The Werewolves of Nottinghill

by J. J. Thompson

  “If there's any way that I can do that, I will,” Aiden whispered. “I swear it.”

  “I know you will. And who knows? We may meet again, someday.”

  “It's a date.”

  Aiden looked up at the sky beyond Malcolm. The firmament was glowing red and orange as the sun began to set. It was beautiful and he just watched as the light began to fade.

  Then his eyes widened.

  “Mal,” he exclaimed. “Look up. Something's coming.”

  “What!”

  The big man surged to his feet with a snarl.

  “Is it that damned wizard again? I swear that if it is, I'll find a way to reach him and tear him apart no matter how high he flies!”

  Malcolm's rage faded away as he realized that what he was looking at wasn't a bat. It was a hell of a lot bigger than that.

  “Oh damn,” he muttered. “It's a dragon.”

  “We're running out of time,” Sebastian said quietly to his sister.

  Both of them were looking from Chao to the descending dragon and back again. Every time they looked up, the monster was getting closer.

  “I know that,” Tamara replied angrily. “What do you want me to do, Bastian? Click my heels together three times? Make a wish? Pray? There is nothing that I can do except wait and hope. There isn't even any point to going inside. A dragon as big as that one will tear through this place like it's made of wet paper. We just have to wait, okay?”

  Sebastian stared in surprise at the uncharacteristic outburst from his sister and she shook her head and sighed.

  “Sorry about that,” Tamara said. “You know me. I hate feeling helpless, but that's what I am right now. We all are. Let's just hope that Chao can do something, because he's our one chance.”

  Her brother nodded and both of them went back to watching as events unfolded.

  Chao fluttered his metal fan, chanting rapidly. When he was finished, he stopped and looked up at the approaching threat.

  “Ellas, hear me,” he cried out. “I need your help once again. Please, Ellas! Come to me!”

  No one who was listening had ever heard the man sound so emotional or desperate. He was always so controlled, so demur, that seeing him like this only added to the level of fear amongst the group.

  There was a long silence after Chao's plea and the sound of the dragon's wings as it approached began to echo across the rooftop.

  “Why are you disturbing me?”

  The high-pitched voice of Ellas sounded from just above Chao's head. She appeared in a shower of colorful sparks and glared down at him.

  “What do you want?” she snapped irritably. “I am celebrating with my people. They are home and now we can resume our rightful place in this world. We have fought your enemies for you and have paid you back for your service to us. Speak quickly, little man. My patience with you is wearing thin.”

  “Forgive me, Ellas,” Chao said hurriedly. “But we are in trouble again. You know that I would not disturb you without just cause. If all of us weren't so weak right now, I would not be asking for your help.”

  The sprite glared at him and then seemed to relent.

  “Very well. I know that you always speak the truth. So what is your problem? The goblins are all dead, which is what every one of them deserved. What other threats are there?”

  Chao pointed straight up.

  “That is the threat, Ellas.”

  She looked up and for a moment her wings were stilled. She dropped halfway to the ground before she caught herself and flew back up to eye level.

  “Ah, I see. A dragon,” Ellas said softly.

  She stared at the huge creature for a moment and then frowned and looked back at Chao in exasperation.

  “You truly are as silly as I've always believed, aren't you?” she said to the summoner. “Are you blind?”

  She spun around and looked at the rest of the group.

  “Are you all blind? Where is the threat?”

  “What?”

  Tamara looked from the sprite to the dragon and back again.

  “It's there, Ellas. The dragon! Don't you see it?”

  “Of course I see it. My eyes are significantly more powerful than yours, lady mage. But do you not see what kind of dragon it is? Do any of you?”

  Everyone focused on the monster that was now almost close enough to the roof to fill the entire sky.

  “The kind of dragon?” Sylvie repeated blankly.

