Wards and Wonders

by Kay L. Ling

  After lunch, everyone gathered in the Pedestal Room. The entire breghlin staff sported orelia feathers behind their left ears, even the males. Tyla explained this custom to the humans.

  The mood was somber. Everyone kept glancing at Mierek’s pedestal, waiting for the gem on top to glow, signaling an incoming message. They didn’t wait long. The gem began to glow, and Ertz, who had been pacing the floor, called to Raenihel. “Go! You should be the one to receive the message.”

  Since the contact at Mierek would be able to view Elantoth’s Pedestal Room through the gem, the humans slipped from the room and watched from the doorway so Mierek wouldn’t see them.

  Raenihel placed his hand on the gem, and Tyla waited breathlessly, studying his face for a clue to the outcome. His hand was visibly trembling, and when he started to cry, Tyla felt like shouting in Tina Ann fashion, “Tell! Tell!” Were they tears of relief or dismay? Still touching the gem, he opened his eyes and called, “The Emanicus! She’s going to the Emanicus!”

  A cheer went up.

  Gnomes had won! S wouldn’t go to the woodspirits after all! At the very least they would have coddled her, and they might have let her escape.

  Raenihel made a frantic hushing motion, apparently not through with the communication. Everyone left the room and gathered in groups outside, whispering excitedly and all but dancing with glee.

  Tyla and Arenia joined the humans.

  “I’m so relieved!” Tyla said. “From what we heard, the Joint High Council had started to bend to woodspirit pressure, so this is a surprising victory.”

  “It’s safe to say Anatta and Varkandian voted against The Emanicus,” Jules said, eyes twinkling.

  Tyla laughed. “Probably, but you never know. After two hundred forty-three years, you’d think Anatta and S would forget past rivalries, but they haven’t.”

  “I bet the recent allegations against Marrid affected the vote,” Arenia said. “If you can believe the newssheets, even some of the woodspirits were worried.”

  Raenihel called, “Can I have your attention?”

  Everyone stopped talking.

  “During pre-vote deliberations, the Mierek City Museum and one of the woodspirit sites had the most support, but The Emanicus won by a large majority today. Officers from Aberell Fortress will come here to move S, but they won’t say when since that would pose a security risk.”

  Lana grinned. “So, S will still be living with gnomes. Won’t she be overjoyed to hear that! Who gets to tell her?”

  “Raenihel and Wally. We decided a gnome and a breghlin should share the honor,” Tyla said.

  Just then, Wally, Grace, Ferdinand, Larry, and Danny came over to greet their human friends.

  “S will be leaving the Amulet, and you may never see her again,” Lana told them.

  “Fine by me,” Wally said, and the others nodded.

  Tina Ann and some of the kitchen staff joined the group. Tina Ann pulled the feather from her hair and waved it under Tyla’s nose. “Told you these be lucky!”

  “Breghlin gets all the credit, since gnomes wasn’t wearin’ none,” Maggie Ann said, and the others nodded, looking proud of themselves.

  “Look! The Aberell gem just lit,” someone called.

  A moment later, Raenihel announced, “Aberell posted the outcome on a board in the commercial district, and the Aberell City News is printing a special edition.”

  “Most everyone will be rejoicing,” Franklin said.

  “All the gnomes, certainly,” Tyla said, “but the city has a good-sized woodspirit population, and even after the scare about Marrid, I bet there are a lot of unhappy woodspirits.”

  Beniah burst through the door, waving a newssheet, his face contorted with rage. “I can’t believe it!” He slammed the newspaper onto the countertop.

  Kaff froze, vegetable peeler in hand, a pile of potatoes in front of him. He had never seen Beniah like this. When Beniah was angry he seethed quietly; he didn’t have emotional outbursts.

  “Guess the vote didn’t go well,” Kaff said. It was stupid to state the obvious, but it was the first thing that came to mind, and he had to say something.

  “The worst possible outcome!” Beniah shouted. “How could they? The Emanicus!”

  “Unbelievable,” Kaff said. Now he would be able to sit on the porch, look up the river, and practically see her. Maybe they’d let him visit.

