The Dragons Return

by J. J. Thompson

  “I'll put the kettle on,” Aeris said quickly and zoomed out the door.

  “And I will make some food,” Kronk added. He bowed low to Clara. “Thank you for healing my master, lady cleric. I am in your debt.”

  He jumped off the bed and tip-tapped quickly out of the room.

  Clara stood up and thoughtfully watched the little guy leave. She turned to Simon and studied him quietly.

  “What?” he asked, wondering what she was thinking.

  “They love you. You do know that, don't you?”

  He stared at her and then looked toward the window, emotions making him pause and swallow dryly.

  “Yeah, I know,” he whispered, not looking at the cleric. “It took me a while to realize that. I figured they just wanted me around so that they could stay in this world longer. But yeah, it's more than that.”

  “Much more,” Clara replied firmly. He looked back at her and cleared his throat.

  “So now what?”

  “Now? Now you get your skinny ass out of bed, young wizard. That leg needs to be walked on to complete the healing.”

  She stepped back and motioned for him to stand up.

  “Wait. Just like that?” Simon couldn't believe that he was already fully healed.

  “Yes, Simon. Just like that. Now get up. I don't want to drink my tea alone.”

  Simon gingerly slipped his legs to the side of the bed and swung them over slowly, the splint catching on the blankets. There was no pain.

  He sat up, planted his feet on the floor and, with a last look of doubt at Clara, pushed himself to his feet.

  He was dizzy for a brief moment and then he was standing firmly on both feet.

  “Holy crap,” he said in wonder.

  “Hardly that, my friend,” Clara said with a chuckle. “I'll meet you downstairs after you change.”

  She left the room and Simon stood there suddenly blushing as he realized that he was only wearing a loincloth.

  Who the hell undressed me when I was sleeping, he wondered. Well, whichever one had done it, Kronk or Aeris, he'd slept through it.

  He shrugged. Whatever. He was sure that Clara had seen her share of unclothed patients.

  He sat down on the edge of the bed, untied the fine rope around his splint and pulled the thing off. The leg underneath was unmarked and showed no evidence of any injury.

  Amazing, he thought and hurried to get dressed. He was suddenly starving.

  After a breakfast of meat and cheese sandwiches, which Kronk served to all of them, Richard and Michael sitting on the couch as usual, the four of them chatted over cups of tea.

  “It's good to see you up and about, Simon,” Richard told him. His expression was serious. “We may need you to return the favor soon.”

  “Why, what's happened?” Simon asked curiously.

  “It's these sightings, my friend,” Clara replied. She looked much more energetic after the meal and her second cup of tea.

  She sipped at it and sighed.

  “We aren't sure what they are, but my cleric's senses tell me that they are unholy and deeply dangerous. Frankly, we're not convinced that our flimsy wooden wall will stop them, whatever they are.”

  Simon brightened as he came up with an idea.

  “Maybe we can help with that. Kronk? Do you think that you and the other earthen who built my wall could do the same for Clara and her people? I'm sure that they'd be grateful for the assistance.”

  Kronk was standing at one end of the kitchen table and skittered over to speak to them.

  “I am sure that they would help, master. As would I. We owe the lady much and if this will aid her and her people, then we will build this wall for you.”

  Clara's eyes widened.

  “That's, that's more than generous. Thank you, both of you. But I have to warn you that our village is much bigger than this tower, Kronk. It will be a lot more work to build our wall than it was to build Simon's.”

  Kronk looked amused.

  “Lady, earth elementals are not tired when working with rock and stone. We are energized. It makes us happy. Believe me, we won't mind.”

  “Well, that's damned wonderful,” Michael spoke up for the first time. “It will certainly reassure our people to have a sturdy barrier between the village and the unknown. Simon, would we sound greedy if we asked you to add runes to the wall when it is finished? Clara mentioned that you have them on your own wall.”

  Simon looked at Clara in surprise.

