Simon smiled at his earnestness.
“Thanks, Trass. I'll definitely remember that. You can head home now. You all deserve your rest.”
The four of them bowed one last time, muttered a few words in their language to Aeris, who nodded and spoke in return, and then all vanished at once.
The wizard glanced at Aeris and then got up to boil more water.
“Your friends are really quite good at their jobs,” Simon said as he pumped water into the kettle.
“I certainly hope so,” the elemental replied. He had begun drawing his own map of his assigned area, stopping occasionally to stare at the picture before adding more details.
“They rightfully take pride in their scouting; perhaps even more so now because of the tragic loss of three of our people.”
Simon hung the kettle in the fireplace, turned around and leaned back on the counter. He folded his arms and watched Aeris work.
“How do you think the ruler of the air realm will react to that loss?” he asked.
“React?”
Aeris stopped drawing and looked at the wizard.
“I would not presume to speak for the great Astrandamus,” he said slowly, his expression wary. “But if I were in his place, I would be enraged. We, the elementals I mean, are not friends to the dark gods. But neither do we take sides in their divine conflict with the lords of Light. But now? With our people captured, abused and killed by creatures created by the gods of Chaos, the great one might decide to take action. But what kind? Ah, that is the real question.”
Simon was fascinated by the answer.
“But what could he do, really? I mean, your kind isn't from this world. Someone has to summon elementals to Earth for them to even get here, so while I understand that he might be angry, I don't see that it would worry the gods of Chaos very much.”
Aeris looked at him with something like pity; or was it disbelief?
“Ah, my dear wizard,” he said softly. “You truly still have much to learn about my kind. There are air elementals existing in my realm who could almost shake the foundations of the heavens themselves. And my lord Astrandamus?” Aeris actually shivered. “His powers are nearly boundless.”
“Really? But, I've never heard any of this. In all of our conversations over the past few years, you never mentioned that any of your people were that powerful. Why not?”
“Why not? Because of the temptation, of course.”
“What temptation?”
“By the Four Winds, don't tell me that you can't see the allure? There were wizards back in ancient times who wanted power. They were not content with the powerful magics they wielded. No, they wanted more, and more”
Aeris paused and looked thoughtful.
“Perhaps it is like a drug? The more power you have, the more you want? Hmm, yes, I think that could be it.”
“That's possible,” Simon agreed. “Back before humanity fell, there were some very powerful people, often leaders of countries, who would go to war to gain more riches, more territory. A few of them wanted to rule the entire world.”
“Yes, exactly,” Aeris said with a vigorous nod. “That is exactly what these wizards were like. But you see, they did not acknowledge that all power has limits, even magic. A few chose to summon some of the most powerful of the air elementals. That was beyond foolish.”
“What happened?” the wizard asked, wide-eyed.
“What you might expect. They were obliterated. I told you quite a while ago, my dear wizard, that if you summon a being of great power, they must agree to serve you; they cannot be coerced into doing so. Those old-time wizards wouldn't accept that. And they paid the price.”
While Aeris finished his map, Simon made the tea and sat down again.
“Well, I don't feel too sorry for people like that,” he said, continuing the conversation. “They obviously had inflated opinions of their own powers. That is something that I will never have.”
“Never say never,” Aeris told him pertly. “Your skills and powers will grow with each passing year, my dear wizard. I hope that as they do, you will remember this discussion. Consider what I just told you to be a cautionary tale. It does not do anyone any good to overestimate their abilities.”
“I agree, and trust me, I won't.”
“Good. Now, let me show you what I found during my mission.”
Simon leaned forward and Aeris began to tap on different features on the map with his pencil. As usual, the wizard was impressed by the thoroughness of the air elemental. His map was precise and very detailed.
They were still deep in conversation when Kronk came back in, followed by a gust of bitterly cold air. He slammed the door behind him, jumped up to slide the bolts shut and then hurried across the room to join Aeris on the tabletop.
“Hello master,” he said brightly. “What did I miss?”
“Aeris was just finishing up his report,” Simon told him and leaned back to stretch. He heard his joints crackling.
“And what have you been up to?” Aeris asked the earthen. “You raced out of here when I got back and I never had the chance to ask.”
Kronk smiled, looking satisfied.
“My brethren and I just finished building arches over the front and back gates. Once master creates a ward in the middle of each one, the entire wall will be firmly enchanted to repel evil. No wight will be able to cross that barrier. They will be repulsed no matter how many times they assault it.”
Aeris whistled shrilly in amazement and Simon almost flipped back off of his chair.
“Gees, Aeris! Don't do that! You scared the crap out of me.”
“What are you talking about?” the elemental asked with a confused look.
Simon settled himself in his chair and shook back his hair, laughing in embarrassment.
“That whistle. I've never heard you do that before. It just startled me, that's all. Sorry. Go ahead, Kronk.”
“I am finished, master. Except to say that I recommend you create the wards today, before nightfall.”
“I intend to. Thanks so much for your efforts. I'm going to be sleeping a lot easier from now on.”
The little guy smiled widely and Aeris nodded at him.
