Chapter 28

Kim

“Remember, they will only offer you one question. Choose wisely.”

It was the evening before we would meet the legendary Gnomes. Sara was with us by the fire for once, explaining what it would be like. I still didn’t know who these Gnomes were, and Sara had only said that they were an old race, but if she thought they could help us, I bet they could.

I didn’t know what story to tell them yet, but Sara had said that we could ask them anything, and we just had to tell them a tale in return. I would ask about my father, mother and little brother. Maybe they could see how they were doing.

Sara bowed her head and then left the fire to watch the darkness again. She did that a lot, planning and thinking about how to defeat the Queen. Sometimes I wondered if I should go and talk to her, tell her now that she knew me, that I wanted to stay with her and fight for her. But she always looked so poised when she stood there alone, I hadn’t dared to do it yet.

I wondered what story Sara would tell them, maybe I would get to know something from the Unicorns’ past, some dark secret she had never shared with anyone else. I bet she had a lot of stories to tell from her time with the Peace Bringers.

Silvi and Cat sat on the other side of the fire, watching the flames. The Whip wasn’t as bad as I had first thought. I had been kind of afraid of her in the beginning, and she hadn’t talked with me at first, but then I saw Silvi speaking to her, and after that, she was friendlier. She wasn’t as dangerous as I’d thought, either, at least not now when she was on our side. She was probably still dangerous to the Queen, though. But at least she wasn’t mean, and I had come to like both her and Silvi as we travelled together.

Although I didn’t know what had happened to Silvi. She always tried to smile, but those sad eyes that I had seen the first time I met her were still there. Something awful must have happened, but I hadn’t dared to ask what. I tried to give her of the animals I hunted, and sometimes she ate it, and that made me happy at least.

I barely slept that night and opened my eyes before even hearing Sara leave our camp to watch the mountains. I knew what story I would tell now, and I hope it wasn’t too boring, and the Gnomes would answer my question. I wanted to ask Sara what question she would ask, but I guess I would find out soon enough.

Silvi and Cat didn’t seem as excited when they woke up, but maybe they were just nervous. When Sara called for us to get ready, I leapt up from my place by the fire and stood up. She gestured for us to come, and we followed her as she led us higher up in the mountains. Soon, the shrubs became less, and the boulders grew bigger, and we were walking in a landscape of towering rocks. It looked so alien to where I came from, and all the landscapes we had walked through so far. For every turn, I expected to see the Gnomes, but Sara just kept walking. Thinking about it, though, I didn’t even know what to look for. Were they small? I guess Gnomes sounded small, but I wasn’t sure.

It took hours before she finally halted and turned to us.

“We are entering their territory. Please be aware, they should be expecting us.”

How could they be expecting us if we hadn’t even talked to them? I didn’t dare to ask though, and instead we followed her as she continued, and I still didn’t see anything. Would they welcome us? But how would we find them in this barren land? After a while, she halted by a boulder and said,

“We will wait here.”

I glanced around. There was no one here, not even birds, but just at that moment, a small figure came out from behind the rock. It looked really old, like my grandpa, and waddled over to us and halted.

“So you have come, Peace Bringer.”

“I have.”

Sara bowed, but not the kind of bow she did to us, but a deep salute where her head almost touched the ground. I glanced at Silvi and Cat. Should I bow too? The Gnome didn’t seem to notice me wondering, though, but only gestured for us to follow. I could barely contain myself and had to pinch my arm to stay quiet. He led us further down the path until we came to a cave in the mountain. I peeked inside. There were other Gnomes there, sitting in a half-circle with their eyes closed. This was creepy…

Sara stepped inside, halting opposite them, and then greeted them just as she had done before. I carefully went to stand next to her, and Silvi and Cat took their place on the other side. The Gnome came up next to us.

“Please, sit.”

Sara lay down. I sat down on the ground next to her, and the Gnome went to take his place among the others and then watched us for a moment before saying,

“And so you have come, seeking answers.”

Sara bowed her head in response.

“I will warn you, the answers you will hear cannot be undone, and you might never look upon the world in the same way again.”

I glanced at him. What did he mean by that? What kind of answers would that be?

“Please.”

He gestured for us, and I glanced at the others. Who would start? Did the others already know what story to tell and what question to ask? I was lucky, though, and Sara cleared her throat.

“I will offer you a tale from the deep past of our race.”

I knew it, I would hear a dark secret from the Unicorns! The Gnome bowed his head, and Sara spoke.

“This is the beginning of the world as we know it. When the dark forces had been conquered, peace found its way throughout this land. The realm was young, and the battered spirits of the tribes weak after the hardships.”

I almost snuggled up against her despite the creepy cave. It felt like listening to the stories my grandpa used to tell me.

“Veena, the great forbearer of our race, travelled the lands, offering counsel and compassion to those who would listen. She brought hope where there was none, courage where there was fear, and let the people know about the bright paths that awaited them.”

This must be right after the Unicorns defeated the evil. I had never heard about Veena, though.

“Over time, the land prospered, and Veena became beloved as the Peace Bringer. Such was the name the people bestowed upon her. Her path has been our own ever since. “

She went silent. The Gnome nodded and reached out his hand.

“And now, your question.”

I’d never seen Sara hesitate before, but that’s what she did now, before she gathered herself and asked,

“How did the elves defeat the evil?”

Silence fell over the cave. The elves? What did she mean? They hadn’t defeated the evil; it was the Unicorns who did that. Everyone knew that. The Gnome looked at her, studying her as if to weigh whether she was worthy of the answer, before replying,

“The elves have done many things in the history of time. Evil and good, they have seen them all and overcome them.”

He closed his eyes and, in a monotone voice, proclaimed,

“The elves sang their songs, barring the evil from entering this world. It was left famished, quelled by their voices.”

He opened his eyes and looked at Sara.

“You will find the answer where you seek it.”

The Gnome went quiet and closed his eyes again. I didn’t understand anything. What kind of an answer was that? Sang their songs, and the evil was left famished... Sara looked at him, staring as if her gaze could force him to continue, but he remained quiet. After a while, another Gnome opened her eyes and turned to Cat.

“What story do you have to share with us today, Seeker of the Truth?”

Sara opened her mouth, then seemed to remember where she was, and closed it again. Was that really it? Was that the answer to her question? Wouldn’t they say anything else?

Cat glanced at Silvi, then stared at the ground as she began to speak. She shared a short story about how she had once stolen a seed from the garden at the Queen’s castle and planted it behind a tree.

“I cared for it until it grew into a purple flower, she finished.”

She blushed and continued to stare at the ground.

“Very well. A beautiful tale. And your question?”, the Gnome said.

I glanced at Cat. What kind of question would she have? Maybe how to kill the Queen?

“Where do I come from?”

“A fine question.”

The Gnome closed her eyes again, and silence fell over the forest.

“Your tribe is one of water, the Gnome spoke as she opened her eyes and looked directly at Cat. Hidden far away beyond the reach of the world. Search, and you will find them.”

The Gnome went quiet for a moment, and then continued,

“It is your heart that will lead you right. Listen to it, because it knows.”

She closed her eyes again, and then another Gnome said,

“Let us rest. We will need our powers for what will come.”