by L. R. W. Lee
The man’s expression turned deadly serious. The soldier scanned the surrounding area, then commanded, “Wait there.” He unsheathed his sword and stealthily vanished into the nearby copse of trees. All was eerily quiet for several minutes. Andy’s fingers had shriveled and looked like prunes. With no clothes, he did not want to parade on shore, but chills began snaking up his spine and rippling across his back. Dusk threatened to blanket the area.
Several minutes later, as he was on the verge of venturing ashore despite the consequences, Andy heard scuffling from the trees and Sergeant Hammond emerged dragging a creature resembling Merk, the gnome at Castle Avalon. The officer held the man in an iron grip at swordpoint. The roundish being stood no taller than Andy, had a full brown beard, and wore a forest green tunic and gray leggings with their feet cut off, from which extended abnormally hairy pigeon-toed appendages. His head showed signs of balding, and in his chubby hands he carried Andy’s still-filthy clothes.
“Let me go!” the little man squirmed.
“Andy, this gnome swiped your clothes…as a joke. What would you like to do with him?”
“A joke?”
The gnome stopped thrashing and replied with big eyes, “I thought it would be funny to see you negotiate the forest in nothing but your…”
“Enough!” commanded the sergeant.
“Well, I’m cold,” Andy replied, his teeth chattering.
Sergeant Hammond nodded, then commanded the gnome, “Remove your tunic. Now.”
The little man complied with a grin, handing the sergeant his garment, which he then laid on the bank. The two turned, allowing Andy to exit the river and cover himself. When did this guy last take a bath? Andy wondered as the stench of the new covering assaulted his nostrils. Well, at least I’m covered.
“I think he should wash my clothes,” Andy suggested, a chill rocking his body as he put his pouch over his head.
“Very well,” Sergeant Hammond agreed.
The gnome plodded knee-deep into the river, stopping near a boulder. He placed Andy’s soiled clothes on top, pulled the black T-shirt out, and set to work doing as Andy requested. “Mighty strange clothes you got here.”
“Silence,” the sergeant ordered, standing with his sword still pointed at the gnome’s neck to keep him focused.
The small man diligently scrubbed each article, but every few minutes he paused and looked about.
“What’s he keep looking for?” Andy asked himself aloud, absently reaching for Methuselah. The hilt instantly materialized and the blade extended, easing his anxiety only a little.
The gnome gasped at the sight, then smiled and resumed work.
Several minutes later noises sounded behind him. Crunch. Crack. Thump. Creeeeak. Andy bolted up and assumed a ready position as his heart began to race. Seconds later a black tunic and gray leggings emerged from the dense trees as Sergeant Terric appeared, spiked flail in hand.
Andy sighed and retracted Methuselah’s blade.
The officer lumbered to the riverbank and stated the obvious, “There you are.”
No kidding, Sherlock, Andy thought, but held his thoughts in check, instead announcing, “You scared me.”
“What happened? When you didn’t return, we got worried. I volunteered to scout the area.”
The gnome chuckled.
“Back to work,” Sergeant Hammond commanded.
“As you wish,” the man replied, the corners of his mouth rising.
Sergeant Hammond filled his compatriot in as the gnome finished. They retreated to shore, clean laundry in hand, and the little man slumped on the bank, but not before looking around again.
What IS he looking for?
“I’d like to know how he slipped past me,” Sergeant Hammond groused. “I never let my guard down, but I didn’t hear a thing. That worries me.”
“What’ll we do with him?” Sergeant Terric growled.
Wait a minute! Gnomes love practical jokes. The stray thought flitted across Andy’s brain. What would Merk do in a situation like this?
Ha ha ha ha! Andy forced a laugh he hoped sounded authentic, drawing the others’ attention. He doubled over, feigning a belly laugh. Bona fide chuckles quickly overwhelmed Andy and spread to the others, morphing into bursts of laughter from the sergeants. The gnome could control his mischief no longer and he howled, rolling from his back to his side in an unrestrained fit.
“That…that was funny,” Andy spit out between snorts.
