Runes and Relics

by Kay L. Ling

  She’d be curious about life on the other side, but as far as Jules was concerned, she had no right to know what had become of the world she had tried to conquer. He and Elias would share information only when it suited them.

  Jules tapped on Elias’s door. It opened a crack and Elias beckoned him inside, quickly shutting the door behind him.

  “Good. You remembered the spell book. It contains new information which I wish S could see, but with her compound eyes, that isn’t possible.”

  “New information?”

  “Yes, I’ll show you.” Placing the book on a stand near the bed, he turned the pages, stopping at a drawing.

  Jules stared in amazement. It was Elantoth’s communications room, captured in minute detail. Behind Aberell’s pedestal stood a young female gnome with her eyes closed and her hand over the gem.

  “That’s Tyla, but how is that possible?”

  Elias looked amused at Jules’s confusion.

  “This wasn’t here a few days ago. I would have remembered,” Jules said.

  “You’re right. It wasn’t.”

  Jules shook his head, hopelessly confused. “It just . . . appeared?”

  Elias smiled. “An official at Mierek told Tyla these books record matters of historical importance. At first, we assumed he meant that in the usual sense—the books contain maps, sketches, and important information as well as spells. But after speaking with the books, I learned that wasn’t what he meant. These books can create images upon request, capturing every detail on paper, like a photograph.”

  “Incredible,” Jules said as he bent over the drawing.

  “I felt we should record the first contact—Tyla speaking with Aberell Fortress. Although this scene is taken from my memory, it faithfully captures that moment.”

  “What a wonderful idea.”

  “Later today, we’ll return the book to the library so everyone can see this.”

  “We’ve already learned quite a bit from Mierek, haven’t we?”

  “Yes. And we’re particularly interested in learning more about gnome gem powers. Tyla says they told her that everyone with gem powers has an affinity gem—a gem whose power comes naturally and is stronger for them than for others. I would never have suspected that. I’ll tell the clan leaders when they arrive. Gnomes should discover their affinity gem and take full advantage of it.”

  “I wonder if humans have an affinity gem.” Jules hoped they did. It was an exciting concept.

  “I’ve never seen it mentioned in gem folklore books, but it’s possible.”

  “I’ll look into it—maybe run some experiments with Lana.”

  “Good idea.” Elias picked up the spell book. “Shall we visit S now?”

  When they entered the sitting room, the beetle turned to face them, antennae flicking. “Two visitors,” she said unhappily. “Who is with you, Elias?”

  Elias set the book on a table beside a tapestry-covered settee. “I brought Jules today and another old friend as well.”

  As if on cue, the spell book said, “It is I, former mistress.”

  “You!” the beetle cried, scuttling closer to the bars. “I should set you on fire and reduce your pages to ash!”

  “No doubt you would if only you could,” the book quipped. The cover opened and its pages turned rapidly, finally stopping at a drawing of S on her throne.

  The facing page was blank. Thin, curving lines began to appear on it, and Jules watched in silent fascination as an image took form and eventually became the elaborate iron cage, complete with a giant beetle inside. Perhaps he was imagining it, but the drawing seemed to capture the beetle’s fury.

  “Before and after pictures,” he said, grinning. “How appropriate.”

  “The drawing doesn’t give away where she is,” Elias said. “Few know she’s here in the castle, and I plan to keep it that way.”

  S’s voice trembled with fury. “Eventually, one of my loyal subjects will find and rescue me.”

  “Well, it won’t be Kaff,” Elias said. “Aside from the fact that he’s in the dungeon, he’s currently part gnome, part bird.”

  For a moment S seemed too stunned to speak, and then she screeched, “Hypocrite!” You complain about others using dark powers and you do this?”

  “I had no hand in it. He turned himself into a bird, although it’s safe to say this is not the kind of bird he had in mind.”

  S waved her antennae. “A beginner’s mistake. Despite his error, I have not changed my mind about his intellect. Nevertheless, I prefer breghlin.”

