“I saw no evidence of that,” Simon told him. “But I think the key to their odd behavior; well, odd by our standards; is something that Argentium said to the queen. He said that keeping the young dragons insulated in the Void allowed them to grow up without being influenced by the lords of Chaos. But that could also mean that the gods of Light would not have affected them either. Remember, we don't actually know how much time passed in that place; Argentium said that time there ran quite a bit faster than our own, so they could be many years old. Time enough to develop their own feelings and beliefs. Perhaps they are simply unemotional? I really can't say.”
“Well, I don't claim to understand dragons and their motivations,” Malcolm said heavily. “But what I do know is that the dragon queen is evil and more powerful than anything that we've ever faced, including the primals that Simon defeated.”
“Helped defeat,” the wizard corrected him hastily.
“Whatever. The point is, she has to be stopped. And I don't care if that means ripping her head off or singing her a lullaby. She has got to be stopped before she does horrendous damage to this world and to us. So let's get on with it.”
“And where do you suggest we start looking?” Aiden asked him sarcastically. “I can check my pockets but I'm pretty sure that I'm fresh out of dragons.”
“Always the smart-ass,” the big man growled.
Simon jumped in to prevent tempers from flaring any further.
“I have an earthen on her trail, as you know, and as soon as Sebastian gets back with that mirror...”
“Ta-da!” the young mage said as he returned to the hall.
He hurried over to Simon and offered him the hand mirror.
“Thanks, Bastian. Now let's hope that I can get in touch of my elemental friend before he returns to the tower. If he finds me gone, he might just decide to do something rather direct.”
“Like what? Burst through the floor of the hall looking for you?” Tamara asked with a smile.
“Something like that. Kassus is a very linear thinker. Just give him a direction and watch him go. But I don't believe that patience is one of his strong suits.”
Lei cocked his head to one side and frowned. When his brother asked what the problem was, he held up a hand.
“Oh dear. I think you may be right,” the paladin said to Simon. “Unless we know someone else who weighs half a ton, I do believe that your earthen friend has decided to pay us a visit.”
The room went deathly silent as everyone tried to hear what the man had already detected.
“Damn,” Simon said under his breath.
The steady boom of heavy feet could be heard approaching the hall, and the wizard looked over at Lei in amazement.
“How the heck did you hear that before the rest of us?”
“He has the ears of a fox,” Chao told them, nodding at his brother. “That did not change when our bodies did. He's always been aware of subtle noises that those of us around him couldn't hear.”
“It's a freakish gift,” Lei said disparagingly. “Like being double-jointed or some other 'talent'. Doesn't matter. What does matter is that someone had better open that door before he gets here.”
Chapter 31
Simon leaped to his feet and rushed across the room to tear open the main door just as Kassus was raising his huge fist to pound on it.
“Whoa there!” the wizard cried out. “Don't break the place, it's still under warranty.”
He heard Malcolm laugh loudly behind him while the earthen just looked puzzled.
“I do not understand the reference, sir wizard, but I did not intend to break anything. I was going to knock first. By the way, why are you here?”
“Um, what? I thought you came here looking for me.”
Simon moved back to allow Kassus to enter and watched as the earthen stomped across the hall to stand in front of the fireplace.
“No, sir wizard, I did not. After speaking with the leaders of this castle, I was going to return to the tower to make my report.”
Tamara and Simon looked at each other, mystified. He sat down again and stared at the elemental.
“Okay. Well, since I'm here anyway, you can just go ahead and kill two birds with one stone,” he told Kassus.
The earthen shook his blocky head.
“Again, I do not understand what that means. Why would I want to kill any birds at all? I like nature and birds are innocent creatures.”
“No, I didn't mean... You know what? It doesn't matter. Just go ahead with your report.”
“As you say, sir wizard. Now, ladies and gentlemen, I have been on the trail of the dragon queen for some time. But while my kind can move rapidly under the earth, that creature does not travel in a straight line. Perhaps it is her serpentine nature, but her path zigs and zags and twists and turns in all directions and it has been difficult to keep up. However, once I was sure of her route, I decided to break off pursuit to report to you, the leaders of this place.”
“Why report to us?” Tamara asked him.
“Because, lady mage, the dragon queen's path is leading her here.”
The entire group froze for an instant and then Liliana stood up so quickly that her chair flew back and fell over with a crash.
“Here? That monster is headed for this castle?”
Kassus looked at her and nodded once.
“Yes, lady, she is. I am sure of it.”
“Damn it,” Tamara exclaimed as everyone stood up at once. “When do you expect her to arrive?”
“Now,” the elemental replied simply.
Malcolm and Aiden didn't wait for instructions. They raced out of the room and Simon guessed that they were going for their weapons. As usual, Liliana was the only one wearing her armor and sword.
Lei was only a few seconds behind the warriors, while Chao waited for the other magic-users.
“Okay people,” Tamara said to everyone. “We've already discussed our roles in the upcoming battle. Make sure that you stay scattered along the walls; don't bunch up. We can't allow that monster to take us all out with one blow.”
