by Kay L. Ling
Susan waved a careless hand. “I know from buying the ring it won’t be too expensive. I’ve told all my friends to come here. I hope you get a lot more customers.”
“You know, last time you were here, you said you’d felt drawn to the bracelet. I figured aventurine had something you needed. That was probably true, but I think it was more than that. You sensed their energy even before you could draw their power. With practice, your abilities should get stronger.”
“Wow. I feel sort of . . . special.” Susan gave a nervous laugh and lowered her voice to a confidential tone. “Is there a downside to this? Other than people will think I’m crazy if I talk about it?”
Not unless you go to a world where gems are more powerful, and they expect you to be their savior. “I’ve seen nothing but benefits,” Lana said.
“Maybe we can get together some time. I’d like to know more about gems.”
“I’d like that. You know where to find me,” Lana said, smiling.
After Susan left, Lana stood rooted to the spot for several minutes, staring absently out the store windows as snowflakes drift lazily to the ground, coating the sidewalk.
How fast, and to what extent, would Susan’s powers develop? Aside from herself, Lana’s only experience was with gnomes, and their powers came fully developed, but their aptitudes varied. Poor Raenihel; his powers were on the low end, which meant he’d never be a powerful gem master. It might be the same for humans; some people might practice for years and never become proficient.
A car horn blasted, followed by screeching tires. Lana looked out the window as a blue SUV slid to a stop, almost hitting the car in front of it. The car pulled into a parking space, and the driver of the SUV laid on his horn in protest before driving away. Winter road conditions could be treacherous in Western New York, and poor driving habits would get you in trouble.
Lana turned her attention back to the gems on the counter and chose the ones for Susan’s earrings. The day was off to a great start. Susan was interested in learning more about gem powers, and Lana was looking forward to teaching her. Emily, Erika, and Karin had been close friends for years, but Lana couldn’t discuss gem powers with them.
Arlene finally showed up at around one-thirty and spent the day in the office flipping through magazines and talking on the phone, but Lana didn’t care. Nothing could dampen her cheerful mood. She kept glancing at the box with the finished earrings, thinking about their owner. How many people went through life with undiscovered powers, and what did it take to activate them? In her own case, she had studied gemstone folklore and tried to access gem powers, but Susan had felt drawn to the bracelet without knowing anything about gem lore. Lana wanted to know more about Susan, but she didn’t want to question her with Arlene around.
Fortunately, Arlene came out of the office at quarter to five, wearing her coat and boots. “You don’t mind closing, do you?” she called to Lana, and without waiting for an answer, headed for the door.
“No problem,” Lana said to Arlene’s retreating back. “See you tomorrow.”
The snow had let up, and the sidewalk plow had come through, making it easier for shoppers to come downtown and part with their money. Snowplows had spread salt on the street in anticipation of more snow this evening.
Many of the stores on Main Street would close in a few minutes. Bundled-up women towing children with heavy coats and colorful hats pulled down over their ears scurried by on the way to their cars. Men, with their coat collars up and their hands in their pockets, leaned into the wind. Car doors banged shut, and headlights raked across the store windows as cars backed out of parking spaces.
It never snowed in Shadow. It would be wonderful spending weekends there—well, it would be, if it ever stopped raining and Elias got rid of the crocodillos. She loved having a double life and commuting between worlds. Sometimes it was tempting to tell family and friends, but they wouldn’t believe her anyway, and the fewer people who knew about Shadow, the better.
Headlights shone directly into the store window, and a moment later “The Aventurine Lady” got out of a late model, silver car and walked to the door.
“I’m back!” Susan stamped snow from her feet before coming to the sales counter.
Lana slid the box toward her. “They turned out really nice. The gems aren’t huge, but they’ll show up with your short hair.” She pushed back her own to show her earrings. “I wear malachite a lot.”
“That’s a nice color green. It matches your eyes.”
“Green is popular with the Irish, and I’m part Irish, part English. English on my Dad’s side. I’m a Grayson.”
