Her brother, Sebastian, was sitting to one side, his somber brown robe making him look like a very young monk. Unlike his sister, he was dark haired with delicate features and very pale skin. He had tented his fingers together and rested his chin on them, watching the argument quietly.
Aiden wasn't sitting but he was standing several feet away and obviously doing his best to stay out of the discussion. Unlike his partner, the large, handsome man was wearing a simple white shirt and black leather pants. Liliana assumed that he was off-duty.
“I'm not asking you to distrust him,” Malcolm growled irritably. “What I am asking is simply for each of you to be aware of what Simon says and how he says it and tell me if you think something is wrong. That's it.”
Tamara began to speak again but stopped as Liliana stepped into the sunlight, her armor shining like a mirror and throwing off rainbow-like reflections.
“Ah, Liliana. Welcome back,” the mage exclaimed, her annoyed expression immediately replaced with a broad smile.
“Thank you,” the paladin replied.
She greeted the others and looked at Tamara curiously.
“So what is going on? You're arguing about Simon?”
“I'm not, no. This oaf,” she used her thumb to point to Malcolm over her shoulder, ”seems to think that the wizard has succumbed to dark magic and can't be trusted.”
“Oh for the love of...” the big man said in exasperation. “I never said that. All I said was that he seems, I don't know, different. Distant or detached somehow. Liliana, you know what he's like; we all do. Simon is always so warm and concerned. He's thrown himself between us, the last of the human race, and the dragons many times, because he cares so much. But the last time I spoke to him, he made a few comments that, quite frankly, have me a little concerned.”
“Such as?” the paladin asked as she found a sturdy chair and sat down gingerly. Her enchanted armor was quite heavy.
“Little things. We were discussing the castle and its defenses. I mentioned that we had had a few mishaps with the ballistae and several were in need of repair.”
He scratched the back of his neck thoughtfully.
“Our blacksmith is a clever fellow and that apprentice of his is an amazing girl, but the dwarven design in beyond them. Not to mention that the weapons are imbued with magic and we can't duplicate the dwarves' enchantments.”
“And?”
“And Simon just shrugged and said something like 'oh well, that's a shame', and that was it.”
“Wait a second,” Tamara said, jumping back into the conversation. “He wasn't interested in the mechanics of a ballista and that's a red flag for you? Gods, Malcolm. Wizards don't care about that sort of thing. Everyone knows that.”
“Do they? And just how many wizards do you happen to know?” Malcolm replied derisively. “One? Nice to have such a large sample size.”
The mage flushed at his sarcasm but held her tongue as Liliana quickly raised her hand.
“I believe that it is Simon's lack of concern that bothers Malcolm, not his lack of mechanical knowledge. Is that not so?”
“Exactly! It was his total 'I don't give a damn' vibe that surprised me. Because then I said that if a rogue dragon flew over and attacked, we would mainly have to rely on our wards for protection. And do you know what Simon said? He said and I quote, 'oh well, that's life', and walked away.”
There was a long moment of silence and the group exchanged incredulous glances. Even Tamara's anger seemed to drain away and she looked at Malcolm in disbelief.
“Are you sure he said that?” she asked slowly.
“Yes, I'm sure.” The big man shook his heavy head. “Frankly, I was caught flat-footed and could only watch as he left. By the time I had gotten over my shock and hurried after him, he had disappeared. I guess he Gated out. And that's why I mentioned it to you, Tamara. It's just not something that the Simon I thought I knew would say.”
“Liliana,” Sebastian said, breaking his silence. “You're closer to our wizardly friend than any of us. What do you think?”
“What do I think?”
She looked up at the streams of multicolored light beaming in through the high windows and frowned in thought.
“I think that Simon has been fighting the evil in this world for as long or longer than any of us. I think that he feels the responsibility of being the most powerful magic-user in the world very deeply and that maybe,” she looked around at all of them, “maybe he's tired. Has that occurred to any of you? He lives alone, by choice it's true, but he's alone and constantly working on his magic, watching over the rest of us, burdened by his compassion. How could that not have an effect? And now he's taken up the task of surveillance of the dragon queen.”
A fond smile replaced her expression of concern.
“Not to mention the plethora of new animals he's brought to his tower. That alone would be exhausting.”
Sebastian's laugh lightened the mood in the room.
“What is it now?” he asked.
“More cows. Two more. He called me a week ago just to check in and he had just transported the pair of them. So that's,” the paladin ticked off a count on her fingers, “horses, cattle, sheep and some hens for eggs. He says that his earthen elementals have cleared a large swath of forest for pasture land. So he's been busy with that along with all the rest.”
Malcolm heaved a great sigh and nodded.
“You make a good point,” he said. “Simon's always been so cheerful and approachable that it's easy to forget the burden that he's under. Maybe he's just starting to buckle under the weight of it a bit. Forget that I said anything. I'm sure he's fine.”
Everyone seemed to agree and Sebastian stood up.
“So, now that that is cleared up, is anyone hungry? It's just about lunch time and I seem to have an appetite now that we know our wizardly friend is fine.”
