“It comes from within,” said Kazin. “I guess the dragon within me -.” He broke off, his eyes opening wide as the realization crept over him.
“Dragons are physically related to lizardmen,” said Milena.
“And by taking on the form of a dragon, my immune system cleared the poison from my body!” finished Kazin. “If I had just thought of that sooner!”
Milena nodded. “I thought you had figured that out when Vera told me you sent her away because you were planning to change into a dragon. She thought you were going to die, and so, apparently, did you.”
Kazin put his hands over his face and groaned. “I’m such a fool!”
Milena patted his shoulder. “Nobody’s perfect. I’m just glad you’re still alive. If the dragon hadn’t asserted itself, you could have died, never knowing the cure was within your grasp.”
Kazin pulled his hands away from his face. He looked grim. “That doesn’t make me feel a whole lot better.”
Milena laughed. “I suppose you’re right. Even my bedside manner is failing. It’s time I got some rest. I’d better go.” She turned and left the room.
Kazin lay back on the bed but he was not the least bit tired. The ‘revive’ magic the druids had used on him made him too energetic to lie around. He decided to get up and walk around instead.
He threw the blankets aside and stood up. His robe was on the dresser so he threw it around his shoulders. His shoes were nowhere to be found so he padded over to the door in his bare feet. The stone floor was cold but not unduly so. Opening the door, he peeked into the hallway. Nobody was around. The mage entered the hallway and finally had his chance to explore the Tower of the Moon at a leisurely pace. He passed several closed doors and peeked into the open ones. Most rooms had beds with unknown figures hidden beneath the blankets.
A treeman suddenly appeared in the hallway ahead of him, and Kazin wondered if it had enough room to get past him. Instinctively, he pressed himself against the wall as the treeman approached him. With practiced ease, the treeman deftly stepped around the mage. Not a single branch or twig made contact with Kazin as the treeman glided past. Only a slight breeze indicated the treeman had passed by. Kazin marveled at the magical creature. The druids had such command over the forces of nature that it still boggled his mind.
A while later, Kazin paused at the room with the heavy, expensive lavender carpet and the walls full of paintings. He studied the scenes of dragons and soldiers and intense battles that were a depiction of the dragon wars many generations ago. His eyes were drawn to the painting prominently displayed over the fireplace. It was the one he had noticed the last time he was here. It still gave him the creeps. The wizened old mage had such a fierce, intense expression that Kazin was instantly afraid of him. But at the same time, he looked familiar. Kazin knew this mage. He had seen him before, but where? No arch mages looked like that. There were no master mages with the kind of magical aura that this mage had.
A noise behind him made Kazin turn. A treeman went past, carrying an inert form bundled in a blanket. A visible piece of tail fin protruded from the blanket, giving away the identity of its occupant. Another mermaid had perished.
Kazin sighed and followed the emotionless treeman until he came to a tight hallway that led to the stairs of the roof altar. He let the treeman continue down the main hallway, while he took the secondary path. He climbed the stairs and attempted to open the trap door to the roof. Fortunately, it wasn’t magically locked or otherwise. As soon as the door was pushed up, a strong gust of wind wrenched it from the mage’s hands and blew it open the rest of the way.
It hit the roof with a loud bang that was louder than the howling wind itself. Kazin climbed onto the roof, fighting to keep the wind from ripping his cloak away.
On the roof, he saw Mara, the grey mage, struggling to prepare some items in preparation for the summoning spell. He went over to assist her. When the grey mage saw Kazin, she immediately stood up as a sign of respect for the arch mage.
Kazin smiled. “Hi, Mara. It’s been a really long time, hasn’t it?” He had to yell to be heard above the wind.
Mara smiled back. “Yes. Last time we met, you were just an ordinary, impulsive mage. Now look at you.”
“A lot has changed,” yelled Kazin. A sustained gust of wind tried to roll over a heavy sack at Mara’s feet and Kazin and Mara struggled to push it back into position. A nearby stone slab was the only convenient item, so Mara held the bag while Kazin pulled the stone up against it to support it.