  “How do you know that?”

  “I can feel them, Simon. You may be a wizard and I a cleric, but the magic comes from the same source; the gods of Light. I cannot cast spells but I can feel them. And your runes glow in my mind like silver fire.”

  “Do they? Huh. What do you know about that. Sure, Michael, I'd be happy to do that. Besides, I've been wanting to travel to your home for a while now. May as well do it soon. Summer's moving along and I may not get the chance to visit before the weather starts to take a turn for the worse.”

  “Good point.”

  Clara finished her tea and put down the cup. She looked at Simon.

  “How's the leg?”

  He slapped his thigh lightly.

  “Pain-free and working fine, thanks.”

  “Excellent.”

  She stood up and the two armored men slowly got to their feet as well.

  “I was happy to help you, my friend, but I don't want to be gone from home too long. We'll head back now so that we can arrive before dark. Give me a call when you decide to visit us.”

  Simon saw them to the door and shook hands all around.

  “Thank you all for coming. I'll be down to see you within the week, I promise. I just wish that there was more I could do to show my appreciation.”

  Before Clara could reply, Kronk spoke up and they looked down to see him holding a huge bag many times his size.

  “Perhaps this will help a bit, master.”

  He offered the bag to a mystified Richard, who took it and looked at the little guy enquiringly.

  “Lettuce!” Kronk exclaimed happily. “Just harvested yesterday. A gift from my master and me. I hope you enjoy it.”

  Simon burst out laughing and when Kronk looked at him curiously, he reached down and patted the elemental on the shoulder.

  “A lovely surprise, Kronk. Thanks.” He stood up and grinned at the others. “I didn't know about this but I hope your people will enjoy them, as my friend said.”

  “I know they will. Thank you both.”

  And with a last wave, the trio headed out the door and made their way toward the forest. Simon turned back and slowly walked to the table and sat down to finish his tea.

  As he picked up his cup, and Kronk jumped up on the table to join him, Aeris flew in through the door.

  “I wanted to say good-bye and thank Clara again,” he explained as he reached the table.

  Simon nodded.

  “Yeah, it was a great favor they did for me. Thanks to you both as well. I don't know that I would have survived if you hadn't been here.”

  “Nonsense, master. You would have been fine.”

  Aeris simply smiled.

  “Probably,” he added and Kronk glared at him.

  “No arguing, you two. Please. I'm too tired to deal with it today.”

  He stood up.

  “In fact, I'm going to go back to bed and take a nap. Only wake me up if the dragon decides to drop by for a snack.”

  Three days later, Simon was on his way to visit Clara's village. At last.

  He had decided to ride and, not being sure of the territory between his tower and the village, he rode Chief. Between his size and his horns, Simon doubted that there was much in the woods that could take on the stallion; or would want to.

  The big guy was excited, and snorted and pranced as they entered the forest across the field from the tower.

  Aeris had sealed the gates after they had left and was now leading the way. He was the only one who had been to the v
illage and knew where he was going.

  Kronk was following, but he and the other elementals that Simon had summoned to build the wall for Clara's town were traveling underground. As the little guy told Simon, they moved faster through the earth than on top of it.

  The group of earthen had been enthusiastic about building another wall, as Kronk had said they would be. Simon had called Clara the day before and asked her to do a rough drawing of the barrier so that the elementals had a plan to follow.

  She had agreed happily and was looking forward to showing him around her home.

  The day was clear and warm and Simon felt a thrill of excitement as they made their way through the woods. The forest wasn't very dense and Chief easily made his way between the trees.

  Birds were chirping and insects hummed by Simon's head, going about their business. He swatted at the few mosquitoes, but they couldn't dampen his pleasure. He whistled tunelessly occasionally and Chief would throw up his head each time and snort loudly.

  “Critic,” Simon told him. “You may have Changed into a unicorn or bi-corn or whatever, but obviously you didn't gain an appreciation for good music.”

