“Hardly that, Virginia,” Clara protested. “But I've heard some things lately that I'd like to clear up. And since Simon is here anyway, and is the one who was instrumental in your rescue, I invited him to join us.”
She looked at Michael, who was standing next to the door, and Susan, who had faded into the shadows near the rear of the hall.
“As for our other friends here, well, we'll call them witnesses. You are members of this community now, and everyone has to know that they will be well treated by me no matter what the circumstances. Michael and Susan are fellow villagers, after all.”
“I see.”
Virginia looked at her friends and then back at Clara.
“Very well. What would you like to talk about?”
Clara set her hands on her knees and simply repeated the theory that Simon had shared with her. She spoke carefully and clearly and Simon watched the foursome as she spoke.
Eric's face remained calm but Gerard paled as she spoke. Virginia listened politely. Anna seemed to shrink within herself and Simon saw her blink back tears several times.
When Clara had finished speaking, she looked from face to face.
“Is that approximately what happened? If not, please tell me honestly what did.”
There was silence broken only by the creaking of Michael's armor as he shifted his feet. Virginia looked at Eric who shrugged and then looked back at Clara.
“Yes. More or less, that is exactly what happened. Congratulations to whomever figured it out.”
Clara shot Simon a glance and Virginia looked at him.
“Ah, the wizard. Understandable, I suppose. Stories always mention wizards and their intelligence. Well done, Simon.”
“Thanks but I can't take all the credit. Aeris went back to the scene of the crime and described it for me.”
“Aeris?” Anna gave a little scream. “I thought you were our friend! How could you betray us like this?”
The elemental flew up and over to hover a few feet from the small young woman.
“Betrayal? How is the truth a betrayal? You should have told us what really happened on the day we rescued you. I've been enslaved in the past. Used by despicable wizards to spy on others, to fetch and carry like a lowly servant. I may not have endured what you all did, but I am on your side in this.” He stared frankly at Anna. “I believe you did what you did out of desperation.”
He flew a few feet and floated in front of Virginia.
“Or am I mistaken?”
Both Virginia and Eric had been scowling at the elemental. But now their expressions changed. Eric looked indecisive while Virginia seemed to be overcoming some sort of internal argument. Gerard simply sat passively and let the others speak.
“No, you aren't mistaken, Aeris. Thank you for your trust. I assure you that it isn't misguided.” Virginia sounded weary suddenly. “It's time for a full disclosure, I see.”
She looked from Clara to Simon and back again.
“We did what we did out of desperation, yes. But not because of the abuse that had been heaped on us. We'd become used to the endless dreariness of our lives. The beatings, the unending toil, the...violations.”
Eric winced but Virginia didn't notice.
“But that isn't what made us so desperate that we set fires to draw the attention of the dragon. We'd seen the thing at a distance for years. It flew past every few weeks, going about its business, whatever that is. No, what happened was worse than the abuse. The humans were going to split up. They had cowered in the dragon's shadow for three years. Some had become used to it, like one gets used to being threatened by a tornado every year. But others had had enough and wanted to move further down river, until they were out of its territory completely.”
“But, why did that make you all so desperate?” Clara asked in confusion.
“Let me explain, please,” Virginia asked with a weak smile.
“You see, like the clothes and goods that they intended to split between them, they were going to split us up as well. Two of us would stay in the village and two would be taken with the group that was leaving. We could not let that happen.”
“I understand that you would miss each other but...”
“Please! Let me finish.”
Virginia looked at her friends, who were watching her desperately. She reached out and all of them linked hands. It seemed to reassure the group and they exchanged small smiles. Then Virginia continued speaking.
“You know that we are Changlings, but that is all you know. We are different from the others, from all of you. Maybe it's because we all grew up in the same town, maybe it was just a colossal joke from the old gods who are coming back. But for whatever reason, we are nothing unless we are together.”
Simon frowned.
“Why?” he asked simply.
“You saw what Anna did the day we met, didn't you? How she disappeared?”
“Of course. It was amazing.”
“I suppose so.” She looked at the smaller girl. “Sweetie, disappear for the wizard, would you?”
Simon watched Anna, waiting for her to fade from sight. But nothing happened. The young woman just sat there and finally shrugged helplessly.
“I can't,” she said in a little voice.
“What? I don't understand.” Clara looked at each of them in turn. “Why not?”
Simon had been thinking hard as he watched the group. And now something dawned on him. Of course, he thought. I should have known, somehow.
Virginia caught his eye and nodded.
“The wizard understands. Don't you, Simon?”
He looked at Clara and waved toward the group.
“They have to work the magic together or it won't work at all.” He looked at Anna. “Correct?”
She nodded meekly but stayed silent.
Clara looked amazed, but allowed Virginia to keep speaking.
“Anna, as you saw, can vanish at will, as long as one of us is connected to her.” Virginia tapped her chest lightly. “I can heal, but only when the entire group is together. I can't tell you how many wounds, scrapes and fractures I've dealt with over the past three years.”
