“I don’t know,” Elowise sighed. “Maybe protect them from flying attackers? Dragons? Who knows.”

  The grass around the fortress was overgrown and wild. It was clear the gnomes didn’t care for trying to impress visitors, and even the horses seemed unsure about going any further forward.

  “Sooo,” Nicola said. “Now what? Do we just go and knock?”

  “I wonder if there’s anyone in the tower,” Celeste said. “Maybe I could go and fly up to see?”

  “No,” I said quickly. “They might try and shoot you down. I want you all to slowly and calmly make your way to the front. Gnomes at the front, and everyone practice your cheeriest, friendliest faces.”

  Grez had his normal happy grin plastered on his face, but everyone else just looked warily at the watch tower.

  There was only one thin window in the watchtower, and it was too dark to see inside. I had a feeling there would be a gnome in there, though. If they were as paranoid as they seemed, then they would probably have a lookout at all times.

  The gnomes led the way slowly toward the fortress, and I kept my eyes on the tower in case they tried to shoot down bolts or arrows.

  I tried to look inside the tower with my God Vision, but I could only see darkness through the thin window, and it appeared that I couldn’t gain access to such a closed-off space without my followers accessing it first.

  The horses stopped a few inches away from the steel wall, and I could see the door much clearer as I switched to Elowise’s vision. The handle looked worn and dull, and the hinges were the same metal as the rest of the building. I wondered if there was actually stone behind it all, or if they really had constructed the whole thing out of steel.

  I tapped into my God Vision to scope it out and took a look through the glass panels on the massive roof of the fortress.

  Inside, there was what looked like a little mini-village. Several houses sat around an open square area, and there were gnomes mingling about with cups of tea and various tools.

  It didn’t seem that anyone had heard us yet, and I was interested to see how the gnomes would react when they realized there was a group outside. Elowise had said they were experts with weapons, so I would have to make sure they didn’t bring any of their deadly creations out to play.

  “Right,” I said after a moment of silence. “Maybe knock?”

  It was slightly amusing that I had less of an idea of what to do with the paranoid gnomes than I had with the violent ogre.

  Wilfrim leaned over on his horse and gave a quick knock on the doorway. Then he sat back and waited, and everyone peered up at the tower above.

  There was no reply or even any sound of movement that I could hear.

  Another scan of my God Vision showed me seven gnomes all frozen in place around the square as they stared at the doorway of the fortress. It didn’t look like they would be rushing to let us in any time soon.

  “Maybe they’re not home?” Penelope suggested. “They could be out hunting? Or somewhere else?”

  “They’re in there,” I sighed. “They’re just not coming to the door. I guess that makes sense considering how paranoid they are.”

  Wilfrim leaned back and knocked much harder on the steel, and then sighed as he drummed his fingers on his leg.

  “I don’t think there’s anyone up in the tower,” Celeste said as she squinted up at the window. “It will probably be fine if I just--”

  “We are armed!” a rough, deep voice cried out from somewhere, and everyone looked around for who it belonged to.

  I checked back inside the fortress to see the gnomes were still staring blankly at the entranceway, and none of them were speaking. I figured the voice must be coming from the watchtower, but it was still too dark to see inside with my God Vision.

  A dark red arrow suddenly flew down from the tower window and landed right in front of Azza’s horse. The elf raised an eyebrow as he calmly backed up his animal, and everyone took a few steps so that they weren’t in the direct line of sight of the window.

  Then another arrow flew down and sailed right into a nearby bush. There was a frustrated sigh from inside the tower, and the priestesses glanced at each other with raised eyebrows.

  “Hello!” Elowise called. “My name is Elowise, and I--”

  “We will smite you down!” the same voice screamed from the watchtower. “All the fury of the gnomes will rain down on you if you do not leave this place! We are protected by an ancient curse, and we will unleash its power if you do not comply!”

  “Um,” Nicola said with a raised eyebrow. “What kind of curse?”

