The Dragons of Ice and Snow

by J. J. Thompson

  She nodded and began to limp toward the stairs, waving off Aiden's offer of assistance.

  “I can walk on my own,” she snapped at him and led the way.

  The three men exchanged glances and Simon just shrugged. They followed her slowly.

  Once they were down in the living quarters, Aiden drew a bucket of water from the well and filled a glass. He offered it to the paladin who accepted it with thanks. Malcolm had found an overturned chair and had set it upright for her to sit down.

  Liliana sipped the water, her breathing slowly returning to normal. Simon grabbed another chair and sat down facing her. He summoned a light sphere again and set it to hover up near the ceiling.

  Aiden moved to guard the door while his partner stood nearby, arms folded, watching her intently.

  “Can you tell us what happened?” Simon asked her when she had caught her breath.

  The paladin nodded, moving her left arm in a circle to loosen it up and wincing a few times.

  “Two of my people were out scouting with me this morning,” she began. She stared at the floor as she spoke, her eyes dull. She sounded like she was drained of emotion.

  “Routine, really. We scout out the neighborhood every day to make sure it remains clear. They headed west and I went east. Maybe they got careless. We hadn't seen any dragon activity for weeks. I don't know what happened, but about an hour or so into my patrol I heard the dragon.”

  “A dragon? The one that tore open your door?” Malcolm asked.

  Liliana nodded.

  “Yes. That door weighs over a ton and it was ripped apart like it was paper. When I heard the first roar, I raced back.”

  Her hands clenched into fists.

  “I was too late. My fault. I had gone too far from the outpost and could not get back in time to save my people.”

  “Do not blame yourself, lady,” Malcolm said. His tone was so fierce that she looked up at him in surprise.

  “No one can run quickly in armor,” he continued and tapped his breastplate. “You were out doing your job. You are not the one who led the dragon to this place. Taking the blame on to yourself is futile.”

  She was listening closely and nodded reluctantly.

  “Perhaps. The results were the same. By the time I got back, the dragon was gone. The last of the drakes was streaming out of the building.”

  Her expression became so fierce that Simon flinched and sat back.

  Liliana caught his movement and looked at him. She managed a smile and made a reassuring gesture.

  “Sorry, my friend. I never knew how much I could hate until today.”

  She glanced down at her armor and Simon followed her look. To his surprise, the metal was no longer dented and splattered with dried blood. It gleamed like it had been freshly polished and was undamaged.

  The paladin rested her hand on her chest and sighed loudly.

  “Apparently the gods don't hold my hatred against me. For whatever that's worth.”

  She stood up slowly and walked back and forth a few paces. Simon watched wide-eyed. She was no longer limping and the gray of fatigue had faded from her skin.

  Liliana sat down again and gave them all a twisted smile.

  “Well, isn't that a lovely gift,” she said bitterly. “My people are slaughtered but the gods see fit to heal their paladin. Wonderful.”

  She leapt to her feet and glared up at the ceiling.

  “What good does this do me now!” she roared. Her rage echoed around the room and the guardsmen watched her with identical expressions of compassion.

  She collapsed on to her chair and covered her eyes.

  “What good does this do me now?” she whispered.

  Simon wanted to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder but he had a feeling that it would be rebuffed, so he waited, his heart sore as he watched Liliana's grief.

  “How many drakes attacked?” Malcolm asked finally, when she finally sat back and was staring blankly at the floor again.

  “How many? I don't know. Five? Six? Doesn't matter. They are all destroyed. Once I finished off the straggler near our front door, I tracked down the rest. My people had been...consumed by then. No remains were left to be buried. But none of those creatures will report back to the dragon that sent them. Let them believe that my people survived and fought them off. It will at least give them pause.”

  “Five or six?”

  Malcolm looked at Aiden, who shook his head in mute amazement.

  “Lady, we have never faced a drake, but Simon has. From what he's told us, just battling one of those beasts would be too much for even a group of people.”

  Liliana stood up again and drew her sword. It rang like a bell and glowed a ghostly white.

  “The gods' favor,” she said with a sneer. The sword was deadly sharp and runes ran down its length from hilt to tip. “This weapon sheers through drake flesh like a hot knife through butter. The beasts weren't that much of a challenge.”

  Malcolm snorted.

  “Your modesty becomes you, lady, but I doubt that it was that easy.”

  The paladin sheathed her sword and looked around the room.

