“To me?” Simon sat up, suddenly alert. “What was it?”
“It is hard to describe exactly. Aquamastis had me follow him to the east, to the area of the river where it flows past that old city. You know it?”
Simon and Kronk exchanged a look.
“Yes, of course. It was my home long ago, before the world changed.”
“Was it? I see. It is a wonder that I did not know that. Or perhaps I forgot. At any rate, there is something happening in that place now. Something...foul.”
“What are you talking about?”
“A flow of poison, a horrible detritus of sludge and blackness is seeping into the river. It is a miasma that is spreading. The river flows to the east, so the section closest to this tower is safe for now, but Aquamastis was concerned that this foulness might also be spreading through the earth and wanted me to pass on his warning.”
“Poisoning the river?”
“Yes. Fish die instantly on contact with this foulness. The creatures that have begun inhabiting the river, monsters some would call them, are also dying. It seems the poison does not discriminate. Plants, animals, fish; all are being destroyed.”
“What the hell is happening?” Simon whispered.
He looked at Kronk.
“Do you think this is related to that necromancer and his foul servants?”
“I would say yes, master. It would be too much of a coincidence to think otherwise.”
“Excuse me, sir wizard, but what are you talking about?” Ana asked, frowning.
Simon stood up, lifted the boiling kettle off the fire and began making his tea.
“We discovered a short time ago that there is a new inhabitant in my old city. A necromancer. Or maybe he isn't new. Perhaps he's been there awhile. At any rate, he's been busy. He's raising an army of undead soldiers. What he's up to, why he's doing it, we don't know yet. That poison that is draining into the river could be connected to this new development.”
“Necromancer, necromancer,” Ana muttered to herself vaguely, lost in thought.
“An evil wizard who reanimates the dead,” Kronk told her helpfully.
“Yes, thank you. I know what they are,” she replied, still staring at the tabletop. “But creating undead does not have such a side-effect. It is horrible magic, yes, but clean; relatively speaking.”
Ana looked up and saw Simon's surprised expression. She smiled a bit self-consciously.
“I'm sorry. Many many years ago, I learned quite a bit about evil wizards and magicians. I worked for the council of a small town, keeping their spring free of dirt and debris. One of their circle of magic-users was a young witch who took a liking to me. We spoke often.”
“About necromancers?” Kronk asked dubiously.
Ana laughed lightly.
“About any number of things. Witches are...different than most spell-casters. They are neither black nor white. Instead they accept power from wherever they can find it and mold it to suit their purposes. This witch was lawful and sided with the lords of Light, but she knew quite a bit about the darkness too.”
“And she told you what? That necromancy was a clean form of magic?” Simon wondered.
“Oh, not clean, my lord. Hardly that. But efficient. The dark forces that animate dead flesh leave no residue. So if that flow of poison that is fouling the river is coming from that necromancer in the city, it is because he is creating it on purpose.”
Chapter 19
Simon sipped his tea and thought hard about what Ana had just told them. If that necromancer in Ottawa was deliberately poisoning the river, what was his purpose? Why was he doing it? There certainly weren't enough people downriver in ruined Montreal or further who would be affected by the poisoned waters. Was it simply malevolence or something else?
Kronk and Ana spoke softly together, letting Simon gather his thoughts. He spared them a glance and smiled absently. They were certainly an odd couple. One with power over water, able to sense a poisonous flow on the river and the other with power over earth, able to sense...
He set down his cup with a loud thump and the elementals looked at him.
“Master? What is it?”
“Kronk, I need you to do something for me, right now.”
“Yes, of course, master. Anything.”
“I want you to travel underground, east toward Ottawa. Don't go into the city itself; we know how dangerous it is there now. But test the earth as you travel, see if you can sense any changes, anything unhealthy.”
The little guy seemed puzzled by the request and then he gasped.
“You think that the necromancer could be poisoning the earth as well as the water, master?” he asked, appalled.
“I think it's possible that the bastard's mission could be to destroy everything. Maybe that's the end game here. If enough black magic is applied to the environment in enough centers around the world, eventually the entire planet could be killed. Destroy the plants, the animals, the water, the earth, and you will eventually destroy the people.”
“That is a terrible thought, sir wizard,” Ana said, obviously horrified.
“I know. And I hope I'm wrong. Kronk?”
“I am on my way, master,” the earthen said tersely.
He jumped off of the table, tip-tapped across the room and left the tower. And for the first time that Simon could remember, the little guy was so obviously worried that he didn't even say goodbye.
“Is there anything that I can do, my lord?” Ana asked.
Simon began shaking his head and stopped as something occurred to him.
“There is, actually. Could you return to the river and try to get in touch with Aquamastis? Tell him what we think might be happening? Even if Kronk finds nothing, I think it's a safe assumption that the river is being poisoned on purpose. I'd like to know his thoughts on the matter.”
“Yes, of course. He is a very wise being after all, and may have some ideas on how to counter that foulness.”
“Exactly.”
“I'll go at once. Take care, my lord.”
