TR: 18

Chapter Eighteen: The Eye At The End Of The World

Tobay was thumbing through a massive catalogue at one of the many clerical repositories throughout Acquisition when a scraping sound caught his attention. He looked up to see Brian emerge from a ventilation duct, pushing the grate aside as he crawled into the room.

“Ah, there you are. I trust my instructions were clear enough then?” Tobay asked.

Brian glanced around the room, a large cubicle-like structure hemmed in by partial plate glass divides higher than himself. He could make out hundreds of others just like it in an array around the facility. It appeared each receptacle had its own purpose, designated by a glowing halogen sign hanging from the ceiling above each, though he had no idea what they said.

“Yeah, those tunnels are extensive. There’s no way I would have found my way here otherwise. I didn’t see or hear anyone though, strangely enough.”

Tobay shrugged as he continued flipping through the pages of the catalogue. “Doesn’t surprise me. Virtually, anyone not part of an essential service is going to be over in the west wing of the city, waiting in line to get front-row seats at the Watch. Even most of the city patrols will be there. It’s how we got you into the tunnels to begin with.”

Brian walked over to the table where Tobay worked, looking down at the massive book before him. “What’s the deal with the tunnels, anyhow?”

“Believe it or not, there’s more tunnel in Zale by linear-blade than foot path or street. They were once a main shipping route in and out of the city, but over time our systems evolved and we were able to manufacture machinery to help with processing. They essentially became a massive fire escape system, or shortcuts for those who knew how to use them as such.”

“Seems a bit much at this point. Isn’t that a waste of space?”

Tobay raised an eyebrow. “Try telling that to a gnome. We’re overcautious for good reason, Brian: it’s how we have managed to survive for so long. A natural disaster would devastate any gnome community, were it not properly prepared. Don’t forget…” Tobay pointed upwards. “…we are currently twenty blades underground. That’s a lot of earth when you add it all up.”

“Fair enough.” Brian conceded.

“So what are we looking at here?”

“This is the ledger for all acquisitions from the Cedar Ridge/Boundary Bay area. It should encompass the region where you ran into our little mystery friend. Assuming it was filed correctly, of course.”

“That sounds like a lot ‘ifs’.” Brian scolded.

He looked over at the vast array of receptacles.

“So each one of these rooms… it covers a different region in the area?”

“That’s correct.”

“There must be over a hundred of them! How are we going to sort through all that information in time?”

“Hundreds, actually. And not to worry, we can narrow it down to a handful quite easily. There are at least three catchments that overlap with the beach but this one by far covers most of the beach itself, so it’s our best shot at this point.”

“How many entries are there?”

Tobay sighed. “That…depends on you, actually.”

Brian frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Every ledger is sorted chronologically, by time of entry. Do you recall which day you ran into the gnome?”

Brian leaned back, thinking. “What is the date today, again?”

“The second of Nom.”

“Well, when I left the gym it was the sixth of Addra, so that was three days ago. I’m not sure how long I was out in that basement, or in Grombler for that matter. But I ran into the gnome between those two times, so probably somewhere in the last two days.”

The inflection in his tone was more of a question than a statement. Tobay’s eyes opened wide for a moment before he shook his head, looking back at the ledger as he breathed through his teeth.

“What is it?” Brian asked.

“This…”

Tobay flipped through a good deal of pages before taking them together between thumb and forefinger, nearly a pinch thick.

“…is what we need to go through. And that’s assuming you’re right about the time.”

“How many pages is that?”

Tobay counted them.

“Twenty one.”

“And how many entries on each page?”

Tobay shook his head. “Anywhere between one hundred and one hundred fifty.”

Brian staggered backwards. “Are you telling me…we have to sort through thousands of entries just to find this stupid gnome? Just how many friggin’ things do gnomes collect on a daily basis?”

“A lot, Brian. It’s a serious business down here. Pretty much the business. It’s how we survive and attain much of the technology that we have, being so isolated. Look around you…” Tobay motioned to the array of glass structures surrounding them. “…the forest is a vast place.”

Brian looked at the seemingly endless rows of receptacles. “As impressive as it is, it’s working against us in this case.”

Tobay grabbed a chair and slid it up to the desk, motioning for Brian to do the same.

“As the gnome saying goes, ‘When time is not your friend, make some new ones.’ You take the left page, I’ll take the right page.”

Tobay notated down a handful of symbols on a pad and slid it over to Brian.

“Look for these keywords. They’ll likely be in the entry we’re looking for.”

Brian sighed. “I think we’re in for a long night.”

Tobay had already began scanning the list with his finger, meticulously going over every line in scrutinizing detail.

“The shorter the night, the longer your friend’s life will likely be. Let’s get this done, for Kade’s sake.”

***

Brian sighed as he rubbed his hand through his hair, the foreign symbols beginning to blur together in his vision.  He glanced down at his watch.

“This is ridiculous. We’ve been at this over four hours now and we don’t even know if we’re looking in the right catalogue. What if we’re wasting our time here?”

Tobay continued to scan his page diligently, though the wear of the hours showed in his expression as well.

“It’s a possibility, yes, but a small one. The only thing we have working in our favor here are probabilities, Brian. And…Oh!”

Brian leaned over Tobay’s shoulder. “What is it?”

Tobay pointed to an entry on his side of the page and tapped it knowingly.

“Speaking of probabilities, this is probably our guy right here. Very probably.”

Brian crossed his arms. “What makes you so sure?”

Tobay picked up the catalogue and translated the entry.

“Three forty six of the right of Drossk’s fist: metallic object, roughly half-a-blade in length, perhaps a weapon or fragment of one; inset with a lustrous, red jewel. Further identification pending archival assessment.”