  Elias laughed. “Is that so? Not so long ago you were constantly complaining they were inept and couldn’t follow orders.”

  “Be that as it may, they revered me and were loyal subjects.”

  “There’s a difference between fear and reverence,” Jules said. “And believe me, they know the difference. They’re glad to be rid of you.”

  “How can they live without me? They are far too witless.”

  “You underestimate them,” Elias said coldly. “With our help, they’re farming land that’s becoming fertile again, building decent housing, and learning new trades. And as relations improve between gnomes and breghlin, I feel confident gnomes will help them.”

  “Gnomes!” she scoffed. “They are more helpless than breghlin.”

  “You’re wrong. They’re very resourceful. In fact, so resourceful they’ve contacted gnomes outside the Amulet.” He caught Jules’s eye and they both smiled as they waited for the inevitable explosion.

  “That’s absurd!” S cried. “Even if they traveled to the barrier, they couldn’t get close enough to communicate with anyone on the other side. The energy field is too strong.”

  “Who said anything about traveling to the barrier?” Elias asked, deliberately toying with her.

  “I suppose you want me to believe they have developed long-distance telepathic powers,” she said sarcastically, and began to chitter in laughter.

  “In a manner of speaking, they have,” Elias said. “Spell book, explain the situation to your former mistress. She knows you cannot lie.”

  The book said, “Long ago, when this fortress was held by gnomes, there was a communications room with rizumen gems that linked each of the six fortresses. You never knew it existed because it was hidden and warded, but gnomes recently found it and reopened communications.”

  S began circling her cage, faster and faster, as if trying to escape her own tortured thoughts. Then she stopped abruptly, and when she didn’t move for a length of time Jules wondered if she was dead.

  “We may have stumbled upon a way to physically reunite the gnomes,” Elias went on, leaning closer and peering inside the cage as if he too were questioning whether the shock had done her in.

  “Go away,” S rasped.

  “Are you ill, former mistress?” the spell book asked, with what sounded more like morbid curiosity than real concern.

  “I believe so.”

  “There is a restorative potion on page 476,” the book offered helpfully.

  S chittered again, but this time it didn’t sound like laughter.

  Chapter 27

  Saturday, the sun was setting by the time Lana and Jules reached Shadowglade. She had spent the day at the jewelry store since one of the part-timers was sick, another was out of town, and the third hadn’t answered the phone when Arlene called. Not wanting to leave Jules in the lurch, Lana had met him at the portal this morning and asked if he could come back at six. Then she had gone to work, and it had been a totally miserable day. Arlene, only weeks from retirement, had given up all pretense of being polite, and they had insulted each other in front of customers. Lana felt disgusted that she had allowed herself to sink to Arlene’s level.

  “You need some “happy gems,” Jules said as they went into the office.

  Normally, Lana would have laughed at that, but today it annoyed her.

  They spent a couple hours drawing gem powers, trying to determine whether one Fair Lands gem f
elt warmer than the rest. If there was a better way to measure and compare gem powers, Lana didn’t know what it was. She felt the most heat from malachite. Ironically, it had always been one of her favorites. Jules had the best results with sapphire, which was considered an oracle gem that tapped into “the third eye.”

  “If we hadn’t tried one after another, paying close attention, I wouldn’t have realized there was a difference. It’s subtle but noticeable,” Jules said.

  “Elias said he’s never heard of affinity gems in his folklore books, so he’ll be interested in our results.”

  “I doubt he’ll be back tonight, so we may as well lock up.”

  No sooner had he said that than they heard footsteps, and they turned to look out the door. Elias was coming down the passageway, almost running.

  “What on earth . . .” Jules said, and they went out to meet him.

  “Breghlin just arrived,” panted Elias. He looked more rattled than Lana had ever seen him. “NE3 and some of his scouts. They’ve been monitoring the barrier. It has become extremely dangerous there. The repelling zone extends much farther than when we were there, and the energy field is unstable.”

  “What?” Jules felt the color drain from his face.

