The cleric stopped eating and stared from Aeris to Simon and back again.
“My goodness, I had no idea. So immortals can die too, just like us.”
“Oh yes, lady. We can die,” Aeris told her grimly. “It is rare but it does happen. But even knowing this, none have asked to leave. In fact,” he lowered his voice even more and gave the woman a sly look, “elementals from my realm and others are constantly clamoring to join his employ. Simon has become quite the celebrity in the elemental realms. But don't tell him that; I wouldn't want him to get a big head.”
Elaine barked out a laugh and then covered her mouth with both hands, muffling her giggles.
“You did that on purpose,” she accused Aeris when she'd regained control of herself.
He shrugged innocently.
“I am but a simple servant, lady, and have no idea what you are talking about.”
“Never lie to a cleric, my friend,” she said with mock severity. “It's bad luck.”
He simply bowed silently in return and Elaine smiled.
“But I think I needed that, so thank you. Well, the food was delicious, as always. I think I'll leave the rest for Liliana. She will be starving when she's finished. These healing sessions are quite draining, physically.”
She re-covered the plates and rolled the cart aside. Then the cleric stood up and began walking slowly around the infirmary.
“My rear end is numb,” she explained as she noticed Aeris watching her curiously.
“Ah yes, I see. That sounds...inconvenient,” he replied vaguely.
“It can be.”
Time passed and they waited as patiently as they could. The cleric excused herself at one point, leaving to, as she put it, 'use the facilities'.
When she returned, Elaine puttered around the room, dusting shelves, arranging sheets and towels and just generally tidying up to kill time.
Aeris remained as patient as he could, but after watching the cleric rearrange a stack of clean white linen for the third time, he was tempted to say something pert. Which would probably have been a bad idea, he thought in retrospect.
He was saved from himself by the sudden sound of a groan from the paladin.
Liliana stood up woodenly and groaned again as she rotated her neck and twisted her waist several times, working out the stiffness.
Aeris and Elaine stared with wide eyes, waiting for her to say something.
“I'm hungry,” the paladin declared as she looked around dully.
She spotted the pair of watchers and smiled faintly at them both.
“You're here,” she said softly. “Good. I hope you weren't waiting too long, although considering how sore my back is, I'm guessing that it's been a while.”
“Not that long,” Elaine said with a shrug. “How are you feeling? And how is our patient?”
Liliana waved them forward.
“Come and see for yourselves,” she told them.
The cleric walked over to stand next to Simon's bed. She looked across his unconscious form at the paladin.
“Did you make a connection with our,” she pointed toward the ceiling, “friends from above?”
Liliana snorted a soft laugh.
“Technically I don't think that they are above or below us. But yes, I believe I did. Look at your patient, my friend.”
Elaine looked down at Simon as Aeris flew over to join her. Both of them were riveted by what they saw.
His pale, slightly emaciated body was filling out before their eyes. The off-color skin tone turned a healthy pink and several cuts and scrapes on his face faded and were gone.
Liliana bent down and carefully unwrapped the bandages from one of the worst of his infected wounds, drawing a gasp from Aeris.
There was no sign of injury. Instead of an inflamed, puffy hole, there was a jagged scar that looked months old.
“The others will be healed as well, and the leg,” the paladin said with a hint of satisfaction in her voice. “And look...”
She used her thumb and forefinger to gently part his lips and revealed straight, even teeth.
Aeris sighed with relief.
“The gods repaired them,” he whispered to himself.
“They did. The lords of Light hold a great affection for Simon. They had to extend themselves mightily to heal him and it may have cost them in ways that I can not possibly understand, but our friend will live, thanks to them.”
She smiled at the joyful expression on Aeris' face.
“And thanks to you,” she told him. “If you hadn't found him, Simon might be dead by now.”
He shrugged dismissively.
“Dumb luck, lady paladin. Simple dumb luck. Or intuition, perhaps.”
“Or a nudge from the gods?” Elaine asked with a sly grin.
The elemental appeared startled.
“Is that possible?” he asked in wonder. “I am not a subject of the lords of Justice.”
Liliana stretched again and walked over to the cart. She lift the towels off of the plates and looked pleased to discover the bread and meat.
“Quite possible,” she told him as she put together a sandwich. “They work in subtle ways sometimes, particularly when trying to avoid stirring up their enemies. But whether we can thank luck or divine intervention, we have our friend back, safe and sound, and that is all that matters.”
She began eating with a single-minded intensity and Aeris looked back at Simon.
He was met by the gaze of a brown eye and a blue eye as the wizard returned his look with a frown.
“Where am I?” Simon asked in a thin, weak voice. “Aeris? What's going on?”
The elemental gaped at him.
“You're awake!” he exclaimed excitedly.
Simon frowned at him.
“Of course I'm awake. Unless I'm dreaming and talking in my sleep. Am I?”
Elaine sat down on the edge of the bed and patted his hand.
“You are not. You are awake and healed, thanks to your friends here.”
She indicated Aeris and Liliana and smiled widely.
Simon lifted his head slowly and saw the paladin.