Liliana gave Simon a piercing look and a quick smile as she trotted out of the hall, leaving only the spell-casters and the elemental behind.
“Sylvie, Veronique; you know each other's strengths. Stay together and use that knowledge to support each other.”
“We shall,” Veronique assured her. “Come along, Sylvie, and let us deal with this 'queen'.”
The sisters walked confidently out of the hall, speaking quietly in French as they went.
“Bastian, check on Barnaby and the others, would you? I can't remember which one is on duty this morning, but we need all mages up and on the wall right now.”
“I'll see to it. Meet you all outside.”
He winked at Simon and slipped out through a side door.
“Chao, are you going to summon your allies in here or up on the wall?” Tamara asked the conjurer.
He looked around at the now empty hall speculatively.
“I think that here would be the better choice,” he said in his calm, low voice. “I work best without a lot of distractions.”
“Okay then. We'll leave you to it. Simon?”
The wizard was watching her in admiration. It was during times of crisis that Tamara's leadership skills came through and his respect for her calm and ordered way of dealing with the situation at hand was immense.
“Yes?”
“Go ahead and do whatever it is you intend to do. I'm heading out to the wall. Join me when you can.”
“Certainly. I won't be long. Aeris, would you go with Tamara, please? Your vision is better than anyone's in the castle and we might need that before the day is out.”
“I would be honored,” the air elemental replied.
He bowed respectfully to Tamara.
“If you would take the lead, lady mage?”
She swept them all with one last glance and hurried out of the hall, her robes swirling around her as she went
.
“Kassus? Would you like to stay for the fight?”
The earthen rumbled with subdued laughter.
“Sir wizard, you could not tear me away. I shall also go out and observe. I am yours to command when you have need of me.”
“Thank you. I'll be along shortly.”
The elemental stomped past Simon and Chao and out of the main door.
“Intimidating, isn't he?” the conjurer said as he watched Kassus leave the room.
“Definitely. Anyway, before I head outside, I just wanted to ask if there was anything you needed. I'm not quite sure how your powers work. Do you need any materials or ingredients? Books? Anything at all?”
“Ah, you are too kind.”
Chao slipped the metal fan out of his sash and opened it with a flourish.
“But no, thank you. My fan is all that I use for my spells. Unlike mages, and you, I suspect, my summoning requires more time and ritual to complete successfully. That is why I prefer the quiet atmosphere of this room to performing the ritual out on the walls.”
“Hmm, interesting. Well then, I'll leave you to it. What sort of assistance are you hoping to summon?”
The smaller man gave Simon a teasing grin.
“Let's let it be a surprise, shall we? There is always a chance that the spell will fail and that I will have to seek aid elsewhere. If that happens, I would not want to disappoint you with a premature announcement.”
The wizard laughed.
“Have it your way, my friend. I'll see you outside.”
He sobered for a moment and offered his hand to Chao, who shook it warmly.
“Keep your head down out there,” Simon warned him. “I want everyone to survive this, and that includes you.”
“You honor me, my friend. But do not worry; I am much tougher than I look. I will be fine. And take your own advice, sir wizard. Our race will need you beyond today.”
“I'll try.”
With a final wave, Simon left the room. He slipped his arm through the strap on his staff and hung it over his shoulder as he hurried down the main hallway.
Let's hope I don't get lost in this damned maze trying to find the exit, he thought as he went. That would be embarrassing.
When he reached the top of the wall that enclosed the castle grounds, Simon stopped for a moment to catch his breath and assess the situation.
He was standing on the sea side of the castle but a thick morning fog obscured the distant shore. He could hear the faint crash of the surf and smell a slight saltiness on the wind, but the ocean was invisible.
There were several sentries pacing along the wall and they nodded respectfully as they passed by. The breeze wasn't very strong and the fog showed no signs of lifting any time soon.
Great, Simon thought as he turned in a slow circle. An entire legion of dragons could be creeping up on us and we'd never even know it.
He could just see the hulking outline of Kassus standing atop the southern wall and he began walking in that direction, assuming that Tamara and the others would be nearby.
He was right. Simon ran into Sylvie and Veronique looking over the battlements on the southeastern corner of the wall. He had no idea what they were trying to see; a dozen feet from the edge of the wall was a blanket of thick fog.
“It is like trying to see through a sheet of, what is it called? Wool?” Sylvie said when she saw Simon approaching.
“Thick as pea soup is the expression, I believe,” he answered with a smile. “Appropriate description in this case.”
“Pea soup?”
Her sister made a sour face.
“I could never stand pea soup,” Veronique continued. “I prefer to think of it as a very large and fluffy cloud. It sounds so much nicer, no?”
The wizard had to laugh, even though the situation was grave.
“I suppose so. Let's just hope your fluffy cloud isn't hiding a less than fluffy dragon.”
“So far we have heard nothing,” Sylvie told him. “And you know how far sound travels in the fog. If the queen is heading towards us, I do not believe that she has arrived yet.”
“Stay vigilant, just in case,” Simon said soberly and gave them a little wave as he continued on his way.
