by Kay L. Ling
“I see,” Horek returned coldly, clearly unmoved by this argument. “We are disturbed by the situation there. From now on, we will handle our brethren’s gem education. A human, much less a tainted human, should not be teaching gnomes. Furthermore, we’ve instructed the Anen clan to assume operations there immediately. Human assistance is neither necessary nor welcome, and you certainly shouldn’t be residing at Elantoth.”
Their lack of gratitude left Jules momentarily speechless. When he finally responded, he couldn’t hold back his righteous indignation. “Our goal was to give gnomes complete control—as soon as they’re ready—but they’ve barely come out of hiding.” He was tempted to point out that the Anen had shown little initiative. It had been like pulling teeth to get them to help, much less run the place. He realized with a sinking feeling that Horek could probably read all his thoughts, not just the ones he intended to transmit. Elias had learned to shield his thoughts, controlling what others read, but Jules had never acquired that skill.
“Be that as it may,” Horek responded, “Human involvement has led to trouble. Elias has destabilized the Amulet, endangering gnomes on both sides of the barrier.”
“We’re working on the problem,” Jules assured him, “and we’re close to a solution.”
“Should you devise a viable plan, gnomes will implement it.” There was a long pause. “The dangerous conditions we’re experiencing may have been caused by Elias’s infused dark powers interfering with the artifact gems.”
“That’s not what happened,” Jules protested. “The Amulet absorbed the rose gem’s energy, and that strengthened the barrier.”
“How can you be certain? You’re a novice, little acquainted with our gems.”
Jules didn’t answer. He didn’t know a lot about native gems, but he understood basic gem interactions, and it was highly unlikely that vestiges of infused dark powers had been to blame. The gnomes needed humans, Elias in particular. Without human interference, Horek wouldn’t be speaking to Jules right now, and there would be no communication between Elantoth and any of the fortresses.
“Denkurk tells me he doesn’t know where Sheamathan is.” This comment diverted Jules’s present train of thought. “He says none of his clan knows where she is. This is unacceptable.”
“The Anen agreed it was in everyone’s best interest to hide her.”
“True. But originally some of the Anen knew where she was. Now, after her disastrous kidnapping, you haven’t told anyone where she is. You have no right to withhold that information. She is our adversary, not yours, and we should be the ones to deal with her.”
Now Jules was too angry to care if he offended Horek. “I suffered as much at her hands as any gnome—more, in fact.”
“Perhaps, but you agreed to the wolfhound enchantment to save your world, not ours.”
“Not true. I did it for both. She would have used gnome slave labor to support the invasion, and later, to plunder valuable resources.”
“You may be right,” Horek conceded. “We’ll never know. The fact remains that you are overstepping your bounds. Gnomes should operate Elantoth, and gnomes should deal with Sheamathan. We told the elders as much a few days ago, and we made it clear that if they intend to remain in contact with us, they must take charge of affairs immediately.”
“I see.” It was a harsh ultimatum and hardly fair. Now Jules understood the elders’ recent cold behavior which Elias had blamed on Denkurk stirring up trouble.
“I have nothing further to say. Later today, I will speak with the elder on duty.” Horek broke the telepathic link.
Jules stepped away from the pedestal, every muscle in his body tight with rage.
“Are you all right?” Lant asked.
“No, I don’t think I am.” He felt like kicking the pedestals over and ripping the maps off the wall.
“I have a general idea what they told you, and all I can say is . . . I’m sorry.”
Jules glared at him. “Is everyone going along with this?”
Lant looked decidedly uncomfortable. “We’re in an awkward position. They’re forcing us to choose sides. How can we reject our own kin?”
“It’s not fair. And it’s bad timing.”
“I know,” Lant said in a small voice. “Are you going to tell Elias now?”
“Not just yet. First, I have to get over the urge to hit someone or smash something.”
Jules stalked from the room and wandered aimlessly, rehearsing his speech. He wanted to break the news as gently as possible. But how did you tell someone who had given the gnomes a fresh start in life that he was no longer welcome at Elantoth?
