Tales from the New Earth: Volume Two

by J. J. Thompson

  “Yeah, okay guys. Let's go. I need time to think this all through.”

  Back inside, Kronk quickly built up the fire while Aeris began preparing the tea. Simon went upstairs and got changed.

  Esmiralla's departure from inside of him had apparently reset him back to his old self and he couldn't get out of his clothing fast enough. He flung the sweater and jeans into the laundry basket with disgust.

  The wizard stared at himself in the full-length mirror of the wardrobe for a few minutes. His lean body looked pretty much the same as it always did, fresh bruises aside, and he ran his hands over his chest and stomach.

  “So she took my kidney,” he said softly. “Funny, I feel exactly the same as I always have.”

  He met the mismatched eyes of his reflection and stuck out his tongue. As always, it made him giggle like a school boy.

  “Yep, same old nerd. I guess I'll live.”

  He looked at himself one more time and shrugged.

  “Goddamned dragons.”

  Simon grabbed a random robe from the cabinet and slipped it on. The soft blue woolen garment felt so natural against his skin that he sighed loudly with relief. It seemed that he could breathe freely again.

  The young man in the mirror seemed pleased as well, and blue had always been his favorite color.

  “Okay Simon,” he said and shook a finger at himself. “You may be one kidney short, but it's time to get back to business. At least that crazy dragon is out of your head.”

  He picked up his staff from where he'd flung it on the bed and went downstairs. He leaned Mortis de Draconis against the wall next to the front door and gave it an appreciative pat before walking over to his cozy chair in front of the fire and collapsing into it.

  The elementals had lit all of the candles in the room, both the ones on the mantle and several on the kitchen table and the counter and the place looked warm and inviting. The fire blazed cheerfully and Simon felt the evening's chill vanish as the heat washed over him

  Aeris flew over from the counter and offered him a steaming cup of tea, which the wizard accepted gratefully.

  “Ah, that's wonderful. Thanks guys. I'm starting to feel like my old self again.”

  Kronk sat in his usual place in front of the fire and Aeris descended to join him.

  “How are you really doing, master?” the little guy asked anxiously.

  “Better now,” Simon replied after a few sips of tea. “Certainly less angry.”

  He considered that statement for a moment. It was true. Although the silver dragon had betrayed him in one of the worst ways possible, he couldn't hang on to the anger for very long. He simply wasn't made that way.

  “I think I'm just now realizing that I'm not cut out for brooding and depression. I know I have my moments...”

  “No kidding,” Aeris muttered.

  Simon ignored him.

  “...but sitting around and moaning about my fate just isn't me. There are two things to focus on here. First of all, Esmiralla is gone and I'm back to my old self.”

  He stroked his robe and both elementals grinned at the gesture.

  “And secondly, losing a kidney isn't fatal, as long as the one that's left keeps doing its job. So let's hope it does.”

  “An excellent attitude, master,” the earthen told him with a firm nod. “Now you can get back to your normal routine. Perhaps get in touch your friends at Nottinghill Castle again?”

  “Absolutely. Tomorrow. And I'll be calling Daniel as well. It's horrible that she kept me isolated like that but I'll put all of that behind me.”

  “There is another positive here, my dear wizard.”

  “Which is what?”

  Aeris rose up into the air and gave Simon an incredulous look.

  “The argent dragon! He has returned. We have a new ally against the red dragons and the gods of Chaos.”

  Simon shrugged, indifferent to Aeris' argument.

  “Screw him, and Esmiralla. If they are willing to use others to achieve their own ends, that makes them as bad as the evil dragons and gods, as far as I'm concerned.”

  Aeris bobbed in the air in front of Simon, dumbstruck.

  “I agree with you, master,” Kronk said stoutly. “If these dragons are 'good', then the word must mean something different from what I understood it to mean.”

  There was no response from Aeris. He simply descended to the floor, sat down with his back to Simon, and stared into the fire.

