by Kay L. Ling
“What difference does it make?” Franklin ran a hand through his graying hair. “The wards won’t hold if Sheamathan and Emanicus gnomes are determined to break them. But come, let’s not stand here talking. Have a seat on the porch. I’ll send Parcune to get Tyla and the others. They’ll want to hear your report.”
Kaff wasn’t so sure they would, considering it was all bad news. “Maybe Parcune should warn them things didn’t go well.”
“To tell you the truth, I think they already know.”
“How?”
“Zeetha. She’s been pushing her oracular powers to the limit.”
Zeetha was an odd one. No doubt about that. But like Marrid, she was on their side, willing to help them even though it put her in danger.
Franklin served fialazza and beer, and by the time Parcune returned with his passengers, Kaff felt somewhat calmer.
They’d brought the spell book and several other books, but it would take more than books to save Elantoth, Kaff thought grimly. Even the spell book, which held a wealth of information, had no miraculous solutions. Kaff and his companions sat on the porch steps so Tyla and the others could have the chairs. When everyone was seated, Franklin gave the newcomers fialazza, and Kaff told them what had happened, from being ambushed by a group of breghlin, to finding Morodin and others dead on a battlefield, to the battle with the Outcast regiments. When he got to the part about the brontskeller, Tyla cried, “Outcasts are creating monsters?”
“I think the brontskeller was a transformed Outcast. I drew infused intuition, and that’s the impression I got.”
“Who would volunteer to be turned into a monster, even temporarily?” Parcune asked, shaking his head.
“Who says he volunteered,” Olissa said darkly.
“Actually, I think he did. He seemed to be enjoying it,” Kaff said. “With that heavy shell to protect him, he thought he could kill his opponents without being injured, and that was the way it was going until Ben killed him with your ploy, Franklin.”
“My ploy?”
“He rammed a spear into the gap between its upper and lower shells, just like you did at Elantoth.”
“Lucky I remember that,” Ben said.
“I guess so! I bet there won’t be any more volunteers after that,” Franklin said.
Eneff frowned. “Probably not, but I wouldn’t put it past them to make monsters without the victims’ consent. Intelligent monsters are an effective weapon.”
“Only if they cooperate,” Tyla said.
“If they want to regain their true form, they’ll cooperate,” Olissa said. “If I’d been given a choice between serving The Emanicus and spending the rest of my life as a rat, I’m afraid I would have given in eventually.”
“Sheamathan and Emanicus gnomes with the Focal Gem were bad enough. Now there are monsters,” Zeetha moaned. “I still can’t believe they killed Marrid,” she added, sniffling. “I’m half the gem master she was. If I had any sense, I’d go home.” She pulled a handkerchief from Marrid’s invisible bag and blew her nose. “It seems hopeless,” she said and blew her nose again.
“Stop whining, and try to remember your dream,” Olissa said.
Tyla shot Olissa a reproving glance.
“Dream?” Kaff asked.
“Zeetha had a dream last night. In the dream, she remembered something she’d read in one of these books, and she thought it might be the key to winning the war.”
“What was it?” Eneff asked.
“That’s just it,” Tyla said. “When she woke, she couldn’t remember the passage. Or even which book it was in.”
“I’ve read most of those books, and I can’t think of anything that would help us win the war,” Olissa told Zeetha. “I don’t understand why the idea didn’t strike you when you first read it.”
“Apparently it didn’t seem relevant at the time, but in my dream I saw how it applied to our current situation.”
“If you’re like me, when you stop trying to remember something, it comes back to you,” Franklin said kindly.
Zeetha nodded. “Maybe you’re right. I’ve been driving myself mad trying to remember.”
“Would foruvia work?” Kaff asked. “It helped me recall buried memories, but the memories were things that happened in real life, not a dream.”
“I already tried that, and it didn’t work, but thank you for suggesting it.”
Franklin topped off Zeetha’s fialazza, and Kaff hoped it would improve her memory.