“Let’s go inside!” yelled Mara when that task was done.
Kazin nodded and followed the grey mage inside. Another battle with the wind ensued as Kazin attempted to close the trap door. He finally won that battle and the door slammed shut, eliminating the outdoor noise with it. At the bottom of the stairs, Kazin rejoined Mara and they walked down the hallway. As they went, Mara told Kazin of the latest events as she had perceived them on her journey north to the Tower of Hope.
Kazin was shocked at how widespread the poison was. He was also surprised at the effects of the dwarven spirits. “That’s fascinating, Mara! Those dwarven spirits may be part of the answer to a cure!”
“That’s why the druids had me prepare the spirits as well as the faelora herbs for the summoning. If the water elemental is truly that weak, we may need to have those ingredients ready at the spur of the moment in order to create the cure.”
“Good thinking,” said Kazin. “I guess the druids had time to think things through.”
“I just hope we can pull it off,” said Mara.
“So do I,” said Kazin. “I hate seeing so many lives being lost.”
“Me too,” said Mara. “I just hope it will be worth the effort.”
“What do you mean?” asked Kazin.
Mara stopped and turned to the arch mage. “We may be saving people from the poison in time to be massacred by the creatures emanating from the mountains.” She went into detail about the loss of the outposts north of the Tower of Hope.
Kazin was aghast. “I’ll bet that was what they were planning all along! They needed to weaken the human mages in order to have the upper hand when they attacked! Their strategy was so successful they spread the poison across the whole land! Now all they have to do is walk in and seize control!”
“Not if the grey mages can help it,” intoned Mara. “We are more numerous than black and white mages combined, and fewer of us were affected by the poison. We were far enough south that we had enough advance warning, so we took the proper precautions. Most of the grey mages are poison free.”
Kazin nodded. “That’s encouraging news, Mara. Your mages are the last line of defense for humankind.”
“High Cleric Malachi has sent a plea to the dwarves and elves for military aid, but there was still no reply when I left,” added Mara. “I doubt they will be able to help in time anyway. The High Cleric expects the attack at any time. Scouts were sent out to investigate the edge of the mountains for activity. Not very many returned, but those who did encountered a darkness so fearful and a wind so powerful they fled in terror. Something is going to happen and we won’t see it coming until the last possible moment.”
“I would be more useful there,” said Kazin. “By flying as a dragon, I would be extremely useful in scouting as well as fighting.”
Mara gave the arch mage a curious stare. “Are you sure you want to change into a dragon again so soon?”
Kazin shook his head. “I don’t want to, but wanting to and having to are two very different things. I have the ability, so it should be used if it’s needed.”
“That’s true,” admitted Mara, “if you look at it that way. But I’m guessing you’re needed here first. I’m sure the druids will let you go as soon as the cure is completed.”
“As long as the water elemental can be summoned,” said Kazin. “If it takes too long, I may have to leave anyway.”
“It won’t come to that,” said a voice behind them.
; The mages spun around to face the speaker.
“Frosty!” exclaimed Kazin. “I understand I have you to thank for rescuing me!”
Frosty held his head high at the instant recognition and praise. “Of course! Saving you from yourself is no easy task!”
The irony was not lost on Kazin. “I owe you big time for this, Frosty.”
“Naturally,” said Frosty sullenly. “It’s not easy being your familiar.”
“I’m sure it isn’t,” said Kazin humbly.
Frosty affectionately nudged Kazin with his nose and Kazin avoided the clear, white horn. Making contact with the magical tine would result in a painful, hot sensation. There was more magic stored in that horn than Kazin wanted to know.
Kazin petted the soft white mane of his familiar. “How did you know I was still alive when you came to rescue me, Frosty?” he asked.
“If you were dead, I would cease to exist,” said Frosty. “I’m your familiar, remember?”
“Oh, yeah,” said the mage.
