Wards and Wonders

by Kay L. Ling

  “I’m going to the news shop across the street. Go back to the arbor, if you want, but sit on the farthest bench from the woodspirits, and don’t move till I get back. I won’t be long.”

  Tina Ann said, “We be as still as them statues.”

  They’d gotten plenty of practice last night, she thought as she watched them return to the arbor.

  The news shop was tiny. A sales counter stretched across the front, and the shopkeeper, a female Outcast, sat reading a newssheet. Her hair was dirty, and clumps were missing, revealing patches of bare scalp. Where her right eyebrow should be, she had a large bump, and black hairs protruded from it like antennae.

  “Good day,” Tyla mumbled.

  The female looked up, grunted, and went back to reading.

  The back of the shop had two counters, one behind the other, with stacks of newssheets, and two male Outcasts stood at the first, doing more talking than reading. Tyla went to the second counter. The newssheets were crumpled and dirty, and they were all a month old, probably secondhand like most everything else in the Outcast District.

  Pentar had said The Eight were often in the news these days, and Tyla found an article that answered many of her questions about them. Corlua was the oldest at 480, Marrid the youngest at 58. The rest ranged in age from 200 to 350. Tyla spotted three familiar names—Anatta, Varkandian, and Kitana. Other members of The Eight included two rival artist brothers, Tomdian and Nesmick, who hadn’t spoken to each other in decades, and an extremely introverted female, Zeetha, who had a mental disability.

  The article was mostly about Marrid, and Tyla was disturbed to learn Marrid had experimented with Dark gems in her youth and attracted followers who glamorized dark powers. The article claimed that by the age of thirty, Marrid had outgrown this youthful phase, and was now a respected member of the woodspirit community.

  Tyla frowned. Had Marrid completely abandoned Dark gems? Maybe she was just more discreet now. Pentar seemed to believe The Eight were all harmless, but after reading this article, Tyla planned to bring up the subject again.

  Many of the newssheet articles covered current events and politics, and there was a lengthy piece about the Amulet and the work going on there.

  Tyla was so engrossed in reading that she nearly forgot about the two Outcasts until one came back to her counter. He had a bump on the bridge of his nose and two on his chin that stuck out through his beard. His upper lip rose on the right side in a perpetual sneer. His eyes roved over her in a most unpleasant manner, as if he were trying to guess what witnesses were hidden beneath her cloak. She nodded a curt greeting, slid over to give him more room, and resumed reading. She could feel his eyes on her, and it gave her the shivers.

  “Nice to see a pretty new face in town,” he said, sidling closer.

  She ignored him, hoping he’d leave her alone. She was tempted to leave, but the space between the counter and the back wall was narrow, and unless he stepped out of the way and let her go, it would be a tight squeeze to get past him. While she was debating what to do, he slipped an arm around her waist. “What’s your name?”

  “Let go!” she cried, wrenching free.

  He laughed at her furious expression. “Just bein’ friendly. No harm done.”

  He rubbed her arm through her cloak, and panic knifed through her. “Stop it!”

  He laughed. “Fiesty little thing, aren’t ya?”

  If she had to knock him over to get past him, she would. His friend wasn’t about to help her, and the shopkeeper was either deaf or ignoring her. She tried to think of an infused gem power she could use for self-defense, but she was too rattled to think creatively.

  “Let me out,” she demanded.

  He turned to face her, which made it even harder to get by, and he groped her as she tried to squeeze past him. Shuddering in disgust, she stamped on his foot as hard as she could, and he yelped in pain. Then she was free. Shaking with anger and fright, she fled from the store.

  How could the shopkeeper sit by and let someone harass a customer? It was unthinkable. No wonder the horrid creature had bald spots and a lump on her face.

  Tyla crossed the street and was halfway to the arbor before she stopped and looked back. Both males had left the shop, and their raucous laughter drifted back as they walked down the street. She wished she had stomped on the brute’s foot hard enough to lame him.

  Still trembling with anger, she drew infused powers to calm her nerves and clear her mind. The breghlin had better be waiting in the arbor as promised. She was in no mood for more trouble.

  They were there, all right. Her jaw dropped at the sight that met her eyes.

