“We have to go,” he said abruptly.
Lacertus flew up to eye level and looked at him quizzically.
“There's no rush,” he said. “The primals are still a few hours away, I'm sure.”
“It's not that. I get a little,” Simon reddened, “seasick. So if there's no reason to stay on this ship, which is slowly sinking by the way, then I have to leave.”
“Ah, I see. Delicate stomach. No need to be embarrassed, sir wizard. No one is perfect. So where to now?”
Simon dropped his bag again, opened it and pulled out the atlas. He flipped through the pages randomly and poked a finger at the map that appeared.
“There,” he said and peered down at the page. “Huh, well there's a place I've never been before.”
Lacertus flew around him and examined the map.
“Australia? Is that a country or a small continent?”
“Both actually. Well, it was. There's no city or town at the location I'm pointing at, which is good. So let's go there.”
“What kind of weather are we looking at?”
“No idea. I know that part of the continent is desert but not all of it. Let's go and take a look.”
Simon memorized the coordinates and put the atlas back in his pack. He picked it up and slung it over his shoulder.
“Ready?” he asked the elemental.
“Always. I recommend that you keep your shield up, just in case.”
“Yep. Okay, see you there.”
Simon disappeared and Lacertus looked around a final time. There was no sign of the dracoliches yet and he pondered the wreckage of the ship.
“I wonder where they went?” he muttered.
He shrugged, concentrated on the wizard and Gated away.
“You know, I think I've figured out how those undead dragons are tracking me,” Simon said later that day.
He was sitting beside a small campfire, the cool desert night surrounding him and Lacertus. The darkness echoed with strange calls and distant, mournful howls that made him uneasy.
“Have you really? That's wonderful. Do tell.”
Simon glanced sharply at the elemental. For a moment he was reminded of Aeris at his most sarcastic.
But Lacertus simply returned his look calmly and the wizard decided that he'd misheard.
“Ever since Esmiralla used blood and an egg in a spell, I've wondered if such material things could be used in other types of magic too. Well, God knows I've spilled enough blood in my battles with the dragons. What if one of those necromancers was able to get his hands on some of it?”
“From where?”
“No idea, but if that happened, it's quite possible that I'm being tracked, not by my magical aura or whatever, but physically.”
Lacertus nodded slowly as he stared into the fire. His foggy form reflected the light of the flames and flickered with flashes of red and yellow.
“You may have hit upon it, sir wizard. But if that is the case, I fear that you will never be free of those monsters. Unless you can alter your physical essence, I don't see how you will break the connection with the undead primals.”
He smiled widely at Simon, a look of almost smug satisfaction on his odd little face.
“Fortunately I will be here to keep you one step ahead of them. I suppose that means that we will be together for a very long time.”
The wizard turned away from Lacertus, an uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach. There was something not quite right about the elemental; something almost...predatory.
He shivered and stared up at the cold, remote stars that dotted the desert sky.
“Are you getting a chill, Simon?” Lacertus asked.
“Simon? That's the first time you've used my name,” the wizard told him sharply.
“Is it? Ah, forgive me, sir wizard, I misspoke. You have treated me with such kindness that I almost felt like we were friends.”
“No, that's fine. Whatever you want to call me is okay as long as it isn't master.”
“Oh, I wouldn't do that,” Lacertus muttered. He said it so quietly that Simon was sure that he wasn't meant to hear him.
The wizard pulled his pack closer and casually leaned on it.
“Could you do me a favor and make a circuit of the camp please?” he asked the elemental. “I'm a bit nervous about all of those weird sounds I'm hearing.”
“Are you? Well then, of course I will. Perhaps you should put up a shield, just in case?”
Simon forced a smile.
“I might, but I want to conserve my strength. I'll raise a shield when and if I need one.”
“Wise. Very well, sir wizard. I won't be long.”
Lacertus flew upward and disappeared into the darkness.
Simon quickly opened his pack, dug through it and pulled out his mirror.
He cast the Magic Mirror spell and focused his mind on a single image.
“Ethmira,” he whispered and waited tensely for the foggy surface to clear.
It took a few minutes and Simon kept looking up and around, expecting Lacertus to reappear at any moment.
The mirror's surface cleared and Ethmira's familiar face came into view.
“Simon!” she exclaimed and smiled widely. “How lovely to see you again. I thought that you'd forgotten about us.”
Never,” he assured her. “Listen, I don't have much time. I need a portal opened to the elven realm and I need it quickly. Can you help me?”
“A portal?”
Ethmira looked confused but didn't question him. Maybe it was the sense of urgency in his voice. She thought for a moment and replied solemnly.
“If it is an emergency, then I can have one opened, yes. For you alone? Of course. Our time lines are beginning to sync once again, fortunately. Do you remember the location near your tower? The one that Daniel and I used before?”
“I remember it very well,” he replied quietly, still scanning the area. “How soon can you create the opening?”
“In Earth time?”
She looked down and Simon heard the sound of a quill pen on paper.
“The next dawn, as the sun rises above the horizon.”