“While I was looking for you, I was tracking your essence,” continued the unicorn. “That led me to the dragon. The dragon claimed you were dead, so I tricked it into sensing your spirit within. As soon as the dragon sensed you, so did I. Let’s just say the dragon didn’t take it very well when he found that out.”
Kazin could only shake his head in amazement. “And you determined that the dragon was my cure for the poison.”
“It was the only conclusion I could come up with,” said Frosty. “I’m surprised you didn’t make the connection yourself.”
“Nobody’s perfect,” said Kazin bashfully, using Milena’s line.
* * * * *
In the gloom below, Graf surveyed the gathering forces with satisfaction. Thousands of orcs, ogres, goblins and lizardmen had congregated at the foot of the Old Dwarven Mountains. Many more were still arriving. The scene was even more imposing with the violent thunder and lightning, and driving torrents of rain. Torches sputtered and flickered in the perpetual gloom. Suddenly Narg, the lizardmage in charge of the earth elemental, appeared. Narg’s nostrils flared under the strain of summoning magic, but he had help. He led a throng of lizardmen who chanted their magic around a large, brown, rock-like creature some thirty feet high. Its face was similar to a human female.
The creature - the earth elemental - was no longer encased in ice, and was now totally under the control of the lizardmen. As it exited the protection of the mountains, it looked up at the thunderous skies above and moaned. The moan was so loud and sorrowful that it sank deep into the earth. The resulting earthquake was so severe that most of the gathered forces below fell to the ground. Graf himself would have fallen had it not been for Slong, his general, who caught him before he fell.
Graf re-established his footing and yanked his arm from Slong. He glowered at his general with a look of hatred. “When I need help, I’ll ask for it!” he hissed.
“As you wish,” answered Slong indifferently. He knew Graf well enough to know that he wasn’t going to show any gratitude.
Though the earth elemental had a woman’s face, the rest of the body was less defined. The body was made of rocks and earth, and tended to grind and undulate as it moved forward. The arms and legs were huge, and mighty fists at the ends of the arms were like giant battering rams. The ground shook as it walked to a designated spot behind the army.
The air elemental made its debut next. If the appearance of the earth elemental was terrifying, the appearance of the air elemental was unnerving. The air elemental emerged from the mountains with a similar crew of summoners surrounding it. Emanating from a cylindrical bowl in the middle of the summoners, the air elemental seemed to be gliding along of its own accord. It wasn’t hard to see this elemental from a distance, because it stood about five times higher than everything around it except for the earth elemental. It undulated so one couldn’t make out its features clearly, and the whirlwind it emitted was so intense, the lizardmages who surrounded it had difficulty walking with their robes whipping about their feet. Upon exiting the mountains, the air elemental seemed to grow as it absorbed the surrounding air as though feeding on it. It virtually doubled in size. It was a formidable sight to those who had already been assembled. .
Following the procession was Narla, the lizardmage in charge of the air elemental. Her navy cloak with purple trim whipped mercilessly around her ankles, but she strode tall and proud. She looked up to where Graf stood with his general and grinned with her fish-like lips. She was showing off her skills as a summoner and appeared to be enjoying herself.
Graf barely grinned back and turned to his general. “How long before the forces are ready to march?”
“We should be ready by noon tomorrow,” answered Slong. He squinted into the foreboding sky. It was only a few hours after noon, but the dark skies hid any sunlight, making it seem like night rather than day. It wasn’t going to get any lighter.
“You should raze any farms and villages,” stated Graf. “Let the army seize whatever spoils they wish. Try to recruit dissatisfied humans by offering them clean water. Attack the Tower of Hope and then head east for the Tower of Sorcery.”
Slong nodded. He did not need Graf to repeat his orders.
“Meet me there as soon as you can,” continued Graf.
Slong straightened at this comment. “Aren’t you coming?”
Graf gave a sinister grin. “I’m going to soften up those puny human mages for you.”
“By yourself?” asked the general incredulously.
Graf continued grinning. “Not alone, but with some unlikely allies.”
