“But that lich, Madam, claimed that she caught Sarah and the others and turned them into undead.”
The elemental snorted.
“That creature was a liar, master. Nothing she said could be trusted. I think it is quite possible that the Changling and her people survived. The question is, did they survive to become something monstrous?”
“Hmm.”
Simon watched the fire and then leaned forward, picked up a small log from the pile beside the fireplace and set it carefully on top of the burning wood.
“I have to admit that this information from Aeris disturbs me a great deal, Kronk. Changlings were supposedly created, not by the dark gods, but by the gods of Justice. We are supposed to be a counter to the evil gods, to try to stop them from returning to this world. But if these monsters are Changlings, then they may have been altered by the gods of Chaos. You see what that means?”
Kronk looked up at him and tilted his head to the side slightly.
“I think so, master. They are turning the Changlings against each other, corrupting the power of the gods of Light.”
Leave it to the little guy to see what Simon was getting at.
“Exactly, my friend. And that is terrifying. If true, then these dark gods must have known what their counterparts were doing and twisted it to their own purposes. Maybe they've just been playing with us all along.”
Simon felt a sense of despair settle over him. If his suppositions were correct, then he was just wasting his time trying to gain more power. The Chaotic gods were ahead of him and were simply stringing him, and all the others, along. It was a frightening revelation.
“Master, I think you are mistaken,” Kronk said firmly.
“What?”
“If these dark gods were in control from the beginning, then why would they send those dragons to attack the tower? Why would they send that lich to Nottinghill to draw you out? Those are not the actions of beings who are certain of their victory. They are acts of desperation and fear.”
Simon stared open-mouthed at his little friend. He was tempted to laugh at the absurdity of the idea that beings as powerful as the gods of Chaos would be afraid of any human, let alone him. But Kronk looked quite serious.
“Do you actually believe that?” he asked.
“Yes, I do, master,” Kronk said sincerely. “I have watched you closely over the last few years. I watched as your power grew last year. I saw you defeat a primal dragon. You, a human. I would never have believed such a thing was possible.”
Simon tried to interrupt but the little guy was having none of it.
“No, master. With all due respect, I know you will say that you tricked the black. But that doesn't matter. It is dead. You are not. And then I watched as you destroyed two more dragons. Not primals, no, but dragons nonetheless. After you lost your powers due to the treachery of the dark gods, I watched as you fought your way back. You are close now. Close to where you were at the height of your powers last year. And that is all your doing, master.”
Kronk looked at the wizard in admiration and Simon felt himself starting to blush.
“You make it sound more impressive than it was,” the wizard muttered uncomfortably.
“Do I?” Kronk smiled up at him. “Well, it's been impressive to me, master. I am proud to serve you. Great things are coming and I have the privilege of being involved, in a very small way.”
Simon settled into his chair and allowed the warmth of the fire to wash over him. He wasn't about to buy into Kronk's belief that he was going to be the one to stop those faceless gods watching from the Void. But maybe, just maybe, he could play a small role in upsetting their plans. That would definitely be satisfying.
“I'm just going to do what I can, my friend,” he told the elemental. “If it helps in the overall battle, so much the better. But I can't look at the big picture. It's enough that I try to keep my own small piece of the world as safe as I can.”
“That is all anyone can do, master,” Kronk said agreeably.
The following morning, Simon was up early. His sleep had been disturbed by his concern for Aeris. He had a feeling that the air elemental's self-confidence could get him into trouble.
And so he was up shortly after dawn. He surprised Kronk by appearing in the stable and helping him feed and water the horses. He shoveled up the manure into the wheelbarrow and pushed it around the back of the building to dump it on the pile.
After getting washed up, Simon went upstairs to his study and, on a whim, grabbed an old gaming book at random and read through it idly. When he reached a page that listed wizard spells, he scanned through it with some surprise.
So many of the spells that the game players had made up were almost the same as actual real spells, he thought in wonder.
He frowned as he read through the list. Then he stood up and slowly walked downstairs, reading as he went, and absently began to make some tea.
When Kronk walked in some time later, he found the wizard nose-deep in the book, muttering to himself as he read.
“Interesting reading, master?” he asked as he hopped up on to the kitchen table.
“Hmm?” Simon looked up from the book and stared vaguely at the little guy. “Did you say something?”
Kronk tip-tapped across the table and nodded at the book.
“I asked if the book was interesting, master,” he said with a smile. “Obviously it is.”
Simon blinked a few times and then grinned in a slightly dazed way.
“Yeah, you could say that. Take a look.”
The elemental moved around to stand by Simon's shoulder and followed the wizard's finger as he traced the list of spells set out in a table.
“Over half of these spells are real,” he told the little guy in amazement. “Isn't that wild?”
“Why, master?” Kronk asked curiously. “It is a spell list, is it not?”
“Yes, but they're spells that were made up back in the days of technology. None of these spells worked back then. They were used in games.” At the elemental's blank look, Simon tapped the book in exasperation. “They came up with real spells! How did they do that?”
