Deals and Dangers
Page 27
“Of course,” Tyla said. “I wasn’t thinking.”
There should be no need to flee the Amulet this time. The war would be fought elsewhere, and the Amulet would miss the worst of it. Maybe it was selfish to hope it worked out that way, but it seemed only fair.
Ben had brought Ertz’s cart around, and he and Tina Ann were waiting to see the gem master off.
“Sure yer gotta go?” Ben asked.
“Wish ya was here ter keep an eye on the woodspirit,” Tina Ann said.
Ertz looked surprised. “Don’t you trust Marrid?”
“Mostly,” Tina Ann said doubtfully. “Don’ know who she talk to on that ball of hers. I listen at her door las’ night, an’ she talk ter somebody fer at leas’ an hour.”
Tyla groaned. She should have known Tina Ann would spy on Marrid. “I have one of those balls, too. I hope you don’t listen at my door.”
“Don’t need to.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Loud Mouth tell me whatever I wanna know.”
Ertz laughed. “You had better move his cage, Tyla.”
“I know just the place,” Tyla said, frowning at Tina Ann. “The broom closet. And I’ll put you in there with him.”
Tina Ann didn’t look the least concerned. She knew an idle threat when she heard one.
Ertz got into the cart. Tyla didn’t envy him the long drive.
“Be careful. Our Watcher is gone, but they may send another, and there’s a group of Outcasts that ambush travelers.”
“I’ll be fine,” he assured her. “Before I go home, I’ll stop at Aberell’s Pedestal Room and let you know I arrived safely.”
“Thanks. I’d appreciate that.” With a heavy heart, she watched him drive away.
“That long face not gonna bring him back,” Tina Ann said. She took Tyla’s arm and led her toward the outside kitchen entrance. “Knowin’ ya’d be feelin’ down, me an’ the Anns made a special treat fer ya.”
Yesterday, when Franklin had returned from the Fair Lands, he had dropped off coffee and baking supplies, gifts from Lana. Lana had sent along a recipe for brownies, and Tyla suspected that was the treat.
“Sit down. Coffee be ready,” Maggie Ann said when Tyla came in.
The Anns’ faces were smudged with chocolate, their hair and clothing white with flour. Peggie Ann brought a plate of brownies to the table, beaming with pride, and Tina Ann set a mug of coffee in front of Tyla.
Tyla picked up a brownie and took a bite.
“Tell! Tell! It be good?” Tina Ann demanded.
Tyla licked her lips. “Very good. This was a nice surprise.”
“Made a few with no sugar,” Tina Ann said. “They be far better, but don’t s’pose ya’d think so.”
It was amazing how much the chocolate and coffee cheered her. The fact that the staff cared enough about her to plan this surprise meant more than she could say. She still missed Ertz, but Tina Ann was right—going around with a long face wouldn’t change the situation. Tyla ate two brownies and was tempted to have another when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
The Anns gasped when they saw who it was. Marrid never came to the kitchen.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Marrid said. “Maybe I should have contacted you telepathically. Can you come to the office? I found Olissa, and she’ll meet us there.”
“I’ll be right up.” Tyla drank the rest of her coffee in three gulps.
“Somethin’ be wrong. Wonder what it be,” Sally Ann said when Marrid was gone.
“Bet she got a call on the talkin’ ball, an’ it wern’t good news,” Tina Ann said.
“I had better not catch any of you listening outside the door,” Tyla warned.
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Tina Ann said, trying to look innocent.
Olissa was already in the office when Tyla came in. Marrid was pacing.
“What is it?” Tyla asked.
“Mierek City Confinement was targeted,” Marrid said. “All the inmates on the high-security floor have escaped.”
“That hardly seems possible,” Olissa said. “I know that facility. They have more wards than you can imagine.”
“It was a twofold attack. Two visitors came who must have been Emanicus gnomes. They had no visible witnesses or deformities, and the wards’ anti-deception gems didn’t detect anything, which is quite disconcerting. While they were there, Emanicus gnomes used the Focal Gem to incapacitate all the guards. It was a masterful plan,” Marrid said bitterly.