  “Most of the city is celebrating, considering how many gnomes live here,” Beniah said. He leaned against the counter and folded his arms, glaring at Kaff as if the verdict were somehow his fault.

  Kaff went back to peeling potatoes if only to avoid Beniah’s angry gaze. “Are the Seekers still coming tonight?”

  “Yes, but it won’t be much of a victory party, will it?”

  “At least the suspense is over. Maybe S’s trial will go better.”

  “It could be years before she goes to trial. By then, Emanicus gnomes may have killed her.”

  Kaff picked up another potato. “You Seekers can visit her . . . make sure she’s all right.”

  “I wouldn’t count on it.” Beniah snatched the newspaper from the counter and read in clipped tones, “To provide optimum security, those who wish to visit Sheamathan must submit a written request. Approvals will be granted at the sole discretion of The Emanicus. If approved, the applicant will receive notification along with the proposed date and time. Two gem masters will supervise the visit, and visitors may stay no longer than twenty minutes.”

  “That’s pretty restrictive,” Kaff admitted.

  “It’s ridiculous!” Beniah spat. “What are the chances they’ll let Seekers visit? We’ll organize a protest and get a crowd of woodspirits to march outside The Emanicus with signs. We’ll be in all the newssheets.”

  “How do you march on a river?”

  “Did it ever occur to you there’s a road behind The Emanicus?” Beniah asked sarcastically.

  Kaff shrugged. “Never thought about it.”

  “The confinement building is closest to the road.”

  “Good. That should be perfect.”

  “For a Sheamathan sympathizer, you don’t seem very upset,” Beniah said. “Maybe you belong in the city, rejoicing with the gnomes.”

  “I’m upset, but there isn’t much we can do.” He was already making plans. He would get permission to visit S and make a show of trying to reform her. That should impress the gem masters. They might decide he had a future with them after all.

  The back door flew open, and Yomir stormed in. “What are we going to do about this!” He waved a newssheet that looked like he’d wadded it up in a fit of anger and then tried to smooth it. “And why is he still here?” he said, glaring at Kaff.

  “Why wouldn’t he be?” Beniah asked.

  “Didn’t Christophela tell you?”

  “Tell me what?”

  “She saw him paddling your raft home from the Emanicus.”

  “What?” Beniah looked livid.

  Kaff’s stomach dropped into his shoes. He had been so sure he had gotten away with it. He had finished his chores in time, and Beniah hadn’t been the wiser—until now.

  “Is this true, Kaff?” Beniah demanded.

  “N-no,” Kaff mumbled, trying not to look guilty. Christophela had seen a gnome and assumed it was Kaff. Maybe he could throw the gnome’s identity into doubt. But what other gnome would take Beniah’s raft?

  Beniah was trembling with anger. His lips curled in a snarl. “Liar! Do you think I’m stupid? If it wasn’t you, who else would it be?”

  Kaff looked down, unable to meet Beniah’s eyes.

  “Pack your bag,” Beniah ordered in a dangerously quiet voice. “I took you in, and this is the thanks I get—you sneak off to see gnome gem masters. You must have been desperate to visit them, knowing how you hate water.”

  “I just wanted to see what it was like there, in case that’s where S ended up,” he said, trying to find an angle that would appease Beniah.

  “I
told you they don’t like visitors. What made you think they’d let you in?”

  “Because I know S personally, and they’d want to hear what I had to say about her.”

  “So, they let you in? You, a Sheamathan sympathizer?”

  Kaff thought furiously. Should he say the gem masters had let him in or that they had turned him away? “I talked to a gem master for a few minutes, but he wouldn’t let me in.”

  Yomir said in a scathing tone, “He’s afraid of water, but the minute you leave, he takes your raft to The Emanicus because he’s curious about it.”

  Kaff was tempted to say that while he was a Sheamathan sympathizer, he was mostly a Kaff sympathizer, and he’d be loyal to anyone who would help him become a powerful gem master.

  “Bad enough you made those comments about S at the last Seekers meeting. Now this. I can’t trust you, and I obviously can’t leave you alone. You’ve got ten minutes to pack your bag. I’ll drop you off at the commercial dock. You’re on your own.”

  The look on Beniah face said it was pointless to argue. Kaff’s worst fear had come true. He would be homeless and friendless and must fend for himself. Blinking back tears, he went upstairs to pack.

