A few minutes later, Clara was sitting on her sofa, mirror in hand and staring at Simon and the elementals.
“Clara, this is Anaposus. Ana for short. Ana, may I introduce Clara, the leader of Nottinghill.”
“More of a figurehead, actually,” the cleric said with a smile. “I'm pleased to meet you, Ana.”
“The honor is mine, lady cleric,” the water elemental said as she bowed deeply.
“So Simon, you are getting quite the full house now, aren't you?” Clara said, teasing him. “And after telling me how much you preferred living alone.”
Simon reddened a bit.
“I know. It just sort of...happened, I guess.” He looked at Ana. “She does seem to keep the boys a lot calmer though.”
“Hey!” Aeris protested. “I don't think I like being called a boy. I'm quite old, you know.”
“Fine,” Simon said. “Gramps then. Anyway, Ana and I were talking about what happened in Moscow and...well, I'll let her talk.”
“Lady,” the water elemental began, “the paladin, Liliana, claimed that when Simon tried to contact her before his journey, she blocked his attempt. I have worked with clerics and paladins in the ancient past. One of my masters was a friend to several. But never have I heard of them being able to block or negate spells. This woman also asserted that you too could do this; stop a wizard from contacting you. So our question is, can you do that?”
Clara looked a little mystified.
“Why would she say that?” she muttered.
“You mean it's not true?” Simon asked.
The cleric looked at him.
“Of course it's not true. Clerical prayers and magic spells are totally different. I could no more block your communication spells than you could block my healing powers. They are quite simply incompatible.” She shrugged. “I know that the source is the same, the gods of Light, but that is the only thing that they have in common.”
“So you are saying that the paladin lied, lady,” Ana stated flatly.
Clara's eyes widened.
“I am, aren't I? But that's not possible. A paladin cannot tell a lie. Their oaths to the gods prohibit it. If they tell even one falsehood, their powers would be stripped from them.”
“Wow, that's a bit harsh, isn't it?” Simon asked.
“Is it? My friend, a paladin is well nigh unstoppable in battle. They heal themselves as they fight, automatically. Their weapons and armor are imbued by the gods with powers over evil. They are the ultimate warriors against darkness. And all of this power is given to them for one simple vow; to be virtuous. That means speaking the truth, aiding the helpless and, something that might be harder for some than for others, remaining celibate. Now, is it so much to ask?”
Simon thought about it. Put like that, it sounded like more than a fair trade. And he had seen Liliana heal right before his eyes. Her limp had disappeared. Her armor had been repaired and shone like new. It had been an amazing sight.
“I believe that the question we must ask ourselves, then, is this,” Ana said to both him and Clara. “Why would she risk these powers to lie to Simon? What would be the benefit?”
The cleric and the wizard looked at each other for a moment and then Clara turned to the water elemental.
“What do you think?”
“Me? Well, lady, I don't think my opinion matters. However, since you asked, I believe that the paladin is hiding something.”
“Yeah, that makes sense,” Simon said thoughtfully. “But what? I don't think for a second that she harmed her own people. And I saw the results of her battle with the drakes when she got back to her outpost. So what the hell could she be hiding?”
“It all comes back to that dragon, sir wizard,” Ana said.
He nodded. “It does, doesn't it?”
“What dragon?”
Simon looked at Clara.
“Oh sorry. I thought I mentioned seeing a dragon when I was in Moscow.”
“You did. But didn't you say that it flew by and didn't attack?”
“Yes. However, thanks to Kronk, I think that there's more to it than that. I think that the dragon landed somewhere in the vicinity, right after it flew over us.”
“But...” Clara seemed baffled. “If that's the case, why weren't you attacked?”
“Exactly the question that Ana and I have been asking ourselves.” Simon said flatly. “The dragon landed and a few minutes later, Liliana appeared, injured and blood-splattered from her fight with the drakes. What is the connection?”
There was a long silence.
“Is it possible that the paladin has somehow allied with this dragon?”
Clara peered out of the mirror while Simon and Ana turned to stare.
“What?” Aeris asked, holding up his hands. “I know it sounds absurd. I'm just throwing it out there. Dragons aren't mindless beasts, you know, as much as we'd like to think they are. The primals aren't the only ones with brains. They are simply the eldest and most powerful.”
“You know, you've come up with some odd ideas in the past, but this? This is beyond nuts,” the wizard said in disbelief.
Aeris scowled but before he could respond, Clara cut him off.
“Wait, Simon. Before you dismiss the idea out of hand, let's consider it for a moment.”
“What? A paladin making an alliance with a dragon? That's insane.”
“Is it? As Aeris has pointed out, they are not simply beasts. They are individuals. Who knows what each dragon's motives are?”
Ana was shaking her head.
“Forgive me, lady, and you as well, Aeris, but it is impossible. The dark gods created the dragons by spawning their queen. She in turn passes their orders along to her children, the primals, who do the same to their minions. They are all connected. If a dragon should betray its maker, as crazy as that sounds, the primal would know instantly. They are the trees and their offspring are the leaves. They are linked one to the other.”