Brian nodded. “Yeah, I’ll admit that does sound familiar. So, do we have a name then?”

“We do.”

“How do we find him?” Brian looked around. “I’m not seeing any gnome phone books kicking around.”

Tobay closed the catalogue, smiling. “No need. We have everything we need right here.”

“You mean, they took down his address?”

“Nope. But it’s the next best thing. All scavengers must sign-off on every acquisition that they log. Gnome signatures are very distinct and incorporate not only their family name and sigil but also…their house designation.”

Brian frowned. “What does that mean?”

“It means I know which area of the city this gnome lives in.”

Brian looked taken aback. “So…wait a second. Are you trying to tell me you know his neighborhood, but not his address?”

Tobay thought about it for a moment. “Something like that, yes.”

“Are you out of your mind, Tobay? We just spent four hours searching through that damn thing. I’m not gonna blow another two going on an Saevratine egg hunt in a city district looking for a guy who may or may not even be there!”

Tobay held up a hand to calm his cren companion. “There’s no need to worry, Brian. I have all that covered. First, gnome neighborhoods are not that large. Don’t forget, there’s only about six hundred thousand of us down here.”

“Six hundred….six hundred thousand? Tobay, that’s the size of a medium-sized city! This is crazy…”

“Second,” Tobay continued, “I very much suspect this fellow will be the only one remaining in the area. That should help narrow our search considerably.”

“I don’t understand. I thought you said everyone who was anyone would be at this ‘viewing’, meaning my friend’s future execution. Why would this guy want to miss out?”

Tobay raised an eyebrow and reached into his vest pocket, pulling out a folded piece of paper which he unfolded and handed to Brian. It was a WANTED poster but, beyond the header, Brian couldn’t make out the rest of the gnome text.

“What is this?”

“The wanted poster for Kade’s accomplice. They are all over the town. I imagine it’s as good of a deterrent to stay hidden as any.”

“Maybe. But do they even know what this guy looks like? I mean, only Kade and I saw him, originally. He could be hiding in plain sight. And a sea of six hundred thousand gnomes sounds like the right setting to do just that.”

Tobay shrugged. “Perhaps. But it’s a risky maneuver on his part. My father has ordered every male gnome of similar age and description to be conscripted and subjected to an inquiry. As part of this inquiry, your friend Kade–who is not just locked up idly by–has been assigned the task of positively identifying everyone that is brought in. If the culprit is found, his case may have the potential to be reopened. So you see, Kade is quite adequately motivated, in that regard, which means this gnome would be suicidal to attempt a public appearance. That really leaves only one place that I can think of…”

“His house.” Brian finished.

“Exactly.”

“Wouldn’t they check a register or something? Notice that they missed someone and go knocking at his door?”

“One would suspect so, but there are a lot of moving parts there. First, this gnome may not perfectly coincide with the profiles they are actively looking for and may not have been registered to begin with. Don’t forget, the whole register was made off of anecdote. Secondly, gnomes are nothing if not excellent at evasiveness. In the event they did approach his personal residence, I can imagine more than one scenario in which he is able to stow away in some hidden compartment and become overlooked entirely and, due to the ensuing red tape, be written off as an anomaly. Lastly, there are very likely upwards of a hundred thousand gnomes who fit the bill for the register. That is a lot of names to sort through, as you can well attest to, having just gone through but a fragment of that number. It is very likely they just didn’t manage to get through the whole list. Any of these factors could result in our friend being missed.”

Brian nodded as he considered Tobay’s words. It was fair logic.

“Well then, I guess we best be going. When does the ceremony start?”

“The last reading begins at first light. At this time of year, that’s at about the seventh hour left of Drossk’s fist.”

Brian frowned. “I have no idea what that means, but I can only assume you mean seven in the morning.”

Brian looked down at his watch again and his eyes widened.

“Crusp, it’s six-fifteen now! How far away does this guy live?”

“This neighborhood is on the south-eastern side of the city, I believe.”

“And where is this ‘Last Watch of the End of Time’ or whatever it’s called?”

“On the other side of town entirely.”

“Well then what in Endabarron are we waiting for? We’ve got a city to cover!”

***

Twenty minutes later they had arrived at the location designated by the house sigil, as inscribed upon a toadstool taller than Brian, at the entrance into the gnome borough. As Tobay had accurately predicted, the place was a ghost town. Every earthen abode appeared to be all but abandoned, the small moon-shaped port hole on their doors dark as night, indicating no one present inside. A map procured by Tobay showed just under three hundred residencies in total in this specific neighborhood, which itself was designed as three interweaving paths which connected the residencies like underground streets. Separating down different branches, it didn’t take long before Brian came upon on the one remaining door, slightly ajar, with a light shining from within, casting a wan shadow out onto the dirt path outside. Brian sidled up against the wall, shuffling over to the door frame. He leaned over and peered through the gap which afforded him a partial view of the entry room which appeared to be a living area of sorts; a small handwoven chesterfield, a leather recliner with a quaint table stand with several books stacked atop and nothing much else. Brian moved to enter the room but a motion to the side stopped him as he watched a small figure enter from the right.

It was him. The gnome from the beach.

Brian watched as the gnome plopped an open suitcase onto the chesterfield, clothes hastily crammed into it and dangling over its edges. The gnome began rifling through a drawer in a small desk Brian had missed, procuring random items as he haphazardly tossed them over to his growing pile, muttering to himself as he worked. It may have been gnomish but it was unintelligible all the same. The gnome hustled over to his luggage and shoved the remaining items atop the pile, cramming the load down with his fist to make room for the top to secure. As he began zipping up the side, he glanced over to the table stand and made a noise of realization, snatching up the top book on the pile and throwing into the case. After several struggling attempts, he managed to zip up the bag, snatched it up and made for the door.

