She glanced at Miriam and then back at Tamara.
“Your cleric and I are blessed by the gods, but it is quite a hit and miss relationship. We pray, they answer...or they don't. We can't Gate or cast communication spells, so we are often uninformed of news as well. I only knew about the Defiant because Sebastian mentioned it a few weeks ago to me in passing. So, it would not hurt to erect a notice board in the courtyard and hang a news report on it every few weeks, would it? Even a notice reassuring people that things were going well would help.”
Tamara's irritation evaporated as quickly as it had come and she nodded thoughtfully.
“You make a good case. I apologize, Malcolm, for assuming things that I shouldn't have. It's probably because I've always hated snooty people who were oh so smug when they knew things that I didn't.” She flushed and ducked her head. “And now I find that I am one of those people. It's not a comfortable thought.”
“You aren't,” Malcolm told her quickly. “And I'm not angry. I do agree with Liliana though. Keeping ordinary folks in the dark will sow seeds of resentment that we certainly don't need. A public notice board sounds like a great idea.”
The group agreed and it was decided that the mages would meet and make a list of all the news that had come in lately. Then they would have it written up and release it to the castle's inhabitants as soon as possible.
“Who knows? This could be the start of the first post-dragon invasion newspaper,” Eric said brightly.
He looked at the dubious expressions around him.
“What? I used to be the editor of our small-town paper. We printed the local news, articles of interest, social events, all of that. It was great.”
“Maybe we should appoint you editor-in-chief then,” Sebastian said with a grin. “Everyone in favor say aye.”
Before Eric could protest, the entire group shouted “Aye!” and then burst into laughter.
“There. You're elected,” Tamara told him with a grin.
“Fine. I accept,” Eric replied, laughing himself. “It actually sounds like fun. I won't have to worry about a printing press when it's just a large notice tacked up on a board. Maybe I can punch it up a bit with some human interest stories or something.”
“Whatever you like,” Sebastian said, sounding very pleased. “It's your baby now. Now, as for Simon and this situation...”
The room quieted down quickly as the mood became solemn again.
“Yes. Simon,” Tamara muttered. “What to do, what to do.”
“I truly do not think that there is anything we can do,” Keiko said in her small voice. “We cannot approach the wizard without his permission. His tower is warded against intrusion and he has earth elementals who act as sentries. If he blocks our attempts at communication, which he seems to be doing now, we cannot even speak with him. I think that we must simply practice patience.”
“Whoa, hang on a second. This is news to us,” Virginia said sharply.
Anna, Eric and Gerard looked at her and at each other.
“I agree,” Gerard said. “What's this about Simon blocking communication?”
Tamara rubbed her eyes and sighed loudly.
“Damn. Something else I forgot to mention. Yes, since we last spoke, I've called him twice. No answer. Sebastian and Keiko have tried as well and no luck. We've concluded that Simon is blocking us. As to why, we don't know.”
“Oh, this is just getting better and better,” Malcolm said sarcastically.
“Hush,” Aiden told him. He looked at the mages. “So what, we just wait for him to make the next move?”
“Basically, yes. There really isn't anything else to do,” Tamara told him. “I'd like to ask all of you to let the rest of us know if he contacts you. If nothing else, it will be reassuring to know that he is okay.”
Everyone agreed and the meeting began to break up. The three mages huddled together and spoke quietly.
“What do they know that we don't?” Malcolm asked Liliana quietly.
He and Aiden had joined her and the three of them were walking slowly toward the exit. Virginia and the others were just leaving, chatting loudly with the cheerful Miriam.
“Many things, I'm sure,” the paladin replied. “But they are not keeping secrets on purpose, of that I am certain. So be at ease, my friends. The idea of a monthly news release came to me in a dream last night. Perhaps it was a thought sent by the gods.”
“Or maybe it was a stroke of genius,” Aiden told her with a wink. “Either way, it will go a long way to relieving the minds of the others living here. I've heard more than a few grumbles about being kept in the dark from the general population.”
