by P. G. Thomas
Picking it up, he forced it into his mouth, but instead of holding it in, Korg swallowed it, which was obvious to all.
“My dear friend, that was a huge mistake, and one I knew you would make. I don’t know how you found those stones or twisted their purpose, and I’ll probably never know. Those stones are a very rare gift from Mother, and I don’t even know where to find them. Being Purity Stones, they are probably the most single valuable stone in this entire world. They don’t test for disease, they show the amount of evil that one harbors. You see, a long time ago, an Earth Mother ran into a man like you. His lies as cold as the fresh driven snow, and gifted with words, so great, he could bury one alive with his lies. Mother created those stones, so those that protected her flock could identify those who would fu... shear her flock. Sorry, Mother.”
Lauren took another drink of the cider, “I need to order a case of this, damn it’s good. John had an idea. If we were unable to find evidence of your lies, then I should issue an Earth Bond to tell Mother’s children that all words spoken by the Royal House were untruths. It might have worked, but her children should’ve the right to make up their own minds. If we didn’t know you were Royal House, then how would we know that you lied? Now if you were one of Mother’s children, I could command you to speak the truth. Two of the mayors in this town were her children. My Earth Bond encouraged them to leave, but Hoyle, he was one of you, and my Earth Bonds had no effect on him, as they would’ve no effect on you.”
Korg smiled.
“That stone you swallowed, it was a gift from Mother, which I can affect.” The smile that Korg wore disappeared, much like his victory in Alron had. Reaching for her staff, she brought it to the front of her, and sweat started to form on Korg’s forehead. Picking up the bottle of cider, she drained the last of it. She then looked up to the ceiling, “If any have sensitive stomachs, I would suggest that you leave now. On the other hand, if the sight of justice served warms your heart, I would encourage you to stay.” Lauren waited, but nobody left the inn. “Where I come from, a long time ago, it was a custom to use alcohol to lessen pain. I think this night that custom I need to revive. I’m nothing like you Korg and really don’t like pain. So the more I drink, the less pain I feel.” She called to Pintar’s wife, “May I please have another bottle?” As she waited, she grasped her tri-wood staff, starting to rotate it in small circles. Grabbing his abdomen with both hands, a painful expression appeared on Korg’s face, as the Purity Stone started to bounce off the sides of his stomach, slamming into neighboring organs. Pintar’s wife quickly took a bottle over. “I don’t know about you Korg, but right now, I’m pretty numb and not feeling any pain. You look thirsty friend, and you haven’t touched your refreshments. It might help to calm your stomach. Eric can help if you want. No? Okay.” She took a drink, “So Korg where do we start? All good stories start at the beginning. There isn’t enough cider in this bar for that.” She stamped her tri-wood staff on the floor, and Korg winced in pain, as the Purity Stone answered the call of the staff, making him buckle at his knees.
Lauren stopped, “I don’t want to do this. You told Fertus the plague was a hoax. Tell all here now, in your own words, that the plague does not exist, that the Royal House invades these lands. Do that and I’ll guarantee you safe passage to the south port town onto a ship of your choice. For once Korg, speak the truth.”
Korg, doubled over in pain, remained quiet.
“As I watched this night unfold, I knew what I had to do, and that you would swallow the Purity Stone. I had an elaborate plan of how I would make that stone bounce off your ribs once for every lie you told, and then run it through every organ until you begged me to end your suffering. I can’t. I would love to. You poisoned six Earth Mothers, killed one, maybe more. You lied to these people. You’re part of an invasion that has killed so many. I proclaim you evil! Not fit to walk on Mother’s land! Not fit to breathe Sister’s air, but I will not kill you!” Lowering herself to the floor, she headed to the street with her tri-wood staff in one hand and the bottle of cider in the other. She looked to Panry, pointed to the south port Earth Mothers, “Find a room for them at another inn, and have two Earth Guards stay with them.” Then her friends, the remaining Earth Guards, and dwarves followed her to the door. Stopping, she sighed, “Even though I will not kill you Korg, I won’t save you either.”
The angry town people started to advance to Korg.
As Lauren entered the carriage, she looked at Gingaar, “Could you please send a note to Pintar’s wife, apologizing for me. John, find out the damages tomorrow and pay double. I don’t care if you have to rebuild the inn. Now, take me home.”
Chapter 18
Ramy was sitting at the teashop, dealing cards. Gravex picked up his hand, sorted them,
“So, Gravex, how long do you think the peace will last?”
“The peace in town or the peace that will be broken by the war?”
“The town first.”
“Well, I think for most, it will be quiet. The Royal House has been exposed for what they are. Next time, they will need more than lies. I meant to ask you, where did you bury Korg?”
“There was not enough left to bury,” advised Ramy. “Pintar’s wife is still pissed, and he is been sleeping at that post office of his. As for Korg, Eric left that septic tank open, so we thought we should reunite what little was left of Korg with his own kind.”
“That little maggot healer?”
“Logan showed up when we were taking him out to the field of graves. He purchased the rickety old wagon from Ortog, telling everybody to move back. That’s one kid you don’t want to mess with. One minute there is a wagon there, the next a brilliant flash of fire. When I opened up my eyes, all that was left was a huge burn mark and ashes blowing in the wind.”