  Chief snorted again and bucked his hindquarters a bit.

  “Careful there, old boy,” Simon chided him. “My butt is going to be sore enough without any help from you.”

  The horse whickered to himself, as if amused, and Simon wondered again how much more intelligent the stallion and the mares had become because of the Change.

  The journey was peaceful and, although he was tired by the time they reached the village, Simon was happier than he'd been in a long time. I should travel more often, he thought as they exited the forest and looked down from a low hill to the town below.

  The village was laid out in a circle surrounding a central hall. The houses were small but in good repair and there was a sense of order and tidiness in the design. Beyond the village were fields of grain waving in the breeze and several workers could be seen weeding and working amongst the tall stalks. To one side, he could see the vineyard that had supplied the grapes for Clara's wine. Simon smiled at the pastoral scene.

  “What do you think, Simon?” Aeris asked as he hovered nearby.

  “I like it. How many people live here now?”

  “About forty or so. Our four rescued Changlings have become part of the group now and seem happy enough.”

  Simon nudged Chief with his heels and the stallion began to slowly make his way down the gentle slope.

  “So they haven't signaled any of the dragon's minions yet?” Simon asked dryly.

  Aeris flew closer to him.

  “Be careful!” he hissed. “If anyone hears that story, they may turn on our foundlings.” He hesitated. “And they don't deserve that.”

  Simon pulled back on the reins and Chief obediently came to a stop.

  “They don't?” Simon asked the elemental. “You know, we haven't really discussed this whole thing, Aeris. I get that you're fond of the four of them, but...”

  “I don't know if fond is the correct term,” Aeris said. “But what they did, well, let's just say that I know how enslavement feels. They were desperate, Simon. Tell me, please, what would you have done in their place? If you had been locked up and used and abused for three years?”

  Aeris' seemed genuinely curious and Simon sat back in the saddle and thought about it.

  What would he have done? He had no idea how badly the Changlings had suffered, but he could guess. It wasn't a pleasant thought. Finally, he just shook his head.

  “Honestly? I don't know. All I do know is that consigning two dozen people to a grizzly death has to have left a mark, some sort of psychic scar, on them. And my question to you is, if they found themselves in a desperate situation again, would they betray these people to save themselves?” And he nodded at the village below.

  “I...” Aeris hesitated. “As you said, I don't know. I would hope not.”

  “So would I, Aeris. So would I.”

  And with that, Simon tapped Chief with his heels again and started riding toward the village.

  The wall surrounding the small town was not very impressive. It was maybe six feet high at it tallest but varied all along its length. It was made of old logs and thick branches and Simon doubted if it would stop anything at all. Slow it down for a few seconds, perhaps, but that was about it.

  He and Aeris made their way around the village to the main gate, which was open and consisted of a few long poles hanging off of brackets. A guard wearing heavy gray armor stood there watching them curiously.

  The guard was a tall young woman whom Simon had never seen before, but she knew Aeris and her frown at their approach changed to a wide grin when she spotted the elemental.

  “Aeris! Good afternoon to you,” she said cheerfully.

  “Hello Brianna. How are you doing?”

  She pulled off a heavy glove and wiped her forehead.

  “Baking in the sun, to be honest.” She looked keenly at Simon. “Is this the famous wizard we've all heard so much about?”

  “Indeed. Simon, this is Brianna. She's one of Richard's people. Brianna, meet Simon.”

  The guard nodded and smiled and Simon did the same. He slipped off of Chief's back and winced as he hit the ground. As he'd suspected, his back and butt were tingling with the pain to come. Price of riding I suppose, he thought.

  “Amazing looking animal that,” the guard said. Simon just smiled and thanked her.

  “Clara is expecting us,” Aeris told her.

  “Yes she is.” The guard looked over her shoulder and then chuckled. “In fact, I'd guess that she was watching for you. Here she comes.”

