Aeris stopped moving and stared. Simon could have sworn that the elemental could actually see his face as he peered straight at him.
“What are you talking about?” he asked. “Your voice is strange. What are you hiding, my dear wizard?”
“Hiding? I'm not hiding anything. You do know me too well though. I've had some bad news from the other group of scouts and I wanted to tell you and your fellows about it right away.”
He didn't mention that it was because of Daniel's urging that he was calling in the first place. Some things were best left unsaid.
Simon repeated the tale of what had happened as concisely as he could and Aeris, who was already palely translucent, seemed to fade to gray. He listened quietly, bobbing up and down in the ocean breeze.
When the wizard had finished, the elemental looked off into the distance, obviously thinking hard.
“So that's why I wondered about strange mounds or creatures,” Simon told him.
“Yes, I can see that. Well, I think I might have an answer as to why these goblins,” and his voice thickened with emotion as he said the word, “haven't expanded into this territory.”
“Which is what?”
“I ran into one of my fellow scouts yesterday. Whereas my piece of this state extends along the shore from north to south, his chunk of territory runs east to west. He informed me that there was apparently some sort of catastrophic earthquake that hit this part of the country several years ago, possibly at the same time as the dragons began their attacks. Caused perhaps by the sudden influx of magic back into the world. At any rate, an entire section of land dropped away along the northwest edge of the state and the ocean rushed in, creating a barrier that would be very difficult to cross.”
“Wait,” Simon cut in. “What are you saying? That there's a strip of water separating Florida from the rest of the continent?”
“I'm saying, my dear wizard, that this former state is now, for all intents and purposes, an island, totally cut off from the mainland.”
“Well I'll be a son of a... Hang on. How do goblins feel about water?”
Aeris smiled crookedly.
“They detest it. Rain they can deal with, but in the old tales that I remember, they not only dislike open water, they simply cannot swim. Their bodies aren't, what is the word, buoyant? Yes, that's it. They aren't built to swim and only sink if dropped into deep water.”
“A weakness,” Simon said with a thrill of excitement. The shock of losing his scouts seemed to burn away from his mind as he realized that there might be a way to strike back at these monsters. Or at least a way to protect themselves.
“They have a weakness. Fantastic! Thanks, Aeris, you just made my day.”
“My pleasure, I suppose,” the elemental answered dryly. “No need to call the other scouts, by the way; not with that natural barrier in place. I'm almost done my sweep. If you'd like to recall me now, that's fine, but I will be finished in a few hours anyway and I'd rather be sure that I've scouted the full extent of my territory.”
“It's your call, Aeris. As long as it's safe, go ahead. I'll see you and the others when you get back.”
“Good. Oh and,” the elemental said, his voice becoming strangely gentle, “how did Brethia take the news of the loss of the scouts?”
“Just about the way you'd think,” Simon told him, feeling the pain well up inside him again. “She was upset, as was Sessa. But she hid it well enough. She wanted to get back to the realm of air to report to your leaders.”
“Ah yes. Good. She's always been strong, that one.”
Simon looked at Aeris speculatively. Was it possible that the elemental had feelings for Brethia? He had no idea. He knew that elementals had the same basic emotions as humans did, so it could be true. Simon also knew that it was none of his business and kept his thoughts to himself.
“Okay then. Come back when you're ready and you and the others can give me a full report so that I can pass it along to Clara and her people. And I am giving your fellow air elementals permission, this once, to return directly to the tower. So let them know.”
Aeris looked surprised but only nodded.
“Are you going to tell the cleric about the goblins?” he asked a bit slyly.
“Of course I am,” Simon stared at him. “God, what a question. Why would I keep something like that from them?”
“I am not saying you would, my dear wizard, but remember the old saying? Ignorance is bliss.”
“Yeah? Well, here's a new saying for you; ignorance can get you killed. Now, finish your scouting and we'll talk soon.”
“Understood.”
Simon shook the mirror and set it down, shaking his head.
Why on Earth would Aeris think that he wouldn't tell the people of Nottinghill about such a potential threat? Sometimes he wondered whether he really understood elementals as well as he thought he did.
Chapter 12
Kronk came back into the tower just as Simon was frying up some dried venison. He'd fired up the cast-iron stove and the heat from it wafted over him deliciously.
“You are using the stove, master?” the earthen asked with some surprise.
“Yep. It warms the place up nicely and it's a lot easier to cook on. Boiling water over the fire in the fireplace is fine, but using it to cook anything other than toast is a pain. I know I usually only use the stove for baking, but it's a nice change. Are we going to be okay for wood? The stove uses quite a bit.”
“Certainly, master. I can always get more. There are dead trees in abundance in the forest.”
“Glad to hear it. Thanks.”
He flipped the meat over and watched while Kronk jumped on to the table, some steam rising from the little guy's body in the warm air.
“How's everything outside?”
“Fine, master. My fellow earthen are patrolling as usual and the gates are sealed.”
“Good. That's good, Kronk. Thanks for checking. I'll admit, this crazy day has made me a little more nervous than usual.”
