by Kay L. Ling
She looked into Folio’s green eyes and thought rather than said, You know the saying, a chip off the old block. Well, I’m looking at the block, and I’m pretty sure I’m the chip.
Folio gave her a sly smile and a wink.
Jules poured himself a mug of rakka and said to Folio, “Speaking of which, I’m rested now. You promised to tell me your plan.”
“So I did, so I did,” the old man agreed, nodding. He set aside his empty plate and folded his age-spotted hands. “The plan involves alamaria.”
“Alamaria,” Jules repeated, running a hand over his stubbly chin. “The stone that amplifies Sheamathan’s powers.”
“It does so on her side of the portal,” Folio said, smiling enigmatically. “On the Fair Lands side—” He paused. “We’ll need to bury a quantity on the Fair Lands side.”
Lana’s face spread in an appreciative smile. She understood what Folio was trying to do. “On our side, it blocks power. We’ll have an advantage.”
Folio looked at her in surprise.
“I found the stone you buried.”
“So that’s where it went,” he said, the corners of his eyes crinkling with laughter. “And you’ve conducted your own experiments.”
She nodded, suddenly worried. “It will block our powers, too.”
Jules listened to the exchange. It didn’t take him long to get up to speed. “You’re saying that in our world, alamaria blocks power. So, if we bury it, Sheamathan will step through the portal, lose her powers, and she won’t know why.”
“Yes, good points, both of you.” Folio sounded pleased. “Lana, you’re right. Our powers will be gone, too.” He rubbed his hands together. “But we’ll plan accordingly.” He looked at Jules. “As you have pointed out, Sheamathan will lose her powers but she won’t know why. And she won’t know we have lost ours.” Folio paused to let the implications sink in. “So, we’ll have a befuddled, powerless woodspirit and a short window of opportunity to take advantage of that. We won’t need gem powers to subdue her, but we will need to neutralize her, because as soon as we go beyond alamaria’s influence, all of us will regain our powers.”
“Neutralize her? How?” Jules asked.
“I plan to use a powerful sedative made from local plants.”
Jules muttered, “If that doesn’t work, I’ll use my knife, and I won’t need its gem powers.”
“Eventually she’ll wake up. Then what do we do?” Lana asked. “We can’t let her go back to Shadow and regain her powers.”
“I’ve been thinking about that, and assuming we’re successful, I have something in mind,” Folio said. “We shouldn’t be over-confident, though. Remember, we won’t have powers. She might come through the portal with breghlin. We should have armed gnomes on hand, just in case.”
“Wouldn’t Sheamathan wonder why we didn’t just use our powers against her?” Lana asked.
“Possibly, but I’d rather reveal we’re powerless than be killed by breghlin. While she’s confused and vulnerable, we’ll attack and sedate her.”
“It may be over before she knows what’s happening,” Jules said.
“Where will we get all the alamaria?” Lana asked. “Greg and Jordy told me the mine is heavily guarded and not easily accessible.”
“I can get us down to the mine undetected,” Folio said, looking pleased with himself. “We’ll liberate a few gnomes to carry alamaria to the portal. Later, when this is all over, we’ll set the others free.”
Lana said, “The gnomes Sheamathan captured from Raenihel’s clan could help us. They’d be honored, and I’d like to get them out of there as soon as possible.”
“I have no objection if we can find them without too much trouble.” Folio stood. “Now, we need to address more mundane matters. Jules, I have shirts and pants that should fit you.” He looked down at his robe. “I seldom wear anything but green robes in Strathweed, but I have plenty of sturdy gnome-made garments. Lana, I assume you came with a change of clothing, but you’d probably like some soap and water, maybe a washbasin. I can show you the underground stream. The current isn’t swift and the water isn’t deep—maybe three feet in the center—but it’s very cold. Or, there’s a natural spring near my cave, but no doubt that’s just as cold.”
She stood, grateful for the chance to wash. Her backpack held a change of clothing, soap and shampoo. Any source of water would do. “An underground stream sounds fascinating. I’ll give it a try.”