“Me too,” Malcolm agreed.
He waved Liliana through the doorway into the hall and followed her out, with Aiden bringing up the rear.
“We have good people here and they have the right to be kept in the loop.”
“Well, now they will be,” the paladin told them both as they walked down the corridor. “I'm more concerned about Simon at the moment. Something is going on with him and it is making me uneasy.”
“If you're uneasy, I really am worried,” Aiden told her seriously. “You know him better than the rest of us.”
“I thought I did. Now I'm not so sure. Simon cares about everyone; he cares a lot. This new attitude is worrying because it truly is not like the man I thought I knew. Perhaps there is something dark going on. Keiko was right though; we have no choice but to wait. For now anyway.”
“That's not very reassuring,” Malcolm told her.
They stopped at an intersection, wide hallways leading in four directions. Old paintings hung every few feet on the dark stone walls.
“No, it is not. What I am most concerned about is if the castle is attacked and we cannot get in touch with him.”
Liliana looked up at a large painting of a battle scene. Two armies were clashing in the middle of a muddy field. No one seemed to be winning.
“If dragons attack and we can't repel them, without Simon Nottinghill Castle could be lost.”
“Way to cheer me up,” Aiden told her with a crooked grin.
The three of them laughed lightly and parted, Malcolm and Aiden setting off for their quarters to get ready for their first shift.
Liliana stood still and watched them disappear down the corridor, then looked up at the painting thoughtfully.
“Where are you, Simon?” she murmured. “And what is happening? Have you finally given up on us?”
She sighed and turned away from the battle scene. It was time to head for home.
Chapter 3
Simon O'Toole; wizard, teenager, former middle-aged I.T. worker, was at that very moment rolling out of bed in the predawn light. He moaned loudly and put both hands to his pounding head.
“Can you not shut up for one blasted minute?” he asked weakly. “If I don't get more than an hour's sleep at a time, eventually I'll go nuts.”
'Don't blame me for your weakness, human,' a haughty voice echoed inside of his head. 'You occasionally hear my thoughts and that is something that I cannot control. The sooner we separate, the sooner you will be back to your normal self again.'
“Can't argue with that,” Simon groaned. “I wish we could do it today.”
'As do I. But your elementals have not returned with the ingredients we need to perform the ritual and, until they do, we are stuck with each other.'
The wizard swayed tiredly as he slipped on a plain gray robe, some socks and his indoor shoes. Then he left his bedroom, walked downstairs and stoked the fire. The tower was cool in the early morning and it was still spring; the days were often cold.
“Good morning, master,” a voice said brightly as the front door opened and then closed with a loud bang.
Simon winced as he carefully laid a log on the bright embers in the fireplace.
“Morning,” he mumbled and stood up slowly.
He turned and walked to the counter to fill his kettle. He watched as Kronk tip-tapped acr
oss the room and hopped up on to the kitchen table. The little elemental was smiling, his blocky face cheerful as usual.
Simon pumped some water into the kettle, hung it over the fire and then sat down heavily, feeling totally exhausted.
Kronk's face fell and he peered at the wizard.
“Still not sleeping well, master?” he asked with concern.
“Nope. My tenant,” he tapped his forehead, “won't shut up for more than a minute at a time. It's like a constant whisper of sound that you can almost understand, but not quite. She says it's her stray thoughts and that she can't control them. Probably true, but it's nagging at me.”
Kronk nodded solemnly.
“I see. Well master, both of you should be back to normal soon. I'm sure that Aeris and the other air elementals will be back with what is needed to cast the spell to separate the pair of you.”
“I'm not so sure. If I didn't have to stay as far away as possible, I'd do it myself.”
'You cannot!' the voice throbbed inside of his head. 'My presence would be felt immediately and we would both be destroyed.'
“Ouch! Don't yell!” Simon said loudly as he pressed his fingertips to his temples. “I know, okay? I know. Jeez.”