“Ah, so this is your family’s store.”
“Yes, and it will be mine soon.”
“Congratulations! That’s exciting.”
Lana smiled. “Thanks. The store has been in the family since the late 1800s.”
“It’s rare to find a family in the same community for generations. Some of my family came here a long time ago and stayed, others moved downstate.”
“You’re a McGregor? Or is that your married name?”
“My married name. When I got divorced I kept it for my daughter’s sake. Clarice. She’s six.”
“Cute name. Sounds French.”
“It is. It’s my grandmother’s name. The Smiths have only been here since the 1960s, but my mother’s French Canadian, and they came in the early 1800s.”
“French Canadian.” Lana’s eyes narrowed. There were a lot of English, Irish, Italian, and German families in the area, but not many French Canadians. “Do you know any of their last names?”
“Sure. Landry, Fontaine, and DeLauretin. I’ve researched on Ancestry.com.”
DeLauretin! Susan and Jules had to be related; the name was too uncommon to be a coincidence. Suddenly Susan’s abilities seemed less surprising.
“My mother was a DeLauretin. Our relatives are scattered across New York and Ohio.”
“You probably want to get home and make dinner,” Lana said, “and I’m keeping you, but I find genealogy fascinating.”
“No problem. My mom babysits Clarice, and she’ll probably have dinner ready when I get home.”
Lana handed Susan a business card along with the earrings. “I’ll ring up the sale, and you can get out of here before it starts snowing again.”
“Thanks for picking out my gems.” She laughed. “And for telling me I’m not imagining things when I touch gems. You made my day.”
And you made mine. “My home and cellphone numbers are on the back of my business card. Give me a call when you feel like getting together.”
“I will!”
Lana shook her head in amazement as Susan walked out the door. She could hardly wait to tell Jules he had relatives in the area.
And at least one of them had gem powers.
Chapter 25
Jules toweled his hair dry. Hang it, he was sick of this rain. The constant gloom was depressing, but he could live with that. They had far bigger problems. Insects were breeding at an alarming rate, the lowlands were turning into swamps, and even the woodlands were muddy. This had to end soon or no one would be able to drive carts to and from the mines, and Shadow’s agricultural land, which was already limited, would be unusable.
If Elias could break the spell tonight, this nightmare would be over and there would be blue skies and sunshine tomorrow. The land would begin to heal.
Jules put on the clothing Elias had given him. Hand-me-downs never fit properly, and while he was no foppish dandy, ill-fitting clothing annoyed him. People tended to judge a man by his appearance and treat him accordingly. But there was no one to impress here, he reminded himself, except perhaps Lana on the weekends, and she wasn’t the faultfinding sort who tried to remake a man. Buttoning his shirt, he frowned at unwanted memories. Sarah had been a stickler about appearances, manners, and proper speech. He’d gotten a sharp glance whenever he’d used slang, a mild curse word, or the wrong fork at dinner.
Jules tucked in
his shirttails with sharp, angry motions and tightened his belt a notch to compensate for the too-large waist. It wore on a man to feel he was never quite good enough for a woman’s family and friends. Lana Grayson was nothing like Sarah. If Lana fussed over him, it was to set him at ease, not to fashion him into her image of the perfect man. He might not be her ideal, but he hoped he came close. There was little he would change about her.
In his day, people would have considered Lana a “strong-minded woman,” an uncomplimentary term, and in his view, narrow-minded and unfair. A woman who spoke her mind, especially someone like Lana who was competent, witty, and smart, didn’t intimidate him. She challenged him in so many ways, and he welcomed that. Only a weak, insecure man would prefer a woman with no thoughts or opinions of her own.
Lana had gone home only two hours ago, and he already missed her.
He sat down, pulled on wonderfully dry socks, and then put on his well-worn shoes. Thank goodness Elias kept him busy managing Shadowglade. Otherwise he’d spend the whole week thinking about Lana and counting the days till the weekend. He chuckled softly. He did that now, no matter how busy Elias kept him. Lana was never far from his mind.
