Wards and Wonders

by Kay L. Ling

  The wind didn’t completely carry away the barn smell, but Ben and Tina Ann didn’t seem to notice, and Lant looked so overwhelmed to be outside the Amulet and looking at Aberell City, he probably didn’t notice, either.

  “We’ll take good care of your maraku,” a gnome from the barn promised as he and his coworker unhitched the maraku and led it away.

  As Tyla and the rest of the traveling party went down the hill, Lant pulled out an elegant silver pocket watch. “We’re a little early.” He examined the face lovingly before putting the watch away.

  Tyla tried not to smile. It was a wonder Lant hadn’t worn out the watch from looking at it so many times. Of all the things they had gotten from the peddler last week, the watch was Lant’s favorite, and without Franklin, he wouldn’t have it.

  The peddler first spoke to Raenihel who said that no one at Elantoth had any IGs, and Raenihel wasn’t at liberty to barter gems, food, or goods that rightly belonged to everyone in the Amulet. Just then, Franklin arrived to borrow tools, and he had a clever idea. He went to S’s suite, came back with one of her infamous black dresses, and demanded a fabulous price for it. Wealthy gnomes and woodspirits, he said, would fight over this priceless collectible. The peddler made a few half-hearted protests, knowing Franklin was right, and in exchange for the dress gave Raenihel the entire contents of the cart—equipment, bolts of fabric, pottery, and objects made of glass and metal. Raenihel planned to share these goods with Amulet clans, but he let the staff take a few items.

  When they reached the dining terrace, a sign said they should wait to be seated. Several gnomes, probably travelers like themselves, sat at round tables. A stone planter ran the length of the terrace, forming a waist-high front wall, and its flowers masked most of the odors from the barn.

  A female came over and greeted Tyla and Lant but cast an apprehensive glance at Ben and Tina Ann. She seated the group one row back from the planter, affording them a good view.

  “I hopes you has IGs ‘cause we doesn’t,” Ben said quietly to Lant.

  “Don’t worry, Ertz gave me some.”

  A server brought goblets of water with a slice of fruit in the bottom and handed each of them a list of food and drinks, then bustled away.

  Ben sounded out the words. “Raaka, twen-ty-five om-i-nems. O-rel-i-a egg. One el-an-toth.”

  “Very good!” Tyla said, grinning. “You’re making real headway.”

  He looked up and smiled.

  Tina Ann said, “I knowed he could do it.”

  When the server came back, Lant ordered a basket of bread and a pot of raaka, and one orelia egg each.

  “This feels strange,” he whispered when the server had gone. “Being so far from home and paying for food.”

  “Isn’t the city and the river marvelous? Ertz lives in the Tree Home Community across the river,” Tyla said. She and Lant faced front and had a perfect view, but the breghlin had to turn to look. Ertz would take them across the river in his boat to spend a few days with him. She could hardly wait to see the eccentric gem master’s home.

  “Aberell City is larger than I imagined,” Lant said. “I’m looking forward to exploring it.”

  While waiting for the food to arrive, Tyla looked at the gnomes seated around her. A young pledgebound couple with a lad of about five sat next to the planter-wall on her left, and next to them, three males in their twenties. At the table to the right, in front of her, two gray-haired gnomes were seated with their faces in profile. The one dressed in brown took out a pocket watch and frowned when he saw the time. “I don’t have long,” he said in a low tone. “We’d better get straight to business.”

  His companion, dressed in blue, lifted a sack from the floor and set it on the table. Tyla tried not to stare, but she was curious what was inside. He pulled out a sculpture made of a polished black stone—a bird with its wings folded, sitting on a branch, a large faceted red gem in its open beak. The base began to glow, and she realized it was made of lightgem crystal. “What do you think?” the fellow in blue asked softly. “Is it as good as I described?”

  Absently turning a gold ring round and round on his finger, the gnome in brown said, “It is indeed. I’m definitely interested.”

  Tyla looked away, not wanting to be caught staring. Was the sculpture for sale? If so, this seemed a strange place to do business. She snuck another look. The gnome in brown touched the red gem and gave his companion a satisfied smile.

