Beyond the Forest

by Kay L. Ling

  “Yes,” Lana said. “A normal dog that terrified me.”

  “There now, what are you doing?” Folio scolded when Jules tried to sit up. “I told you to lie still.”

  Jules gave him an exasperated look. “I feel much better now.”

  “Better than what?” Lana asked, concerned. “Better than dead? Better than a poisoned dog? Rest for a while.”

  “I suppose you’re right, but I’m impatient.” He sat rubbing his forehead, and he still looked pale.

  Folio gave Lana a hesitant smile. “When he’s rested, I think he’ll be able to walk with support. We shouldn’t stay here, and he’d be more comfortable in my cave at Strathweed. We’ve already imposed on you enough for one day,” he said, his voice trailing off.

  “I’ll go with you,” she said with mixed emotions. She still didn’t like Folio, but she hated him a lot less.

  And he probably already knew that.

  Chapter 28

  After ten or fifteen minutes, Jules insisted he was strong enough to walk. Lana studied him silently, knowing it was pointless to argue. Maybe the aquamarines had helped dispel the effects of the poison because he seemed to be recovering remarkably well. He was still pale, but who wouldn’t be after what he’d gone through? The three-mile walk to Strathweed would be difficult, but he should be in a safe place where he could rest and have something to eat, and where else could they take him?

  Lana glanced at the sky. It would be dark before long. If Jules was capable of walking, they should get going.

  Folio helped Jules up and grasped his left arm to support him. They began to walk.

  “Don’t fuss over me,” Jules protested. “I’m quite steady now.”

  “You’re just too proud to lean on an old man,” Folio grumbled. “I intend to fuss over you for a day or two, so you may as well make the best of it.”

  Lana hid a smile and put on her backpack. She caught up to them and fell into step on Jules’s right side, but she didn’t offer her arm or try to touch him. Jules was reluctant to lean on Elias. He certainly wouldn’t want her help. She noticed he was still holding the knife, which was a smart idea. He could draw strength and healing while they walked.

  They covered the first quarter mile at a moderate speed, or as Jules called it, ‘the pace of a pokey old woman.’ Lana felt certain the knife was helping him. He didn’t seem winded or in pain.

  The overhanging bows of Shadow’s abnormally tall trees formed a canopy over the trail. In the fading daylight, Lana studied Jules discretely. How ironic that her former nightmare beast was a fine looking man. She had never stopped to picture the wolfhound in his human form, and even if she had, she wouldn’t have imagined him this way. He was in his late twenties, she judged, and he had blue eyes, full, well-defined lips and a firm, square jaw. The slight bump on the bridge of his nose might have come from a smithing injury. His thick, light brown hair hung down to his collar and looked rather rakish, actually. He wasn’t stunningly handsome, she decided, but he had the kind of rugged good looks that grew on you. His face said, “Trust me,” and you knew instinctively that you could.

  When he turned his head to look at Folio, she tried to calculate his height. He was about three inches taller than she was. Not that it mattered, she told herself, but her heart was beating a little faster and she couldn’t help but notice that his black suit couldn’t hide his broad shoulders and powerful biceps. He really looked like a blacksmith. He could have stepped out of a historical romance novel, she thought with a faint smile. She reined in her thoughts and tried to concentrate on the men’s conversation.

  “She has her breghlin, the pythanium, and other monstrous creatures,” Jules was saying. “Now she has alamaria. It won’t be easy to defeat her.”

  “Alamaria overcame her restrictive device. Now I suppose she thinks it’s her greatest asset and she can use it to conquer the Fair Lands.” Folio gave a short, humorless laugh. “One’s greatest asset can become one’s greatest weakness.”

  Jules said, “Is that just a profound observation, or are you hinting you have a plan?”

  Folio responded dryly, “You know me too well. I have a plan.”

  Lana glanced past Jules to look at Folio. The old man looked very pleased with himself.

  “Out with it!” Jules commanded. “If I die of suspense, Lana will need to bring me back to life again.”

  She laughed and he looked at her and smiled.

