by Kay L. Ling
“Maybe so,” Tyla said, “but you could have some leaders without powers to keep things balanced.”
“The founders believed it would be dangerous to mix Nopes and gem masters.”
“Dangerous—how?” Arenia asked.
He gave her a long look, and said, not unkindly, “Think about it for a moment.”
When Arenia didn’t answer, Tyla said, “Gem masters could manipulate Nopes’ emotions and opinions, and the Nopes wouldn’t know it?”
Pentar nodded and smiled. “Good.”
“Don’t that be dark powers?” Tina Ann spoke up, and Ben nodded.
“It’s a fine line, easily crossed,” Pentar said. “Dampening others’ anger or projecting peace and goodwill would not be considered dark powers, but it’s still manipulative. Law enforcers with gem powers routinely use such means in the public interest, diffusing hostilities and breaking up fights, but in a Council, it would be unfair. That’s why members are always gem masters. An attempt to sway a member, using gem powers, is more likely to be detected.”
“That makes sense, but I still don’t like it,” Arenia said. “Can’t you have two separate but equal Councils—gem masters and Nopes?”
“That’s been discussed, but nothing ever came of it.”
“Oughta get rid of mosta yer laws,” Ben said. “Nobody gonna follow ‘em anyway, an’ it jus’ make trouble.”
“We knows all ‘bout that,” Tina Ann said. “Breghlin used ter spy on each other an’ report to S.” She frowned. “Now we gots Ertz spyin’ on us.”
“Is that why he stayed—to spy on us?” Tyla asked Pentar, looking him in the eye.
“No, I don’t think so. If he spies on you, it’s only to satisfy his own curiosity. I don’t think he reports to anyone.”
“He be up to somethin’,” Tina Ann said stubbornly, “The other day, he visit that traitor, Kaff.”
“Made the guard leave so they can talk alone,” Ben added.
Pentar reached for the pitcher of fialazza and refilled his goblet, his face suddenly thoughtful. After drinking some he gave the group a measuring look, as if deciding whether he should share something.
Tina Ann recognized that expression. “Tell, tell!”
Pentar looked amused. “You know Ertz is a respected lecturer. But I doubt you know that in his youth he dabbled in dark powers and made quite a mess of his life.”
“No!” Tina Ann cried, sounding more fascinated than horrified.
“He rehabilitated and lost all his witnesses. Now, he lectures on gem power abuse and the temptations of dark powers.”
“I thought he lectured on history,” Tyla said, shocked by Pentar’s news and not sure what to make of it.
“He does, but he draws the biggest crowds when he lectures on dark powers. A lot of my friends go. They’re fascinated by his firsthand accounts.”
“Mebbe he still be dabblin’,” said the ever-suspicious Tina Ann.
“If he was it would show,” Pentar reminded her.
“Mebbe ya get witnesses slower when ya be that old,” Tina Ann said, unwilling to dismiss the idea.
Ben said, “But if he be evil, I bet ya feel it.”
Tyla gave Ben a sharp look and shook her head in warning. It was best to keep Tina Ann’s unusual talent for sensing evil to themselves.
“It’s nice that Ertz is trying to keep others from making the mistakes he did,” Arenia said. “Maybe that’s why he wanted to talk to Kaff.”
“That’s what I’m thinking,” Pentar said. “And when Kaff goes to trial, the court may call Ertz in as an expert witness to analyze Kaff’s mental state and advise how to rehabilitate him.”
“What about S? Would they call Ertz in for her trial, too?” Arenia asked.
“Her case is so unusual there’s no telling what the courts will do. Gnomes and woodspirits hold opposing views about her, which isn’t surprising. We think she’s a threat, but woodspirits say she’s a beetle and totally harmless.”
“As long as she’s alive, she’s a threat,” Tyla said. “If they can’t see that, we’re all in trouble.”
“She’ll be tried in a woodspirit court, but they may include a few gnome judgmentors.”
“A woodspirit court? I don’t like the sound of that,” Arenia said.
“There have been a lot of stories about Sheamathan in the newssheets lately, and quite a few about The Eight. That’s the eight woodspirits with gem powers,” Pentar said, and Tyla and Arenia nodded that they were familiar with the term. “Until now, no one paid much attention to them, but suddenly readers are interested in every aspect of their lives.”