  They had thrown back their hoods, exposing all their deformities, and the male woodspirit was sketching them, a look of utter fascination on his face. His female companions were sitting on the ground with him, watching him work.

  Dumbfounded, Tyla hurried over.

  The female with light brown hair, dressed in a blue robe, stood and dusted herself off. “You must be Tyla. I’m Hedra, and this is my friend Palama and her husband Torek. Your friends told us a lot about you.”

  Tina Ann said calmly, “You wasn’t gone long,” as if it were the most natural thing in the world that Tyla should return and find them with woodspirits.

  Tyla was at a loss for words.

  Tina Ann went on, “They be fascernated to meet breghlin an’ asked ter draw us. We figgered it couldn’t do no harm.”

  Considering their distrust of woodspirits, Tyla was shocked they had agreed. It was amazing what a little flattery could do.

  Torek went back to sketching. Palama, in a brilliant green robe, stood and said in a tone of awe, “They told us you’re all from Elantoth . . . and that you actually know Sheamathan. Is it true?”

  Before Tyla could answer, Hedra said, “We’ve read every book about her!”

  “All written before the Great Upheaval, of course,” Palama added, “so we can only guess what kind of powers she had later.”

  “Yes, we know her, all right,” Tyla said, stunned by their worshipful attitudes.

  Hedra’s eyes shone with excitement. “She’s the most powerful woodspirit gem master in history!”

  Tyla frowned. “You realize, don’t you, that she killed thousands of gnomes and isolated thousands more in the Amulet.”

  “Well, yes,” Palama said hesitantly. “And that was a terrible thing—”

  “But think how fascinating it would be to have powers like that,” Hedra cut in.

  “Yes, fascinating,” said Tyla, flushing with anger. “Many of us have seen her powers firsthand and barely lived to tell about it. And she’s responsible for Ben and Tina Ann’s deformities, but I guess you don’t care about that, because it makes them more interesting to sketch.”

  Torek set aside his drawing, looking guilty. “It’s just that it all happened so long ago, from our perspective over here. It doesn’t seem quite real.”

  “Well, it’s very real to us,” Tyla snapped. “Sheamathan had a habit of turning gnomes who displeased her into rats and lizards. Some lived for years before the monsters she created ate them. Thousands of gnomes were enslaved and had to mine gems and minerals for her. She destroyed our historical records, selectively blotted out my ancestors’ memories, and made sure we didn’t find out that some of us have gem powers. I can’t begin to tell you all the horrible things she did. She’s evil, and anyone who supports her is, too.” She stopped to catch her breath. “Come on, Ben and Tina Ann.” Her tone left no room for argument. “It’s time to go.”

  She slipped her hands into her cloak pockets, and her heart skipped a beat. The IGs were gone! She felt about frantically, as if by doing so she could make them reappear. “Our IGs are gone!” she blurted miserably. “How will we pay for the boat?”

  “Gone?” Tina Ann echoed. “How?”

  At first, she had no idea. Then it dawned on her exactly how it had happened. The Outcast had been reaching into her cloak pockets while he was groping her. �
��I was robbed in the news shop.”

  Ben and Tina Ann stood up, and Ben said, “Shoulda gone with you!”

  “Mebbe we can find the Outcast what robbed you,” Tina Ann said without much conviction.

  Tyla shook her head, weary and depressed. “I have a few common gems in my tunic pocket. I can probably sell a couple at the gem shop.”

  If that didn’t work out, would Pentar come looking for them? She hoped so, and yet it would be embarrassing. Everyone would know what had happened, and she could just hear Arenia scolding her for going off with the breghlin and getting into trouble. Pentar should have warned her that something like this could happen, but he’d said they would be fine. He’d probably never set foot in the Outcast District unless he was in uniform and accompanied by other officers. Naturally, Outcasts would leave him alone.

  Torek got up and reached into his robe. “I’ll give you some IGs so you don’t have to go to the gem shop.”

  Tyla’s heart lifted briefly. Then she shook her head. She didn’t like these woodspirits, and she didn’t want their help. It was a wonder they’d offer after her angry tirade. “Thank you, but I can’t take your IGs. I’m to blame, and I need to resolve this on my own.”