When Jules finally delivered the speech, Elias sat back in his chair and calmly folded his hands in his lap.
“I expected something of the kind. The last few days there has been a decided change in attitude around here, and the more I thought about it, I couldn’t blame it all on Denkurk. Even Tyla and Arenia have been acting strangely. I probably should have read their minds, but deep down, I didn’t want to know, didn’t want to face whatever it was.”
Jules shook his head in disgust. “The gnomes are turning their backs on us and giving in to Horek’s demands. They can’t stomach the thought of being cut off from their newfound family, and for all we know, it’s just an idle threat.”
“The High Council is counting on that reaction, and they’re playing off those emotions.”
“What are we going to do?” Jules asked bitterly. “The gnomes may be willing to abandon us, but we can’t abandon them. Despite Horek’s claims to the contrary, they still need our help with so many things, not the least of which is the malfunctioning Amulet.”
“We will have to make the best of it. When the clan leaders arrive, Tyla can fill them in on recent events, explain our idea about restoring the Amulet, and tell them what needs to be done.”
Jules didn’t know what to say. The gnomes weren’t ready to fend for themselves. Surely Elias could see that.
Elias rose. “I’ll return S to the library. Let the gnomes deal with her.”
“Do you think that’s a good idea?”
“If they kill her or lose her, that’s their business. I’ll tell Raenihel to schedule guard duty. I have a few other matters to attend to, and then I’ll be ready to leave. I’m looking forward to the solitude of my cave.”
Jules watched in numb disbelief as Elias shrugged off all his self-imposed duties and left the office.
Chapter 29
Saturday morning, Lana found Jules waiting for her as expected, but he seemed distracted, and his brief, unenthusiastic kiss was a sure sign something was wrong. Not wanting to press him, she shared the details of her busy week while he drove, but she could tell he was only half-listening. Just as she was about to ask him what was wrong, he turned onto the trail that led to Strathweed.
“We’re going to Strathweed?” She was anxious to meet the clan leaders who were assembling at Elantoth this weekend. Most had probably arrived by now.
“Long story,” Jules said, and she could hear the tension in his voice. “Elias and I moved back to Strathweed.”
“You’re giving your rooms to the clan leaders?” As soon as she’d said it, she knew that wasn’t possible. S was in the sitting room.
“I have so much to tell you that I don’t even know where to begin.”
A tense silence followed, and he seemed to be struggling to find the words.
“You were right to worry about Mierek,” he said at last, shooting her a glance that held equal parts pain and anger. “They’re already dictating policies and making ultimatums. Humans can’t hold leadership positions or give gem lessons. And they don’t want us living at Elantoth.”
“What? That’s crazy! Who’s going to run the place? And how will gnomes learn any gem skills?”
Jules gave her a sardonic smile. “Officials at Mierek will train them.”
“Oh, sure, that’s going to work—telepathic correspondence courses.” She could hardly bel
ieve they would consider such a lamebrain plan. “We don’t have time for their nonsense. We need to stabilize the Amulet before it rips this world apart.”
“They’re having earthquakes and windstorms over there. That’s why the High Council is getting involved.”
“And they expect Amulet gnomes to find a solution on their own?”
“Of course not. We get to do all the research and come up with a plan, then turn everything over to the gnomes and let them implement it.”
“How generous of them.”
“They say vestiges of Elias’s infused dark powers caused the instability.”
“Is that even possible?”
“I doubt it. The rose gem was the problem. We shouldn’t have tried that.”
“Well, it’s done now, and they need our help.”
“Maybe so, but they’ll have to do without us. They have the artifact gems and Fair Lands gems, and they know our plans regarding the anomalous reaction. They just need to find the right gem combination.”
Lana folded her arms. “So you’re giving in. Just like that. How can you abandon our friends?”
“Who’s abandoning them? We’re being pushed out.”
“By distant bureaucrats with no real authority.”
