Wards and Wonders

by Kay L. Ling

  Chapter 24

  Early the next morning, Franklin woke to the sound of Ben and Tina Ann snoring. How they didn’t wake themselves was a mystery to him. The decibel level reminded him of a 1970s muscle car with a bad muffler.

  He tried to guess the time by the light filtering through the tent. Still pretty early, but he might as well get up since there was no way he was falling back to sleep without earplugs.

  Thanks to hours of riding in the cart followed by swimming and searching for gems, he had fallen asleep promptly. It had been a tiring day, and he wasn’t a young man anymore, but he didn’t feel fifty-two. The years he had lost while being enchanted might have something to do with that, he told himself as he got up and dressed.

  Going back to the cart, he looked for containers for feridium powder. His toolbox held little jars with nuts, screws, and nails, so he poured everything into one jar and pocketed the empties.

  By now, the cooking fire was nothing but a pile of glowing corrustone. He built a new wood fire, shoveled the corrustone on top, and sat down with his file and a feridium stone. When the breghlin finally emerged from the tent, the raaka was ready, and he had a jar of powder for himself and another for them.

  This morning he’d reheat some pheasant for breakfast along with a plant that tasted like onions. Thanks to Elias’s lessons about native plants, Franklin knew what was edible and what was poisonous. The breghlin knew a lot about plants, too, but the ones they liked were so bitter he couldn’t get them down.

  After breakfast, he gave them the feridium powder. “You two can have this jar. I have one for myself. I’d like to run the experiment again. Last time, I took more powder than you did. This time, we’ll each take the same amount and see how long the effects last.”

  “Thanks! I be puttin’ this to good use when we gets home,” Tina Ann said.

  Ben groaned. “Be no end to her spyin’ now.”

  “Shut yer mouth. I learns all kinds of stuff.”

  “I’m sure you do,” Franklin said, amused. He coated his fingertip with powder. “Ready?”

  “Ready.”

  They all ate the sample.

  “Do you feel a tingling sensation on your tongue?”

  “A little,” Ben said.

  “I does,” Tina Ann said.

  “If anything feels different today—weaker or stronger—let me know. And tell me when the effects wear off.”

  The smaller dose worked just as well to amplify Franklin’s hearing and sharpen his vision, and like before, he felt calm and relaxed, yet very alert.

  The breghlin sat silently for a few minutes, and then Ben said, “It be wearin’ off now.” A few more minutes passed and Tina Ann said, “Fadin’ fast now.”

  The breghlin watched Franklin eagerly, waiting for his report.

  “It’s fading now,” he said at last. The effects had worn off sooner than yesterday, probably due to the smaller dose.

  The sky was brightening and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. They shoveled the corrustone into a metal tub, took down the tent, and loaded everything onto the cart.

  “Looks like good weather for the ride home,” Franklin said as they climbed in. Soon, he might need his hat, but for some reason Ben and Tina Ann found his straw hat amusing, and the combination of the hat and his aviator sunglasses sent them into spasms of laughter.

  Ben was a good driver, but the ride would be tedious. Maraku were slow compared to an erum, but maraku, much like oxen, were better for pulling loads. The other day, Gem Master Ertz had met with a breghlin clan and traded a few maraku for an equal number of erum, which he said was a very good deal. Erum could pull a cart if the load wasn’t too heavy, but like a horse or a donkey, you could ride on them.

  After driving about five miles through increasingly rocky land, Ben called, “There be the trail we see yesterday.”

  A large rock sat at the trailhead, like a marker. But what was this? Today, there were black runes painted on the stone. “Stop the cart,” he called sharply.

  Ben drove the maraku into the weeds and Franklin looked back. “There aren’t any runes on this side.” No wonder he hadn’t seen them yesterday. The markings must be meant for travelers coming from Aberell, not Elantoth. “But why runes?” he said aloud as they all got out of the cart.

  “I knows ‘bout runes,” Tina Ann said with a note of pride. “Tyla reads ‘em with a gem.”

  “Too bad Tyla isn’t here to translate.” He bent over the stone, running his fingers over the black paint, “I have no idea what this says. Which is probably the point. Whoever painted this didn’t want everyone to be able to read it.”