“He is far from fine,” a quiet voice contradicted him.
The mage turned quickly toward the doorway in surprise and everyone else looked in that direction.
A small Japanese woman dressed in a sky-blue robe had entered silently and had apparently been listening in on their conversation.
“Keiko? What do you mean? And shouldn't you be resting? You have the flu.”
Keiko Mihashi, a tiny but powerful mage in her own right, moved slowly, almost reluctantly, toward them.
“A few aches and pains. I am fine. And I always mean what I say, my friend; you know that. And I believe that your friend, Simon O'Toole, is not at all fine.”
“Okay then; what do you think is wrong with him?” Tamara asked truculently.
“Tammy, knock it off,” her brother said sternly. “Trying to intimidate Keiko before she has a chance to speak is unkind and unfair.”
She glared at him and he returned her look steadily. Tamara seemed to deflate and she looked back at the small woman .
“Oh damn, I didn't mean to do that,” she said apologetically. “It's just, you know, my way. I'm sorry, Keiko.”
The other woman smiled and bowed.
“I know that. No offense taken. You are defending your friend, which is right and natural. But what has happened to him is neither right nor natural and I believe that he is in serious trouble.”
“What are you saying?” Liliana asked.
She motioned for Keiko to take a seat and the small woman sat down gracefully.
“What's wrong with him?”
“I was here that day that Malcolm spoke with the wizard. Neither of them saw me, but I observed their conversation and, unlike you,” she glanced at the big man, “I saw Simon O'Toole Gate away.”
She primly smoothed her robe while everyone waited.
“And?” Liliana asked. “What happened?”
The mage frowned, her serene expression disturbed.
“Something that I have never seen before. Something rather...horrible.”
Tamara had sat down near her brother to listen. Now she leaned forward with narro
wed eyes.
“Horrible? Simon? I don't understand.”
“He did not fade as one does during a Gating. He...”
She gestured helplessly as if groping for the proper words.
“He seemed to separate, split, into two beings as he disappeared. Just for an instant. One was the wizard himself but the other, oh the other was monstrous.”
Keiko actually shivered and seemed to shrink into herself.
“Never have I seen something so alien. Misshapen, it towered over the wizard but seemed to have tendrils wrapped around him like some great leech. It was becoming detached from the man as the spell took hold and it groped for him as he Gated away It was horrific.”
“My God,” Malcolm whispered. “What was it?”
The tiny woman shrugged, looking perplexed.
“I do not know. But I believe that something has attached itself to the wizard, whether physically or spiritually and that whatever it is, it is not benevolent.”
The group fell silent. Liliana could think of nothing that would explain Keiko's observation and, judging by the faces around her, no one else could either.
“Of course, there is a way to get to the bottom of this,” she told them.
“Which is?”
“Ask him. Call him at his home, tell him that we'd like to meet to discuss a matter of importance and, when he arrives, simply ask him.”
“Oh sure, I can see it now,” Tamara scoffed. “'Hi Simon, have a seat. How's it going? We were just wondering if you had an invisible parasite attached to your soul. Oh and have some tea.' Yeah, that'll go over well.”
“Sarcasm is uncalled for, my friend,” the paladin told her. “Keiko is the most level-headed woman I have ever met. If she says she saw something, then I believe her. And we don't have to be that direct with Simon. When I said ask him, I meant more obliquely. We can engage him in conversation and observe him. All of us know him fairly well, some more than others. If he is behaving oddly, it should become obvious fairly quickly.”
“That is true,” Aiden said. He was leaning against a heavy bookcase. “We've all worked with him, spent time with him. And remember, Liliana cannot be lied to. If he's hiding something, she'll probably be able to tell during our meeting.”
“That is my hope, at least,” the paladin agreed.
Tamara began nodding slowly.
“A meeting. Yes, that could work. Certainly with the dragon queen roaming haphazardly around the world in her insanity, not to mention the red dragons that are a constant threat, there's always something to discuss. We could easily find a reason to ask him to come to Nottinghill Castle.”
“And suppose Keiko is right?” Malcolm asked the group. “What if something evil has captured Simon somehow and it feels threatened?” He looked at the three mages and then at Liliana. “If he uses magic against us, can any of you counter him?”
Tamara and Keiko exchanged glances, looked at Sebastian and then back at the warrior.
“That would be like a child trying to attack someone your size, Malcolm,” Sebastian told him, speaking for the three mages. “The wizard is just too powerful. Unless we caught him totally by surprise and managed to stop him from speaking, Simon only needs to say one word to throw up a Shield and then we would basically be at his mercy.”
“And if he is being controlled by some evil entity, we'd all be dead,” Keiko said quietly. “Be quite sure you want this meeting before you contact him, my friends. You cannot capture lightning in a bottle.”
There was another period of silence, broken by Liliana standing up and stretching. Her armor creaked as she adjusted her sword belt.
“Call him,” she said to Tamara. “Today. We will not threaten or frighten him in any way, but I need to see Simon for myself. I need to hear his words and read his body language. If he has been subsumed by some evil, hopefully we can at least learn that much and go from there.”