“Are you ready?”
Jules jumped at the voice and turned to see Elias in a dry robe, his hair and beard neatly combed.
“Yes. I feel like a new man in clean, dry clothing. I’m ready for anything.”
“Good.” Elias came over and opened his hand, revealing five large gems. Jules couldn’t identify them. Two were similar except in color—an amber and a brown gem, both transparent with feathery black strands inside, much like rutilated quartz from the Fair Lands. The other three were opaque: bright pink, pale blue, and red with brown striations.
Elias said, “These are the gems we need, and I’ve committed the reversal spell to memory. We’ll stand in the cave entryway and watch the sky, but don’t expect immediate results.”
Jules nodded. “Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Pray.”
“I guess a prayer or two can’t hurt.” Elias still blamed himself for the rain, and Jules knew Elias would be devastated if this spell didn’t work. But it would work. It had to. Jules picked up a lightgem and they started toward the cave entrance. “Will you feel anything? Something to prove the spell is working?”
“I imagine so. Rare gems typically produce strong reactions, and when you use two or more at the same time it amplifies the effect, sometimes to a dangerous degree.” His calm tone suggested he had considered the dangers and accepted the risks, but it had never occurred to Jules that Elias might be endangering himself.
When they reached the doorway, they stood back a few feet, out of the blowing rain. The walls were wet. Shallow puddles had formed on the floor. Jules’s lightgem highlighted the planes of Elias’s face and threw weird shadows on the walls.
Elias said, “You’ve said that when your knife combines gem powers, the hilt become hot, almost too hot to touch. Assuming this spell works, I believe I will experience the same thing as I combine the gems’ powers—intense heat. Other than that, I don’t know what to expect, only I’ll be rather weak when I finish. I’m not as young as I used to be.”
More nervous than he cared to admit, Jules grasped Elias’s shoulder and looked him in the eye. “The spell will work. You’re Gem Master Elias.”
Elias gave him the ghost of a smile. “Now would be a good time for that prayer. I am ready to begin.”
Elias closed his eyes, holding the gems between cupped palms. Before long, his forehead glistened with perspiration and his breathing became labored. His eyelids moved, as if he were having a vivid dream.
Amber-colored light began to glow from between his palms. His whole body began to tremble.
Jules reached out to steady him and then thought better of it. If he distracted Elias, it might disrupt the process.
After a moment, Elias began to whisper, presumably reciting the spell, but Jules couldn’t make out the words. It was agonizing to stand by, doing nothing. If Elias should fail, Shadow would become uninhabitable, and it would be their fault—his and Elias’s—for overthrowing S and opening her spell book.
As Elias continued to chant softly, the light between his hands grew so bright his hands seemed to glow. He swayed, and Jules instinctively reached out, but Elias regained his balance, and then the light began to fade. His body stopped shaking. He fell silent and began to take deep, even breaths, as if fast asleep. Whatever Elias was experiencing, he seemed more at peace now.
Jules turned his attention to the weather. Gusts of wind swept past the cave, and he could hear the steady patter of rain. Elias had warned him that they wouldn’t see results right away, but even so, he found himself looking for a sign of success.
“It is done,” said Elias wearily, startling Jules. “I had a vision of clear skies and sunshine, which is surely a positive sign.” He slipped the gems into his robe pockets.
Jules hoped Elias was right and the vision was proof that the rain would end. “It will be good to see the sun again, won’t it?” He took the old man’s arm, and they started back to the inner cave. “My knife combines gem powers for me, so I don’t need to learn that skill. Is it difficult?”
“No, it has become second nature. If you wish to try it, picture gem energy as individual strands of colored light, and imagine blending the strands to create a new color. It’s merely a representation, but visualization helps.”
“Once you combine the powers and make new ones, how do you know what they are?”
