by Kay L. Ling
“So,” Lana said, her mind returning to the hole. “Someone created a ward to hide this hole from—” she paused, trying to think of a tactful way to say evil beings, without lumping Elias into that category. “Well, whoever hid the hole had to be bigger than the rat-boys, so there must be another way into the hidden room.”
“Why is there a hole at all, unless it’s an emergency air vent, or a way to call for help if you’re trapped inside,” Jules said.
Both were distinct possibilities, but right now, she just wanted to find the room. “There has to be a door somewhere, and it’s probably warded, too. Let’s check the rooms on either side.”
They headed for the first room.
“It’s empty.” His voice echoed off the bare walls. “But if there is a ward, my knife should find it.” He started down the wall that faced the secret room, making slow, sweeping arcs with his knife. Lana followed with Elias’s lightgem, her heart beating faster in nervous anticipation, but nothing happened. When they returned to the door, Jules sighed and said, “Nothing here.” His knife continued to glow, as it always did when Elias was around.
“Let’s try the room on the other side,” she said, anxious to move on.
In the second room, along the wall that faced the hidden room stood two empty floor-to-ceiling bookcases. The huge gothic-style wardrobe between them reminded Lana of the chairs in Elias’s office. Bedrolls and baskets of personal items littered the floor. “Looks like a dorm room,” she observed with a grin.
“It may be, Elias replied. “I told the female breghlin staff they could have any room that was large enough, and this must be it.” He gave a short laugh. “You couldn’t pay a group of gnomes to sleep near the throne room, but breghlin don’t mind.”
“Let’s close the door,” Jules said to Lana in a low voice. “We don’t want anyone walking in.”
She closed the door and shut the iron bolt. Jules started testing the stretch of empty wall by the door. He passed the first bookcase and came to the wardrobe.
The blade dimmed.
Lana’s breath caught in her throat. “Now that’s interesting.”
Jules turned to look at Elias who was standing by the door. “I’m embarrassed to ask this, but—”
“Would I please step outside,” Elias finished for him. When Jules nodded, Elias sighed, unbolted the door and left.
“That was awkward,” Lana whispered. “You wanted him to leave because he’s tainted with dark powers and throwing off the test?”
“Yes, and I’m sorry if I offended him.” He opened the wardrobe doors. There were no clothing hooks or hanger bars in the closet-sized wardrobe. As he stepped inside, his blade dimmed further, and when he touched the back panel, it went dark.”
Lana felt a shiver of excitement. “Is that the reverse of glowing in the presence of evil?”
He turned and said softly, “I’ve never seen it do that, and if Elias hadn’t been in the room at first, the blade would have immediately gone dark, so in a sense, he helped us find the ward.”
“I’m sure he’d feel better hearing that,” she whispered.
Jules began running his hands over the back of the wardrobe. “Got it,” he said after a moment, his voice slightly muffled. She heard a couple thumps, and then he backed out, holding a long piece of molding, and propped it against the open door. “Behind the molding there’s a fingerhold for opening the hidden door.”
Lana all but knocked him over to get a look. There is was. An oval shaped cutout. She reached for it.
“Wait!” Jules hissed.
“What’s wrong?”
“There’s a molding over the hinges.”
Reluctantly, she backed out.
“Elias must be getting anxious. I’ll take off the molding while you let him in.”
“Okay, but don’t go in till I get back,” she said, feeling like a ten-year-old.
“I won’t.” He held up a hand to swear to it.
She power-walked across the room, opened the door, and practically dragged Elias inside. “Come on. We found a door in the wardrobe, but you read minds, so you already know that.”
Elias harrumphed at that and followed her.
Jules, arms crossed, stood waiting for them. The second piece of molding stood against the wardrobe door.
“May I do the honors?” She asked. This was almost as exciting as the day she had found Elias’s hidden safe in the jewelry store.
“Sure.”
She handed Jules the lightgem.