Kronk's eyes widened.
“Oh, I see!” he said and leaned forward to look closely at the spells printed in the book.
“Magic Missile. Fireball. Lightning. So many others.”
He looked wonderingly at Simon.
“How did they know?”
“That's just it; I have no idea. But look.”
The wizard pointed at the Magic Missile spell and at the page number next to it. He flipped rapidly through the book until he found that page and spread the book wide so that Kronk could see what was there.
“Look at the incantation,” he said, his voice thin with intensity.
Kronk peered at the words written plainly in English. Then he looked up at Simon with wide eyes.
“It's the proper spell,” he whispered.
“I know,” Simon agreed.
His knuckles were white as he gripped the edges of the book.
“What book is that, master? Where did you get it?”
Simon closed the tome and showed Kronk the cover.
A colorful mixture of pastels illustrated a rather childish picture of a wizard. He had a long, white beard and had his hands raised. His blue robe swirled around him and some unidentifiable monster was rearing up in front of him.
“Not a very good picture, is it?” the elemental said with a frown.
“Yeah, I know. It looks like a kid's book.”
Kronk was examining the cover.
“But what is it called? And who wrote it?”
Simon checked the spine of the book, but it was blank. Then he opened the cover and looked at the first few pages.
“Okay, that's weird,” he said, puzzled. “There's no title, no author name and no publishing information. Usually there's a copyright notice in the front somewhere, but there's nothing here.”
The wizard set the tome down, finishe
d his tea and stared at the book. He pulled at his lower lip thoughtfully.
“You know, I don't remember buying this thing. In fact, I don't even remember packing it up with the rest of my books when I moved my library here, a few months before the modern world was destroyed.”
Kronk ran his little hands over the book slowly, as if testing its texture. He finally stood up and looked at Simon, his expression unreadable.
“We need Aeris,” he said shortly.
Simon raised an eyebrow.
“We do? Why?”
The elemental gave the book a little kick.
“Because, master, I think you have been given a gift. I think the gods of Light are being sneaky, again, and helping you under the very noses of their evil cousins.”
“Wait. You're saying you think the gods gave me this? Just like that?”
“No master, not just like that. You do not have so many books that you would not have seen this one before now. I think that they have been waiting for their opportunity, waiting for the gods of Chaos to be distracted before sneaking this by them.”
Simon got up and poured himself more tea. He leaned back on the counter and looked at Kronk, without really seeing him.
“Distracted,” he mused aloud. “Distracted like maybe during that attack on Nottinghill by Madam and her undead followers?”
Kronk smiled tightly.
“Exactly, master.”
The wizard sat down again and opened the book. He found the list of spells and ran his finger down them.
“But then why are only half of these spells real ones?”
The elemental looked at the list.
“Why do you think that only some of them are real, master?”
“Well, because, you know. I've never heard of some of these. Invisibility? Really? Featherfall? What the heck is that?”
Kronk chuckled, a deep rumbling in his chest and Simon looked at him with surprise.
“Wait a second,” he said. “You're saying that they're all real?”
“I'm not sure about all of them, master. That is why you need to speak to Aeris. He knows much more about magic than I do. But I have heard of an Invisibility spell. And I have seen the Featherfall spell used. It was useful, of course, but it was also used as a practice spell for young wizards.”
Simon leaned forward on his forearms and frowned down at the open book.
“So what does it do?”
“Just as it sounds, master,” Kronk answered with a shrug. “It protects the caster if they should fall from a great height. It was also a favorite of those young trainee wizards for getting from the top of a tall building to the ground.”
He smiled a bit wistfully.
“It was something of a bother to their parents, as I recall.”
Simon laughed, delighted.
“Yeah, I can see how it could be. So all of these spells,” he paused and counted the list, “all twenty of these spells may be the real thing? Amazing.”
“We won't really know until Aeris returns, master,” the little guy said.
“Good point. It's a bit early to call him, but I've been worried that he might get himself into trouble out there. I might as well go ahead and contact him now.”
Simon picked up the book and headed for the door. He preferred being outside as much as possible now that the weather was more comfortable.
The wizard opened the door, walked out and sat down on the front steps. He easily recalled the Magic Mouth spell, chanted it steadily and invoked the spell.
“Aeris? Are you there?”
There was a long silence. Simon felt a twinge of concern but cleared his throat and spoke again.
“Hey Aeris! Are you ignoring me now?” he said in a joking manner.
No answer.
“Damn it, Aeris. Talk to me! What's happening?”
A tapping sound from behind him announced Kronk's arrival.
“Is something wrong, master?”
Simon looked at the little guy standing next to his right knee.
“He's not answering. Either the spell's failed or there's a problem.”
“Or he can't answer at the moment. If he's in a dangerous situation, he wouldn't answer, would he?” Kronk stated practically.
“Hmm, good point.”
Simon stood up abruptly.
“It doesn't matter though. I want him back here now. If he's mad about being recalled too soon, well, that's tough.”
He canceled the Magic Mouth spell, walked down the steps and stared at a spot on the grass a few feet away.
