On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness (25 page)

47

Old Wounds

N
ugget yipped (a very loud, deep yip), and Leeli climbed onto his back again. Astride Nugget, she beamed like sunlight.

The sky, however, was beginning to cloud, and in the east over the Dark Sea of Darkness, a black storm gathered. The tall grass of the plain rippled like water, and near its amber shore lay countless bodies of horned hounds. The beasts were scattered across the field and around Anklejelly Manor in clusters, most of them beside telltale piles of Fang armor, from which the lizards' white, dusty remains were blowing away in the steady east wind.

Near the forest Janner spied six dead toothy cows as big as Nugget, and around them was a dense cluster of Fang armor and weaponry. A mighty battle had been fought while the Igibys slumbered in the belly of the manor. Now only flies buzzed around the corpses as the sun beat higher and stronger.

Podo sent Janner and Tink back down to the weapon room several times for swords, shields, and bows with healthy supplies of arrows. After rummaging through the piles of weapons, Tink and Janner both settled on the swords they had used the night before. With a last look at Oskar's secret armory, they pulled the iron door shut and rattled the handle to be sure it was securely locked. The boys passed the weapons up to Podo and clambered up the rope.

“Right, then,” Podo said. “We've a long way to go to the Ice Prairies. And it won't be long before someone finds out about what happened here tonight. We'll have all manner of beast after us, looking for the Jewels of Anniera, to be sure.”

Janner bristled. He was tired of hearing about the jewels that had ruined their lives. Tired of not knowing what they were and why Gnag the Nameless wanted them so badly. Janner was sick of adults and their secrets, and though he was glad his grandfather was alive and glad they had made it through the night, he had a squall of resentment in his chest that was building into a storm—a storm he could hold in no longer.

“You keep talking about these precious jewels! Everything that's happened to us has been because of them, but no one will tell us where they are! We've lost our home, our friends—and we almost lost you, Grandpa—all because Gnag the Nameless wants these jewels. For some reason, you think these ‘precious jewels' are more precious than we are, or you wouldn't have them in the first place, would you? Why can't we just take them and throw them into the Dark Sea so they'll stop destroying everything around us? And now what are we doing? Now we're running away, off to the Ice Prairies, wherever they are, and still you won't tell us what's going on!”

Podo waited patiently for Janner to finish.

Janner took another deep breath and blurted, “So what's going on?”

To his surprise, Podo wasn't angry, and Nia was actually smiling.

“Aye!” Tink added, crossing his arms. “What's going on?”

Now it was Podo who smiled. He looked at Nia and they laughed.

Janner could make no sense of it, and neither Podo nor his mother tried to help.

“We'll tell you all about it tonight,” Podo said, turning toward the road, “once we find a safe place to rest.” The old man tossed the bundle over his shoulder and took a deep, glad breath of salty air. “Follow old Podo!” he then roared with gusto, and marched off in a southwesterly direction, away from the forest.

“Papa,” Nia said.

“Eh?” Podo said, stopping several paces away.

“I think we should go to Peet's tree house. He has food and—”

“Food?” Tink said.

Peet the Sock Man perked up and looked at Nia with a twinkle of hope in his eyes.

“We ain't goin' there,” Podo said, his bushy eyebrows bunched together. “We're heading to Torrboro then up the North Road until we find safe passage to the Ice Prairies.” He whipped his head around and set out again, but Nia didn't move. Podo turned again, his face red. “Come on, I say!”

“No.” Nia's back straightened.

“What?” Podo took a step back toward his daughter.

“I said no.” Nia took a step forward. “You've held on to your anger long enough, Papa, and now that anger is becoming a burden you no longer bear alone. It's causing us to suffer with you—you stubborn old fool.”

Podo was dumbfounded.

“Peet saved all of our lives,” Nia said, “yours most recently. You may feel fine now, but not half an hour ago death was lapping at your toes. And do you know who you should be thanking for the breath in your lungs?”

Peet was backing away sheepishly, but Nia grabbed his arm and pulled him forward. “This man,” she said. “He's got provisions and shelter in the forest, where no Fang will want to venture for a long time after what happened here. Now I love you, Papa, but I'm the mother of these children, and I've a mind to put food in their bellies and pillows under their heads. We're going to Peet's tree house and that's final.”

Combined looks of bewilderment, embarrassment, and anger flashed over Podo's face. Janner wanted to laugh. Podo sputtered and formed the beginnings of words with his mouth but came up with nothing to say.

“Peet, lead the way,” Nia said.

Peet obeyed Nia's order with wide eyes and a nervous smile, marching off in the direction opposite Podo's. Nia and the boys followed.

Leeli rode Nugget to where Podo stood, alone and dumbfounded. She sidled up beside him, leaned over and kissed him on his whiskery cheek. Nugget followed suit, dragging a sloppy pink tongue up Podo's arm, soaking his shirt. Then they, too, turned away from Podo and followed Peet, moving north and west, in the direction of the forest.

Podo eyed the smoking remains of Anklejelly Manor.