“Exactly,” Simon added. “When a primal dies, as we've already seen, its 'children' die with it. Cut off the head of the snake and the body dies. Sorry Aeris,” he added. “It was an intriguing thought, but it's impossible. No dragon would ally itself with a paladin.”
“Yes, well, I was just throwing a theory out there. Does anyone have another?”
Simon heard the sound of knocking and looked around. It was coming from the mirror.
Clara got up, putting down her mirror for a moment and then returned to view.
“I'm sorry, guys, but I have to go. One of my people slashed her leg open with a hoe, apparently. I have to heal her right away. Listen, if you come up with any more theories or anything happens, call me. Okay?”
“Will do, Clara. Good luck.”
She smiled and Simon shook the mirror to break the spell.
“Well, at least we accomplished one thing,” he told the elementals. “We learned that Liliana actually did lie to me. The next two questions that leap to mind are: why, and has she lost her powers?”
“If she has, alone in that ravaged city, then she is in great danger,” Ana told him.
“Yes, I know.”
Simon absently tapped the back of the mirror where it lay on the table.
“I wonder if I should call her? I mean, we don't actually know why she lied, do we? There could be a perfectly logical explanation. I don't like the idea that she may be trapped in Moscow without her powers.”
“My dear wizard, sometimes I feel despair when you talk like that.”
Aeris fixed him with a look of pity.
“You yourself have connected that woman with a dragon. What the connection is, we don't know. But we do know that she lied to you, breaking her oath as a paladin.”
The wizard looked at him blankly.
“So?” he asked.
“So?” Aeris zipped forward until he was floating almost nose to nose with Simon, who jerked back in surprise.
“You. Can't. Trust. Her! Don't you see that? Added to that is the fact that she
doesn't want your help. She told you that herself.”
“I must agree with Aeris, sir wizard,” Ana said, sounding regretful. “Perhaps her motives are pure, we don't know, and it is tragic that her people were killed, but you cannot force aid on someone who doesn't want it.”
Simon stood up and walked across the room to stand at the doorway.
He stared out at the beautiful day, weighing his options.
Nothing was clear. Certainly Liliana had been firm in her wish to be alone. And she had lied to him. Why? For what purpose? Could she be in league with the dragons?
He shook his head. No, that he would not believe. Her rage at the deaths of her friends had been genuine, of that he was sure. So what exactly was going on?”
The wizard turned around, walked back to the kitchen table and picked up his spell-book. His slipped it into a pocket of his robe, went back and picked up his staff and looked at the elementals.
“I'm going for a walk,” he told them. “I need to clear my head, think things out.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Ana said with a gentle smile.
“Did you want company?” Aeris asked, cocking his head to one side.
“No thanks. I'm talked out. I just want to let things percolate in my mind for a bit. See you both later.”
Simon went down the steps and turned left. He walked around the tower and out of the back gate, waving at one of the earth elementals who was walking the walls.
The little figure waved back and then the wizard was walking alone toward the lake.
His favorite route when he wanted to be alone and think was to wander slowly around the little lake. But today, for some reason, he decided to hike to Heather's old house.
There was a faint path through the woods and the deserted cottage was only an hour away, so it seemed as good a destination as any.
It was a relaxing walk and it seemed to take less than the usual amount time for Simon to reach the home of the late herb witch.
Heather had been perverted by the dark gods and had been Changed into a wizard. She had allied with the primal green dragon and had come close to killing Simon.
Through some good luck and guesswork, he had manged to destroy them both but it had been a near thing.
Now as he entered the clearing in front her dilapidated cabin and stood looking around, a cold shudder running down his spine. He had almost died here.
The herbs which Heather had grown were running wild around her untended garden. He was pleased that they could still be used, but it gave the place a crazy, haunted look.
He made his way carefully around bushes and stalks of greenery, a minty sweet smell in the air. It took him a few moments to reach the cabin and, when he did, he leaned on his staff and studied the building.
Why am I here, he wondered. This place had almost been the sight of his own death. It held no fond memories for him.
Simon glanced up at the roof of the small cottage. It was rapidly being covered with dead branches and pine needles and would probably collapse in a few years unless cleared off.
Let it collapse, he thought. I certainly don't care if it does.
He pushed back his hair and wiped his sweaty palms on his robe. Then, taking a deep breath, he shoved open the door of the cabin and walked inside.
The squeal of the hinges was shockingly loud as he entered and Simon winced, looking around furtively as if waiting for someone to jump out at him. But the place was deserted.
Shelves on the walls were filled with flower pots and small gardening tools, all covered with cobwebs now. There was a hole in the roof with a thick branch poking through it. It let in enough light so that the wizard could see easily enough.
Why am I here, he asked himself again. But of course the answer was clear enough.
Heather had betrayed her own kind and had allied with the dark gods. She had wanted power, and power she had been given.
In return, all she had to do was to turn on her own people and give Simon up to the dragons.
He smiled humorlessly. Easy enough, he thought. Just a simple trade. Yeah, right.
The similarities to Liliana's actions was chilling. But not the same, he told himself hurriedly. No, not the same.