  They stood for a moment, looking up the trail to the crest of the hill.

  Tina Ann said, “Must be somethin’ important up there.”

  “I suppose we could take a walk and see where the trail goes.”

  “Was hopin’ you say that,” Ben said with a grin.

  On their way up the hill, Ben and Tina Ann carried on a boisterous debate over what they would find. Franklin’s theory was that a geological survey team had found an old mine or a new gem deposit. Runes would identify the site without everyone knowing what it was. He and the breghlin probably shouldn’t be poking around, but the worst that could happen was someone would order them to leave.

  They reached the top of the first hill, and the trail angled off to the right, heading toward rocky cliffs that had a number of overhanging stone shelves.

  “Not much to see so far,” Franklin said. “No signs of digging, but the cliffs could have crevices or caves with gem deposits.”

  Ben shaded his eyes, studying the cliff. “May as well keep goin’. We ern’t in no hurry.”

  When they neared the end of the trail, Franklin saw a dark spot on the cliff face that looked like a cave opening.

  “This look kinda like the place where we foun’ the gnome relics,” Tina Ann said.

  Ben nodded. “I be thinkin’ that, too.”

  “That dark area could be a cave,” Franklin said, pointing.

  As they started toward it, someone shouted from that direction. Franklin signaled the breghlin to stop, and they all looked about warily. If anyone was working here, there should be carts and equipment. Someone could have hiked up here and gotten lost or injured, he supposed.

  More shouts, louder this time. Two voices.

  “Sounds like they be scared or hurt,” Ben said.

  “Do we go see?” Tina Ann asked.

  “I suppose we have to. It would be wrong to leave if someone needs help, but go slow and be on the lookout for—” He wasn’t sure what. Something felt wrong, but he couldn’t say what.

  Ben and Tina Ann took the lead, and the trio proceeded slowly, scanning the cliffs for movement. Now and then, Franklin looked back to see if anyone was following.

  The shouts came again, and this time Franklin could make out words. “Human! Help us! Human! Help us!” Why were they directing their plea to him, not the breghlin? It made him nervous.

  “They be breghlin,” Ben said, and Franklin had to agree. The voices had that distinctive guttural tone.

  “Maybe they be in the cave,” Tina Ann said excitedly, and she and Ben started to run.

  “Careful!” Franklin called, breaking into a run, too. “Don’t go inside until we know who’s there and what’s wrong.”

  To their credit, the breghlin slowed to a walk.

  “Here! We be in here! Help us!”

  Franklin motioned for the breghlin to stay back and approached the dark opening alone.

  Someone inside asked in a furtive whisper, “You sure he be a human, not a woodspirit?” and another replied, “I be sure.”

  The opening was narrow, and he couldn’t tell whether it was a crevice or an actual cave. He still couldn’t see anyone.

  A male breghlin called, “We needs a gem master. You be a gem master, right?”

  A gem master? That caught him off guard. “No, I’m not a gem master, but maybe I can help you. What’s wron
g?”

  “Oh,” said a disappointed voice. “The humans we hear about, they all be gem masters.”

  Franklin had no idea what was going on, but he didn’t think it was a trap, so when Ben came forward, he didn’t try to stop him. Ben walked right up to the opening.

  The occupants cried, “Don’t!” but it was too late. Ben gave a yelp of pain and stumbled backward.

  “A ward!” Tina Ann said, and ran forward, grabbing Ben’s arm.

  Well, that explained why they needed a gem master. But why were they inside, and who had set a ward to keep them there?

  Franklin took a few cautious steps, coming as close as he dared, then squinted into the dark opening. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust. He saw two male breghlin. “We’ll find someone to help you, but how did you get trapped inside?”

  “Three gnomes put us here. Not normal lookin’ gnomes, but not breghlin neither.”

  “Outcasts!” Ben and Tina Ann said in unison. Tina Ann asked, “Why be Outcasts way out here?”

  “Lookin’ for gems,” said one of the trapped breghlin, and both came closer to the opening.

