by Kay L. Ling
When the boat reached the dock, Pentar and the others were waiting. Ben picked up the soggy cloak, and he and Tina Ann got out. Tyla tucked her book under her cloak and followed, trying to act natural.
“You’re right on schedule,” Pentar said. “Did you have a good time?”
“It was an interesting place,” Tyla said, noncommittally. She could feel Arenia’s eyes on her.
“Thanks fer lettin’ us go,” Tina Ann said.
Pentar looked at Ben and the dripping cloak.
“Long story. Sorry,” Ben said.
Pentar looked curious, but didn’t ask for an explanation. “It will dry. Well, we’d better not keep our driver waiting.” He waved for Raenihel, Imeria, and Arenia to precede him, and as they all headed back to the parking area, he said over his shoulder to Tyla and the breghlin, “We’ll tell you about the museum, and you can tell us about the Outcast District. I imagine your day was more exciting than ours.”
“Could be,” Tyla said.
Tina Ann reached into her cloak pocket and handed Tyla a slightly squished fruit. Tyla took it and mimed buttoning her lips.
Tina Ann repeated the gesture and grinned.
Chapter 14
As they rode to the fortress, Earlic and Raenihel talked about the things they had seen at the museum, and Tyla was sorry she hadn’t been able to go, but someday she’d come back to Aberell City with Lant, and they could see it together. Raenihel asked about the Outcast District, and she described the resident’s poverty, the unkempt buildings, and the strange park with the damaged sculptures. Pentar confirmed her suspicion that the items were castoffs from the main commercial district.
With a tremor of nervous excitement, Tyla showed everyone the book of runes and explained that she and the breghlin had struck up a conversation with some woodspirits, and they had given her the book, purchased at a junk shop.
“Why would they do that?” Arenia asked in amazement as the cart pulled in at Aberell Fortress.
“The female who gave it to me said it didn’t cost much and she likes old books, so she bought it, but she can’t read runes.”
“I still don’t see why she gave it to you.” Arenia sounded envious.
“Because I’m a gnome from Elantoth. To listen to them, you’d think Ben, Tina Ann, and I were famous. One of them even drew a sketch of Ben and Tina Ann!”
“Look jus’ like us, too,” Ben said. “Wish we coulda kep’ it.”
There was more to the story, of course, but she didn’t have time to go into it. After the fortress tour, she’d tell Pentar and the others about the woodspirits’ unhealthy fascination with S.
Pentar had ordered a light lunch, and the food was already on the table when they reached the dining room. They ate quickly and set out on the tour.
All six fortresses had been built from the same plans and were almost identical, but one major difference was that Elantoth’s armory had been built into a hill and Aberell’s was inside the fortress. Pentar took the group to see jeweled swords, spears, maces, and pikes like the ones Lana had discovered in Elantoth’s armory. He said gnomes seldom used physical weapons anymore, even ones with gems, so these were only used for ceremonial purposes.
Aberell’s library had fewer books than Elantoth’s, and most were quite new, since they had donated historic volumes to the Aberell City Museum.
Aberell had a Gem Studies Room with a U-shaped table for meetings, a large collection of books, and extensive, modern, gemological equipment, whereas Elantoth was still using things Elias had brought from the Fair Lands in the late 1800s.
Pentar took the group to a few of the administrative offices. The breghlin were clearly bored with this part of the tour, and Tyla didn’t find it very interesting, either.
Their last stop was the Pedestal Room. After looking around for a few minutes, Raenihel sent a brief message to Elantoth, and then the group went up to the terrace where they found fialazza and beer waiting for them. The gnomes crowded around the table that held a pitcher of fialazza and goblets, and Ben and Tina Ann sat at the next table, which had a pitcher of beer and two mugs. If the breghlin were offended by being relegated to a separate table, they didn’t show it.
Aberell’s gardens were far more extensive than Elantoth’s and included statues of important gnome leaders. The view from the terrace was lovely, but Tyla felt a bit homesick since it reminded her of pleasant moments on the terrace at Elantoth.
