Runes and Relics

by Kay L. Ling

  Franklin slowed the maraku. “I’m starting to feel it—that gloomy, depressed feeling.”

  “Me too,” Lana said. “Stop the cart. This should be close enough.”

  Tyla reached into her pocket and handed Lana two pieces of alamaria. “Take these with you.”

  “Thanks.” Lana pocketed the stones. “Extra insurance. Not a bad idea.”

  “Good luck and be careful,” Tyla said as they climbed out of the cart.

  Holding the heliotrope, Lana started cautiously forward. With alamaria boosting the heliotrope there was no telling what would happen, but it was bound to be a stronger reaction this time. She might get ice, snow, and freezing winds.

  A line of frost swept toward her, starting at the armory door, turning the ground white as it came. The air was bitterly cold, sparkling with ice crystals like diamonds. She shivered, teeth chattering, and looked around. Beyond the frost-covered hill, the land remained green.

  If there was ice, then the ravilor had been neutralized, but there was no way to know how long the ice reaction would last, so just to be safe, she kept drawing heliotrope. Now, she needed to defeat the energy shield and make it all the way to the door. If alamaria gave her the boost she needed, she had a chance this time.

  She took out the aventurine and drew its power.

  The energy field became visible like before, but it was harder to see it because of the swirling ice crystals. As she advanced, the repelling force pushed futilely against her. Every yard she gained was a small victory, and before long she was halfway to the door. She smiled in triumph.

  Don’t get overconfident.

  The resistance felt stronger the farther she went, but compared to last time, this was a piece of cake. Her legs didn’t ache and she wasn’t even breathing hard. She looked around. The shimmering air was more noticeable now, and the sky seemed to be getting darker.

  As she neared the door, she transferred the gems to her left hand and pulled the neck chain with the key over her head to unlock the door.

  Ice crystals stung her face. Her hands were numb from the cold.

  Behind her, Franklin and Tyla were shouting something—probably encouragement and congratulations. The wind was carrying their voices away.

  She wished Elias and Jules were here to watch her defeat S’s ward. But she couldn’t think about that now. She needed to get the door unlocked. The sky was darkening fast as if a storm were coming, and it was hard to see the keyhole well enough to fit the key into the lock. She finally got it in, but the key didn’t want to turn. Come on! She twisted hard, the key finally turned, and the door swung inward.

  Yes! She yanked the key out, stuffed it into her pocket, and went inside.

  She paused just inside the door. After hearing Tyla’s misgivings, she half-expected some kind of booby trap, but nothing happened so she took a few more steps, lit a couple lightgems, and set them on the floor. The armory’s stone walls had been waterproofed with pitch, a smart idea for an underground storage area full of metal items.

  Mounting brackets for weapons had been inserted in the joints of the stone blocks, and rows of swords, spears, shields, maces, and crossbows hung from them. Some of the weapons had gems. Even in the dim light, she could see them twinkling.

  A low stone shelf with a row of dusty, wooden boxes ran along the left wall. They might hold any number of things: knives, documents, books, or gems.

  There were torch brackets on the wall, but the torches were long gone. Lightgems were better anyway.

  She started to relax since there hadn’t been any reaction to her presence. She went to examine a group of spears with inlaid gems in their handles. She didn’t take any down, but she could see the workmanship was impressive. Gems probably augmented the user’s fighting skills.

  With a guilty start, she realized she had forgotten all about Franklin and Tyla. She should wave to let them know she was safe.

  She turned toward the door and froze in shock. The door was open, but it was so dark out she couldn’t see a thing. Strange atmospheric effects aside, this wasn’t normal.

  She ran to the door and gasped when she saw the problem. Iron covered the entire doorway. She pounded on the iron, producing reverberating clangs, and then pushed against it with her shoulder. It wouldn’t budge. She pounded again, harder this time, and then kicked it, but it was no use. She was wasting her time.

  Her heart sank in despair. Trapped. How had this happened?

  Was it a booby trap or part of the anomalous reaction?