  “They broke a ward an’ got inter a mine near here, an’ now they be makin’ our clan mine gems,” said the other.

  “But why you in this crevice?” Ben asked, looking bewildered.

  “Ter make sure the clan keep minin’.”

  “Hostages,” Franklin said in disgust.

  “Every three days they gives us food an’ water an’ hauls away the gems.”

  “How long have you been in there?” Franklin asked, wishing he could get his hands on the Outcasts.

  “Twelve days. We count.”

  “So, if they broke one ward and created another to hold hostages, at least one of the Outcasts is a gem master,” Franklin said.

  “They wears hoods, but we seen their faces. The one what made the ward got a lump on his chin an’ one by his left eye. He don’t come every time, but if we hurts the other two, or the work ern’t done, he gonna kill us when he come.”

  “We’ll tell Aberell Fortress what’s going on here, and I’m sure they’ll send officers to stop the illegal mining operation and guard the mine.”

  “Hope they cotch them Outcasts,” Tina Ann said.

  “Yes. I hope so.”

  “How far from here be your clan?” Ben asked.

  “Jus’ down the hill, that way.” The breghlin pointed.

  The other captive said, “Better go. It be three days, so the bad gnomes be comin’.”

  “Don’t tell anyone we were here. It’s safer if your clan doesn’t know. We’ll send someone to get you out as soon as possible,” Franklin said.

  The captive breghlin both nodded in agreement.

  This was a complicated situation, Franklin thought as they started back to the cart. If someone released the trapped breghlin, the Outcasts would return and find the hostages gone, and the clan would pay for it. And the Outcasts would know someone with gem powers had gotten involved, which might make it more difficult to capture them.

  Ben and Tina Ann looked frustrated and angry, and Franklin felt the same way.

  Tina Ann let out a frightened hiss.

  Another cart had stopped along the road, and there were two hooded figures by Franklin’s cart. They had thrown back the tarp, and one was rummaging through the gear while the other kept watch. Just then, the watcher looked up the hill and saw Franklin and the breghlin. He alerted his companion, but neither moved away.

  “Our gems!” Tina Ann cried in dismay. “They sure to find ‘em.”

  Franklin was more concerned about their own safety. What did he have for self-defense? He searched his pockets. All he had was a lighter and a Swiss Army knife.

  That would have to do.

  Chapter 25

  “Let me do the talking,” Franklin said quietly. “The Outcasts may assume you’re part of the local clan. Don’t say anything to make them think otherwise.”

  “Why?” Ben asked.

  “If they think you’re part of that clan, they won’t see you as a threat. We want their attention on me.”

  He was still formulating his plan. What did these Outcasts know about humans? Everyone in the Amulet knew Elias, Jules, and Lana had defeated S, and the hostages seemed to think all humans had gem powers. Were the Outcasts equally misinformed? If so, maybe Franklin could pass himself off as a gem master. He opened his Swiss Army knife. It wasn’t much of a weapon, but if he was lucky, he would bluff them rather than fight.

  The Outcasts’ hoods hid much of their faces. One was dressed in gray, the other black, and both wore sheathed blades the size of short swords at their waists, which seemed unnecessary if they were gem masters.

  “Why are you looking through my cart?” Franklin demanded when he and the breghlin reached the bottom of the hill.

  The Outcasts had flipped the tarp over the side rail and both were rummaging through now. Did these fellows have the red gem mark? The mark would be on the underside of their wrists where he couldn’t easily see it.

  The taller of the two turned around and asked, “What were you doing up there? This is a restricted area.”

  “I was headed back to Elantoth when I saw the stone with runes and decided to have a look around. When I reached the top of the hill, I ran into these breghlin, and they said I shouldn’t be here, so I was just leaving. You have no right to go through my cart. Did you take anything?”

  “You tell us. You’re a gem master, aren’t you?” the Outcast in black said.

  Gray Hood smiled unpleasantly. “Right. Read our minds.”

  “I don’t need to. I can see you’re thieves,” Franklin said.

  That wasn’t the answer they were looking for, and he was sure they realized he was being evasive.

