40. In The Beginning

Chuck opened his mouth to reply, but Dax growled from his chest.

When the Gem awakens to call a Hero, the world is ill prepared...and its fate is placed in the hands of a 17 year old boy, named Wendell. 

Some will say this is nothing but a tale of fiction.
Let them think as they may. 

After all...I can't fix stupid.

Previously: With Wendell revived and on the mend, there’s a whole new issue to address. One of the Demoni Vankil seals has been hidden among the gnome populace. To calm his friends, Chuck promises to reveal the whole truth…

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It’s difficult, if not impossible, to properly appreciate and navigate the present without a true understanding of our past.

There’s one thing I’ll say about spending time with Chuck and Dax…it’s rarely dull.

When the room exploded with emotion, I knew right away that the wisest thing for me was to stay out of the way. Grabbing a few paper towels from the table, I sopped up the spilled drink on the floor, collected the largest pieces of the broken mug and set it all quietly on the table in front of me.

No one was paying attention to the kid back from the dead.

Deloris had Morty pinned in a corner, trying to calm him down. The gnome was so irate he’d actually taken a swing at the wizard. She kept a firm hand on his chest, speaking soothing words of encouragement. Nat had immediately left the kitchen with Chuck’s announcement and now towed a small cart into the room. The cart carried a monitor with small cameras attached to it. On the screen was a rich-looking gnome with slicked back hair and mirrored sunglasses.

Lili wasn’t able to hold still with all the shouting, so she was tidying up the dishes and straightening the chairs.

She looked so tired.

My heart ached when I noticed the dark rings under her eyes, and it was then that I payed attention to her sluggish movements.

As the intensity started dying down, Dax pulled a chair closer to me and sat down.

“How you doing, kid?”

“I’m feeling pretty good, considering I’m back from the dead,” I said. “This isn’t the easiest situation to follow. We’ve talked about the seals, and I told you some of what the letter said, but…”

The letter.

From father to son, instructions to the young man…the actual hero that was supposed to be here instead of me.

The thought sent a chill down my spine.

No, don’t start that all over again, I told myself. Just relax, sit back, and use this time as an opportunity to learn.

I leaned back against the chair and slid my hands into the pockets of my robe.

…and felt the edge of an envelope push back against my right hand.

I gulped.

‘Not now,’ Doubt whispered. ‘Pay attention. Freak out later.’

Right, I thought. Later.

….

Wait. I’m not freaking ou…

‘LATER.’

Dax leaned near as Chuck passed. “You sure you want ta let the cat outta the bag?”

Chuck slumped into the chair between me and Alhannah. “I don’t think we have much of a choice, my boy.” He caught an angry glance from Morty, before Deloris yanked the tinkerers chin around to face her. The wizard sighed. “Not if we’re going to get their help.” He gave me a weak smile, then reached out and squeezed Dax’s shoulder. “We are going to need their help, boys. So just…go with me on this one, will you?” He searched my face.

I nodded.

“No matter what, keep the peace and follow my lead,” Chuck said.

Dax nodded silently, then leaned forward, watching Alhannah. The gnome sat silently, fixated on the surface of the table. She slowly scraped at a stain with a fingernail.

“Alhannah?” I whispered.

She didn’t respond.

Lili slowly sat down in the chair next to Alhannah.

Except for our warrior gnome, it was one side of the table against the other. Visitors against home team.

Lili’s hand rested on the table, dainty fingers strumming a beat on the surface. Her hairline looked frazzled and wild. What I couldn’t figure out was why she looked so stressed? Surely she couldn’t be bothered about the technology of the Gnomes…she’d used the refrigerator, the gas stove, and even the coffeemaker without flinching.

When the strumming stopped, I noticed her fingers quivered, like a muscle spasm.

“I didn’t know,” she said in a tense gasp. When she turned towards Chuck, her eyes were swollen, red, and wet. Her lips also quivered. She choked through the tears. “I didn’t know it was a seal.”

Chuck turned his attention towards her, then, ignoring the grunts and blips and other unnatural sounds in the room. It’s not that he looked unkind or angry, but his face was solemn, uninvolved.

“You didn’t ask either,” he said cooly. “You simply sought to take what did not belong to you.”

“But,” Lili started, considering her words, “I didn’t really know who it belonged to.” She clenched her eyes tight. That didn’t make my actions any better.

