Tales from the New Earth: Volume Two

by J. J. Thompson

  The cleric's round, pleasant face was framed by a nimbus of short, brown curls and, even though she seemed quite young, she moved with assurance.

  “Ah, he is badly wounded, I see,” she murmured as she bent over the wizard and stroked his face. “Infections, yes, and a high-grade fever. Oh my.”

  She looked at Aethos who was hovering on the other side of the unconscious figure. If the woman was surprised to see such a creature, she didn't show it.

  “Are you the one who brought him here?” she asked.

  “Well, technically the wizard brought the three of us here, but I carried him, yes.”

  “Good. I thought as much. I wonder if I could impose upon you and ask that you carry him to the infirmary. It is best not to treat a patient on a cold stone floor.”

  Aethos smiled at the cleric.

  “It is not an imposition, madam.”

  He reached down and gently scooped up Simon, settling him into his arms again.

  “Lead on.”

  “Excellent. Thanks so much. Follow me please.”

  Elaine trotted out of the room with Aethos and Aeris in tow. The guard watched them leave and then hurried off in another direction.

  Gone to report, Aeris thought as he noticed her retreat. A wise decision.

  The infirmary was a fairly large room with four beds along one wall and a line of windows on the other. There were several cheerful throw rugs scattered around on the floor and a long table under the windows that held two candelabras filled with lit candles.

  “Put him on the first bed please,” the cleric directed Aethos.

  She moved to the table, lit another candle in a holder and brought it over to set on a small side table next to the bed.

  She sat down on the edge of the mattress and examined the wizard more closely.

  “What happened?” she asked as she ran her fingers through Simon's filthy, matted hair to check for head wounds.

  “He was captured by goblins,” Aethos told her. “And tortured, obviously.”

  He and Aeris had moved back to give the woman some room and now floated in the center of the infirmary.

  “Goblins,” she said quietly, shaking her head. “Old stories are coming to life all around us. Such a strange new world we're living in now.”

  Elaine carefully opened Simon's mouth and saw his broken teeth. She made a tut-tutting sound in her throat and shook her head.

  “Oh, you poor thing,” she said compassionately. “You have been through it, haven't you?”

  She examined his entire body and seemed especially concerned by the half-dozen seeping wounds on his stomach and back.

  “Has he always been this thin?” she asked as she stood up and moved back to join the elementals.

  “I can count his ribs. I didn't think that he'd been missing long enough to lose so much weight.”

  “He hasn't, lady cleric,” Aeris told her. “The wizard has always been delicate. He's joked in the past that he's felt vulnerable since his Change because he used to be a very heavy, strong man. And much older.”

  “Yes, so was I.”

  She smiled at the pair.

  “Older, not a man,” she added with a chuckle. “Now, to business. Aeris...”

  “One moment, madam,” Aethos interrupted her. “Forgive me but do you need any more help from me? If not, I must return to the realm of Air and make my report. Our ruler needs to know what has happened here in detail; he has a special interest in this wizard, you see.”

  Elaine shook her head.

  “No, I think we are fine now. I can call upon others if I need aid. Thank you so much for your help.”

  “I was only doing my duty, but you are welcome. Aeris,” he added, “I am sure that you will give the cleric any assistance that she requires? Good. And tell your master that I stand ready to answer his call again, whenever he should need me.”

  “I will. And allow me to also thank you on his behalf.”

  Aethos nodded to him, bowed slightly to the cleric and disappeared with a loud pop of imploding air.

  “Remarkable person,” Elaine said with a smile to Aeris. “As are you.”

  He just shrugged.

  “I serve, lady cleric. As Aethos said, it is my duty.”

  She gave him a long searching look and went back to the bed.

  “I think that duty is only a small part of it,” she said as she laid a gentle hand on Simon's forehead. “I see the way you look at him. You are quite fond of this young man, aren't you?”

