The Dragons of Argent and Silver (Tales from the New Earth #6)

by J. J. Thompson

  The answer appeared abruptly, right over their heads.

  A flash of bright light and a streak of fire lit up the sky and a glittering vision soared into view.

  “It's Esmiralla,” Simon gasped. “Oh, I'd forgotten how beautiful she is.”

  The silver dragon banked and glided down in a tight circle toward the clearing.

  “She is that,” Aeris whispered reverently and Simon was reminded that the air elementals had once almost worshiped the silver dragons.

  “Master?”

  The wizard continued to watch the dragon, lost in her splendor. Her silver scales glowed in the darkness and, even at her size, she flew with a delicate touch that he'd never seen in any of the chaotic dragons. Maybe it was because she was the first female dragon that he had ever seen, except for the monstrous queen.

  “Master!” Kronk repeated, tugging at his pant leg.

  “Yes Kronk, what is it?” Simon asked irritably, tearing his gaze away from Esmiralla.

  He looked down at the little guy and the earthen pointed across the field.

  “We have been deceived,” he stated flatly.

  “What?”

  Simon followed Kronk's pointing finger and then stumbled backwards so quickly he fell over. His shield had faded and he landed on his back hard enough to knock the wind out of him.

  He lay gasping like a fish out of water while Aeris looked down at him in confusion.

  “What exactly is wrong with you now, oh great one?” he asked curiously.

  The wizard couldn't seem to catch his breath and simply pushed himself up a bit and pointed.

  The three of them stared upward with a mixture of shock, fear and awe. The smoke had finally blown away, but instead of a simple hole in the ground, a towering figure stood there, dwarfing the trees of the forest beyond it.

  “I live again,” a bass voice made of glass and steel said. The meadow trembled in response.

  Esmiralla reached the ground, back-winged and landed delicately near the towering figure that took up half of the field.

  “Greetings, my lord,” she said in her oddly feminine voice.

  She folded her silver wings gracefully over her back and lowered her head almost to the ground.

  Towering over Esmiralla was a creature that Simon could not believe even existed.

  Stretching at least a hundred feet long from horned head to wickedly spiked tail, it was a dragon. Its eyes were as sapphire-blue as the silver dragon's, but slanted like a cat's. Its scales were blazingly bright, metallic but neither silver nor white. A pale forked tongue flickered in its fanged mouth, tasting the air like a monstrous snake.

  The strange creature looked down at the bowing silver dragon and Simon thought that it looked confused. Its heavy brows came together and it tilted its head slightly.

  “Esmiralla, isn't it?” it rumbled.

  “Yes, lord. I am grateful that you remember someone as unimportant as I.”

  “Rise, child. You need not bow to me. And you are not unimportant. We are equals, you and I.”

  She raised her head but kept her eyes focused on the ground.

  “We are far from that, my lord. But I will not argue with you. We have much to discuss but first, allow me to present to you the one who made your rebirth possible.”

  She swung her head around and fixed Simon with a steely gaze. The wizard had managed to stand, still wobbly, and met her eyes as calmly as possible.

  “Simon O'Toole, wizard, it gives me great pleasure to introduce you to one of the greatest of my people, Argentium, also known as the argent dragon. My lord, this is the wizard who enabled me to recall you from the Void.”

  “Ah.”

  Argentium took one step toward the wizard. The ground shook so violently that Simon almost fell down again and was only saved by Aeris grabbing his sweater by the shoulder and Kronk bracing his knees.

  “Thanks guys,” he whispered.

  He craned his neck back and stared almost straight up. The argent dragon's head towered thirty feet above him and blocked out the stars overhead.

  The dragon peered down at him, his huge jeweled eyes glowing against the darkness.

  “So I have you to thank for my resurrection, human?” he asked, his voice making Simon's body quiver.

  “I have no idea,” he shouted back, hoping the dragon could actually hear him. “I was just told that Esmiralla was using her magic to separate herself from my consciousness. You are a...surprise.”

