by Peter Plasse
“I sure hear that,” said Ryan softly. He gave her a heartfelt hug. “But right about now, I think the only thing we have, other than our wits, is faith, faith that somehow, some way, I can’t explain it, but, you know, like we’re doing what we’re supposed to do. From the look of the maps, we should be coming up on the town of Salem tonight. Salem, Gracie. That’s the Strong family’s hometown where we come from. I have to believe that there’s some sort of significance to that. You know, like we’re somehow, maybe, supposed to end up there. I don’t know … ” he finished, his voice trailing off.
She took comfort in his arms for a minute, then pushed him gently away. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I’ll try and be strong.”
“Gracie,” he said, “you already are strong. Stronger than I have been, that’s for sure. I would have died if it wasn’t for you. We have to keep going. One foot in front of the other, and ‘Keep our faces to the sunshine,’ like Mrs. Strong always says. We’ll get through this and go home someday. I promise.”
That said, they broke camp.
“Today will be dangerous,” said Ryan. “We already know there are Gnomes about, though they should be long gone. So I think what we should do is, I’ll scout ahead to be sure the trail is clear, and you stay back with Fury. If you see danger from behind, ride hard forward and pick me up. Even doubled-up, we can outrun those little Gnomes. If I see danger ahead, I’ll come back to get you, and we’ll ditch this trip, retrace our steps, and go after Mr. and Mrs. Strong.”
Gracie nodded. “Sounds good to me,” she said, trying to make a smile which wouldn’t come.
Ryan reached into the bag of smoked meat. “How about a nice doughnut?” he asked, holding up a piece. She laughed a very small laugh, accepted it, and began to chew slowly.
“All right then,” he said, “Keep a sharp eye out, and remember, you’ll hear them before you see them.”
“Check,” she said, gloom written all over her face.
The explosion thundered from the base of the cliff in the mountains to the southeast of Mos Summit. It echoed around and around for several seconds while a massive chunk of the cliff face collapsed in a pile of rock and dust.
When the echoes had stopped, Doreen, Jared, and Diana stood up. “Wow,” said Doreen, “I’m impressed.”
Miles away, camped out on the northern reach of the Great Slovan Plains, Trolls lifted their heads and wondered about the storm causing the thunder. None of them paid it any serious mind. Violent mountain storms were normal for this time of year as fall faded away to winter.
Jared smiled and wrapped Diana in a big hug.
“Ha ha!” he yelped. “We did it, we did it … we did it,” clenching his fist and giving his hand a few hard shakes up and down.
“We did,” said Diana. “Thanks to this one,” she added, nodding towards Doreen.
“Tell me, Doreen,” said Jared. “How did you ever remember the ingredient that I was lacking to make the blasting powder? You learned it from somewhere. Does it help at all to remember where it is you came from? You know, to remember your former life?”
Doreen shrugged. “No.”
Diana approached her and put her arm around her shoulders. “I know it must be very hard on you to not remember who you are or where you come from. But try, Doreen. Try hard. It would be best if you could remember. Best for you.”
Doreen snapped at her. “Don’t you think I would give anything to remember?”
She threw off Diana’s arm and walked away, shaking her head in disgust. Diana approached Jared, who said quietly, “Let her go for now. She’s obviously scared out of her wits that she might never remember. I can’t begin to imagine how scared she is.”
There was a brief silence.
“But what about the prophecy, then? We have to tell her soon.”
“This afternoon,” said Jared. “We’ll let her be for now and tell her this afternoon.”
Unlike unwelcome visitors, Saviar Murlis and company arrived at Elsie’s spelled domicile by walking straight in without incident. She had been expecting them, of course, having monitored their journey from the beginning with the same kind of looking-stone that had been used by her sister, Cirrhus, for her entire life, and had prepared a splendid meal, right down to the desserts, at which the three children stared when they spied them on a stand beside her highly polished table. “Not yet,” she said with a smile. “First you need to get some real food into you, and then you can eat as much of that,” nodding to the desserts, “as you wish.”
