Beyond the Forest

by Kay L. Ling

  “Let me through,” Jules commanded brusquely. The gnomes parted and he strode toward her. His expression was unreadable. He might be angry, annoyed, or relieved; she wasn’t sure. Struggling to sit, she held out the canteen and said weakly, “I got us water.”

  Jules made a sound—something between a moan and a sob. He reached into the carrier and lifted her out as if she were no heavier than a sack of alamaria.

  “We need to move. Now,” Folio said in a low voice as he picked up Lana’s backpack. “Let’s go back to the grove of dead trees.” The gnomes grabbed the sacks of alamaria and hoisted them over their shoulders. Folio led the way. Lana expected Jules to set her down and help her walk, but he hurried after Folio and the gnomes, cradling her to his chest.

  “I can walk,” she protested, embarrassed.

  “And you will, later, after you rest.” His tone clearly said ‘don’t argue with me,’ but she found herself arguing, anyway.

  “We may not have time to rest.”

  He dropped his voice so only she could hear. “Good, then I’ll carry you.”

  She looked up into his face. A merry twinkle danced in his blue eyes.

  “Invisibility is draining,” she said, abandoning any idea of protest. “After the third trip, I was a wreck. Walking to the well was one trip too many, but at least we have water now.”

  “I don’t think I can drink it.”

  “Why?”

  “It almost cost your life. I saw what happened.”

  “But I escaped.”

  For a moment he was silent, and then he let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head. “You’re either the luckiest or the most resourceful person I know.”

  She laughed. Tension drained from her body.

  He laughed too and said in a lighter tone, “Later, when you’re rested, you can tell us about it.”

  They had reached the grove of dead trees. Jules carried her to the tree where Folio stood and set her gently on the ground. She felt a bit unsteady on her feet after her ordeal, but she supposed there could be another reason for feeling weak kneed. She could feel Jules’s eyes on her.

  “I’m glad I didn’t bring a thirteenth sack,” Folio said, giving her a sly wink. “I expect you’re a more pleasant burden than a sack of alamaria.”

  She felt herself blush. Folio loved to tease her. “I can walk. I’ll be fine. I just need to get my strength back. Let me use my gems or the knife for a few minutes.” She sat on the ground, pulled the knife from its sheath, and wrapped her fingers around the hilt.

  “We can’t stay long,” Folio said, “but we’ll take frequent breaks. The gnomes are each carrying heavy loads, so they’ll need to rest, too.”

  She closed her eyes. For the next fifteen minutes she would concentrate on strength and healing, and maybe she’d recover enough that she wouldn’t be a burden to the group.

  The time went too quickly. Before long, Folio’s voice broke her focus. “We should go,” he said gently.

  Jules held out his hand and helped her up. “Now that I don’t have the burlap bags, I can wear your backpack.”

  “All right.”

  “How do you feel?” He studied her face, looking concerned.

  “Better.”

  “Well enough to walk?”

  She nodded, feeling herself blush. “Yes.”

  “You’re very sure?” he said, with a playful look in his eyes.

  She couldn’t mistake his meaning. She looked away, hoping she didn’t start stuttering and said, “As long as we take frequent breaks, I’ll be fine.”

  He gave a wistful sigh. “If you change your mind—”

  The group set out with Folio in the lead. Jules walked beside her at the end of the procession. She wasn’t always shy around men, so it must be the whole wolfhound thing. As a dog, he’d been terrifying. But as a man, he was surprisingly hot.

  She drew strength from the knife as she walked. The night air had cooled. There was no hint of a breeze now. The cooler temperature made their hike easier and she was glad the wind had died down. They’d be crossing the plains of red dirt again, and she had eaten way too much dirt the first time.

  “If you’re up to it, I’m ready for your story now,” Jules said.

  “Was Folio worried about me?” she asked before she launched into the tale.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Did he know what was happening? Could he read my mind?”

  Jules shook his head. “No. From that distance, he couldn’t read your thoughts, just your emotions, which he said ranged from terrified to elated.” He paused and gave her an appraising look. “So what happened? We saw you at the well. Two breghlin came out of the building, and it looked like they marched you away at knifepoint. How did you get away?”