Brian stepped into the room and the gnome froze mid-stride, looking like a terrified statue. His jaw dropped, as did his suitcase, the impact enough to burst the already strained zipper and send his belongings tumbling on to his living room floor. Brian raised an eyebrow at the pile of clothes and knickknacks now lying at the gnome’s feet.

“Guess they don’t make them like they used to.” He said.

The gnome’s mouth moved up and down. “How…how did you find…”

Brian walked into the room. “That’s not important.” He interjected. “What matters now is that you come with me to the dregs. My friend…”

The gnome’s eyes widened at the mention of the word and suddenly recoiled, like a viper ready to strike.

“You’ll never take me to that wretched cliff alive, human!” He hissed, his eyes blazing with resilient fury. “You have another thing coming if you think I’ll be going anywhere with the likes of you!”

With that, the gnome turned and dashed through a doorway at the other end of the room. Stunned, Brian had to pull himself back to the moment before he realized what was happening in front of him. He jumped over the suitcase and its innards and hustled after the gnome. As he came in to the bedroom, he had just enough time to watch as the gnome made his way through the false back of a gnome-sized cupboard, the cheeky waif having the audacity to stick his tongue out at Brian before he disappeared into an escape tunnel far too small for Brian to pursue. Brian ran up to the tunnel and stuck his head in. The gnome was already out of sight but he was able to get an idea where the tunnel led. Having already done a perimeter patrol of the area, Brian knew the tunnel could only lead to one place without intruding directly on neighboring units: to the adjacent street. Brian wasted no time getting back to the path, running through the street as he made his way back to the point where the streets intersected. His heart raced as he neared the junction, marked by a wooden signpost demarcating the street names (both in gnomish and far too long for him to make sense of). Brian only hoped he would make it in time; if the gnome got away, he knew his chances of saving Kade were slim at best. Even with the gift of the return of his much-adored son, likely, the King would remain loathe to let his prime suspect in his own murder attempt be released without sufficient evidence to the contrary.

Brian turned down the next street and it appeared as barren as the last. Brian’s hopes began to dwindle until he caught a shifting shadow up ahead and watched as a stone panel plopped onto the street, followed by the emergence of a small yellow capped head. The gnome saw the large human barrelling at him and gasped, scrambling out on to the street and sprinting away from him. The gnome got about five steps before he slammed right into Tobay who fell hard onto his rear from the force.

The gnome flipped himself back around and jumped up into defensive position, hands up like a cat ready to claw. Tobay stood up and brushed the dirt off his pants, casting the gnome a look of admonishment.

“Is that any way to greet the return of your prince?”

The gnome dropped his hands, his eyes going wide as saucers.

“I…you…you are…but how…”

The gnome’s mouth moved up and down, nonsense syllables burping into the air before his eyes rolled up into the back of his head and he fainted, landing sprawled out on his back in the middle of the street.

Brian ran up behind him, just in time to catch the theatrical display. He cocked his head down at the gnome curiously then met Tobay’s equally confused expression.

“Do you always have this effect on your fans?” Brian asked.

Tobay sighed. “Apparently. Now do what you do best and snatch that gnome up again, will you? We’ve not got much time and one dramatic entrance is enough for one day, thank you very much.”

***

The Dregs. The Last Watch. The Eye at the End of The World. For all the names that it had been given over the eons, the gnomish heritage site did not disappoint. Set upon a monolithic, jutting cliff nearly three bouts above the sea which raged at its base, a coliseum-in-miniature built entirely of limestone sat nestled into the forest at its rear. The structure itself was a set of semi-circular rings, open on the cliff-facing side, stacked and staggered on one another, forming rows upon rows of benches which spectators could sit to view the events before them. The coliseum had not been built by the gnomes; indeed, no one knew where it had come from, who had put it there. But it had been there long before any of the gnomes had. Now badly worn and pitted by countless ages of harsh sea weather, and the main stage all but eroded to rubble and dust, the gnomes had repurposed the area by adding in a central path that connected the arena to a staging area at the nape of the cliff itself, whereupon a large pier had been erected with but a single post at its end. This was where those sentenced to execution would be tied, just as Kade found himself currently.

His mouth gagged and his hands bound behind him, Kade struggled against the hard, cold wood of the pole as hundreds of thousands of small faces gawked upon him and the retinue of officials who had gathered near him to read him his final rights. Kade had done his best to try and identify his ‘gnome accomplice’ but, of all the fifteen thousand gnomes brought before him, somehow, the king’s court had failed to bring him the right gnome. The sands of time had run their course and justice didn’t wait for anyone.
Not even itself, apparently.

The king and his family sat in a private booth nearest one of the ends which afforded them the best view possible; beyond that, none of the public was allowed any closer to the pier. Even the contingent of guards and generals posted to watch over Kade stopped short of the actual pier itself and remained rank and file along the main path leading up to it. No, the only thing on the pier was Kade, the post, and a strange curly metal pipe which flared outward on one end, fastened in place in a massive bracket. As massive as the horn was, Kade didn’t want to take a guess as to the size of the creature it would call.

The same general from the prison–Kade couldn’t recall his name–climbed up the four stairs of the pier and turned to face the coliseum and its horde of talking faces. He held up his hand to cue silence and the crowd quieted down in seconds without a fuss. Gnomes were nothing if not obedient, it seemed. He reached into the pocket of his uniform and pulled out a rolled up paper. Unfurling it, he cleared his throat and began.