“I thought it would be nice to have dinner out here,” Pentar said. “Afterward, a driver will take us to my place for the night.” He looked over at Ben and Tina Ann, a twinkle in his eye. “You’re welcome to stay here and enjoy our comfortable beds. I remember how much you were looking forward to them.”
Ben stared into his beer, too ashamed to meet Pentar’s eyes, and Tina Ann gave Pentar a guilty grin. Their red sparkles were fading and would probably be gone by tomorrow.
A server arrived with Tyla’s book and a cyanistone. “Let me know if there’s anything else you need. Your meals will be here in a few minutes.”
“Now we can find out what the book is about,” Arenia said.
Ben and Tina Ann dragged their chairs over to the gnomes’ table.
Tyla had used cyanistone so many times that the translation process was second nature. The gem converted text to mental concepts and images. She picked up the gem and opened the book, still wondering why anyone would sell it to a junk shop. The book began with author notes, explaining why he had written it, then went on to describe his research, which had consisted of physical and mental examinations. Tyla began the first chapter and soon became absorbed by the fascinating though troubling content.
After a few minutes, Tina Ann cried, “Tell! Tell!”
Tyla looked up. “Now I see why this was in an Outcast junk shop. It’s about witnesses and what causes them.”
“Interesting,” Pentar said. “I’ve only seen one other book on the subject. Gem Master Ertz brought it to a lecture. I’m sure he’d like to see this one.”
“The first chapter describes the mental and emotional states that lead to poor judgment, inappropriate behavior, and eventually to crime. It says witnesses are the body’s way of warning you that you’re doing something harmful. The author says gnomes with a few witnesses shouldn’t be placed with badly deformed gnomes, since associating with hardened criminals makes rehabilitation more difficult.”
Imeria dabbed at her eyes and took a long drink of fialazza, and Tyla was sorry for disturbing her with this painful subject.
Earlic said, “Judging by the number of witnesses we saw on inmates yesterday, Kaff is surrounded by a rough lot.”
Confinements probably bred evil, but the Outcast District wasn’t much better, Tyla thought, recalling the day’s misadventures. She wouldn’t want to live in a place where lying, stealing, and violence were commonplace.
“We have a few rehabilitation facilities that aren’t actual confinements,” Pentar said. “Inmates that show promise are often sent there. There’s a heated debate over Sheamathan right now. Woodspirits want to send her to that kind of facility.”
“That would be fine for Kaff, but not for S,” Raenihel sputtered. “She should be in a high-security facility.”
“She’s a beetle,” Pentar said. “I agree she’s dangerous, but she’s less of a threat than Outcast criminals with gem powers.”
“That may be true in her present form,” Arenia said icily, “but what if someone changed her back?”
“No one would do that,” Pentar said.
Arenia frowned at him. “You can’t be sure of that.”
Tyla remembered the article she had read in the news shop. “Pentar, you said Kitana was more a troublemaker than a threat. None of the others seem like a threat?”
Pentar rolled the stem of his goblet between his fingers. “They’re generally a dull bunch and don’t seem dangerous to me.”
“What about Marrid? I read she used to dabble in dark powers. Why aren’t you worrie
d about her?”
“That was a brief, embarrassing period in her life. One I’m sure she’d like to forget. In her younger years, she had a group of sycophantic followers, but once she tired of being wild and rebellious, they lost interest in her and disbanded. There are always woodspirits who glamorize dark powers and think Sheamathan was a fascinating historical figure, but they outgrow that phase just as Marrid did.”
“How can you be sure she gave up dark powers?” Tyla demanded, knowing she sounded like the ever-suspicious Tina Ann. The woodspirits at Heggert Park seemed harmless, but others might not be, and it would be dangerous to unite them under a leader like Marrid.
“Woodspirits don’t get witnesses, so we have to judge them by their behavior. Marrid is known for supporting charities, including ones that benefit gnomes.”
“Still, I wouldn’t be too quick to rule her out as a threat,” Tyla said, and the breghlin nodded.
“If I want to be suspicious, I can think of reasons to distrust all of them,” Pentar said.
He had probably intended that to be reassuring. It wasn’t.