  There's a hell of an understatement, Simon thought wryly.

  “What is this?”

  Argentium whipped his head around and stared at the silver dragon.

  “Am I hearing this correctly? Did you use subterfuge to summon me back to the mortal realm?”

  Esmiralla backed up a step and seemed to wilt, her wings drooping under the argent dragon's glare.

  “I...my lord, it was necessary. I did not know if this wizard would agree to give up a part of himself to bring you back.”

  “Necessary? How was it necessary? Did you even bother to ask him?”

  “Wait!” Simon shouted. “Hang on a minute!”

  Amazingly both dragons turned to look down at him. Esmiralla actually had to move over a step to see him around Argentium's body.

  “What was that about giving a part of myself? What part?”

  He looked down at his body, but his limbs were all intact and all he had to show for the ceremony were a few bruises. He wasn't even bleeding from a scrape or cut.

  Esmiralla hesitated and Argentium glowered at her.

  “Tell him,” he commanded sternly.

  “Yes, my lord. Wizard...Simon, please understand. I needed the dragon egg and the two kinds of draconian blood to reassemble Argentium's essence. But we dragons are physical beings. We are immortal but not indestructible. We are magical but not natural spell-casters. So I needed a piece of a mortal, a mortal who could use magic. You are the strongest spell-caster in this world, and the only good wizard, so you were the logical choice.”

  “So you just used me, is that it?” he said loudly, trying not to show his anger. It was threatening to overwhelm him and he did not want to lose control.

  “And killing the primal red dragon? Was that planned or just a happy coincidence? If you hadn't needed me for this ritual, would you have merged with me and saved me from the explosive death of the primal?”

  “No,” she said and hung her head. “No, I would not have. I needed you alive for the ceremony. Alive and healthy.”

  “And the cost? What did you take from me?”

  “Something you will never miss, I am sure. A trifle really.”

  “Tell him!” Argentium repeated in a thunderous voice.

  “A kidney. One little kidney. You have two, after all. The second one is more of an evolutionary afterthought. You will be fine.”

  Simon gaped at her in total shock. He looked down at the elementals and they stared back, their expressions mirroring his own.

  “You violated me,” he said, barely able to speak. How the dragons heard him was a mystery, but they obviously did.

  “Now, now. It was hardly a violation,” Esmiralla said quickly. “I merely...”

  “You ripped out one of my organs, you crazy bitch!” he screamed at her.

  The silver dragon reared back, her expression changing to one of fury.

  “You dare speak to me like that? You dare!”

  “Silence!” Argentium roared.

  His massive head whipped around and slammed into Esmiralla. Impossibly, the silver dragon was lifted off her feet and flung into the forest to land with a resounding crash. Trees and leaves were thrown in all directions. Sleeping birds and animals suddenly began screeching and calling, their confused cries filling the night. The ground bucked as if an earthquake had struck and the wizard almost lost his footing again.

  Argentium turned his head and extended his neck downward to stare at Simon. His eyes and maw filled all of the wizard's sight.

  “I
cannot undo what that fool has done, wizard. Would that I could. She brought me back for the right reasons but in absolutely the wrong way. I am shamed beyond words. What can I do to make amends?”

  Simon was shaking, still trying to wrap his mind around what the silver dragon had done to him. He looked up at Argentium, feeling numb.

  “Nothing. Just...leave me. Take that treacherous creature and go away. I never want to see either of you again.”

  Argentium sighed, sending a hot wind whipping past the wizard and blowing leaves and grass into the air.

  “As you wish. But know this: if you have need of my aid, you simply need to call upon me and it is yours. I shall take the fight to the dragons of Chaos and their masters, I assure you of that. Be well, wizard. And, even though this was done against your will, thank you for giving me life once more. I shall not waste it, I promise you.”

  Simon could only nod. He had nothing more to say to either of them.

  “On your feet,” the argent dragon snapped at Esmiralla. “Get up and follow me.”