Kronk had jumped when the wizard raised his voice. Now he watched him sympathetically.
“The lady objected, master?” he asked.
“She certainly did. And quite loudly too. God, I should have known this merging was a mistake when Esmiralla first suggested it. Why the hell it seemed like a good idea at the time, I'll never understand.”
The kettle began to boil and he got up and made some chamomile tea.
“It saved your life, master,” Kronk reminded him. “When the volcano exploded and killed the primal red dragon, having the silver dragon as a part of you saved your life.”
He scratched his small head with a sound like sandpaper on metal.
“I was delighted but confused at the time. I did not think that even your shield could withstand a blast like that one, master.”
Simon sat down again and sipped his tea. He rolled his shoulders to try to ease the pain of the muscles in his neck.
“It couldn't have. And I am grateful, really. But she never told me that we'd have such a challenge separating once the primal was dead. And she sure as hell never said that we'd need some of the dragon queen's blood for the ritual. Cripes, it sounds more like voodoo than magic.”
'Power is power, child,' Esmiralla told him equably.
She sounded almost as weary as Simon felt.
'The blood is a conduit for the spell. Nothing else in this world will do. It is as simple as that. The other ingredients are fairly easy to acquire compared to that one.'
“Maybe so. But I'm worried about Aeris and the others. The queen is insane but unimaginably powerful. One mistake and they will all be destroyed.”
Kronk was watching him closely. Obviously he could only hear one side of the conversation, but he seemed to be following the gist of it.
“Aeris is clever, master. And air elementals are quick. Very quick. They will await their opportunity, take the sample and be gone before the queen even detects their presence.”
“I hope so, my friend. I really hope so.”
Simon sipped more tea, sat back in his chair and stared over at the flames crackling and leaping in the fireplace. He tried to picture Aeris and the other two elementals stalking the dragon queen. The very idea made him shudder.
One mistake, he thought. All it will take is one mistake.
“Get back. Get back!” Aeris shouted. “She will see you for sure, you idiot. Now is not the time.”
Orriss zoomed across the top of the desert sands, his glowing form moving like a streak of light in the darkness.
“And go invisible next time,” Aeris added when the other elemental had rejoined him and Brethia. “What were you thinking?”
“I thought I saw an opening,” Orriss told him apologetically.
The three of them looked back across the sand dunes at the writhing, twisting mass that was the dragon queen. Her scarred and filthy yellow scales were pale and colorless in the monochrome of the desert night, but she could be seen easily as she convulsed and twisted mindlessly in the endless sands.
“Does she never rest?” Brethia said with exasperation. “Supernatural creature or not, even dragons get tired.”
“She must, don't you think?” Orriss asked Aeris while they watched the massive creature.
“That is certainly my hope. But unless we are pushed to our limits, we don't need to rest,” Aeris told them both. “Perhaps she is the same. Who can say? The queen is unique among her kind. She was the first, the root of the tree from which dragon-kind sprang. And we know virtually nothing about her. Strange, isn't it?”
The trio of elementals had been following the dragon for several days now. Brethia and Orriss had been tasked with keeping an eye on the monster a few months before. Simon had sent Aeris to join them specifically to obtain some of the dragon's blood. So far they had had no luck.
The monster would travel in one direction for hundreds of miles just to turn randomly and head off in an entirely new direction, seemingly at random. It had quickly become clear that the dragon queen was completely mad.
“Why would the gods of Chaos do something like that?” Brethia wondered sadly. “Create the creature that would birth an entire species yet leave her almost mindless? It seems unnecessarily cruel.”
The queen stopped spinning in place, leaped into the air dozens of feet and then set off at high speed to the north.
Aeris sighed.
“Here we go again. Let's follow along.”
The three elementals waited until the dragon was several miles ahead of them before they set off, flying a few feet off of the sand dunes of the Sahara desert.