All together there were nine of them in the small cabin with Elsie: Saviar Murlis, Acting Emperor of Vultura, and his wife, Kerlix, Miano, their sixteen year old boy, Fabindora, their fifteen year old girl, Jori, their twelve year old boy, Turman Pandieth, Seth Queslian, Ettan Cooke, and Mandel Ott. It had been a harrowing trip, with several close encounters with the Trolls, but they had all arrived intact, if starving and exhausted.
“Now the very first thing I want you to know,” she said to the children, “is that you are safe here. Safe, safe, safe. This is a special place. It is a secret place, of which nobody knows but us. So tonight, when you go to bed, you must remember that nobody can hurt you here. Do you understand?”
All nodded.
“Good,” she said. “Now let us eat.”
She folded her hands and offered thanks to the Old One for the blessings bestowed upon them on this day. In addition, she asked that he take her sister into his loving embrace. A tear slid down her cheeks as she finished.
“Your sister has passed on?” Kerlix asked.
Elsie nodded, “Yes.”
“I am so sorry,” said Kerlix. “Was it unexpected?”
Again Elsie merely nodded, temporarily in the grip of grief and unable to speak.
All expressed sincere condolences, and Elsie bounced back, saying, “Let’s get on with our meal, now.”
The fine plates glistened as they were filled with roast, potatoes, wild rice, beans, muffins, and gravy, complete with all of the trimmings of a holiday feast. The only sounds were the clatter of silverware striking glass and the satisfied groans that came from the all-too hungry Gnomes, especially the children. In fact, their dramatics as to the goodness of the food caused Elsie first to smile, and then to laugh out loud. “I’m glad you like it,” she said. “Thank you. You have warmed my heart.”
“And you have warmed our bellies, great lady,” said Turman Pandieth. “For this we are thankful.” He raised his glass of cider in salute and eight others raised theirs with his.
At the end of the meal, after the children had somehow managed to save enough room to devour most of the cake and a good portion of the cookies, Elsie asked quietly that they be put to bed. “Only happy bedtime stories,” she said. “Of pumpkin pie and the cobblers that make our shoes and such.”
It didn’t take them long to settle down, and soon they were sound asleep.
Elsie set the table with cups all around and a large pot of tea. There was not a lot of conversation as the group awaited the commencement of what all believed would be the most important meeting ever held on their world. Heads turned as one at the soft knock on the door. Elsie set the teapot down and crossed the small room. Opening it, she offered a warm greeting to the party outside and beckoned them in.
The first to enter were the King and Queen of Ravenwild, Rolan and Isabella Fairman. This night, there was nothing regal-looking about them. Dressed in plain country attire, they might as well have been simple peasants. Norma Webb and Singular Night followed them. Lastly, Borok entered. Duane and Wayne, the two palace guardsmen, remained outside with a small squad that had traveled to Round Lake from Ravenwild with the Queen. Never one to be caught with his defenses down, Rolan had instructed them to keep an eye on things and to report any suspicious activity or occurrences right away.
There was a lot of tension in the air in the midst of this unlikely meeting of the parties involved. Elsie sensed this and took over as moderator.
“First thin
gs first,” she began. “Welcome, Good King and Queen, I hope your accommodations were acceptable?”
“Yes, thank you. This is an amazing place. We were most comfortable,” said Isabella. Rolan nodded in agreement, adding, “Yes. Thank you very much, more than acceptable. Much more. Thank you.” His delivery was halting, anxious.
“Good,” said Elsie with a large smile. “I am honored to have you here in my home.”
She turned to the Gnome contingent, all of whom had taken seats together. She went around the room and spoke the names of all of the parties present, giving a brief introduction of each. She asked that each of them shake the hand of each of the others. That done, she poured each a mug of tea, saying, “This is a very special tea, grown here from plants that I got from my sister, the Old One take her soul. They originally came from the Elves, although nobody is sure from where. Geographically, that is.