“I feel the same, master.”
Kronk watched the wizard cook for a few minutes.
“I also discussed my idea about making the gates more secure with the others, master,” he finally said as Simon carried the pan to the counter and slid the meat on to a plate. He set the pan aside and began slicing bread that he had baked the day before.
“And? What's the plan?”
“Well, I know it has been a hard day for you, master, but I actually got the idea from Brethia's drawings.”
Simon sat at the table with his plate and stared at the little guy.
“You're kidding. Really?” Kronk nodded. “Huh. Maybe we can get some sort of benefit from what happened then. So, tell me.”
He began slicing the hot meat and putting it on the bread.
The little guy slid the drawing of the goblin mound across the table so that the wizard could see it.
“Do you remember this arch, master?” he asked, tapping it with his foot.
Simon nodded silently, his mouth full of food.
“Well, it occurred to me that we could use something like it to make our gates more magically secure. If we build an arch over each gate,” Kronk said as he made a semi-circular gesture with both hands, “and you install a ward in the middle of these arches, the magic would seal the gate below it. The gates themselves would still work as they always do, but the ward would be permanent and would be connected with the entire wall.”
He looked at Simon hopefully, waiting for his opinion and the wizard hastened to swallow a huge mouthful of food. Tears sprang from his eyes as the meat scrapped painfully down his throat and he jumped up and pumped some water into a glass to wash it down.
“That's...” the wizard paused to catch his breath, “Brilliant, Kronk. Really brilliant! And it makes perfect sense. Permanent wards are the only way to protect the tower from whatever is roaming around out there in the world. Well done.”
“Thank you, master,” Kronk said, glo
wing with pride. “Are you all right though? It looked like you almost choked.”
Simon finished his water, filled the kettle and put it on the stove. The cast iron was still more than hot enough to heat the water.
“I'm fine. That'll teach me to eat too fast with no tea nearby,” he said ruefully. “Not to worry. Now, about these arches. Can they be built in cold weather like this or do we have to wait until spring?”
“That is not a problem, master. Earth elementals can shape rock and stone no matter the weather. It obeys our commands irregardless of the temperature. If you approve, my fellows and I will build the arches tomorrow and you can cast the wards on them before nightfall.”
“Excellent! Ah, my friend, you don't know how much you've cheered me up. When I spoke with Daniel a while ago, he, um, pointed out that I was overburdened with guilt, which I suppose is true. But at least you've let a little sunlight into my gloomy world.”
“Anything I can do to serve, master. You know that. Did you speak to Aeris as well?”
Simon poured hot water into a cup, added his dried tea and honey and sat down again.
“I did. It sounds like he'll be back by morning. I told him about the goblins and he explained that some sort of cataclysmic event had separated Florida from the rest of the continent and isolated it from the goblins. What do you think?”
Kronk smiled with delight.
“That is perfect, master! Goblins cannot swim! The people of Nottinghill could not have found a more secure spot to move to.”
“Yeah, my thoughts exactly. We'll wait until Aeris and the others get back before telling Clara and the others, though. There may be some other unpleasant surprises down there that haven't been reported yet.”
“That is true, master.”
Simon finished his tea, cleaned the dishes and set them out on the rack to dry.
“Keep an eye on the stove, would you?” he asked the earthen. “Just let the wood burn off inside. I won't be baking for another few days.”
“Of course, master.” the little guy responded and watched as Simon blew out all of the candles except for one that he always left burning on the mantel.
“I'm going to bed, my friend. It's been a draining, exhausting day and tomorrow may be even crazier. I might as well make it an early night.”
“That is a good idea, master,” Kronk said as Simon walked to the stairs. “Get your rest. My brethren and I will watch over you and our home.”
The wizard smiled affectionately at the elemental.
“I know you will, Kronk. See you in the morning.”
Simon was up bright and early the next day, which was unusual for him. He wasn't a morning person as a rule, but he woke up anticipating an interesting day and almost leaped out of bed.
Outside it was bright but bitterly cold and his first visit to the outhouse was a quick one. Afterward, Simon and Kronk chatted while he ate toast and jam and drank several cups of tea. They had decided that the earth elementals would begin work on the arches over the gates as soon as Aeris and the others returned from their scouting mission. Kronk was especially concerned that if the next winter storm was accompanied by a wave of wights, that the tower should be as secure as he and his people could make it.
“I do hope we don't have to wait for Aeris all day,” Kronk said to Simon.
He was standing on the kitchen table and his hard, stony foot was tapping impatiently against the table top. The sound was reminiscent of a hyper woodpecker attacking a tree and Simon was doing his best not to laugh. The earthen was normally the most patient person that he'd ever known and his eagerness was very amusing.
“He tends to get sidetracked on occasion, you know,” Kronk continued, his foot tapping away. Obviously he wasn't even aware that he was doing it and Simon was having a hard time drinking his tea because his barely-suppressed giggles were threatening to choke him.
“Why must you always complain about me behind my back?” a voice asked from across the room.
Simon and Kronk looked over at the stairs and saw Aeris and four other air elementals descend from the second floor and float in formation toward them.
