The little guy was whole. He looked like his regular self and he was staring around, obviously disoriented.
“Aeris?” he said in his deep voice, so out of character with his size. “What happened? Where am I?”
The air elemental, who had been sent flying by the wave of energy conjured by the missing wizard, stared back at him.
“You're in the new settlement,” he answered, dazed. “Our dear wizard brought you back, somehow.”
“Back?” Kronk rubbed his stony head, the sound like rocks grinding together. “He brought me back? Wait. Yes, I remember. The wights! They...”
He shook his head.
“They destroyed me, Aeris. Master could not have brought me back. It is not possible.”
“I thought so too. But you are here, so obviously we were wrong.”
“But how? How did he do it? And where is he?”
Kronk looked around, searching for the wizard.
“Master?” he yelled. “Master! Where are you?”
From the right side of the scene, as Simon watched, Clara walked forward slowly, her hands clenched. She stared sadly at the two elementals.
“Lady cleric,” Kronk said with a bow. “Where is my master? He saved me. He must be exhausted now and he will need me to take care of him.”
Aeris said nothing but something in Clara's face spoke to him and he turned away, shoulders slumped in grief. His small, translucent body dipped and bobbed forlornly in the wind.
“He's gone, my friend,” the cleric said softly. “I felt it as it happened, although I was too far away to stop it. I probably couldn't have anyway, I suppose.”
“Gone? Where? Has he returned home? Aeris, come. We must go back to the tower. Master will need us.”
“Oh Kronk,” the air elemental said as he turned back. “Search your inner self. The connection is severed. He's gone.”
The earthen stood still and stared at Aeris. His glowing red eyes dimmed as he frowned and looked beyond the other elemental, seeking something within himself.
Finally he turned back to look at Clara.
“Dead, my lady? My master is dead?”
“I'm afraid so, Kronk. I felt him. He summoned all of the power that remained within himself to call you back. But I think it was his willingness to do whatever he had to, to make any sacrifice, that sealed his fate. In essence, he took your place, stepped into the Void so that you could live. He is...no more.”
“No,” Kronk said abruptly. “No, he cannot do that. He mustn't do that! I am merely a servant. My life is nothing compared to his.”
“He didn't think that was true, my friend,” Clara said. She knelt down so that her head was closer to the earthen's.
“He valued you, Kronk. You weren't his servant; you were his friend. He did for you what you had done for him, and he did it willingly. Do not let your grief make you forget that or his sacrifice will have truly been in vain.”
“I...”
Kronk turned away and moved to stand next to the bare spot of ground that was still marked with bloody fist-prints. He bent over and laid his small hand on one.
“Master,” he said brokenly. “Why?”
“Kronk?”
Aeris flew down to hover next to him.
“We have to go. I can feel the call to return home. We can't stay here any longer.”
“We cannot leave!” Kronk said harshly as he spun to glare at the air elemental. “Master died so that I could live. He wanted to help these people.” He waved at Clara. “We must stay and continue to do what we can for them, in his honor.”
“Don't you think I know that?” Aeris replied, almost shouting. “But you know how magic works. Simon was our tether to this world. Without him we have no anchor, no way to hold on. And there is no other wizard who can summon us back. We can fight it as much as we want to but, like it or not, we are leaving.”
Kronk raised his arms over his head, trembling from head to toe. He looked like he was holding back a bellow of rage but, after a moment, it subsided and he dropped his arms and nodded in resignation.
“I know. You are right.”
He looked at Clara who was still kneeling down and watching him compassionately. He walked over to her and reached up with one of his hands.
The cleric smiled gently and took the small hand in hers.
“Lady, we cannot stay. I want you to know that, if I could, I would remain and help you rebuild your home.”
Aeris joined them and the earthen glanced at him.
“And I know that my friend here would do the same.”
“I would.”
Clara nodded, her face streaked with tears.
“We all know that. You have both done so much for us. And Simon,” her voice broke and she had to clear her throat several times before continuing.
“Simon gave everything he had for us. Not just the people here, but whatever is left of humanity in this world. He destroyed three primal dragons, defended us from unspeakable monsters, pushed himself to the edge of exhaustion time and time again. And even now, at the end, his last act was to sacrifice himself for a friend.”
Kronk bowed his head.
“We will do our best to continue that fight, my friends,” she said. ”If we are given the time to do so, we will fortify this town, rebuild our strength and train ourselves and, maybe one day, we will take the fight to the dragons ourselves. That way, Simon's legacy and his memory will continue. And who knows?” she added with a strained smile. “We might actually win.”
“Perhaps you will, lady cleric,” Aeris told her. “Perhaps you will.”
“I am glad that you will remember him,” Kronk said quietly. “We will too. Down through the ages, the earth elementals will hold him in our thoughts; the wizard who treated us as people and not just as servants. It will be a glowing tale to be told again and again.”
“My people will do the same,” Aeris averred. “He was...my friend,” he told Clara, his voice tinged with wonder. “The first wizard in all of creation to befriend elementals. How could we not honor him for that?”