  “They didn’t march me away exactly. They asked me in for a beer.”

  “What?”

  She glanced at his astonished face and tried not to laugh. “I knew them. They were my guards in the dungeon. Remember I told you I tried to get on my guards’ good side?”

  He nodded, “Yes, I remember but—”

  “When they saw it was me, they dropped their weapons and asked me not to hurt them. They have a healthy fear of my gem powers, and your knife.” She paused, reflecting on the encounter. “But it wasn’t just that they’re afraid of me. Being nice to them made a greater impact than I realized.” She would never forget Ferdinand’s pain-filled outburst as he smashed his tankard on the table: You! Gived! Us! Names! “No one has ever been nice to them,” she said sadly. “They’re just tools. Sheamathan uses and discards them. They’ve lived their whole lives without a kind word.”

  “But they’re just witless savages,” Jules said, clearly perplexed by her passion.

  “What do you expect, with the way they’ve been treated?” she asked indignantly. “Sheamathan encourages their savagery. She thrives on evil and destruction.” She gave a frustrated sigh and added, “Don’t forget, long ago the breghlin were gnomes.”

  Jules didn’t answer. He looked at her thoughtfully and rubbed his chin. “I see your point, but I question their ability to change. Or their desire to.”

  “Maybe they like being savages. Most of them probably do. But from what I’ve seen, some of them show promise.”

  “If we’re lucky enough to defeat Sheamathan, they’ll lose more than a leader. They’ll lose their purpose in life. They may be worse off than now.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t think so. There’s no reason they can’t grow crops, develop skills, and become self-sustaining. We’ll see.”

  “I admire your optimism.” He gave a short laugh. “I just realized. You never explained. How did you get away from them?”

  “They got so drunk I just said goodbye and walked away. I doubt they’ll remember any of this tomorrow.”

  “Lucky or resourceful,” Jules said, looking at her intently as if trying to decide. “Both, I think.” He shook his head. “In any case, I’ve never met anyone like you.”

  Chapter 32

  As they walked to the portal, Folio told the gnomes more about his past. Lana noticed he didn’t gloss over his shortcomings. With that out of the way, and seeing that the gnomes still supported him, he launched into a discussion about their mission. Naturally, he couldn’t disclose the details, but he made it clear that he, Jules, and Lana hoped to overthrow the woodspirit and strip her of her powers.

  After that Jules told the gnomes about his bargain with Sheamathan. He admitted he’d been the wolfhound. As expected, that was a disturbing revelation. The legendary Challenger had never been as all-powerful as the gnomes had thought. Worse, Jules’s ally was the now-repentant but much-despised Folio. The gnomes bore up under these disturbing revelations remarkably well and only asked a few questions. For the most part, they kept their thoughts to themselves.

  The gnomes had stories to share, too, and Lana was happy to learn that one of the gnomes she’d rescued today was from Raenihel’s clan. Dardeneth, a middle-aged g
nome, had spent more than two years in the mining camp, and he’d had his share of run-ins with the guards. When Lana asked him about Gliaphon, Dardeneth said he was there, unharmed but miserable and depressed.

  To her surprise, Gliaphon had told the miners about her. He said a woman named Lana with gem powers had gotten involved with his clan. When Theaffar arrived in camp, claiming a woman named Lana had healed him in the dungeon, the miners assumed it was the same Lana. But if Lana had gem powers, why was she in the dungeon? Couldn’t she save herself? And if she couldn’t, how could she help them? Today, when Lana arrived, claiming to be the Challenger’s ally, they thought the Challenger had freed her. Jules set them straight.

  The group arrived at the Shadow side of the portal at about four in the morning. The gnomes dropped their heavy sacks on the ground and gathered around Folio.

  “I know you’d like to rest, but you only have a little further to go,” Folio told them. “Carry your sacks through the portal, leave them on the ground, and then you’re free to go. When you get home, tell everyone the Challenger rescued you.”

  “And you’ll free the others, like you promised?” one of the gnomes asked.