“I’ll get a towel and washbasin. If the water proves too cold to submerge yourself, you can resort to the basin. I’ll walk you down, and then I’ll round up clothing for Jules.”
He left to gather supplies and she went to get her backpack. A subterranean river, she thought, shaking her head in amazement. And she was going to bathe there.
With his crystalline gem to light the way, Folio led her through the outer cave and into the passageway. “I have a spare lightgem you can use to find your way back.” His voice echoed in the smaller space. The passageway sloped downward, but it wasn’t steep. “It’s not far. You’ll hear the water in a minute.”
True to his word, as soon as they rounded a bend she heard the distinct sound of splashing water. Only a little farther, and Folio stopped. As he held up his lightgem and moved his arm in a wide arc, Lana stared in wonder at the eerily beautiful, primitive scene. A river flowed through a low-ceilinged cave. It emerged from utter darkness on her left, apparently coming from around a bend, and on her right it disappeared between two boulders and an overhanging ledge. Chunks of rock had broken free from the ceiling and fallen into the streambed, and the river splashed unperturbed around them. Mineral deposits, here as elsewhere, coated the walls. The water looked perfectly clear, and the stream’s relentless journey through the dimly lit cave was almost enough to hypnotize her.
Folio broke in on her thoughts, speaking over the sound of flowing water. “I bathe here daily, so I’m impervious to the cold. I suppose you’ll find it shocking.”
She enjoyed a challenge. The underground river called to her. She would conquer it. “At home they have something called the Polar Bear Plunge,” she told him. “In the winter, a bunch of crazy people in swimsuits run down the beach and plunge into the ocean. It’s usually done as a fundraiser for charity.”
“Extraordinary,” Folio said. “Have you tried it?”
“Once. That was enough!”
He smiled. “Don your polar bear fur and try my river.” He set the supplies on the cave floor and took a lightgem from his pocket. Once it began to glow, he set it on her towel. “Good luck.”
She stared at the river for a few minutes after he was gone, working up her courage. A hot shower was more her speed, but this could be fun. She peeled off her clothing down to her underwear, and then walked to the edge of the river and stuck her toes in.
Yep, cold. Very cold. But not as cold as Polar Bear Plunge. I can do this.
With a shout like a battle cry, she dashed into the stream and dropped to her knees, letting the water flow over her. Cold! Yes, breathtakingly cold but exhilarating! A little exhilaration went a long way, though. In a couple minutes she’d had enough, and waded out to get shampoo and soap. Brief intervals, in and out, would be the way to survive this, she decided. First her hair, then her body. Wash, retreat. Rinse, retreat.
When she stepped out of the water for the last time and toweled herself dry, every cell of her body tingled. She had never felt so alive. The air felt chilly enough to be grateful for dry clothing, though, so she dressed hurriedly and brushed her hair.
I’ll leave the unused basin for our rugged blacksmith. A devious grin spread across her face. Will he be tough enough for Polar Bear Plunge?
When she reached the inner cave, Folio and Jules stood talking. A towel and a pile of clothes sat on a nearby chair. Folio looked up with a twinkle in his eye and said, “Did your polar bear fur keep you warm enough?”
She set down the backpack and replied nonchalantly, “Yes. After you’re in for
a while and get used to it, the water feels cool and refreshing. I really enjoyed it.”
Jules’s expression said he didn’t get the polar bear joke, but he understood she had bathed in the river.
“Oh,” she said, glancing at Jules with a faint smile. “I left the wash basin there.” Her smile widened. “In case the river is too cold for you.”
Jules drew himself up to his full height and said, “A refreshing dip in the river sounds wonderful.” He picked up his clothing and towel and started toward the outer cave. Folio, clearly holding back laughter, gave Lana a knowing smile as he turned to follow Jules. She was sure her answering smile looked a lot like Jordy’s disturbing rat grin.
When Jules returned, Lana and Folio broke off their conversation. Folio took one look at Jules, winked at Lana, and asked in an innocent tone, “How was the water, Jules?”
