by Kay L. Ling
Kaff had free time before his next appearance, and he and Beniah were hungry, so Beniah took him to a place along the waterfront to have lunch. They sat at a small table with a canvas shade attached to a pole, enjoying the breeze and a panoramic view of the river.
Beniah was far less talkative than usual, probably still stewing about the damaged bench and statue, Kaff thought sulkily. Beniah had insisted Kaff use the dangerous gems, so it was his own fault, and Kaff wasn’t about to apologize.
“Here,” Beniah said, holding out a few gems. “You look like you need these.”
They would boost Kaff’s energy and improve his mood, so he accepted them, but he felt more resentment than gratitude. No matter how much phorish he infused, it would be hard to smile through two hours of customers asking him if the beetle drawings really looked like S.
It was a short walk from the restaurant to Magnificent Art. When he and Beniah arrived, the shop was already crowded. Most of the customers were woodspirits, but there were a few gnomes. Kaff went through the shop, greeting everyone. The gnomes watched him with disapproving frowns, their frowns deepening further whenever he discussed S. Most of them left after a few minutes without buying a beetle drawing.
The woodspirits, on the other hand, were in no hurry to leave. They talked to one another about S’s upcoming transfer and asked Kaff about life in the Amulet. He could tell they were Sheamathan sympathizers, which wasn’t surprising since the Seekers were hosting the event. Beniah stayed the whole time, telling everyone that S was completely harmless now and posed no threat to anyone.
At five, the last customers left, and Kaff breathed a sigh of relief. The shop owner thanked him and presented him with a beetle drawing as payment. Great, he thought bitterly. Just what he needed.
They arrived home in time for a quick dinner before the Seekers began to arrive. By now, Kaff knew most of them by name, so when three unfamiliar woodspirits came in, he assumed they were the out-of-town guests Beniah had mentioned. They stared at Kaff, whispering among themselves, and Kaff was grateful when Beniah ushered them away to get drinks.
Every meeting included discussions of S’s historical significance, her superior intelligence, and her ability to overshadow every other gem master by using rare gems and complex spells. At the end of each meeting, Kaff was expected to use his gem powers to amuse the group. He projected happiness, confidence, optimism, and other feel-good emotions, and after a while they forgot he was there. Kaff felt certain Beniah wouldn’t ask him to perform tonight. If Kaff mistakenly projected this morning’s rage, the Seekers would tear Beniah’s living room apart. Kaff smiled at the thought.
Once all the regulars had arrived, Yomir introduced the out-of-towners: Hedra, Palama, and Torek. There wasn’t a spare seat, so Kaff wandered around the room, pretending to look at art while the woodspirits talked. When he got tired of standing, he helped himself to snacks and sat on the floor, listening to their conversation.
“If Marrid is really sending Outcasts to the Amulet to get Dark gems, as the newssheets say, she might be planning to free S and team up with her,” a female named Christophela said in a tone that suggested that would be a welcome development.
“Do you think Marrid could pull that off—releasing Sheamathan, I mean?” asked a male named Norcroff.
“Everyone says The Eight are more powerful than the best gnome gem masters, so it should be easy, especially if they put Sheamathan somewhere with low security, like a woodspirit rehab site,” said Christophela.
“Wouldn’t it be dangerous to free her?” asked the female newcomer, Hedra.
Beniah said lightly, “I doubt she’d try to rule Ahmonell again, with or without Marrid teaming up with her, but we’d be better off if she did. She could change things for the better. The balance of power between woodspirits and gnomes is way out of whack. Gnome gem masters run everything. It’s a ridiculous system since woodspirits are clearly the superior species.”
Kaff had heard this statement a number of times and it always rankled, but he held his tongue. Everyone seemed to have forgotten he was here, and that was just as well.
“The Eight need to get some backbone and put gnomes in their place,” Christophela said, “but it may be the ninth who does it.” She laughed, and several of the others did, too.