“I can hardly believe anyone would want to free criminals, much less find a way to do it,” Tyla said. No sooner had the words left her mouth than she remembered Lana worrying about just such a possibility.
“After decades with no escapes, the idea that someone could pull this off probably seemed laughable,” Olissa said. “Guards on the high-security floor are all gem masters, but that was no help in this case.”
“Do you think this was retaliation?” Tyla asked.
“Retaliation for what?” Marrid asked.
“Officers left notices in the O.D. asking Outcasts to defect,” Tyla reminded her.
“I don’t think so. This took a lot of planning. It wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment attack.”
“You’d think gnomes in confinement clothes leaving the facility would attract attention,” Olissa said.
“No one reported seeing them, so we think they were invisible when they left. When the next shift of guards came on duty, they found the wards down and all the guards immobilized.”
“Where do you think the criminals are now?” Tyla asked.
Marrid shook her head. “Mierek’s O.D.? An Emanicus hideout?”
“So much for trying to eliminate potential combatants,” Olissa said. “We took a few out of circulation, and The Emanicus got a fresh batch.”
“We can’t let them get the better of us again,” Tyla said. “We need to think like they do and stay one step ahead of them.”
“Our minds don’t work like theirs,” Olissa said.
“You’re right,” Tyla said heavily. “And up till now, I considered that a blessing.”
Chapter 46
By the time Pentar contacted Tyla with news about the Mierek City Confinement, Emanicus operatives had also freed Pantirek City inmates. As before, the escapees were all gem users.
Didn’t Mierek warn the other fortresses? Tyla asked.
They did, but Pantirek didn’t get the warning in time. The other fortresses banned visitors and added additional guards, but I don’t think The Emanicus planned to attack them. They knew we’d issue warnings, and given time to prepare, we might capture their operatives, so they only targeted the two facilities.
I still don’t understand how operatives defeated the anti-deception gems.
They didn’t. The gems triggered a warning, but the guards felt calm and happy, and they waved the visitors through. That was their last recollection until the next shift of guards came in and restored them.
Having experienced something similar, Tyla could imagine how foolish the guards felt now. It was embarrassing to succumb to something as seemingly innocuous as mood-enhancing gems. She gave an inward sigh. They were more experienced than she was. They should have known something was wrong and fought the effects.
Since none of our informants knew about these attacks, we think this was part of The Emanicus’s new campaign to terrify the public. Yesterday, they destroyed crops near Aberell City. Everything is shriveled and dead, Pentar told her.
They did the same thing here a few weeks ago. I have a spell that can grow a plant from a seed in minutes. Marrid says she can modify the spell to grow several rows of plants at once.
If she can do that, I hope you’ll share the spell with us.
I haven’t been outside much lately, and I’d love an excuse to go out for a while. I’ll ask her to try it today.
Tyla broke the connection and went to find Marrid. The woodspirit was in the library, talking to Arenia.
“Can I come?” Arenia asked.
“Of course. I’ll get my gem pouch from the office, and we’ll leave in a few minutes.”
When Tyla walked into the office, Loud Mouth was in his cage, talking to the spell book. They had developed a unique friendship.
“If anyone comes looking for me, tell them I’ll be out for a couple hours,” she said, pocketing her gem pouch.
“Out?” Loud Mouth said. “Like outside?”
“Yes. We’re going to plant seeds, and Marrid will try a rapid growth spell.”
“Can I come?”
Tyla paused in the doorway and gave him a speaking glance. “Knowing how you love seeds, that wouldn’t be a good idea.”
“I promise not to eat them.”
“All right, against my better judgment, you can come. Don’t make me sorry.”
“You won’t regret it. I promise,” he said eagerly.
“Tell the door guards I said you could leave, then go to the barn and have breghlin get seeds out of storage.
“What kind?”
“Any kind will do.”