“Kronk, that is really quite clever. Creating a permanent arch over the gates stabilizes the magic. Very well done indeed.”
The little guy couldn't blush, but Simon had a feeling that if he could, he would be glowing red. He rarely received a compliment from Aeris and, even if he would never admit it, Kronk valued the other elemental's opinion.
“It was nothing,” the earthen said with a quick shrug. “I only want to keep master as safe as possible.”
“Yes, well, we all want that.” Aeris handed his map to Simon. “So when are you going to report to Clara and the others?”
“Tomorrow should be soon enough. They're still getting packed and organized at the moment.” He added the map to the others he had and put them aside. “Meanwhile, I'll cast those ward spells and get that out of the way.”
He got up, glanced at the winter sunlight streaming in the windows and shivered a bit. Going out in the cold was not something that he enjoyed but better to just get it over with.
Simon crossed to the clothes cupboard near the door, slipped on his heavy boots and winter jacket and spent a minute trying to find his gloves.
As he was putting them on, he looked back at the elementals.
“Care to join me, guys?” he asked as he settled the coat around his shoulders.
“Certainly, master,” Kronk said brightly and jumped off of the table.
“I wouldn't miss it,” Aeris replied. He floated over to wait by the door. “I'd like to see these arches that our earthen friends came up with.”
“They are nothing special,” Kronk told him hastily.
Simon smiled at his modesty.
“Don't be so hard on yourself,” Aeris said to the little guy. “I'm sure they're remarkable.”
Kronk stared at him doubtfully, obvious
ly wondering whether the air elemental was being sarcastic.
Simon chuckled to himself, took a deep breath and pulled open the door.
A blast of subzero air slammed into him as he stepped outside. The early afternoon sky was a chilly, clear blue; beautiful but not pleasant. Simon puffed out a frosty breath as he shivered again and then resolutely walked down the steps.
Kronk had cleared the snow from the front steps and had stomped down a path to the front gate and around the tower to the stable.
The wizard headed for the main gate first, simply because it was closer. He stopped about ten feet away and stared up at the top of the gate. Kronk crunched up to him and stood to his right while Aeris hovered by Simon's left shoulder.
“Wow. That looks amazing!”
The earthen looked up at the arch above the closed doors of the gate and smiled with satisfaction.
“Thank you, master. We did the best we could to make it flow seamlessly from one side of the wall to the other.”
The arch rose smoothly over the gate. The stone that the earthen had used was the same color and texture as the wall itself and there was no evidence of where the arch had been connected to the main structure of the wall.
It almost looks organic, Simon thought as his eyes followed the flow of the stone. Almost as if it was grown instead of built. Awesome.
“I moved the ladder closer to the gate for you, master,” Kronk told him and pointed to the left side of the entrance.
Simon nodded in appreciation and walked carefully over the frozen ground to the base of the ladder. He climbed up cautiously, the rungs slippery under his gloved fingers. At the top, he stepped on to the parapet that ran along the inside of the wall and checked his footing.
Whether it had been Kronk or one of his fellow earthen, the walkway had been cleared of ice and snow and Simon walked to the side of the gate with confidence. From the top of the wall, he could appreciate the construction of the arch even more.
It was about three feet wide and flowed up and over the gate. The arch was also clear of ice, for which the wizard was very grateful. He was going to have to walk across it to the center to create a ward in the most effective spot.
Aeris flew up and joined him while Kronk watched from below. The little guy was expressionless, but Simon noticed that he was wringing his hands nervously.
Not helping, my friend, he thought, watching the earthen's worried gestures.
“Are you all right?” Aeris asked him as he hovered a few feet away.
“Oh yeah, I'm great. I was just wondering how many bones I would break if I fell fifteen feet to the frozen ground down there. No biggie.”
“Courage, my dear wizard. I won't let you fall.”
“You won't?” Simon asked doubtfully.
Aeris chuckled and shook his head.
“Of course not. The arch is wide enough and strong enough for you to traverse it safely. And the stone is clean and dry. Just don't look down.”
“Easier said than done,” Simon muttered under his breath.
“Be careful, master,” Kronk called out as the wizard began to slowly walk up the arch.
Again, not helping, the wizard thought. He gritted his teeth and prayed that an errant gust of wind didn't toss him off the arch on to his head.
Aeris floated serenely beside him, looking amused by Simon's shuffling snail's pace, but his presence was actually comforting. The gate was no more than a dozen feet across, but to the wizard it felt as long as the Golden Gate bridge and as wide as a strand of hair.
Standing in the exact center of the arch, Simon got down on one knee, took off his gloves and shoved them roughly into a pocket. Then he placed both of his hands on to the bitterly cold stone and began to chant the incantation for the ward spell.
He had to recharge the tower's wards periodically and the spell was permanently etched into his memory, so casting it was simple. The effect, on the other hand, was rather more spectacular than usual.
As he finished casting the spell, Simon invoked it with the word of command.
“Invectis,” he said tentatively and suddenly found his hands locked to the stone of the arch as if actually frozen there.