“No. By our friends. Like Raenihel and Tyla.”
“I can’t believe they’re going along with this.”
“Mierek threatened to cut off all contact if they don’t.”
“That’s—that’s—low.”
“They don’t want humans at Elantoth, especially Elias since he’s tainted with dark powers. They’re determined to oust him at any cost.”
“Did Elias take S to Strathweed?”
“No, she’s back in the library. What they do with her now is up to them.”
“I bet Franklin’s fuming over this. Where is he?”
“He hasn’t left Elantoth. Not exactly, anyway.”
“What does that mean?”
“Breghlin adopted him. He’ll live with one of their clans. They’re building him a one-room cabin that’s walking distance to Elantoth. Mierek has no say over the breghlin.”
Lana was speechless at the thought of Franklin living with breghlin.
Jules laughed at the look on her face. “I know. I was stunned too. But since they’ve been working together on woodworking and other skills, they’ve come to respect one another.”
“What about breghlin servants? Is Mierek banning them from Elantoth?”
“Not that I—”
“Don’t they think they’re a bad influence?”
“Does Mierek even know they exist? Have the gnomes mentioned them?”
Lana was silent. He had a point. Breghlin had become less of a threat these days, and the gnomes had little reason to discuss them.
“I’d be willing to bet no one’s said a word about them,” Jules said. “You’re right—Mierek would think they’re a bad influence, and if they banned them from Elantoth who would tend maraku and do all the dirty work?”
“Good point.”
When they finally reached the cave, they found Elias and Parcune having coffee.
“Parcune!” Lana cried. “What are you doing here?”
“Shhh, no one knows I’m here,” he said with a twinkle in his eye.
“Have some coffee,” Elias told Lana and Jules, “and pull up a chair.”
Once they were seated, Elias told them, “As you can imagine, Mierek’s demands have created quite a stir. Most gnomes are complying with the ban on human involvement, but a few plan to secretly stay in touch with us.”
Parcune said, “Being a widower, no one’s looking for me. I can slip away when I like. Tyla would come, but Lant forbids it. He wants to stay in Mierek’s good graces in case we breach the barrier and they decide to live over there.”
“I’m beginning to think you’re better off here,” Lana said darkly.
Parcune gave a grunt of agreement.
“Have most of the clan leaders arrived?” Jules asked.
“Yes. You remember Vegmir, Morodin, and Kerosten. They arrived yesterday, and were shocked to hear that you and Elias were gone and wouldn’t be back. Before they could protest the situation, Raenihel whisked them off on a tour of the communications room, followed by a trip to the library to see all the spell books.”
“The spell books I found,” Lana said, frowning. “I bet Raenihel didn’t mention that.”
Jules took a sip of coffee and set it on the end table. “And without the spell books, Tyla and Arenia wouldn’t have discovered the communications room.”
“Many of us appreciate all you’ve done,” Parcune said. “I’m embarrassed to admit that breghlin stood up for you more than we did. When Grace and Wally heard the news, their curses could have crumbled stone. Wally says the High Council is as dumb as a brontskeller, and Grace vowed to keep their Ministry office open, if only to honor Lana.”
“Good for them,” Lana said, a smile tugging at her lips.
Jules said, “We planned to tell the clan leaders about the Amulet Mission and demonstrate the artifact gems. Now, no one from the team can do it. We’re here, Kaff is a bird, and you don’t have gem powers.”
“Tyla and Arenia agreed to do it, but they’re not happy about it.”
“I bet. Tyla doesn’t like to be the center of attention,” Lana said.
“She hates speaking to a crowd, but she doesn’t mind a small group. She formed a gem study team to practice with the artifact gems, and they’ve been experimenting with aventurine and native gems combinations.” Parcune continued in a confidential tone, “I think they’ve made a breakthrough, but I probably shouldn’t say so until they officially confirm it.”
Elias perked up. “A breakthrough? What do you know about it?”
