He looked inquiringly at Brethia.
“About Sheila?”
“Oh yes, of course. Well, Aeris is correct; I didn't bring up the various wars and clashes with goblins because Sheila held herself apart from them. She was a lover of peace and contemplation, my lord. Rather like yourself. She wished to spend her days in research or communicating with a few well-chosen friends. And when she did go into battle, it was with the greatest reluctance.”
“So as far as tactics go, you really can't tell me much?” Simon asked, disappointed.
“I'm afraid not, my lord. Except that she did have two things that I think combined to keep her safe throughout her life.”
“Which were?”
“First, she was a natural spell-caster. She had a grasp of magic that was subtle and almost elegant.”
Brethia bowed slightly to Simon.
“Talents that you share with her, sir wizard. And secondly, she believed that misdirection was an underused skill when it came to magical conflicts. She always said that if you kept your enemies confused, your battle was already half won.”
Simon wrote that down and then stared at the line as he tapped his pencil against his chin.
“What is it?” Aeris asked at the wizard's silent contemplation.
“Keep your enemies confused,” Simon muttered. “Of course. That makes perfect sense.” He smiled at Brethia. “Thank you. I think I have a few ideas on how to do exactly that.”
“Care to share them with the rest of us?” Aeris asked pertly.
“Why spoil the surprise? After all, I have to test my ideas on someone, don't I?”
Chapter 23
Several days later, Aeris was flying slowly around the corner of the tower toward the front door when he noticed that the main gate was wide open. He stopped and looked around in confusion. The standing rule was that the gate remained sealed unless Simon had visitors. For everyday use, the small back gate was employed only.
The air elemental heard a rustling behind him and turned to see Kronk bouncing along, almost hidden by the grass that was threatening to overgrow the path around the tower.
“I'm going to have to cut this soon,” the earthen rumbled to himself. “It does grow so quickly.”
“Kronk?”
The earthen spotted Aeris floating in place and waved.
“What is it?” he called out.
“Why is the front gate open?”
“What?”
The little guy increased his speed and grass flew everywhere as if hit by a tiny hurricane. When he rounded the corner and could see the open gate, Kronk stopped and frowned at it.
“Why is the front gate open?”
Aeris sighed in exasperation.
“I just asked you that. You didn't open it?”
Kronk moved toward the gate and Aeris floated along just above him.
“Certainly not. Master's orders are very clear. No one has permission to open the gate and interrupt the warding except him. Did he leave or do we have visitors?”
“Well, we certainly don't have visitors,” Aeris told him as he scanned the open field that stretched out beyond the wall to the dark line of the forest. “And I just left our dear wizard in his study about thirty minutes ago to do a routine check on the fences. They're all fine, by the way,” he added absently.
“Hmm, good to know. But then, who opened the gate?”
“Kronk?”
Both elementals looked up at the top of the wall and saw an earthen staring back at them.
“Did you open the gate?” he called down to them.
“No, of course not. Did you or any of the other guards?”
“Definitely not. But it must have just happened. I'm on patrol duty today while the others are watching from fixed points. I just passed the gate ten minutes ago and it was locked up tight.”
“Thank you. We'll get to the bottom of this,” Kronk reassured him.
The elemental waved and disappeared from view.
“Okay, this is becoming a little disturbing,” Aeris stated. “Who the hell opened the damned gate?”
“Wait. What's that moving?” Kronk asked as he peered across the wide field.
“Where?”
The earthen pointed.
“To the left, near the edge of the trees.”
Both elementals saw a flash of blue. It seemed to fade for a moment and then come back into focus. It was a man, striding confidently toward the trees. He was wearing a dark blue robe and carrying a staff in his right hand.
Neither elemental could see his face, but his long dark hair hung below his shoulders and bounced as he walked.
“Master!” Kronk exclaimed. “What is he doing? The forest is very dangerous these days.”
“No idea. Another brainstorm perhaps. He was huddled over that journal that his friend Daniel wrote for him before the dragons returned. Wouldn't even look up when I asked if he wanted some tea.”
“Well, we cannot allow him to enter the wilderness alone,” Kronk stated.
He began to hurry toward the distant figure when Aeris stopped him.
“Hang on. He's not going into the trees.”
“He isn't?”
Kronk leaped up several times so that he could see above the tall grass.
Aeris was correct. The man was now walking steadily along the edge of the forest, heading to the right.
“What is he doing?” the air elemental asked. “Isn't it a little hot for him to be galloping all around this field in the blazing sun?”
The day was indeed very hot and, while neither elemental was bothered by the temperature, they knew how draining it was to Simon.
“Blast my short legs in this grass,” Kronk growled. “Aeris, go and ask him if he needs our aid, would you? It will take me too long to reach him.”
“You could always travel underground,” Aeris teased him.
The earthen scowled up at him and Aeris held up his hands.
“All right, all right. I'll go and find out what he's up to. He certainly won't do anyone any good if he collapses in this heat.”
The air elemental shot off across the field and Kronk moved back to stand at the gate. The ground rose slightly there and he had a better view of his surroundings.
