Finnack and wiped his memory. Pentar has taken over.”

  Arus looked stunned. “Sorry to hear that. From what I’ve heard about him, he was a good fellow.”

  Tyla left, fighting back tears, and headed to the kitchen. Franklin wouldn’t mind if she didn’t return for a few more minutes.

  When Tyla walked in, Brenda Ann said quietly, “The boss be here,” and all conversation and laughter died.

  Maggie Ann stopped kneading dough. “Did we ferget ter do sumthin’?”

  Tyla shook her head. She didn’t trust herself to speak.

  “Better have some raaka. Yer be white as a ghost,” Tina Ann said. “Sit down whiles I fetch ya some.”

  Brenda Ann led Tyla to the table, pulled out the bench, and made her sit. Tina Ann arrived with the raaka, and Tyla took a few sips. The hot liquid had a soothing effect. Her hands were steadier, but she still felt miserable.

  “Tell us what be wrong,” Tina Ann urged. “Did Elder Denkurk pick another fight with ya?”

  “No, nothing like that,” Tyla said.

  “Olissa been tellin’ ya what ter do again?”

  Tyla shook her head, wishing it were something as minor as that.

  “When I feels low, I holds the filkin. Never fail ter cheer me up,” Brenda Ann said. “I go fetch it fer ya.”

  “No!” Tyla cried, then saw the mischievous twinkle in Brenda Ann’s eyes and smiled in spite of herself. “That’s not funny! You know I hate filkins.”

  Tina Ann sat down beside Tyla. “We knows ya does. Now, tell us what be wrong.”

  Tyla blurted it out. “Finnack was targeted and lost his memory. Pentar is commander now.”

  For a moment, no one spoke.

  “Poor Finnack,” Tina Ann said at last. “Can’t believe they got ter him. Did he lose his gem powers, too?”

  “No. I guess they thought this was enough to ensure he wouldn’t give them any more trouble.”

  “Trouble? What trouble he ever give them?” Tina Ann asked.

  “He was questioning Outcasts about The Emanicus. Two shops closed that may have ties to The Emanicus, and the owners left town.”

  “Bet one be the gem shop,” Tina Ann said, frowning.

  “You’re right. The other was the gem services shop.”

  “That don’t surprise me.”

  Tyla finished her raaka and stood. “I left Franklin in the office, and he’s probably wondering what became of me.”

  “Do yerself a favor,” Tina Ann said. “Go for a ride. Take a walk. Anythin’ ter get yer mind off Finnack. This be a terrible blow, but yer gotta be strong. If you be gloomy an’ depressed, the rest of us gonna be, too.”

  Tina Ann’s “pull yourself together speeches” never failed to touch Tyla’s heart. And what Tina Ann had just said was true—Tyla had to keep a positive outlook, if not for her own sake, for everyone else’s.

  She walked into the office and found Franklin looking at her leebstone book.

  “I hope you don’t mind,” he said, looking a bit guilty. “The book was open, and I wanted to see the image from your vision.”

  Tyla sat down at the desk. “I was going to show you, anyway. Do you think Loud Mouth would be able to search for the building? Is he smart enough to do something like that?”

  “I think he is, but I’m not sure he’d be willing to do it. He can be quite obstinate.”

  “Could I visit him today and see what he says? I could use some fresh air and a change of scenery. The message from Aberell was bad news.”

  “I was afraid of that, but I didn’t want to ask.”

  Tyla told him the news and added, “That’s why I’m desperate to find the building. Emanicus gnomes are targeting our best people with the Focal Gem.”

  Franklin nodded. “Bring the leebstone book, and let’s go have a chat with our favorite wisecracking bird.”

  Chapter 17

  Eneff was just finishing lunch when the shop door opened and Old Pommet barged in, flushed and winded. Eneff knew what Pommet would say even before the old gnome opened his mouth.

  “Did ya hear the latest?” Pommet asked predictably, hurrying up to the counter.

  Eneff swallowed the last bite of bread and brushed crumbs from the counter. “No. What’s the big news today?”

  “Ya won’t believe it! Old Squint Eye and Morty are gone! Packed up and disappeared. I heard it from Eldra an’ went to see for myself. Sure ‘nough. There’s an Out of Business sign on both doors.”

  Eneff feigned surprise. “Where did they go?” He had suspected for a while that both shopkeepers were allied with The Emanicus and something like this might happen, but Pommet lived to spread gossip, and Eneff didn’t want to ruin his fun.