Kronk patted the cleric's hand and she smiled down at him. Then he turned away and he and Aeris looked at each other.
“I will remember you too, you know,” the earthen said.
“Well, you'd better!” Aeris told him firmly and then smiled. “Good bye, Kronk. I cannot hold on any longer. And farewell, my lady. It was an honor to have known you.”
“Thank you, Aeris. You were...”
She stopped speaking and covered her eyes. Both elementals were gone.
Chapter 17
The images faded from the water's surface and Simon was left staring at the black lake, his thoughts a confused jumble.
“So that's what happened,” he said to himself. “I took Kronk's place in death.”
“That is what happened, my child,” came the goddess' voice sighing around him like a gentle night breeze. “Now you see why I wished to speak with you one last time before your final journey. Such a sacrifice deserved to be honored.”
“It's a shame that Kronk and Aeris had to go home though,” he said as he turned his gaze skyward. “Clara and the others could have used their help. And I guess Liliana and her group will have to stay in Moscow for now. I know that Tamara and Sebastian in London can cast Gate spells, but I didn't tell them about the move to Florida and they can't cast Magic Mirror spells, so they won't be able to help.”
He sighed and shook his head.
“So many irons in the fire. I hadn't really thought about how much I had going on at once. And now, it's all just...gone.”
“Yes. And perhaps the most egregious thing of all, the elves and their battle against the brown dragons. They are on their own now. You and the others whom you might have brought to the battle will not be there to help them. And without your aid, I believe that eventually the elven realm will fall.”
Simon spun around, staring into the night. The goddess was still nowhere to be seen.
�
�Fall? But that means Daniel, Ethmira and the others...”
“Will die, yes. And once that happens, the brown and red dragons will ravage the Earth like a plague and soon after, my cousins will be free to enter your universe and claim their prize. We, those on the side of Light, will wither and fade into nothingness.”
“How could you let this happen?” Simon asked in an accusatory tone. The haze of calmness had been ripped away and he was riddled with fear and desperation. “I mean, you're gods! Do something!”
“Let this happen? Child, we did not 'let this happen'. Mortals are the instruments of destiny, not the gods. We did what we could when we slipped a small portion of our power into the stream of magic that our cousins are bathing your world in. We Changed those we could so that humanity would have a chance; a slim one, I will admit, but still, a chance to fight back against the darkness. You, Simon O'Toole, were the pivotal piece; the one human who was able to become a wizard among all of those who accepted the Change. But with you gone, there is no rallying point, no nexus. And so your people are scattered, leaderless. They will fight; of course they will. But I fear that it will be for naught.”
Her voice altered slightly and Simon heard what might have been a touch of sadness.
“It was a worthy effort, I think. We worked with what we had. And if we go down in the end, well, it will be with few regrets.”
“So that's it? I die, you give up and the Light is extinguished?” he asked with disgust. “Wow. I'm surprised that you and the gods of Chaos fought as long as you did, if your side is willing to roll over this easily.”
There was a moment of stillness and Simon felt the air around him chill to the point where he was shivering.
Can the dead feel the cold, he wondered. Maybe it was more mental than physical but it sure felt real.
“Have a care, little one,” the voice said with a touch of steel in it. “Have a care. You know nothing of our endless struggle against all that is black and evil in creation. This one chance remained for us; a chance to tip the balance of power back to an equal footing. And now, unless something unforeseen happens, that chance is gone.”
“Lady, I meant no disrespect. But after everything that I've gone through, everything that we've all gone through, to lose now is, well, is heartbreaking.”
The air stirred around him again and ripples broke the mirrored surface of the lake. The temperature rose and a hint of sweetness, like night-blooming wildflowers, soothed Simon's mind.
“Yes, I understand. And I wish that there was something I could do, child. I do. But even we whom others call gods cannot turn back time. What is, is. Your body is gone, consumed by your sacrifice. If there were some other vessel suitable to hold your soul, perhaps we could use our waning strength to return you to your world but...”
The goddess's voice faded away and Simon sighed with real regret.
I guess I'm done, he thought. Next stop, who the hell knows? He searched the sky; as always, he was awed by the view of forever. Out there somewhere, that's where I'm going. But to what end? Will I be alone? Will it be wonderful? Or terrible? Damn it, I'm not ready!
“Child, one of my brothers has spoken with me,” the voice said suddenly. From the darkness, the image of the goddess appeared and she walked forward to stand next to Simon.
“He has offered you a chance, a possible way to reenter your world,” she said, looking down at him.
Simon felt a surge of excitement.
“A way? What way?'
“Something that, I admit, had not occurred to me. It is a desperate chance and may not succeed. And if it does, our dark kin will know of it immediately, because we will have to expend our power directly, instead of hiding it away as we have been doing. It will illuminate your renewed presence on Earth like a beacon and may bring their wrath down upon you. It will certainly ignite their fury toward us again. But we will take that risk, if you will.”
“How? Are you saying that there is a way to have me reborn on Earth?”