She bowed and flowed off of the table and across the room to disappear under the front door.
“I love how she does that,” Simon said to himself.
Now, he thought, one last check.
He winced, hunched over a bit and closed his eyes.
“Aeris, I need you.”
The room lit up with the dazzle of a flash bulb and a crack of thunder made Simon's ears ring.
“You called, oh wonderful one?”
Simon blinked several times to clear away the after-images and squinted at Aeris, who was floating above the center of the table.
“You know something? The next time you go back to the air realm, could you put in a request to tone down the entrance display? It's way overdone.”
Aeris sighed and nodded, actually looking a little embarrassed.
“I know, I know. But as I've told you several times, our lord likes it.”
“Yeah but every time? Even when it's to return to the wizard you're working for when he calls you? Come on, Aeris, that's just too much.”
“Fine, I'll file a request through the proper channels. I'll warn you now though; our bureaucracy is just as convoluted as humanity's was back in the old days.”
Simon rubbed his eyes and got up to make more tea.
“Figures. Anyway, I wanted to bring you up to speed about something that Ana just reported to me.”
“Ana's here?” Aeris looked around eagerly. “Where is she?”
“Gone again. Sorry. I know how fond you are of her.”
Aeris shook a finger at him.
“Now, now. Let's not start any unsubstantiated rumors. I tolerate her as a colleague, that's all.”
The wizard snorted and turned to check the kettle. It was still hot, so he went ahead and made more tea.
“Whatever you say. I need you to check on something related to her information though. I've just sent Kronk off to do some checking as well.”
&nb
sp; “Have you? I'm intrigued.”
Simon walked over to his comfy chair and sat down in front of the fireplace. Aeris followed him and settled on to the arm of the chair.
“Okay, here's what we know so far...”
It only took a few minutes to tell Aeris what was going on and, when he had finished, Simon relaxed and waited for the elemental to process the information.
“So you think that the Chaos lords' new plan is to taint the Earth on a massive scale?” Aeris asked, obviously appalled.
“Possibly. But I'm not going to jump to conclusions until we have more info. What I'd like you to do is to head out and check out the area around the city. The water is being contaminated. The earth may be as well; we'll know for sure when Kronk gets back. So what I'd like to know is, what about the air?”
“You think that the atmosphere is at risk as well?”
“Not a clue. But if I was an evil deity and I wanted to corrupt an entire planet, I certainly wouldn't forget to taint the air. I remember back in the old days how badly we managed to pollute the water, the earth and the air. It's as if we were intentionally trying to destroy our world. The dark gods may be heading down the same path.”
“Oh, I hope not.”
“Me too, Aeris. So, will you go and check? Don't get too close to the city; just do a circuit around it and report back on whatever you find, if anything.”
“I'll go at once. It won't take very long.”
Aeris sketched a salute and disappeared.
Simon drank more tea and watched the logs burning. His thoughts were roiling. Had he caused this by destroying the primal dragons? The lords of Chaos had to eliminate all of humanity before they could return to rule over the Earth. Perhaps this was their plan B?
He stood up after a time, went to the sink to rinse out his cup and then left the tower. He suddenly felt the need for some fresh air.
Simon crossed the yard and climbed a ladder next to the front gate until he stood on the parapet that ran along the inside of the outer wall. He turned left and began to stroll around the perimeter, enjoying the late afternoon sunshine.
The birds didn't know that the world might be about to end and sang their usual hearty songs, making him smile despite his concerns.
He ran into several of the earthen who patrolled the wall and each had almost the same comical look of surprise on their craggy little faces. They bowed as he passed and Simon smiled and nodded in response.
When he reached the back gate, he walked across the arch over it and climbed another ladder back down to the ground. The gate was open, as was usual during the day. Above it, an earthen kept watch.
Simon leaned on the wall next to the gate and surveyed the back pasture.
The four horses were grazing near each other. Sunbeam was past the nursing stage now and ate grass next to her mother. The sheep stuck together in a bunch and looked like a very large, puffy bush.
The cows were scattered haphazardly around the pasture. They still looked absurdly large compared to the horses, even the big stallion, Chief.
Simon frowned as he realized that it was almost time to take one of the cows to Nottinghill Castle. They had a butcher there and he'd made a deal to swap part of the meat from each cow he brought over there for his services. Certainly it would be nice to have some fresh beef, but the thought of actually having one of the big, goofy animals killed still bothered him so much that he'd been putting it off.
Something to think about another day, he told himself firmly. I still have a lot of dried and salted meat from trading vegetables with Nottinghill. Sure, it's mostly venison, but it's fine for now. And it tasted quite nice when he fried up some eggs to go along with it.
As the sky darkened, he went back through the gate and closed and locked it behind him. He waved up at the watching earthen, who bowed in return, and then walked back around the tower.
“My lord.”
Simon jumped. He had almost stepped on Ana, who was standing near the front steps of the tower. She was hard to see in the growing gloom
“Oh, hey Ana,” he said. He climbed the steps and sat down at the top. “You're back. That was fast.”