“Tomdian and Nesmick have painted dozens of scenes from the Great Upheaval, showing S and the Mydorians winning, and fallen gnomes littering the battlefield. You could say that proves they’re Sheamathan sympathizers, but those scenes are faithful to history, so why shouldn’t they paint them?”
“We saw one of those paintings at the museum,” Raenihel said.
Arenia counted on her fingers. “Anatta, Varkandian, Kitana, Marrid, Tomdian, and Nesmick. That’s six. Who are the other two?”
“The oldest is Corlua, at 480, a recluse who lives in Pantirek City. She’s been pledgebound eight times, and I think all but one of her discarded husbands is still living. Unlike most woodspirits, she doesn’t have an easy-going temperament. Her former husbands claim she used gem powers against them when they displeased her.”
“Poor fellers,” Ben said. “Bet they were rats or lizards more’n once.”
“She didn’t use Dark powers, but beneficial gems can be used in ways most of us wouldn’t condone.”
Arenia said, “If I were a woodspirit, I wouldn’t marry one of The Eight.”
“It’s no different than a Nope marrying a gnome with powers,” Tyla pointed out. “I would never use gem powers against Lant. I’ve never thought of such a thing.”
“Till now!” Tina Ann said, grinning.
Pentar smiled. “Gnomes with powers usually marry one another. They have more in common, and they’re more likely to pass the trait to their youngones.”
“In the Amulet, most of us were already married when Elias and Jules discovered that some gnomes have latent powers,” Raenihel said.
“So, who’s the remaining member of The Eight?” Arenia asked, steering the conversation back to the woodspirits.
“Zeetha,” Pentar said. “She’s middle-aged—around two hundred. She’s extremely introverted due to a mental disability.”
“If she’s a gem master, why can’t she heal herself?” Tyla asked.
“It’s not something that can be healed with gem powers. She’s just . . . not normal.”
“You’re saying her intelligence is substandard,” Earlic said.
Pentar nodded. “Yes, that’s a polite way of putting it, and she has psychological issues as well.”
“A woodspirit with mental problems who has gem powers,” Tyla said, finding it impossible not to be alarmed at that.
Pentar didn’t look the least concerned. “She’s under a gnome gem master’s care, and he keeps a close eye on her.”
“Good!” Arenia said.
The servers arrived with platters of cold meat and cheeses, several kinds of bread, and raw meat for the breghlin. The breghlin helped themselves and returned to their own table, and Tyla joined them so they wouldn’t have to sit alone.
“After hearin’ all that, I be havin’ nightmares ‘bout The Eight,” Tina Ann said.
“They all soun’ scary to me,” Ben agreed.
Tyla thought so, too. Anatta and Varkandian held positions of power. Kitana could influence public opinion and stir up trouble. The artist brothers liked to portray gruesome battle scenes with lots of dead gnomes. Marrid had dabbled in dark powers. Corlua was a mean-spirited woodspirit who might want to be famous for something other than a string of disgruntled husbands. Zeetha sounded harmless, but might be controlled by those who weren’t. If one of The Eight freed S, and perhaps teamed up with her, Ahmonell could face another Great Upheaval. It was alarming that everyone here seemed so complacent, even the military.
Tina Ann wouldn’t be the only one having nightmares tonight.
Chapter 15
The next morning, Tyla, Arenia, and Pentar found Ben and Tina Ann in the haven, looking at newssheets. The breghlin couldn’t read, but they enjoyed the illustrations. Their red sparkles were barely noticeable now.
“’Bout time ya got here,” Ben said.
“Did you sleep well?” Pentar asked.
Ben looked embarrassed. “Sure did.”
Tina Ann said, “Me too, only it took a while ter fall asleep. It be too quiet, an’ it be strange havin’ a room to myself.”
Tyla had heard stories about the breghlin dorm. Heated arguments routinely broke out over petty work-related disputes or romantic rivalries, and fistfights were common. Tina Ann was the unofficial leader, breaking up fights and settling disputes.
Pentar said, “Take some of those newssheets with you so you have something to read on the way home. Let’s go have breakfast now while the drivers are getting ready for your departure.”