The group spent several hours discussing gem power strategies. Kaff thought some might be effective against Outcast regiments, but not against S and Emanicus gnomes. If S had regained her powers and had access to rare gems, she could probably defeat Elantoth’s forces all by herself. And Emanicus gnomes armed with the Focal Gem were all but invincible. They had broken Mierek’s wards and killed Marrid. It was hopeless, he thought sadly. He and the others would fight, but in the end, the fortress would fall, and the enemy would move in.
“You don’t have to stay here, Franklin,” Tyla said. “This isn’t your world. Go back to the Fair Lands where it’s safe. We wouldn’t blame you in the least.”
“I intend to see this through,” he said stubbornly. “I care about all of you.”
“Elias and Jules care about us, but they left,” Kaff said.
“Elias is dying, and Jules went to take care of him. It’s not the same.”
“I know that,” Kaff said hastily. “My point is leaving doesn’t mean you don’t care about us. I’m grateful for all they’ve done, and they deserved to go home.”
“It was wonderful watching Elias go through the Amulet barrier with Lana and Jules,” Arenia said.
“He was ill, but he still distributed gems and trained gnomes to use them. I think his dedication and self-sacrifice helped him regain his ability to cross,” Tyla said. “The Emanicus would have killed him if they’d known what he was doing.”
“Just like they killed Marrid for helping us,” Arenia said.
Zeetha made a choking sound and gasped for breath.
“I’m sorry if saying that reopens a wound,” Arenia said. “But you need to know that whatever happens, Marrid didn’t die in vain. We’ll always honor her for what she did.”
Zeetha said in a trembling voice, “I remember it now. I remember the dream! Hand me the book with the red and black binding. I’ll read you the passage and tell you my idea.”
Chapter 67
Sheamathan scowled as she walked around Elias’s empty cave. The corrustone heap remained, but other than that, the only signs he had ever lived here were a broken mug and battered metal pot. Had he really returned to the Fair Lands? According to her oracular gems, he had, but she did not want to believe that. She had expected him to die here, a greedy, selfish, power-hungry old man, unable to return to his own world. It was hard to believe he had changed enough after all these years that he could pass through the Amulet barrier.
She had already searched the cave complex, looking for hidden gem caches. The gems were gone. She was certain of that. But her annoying companions had insisted on looking again, and worse, they had asked her to wait outside. What nerve. They must think she had found a warded cache and planned to return alone for the gems. With every passing day they became more irrational and suspicious. Unfortunately, she must put up with them until they were of no further use to her. Then, they would pay for their disrespect.
Bored and irritated, she went outside and stood beneath the vine-covered arbor. It reminded her of the one on Elantoth’s terrace. She had spent many pleasant hours there, sketching to pass the time. Breghlin servers had waited on her, groveling in a most satisfying manner, afraid of inadvertently doing something to earn her displeasure. It had been delightful to inspire fear and even more delightful to inflict pain. Ruling the Amulet had been dull at times, but she had derived some enjoyment from it.
The miseries Amulet gnomes had suffered would be nothing compared to what she would do to the population this
time. During her time as a beetle she had thought of new ways to torment her subjects should she ever regain her powers. She could hardly wait to implement those ideas.
The sound of wings intruded on her thoughts, recalling her to the present. She stepped from the arbor and looked up to see a pythanium arriving with a report. It landed and said respectfully, “Sheamathan, I am pleased to report some of the Outcast troops were involved in a battle, but they have resumed their march to Elantoth.”
“A battle!”
“Yes, a large number of gnomes attacked them. From what I overheard, the militias knew Emanicus troops were headed for Elantoth. They banded together, hoping to stop them, but they were unsuccessful.”
Sheamathan frowned. “How could they know our plans? They must have divined our intentions through oracular gems.”
“Perhaps so.”
“What of the battle? How did it go?”