  Without waiting for an answer, the cleric sat down next the wizard again and took both of his hands in her own. She bowed her head and began whispering, words that Aeris couldn't make out.

  He watched her praying, thinking that she was very perceptive for such a young woman. But if she, like Simon, had been old before she Changed, then that would have given her a fair share of wisdom.

  He heard the door of the infirmary open behind him and turned to see Tamara entering, followed closely by her brother.

  Both of them were bleary-eyed and disheveled, but smiled as they saw the elemental.

  Their smiles faded as they spotted Elaine working on the still body of the wizard. They watched silently for a moment but the cleric took no notice of them; she seemed lost in her work.

  Tamara motioned for Aeris to join them and all three left the room quietly, allowing the cleric to pray in private.

  Out in the hallway, the guard who had originally found Simon and the elementals was waiting. She looked at them curiously.

  “Thank you, Katie,” Tamara told her. “You can resume your rounds now. We appreciate your help.”

  The guard thumped her fist to her chest, gave Aeris a quick nod, turned and marched off.

  The mage waited until she was out of earshot before turning to look at the elemental.

  “You found him,” she stated flatly.

  “I did, yes. And brought him back with the aid of a greater air elemental.”

  “Well done, Aeris,” Sebastian told him with a tired grin. “Very well done. How is he?”

  “He is...alive, sir mage,” Aeris answered cautiously.

  The siblings stared at him, both of them unnerved by his answer.

  “That's it? He's alive?” Tamara asked grimly. “What happened? Where did you find him?”

  “In a goblin mound, lady. Further down the river that runs through the Grand Canyon. It was miles away from the place that Simon first appeared. Apparently the beasts captured him while he was exploring the area and dragged him back there. How they caught him off-guard, I do not know. We didn't discuss it.”

  “Goblins,” she said and cursed angrily. “Goddamned abominations. So now they've grown bold enough to start kidnapping us. Well, we'll see about that.”

  Sebastian seemed both angry and puzzled. He'd experienced goblins firsthand.

  “Aeris, how did they manage to hold him? I mean, Simon is very powerful. Surely he could have escaped in seconds using a Gate spell? Or gone on the offensive and destroyed the goblins?”

  “I am sure that he could have, if he'd been given the chance,” Aeris told them both. “But those vermin had a wizard of their own among them. He drained Simon of his magic so that he couldn't cast any spells. And, just to be sure that he was powerless, the goblins silenced him with a horrible device that covered his mouth.”

  Aeris scowled angrily at the memory.

  “It had a bladed piece that stuck between his lips and was sharp enough to slice his tongue if he tried to speak. A truly loathsome invention.”

  Both siblings shuddered at the description and Tamara clenched her fists in rage.

  “I think that we should pay a visit to those animals and...”

  “Pardon me, lady mage, but I doubt that such an assault will be necessary,” Aeris interjected.

  “Why not?”

  “Our wizard summoned aid from two other quite powerful elementals,” he replied with a wicked smile. “One from the realm of Fire and the other from the re
alm of Earth. They stayed behind to, ah, teach the goblins a lesson, I believe was the term that was used. I very much doubt that there is a mound still standing there anymore. And the goblin wizard was destroyed by them before we escaped the place.”

  Sebastian didn't seem quite comfortable with the news but his sister grinned widely.

  “Ah, excellent. Maybe the word will spread among the other goblin tribes and they'll keep their hands off of us in the future. Now, about Simon...”

  She stopped speaking as they heard the door of the infirmary open.

  Elaine stepped out into the hallway and looked at them, her face pale and drawn, pinched with fatigue.

  “Oh, hello you two. I didn't know that you were here,” she said to the siblings.

  “Good evening, Elaine,” Tamara said warmly. “Or morning. I'm not quite sure of the time. How is your patient doing?”

  The cleric shook her head and leaned back against the door jam.

  “It's too early to say. We need to wait to see if the gods are feeling generous enough to extend their blessing. In the meantime, I'm going to practice some old-fashioned medicine. I need a large quantity of hot water to clean his wounds and wash the filth off of him. The conditions he was kept in must have been appalling.”