Tamara and her brother were stationed at the exact center of the wall, staring at the fog bank just as the sisters had been doing. Kassus stood behind them, so still that he appeared to be a roughly hewn statue, while Aeris bobbed along in the light breeze to Tamara's left.
When Simon walked up to them, the earthen turned his head slowly to catch the wizard's gaze with his own.
“She is not here yet, sir wizard,” he rumbled. “I do not know what is holding her up, but she has not made it this far.”
“So I see.”
Simon looked out at the fog and grimaced.
“Or more accurately, so I don't see. But I can't hear anything, and I doubt that she would wait to attack once she arrived, so I guess that means we have a little more time to worry.”
Sebastian chuckled at his droll comment.
“What? You worry? A great and powerful wizard such as yourself?” the mage teased.
“Oh boy. When my friends start quoting Aeris, I know that things are going badly.”
“Hey! What did I do?” the air elemental protested.
“I don't have time to make a list right now.”
Simon looked down along the perimeter, but tendrils of fog made it hard to make out details.
“So where is everyone else placed?” he asked Tamara.
The mage was rolling her wand between her palms absently as she stared at the endless sea of mist. She gestured toward the southwest corner.
“Barnaby and Phoenix are at that corner there. Lei and Liliana, along with Malcolm, Aiden and the bulk of our troops, are waiting inside the main gate. All of the guards that you see up here are our best archers. It wouldn't be every effective to have the fighters watching from up here, although what warriors can do against a hundred foot killing machine is beyond me. Malcolm and the others insisted though, so I've left them to their own devices. If they wish to attack, then let it be their own choice.”
Simon nodded thoughtfully.
“A fair decision, Tamara. But let's remember that paladins are notoriously hard to kill and that they can heal others during a battle. Not to mention that the troops are using enchanted weapons, thanks to that talented blacksmith of yours. And Malcolm and Aiden have the benefits of their werewolf blood to help them; faster healing and immunity to poison, something that the dragon queen is apparently loaded with.”
“Oh damn, I'd forgotten about her poisonous spines. That's just loathsome.”
“I prefer the term icky myself.”
Tamara stared at him for a moment and then burst out laughing, with her brother joining in at once.
“Oh, you are a wicked fellow sometimes,” she said when she caught her breath.
“Just trying to lighten the mood,” Simon replied with a grin. “It's never a good idea to get too gloomy before a fight, at least in my experience.”
“Well, you've cured our gloom then, for a few minutes.”
There was a shout from down below them and all three magic-users instantly froze and listened intently. They heard the large front gate squeal as it opened and then bang as it was slammed shut again.
Simon looked at the siblings curiously.
“A visitor?” he asked.
Tamara glanced at her brother.
“Maybe our signal got through?”
“If it did, that would be amazing.”
“Signal? What signal?” the wizard asked blankly.
“Hang on. Listen.”
The ring of iron-shod boots could be heard on the cobblestones below and all three of them, as well as Aeris and Kassus, turned in unison to follow the sound.
It crossed the shadowed courtyard, climbed the steep steps toward the battlements and was suddenly revealed to be the sound of the armored boots of a dwarf.
The dwarf, actually, Simon thought as he watched in total surprise. It was Shandon Ironhand himself, in the flesh.
The dwarven king was wearing his heavy enameled plate armor as if it weighed nothing, and an axe shimmering with enchantments was slung at his hip. His beard, interwoven with precious stones and gold beads, hung to his waist, but it couldn't hide his broad smile as he spotted Simon waiting for him along with the others.
“Aha! My favorite wizard! We meet again at last.”
Shandon stomped forward and embraced Simon so tightly that the wizard was afraid that his ribs would crack again.
“Hi,” he managed to wheeze as the king let him go.
“Oops. Oh my, sorry about that. I keep forgetting how fragile you magical types are. You know, taking in a little exercise on occasion would do you all a world of good. Clear out the cobwebs, that sort of thing.”
He shook a thick finger under Simon's nose.
“Too much thinking dulls the mind and fogs the senses. That's what my old granny used to tell me. Once in a while you just have to go out and hit something. Multiple times! With vigor!”
“Yeah, thanks Shandon,” Simon told him, rubbing his sides gingerly. “I'll keep that in mind.”
“Good. Good. Now, I hear you'll soon be having a bit of a pest problem, hmm?”
He looked from Simon to Tamara and Sebastian as he spoke, ignoring the elementals completely.
“Oh and greetings to you both. Happy to be out of the bowels of the world and back on the surface?”
The mages bowed in unison to the king and both smiled at his question.
“We are forever grateful for your succor when we were desperate,” Tamara told him sincerely. “My people owe their survival and their futures to you and yours, your majesty. But we are more comfortable in the open air than below ground, it's true.”
“Of course you are. And to each his own, I suppose. My own people learned much from your presence among us. A new sense of tolerance and some new respect for magic-users were some of the most important lessons. And magic is how I was able to get your message earlier and reach the castle in time.”
He looked around at the battlements and at the sea of fog below.
Tales from the New Earth: Volume Two Page 159