“Hrmph,” he said finally, trudging after his family.

48

Shelter

T
he gray sky had become a river of churning, low-flying clouds that sped along so heavy and close it seemed they scraped the treetops. The Igibys, a giant dog, and Peet the Sock Man walked along the forest border for an hour.

Janner kept a careful eye on the trees to their right, but Peet showed no sign of worry. He strolled along without speaking, his white hair whipping about in the strong wind. Janner took comfort in the odd man's confidence. He had proven himself a good friend and a capable fighter.

Behind them, another white-haired man walked in silence.

Podo hadn't said a word since they'd set out for Peet's tree house, but his eyes showed that his spirit had lightened. He didn't look so angry anymore, and he appeared to be considering some matter that required careful thought.

Leeli rode high like a queen on a royal horse, her face in a perpetual smile. She had her family and her dog, and she no longer needed a crutch as long as Nugget was around. His furry paws were as big as platters, but they made little sound as he padded along.

Nia's arm was around Tink, whose skinny, quick frame was showing signs of fatigue. He leaned into his mother and rested his head on her side.

Janner looked back toward Glipwood, but he could see nothing of the town. They passed a few abandoned farmsteads but otherwise saw no sign of either human or Fang. He thought about their cottage, about Slarb's grisly end with the thwaps, and Podo's swift sword. He shuddered to think how close he and Tink had come to dying at the hands of that mad creature. But they hadn't died. Even with an ocean of Fangs in pursuit, they had somehow, thank the Maker, stayed alive and whole.

But not everyone had survived. The last Janner had seen of Oskar, he was lying on the floor of his dear bookstore, urging the Igibys to run. He had tried to save them with his dying breath. It was Oskar who had made their refuge beneath Anklejelly Manor, who had lost his life trying to protect Leeli and Nia.
But why did Oskar hide the weapons?
Janner wondered.
And how did he come by them?
Janner remembered that Oskar had spent many years since the war traveling about Skree, gathering books and curiosities.
But weapons? Had he actually been searching for the Jewels of Anniera? Could that be what Podo was carrying in the bundle on his shoulder? Why did his grandfather despise Peet the Sock Man so?
And the biggest question of all:
Why would the Igibys have something that Gnag the Nameless would so relentlessly want to find?

Janner was consumed with so many questions, he almost didn't hear Peet's announcement.

“Here we are.” Peet had stopped in front of the biggest oak tree in sight.

The oak protruded from the line of the forest and spread its thick, sagging arms above and around them, like a mother hen protecting her young. “Rugget will be safe here,” Peet said as he swung himself into the lower branches and reached out to help Nia up. Far above them, barely visible through the leaves, was one of Peet's rope-and-plank bridges, dangling between the trees.

“Up we go,” he said, still not looking at Podo. He pulled up everyone except for the old man, nor did he offer to help, but turned from Podo and threaded his way up through the branches to the bridge.

Podo passed the bundle up to Janner and scrambled much less gracefully into the tree.

Janner felt a spatter of rain and looked up.

The sky had grown dark, and the rope bridges began to rock in the winds of a burgeoning storm.

Peet, Podo, and the Igibys hurried along the bridges as the storm unleashed its stinging rain, and they were soaked through as they climbed up through the trapdoor and gratefully entered Peet's castle.

To Janner, with the storm blowing outside, the tree house was the finest accommodation in all the land. He helped Peet light three lanterns quickly, and relished the comforting yellow and orange light they cast on the walls and ceiling. Peet snapped the door shut and the howl of the wind was all but gone. Leeli found a spot and sat with her back against the wall, a dry blanket tucked under her chin. Peet pointed out a stack of old quilts beside her.

“Lots of dry blankets for you. It gets very cold here in the winter, see, see.”

“Mister Peet, what about the fire?”

“Eh? Ah, the fire. I've been here long enough that the hounded horns leave me be, Jangiby. Besides, the most of the beasts can't climb. Ceet's pastle is safe.”

“Hrmph,” Podo said, inspecting the tree house and trying very hard not to be impressed.

Nia elbowed him. “Peet, this is lovely. Can I help you with anything?”

Peet was glowing. He busied himself with pots and pans, rummaging through sacks of grain and dried meats and vegetables, tiny bottles of spices and herbs. While Peet prepared the meal, the others each found a nook and a quilt and made themselves comfortable. Podo refused a blanket and hunched against a wall, staring at his hands.

The rain beat on the windows and sides of the house, but Peet had sealed the structure well. Not a drop of water leaked in. The tree house swayed and creaked in its perch, and the smell of stew filled their noses. Janner, like the other Igibys, drifted off to sleep, thanking the Maker they were safe and dry in Peet's castle.

Even Podo.

49

The Jewels of Anniera

J
anner woke long before his eyes opened. He lay beneath a warm blanket, feeling the rocking motion of the tree house, listening to the murmur of soft conversation and the rain on the windows. He didn't want to wake up just yet. The wail of the wind and the rumble of thunder intensified his gladness there in the shelter.