“Yes. Well, perhaps.” She shook her head in puzzlement. “It is a chance, that is all I can say. Look, and see what I see,” she told him and pointed at the lake.
Simon turned eagerly and watched the surface turn again into a mirror. A vision floated up from the depths and he saw a woman lying alone in a bed. The mattress was simply straw covered with a stained and torn blanket.
She was convulsing in agony, sweat rolling down her face. The room around her was filled with debris and garbage. She was alone.
“This poor woman is a Changling, as you can see. She and her mate, a man whom she knew from before the end of the world, survived alone in a remote village, in a country once known as Brazil. Have you heard of it?”
“I have.”
“The man was killed by a beast when out hunting several weeks ago. Since then, this woman has barely survived on what she could find in the forest; fruits, a few edible plants. Had she not been pregnant, she would have stood a better chance, but it has been hard on her and now, in her last extremity, she is giving birth and is too weak to survive.”
“She's going to die? Alone? Oh, the poor woman,” Simon said, watching her convulsions with a terrible sadness.
“Yes. It is a tragedy. But her only wish is that her child survive. Without her, it will die within hours of its birth. And because of this, because the baby is doomed, no soul has flown to join it. No spirit will embrace it for its last few lonely hours of life.”
Simon listened, aghast, at what he thought the goddess was saying.
“Wait. You mean that you want to send my soul, spirit, whatever, into the newborn child? But why? I will simply die too, won't I?”
“No, young one, you will not. That is what I am trying to tell you. If you infuse this unclaimed child, become its soul, the body will alter and Change to mirror your own. You will become it and it will become you.”
She gave him a stern look.
“It will be hard, and painful. To my knowledge, this has never been done before. All souls born are new beings and grow and learn as their bodies do.”
“What about reincarnation? Doesn't that have the same effect? An old soul in a new body?”
The goddess laughed lightly.
“A charming conceit, but there is no such thing. One soul, one body, one chance. That is all any mortal ever gets. But we will try this once, if you are willing. As I've said, it will be far from pleasant. You will be alone and vulnerable for several hours as your new body grows. In that time, should an animal or creature sent by our evil cousins descend upon you, it will mean your death, again. And this time, it will be permanent.”
He was trying to wrap his head around the concept. Being born again. Taking someone else's body for his own. It just didn't feel right somehow.
“And what if I say no?” he asked carefully, wondering whether the goddess would become angry at the thought of someone rejecting her 'gift'.
“No? And why would you say no, child?”
“I'm not sure. I just don't know if I can take over another person like that.”
She sighed gently and shook her head.
“The child is a blank slate, young one. You would not be 'taking over' anyone. But since you have asked, here is your answer. If you say no, your mortal journey on Earth is at an end and you will move beyond the Veil to whatever destiny awaits you. What that will be I cannot say. That desperate mother will die and her child will die. Eventually the rest of humanity will die.”
She looked up at the crystal stars.
“And one day, we of the Light shall also die. The universe will be plunged into darkness never to rise again.”
She turned away from the sky and stared keenly at Simon.
“That is what will happen if you say no.”
Gees, he thought. No pressure!
“So you are saying that the fate of the entire universe rests on my decision right now? Forgive me, Lady, but I think that you're overestimating my importance.”
She look
ed at him for a moment and then she smiled lovingly. It was like a bright light pushing back the darkness.
“Perhaps I am, child. But we 'gods' tend to deal in absolutes. Absolute good or absolute evil. We rarely see events in shades of gray. What I have told you is the probable future, yes, but you are correct; it may not come to pass. Who can say?”
She stepped back and her face became remote and expressionless.
“However you choose, the moment of decision has come, Simon O'Toole. Even now, that sad young mother is giving birth. With her last breath, she is pushing her son out into a cruel and unfeeling world, praying that someone, anyone, will save him. Will you be the one to do that, or will she have wasted the last of her strength for nothing?”
“If I say yes, in a way I will become her son, won't I?”
“In a way, yes. Your body will alter to become a mirror of your own before your death, but physically, you will be her son.”
“Then yes, I suppose.” Simon said with a mixture of elation and fear. “To help my people, and to honor that poor woman's sacrifice, I will say...yes.”
“Very well, young one. The choice is made. Prepare yourself. The next few hours will be some of the most dangerous you have ever faced, and the most painful. I wish you well and, for what it is worth, I give you my blessing.”
The goddess reached out and laid her hand gently on Simon's head.
“Thank you, Lady, for this chance. I swear that I won't squander it,” he said, trembling as he felt her divine power descend into him and touch his soul.
The stars began to fade and the goddess went with them. Before they disappeared completely, she smiled and shook her head.
“Do not make promises that you can't keep, child,” she told him.
And then there was nothing but...
Chapter 18
Pain! Red, raw, endless waves of pain. Simon screamed in agony, pain that made all of his previous suffering seem trivial as his body convulsed and twisted.
He screamed for relief and was barely aware that the sound was not an adult's cry for help but a baby's howl.
Tales from the New Earth: Volume One Page 142