“Hey there,” he muttered to her. “Where did you come from? Are we in Nottinghill?”
Liliana forced down a mouthful of food and turned a bright shade of purple as she briefly choked.
“Are you all right?” the cleric asked in alarm, jumping to her feet.
The paladin nodded and waved her back as she sucked in several breaths.
“Whew. Don't try to speak and swallow at the same time,” she finally gasped as she approached the bed, blinking back tears.
Elaine moved aside to allow Liliana to stand next to the wizard.
“How are you feeling?” the paladin asked him, still panting.
“Better than you are at the moment, I think,” he joked. “I'm okay, thanks. Really weak though and sore as hell. Feels like I've been used as a punching bag. So which one of you ladies do I have to thank for healing me? My brain's a bit foggy, but I remember that I was pretty banged up when I got out of the hands of the goblins.”
“Pretty banged up doesn't begin to cover it, my dear,” Elaine told him as she moved to stand at the foot of the bed. “You were inches away from death. And it was Liliana who was able to connect with the gods and ask for a healing.”
The paladin shook her head and frowned.
“Don't minimalize your efforts,” she said stoutly. “You got their attention first. I simply kept nagging at them until they gave in.”
The cleric grinned.
“I've never heard prayer called nagging before. Good choice of words though. Okay fine, we both gave them a nudge. But I'd say that Aeris should get the lion's share of the credit. He and his fellow elementals are the real heroes here.”
Simon looked up at the elemental, who was still staring down at him in amazement.
“Speechless, my friend?” the wizard asked with a teasing smile. “That isn't like you at all, you know.”
; Aeris then did something that he hadn't done since the day he was first summoned to serve the wizard. He descended to the bed, wrapped his arms as far as they would go around the wizard's neck and hugged him tightly.
Simon's eyes widened and he lay there motionlessly. Elaine and Liliana saw tears rise in his eyes as Aeris held the hug for a long moment and then quietly rose up again to float a few feet above the wizard.
Both of them stared at each other silently and then simultaneously grinned.
“Thank you for my life,” Simon told him sincerely.
Aeris shook his head and looked around the room for a moment, appearing to be a bit uncomfortable at his emotional display.
“No, thank you for mine, my dear wizard,” he replied. “I like this world and I wasn't ready to leave it just yet. And to be honest, Aethos and the others did more to secure your freedom than I did; I'm just the one who found you.”
“Nevertheless, without you I wouldn't be here,” Simon corrected him. “Safe and sound. So take my gratitude, for whatever it's worth. I just wish that I could reward you in some way.”
“How about a raise?” the elemental asked with a straight face.
The wizard guffawed in surprise.
“You got it. I'll double your salary, starting immediately.”
Elaine watched the two of them fondly for a moment before walking over to the food cart.
“You enjoy your company, Simon, while I go to the kitchen and get you something to eat. This meat is much too heavy for you right now; I'll see if Chef has any more of that marvelous chicken soup that I enjoyed earlier.”
“That sounds wonderful,” he replied gratefully. “But please don't go to any more trouble on my account. I'm sure that I've been enough of a bother already.”
“That's true,” Aeris said acerbically.
“Shut up,” Simon told him with a grin.
The cleric chuckled.
“It's no bother,” she told him. “You may be healed of your wounds, but your system is still weak and needs food to recover. I'll be back in a few minutes.”
Liliana made another sandwich before the cleric left with the cart and then sat down to finish it.
In the meantime, Simon lay back and smiled up at the ceiling, feeling content for the first time in what seemed like forever. He sighed in relief and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.
Chapter 23
Simon ate as much as he could and slept for almost an entire day after his healing. While he was recovering, the last of the castle's inhabitants journeyed up from the dwarven capital and moved into their newly-rebuilt home.
Tamara passed along the news to the dwarves that Simon had been rescued and was expected to make a full recovery, and the pilot of the drilling machine that she spoke to promised to pass the information along so that the king, Shandon Ironhand, was informed.
The day after he had been healed, Simon realized that his closest friend still didn't know that he was alive and well. He decided to call him.
“Could you head back to the tower?” he asked Aeris.
He was sitting up in bed in the infirmary, a tray on his lap, finishing a breakfast of eggs on toast. Aeris floated next to the bed.
They were alone. Elaine was off checking on the new arrivals, to make sure that they were all healthy after their extended stay underground.
“Certainly, if you want me to,” the elemental replied. “Why?”
“Because I'd like you to be there to watch over the place,” Simon told him.
He chuckled at Aeris' puzzled expression and put down his knife and fork.
“Kronk, I need you,” he stated in a loud, clear voice.
The room shook slightly and some dust drifted down from the ceiling. A narrow crack opened up in the floor in the center of the room and a small figure, dark brown with craggy features, climbed out of it. The crack sealed itself again and Kronk stood there, looking around in surprise.
“What just happened?” he asked, his red eyes wide with surprise.
He could see Aeris floating next to the bed, but from where he was standing, Kronk couldn't see the wizard.
“Aeris? Where am I? What is going on?”
The air elemental just grinned at him silently.
“What's going on is that I've missed you.”