  The owner said, “It’s an amazing piece, and the gem—”

  “Yes, I agree to your terms,” the other said, and consulted his watch again nervously as his companion returned the sculpture to the sack and set it on the table.

  Tyla looked away when the server arrived with food and raaka. Everything was delicious, and she temporarily lost interest in anything but her meal.

  A few minutes later, she heard chairs scrape. The gnome in brown was holding the sack. His companion asked quietly, as if afraid of being overheard, “What of Robesin and Bozenik?”

  “Taken care of. I really must go now. I’ve stayed too long.” The gnome looked startled when his eyes fell on Tyla and the others at her table.

  Tyla looked away, embarrassed to be caught watching him.

  As soon as they were gone, she asked Lant, “Did you see the gnomes with the sculpture?”

  Lant shook his head.

  Tyla lowered her voice, although she wasn’t sure why. “They had the most amazing sculpture. It looked so lifelike. It was a bird with a red gem in its beak, and the base was made of lightgem.”

  Lant didn’t say anything. Ben took another bite of egg. Tina Ann poured more raaka. None of them seemed particularly interested.

  “You could tell it was rare and valuable,” she went on, “and I think the gnome who brought it here just sold it to the fellow he was sitting with.”

  Lant said, “Sculptures like that may be common here.”

  “No. The way they were handling it, you could tell it was rare and precious, and they both made comments about how amazing it was.”

  “Look,” Ben said, “There be Ertz.”

  Tyla turned and saw the elderly gnome coming toward them, dressed in a dark blue robe and a tan hat with a floppy-brim.

  “I see you’ve had breakfast,” he said cheerfully. “Have you waited long?”

  “Not at all,” Lant said, smiling.

  “I don’t mean to rush you if you haven’t finished, but I have a cart waiting to take us to my boat.”

  “We be finished,” Tina Ann said, gulping down the last of her raaka.

  “I settled your bill on my way in.”

  “Thank you, but I have the IGs you gave me,” Lant protested.

  “Don’t give it a thought. You’ll find other uses for them. Shall we go?”

  They collected their belongings and followed him to the cart.

  The road was narrow and rutted, and it was a bumpy ride to the dock, but no one cared. They were on an adventure. Tyla had never thought of Lant as an adventurous sort, and she was still surprised he had agreed to come, but she supposed he must have a streak of daring or he wouldn’t have moved to Elantoth Fortress, a place that gnomes had feared and despised during S’s reign.

  When they reached the parking area, Ertz paid the driver and led them to a curious-looking boat with an enclosed portion in the center flanked by narrow walkways to a small deck at the bow.

  “Welcome aboard the Farseer,” Ertz said, unlocking the door to the enclosure. “It’s smaller than many cabin boats, but you should find it roomy enough.”

  Tina Ann said, “This boat be different, jus’ like you is.” She and Ben went in, and Tyla and Lant followed.

  The cabin narrowed toward the bow and had padded benches along the walls, wide enough to sleep on. Round windows let in the breeze. Up front a bench just big enough for two faced a curved glass wall. Below it, a wooden shelf with a groove held three gems, two dark blue and one yellow.

  Tyla and Lant sat on the bench on the lef
t, Ben and Tina Ann on the right.

  Ertz unhooked the boat, then took the captain’s seat at the bow.

  “How you make this boat go?” Ben asked.

  Tyla had been wondering the same thing. She didn’t know much about boats, but all the ones she had seen used sails or oars, and this had neither.

  Ertz looked over his shoulder. “You may have noticed the gems up here. The blue ones power the boat, and the yellow one allows me to direct it. Are we ready to go?”

  “Yes!” Tina Ann clapped her hands like an excited youngone.

  The boat began to drift backward. Once it was clear of the dock, it moved in a slow arc until it faced the opposite shore, then went forward.

  Lant glanced at Tyla and grinned. He had never been in a boat before. This particular boat was a unique experience for both of them. The water lapped along the sides, and the breeze blew through the round windows, smelling of fish and decaying weeds. They traveled upriver with surprising speed.