“Last night, as I passed the dining room, the door was closed and I heard excited voices and laughter.” He looked embarrassed. “Being a curious fellow by nature, I couldn’t resist listening at the door.”
“Go on,” Elias urged.
“I heard Tyla say, ‘We got the same results three times in a row.’ And a male—I didn’t recognize the voice—said, ‘I think this will work! Should we tell Mierek?’ Then Arenia said, ‘We should tell our own people first. Let’s show the clan leaders and see what they say.’” Parcune rubbed his palms on his knees. “Then I heard chairs scraping. Folks were getting up, so I figured I’d better move along.”
Lana asked Elias, “What do you make of it?”
“It certainly sounds promising.”
“Let’s go to the meeting,” Lana begged. “Then we can hear for ourselves. We aren’t banned from visiting, are we?”
“Not in so many words,” Elias said, “but Mierek made it clear we weren’t wanted or needed, and Parcune says they don’t want us influencing their culture. Why go if no one wants our input?”
“To get firsthand information. Not that we don’t appreciate Parcune bringing us news, but it’s not the same as being there.”
“I would find it hard to remain silent,” Elias said. “And if Raenihel and the others don’t want us there, I think we had better stay away.”
“I miss Elantoth already,” Jules said glumly. “We accomplished so much, and it was just the beginning.”
“We got the gnomes on their feet, and they’re becoming more independent,” Elias said, “Now, if only they can restore the Amulet and reunite their world, I’ll die a happy man.”
After Parcune left, Lana tidied the cave. Books and ledgers were lying everywhere, and the bookcases were a disorganized mess. Now that Elias was here full time, he wouldn’t be able to blame poor housekeeping on spending too much time at Elantoth. He claimed he missed the solitude of his cave and was looking forward to a quiet life with few responsibilities, but she wasn’t sure she believed him. Strathweed would seem very dull after all the excitement at Elantoth.
Elias and Jules were out in the overgrown garden trying to find root vegetables for dinner. They had long since u
sed up Elias’s stores of dried meat, so aside from the breghlin’s gift, they would be living on vegetables for the foreseeable future.
Brenda Ann, Maggie Ann, and Tina Ann, had stuffed several loaves of bread and an entire wheel of cheese into a sack and given it to Elias as a going away present. Lana found it ironic that breghlin had brought Elias a present, but gnomes hadn’t even said goodbye. She was sure Elias felt hurt, but he shrugged it off and made excuses: gnomes were busy preparing for the meeting, and it was natural that breghlin, many of whom worked in the kitchen, would think to give him food.
Parcune was still loyal, she thought with a sigh, and so were Tyla, Arenia, and some of the others. They were just afraid to show it.
Lana dusted Elias’s desk, making sure to put the books and gem trays back the way she’d found them, and her mind drifted to Parcune’s comments. Had Tyla’s team really found a gem combination to disrupt the energy field and reboot the Amulet? Even if an experiment worked here, there was no telling whether it would work under the extreme conditions at the barrier. Elias should be there to help them. It was hard to believe Mierek could be so pigheaded that they’d refuse his assistance.
“Bureaucrats,” Lana muttered. “Most of them are idiots . . . in any world.”
Chapter 30
Tyla crawled through the low opening in the cellar and shone her lightgem around the grain storage room. Lana had shown her this place a few weeks ago. It was an ideal hiding place, and today she needed to be alone.
She hoisted herself onto a pile of grain sacks and let the tears come. It wouldn’t be the same without Elias, Jules, and Franklin. They had become part of her daily life, and she would miss them terribly. But she would miss Lana the most, even though Lana only came on weekends.
Lana had become her role model; she was bold, tenacious, and fiercely opinionated, and Tyla respected those qualities. Who but Lana would befriend breghlin and try to civilize them? Lana was impulsive at times and took chances that got her into trouble, but things had a way of working out for her. Like with the armory. Thanks to Lana, gnomes had piles of historic weapons and nine more spell books. One of the books had the floor plan with the hidden room, and now they were able to talk to gnomes beyond the barrier.