  “Just a curse,” the voice shouted, but it sounded less confident. “Aren’t you scared of curses?”

  “Not really,” the brunette called out. “We’ve got magic swords, so we have curses, too, I guess.”

  “Magic swords?” the voice asked, and there was a beat of hesitation. “Um, you must throw them down at the door and leave them with us! Otherwise… you will be set on fire!”

  “No,” Nicola chuckled. “I don’t want to do that.”

  “Nicola,” I hissed with a snort. “Stop winding them up!”

  “But it’s so easy.” The brunette grinned.

  “Why don’t you come down here?” Elowise called. “So we can talk properly, and you can see that we’re not a threat.”

  “Watch out,” I said. “He’s armed up there.”

  “What do you want?” the voice demanded. “This is not a place for visitors.”

  “Oh, hush!” Elowise called. “We’re family! Family can always visit!”

  “You don’t look like a family,” the voice said suspiciously. “You’re all different sizes.”

  “Well,” Elowise sighed. “We’re not all related, obviously, but we’re a group. What I meant is that me, my husband, and our son are all related to you. By blood!”

  “Prove it!” the voice cried indignantly.

  I had to sigh as I looked down on the situation, and I tried my best not to snicker too loudly through it all.

  “How are we meant to do that?” Wilfrim grumbled.

  “Listen,” Elowise said as she rubbed her head. “You must know my auntie Dora, she’s married to Angus? Then they have a son named Harril. Then he has three little ones… oh, I forget their names. I think one is called Molly?”

  The group stared up at the tower, and the voice inside was silent.

  “I think it’s working,” I hissed. “Keep going.”

  “Then there’s my second cousins,” Elowise said. “Nimby, Brocus, and Lyal. You must know them!”

  “Do you remember any names of the gnomes who live here?” I asked the old gnome.

  “Not really,” Elowise whispered. “Honestly, I tried to forget about them.”

  “You know Brocus?” the voice asked hesitantly.

  “Oh, yes!” Elowise called as she perked up. “Of course! He’s got that lovely red hair and a bit of a stutter.”

  The gnome in the tower took nearly a full minute to decide how to respond to this. Celeste tapped the ground with her foot impatiently, and Aleia bit her lip as she twirled her hair, but the rest of our group seemed to hold their breath while they craned their necks to stare at the watchtower.

  “You could just be saying that,” the voice finally shouted. “Maybe you’re all shapeshifters. Just waiting to get inside so you can eat us all!”

  “How would shapeshifters know the names of all those gnomes?” Penelope asked diplomatically. “If you really think about it, that’s just a silly idea.”

  “I am not silly!” the voice screeched.

  “Oh,” Penelope said as she blushed. “Yes, um, of course not.”

  Nicola covered her mouth to stifle a laugh, and Celeste had to turn away so that she didn’t break out into giggles as well.

  “Can we maybe speak to someone else?” Elowise asked with an exasperated huff. “Maybe someone who would recognize me? I have met a few of your lovely group before. Years back at a family event…”

  “Before they moved into the woods like maniacs?” Wilfrim huffed under his breath.

  “Before you built this lovely house,” Elowise shouted as she whacked her husband on the arm.

  “It’s not a house,” the voice scoffed. “It is a mighty fortress to keep out the dangers of the forest. None can enter, and those who do will perish!”

  “This is giving me a headache,” Balabar muttered.

  “Look,” Elowise sighed. “This is really important. Our god brought us here--”

  “Your god?” the voice asked, and suddenly a face appeared at the window opening. “Gnomes don’t have gods!”

  It was a male gnome who looked about the same age as Balabar. He had wild, dark hair, and a beard that curled down to his chest.

  “Yes, well… we do.” Elowise nodded. “It’s nice to meet you, I’m Elowise. What’s your name?”

  “Davin,” he said. “Are you really here because of your god?”

  “Yes,” Penelope piped up. “He is the most wonderful god, and he protects us against all things! He fought an ogre for us on our way here, in fact!”