  “Nothing to say?” Kronk asked pertly, trying to tease the air elemental.

  Aeris twitched a shoulder irritably and remained silent.

  The earthen seemed puzzled by his silence and looked up at Simon helplessly.

  The wizard contemplated Aeris' hunched back for a moment and then smiled reassuringly at Kronk.

  “I think our friend is a little conflicted by this whole affair,” he said to the little guy while he watched Aeris for his reaction.

  “His people revered the silver dragons and now we've seen one who has acted, shall we say, less than nobly. It's been my experience that when someone you consider a hero shows a darker side, it can be...disappointing. Hell, sometimes it can be devastating. Esmiralla isn't a noble creature sitting up on a pedestal. She may have done what she did for the greater good, in her mind, but what she did was wrong nevertheless. And I'm guessing that Aeris is upset about that.”

  The air elemental stood up slowly and turned around. He looked at both of them blankly.

  “Am I right?” Simon asked gently.

  “You are sometimes too clever for your own good, my dear wizard,” Aeris replied with a bitter edge to his voice. “But yes, I'd say that you are essentially correct. The silver dragon betrayed you. Worse still, she betrayed the ideals of her own people. The dragons of Light existed as exact opposites of the dragons of Chaos. Light against the darkness, goodness against evil. And now...”

  He made a vague gesture and sat down dejectedly, staring at the floor.

  “And now she has tarnished their legacy. Argentium was right to berate her. He at least saw how far she had fallen from their ideals. What the both of them will do now is a mystery to me, but I will trust the argent dragon, at least, to do the right thing. And Esmiralla will follow his lead.”

  He sighed and looked at Simon.

  “I hope your pain and sacrifice will be repaid in the long run.”

  Simon finished his tea and gave that some thought.

  “Like I said, I'm not going to brood over it,” he told the elementals. “What's done is done. I agree with you, Aeris. Just from Argentium's reaction, I could tell how disgusted he was by Esmiralla's actions. And I think that the red dragons are in for one hell of a surprise. They must believe that the world is theirs for the taking. Won't it be a shock when they learn of the return of the argent and silver dragons?”

  Aeris chuckled lightly and Kronk grinned.

  “Good point, master. They will not know what hit them, I think.”

  “Exactly.”

  Simon got up, rinsed out his cup and put it away.

  “Guys, it's been a weird and stressful day. I'm glad it's over and I think I'll get to bed early. Maybe if I sleep on it, I can put the whole thing into some sort of perspective. Good night.”

  He twirled a finger and a globe of magical light appeared and rose to float over his head.

  “Well, hello there,” he said with a smile.

  “Good night, master,” Kronk said. “Sleep well.”

  He stood up and began poking at the fire, arranging the logs.

  “Good night,” Aeris said as well. “I'm going out to take a spin around the tower. I have a lot to think about.”

  “I know you do,” Simon replied. “But don't beat yourself up about your old beliefs. Just accept what has happened, as I must, and move on. The three of us will get through this together.”

  He walked to the stairs and looked back.

  “Besides, we have so many adventures ahead of us. Think about that instead!”
/>
  Aeris floated upward and his face brightened.

  “Ah, I like that. Very well, my dear wizard. I shall do just that. Enjoy your rest and we'll see you in the morning.”

  Chapter 9

  The next few days passed in a flurry of activity. Subconsciously, Simon seemed to be trying to make up for all of the time lost while he was acting as a host for Esmiralla's consciousness.

  He actually began to think back on her during that time as more of a parasite than some noble creature. It seemed to make what she did to him easier to accept and put behind him.

  He got in touch with Tamara and Sebastian and found that they had been worried sick about him. It was touching and Simon was gratified to see their reactions when he told them what had happened.

  “Let's kill her,” Tamara responded in typical fashion when she heard of the silver dragon's treachery.

  “Tammy!” her brother gasped. “Are you nuts? We can't do that.”

  Simon held back his laughter and agreed with Sebastian.