“Do you think any of them are a threat?” Tyla asked.
“No. Not the way you mean. But there’s one that’s likely to stir up trouble—Kitana Windan. She owns two woodspirit publications, Today’s Woodspirit, and Woodspirit News and Views. She’s very influential and can easily sway public opinion. I don’t think she takes S’s crimes as seriously as she should. Tensions between woodspirits and gnomes are already building without controversial articles to inflame passions further, and she specializes in controversy.”
Tyla stared blankly for a moment, trying to remember where she had heard that name before. It finally came to her. The night on the terrace when she and Lant had overheard Anatta and Varkandian talking, they had mentioned Kitana, and Tyla had gotten the impression they didn’t like or trust her.
“Enough gloomy talk,” Pentar said. “If you’ve finished eating, I’ll take you down to the Pedestal Room so you can contact Elantoth and let them know you arrived safely.”
Chapter 9
Tyla looked forward to seeing the room where Pentar had received her first message, but the breghlin followed with bored expressions.
“Wish we could all hear ya talkin’,” Tina Ann grumbled as they trooped through the cellar.
Tyla wished they could too, but unlike a dendrite ball, those standing nearby couldn’t hear anything.
As Pentar continued through the mazelike cellar, Ben and Tina Ann fell behind. Once, Tyla looked back and saw them coming out of a storage room, brushing cobwebs from their hair.
When the group finally reached the Pedestal Room, everyone spent a few minutes looking at the maps and documents on the walls, then Tyla went to the pedestal marked Elantoth and laid her hand on the rizumen gem, wondering who was on duty there. It was Parcune, and he was happy to hear from her.
You made good time. I assume Kaff arrived safely—didn’t escape, did he?
No. By now he’s in the confinement.
Probably telling everyone he was part of the Amulet Team. And showing them the scar on his forehead where the stone bounced off the energy field and hit him.
It wouldn’t surprise me.
Parcune still held a grudge, and she couldn’t blame him. Kaff had belittled Parcune at every turn during the Amulet Mission.
So, what’s Aberell Fortress like?
I haven’t see too much of it yet, but it’s not as gloomy as Elantoth, and you don’t have to worry about malicious wards.
No swarms of bees or two-headed bats?
No, thank goodness. How about Elantoth—is everything all right there?
Indeed it is. Tell Raenihel not to worry. We don’t need him—or any of you—now that we have Gem Master Ertz.
Oh no! Is he making a nuisance of himself?
Something of the kind, but no one’s complaining. If he wants to run things and order everyone around, he has to be visible. It’s worth the annoyance just to know where he is.
Tyla supposed she shouldn’t gossip about Ertz’s former dark powers, but she couldn’t resist, and it all came tumbling out.
I won’t tell anyone. The breghlin are afraid of him now. If they knew about this, they’d probably lock themselves in the kitchen and we’d all go hungry. Speaking of breghlin, are Ben and Tina Ann behaving?
As much as can be expected, but we only just got here. Ask me again tomorrow. Well, the others are waiting, so I s
uppose I should go. Good luck with Gem Master Ertz!
She ended the communication and they all went back upstairs. Pentar took them to see the artwork in the passageway, and to her surprise, Ben and Tina Ann seemed genuinely interested. Ben liked the landscapes and went from one to another with an awed expression. Tina Ann was more interested in the portraits. She stopped in front of one and studied the gnome’s stern face with a critical frown. “Who do he be? Look like he swallowed a rat.” She moved to the next, a wrinkled old gnome with a long, white beard, and deep pouches under his eyes. “This feller gotta be the oldest gnome I ever seen.”
Tyla wanted to sink through the floor, and Arenia moved farther down the passageway, pretending she hadn’t heard.
Pentar seemed more amused than offended. He gave Tina Ann a brief history of the gnomes in the portraits and then offered to show everyone the barns. Ben’s eyes lit like a lightgem. Tyla wasn’t particularly interested in the barns, but it would entertain the breghlin, and it was thoughtful of Pentar to offer.
