“Hmm? Oh, thank you, Simon.” She sipped and smiled appreciatively. “Lovely, as usual. What do I think?”
She looked down at the heart and her lips tightened.
“I think that this is a cursed piece of filth, to be quite honest with you.”
Her tone was one of disgust and Simon looked at her in surprise.
“Really? Why? I mean, I know that the dragons are evil but...”
The elf stood up, walked over to the kitchen table and pulled out a chair. She sat down and glowered at the heart.
“It's more than that.”
Simon sat down next to her and listened attentively.
“This...thing is still alive, in its own foul way. It is sucking magic from the very air around it and storing it for use by a dragon that no longer even exists.”
She shook her head in a quick gesture.
“It goes against the laws of nature. It is an abomination to me and would be to my people as well. It must be destroyed.”
“Yeah, well, that's the plan,” Simon said quietly. “But I wanted to wait until I had both in hand before doing that.”
“Because your magic will not return until both are destroyed?”
He nodded solemnly.
“Hmm, yes. That makes sense, I suppose.”
Ethmira finished her tea and stood up abruptly.
“Very well. The sooner I find that second heart, the sooner we can destroy these accursed things.”
As Simon stood up, she waved at him to be seated again.
“I mean no offense, my friend. But I travel over snow much faster than you travel through it. I will find the heart more quickly alone. Wait here in the warmth. I won't be long.”
“But how can you find it by yourself?” Simon objected as he sat down again. “Won't you need my help?”
“Again, no offense meant, but no. I will feel the heart drawing magic into itself when I am in its proximity. You've pointed me in the right direction. That is all the help I will need.”
She walked to the front door and opened it.
“While I am gone, give some thought on how we are supposed to smash these things. I'd guess that that will be much more challenging than finding them was.”
She left and closed the door firmly behind her.
Simon sat staring at the door for a minute, both grateful that he wouldn't have to slog through miles of snow and freezing temperatures, and a bit embarrassed that he was so useless.
Still, Ethmira was right. Finding the hearts was all well and good, but if he couldn't destroy them, it would be a waste of time.
He grabbed his winter gloves, went over and carried the heart back to the table. Then he sat down and contemplated the pulsing crystal.
He picked up the spoon he used to stir his tea and tentatively tapped one of the spikes. To his surprise, the crystal rang like a glass bell. He tapped a second spike and another tone rang out, but a different note this time.
Huh, he thought. If I practiced, maybe I could learn to play a song on the bloody thing.
With a snort, he dropped the spoon and stood up.
Time to get that hammer and chisel from the basement, he decided and headed for the stairs.
It couldn't have been more than an hour later when Ethmira pushed open the front door, followed by a blast of frigid air and walked into the room.
Simon had been tapping the heart at different spots with the hammer and jumped up with surprise, as if he'd been caught doing something naughty.
Ethmira grinned at his reaction as she slammed the door closed and then held up a package wrapped in thick cloth. Where she'd gotten the material, he had no idea.
“I found the horrid thing,” she said with a touch of pride and, after stomping the snow off of her feet on the doormat, walked across to the table and set her prize beside the heart.
She unwrapped it and Simon stared at the revealed heart with some surprise.
Unlike the first crystalline ovoid, this dragon heart was almost yellow, with veins of green shot through it. It had the same spiky appearance as the other, and was also pulsing with a steady beat.
Once she unwrapped the heart, Ethmira sat down and stared at them both. She looked tired and Simon hurried to make her a cup of tea.
“I find it interesting to know that dragons actually burn up when they die,” she said idly as she looked from one heart to the other.
Simon handed her some tea and sat down.
“Red dragons burn up,” he reminded her. “The black actually exploded when it shorted out in the deep water of the river.”
“Hmm, good point. I wonder how the others meet their ends. I'd like to be a part of as many dragon deaths as possible.”
The wizard was slightly chilled by her eager tone of voice.
“You really hate them, don't you?” he asked quietly.
She turned to look at him and Simon was surprised to see tears shining in her eyes.
“Yes, my friend. I really do. The dragons and their minions destroyed almost all of my people millennia ago. The remnants only survived because our Elders found a way to retreat through the veil between worlds to a new homeland.”
She turned and looked deeply into the flames in the fireplace, her expression grim.
“Mortals like the humans and the dwarves know that they have a set time upon the Earth. They know that death is inevitable. But for an immortal to die, not through accident or disease, but through wanton violence, well...the grief of my people is unending.”
Ethmira looked at Simon again and smiled at his expression.
“Why do you think we are helping you? Your people, these Changlings as you call yourselves, are doomed by the same powers that almost wiped out my own race. We cannot, we will not, stand idly by and allow that to happen. Not again.”
Simon stared at her in amazement.
So that's why they watch me so closely, he thought.
He was touched by Ethmira's concern, and that of her people, and tried to stammer out a thank you. She just smiled and held up a hand.