The little guy watched as Aeris crossed the open field and approached the distant figure.
“Master, why are you walking so strangely?” Kronk murmured.
The wizard's strides seemed unusually awkward, as if his legs were a foot longer than they should be. It was so odd that Kronk felt a chill of foreboding. Something wasn't right.
He watched intently as Aeris approached the wizard and then, when he was less than ten yards away, there was a wavering and flickering of light and shadow around the figure and the man disappeared.
“What?” Kronk gasped. “Where did he go?”
“Hmm, that seemed to work fairly well. I don't think I got the legs quite right though.”
The earthen spun around and gaped at the figure standing behind him.
“Master! It's you!”
Simon grinned down at him.
“Of course it's me. Who else were you expecting?”
Kronk turned in confusion and pointed across the field.
“But, but, you were right over there! At least, I thought you were.”
He looked at the shorts that the wizard was wearing.
“And you were dressed in a robe, carrying your staff.”
Aeris must have spotted Simon standing at the gate because he was shooting toward them at tremendous speed.
“Oh, here we go,” the wizard said as he rolled his eyes.
“What did you just do?” Aeris asked indigently when he reached the gate. “What sort of trick was that?”
“A pretty effective one, clearly,” Simon said with a teasing grin. “Now don't glare at me like that. I had to know if I could fool the people who know me best, and that's you two. So calm down and tell me what you think.”
Aeris glowered
for another minute and then he seemed to let go of his mood.
“How did you do it? That was an Illusion spell, wasn't it?”
“Exactly right. I took Brethia's story about Sheila to heart; specifically her advice about confusing your enemies. I remembered reading something obscure in Daniel's notebook about illusions but frankly, I passed over it because I didn't understand what he had written.”
“Which was what, master?” Kronk asked.
Simon pushed one of the double doors of the gate closed and Aeris obligingly did the same with the other one.
“It was there right in front of me,” the wizard said with an embarrassed laugh as he locked the gate. “The incantation for an Illusion spell. My God, do you know how many times I could have used that over the past few years? It's a bit frustrating to think about it, but what's done is done.”
They began walking toward the tower, Aeris floating at Simon's shoulder.
“If you're speaking of your battles with the dragons, it wouldn't have helped anyway,” the elemental told him.
“Why not?”
“Because dragons can see through illusions, my dear wizard. Everyone knows that.”
His superior tone elicited a groan from Kronk.
“Aeris, everyone who is one of your kind may know it, but I certainly did not, nor did our master, clearly.”
“Really? Hmm, what a surprise. Anyway, it's perfectly true. Dragons are magical creatures. Things like illusions or invisibility spells are useless around them.”
They reached the front steps and Simon sat down slowly. The new spell was incredibly draining and he hoped that he wouldn't have to use it very often.
Kronk plopped down on the grass in front of the steps and Aeris continued to hover to the wizard's right.
“So invisibility doesn't work on dragons?” Simon said. “Good to know. It works on drakes though.”
“How could you possibly know that?” the air elemental asked in surprise. “You can't cast that spell.”
“No, but Virginia and the others can, when they're together. Remember their story about how they escaped their captors back when we found them? The small fort they were trapped in was attacked by drakes and all of the bandits were killed. The four of them only got away because they became invisible.”
“I'd forgotten about that. Not that the knowledge is of much use now, considering that all of the drakes are probably dead.”
“Do not be so sure,” Kronk warned him. “Once the primal red dragon changed others of his kind so that they could live apart from him, and procreate, I believe that the red drakes were freed from their leashes and have now scattered across the globe.”
“A cheerful thought.”
The three of them relaxed out of doors for the rest of the afternoon. Simon had to go inside at one point and put on a light shirt; his pale skin still burned far too easily for him to take any chances. Then he moved to sit in the shadows against the outer wall; it was both cooler and offered shelter from the sun.
“Have you thought about Argentium and Esmiralla?” Aeris asked at one point.
Kronk had wandered off to putter in the garden and they were alone. The little guy simply couldn't sit still for too long; he always had to be doing something.
Simon pulled his bare knees up under his chin and looked up at the thin clouds lazily flowing across the sky.
“Many times,” he said. “Where they are, what they're doing. Yeah, many times.”
Aeris floated down and landed in front of the wizard's bare feet. He sat down and looked at Simon quizzically.
“Has it never occurred to you to call for their aid? I know how you feel about Esmiralla, but Argentium told you that he'd help if you ever needed him. And let's be honest here; for the upcoming battle, you could use all the help you can get.”
“Gee, thanks for that vote of confidence. But this isn't his battle, Aeris; it's a human problem. Well, it's a human and dwarf problem really. But it really doesn't involve the lawful dragons. I suppose at some point we'll have to meet up with Argentium and Esmiralla, if we survive, that is, but for right now all the human race can depend on is each other.”
He leaned back and rested his head against the stone wall.