  “Is that so? Then tell us what we took,” Black Hood said.

  Ben remained at Franklin’s side, eyes downcast. Tina Ann had gone to the opposite side of the cart and was leaning over the rail, examining the contents. “Our clan could use alotta this stuff,” she said, then went around to the back of the cart.

  Franklin glared at her. What was she doing?

  “So could I,” Black Hood said, chuckling. He joined Tina Ann, and after giving Franklin a mocking smile, pulled down the tailgate. “You there,” he called to Ben, who was standing by the side of the cart. “Help her carry this gear to my cart. Be quick about it, and maybe I’ll let you keep something for yourselves.”

  Gray Hood drew his blade. “Step away from the cart, human.”

  Franklin held his ground, but he knew he couldn’t stop them. What good was a pocketknife against their swords?

  Tina Ann carried a bucket and a bedroll to the Outcasts’ cart and came back for more, avoiding Franklin’s eye as she reached into the cart.

  Franklin’s attention shifted to Black Hood who motioned to Ben and growled, “I told you to help her. Get to work.”

  Just then Franklin caught a flash of movement from the corner of his eye. A shovel connected with Black Hood’s head, felling him like a tree. Tina Ann lifted the shovel again and slammed it down.

  Franklin was shocked, but not as much as Gray Hood who let out a howl and charged. Gray Hood swung his blade, and Franklin jumped out of the way just in time. Before he could swing again, Ben slammed into him from the side, throwing him off balance, but the Outcast didn’t fall. Recovering his balance, he whirled on Ben who stumbled backward, eyes wide with fright.

  Franklin raised his pathetically small Swiss Army knife, praying for an opening to dart in and stab him. The Outcast swung again, and Ben twisted away, but the blade came within inches of his shoulder.

  “Ben!” Tina Ann shrieked, coming around the side of the cart and raising her shovel.

  The Outcast identified her as the most immediate threat. “Put down the shovel.”

  Tina Ann advanced, swinging the shovel. The Outcast swung his blade. Metal clanged on metal, and Tina Ann staggered backward at the force of the impact. The shov
el was dented, but it had stopped the blade. Franklin kicked the Outcast, catching him in the knee, and Gray Hood stumbled. Tina Ann swung the shovel again, and this time the Outcast wasn’t ready to meet her blow. She connected, and Gray Hood went down, dropping his blade. She bashed him again for good measure, and he didn’t get up.

  Panting and trembling, Ben, Tina Ann, and Franklin stood over the hooded figure. “Best give his friend another whack,” Tina Ann said, handing Ben the shovel, and he went off to check the other Outcast.

  Tina Ann looked at the knife in Franklin’s hand. “What was ya plannin’ ter do with that?”

  Franklin gave her a rueful smile. “Stab him in the ribs? By the way, you owe me a new shovel.”

  Tina Ann blinked in surprise and then grinned. “Messed this one up, didn’t I.”

  Ben came back wearing the other Outcast’s sheathed blade.

  “Look good on you,” Tina Ann said.

  “That feller won’t be needin’ it.”

  “Did I kill him?” she asked, sounding a little worried.

  “No. But his head be bleedin’ pretty bad.”

  “I’ll take a look in a minute.” Franklin picked up the sword laying by the felled Outcast and handed it to her. “You deserve this more than I do.”

  Her face split in a big smile. “What will Maggie Ann and Brenda Ann say when they sees this?” She appropriated the Outcast’s belt and sheath, and after putting it on, struck a comical pose, the blade upraised and her foot on their foe. “What we gonna do with these fellers now?”

  Franklin went to check on Black Hood and pulled off the Outcast’s hood, revealing several lumps on the fellow’s forehead, and two by his right ear. He’d have a headache when he came to, but he wasn’t likely to die. “We’ll take them back to Elantoth and put them in the dungeon until someone from Aberell can come and get them.”

  “Them poor breghlin in the cave,” Ben said. “How they gonna get food an’ water now?”

  Franklin let out a long breath. How had these Outcasts given the hostages food and water without the gem master along to deal with the ward? When the Outcasts came to, they weren’t likely to reveal their secrets.