“You arrest him?”
“No law against burning your own wagon, not even when it is filled with trash, “
Gravex played a card, “Looks like I win this hand.”
Ramy just smiled. Self, things are getting back to normal.
*******
The weeks had been quiet. All of the Earth Mothers were back to their old selves. The sky elves advised they would visit once a week, but while Lauren disliked it, she knew they would eventually spot a threat, requiring them to report more frequently.
Lauren was sitting in the backyard, breathing in the aroma from a large mug of tea, when Ryan walked up to her, “You told me we would talk.”
“I had enough talking to myself when I was in the attic. You’re just full of mysteries. How did you ever come up with that plan?”
“We needed evidence, and I knew Korg would never lose his cool in public, so I figured I would bluff him into thinking he had won. I had to do something. When I saw you down here that day, it broke my heart… he had to pay.”
“The whole town is apparently talking about you. When you rose from the dead, you scared the crap out of them. What happened if your plan went wrong? You took a wicked chance going there by yourself?”
“I’ve always had an adaptable personality, and it just seems to be expanding. What about you? When I left, you looked like a plant that needed a good watering. I wasn’t sure if you were going to heal completely, and I didn’t think you would show up.”
“Ramy asked me if I could help investigate my death, so I was curious. When you brought down my staff, it seemed to help. The longer I held it, the stronger I became. Something to do with Mother I imagine. As we went to the inn, I understood what the Purity Stones were, and the presence in the staff most likely took offense to whatever the Royal House had done to them. It purified them.”
“The Earth Mothers?”
“I’m going with the staff again. I sensed what they had done in the name of the Royal House, but they were also victims. Something told me to bless them. I think when they touched the staff they wanted to hear Mother again, and it healed them.”
“Was it Mother talking to you?”
“I didn�
��t hear any words, nor did I see any visions. The Earth Mother told me one of the trees is Sage Wood, Mother’s knowledge. If I had taken the staff with me, it would’ve all been different, but every time an Earth Mother sees that staff, they get so excited by that piece of wood and want to touch it.”
“Yeah, I hate when that happens.”
Lauren smiled, “Bastard, you know what I mean.”
“So you’re going to meet with everybody today?”
“The elves are getting anxious, I don’t blame them. We invited them here and then everything changed. We sent for delegations from the south and north, which arrived yesterday, and I need to raise an army to protect the west. I don’t want to because it means war. Yes, I know, even if we don’t want a war, it still waits to greet us. When the two sides clash, death will ride down on his white horse. He won’t need to bring his scythe, as the fallen will litter the battlefield. I need to go get ready.”
*******
That same afternoon, John received word from Gayne that the other pins, which he had given him two months ago, were ready, but there had been a problem. Confused, John and Mirtza headed over to Gayne’s house where he had arranged for a coach to take them to a secluded clearing in the countryside. Once there, Gayne handed John the pins, “There were some unforeseen technical issues.”
“Explain?”
“The gold amulet failed to work, but surprisingly the platinum amulet worked very well. The platinum ring will activate it, but I do not understand why.”
“Why doesn’t the gold amulet work?”
“We do not know. It could depend on the gold, maybe it was counterfeit?”
“No, Fodu created them for me. He would have recognized bad gold and wouldn’t have used it.”
“Where did he get the gold?”
“I believe he used gold coins from the town.”
Gayne transferred his look from John to the ground.
“I don’t understand why your gold pins worked and mine failed. What’re you not telling me?”
He was unresponsive.
“I need to know, as it could be important.”
“John, when we came out here, it was expensive to live. We only brought a small amount of gold with us, and we had no interest in living in the shantytown.”
“So?”
“With what little gold we had, we commissioned a mold of a gold coin from a metal smith. We purchased lead and made lead coins. The metalsmith most likely thought we were going to plate them in gold. We changed the lead to gold so that we could afford to purchase our residence and pay the taxes.”
John looked at him in surprise, and if it fooled Fodu, they must have cracked one of the oldest alchemy puzzles. Shrugging his shoulders, he pulled out the platinum amulet, setting it on the ground. When he waved his hand over it, a large beast materialized before him, which had an unbelievable size. When Fodu had cast the amulet, he had made it larger than John had expected, so that Fodu could make it more detailed, and the results were apparent. After waving his hand in front of the beast, it reverted to an amulet, which he bent down and picked up. As they returned to the wagon, he advised Gayne to pick up his payment that night, but to himself, he was laughing, lead to gold, who would’ve thought?
*******
The packed town hall meeting greeted Lauren and the five Earth Mothers when they walked in. The others had offered to make the speeches, but Lauren knew the crowd would want to hear from her. “Thank you all for coming. There is little need to tell you all about the threat of the Royal House and plague hoax. You’ve heard the stories, and some have even witnessed events you’ll never forget. Right now, the west is free of the Royal House, but we don’t know for how long. They’ll come, and when they do, the west must be ready.” She paused, “Before the questions begin, many of you saw or heard how I destroyed the army in the valley. You also heard about the attack on the north pass settlement. Korg was right in saying that an army marched from the south. Their mission was never to rebuild the fort, as they carried swords in their hands and death in their hearts, but we ensured they failed to arrive here. I was there when the Royal House Fort burned down, but what you don’t know is that on the other side, an army of one hundred thousand was building a bridge, preparing to invade the west. So the question that is on everybody’s mind is this: if the Earth Mother is so powerful, why do we have to fight? Would that be correct?”