  Chapter 33

  Tyla and Lant woke at six to the sound of someone banging on their door.

  “Who could it be at this hour?” Tyla mumbled groggily.

  “I’ll go find out.”

  “No. Whoever it is, they’re probably looking for me.” She got up and went to the door where she found a wild-eyed Tina Ann.

  “They tooked her in the night!” Tina Ann said, gasping for breath. “Ertz be callin’ a meetin’, but I had ter tell ya first.”

  “What?” Still half-asleep, Tyla blinked at Tina Ann.

  “S! She be gone!”

  Panic brought Tyla fully awake. “Who took her?”

  Lant appeared at Tyla’s side in his robe, tying the belt, his black hair disheveled. “Come in and explain,” he said calmly, drawing Tina Ann into the sitting room.

  “Officers from Aberell—they tooked S in the night!” Tina Ann declared.

  Tyla sighed with relief. “Why didn’t you say so? I thought someone kidnapped her.”

  “Feels like it ‘cause they was so secret-like,” Tina Ann said, huffing with indignation. “Ertz knowed all ‘bout it an’ didn’t tell no one!”

  Lant ran a hand through his hair. “I’m sure Aberell told him to keep it quiet.”

  “No doubt,” Tyla said, but she had to admit it was unsettling to wake and hear S was gone. She could see why Tina Ann felt resentful.

  “An’ that ern’t all!” Tina Ann went on importantly. “They took them Outcasts we was keepin’ in the dungeon!”

  Lant said, “Wouldn’t that pose a security risk?”

  Tyla could see his point. “It seems like it, but—”

  “Them officers, they be clever,” Tina Ann cut in, dropping her voice. “They puts them Outcasts in the confinement wagon ‘long with the cage. An’ S went by erum, in a canvas bag.”

  “That is clever,” Lant agreed. “Riders on erum can get to the Emanicus much faster, and they can travel off-road if need be.”

  “And anyone who stops the confinement wagon, assuming she’s in it, will find only the Outcasts,” Tyla said, appreciating the beauty of the plan.

  Tina Ann sighed. “All that excitement, an’ we miss the whole thing. Anyways, Ertz be holdin’ a meetin’ after breakfast, but ya already knows the best parts.”

  Tyla glanced at Lant who was trying not to smile.

  “Gotta get back to the kitchen ‘fore I miss somethin’ important,” Tina Ann said and bustled off.

  By the time Ertz started the meeting, everyone had heard the news.

  “It was necessary to use extreme caution,” Ertz said. “S has sympathizers, and some could be watching the roads. There is also a growing criminal element in the Amulet who might kidnap her for personal gain. Officers at Aberell Fortress are investigating two unsolved crimes—the illegal mining operation involving the Outcasts who were in our dungeon, and more serious still, the theft of the artifact gems.”

  Parcune raised his hand. “Officials from Mierek took the artifact gems, didn’t they?”

  “That was our initial assumption, but I contacted Gem Master Klemmet at the Department of Gem Powers, and he claims no one from his department was sent to find the gems, and he was shocked to hear they’re missing.”

  Parcune looked unconvinced.

  Tyla leaned toward Lant and whispered, “No one from his department.” She had learned from Lana that omitting information and bending the truth could be as effective as an outright lie. Klemmet might have sent someone from a different department to investigate.

  Ertz went on, “I know Klemmet quite well. He’s irritating, but I have always considered him honest.”

  Tyla remained skeptical, remembering how Frinkk and Klemmet had pocketed valuable alamaria, claiming they were taking it for testing. She raised her hand. “The gnomes who questioned Morodin and Vegmir claimed to be officials from Mierek, didn’t they?”

  “Yes, but the more I think about it, that doesn’t make sense. Mierek would simply write a law allowing them to appropriate the historic gems. Reading minds to find something and then stealing it is not the way they do things.”

  Tyla said, “In that case, the gnomes who questioned Morodin and Vegmir were lying about their identity, planning to steal the gems. You’d think that anyone who did such things must be Outcasts, but if they’d looked like Outcasts, Morodin and Vegmir wouldn’t have talked to them.”