“Ah, so that's why none of you have scars,” Simon said. “I wondered.”
“That's correct. Eric,” she looked at the tall youth warmly, “can shield us from blows. Again, only as a group. He saved us that night when one of those drakes destroyed the building we were hiding in. And Gerard...well, Gerard has a gift that he has always been reluctant to use, even on those animals that imprisoned us.”
She looked at the smaller youth, who looked away and swallowed loudly.
“What can he do?” Clara asked gently. Her expression was compassionate.
“Tell her, Gerard,” Virginia told him quietly. “No more secrets.”
Reluctantly, the young man turned and looked at Clara. She smiled at him and he seemed to find his nerve.
“I can use the power to hurt things.”
“You can? How?”
“He can literally knock over a tree with his power,” Virginia said as Gerard blushed. “You can imagine what that would do to a man. But he's never been willing to use it like that, even on our enemies.”
“I'm not a killer,” Gerard said vehemently. “I'm...” His voice trailed off and then he shrugged weakly. “I guess I am a killer at that. If it wasn't for me, and all of us, those true humans as you call them would still be alive.”
“Now I understand,” Clara said. She sounded relieved. “I just wish that you had trusted us enough to tell us earlier.”
“We have trust issues, Clara,” Virginia said simply.
“Yes. Understandable.” The cleric shrugged. “While I don't condone what you did, I can see why you did it. And I know that you are telling me the truth.”
She stood up and walked to the little group. They stood up as she approached and watched her warily.
But Clara only smiled and embraced each of them in turn.
“You are very brave, all
of you. We will keep the truth of that night between ourselves. I know that Michael and Susan will be discreet and I trust that Simon and Aeris will be as well.”
“Of course we will,” Simon said. “I'm relieved that everything is out in the open now. And if you want my advice, unsolicited, you'll let the rest of the villagers know what you can do. Knowing that you can heal, Virginia, with the group's help, will make them feel more secure.” He grinned at Clara. “Our dear cleric is a busy woman and there is only one of her. I'm sure she'd appreciate some help in that direction.”
Clara laughed and looked at the four Changlings. All of them were smiling with relief.
“I could absolutely use the help. We have people injuring themselves on a daily basis here and another healer would be welcome. And Gerard, I know that you don't want to use your gift against other people, but if what I've sensed out in the wild is as powerful as I fear, you may get a chance to use your power to help protect the village. If you choose to, of course.”
Gerard actually grinned.
“I think I could do that, Clara. Thank you.”
“No. Thank you, all of you, for your honesty. You are truly members of our community now. Off you go. I'm sure that you have better things to do than spend a beautiful day stuck in this hall.”
She made scooting gestures toward the door and the four young people left in a group, laughing and talking happily. Simon smiled at them as they left. He looked at Aeris and the elemental nodded at him in mute thanks,
Clara sat down next to Simon on the bench while Michael and Susan followed the others out. Aeris hovered nearby.
“Well, that was surprising. But I am so relieved at the results. The idea of having to turn them out was very painful to me.”
“I could tell,” Simon said softly. “I felt the same way. I wonder, though, if their powers are more common than we might think.”
“What do you mean?”
“Just that except for myself, Heather the hedge witch and you, those four young people are the only magic-users that I know of so far. Maybe if people got together in a group, they could, I don't know, pool their powers somehow and use magic the way that we can.”
“Hmm, interesting idea,” Clara replied thoughtfully. “Although I don't really do what you do. I pray for help and receive it, usually. But maybe I can explore your idea in the future. We're all busy right now getting crops in and stored for winter, but once the snows arrive, we'll have plenty of time to do some research in that direction.”
“Good. Let me know what you find out. Anyway,” Simon stood up and smiled down at the cleric, “now that that's sorted out, let's go and see how Kronk and the others are coming with your wall, shall we?”
Clara's eyes widened.
“Good grief, I'd forgotten all about that!”
She sprang to her feet and led the way outside.
As they left the hall, they felt a faint rumbling beneath their feet.
“What is that?” Clara asked as she looked around. “An earthquake? Here?”
“No, I don't think so,” Simon said with a chuckle. He and Aeris exchanged amused looks. “That's probably the wall builders. I felt quite a bit of ground shaking when they put mine up.”
“Oh good. I was worried for a second. Shall we head down to the main gate?”
“Lead the way,” Simon said and he followed Clara as she hurried down the narrow street.
At the gate, the guard, Brianna, was staring in disbelief as a wall at least ten feet high rose out of the ground not a dozen feet away. Simon looked at it in approval. It was almost identical to his own, except that the stone it was made of was darker, almost brown. And he thought it looked thicker than his wall.
Other than that, the wall was identical to the one around the tower. He watched Clara, and other villagers who were hurrying to join her, chatter excitedly together as they observed the construction.
“I'm going to go and see Virginia and the others,” Aeris told him quietly. “See if they're alright.”