  Folio met their eyes unflinchingly. “You have my word. We will rescue the other miners soon. I must caution you—not a word to anyone about bringing alamaria here.”

  The miners looked at one another and nodded.

  “It was an honor to help you,” one of the gnomes said, standing a little taller.

  Folio gestured toward the portal. “Shall we go through now?” He took Lana’s hand and they stepped through the portal. Jules and the gnomes followed. The gnomes set their sacks on the ground, and after a few parting words they retreated through the portal.

  Folio looked at the sacks full of alamaria and gave a weary sigh. “This is a great accomplishment, but it’s just the beginning.”

  “Unless you’re planning to conjure up shovels, I need to go home and raid my landlady’s garden shed,” Lana said.

  “Actually, that would be a great help. Get some sleep first. I’ll place a ward around the alamaria until you come back.”

  “I hate to leave you here. I’m sorry I can’t take you home where it’s more comfortable.”

  “I can’t leave the Amulet,” he said, “but I’ll sleep well enough here. Perhaps you can take Jules with you. I’m sure he’d like to meet your, er, roommates,” he added with a chuckle.

  She hadn’t thought about Greg and Jordy for hours. Her heart leapt at the thought of telling them that Folio could break their enchantment. “If I bring Greg and Jordy back with me, will you turn them back into boys?”

  “Certainly,” Folio said. His face brightened. “Then we’ll have two more workers to bury alamaria!”

  She laughed. The boys would be more than happy to help.

  “You can sleep on my couch,” she said to Jules. “Greg and Jordy are probably sleeping there now, but the minute I walk in they’ll be wide awake and talking their whiskers off.”

  Jules smiled. “If it’s no trouble, I’d be happy to go.”

  “When you come back,” Folio said to Lana with a beseeching look, “bring me a cup of coffee.”

  * * *

  Greg and Jordy must have heard footsteps. They were waiting eagerly by the door. “Lana!” They cried in unison. Both showed their teeth in happy rat smiles, and then looked warily at Jules.

  “Guys, this is Jules, the Challenger. Jules, the gray fellow is Greg, and the brown one is Jordy.”

  “Nice to meetcha,” Jordy said.

  “Yeah. Lana read us a couple of your letters,” Greg said.

  “I’ve heard quite a bit about you,” Jules told them with a grin. “And I’m happy to meet you.”

  “Won’t you come in,” Jordy said with an expansive wave of his paw, as if he owned the place. “It shouldn’t stink much,” he added. He looked at Lana. “I mean, you weren’t here to change the litter, so sometimes we used your toilet.”

  “Thanks for the warning,” she said. “By the way, I won’t be buying you any more rat chow.”

  “Why not?” Greg asked.

  “You’re going to be eating burgers and pizza!”

  Their eyes widened. “We’re gonna be boys again!” Jordy cried ecstatically.

  “Yes!” Lana said, laughing. Their joy surged through her heart. They would be normal teenage boys again. She had no idea how they would explain their absence to their parents, but it didn’t matter. They would be home at last, and she was sure it would be an emotional reunion.

  “You’re gonna change us back?” Greg asked Jules. Jules shook his head.

  “Jules can’t do it, but Folio can. He helped me break Jules’s enchantment. He’s done a lot of good things lately. He’s waiting for us at the park.”

  Jordy said, “I’m glad to hear he’s a better person than you thought.”

  “Me too. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we need to get a few hours’ sleep. Then we’ll go to the park.”

  “Lana promised me your couch,” Jules said to the rats. “I hope you’ll forgive me.”

  “No problem,” Jordy said, giving Jules his disturbing rat grin. “We never peed on the cushions or anything, so you don’t need to worry about that.”

  “Ah, um, good,” Jules stammered.

  “I’ll bring you some bedding,” Lana said, trying to keep a straight face. When she returned, the rats were on the overstuffed armchair, watching Jules. Could Jules sleep with giant rats staring at him? “I can lend you opalite jasper to help you sleep,” she offered.

  “Thanks, but I doubt I’ll need it.”