“We're on the ropes, you know. A handful of us left? And the Chaos lords gunning for us? My God, I can't imagine anything more desperate than our situation right now. But if we succeed in bringing down that damnable tower and destroying the evil within? Then I think we'll have a breather, a respite to plan a long-term strategy. That's when I'll contact Argentium and see if he's willing to help us going on into the future. On the other hand, if we fail, it will be a moot point anyway. Most of humanity's leaders and magic-users will be dead and the rest will have to remain with the dwarves until the end, whenever that may be.”
Aeris mirrored Simon's pose, pulling his translucent legs up and wrapping his arms around them. He nodded, his small face blank of expression.
“Your mood has taken a gloomy turn, hasn't it?” he said without looking at the wizard. “You have a very good chance of succeeding in this endeavor, you know. You are a very strong wizard. Tamara and her brother are excellent spell-casters as well. I know nothing of that Barnaby fellow, but Veronique is powerful. With their help and Malcolm and Aiden, I don't think that evil tower will be able to stand against you.”
Simon smiled faintly at the encouragement.
“What about Liliana?” he asked softly, the heat of the day making him drowsy.
“Yes, the paladin. Her powers and skills may be the most important of all. She may tip the scales in your favor.”
That firm statement woke Simon up and he looked intently at Aeris.
“How so?”
“Oh, come now, my dear wizard. A paladin going to war against necromancers and the undead? What could be more perfect? She was made for this sort of battle. Liliana will cut through that tower of corruption like a hot knife through butter. I doubt that whoever the leader is in there will know what hit them.”
“I hadn't thought of it like that,” Simon admitted.
“Well I have. Added to that is the fact that the lady paladin can heal herself between skirmishes. I doubt that your enemies are prepared for what is in store for them. So cheer up; things aren't quite as desperate and gloomy as you may think.”
A pep talk from Aeris, Simon said to himself. Who would have believed it?
“Thanks for reminding me of our strengths,” the wizard said as he pushed himself to his feel with a groan. “I'm going to grab a towel and take a swim. The lake will be warm but it's still refreshing. Want to come along?”
Aeris flew upward and floated at the height of Simon's head.
“As fascinating as that sounds, I'll pass. I want to do a quick patrol to the north. In fact, I think I'll cross the river and scout out the area on the other side. It's been far too long since I poked around up there and I want to see what's changed.”
“Have fun and be careful.”
“Yes granny,” Aeris said acerbically. “I'll be back in a few hours. Don't drown.”
And with that the elemental shot off into the bright sky, quickly disappearing from sight.
“Yeah, I'll do my best,” Simon muttered and headed for the tower. “I can't believe he just called me granny.”
That night, Simon and Kronk were sitting on the front steps outside under the stars. The windows in the tower were all wide open to cool it off from the heat of the day and the wizard wanted to enjoy the fresh evening chill as it descended.
He was sipping some apple juice that had been cooling in the basement and watched the distant stars silently.
Kronk sat next to him, looking like a large lump of coal in the darkness. There was a new moon that night and the only light was that of the stars.
“How's the garden doing?” Simon asked him quietly.
The earthen turned his glowing red eyes upward to look at the wizard and smiled.
“Well, master, thank you. I am pleased
that the first batch of apples came in just in time for this heat wave. You seem to be enjoying the juice I made for you.”
“Love it. I'll tell you though; I don't know exactly what month it is, but back in the old days there is no way any apples would have been ripe at this time of year.”
“I suppose I do have a way with plants, master,” the little guy agreed modestly. “By the way, have you seen Aeris lately?”
“No, but he decided to do some scouting earlier. Frankly, I think he was bored. He said he wanted to cross the river and poke around on the northern side of it.”
“But master, what about Aquamastis? Won't that anger him? He has claimed the entire river, after all.”
Simon watched a streak of light appear and disappear in a flash across the sky, the death of a meteorite, and took a deep breath. The air was finally cooling down and, for the moment, he was feeling a deep contentment.
“No, I don't think so. The water elemental doesn't want anyone crossing the river, but he meant anyone actually in the water, not above it. Aeris will be fine.”
“Ah I see. Well, that is good to know. And no word yet from the people of Kingstone?”
“Nothing. I'm pretty sure that it will be soon though. It's high summer but time passes quickly and Tamara wants to move on the dark tower before the autumn, so it should be any day now.”
“Are you ready, master?” Kronk asked in a small voice.
Simon looked down at his wide, burning eyes and nodded slowly.
“I think so. Well, as ready as I will ever be. I'm actually relieved to be going into this with a group this time. Fighting alone against some of the primal dragons was...”
He tried to think of a word big enough to describe battling an enormous dragon.
“Challenging, I guess,” he finished lamely. “I don't know. I'm just glad to have some backup this time.”
“As am I, master. And what about us?”
“What about you what?”
Kronk stood up and folded his arms decisively.
“Master, I believe you have avoided mentioning this subject, but I respectfully ask that we clear this up tonight. Both Aeris and myself intend to go with you when you challenge the tower. You do know that, do you not?”
Tales from the New Earth: Volume Two Page 108