Runes and Relics

by Kay L. Ling

  Tyla brushed tears from her face, sick with shame. If she were more like Lana, she would have stood up to Mierek and fought against their injustice. Instead, she had let Elias and Jules pack up and leave.

  She almost wished Arenia hadn’t discovered the communications room. There had been problems even before Mierek started handing down decrees. Gnomes who had never cared about positions of honor bickered over who would stand watch, who would be official representatives, and who would wear the communications pendants. Today, elders had shown clan leaders through the castle with such self-important airs you’d think they’d personally laid every stone.

  Parcune had been in the communications room when several clan leaders trooped in behind Raenihel. Now that Raenihel was in a position to grant favors, he gave the clan leaders permission to use the rizumen gems, and Parcune said it turned into a free-for-all.

  Tyla was quickly losing all respect for Ahmonellian officials. At first, she was in awe of them and held them in a worshipful regard, but not anymore.

  Tonight, she had spoken at the meeting, and her gem study group had given a demonstration while explaining their plan. The clan leaders were encouraged by the breakthrough, and Raenihel would share the news with Mierek tomorrow. Clan leaders and other gem users would begin practicing with the artifact gems, and once they felt competent, they would travel to barrier. It would be frightening to face the unstable energy field, but they had to.

  Raenihel wanted Tyla on the team, but she didn’t want to go. The unstable area was expanding, and the repelling force was growing stronger, too. That put them at a disadvantage. They would have to work from farther away than the last team, but even so, they’d still be in the earthquake and windstorm zone. How could anyone concentrate on gem powers under those conditions?

  The thought of using the artifact gems without Elias made Tyla’s stomach churn. The clan leaders were novices like herself, and if things started to fall apart they’d be no help. If Elias were there, he could shield them while they worked, and if something went wrong with the gem reaction he might know what to do.

  Tears stung Tyla’s eyes. She was willing to risk danger to give Eemie a brighter future, but trying this without Elias and Jules was a senseless risk. Lant might not even let her go.

  The sound of approaching footsteps made her jump, and she dried her eyes. Had someone heard her crying? Would they know she was here?

  The footsteps came closer and stopped. “Who’s in there?”

  Tyla gave an inward groan. Tina Ann. It was tempting to ignore her, hoping she’d go away, but knowing Tina Ann, she wouldn’t leave. She’d come in to see who was here.

  “It’s Tyla,” she answered, sniffling.

  “Whatcha doin’?”

  “Being alone,” she answered in a tone that plainly said she wanted Tina Ann to go away. And anyone else but Tina Ann would.

  “Why ya cryin’?”

  Tyla frowned. Even if she wanted to answer, she didn’t know what to say.

  “Shouldn’t be cryin.’ You be a hero. They say you figgered out the ‘nomalus reaction.”

  Tyla sat quietly, trying not to sniffle.

  “Ya missed all the snacks.”

  Raenihel hadn’t allowed breghlin at the meeting. Many of the clan leaders were uncomfortable around them. But breghlin were allowed to wait on gnomes and bring them snacks. It wasn’t fair, but breghlin had been savages so long it was somewhat understandable.

  “Can I come in?”

  Tyla sighed. There was no point refusing her. She’d just stand outside and keep talking. “Come on,” Tyla said reluctantly.

  Tina Ann ducked through the low opening and then straightened, eyeing Tyla with evident disapproval. “Pull yerself together. Ya looks awful.”

  “Thanks,” Tyla said sarcastically. “You sure know how to be comforting.”

  There was a flash of hurt in Tina Ann’s eyes, and then it was gone. For a moment Tyla thought the breghlin would apologize, but she continued to stand there with the same disapproving expression. “Sometimes I be.”

  Tyla thought back to her first day at Shadowglade, cowering in the passageway crying while moat monsters roamed the grounds. Tina Ann had stayed with her and tried to comfort her even though she was frightened too.

  “Sit down,” Tyla said, patting the space beside her.

  Like a child, quick to forgive a friend for minor offenses, Tina Ann smiled and hopped onto the grain sacks. “So why you cryin’?” She had a slightly unpleasant odor—probably something she’d eaten. Breghlin hygiene was much better than it used to be.