They spent over an hour looking at animals, tools, and machinery. Ben’s enthusiasm spilled over to the entire group, and Tyla realized as they headed back to the fortress that she hadn’t been bored at all.
Several carts were lined up in the driveway, and Pentar said, “Carts are arriving to take workers home to the Tree Community or over to the commercial district. Anyone who goes shopping can take a boat home later or hire another cart.”
They went inside. Most of the office doors were open now. Workers looked up and froze in shock when they saw the breghlin. A minute later, hearing whispers behind her, Tyla looked back and found them watching from the doorways.
Unaware of the drama behind him, Pentar took the group to the Staff Haven.
Several gnomes sat at the tables, drinking raaka and reading newssheets. They looked up when they heard the door open, and one of the females gasped and ducked behind her newspaper.
“These are the folks from Elantoth that Commander Finnack told us about,” Pentar said cheerfully. “Tyla, Arenia, Ben, and Tina Ann.”
“Wellmet,” mumbled a few of the gnomes.
A male stood and made a show of checking his pocket watch. “Look what time it is! The transport carts should all be here by now.”
Newssheets rustled and chairs scraped as everyone got up. When the door fell shut behind the last of them, Pentar said, “Have a seat. I’ll get you some raaka and we’ll discuss overnight arrangements.”
He brought them each a mug of raaka and a spoon. Tyla touched her mug and it was cold. Did they drink cold raaka here? Pentar pulled some black gems from his pocket, held them a moment, and dropped one into each mug.
“What are the gems for?” Arenia asked.
“They’re heat stones called javids. You don’t have them in the Amulet?”
“I don’t know,” Arenia said. “I don’t think so.”
“Once you activate a javid, it gets hot very quickly but cools after a couple minutes. When your raaka is the right temperature, take out the gem.”
Tyla touched her finger to the raaka. After a few seconds, it was the perfect temperature and she removed the gem with her spoon. “I hope we find some of these gems at home.”
“Me an’ Ben can’t aktervate ‘em, so it won’t do us no good,” Tina Ann said.
“Someone with powers can do it for you.” Pentar pocketed the cooled gems. “Earlic, Imeria, and Raenihel will be spending the night in a sleepstay near the confinement, but we thought the rest of you would like to stay at my place, in the Tree Community. I know Ben and Tina Ann aren’t able to enter the tree portion, but they can stay in the annex.”
Tina Ann said, “Good of ya ter ask us along,” but she didn’t look too enthused about being left in the annex while everyone else was having a good time in the tree.
“Couldn’t me an’ Tina Ann jus’ stay here?” Ben asked hopefully. “At home, breghlin sleeps in the fortress or the barns.”
“I suppose so. If you’d rather do that.”
Ben and Tina Ann looked at each other, and Tina Ann nodded. “Me an’ Ben’ll stay here, an’ you gnomes can sleep in yer tree.”
Arenia was sending Tyla distress signals with her eyes, and the effect was comical. Really, Tyla told herself, how much trouble could Ben and Tina Ann get into? The offices would probably be locked, and guards would be patrolling the passageways.
“We have a few guest rooms on the second floor. I’ll take you up in a minute. You’ll be missing dinner, but the haven is open all night and there are containers of food—nuts, dried fruits, jerky and such. Prices are marked, but you don’t have any IGs so I’ll pay for whatever you eat. Just tell me what you had.”
Arenia was giving Tyla increasingly desperate looks, which Tyla pretended not to see, and a few minutes later Pentar left with the breghlin. Their voices echoed down the passageway, and Tyla smiled when Pentar said the guest rooms had big, comfortable beds, and Tina Ann cried, “A real bed! At Elantoth, breghlin got thin scratchy bedrolls.”
“You should sleep very well, then.”
“Wait till my friends hear. They be jealous.”
Eventually, Tina Ann’s exclamations of delight became too distant to hear. Arenia folded her arms and glared at Tyla. “You should have insisted they come with us. I know they’re your friends, but we can’t let them run wild.”
Tyla hated to be lectured, especially by her older sister, and even though she had a few misgivings herself, she wasn’t about to admit it. “You worry too much. I know Tina Ann gets into mischief sometimes, but they’ll be fine.”
