The Elemental Jewels (Book 1) (23 page)

There was a scream behind him, and he turned to see a man stab a knife into Ariana’s chest, causing the girl to awaken and scream.

“No!” Grange bellowed.  He shifted his feet and started to run towards her, only to falter as a beam of red light suddenly struck the man attacking Ariana.  The man stood erect, stiffened, and screamed.  The burst of red light ceased, and the man toppled to the ground.

“What was that?” Grange asked out loud, as the other attackers also stopped moving momentarily.

“Another fighter?  Find it; kill it!” the leader of the demons rasped in its evil voice, also astonished by the unexpected intervention of an unknown outside force.

The creatures stood still, their glowing eyes roaming over the crowd, distracted from Grange and Ariana and the flying jewels.

Ariana suddenly stood, rising like an eruption of forceful energy.  She reached dramatically with one hand and grabbed the knife hilt that was still embedded in her chest, then wrenched it free.  She began to glow with a bright blue light, then shrank instantaneously to a small blue figure, armed with a sword.

“How extraordinary!” a voice called from the side of the crowd.  The voice was loud, but human, not the voice of demonic projection.

All heads turned to see the tiny man sitting next to Prince Rupert.  The man was standing on his chair, and he held a glowing wand.

A pair of demonic attackers switched course, and left the pursuit of Grange to begin to move towards the inexplicable little assailant.  The others, still numbering nearly a dozen, began to surge towards Grange again.

Ariana – the flying blue sprite that had formerly been Ariana – flew at one of the demonic attackers heading towards Grange, while the red jewel flew over towards the small man on the chair, and the other three arrayed themselves in formation in front of Grange, as he backed slowly towards the garden wall behind him, stepping over the bodies of the three wall-climbers as he did.

Ariana’s harrying was slowing down three of the demons, and the red jewel pestered the two demons headed towards the other man, while a half dozen continued to converge on Grange.  He stopped as he felt the wall behind him.  Sweat was beading up on his forehead and his torso, he was fleetingly aware of his shirt clinging to his back, and then the first pair of attackers were upon him, breaching the trio of flying jewels who were occupied in fighting other demons.

Grange stabbed at one of the demons, and as he did so, the other attacker sliced his knife across Grange’s thigh, making him cry out in pain.

He was going to have to resort to fighting the men themselves, he realized.  The effort to strike only the small target of the demon was taking too much time, exposing him to the multiple other blades that were trying to spill his blood.  With a savage swing, he sliced into the demon and the neck of the man that had cut him, then used the back stroke to kill his first target.  Two small plumes of greasy smoke rose from the demons he had killed.

He detected a bright flash out of the corner of his eye, but couldn’t stop to look.  His leg was burning with pain, and another attacker came through at him, while yet another was harassing one of the jewels, freeing up another demon to come at him.  Grange used his sword to block a swift strike from a knife, then saw a blue streak, as Ariana arrived at the stage and began to harry the demon, allowing Grange to poke his sword quickly at another demon, who died as his man collapsed, unconscious.

There was another bright flash of light, and then the fifth jewel, the red one, came to join the collapsing scrum around Grange.  Another knife struck him in his left shoulder, but he swung his sword desperately, killing two more men and demons, as he collapsed to one knee, still trying to stay alive, fighting the small band of the last attackers who surrounded him, each being harried by a jewel.

Another bright bolt of red light flew at the bedlam around Grange, striking the head of one of his attackers, making the man’s head and its occupying demon disappear in a deadly mist of redness.

The jewels outnumbered the remaining attackers, and began to double up on the last few demons, forcing them to the ground, as Grange did kill off those demons, striking at the last one savagely, then collapsing backwards, his back resting against the stone wall behind him as the jewels circled observantly, looking for any further signs of assault.

Grange closed his eyes, and felt tears start to flow.  The battle had been horrible – it had been frightening, intense, and painful.  He had been pursued by a large gang of demons that had wanted to capture him alive – take him prisoner.  The thought of that fate horrified him.  And it had all been so unexpected, coming in the middle of a peaceful afternoon.

He had seen what Ariana had become – what she had started from.  He had always known she was not a normal girl, but now he knew how non-human she truly was.  She was one of the powerful jewels, hidden in human guise, controlling and teaching and ruling over him; testing his heart with her beauty and closeness and unavailability.