  “There will be time to discuss Sheamathan’s defeat tomorrow when you’re rested,” Folio said fondly but firmly, as he would speak to a son. “It’s an ambitious plan, but we can make it work.”

  “All right,” Jules said with good-natured resignation. “It might be too much for me to grasp right now anyway.”

  It was getting dark and they needed to go slower and watch their step. Folio reached inside his robe and produced a large, clear crystalline gemstone. He cradled it in his palm and it began to glow bluish-white, lighting the path several feet ahead. Sheamathan had held a similar stone, Lana remembered—that night in the forest when Lana had first seen her. She was curious about the gem, but Folio had mentioned Sheamathan’s restrictive device, and she was far more curious about that.

  “You explained Jules’s side of the bargain and I think I get the major points.” She ticked them off on her fingers. “Incapable of gem powers. Only rational during the full moon. Unable to speak. As long as Sheamathan was alive, he’d be under the enchantment.” She paused, “In exchange, Sheamathan agreed to stay out of the Fair Lands. Tell me more about her end of the bargain. You mentioned a restrictive device. What was it?”

  “We weren’t foolish enough to trust her,” Jules said. “She would have double-crossed us.”

  Folio said with a note of pride, “Her side of the bargain required her to wear a device that would keep her from going through the portal. When she put it on and closed the device, I melded the ends using gem powers so it could never be removed.”

  Lana thought back to her meeting with Sheamathan. She didn’t remember seeing something like that. “Where does she wear it? What does it look like?”

  The bluish glow of the crystal illuminated Folio’s face. He smiled and gave a little chuckle. “Jules and a gnome metalsmith made a necklace, like a collar. Particles from two Shadow gemstones are embedded in the metal. One makes the metal extremely hard, impervious to any tool. The other emits erratic bursts of energy.” He paused. “I created a spell, you see, so the portal would detect and repel anything with that erratic energy signature. Until Sheamathan discovered alamaria, she couldn’t overcome that repelling force and go through the portal.”

  How ironic! Lana burst out laughing. She tried to control herself but it was no use. Jules looked at her with a bemused expression. Folio just stared. When she finally got control of herself, she gasped, “Invisible fence!”

  Both men gave her blank looks. Being from the 1800s, they had no idea what that was.

  “Jules, you’ve been a dog too long!” she said, still laughing. “You made the woman a dog collar!” The men smiled faintly but still looked lost. “In my world, we have a way to confine pets,” she explained. “It’s called an invisible fence. You bury a wire underground, and as your pet approaches it, a transmitter sends a warning signal to your pet’s collar. If the pet stubbornly keeps going, it gets a static charge that repels it. What you designed sounds a lot like that!”

  “You’re right, it is ironic,” Jules said, grinning.

  “Did Sheamathan assume she could get the collar off somehow?” Lana asked, smirking at the idea of the all-powerful woodspirit wearing a dog collar.

  Folio rubbed his forehead and said with a wry smile, “I suppose so, but the power that seals the necklace is very effective. Even if she could cut through the collar without slitting her throat, the pieces would immediately meld themselves back together.” He cleared his throat. “She never asked me to conspire with her, but maybe she thought I wouldn’t really meld it shut.”

&nb
sp; Jules said. “If that’s what she thought, she must have been very disappointed.”

  A gust of wind sent dry leaves and twigs tumbling along the path. The temperature was dropping. Lana zipped up her jacket and pulled the hood over her wind-blown hair.

  “Our relationship since then has been strained but polite,” Folio continued. The crystal’s glow illuminated the toad-like texture of his skin. “I maintain the appearance of being her ally. When she summons me, I visit her. I’ve also gone uninvited so I could check on Jules.” He lowered his voice to a conspiratorial tone. “We never discuss anything of importance. The object is to learn more from the other person than you reveal about yourself. She doesn’t know the extent of my Shadow gem powers and I plan to keep it that way.” He wrapped his arms about himself and drew his green robe tighter, as if gathering all his secrets and holding them close. “Sheamathan fears what she doesn’t know, and what she can’t control.”