  Tears blurred her vision. Stay calm. Think this through. It could be a booby trap, but it seemed more likely that this was part of the gem reaction. Both times the energy field had become visible, and there had been a shimmering effect. The first time she had cut the experiment short. This time, she’d kept going, and the sky had grown dark, but she had been so intent on getting inside she hadn’t questioned it. She hadn’t even looked behind her. Was the sky dark because the energy field was changing somehow?

  She sank to the floor, cursing her stupidity.

  Franklin and Tyla had been shouting something. She had thought they were cheering her on, but they had probably been trying to warn her.

  What had they seen?

  Whatever it was, it might have affected more than the doorway. Were Tyla and Franklin safe? Aventurine created volatile reactions, and she had boosted it with alamaria. Anything could have happened. This was one of those times when the reaction was dangerous rather than merely strange. But sitting here freaking out wouldn’t help anyone.

  What was happening out there?

  Tyla’s high, panicky voice came from just outside the door. “Lana! We’re here!”

  Lana sprang to her feet and went to the barrier.

  “The entire hill is covered with iron!” Franklin called. “How do we get you out?”

  “I don’t know,” she answered miserably. It was hard to believe the entire hill could be covered in iron.

  “Are you still drawing on the gems?” Tyla asked.

  “Yes, I don’t know what’ll happen if I stop.” Unfortunately, carrying on a conversation while drawing gem powers wasn’t easy.

  “Maybe you should stop. The reaction might reverse,” Tyla said, sounding on the verge of tears.

  “The iron might turn back into energy,” Franklin said hopefully.

  “What happened out there? Before the iron appeared?” Lana asked.

  “The air kept getting darker,” Franklin said. “By the time you reached the door, I think the energy field was starting to change. You got inside just in time. The darkness seemed to intensify as it enveloped the hill. I’m no scientist, but I’d say the energy was turning to matter. We discovered it was iron when we came closer.”

  Lana felt ill. “I think the reason I was able to reach the door was because the energy field was weakening during the transition.”

  “Could be. It makes sense,” Franklin said.

  “I wish you hadn’t gotten in,” Tyla said, sniffling. “We should have waited for Elias and Jules.”

  Lana had been looking forward to seeing their faces when they learned she’d gotten in. Now she understood the saying: pride comes before a fall. “Go back to the cart. I’ll stop drawing gem powers. If the reaction doesn’t reverse, go back to the castle.”

  Eventually, the reaction should wear off. There might be a window of time when she could escape, just as there had been a window of time to get in. If she missed it and the original wards kicked in she’d be no better off than she was now. Energy. Iron. It made no difference. Trapped was trapped. Then what could she do? If Tyla could replicate the anomalous reaction, Lana might be able to escape during the transition, but that wasn’t a very reliable plan.

  “If it doesn’t work, we’ll think of something else,” Tyla said stubbornly.

  Lana leaned her head against the iron barrier.

  “Give us a minute to get away,” Tyla said, “then try it.”

  Lana waited at least five minutes,
just to be safe, and then stopped using the gems. She watched the iron barrier, hoping it would transition to a penetrable darkness, but minutes passed and the iron barrier remained.

  Then, Franklin’s voice came from a distance, and she could barely make out the words. “The hill is still covered in iron.”

  “Go back to the castle for now!” she shouted. Could they even hear her? It occurred to her that she hadn’t told them what she’d found here, and under the circumstances, they hadn’t asked.

  They didn’t answer, and eventually she assumed they were gone. She sank to the floor and rested her head on her drawn-up knees. Most of the time, gem experiments were a fun pastime, and the results didn’t matter.

  This time they mattered.

  Chapter 7

  Lana was beyond exhausted. Loneliness and self-pity gnawed at her.

  The change from energy to iron could be permanent. She couldn’t rule it out. When had she ever been in such a fix? The people most qualified to help her were far away, had no idea she was in trouble, and there was no way to reach them.