Tyla went to get Marrid and Arenia. They found a cart waiting for them that had a bucket of seeds, hoes, rakes, and shovels. Four breghlin stood by the cart.
“They weren’t busy and wanted to help,” Loud Mouth said.
Two of the volunteers were staff, Ben and Oliver, but the other two didn’t live on site, and Tyla hadn’t seen them for a while. “Wally! Grace! What a nice surprise.”
“Come to see how yer all be,” Wally said, jowls jiggling as he spoke.
“An’ we don’t mind workin’ now we be here,” Grace added.
They eyed Marrid with ill-concealed curiosity, and Tyla realized that was the real reason they’d come. They’d heard about Marrid and were hoping to catch a glimpse of her.
“Marrid, I’d like you to meet Wally and Grace. They used to run the Ministry of Breghlin Affairs. Fellows, this is Marrid, one of The Eight.”
We know who she be,” Wally said.
“Pleased to meet you,” Marrid said, smiling down at them.
“Really?” Grace said, looking totally stupefied.
“She jus’ bein’ polite,” Wally whispered to him. “Don’t stand there with yer mouth open.”
“Want me ter drive?” Oliver asked, shifting the conversation back to the matter at hand.
“We can plant a mess of seeds in no time,” Wally boasted.
“We don’t need any help. We’re only planting a few as a test,” Tyla said.
All four breghlin looked at her with comically disappointed faces, and Grace heaved a mournful sigh.
Tyla supposed it wouldn’t hurt to let them come. They’d never seen a woodspirit use gem powers for good. Marrid was nothing like S, and they would see that. “Maybe we do need help. If the spell is effective, we could plant rows of seeds right away.” She looked at Marrid, hoping Marrid wouldn’t object.
Marrid gestured toward the cart. “Climb in, fellows. I’ll drive.”
The breghlin all but knocked each other over in their haste to get in.
“Wait,” Arenia said. “We’ll need to water the seeds. Fill a couple buckets at the pump.”
The breghlin raced off and returned with water a few minutes later, anxious to be off on the adventure.
“Okay. Let’s go!” Loud Mouth said from his perch behind the driver’s box.
“I’d like to see the extent of the destruction,” Marrid said as they left. “We’ll take a short drive before planting the seeds.”
They drove a few miles and then circled back to a field within sight of Elantoth, outside the wards. Marrid parked along the road.
The breghlin climbed out of the cart, taking the tools with them.
“Just hoe one row for now,” Tyla told them.
While they worked, she, Arenia, and Marrid leaned against the cart, supervising. After a few minutes, Tyla caught Loud Mouth eyeing the bucket of seeds. “You promised you wouldn’t eat our seeds,” she reminded him.
“Look at how many there are. You wouldn’t miss one or two.”
“I know you. You’d never settle for that.”
“Fine. I’ll go hungry. Don’t worry about me. Maybe a juicy bug will go by,” he said in an injured tone and began grooming himself.
Marrid looked amused.
“After they finish hoeing, they’ll plant the seeds, and then what?” Arenia asked.
“I’ll project gem powers onto the seeds while saying the spell, and if all goes well, we should see results within seconds.”
All four breghlin were hoeing, and the row was already longer than it needed to be, but they seemed to be enjoying themselves, so Tyla let them continue. When they finally stopped, they had dug out a number of stones and placed them in heaps, and the neatly hoed row was at least thirty feet long. They came back to the cart, looking very proud of themselves.
“Can I sow the seeds?” Wally asked.
“Sure,” Tyla said, handing him the bucket.
“I’ll water,” Grace said.
“Me an’ Ben will cover the seeds,” Oliver said.
Showing as much enthusiasm as they had when hoeing, they set to work, and a few minutes later, Grace called, “Done! But don’t start the spell till we be outta the way. Can’t afford ter grow more.” He patted his ample belly. All four breghlin scurried away.
“Don’t worry, it only works on plants,” Marrid assured them. She smiled at Tyla and Arenia. “Ready?”