  “With only a day to think over the bargain, it probably sounded like a great deal,” Lana said. “Sheamathan probably assumed she’d eventually get the collar off or at least break through the repelling field.”

  “Both sides hoped to out-smart the other,” Jules said with a rueful grin. “We thought we had an ace in the hole.”

  Lana gave him a puzzled look. “An ace in the hole?”

  “An ace called your great-grandfather Henry.”

  She frowned in confusion. “Huh?”

  Jules said, “You read the letters, so you know Elias was trapped in Shadow.”

  “Yes,” she said slowly, wondering where this was headed.

  “Elias couldn’t go home to his son, but we hoped someday I could bring Henry to him.” He paused to let that sink in. She stared blankly, still confused, because it wasn’t that simple.

  He went on, “Henry was twelve when Elias disappeared, and like his father, he was interested in gems. We expected Henry to develop at least a measure of his father’s abilities. With that in mind, when I made my bargain with Sheamathan, I left all my Fair Lands gems, except the knife, with Elias. We were so sure Henry would be able to use them someday.”

  Folio said, “Our plan was that Jules would communicate with Henry, bring him to me, and together we would free Jules from his enchantment. Then the three of us would challenge Sheamathan.”

  Lana let out a groan, understanding now. She placed a sympathetic hand on Jules’s arm. “But he didn’t develop gem powers, so you couldn’t communicate with him.”

  “Exactly,” Jules said with a frustrated sigh. “Generations passed, and I tried to make contact with others, including your father and brothers. They had only a mild interest in gems and no aptitude for gem powers whatsoever.” He looked down at her and their eyes met.

  “Finally, I came along, and I had the powers you’d been waiting for, but I was afraid of you.”

  He nodded and looked away.

  “I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I really am.” She squeezed his arm briefly. She had refused to listen to him that day in the forest, and she could still hear his howl of misery. Tears rolled down her face.

  “I’ve done it again,” Jules said gently, “I’ve made you cry.”

  “I was so afraid of you,” she said in an agonized tone. “But I should have given you a chance to explain.” He must think she was a blubbering idiot who cried over everything, but she couldn’t stop the tears. “All those years you suffered. I could have helped you.”

  “Maybe this is the way it’s supposed to be, the three of us working together.”

  Maybe so, but she’d feel better if he shouted at her and called her an idiot. She felt like such a coward, and a self-righteous coward at that. She had despised Folio for ignoring the gnomes’ sufferings, but to be fair, she hadn’t wanted to get involved, either. Hadn’t she told herself that the gnomes weren’t her problem? They weren’t even human. Why should she care what happened to them? Eventually she had offered to help them, but she had wanted to do it on her own terms, and she had resented Raenihel for asking her to confront Sheamathan before she felt ready. Folio had screwed up. He’d been self-centered and manipulative, but over the years he’d had his redeeming moments. He’d even masterminded the bargain between Sheamathan and Jules. Why was she being so hard on him?

  Stumbling over a rock, she shook off her uncomfortable thoughts and forced herself to concentrate on the trail. They were starting down a steep hill and the trail was getting narrower. Walking downhill would be easier and a nice change, she thought as she glanced at Jules. He hadn’t complained, and he was keeping up all right, but the long hike had to be difficult for him and they still had a couple miles to go.

  Folio moved into the lead, holding his crystal. She and Jules followed single-file, walking carefully and watching their footing. The forest felt less oppressive here than near the portal. The sky’s silvery shimmer was a reminder that she was in a different land, but this area didn’t seem so, well, creepy. If there were any unpleasant insects or animals in this part of the forest, she hadn’t seen any. Maybe Folio’s gem powers could keep them away. What would his home, Strathweed, be like? The name didn’t sound very appealing, and she hoped it wasn’t as bleak as the places Raenihel had taken her. She knew from Folio’s letters that he lived in a cave. A lot of gnomes lived in caves, according to Raenihel, so caves must be fairly common.

  The trail widened again. They walked silently three abreast for another half mile. Then Folio announced cheerfully, “Halfway there!”