  Pommet, his wispy white hair in disarray, leaned on the counter and gave Eneff a conspiratorial grin. “Heard they left to join an Emanicus cell. Don’t know where. But that’s not the biggest news. Wait till you hear this! Old Squint Eye gave Eldra Dark gems, and she’s gonna hand them out to you gem masters!”

&n
bsp; Now Eneff really was surprised. “Dark gems? Hand them out? Why?”

  Pommet shook his head at Eneff’s lack of understanding. “Why, for the war, of course. Don’t think them Emanicus gnomes can take over the government all on their own, do ya? They’ll need help, and them that help will be rewarded.”

  According to the newssheets, the government had pretty much crumbled already, but Eneff supposed fortress officers were planning to fight back. The problem was, it was hard to fight an enemy you couldn’t find, and Emanicus gnomes were in hiding, picking off officials one by one.

  “Well, I gotta get goin’ an’ spread the news. A couple fellers will be comin’ ‘round to give you some gems.”

  Pommet was so nearsighted he couldn’t see the troubled look on Eneff’s face. As soon as the door closed, Eneff laid his head in his hands and heaved a sigh. He wanted no part of a war, especially one that involved using Dark gems against fellow gnomes. He’d given up using gems, even benevolent ones, and everyone in the O.D. knew that.

  Near closing time, as Eneff was tallying the week’s account, Maniz and Hepple entered and swaggered up to the counter. They were the slimiest Outcasts in the O.D. Most days, they hung around Eldra’s news shop, picking fights with anyone who annoyed them.

  Eneff tried to hide his revulsion but it wasn’t easy. Maniz had a big red bump on the bridge of his nose and two on his chin that protruded through his beard. His upper lip rose on the right side in a perpetual sneer. He had been ugly enough before the fight with Ben. Now, with scars on his face and neck, he looked even worse. Hepple’s face was relatively free of witnesses, but the row of lumps running across his bald head looked like a mountain range.

  Maniz produced a gem pouch and dropped it on the counter. “Gifts for the gifted. These are Dark gems from Old Squint Eye’s shop. I’m sure by now you’ve heard the news. He and Morty have gone to join an Emanicus group.”

  “Yes, I heard. But I hear a lot of things, and they’re not always true.”

  Maniz smiled unpleasantly. “Well, that’s the scoop from Eldra, so consider it fact. We’ll fight for The Emanicus, and they’ll reward us once they set up the new government. If you don’t want to spend the rest of your life in a shack eating garbage you’ll start infusing these gems.”

  “We came here first, since you’re a longtime resident,” said Hepple.

  Maniz grinned. “Yeah, we didn’t want you to feel slighted.”

  “Count me out.” Eneff tapped the lump on his cheek. “This is getting smaller, and the rest of my witnesses are gone. I’ve spent years getting to this point. I’m not going to ruin it now.”

  Maniz reached across the counter, grabbed Eneff’s tunic with both hands, and yanked him against the sales counter. “You’re gonna do what we say. Ya hear?”

  “Let go of me,” Eneff growled.

  Maniz let go, but before Eneff could retreat, Maniz punched him in the face. Eneff staggered backward, blood spurting from his nose.

  Both Outcasts came around the counter. Hepple slammed Eneff against the corrustone wall. His fingers closed around Eneff’s throat. “You’re making things difficult for yourself. Consider this visit an object lesson. Without gem powers, you can’t fend off a physical attack much less one like this.”

  Pain exploded throughout Eneff’s body. Every nerve was on fire. His vision swam, and he couldn’t get his breath. The room closed in around him, and everything went black.

  When Eneff came to, he was lying on his back. His visitors were gone. He felt his nose and was relieved to find it swollen but not broken.

  The idiots had left the gem pouch perched on his chest. For a moment, he considered using the gems on them, but retaliation was dangerous. Things always got out of control. Besides, he’d rather have a banged-up face than more witnesses.

  Eneff struggled to his feet and flung the pouch across the room. Good thing it was closing time. He couldn’t see customers, looking like this. He locked the shop and started home.

  The walk seemed longer than usual. His back hurt and his head throbbed. Touching the back of his head gingerly, he found a lump, apparently from hitting his head on the floor. He passed a number of Outcasts, but none seemed to notice his swollen nose or the dried blood on his face. Few cared what happened to him, he supposed, except Kaff. Eneff sighed. Maniz and Hepple would catch up with Kaff tomorrow if they hadn’t already. Would the lad take a stand or give in to the pressure? Anyone in the O.D. with gem powers faced a tough decision.

  When Eneff got home, Kaff was at the kitchen table, reading a newssheet. Kaff’s jaw dropped when he saw Eneff’s face. “What happened to you?”