“I just wanted you to know why we do what we do, Simon. And now that I've explained that,” she looked at the pair of pulsing hearts, “let's destroy these damned things, shall we?”
Chapter 5
Ethmira stood up and looked at the hammer and chisel that Simon had brought up from storage. She raised an eyebrow and stared at the tools.
“You think you can break the hearts with those?” she asked doubtfully.
Simon rose as well and picked up the tools.
“Well, I don't know,” he answered a little defensively. “I figured that it would be a place to start, at least.”
She simply shrugged and stepped back.
“Go ahead then. Let's see if they're as fragile as they appear to be.”
Simon felt a bit ridiculous as he slipped on his gloves and put the end of the chisel against the base of one of the spikes. Ethmira obviously didn't think this was going to work, and he was inclined to agree with her. But like he'd said, you had to start somewhere.
“Okay,” he said as he gritted his teeth. “Here goes nothing.”
He raised the hammer and slammed it down on the flat end of the chisel. The crystal rang out like a peal of bells and the chisel shot out of his hand and spun across the room to land in a corner.
Simon felt the vibration of his strike shoot up his arm and send painful tingles throughout his entire body. He held on to the hammer with an effort and waited for the shaking to subside.
“Well, that didn't work,” Ethmira commented, unnecessarily, he thought.
“No, it didn't, did it?” he said with a touch of sarcasm.
She shot him a look and he shrugged, embarrassed.
“At least we know it's harder than it looks,” Simon said.
He peered at the spike he had hit and couldn't find even a scratch.
“Any other ideas?” the elf asked. She sounded genuinely curious and Simon could only shrug again.
“Not r
ight off hand. You?”
“Perhaps,” she answered thoughtfully, tapping her lower lip with a forefinger.
“Although it looks like crystal, it obviously isn't,” she continued. “I'd guess that it is closer in structure to diamonds.”
Simon put his hands on the table and leaned in close to the reddish heart.
“That's a good guess. The question is, how do you destroy a diamond?”
Ethmira began to pace back and forth a few steps, frowning at the floor as she walked.
“I believe there are two ways to crack a diamond,” she said, still pacing. “One you just tried; hitting it sharply with an edged tool to break it. That didn't work. The other way is to strike it with something as hard as itself.”
“As hard as itself?”
Simon chuckled and Ethmira stopped and looked at him curiously.
“Sorry,” he said. “But since I don't have any large diamonds just lying around in a drawer someplace, I think we're out of luck.”
Now it was the elf's turn to laugh.
“But Simon, you do have just such a thing.”
“I do?”
She nodded at the pulsing hearts and suddenly he realized what she meant.
“Of course!” he exclaimed with a wide grin. “The only thing as strong as one heart is another one. Why didn't I think of that?”
“You would have, Simon,” Ethmira said in a friendly manner. “In time. Now the bigger question is, how do we smash one heart against the other with enough force to shatter them both?”
Both of them silently contemplated the pair of glittering, pulsing hearts for a few minutes, trying to think of a solution.
How do you use a crystal that weighs about twenty pounds to shatter another one just like it?
Simon could think of only one way, but it seemed a bit stupid and he waited for Ethmira to voice her own ideas.
Unfortunately the elf remained silently puzzled and finally Simon cleared his throat to get her attention.
“You have an idea?” she asked hopefully.
“Well, yeah. I do. But it might sound a little silly, to be honest.”
Ethmira made a reassuring gesture.
“Simon, at this point, silly could be just what we need. Please don't think I was judging you earlier when you tried to break the heart with that tool. It was an honest attempt, after all. I didn't believe it would work, true, but that doesn't mean it wasn't worth trying.”
The wizard had to smile. Obviously the elf could read him better than he thought.
“Okay then, here it is. If we place one of the things at the base of the tower, and brace it so that it doesn't move, couldn't we just drop the other one on top of it from the roof? I mean, it might take a few tries to hit it, but we certainly have the time.”
Ethmira stared at him for a long moment and Simon could feel his face getting hot.
At last she smiled broadly and shook her head.
“Yeah,” he said, looking away and feeling stupid. “I know it's a dumb idea but...”
“Simon, that's brilliant!”
He stared at her in surprise.
“What?”
“Brilliant. Why didn't I think of that? It's so obvious.”
“You would have. In time,” he told her with a mischievous grin.
The elf laughed.
“Perhaps.”
She glanced at one of the frosted windows.
“We have a few hours of daylight left. Let's make the best of them, shall we?”
“Sounds good. How do you want to do this?”
She thought a moment.
“I think we should take both of the things to the roof. Then we can drop one off, see where it lands and make that spot our target.”
Simon's eyes lit up.
“Hey, good idea!”
He put on his coat and gloves and picked up one heart while Ethmira wrapped up the second one in the length of cloth she had.
Simon led the way to the stairs and they climbed up toward the roof.
It took a few minutes to force the trapdoor open again. It had frozen shut and was covered with about a foot of snow.
But finally they stood in the blowing wind, the air cutting through Simon's coat and making him shudder.