The paladin hated the dragons, that was pretty obvious. And yet...
Simon shook his head. His thoughts were going around in circles. Time to head home.
He looked around one last time, determined that he would never come back to this sad, depressing place again, and a little flash of light caught his eye.
What?
He crossed the room, stepping over broken pieces of furniture and some scattered piles of leaves. On a high shelf, something was gleaming in the darkened room. He reached up cautiously and unhooked the object from the nail it had been hanging on.
He stepped back until he was standing under the hole in the ceiling and examined the small piece of metal.
It was a medallion or amulet of some kind. It was hanging on a delicate silver chain and was the size of a silver dollar.
Simon ran the tip of his finger over it curiously. One side was filled with minute writing, runes which he couldn't read. He flipped it over and his breath caught in his throat.
It was a stylized icon of a dragon. Coils twisted around and around leading to a snarling head in the center. He was reminded of old pictures of Chinese dragons; long, snaky creatures that seemed to swim through the skies rather than fly. Indeed, the small engraving had no wings that he could see.
The dragon's eyes were green chips, tiny emeralds perhaps. Long whiskers hung from its snout and its teeth were bared.
Simon continued to stare at the amulet as he wandered back outside. He stood in the sunlight, squinting at the medallion and trying to read the runes.
But it was useless. He'd examine it more carefully at home. He slipped the chain into his pocket, pulled the staff off of his back and chanted the Gate spell. With one last look around, he cast the spell and headed home with some relief.
Good-bye Heather, was his final thought.
Chapter 12
When Simon returned home, he was surprised to find that Aeris had made him dinner. Venison stew. As he walked into the tower, the smell made his mouth water and he looked at the fireplace to see a pot hanging over the fire, bubbling cheerfully.
The air elemental was stirring the stew gently and looked up as the wizard entered.
“Ah, good timing,” he said. “If you'd taken any longer to get back, it might have burned.”
“Aeris? You're cooking? You?”
“No, it's just an illusion. Of course I'm cooking. I do know how.”
Simon leaned the staff beside the door and wiped his feet before crossing the room to peek into the cast iron pot.
“Stew? Wow, it smells fantastic.”
“Really?” Aeris said with some surprise. “I mean, yes, of course it does. Now, get cleaned up before dinner. It's almost ready.”
“Yes Mom,” Simon said under his breath, grinning to himself as he turned toward the sink.
“What was that?” the elemental growled.
“Nothing. I'll get washed up.”
“You do that,” Aeris said firmly and then began stirring the pot again. He whistled under his breath and Simon suppressed another broad smile.
While he was eating, both Kronk and Ana showed up. The earthen said that he had finished planting the spring crops and that Ana had helped 'encourage' the ground water to dampen the earth so that the seedlings got off to a good start.
“Our new friend is proving very useful,” Kronk said enthusiastically as he smiled at Ana.
She dismissed his comment.
“I simply want to help wherever I can,” she told them. “Look at Aeris. He made dinner for you tonight, sir wizard. Some might see that as beneath the dignity of an elemental.” Aeris bristled a bit and then stared as Ana continued. “But I do not. He is being a useful member of this household. Can I do anything less?”
Aeris was l
eft smiling gratefully.
“I appreciate your chipping in.” Simon told her. “My mother used to say 'many hands make light work', and she was right.”
He took his plate to the sink, left it there to soak for a bit and sat down again, a full cup of tea in front of him.
“I'm glad you're all here,” he told the trio. He fished into his pocket and pulled out the amulet, still dangling from its silver chain, and set it down on the table in front of them.
“What do you guys make of this? I found it in Heather's old cabin today.”
“You went back to that accursed place?” Aeris asked incredulously.
“Yeah. I wanted to walk for a bit and I just, I don't know, ended up there. It was pretty creepy, to be honest.”
“”That is the home of the wizard that tried to kill you?” Ana asked him. She'd obviously heard the story by now.
Simon nodded silently.
She bent over to look at the amulet, along with Kronk and Aeris and then reached for it.
“May I?” she asked the wizard, who gestured for her to pick it up.
“Thank you.”
She held it at arm's length so that the others could examine it too. They were staring at the runes and exchanged a few glances and then Ana flipped it over.
There was a collective gasp from the three of them as they saw the image of the dragon. Ana fumbled the amulet and almost dropped it.
“I found it hanging on a nail inside the cabin. Any ideas on what it is or what it's used for?”
Aeris accepted the amulet from Ana and ran his hands along both sides of it. Then he handed it to Kronk, who did the same.
Simon took it back when they were done and then put it down on the table again.
“Well? Thoughts?”
Aeris gestured at Ana and she stared at the amulet as she began to speak.
“That thing has power, sir wizard. We can all feel it.”
She glanced at the other two, who nodded.
“But what that power is, whether for good or for evil, I cannot say.”
“Aeris?” Simon said. “What are your thoughts?”
“My thoughts?” He looked uncertain. “I think that I agree with Ana. There is power here, but it is...ambiguous? Yes, that's it. It is not directed. It simply is.”
Tales from the New Earth: Volume One Page 94