“I’m sure The Eight would keep Sheamathan from getting out of hand,” Yomir said. “Before, they had no idea what she was up to until armed Mydorians were pouring through the portal.” He added with a laugh, “If she tried to take over Ahmonell again, The Eight would turn her into a beetle themselves!”
“But Sheamathan is supposed to be the most powerful woodspirit gem master who’s ever lived. What if she’s more than a match for all of them?” asked the other female newcomer, Palama.
A male named Mintak, who was always more conservative than the rest, said, “From what I’ve read, The Eight sat back and let gnome gem masters fight her. Maybe they were tired of gnome rule and didn’t care if she took control. Still, I’m sure they didn’t sanction using Dark gems. And I’m sure they were horrified she brought in mercenaries from another world.”
“History could repeat itself if The Eight refused to use dark powers against her,” Palama said.
Yomir glared at her. “I thought you were Sheamathan sympathizers.”
Torek said, “We are. Her powers and strategic planning were impressive, and she’s developed quite a mystique after two centuries, but you have to admit, she was cruel and destructive.”
“She cut off a whole section of our world,” Hedra pointed out calmly, as if trying not to offend the group.
“Rubbish!” Yomir countered. “The idiot gnomes did that. They blew up the Mydorian portal with no idea of the consequences.”
Norcroff said, “Sheamathan may have been ruthless, but that’s what it takes to seize power. Afterward, when she was in control, she would have been a stern but fair ruler.”
“Not if her reign in the Amulet is any indication,” Torek said, looking straight at Kaff. “Isn’t that right?”
Suddenly, everyone remembered Kaff that was there, and all eyes turned to him.
“Don’t believe everything you read in newssheets,” Beniah snapped before Kaff could answer. “Many view Sheamathan’s reign in a more favorable light.” He cleared his throat noisily, which Kaff took as a signal to speak favorably of her.
“She had to maintain order,” Kaff said weakly. “So she was harsh to her servants, the breghlin. As for us gnomes, um, we tried to stay out of her way, and er, some of us worked in her mines.”
“You chose to work there or you were slaves?” Torek demanded.
Kaff didn’t answer.
“Trapped on the other side, she had to bring order out of chaos,” Yomir said defensively.
“From what we heard, Sheamathan created most of the chaos,” Palama said, “and that’s not newssheet gossip, we got it firsthand from Elantoth gnomes.”
“Elantoth gnomes!” Beniah said, looking both surprised and skeptical.
Kaff’s eyes widened.
Palama said, “Look, we’re not trying to be argumentative; we just want to know what really happened. We met a gnome and a couple breghlin from Elantoth in the Outcast District.”
“They say Sheamathan destroyed forested land to keep gnomes from traveling, and if she caught any, she enslaved them,” Hedra said.
“Or turned them into rats and lizards,” Palama said, sounding increasingly agitated, “which got eaten by monsters—monsters she created. Gnomes had to live inside trees if they didn’t want to be enslaved or enchanted.”
“Come now,” Beniah said. “You can’t believe that. Rats and lizards? Monsters?” He shook his head.
“Ask him!” Palama demanded, waving a hand at Kaff. “Gnomes aren’t supposed to lie, so ask him if it’s true.”
Kaff swallowed hard. He hadn’t told Beniah or Yomir many bad things about S. He’d mentioned she created creatures, but he hadn’t called them what they were�
��monsters. And he’d said she created ecological damage. For the most part, when anyone asked him uncomfortable questions, he pretended ignorance, saying gnome clans lived in isolation and didn’t know everything that went on. But it wouldn’t do to deny these claims. The breghlin would have spoken up and defended Sheamathan if none of it was true, and they hadn’t.
“It’s the truth,” he admitted at last. “Which doesn’t mean she’d do those things again, but she—”
“Kaff isn’t himself today. Please disregard his ramblings,” Beniah said. “He had an unpleasant experience with a Dark gem this morning and hasn’t been the same since.”
“He attacked us, and purposely broke a bench and a statue,” Yomir chimed in. “It’s a wonder Beniah hasn’t thrown him out.”