  “Everything’s wrong,” Tyla said miserably. “They’re gone—Elias and the other humans, and I feel lost. Raenihel and the elders are bickering about everything. None of them knows how to run this place. I suppose Raenihel will try, but he’s not up to the job.”

  Tina Ann’s brow furrowed in thought. “A leader earns respect because he’s wise, and smart, and makes good decisions,” she said slowly, as if reciting something she’d heard.

  It was strange to confide in a breghlin, but Tina Ann seemed willing to listen, and Tyla felt like talking. “Raenihel says I should go with the next Amulet Team.”

  “Ya want to?”

  “Not really. When you went, conditions weren’t as dangerous. Now there are windstorms and earthquakes.”

  Tina Ann murmured, “I hear ‘bout that.”

  “I’d feel better if Elias and Jules were coming.”

  “They oughta be.”

  “I know, but Mierek doesn’t want humans to go. Especially Elias. They claim he destabilized the barrier zone.”

  Tina Ann shrugged dismissively. “Mierek say this, Mierek say that.”

  “They claim he’s tainted from using dark powers, and that might affect our gem reactions.”

  Tina Ann gave her a skeptical look. “Do it really work that way?”

  Tyla let out a long breath. “I don’t know for sure, but I don’t think so. I’m nearly certain he’d have to actively draw on the dark powers for them to have any effect.”

  “So, that be just an excuse.”

  “I think so, but in any case, Mierek says he can’t come with us.”

  “Mierek say. Mierek say,” Tina Ann repeated contemptuously. “Who care what Mierek say?”

  “We can’t ignore them even though we disagree with them.”

  Tina Ann looked her in the eye. “Why not?”

  “If we don’t do as they say, they’ll cut us off. Stop speaking with us. They know more about gnome gem powers than Elias does, and they—”

  “They be fools,” Tina Ann said in disgust.

  Tyla didn’t disagree with her. “If I join the team, I’ll be going with a bunch of elderly clan leaders with minimal training. Arenia says she won’t go, so there’s no point asking her.”

  Tina Ann gave her a stern look. “Somebody smart about gems gotta go, an’ that be you.”

  Tyla sighed. “I wish you were going. At least there would be someone my age. But Raenihel says this time only gnomes are going.”

  Tina Ann laughed, taking Tyla by surprise. Then the amusement faded from the breghlin’s face and she said fiercely, “Well, he be wrong. Franklin be goin,’ and me an’ Ben be goin’ with him. NE3 and his scouts be helpin’ us.”

  Tyla’s jaw dropped. “You already made plans?”

  “Raenihel be yer leader not ours. I know there be nuthin’ we can do, but we be in jus’ as much danger as you gnomes, so we be goin’.”

  Tyla hadn’t thought about it that way. The unstable Amulet was a threat to breghlin and gnomes alike, and breghlin must feel terribly helpless, forced to depend on gnomes. Yes, they had a right to be there.

  “It can’t be a good feeling—depending on us to fix the Amulet.”

  Tina Ann nodded, scowling. “’Xactly. An’ we don’t care what Mierek say. If you can’t fix it, we be fetchin’ Elias.”

  Chapter 31

  Lana walked into her apartment, dumped her backpack
in the entry hall, and went straight to the freezer. Ice cream was what she needed. Chocolate, and lots of it. She dished two scoops and was about to replace the lid. This miserable weekend warranted an extra scoop.

  Dropping onto the couch, she propped her feet on the coffee table and started to eat. Parcune had filled them in on the meeting, and while some of the news was good, it was clear that Shadowglade—Elantoth—was in disarray, and the gnomes needed Elias’s help. Tyla’s group had found a viable anomalous reaction. Now, the visiting clan leaders and the Anen were arguing over which gnomes would be on the Amulet Team and how long they should practice before they left.

  Raenihel would be on duty for tomorrow’s scheduled communication with Mierek, and he would ask their advice. As far as Lana was concerned, it was pointless to consult them. What did they know about Fair Lands gems and anomalous reactions?