“Exceedingly well,” the pythanium said. “Militia troops were all but defenseless against the dark powers. Few survived.”
“What of our losses?”
“Minimal. Several breghlin died. One gem master was knifed in the back. And the creature was killed.”
“The creature?”
“One of the gem masters used your instructions to transform an Outcast into a brontskeller. The creature slaughtered a great many militia troops, but eventually, a breghlin killed it.”
“A breghlin! Not one of ours!”
“No, he was wearing a red sash.”
Sheamathan’s lip curled. “Some breghlin refuse to fight for us, and that is bad enough. Joining the enemy is worse. They will regret it.”
“Shall I wait for your companions and repeat my report to them?”
“No need. I will tell them. The fools are scouring the cavern for gems and may not return for an hour or two.”
“Is there a message you would like me to deliver to Outcast commanders?”
“Yes. Tell them that when they arrive they can help us plunder Elantoth. We will have taken the fortress by then, so they will have little else to do.”
“You do not need them to fight?”
“Of course not. My companions and I have the Focal Gem. Elantoth will fall in an hour.”
“Then why are troops coming?”
“To occupy the fortress and keep order among Amulet clans.”
“I see. Forgive my presumption for asking.”
“On the way here, did you see any other militia regiments?” she asked.
“No, but they Walk With the Wind whenever possible and spend little time in the open.”
“What of interest did you see?”
“The fields near Elantoth have crops again—various vegetables.”
“Is that so. We will stop on our way to Elantoth and destroy the new crops. Better still, I will poison the produce.” She smiled at that idea. “The gnomes will not suspect a thing.”
“What a clever idea,” the pythanium said.
“When I am done with them, those that survive will wish they were never born.”
Tyla had read the book with the red and black binding months ago when she had worked in the library, and like Olissa, she couldn’t imagine what Zeetha had found that they had missed.
Zeetha began to read. She hadn’t even finished the passage when Tyla let out an explosive breath, understanding why this was relevant. It hit Olissa at the same time. She caught Tyla’s eye, looking excited. Franklin and Kaff nodded but didn’t say a word, and the breghlin exchanged puzzled looks. Zeetha kept reading. Only when she had finished did anyone speak.
“We have the gems we need,” Olissa said, “but this is hopelessly complex, and we would need to make modifications.”
“You and Tyla understand the concepts involved better than I do,” Zeetha admitted. “I would need your input, and there is no guarantee it would work, but if it did, it would end the war, saving countless lives.”
Tyla nodded, feeling hopeful. They’d be no worse off if it didn’t work. What did they have to lose? She heard a familiar squawk and looked up to see Loud Mouth descending so rapidly she was afraid he’d crash. He landed and blurted, “I followed a pythanium to Strathweed and it delivered a message to Sheamathan. I heard the whole thing!” This time, instead of waiting for Tyla to coax the news from him, he went on in a rush, “The pythanium told her that the militias knew Outcast regiments were coming to Elantoth. They intercepted the Outcast forces and attacked but were defeated. When Emanicus gnomes finish searching the caves for gems, they’re coming here. They could be here in a few hours!”
A prickle of fear ran down Tyla’s spine. “That doesn’t leave us much time.”
“S is stopping on the way to poison your new crops, but that may not take very long,” Loud Mouth said worriedly.
“No, but now we know where to find her,” Zeetha said.
“I can’t think of a better place,” Tyla said. “Let’s get to work.”
Chapter 68
There were a few heated arguments over the next hour and a half as the trio raced against time to revise the original text. Each alteration could create a problem they hadn’t considered, and failing to make necessary changes could be just as dangerous.
When the revised draft was finished, Tyla felt utterly drained. They had been thorough, but even so, they might have overlooked something. She handed the paper to Olissa. “Check this against the book to make sure I’ve copied everything correctly and made the changes in the right places.”
Olissa went over it and said, “You didn’t make any copying errors, and the new text is just as we discussed, but this is so long and complicated I know I can’t memorize it. Even if I read it, I’d miss a word or make a mistake and have to start all over again.”