“Well, hello there, everyone!” Simon exclaimed with a broad smile.
The elementals joined Kronk on the table and bowed as one, except for Aeris who simply nodded.
“Good morning, my dear wizard. As you can see, we are back. And we didn't even get sidetracked,” he added with a roll of his eyes at the earthen.
Kronk stopped tapping his foot and gave an irritable twitch of his shoulders.
“You are known to be a little flighty is all I meant,” he said gruffly and turned to look at Simon. “Master, now that Aeris has returned, we will begin work right away.”
“Go ahead,” the wizard told him. “Let me know when you're done and I'll create some new wards.”
“I will, master. Thank you.”
The little guy leaped off of the table and tip-tapped over to the door. Before he jumped up and opened it, he turned to look at Aeris and the others.
“I am glad you are home and safe,” he said simply. Then he opened the door, hurried out and slammed it behind him.
Aeris bobbed above the table, staring silently at the closed door for a moment and then cleared his throat.
“Yes, well, um...” he said, sounding a bit confused as he looked at Simon.
The wizard winked at him and Aeris smiled tentatively.
“I'm happy you're all back as well,” the wizard told him and the others. He looked at Aeris. “Did you tell your friends about what happened in Mexico?”
“I did,” he replied. The other elementals nodded, their expressions becoming very grave. “Fortunately, that new wide strip of ocean that separates Florida from the mainland has kept the cursed goblins from invading the area and, I think, will continue to do so.”
“Yeah, we got lucky there. But I am so sorry for your loss,” Simon told them all. “As I told Brethia and Sessa, if I'd known how dangerous their mission was going to be, I would never have sent them. So I want to apologize to all of you. I grieve with you for your fallen people.”
Aeris nodded sadly but the other four elementals stared at the wizard as if stunned.
Simon looked at them curiously.
“Is anything wrong?” he asked after an uncomfortable silence.
“My lord,” one of the elemental spoke up hesitantly, glancing nervously at his companions. “We are...so honored at your concern for our welfare and our loss. None of us has ever been shown any compassion by a wizard before. We now understand why Aeris is so loyal to you and so happy to be in your service.”
“He is?” Simon looked at Aeris. “You are? Why haven't I heard this before?”
“Oh great!” Aeris replied and scowled at the elemental who had spoken. “You just had to tell him, didn't you? What is wrong with you all? We of the air realm should be more subtle.” He rolled his eyes. “Honestly, you can't take these people anywhere!”
Simon burst out laughing; he just couldn't help himself. And the air elemental's angry look only made it worse, as did the confused stares of the others.
As he wiped tears from his eyes, the wizard tried to catch his breath. He had needed that release.
“Forgive me for laughing, folks. It's just that Aeris is always so contained when it comes to his feelings that I assumed all of his people were as well.”
“We are not all like him, my lord,” the spokesperson for the elementals said with a wry glance at Aeris. “We are, like your people, very diverse. We can be loud, quiet, shy, bold, and every other combination of personalities.”
“Yes, I can see that. Anyway, let's move on before we get our friend here any more upset.”
“Bah, I am far from upset.” Aeris responded shortly. “But you are correct, my dear wizard. We should submit our reports. Trass? Would you like to begin?”
The air elemental who had spoken up nodded. He had been given the southern end of Florida to explore and quickly took some p
aper and a pencil and drew a map of his territory.
“This section near the ocean is quite fertile,” he said, tapping the map with the pencil. “On the northern edge of my section, there was a very large group of buildings. It was not a town, I do not think. In fact, I do not know what they were used for, but all of them were leveled and turned to slag; dragon attack obviously.”
“Yes, that was an amusement park once upon a time,” Simon said with regret, wondering why every memory from his childhood had been systematically destroyed by the dragons.
Why do they hate us so much, he wondered, not for the first time.
“Ah, is that what it was, my lord?” Trass replied. “I see. In any case, I would not recommend this area to set up a new habitation. It would, I believe, be quite depressing for your people, Perhaps in a generation or two, when memories of the past have faded somewhat, it might be a more pleasant place to live.”
“Thank you for your report, Trass,” Simon told him and accepted the map that the elemental handed to him.
“Okay then, who's next?”
The other air elementals reported on their missions in turn and each drew a detailed map of the section that they had scouted. Simon was impressed yet again on how efficient these scouts were. The maps showed the topography of the former state, areas that were now ruins, a rough estimate of the type and number of wild animals and the edible plants and crops that were growing wild. It was quite remarkable.
“Thank you all for your hard work,” Simon told them after all of the reports had been made. He put the four detailed maps in a pile and rested his clasped hands on top of it.
“Your scouting has been invaluable and I will pass on all of your observations and recommendations to the people of Nottinghill. I am quite sure that they will be as impressed as I've been.”
“It was our pleasure to serve you, my lord,” Trass said with a bow. The others copied him. All of them looked quite pleased.
“If you have need of us again, please do not hesitate to call. We would be honored to be of use to you in the future.”
Tales from the New Earth: Volume One Page 135