“You’re more than a musician, aren’t you?” a raspy voice asked.

Grange raised his sword as he opened his eyes, and saw the little man with the glowing wand standing nearby.

“Who are you?” Grange asked warily.  The man had fought against the demons, had saved Grange’s life in all probability with his energy, but he was a complete unknown, and Grange didn’t know anything or anyone he could trust right now.

Do not fear harm from this one this day
, one of the jewels’ voices spoke in his mind.  The five of them were still in the area, close to the two who were speaking.

“I am the court wizard, Brieed,” the man replied.  “Here as a guest of Prince Rupert, expecting only to hear music this afternoon, instead of seeing the most frightening demon incursion I’ve ever heard of or read about.  And of course seeing these extraordinary beings of yours,” he gestured towards the jewels.

There was a movement in the distance, near the house, then a shout.

Our work is done.  We return,
the jewels said together.  They all became brilliant, glowing jewels as they changed from their small feminine forms into colored crystalline entities, and then collapsed downward onto his arm, resuming their imbedding within his flesh, three colored spots, though two were missing.  Grange had not seen what had become of the blue and red, and for the moment, in his pain and exhaustion and confusion, he did not care.

“Extraordinary!” the man shouted.  “How did you create them?” he asked.

There were more shouts from the house, as servants came running out.

“I didn’t,” Grange lowered the sword wearily.  “They attached themselves to me.”

He felt ill, terribly ill.  He leaned to one side, retched up the emptiness he felt inside, then passed out.

Chapter 14

Grange awoke the next morning.  He was alone in a small room with a high ceiling.  The walls were white, and there was a window covered by a pair of thin white curtains.  An icon of the goddess Miriam, the goddess of domestic bliss, in whose temple Garrel and Deana had been wed, was the only ornament hanging on the wall.

Grange had no clothes.  He rested under a simple white sheet, relatively comfortable in the morning coolness.  His shoulder was sore, a cotton bandage wrapped around the wound given him there by a knife, while he saw seepage leaking out between stitches along the slice in his thigh.

And he saw the row of three jewels in his arm, each stone glimmering, while the baleful allure of the red stone – and the familiar blue tones of Ariana’s eyes – were absent.

“There never was a girl named Ariana, was there?  I was with a cold stone the whole time,” he asked them bitterly.  “Where is she, the jewel, now?”

There was a girl in that village in the mountains, and her name was Ariana, just as mine is, Grange dear.  I simply assumed her appearance so that you would allow me to instruct you as you needed,
the voice of the jewel spoke to him.  It was the voice of Ariana, the voice he remembered, yet it was a colder, flatter voice now, as he entered his consciousness directly, rather than through his ears. 
And I’m not far away now; I’m in a place where I can best assist you
.

Ariana treated you well, better than you deserved.  I think she was too soft on you.  I think that occupying a soft human body like that made her lose her strength
, another voice said.

Rigan, that’s not fair
, Ariana protested
.  I experienced life as they do, and I understood better what some of their weaknesses cause them to do, and why they act as they do.  I became better informed, not weaker.

You nearly let him get captured
, Rigan replied.

“Stop this,” Grange said.  “She may have lied to me about who she was, but she’s not the one who sent all those demons after me.

“Now tell me what happened,” he said.  “Why were there so many demons?  Is it going to happen again?  Where can I go to be safe?”

You will be safe for some time,
another voice spoke, one that was calmer than Ariana or Rigan. 
The demons seemed to have swarmed together to try to capture you.  That must have been nearly ever demon in the world at the moment.  It will take many months for that many new demons to penetrate and come searching for you
.

“So the blue stone is nearby – and where is the red stone?” he asked.  “Is she going to come and start to be the new Ariana?”

The jewels were silent.

“Are you in here talking to yourself?” the door opened abruptly, and a woman walked in the room.  She was dressed in white, a matronly woman who vaguely reminded Grange of the sisters who had run the orphanage in which he had been raised in Fortune.

“Where am I?” he asked.

“This is the palace hospital, provided by the kind charity of the king of the land.  You were brought here by the court wizard, Brieed.  I’ll send word to your master that you’re awake and recovering nicely,” she said matter-of-factly.