Shivering visibly, Jules strode across the cave. He wore Folio’s tan trousers and a rust colored shirt. The pants were a bit short and a couple inches too big at the waist, but the shirt fit fine.
“I won’t lie to you. It was cold,” he said. “Bitterly cold!” His teeth chattered as he dumped everything on the chair. He rubbed his hands briskly and gave Lana an odd look. “Are you an amphibian?”
She laughed. How refreshing! He had admitted defeat and acknowledged her superiority. Most men wouldn’t. He could have forced a smile and pretended the water was fine.
“It’s the Grayson family genes,” Folio said, chuckling. “We’re a hearty clan.”
“Apparently so,” Jules muttered.
She had only survived the freezing water by wading in and out and wrapping herself in the towel between plunges. But she couldn’t bring herself to admit that.
“I’m going out to pick some fresh greens. After lunch, we’ll decide if we’re rested enough to walk to the mines.” Folio bustled off, leaving her and Jules to stare at each other in awkward silence.
Why did Jules make her feel shy and awkward? She hoped it didn’t show.
“You should probably hold healing gems or your knife for a while,” she said. “It’s not every day a man comes back from the brink of death.” If she wasn’t mistaken, she wasn’t the only one who felt shy. Hitching up his too-large pants, he glanced at her and then ran a hand through his damp hair. “Yes, good idea.” He smoothed his shirt and tucked it in better, as if concerned how he looked in Elias’s hand-me-downs.
“I’m going to use gems for strength and courage,” she said as she walked away to get her gem pouch. He must find it strange to be a man again, and now, here he was, hanging out with the woman who had always been afraid of him.
She sat down in one of Folio’s comfortable chairs. Jules got his knife and took the chair next to her. Wrapping his fingers around the hilt, he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.
It was hard to concentrate on gems. She stole a few glances at him, reminding herself that here sat the legendary Challenger. Things might not have worked out the way he and Folio had wanted, but the bargain he’d made with Sheamathan had confined her to Shadow for generations. That made him a hero in Lana’s eyes. After a few minutes she asked, “How could you speak in my head when you were a dog? You weren’t holding any gems.”
He opened his eyes and looked over at her. “In Shadow, when you hold gems, your body becomes infused with their powers. Since Elias knew I would need to communicate, he transferred infused telepathic powers to me before I turned into the wolfhound.”
“I thought infused powers wear off.”
“They do. Folio had to renew the infusion, and quite honestly, it never came easily to me—speaking telepathically.”
She had always tried to block his thoughts. “Can you still do it? Now that you’re human?”
“I suppose so.”
“Try.”
He held her eyes, a faint smile on his face. Lana is an amphibian.
She burst out laughing.
“Folio routinely reads our thoughts. I’ve gotten used to it,” he said with a shrug. “My private thoughts aren’t very interesting, so I really don’t care, but I consider it an intrusion.”
“Yes, it’s creepy. A few of my thoughts about him he probably wishes he’d never heard.”
“If so he has only himself to blame. I’d only use telepathy with permission, or in an emergency.”
“You have my permission. What am I thinking?” She stared into his eyes and concentrated.
Jules let out a bark of laughter and exclaimed reproachfully, “You devil!”
“What was I thinking?”
“The river was freezing!”
They both laughed. “You don’t know how much better I feel hearing that,” he confessed, grinning.
“I don’t know what got into me. It was a mean trick, but I couldn’t resist.”
“I’ve recovered from worse wounds than wounded pride,” he said good-naturedly.
“You certainly have.”
He switched the knife to his other hand and fell silent, and she went back to using her gems, but now and then she felt him looking at her.
Folio returned with a basket of greens and smiled broadly when he saw Lana and Jules sitting together.
“We’re infusing gem powers,” Jules announced, as if he needed to explain.
“Good idea. You both need to regain your strength.”
Jules sat forward in his chair. “I feel much better after a good night’s sleep and that bracing plunge in the river. I believe I’m ready to travel today.” He looked at Lana. “It’s time someone besides Lana had an adventure with my knife.”
