It startedgetting ugly. The barkeeper raised his voice demanding payment andcustomers started looking around at Aquitain. Chantalot couldn’tquite tell which gnome was Aquitain but guessed the one thebarkeeper was shouting at would be him. He changed the tune tosomething more rollicking but the customers seemed more amused atthe situation of this poor fellow that refused to pay thebarkeeper.
Just thenRumple walked in. He looked at Chantalot singing then looked aroundfor Aquitain and not seeing him looked at the gnome with the newgnome hat bailed up by the barkeeper and immediately realized whatwas happening.
‘There you areBinzel! I thought I’d find you here. You left your coin pouch in myshop. Let me have an ale with you. Barkeep, get me a fresh mug anda full jug I’m shouting. The barkeep nodded and left. Rumple pulledup a stool waited for the barkeeper to bring the jug, pouredhimself a full mug and swallowed it down in a single gulp.
He waited forthe attention to turn back to Chantalot then whispered.
‘You lookpretty convincing but it might be an idea to learn gnomish and havesome coin on you if you plan to do something like this again.’
Aquitain noddedand mindspoke to Rumple.
‘Yeah that wasa close call.’
Rumple was alittle surprised at first then said.
‘I might haveknown. You’re that bloody mind wizard that was running around as abear causing all sorts of problems back on Mudrun.’
He lookedAquitain up and down and then chuckled.
‘Fancy anoutsider trying to trick gnomes. It’s usually the other way around.Then again you have got a fine eye for detail.’
He filled hismug again and topped up Aquitain’s and said.
‘Anyhow let’senjoy the show. I haven’t heard Chantalot for quite a while.’
A couple ofhours later, as Chantalot and Aquitain staggered back to theteleport circle Aquitain said.
‘That was luckythat Rumple turned up when he did.’
‘I doubt it wasluck.’ replied Chantalot. ‘He would have had us followed as soon aswe left his shop. He’s a very suspicious fellow. He would have beenintrigued by you and tipped off shortly after you changed to yourgnome form. He came to see what you were up to. Fortunately he’s aold friend of Featherdown.’
A group ofseveral young gnomes came racing down the road shouting andlaughing with an older gnome chasing them waving a walkingstick.
‘This placecertainly seems alive and happy.’
‘Alive yes,happy no.’ replied Chantalot. ‘There’s too many gnomes here for thesize of the place. They all live a long time and there’s not enoughwork for them to do here, so the young are bored and have beencausing trouble. Some want to break away and form a new colony, butthey don’t know where to go. Featherdown has been looking aroundfor a suitable place but hasn’t found one yet.’
‘Why don’t theyjust enlarge the current place?’ asked Aquitain.
Chantalot justsmiled.
‘No, that wouldnot be possible, and sorry I can’t tell you why.’
Aquitain teleportedback thinking ‘What a wonderful little town. I wonder why they wantto keep it so much of a secret.’
Chapter 10 Fen FangFate
As Miranda flew in hereagle form towards the location of the potential gateway she had afeeling of foreboding. She was annoyed that the shaman hadsuggested that she get assistance, but on thinking about it, he wasprobably right.
If there was agate and it was open then it would be protected and the guardswould not be happy to see her. They would have to eliminate her tomaintain the secrecy of the gate and that meant a fight and shedidn’t particularly like fights.
She decided tofly over the area and sneak back on the ground as a jeti. She hadbeen a jeti so many times that it felt almost as normal to her as aNewman.
After abouthalf an hour flying she came to the area described by the shaman.There were rolling hills all around. The gateway was in a hollowthrough which a small stream ran. There was a clearing to the eastand it was to the left of a weird shaped hilltop.
‘There‘s theclearing.’ she thought with growing excitement.
She lookedcarefully to see if she could see anyone there, but it wasdeserted. She flew over the stream where the gate was supposed tobe, but owing to the thick tree cover she couldn’t see anything.She would have to check it out on foot.
She flew a fewhundred paces further on, then landed, changed to a jeti, andheaded back to the hollow. She moved cautiously keeping to theshadows, watching vigilantly, periodically stopping to listen andsmell the air but detected nothing out of the ordinary. Shecarefully crept up the rise overlooking the hollow in which thestream was located. Still nothing! Maybe there was nothingthere.
The problemwith jeti vision was that it was in black and white not colour likeNewman vision. If something was standing still it was very hard tosee until it moved. She decided to change back to her Newman formand immediately used her ring of camouflage, to allow her blendinto the background.
The sounds inthe forest around her were muted. There was something wrong but shecouldn’t see it.
‘I’m going toneed a diversion.’ she thought.
She moved backover the crest of the hill and sang an old familiar prayer thatwould bring a small animal to her aid. A small jungle cat answeredher summons. She sang another prayer allowing her to talk to itthen asked it to go and prowl around the stream over the rise. Itcharged off to do her bidding and she went back to the top of therise to see what would happen but nothing happened.
She was certainthat something was there but what? She decided that it was time tofind out. Best be careful she thought, so turned her skin tough andresistant like the bark of a weathered old tree.
Keeping hiddenbehind bushes and trees she slowly and carefully worked her waydown the side of the hill. When she got about three-quarters of theway down, she could see that there was a gateway in the rock faceacross the stream from her and it was
