Wards and Wonders

by Kay L. Ling

  “I’ll go.” Tyla’s hand moved instinctively to the jeweled dagger, which she wore at all times now. She hadn’t used it much so far, but she remembered Raenihel’s words: “I have a feeling you were meant to find it.” Maybe there was a reason no one had found it until now, and even though she felt intimidated by being bonded with such an important weapon, she would try to be worthy of it.

  Chapter 34

  When Kaff reached the end of the commercial dock, he kept going and didn’t look back. Beniah hadn’t said goodbye and neither had he. With any luck, they’d never see each other again.

  Kaff headed into the Outcast District, clutching the battered satchel that held all his worldly goods . . . and a few of Beniah’s as well, he thought with a satisfied smile. Stealing gems from Beniah’s bedroom had been an impulsive decision, and he needed to sell them before Beniah knew they were gone. No one could prove they belonged to Beniah, he told himself, hoping that was true. He needed to stay out of trouble before his trial.

  He had promised himself he’d find a tree in the country if worst came to worst, but he didn’t know where to go. There must be trees in the Outcast District. Still, he couldn’t forage for food here, so he’d have to buy it. He needed IGs to pay for things, and Beniah owed him. Beniah had ordered him around and worked him like a breghlin, making him do house and yard work in addition to all the gem demonstrations, meetings, and lectures. Kaff wrinkled his nose at the smell of garbage and manure and walked a little faster, keeping his head down to avoid eye contact with the residents. This handful of gems was small payment for all he’d done, and he refused to feel guilty for taking them.

  According to the Seekers, the fellow in the gem shop here didn’t ask where gems came from. Kaff wished he could keep some of the gems, but aside from his fear of getting caught with them, he needed all the IGs he could get. He’d only been here once, but there weren’t many streets, and he was sure he could find his way to the gem shop without asking for directions.

  The leather goods shop looked familiar and the metal smith next to it. Just beyond was a shop that sold meat and produce. When a male Outcast in a hooded cloak stepped outside with a sack of food, Kaff’s stomach growled.

  Two rickety tables on the walkway held produce that had begun to spoil. Breghlin food, he thought with a grimace, but it would fill him up, and he couldn’t afford to be fussy since he’d need to make his IGs last. Once he sold the gems, he would come back here.

  Two Outcasts came toward him, older gnomes with bumps on their faces, wearing stained and patched clothing. He tried not to stare, but he pictured himself looking like them in twenty years and shivered at the thought. No, he was too smart and resourceful to end up like them, covered in witnesses and living in filthy surroundings. He’d use dark powers judiciously, and he’d be fine.

  Outcasts eyed him suspiciously. He was relatively well dressed and witness-free, and they probably wondered what he was doing here. He touched the bump behind his ear. No one could see it, and he hoped it wouldn’t get any bigger. All he needed was to go to trial with a lump like an egg on the side of his head.

  A female a few years older than Kaff came out of a secondhand shop, a threadbare cloak over her arm. She paused when she saw Kaff and gave him a slow smile that made his skin crawl. Had she been pretty at one time? It was hard to say. She had lumps along her upper lip, two lumps under her left eye, and one on the end of her chin. More than likely she had plenty more that didn’t show, but he didn’t want to find out.

  “Looking for a way to pass the time?” she asked, licking her lips.

  Pretending he hadn’t heard her, he looked at the shops on the other side of the street and kept walking.

  “It would be worth a lump or two,” she called after him with a mocking laugh.

  Not likely, he thought in disgust.

  The gem shop was just ahead, and he hurried toward it, looking up and down the street to make sure no one was watching him, the satchel suddenly heavy in his hand.

  He went in and paused just inside the door. The shop was small. There was one showcase near the back with a counter behind it that held books and newspapers. A male gnome with a lump on his jaw and a few across his forehead sat behind the showcase, reading a newssheet. The right side of his lower lip drooped, and one eye was partly swollen shut. Kaff swallowed hard. Either the shopkeeper had spent years using dark powers, or he’d committed some serious crimes.

  The fellow put down the newspaper. “Well, don’t just stand there, come in.”