Tyla and Arenia spent a pleasant evening with Pentar and his wife, Elantha. After dinner, they had a thought-provoking conversation about gnome politics and turned in early. Tomorrow, Pentar wanted to arrive at the fortress at the same time as the kitchen staff and order breakfast for the group. They hadn’t spent the evening together, so it would be nice to share breakfast.
No sooner were they out of bed the next morning than Arenia began lecturing Tyla about the breghlin. Tyla should take them aside and put them on their best behavior because Arenia couldn’t relax and enjoy herself while worrying what they would say or do next, and she was tired of doing damage control.
If only to stop Arenia’s nagging, Tyla agreed to talk to them.
After leaving Pentar’s home, they Walked With the Wind, exiting the tree road at the parking area for transport carts. At this hour, there were only two carts waiting for passengers, but Pentar said an hour from now there would be several.
At the fortress, they pulled up behind another passenger cart, and three female kitchen staff climbed out, dressed alike in gray tunics and pants.
The door guards said to Pentar, “You’re here early today.”
“I have a busy day ahead of me,” he told them.
They followed the kitchen workers, who were chatting about meal preparations. At Elantoth, kitchen staff and servers were all breghlin, and it seemed odd not to have any breghlin staff here, but there were no breghlin outside the Amulet.
Tyla wondered if it would be hard to rouse Ben and Tina Ann. Breghlin weren’t used to private rooms, much less comfortable beds. Ben slept in a barn loft with several males, and Tina Ann stayed in a dorm with females, so it was little wonder they were happy to stay in Aberell’s guest rooms.
Everyone halted just outside the kitchen doorway.
One of the kitchen staff said, “Look! Someone triggered the ward!”
“Stand aside,” Pentar ordered. “I’ll deactivate it.”
As the workers moved over to let him by, Tyla saw the doorway. The air within it sparkled with red particles like glittering dust motes.
Pentar lifted his hand and the red particles faded and disappeared. He went inside and looked around. “There’s no one here. It’s all right to come in.”
It was silly to jump to conclusions when anything might have happened, but her first thought was Ben and Tina Ann, and she hoped she was wrong.
Arenia said in a furtive whisper, “Tell me they didn’t do this!”
Tyla went into the kitchen, trying to look natural, but her heart was racing.
One of the staff began activating more lightgems. The others opened cabinet doors to see if anything was missing.
Pentar lifted the lid on a large wooden chest—the kind that had usually held manissic gems to keep food cold. He turned around and held up a large joint of meat . . . with most of the meat gnawed off.
Arenia let out a low moan, and Tyla kicked her in the ankle.
“Who would do such a thing? Gnaw the meat off and put it back!” one of the workers asked in disgust.
Pentar opened a waste bin and tossed the bone inside.
Tyla thought feverishly. The ward served as an alert that someone had been inside, but it didn’t detain the culprits, so maybe there was no way to know who had done it.
Her heart sank when Pentar said, “The culprit will have sparkling red skin for a couple days, so we’ll know soon enough.”
When Pentar looked away, Arenia glared at Tyla and mouthed, “I hope you’re happy.”
Tyla said as calmly as she could, “Arenia, while you and Pentar discuss breakfast, I’ll get Ben and Tina Ann.”
“Good idea,” Pentar said. Was that amusement in his eyes? “Take the main stairway to the second floor, then the first passageway to your right. Their rooms have gem symbols on the doorplates. Tina Ann’s is the first room, and Ben is next door. We’ll meet you at the haven.”
Tyla supposed she should feel guilty for leaving Arenia behind to pretend that nothing was wrong, but she was angry with Arenia for being right about the breghlin.
Tyla found the rooms with no difficulty and knocked on Tina Ann’s door, dreading what she would see.
There was no response.
She knocked again and called, “Tina Ann!”
Still no response.
She tried the knob and found the door unlocked. After a brief hesitation, she let herself in.
Tina Ann wasn’t there, and the bed hadn’t been slept in. Tyla realized with a touch of embarrassment that Tina Ann must be with Ben. Well, embarrassed or not, she had to wake them.