“May I ask who?” asked Slong.
“You’ll see soon enough,” said Graf cryptically.
Slong sighed. Graf wasn’t letting him in on his plan. It didn’t really matter; as long as he succeeded.
“I have to prepare,” said Graf after enjoying his assembled army for a few more minutes. He turned and entered the tunnel behind him as another earthquake rocked the mountain. The deluge he left behind him came down even harder.
At the outer edge of the gathered forces, two sets of eyes watched with interest as Graf departed.
“He’s not going?” asked Lynch.
Lyrr shook his head. “I don’t think so. It looks like Graf has other plans.”
“I wonder what he’s up to,” said Lynch.
Lyrr looked over at Lynch. His own curiosity was aroused as well. “Why don’t we try to find out?”
Lynch shrugged. “What would it gain us?”
“We might learn something that can give us an edge over the other senior lizardmages. It might also give us an opportunity to help Graf and make him forget about your failure to catch the fire elemental.”
Lynch looked at Lyrr. His goal of moving up in the hierarchy of the lizardmen’s realm was always in the back of his mind. “Who said anything about helping Graf?” To him, Graf was just in the way of the ultimate goal – being the ultimate ruler of their kind.
This hint wasn’t lost on Lyrr. He leered.
“Let’s see what we can find out,” said Lynch. He led the way back into the tunnels nearby.
Lyrr’s leer became even wider. This was going to be fun.
Chapter 32
As the contingent of grey mages disembarked just west of the Tower of Hope, Jerrin, a grey mage, studied the preparations that had been made for the inevitable war. Thousands of people scurried about in various duties in and around the tower. The moat, now full of water, lay north of the tower. It spanned some fifty feet across and stretched well past the tower to the west. At various intervals, archer towers were hastily erected to enhance the protection of ground troops. Large bunkers were constructed on both sides of the moat. That meant the bulk of the fighting force would start ahead of the moat and only fall back behind the moat if a retreat was ordered. The makeshift bridges across the moat were designed to be collapsed once all allies were safely back across the water barrier. It wasn’t exactly professional looking,
but it did look effective. Considering what little time was available, it was a major feat nonetheless.
Jerrin set foot on the muddy shore of North Lake and sloshed through the muck toward the tower, along with hundreds of other grey mages. It wasn’t raining at the moment, but the wind was bitterly cold as it cut through his drenched grey cloak.
At the tower, Jerrin presented a letter to the sentry at one of the check in booths. He was then separated from his companions, who were led off to the thousands of tents sprawled around the Tower of Hope. Most of the tents were set up south of the tower, away from where the fighting was to occur. A number of grey mages had provided a large supply of new tents for everyone as Mara had requested.
Jerrin was led to the tower gates where another guard, a senior ranking official, inspected the note. With a grunt, Jerrin was admitted past the portcullis into the tower’s courtyard. From here, a cleric took charge of the guest and led him to the tower itself.
The tower was awesome to behold, especially by someone who had never seen its glass-like pinnacles before. The interior of the building was spectacular in its own right, the shiny white walls lit by the shafts of light that filtered down from above. The unique design of the tower allowed it to be brighter inside than out, and even a murky day like this one provided adequate light to see by.
Jerrin’s heart filled with sorrow at the thought of this great structure being lost to the war. He resolved to do his part in trying to preserve this great piece of history.
The grey mage was told to wait in the main lobby, so he looked around at the paintings on the walls. A strange statue of an older man stood off to one side and Jerrin wondered what significance it had. His examination of the realistic features of the man was cut short as a heavy set cleric hastened toward him.
“Good afternoon!” panted the cleric. He proffered his hand. “My name is High Cleric Malachi. I understand Mara sent for you specifically?”
Jerrin shook the high cleric’s hand. “Yes. My name is Jerrin.”
Malachi nodded. “I understand you have a sound understanding of warfare and sieges?”
Cloak & Dagger: Book II of The Dragon Mage Trilogy Page 32