The paladin walked to the door and opened it. Just as she was leaving, she turned around to look at Keiko.
“But for all of our sakes, I pray that you're wrong. Simon defeated five primal dragons. If he turns on us, the last vestiges of our race may be doomed.”
Chapter 2
Liliana was idly walking the high outside wall of the castle later that day. Evening was approaching and with it a dark storm front was racing in from the west.
Lightning flashed in the distance as the clouds rolled toward the castle over the turbulent ocean. The paladin rested her forearms on the parapet and watched them, her thoughts as restless as the sea itself.
“Aren't you worried about lightning, wearing all that metal?” someone asked from behind her.
The paladin chuckled and pushed herself upright.
“Not particularly,” she replied as she turned around.
Sebastian was standing there, his robe flapping and swirling in the stiff wind.
“When you've faced dragons, storms don't seem quite as intimidating as they once did,” she continued.
“Even so, before the rain hits, perhaps we could get under cover?” the mage asked and gestured at the courtyard below.
“As you wish.”
Liliana followed him as Sebastian led the way to the nearest set of stairs.
“So, did you climb all the way up here just to keep me from rusting?” she asked lightly as they walked down the steps.
The mage laughed lightly but kept his eyes on his footing. The stairs were worn and quite steep.
“Not exactly, no. I wanted to keep you updated on the situation with Simon.”
The paladin waited until they had reached the bottom of the stairs and were crossing the courtyard before speaking again.
“Very well. What's happened? You sound worried.”
A long drawn out sizzling sound was punctuated by an ear-splitting blast of thunder. At the same time, the entire castle was lit up by a blinding flash and a deluge of rain swept over them
The pair raced across the grounds, managing to get indoors before they were completely soaked. Sebastian's robe was soggy though and droplets dribbled off of Liliana's armor.
The mage pushed back his wet hair and grinned widely.
“Could have been worse,” he said cheerfully.
“True. We could have actually been hit by that lightning bolt.”
There was a sturdy bench in the wide hallway just inside the door and Liliana sat down heavily. She took off a gauntlet and wiped the water from her eyes.
“Now, what were you saying about Simon?” she asked.
Sebastian patted his face on his sleeve and nodded.
“Right. About that. Well, I suspect that Keiko may be on to something.”
“What makes you say that? We haven't even had a chance to speak with him yet.”
“And we're not going to,” the mage told her with a shake of his head. “Simon refuses to come back to Nottinghill.”
Liliana frowned up at the mage.
“What? But why? Does he suspect something?”
“Who knows? All I know is that Tamara called him using the Magic Mirror spell. We thought that only one of us should be present when she made the call.”
“Wise.”
“Perhaps. At any rate, when she made contact, it was audio only. Simon blocked the visual portion of the spell somehow. I didn't even know that was possible.”
“Neither did I. And what did he say?”
“Oh, it was innocuous enough. Just said that it was a busy time for him, that several of his cows were due to give birth and that he was too busy to make the trip.”
Liliana put her glove back on and stood up. She watched as droplets of water splattered on to the stone floor beneath her.
“You do realize that he may be speaking the simple truth, don't you? He does have a lot of responsibilities, after all.”
They began to walk down the corridor together.
“Yes, of course we do. And I think that is the most frustrating part, at least for my sister. This entire thing is base
d on speculation and conjecture. We don't actually have any proof that there's anything wrong with Simon, at all.”
The hallway turned to the right and led deeper into the castle. Liliana stopped and looked closely at her companion.
“I think I hear a 'but' in there,” she said.
“But for the first time ever, Simon actually said no to a request. I don't mean asking him to come to Nottinghill. It was something else entirely.”
The paladin leaned back against the dark stone wall and folded her arms.
“What request?”
“As you heard from Malcolm, several of the ballistae are in need of repair and that is beyond the abilities of our craftsmen. So Tammy asked Simon, while she was speaking to him earlier, if he would send one of his earth elemental servants to try and make contact with the dwarves, relay our problem to them. I know that elementals are banned from the dwarven capital, but we thought that if the creature could speak with a patrol outside of the city, we could at least ask them.”
“I see. Simon could also simply contact the dwarves himself, if they aren't blocking him. Apparently that happens on occasion. And? He said no?”
“Turned us down flat. Tamara is furious. She says that it was a very flippant answer, but then my sister is often a bit...overly sensitive.”
Liliana snorted a quick laugh.
“That's one way to put it. Hmm. So Simon won't come to see us and he won't aid the castle either.”
She pushed herself away from the wall and nodded to Sebastian.
“Thank you for the update. I will give all of this some thought. Sleep on it. With this weather, I'll be staying over tonight and heading home in the morning, so we'll speak about this again before I go.”
“Thanks so much,” the mage said sincerely. “You're closer to Simon than any of us, since we lost Clara. Maybe you can think of a way to reach him that we can't.”
“The way to reach him has always been to simply ask,” she told Sebastian grimly. “If he is denying the last members of the human race his aid, I doubt if there is anything that I can say or do that will move him. But we shall see.”
Tales from the New Earth: Volume Two Page 42