“No, it didn’t Liliolevanumua,” Chuck said roughly. “It didn’t matter who it belonged to. All you needed to understand was that it didn’t belong to you. That should have been enough.”

Dax coughed, frowning at the wizard. They exchanged a few odd glances as Lili choked back her tears and rubbed her eyes with her palms.

What was Lili talking about, and why was she apologizing to Chuck in the first place? That’s what stumped me, sitting here, trying to take in all this information. Why was Lili with us, here, in Clockworks City? Why wasn’t she back at Til-Thorin, where we’d seen her last?

When she looked up, her face was flushed. “So this is all my fault.”

Chuck opened his mouth to reply, but Dax growled from his chest.

The wizard exhaled silently. “No,” he whispered. Reaching over, he gripped the young girl’s wrist and held it firm until she looked him in the eye. “No, it’s not all your fault. Though you have to take some responsibility for where we are and what now has to be done.” Her brows arched upward, and a sob escaped her lips.

That’s when she looked at…me.

Her deep brown eyes looked at me without blinking.

I couldn’t turn away.

When she blinked, I think she…finally noticed me. That’s when her face dropped and she sobbed.

The corners of Chuck’s mustache curled upward. “Now you listen carefully, young lady. We’re going to make it better, you and I. You have a powerful future, Liliolevanumua. That’s precisely why I brought you along.” He patted the back of her hand and winked. “You watch. We’ll make this work.”

Chuck looked over at Dax, who grinned and nodded.

“I’m so confused,” I whispered to Dax. “What’s going on?”

He gripped my shoulder and gave it a light squeeze. “I’ll fill you in later, kid. Promise. For now, be here. Listen. If you have questions, get ‘em ready…cause ready or not, you’re the boss.”

The boss?

That got me to sit upright.

“I think we’re ready, Morphiophelius,” said Nat. The face on the monitor came into focus, which Nat then placed at the opposite end of the table. “Motherboard insisted on being present.”

Okay, the TV gnome has a name. Motherboard looked around at each of us, the tiny cameras turning as the face on the monitor did the same. “The time is now yours, Morphophelius,” crackled a mini speaker.

The other gnomes positioned themselves around the table.

Chuck cleared his throat and leaned forward. For a few moments, he looked down, smoothing out the wrinkles of his robe.

It was odd to watch the wizard, who I thought had exceptional confidence, suddenly unnerved in front of the eyes of…well, gnomes.

“I know some of you are upset,” he looked pleadingly at Morty, “maybe even mad. I don’t have all the answers, mind you. I do have information…and I have a plan, which I’d like to share with you. Hopefully, with your help and counsel, we can find all the answers.” He motioned toward Motherboard, “The G.R.R. and your Cry-thingy-majigger-blue-face have access to the records of your people. The FAF also does a wonderful job, but what I offer now isn’t in any of your files. I took part in secret conversations and decisions that excluded the general populace and guilds.

“That’s absurd,” Morty argued, folding his arms. “Gnomes record everything.”

“Shhh,” Deloris nudged him. “Let him speak, dear.”

Chuck looked over at Alhannah, who seemed to struggle with paying attention. I wondered how badly he’d let her down or disappointed her.

“I gave my word,” he said finally. “For those who feel I betrayed you, please know I couldn’t tell you. I couldn’t tell anyone.” He pointed over at Dax. “Not even him. If anyone knew what was being planned, the whole of your people would have been in jeopardy. So I’m sorry.”

Alhannah looked up at Chuck, and for a moment, my wonderful pink-haired friend looked like the smallest of children, just…sad.

The wizard sniffed. “Not for keeping these secrets, but for damaging any trust or expectations you had in me.”

Alhannah nodded.

Pulling a scroll from his sleeve, Chuck unrolled it across the table. We all leaned forward to get a better look. It was a world map, each of the continents drawn clearly. He tapped a gnarled finger in the center of where Humär was labeled. “It was 6502 sundering.” He looked up then. “…or 499CT when I was approached.”

I raised my hand. “CT?”

“It stands for Chime Time, Mr. Wendell,” Motherboard explained. “We keep our own records from the year we left the continent of Humär, which was 6003 sundering.”

“Just Wendell,” I said. “And thank you.”

Motherboard smiled.