Kronk's mouth dropped open and he looked around wildly.
“Master? Is that you?”
“Up here,” Aeris told him, pointing at the bed.
The earthen raced across the floor and leaped up on to the cot. He landed at the bottom of the mattress, narrowly missing the wizard's legs.
“Careful, you dolt,” Aeris scolded. “You almost injured him all over again.”
“Hush,” Simon said as he smiled at the incredulous earthen. “I'm fine. Better than fine, now that Kronk is here.”
“You are alive, master,” the little guy whispered. “Alive and safe. I can hardly believe it.”
Kronk pattered up the bed and stopped next to the wizard's hand. He stroked it gently and smiled in contentment.
“I am, my friend,” Simon replied. “And I wanted you to see me for yourself. I know how much you worry.”
“Worry? He's like an old mother hen,” Aeris complained.
“Well, someone has to be the voice of reason when dealing with you,” Kronk told him. “And master is a busy wizard, so that task falls to me.”
“Thanks Mom.”
Simon chuckled, starting to feel that things were finally getting back to normal.
Kronk frowned as he saw the scars on the wizard's chest.
“What happened, master? You were injured?”
“You could say that,” Simon replied dryly.
“Goblins,” Aeris said, his tone making the name sound like a curse. “They grabbed him, tortured him. They...”
“Easy there,” the wizard told him. “I'd rather not think too much about that right now. Maybe after enough time has passed, but all of my memories have come back now. I know what happened in that horrible place and I'm doing my best not to think about it.”
“I'm sorry,” the air elemental said, sounding like he meant it. “But that's what happened, Kronk.”
“And you found him?” the earthen asked.
Aeris nodded.
“Ah, then I am in your debt,” the little guy said gratefully. “Indeed, the whole world is in your debt.”
“Hey, let's not go overboard here,” Simon cut in. “I'm just one guy and not all that important.”
Kronk shook his head and shrugged at Aeris.
“He's doing it again,” Aeris said. He sounded exasperated.
“Yes, I know. No matter how many times we tell him, master will not change. Oh well, that is our burden to bear, I suppose.”
Simon carefully lifted the tray from his lap and set it on the low table beside the bed. He took his teacup off of it and stared at the elementals.
“And just exactly what am I doing?” he asked as he sipped the warm liquid.
“Denigrating yourself, as you always do,” Aeris said.
He put the back of his hand to his brow and gazed at the ceiling.
“Oh me, oh my,” he said dramatically. “Whatever shall I do? The world depends on poor little me, yet I am but a simple peasant boy who means nothing in the grand scheme of things.”
Aeris put down his hand and looked at Simon.
“That's what you sound like.”
“I do not!” the wizard objected. “For one thing, I'm not a peasant boy, whatever that is. And I don't sound so...theatrical either.”
Kronk stayed silent and Simon frowned at him.
“Don't hurt yourself rushing in to defend me or anything,” he told the earthen.
“I would defend you with my life, master,” the little guy said carefully. “But, with all due respect, Aeris has a point.”
Simon was speechless.
“Hear me out, master,” Kronk hurriedly said. “It is just that you are very important to this world, or at
least to your people's place in it. You are their only wizard, and their most powerful spell-caster. When I said that the whole world was in Aeris' debt, I meant the human portion of it.”
“Hmm, okay, I get you. I don't think that I agree, but I can see your point of view.”
The wizard cautiously drew back the covers and sat up. He turned his body until he was sitting on the edge of the bed.
“Isn't it a bit soon to be moving around?” Aeris asked as he flew back a few feet to give Simon some room. “You've only been healed for a day. Perhaps you shouldn't rush it.”
“Be careful, master,” Kronk told him nervously.
He hopped over to stand on the bed next to Simon and looked up at him with obvious concern.
The wizard looked from one elemental to the other and felt grateful at how much they obviously cared about him.
“Guys, relax. I'm all better now, really. I needed to sleep and I could use a few more meals, but I'm okay. Aeris, could you head home now please? I don't like leaving the place without one of you in charge.”
The air elemental looked at Simon narrowly.
“Are you worried about something in particular? Some threat?”
The wizard frowned down at his knobby knees without seeing them, his mind elsewhere.
“It's nothing specific; more like a feeling. Those goblins didn't just happen upon me by chance; they were told exactly where I was. That much was clear from what that damned dark wizard said when he was questioning me. Now that I'm out of their grasp, whoever or whatever was directing them may move against the tower. I want you there to coordinate its defense, should that become necessary.”
“Okay, I can do that.”
Aeris winked at Kronk.
“Take over for me,” he said and waved toward Simon. “You know he needs minding when he's recovering from an illness.”
“I will watch him. Do not worry,” the little guy replied. “Master is in good hands.”
“Um, hello? I'm right here,” the wizard said in exasperation. “Stop talking about me as if I'm not even in the room. Okay, we'll be home soon, Aeris; probably later today.”
“Got it. I'll make sure that the tower is ready for your return.”
He disappeared with a loud pop.
Simon looked at Kronk.
Tales from the New Earth: Volume Two Page 148