  Ertz said, “The gems create a current directly under the boat that’s stronger than the natural current. These are rare gems, primarily used by commercial vessels, but private boat owners like myself who take frequent long-distance voyages have them, too.”

  Lant whispered to Tyla, “I think Ertz is wealthier than we thought.”

  Tyla smiled. She would like Ertz just as well if he was poor, but it was fun to see how wealthy gnomes lived.

  Ertz passed a sailboat heading toward the commercial dock and waved to its captain who waved back. A few minutes later, he approached a rowboat, and the oarsmen looked enviously at the Farseer as Ertz sped by.

  Tyla marveled at the Tree Homes along the riverbank. Their massive, exposed roots went down into the water. Flowers grew among the roots in grassy areas, and there were benches so owners could sit and enjoy the view. She didn’t see many docks, so boats must be a luxury few could afford.

  Ertz turned his boat toward shore and drifted slowly to allow his passengers an unhurried view. Tyla marveled at the Tree Homes’ fanciful stone annexes. Most had several windows and sloping roofs made of wooden shingles. Boards with carvings of birds and flowers decorated the rooflines.

  “This is beautiful,” Lant called. “You’re lucky to live here.”

  “The most desirable homes in the Tree Community are on the river. Many have been in the same family for generations. I like the convenience of being close to the commercial district and the fortress, but there are areas upriver that are far more beautiful.”

  “That’s hard to believe,” Tyla said. “It’s wonderful here.”

  Ertz laughed. “Here, the river is wide. Elsewhere, it’s narrow and winding, with sheer cliffs and waterfalls.”

  Ahead, a wide channel of water cut inland, and there were several docks with boats and rafts tied to them.

  A group of young males sat on one of the docks, their legs dangling over, fishing poles in hand. Older males in a sailboat a little way off seemed to be supervising them.

  Ertz guided the boat into the channel’s calm waters and up to a dock. He pocketed the navigation gems and got out to secure the boat. Gnomes at the other docks shouted greetings, including the young lads who were fishing. Ertz exchanged cheerful banter with his neighbors while he waited for Tyla and the others to get off the boat. Tyla and Lant received no more than a curious glance, but when the young gnomes fishing from the dock saw Ben and Tina Ann, they began whispering.

  Ertz led the group up a narrow flight of stone steps to his Tree Home. Tyla could hardly wait to see what it was like inside. The tree itself was enormous, with spreading branches high overhead. The annex had chunks of blue gem rough worked in among the stones. The windows on the first floor were tall and narrow. The second-floor windows were smaller. An arched door, painted blue, stood within a recessed area that provided shelter from the rain. There was a small, one-story wing that extended off to the right. It had a flat roof with railings around it, forming a roof terrace.

  “Please come in.”

  Tyla was the last to enter, and she found herself in a room full of fascinating clutter. Hanging wall shelves held pieces of gem rough, pottery, and ornamental objects made of metal. Clay pots on the floor held ferns, vines, and broad-leafed plants. A few had vegetables of a remarkable size. A glass globe hung from the ceiling with a glowing orange geode inside. Ertz saw Tyla looking up and explained, “The geode gives off a spectrum of light conducive to plant growth. I grow vegetables outside, but my indoor vegetables are actually larger and mature faster.”

  Scattered around the room with the conventional chairs were green upholstered cubes that had hinged pieces of wood on one side, which unfolded to form an end table.

  Ertz said to the breghlin, “I’m sorry you aren’t able to enter the inter-dimensional part of my Tree Home, but make yourselves comfortable here. Examine whatever you like, and help yourselves to the vegetables. We’ll be back shortly with something to drink.”

  “We be fine,” Tina Ann said. She sat down on one of the cubes, and her face took on a comical look of alarm when she sank in several inches.

  Ben snorted with laughter, pulled a cube over beside her and sat down, laughing with delight as he sank into its cushiony depths. “I don’t think we be gettin’ up to look at anythin’. We be here till Lant come an’ pull us out.”

  “They’re designed for young folk,” Ertz confessed. “They’re comfortable if you don’t mind the sensation of being ingested by a carnivorous plant.”

  Tina Ann chuckled. “S had them kind of plants.”