“What the..?” he said in surprise as he tried and failed to lift his arms, almost collapsing on to his face.
“Something wrong?” Aeris asked him as he floated closer.
“Yeah. I seem to be stuck to the damned arch.”
And then he felt the warmth draining out of him. It rose from his legs, gathered in his chest and then, in a rush, rolled down his arms and into the stone. A bright silver-blue burst of light, like a flashbulb, blazed for a second from the arch and then, his hands came loose.
Simon stood up so quickly that he overbalanced and began to teeter on the edge of the stone.
Oh damn, this is gonna hurt, was the despairing thought that raced through his mind, just as he felt a gentle but firm push that centered him back on the arch again.
He trembled, feeling cold sweat rolling down from his hairline as he looked to his right. Aeris was holding his elbow and met his gaze calmly.
“I told you that I wouldn't let you fall,” he said with a quick smile.
Simon stood still for a moment and then took a deep breath.
“Yeah, I know you did. Thanks for that.”
“I live to serve,” Aeris said with a hint of his usual sarcasm. “Now, shall we move on?”
“Yes, please.”
Simon turned carefully, the air elemental moving with him, and made his way back to the parapet. He stopped for a moment to wipe the sweat from his forehead before slipping his gloves back on.
“Well, that was unexpected,” he said, leaning against the wall to wait for his heartbeat to slow down again. “The wards don't usually drain me of so much magic.”
“It is the nature of the wall now, I believe,” Aeris replied. “You didn't just energize a new ward up there; you actually recharged this entire section of the wall. I think that once the arch at the back gate is enchanted, the barrier around our tower will be almost impenetrable.”
“Huh. Good to know. At least now I'll be ready when I cast the second ward spell.” He took another deep breath, coughed a bit as the cold air bit into his lungs and then began to move.
“Okay, let's get this done. My face is starting to freeze.”
Chapter 13
Once the second ward over the back gate was cast, Simon and the elementals returned to the tower. The wizard was relieved to get out of the bitter cold and immediately took off his outerwear and set water over the fire to boil. He was dying for something hot to drink, but decided that he had earned some hot chocolate for a change. It had been that cold out there.
Kronk added wood to the fire while Aeris shot up the stairs and came back down a moment later carrying one of Simon's heavy sweaters.
“Here you go,” he said as he handed it to the wizard. “You should put this on. You are still shaking.”
Simon thanked him, startled by the air elemental's concern, and put on the sweater. He took a moment to think of how absurd he must look wearing a thick cardigan sweater over a long robe, but then who was going to see him besides his little friends? And it was very warm and comforting.
He made his hot chocolate and moved one of the kitchen chairs so that he could sit in front of the fireplace, mourning the loss of his comfy chair yet again. He promised himself that in the spring, he'd send Aeris off to search the surrounding towns and villages for a replacement. Maybe there was a warehouse or old shopping mall somewhere that hadn't been completely flattened by the dragon attacks. There could be a lounge chair packed in bubble wrap just waiting to be discovered. It was a nice dream anyway.
The light was fading from the windows as the sun went down and a biting wind howled around the tower, screaming to be let in.
Up yours, Simon thought at it and sipped his sweet drink.
Kronk sat down beside the fireplace and Aeris moved to hover nearby.
“So why the sudden concern for my comfort?” Simon asked him with a tired grin.
“Sudden concern? My dear wizard, you wound me. I've always got your best interests at heart.”
Even Kronk turned to look at him with wide eyes.
“What?” Aeris said at the look.
The earthen shrugged.
“Nothing. I know you worry about our master as well as I do. But he is correct. You are usually not as...forthcoming as you have been today.”
Simon watched them both, amused by the exchange.
Aeris sighed loudly but then the exaggerated wounded look faded from his face and he looked up at the wizard with a frown.
“Actually, I wanted our dear wizard to have a happy day, and I think we all needed the tower made as secure as possible. And now we do.”
“You wanted me to have a happy day?” Simon asked him, perplexed. “Why? I mean, thanks and all that but that's a bit out of character.”
“Is it? Perhaps.”
Aeris rose up slowly until he was floating at the wizard's eye level.
“But I think the next few days are going to be hard on you. This respite was necessary.”
“Because I'm going to see Clara and the others tomorrow and help them plan their move south?”
“That, yes. But also because the move will be a hasty one and it will be exhausting for you. After all, you are the only one who can Gate the population as well as their baggage to their new home. It won't be easy.”
Simon finished his drink, got up and put the cup in the sink and then returned to sit down again.
“Why hasty? I can stretch the whole move out for as long as I need to. You know, move some of the folks and their supplies down one day, more the next, etcetera. No problem.”
Aeris shook his head and looked uncomfortable. His expression gave Simon a squirmy feeling in the pit of his stomach and he swallowed nervously.
“Okay, spill it,” he said. “What aren't you telling me?”
“Something I felt earlier when we were on the wall. I didn't mention it at the time because I wanted to be sure. But by the time we were done with the arches, I was left with no doubts.”
Tales from the New Earth: Volume One Page 136