“On this third day of Nom, of the month of the dying heats, seven hundred and fifty-first year of our great keeper Drossk, I hereby begin the final rights of one Kade Allor from…er, Hollow, Kandel. Let it be known that the accused had been found guilty on multiple accounts, namely trespassing in folk territory and the attempted murder of our great king, the latter of which charges is punishable by death. In light of such charges, a hearing has been forgone as sanctioned by royal decree and sentencing has been expedited, as we find ourselves this day. The sacred horn of Thylmyxl will be sounded, whereupon it is expected that the laminka will respond and carry out the sentence to its completion.”

The general turned to Kade.

“Do you, Kade Allor, understand these charges laid against you and the sentencing that follows?”

Kade shifted around frantically, shouting from behind his gag which came out as a series of murmurs. The general frowned and groaned in frustration, walking over to Kade and tugging his gag off his face.

“Do you, Kade Allor, understand these charges as they were presented and the sentence that follows?”

“You people are crazy! I didn’t try to kill anyone! I was set up, I already told you that a million times! Why can’t you understand…”

The general rolled his eyes and pulled the gag back over Kade’s mouth, much to Kade’s dismay. He turned back to the audience.

“By the powers granted to me, then, I will now summon the great beast of all burdens, upon his royal majesty’s assent.”

The general looked to the king, watching intently in his booth. His wife, the queen laid a heavy arm around her husband’s shoulders. The princess-to-be watched lugubriously beside her mother in law who rested her head gently against the younger woman’s. The king nodded subtly, a mix of emotions playing on his face. The general acknowledged the confirmation.

“And so it shall be.”

The general walked over to the massive spirally horn and cast Kade a look that was either sympathy or disappointment. He grabbed the convoluted neck of the horn and formed the embouchure with his lips as he pressed them against the blackened steel of the mouthpiece. The sound that came out of the horn was not what Kade had expected at all. It was…

…his name?

“KAAAAAAAAAADE!”

Kade’s eyes widened as he watched two figures, one big and one small, running up to the pier from out of the forest. The crowd’s attention diverted to the newcomers and a rolling series of gasps and hushed chattering ensued. The general turned, a look of annoyance on his face and his men wasted no time forming a barricade between the pier and the two coming up fast. The large one appeared to be another human, calling out to the other tied to the post, and he was carrying a limp–perhaps dead–gnome in his arms. The one beside him, also a gnome, began waving his arms frantically as he approached the wall of soldiers with lances at the ready.

“Stop! Stop this at once! You have the wrong person. You need to let him go, immediately!” The gnome shouted.

As they approached, the general’s mouth nearly dropped as he realized he was staring at the king’s late son, Tobay.

“My…my prince? Tobay, is that really you?”

The general rushed in front of the guards, ordering them to stand down, though many  had already realized the blunder and had lowered their weapons. Tobay came up to the general while Brian hanged back. He flashed the general a quick smile.

“In the flesh. Good to see you Brandl. I trust you have served my family well. But we can catch up later. That boy there is innocent. I demand that you release him at once.”

The general exchanged glances between Kade and the prince, a look of utter confusion on his face.

“What is this, now? You know that I can’t just…”

“Tobay!”

Tobay turned to see his father running towards him from his private box, his cape billowing in the wind behind him.

One row up and several seats over from the King’s private box, Ponoto sat among others of the king’s court, staring down at the talisman in his lap. He rubbed the lustrous red stone in its center gently, almost seductively, as he had been doing for nearly the duration of the event. It wasn’t that the event itself bored him–he was nearly aroused by the thought of watching the boy take the fall for his work–but he just couldn’t help but admire the beauty of the object. It was so much more interesting than anything else; it was its own world, ten times more wholesome and satisfying than anything reality had to offer, and he couldn’t get enough of it. It was if a voice called to him in that centerpiece, but subtle, like the wind through the trees. Except, in this instance, the talisman screamed at him, and Ponoto couldn’t fathom why. Did he do something wrong?

“KAAAAAAAAADE!”

Others began standing all around him and he was jarred out of the spell and stowed the talisman away as he too got to his feet to have a look. Ponoto’s initial response of sheer irritation at being taken away from his precious meditations turned to utter horror as he watched a human storming up to the pier along with the once-estranged prince Tobay. The prince that was supposed to have been dead. If the prince had returned, somehow, then that meant he had to know. How could he not know? Their last encounter had been too close. He had been sloppy, must have given too much away. He couldn’t piece together exactly where he had slipped up but there was no time to mull over the details. His time in Zale had come to an end. He needed an exit plan.

Glancing around, Ponoto scanned the area frantically, plotting a course out of the coliseum where he would not run into any guards. As he looked down and to his left, he caught a glimpse through the space in between the bleachers to where the king’s private box was. He watched as the  king raced out of the box to reunite with his son, leaving behind a flustered wife and princess who stayed behind, if not reluctantly, out of safety. Suddenly, Ponoto got an idea.

As Tobay and his father finished embracing, Tobay wasted no time explaining he and Brian’s findings and the false incrimination leading up to Kade’s capture. The king scratched his head.

“Are you trying to tell me that all this time…I was being played by my piper?” The king asked.

Brian chuckled. Tobay shoved an elbow into Brian’s side.

“Literally, father, not just metaphorically. We believe the man is central to a much broader series of murders, perhaps spanning back over a decade. He needs to be brought in and to answer for his crimes.”

“I…yes, yes of course. I am sorry, son, but this is all just so much to take in at once. I fear your mother…”

“Tobay!”