  Shuddering sobs wracked her body. She cried until she was numb and there were no tears left. Her throat felt raw.

  Finally, she wiped her eyes and took a deep breath. Maybe a good cry was just what she’d needed, because despite being bone-tired, she felt calmer now. Thank goodness for infused powers that could strengthen her body and clear her mind. She drew on those powers, and new energy and hope rose within her.

  In the unlikely event that something had changed, she decided to check the barrier, but when she went over and touched it, it was as solid as before. How had S created the energy field? What gems and spells had she used? It probably didn’t matter now; aventurine could have disrupted and changed everything. Pressing her palm against the iron, she drew infused intuition and foresight.

  What she learned wasn’t encouraging.

  The iron that had formed during the conversion was unstable, but it could very well last for days, weeks, or even months.

  She dropped her hand and let out a long, discouraged breath. She could do without food but not water. If she didn’t get out in three days, she wouldn’t be getting out at all. Franklin might be able to get equipment from the Fair Lands that could cut through iron. She had no idea how thick the iron was. Or if it was capable of resealing itself like the metal in S’s restraining collar. When you were dealing with wards and gem powers, it was all guesswork, as Franklin said.

  An unexpected impression surfaced in her mind, too strong to ignore. There was a solution. She had learned about a native gem that could help her. But what was it? She chewed her lip, trying to think what it could be. Eventually, she gave up. It might come to her later.

  What did she have to work with right now? A pouch of Fair Lands gems and a few unimpressive infused gem powers from both worlds. Tyla had access to Elias’s native gems and the Fair Lands gems Lana had left in the office. Together, they had a large assortment.

  Lana rubbed the base of her neck, feeling the start of a headache. Tyla had minimal training, but her gem powers were strong, and she was good at deductive reasoning. Too bad she was so timid. Clever theories were no good if you were afraid to test them.

  She jumped at Franklin’s voice.

  “Hey in there! We’re back!” He sounded surprisingly close. “Xenon came with us,” he added.

  Her mind raced. What about the ravilor?

  “The wind and ice are gone, but the ravilor is still harmless,” Tyla said as if reading Lana’s mind. “We found out, thanks to Xenon.”

  “Xenon?”

  “He knew where Jules had triggered the ravilor and volunteered to stand there,” Franklin said.

  Lana was stunned. “He risked being covered with welts?”

  She heard gruff laughter. “Ya done a lot fer us breghlin.”

  “When the energy shield is down, the ravilor doesn’t do anything,” Tyla said. “Now, we just need to get rid of the iron.”

  “Right,” Lana said, wishing it were that easy.

  “Any ideas, Lana? Franklin asked.

  “Crazy as it sounds, another anomalous reaction may be the key. But don’t ask me which gems to try. If I’m lucky, this reaction will wear off.”

  “But what if it doesn’t?” Tyla asked. “Or what if it does, but the energy shield comes back. You’ll still be trapped. We have to do something.”

  “Have you talked to the spell book?”

  “Yes, but it wasn’t any help. My family is going through Elias’s notes. Maybe we’ll find something there.”

  Franklin said, “Oliver went to get Raenihel and some of the others with gem powers.”

  “With so many of us working together, we’re sure to find something that works,” Tyla said.

  How long before Tyla’s optimism started to fray?

  “It’s embarrassing to have to call in others, but I appreciate it. Sorry I caused all this trouble.”

  “At least you got into the armory. No one else could,” Franklin said.

  “That’s not much consolation at the moment.” She looked behind her. “There are a lot of weapons here, and some have gems. I’ve been too focused on getting out of here to take more than a quick look.”

  “Understandable,” Franklin said.

  “They must be good gems if they’re in gnome weapons. Could any of them help you?” Tyla asked.

  Lana blinked. Good point. Why hadn’t she thought of that? The weapons were an additional source of gems. “I’ll look them over and see what I can learn about them.”

  “Okay. Good. Are there any Fair Lands gems in Elias’s office?”