“A skilled Gem Master will know through foresight. I’m envious of your knife. It creates a telepathic link to know what powers you need, and then automatically combines gem powers. Does it relay information to you afterward?”
“No. It just surprises me with new abilities. If you envy my knife, why didn’t you ever make a similar one with Shadow gems?”
“I don’t have your knifemaking skills, and a knife made by a gnome smith would never turn out like yours.”
“Why not?”
“A knife with capabilities like yours must be made by a knifemaker with gem powers.”
Jules had always assumed that the knife’s gems had been solely responsible for its powers. He hadn’t realized his gem powers had played a part.
Elias’s steps faltered and Jules tightened his hold on the old man’s arm. “No doubt you’ve only scratched the surface of what your knife can do,” Elias said. “In time, you’ll discover even greater powers.”
“I need to practice more.”
“When you experiment, record your results. I’ll give you a log book.”
“Good idea. I’ll do that.”
When they reached the living area, Jules guided Elias to a chair, and then sat down, propping his feet on a footstool. “Someday I’ll make you a knife like mine. We probably have the necessary tools and equipment at Shadowglade.”
Elias folded his hands in his lap. “Thank you. You really are like a son to me. I don’t deserve you.”
“Consider it payment for driving you mad with all my questions about gem powers. You’re a patient teacher.”
“One of these days you’ll be teaching me.”
“Our discussions give me new ideas. Like your comments about my knife and gem combining. If I don’t have a gem with me, but I’ve infused it, can my knife draw on my infused powers?”
“Certainly. I routinely combine physical gems with infused powers.” Elias held up his arm. His sleeve slid back, revealing a group of gem-studded bracelets. “Most of my common gems are here, in my bracelets, rings, and pendants. I don’t want to harm rare gems, so I seldom wear them; I simply infuse their powers. And it’s possible to combine multiple infused powers as well.”
“It sounds like I have several things to try. I’ll record my results.”
Elias gestured toward the bookcases. “I have enough empty notebooks and ledgers to last a lifetime. Take whatever you need.”
“I’ll share m
y results with Lana. I wish she could have been here tonight.”
“Speaking of Lana . . . you should make a knife for her. I know she feels at loose ends without yours.”
“Yes, I really should. All she has is her pouch of gems and a few infused powers. Even so, she managed to drive the crocodillos away, but she’d be better off with a knife like mine.”
“Yes, and once she works with Shadow gems and infuses their powers, she’ll have a broader range of abilities, but we’ve had little time for lessons.”
“The gnomes need training, too.”
“Sometimes I feel overwhelmed, but we’re making headway. If the rain stops, we’ll have fewer problems and more time for gem studies.” Elias rubbed his palms on his robe. “I could use a little fialazza. How about you?”
“I’ll get it,” Jules said, rising. He came back with two goblets. “Shall we drink to the end of the rain?”
“Yes. To blue skies and sunshine,” Elias said lifting his drink. They clinked goblets and drank.
“To Lana,” Jules said, lifting his goblet again. “If she hadn’t operated on S’s spell book, we’d still be sitting at Shadowglade, cursing the rain.”
Chapter 26
Jules and Elias returned to the cave entryway three times that evening. The first time, they saw no change. The second time, the rain had turned into a light drizzle. The third time, the air smelled cool and fresh, and the rain had stopped.
Now, as Jules spread animal skin rugs on the floor, getting ready to turn in for the night, he prayed the rain wouldn’t return. Elias was optimistic, but was taking a wait-and-see attitude. If the rain resumed, they wouldn’t know until morning since it was impossible to hear even the fiercest storm from inside the cave.
Several times during the night, Jules woke and considered looking outside, but he didn’t want to risk waking Elias who needed his sleep to recover. Besides, he’d be too depressed to go back to sleep if he discovered it was raining.
Finally, he woke and felt rested. It was too dark to see the clock by Elias’s bed without using a lightgem, so he lay awake, waiting for the clock to strike the hour.