“I shouldn’t have let him attend tonight. I endangered all of you.” Beniah’s eyes turned to Kaff, and Kaff shivered at the intensity of that gaze. “I think you should excuse yourself and get some rest.”
Kaff rose obediently, welcoming the chance to escape. He went up to his room and threw himself on the bed. He could hear them talking downstairs, but couldn’t make out what they were saying. No doubt Beniah and Yomir would spend the rest of the evening doing damage control.
Kaff didn’t need a foresight gem to know that tomorrow would be a very unpleasant day.
Chapter 29
Kaff rose early the next morning after a disturbing dream. He shuddered at the memory. It had felt so real. Beniah had thrown him out, and he had gone to live in the Outcast District where he took menial jobs to afford food that was barely fit to eat. He would never live in the disgusting Outcast District, he promised himself as he looked out his bedroom window. The statue with the broken hand was standing up again, and the broken bench was missing. Some of the Seekers must have helped Beniah clean up.
If Beniah ever threw him out, it would be better to live inside a tree somewhere and forage for food. Unlike the Outcasts, Kaff hadn’t lost his ability to access trees’ interdimensional space.
Kaff suspected Beniah had shown him the O.D. to frighten him into doing whatever the Seekers asked. Corrustone buildings were durable as long as you maintained them, but the residents were either too poor or too lazy to bother.
Outcasts burned garbage in the streets and were slow to clean up animal dung, so the district stank. Rotting fruit peels and molding nutshells littered streets and walkways.
Outcasts weren’t nearly as deformed as breghlin, but they still looked bad. Bad enough to make him think twice about studying dark powers, but he supposed some powers were worth a lump or two.
Kaff crept downstairs and went out to the porch. The meeting had lasted longer than normal last night, so hopefully Beniah would sleep in, delaying the inevitable lecture.
Today was Lastday, as the Ahmonellians called it. Aberell City shut down from Lastday morning to Firstday morning, so Kaff had no speaking engagements or appearances for a couple days, but Beniah would probably keep him busy with a list of unpleasant chores.
Kaff picked up yesterday’s newssheet. The headline read: “Buildings to be Erected in Amulet Mining Towns.” The article used some words Kaff had never seen, but he understood most of it. It said mining communities would be growing and must have shops, public administration and law enforcement buildings, and places to manufacture goods. Local gnomes would assist with building projects.
The next headline read: “Amulet Census Complete.” The article said officials felt certain they had located all the gnome and breghlin clans. The entire population had been counted, and gem users had received the red gem symbol.
Sometimes Kaff felt homesick when he read Amulet News, but he reminded himself that his own clan didn’t appreciate him even though he had gem powers and had served on the Amulet Team. Officers had carried him off to a distant city where he might never see any of them again, and no one—not even his own family—had protested. Even if he could go back, he wouldn’t.
He turned the page. “Member of The Eight, Marrid, Denies Involvement in Amulet Gem Operations.”
Officials had found no evidence to support the rumor that Marrid was involved in illegal gem mining operations.
Kaff smirked. Marrid, with her superior gem powers, would have no trouble concealing her actions. It was a waste of time investigating her. She and the rest of The Eight could probably make the best gnome gem masters look like beginners.
Kaff set the paper aside and looked up the river toward The Emanicus. He had barely given The Emanicus a thought since Beniah had pointed the place out to him. What would it be like to spend every day surrounded by other gem masters, studying gem powers? Aside from writing a few scholarly articles and tending their gardens, they could probably do as they pleased. There was no one ordering them around, making them do chores.
Could any gem master who devoted himself to gem studies live there? No one was more committed than Kaff. Kidnapping S proved his thirst for knowledge. Hopefully, residents didn’t need to be highly educated or have especially strong gem powers. If The Emanicus would only let him move in before his trial, they would see how well he fit in. Then, if the court declared him innocent, or let him out on probation, he could return and become one of them.
He was so excited by the idea, he felt like shouting. He should meet with the gem masters right away and show them how smart and talented he was. But how would he get there? He couldn’t ask Beniah to take him in the boat, and even if he knew how to swim and wasn’t afraid of the water, he doubted he could swim that far.