Tobay barely managed to turn to the woman’s voice before his mother had him bundled up in her arms, nearly smothering him with kisses and tears.

“We all feared the worst! How could you do that to a mother?”

She sobbed against Tobay’s shoulder as he held her and consoled her for a time, gently proffering his regrets. After she calmed down some, she released her son and wiped a tear from her face, smudging some mascara along her cheek.

“If you think I’m a wreck, you should see your poor betrothed, Tobay. The girl must have lost three stones whilst you were away.” Said the queen.

Tobay frowned as he looked around them.

“Where is Nandrine? Did she come out with you?” He asked.

“She never got the chance, your highness.” A voice sounded from behind.

All eyes pivoted around to find a gnome holding a young girl with a dagger held against her throat, a blood-red gem glinting on its surface.

“Ponoto Galesan!” Tobay yelled in rage.

Brian put down the gnome he was carrying and made towards Ponoto. Tobay quickly stepped in and put an arm in front of him.

“No! Don’t provoke him. He could slit her throat!” Tobay pleaded.

Ponoto grinned wickedly as Nandrine gasped, tears streaming down her face. “I would listen to your little friend there, big boy. Nobody has to die today. Which, now that I think about it, is pretty disappointing. I was really looking forward to seeing your little worm of a friend get digested, but I guess it wasn’t meant to be. Now, everybody listen: the town is conveniently deserted at this time. This is a pivotal point in my plan as I expect to arrive there unmolested so I can choose any number of tunnels and leave your backwater city posthaste. Assuming I am given fair leeway, I will deposit the girl for safekeeping in a place of my choosing, upon my departure. She will be easy to find, you have my assurances.”

“We do not negotiate with terrorists.” the general chimed in.

The king held up his hand to stay the general.

“What assurances do we have that the princess will not be harmed in the process?” The king asked.

Ponoto shrugged noncommittally. “You don’t. Oh, I suppose it’s possible she flinches the wrong way here or slips on a stray stone there and nicks herself on my blade, but I don’t kill innocents. Of that, you have my word.”

Tobay sneered. “You don’t kill innocents? What hypocrisy is this? What do you call all the hundreds of helpless victims that you tortured, maimed, and the ensuing lives destroyed because of these actions?”

Ponoto’s expression became dark. “None of those monsters were innocent. If you had truly done your homework on me, you would know why I employed the methods that I had.”

Tobay scoffed. “You mean killing to a tune? Hardly a mature concept. The MO of a toddler, if you ask me.”

Ponoto smiled wanly. “Yes, so simple it evaded you and and every other kingdom in which I worked for the better part of thirteen years. But you miss the point. The song was merely the wrapping, Tobay. A lifeline for an out, if there ever was one to be had. You see, despite my misgivings towards those who become my muses, I am a gnome and I too grow tired of the same work day-in day-out. What you found is merely my retirement package. The truth is…

…It was a revenge story.”

The general leaned in towards Tobay and whispered in his ear.

“Keep him talking. I have eyes waiting for an opening as we speak.”

Tobay saw to which the general referred: housed in the upper-level boxes of the coliseum, several of the guards were strategically placed with crossbows aimed, taking care to conceal themselves.

“Tell me, do you know the tale of The Formative Years of Ullimander? Of course you don’t, since it’s one of the least-known parables in all of the lesser arcana. Yet, even for those scant few who know of it, it is believed this is little more than a fable. A myth or a legend about a poor boy whose good fortune is non-existent and nearly every horrible thing that could happen to a gnome happens to him. And despite his vast reserves of resilience, eventually, life defeats him. Or rather, it corrupts him. Or so this is what most historians would have you believe.”

Tobay watched out of the corner of his eye as the archers silently shuffled around to try and get a clearer shot without risking the collateral damage that was his fiance. Ponoto seemed to have chosen his position well, however, as not only did he have a trigger finger on the knife at her throat, he had positioned his body semi-perpendicular to her from behind, minimizing his surface area while maximizing the potential to hit the other. Ponoto was fully aware of his situation and seemed to be in complete control of it.

For the time being, at least.

“In reality, Ullimander was far from a legend. In fact, Ullimander was actually Axlymander Zuchizhvlnnam, of house Zuchizhvlnnam which would later marry into family Ermlybbanuzadzhv who would, much much later align with…house Galesan.”

Ponoto’s eyes narrowed at the last words. “So you see, I am a descendant of Ullimander–actually Axylmander–and this is a salient point, so listen closely.”

Ponoto leaned toward Nandrine’s ear and spoke in a hushed effect, intentionally loud enough that Tobay and the others near them could still make out the words.

“Ullimander’s blood is my blood, as is my lot in life. I share the same curse as he and there are, let’s say, key figures in both his and my life that have brought to me where I am today–to this wretched mental prison in which emotional torture is but another waking day. However, ever the poet I am, I took those mundane fools to whom I am unduly bound and reshaped them into metaphors–objects of Ullimander’s story, no less. An abusive parent in my life becomes the brutal slave-master in his; the two-faced friend who cheats you of your first love the harlot prince of Syndwynish; the reprehensible mentor that shatters your dreams the architect who falls on his own sword, and so on. As coincidence would have it, enough of these archetypes fit the mold of ‘The Fair Piper’, and there you have the aspect of the song you uncovered. So you see, all those retributions over the years are not aimless; no, quite the opposite. Each and every kill was performed and placed just so, like a thread in a great patchwork…”

Ponoto flourished with his free hand and one of the archers took the opportunity to release a bolt as his body shifted position. Missing the center of mass, the bolt struck Ponoto through his free hand, passing right through with a whirring hiss and a spatter of blood. Ponoto howled and, instinctively, grabbed at his hand as he dropped the talisman which slid several blades away from him. Nandrine fell to the ground, luckily unharmed and Tobay rushed for her as the general and his contingent wasted no time surrounding Ponoto. Ponoto fell to his back, howling as he held his gushing hand, blood pooling on to the hard-packed earth of the path. Startled shouts and the beginnings of panic began to bubble up from the coliseum as many gnomes began to vacate the area out of fear. Tobay helped Nandrine to her feet and the two rushed back to the security of their private box, a good number of the king’s retinue running out to meet them and usher them off. At the same time, Brian wend his way around the oncoming guards and made his way up the pier towards Kade, kneeling down as he began to attempt to unbind his hands.