  “She's been punished by Argentium,” he told them. “And I'm guessing that he's keeping her on a very short leash. We need her, Tamara, and that's the truth of it. Let's shelve that for now. Why don't you both tell me what's been happening these last few months. I've sort of been out of the loop.”

  They had a long, informative chat and Simon thoroughly enjoyed hearing all of the news about the people of Nottinghill Castle.

  There had been a birth since he'd last been in touch as well as, sadly, an accidental death. Someone had fallen from the ramparts while on night patrol. So the population had remained exactly the same.

  There had been dragon sightings but only at a distance. For whatever reason, the dragons were avoiding contact with humans, at least for the time being.

  “I wonder why?” Simon had said.

  “My guess? Because a human wizard,” Tamara's image winked at him from the surface of the mirror, ”slaughtered their primal. I think they're a bit gun-shy.”

  Sebastian had looked skeptical but stayed silent.

  Simon finally said goodbye with a promise to visit his friends soon. He asked the siblings to say hello to Aiden, Malcolm and the others and to let them know that he was safe and sound. And that he apologized for staying away for so long.

  “Don't be sorry,” Tamara had told him. “You didn't choose to remain isolated. It was that damned silver dragon.”

  After speaking with the mages, Simon turned his attention to his oldest friend, Daniel. It had been far too long since they had spoken and he was very worried.

  Daniel was now an old man living in the elven realm. Time moved differently there, sometimes faster, sometimes slower than time on Earth. So the wizard didn't know how long it had been since they had been in touch, from Daniel's perspective.

  Simon made a fresh cup of tea and took it upstairs to his study. Both Kronk and Aeris had left the tower to allow him some privacy and he was grateful to them. They had listened in on his conversation with Tamara and Sebastian, adding their own comments to the discussion, but his contact with Daniel was more personal and they seemed to understand that.

  Simon sat down at his desk, picked up his mirror and stared into it.

  “Daniel,” he murmured after he cast the Magic Mirror spell and watched as the glass fogged over.

  He sipped his tea while he waited for the magic to make contact with his old friend. He was feeling a mixture of nervousness and anticipation and noticed with wry amusement that his hand was shaking a bit as he held the mirror.

  How much time had passed for Daniel since they had last spoken? Days? Months? Damn that dragon!

  The glass began to clear and Simon hunched forward and stared intently into the depths of the mirror, unconsciously holding his breath.

  A room appeared, bright with sunlight. The sounds of birds and an unearthly singing mixed sweetly and gave the wizard a thrill of emotion. It was beautiful.

  A large four-poster bed covered with a beautiful quilt, intricately stitched in a rainbow of colors, took up most of the mirror's view. A man lay there, propped up with many pillows, his skinny, wrinkled hands resting on top of the quilt.

  The old man's long silver hair was gleaming in the light from an open window. His lined face was peaceful in sleep and Simon felt a wave of affection as he recognized his oldest friend.

  Around Daniel, standing or sitting on wooden chairs and watching him intently, were a small group of people. Elves. Simon knew only one of them. It was his first elvish friend and the leader of the elves, Ethmira.

  Daniel looked frail and his skin had a translucent quality that Simon didn't like. It looked like a strong wind could blow his beloved friend away.

  The elves were speaking quietly to each other in their own language and obviously trying not to disturb the sleeping man. Simon wanted to say something but was afraid to wake Daniel. Before he could figure out what to do, the decision was taken from him.

  The room went silent as the old man's eyes fluttered and he woke up with a gentle snort. He looked around blearily, his heavy lids making his once-bright eyes look dull and vague.

  “Daniel, did we wake you?” Ethmira asked gently. “I'm sorry about that.”

  “Don't apologize,” he replied with that familiar tone that made Simon smile.

  Old or not, that unique timber would never change.

  “We have a visitor,” Daniel continued, his voice sounding paper-thin.

  “A visitor?”

  Ethmira looked around, as did the other elves in the room. They exchanged knowing glances and the elven maiden patted those claw-like hands.