“On with it! On with it!” Elias demanded impatiently. “Bad enough you left me out in the passageway all this time. Open the door and see if there’s anything inside!”
Trembling with anticipation, she climbed inside the wardrobe, put her fingers in the cutout, and pulled. The door creaked open toward her. But what she found behind it wasn’t a room. “Whoa. Amazing,” she gasped, stepping back to get a better look.
Now Jules could see past her. “It’s beautiful,” he said reverently. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“It’s just a stone wall!” Elias snapped. “What’s so amazing about that?”
Chapter 15
Lana and Jules turned. It would be tempting to laugh at Elias’s expression, but Lana sympathized with his frustration. Jules, however, couldn’t resist having some fun at his expense.
“Just a stone wall,” Jules repeated. “How many stone walls have you seen made of gemstones?”
Elias’s scowl melted away. His mouth worked loosely and he took a couple steps forward. “Made of gemstones? Tell me exactly what you see.”
“It’s a mosaic,” Lana said, unable to contain her excitement. “In the center, there is a protruding blue-gray, semi-transparent gem surrounded by a band of black gems, then a band of orange. The center gem is probably chalcedony, judging by its waxy luster. The orange could be carnelian, wouldn’t you say, Jules?”
Jules came closer, shining his lightgem on the design. “Yes. I think so. Which is interesting, since carnelian is a type of chalcedony.”
“And the black band looks like onyx,” Lana said, “which is also a type of chalcedony, so I think we’re seeing a pattern here in more ways than one.” She traced the circular pattern with her finger to show Elias the size and placement of the bands, and then pointed out the center gemstone. “The background between this and the next design is made of highly-polished, dark gray stones.”
“The chalcedony could be from either world, but the gray slabs are probably from here,” Jules said. “I wish you could see this, Elias.”
Elias sighed. “As do I.”
“Then, on either side of the circular pattern are identical standing gnomes made of thousands of gems. They’re holding in one outstretched hand a staff with a gem in the knob. In their other hand, they’re holding a shield with a coat of arms.”
She couldn’t imagine how long it had taken to make such an intricate design. The gnomes’ skin was flesh-tone and slightly iridescent. Brown gems formed their hair and beards. Their tunics and pants were made of dark green gems that had silvery veins of gray. There were bands of amber-colored gems around the neck and cuffs of the tunics and around the hems of the pants.
“The staff probably signifies power and authority,” Jules said. “It could even indicate gem powers since there’s an inlaid gem in the knob. The shield with the coat of arms signifies the clan.”
“Amazing,” Elias said. “Pity I can’t see it, but if you deactivate the ward, I should be able to. My guess is that you access the secret room by touching the protruding gem and drawing its power.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Lana said.
Jules motioned her forward. “Go ahead. Try it.”
Jittery with anticipation, she pressed her palm against the blue gem and drew its energy. Instantly, she heard a grating noise, and the center section of the mosaic swung inward, creating a narrow opening less than two feet wide.
She didn’t hesitate. “Gnome size,” she gr
unted, squeezing through sideways. “Hand me a lightgem.”
Behind her Elias cried, “I can see the mosaic now! The workmanship is astonishing! I’ll go lock the door while we’re exploring.”
“Light!” Lana cried impatiently. “Hurry up!”
As the lightgem threw a soft light into the narrow room, she heard Jules gasp.
“The room isn’t empty after all!” she cried in delight.
As they scanned the wall, Jules wrapped his arm around her waist and said, “This is an unforgettable moment, and I’m glad I’m sharing it with you.”
Elias wedged through the door. The lightgem in his outstretched hand illuminated his astonished face. “Amazing! They look just like the ones in the mosaic.” His eyes passed over the row of staffs mounted on the wall, and then he turned and looked behind him. “And shields, each with its own coat of arms.”
“I wonder which one belongs to Raenihel’s clan,” Lana said.
“We may never know,” answered Elias, his voice thick with emotion. “Knowing S, she destroyed the books that held that information.”