“Now, let me take a look at your injuries,” she said, and to his horror, she pulled his sheet off before he could grab it.  His whole body was exposed to her scrutiny, without a stitch of protective clothing.

Grange felt a blush heating his cheeks, and he closed his eyes in embarrassment.  Seconds later though, the nurse pulled the sheet back into place over his body.

“We’ll put some brandy on that cut in your leg to clean it out.   It’ll burn, but it has to be done.  You probably were out drinking brandy or something like it when you got in your knife fight and got hurt,” the woman told him.

“He’s not my master,” Grange blurted out.  “If it’s all the same to you, I’ll get dressed and leave the hospital,” he told her.

“Dressed in what?” she asked.  “You don’t have any clothes.

“What are those?” she asked abruptly, seeing the jewels embedded in his arm.  She started to reach for his limb, but he hastily slipped it under the sheet.

“You clearly are his apprentice if he’s done such a thing to you; the wizard personally escorted you in here,” the nurse said.  “I’ll send for him, and I’ll send someone to put some brandy on your leg.  You stay here and stay still in the meantime,” she commanded, then left the room.

“This wizard, is he good?” Grange asked the jewels, hoping for information.

He is not evil
, the jewels said.

“What can you tell me about him?  What is a wizard?” Grange asked.

A wizard is one who is born with the potential to reach the energy of the spirits
, one of the jewels said.

“Are you wizards?” Grange asked.

The jewels howled in laughter.

No, we are who we are
, Ariana’s voice answered.

“Ariana,” Grange started to speak, then paused.

What is it Grange?
The jewel asked.

“Can you come back to me?” he asked.  “Will you come live with me again?”  He had to ask.  Even though he was angry and upset at the realization of the subterfuge that had been practiced on him, he had suddenly realized that he faced the prospect of going back to an apartment with Deana and Garrel, one in which he would sleep in a room alone, and often be alone, whenever the two newlyweds were not available to socialize with him.  He would be lonely, and Ariana was the relationship that had held loneliness at bay – she had been a companion, and much more.

No Grange, I cannot
, she answered in a voice that sounded less cold. 
You did very well at learning the lessons I needed to teach you.  You do not need me any longer, my dear
.

“He’s talking to himself again,” a young nurse entered the room.  She was a round-faced girl with an ample bosom and a stout build, who might have been pretty if she had smiled, but she didn’t smile.

She held a glass bottle in her hand, and pulled a glass stopper out of it as she entered the room.  “We’ll take a look at those knife fight wounds you got,” the nurse said.  She too swept the sheet away without batting an eyelash, and proceeded to pour a few drops of the brandy onto Grange’s leg.

The alcohol began to immediately burn, as the nurse pulled a cotton ball out of a pocket, and began to dab it upon the wound, spreading the brandy’s heated effects while soaking away some of the seepage that sat on top of the wound.

“Now,” she said as she swept the sheet back up over his waist, “let’s look at the shoulder.”  Her fingers picked at the knots that held the gauze padding in place on his shoulder, and she pulled it away.  The edges of the ugly-looking wound were red, and she immediately tipped more of the brandy onto the wound, and swabbed it as well, then made Grange whimper as she pulled the wound open and dripped more brandy inside it.

“There now, we’ll leave that open to get some air.  You rest and don’t try to move around,” she advised, and she gave a perfunctory smile, then left the room.

“You should see the jewels in his arm,” Grange heard her speak to someone as her voice faded.

He gave a sigh, then carefully rose from his bed, and limped over to the window.  The sun was rising outside, adding light to the landscape.  Grange stared about.  He was up on a high floor, perhaps the fourth or fifth floor, he guessed, giving him a nice view of the land to the south of the hospital building.  He saw a large stone wall, standing seemingly taller than Selebe’s had, and across the wall he saw a bright green formal garden, with flower beds blooming with brilliant colors.  Beyond the garden was a massive palace, one that had towers rising as high as his own elevation, or even higher.  Most of the palace building though was slightly shorter, and it ran off in all directions, covering a vast swath of land.

The door opened, and a third woman walked in to the room, with Grange once again revealed without clothes.

“Could you people knock on the door before coming in?” Grange asked, holding the curtain in front of himself.