“You don’t have to memorize it,” Zeetha said. “It’s fine to read it. And once you’ve been over it a few times, it won’t seem so complicated.”
The usually confident Olissa looked less than certain. “You’re far more adept at spells than we are. You should perform the spell.”
Zeetha looked shocked. “Me?”
“What do you think, Tyla?” Olissa asked.
There was no question the woodspirit was more qualified, but Zeetha wasn’t likely to want the responsibility. “Would you be willing?” Tyla asked.
“You’d trust me with something this important?”
“Of course,” Tyla said. “You hate S and The Emanicus as much as we do. I know you’d do your best.”
“I’d feel terrible if something went wrong and it didn’t work.”
“We wouldn’t blame you,” Tyla assured her. “You have the best chance of getting this right. If there’s anything I can do to help, I will, but you should be in charge.”
Zeetha let out a long breath. “All right. You say the opening passage while drawing power from the gems. I’ll do the rest. I’ll try not to let you down.”
“Deal,” Tyla said, giving the woodspirit a reassuring smile.
Zeetha copied Tyla’s portion on a separate sheet of paper and handed it to her.
“If we want to reach the field ahead of Sheamathan and Emanicus gnomes, we should leave soon,” Arenia said. “How many of us are going?”
Franklin, Parcune, Ben, Kaff, and Xenon had stayed in the cabin, letting the others work, but they’d heard the entire conversation. Now, they came out onto the porch.
“I have no part to play in this, but it may be a historic moment, and I’d like to be there,” Parcune said.
“If there was ever a Hail Mary play, this is it,” Franklin said. “Can’t say as I blame you for wanting to see it.”
“Hail Mary play? Another Fair Lands saying? What does it mean?” Tyla asked.
“It means something done in desperation with a small chance of success and time running out.” A look came over his face that said he’d put his foot in his mouth. “Your chances are good,” he said hastily. “I didn’t mean—”
“No, you’re right,” Zeetha said. “This ma
y not work, and if it doesn’t, we’re out of Hail Mary plays.”
“I’d like to go,” Kaff said.
“Good. I think we should be invisible, and if you can take care of that, we can concentrate on other things,” Tyla told him.
“Sure. I can do that.”
“I be stayin’ here,” Ben said. “Had enough adventures. But I promise ter wear an orelia feather.”
“Me, too,” Xenon said. “We bring ya luck.”
“Thanks. So, there will be six of us,” Tyla said. “If that’s all right with you, Zeetha.”
Zeetha nodded.
“Where’s Loud Mouth?” Olissa asked. “We need him to make a surveillance flight.”
“Here,” said Loud Mouth, flying down from the porch roof. “Should I leave now?”
“Yes,” Tyla said. “Keep an eye on Strathweed, and when you see Sheamathan and Emanicus gnomes start out, come tell us.”
“We’ll be on a hill overlooking the vegetable crops,” Olissa said. “We won’t turn invisible until we hear they’re on the way, so you’ll be able to find us.”
“If you want, I’ll drive you over to the field and drop you off,” Franklin said.
“Good idea. I’d rather not walk,” Tyla said. Until now, she’d been too busy to be nervous, but now that they were about to leave, she was trembling all over.
“I’m off. See you later,” said Loud Mouth.
How lucky they were to have him, Tyla thought as he flew away.
“All right. Let’s go,” Olissa said, falling into her usual role as head of security. “For better or for worse we’re about to make history.”
Felith herded the gem masters up the passageway. They hadn’t found any gem caches, but they might if only they had more time. When they had all searched together, Sheamathan had been in a good mood at first, but after a few hours she had become irritable and said Elias must have moved the gems, and they had wasted enough time looking for them. She was a devious creature, that Sheamathan. She had probably detected a warded cache and didn’t want them to find it. Why else would she give up so easily?