Everybody in the crowd nodded.
Lauren continued, “First if we raise an army, the Royal House will know we are serious. In fact, if we raise an army large enough, it may encourage them to talk peace. Second, these armies will be able to minimize any attacks until we can arrive. We simply can’t be in all places at all times.” She paused for a moment, “The last reason took me a while to understand. I’m an Earth Mother. All of the Earth Mothers that I’ve met care about Mother’s children. They help, heal, nurture, guide, amongst other things. In essence, they’re like a mother to a child, as they care and worry about you. They try to make sure that you don’t hurt yourself, and when you do, they help you back up, dusting you off, and see you on your way. So I was wondering how this whole mess was started, and that’s when I understood what had happened. I think Mother heard so many asking for guidance about the plague, she also believed the hoax, telling you to flee.” Lauren was uncertain if it was the truth, but it did feel right. “I think it was the wrong advice. If instead, she told you to investigate you would’ve discovered the truth and fought back. However, when a mother says flee, children run. Too late, she realized the truth, and by that time, the Royal House had the upper hand.”
Lauren looked at the filled hall, “When you were out east, I don’t think anyone ever found a plowed field waiting for them, or magically found their crops planted or harvested. Mother provided you with the knowledge, the seeds, and the weather to grow your crops, and she would try to protect both plant and beasts from bugs or disease. If you wanted enough food to last the winter, you had to plow the fields, plant and then harvest them. While her gift to you was the bounty, it was you who filled the cellars. If the seasons were changing too fast, she would ripen the crops so that you could harvest them sooner. Yes, there may have been times where the weather was unfavorable, or it was harder than you thought. Maybe Mother was tending to other needs that were greater than yours. I don’t know. I’ve heard how many fled the east, and if I had that many children to look after, more than a few of you would be disappointed.” She stood up, “Mother never sent me here to fight your battles. She sent me here so you would’ve sufficient time to prepare. If I fought them for you, afterwards some would come forward, asking me to plow their fields, build their houses, and harvest their crops, claiming that Mother had sent me to help them. That is not my purpose, and instead, she sent me here so you could help yourselves. She gave you the wrong advice, telling you to flee, but now that you’ve heeded her words, you’re unable to defend yourselves. You’re more than capable, but you need time. My purpose is simple; protect you until you can stand up to the bully that chased you from your lands.”
Lauren took a deep breath, “This fight is yours, and I’m here so you can prepare to fight for your freedom, but only if you want it. Will some die? Yes, war comes to embrace you. Do nothing and more will die, but if you do fight back, more will live. Mother sent me here to provide you with time, time to prepare. If you have no desire to act, she could just as easily send me away. I know this isn’t what you were hoping to hear this night, but not all of Mother’s words are comforting. This meeting is over,” and then Lauren headed to the door, followed by the five Earth Mothers.
*******
With the second sun was setting, Lauren was on the last glass of spiced cider.
Panry walked out and joined her in the backyard, “Does Mother talk to you now?”
“No. Maybe those words came from the staff? To me, personally, she’s quiet like this town.”
“Your speech was good. I think all that attended have much to th
ink about.”
“I hope they finally understand, as otherwise it’ll be a slaughter.”
“If they do not prepare, you will still help them, will you not?”
“What happens, if when the Royal House attacks, Mother turns her back? I pick up my staff, which crumbles in my hands. Logan has rubbed his arms so many times, that I’m surprised those tattoos are still there. Ryan, I don’t know who favors him, but his gift could wither and die. As for Eric, Mother could break that sword in a blink of her eye. That would leave John and Zack to protect them, so it may not be up to me.”
Panry nodded, returning to the house.
“That was a good meeting,” advised John.
“You’re too late. I just discussed it with Panry, and I don’t intend to repeat myself. If you want to stay, you need a new topic to talk about.”
“Well, in that case, Earth Mother…”
“You don’t have to call me that.”
“Well, it’s official business.”
“In that case,” Lauren smiled, “Chief Council of the Earth Mother, what official business do we need to discuss?”
“When we first arrived here, and Mirtza met his old teacher Gayne, I persuaded them to see if they could teach me magic.”
“I figured you were doing something like that. You probably smelled those books long before we even reached this town. How did it work out?”
“They didn’t understand all of it.”
“Let me guess, you explained it to them?”
“I have a working theory. I just can’t prove it right now. Would you like to hear it?”
“Does it involve math or science?”
“Yes.”
Lauren shook her head, “My two least favorite subjects.”
“You just need to apply yourself.”
“I can replace you as Chief Council.”
“Anyway, the foundation of their magic is gold. Magic seems to be attracted to it, and I think it comes from the suns.”
“Careful, you’re coming close to science, Icarus.”