“She’d better not have,” Lana said indignantly. She walked hand-in-hand with Jules along the row of mounted shields. “We have to bring Raenihel here—and the other clan leaders too. They have to see this.”
She counted the staffs and shields—sixteen of each.
Elias approached the staffs. “I would like to hold one, but if the knob has a dual-world gem, it will burn me.”
They came up behind him and Jules said with a trace of amusement, “That would be a valuable test.”
Elias turned. “You want me to confirm your theory by burning myself?”
“It’s for a good cause.”
“Very well! I suppose it is. I’ll be your guinea pig. Heaven knows, I’ve done worse to the gnomes in the name of science.”
Jules took one of the staffs from its mounting bracket and examined it briefly. “The wood looks like ebony, and it’s very dense. Feel how heavy it is.” He held out the staff to Elias.
Elias hesitated, then reached out and touched the wood. “Ow!” He jerked his hand away. “Unlike the floor in S’s cage, this wood conducts energy, so you already have your answer, but I’ll touch the knob as well.” Wincing in anticipation, he touched the knob with its inlaid gem, and hissed in pain. “Much worse, just as I thought,” he growled, waving his hand, as if that would relieve the burning sensation.
In a good mood, and feeling sorry for Elias, Lana threw her arms around him. “Thank you.” When she pulled away, his expression was shocked but pleased. She wouldn’t have hugged him a few weeks ago, and they both knew it.
Taking the staff in her right hand, she struck the same pose as the gnome in the mosaic. “I can feel the staff’s energy,” she said. She drew on her infused gem powers, hoping to gain insights, and a mental image began to form. “I’m getting more than just energy!” she said excitedly. But the image wasn’t clear, and the scene quickly faded.
“More than energy? What do you mean?” Elias asked.
“A mental image. Maybe if I hold lapis and sapphires while drawing infused powers, the image will last longer.”
It worked as she hoped; this time the scene was clearer and more detailed.
“Did it work?” Jules asked after a moment.
“Yes. Try it while holding your knife.”
Jules gripped the staff’s knob and closed his eyes. Soon, his eyelids began to move in response to whatever he was seeing, and his hand began to tremble. He opened his eyes and let out a long breath.
“What did you see?” Elias asked.
Jules looked shaken. “These aren’t just historic staffs.” He looked at Lana, his eyes searching her face for confirmation. “I believe we’ve just found the activator gems.”
She had gotten the same impression. “Tell me what you saw.”
“A group of young gnomes, male and female, dressed in white robes. Each took the staff from an elderly gnome, held it a moment, and then handed it back. The elderly gnome looked pleased with some of the participants. When they walked away, a few looked proud but the rest looked discouraged.”
“I saw an elderly gnome, too,” Lana said. “He wore a white robe trimmed in gold, and he was sitting in an ornate chair. He extended his staff to two young males, and when the first one touched it, light radiated from the head of the staff, but when the second one touched it, nothing happened.”
“Fascinating,” Elias said. “No doubt the light is symbolic, but the point is clear. In both visions, the staff confirms the presence of gem powers.”
“Not just confirms—activates them, if I’m not mistaken,” Jules said. “I experienced the gnomes’ emotions. I felt their uncertainty. They didn’t know the outcome until they touched the staff.”
“That’s a critical distinction, and I hope you’re right,” Elias said. “If the staff activates latent gem powers, then what you witnessed was an important event in the gnomes’ lives.”
“I think it’s a coming-of-age rite,” Lana said. She had considered that possibility during her own vision, but she was even more certain now that Jules had seen a group of young gnomes.
Jules said, “Yes, that’s quite possible. The gnomes were young, but old enough to study gem powers and use them properly.”
Lana rubbed her forehead. “I just had a mind-bending thought.”
“Let’s hear it,” Elias said.
“Well, we think the activator stone is chalcedony, right? And we know that chalcedony, burns anyone who’s evil.” She paused. “Do you see the significance?” She didn’t wait for an answer. “If you’re evil, the activator gem would burn you instead of activating your powers. It would keep the wrong gnomes from having gem powers.”