  “There is no one else here but us, my friend,” she told him.

  Daniel frowned and his eyes flitted from one side of the room to the other.

  “Bah. I may be dying but I'm not a fool, nor have I lost my wits.”

  He tried to raise his voice.

  “Speak up, before they assume I'm hallucinating. It's about time you got in touch anyway. You're almost too late, you know.”

  Simon smiled as his vision blurred with tears.

  “Hello, old friend,” he said and he heard his voice echo around the bedroom.

  The elves jumped as one and looked around again, eyes wide.

  Ethmira was the first to smile. She looked relieved and patted Daniel's hand again reassuringly.

  “We didn't think you were crazy, Daniel. We thought you had been dreaming, that's all.”

  “Hmm. A likely story. Hello Simon. Where the hell have you been?”

  “Cranky as always,” the wizard replied fondly. “Some things never change.”

  “Some things do,” Daniel told him.

  He tried to push himself up higher and the elves hurried to adjust his pillows to help him.

  “All right, all right, don't fuss!” he told them in a cranky voice. “I'm not quite useless yet.”

  “You don't look well,” Simon said worriedly.

  “Of course I don't look well. Father Time has finally caught up with me, old buddy. I'm officially dying. Lovely, isn't it?”

  The wizard sat up in his chair, his heart suddenly pounding in his ears.

  “Dying?”

  “Yes, dying.”

  “How can you know that? What do you mean? Damn it, what's...”

  His friend made an abrupt gesture and cut him off. Then Daniel looked down at himself and hissed irritably.

  “This ridiculous old body has worn out before its time. My elven friends here have done what they could, but immortals don't really know how to deal with aging. It's foreign to them.”

  “We've tried, Daniel. Believe me.”

  He smiled at Ethmira and nodded, his irritation forgotten.

  “I know, my dear. I know. I don't blame you or your people. It's my own fault for returning to Earth and being caught by the time differential.”

  He turned his head and stared straight into Simon's eyes.

  “Ah, there you are. I like that I can see your image. Your p
owers have grown.”

  “Maybe they have. But if so, it hasn't been from use. I haven't cast spells for several months now.”

  Daniel's gaze sharpened.

  “Explain.”

  Simon tried to focus on the recent past and ignore Daniel's horrible statement. It was very difficult.

  He told them about the merging with Esmiralla. Ethmira had been part of the attack on the primal red dragon, but hadn't known about his involvement with the silver dragon. She looked shocked as the story unfolded.

  Daniel lay there quietly, watching Simon but saying nothing. A few times he closed his eyes and the wizard wondered if he was drifting into sleep. But each time, his old friend would rally and sit up and listen attentively again.

  When he was finished, no one spoke for a while. The elves just exchanged worried looks and then waited for Daniel to comment.

  He sighed and shook his head weakly.

  “The road to Hell is paved with good intentions,” he murmured. “And you can excuse even the worst sins by claiming they were committed in the name of the greater good.”

  He looked at Simon.

  “The silver dragon has tarnished herself and her gods by doing what she did. You do realize that, don't you?”

  “Better than anyone else, under the circumstances. I have been violated and I no longer trust her. At all. I'm withholding judgment on Argentium. He seemed appalled by what Esmiralla did. We'll see how things go in the future.”

  “Silver and argent dragons, both returned to the mortal world,” one of the elves, a slim male with long black hair, said in wonder.

  “Will they take the fight to the red dragons and the gods of Chaos?” he asked Simon, wide-eyed.

  “I assume that's why Esmiralla brought Argentium back from the Void,” he replied. “But powerful or not, they are still only two dragons against hundreds, perhaps thousands, of foes. And that's not even counting the evil gods. In the end, they may not have much of an impact on our struggle.”

  “Oh, I think they will,” Daniel said.

  When Simon gave him an inquiring look, he simply smiled mysteriously.

  The smile was replaced by a sudden look of pain and Daniel hissed and clenched his fists.