  “There have been surges in the energy field. Earthquakes and violent winds.” Elias was trembling violently, and Lana was afraid he might collapse. She and Jules took him into the office and helped him into a chair.

  “It’s all my fault,” Elias moaned. “The rose stone . . . what have I done?”

  Lana searched her memory. What had he told her about the rose gem? The team had used it to make an energy beam. They had attacked the barrier, hoping to punch a hole through it. But it hadn’t worked, and the force field had grown stronger.

  “You’re jumping to conclusions,” Jules told him.

  “Am I? The barrier has been stable for over two centuries, and now this.”

  He looked so miserable that Lana tried to console him with the first thing that came to mind. “For all you know, this has happened before. S wouldn’t have told you.”

  He shook his head. “Breghlin have lived in the area for generations, and to the best of their knowledge, this has never happened. We had hoped to reunite Ahmonell. Now, not only have I jeopardized that goal, I’ve jeopardized the safety of the entire Amulet region. I shouldn’t have meddled with the barrier.”

  “Let’s not panic,” Lana said, finding it difficult to take her own advice. “The energy field may stabilize. But whatever happens, everyone knows you were only trying to help.” She didn’t know what else to say. Good intentions might not mean much if this turned into a disaster with no solution.

  “Where are NE3 and the scouts?” Jules asked. “I’d like to talk to them.”

  “I ordered dinner for them; then I came to find you.” Elias stood unsteadily. He seemed to have aged decades in a few minutes.

  “Is Raenihel here—or any of the elders?’ Jules asked. “They’ll want to hear the news firsthand.”

  “Franklin has gone to get the elder on duty.”

  “Good. He can see if there have been reports of trouble on the other side. Aberell isn’t too far from the barrier.”

  Elias’s mouth fell open. “Good heavens! I hadn’t thought of that. I hope the problems are confined to our side.”

  Jules answered in a tone that said he hated to be the bearer of bad news, “If it’s happening here, I would think it’s happening there as well.”

  Elias looked more stricken than before.

  Lana’s heart went out to him. “Wouldn’t Aberell have told us? It took the scouts a few days to get here, so there’s been plenty of time for them to report the problem.”

  “Maybe the Gem Masters on the other side will know how to stabilize the energy field,” Jules said, though he didn’t look very hopeful.

  Elias gave a derisive snort. “They don’t know how to break through the barrier, but they can solve this problem? No, I’m afraid it’s up to me to fix this, but how?”

  Lana looked at Jules. “Rebooting the Amulet would take down the energy field. We need to do it before the field gets stronger and there’s more damage.”

  “I wish we could,” Jules said, “but we still don’t know which gem combination to use. We need an anomalous reaction that shuts down the Amulet’s energy field or converts energy into a solid. And we can’t afford a mistake that makes matters worse.”

  “Doing nothing may be just as dangerous as making a mistake,” Lana said.

  They started out for the dining room and ran across Franklin and Denkurk who going there as well. The portly, white-haired elder had a deeply lined face and a bushy beard that reached nearly to his belt. Lana had seen him a few times. Even under the best of circumstances he always looked cross—and these weren’t the best of circumstances.

  “Franklin told me the news,” Denkurk said in a confrontational tone, glowering at Elias. “I hope you have a solution!”

  Elias didn’t answer.

  Denkurk folded his arms. “Nothing to say for yourself?” He reminded Lana of a grumpy gnome Santa Claus.

  “I’ve just heard the news myself,” Elias said coldly. “I’ll need a few days to find a solution.” Elias locked gazes with the gnome.

  Like snow under a hot afternoon sun, Denkurk’s scowl suddenly melted, and tension visibly drained from his body. He said meekly, “Yes, I’m sure you will,” and blinked a couple times, shaking his head as if to clear his thoughts. “I don’t know what came over me. I apologize.” He smiled broadly and made an after you gesture toward the dining room.

  Lana’s jaw dropped. That was just . . . weird. The gnome’s mood had changed so suddenly, and she had never seen him smile before. She looked suspiciously at Elias and cleared her throat.