She narrowed her eyes as she noticed the pack he was leaning against.
“You aren't at home?”
“No, I'm just about as far from home as you can get in this world.”
“Well, get home in time for the next sunrise and the portal will open. Do not miss it though. I will have the elders keep it open for as long as possible, but that time will be quite short.”
“I know. Thanks Ethmira. I'll see you soon.”
“I hope so. Simon, I'm guessing that you are in trouble. Be careful, my friend.”
“I'll try.”
He canceled the spell and slipped the mirror back into his bag. He had just enough time to sit back and casually stare into the campfire again when Lacertus reappeared and floated into the firelight.
“No dangers out there,” he reported as he approached Simon and settled on to the ground beside him.
“Good. That's a relief. Thanks.”
“Anything for you, sir wizard.”
The elemental looked up at Simon curiously.
“You look flushed. Are you not feeling well?”
“Flushed? It's probably just a trick of the light. I'm fine. A bit tired, that's all.”
He looked away but the wizard could feel Lacertus still watching him closely.
“Tired? Yes, that's not surprising. You should try to get some sleep, Sim..., I mean sir wizard. I will keep watch.”
“How long until the dragons catch up to us?”
“About three hours. Sleep while you can and I will wake you when it is time to leave.”
“Okay. Thanks Lacertus. I don't know what I'd do without you.”
Simon pushed his pack around so that he could rest his head on it. The sandy soil beneath him was soft enough that he could lie down comfortably.
“I am honored,” the elemental replied smugly.
&nb
sp; The wizard closed his eyes and tried to calculate the time difference between where they were and his tower. It had to be about twelve hours, meaning that it was probably late afternoon there now. So dawn back home was at least sixteen hours away.
Four Gates at least, he thought. I'll have to cast four Gates before I can get away from this strange being. Simon didn't know what Lacertus was, but he did know one thing; the creature was no elemental.
He slept, somehow, and was awakened by Lacertus as the sky was beginning to glow in the east.
“I can feel them approaching, sir wizard,” he said as Simon opened his eyes and looked around in confusion.
“Can you?”
How interesting that you can feel undead monsters, he thought to himself.
“Okay then. It's time to go.”
He opened the atlas, picked a random location and memorized the coordinates.
“Surely you want to eat and drink something first?” the elemental asked, sounding puzzled. “The primals won't be here for at least ten minutes.”
“I'd rather Gate first. We're heading to the west coast of Alaska, apparently, so we should be able to find some fresh water there.”
“As you wish,” Lacertus said with a bow.
Bag hanging off of one shoulder and staff on the other, Simon nodded at the little being and cast the spell. The void closed in around him and he felt some relief as he got away from those piercing eyes.
They Gated twice more over the next ten hours or so and Simon made sure that the last Gate spell took them to upper New York state, so that they were in the same time zone as his tower.
They ended up on a tall hill overlooking the remains of what must have once been a picturesque little town. The wizard stood looking down at the destroyed buildings and leveled homes with a sense of almost suffocating sadness. Bathed by the light of the stars, the desolation seemed even worse.
Were we really that bad? Did we really deserve this?
“You look unhappy, sir wizard,” Lacertus commented, his voice hollow with false concern.
Simon managed to keep his loathing off of his face and just shrugged.
“Old memories,” he said tersely. “Of better times.”
“Ah yes, better times. But were they better? Surely one such as you, with as much power as you now command, has benefited from what happened, yes?”
The wizard looked at the floating, sparking figure in disbelief.
“My entire race was almost wiped out. My friends, my coworkers, hell, my whole world was razed to the ground and you think I've benefited?”
He pointed down at the sad remnants of the town and glared at the elemental.
“Explain to me how much better off those people are now. Can you? Tell me how much happier I am as I'm hunted down by two undead monstrosities. Go ahead, I'd be fascinated by your answer.”
Lacertus stared back silently and Simon fancied that he could see a slight look of amusement on that inhuman face before it changed to one of chagrin.
“I have offended you, sir wizard. I do apologize. Certainly what happened was horrible and unfair. Please excuse my insensitivity. I will weigh my words more carefully in the future.”
Simon nodded curtly and turned away. He walked back to the little campfire he'd built and sat down.
He looked up at the sky and tried to judge the time as the elemental flew back and settled down next to him.
“I'm beginning to hate the darkness,” the wizard said, trying to sound more exhausted than he was. “I feel like I'm constantly being stalked by unseen creatures.”
“You are safe, I assure you. I sense no danger near us. But dawn is just two hours away and then you will be more at ease, I am sure.”
“Thank you,” Simon said as he felt a thrill of anticipation. Two hours to go and then he would hopefully escape this...thing.
“I'm sure you're right.”
Never had the minutes dragged by so slowly as they did that night. Simon couldn't sleep and didn't bother pretending that he could. Instead he flipped through the atlas, looking at each location that they had Gated to. It was amazing to think that he'd basically gone around the world, in a random fashion, in his race to stay ahead of the dracoliches. And yet when he thought about it, all of the places seemed to blur together and he couldn't really remember specifics from any of them.