Nia noticed him stirring and kissed his cheek.

“Hello, dear Janner,” she said.

He smiled, stretched, and forced himself to sit up. Tink and Leeli were awake and grinning at him. The trapdoor flipped open and Podo climbed into the room, his clothes soaked through.

“Ol' Nugget's got dry quarters now,” he said cheerily.

“Thank you, Grandpa,” Leeli said, hugging her grandfather's leg. She looked down the trapdoor at the makeshift shelter Podo had assembled from lumber and animal hides that Peet had lying about.

“Aye, lass. Yer dog's as dry as a bone and content just to be nearby,” Podo said. “He sent a message for ye too.”

Leeli looked confused, and Podo swept her up to sniffle around her chin and shoulders like a dog. She squealed with delight and everyone joined in the laughter.

Peet cleared his throat and declared the stew ready.

High in the boughs of a glipwood oak in the middle of the fiercest storm Skree had seen in a thousand years, the Igibys, Podo Helmer, and Peet the Sock Man shared a meal together. Though Peet was silent and at times somber, there was much laughter and thanksgiving for the Maker's provision and goodness while they ate and drank until their bellies were full.

Janner saw Podo's bundle lying in the corner and decided that it was time for answers. He wasn't the only one. Without a word, a feeling of gravity settled on them all, and they were silent while they chewed their food.

Finally, Janner set his empty bowl on the floor beside him. “The Jewels of Anniera,” he said, folding his arms. “Where are they?”

Nia and Podo looked at one another, then at Peet.

Tink and Leeli barely breathed, as eager as Janner to know the truth.

Nia nodded at Podo and laid a hand on Peet's socked forearm as Podo retrieved his bundle from the door. The old pirate had a twinkle in his eye again, and crackling anticipation moved about like invisible sparks among the children. Podo paused, savoring the moment, then he said with bushy eyebrows raised, “To begin with, yer not asking the right question.”

His statement hung in the air for a moment.

Tink squinted at his grandfather. “Uh…what's in the bundle?”

“Nope. The
real
question is…” Podo paused dramatically. “
What
are the Jewels of Anniera?”

Janner felt his arms tingle. There was something odd about the way the three adults watched them, smiling.

“The Jewels of Anniera,” Nia said, “have been sought by Gnag the Nameless since the Great War fell on the shores of the Shining Isle and overcame it. Gnag destroyed all that was good and beautiful in that place…except for the jewels. And he has sought them ever since. He has obsessed over them and ruined nations in his search because he believes that the Jewels of Anniera hold a hidden power. His hunt for the jewels is what's led him to Skree. If he didn't believe they had come here, I don't think he would have bothered crossing the Dark Sea of Darkness at all.”

“But he came,” Podo said gravely.

“Did someone give them to you?” Tink blurted. “How did you end up with the jewels if they were from Anniera? Did you agree to hide them?”

Janner could feel his emotions rising again. “How could you do that when you knew it would put us—and all of Glipwood—in danger? Why would you give some of the jewels to Gnorm in the first place, if you knew they could lead Gnag here?”

“Janner, the jewels I gave Gnorm were worthless to me,” Nia said gently. “Once, they might have meant something, but they were kept hidden for such a time as that. Gnag couldn't care less about those jewels. There must have been something I didn't notice in them that identified them as Annieran.”

“Annieran?” Leeli said. “How did you get Annieran gold and jewelry?”

Nia paused. “Because I brought them here. From Anniera.”

The children's confusion was so evident that Podo laughed. “Bitties, we came here from Anniera to escape Gnag and his army during the Great War.”

“But Grandpa, you're from Glipwood! And so is Mama.” Leeli grew more and more puzzled.

“No, dear,” Nia said. “Your grandfather is from Glipwood. But I was born in the Green Hollows, far across the Dark Sea, where he met your grandmother. When I married your father, we all made our home in Anniera. But when the war came to us, we fled.”

“We had to protect the jewels, see,” Podo said.

“So where are they?” Tink demanded.

“I told you, lad. That's the wrong question.”

“Fine.
What
are the Jewels of Anniera then?”

The question hung in the air like smoke or like motes of dust caught in a bright beam of light. The three adults sat and stared at the three children. The children stared back at the adults. Janner's stomach turned a flip and his head went dizzy. He didn't know what the answer was, but he felt in his bones that whatever it was would change everything.

Everything.

Peet the Sock Man cleared his throat and leaned forward. His big eyes bore less of their sorrow than Janner had ever seen, and he smiled into the Igiby children's faces—first Janner's, then Tink's, then Leeli's, and then Janner's again.

“You,” he said. “
You
are.”

No one spoke. None of the children even breathed. Their hearts thrummed with the truth of what had been spoken. The air around Peet's words would have shimmered if it were possible to see such a thing, and the children knew it to be true.

Janner swallowed hard.

“What…what do you mean?”

“Your father—” Nia said slowly, tears choking her sentence and brimming in her eyes. “Your father was the High King of the Shining Isle.”