  Elias smiled faintly. “I confess,” he said telepathically. “I won’t make a habit of it, but right now we have no time to waste on pompous gnome officials.”

  Chapter 28

  Thursday morning, Jules saw Raenihel leave Elias’s office, and the gnome’s angry scowl was a good indication that Kaff would remain a bird a while longer.

  When they passed each other, Jules greeted Raenihel and got an angry glance in reply.

  Jules poked his head into Elias’s office. “Are you busy?”

  Elias looked up. “Never too busy for a friend. And I have so few these days.”

  “Raenihel hasn’t come around to your way of thinking, then,” he said, taking his usual chair in front of the desk.

  “No, and this issue has split the entire Anen clan. Even those who agree that Kaff deserves what he got seem to feel I’m interfering. But their opinion of me is far less important than doing the right thing for Kaff.”

  “How does refusing to get involved equal interfering.”

  “Gnome logic,” Elias said with a shrug. “Right now, Kaff is the least of my worries. Denkurk is back to blaming me for the unstable Amulet, and his confrontational attitude is spreading to the rest of the elders.”

  “You had a plan for breaching the barrier. Yes, it failed. Could they have done better?”

  Elias didn’t answer. He was staring over Jules’s shoulder.

  Jules turned. Lant, who was supposed to be in the communications room, was coming down the passageway.

  “Pardon me,” Lant said as he entered. He looked tense. “We just received a message from Mierek. They’d like to speak to Gem Master Jules.”

  “Me!” Jules said. “What could they want with me?”

  “I can’t say,” answered Lant evasively, avoiding Jules’s eyes.

  Elias gave Jules a baffled look. “Better go see what they want.”

  Lant was always a quiet fellow, but more so today, Jules thought as he accompanied Lant to the communications room. The gnome seemed deep in thought and wore a faintly troubled expression, which set Jules’s nerves on edge. It would be fascinating to speak to someone at Mierek Fortress and see firsthand how rizumen worked, but Jules couldn’t und
erstand why they would ask for him and not Elias.

  They entered the room and Lant said, “Go ahead. You know how it works.”

  Jules approached Mierek’s pedestal. “Who will I be speaking with?”

  “Gem Master Olan Horek. Chief Magistrate of the High Council.”

  A sense of foreboding crept over him. Not an Aberell officer—the head of the High Council. “Wish me luck,” he muttered under his breath.

  As soon as he laid his hand over the gem he felt the mental link. Olan Horek had been waiting for him.

  Jules was looking through Horek’s eyes. He saw the gnome’s hand, but only for a moment, and then he was looking at the communications room, which looked very much like this one—stone walls with framed maps, portraits, and documents.

  Across the room, two gnomes wearing black robes trimmed with gold stood in the doorway and appeared to be having a heated discussion, but since rizumen didn’t transmit sounds within the room, only his contact’s thoughts, Jules couldn’t hear what they were saying.

  “Jules DeLauretin?” came a stern voice in Jules’s ears—the voice of someone accustomed to command.

  “Yes.”

  “Gem Master Horek, Chief Magistrate of the High Council.”

  “It’s an honor to meet you,” Jules thought to him.

  In a tone tinged with distaste Horek said, “Having heard your history, and that of Gem Master Elias, we have decided to speak to you. Dark gem powers are repulsive to us.”

  “Elias has given up dark powers,” Jules responded defensively.

  “Apparently not, since he turned Sheamathan into a beetle.”

  Horek had a point. That had required dark powers. Still, there had been extenuating circumstances. “We needed to keep Sheamathan from regaining her powers.”

  “I see,” Horek returned coldly, clearly unmoved by this argument. “We are disturbed by the situation there. From now on, we will handle our brethren’s gem education. A human, much less a tainted human, should not be teaching gnomes. Furthermore, we’ve instructed the Anen clan to assume operations there immediately. Human assistance is neither necessary nor welcome, and you certainly shouldn’t be residing at Elantoth.”