The nurse was much more attractive than the first two who had entered the room, and she wore a Cheshire cat grin, amused at his discomfort.  Her hair was a deep, auburn red, worn in a single think braid.

“You’re the jewel, aren’t you?” Grange accused.  He was sure she was.  The red jewel was missing, and a mass of flaming red hair was atop the beautiful girl who had walked in on him.  No longer concerned about his modesty, he let the curtain go, and began to walk towards the nurse.

He saw her eyes flicker up and down, then remain steady on his face.

“I’ve been sent by Brieed to check on you.  If you think you’re ready, I’m supposed to bring you back to his quarters in the palace,” the girl said.  “Clothed, I had presumed.”

Grange walked over to the bed and sat, still troubled by the limp in his injured thigh.  The door opened and the nurse who had administered the medicinal brandy on his wounds entered.

“You shouldn’t be sitting up,” she said in exasperation.  “You shouldn’t be walking about either; have you been?” she asked in an accusing tone.

“Grace, what are you doing here?” she turned to face the redheaded visitor.

“I came to check on him.  Can I take him back to Brieed’s quarters?” the girl asked.  “My master is anxious to have him safely under control.

“Could you at least give him a pair of pants to wear?  He’s strutting around here like a rooster,” she added with a smirk.

Grange blushed, as he realized that the girl was evidently a true resident of the palace quarters, neither another nurse nor a new jewel intruder in his life.  He flicked the sheet over his lap.

“Can you walk on crutches?” the nurse asked Grange, who nodded. 

“I don’t have time to watch over him all day to try to keep him in bed,” she told Grace.  “If you’ll escort him to the wizard’s quarters, and make him stay still over there for a day or two, we’ll release him to your care.”

“And you’ll provide some clothes?” Grace repeated her question.

“You’re so fussy!” the nurse laughed.  “Alright.  Keep your boy in bed – properly, mind you – and I’ll be back with something for him to wear.

“And make him tell you about those jewels in his arm; I want to hear his story,” she added as she backed out of the room.

The girl stood looking at Grange, who was still blushing deeply.

“Look at you!” she laughed.  “No matter where I look, there’s something to see – the wicked slice in your shoulder, the cut in your leg, the red in your face, the spots on your arm, and then,” she stopped and grinned as her eyes dropped down, making Grange’s blush linger.

“Our master won’t tell me anything about you, but he’s very excited to have you come,” the girl said.  “So your name is Grange?

“Go ahead and lie back to rest, and pull that cover up over you, for goodness sake,” she said.  “I’ll come sit on the edge of the bed since there’s nowhere else to sit, if you’ll promise not to flaunt yourself.”

“I’m sorry,” Grange said in a very low voice.  “I thought you were someone else.”  He desperately wished there was a way for him to sink through the floor and disappear.

“Because you think there’s some other girl who wants to watch you walk around like that?” Grace asked sarcastically.

“So tell me about the jewels in your arm,” she said.

“What did the wizard tell you?” Grange asked.  He was reluctant to reveal anything about the jewels and their unbelievable story, though a girl who worked for a wizard would be likely to be less incredulous than most people.

Grace hesitated for a fraction of a second.  “My conversations with him are private,” she finally deflected Grange’s question.

“And my jewels are private too,” Grange shot back.

“Not the way you’ve been flashing them,” the girl answered instantly, and Grange blushed.

“Stop that!” she barked.  “It’s like you’re an open book!  Doesn’t anyone from Southgar know how to hide their feelings?” she asked.

“I’m not from Southgar,” Grange answered sullenly, just as the door opened, and the nurse returned with a loose robe. 

“This was the easiest thing I had for him to wear,” she advised as she handed the robe to the red-headed girl.

“Here, come put this on,” the girl held the robe out for him, luring him to leave the cover of the bed sheet.

Grange wrenched the sheet free as he lunged for the robe, but Grace raised it just a few inches above his reach, and he fell on the floor, then felt the robe fall atop him as the girl released it.

“Will you be able to walk to the palace, or should I have a pair of orderlies carry you back?” she asked.

Grange pulled the robe on, and stood up.  “Did any of my belongings come with me?” he asked.

“The wizard collected some things – a whistle and a sword, I believe,” Grace finally said something that Grange was pleased to hear.