  “Oh, for goodness sake,” Ellas snapped. “Look at the color of it, all of you. It is a silver dragon! Can't you see that? And there has only ever been one silver dragon: the great Esmiralla. Strange, I had thought her dead and gone, but it seems that she still lives and has deigned to visit your shabby little castle. You should consider yourselves blessed.”

  “Esmiralla?” Tamara said in wonder. “My God. But why would she come here? Now? I don't understand.”

  “Nor do I,” Ellas told her. “Nor do I wish to. My kind respect the dragons, especially Esmiralla, but we keep our distance from them.”

  She turned to look at Chao again.

  “Do not summon me again,” she warned him with a shake of her finger. “I am no longer beholden to you, little man. Our relationship is done now.”

  Chao bowed to her, but he looked somewhat distressed by her statement.

  “Will I never see you again?” he asked plaintively.

  Ellas hesitated and then flew forward and stroked his cheek briefly.

  “Perhaps. Perhaps you will,” she said gently. “I may drop by from time to time to see what foolishness you are up to. We shall see. But farewell for now. I leave you all to deal with the silver dragon.”

  She looked at Tamara one last time.

  “A bit of advice, lady mage,” she said pertly. “Do not insult her. In the end, a dragon, no matter how good, will always be a dragon.”

  And with that cryptic statement, Ellas disappeared with a little pop of air, leaving behind more sparkles in her wake.

  “Now what?”

  Tamara looked at Veronique and shrugged.

  “I have no idea.”

  The mage looked up at the enormous dragon. Esmiralla was now hovering about fifty feet above the castle, the wind from her immense wings making all of the mages' robes swirl and flutter.

  Veronique kept pushing her long hair out of her face as she watched the dragon.

  “Shouldn't someone at least say hello?” she asked loudly over the sound of the flapping wings.

  “How?” Sebastian replied. “I doubt that she could hear us from here. And right now I can't even cast a Magic Mouth spell. Personally, I'm more concerned about where the dragon will land, if that's what she intends to do. There is no way that she'll fit inside of the courtyard, and if she lands on the roof, she'll probably bring down the entire castle.”

  That question was suddenly answered as the silver dragon banked away from the castle and descended to the field outside of the front gates. The roof shuddered under the group's feet as the huge body settled on to the ground.

  “Well, let's get down there,” Tamara told the others. “Chao, if you aren't feeling up to it, go ahead and return to your quarters. We're going to have to hurry to meet that dragon. Ellas said that we shouldn't anger her and making her wait for us to greet her might do just that.”

  “You should go on ahead,” Chao urged her. “I will join you when I can. But I do agree with Ellas: you shouldn't waste any more time up here.”

  “Okay then, whoever wants to come along, follow me,” Tamara said.

  She hurried past Tom and lifted her robe as she clattered down the steps into the castle. The others filed along behind her, moving as quickly as their tired bodies would let them. After all, they were about to meet a dragon.

  Chapter 27

  “It's definitely a silver dragon,” Malcolm told Aiden as the dragon flapped its vast wings above the castle.

  Both men were staring up at the scaled body that was blocking out the darkening sky.

>   “So it is Esmiralla,” Aiden said with wonder. “She really did survive the battle against the necromancers. Wow. I'd heard rumors, but I really didn't believe them.”

  “Rumors? From whom?”

  Aiden smiled teasingly at Malcolm.

  “I don't reveal my sources, nosy. But what is she doing here? Now? I don't understand.”

  “Me neither. Well, at least we know that we're not about to get burned to a crisp. That's a relief.”

  As they watched, the dragon flapped her wings faster and swooped away, disappearing over the wall above the ruined gates. A moment later, the ground shook and bounced Aiden's limp body slightly as they felt the beast land outside.

  “She's grounded,” Malcolm exclaimed. “Does that mean that she's actually coming in? This is so weird.”

  As Aiden tried to answer, he found that he couldn't breathe deeply enough to make more than a wheezing sound. Malcolm's eyes widened with fright and he hunkered down closer to Aiden's face.