  Eneff sat down across from him. “Maniz and Hepple happened to me.”

  “Where did you run into them, and why did they beat you up?”

  “They came to my shop. I wasn’t . . . cooperative.”

  By the time Eneff finished explaining the situation, Kaff looked as miserable as Eneff felt. “What are we going to do? Pretend to go along with them?”

  “If it weren’t for my shop and houses, I’d leave right now,” Eneff said heavily. “By O.D. standards, I have it good, but I’d rather live off the land than be bullied into using Dark gems.”

  “You can’t leave. Your tenants look up to you. They’re trying to reform, and they need your encouragement.”

  “Not my problem.” Eneff hated to take that attitude, but in the name of self-preservation, he must.

  “Are any of the gems they gave you rare but not evil?”

  Eneff shrugged. “Threw them across the room. Didn’t even look.” He touched his swollen nose.

  Kaff brought Eneff a cloth dipped in cool water. “Here. Wipe off the blood and hold this to your nose to help the swelling go down.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Let’s go back to the shop and look at the gems. Maybe there’s a few we can use,” Kaff urged.

  Someone pounded on the door. Eneff tensed.

  “I’ll get it,” Kaff said.

  “Be careful.”

  Kaff opened the door. Maniz and Hepple looked past Kaff and laughed when they saw Eneff at the table. “So, ya woke up, did ya?” Hepple asked.

  Maniz thrust a gem pouch at Kaff. “I’m sure he said you’d be getting some gems.”

  “Yeah, we were just talking about that.”

  “Not going to give us a hard time like he did, are you?” Maniz asked.

  Kaff took the pouch. “N-no.”

  Hepple marked something on a pad of paper, and Maniz said, “Three days from now, there’ll be a meeting at Heggert Park. It starts at one. Don’t be late. Infuse the gems in the meantime.”

  Kaff didn’t say a word, just stood in the doorway with the gem pouch in his hand. Finally, he shut the door. “They’re going next door to your rental house.”

  Eneff poured two cups of fialazza, a rare indulgence. “Sit,” he ordered, returning to the table. “You wanted to know what gems I got, let’s take a look at yours. Dump them on the table.”

  Kaff carefully emptied the pouch. There were eight in different colors and sizes. He reached for one. Eneff grabbed his wrist.

  “Hey,” Kaff protested. “I was only going to look at it.”

  “You don’t know the first thing about negative energy gems, do you?”

  Kaff recoiled. “Is that what they are?”

  “The yellow and brown ones are. If you don’t know how to project the effects onto others, you get the full force of them yourself.”

  “How do they expect us to infuse that kind of gem?”

  “There’s a trick to doing it without harming yourself, but I have no intention of teaching you, and I’m certainly not going to use them myself.”

  “The dark blue one isn’t harmful, is it? I think I know what it is.”

  Eneff leaned forward and studied the gem. “No, it’s a rare gem that heightens energy. Draw its power for a minute or two, and you can run like the wind.”

  “Old Squint Eye let me try one of these. He
said it was ‘spoken for.’ He had a buyer lined up.”

  “I’m sure he did—The Emanicus.”

  “Are there any others here that aren’t harmful?” Kaff asked hopefully.

  “I’m not an expert on rare gems. I recognized the blue one because it’s an unusual shade, and a friend of mine owned one years ago. The opaque green one looks like neminstone. If so, that one’s safe. It’s an oracular gem that enhances intuition.”

  “I’d like to infuse any that won’t hurt me, but I’m not tempted to use Dark ones. When I was living with Beniah, he and the other woodspirits made me demonstrate some, and most had unpleasant side effects.”

  “Even good gems can be misused, and I have a knack for doing that, so I don’t want to infuse any of them.”

  “That was years ago. You’ve changed,” Kaff protested.

  “I hope so, but I’m afraid to put myself to the test and find out otherwise.”

  “Will you go to the meeting?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “We should, just to hear what they’re planning. We could warn Aberell Fortress.”

  “If Eldra’s thugs found out we contacted Aberell, I can only imagine what they’d do to us.”

  Kaff nodded grimly.

  Eneff sipped his fialazza. “I wish Gem Master Ertz would come by again. He’d know what to do. I wish I had a way to contact him.”

  “You do. You have a raft, and he lives on the river, but I don’t know where. Do you?”

  Eneff thought a moment. “He gave me his address. I must have it at the shop somewhere.”

  “We could go at night. No one would know.”

  “Don’t count on it. When Eldra hears I refused the gem pouch, she’ll tell Maniz and Hepple to keep an eye on me.”