“Which side should we use?” he asked the elf.
She turned toward the west. The sun was descending toward the horizon, but darkness was still a good two hours away.
“The wind is coming from that direction,” Ethmira said, “so let's use the opposite side of the tower. That way the drop shouldn't be affected by it.”
“Sounds good,” Simon replied and walked over to stand by the eastern edge of the parapet. He looked over and down to the ground and could see the path he'd worn in the snow where he walked around the building to the stables each day.
“Shall I?” he asked her and nodded downward.
“Go ahead. Just try to let it fall naturally instead of throwing it. Probably the best way to get a consistent result.”
“Got it.”
Simon held the heart over the edge of the parapet, its weight making his arms tremble with effort. Then he held his breath and released it.
Both of them watched the flashing crystal drop like a stone, spinning slightly as it fell. It landed on the soft snow beside the path and disappeared from sight. It didn't bounce.
“Perfect, Simon,” Ethmira said as she stared downward. “That is our spot. Here.”
She handed him the second heart in its wrapping.
“I'll go down and clear away the snow from the one below. Then you can make your first attempt.”
Simon looked at her solemnly.
“Let's hope it's our first and last attempt.”
She laughed.
“Doubtful, my friend. But I don't mind running up and down stairs.”
She pulled open the trapdoor, gave Simon a little wave and slipped inside, closing the door after her.
The wizard waited impatiently for Ethmira to get to the ground floor and around the base of the tower. While he waited, he unwrapped the ovoid and tucked the cloth into an inside coat pocket.
It took the elf a remarkably short time to appear below and he watched as she brushed away the snow from the heart.
It seemed to have impaled itself into the frozen ground and Simon's guess was confirmed when he saw his friend give the crystal a prod with the toe of her shoe. It didn't move.
“It's stuck into the ground,” she yelled up at him. Simon nodded.
“I noticed,” he called back. “At least it won't move between attempts.”
“Good point.”
Ethmira backed several yards away from the heart and then waved up at Simon.
“Any time you're ready.”
“Okay,” he shouted. “Here goes.”
He stood in the same footsteps he'd left when he dropped the first heart, and held the second one out over the edge.
I think it was about here, he thought, then with a quick wish for luck, he opened his hands and dropped the crystal.
He leaned over the parapet quickly and watched at the heart tumbled and flashed as it fell.
Maybe the gods of Justice were watching, or perhaps fate decided to cut him a break for once, but the heart smashed into its counterpart with an ear-shattering crash.
Ethmira flung herself to the ground and covered her head as shards of crystal flew in all directions. At the point of impact, an intense pulse of light shot outward, momentarily blinding Simon who had been watching closely.
“Damn it!” he said as he staggered back and closed his watering eyes. Spots danced against his eyelids and he wiped away tears and blinked rapidly to clear away the afterimages.
“Simon! Are you all right?” Ethmira shouted from down below.
He moved slowly back to the parapet and squinted down at her, his vision still a bit blurry.
“I'm okay. Are you? Did any of those pieces hit you?”
She pushed a finger through a hole in her leather
jacket, next to her elbow.
“One shot right through. Didn't hit me though, luckily. Come down, would you? And bring your shovel with you.”
Simon turned and walked to the trapdoor. His vision was back to normal and he heaved the heavy door open, slipped through and locked it behind him.
Why does she want a shovel, he wondered as he hurried down the stairs.
He grabbed the implement from where he'd left it beside the front door and then went outside and around the tower to where Ethmira was waiting.
She grinned broadly at him.
“You did it, my friend,” she said with satisfaction.
Simon shook his head.
“We did it, you mean. Without your help, it might have been spring before I found that second heart.”
She waved away his comment.
“Either way, we've destroyed the infernal things. I'm relieved to know that.”
She motioned for the shovel and Simon handed it to her and watched curiously.
Ethmira used the tip of the shovel to pushed through the snow and spoke to him as she searched,
“The fragments that exploded at the moment of impact flew all over the place. You'll have to gather them up eventually and bury them, or risk injuring yourself or the horses some day in the future.”
“Oh, I see. Good point. I'll dig around over the next few days and find what I can. Any I can't find will show themselves come spring.”
“True enough,” she agreed but kept poking and prodding the snow.
“Um, so why are you still looking for them?” Simon asked in confusion.
“I'm actually looking for one in particular, of a certain shape.”
She found several shards and handed them to Simon with the shovel. He took each one and put it in a coat pocket.
Finally, Ethmira gave a little exclamation of satisfaction and examined a piece a little larger than the others.
“Yes, this will do nicely.”
She extended the shovel and offered him the shard, its sharp edges making it too dangerous for her to pick up with her bare hands.
Simon took it and looked at it closely.
It was a piece from the more yellowish of the hearts. Veins of green swirled within it and the violent shattering of the structure had snapped a hole through the center, making it look like a lopsided crystal donut.
Tales from the New Earth: Volume One Page 48