  “Stay with me, lad,” Malcolm implored him desperately. “Hey, come on now. We're about to meet a dragon! You don't want to miss that, do you?”

  Aiden could only blink in response. A tear trickled from the corner of his left eye and Malcolm gently brushed it away.

  “Well, if you aren't going out to say hello, I'm not either,” the big man told him. “After all, when you've seen one dragon, you've seen them all.”

  That comment drew a tiny smile from Aiden even as he fought to breathe. He was failing fast and both men knew it. And Malcolm could only kneel there helplessly and watch the only person he'd ever really loved fade away.

  The beast within him fought to take over as the big man's rage threatened to overwhelm him. He couldn't just let Aiden die. Not like this!

  Malcolm threw his head back, shaking with helpless anger and felt himself start to change.

  “Don't.”

  A mere breath of a whisper rose from Aiden's lips, but that was enough to stifle Malcolm's anger. His rage subsided as he looked down at his partner.

  Aiden's eyes said all that he needed to say. He did not want Malcolm to lose control, not here at the end.

  The big man leaned down and tenderly stroked Aiden's burned and scarred head.

  “I'm sorry, lad. I'm so sorry,” he said raggedly. “I won't give in to it, I promise you. Not here and now, or ever again. The monster will never control the man.”

  Aiden's lips twitched in an almost smile and then his eyes closed.

  Malcolm felt a stab of panic and he laid his head on Aiden's chest. He could barely hear the heart as it struggled to keep beating and he knew that it was almost time.

  'Malcolm, pick Aiden up and bring him to me.'

  The big man looked around, trying to find the source of the voice that he'd only heard in his head.

  “What? Who said that?” he asked in confusion.

  The main doors of the castle swung open and he saw Tamara leading members of the Council out into the courtyard. Before he could say anything to them, an unseen force seemed to stop them and sweep them back inside. The heavy doors slammed shut again, sealing the Council within.

  'Bring him to me, Malcolm,” the voice urged him. 'Through the broken gates. Hurry now. There is little time left.'

  Malcolm looked down at Aiden. He was almost gone. What harm would it do now to move him? None at all.

  He gently picked up the limp body and turned to face the gates. As Malcolm walked toward them, Aiden's head bumped softly against his chest.

  “I've got you, lad,” he whispered. “Don't you worry. I've got you.”

  Malcolm stepped over broken timbers and the burned remains of goblins, but he paid them no heed. He was looking ahead, trying to catch sight of the silver dragon. That was who had called him. It had to be.

  As he walked through the ruined arch, the sun set fully and the stars began to appear overhead. Their light seemed brighter than usual and Malcolm could see the ground beneath his feet. There was a crescent moon just rising over the horizon and all around him were the sounds of crickets.

  Malcolm stopped once he was clear of the debris of battle and looked around. He had expected to see the huge form of the dragon waiting in the field just outside of the castle, but he did not. For a moment, he could see nothing at all, just grasses waving in the gentle evening breeze.

  But then, as if stepping out of the night's shadows, a woman appeared, walking toward them through the long grass. She stopped a dozen yards away and waited.

  She was wearing a long gown that gleamed under the moon and stars as if it was made of silver. Her long pale hair was swept back and hung down below her shoulders. And as Malcolm began walking toward her, he realized just how tall the woman was. She towered over him and yet she was perfectly proportioned. If he hadn't already known what she was, Malcolm would have at least recognized her as something more than human.

  He stopped when he was several paces away and nodded his head.

  “Esmiralla?” he asked.

  “Ah, you know me,” the woman replied.

  Her voice was warm and friendly, but there was an echo to it that was definitely not human. It made Malcolm shiver.

  “That is good,” Esmiralla told him. “We do not have time for introductions. Aiden is slipping away.”

  The big man looked down at the pale face resting against his chest and felt another wrench of loss.

  “I know,” he said. “What do you want?”

  The question sounded harsh, but Malcolm was beyond caring. He resented not having Aiden to himself for these last few moments.