  “Don’t be silly,” Tina Ann said. “Wasn’t your fault.”

  “Take the IGs,” Ben said.

  Torek turned to Ben. “If she won’t accept them, I’ll give them to you.”

  Ben gave Tyla an apologetic glance and put the IGs in his pants pocket.

  “It’s a small payment for letting me sketch you and your friend.”

  Hedra said, “After hearing about your life under Sheamathan’s rule, I think woodspirits owe you more than a few IGs.” She retrieved a leather-bound book from the ground where she’d been sitting. “I want you to have this. It’s really old. I found it at a junk shop today. It’s written in gnomish runes, and I can’t read runes, but I love old books, and it was only a few ominems, so I bought it.”

  Tyla hesitated. A book of her own, written in runes! It would remind her of Aberell City and their adventures in the Outcast District. Her resolve to take nothing from the woodspirits weakened. If she accepted the book, she should give them something in return. But what did she have? Nothing but a few common gems from Elantoth. Technically, they weren’t hers to give away, but no one would begrudge her. She drew the pouch from her tunic pocket and took out three different kinds of gems.

  “Here. I’ll take the book if I can give all of you something.” She handed them each a gem.

  “A gem from the Amulet!” Hedra cried excitedly. “Wait till I show my friends!”

  “From Elantoth Fortress, no less!” exclaimed Palama. “Who will believe us?”

  Torek picked up his sketch and turned it toward Tyla and the breghlin. “I think they’ll believe us when they see this.”

  The feral-looking faces smiling back at Tyla were unmistakably Ben and Tina Ann.

  “Look good ‘nuff to hang on a wall,” Tina Ann said proudly.

  “It does,” Tyla agreed with a laugh, her spirits lifting despite their unfortunate misadventure. She tucked the book under her arm. “Thank you. I don’t have any books of my own. I’ll treasure your gift.”

  “And we’ll treasure yours,” Hedra assured her.

  “We’d better get going,” Tyla said.

  As she and the breghlin were crossing the park, she told them, “Don’t tell anyone about being robbed. Arenia would have a fit, and I’d never hear the end of it.”

  “Yer oughta tell Pentar,” Ben said.

  “I suppose, but only if I can speak to him alone. He said we’d be fine, and I’m sure he believed it, but look what happened.”

  “Gnomes be too trustin’,” Tina Ann said, giving Tyla a parental pat on the arm. “Listen to me an’ Ben, an’ ya won’t get yerself in trouble.”

  Tyla looked at their glittering faces and burst out laughing.

  Chapter 13

  The release of pent-up tension left Tyla feeling numb. The IGs were safe in the depths of Ben’s pocket, and he and Tina Ann walked hand-in-hand, retracing their way through the Outcast District.

  The streets were busier now. Carts passed with loads of corrustone, kegs of beer, and vegetables. Small groups of Outcasts met on street corners. Some wore hooded capes or cloaks, but most didn’t try to hide their witnesses. It occurred to Tyla that the Outcasts with the most witnesses were probably the most dangerous, and some of them might capitalize on their appearance to intimidate others.

  A male approached on the narrow walkway. His nose was bent to one side, and his lower lip protruded like a shelf fungus on a tree. Tyla couldn’t look away. The Outcast stepped into the street to get around them, and she resisted the urge to turn and stare after him. She was no better than the woodspirits. They were fascinated by ugliness, but after seeing so many Outcasts, only deformities like Ben and Tina Ann’s truly shocked them. Ben and Tina Ann were her friends. She had learned to look past their deformities, but it hadn’t been easy at first.

  They turned down another street, and Tyla saw two familiar Outcasts leaning against a building, eating fruit. The one holding the sack was the Outcast who had robbed her, and the other was his companion.

  “That’s him!” Tyla cried. “The one with the sack . . . he robbed me!”

  With a howl of rage, Ben took off.

  Tyla cried, “No!” but it was too late.

  The Outcasts turned as Ben barreled toward them. His hood had fallen back, and they froze in horror. They had never seen a breghlin.

  “Thief!” Ben shouted. He leapt like a savage animal, slammed into both, and sent them sprawling. Fruit flew in every direction, and Tina Ann let out a bark of laughter.