  Parcune wouldn’t be back with the news for a day or two, and Lana wouldn’t hear what was happening until Thursday when she met Jules at the portal. It was a long time to wait for news.

  The upcoming mission would be dangerous. The gnomes lacked competent leadership, and that was a problem, but Lana had another concern. The artifact gems were the most powerful of their type, but the same could not be said for the Fair Lands gems. They were all average quality specimens from her own collection.

  Tyla would use two Fair Lands gems to make the anomalous reaction. Aventurine was one of them, which was no surprise since it reacted with virtually all native gems. The second was unexpected—turquoise, a stone prized by many cultures throughout antiquity, but very common. Its basic composition didn’t vary by origin, but the mineral veins running through it did. Could the matrix affect its performance? It seemed likely since gems were essentially minerals. Assuming the gnomes would accept her gift, she could give them turquoise from various mines, and they could experiment to see if any performed better than the rest.

  Lana chewed her lip. What about the aventurine? The most powerful ones she had ever encountered were in Susan’s bracelet. Would Susan lend it to her? Susan rarely took it off, and the gnomes would need to practice with it and then take it on the mission, which meant they needed it for a few weeks. That could be a problem.

  Lana took her empty bowl to the sink. She and Susan were meeting for lunch tomorrow, and somehow, between now and then, she needed to think of an excuse to borrow the bracelet for an indefinite period of time.

  Lana met Susan at the only Mexican restaurant in town, a lively place with colorful murals of Mexican scenery on the walls. Lana loved Mexican food, but whatever she ordered today would probably give her heartburn. It was hard to believe she could be this nervous over asking to borrow a bracelet, but there was so much at stake.

  As they slid into a booth and picked up their menus, Lana tried not to stare at the bracelet. What if Susan said no? Lana mentally rehearsed what she planned to say while trying to read the menu.

  From somewhere overhead, mariachi music played through tinny speakers. Colorful pottery lined shelves on the wall above their booth. The room smelled like cumin and stale cooking oil. Lana still hadn’t decided what to order when the waiter arrived, so she let Susan go first and ordered the same.

  Susan pulled out her phone and showed Lana pictures of the tiger kitten her daughter had picked out at the animal shelter. Lana smiled and did her best to pay attention while Susan described Muffin’s antics. The kitten had a strange habit of attacking alarm clocks and phones that were ringing.

  When their meals arrived, Lana asked Susan how things were going at Dr. Kimmel’s office, and Susan told her about the surprise party for Dr. Kimmel’s fiftieth birthday, and then shared a few humorous office anecdotes. Finally, when Susan was full of chips, salsa, and beef enchiladas, Lana decided it was time to ask about the bracelet.

  “I met someone else who feels gem energy, and he wants to experiment.”

  “That’s great! He, you say?” Susan leaned forward, eyes sparkling. “Where did you meet him? At the jewelry store? Is he your age?”

  “Um, he’s a little older than me. I’ve known him for a while but we rarely see each other. He’s from . . . out of town.”

  “He didn’t tell you about the gem power thing till now?”

  “Maybe he just discovered it. Anyway, he’s going to be around for a few weeks, and we’re planning to practice while he’s here.”

  “Maybe we can—” Susan broke off. “No, you don’t want anyone else hanging around. What’s he like? Is he handsome?”

  Lana looked down at her lap. She had wadded her napkin into a ball. “Yeah, he is.”

  “Maybe you’ll start seeing each other more, now that you have gems in common.”

  “I hope so. He’s really nice.” Lana took a steadying breath. “Um, I need to ask a favor.”

  “Sure. What is it?”

  “Could I borrow your aventurine bracelet for a few weeks? The gems are so powerful it’s easy to feel their energy, even with developing gem powers.”

  To Lana’s relief, Susan nodded. “Sure. It helped me. If I hadn’t bought it, I might never have known I had gem powers.”

  “I promise to take good care of it,” Lana assured her.

  Susan waved a dismissive hand. “Of course you will. Gems are your life.” She unfastened the clasp and handed the bracelet to Lana. “Good luck. I hope it helps.”