In his fit of pain, Ponoto saw the general and six other guards coming at him with weapons drawn and he scrambled towards the talisman only hands away. The general was the first to respond and he unsheathed his sword, striking at Ponoto from overhead. Ponoto raised the talisman to block the strike but, stunted in size as it was, the blade struck the hilt, cracking the red center-stone. Suddenly, there was a blinding red flash as a sphere of light billowed outward around them, forcing them all back as would an explosion.

The general sat up, attempting to rub the glare out of his eyes. As his vision came to, he saw his men lying on the ground around them, unmoving. Ponoto lay several blades across from him, alive but struggling to turn himself over. His weapon lay on the ground between them, a column of red light shining upwards into the sky above which darkened by the second. The general wasn’t sure if his eyes were still adjusting from the blast but it was if he watched the day become night before him, a vortex of clouds forming around the column as if drawn magnetically to it. The clouds began purpling and, soon, the low rumble of thunder could be heard, followed by the hair-fracture patterns of lightning scattering across the clouds’ surface above. Brian untied the last of the knots and Kade’s hands were free. He ripped the gag off, a bewildered look on his face at the sight of his friend.

“Brian? I didn’t think you would come back for me!” Kade cried and embraced his friend fiercely.

Brian patted Kade’s back, feeling wetness from Kade’s tears against his shirt.

“Next time, you gotta make yourself a little easier to rescue, buddy. But let’s sort all that out later, we gotta get out of here. Things are about to get weird, it looks like.”

Brian motioned upwards and Kade’s eyes followed the column of light to the storm brewing above.

“What’s going on?” He asked.

“I don’t know. Something to do with that dagger you were after, I think. I don’t really want to wait around and find out. Do you?”

Kade shook his head. “Fa’el the dagger. They can keep it!”

The two boys climbed down from the pier and began running back towards the coliseum. Ponoto raised his head and saw the two coming towards them from behind the wavering general’s figure. His eyes narrow and he grit his teeth as he watched the boy and his accomplice escaping. The prince had not acted alone against him, he had been fairly certain of this. Now he knew who had helped him and by Drossk as his witness if he let them get away with impunity. Ponoto growled and threw himself at the dagger, snatching it up in his good hand. The column of light followed the shattered point of the end and scoured a flaming line across the cliff between he and the boys. Kade and Brian ground to a halt, the flaming lash missing their feet by hands. Realizing the weapon he now held, Ponoto held it up in front of his face and began laughing maniacally.

“Do you see, now? Do you see the power that belongs to me? This talisman of time was meant for these hands! It is my birthright, the undoing of my curse! All those horrible, horrible years of ingnomanity and suffering has finally culminated here and now, in this beautiful relic.”

There was a yell to his side and the general charged at him, sword raised. Ponoto whipped the dagger in his direction and the light struck the general in the midsection, his entire body becoming alight with pink fire. He barely had time to scream in agony before his body incinerated, the ashes blowing away in the gusting wind. Ponoto’s feverish gaze wandered back towards the boys.

“And now, that leaves only you in my way. To think two brats could prove to be so…formidable. Life truly is mysterious. But there will no more mysteries with your lives, no. The future is clear: now, you will die.”

Ponoto began raising the weapon at them, the beam searing a line in the cliff that traced slowly towards them, paralyzing panic plain on their faces.

Suddenly, Ponoto stopped and a frown creased his brow. He lowered the dagger and looked at it in earnest.

“What is that, you say?”

After several moments, he looked up at the boys.

“Do you hear that? There is a voice…it is telling me… Wait, where do you need to go? You..”

Ponoto looked past the boys to the pier.

“There? You are…you want to go out there?”

Ponoto walked past the boys, staring straight ahead as he disregarded them completely. He walked as if in a trance, making his way up the stairs and out to the end of the pier, past the sacrificial post and stopping before the last few blades to the edge, where a sheer drop waited below. Lightning raged in the distance, the waves churning violently below, as far as the eye could see. The wind had picked up and threatened to pull them all off the cliff. How Ponoto managed to be unaffected, Brian could not tell.

Ponoto looked down at the dagger once more, noticing that his hand looked different. Perhaps it was the light…no, it was no effect. He raised his hand and gasped in horror as he watched his skin aging before his eyes. The once supple and hydrated flesh that clung to his muscle and bones began to deflate and wither, clinging to the cartilage and soft tissue in sinewy trenches.

“What…what is happening to me!” His voice sounded older…ancient now.

Kade’s jaw dropped as he watched Ponoto become an old gnome before his eyes. The hair was now thin and white, his hairline receded and the skin on his cheeks sagging as jowls. Ponoto screamed in defiance and held up the dagger to the sky, the column of light intensifying and the storm along with it. Brian ducked down as a huge gale rushed past them.

“We need to do something or he’s going to blow this whole cliff away!” Kade yelled over the howling winds.