  Up the street, several Outcasts fled. The others remained rooted to the spot, staring, open-mouthed.

  “They may have gem powers,” Tyla said worriedly to Tina Ann. Even if they didn’t, two against one would be a problem once they started to fight back.

  “If they has, they be too scared to use ‘em,” Tina Ann said gleefully.

  Instead of kicking or punching the thief, Ben was straddling him and trying to tear out his throat like a wild animal. The fellow let out a shriek of pure terror and struggled under the breghlin’s weight. His friend lay on the walkway in a daze. Finally, the friend got up and did his best to pull Ben off, but Ben’s cloak made it hard to get ahold of him.

  Ben grabbed the thief by the hair and slammed his head repeatedly on the walkway. The friend kicked Ben in the ribs, but Ben didn’t let go.

  With a cry like a wildcat, Tina Ann threw off her cumbersome cloak and ran to help Ben.

  The friend looked up, and there was no mistaking the alarm on his face as Tina Ann bore down on him. He made a last desperate effort to dislodge Ben, kicking him savagely. Ben rolled aside, and the thief struggled to his feet, blood running from his neck. Tina Ann arrived just then and sprang on the second Outcast, taking him down after a brief desperate struggle and continuing to punch him after they both hit the ground.

  Ben was on his feet again, and he and the thief tangled. The thief got in several well-placed punches before Ben kneed him in the groin. When the thief bent over, clutching himself and howling in pain, Ben pulled off the cloak and threw it over the Outcast’s head. The fellow lumbered clumsily about, shouting curses from under the cloak while Ben hammered him.

  Tyla watched this appalling display of savagery, alternately gasping and holding her breath. Gnomes rarely fought, especially in public. She should break up the fight, but she didn’t know how, and she realized with a twinge of guilt that she wanted Ben to keep pounding the brute. She wasn’t proud of that, but it was true.

  Tina Ann finally got up, and hauled her opponent to his feet. He had several facial cuts, and his tunic was ripped. His right arm showed through a large tear, and he was bleeding.

  “Go, ‘fore I give ya more lumps on yer face!” Tina Ann told him. He fled, abandoning his friend. She turned her attention to the thief
, who was still struggling under Ben’s cloak.

  Taking the book and Tina Ann’s cloak with her, Tyla went to join them. Ben had shoved the thief up against the building, and Tina Ann was going through his pockets.

  “Good! Didn’t spend ‘em all,” Tina Ann said, producing a handful of IGs.

  Ben let go of the thief and pulled the cloak off him. The Outcast was disheveled and bleeding, and the fight had gone out of him.

  “You!” he said when he saw Tyla.

  “Yes, me. You’ll think twice before you rob anyone again. Get out of here while you can.”

  He limped away.

  “Pentar will have a fit when he sees this filthy cloak,” Tyla said.

  Ben put it on. “When we gets to the dock, I wash it in the river.”

  “Then he’ll wonder why it’s wet.”

  “I say I drop it in the water.”

  Tyla sighed. She didn’t want Ben to lie, but their day had gone from bad to worse, and she’d rather not share all the details. She looked around to see where Tina Ann had gone and found her crouched in the middle of the street, her back to Tyla.

  “Tina Ann, what are you doing?”

  Tina Ann rose and held up a mangled piece of fruit. “Found most of it. No sense leavin’ it here. Probably our IGs what paid for it.”

  As the boat moved away from the dock, Tyla bid farewell to the Outcast District, glad to have escaped in one piece. Ben’s cloak was wet, but cleaner now. If the boatman objected to the puddle in the bottom of his boat, he didn’t say anything.

  Tyla looked through her book, but without a cyanistone to translate the runes, she couldn’t tell what it was about. Aberell Fortress must have translation gems. After their tour, she would see if she could borrow one.

  Her mind wandered. Pentar might refuse to let the breghlin stay at the fortress tonight, but after their eventful day at the O.D. they’d be too tired to get into trouble. Tomorrow after breakfast they’d all be going home. She’d had a good time, for the most part, but she was ready to go home. She missed Lant and Eemie and her familiar duties.