  Simon looked past the young woman and saw Clara in deep blue robes hurrying toward them. She was smiling widely.

  “Simon! Aeris! How lovely to see you both,” she called as she approached.

  There was a little rumble of sound beneath their feet and suddenly six mounds of earth appeared and the earth elementals pulled themselves up and out of the ground.

  Brianna stared open-mouthed at the little figures and she clapped a hand to the sword on her hip.

  “Easy, Brianna,” Clara said reassuringly. “These are friends of Simon's. They're the ones that are finally going to build us a decent wall.”

  “Really?” The guard stared at the little rocky shapes doubtfully. “Sorry. I expected them to be bigger.”

  “Don't judge them by their size,” Simon said and winked at Kronk. “These guys will have your wall up in a day.”

  “Probably less, master.” Kronk said with a touch of pride in his voice.

  The guard continued to look skeptical and Simon just shrugged.

  “Seeing is believing, I suppose. The results will speak for themselves.”

  “Well, let's not stand here talking.” Clara motioned for them to follow her and she led the way into the village.

  “I have some refreshments ready for you, my friend,” she told Simon as they walked. Clara waved at the small houses they were passing. “What do you think?”

  The streets were only about ten feet wide but had been inlaid with flat stones and looked freshly swept. The houses were all single-storied with narrow doors and neat little windows. Each was brightly painted and the abundance of color made Simon smile.

  Blues, reds, one door was a eye-searing yellow; all of the houses looked well-kept and homey.

  “I like it,” he told the cleric as they walked. Several people passed them, greeting Clara and looking at Simon and the elementals with undisguised curiosity. They seemed even more impressed by Chief than they were by the elementals. All of the villagers looked fit and well-fed and their clothes, although obviously hand-made, were clean and in good repair.

  “Your people seem happy enough,” he said.

  Clara sighed and gave a weary nod.

  “I hope so. I try to keep them that way. They work hard, all of them, but that means that when they get some downtime, they want to enjoy it. We have several
musicians who have scavenged some instruments that still work. Guitars, a fiddle, that sort of thing. And I encourage dancing and singing.” She grinned at Simon. “We even have a decent group of actors who put on plays once a month.”

  “Really? That's interesting.”

  “Yes, they're quite good. Remember, though, that I'm trying to divert people who, until a few years ago, had access to television and the Internet. They're sophisticated but, given the new reality, have had to simplify their lives. It takes some adjusting.”

  Simon nodded as they passed a young woman sitting in front of her little house, rocking a baby in her arms. She smiled at them and Clara stopped and cooed over the infant for a moment.

  When they began walking again, Simon looked back at the mother and baby.

  “A new generation already. Amazing.”

  “It is, isn't it?” Clara seemed saddened and when Simon looked at her quizzically, she shook her head.

  “Ethan is the first baby to be born among us. Our future, if you will. But what sort of world is waiting for him? And, with the imminent threat of the dragon, will he even survive to see it?”

  They reached the large, central hall and Simon tied Chief to a post next to the main entrance. He patted the horse's soft muzzle and loosen the girth on the saddle. Clara led them inside.

  “This is the town hall,” she told them as they entered.

  The building was a single story high, built of sturdy logs with chinks stuffed with mud. The ceiling was ten feet high and the hall was about fifty feet across and twice as long.

  “My living quarters are at the back. Follow me,” Clara said and led the little group past lines of benches that faced a wide-open space in the middle of the building.

  “Do you hold services here, Clara?” Simon asked as they walked across the center of the hall.

  The cleric laughed.

  “Not really. I'm not a very religious person, to tell the truth, which makes my calling all the more odd. But I've had enough proof of the old gods to believe in them and people occasionally come in here to pray to them.”

  She laughed again and shook her head, bewildered.

  “I don't even know their names. How can you pray to a deity who is nameless? No, the space here is mostly used for our plays, our dances and any town meetings we need to hold.”