  “Yes. I left a case of amethyst, hematite, topaz, aquamarine, and a few varieties of chalcedony in the desk. The compartments are all labeled.”

  “When the others arrive, I’ll show them what we have to work with. I suppose Franklin and I should be getting back,” she said apologetically.

  “Thanks for everything. And Xenon, I still can’t believe what you did—risking ravilor welts. Thanks.” It was touching that breghlin as well as gnomes were trying to help her.

  “Weren’t nothin,’” Xenon muttered.

  “We’ll come back right after breakfast,” Franklin promised. “Hopefully, with a solution.”

  “Okay,” Lana said, wishing they’d stay a little longer. Talking to someone made her feel less isolated.

  She could hear them talking as they walked back to the cart.

  Even with a team of gnomes trying to help, her situation seemed pretty grim. It could take days of studying gem combinations to find one worth trying.

  Lana went to the wall of weapons and looked at the swords. Some had runes or intricate designs etched in the blades. Their hilts, wrapped in leather, had inset gems of various colors. It was a wonder the leather had survived so well, but the armory was dry. She moved to a group of spears. Like the swords, many had leather-wrapped grips with gems.

  The shields were made of a thin, hard metal with a greenish cast. She ran her hands over one and tapped it, expecting a dull thud, but it gave off a high-pitched metallic ring. Maybe an alloy unique to Ahmonell.

  As she continued down the racks of weapons, she found crudely fashioned maces and battleaxes. Had breghlin made these for their own use?

  Beyond the axes she discovered an iron door that blended in with the pitch-covered stones. The keyhole looked like the one on the outer door, so she tried her key. The door opened, but she needed more light to see what was inside, so she lit her remaining lightgem.

  The room was full of weapons. They lay in piles on the floor as if they weren’t valuable enough to hang on brackets. There were spears, pikes, maces, and swords with damaged blades. Beyond those piles lay heaps of leather gauntlets, boots, leggings, and a group of metal helms.

  Since she had nothing better to do, she sifted through the leather gear, examining various items, and then tried on a few of the helms. Despite the fact that gnomes and breghlin had smaller heads, a couple fit pre
tty well.

  On the far wall, she found a storage cabinet full of interesting relics: tankards with monograms; eating utensils with bone handles; small, leather-bound books written in runes; portraits painted on wood with wires on the back for hanging; and a group of metal insignia pins, perhaps worn by gnome militia.

  After examining everything that interested her, she went back to the first room to take a better look at the wooden boxes. She knelt, swept dust from the hinged lid of the first box, and found runes etched into the wood. The contents must be something special.

  Cautiously, she lifted the lid, and gasped at what she found.

  Inside lay a leather-bound book with inset gems in its intricately tooled cover. She lifted it eagerly from the box, closed the lid, and set it on top. After placing a fingertip on each gem and sensing no dark powers, she felt reasonably confident it was safe to open the book.

  “You are not a gnome,” the book said in a soft, pleasant voice that could have been either male or female, “but I sense no evil in you. I belong to the Danvian clan.”

  Were all spell books sentient? “I don’t think I’ve heard of that clan. How long have you been here?”

  “Since the Battle of Last Hope,” it answered in a sorrowful voice. “I am pleased to be released from the box.”

  The books had been here a long time, but unlike her, they didn’t need food or water. “And the other boxes,” Lana said, glancing down the row. “Do they all hold books like you?”

  “Yes. Sheamathan took us from gnome clan leaders, along with weapons, gems, and other valuables.”

  If every clan leader owned a spell book, there should be more than nine, but S probably hadn’t gotten all the books from inside the Amulet, and she might not have any from the other parts of Ahmonell.

  Lana opened all the boxes, and as she lifted out each book, it told her which clan had owned it.

  “Tell us about our clans,” one begged. “Have the gnomes survived?”

  “Are you a gem master?” another asked.

  One of the books said, “She must be. She broke through Sheamathan’s wards!”

  “That’s quite an accomplishment,” the first book agreed. “Are you more powerful than Sheamathan?”