  “They were,” Aeris told her.

  “I'll get it,” Sebastian offered. “The fires in the kitchen are lit and Chef is probably still up, preparing dough for tomorrow's baking.”

  “That would be lovely,” Elaine told him gratefully. “Thanks so much.”

  “No problem. I'll be right back.”

  He hurried off, his robe flapping behind him, and the cleric looked at Tamara and Aeris.

  “I'd rather the wizard not be disturbed for a while. He's been through a rough patch and he needs quiet and bed rest. I'll let you know if there's any improvement, all right?”

  “Of course, Elaine,” Tamara assured her. “We'll do our best to be patient.”

  The cleric winked and slipped back into the infirmary, closing the door behind her.

  “I will wait out here, lady,” Aeris told the mage. “If there is any news, I will call you at once.”

  Tamara looked up and down the barren hallway and smiled at the elemental.

  “Are you sure? It could be a rather long and boring vigil.”

  Aeris returned her smile.

  “I know, lady mage. But I am patient; more patient than Simon gives me credit for, to be honest. I need neither food nor rest. I will be fine.”

  “Very well. Thanks, Aeris. And thank you for finding him. From the quick glimpse of him that I got, it looks like you may have reached Simon just in time.”

  “That remains to be seen, lady,” he replied grimly.

  Tamara's smile faded and she breathed a long sigh.

  “Yes, I suppose it does. Keep the faith though; Elaine hasn't lost a patient yet and, from what I've heard, those gods of hers have a vested interest in our young wizard.”

  She nodded at the elemental, turned and walked away.

  Aeris watched her go and then began to fly slowly up and down the hall; his version of pacing.

  He had been so relieved to get Simon back into the hands of his own people that it hadn't occurred to him that the wizard could still die. Clerics weren't perfect; they acted by the will of the gods, who were known to be capricious.

  He felt powerless to do more than he already had and went over and over recent events, trying to figure out if there was anything he could have done differently.

  A few minutes passed and Aeris was distracted by a clattering sound in the distance. Several people appeared at the end of the hallway and made their way toward the infirmary.

  It was Sebastian, who was carrying a ceramic jug and leading a small parade of helpers.

  One, an older man, was pushing a metal cart that was making the clattering noise. It was loaded down with large pots of steaming water and several rolls of linen bandages.

  Two female workers, wearing white tunics and black pants like their male companion, were carrying trays of covered plates that Aeris guessed contained food.

  He hurried to knock on the door of the infirmary.

  “Yes?” Elaine called from within.

  Aeris opened the door and peeked inside.

  “The mage has returned, lady cleric,” he said quietly.

  She stood up from where she had been sitting next to Simon's cot and smiled at the elemental.

  “Thank you. Please let them in.”

  He opened the door wide and moved back. Sebastian walked past him, murmuring a thank you, and his helpers followed.

  The workers deposited their cart and trays, looked at the unconscious wizard with bright curiosity and then left with the cleric's thanks.

  Sebastian waited until they were gone and stared at Simon.

  “How is he?” he asked Elaine anxiously.

  “I'm sorry, my dear,” she said regretfully, “but it is simply too soon to tell. If Aeris is going to be waiting out in the hall...”

  “I am, lady,” the elemental said from the doorway.

  She nodded at him and smiled.

  “Then I will send him to advise you and the others of any change in his condition.”

  She walked over to the mage and squeezed his shoulder gently.

  “Be patient.”

  Sebastian looked very young at that moment as he stared at the wizard.

  “I feel so powerless,” he told Elaine. “Powerless that we're stuck waiting on the whims of those gods of yours.”

  “Gods of ours, my friend,” the cleric corrected him. “After all, if not for their intervention, none of is would have Changed and the dark lords would already have won. Stay strong, Sebastian. The wizard is, from all accounts, notoriously hard to kill, and I personally have faith that he will pull through.”