Chapter 30
Folio knelt on the cave floor and tied a rope around a roll of burlap bags. “These bags are ideal for carrying supplies,” he said. “Fortunately, I seldom throw anything away. The moment I do, I find a use for it.” He attached additional ropes so someone could wear it as a backpack.
Lana studied Folio while he worked. He looked quite different today, dressed in a gray, long-sleeved shirt and pants instead of his green robe—less powerful and mysterious, she thought. He wore moccasin type shoes and a black leather pouch on a sturdy woven cord around his waist.
“I refilled your canteen.” Folio handed Lana the canteen and something wrapped in brown paper. “Dried meat,” he said in answer to her questioning look. “Do you have room in your backpack?”
“Sure, plenty of room.” She packed the food and slipped the backpack over her shoulders.
“I believe we’re ready,” Folio said. “We’ll hike at a slow, comfortable pace. I don’t want either of you worn out before we’re there.”
The men took the lead. Jules wore the Challenger’s blade tucked into his belt and the roll of burlap bags on his back. Lana was content to follow a few paces behind and she studied her surroundings as they walked.
Strathweed looked different by daylight, almost cheerful. This must be one of the areas that had escaped the worst of the blight, or else Folio had used gem powers to heal the land around his home. The low, rolling hills with their rocky outcroppings didn’t look forbidding under a blue, sunny sky. The air held none of the stench of decay she had noticed elsewhere. She could almost forget that Sheamathan had turned most of Shadow into a grim, depressing land full of diseased plants and mutant animals.
Field grasses grew in the rocky soil. One particularly kind dominated the terrain. It stood over two feet high. Sprays of tiny greenish-yellow flowers drooped languidly from its tips. It was quite pretty, she thought with a smile. “Folio, what’s this?”
He looked over his shoulder and she pointed.
“It’s a weed,” he answered, “and very common around here as you can see.”
“Does it have a name?”
“Yes, Strath. Strath Weed.”
She laughed. So that explained it. He lived in a place named after a flowering weed. Maybe he had a softer side after all.
Rocky ground soon gave way to low, rolling hills. The land still looked reasonably healthy here. Widely
spaced trees let in enough sunlight for low, dense plants to grow among the trees.
Farther on they walked through small clearings. The groundcover, which resembled ivy, reminded her of home, and there were lots of shrubs with dark red berries, but the berries might be poisonous, so she resisted the impulse to eat any.
After about a mile, tall, thin saplings rose up amid the gnarled, old trees and prickly undergrowth encroached onto the trail.
At last they came to the long, steep hill she remembered from last night. Today, they’d be walking up it. She wiped beads of perspiration from her forehead and assessed the steep incline with a mental groan. The air had grown uncomfortably hot and humid, but at least there was a breeze.
So far, conversation had been at a minimum, so when Folio spoke in his deep, commanding voice, Lana looked up with a start.
“At the top of the hill we’ll veer off the trail and make a beeline for the alamaria mine which lies behind Shadowglade. The direct route, although more difficult, will save us at least two miles.”
“Sounds like a good trade-off,” Lana said, brushing strands of wind-blown hair from her face as she hurried to catch up with the men.
Jules said, “I used to come to Strathweed by a similar route.”
Folio reached out and drew Jules to a halt. “At the top of the hill we’ll rest and drink some water. Are you all right? How are you feeling?”
“Fine. I think I’m back to normal.”
“I wonder if Sheamathan knows you’re gone yet,” Lana said, hitching up her backpack.
Jules turned to Lana. “If not, she will soon. At the end of the full moon, I always return to her throne room and sit at her feet, looking up at her mocking face, and then mercifully, my canine mind takes over.”
Lana shuddered. “Thank goodness that’s over now. You’re free of her.” How had he kept his sanity through that endless cycle of torment? Few people would subject themselves to that, even to save their world.
As they started up the hill, Jules dropped back to walk with her. “Sheamathan won’t expect me to break the enchantment. When I don’t come back, she’ll probably think I’m lost or injured. It may be a long time before she figures out what really happened.”