Chuck drew an invisible line with his finger across the western part of the continent. “Over 400 years had passed since Mahan had been exiled to Unrest.” His finger circled an extensive set of unlabeled mountains just off the western coastline and then down across the valley of Andilain. “King Robert the II had ruled for over sixty years. He was a good man, but evil was creeping back into the land. I was called to make an address to the royal family, hopefully to avoid what history now calls the Kinslayer Wars.” He looked to Dax, who bowed his head in silence. “I was riding south with an armed guard when he appeared on the road.”

Deloris looked up from the map. “Who appeared?”

“The Hero. The guards charged him, thinking this stranger to be another brigand, but their horses refused. Those trained and obedient steeds pulled away or reared up to dislodge their riders.” Chuck laughed softly, “Animals always loved that man.” Shaking his head, “We walked in the woods for a while and he shared his plight with me. He said it was only a matter of time before those who served darkness would discover the whereabouts of their master’s chains.” Chuck pulled the hat from his head and dropped it on the table. “He then asked for my counsel.”

Leaning once more over the map, the wizard hesitated. His shoulders rose and dropped again with each breath. “The first two seals had already been hidden. The third had to be tucked away somewhere special. Somewhere nearly impossible to find.” He tapped the continent of Pävärios. “This island was ideal. You’d lived most of your existence here without fear, without being discovered…and you were already well on your way to building this great city.”

“So you laid the burden on us,” Morty grumbled.

Deloris quickly hit him on the shoulder.

“What? He needs to hide his crap, so he picks on the little people!”

“Really?” Dax snorted openly. “You think you’re being used as a scapegoat for someone else’s problems? Why isn’t this just as much your problem and concern as it is ours?” He pointed over at Lili. “As it is the human’s burden?” He pounded his own chest, then. “Or my people? You think your people are the only ones fed upon? Morty, they’re cannibals, and they hunted us long after you left!”

Chuck sighed. “Dax…”

“No, Chuck, the gnomes didn’t fight in the wars. They didn’t see what happened to the rest of the world. Oh, I get they lost thousands in their plight. Oh, yeah, I’ve read your histories, Morty,…seen the numbers.” Dax snarled, “But we lost millions, Morty. While you left to go build your sanctuary, my people were burned out of their homeland and ended up huddled at the feet of the humans! We bled and died side by side with Kutollum and Iskari and Nocturi and humans to make the world safe for all!” He slammed his fist down, rattling the table so hard, Nat had to catch Motherboard from falling off the edge. “So forgive me if I don’t shed enough tears for your satisfaction!” He leaned over the table and snarled at the gnome.

“Velpä.”

Chuck gasped. “Now that wasn’t nice.”

Morty frowned. “Did he just insult me?” Looking wildly at Deloris, “We’re into name calling now, is that it?”

Dax remained still and smiled across the table.

“Morphiophelius is correct,” interrupted Motherboard. “I agree with Dax as well.”

The elf frowned. “You do?”

Motherboard nodded. “Most certainly. I have read much of world history, not just the past of my people — and though we certainly have our own plights, we are not the only who have suffered.”

“Now wait just a tickin’…” objected Morty.

“We have protected ourselves behind a fortress of steel and stone which has never been challenged.” He smiled from behind his mirrored glasses. “I am curious why they chose us over all others as the last defense of this world.”

Morty clamped his mouth shut.

“In fact,” Motherboard added, “I feel quite honored.” He nodded at Chuck. “Please, continue.”

Chuck pulled a handkerchief from his sleeve and dabbed his forehead. “Oh, uh, right…well, I,” he frowned, “where was I?”

“Gnomes,” Alhannah said with a smirk.

“Ah yes, gnomes. Lovely people, you lot. More brilliant than even you realize, and I told the Hero so. Said you would most likely be the key to tipping the scales against the Dark Lord. The challenge was that you needed to be left alone long enough to develop your potential.” He stood upright, throwing his arms wide. “And look at you! Amazing! Outstanding! Inspiring!” He looked at Alhannah and winked, “…and I daresay a tad clever to boot.”

She giggled.

“What did the Hero say?” I asked.

“The Hero stood there silent, looking over my shoulder. He had this odd, vacant look in his eyes. Almost like he was looking at something not there, if you know what I mean?”

Alhannah, Dax, and Morty all snickered.

“And when he noticed me again, he handed me,” Chuck made hand motions, as if holding an object, “a bag.”