  Hot, tingling energy ran through Lana’s fingers and palm. “Thanks a lot.”

  This bracelet was more important than Susan could ever guess.

  When Thursday finally arrived, the morning dragged. Dad stopped in at lunchtime, which was a surprise. Maybe he’d start popping in more often now so once she took over the store it wouldn’t seem like he only came in to check on her.

  Arlene was out on lunch break, and there weren’t any customers, so they sat in the office and talked, Lana behind the desk and Dad in front—a weird role reversal from her childhood days. When Arlene returned, she looked annoyed to see Lana using the office but she could hardy complain in front of Dad.

  A woman came in. Arlene shot Lana a resentful glance and then went to wait on her. Lana winced at Arlene’s officious tone and hard sell tactics. By the time the customer walked out, Dad had gotten an earful, and he didn’t look too pleased. Lana would be taking over the store in a few weeks, and it couldn’t come too soon.

  When Dad left, Lana vacated the office, and Arlene began rearranging everything on the desk as if Lana had moved things. They avoided each other for the rest of the day, and Lana left on time for a change, anxious to go home and get ready for her visit with Jules.

  As she changed into warm clothes for her walk to the portal, she debated what to take with her. Maybe she should take gems in case there was a change of plans and Jules didn’t come back with her. She slipped the bracelet and a few pieces of turquoise into a pouch.

  Getting the gems to Tyla was bound to be awkward. Parcune would deliver them, but Tyla’s study group would probably ask where they’d come from. Jules should just go to Elantoth and demand to see Tyla or Arenia. He’d lived there for over a century in canine form, which was longer than anyone but S. It seemed he had a right to be there. It was all so annoying. Why couldn’t Mierek see that humans were valuable allies who shared their goal of reuniting Ahmonell?

  When Lana reached County Forest Park, she got out of the car, still berating Mierek’s shortsighted bureaucrats. It was pointless to dwell on things she couldn’t control, and she refused to let Mierek ruin her evening with Jules, so she pushed it from her mind.

  She reached the portal in a better mood. Jules was leaning against a tree, waiting for her. He greeted her with a quick kiss, but he seemed tense and didn’t have much to say.

  Lana sighed. “Now what’s wrong?”

  “I’m not going to be very good company tonight. I’ll explain on the way to the car.”

  “If you’d rather stay at Strathweed, I don’t mind.”

  He looked relieved. “Are you sure? I’d ap
preciate that, and Elias would like to see you.”

  They crossed through the portal. The temperature was much warmer here, and the sky was beautiful with its unique silvery haze. She didn’t mind spending the evening here, and she was glad she had decided to bring the gems.

  “I brought turquoise,” she said as they walked. “Each with a different matrix. And Susan lent me her bracelet. You’ve heard me rave about its incredible gems, but wait till you feel them for yourself!” She smiled in anticipation. “You and I can’t go with the team, but we can help in other ways. These gems will give them the best chance of success.”

  Jules didn’t say a word—just kept walking as if he hadn’t heard her. The lines around his mouth tightened, and the tension in the air was palpable.

  She thought he’d be excited about the gems. Why was he acting this way? “What’s wrong? Just tell me!”

  Finally, he slowed and looked at her. “The team is gone. They’re halfway to the Amulet.”

  Chapter 32

  [Shadowglade: Five Days Earlier]

  For the second time this weekend, Raenihel asked Tyla to speak to the clan leaders and explain her plan to disrupt the barrier in more detail. At the end of her speech, she answered questions, and then praised her gem study group for their dedication and hard work. Now, someone had to explain to Mierek what happened when gem powers from turquoise and aventurine combined with the artifact gems. Tyla knew she should be the one to do it. She was best qualified. But she resented the officials, and they would be able to tell.

  Arenia pulled Tyla aside. “Parcune just returned from his . . . morning ride.”

  “How did it go?”

  “He’s still hurt,” Arenia said, purposely not mentioning Elias by name, “but he’ll help us however he can.”

  “We should have more news after today’s briefing with Mierek.”

  “Raenihel is speaking to them?”