  The mage tore his gaze away from Simon and looked at her.

  “From your lips to the gods' ears,” he said, forcing a smile.

  “That is the idea,” she replied with an impish grin. “Now, off you go and get some rest.”

  “Yes ma'am,” Sebastian said.

  He looked at the wizard one last time, shook his head and left the room.

  “Keep us informed of any change, Aeris,” he told the elemental as he passed by.

  “Yes, sir mage. I will.”

  Aeris watched as Elaine poured steaming water into a large bowl. She glanced up, saw his curious face and laughed lightly.

  “Please close the door, my friend,” she told him. “I prefer treating my patients without an audience.”

  “Forgive me, lady,” the elemental said, embarrassed.

  He hurriedly backed into the hallway and shut the door, leaving the woman to do her work.

  After a moment, Aeris began his aerial pacing again and tried to exercise patience. It wasn't easy.

  Early the next morning, with the sun barely above the horizon, Tamara sent some members of staff to gather the leaders together.

  She and Sebastian had spent a restless night, neither one sleeping very well, and had decided to fill the others in on what had happened with Simon as soon as possible.

  When the command group began to trickle into the main hall, each one stopped for a moment as they discovered that the long conference table had been replaced by several smaller ones placed end to end.

  “Hey, our table's missing!” Malcolm exclaimed blearily as he and Aiden walked in.

  He looked curiously at Tamara and her brother, who were sitting at one end of the tables.

  “Redecorating?” he asked.

  The line of tables was loaded down with covered trays and steaming urns of tea and both warriors grabbed a plate and began to pile them high with food.

  “Not exactly, no,” Tamara replied. “I'll explain once everyone else arrives.”

  “Fair enough.”

  Chao and Lei arrived next, followed closely by the sisters, Sylvie and Veronique. Everyone looked well rested except for Tamara and Seb
astian, who were both pale and had purplish circles under their eyes.

  Liliana was the last to join them, wearing full armor as usual, and she stopped just inside the main entrance to the hall and looked around.

  “What's happened?” she asked immediately. “You two look like you've been up all night, the conference table is missing and...”

  She cocked her head to one side and narrowed her eyes.

  “I smell strange magics. Something is wrong.”

  Malcolm looked at her with wide eyes.

  “You can smell magic? Wow, that's cool.”

  Liliana snorted softly and walked over to the tables.

  “No, of course I can't. It's just an expression, Malcolm. But I sense them, the odd energies that have been used in this room recently.”

  Lei began nodding.

  “So that's what that is. I wondered why I felt so uneasy when I came in here.”

  “That is part of being a paladin, my friend,” Liliana told him as she picked up a plate. “We can detect the use of magic. Evil magics feel stronger, but all use of power impacts upon our senses.”

  He nodded thoughtfully.

  “I still have much to learn about my own abilities, it seems,” he told her.

  Liliana put a couple of fried eggs on her plate and grabbed a fork.

  “It will come in time,” she assured him as she took a seat. “I'm sure of it. Now, Tamara, please tell us what has happened.”

  The mage looked down the line of tables and saw the group watching her. She looked at Sebastian, who shrugged.

  “There's no way to sugar-coat it,” he said to her. “Just tell it as it happened.”

  “Right. Okay, my friends, here it is. Last night...”

  Everyone had stopped eating except for Malcolm. He was so intent on shoveling food into his mouth that it took Aiden elbowing him in the ribs to get his attention.

  “Ouch! What? What did I do now?” he exclaimed angrily.

  The big man looked around and saw that the entire assembly was staring at him. Tamara looked irritated, but everyone else seemed amused.

  “Oh, sorry. Did I miss something?”

  Aiden groaned and covered his eyes, while Sebastian burst out laughing.

  “Not yet, no,” Tamara said with a reluctant smile. “But please, do pay attention. It's been a long night and I don't want to have to tell this story twice.”