Kaff looked down at the dock. In addition to the boat, there was the other thing, the rudder raft. Even though Beniah knew Kaff was afraid of it, he’d made him ride on the wretched thing, which was little more than a bunch of logs roped together. Kaff had spent the whole time sitting cross-legged in the center, quaking with fear. Beniah used a pole or a long paddle, and it looked easy, but it might be harder than it looked.
The idea of taking the raft out on his own terrified Kaff, and yet as he looked upriver at The Emanicus, he thought maybe, just maybe, he could do it. Of course, the first challenge would be getting rid of Beniah long enough to make the trip. Considering Beniah was still angry with Kaff, there was a good chance he might leave him alone today. Last week, Beniah had donned his best robe, and after giving Kaff a list of chores, had gone off to visit a female.
Kaff heard footsteps but didn’t look around until Beniah came out on the porch, bleary-eyed, carrying a mug of raaka. Kaff braced himself for the inevitable tirade.
Beniah eyed Kaff coldly. “I spent too much time cleaning up your messes yesterday. And I don’t mean the sculpture garden. I mean that nonsense about Sheamathan creating monsters and turning gnomes into rats. I’ve read similar accusations in gnome publications, but it’s so farfetched, few would believe it. You and those newcomers put me in a tight spot last night. Some of the regulars didn’t know what to think and were more than a little upset.”
Kaff didn’t say anything.
“Do you mean to tell me she really did those things?”
“I wouldn’t have brought it up, but yeah, she did stuff like that.”
Beniah turned away and looked out on the river. “Even if it’s true, she can be rehabilitated. Why waste her knowledge and powers by leaving her as a beetle the rest of her life?”
“The Eight don’t do anything useful with their powers,” Kaff said.
Beniah turned around. “You’re right. They keep a low profile since there are only eight of them. You gnomes have thousands of adepts.”
“Woodspirits can go to a gnome gem master if they need something.”
“Some do, but most refuse to.”
Kaff shrugged. “How much help is one more woodspirit with gem powers?”
“She would be more involved than the others since she enjoys notoriety.”
And anyone who annoyed her would end up a rat or a lizard, Kaff thought, but he didn’t say it.
“I have several things to do today, and I p
lan to leave around lunchtime,” Beniah said. “You’ll have several jobs to do while I’m gone. If anyone comes, tell them I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Sure,” he said, trying not to look elated that Beniah was leaving. If Kaff didn’t finish the chores, he’d be in trouble, but hopefully the gem masters would say he could stay, and he wouldn’t need to come back. He should take all his belongings with him. No more Beniah. No more chores. No more meetings and lectures, he thought gleefully. Someone would help him return the raft, and after that he’d be done with Beniah and the Seekers.
After breakfast, while Beniah was in the living room, Kaff went upstairs and packed his meager belongings, then crept into Beniah’s room, looking for gems. He looked under the bed, inside the wardrobe, and in a chest of drawers. The third drawer held two gem trays. Hands sweating with nervous excitement, Kaff took out the trays and examined the gems. There were Dark gems he had used during his stay, and common, benevolent gems. He helped himself to gems for strength, courage, optimism, and self-confidence.
Fortunately, Beniah had said in so many words that Kaff should make himself scarce until noon, so Kaff retreated to his own room to infuse the gems, confident that Beniah wouldn’t come looking for him.
At eleven, he put the gems back and went downstairs, trying not to look smug.
Beniah was in the kitchen having an early lunch. He waved a hand toward the message board. “I posted your chores.”
Kaff went over to read the list: Wash dishes. Scrub kitchen floor. Dust furniture. Pull weeds around the statues. Kaff gave Beniah a tight smile. “I’ll get started right away.”
“Good. Make yourself something for lunch. I’ll be back in time for dinner.”
Beniah left by the back door, which meant he wasn’t taking the boat. A small building out back held an erum and a cart. Kaff watched the woodspirit drive off toward Aberell City, then got the satchel and hurried down to the dock before his gem-enhanced confidence wore off.