“All right. The first order of business we have before us, it seems to me, is the proclamation of a new Emperor for the nation of Vultura. For this, I give you the Acting Emperor of Vultura, Saviar Murlis. Emperor Murlis?”
Saviar stood. “Thank you, Elsie. First of all, let me express my deepest gratitude for your having us all in your home. I’m reassured that we all fit.”
There were brief chuckles all around.
“You are most welcome,” returned Elsie. “The honor is mine.”
“I have been privileged to serve our Gnome nation as the Acting Emperor for the years since the passing of perhaps the two greatest Gnomes in the history of our land: Hanz Oratorius Night and his wife, Mexyl Wyn Night. And though many years have gone by since their passing, the pain is an ache in my heart that will never go entirely away. They were the best our race will ever have to offer.
“Here’s the way I see it, and everyone in this room knows that I have had years to ponder it.” He paused to gather himself. “Foundering about in sadness will do nothing to avenge their deaths. For while it is true that the honorable Mexyl Wyn died during childbirth, which we can never lay at the feet of the Trolls, Hanz Oratorius Night was brutally murdered while his son, whom we have here tonight, was being spirited away by Norma Webb, whom we also have here tonight, and I would like her courageous act acknowledged before we go any further in these proceedings. Were it not for her bravery in the face of certain death were she captured, this Gnome too would have perished at the hands of the Trolls.”
He put his hands together in applause. Norma Webb blushed, her gray Gnome skin darkening at his praise. All stood and joined in the applause. Singular Night and Norma Webb exchanged a meaningful glance, their eyes lighting up. “Furthermore, she was ably assisted by Turman Pandieth, Seth Queslian, Mandel Ott, and Ettan Cooke, whom we also have here tonight, and who also put their lives on the line in this noble pursuit.” All remained standing and the applause continued.
“This was, on the one hand, the greatest of tragedies, and at the same time, the greatest of days. For with the assumption of the title of Emperor of the Gnome nation, Singular Night represents the hope that one day we will chase these abhorrent brute Trolls from our homeland and live again as a free nation. So said, I hereby relinquish the throne and the floor to Singular Barb’rus Night, forever and always from this day forward: Emperor of Vultura. Your Excellency?”
Saviar Murlis took his seat and Singular Night stood, moving to stand in front of the fireplace so that he could look without turning at all who occupied the room. “Thank you Saviar,” he said. “And thank you to Norma, Turman, Seth, Mandel, and Ettan. I shall forever be grateful to you for saving my life. And I too welcome our guests: The King and Queen of Ravenwild, Rolan and Isabella Fairman, as well as Borok Dodson, Minister of Planning.
“Let me say first of all that the title of Emperor means nothing to me, for it is exactly that, a title, something entirely inconsequential in a nation dissolved. But if it means a chance, however slim, that I can parlay it into a plan to unite our people, who now exist as nothing more than slaves to this occupying force, and restore our nation to a free state, then I gladly accept it. But, truth be told, I do not seek to avenge my father’s death. I seek only to live as a free Gnome. And for all who live in Vultura to live as free Gnomes.” He paused.
“We will never on our own be able to successfully prosecute a war against the Trolls. Their size and strength advantages, coupled with their overwhelming numbers, would doom any effort against them before it started. What we need is an alliance with Ravenwild. United with the Humans, Dwarves, and Elves of our eastern neighbor there is hope, however slim, that we might prevail. It is my sincere wish that this is why we are honored here tonight by the presence of their good King and Queen: Rolan and Isabella Fairman. King, Queen, what say you?”
Rolan stood and made his way to the spot in front of the fireplace from which Singular had spoken.
“First of all, thank you Elsie for allowing us all to grace your home.” He nodded towards her and applauded. All joined him. Elsie nodded solemnly.
“There is no question that, do we not form an alliance, we are doomed. As we speak, our citizens have all fled their homes and are living in the wilds, being hunted down and slaughtered daily by the Trolls. This brings us to the question of what we each have to offer in a unified effort.