  “He did what?” Davin squeaked. “He… he fought an ogre? How is that possible?”

  “He’s a great god,” Grez said with obvious pride. “Do you have any experience with gods?”

  Davin’s face crumpled, and I really hoped he wasn’t about to tell us that he worked for Ethan. But he seemed more upset than filled with wild fury like the sprites were, and I had a feeling that he wasn’t a soldier of the vengeful god.

  “We don’t want any more trouble with gods,” Davin informed the group. “The one around here is such a prick.”

  “Ask what his name is,” I urged.

  “Who is that, then?” Wilfrim asked. “Which god is giving you problems?”

  “I don’t want to talk about it,” Davin huffed, but he stayed posted at the window like he had a lot to get off his chest. “He rules this part of the forest, all the parts between Ethan’s land and the road to Evelhelm.”

  My interest piqued. So, it wasn’t Ethan who ruled this part of the forest. That meant there was another god here. But why hadn’t Ethan battled him with sprites?

  Or did he battle this other god and lose?

  “What does this god do exactly?” Celeste asked as she crossed her arms.

  “His followers are always causing problems,” Davin replied. “He’s got all sorts of creatures on his side, and they try to steal our stuff and hurt us.”

  “That sounds terrible,” Elowise tutted. “But I can assure you that Jack is nothing like that.”

  “Who the hell is Jack?” Davin scoffed, and he glared down at the group near the wall.

  “He is our glorious god!” Aleia shot back, and I was surprised at how huffy she looked as she propped her hands on her little hips. “And he is listening, so show some respect!”

  “Easy, girl,” I chuckled in her ear. “I’m not offended in the slightest.”

  “Well… okay.” The fairy relaxed her shoulders by just a sliver, and she tried to force another friendly face.

  I briefly wondered if pregnant fairies were known to have mood swings, but I knew better than to ask.

  “Jack saved the town of Evelhelm against a whole army of Squall Sprites,” Elowise continued. “Maybe you heard about the battle?”

  Davin was quiet, and I couldn’t tell if we were any closer to winning him over or not.

  “Offer him supplies,” I said. “Get some of those cakes out, and any spare tools we have. They make weapons, don’t they? Maybe we have something that would be useful for that.”

  The elves opened up their bags, and Nia pulled out some lavender bread and one of the blue buns. Even though they had been in her pack for hours, the smell still wafted through the air as if they were freshly baked.

  I saw Davin’s nose twitch, and he leaned further out of the small window as he stared down at the group.

  “What are those?” he asked gruffly.

  “Some elven treats!” Grez called with a charming grin. “We have plenty to go around. We brought far too many actually, so we really could do with sharing some of them. I’m not sure if you like sweet things, but if not, we have some seasoned meats and breads, too.”

  The yellow-haired elf pulled out some cured meat that had been tied up in a bundle with twine, and he waved it above his head to show the gnome on the watchtower.

  “What’s that smell?” a female voice shouted from behind the doorway.

  “It’s elf food,” Davin shouted back. “There’s a group outside. They said their god sent them, and they’ve got loads of food.”

  There was a shuffling of more feet on the other side of the fortress, and it was clear that the enticing smells were our best bet for getting inside.

  I scanned my God Vision and saw that several gnomes had scurried over to the doorway. A couple ran inside their houses before they returned with weapons, and it looked like they were considering opening up.

  “Their god?” the same lady gnome called out, and her tone was hostile now. “It’s not Him, is it?”

  “No,” Davin said. “One named Jack. Apparently, he fought an ogre on his way here.”

  “Tell them I can protect them, too,” I said to my followers. “If they’re this paranoid, that will be a good way to get their trust.”

  “He can keep you safe!” Penelope screamed toward the top of the wall. “Jack is a very loving and caring god, and he makes sure no harm comes to any of his followers!”

  “There’s a whole town of us,” Grez added in a more normal tone. “During the Squall Sprite attack, he made sure that not a single one of the townspeople got killed. I know he wants to protect you as well, from anything in this forest that might cause you harm.”