“Dawn is approaching,” Lacertus said eventually, surprising Simon out of his reveries.
“Is it?” He looked to the east. “How can you tell? The sky is still dark.”
The elemental shrugged.
“I just know, that's all. We will have to leave in an hour or so. The primals will be getting close by then.”
“No problem. Just tell me when. I'll be ready.” He looked out a the darkness uneasily. “It really does feel like we're being watched.”
Lacertus bowed gracefully and flew upwards.
“If it will ease you mind, I will do a quick circuit of the surrounding trees. There is no danger, but if it will help...”
“Ah, would you? I would really appreciate that.”
“Whatever I can do for you, sir wizard. What makes you happy, makes me happy.”
The misty figure flew off, little sparks dripping from him as he vanished into the woods.
Time to get the hell out of here, Simon thought frantically.
He'd never Gated from a sitting position before; it just felt weird somehow. But he had a feeling that if he stood up or made any noise, Lacertus would return to see what he was up to. So he carefully grabbed his bag with his left hand and his staff with his right and concentrated on his target.
“Gate,” he whispered.
Never had the deep cold of the void felt more welcoming.
Chapter 32
Simon appeared in the middle of the main floor of his tower, still sitting down. The fire was burning for some reason and several candles were lit. Kronk was sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace while Aeris was floating above the right arm of his comfy chair. It almost felt like he'd just stepped out for a moment, instead of returning after being on the run for weeks.
Both elementals turned as one as he popped into existence and they stared at him in shock.
“Hey guys,” he said as he got to his feet and dropped his bag with a thud. “How's it going?”
“Master!” Kronk shouted in his deep baritone. “You have returned!”
“Well, well, if it isn't the wandering wizard, returning from the wars,” Aeris said, grinning broadly. “Are you well?”
“No. I'm not well. I am not well at all.”
He kept Mortis de Draconis in his hand as he hurried to the front door and opened it.
“How long until the sun rises?” he asked Aeris.
“Sunrise?”
The air elemental frowned.
“About thirty minutes. Why?”
“Look, I don't have a lot of time to explain, but I've been on the run since I left here..”
“We know.”
“Be quiet, Aeris!” Kronk snapped as he tip-tapped across the floor to look up at Simon. “Let master speak.”
“Thanks. Anyway, I've been on the run and, about ten days ago I was joined by an elemental, who's been helping me.”
“What?”
Aeris looked outraged while Kronk's face dropped in disappointment.
“You could have called on us, master. We would have helped.”
“Well, apparently we weren't good enough,” Aeris said thinly. “Our dear wizard decided to trade up. So who is serving you now? A fire elemental perhaps? Flighty lot. Or a relative of Ana's?”
“Stop that,” Simon told him as he looked out into the darkness of the front yard, expecting to see Lacertus appear at any moment.
“I didn't summon him. He says I did, inadvertently, but there's no way in hell that I did that.”
“You cannot summon one of our kind without using the summoning spell or their name, master,” Kronk pointed out.
“Exactly. Bu
t he claims that I did. Anyway, I've suspected that he isn't what he seems to be since he arrived, but I haven't been able to shake him until now.”
“I don't understand. If you didn't summon him, where did he come from?” Aeris asked. “Which realm is he from?”
“He says that he's from the realm of magic.”
The elementals looked at each other and then at Simon.
“There is no such place, master,” Kronk said confidently. “Four elements, four elemental planes. No more, no less.”
“A realm of magic? That's absurd,” Aeris said derisively. “All of the elemental realms are magical. It is how we came to be.”
“He said you would deny that it exists,” Simon told them.
He took a moment while he was talking to take off his boots, which were filthy and ragged with wear, and put on another pair.
“Ah, that's better,” he said with relief. “Look, the point is that I didn't believe him. But there's something about him that made me wary and I went along with him because of it.”
“What was it, master?”
“He has power, Kronk. A great deal of power. He can sail through my shield as if it wasn't even there. He can also Gate. He never Gates with me; he simply follows me to wherever I end up. And he can feel the dracoliches approaching from miles away.”
“No elemental can Gate,” Aeris said flatly. “And he can follow your magical trail? That means that he can sense your Gate's destination no matter where you go.”
He looked gravely at the wizard.
“This is bad. This is very bad. Whatever this creature is, he has power that may actually rival your own.”
“Yeah, I figured that out. But look, here's what I'm going to do. I think that those undead primals are able to follow me because someone, one of the necromancers I assume, used blood magic to attune to my physical body.”
“Oh master, that is horrible!”
“Yes, we get that, Kronk,” Aeris told him dryly. “So what are you up to, my dear wizard?”
“I'm going to enter a portal to the elven realm. I remember being told that one of the effects of traveling to a different plane was that your physical body is disintegrated, transported and reintegrated when you arrive. I think that will screw up the spell that's letting those primals follow me.”
Tales from the New Earth: Volume Two Page 80