  Probably not. He had to be exhausted. In addition to wearing her backpack, he’d carried alamaria for a while when one of the gnomes needed a break. “I’ll wake you in a few hours,” she told him.

  By the time she crawled into bed it was five forty-five. She set the alarm for eleven so they could get back to the park by noon. Reaching into the nightstand drawer, she took out her opalite jasper. Good thing Jules hadn’t wanted it. She slipped it under her pillow. The wolfhound was here, sleeping on her couch. That was enough to keep her awake.

  * * *

  When the alarm went off at eleven, Lana woke feeling headachy. Late morning sun shone through her windows. She turned off the alarm and reached under her pillow for the opalite jasper. “Good job,” she said. “I was out the minute my head touched the pillow.”

  Shower. Clothes. Coffee.

  The steaming shower got rid of her headache, and she stepped out feeling refreshed and energized. After hurriedly brushing her hair, she put on clean jeans and a royal blue, V-neck sweater and headed for the kitchen. Jules was still fast asleep on the couch. The rats were watching a Tom and Jerry cartoon with the sound off. They looked up at her and showed their teeth, clearly pleased with themselves for watching TV without making noise.

  Jules looked so peaceful she hated to wake him. For a moment she stood staring. Maybe he sensed someone looking at him because he stirred, opened his eyes a sliver, and then wider when he saw her. “How long have you been standing there?” he asked sleepily. “I hope I wasn’t snoring or drooling on myself.”

  She laughed and shook her head. “Only a few seconds. I hated to wake you.” She glanced at the rats. “It’s OK to turn up the sound now.”

  When the sound came on, Jules sat up, looking amazed as Tom and Jerry cavorted across the screen.

  “A lot of things will be new to you,” she said, realizing he had never watched TV. Until last night, he hadn’t ridden in a car. So many things would be new to him. No doubt the modern world would seem like a wonderful but frightening place.

  While he showered she made scrambled eggs, toast, and a full pot of coffee. She hadn’t forgotten Folio. He wanted some, too. Jules came into the kitchen, clean-shaven, with damp, towel-dried hair. He looked disturbingly handsome despite wearing yesterday’s clothes.

  “The boys always eat with me,” she told him, making no apologies as she poured two bowls
of rat chow. “Chows on!” Greg and Jordy scampered to the table and hopped into their usual chairs. She carried plates of eggs and toast to the table and Jules followed with coffee.

  “I’ll drive you home to your parents after Folio changes you back,” she told the boys while they ate. “What will you tell them? How will you explain where you’ve been all this time?”

  Greg thought a moment. “I guess we’ll say we ran away from home.”

  “Yeah. We took a bus to a big city,” Jordy agreed.

  “Maybe New York,” Greg suggested.

  Jordy said, “Right! New York would be good. You can hide in a big city. Nobody finds you there.”

  “And we ate out of dumpsters and lived in a big, abandoned building,” Greg went on, warming to the tale.

  Jordy laughed. “Yeah, a building with big rats.”

  “You have to admit, there’s a kernel of truth to the story,” Jules said.

  Lana smiled. True. The boys had made their home in a big building far from home and had eaten leftover scraps of food. And there had been rats. Big ones indeed.

  * * *

  When Lana was ready to leave, the rats climbed into their pet carriers. It was time for the rats to become boys. Lillian wasn’t around, so Lana borrowed the shovels and left a note on the garden shed door.

  When they reached the park a little after noon it was deserted. With a travel mug of coffee for Folio in one hand, and the carrier with Greg in the other, Lana started walking. Greg weighed a ton. Jules carried Jordy since Jordy was even heavier. She wished she could open the carriers and let the rats run, but she didn’t dare.

  “Man, you’ve been eating too much chow,” she grumbled, struggling uphill with Greg.

  “Just wait till I’m full of burgers and fries,” he retorted.

  “I won’t be carrying you, then. When Folio turns you back into boys, you can get the carriers and shovels from the trunk. I’m already tired.”

  They found Folio sitting, arms crossed, with his back against a tree, resting comfortably.

  “Hi! I have coffee!” Lana called.

  His eyes snapped open. He looked up with an eager smile. “Bless you for remembering!”