Stomachs sore, the officers stared at Andy once they recovered. Andy held up a hand. “Our friend has something to tell us.”
Puzzled expressions turned to the small man righting himself on the bank and still wearing a broad grin. “I know when I’m bested,” he chuckled. “You’re smart,” he added, nodding at Andy. “Name’s Gelon. I’m pleased to make your acquaintance. I spotted you bathing in the stream with your clothes on shore unattended and just couldn’t help myself.”
Sergeant Hammond opened his mouth and raised a finger.
Gelon looked at the objector. “You didn’t stand a chance. We gnomes have doors hidden everywhere—under rocks, in the trunks of trees, in clumps of bushes. When you looked the other way, I popped up five steps away from the pile of clothes and had off with them.”
“So why’d you show yourself?” the sergeant demanded.
“There was more fun to be had, of course.”
“Yeah, first you made me panic when you stole my clothes, and then you freaked me out when you kept looking around like you were expecting something,” Andy added.
“The perfect prank is personalized for each victim,” Gelon added, flicking his eyebrows mischievously.
This guy’s a master at the art of practical jokes. I can learn a few things. Andy grinned.
Dusk was fading into blackness as the four approached their campsite. Squish, squirch, squish, squirch, broadcast Andy’s sneakers.
I hope there are no enemies about. They’ll hear me for sure.
Andy glimpsed a roaring fire through the trees and smelled delicious aromas. Captain Baldric intercepted the group fifty yards out, but as soon as he realized who they were, he provided an escort the rest of the way before returning to guard duty.
“Oh, Andy! We were worried,” Hannah exclaimed upon seeing him.
“We ran into someone I’d like you to meet. This is Gelon. I guess you could call him the welcoming committee.”
“I’m glad to see you returned the prince in one piece,” Hans joked.
The gnome’s eyes grew large and he mumbled something under his breath, but Andy could not make it out.
Hans, Hannah, and Alden gathered around and Andy made introductions. The gnome paused only a second as he caught sight of Alden’s neon green hair.
“You hail from Carta?”
“Yes.”
“Mighty pleased to meet you! I’ve always wanted to visit Carta and see the land’s gold and silver mines. They’re legendary.”
Alden smiled.
As they ate, Andy recounted all that happened at the river, receiving a variety of exclamations and laughter. By the time dinner ended, Andy’s clothes had dried, thanks to the heat of the fire, and he changed back into what was familiar, although his shoes still announced his every step. The gnome shook his head at seeing Andy’s attire but refrained from comment.
“It’s not every day I get to play tricks on royalty,” Gelon said after putting his tunic back on. “I’d like to give you something to remember me by.” He winked as he said it, drawing a round of chuckles. The gnome scrounged in a pouch that hung about his neck, finally extricating an oval-shaped stone. He handed it to Andy who held it up in the firelight. It was highly polished and glowed red.
“It reminds me of the rubies the dwarfs mine,” Andy commented. “It’s beautiful. Thank you.” Andy passed it around for the others to inspect.
“It came from a dwarf mine. I cut and polished it myself.”
“Wow, you created this?” Alden remarked, hold
ing the stone up to the firelight once more.
“That I did. We gnomes have a reputation for being the best gem cutters around.” Gelon puffed out his chest. “We count dwarfs as our greatest friends and allies, not surprising considering how we depend on each other. I find cutting stones fascinating. One false move and you can turn a precious gem into a worthless paperweight.”
“So you finish the stones the dwarfs mine?” Hannah clarified.
“Many of us, yes. Others spend their time caring for the animals of the forest.”
Alden’s eyes lit up and he questioned, “What do you mean?”
“Back at the beginning of the gnomes, our fathers gave us responsibility to find and care for wounded and dying animals. If we come across an animal caught in a trap, we free it. If we discover a farm animal that has been neglected, or if the farmer is too poor to care for it, we adopt it.”
“That’s awesome!” Alden exclaimed.
Hans smiled at his enthusiasm and added, “I had no idea. I bet you have many friends among the forest animals.”
“True. If a gnome is in trouble, forest creatures always come to help. Makes for a great relationship.”