  “Anything?” a different male voice asked. “Even the other gods?”

  “Yes,” Aleia answered. “It was the god Ethan that sent the sprites to Evelhelm. Jack is the only reason that everyone survived.”

  “So…” Nicola chimed in. “If you let us in, you get a protective god and free food. I can’t really think of another opportunity as good as this one, and I doubt they come along often in this part of the forest.”

  “We’ll even throw in some carving tools,” Celeste said. “And you can study my magical, enchanted sword to try and copy the make of it.”

  The harpy had always been good at bartering deals, and I felt a phantom smirk as she skillfully added that little touch.

  “We’re family,” Elowise said with a tired sigh. “If we can’t trust our family, then there’s no hope left.”

  “You’re sure you’re not shapeshifters?” Davin asked again.

  “I promise.” Elowise smiled.

  “And we can all have some of that food?” the female voice called from behind the wall.

  “Of course,” Grez agreed. “Even if we run out, we know how to make more with whatever ingredients you have. Myra is an expert baker as well as a soldier.”

  There was a hushed conversation on the other side of the doorway, and I could see Davin peering down to examine the cakes in Grez’s hand.

  “Stand back!” the female voice shouted, and everyone backed up their horses.

  I thought the door was going to swing open for us like in so many movies, but there was a slight creak, and the steel entrance was pushed open by only the tiniest crack.

  Two gnomes hurried out, and they slammed the steel shut behind them.

  The female gnome looked somewhere between Balabar and Elowise’s age, and the other male gnome was much younger.

  The woman had a mop of curly, blonde hair and wore something that looked like armor. She had a shiny metal breastplate and knee pads to match, and she clenched a short weapon in her hand that I had never seen before.

  It looked like a bronze dagger, but it had little sharp ridges around the edge of the blade. The strangest part was the handle. It curled around her fingers and made a knuckle duster with long spikes. It was a seriously badass weapon, and I was instantly excited to see what other deadly shit these gnomes had cooked up within the fortress.

  The younger, male gnome had shorter, neater dark hair. He also had armor on, and he wielded a long, curved sword with various-colored gems in the hilt.

  “Nice to meet you,” Elowise said as she slid off her horse. “I must say, those weapons are spectacular.”

  “Thank you.” The female gnome nodded, but she took a step backward as Elowise dismounted.

  “I’m Allam,” the young man said. “This is Jemmy. We want to see your god.”

  “You said he fought an ogre.” Jemmy nodded. “That must mean he’s here in the flesh.”

  “He can be,” Nicola hedged. “But he’s not here right now. He chooses when to show himself, and it’s usually when we need help with something. Not as some sideshow attraction.”

  Penelope clicked her tongue in disapproval, and she tilted her nose slightly in the air like even the idea was an insult.

  “What does he look like?” Jemmy asked.

  “Handsome!” Aleia piped up, and the priestesses laughed.

  “How can we be sure you don’t work for the other gods?” Allam frowned. “His pesky followers are always trying to trick us.”

  “They’re awful,” Jemmy said sadly. “There’s nothing we can do to stop them, even with all of our weapons. We just don’t have enough gnomes to fight off the likes of them.”

  “Tell them I’ll help them with that,” I said. “If they agree to help shelter us for the time being, then they will have access to all of our help and manpower.”

  “Jack says that he’s going to help you.” Penelope smiled. “We need some shelter, and we promise to help defend you all against this god and his people in return.”

  “I didn’t hear him say that,” Allam said and narrowed his eyes. “Are you sure?”

  There was a gust of wind, and I figured it gave the gnomes another waft of the treats the elves were holding. Both gnomes turned their heads to Grez, and he smiled as he slid off his horse.

  “Here,” the yellow-haired elf offered. “Why don’t you try some before you make your decision? I’m telling you, it’s delicious!”

  Jemmy looked suspiciously at offerings, but Allam reached out and grabbed a stick of jerky along with a blue cake.

 

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