  Instead of answering, Esmiralla stepped forward and reached toward the injured man. She touched his head with one delicate fingertip and then returned to her original position.

  Malcolm frowned at the intrusion, but then he gasped as he watched Aiden open his eyes and look up at him.

  “Hey there,” Aiden said, his voice almost as strong as it had ever been. “What's going on?”

  He turned his head to look around and saw Esmiralla standing a few yards away, watching him steadily.

  “I think that I know you,” Aiden said hesitantly. “Don't I?”

  Malcolm found his voice. He'd been struck dumb for a moment by Aiden's response to the dragon's touch.

  “You were right,” he said. “It was Esmiralla that we saw. How... How are you feeling?”

  Aiden frowned as he looked down at his own body.

  “I don't feel anything,” he said, sounding puzzled. “I can't move my arms or legs, just my head, but there's no pain and I'm breathing easily. Lady, is this your doing?”

  Esmiralla nodded once, her beautiful face empty of expression.

  “Yes,” she replied. “I have lent you some of my energy for a short time. It is important that you are awake and aware at this moment.”

  “So he isn't healed?” Malcolm asked her, feeling a crushing disappointment.

  “No. I am sorry, but that is something I cannot do. I am not a healer. But I can strengthen others for a time and this I have done.”

  “Why?” Aiden asked her. “And why me?”

  Esmiralla looked at each man, her piercing gaze locking on to each of them for a long moment as if she was reading their souls. Perhaps she was.

  “I have been sent here on behalf of someone you both know,” she finally answered. “There is a war coming, you see. Not a small skirmish like this one,” she said as she nodded toward the ruined gates and the scores of goblin corpses. “But a struggle between good and evil that will decide the future of all worlds. And I am here to offer you a place on the side of the forces of the Light.”

  She spoke directly to Aiden and he looked back at her in disbelief.

  “Me? Lady, I am done. Surely you know that as well as I do. After all, you had to lend me your strength just so we could speak to each other. I am of no use to you or to anyone. I wish that I was. You'd do better to make your offer to Malcolm.”

  She looked at Malcolm, a smile dancing brief
ly across her lips.

  “Malcolm has his own destiny,” Esmiralla said firmly. “And even if he did not, recruiting him for this venture would alert our enemies to our plans. We cannot risk that. Only those who are on the brink of death can be offered this opportunity. We must be devious if we are to have any chance of winning against the lords of Chaos.”

  “You are going to go to war against gods?” Malcolm asked in amazement. “Is that even possible?”

  “If we are wise and careful and build up our forces slowly, then I believe that it is,” the silver dragon replied. “But we must be patient and play the long game. That is why I prevented your Council from intruding on us. And it is why I am blocking their attempts to spy on us magically even now. They must not know what I do, and I would like your promise,” she looked at Malcolm, “that you will not tell them what has transpired here.”

  The big man stared at her suspiciously.

  “And if I don't swear to stay silent, what will you do?” he asked truculently.

  “Do? I will do nothing,” Esmiralla replied calmly. “But you will know that, by your actions, you may have doomed your people and all of those who follow the Light to fall before the Darkness. And that burden will rest on your shoulders, warrior, not on mine.”

  The big man shook his head irritably.

  “You're very clever, aren't you?” he said.

  “Not clever, merely old,” the dragon replied, really smiling for the first time. “But we are running out of time, or rather, you are,” she told Aiden. “You must make your choice now or risk passing from this world before I can save you.”

  “Can you save him?” Malcolm asked quickly. “You said that you aren't a healer.”

  “That is true. But our forces are not gathering here in the mortal plane. We are assembling out in the Void. And there, your friend's wounds can be healed and his life force restored. He will be his old self again, with all of his strength and skill intact.”

  Malcolm looked down at Aiden and smiled.

  “Sounds like a good deal to me,” he said softly. “What do you think?”

  Aiden watched Esmiralla closely.