“Do you know Merk?” Hannah questioned, changing the subject.
“Of course! How is he?”
“He is well. He certainly keeps things lively,” Hans chuckled. The others shared an understanding laugh.
“So when you’re not cutting gems or caring for animals, what do you like to do?” Andy asked.
Gelon smiled. “We love to tell stories.”
“Would you tell us one of your favorites?” Alden begged.
Everyone else nodded encouragement.
“Well, if you insist,” Gelon relented with a chuckle. “I’ll warn you though, you may find it a bit scary.” The gnome’s eyes twinkled and he winked at Alden who raised an eyebrow.
Despite the presence of Sergeants Terric, Ranulf, Hammond, and Fulk about the campsite, Hannah squirmed and Alden moved his hand to cover hers. Andy watched in his periphery and tried to remain expressionless, though his thoughts were far from that; he felt a fluttering sensation in his stomach. Seated across the fire on a log next to Gelon, Hans let a corner of his mouth rise.
“Long ago, before my fathers and their fathers,” Gelon began, “lived the lord of the plains. His white body stood twenty hands high at the shoulder and he had piercing dark blue eyes. He bore the tail of a lion, and a single jet-black corkscrew horn jutted from his forehead. Exceedingly swift and powerful, the beast had no equal and feared neither gnome nor dwarf. It had a taste for blood, and it was so ferocious and territorial that it drove all living beings from its domain…except one.”
Andy thought he heard a low guttural rumbling. He peered into the thick forest surrounding them but saw nothing in the dark. Judging from the officers craning their necks about, they heard it too.
The gnome sat forward on the log like a magician casting a spell and waited in silence, drawing everyone’s attention back. “The ring dove he did not drive away. Hooh-hrooo. Hooh-hrooo, it would coo, enchanting the mighty beast. So entranced was the creature that it lived below the grove of trees the ring dove inhabited, aggressively protecting the bird from all harm.”
Andy heard more indistinct rumblings. That’s not the bellicose. The rolling sounds grew nearer and the officers gripped their weapons. Methuselah appeared in Andy’s hand but did not extend.
Again Gelon paused. “Then one day, a gnome on a journey passed nearby and heard the melodic warbles, compelling him to discover their source. Feeling unlike his usual self, he put aside all wariness and made his way through dense undergrowth and over fallen debris. He severed overgrown vines with his bare hands and endured the assault of abundant prickered plants tearing at his clothes, but nothing stopped him. At last he came upon a ring dove laying in the path. A sliver of blood trickled from its back, down its feathers.”
Another rumble sounded and Hannah squeaked, “Did you hear that?”
Alden shot a glance at Andy.
“The beast appeared just as the gnome made the discovery, and seeing the injured dove, it charged!”
Andy looked back into the forest. A pair of fast-approaching, dark-blue eyes met his gaze, and chaos erupted.
CHAPTER SIX
In a Fix
Andy leapt to his feet and Methuselah extended. Alden and Hannah quickly fell in with him, preparing to engage. Hearing the commotion as he patrolled, Captain Baldric joined the officers as they raced to defend, arriving just as the giant beast emerged from the forest.
That looks like the thing Abaddon transformed into last time!
The massive beast lowered its black corkscrew horn and charged straight for the defenders. Andy waited until the creature was but three feet away and then swung. The blade passed through the creature, giving no resistance. What? From the exclamations of his companions, they experienced a similar result.
The beast circled back, readying a second charge.
And then Andy saw it. Gelon stood at the edge of the clearing, grinning, with Hans at his side looking befuddled. Andy lowered Methuselah.
A cheer went up from the surrounding woods and the giant white adversary evaporated. More than a dozen jovial gnomes streamed into the clearing, clapping and patting each other on the back.
Andy and the others exhaled. “What was that thing?”
“A karkadann,” Hans informed, shaking his head.