“It was, yes. Aquamastis was nearby. He has already begun watching the flow of foulness seeping from the foundations of the city.”
“And? Does he have any ideas on how to stop or at least slow down the dumping of poison into the river?”
The elemental flowed up the steps and settled down next to Simon. She looked up at him with a rather pleased smile on her face.
“He has already begun, my lord. Aquamastis has changed the flow of the river near the city. It is now swirling back upon itself to push the foulness back to the base of the cliffs at the edge of Ottawa. He says that he believes he can actually keep the poison contained indefinitely.”
“Do you think he can?”
She seemed surprised by the question.
“Undoubtedly, sir wizard. A great elemental like Aquamastis does not make frivolous claims. We can be sure that the river will stay clean for the foreseeable future.”
Simon sighed in relief and smiled at her.
“That's great to hear. Thanks Ana. Let's hope that Kronk and Aeris have good news as well.”
“Aeris is scouting around the city?”
“Yep. It occurred to me that if the river and land is being poisoned then maybe the air is as well. I really hope I'm wrong though.”
“Agreed. Well, if you don't mind, sir, I am going to spend the evening in the lake. I find it relaxing. Please summon me if you need anything.”
“Of course. And thanks again, Ana. I appreciate your efforts today.”
She bowed and flowed back down the steps. She lost her shape, became a small pool of water and sank into the ground.
So weird, Simon thought. I don't know that I'll ever get used to it.
He rested his chin on his hand and sat quietly, watching the stars come out.
The moon, just a sliver of light, rose in the east and it had cooled down enough for Simon to consider going indoors when Kronk emerged from the ground not too far from where Ana had disappeared.
“Master? Are you all right?” the little guy asked. He seemed surprised to see Simon sitting alone in the dark.
“I'm good, thanks. Just thinking.”
“Well, you should get inside before you catch a chill. You were ill this morning, master, don't forget.”
Yes Mom, Simon thought wryly but kept it to himself. Kronk only nagged because he cared.
“Fine. Come on. Let's go in and you can tell me what you've found.”
Back inside, Kronk stoked the fire and added a few logs while Simon lit all of the candles with a flick of his power. He sat down in front of the fireplace and waited until the earthen was done and joined him.
“So, any news?”
Kronk hopped up on to the arm of the chair, scratched his blocky head loudly and nodded.
“Yes master, both good and bad. The good news is that the earth around the city is clean, so far, of any hint of infection. There is some residual pollution from the age of technology, but it is minor and is being cleansed by nature.”
“Is it? Well, every cloud has a silver lining.”
Simon stared at the flames dancing in the fireplace.
“Civilization only had to be destroyed to stop us from polluting the crap out of the planet,” he said bitterly. “Lovely.”
“If you so say, master,” Kronk said, sounding a little puzzled. “But there is some bad news as well.”
The wizard dragged his acidic thoughts back to the present. The past is past, he told himself. Concentrate on the now.
“Which is?” he asked.
“You remember that hole that we saw near the tower, master? The one that was surrounded by undead?”
“How could I forget it? It was a horrible sight.”
“Yes master. Well, I went deep to explore the condition of the earth and I discovered tunnels leading off in all directions, centeri
ng on that hole.”
“Meaning what?”
“Meaning that the necromancer is drawing his undead troops from many miles away. I would estimate that he has emptied out all of the cemeteries within a twenty mile radius of the city.”
“But how is that even possible? The amount of power that it would take to extend his spells that far would be staggering. Impossible for a human magic-user, even one that is working for the dark gods.”
Kronk was nodding.
“Exactly, master. Which means that the necromancer has to be traveling to the sources in person. We saw him on that tower, but he must leave the city, travel to a cemetery and unleash his magic. Then he could return quickly, perhaps using the Gate spell, and the newly created monsters would follow at their own pace.”
Simon looked at the little guy skeptically.
“He can do that? What, like planting a seed, watering it and just letting it grow after he leaves?”
Kronk smiled up at him.
“A fair analogy, master. I am not the expert in magic that Aeris is, but I understand that reanimating flesh is a slow process. One does not just,” he snapped his small fingers together, an odd crackling sound, “and expect corpses to leap to their feet. It is like an infection; slow and insidious.”
“Huh. I didn't know that.”
The wizard watched the flames, thinking furiously. How could he use this knowledge to his advantage?
“I wonder if we could track this guy and jump him when he's far from his power base?” he muttered. “Without his troops, a necromancer must be significantly weakened, don't you think?”
“Perhaps, master,” Kronk answered hesitantly. “You should speak to Aeris about it. He would know more about such things.”
“Yeah, I will. Maybe we can stop this whole situation before it gets out of hand.”
“It is already out of hand, my dear wizard.”
Simon sat up and looked around to see Aeris floating down the stairs carrying the wizard's hand mirror. Two air elementals trailed along behind him. Simon recognized Stennos and Osteros.
“Ah, you are back,” Kronk said with what sounded like relief.
Tales from the New Earth: Volume Two Page 64