  Kaff wanted to bolt, but he forced himself to go up to the showcase. “I have a few gems to sell, if you’re interested. They’re not rare, but they’re good quality.” He wished he had time to infuse their powers before selling them.

  “Been to any of the shops in the main district?” the shopkeeper asked, probably wondering why Kaff, who wasn’t an Outcast, had chosen this shop.

  “Um. No. I heard this shop was the best around.”

  “Is that so? The shopkeeper winked with his swollen eye. “Did your woodspirit friends recommend me?”

  Kaff stiffened. Had the fellow read his mind? Then he looked at the newssheets on the counter and realized with a sinking heart that Outcasts read news too, and several recent issues had drawings of Kaff. Shopkeepers in the main district would recognize him, too, and were more likely to report him. He stood a better chance of selling stolen gems here. Kaff set the satchel on the counter and took out the sock with the gems inside.

  “That’s an original hiding place,” the shopkeeper said, his lips twitching with amusement.

  Ignoring the remark, Kaff poured the gems on the counter. “Make me a good offer or I’m taking them to the main district.”

  The Outcast chuckled. “You’ll find yourself answering unpleasant questions if you do that. Where would Kaff Bartium-Anen get a sock full of gems?”

  “I’ve been giving lectures. Folks pay to hear me speak.”

  The shopkeeper gave him a twisted smile. “Interesting. You speak the truth but use it as a lie. Yes, attendees pay to hear you, but the Seekers keep the IGs, which is only fair considering they paid your bail.”

  “Fair!” Kaff spat. He was tempted to pick up his gems and leave. “They’ve used me to spread their views and worked me like a slave. I’m better off out of there.” He hadn’t planned to admit he was on his own now, but it was probably obvious. Why else would he be here selling gems?

  “It’s not too late to change your mind and give back their gems,” the Outcast said, studying Kaff carefully.

  Kaff shook his head, his lips drawing into a thin line. “I’m not going back. The Seekers owe me, and I’m selling these.”

  “Very well.” The shopkeeper barely looked at the gems. “I can give you six waymare, three pantirek, ten aberell for this lot, and I’ll pay you in small denominations—aberells, elantoths and ominems. Never pay anyone with large IGs in the Outcast District.”

  Kaff had no idea if this was a fair offer or not, and the shopkeeper probably knew that. “That’s low. I was hoping for more.”

  The shopkeeper gave him a shrewd look and picked up a few of the gems, pretending to examine them more carefully. “Six waymare, seven pantirek, fifteen aberell. That’s the best I can do.” His tone suggested this new offer was against his better judgment.

  “All right,” Kaff said. At least he’d squeezed a little more out of the shopkeeper.

  The Outcast passed his hand over a metal box on the back counter a couple times. The air shimmered, and he opened the box and reached inside.

  Kaff tried to look nonchalant as the shopkeeper counted out the payment. He had barely seen an IG the entire time he’d been with the Seekers. After putting a few small denomination ones in his pocket, he stuffed the rest into the sock and put it in his satchel.

  “You need to decide which road you’re taking,” the Outcast said.

  Kaff looked up, not sure what he meant.

  “I don’t mean the roads out there,” the s
hopkeeper said with an unpleasant smile. “I mean the road you’re taking with your life.”

  For a moment Kaff was too outraged to answer. How could this fellow lecture him about poor life choices after buying stolen gems? Bad enough Gem Master Ertz had lectured Kaff. At least he had reformed.

  Kaff said defensively, “Some of the things I’ve done seem wrong, but when you know the whole story, they don’t seem so bad.”

  “That’s always how it works,” the Outcast said. “Where are you going now?”

  “None of your business.”

  “No need to get testy. I’m just trying to help. If you don’t have a place to stay, there’s a little news shop behind Heggert Park where folks post rooms for rent. I suppose you could sleep in the park, but keep your wits about you if you do, and mind your satchel.”

  “Are there trees in the park?”

  “A few. Are you still able to enter them?”

  “Of course,” Kaff said. “I haven’t done anything that bad.”

  “You lose the ability faster than you’d think. Long before you’re covered with witnesses. Keep that in mind.”