“Yes!” Tyla said.
Green shoots began to appear. They became thicker and taller with each passing second. Tyla gasped in delight as leaves formed and unfurled. Soon, there were small orange flowers, and vegetables began to form.
“Lookit that!” Wally cried. “Best plant another row!”
Off they went. Ben and Oliver hoed. Wally and Grace planted, watered, and covered. Shoots sprang up behind them as they went up the row.
“This is amazing,” Arenia said.
By now, the original row they’d planted had fully-formed squash that was ripening quickly, showing streaks of yellow and orange. Tyla shook her head in amazement. “How much land does the spell cover?”
“I don’t know,” Marrid said. “We’ll have to experiment.”
“If you want to do this again tomorrow, I’ll send several breghlin with you. They can plant dozens of rows.”
The breghlin returned to the cart with their tools, and Ben said, “I knows what we be havin’ for dinner this week!”
“Squash!” chorused the others.
“I be sick of turnips,” Oliver confessed.
“So am I,” Tyla said. So many of the crops had been destroyed, they were making do with root vegetables in storage. Tyla was about to ask Marrid what vegetables she preferred when she noticed Marrid looked distracted.
“Is something wrong?”
“Someone’s coming.”
Tyla looked around. No one was walking across the fields, and she didn’t see any carts on the road. “I don’t see anyone.”
Marrid tilted her head as if listening to something no one else could hear.
“Are we in danger?” Arenia asked.
“No,” Marrid said without explaining how she knew. She looked up the road with a thoughtful frown.
“We could send Loud Mouth to see who it is,” Arenia suggested.
“Don’t bother. We’ll know in a minute.”
“Mebbe we should get inside the wards,” Wally said.
“Don’t worry, we be with gem masters,” Grace said, though he looked apprehensive.
After a few minutes of tense silence, Tyla saw an erum and rider coming down the road, and Marrid said, “It’s an Outcast or a breghlin. I can’t tell which.”
Tyla couldn’t see any of the rider�
��s features from this distance, and she found it hard to believe Marrid could.
“It be NE3!” Ben said as the rider drew closer. “He ern’t been here in ages!”
“Not since The Emanicus took over,” Tyla said. “He must have important news.”
“Who is NE3?” Marrid asked.
“The leader of a breghlin clan a long way from here. We became allies after S’s defeat,” Tyla explained.
NE3 rode up to the group. He looked concerned when he saw Marrid, but he relaxed when he noticed the other breghlin weren’t afraid of her. “Gotta talk ter ya,” he told Tyla.
“You must be exhausted. Come to Elantoth and have some refreshments while you share your news.”
“That be kind of ya,” NE3 said, wiping sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.
“Good ter see ya,” said Ben. “How be the rest of yer clan?”
“Not good,” NE3 said. “Our buildin’ be destroyed, an’ our crops be dead.”
“What?” Tyla cried. “How?”
“Them Emanicus gnomes done it. An’ it ern’t the end of our troubles, neither,” NE3 said, frowning. “There be a lot I got ter tell ya.”
Chapter 47
Tyla took NE3 to the terrace and invited Marrid, Arenia, and the breghlin workers to the meeting. Servers came in with tea for everyone and a plate of raw meat and a serving bowl of overripe fruit for NE3. Marrid sipped her tea, watching NE3 with an amused smile. He ate with his hands in typical breghlin fashion, grunting and smacking his lips. Tyla hadn’t warned Marrid that a breghlin’s eating habits took some getting used to, but Marrid didn’t seem to mind.
Finally, NE3 patted his stomach and belched appreciatively, then produced a sharp stick from his pocket and began to pick his teeth. Tyla was anxious to hear his tale but didn’t want to press him. Eventually, NE3 pocketed the stick and asked Tyla, “Okay ter tell my story in front of . . . er . . . everybody?”
“If you’re worried about Marrid, don’t be. She’s one of The Eight and a valuable ally.”
“Heard about The Eight. They be woodspirits with powers, like Sheamathan.”