  The wizard could see the glowing form of the silver dragon struggling to stand in the middle of the wreckage her fall had created. When she was on her feet again, Argentium leaped upward. His massive wings flapped once and carried him away into the purple sky.

  Esmiralla hesitated a moment and she turned her head to look at Simon. From a hundred yards away, their eyes seemed to meet and all the wizard saw was sorrow and regret. It didn't touch him at all.

  She looked up, leaped toward the starry sky and was gone.

  All that was left of the nightmarish experience was the remnants of the bonfire, crushed beneath the weight of the argent dragon. The grass of the field was churned up and a wide swath of trees at the far edge of the clearing had been torn out by their roots and flattened by the silver dragon.

  “What a mess,” Simon said to fill the sudden silence.

  The forest had quickly become quiet again and the moon was slowly descending.

  “Come along, master, and have some tea,” Kronk urged with a gentle nudge against Simon's leg.

  “Yes, let's head inside, my dear wizard. You have earned a good rest.”

  Simon had to smile at their concern. He might have been betrayed by Esmiralla, but he could always trust these two.

  “Yeah, okay guys. Let's go. I need time to think this all through.”

  Back inside, Kronk quickly built up the fire while Aeris began preparing the tea. Simon went upstairs and got changed.

  Esmiralla's departure from inside of him had apparently reset him back to his old self and he couldn't get out of his clothing fast enough. He flung the sweater and jeans into the laundry basket with disgust.

  The wizard stared at himself in the full-length mirror of the wardrobe for a few minutes. His lean body looked pretty much the same as it always did, fresh bruises aside, and he ran his hands over his chest and stomach.

  “So she took my kidney,” he said softly. “Funny, I feel exactly the same as I always have.”

  He met the mismatched eyes of his reflection and stuck out his tongue. As always, it made him giggle like a school boy.

  “Yep, same old nerd. I guess I'll live.”

  He looked at himself one more time and shrugged.

  “Goddamned dragons.”

  Simon grabbed a random robe from the cabinet and slipped it on. The soft blue woolen garment felt so natural against his skin that he sighed loudly with relief. It seemed that he could breathe freely again.

  The young man in the mirror seemed pleased as well, and blue had always been his favorite color.

  “Okay Simon,” he said and shook a finger at himself. “You may be one kidney short, but it's time to get back to business. At least that crazy dragon is out of your head.”

  He picked up his staff from where he'd flung it on the bed and went downstairs. He leaned Mortis de Draconis against the wall next to the front door and gave it an appreciative pat before walking over to his cozy chair in front of the fire and collapsing into it.

  The elementals had lit all of the candles in the room, both the ones on the mantle and several on the kitchen table and the counter and the place looked warm and inviting. The fire blazed cheerfully and Simon felt the evening's chill vanish as the heat washed over him

  Aeris flew over from the counter and offered him a steaming cup of tea, which the wizard accepted gratefully.

  “Ah, that's wonderful. Thanks guys. I'm starting to feel like my old self again.”

  Kronk sat in his usual place in front of the fire and Aeris descended to join him.

  “How are you really doing, master?” the little guy asked anxiously.

  “Better now,” Simon replied after a few sips of tea. “Certainly less angry.”

  He considered that statement for a moment. It was true. Although the silver dragon had betrayed him in one of the worst ways possible, he couldn't hang on to the anger for very long. He simply wasn't made that way.

  “I think I'm just now realizing that I'm not cut out for brooding and depression. I know I have my moments...”

  “No kidding,” Aeris muttered.

  Simon ignored him.

  “...but sitting around and moaning about my fate just isn't me. There are two things to focus on here. First of all, Esmiralla is gone and I'm back to my old self.”

  He stroked his robe and both elementals grinned at the gesture.

  “And secondly, losing a kidney isn't fatal, as long as the one that's left keeps doing its job. So let's hope it does.”

  “An excellent attitude, master,” the earthen told him with a firm nod. “Now you can get back to your normal routine. Perhaps get in touch your friends at Nottinghill Castle again?”