  “Where’s Heggert Park?”

  “Go to the end of this block, turn left, then walk two blocks and turn left again. Can’t miss it.”

  “Thanks. If anyone comes in asking about me, you won’t say anything, will you?” Kaff asked worriedly.

  “Never saw you.” The shopkeeper winked again with his swollen eye. “If those woodspirits can’t hang onto their belongings, it’s none of my concern, right? Like you said—right and wrong depends on how you look at things.”

  Buying stolen gems wasn’t the same as taking gems because somebody owed you, but he wasn’t about to argue the point. He just nodded, relieved, and headed for the door.

  The shopkeeper called, “Good luck. See you around.”

  Kaff returned to the store that had the fruit outside, bought some, and went to the secondhand clothing shop, hoping to find a lightweight hooded cloak. Not only would it help hide his face, it would cover his clothes, making it easier to blend in with the Outcasts. Beniah might find the gems gone and come looking for him.

  Kaff found a patched gray cloak for one Aberell, three elantoths. Since he had successfully bargained with the gem dealer, he decided to try it again. The female shopkeeper came down to one aberell, and Kaff put on the musty cloak and sailed out of the shop, highly pleased with himself.

  There was a meeting tonight, and everyone would be upset over the vote, so maybe Beniah wouldn’t notice the missing gems right away. The Seekers had free run of the house, so there was a slim chance Beniah would think one of them had stolen the gems.

  He had no trouble finding the park, but it wasn’t very appealing. There weren’t many trees, and it was full of junk trying to pass as art. After living at Beniah’s and seeing so many high-quality sculptures and paintings, this stuff looked pathetic.

  Kaff paused to look disdainfully at a weathered stone urn with a big crack in it. Nearby stood a stone flower with two petals broken off. Just beyond that was a giant metal bird that had a metal rod in place of one leg. A dented metal erum rounded out the collection. Flowerbeds surrounded the damaged artwork, and someone had installed benches so the Outcasts had a place to sit and contemplate their miserable lives. A few Outcasts were doing just that—sitting on benches, staring blankly, lost in gloomy thoughts. Kaff shook his head in disgust.

  No one paid any attention to him in his shabby cloak. He went to the back of the park, which had a few trees and a vine-covered arbor. Under the arbor he found a row of statues with their arms or heads broken off. A male Outcast with long, gray hair and a shaggy beard lay on a bench, snoring loudly.

  Kaff looked around. Sooner or later, someone would see him coming and going from whatever tree he chose to live in, but it wouldn’t matter. Everyone here had lost the ability to access trees’ interdimensional space. He could leave most of his IGS and the satchel inside. That way, if Outcasts robbed him they wouldn’t get much. It was strange to worry about such things, but this was his new reality. If only The Emanicus gnomes had agreed to take him in. He would’ve had a safe place to live, plenty of food, and all the gems he could want. The rejection still stung, and he was sorry he had gone there. If he hadn’t, he wouldn’t be in trouble with Beniah, and he wouldn’t be here in the Outcast District. Part of him hated them for that, but he wanted to become a powerful gem master, and they were best equipped to help him reach that goal.

  With a discouraged sigh, Kaff chose a tree to be his home and went inside.

  Veins of light shone from the walls, shedding a soft glow over the tall, circular room that was bigger than Beniah’s living room. Kaff made thick roots rise up to form a stool and a table, an ability common to all gnomes. He set the satchel on the table and took off his cloak. He would use the cloak as a bedroll tonight. Tomorrow, he would buy a real bedroll.

  He sat down and ate his fruit, so hungry he didn’t care if it was mushy. When he finished eating, his situation didn’t seem so grim, but after an hour or two, boredom set in.

  When he fell asleep, he dreamed about sitting on Beniah’s front porch, watching boats go by. Upriver, a white sailboat left The Emanicus dock, and when he realized it was coming his direction, he sprang from his chair, ran down to Beniah’s dock, and hailed the boat. “It’s me, Kaff! Have you changed your mind?” A gem master leaned over the railing and called, “If we ever determine you’re right for our group, we’ll extend an invitation.” Kaff shouted after the boat, “You need me! Come back!”