Deloris raised an eyebrow. “A bag.”

Chuck nodded. “Yup. About this small, made of pretty blue fabric with a long draw string. Said to take it to the gnomes and find the oldest and wisest of all gnomes and give it to him.” He smiled at everyone standing there, hands on hips.

Nat squinted, mouth open. “Annnnnd?”

“And what?” Chuck asked.

“What did you do with the bag?” Nat sighed.

Alhannah raised her hand. “What was in the bag?”

“I want to know who the tinkerer was,” added Deloris.

“Why do you think it would be a tinkerer?” Dax asked.

Morty snorted and held out his arms. “Come on. I mean,…helLO.”

Dax tapped his nose and laughed.

“What did you tell the tinker when you gave it to him?” asked Lili.

“That’s tinker-er, dear,” Morty corrected her.

Lili blushed. “My apologizes.”

“Goodness!” Chuck snapped, “So many questions!” He fell back into his chair with a huff. “Long story short, I came to Clockworks, talked with the mayor, he sent me to the gnome others seemed to respect and go to for counsel and I dropped off the bag. Told him it was important, don’t lose it…then I left.”

Dax choked on his spit and started coughing.

Alhannah gulped. “You just dropped it off?”

Chuck scratched his head, pondering. “Well, yeah. The Hero specifically said to do it and do it quick — that I shouldn’t know the details. That when it was time, it would be found.”

“What is THAT supposed to mean?” Dax gasped.

The wizard cocked his head to the side, giving the elf a patronizing look. “I think it means that when it’s time,…it…will…be…found.”

“ARRRRGH!” Dax groaned, then let his head hit the table.

“You know,” Chuck said defensively, “this IS why I’m asking for help. Have you all forgotten my preface? I did, in fact, say that I did not have all the answers…”

Deloris scoffed. “That also implies that you had some answers.”

Chuck’s brows crinkled up. “Oh. Yes. Good point. Sorry about that.”

“I don’t think this will be a problem,” said Motherboard. “This should be a matter of navigating history and gaining access to private gnome records. Shouldn’t be a problem, so long as we can come to…an agreement.”

The room fell silent.

The picture of Motherboard used a finger to push the mirrored sunglasses up onto his face. “As the leader of the Gnome Resistance Revolutionaries, I can pledge our support to you, Morphiophelius — for something in return.”

The wizard looked between Dax and Alhannah, to me, then over at Lili. “What could we possibly have that would be of any value to you?”

The grin was one of a cunning fox. One who had just found the hen house full…with no sign of the rooster. The tiny cameras buzzed loudly as they turned to focus on me. “You have the Gnolaum.”

Dax jumped up from his chair. “Now you wait just a…”

“Please,” Motherboard interrupted. He held his hands up in view. “Dax. Hear me out. I have an idea.”

Everyone in the room seemed suddenly tense. Morty looked confused, and both Deloris and Nat exchanged glances of bewilderment. It was a few moments before Chuck responded. “I’m listening.”

The people of this city have had enough. We must expose the events and the actions of those in political positions within this city. Corruption and lust for power are rampant through both the government and religious factions. Though we have a growing base of support, the G.R.R. cannot make a significant difference for the people without the right support. Wendell…the Gnolaum…is one of the foundational beliefs of our people. It’s not a matter of religion or going to church — but believing in a future where we can step into the light and rejoin a world that has all but forgotten that we exist!”

Motherboard’s face pulled back, revealing more of his body. “I propose an alliance. That the Gnolaum become the spokesperson for the G.R.R..”

“What!?” Dax stammered. “I refuse to be stuck here forever, Chuck — and I ain’t leavin’ the kid!”

That made me smile.

But the gnomes were already chatting away, openly excited about the idea. Even Alhannah grinned from ear to ear.

What was so important about me speaking for them? I just didn’t get it.

“I like the idea,” Alhannah said to Chuck. “It would take the focus off of the faulty media and lies spewed by the two principal seats of power. It would allow us to focus the attention on something real.” She smiled at me then. “On someone real.”

Stroking his beard, Chuck mumbled to himself. After a moment, everyone shifted their attention to watch. “But are we sure?” Chuck whispered out loud. “Nothing is sure, you know that,” he replied to himself. “Ah, but you know who would disagree with that,” he shook his head. “Well, he’s not here and we have to keep to the original plan,” he nodded.