Brian looked up, squinting against the violent air. He got an idea. Hunkered over, Brian fought his way over to the massive ritual horn and, grabbing a hold with both hands, blew with all his might. A sound like nothing he had ever heard bellowed out across the sea. The note itself was distinct but it was not musical in any form. No, it was more…biological, like the low wailing pitch of a beast in pain. Ponoto looked over his shoulder at Brian, glaring at him.

“It is too late, boy! You cannot stop what I have started here. He will be returning to claim his rightful place. He will not be denied again. And he knows what I have done. I will be rewarded handsomely, oh yes, oh yes oh…”

There was a trembling in the cliff and a sound, not too different from that of the horn, emanated from the ocean far below. Ponoto looked down and his eyes widened.

“Oh shi…”

A monstrous head as wide as the cliff sailed upwards, snatching Ponoto up in its mouth. A tremendous yellow eye as large as a table gawked at them as its momentum continued carrying it upwards. As the creature rose up to its zenith, Brian could make out several fins on its side, as well as a set of long barbels dangling from its face. It was, by all accounts, the largest damn fish Brian had ever seen.

As gravity took hold of the ingons and ingons of fish weight, an explosion of black light–black light–shot out of the laminka. Brian covered his eyes from the initial blast but watched from under his arm as the sky itself seemed to be sucked into the vortex, the clouds and lightning–all of it–funneled into the blackness.

And in less than three seconds, the laminka, Ponoto and the storm were gone.

Brian stood up and looked around him. It was daytime again and there was no sign of the storm anywhere in sight. The ocean was calm once more and there were barely any clouds in the sky.

“What the fa’el just happened?” Kade asked incredulously.

Brian looked over at his friend and shrugged.

“I…I have no idea. The fish…ate the weather.”

Kade gave Brian a confused look but a sound from behind cut their conversation short.

“Kade, Brian!”

It was Tobay running up to them with the king and the rest of the family in tow. The coliseum appeared to be all but empty now.

“I can’t believe it! You’re alive after all of that!” Tobay exclaimed.

Brian rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, well…more than the general can say, I’m afraid. Or Mr. Galesan.” Brian exchanged worried looks with Kade.

“Yes, that is incredibly unfortunate. The general was a good man and had served my family for many years. He will be decorated for his service posthumously and his kin will never have to work another day in their life. You have my word on that. As for Ponoto…I feel strangely unfulfilled.” There was a note of sadness in Tobay’s voice.

The king put his arm around his son’s shoulder. “My son, it is too early to celebrate such things. There are many emotions to process on this day. Let them come as they will. These are not the kinds of battles worth fighting. Trust an old man’s words in this matter.”

Brian nodded. “I think your dad’s right. I know how hard you worked on this case, Tobay. I can’t imagine how many hours you’ve put in to catching this killer. Just think, though, that soon you’ll be waking up every day and there won’t be any more new numbers to add to the victim list. Maybe then it will sink in.”

Tobay smiled. “Your perspicacity is appreciated as always, my cren friend. You are both right: now is a time for healing and moving forward. I have lost too much time with my family and that is something I would very much like to make up for. Including, a bride to marry.”

Tobay smiled at Nandrine and put a hand around her waist as she rested her head happily on his shoulder. A groan caught all of their attention and heads turned to the side to see a small gnome waking up on the ground, covered in dirt and other debris that had blown over him in the storm.

It was the gnome from the beach.

“I say, you there!” the king bellowed angrily at the gnome.

The gnome blinked as he took in the party around him. Once he noticed who was staring at him he yelped and quickly hopped to his feet, bowing and groveling graciousness.

“Your majesty! Apologies, your majesty, apologies! My sincerest apologies. I do no not know what came over me…”

“I certainly do.” Brian interjected.

The gnome glanced up at the human, his eyes widening slightly.

“Yes, well your majesty about that…”

Brian crossed his arms. “You mean about framing my friend here? Or do you mean about trying to draft dodge back there in your little gnome hut? Is that what you mean, perhaps?”

The gnome swallowed, visibly shaking as his eyes searched side to side, looking for answers but finding none.

“What is this human talking about? Speak citizen!” the king bellowed.

The gnome howled and dove at the king’s leg, wrapping himself around it like a toddler and blubbering dramatically.

“Oooh, your majesty it’s true, it’s true! I did everything he said!” The gnome cried. “I couldn’t bare to return to that cell with those brigands. Anything but that, please please please! I will do community service, clean the spores off every inch of window! Please, just don’t send me back there!”

The king gave Tobay a stunned look and Tobay shook his head. The prince leaned over and pulled the gnome off the king’s leg, pulling him up to standing.

“You do realize the kinds of charges you are speaking of, no?” Tobay asked.

The gnome nodded. “Yes, I…of course.”

“Regicide is about as serious…”

The gnome frowned. “Regicide? No no no! That is…I never meant that! I was only trying to get rid of the stupid human…” The gnome realized he had waggled his tongue too much and slapped his hands over his mouth.

Kade raised an eyebrow. “Do tell.”

The king looked from Kade to the gnome. “Why on earth would you implicate yourself and another innocent in an attempt on my life just to ‘get rid of him’. I am failing to see the logic here.”

The gnome looked back and forth between the royal family and the two boys several times, all the while looking like someone who knew he was about to throw the last shovelful of dirt on his own grave. The gnome finally gave up and sighed, defeated.

“I may have…let myself get…caught…” The gnome said the word ‘caught’ barely audibly.

“What was that? I didn’t catch that last part.” Brian said, clearly facetious.

The gnome’s face flushed red.

“I said I got CAUGHT! Okay, are you happy now?”