  He must have shouted aloud because he woke with an unpleasant start, and for a moment, still thinking he was on Beniah’s dock, he looked around in confusion. The dream had been so vivid that the reality of his surroundings came as a painful blow. He groaned. If the gem masters changed their minds, how would they let him know? They thought he was staying with Beniah. He could write and tell them where to find him, but they’d be horrified to learn he was living in the Outcast District. It took a while to fall back to sleep.

  The next few days passed slowly. There wasn’t much to do. He bought a bedroll and a few other supplies and spent most of his time wandering around the city. The news shop across from the park was an interesting place. He saw the “rooms for rent” postings, but unless he lost his ability to enter trees, he wouldn’t waste IGs on rent. Now and then he bought a newssheet so the shopkeeper wouldn’t get tired of seeing him and throw him out.

  Whenever Kaff read about the Amulet, he was miserable. He missed his clan, but he would never admit it to anyone.

  News of S’s transfer in the middle of the night created a big stir. Kaff made sure to wear his hooded cloak whenever he went out, and he was able to join in the gossip without anyone recognizing him.

  To better fit in, he had adopted the Outcasts’ rougher language and crude behavior, including making lewd remarks to females. Yesterday, he’d seen the one who’d propositioned him the day of his arrival, and she’d walked right by with no sign that she recognized him.

  If Beniah or the other Seekers had come looking for him, Kaff hadn’t seen them, and he started to relax.

  After two weeks, he decided to visit the gem shop again.

  “Been wondering how you’ve been getting along,” the shopkeeper said. “Haven’t seen you around, but heard about a fellow living in a tree in Heggert Park and figured it was you.” He slid open the showcase and took a gem from a tray. “Here. Give this one a try. No charge for a little infused power,” he added with a chuckle.

  Kaff took the dark blue gem. “What is it? What does it do?”

  “Heightens your energy. Draw its power for a minute or two, and you can run to Heggert Park and back faster than normal without getting winded.”

  Kaff tried the gem, and the jolt of energy made his palm tingle. His eyes widened as the tingling sensation ran through his whole body. This was amazing. He could hardly stand still, and it wouldn’t surprise him if he really could run to the p
ark and back. He missed using gems, and not only was this one impressive it had no unpleasant side effects. He handed it back. “Thanks. That felt amazing. Is it a rare gem?”

  “Not as rare as some, more than others,” the Outcast answered noncommittally. “It’s out of your price range, needless to say.”

  “Maybe one of the Seekers will buy it.”

  “It’s already spoken for, as many of my gems are,” the shopkeeper said as he put it away.

  Kaff remembered that Beniah and Yomir had grumbled about never getting the rarest gems. They thought the shopkeeper sold the best gems to a particular customer.

  “You seem to draw gem powers quite easily.”

  “Really?” Kaff said, flattered. “I’ve never compared myself to others.”

  “I don’t mind letting you try a few more when I’m not busy. Come around now and then.”

  “I’ll do that,” Kaff said, still bursting with energy. He needed to get outside and see how fast he could run. “Thanks again. See you later.”

  He walked out of the shop and, hearing laughter, looked up the street. Four figures in hooded cloaks were coming his way, and when one of them spoke, the voice was distinctly breghlin. Pulling his hood forward, Kaff took a cautious look. Ben and Tina Ann had come to the O.D. before. Could it be them? The two in the back were shorter and might be gnomes. Whoever they were, he didn’t want them to see him. Walking as quickly as possible without calling attention to himself, he went down to the corner and turned toward the park. As soon as he was out of sight, he started running, his cloak whipping in the wind.

  He was running twice as fast as he had ever run in his life.

  Chapter 35

  Thanks to Ertz’s written instructions, Tyla had no trouble directing Lant to Public Barn One. The large wooden structure, which had stalls for erum and maraku, stood on a hillside directly above Aberell City’s commercial boat docks. The only other building close by was a sleepstay a little way down the hill. Ertz said it had a public dining terrace off the first floor with a wonderful river view, and they should go there for breakfast and wait for him.