The laughter of their unexpected company transformed into introductions. “Line up please!” the master prankster yelled above the din. Once the donsy of gnomes had arranged themselves—no small task because they kept joking around and poking each other—Gelon took a deep breath and began rattling off names: “Bixi, Trixie, Jubie, Jinxie, Nibert, Krankle, Tansi, Leib, Girvin, Malin, Loman, Kern, Hewitt, Hampton, Keegan, Gern.” Each gnome stepped forward as his name was called, but with so many, Andy smiled politely and hoped no one would quiz him. From a quick check of Hans, Alden, and Hannah, who all wore plastic smiles, Andy speculated they pursued a similar strategy.
“Will you show us how you did that?” Alden begged.
“A magician never tells his secrets,” Gelon replied, winking.
“Well, that was impressive.” Alden’s eyes danced, and Andy speculated Merk might be on the receiving end of something similar in the not-too-distant future.
“Time for our exit!” Gelon shouted across the crowded campsite.
The gnomes instantly fell silent, formed a circle around their guests, and began humming a slow, solemn melody. After several bars, Gern began harmonizing in a low octave. While the words were in a language Andy had never heard before, they resonated deeply within him—sincerity, fidelity, warmth, brotherhood. These gnomes knew how to have fun, but they also had a much deeper side.
Andy chanced a glance at the company. Hannah held her hands to her cheeks. Alden’s head turned slowly, studying each member of the choir. Hans’s eyes sparkled in the firelight. The officers were a mix of reactions: they appeared uncertain whether to let their guard down and enjoy themselves or maintain the stoic, protective stance duty demanded.
When the tune ended, Andy exhaled a breath he was unaware he held.
All the gnomes except Gelon bowed, turned, and walked slowly into the forest. “The ballad of blessing,” he explained. “Whenever far from home, wherever your travels take you, know you now share a bond with the gnomes who will always extend a hand to help a brother—or sister.”
“You’re most kind,” Hans acknowledged. “The sentiment is mutual.”
“As long as you don’t play more tricks on us,” Hannah commented, her frown sparking a round of chuckles.
“Prince Andrew, that fire ruby will dispel hatred and discord and will preserve its bearer from false friendships. I think you may find good use for it.”
Andy raised the stone up to the firelight once more, appreciating its beauty. A question popped into his mind and he opened his mouth to ask, but the gnome
cut him off. “Seek not to know but to learn...at least for now.”
He sounds like the note in the gold envelope. Speaking of which, we need to discuss the next clue.
“I wish you’d reconsider staying with us for a time, but I understand your need for haste,” Gelon was saying as Andy’s focus returned. The gnome grasped Hans’s hand, then repeated the gesture with Alden and Hannah, and Andy reciprocated when his turn arrived.
“Prosperous travels,” the gnome bid as he turned, waved, and vanished into the darkness.
Hannah and Alden yawned, to which Hans replied, “I agree. It’s late. Let’s all turn in.”
While Andy would have liked to discuss the next clue, he knew it would keep. He settled down under a borrowed blanket not far from the fire and dreams soon carried him away.
Remembering the picture Gelon had painted of the wounded ringdove in the path, Andy’s brain recalled seeing Imogenia in dove form at that abandoned house, talking with Abaddon who kept shifting his shape. She had been wounded and a trickle of blood dripped from her back, down her pure white feathers.
Now she stood talking with her parents in a stone-walled room. The place looked familiar, like Castle Avalon, though he knew he had never ventured to this particular space within the palace.
“Yes, I’m aware the boy has returned,” her father asserted, floating over to join his queen on a couch near the fireplace.
How would they know I’m back?
“I still don’t understand why you deceived him the way you did the last time he was here.”
“I’d rather not talk about it,” Imogenia replied sharply, sitting down on the facing sofa.
“I know, but I think you need to, for your own sake.” The king glanced at his wife then back toward their daughter. “Do you remember the concern I expressed when you first mentioned punishing Kaysan?”
Imogenia nodded. “You said hate can change people. You didn’t want it to consume me and change me.”
“Yes.”
Imogenia studied her silvery hands for a time before looking up and replying, “Perhaps my actions were a bit extreme.”
“A bit, dear? You mimicked the boy’s mother…” the queen chimed in.