There was a series of gasps between the other members of Tobay’s family, Tobay shaking his head in disappointment.

“Why do they always do that?” Kade asked Brian under his breath. Brian just shrugged.

“You…you were captured by these humans? These humans, right here before us?” The king asked, a note of unbelieving in his voice.

The gnome stared at the ground in shame, nodding his head ever-so-slightly.

The king drew a deep breath, sharing a private glance with his wife before he nodded.

“Then your future is clear: this is out of my hands and into those of your new master. Any decisions as to your freedom are up to them.”

“But…but your majesty…”

“The law is clear in this matter.” The king said in a brook-no-nonsense tone.

“Your majesty, if I may.” Kade stepped in.

“You may speak, human.”

“I agreed to degnomeinate…er, degnomeify this gnome when he helped me escape the prison. I think that means he doesn’t have to answer to me anymore. Right?”

The king looked to the gnome. “Is this true?”

For the first time that Kade could recall, the gnome looked hopeful. “Yes, your majesty. It is. He did indeed recite the decree of Dexlyvuzhemal.”

“Then you are back under the jurisdiction of the kingdom, after all. That being the case, I…”

“Uh, your majesty?” Brian interjected.

The king gave Brian an incredulous look. “What now?”

“Kade might have degnomied him, but I caught him too and I never did anything of the sort.”

All hope of a bright future immediately drained out of the gnome’s expression and his jaw threatened to hit the ground.

The king sighed. “I cannot keep up with you people.” He waved his hand and turned away, walking back to the coliseum. “Take your gnome and please be on on your way, before I decide to throw all of you off the cliff to avoid the paperwork.”

Tobay grinned as he watched his family walking away. He turned to Brian and his look became serious.

“What I think my father is trying to say is ‘thank you’ Brian. And thank you, from me. I could not have done any of this without you. You saved both my life and that of many other gnomes this day.”

“Don’t forget the one he doomed to an eternity of servitude.” the gnome grumbled under his breath.

Tobay shot the gnome a reprimanding look and continued.

“If ever you need a place to stay on your travels, there’s always an open door in Zale.”

Brian shook Tobay’s hand. “Thanks, Tobay. I don’t know if I’d fit, but thanks!”

Tobay chuckled. “This may be true. And Kade, I am sad that I did not get to introduced to you properly but I sincerely hope that your next encounter with gnomes is more…hospitable. I understand you are also quite the adventurer, so I bid you safe travels as well.”

“Not an adventurer by choice, but appreciated nonetheless!” Kade responded.

“Good bye then, my friends. Until next we meet.”

***

About an hour later, back in the Deepwoods, Kade and Brian trudged through the forest with the gnome lagging behind them, a miserable look on his face as he stared at the ground. Brian looked over his shoulder at the small man.

“Why so glum, chum?”

The gnome looked up, seeming lost in his world of self-commiseration before rage took over and his squinty little face was all menace.

“Why so glum? Why so glum? Would you ever ask a slave that?” the gnome spat.

Brian held up his hand. “Whoa! Did I ever say you were my slave? Have I even asked you to do anything?”

The gnome opened his mouth to retort but stopped himself as he struggled to find a valid response. “Well…not exactly but I have to go with you…”

“And is that really so bad? Do you even know where we’re going?”

Kade stopped and raised an eyebrow at Brian. “Do you?”

Brian ignored his friend. “What if I told you that I know a place that has really good grub?”

The gnome’s face lit up with excitement. “You know where we can find really good grubs? How big are they? Once I found one the size of my forearm. It was so fresh and tender the juices flowed like a fruit. It must have just been laid to be so tender!”

Kade covered his mouth to fight back the vomit and Brian made a face. “That’s…disgusting. I’m not talking about eating bugs. I would never eat a bug.”

The gnome’s expression sunk back to oblivion once more. “Yep, definitely going to hate every minute of being with you guys…”

Brian sighed. “Well, how about this then: to prove you aren’t my slave we’ll give you a name. Slaves don’t get names, right?”

The gnome looked offended. “I already have a name.”

Kade snorted. “I bet, but if it’s like any of the other gnome names I’ve come across, it’s probably as long as the definition of it.”

The gnome stuck his nose up at Kade. “Just because you’re too stupid to learn gnomish doesn’t mean you get to abolish the language. Why don’t you try reading a book sometime?”

Brian didn’t take the bait. “I don’t know. What do you think, Kade? What does he look like to you? A George, maybe?”

Kade shrugged. “He looks like a grouch. Let’s get going.”

Brian looked the gnome up and down, crossing his arms. “Man, when was the last time you washed your clothes. You sure are scrubby.”

Before the gnome could respond, Brian smiled as realization came to him.

“That’s it! We’ll call you Scrubby, ’cause that’s exactly what you are.”

Brian laughed despite the gnome not looking pleased at all.

“Did you know that gnomes can actually be quite dangerous when provoked? In fact…”

Scrubby raised his hands up, imitating a threatening pose. “…gnomes have been known to eat a human or two in times of desperation.”

Brian and Kade looked at each other in amusement. Kade shook his head and walked away.

“Oh, I don’t know how good human would taste. All that ego and global domination, might give a guy gut rot. Gnome, on the other hand, now I can see that being something worth trying.”

Scrubby’s mock-evil expression faded to one of sincere concern.

“What…no one eats gnome. That’s not even a thing. What are you…”

“Hey Kade, what would you say to a gnome steak for dinner tonight?”

Scrubby looked as if he was about to jump out of his skin. Kade turned back to the two of them.

“No thanks. I’ve had enough gnome to last me a lifetime.”