“Aeris,” he said in a commanding voice, “I need you!”
There was a momentary pause and then a blast of wind, accompanied by a loud crack, slammed into Simon and he staggered back, almost tripping on the steps behind him.
“What the...?” he exclaimed.
The spot where he had pictured Aeris appearing was suddenly stripped bare of grass. Dirt flew up in all directions.
What followed was an eerie silence and then Simon heard an almost inaudible groan. He dropped the book and rushed forward with Kronk on his heels and found Aeris lying sprawled on the ground.
He had never seen the elemental actually lying down before. The small figure looked flattened, as if he'd been crushed by something large and heavy and, when Simon fell to his knees and tried to touch him, his fingers went right though the transparent little body and touched the smoking ground underneath.
“Aeris? Can you hear me?” Simon asked frantically.
There was another painful groan, but the elemental didn't move or speak.
Simon looked desperately at Kronk.
“What can we do?” he blurted out.
The earthen stood next to Aeris and extended his hand, Like the wizard, Kronk couldn't touch his fellow elemental. He stared up at Simon.
“He is gravely injured, master. There is nothing that we can do to help him. He needs another airy one to lend him aid. One more powerful than himself.”
“Another air elemental?”
Kronk nodded rapidly.
“Fine, I can do that,” Simon said and jumped to his feet. He opened his mouth and was interrupted by his little friend.
“Wait, master! If you are about to do what I think you are, remember; we small ones are not considered important to our larger brethren. Summoning help may not do any good.”
Simon glared at Kronk.
“I don't care what his elders think. If they won't help willingly, then I'll have to do something that I'll probably regret.”
“Master?”
“I'll order them to help him, something I've never wanted to do.” He looked down despairingly at the crumpled figure of Aeris. “But for him, I will.”
The wizard threw back his head.
“Aethos, I summon you! Come to me now,” he shouted.
A distant rumble of thunder echoed across the field in front of the tower. A wind gust blew Simon's hair into his eyes and he shoved it roughly aside.
“I hope you have a good reason for summoning me, wizard. I have told you that I am not to be taken lightly, have I not?”
The voice, like a distant gale given speech, came from all around them.
Simon looked this way and that, trying to find its source.
“Yes, I have a good reason,” he cried out. He pointed at the broken body of Aeris. “My friend, one of your own people, has been injured. He needs help and I can't give it to him. Can you?”
A flash of dirty gray light announced the arrival of a cloudy, man-shaped figure, muscular and far larger than the wizard. It was hovering just above Aeris' body.
Whatever fears that Simon had had about asking for aid from the powerful elemental were quickly assuaged as Aethos made a gesture and Aeris rose from the ground, looking like a deflated balloon and flopping in the swirling wind that circled the large humanoid figure.
“Who has done this?” Aethos thundered. “How dare they attack one of mine!”
His eyes blazed as he carried Aeris
toward Simon, his expression demanding answers.
“We don't know, Aethos,” the wizard told him hurriedly. “When he didn't answer my call, I summoned him home and he appeared...like this.”
The air elemental stared keenly at Simon and then nodded.
“Very well. I shall get my information after this little one is healed.”
He nodded once more and vanished with a loud crack of imploding air.
“Hey, wait a...” Simon started to say, but the two elementals were gone. He stared at the naked earth where Aeris had been lying and then sighed, his shoulders slumping.
“Rest easy, master,” Kronk said reassuringly. “Aeris will be all right. In his own realm, he will receive the proper care, I'm sure.”
Simon moved to the steps, picking up the book he had dropped, and sat down heavily. His little friend walked over quickly and stood next to him.
“Thanks, bud. I know he will. It's just, well, that all happened so quickly. I'm a little dazed, I guess.”
Kronk patted him gently on the arm.
“I know, master. I am pleased that Aethos was so eager to help Aeris. I'm not sure that one of my elders would be as quick to aid me.”
Simon looked at him with raised eyebrows.
“Other earth elementals wouldn't help you?”
The little shoulders moved once in a small shrug.
“I doubt it, master. They never have before. I was wrong to believe that Aeris' people would treat him the same way. And I am happy to be wrong in this case. He's lucky to have them,” he added with a touch of sadness.
Chapter 14
The wizard found it hard to get anything done while worrying about Aeris. But going through the new spells he had discovered kept him a little distracted. Two new spells excited him the most: Magic Mirror and the Invisibility spell that he hadn't believed was real.
“Why does Magic Mirror interest you so much, master?” Kronk asked him as he stood on the desk in the wizard's study.
Simon sat with his chin resting on his hands as he read through what he had begun to think of as his new spell-book.
“A couple of reasons, I guess,” he told the little guy. “According to the description, the spell lets me talk to people at a distance, just like Magic Mouth. But I'll be able to see them at the same time. I find that it's a bit frustrating to be speaking to thin air when you're holding a conversation. So that's one thing. But apparently, I will be able to see places that I've never been before. That holds some interesting implications.”
Tales from the New Earth: Volume One Page 60