“That seems reasonable,” Jules agreed.
Elias stroked his beard, looking uncomfortable. “In that scenario, only worthy gnomes would receive gem powers, but there’s nothing to say they wouldn’t embrace dark powers later in life and turn to evil.”
Lana’s face fell. “You’re right. I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Your idea still makes sense,” Jules told her. “A gnome’s personality and values would be established by that age. Some gnomes might be able to fool the elder, but the activator gem reads the heart.”
“The gnomes we’ve met have been honest and trustworthy,” Lana said, “but I suppose there must be a few who aren’t.”
Elias cleared his throat. “I had a mind-bending thought, too. If it’s true that gnomes’ powers remain latent until activated, Sheamathan wouldn’t want the gnomes to have the staffs.”
“Right,” Jules cut in. “She’d confiscate them, just as she did with books and historical records.”
“I guess she did,” Lana said. “That’s why they’re hidden away.”
“But she couldn’t have,” Elias countered. “She and her followers would be burned if they touched the staffs, just as I was. Besides, the ward was designed to protect the staffs and shields from anyone with dark powers.”
Yes of course. Now Lana was more confused than before.
Jules said slowly, “So, either the gnomes or someone in league with them created the ward.”
“But why would they hide anything in Sheamathan’s castle?” Lana asked.
“Exactly,” Jules replied as if she had just proven his point.
She had no idea what he was getting at. “I don’t understand.”
He took a deep breath. “What if this castle wasn’t always Sheamathan’s?”
His question hung in the air. Lana glanced at Elias who looked visibly shaken. He took a couple steps toward the row of staffs and looked up at them.
“It would explain everything,” Jules said quietly. “When these were hidden, I think Shadowglade belonged to the gnomes.”
Chapter 16
Lana returned to Elias’s office. Elias and Jules would be along in a few minutes after stopping at the infirmary to visit the injured breghlin. She had been too emb
arrassed to go. Breghlin had come to blows over The Ministry of Breghlin Affairs, her pet project, an institution meant to help them. She pushed the matter from her mind, refusing to let it overshadow her excitement at finding the staffs and shields.
She poured herself a cup of coffee and took a sip, barely noticing it had gone cold. If Jules’s theory was right, Sheamathan had seized Shadowglade from the gnomes and appointed herself Queen of Shadow. That was troubling on many levels. Back then, some gnomes had gem powers, but that hadn’t saved them. S was clearly far more powerful, and of course, S had no reservations about using dark gem powers. That was the key, she realized bitterly. Dark gem powers had given S an unfair advantage. Not only could the woodspirit paralyze the gnomes and put them into a mindless stupor, she had other ways to fight them, all involving dark powers. And the gnomes couldn’t fight back the same way. If they did, they’d turn into breghlin. What a terrible choice: fight fire with fire and become breghlin, or refuse and become slaves.
It was too depressing to think about. Setting down her mug, she went to look at Elias’s wooden storage cabinet. Books, mostly about mineralogy and crystallography, stood on top between bluish-green geodes that served as bookends. In front, two sets of double doors opened for interior storage space. Hoping Elias wouldn’t mind, she knelt and pulled open the first set of doors.
Two deep shelves held an assortment of jeweler’s tools—loupes, files, hammers, pliers, cutters, chisels, an engraver’s block, a manual gem drill, and other items she couldn’t see without moving things around. There was a large open space for tall items like his microscope. Some of the stuff in here belonged in a museum, she thought, shaking her head at the relics. There was an optical analyzer, an early polariscope, and a spectroscope. She didn’t find a refractometer, but maybe he hadn’t been able to afford one since it would have been a recent invention when he came to Shadow.
Behind the second set of doors she found bins and trays of small carat weight loose gems, all labeled with Elias’s familiar handwriting. Gems often looked alike, and it was essential to label them.