  “That’s a good point,” Ertz agreed.

  “Maybe they didn’t have visible witnesses,” Lant said. “Whoever they were, why did they come to Morodin and Vegmir, looking for the gems? It wouldn’t be common knowledge outside the Amulet that Morodin and Vegmir had the gems and had put them on display.”

  “A little research at the Aberell City Museum would have revealed which clans had owned the historic gems, and since the gems weren’t at Elantoth, it makes sense to check with those clans next.”

  When no one raised further questions about the artifact gems, he said, “In addition to the gem deposit Ben, Tina Ann, and Franklin learned about, there are two other deposits with broken wards where illegal mining has been going on, though on a much smaller scale. Officers have been watching the sites, hoping to capture the offenders, but after we captured those two Outcasts, no further mining has taken place, so those Outcasts were probably involved at all three sites.

  “Finnack posted a notice in the Outcast District offering a reward for information about illegal mining operations, and an informant came forward. He claims he was in a tavern recently with two brothers who are gem masters. He’s known them for years, and after several beers, they took him into their confidence. They said they were getting gems in the Amulet and delivering them to a warded site. The person they worked for paid them poorly, considering the risks, so they planned to sell a few of the rarer gems to the Outcast gem shop.”

  Tina Ann, behind Tyla, leaned forward and whispered, “We knows that place!”

  “No one has seen the brothers lately. Commander Finnack thinks the client found out they were selling gems behind his back and fired them—or worse.” Ertz folded his hands and looked at the group with a solemn expression. “I will be leaving you soon. Part of my reason for staying after the rest of the delegation left was to provide extra security, but Sheamathan is gone now. I hope you have enjoyed my lectures and benefited from our time together. I consider it a privilege to have met you all.”

  “We’ll be sorry to see you go. Will Mierek send someone to replace you?” Raenihel asked.

  “No, I’ve told them you’re capable of running Elantoth on your own. If you have questions, any of the fortresses will help you. That concludes our meeting. Thank you all for coming.”

  Everyone rose, looking too stunned to speak. A little while ago, they had all wanted to get rid of Ertz. Now, the ide
a of no Gem Master Ertz was unsettling. Tyla, Lant, Arenia, Ben, and Tina Ann stayed behind to speak to him.

  “Why the long faces?” Ertz asked. He winked at Tina Ann. “Won’t you be glad to be rid of this sneaky gnome spy?”

  Tina Ann hung her head and muttered, “Sorry I say that ‘bout ya.”

  Ertz chuckled. “It’s wise to be cautious when you know little about someone. As I mentioned before, those who aren’t evil can still harm you. They’re looking after their own interests, and their interests may be contrary to yours.”

  “Mierek is a perfect example of that,” Lant said.

  “Yes. Unfortunately, they’ve become increasingly overbearing.”

  “Will you be lecturing in other fortress cities?” Arenia asked.

  “Not in the near future, but I will be holding a series of lectures for Commander Finnack’s officers. Society has turned a blind eye to what goes on in Outcast Districts, but Outcasts are moving into the Amulet now, and that’s creating disturbing new dynamics, not the least of which is their effort to engage breghlin in criminal activities. Few gnomes, even officers of the law, truly understand how the criminal mind works, and as you know, that’s my specialty.”

  “We’ll miss you,” Tyla said, and meant it.

  Ertz lowered his voice. “Once I return to Aberell City, I plan to look into a few matters on my own, particularly the disappearance of the artifact gems. I have contacts who may prove useful, and I’d welcome your help if you’re up to another visit.”

  Tina Ann said eagerly, “You need help sneakin’ and spyin’?”

  “Exactly. I need someone who can gather intelligence in the Outcast District.”

  She grinned. “Good! Count me in.”

  “Me, too,” Ben said without hesitation.

  “As you can imagine, Outcasts won’t speak freely in front of Commander Finnack’s officers, but they’ll be more open around you.”

  Arenia said to Tyla, “I’ll watch Eemie if you and Lant want to go.”

  Arenia would never pretend to be an Outcast, so if Ertz needed someone to accompany the breghlin, Tyla and Lant would be logical choices.

  “I wouldn’t mind seeing Aberell City,” Lant said.