“Go ahead,” Simon said. “I'm guessing that they're going to be grinning for days, but check anyway.”
“I'll be back soon,” Aeris said and zipped away down the street.
The wall was finished in an hour. When Kronk and the other earthen gathered together and reported to Simon, the villagers broke into applause. The little figures stared around at them, bemused.
Kronk looked up at the delighted cleric and bowed.
“Lady, are you satisfied?” he asked simply.
“Satisfied?” She stared up at the wall and shook her head slowly. “I'm speechless, my friend. You and your people are amazing.”
“Thank you. We will go now and build your gates. It will not take long.”
Kronk looked up at the wall. There was a walkway several feet below the parapet all among the inside and he pointed at it.
“Do you have ladders that can reach that high? If not, we can construct several for you.”
Clara looked at the wall appraisingly.
“We might, but maybe only one. If it isn't too much trouble, we'd appreciate a few more.”
“No trouble at all, lady.”
He rumbled something at the other elementals and they all sank into the ground.
“I can't seem to get used to that,” Clara said as she looked at the piles of earth the little guys had left behind.
“Yeah, it take a while.”
Simon watched while Clara delegated the task of tearing down the old wall to several villagers. They accepted the job with obvious pleasure and Simon heard one of them comment that it would be a relief to finally have a real barrier around the town. The cleric reminded them to save the wood; winter was coming.
The rest of the townsfolk slowly scattered and headed off to return to their chores. Clara and Simon were soon alone at the opening in the wall where the gate would soon be erected. Brianna continued to stand guard.
The cleric asked Simon to walk with her and they exited the village and began to stroll around the outside of the wall, examining it and chatting amiably.
“I can't tell you what a burden has been lifted from my shoulders, my friend,” she told him as they slowly walked. “This wall not only increases our security, but somehow it makes the town feel official. Like a real place, you know?”
Simon thought that he did.
“It has a sense of permanence,” he told her and she nodded vigorously.
“That's it exactly,” she agreed. “Before this, with that ridiculous excuse for a barrier, it felt more like a temporary camp than a town. But now? Now we can say that Nottinghill is a honest to goodness settlement, a permanent home. And we have you to thank for that, Simon.”
He was quick to disagree.
“I just came with the work crew. Kronk and the others deserve your thanks, not me.” He reached out and trailed his fingers along the smooth stone of the wall as they walked. “They did do a great job though. This thing is even sturdier than mine.”
They continued to walk until they reached the rear entrance of the wall. Two of the elementals were just slipping the thick, wooden door, reinforced with metal strapping, into place. Clara watched them, startled.
“By the gods they're quick,” she said as the door settled in with a loud clunk. The two little figures bowed and slipped into the ground.
Simon had to chuckle.
“That they are. In fact, I'll bet that by the time we return to the main gate, it will already be installed. Efficient seems to be an earth elemental's middle name.”
They entered through the narrow doorway and Clara examined the heavy door. She nodded with approval when she saw the two thick bars that could be slipped into place to seal it.
“Sturdy,” she said and then they turned to walk back toward the main gate.
Simon was correct. The double-doors of the gate were up and working perfectly as they rejoined Brianna. She was grinning widely.
“Look at that, Clara. Just look at it!” the guard said en
thusiastically. “That gate would stop an eighteen wheeler, if such things still existed.”
“It might at that,” she replied with a smile. Like the gates at Simon's tower, the heavy doors had a complex system of bars and gears that would seal the gates firmly. It did look formidable.
Kronk was standing alone, looking up at Simon.
“Is it satisfactory, master?” he asked nervously.
Simon smiled affectionately at him.
“Of course it is, my friend. As always. I hope you thanked your helpers for me. They've already left?”
“Yes, master. And I did thank them. They were very pleased to aid you, and the lady cleric,” and Kronk bowed to Clara.
“Not as pleased as my people and I are with all of you, Kronk,” Clara told him. “I just wish that there was something we could do to show our appreciation for such a wonderful gift.”
“Your security and continued good health is thanks enough, lady,” the little guy told her and he glanced at Simon. “And I think my master would agree.”
“Absolutely.”
Simon looked around and saw a ladder leaning against the inside of the wall leading to the walkway that ran along the inside of the parapet.
“And speaking of security, I'd better get up there and imbue the wall with runes before it gets dark.”
The sun was almost touching the western horizon and the sky was heading toward twilight.
“There's no rush, Simon,” Clara protested. “Surely you can wait until tomorrow morning to do that.”
“Nope, I don't think so. The wall is protection against physical threats, true, but let's just add some magical protection as well. I'll sleep better knowing that you and your people are as secure as we can make you.”
“Well, you know best, I suppose,” the cleric said. “I'll go and see about some dinner then. Meet me back at the hall whenever you're done.”
“Thanks, I will. Kronk? Why don't you stay with Clara and I'll see you in a bit.”
The Dragons Return Page 27