“But before we go there,” he paused and took the time to gaze slowly around the room, making sure he looked deep into the eyes of every one of them, “we need to speak to the issue of trust. The way I see it, if we do not, each of us, trust entirely in the other, there is no chance that we will triumph.
“Never before has my nation had an alliance with Vultura. Rather, we have existed as nations who happen to live one beside the other and warred for centuries over petty border issues. The question is, can we put all of these things behind us? Can you, Emperor Night, convince your fellow Gnomes to let the past go and throw in with us? We both know that if they do not, they will live in perpetuity as slaves. But they will live. Fight with us, and many will die. So in order to put their lives on the line, they first have to trust that, the Old One willing, when we prevail, and the scourge of the Troll occupation is ended in both our lands, the sovereignty of our nations will be restored, and neither will seek to dominate the other.”
Elsie, having always known it would come down to this, raised her mug of tea and said, “To trust. A trust that we vow tonight will last forever between our nations.”
All raised their mugs. Eye contact was made throughout the small cabin.
An alliance was formed that night.
She sat quietly, pondering his words. It was far too rare an occurrence for her to be able to sit and converse with Inam'Ra’s oldest living creature, for while Elsie had been around for centuries, Iqbal had been around for countless millenniums.
Now, he lived in a trench of warm water and dined on the smaller creatures that lived in that trench. Or not, depending on his particular craving on any given day. He had so long ago mastered the art of conjuring that he could conjure pretty much anything he wanted on a whim. It was second nature to him.
And his entire purpose, for as long as Elsie had lived by Round Lake, was to live in her trench and protect the only unspelled pathway that led to her home.
For shrouded in layer after layer of complicated spells everywhere else on the property, no Human, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Troll, Agden Wolf, pet cat, horse, butterfly, or other intelligent creature could perceive that her home was there, except by wading through it, because this was the only part of her homestead not protected by magic.
This was the gateway, the only way in from the real world. The one location where a Human, Dwarf, Elf, Gnome, Troll, Agden Wolf, pet cat, horse, or butterfly could walk right in unannounced, as long as they managed to traverse the final rivulet in the swamp. And got by him, of course.
“Are you sure I have to do this?” she asked. “You’re certain? It’s a formidable assignment, and I find myself dulled by the enormity of having to wonder whether this alliance will ever b
e truly struck, in practice.
“I know it has been formed tonight in theory, based upon oaths taken, on principles of trust and honor and the like, but the Perpst Clan and the Ravenwild forces have pestered each other forever in the northern borderlands. There has been far too much blood spilt for as long as I could possibly remember for them to start suddenly hugging each other; Same for the Stihl Clan. They will never accede, nor peacefully coexist in the King’s River North Valley. The Northern Gnome Clans and the Ravenwilders will kill each other as fast as they see each other. What am I to do? I’m sorry, Iqbal, my brain is as addled as dust mites before a broom.”
“The purpose of having a leader, dear child, is to lead. What I mean by that, of course, is that he tells others what to do. He does not make polite requests.
He tells those under him what needs to be done. They do it, plain and simple.
“That’s what leaders do that non-leaders do not. They give orders. Singular Night will not ask the head of the Stihl Clan to give his support to the cause. He will order it. Throw in with us and bring together the talents and capabilities of the Stihl warriors, under the common flag of Vultura, with those of the Ravenwild fighting forces, or die. Meanwhile, before he ever issues the mandate, he will have already placed an overwhelmingly large contingent of the Ravenwild army in the area to immediately decimate the entire Stihl Clan if their decision-maker decides to ignore his order. So he will have no choice. ‘Take up with the coalition or die, along with the rest of your clan.’ That will be the order. How he decides will be up to him. He will choose to join. I am sure of it. And when he does, so will the Perpts, Obbs, Jirks, Queen’s Portians, et cetera.
“You must find it interesting that the first nation the Emperor must conquer, to get to the final battles, is his own. But that is an irony for brighter minds than mine to consider. Meanwhile, we have an accord, and the pathway to victory will be built upon the very foundation that was put in place tonight. You have raised him well. He will know what to do.”