“I’ll pick out a few newssheets and catch up with you,” Tyla said.
The group filed out of the room—all except Ben. As soon as the door closed he said, “Ya think Franklin would teach me ter read?”
Tyla looked at him in surprise.
“Tina Ann be smarter than me. Don’t know what she see in me. But if I could read. . . .”
“I’m sure Franklin would teach you, but do it for your own sake, not to impress Tina Ann.”
Not long ago, Franklin had started classes to teach trades, but it hadn’t occurred to him to teach reading or writing since most breghlin would consider it a waste of time.
Tyla missed Franklin and her other human friends. When she got home, she would visit them whether Mierek liked it or not. In their world, lying, cheating, stealing, and killing were common, which was unimaginable to her. Here, outside the Amulet, crime wasn’t exactly common, but it happened far more often than at home, and it would be useful to gain insights from her human friends who understood the dangers.
Tyla picked out a few newssheets.
Ben said, “Don’t tell Tina Ann ‘bout me learnin’ ter read. I wanna surprise her.”
If anyone had told Tyla a few months ago that breghlin even had ambitions, she wouldn’t have believed it. But despite their deformities and crude behavior, they were still gnomes, not so different from herself.
“It’ll be our secret,” she promised him.
After breakfast, Pentar took the group out to the waiting carriages, and Commander Finnack came to say farewell. Orinth was with him, an officer Tyla had met at the Amulet border when she’d been on the Amulet Team.
Orinth handed her more publications, among them, Today’s Woodspirit, and Woodspirit News and Views.
“I’m sorry I couldn’t spend more time with you,” Commander Finnack said. “Things came up that needed my attention. Orinth’s team returned from the Amulet with a report that Outcasts are moving there, knowing it’s an unregulated region with valuable gem and mineral deposits. We’re afraid they plan to recruit breghlin to work with them.”
By now, most breghlin clans had heard about S’s defeat and had stopped capturing gnomes for work camps, but they were still dangerous. Cruelty was normal for them, and the most vicious became leaders. Lana had formed the Ministry of Breghlin Affairs, hoping to civilize the breghlin and make them more like gnomes, but t
hat was the work of years, not months, and the last thing breghlin needed right now was Outcasts encouraging their lawless behavior.
Orinth said, “Until now, Outcasts preyed on each other and left everyone else alone, so we ignored them. But this changes everything.”
“Breghlin don’t need IGs,” Tina Ann said. “No reason to help them Outcasts.”
“The clans may be forced to work for them,” Finnack said. “Don’t forget, many Outcasts have gem powers, and they’re not opposed to using Dark gems to get what they want.”
Tyla felt a stab of foreboding. Had breghlin finally escaped from S’s domination only to be enslaved by Outcast gem masters? It was unthinkable. And just as depressing was the thought that S’s defeat had brought an end to dark powers, but now that the Amulet was unsealed, Outcast gem masters could enter, and everyone was in danger again.
“I’m sorry to trouble you with bad news, but you need to know what’s happening,” Finnack said.
On that gloomy note, the group got into the carriages.
Tyla dreaded the long drive, but she and Arenia had a lot of reading material. Not only would they learn more about Ahmonell, it would give them a diversion so they wouldn’t be looking at Ben and Tina Ann who were already snuggling close.
The return journey was more relaxed without Kaff, but Tyla was sure Earlic, Imeria, and Raenihel were heartbroken to leave him in the confinement. They might not see him again until his trial. Tyla pictured Kaff sitting despondently in a cell, blaming everyone but himself for his miseries.
It rained hard the first night, and in the morning after sleeping inside trees, the gnomes emerged to find wet ground, downed branches, and overcast skies. Ben and Tina Ann, who had slept in tents, said it had been an adventure.
As the group traveled further into the Amulet, they saw workers filling ruts and holes in the road. There was no shortage of corrustone in this region, and crushed corrustone was the perfect material for the job. According to the newssheets, once survey teams located all the gnome clans, the Central Administration in Mierek City would authorize new roads to connect the gnome communities. That would be wonderful, Tyla mused, but how many IGs would it cost, and who would pay for it?