“Do you think the others are having better luck finding their ingredients?” Orriss asked Aeris as they moved across the dunes. “I must admit, when our wizard shared his, um, condition with us, I was appalled and hoped that we could help him get away from the silver dragon as soon as possible. With all due respect to her, of course,” he added hastily.
“I hope so. Finding a surviving red drake won't be easy,” Aeris said thoughtfully. “On the other hand, Aethos is quite powerful. If any of our people could find one, it's him. And Incendus will track down a dragon egg. For one from the fire realm, he is quite intelligent. And strong.”
Orriss looked skeptical but said nothing. The air elementals considered their fiery cousins to be a bit too emotional, perhaps because they were the strongest of all of the elemental races and often quick to anger.
“I only want to get the blood for our master,” Brethia said firmly. “To have to share your mind with another seems like a horrible curse to me. It must be torture for the wizard.”
The desert was brightly lit by a three-quarter moon gleaming in the clear, star-studded sky and the three elementals looked like tiny ghosts as they zoomed across the sands.
“It is,” Aeris told her bleakly. “Our dear wizard is at his wits' end. He is not sleeping properly, he barely eats now and is losing weight that he simply cannot afford to lose. Just between us, I am sick with worry for him.” He looked quickly at the other two. “I'd rather you kept that information to yourselves.”
“You care more for him than you let on,” Brethia told him with a smile.
Orriss grinned as well and Aeris scowled at them for a moment before he laughed a bit self-consciously and nodded.
“I suppose that's true. But our wizard thinks I'm rather cantankerous. I've built up his expectations and I mustn't disappoint him. Anyway, let's concentrate on getting some blood from that blasted monster, shall we?”
The forests of what was once southern British Columbia were extensive and thick. Since magic had re-entered the world, they had become even more wild and menacing than they had ever been.
Twisted monsters prowled their depths and hid in darkened groves, dark wraiths
waited in the deepest recesses of the woods and creatures not seen since the world was young stalked the trails there again.
Aethos, air elemental and elder of his kind, had no fear of these dangers. Very few beings, even those created by the renewed magic let back into the world, could see him as he traveled invisibly through the deep woods. And of those that could, most gave a being of his power a wide berth. He feared nothing and never had.
But now he hunted a red drake, a servant of the dead primal red dragon, and it made him nervous. It was such a new sensation that the elemental examined it closely as he searched the forest.
He knew that the drakes were cunning and strong. They could see through his invisibility; of that he had no doubt. And they were magical creatures, which meant that they could actually do him harm; something that most mortal creatures could not.
I suppose all of that together makes me nervous, he thought to himself. How odd.
The thick trees echoed with the sounds of teeming life. Howls and strange cries mingled with the screeching of birds and the screams of flying creatures that looked like leather-winged dinosaurs. The gods of Chaos had surely Changed the world into something from the time of magic. The trees towered hundreds of feet in the air and were connected with vines and hanging with moss. Those who had once lived here would never have recognized the forest now.
It was familiar to Aethos in a way. He had seen forests like these in the distant past. Like all elder elementals, he had existed almost since the Earth was created. He had seen civilizations rise and fall, had seen armies of legendary creatures battle. He had known mages and witches, shamans and clerics. He had even served wizards, when it pleased him to do so. And he toiled for one now; not in servitude but out of respect.
Simon O'Toole was different, the elemental conceded. He was caring and warm. He refused to use any elemental against their will, asking for their service, not ordering it. He gave the elementals his loyalty and earned theirs in return. He was, Aethos admitted to himself, quite extraordinary.
Which was why the elemental was here, flitting through the primordial forest on the trail of a red drake. Because the wizard was in pain, tormented. He had bonded with a silver dragon, merged with it somehow, using magic that Aethos had never even known existed. And he had done it for the most altruistic of reasons; to save his people. Only by combining his powers with those of the last silver dragon could the wizard have hoped to defeat the primal red.
The Dragons of Argent and Silver (Tales from the New Earth #6) Page 3