  By now she was tired and thirsty. “Let’s take a break.” If they had another mile and a half to go, she needed a drink. Folio and Jules stopped while she took off her backpack. “Is there someplace we can sit for a few minutes?”

  “Maybe I can find a fallen log,” Folio said, using his gem to illuminate the edge of the woods. “This way.” He led them a few yards off the trail to a fallen tree. She sat with a groan. Part of her problem was the backpack. After a while it felt heavy. Rummaging through, she pulled out the canteen, pulled the stopper, and handed the canteen to Jules.

  “No, you first,” he insisted.

  She drank her fill and passed it to Jules. He took a long drink and sighed contently. When it reached Folio, the old man stared at it wistfully and mumbled, “Fair Lands water.” Then he closed his eyes and drank.

  “Is water very different here?” she asked.

  The old man took several more gulps and answered, “More minerals here. Probably healthy. In any case, you get used to it. I brought a flask of water,” he said patting what must be the flask beneath his robe, “but yours is more palatable.”

  “How do you feel now?” she asked Jules.

  He gave a careless shrug. “Fine. A little light-headed sometimes, but it passes. I’ll be back to my old self after a good night’s sleep.”

  “You’re not in pain?”

  “No. Right after you brought me back, I was, but I’m all right now.”

  They rested five or ten minutes and then returned to the trail. This leg of their journey took them across low, rolling hills. The trees were still tall with huge trunks, but Lana noticed several small clearings, and Folio’s light revealed green groundcover that looked quite healthy.

  When Folio announced, “Almost there!” she could have shouted for joy. It felt like the wee hours of the morning and she was totally drained. The shock of meeting Folio had taken a lot out of her, but that had been nothing compared with watching the wolfhound die and knowing that it was up to her to restore Jules and heal him.

  They rounded a bend and Folio stopped. The light from his crystal illuminated another small hill with rocky outcroppings. “My cave is just ahead,” he said with a childlike eagerness. “Jules has been here many times, but it will be new to you, Lana. Come along.” He started off again. She and Jules hurried to catch up.

  The mouth of his cave was about five feet across and four feet high. A grid-work of small branches, bound with leather thongs, served as a removable door. It probably kept o
ut large animals, but not much else. Folio grasped the door and moved it aside. “Please come in.”

  Jules walked at Lana’s side as Folio led them into the cave. Folio’s gem sent light bounding around the cave, revealing minerals on its irregular surfaces.

  “This network of caves goes a great distance.” His voice bounced off the ceiling and echoed from the walls. He motioned for them to follow.

  The cave widened and became higher. There was less evidence of water seepage here. A narrow passageway disappeared into the darkness. “That way leads to an underground stream,” Folio said. To the right further back, a wide cleft opened into another part of the cave.

  Lana had heard about famous caverns in the United States but had never been inside one. What a fascinating place. How strange to think that her ancestor lived in one in another world.

  They stepped through the opening in the rear of the cave and Lana found herself in Folio’s home. Blinking in surprise, she looked around in wonder. It was brighter here, thanks to Folio’s ingenuity. Glowing, bluish-green lumps every few feet lined the perimeter, shedding light into the cave-room. She was too distracted to ask what they were. So many things fought for her attention; it was hard to take it all in.

  “Gnome-made furnishings,” Folio said, with a sweep of his arm. “Purchased in my early days here. Naturally, the books and such are from home.”

  The large, irregular cave contained a wealth of animal skin rugs, some scattered on the floor and others piled beside a chair. Freestanding shelves made of a dark wood held a large collection of books and ledgers as well as tools and pottery. A simple desk and chair, where Folio worked most of the time judging by the clutter, stood near the bookshelves. Gems and mineral samples covered two square tables near the desk.

  Toward the center of the cave, four oversized wooden chairs sported tapestry pillows in muted shades of red, green and blue. By the wall, she saw a bed frame with a mattress made of ticking. On the right side of the cave was the typical gnome “fire”—stones that glowed but didn’t give off smoke, and a few pottery crocks, probably filled with food. The overall vibe was comfortably bohemian.