When he looked up, he found everyone staring…and almost fell out of his chair.

“What would this entail?” I asked. All eyes shifted to me. Clearing my throat, I focused my attention on Motherboard, since he seemed to be the gnome in charge here. “I mean, the Gnolaum has a entire world to look after, not just Clockworks.” I looked at Dax. “Right?”

“Absolutely freakin’ right, kid,” he grinned.

“Agreed,” said Motherboard, “but while you’re here and when you visit in the future, you could have a powerful influence on the populace. Get us focused on what’s important. Hopefully guide us back into the society of men.”

“You had me until that last part,” Dax grumbled. “Wendell ain’t a bargaining chip to be tossed around.”

“May I say something?” Lili asked. Surprisingly, she was actually smiling back at the gnomes. “I would love to introduce my people to the kindness and wonder you have shown me. Since I arrived, you’ve proven every rumor of darkness and black magic to be false. People should know the truth of a thing. If Wendell can be a bridge to make that happen…”

Chuck snatched up his hat and plopped it back on his head. “And if we agreed?”

The tiny camera on the monitor turned to face the wizard. “Then you have the full resources, support, and protection of this organization. If it is possible to find the Demoni Vankil seal in Clockworks City, I will find it for you.”

“I agree with Dax.” Tossing his beard over his leg, Chuck leaned back in his chair. “Wendell has to speak for himself. He’s not a slave.”

Motherboard nodded. “Agreed.”

Chuck folded his arms and leaned back further. “With so much at stake, nothing can stop Wendell from doing what the Ithari guide him to do.”

“Also agreed.”

Chuck stared firmly at the screen. “Under all circumstances.”

Motherboard paused momentarily. “I understand.”

Chuck smiled and pulled the rim of his hat down over his eyes. “Then this could work out to both our advantage.”

Motherboard smiled. “That’s the plan.”

“I think you’re both missing something critical,” chimed in Deloris. “Though the church faction holds great power over the people, it no longer has much, if anything, to do with religion.”

“What do you mean, dear?” asked Morty, who now seemed overly pleased.

“I’m saying that just because Wendell shows up, even if he is the Gnolaum, the normals aren’t likely to care. We have lost our sense of history, our purpose, and our potential. I have serious doubts that we’ll be able to get anyone’s attention if we shout ‘religion - religion’ from the rooftops. In fact, it just might have the opposite effect.”

That sounded good to me. The last thing I wanted was to promote a religion…especially one that I have nothing to do with. Not…truthfully. Alhannah had told me a little about her beliefs before we’d reached Til-Thorin. Campfire talk, mostly. The gnomes had a single religion, but there were countless views within the religion. I think she called it TGII…which stood for ‘The Great It Is’. A huge, perfect machine, that took everything in existence as part of its whole.

Yeah, I know, confusing, but the way she spoke, it was kinda interesting too. “There’s no such thing as a spare part,” she’d said. Translation: No one is here by mistake. We all have purpose.

I liked that thought.

“I hate to admit it,” added Nat, “but I think Deloris is right. Besides, we’re not promoting religion, we’re promoting truth and freedom. If done wrong, it could seriously backfire.”

“What would you propose, Nat?” asked Motherboard.

“We need to get the normal’s attention. Something they’re accustomed to. A campaign that will grab their attention and keep it. Something…that they already take part in, so they don’t have to change their views — just shift them.”

Nat flinched as Alhannah burst into laughter.

She rocked back and forth in her chair, grinning from ear to ear and shaking her head.

“Something ya wanna share with the rest o’the class, ‘Hannah?” smirked Dax.

She jumped up, ran around our chairs, leaned forward, and planted a kiss in the middle of Dax’s forehead. “I know exactly how the Gnolaum can get the attention of the populace and keep it!” Turning to me, Alhannah leaned down, grinned from ear to ear, just inches from my face.

I gulped.

“Do you like sports, Wendell?”

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Author Notes

Sometimes we make bad choices. At times we make them because we’re mad. Maybe we’re confused…or maybe we don’t know what other options we have.

Sadly, we sometimes make bad decisions because they are familiar and we are willing to take the consequences instead of the unknown.

There are always consequences.

Thing is, there’s also answers, too.

Do what is right, because it is right, not because it’s easy.

…just sayin.

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