  “Absolutely. Tomorrow. And I'll be calling Daniel as well. It's horrible that she kept me isolated like that but I'll put all of that behind me.”

  “There is another positive here, my dear wizard.”

  “Which is what?”

  Aeris rose up into the air and gave Simon an incredulous look.

  “The argent dragon! He has returned. We have a new ally against the red dragons and the gods of Chaos.”

  Simon shrugged, indifferent to Aeris' argument.

  “Screw him, and Esmiralla. If they are willing to use others to achieve their own ends, that makes them as bad as the evil dragons and gods, as far as I'm concerned.”

  Aeris bobbed in the air in front of Simon, dumbstruck.

  “I agree with you, master,” Kronk said stoutly. “If these dragons are 'good', then the word must mean something different from what I understood it to mean.”

  There was no response from Aeris. He simply descended to the floor, sat down with his back to Simon, and stared into the fire.

  “Nothing to say?” Kronk asked pertly, trying to tease the air elemental.

  Aeris twitched a shoulder irritably and remained silent.

  The earthen seemed puzzled by his silence and looked up at Simon helplessly.

  The wizard contemplated Aeris' hunched back for a moment and then smiled reassuringly at Kronk.

  “I think our friend is a little conflicted by this whole affair,” he said to the little guy while he watched Aeris for his reaction.

  “His people revered the silver dragons and now we've seen one who has acted, shall we say, less than nobly. It's been my experience that when someone you consider a hero shows a darker side, it can be...disappointing. Hell, sometimes it can be devastating. Esmiralla isn't a noble creature sitting up on a pedestal. She may have done what she did for the greater good, in her mind, but what she did was wrong nevertheless. And I'm guessing that Aeris is upset about that.”

  The air elemental stood up slowly and turned around. He looked at both of them blankly.

  “Am I right?” Simon asked gently.

  “You are sometimes too clever for your own good, my dear wizard,” Aeris replied with a bitter edge to his voice. “But yes, I'd say that you are essentially correct. The silver dragon betraye
d you. Worse still, she betrayed the ideals of her own people. The dragons of Light existed as exact opposites of the dragons of Chaos. Light against the darkness, goodness against evil. And now...”

  He made a vague gesture and sat down dejectedly, staring at the floor.

  “And now she has tarnished their legacy. Argentium was right to berate her. He at least saw how far she had fallen from their ideals. What the both of them will do now is a mystery to me, but I will trust the argent dragon, at least, to do the right thing. And Esmiralla will follow his lead.”

  He sighed and looked at Simon.

  “I hope your pain and sacrifice will be repaid in the long run.”

  Simon finished his tea and gave that some thought.

  “Like I said, I'm not going to brood over it,” he told the elementals. “What's done is done. I agree with you, Aeris. Just from Argentium's reaction, I could tell how disgusted he was by Esmiralla's actions. And I think that the red dragons are in for one hell of a surprise. They must believe that the world is theirs for the taking. Won't it be a shock when they learn of the return of the argent and silver dragons?”

  Aeris chuckled lightly and Kronk grinned.

  “Good point, master. They will not know what hit them, I think.”

  “Exactly.”

  Simon got up, rinsed out his cup and put it away.

  “Guys, it's been a weird and stressful day. I'm glad it's over and I think I'll get to bed early. Maybe if I sleep on it, I can put the whole thing into some sort of perspective. Good night.”

  He twirled a finger and a globe of magical light appeared and rose to float over his head.

  “Well, hello there,” he said with a smile.

  “Good night, master,” Kronk said. “Sleep well.”

  He stood up and began poking at the fire, arranging the logs.

  “Good night,” Aeris said as well. “I'm going out to take a spin around the tower. I have a lot to think about.”

  “I know you do,” Simon replied. “But don't beat yourself up about your old beliefs. Just accept what has happened, as I must, and move on. The three of us will get through this together.”

  He walked to the stairs and looked back.

  “Besides, we have so many adventures ahead of us. Think about that instead!”