  “Funny how her fav’rite plants ate bugs an’ now she be a bug,” Ben said.

  “It is ironic, isn’t it?” Ertz said, and then he took Tyla and Lant inside the tree.

  Chapter 36

  Like all Tree Homes, dim veins of light ran up through the walls, providing soft, ambient light, and there was a casual sitting area with tables and chairs that had been formed from thick roots that came up from the ground.

  Rugs and cushions surrounded a glowing pile of corrustone in the kitchen area, which included a wooden counter against the wall, numerous crocks, and a shelving unit with dinnerware and cooking pots.

  Beyond the kitchen was an area that must be Ertz’s study, as it had a desk and a few bookcases. One held gem specimen trays, sculptures, and other artistic objects.

  On Tyla’s left, intertwining roots covered by shade-loving ivy formed a dividing wall for privacy, and she wondered how many rooms were behind it.

  A white-haired female emerged from that area, calling cheerily, “There you are, Winty! I see our guests have arrived safely.”

  “Yes. These are my friends, Tyla and Lant. Our breghlin guests, Ben and Tina Ann, are out in the annex. Tyla and Lant, I’d like you to meet my sister, Maggala—Mag for short.”

  “Pleased to meet you,” Lant said.

  Mag looked very much like a female version of Ertz.

  “Thank you for having us,” Tyla said, then gave Ertz a playful grin. “Winty?”

  Ertz blushed. “My full name is Elowinton Ertz. Mag has called me Winty since we were youngones.” He cleared his throat. “You may continue to call me Ertz.”

  Tyla was tempted to say, “Sure thing, Winty.”

  “Why don’t you show Tyla and Lant around while I get some fresh sap?” Mag said, heading for the kitchen. She set a metal pitcher on the counter and tapped the tree wall twice. A thin branch poked through the wall, and Tyla heard sap flowing into the pitcher.

  Lant said, “I’ve never seen anyone do that—bring in tree sap for drinking. At home, we just drink water.”

  “We have underground cisterns for water, but we drink a little sap daily. It’s very healthy, you know—lots of minerals and a bit of sugar.”

  Ertz led them to his study, took an old leather-bound volume from a bookcase, and handed it to Tyla. “This is the book about witnesses I promised to show you. Unlike yours, it isn’t written in runes.”

  Tyla found the index and read the chapt
er headings. “I’d like to read this.”

  “You’re welcome to.”

  “Do you have many books written in runes?” Lant asked.

  “Yes, quite a few.”

  Tyla handed back the book, her eyes drawn to the bookcase that held gems and geodes, glass globes with colorful swirls inside, and sculptures made of metal or carved from gem rough. One sculpture in particular caught her eye. She reached for it and then stopped herself.

  “It’s all right. You can touch anything you like,” Ertz said kindly. “Just handle it carefully.”

  She picked it up—a wildcat carved from translucent white gem rough with golden rutiles inside. The cat appeared to be watching its prey intently, its powerful legs tensed to spring. The sculptor had captured every ripple of its muscles. The cat’s jaws were open, and its mouth held a dark purple gem. The sculpture’s square base was made of lightgem, like the bird sculpture Tyla had seen at breakfast. She drew its power, and the base began to glow.

  “Beautiful,” Lant breathed. “The glowing base really sets it off.”

  “You have a good eye, Tyla,” Ertz said. “This is one of my finest pieces. It’s over five hundred years old.”

  Tyla gasped and put the sculpture back, afraid to hold anything so old and valuable. “What do you know about it?”

  “It was made by a famous sculptor, a gem master named Evantum Parnatti. All his sculptures are gem rough on a lightgem base, a bird or an animal holding an extremely rare gem in its open mouth. Most of the gems are benign, but he did use malevolent gems in a few sculptures, and those are the most valuable because they’re the rarest. Of course, all of Parnatti’s sculptures are rare. They’re seldom seen outside a museum.”

  Tyla said, “I saw one at breakfast today.”

  Ertz gave her a disbelieving smile. “A sculpture like this?”

  “Yes. It had a lightgem base like yours, and it was a large black bird with a red gem in its mouth, sitting on a branch. The bird looked very realistic.”