  “Easy? No, it was not easy.”

  She focused on the two guardsmen.

  “I did not catch your names?” she said pointedly and looked at Simon.

  He jumped up, feeling a little embarrassed.

  “Sorry, Liliana. With all that's happened...anyway, this is Malcolm and that's Aiden. They are the leaders of the guardsmen in Nottinghill.”

  “Nottinghill?” The paladin looked perplexed for a moment and then nodded. “Ah, of course. Clara's town, yes?”

  “Yes.”

  Malcolm stepped forward and shook her hand firmly.

  “It is an honor,” he said sincerely.

  The paladin managed a smile.

  “The pleasure is mine,” she told him and nodded at Aiden, who saluted from his position at the door.

  Liliana walked over to the pump and dipped her glass into the bucket of water. She drank it down and glanced around at the others.

  “Water? Or something stronger? I'm sure I can dig up a bottle of vodka in all this mess.”

  “No thanks,” Simon said. The guardsmen shook their heads.

  “So how did you manage to show up when you did, sir wizard?” she asked. “I hadn't expected to see you for some time, perhaps only if or when we found your lost spell-book.”

  Simon looked at her blankly for a moment and had to quickly reorganize his thoughts.

  “Oh, right. That. Well, it was just bad timing, I suppose. Or good timing. I'm not sure. I discovered a new spell that I think will do major damage to white dragons.”

  Liliana stiffened and she focused intensely on the wizard.

  “So I called you this morning, well, morning in my time zone, and got no answer.”

  He frowned at the thought.

  “It's weird, you know. I can usually reach anyone, awake or asleep, with my Magic Mirror spell. But when I called you, I got nothing. That's what convinced me to come. I thought...”

  “You thought I was dead,” Liliana said flatly. “Yes, not surprising. I felt your attempt to contact me, my friend. I was on patrol at the time, as I told you earlier, and could not talk.”

  “I didn't know you could do that,” he said in wonder.

  “It is part of who I am. I daresay your friend Clara could do the same, as could other spell-casters like yourself.”

  She settled into her chair and it creaked under the weight of her armor.

  “So you thought that I was dead or injured and came riding to the rescue?”

  Simon felt a little embarrassed, but the paladin's smile of appreciation set him at ease.

  “I don't know many who would do that even for someone close to them, my friend. Thank you. Now, what is this about a new spell?”

  The wizard explained his theory about dragon weaknesses. All three of the fighters listened intently, Aiden nodding occasionally from across the room. />
  “So you believe that a dragon's strength is also its weakness?” Malcolm asked when Simon had finished.

  “It seems so,” he said. “At least, that's what has happened in my battles against the primals I've faced.”

  “I keep taking you at face value, Simon,” Malcolm said, looking a little embarrassed. “But you have destroyed two of the most powerful creatures on Earth.” He paused. “Gods, even saying that out loud sounds incredible. But if you think that you've discovered the dragons' Achilles heel, I have to believe you.”

  Liliana was nodding slowly.

  “Yes, I tend to agree. And this new spell is...?”

  “I call it Blizzard,” Simon said self-consciously. “It's a spell that summons a storm of intense cold at a specific spot. The white dragons use deep cold as their main weapon, so it is possible that using the same sort of magic against them would have some affect on them.”

  The paladin frowned.

  “You don't agree?” the wizard asked.

  “Oh, I agree. At least, if your logic is correct, then it should work.”

  She stood up again and began pacing nervously.

  “The problem is that we won't know if it is effective until you actually face a dragon. So it's all or nothing. And if it doesn't work...”

  “If it doesn't work, I'm screwed,” Simon said with a shrug. “Story of my life basically. But, no risk, no reward.”

  “That's a rather casual attitude, sir wizard,” Malcolm said with a frown. “No offense,” he added quickly.

  “None taken. You're right. But it isn't a casual attitude, my friend. It is the actual truth. What I've faced,” he looked at the pacing paladin and added, “what we've all faced, is so outside the realm of our old reality that we're just staggering from battle to battle, hoping to survive.”

  “A fair description, Simon,” Liliana said. “I think that I can help you to test your new spell. Not today. Too much has happened and I am too full of grief to think clearly.”

  Simon watched her turn away and his heart went out to her. But what could he say? Some things went beyond consolation.

  She turned and stared at the wizard.

  “When I have found a new refuge and moved my belongings there and,” she looked around and shook her head, “put my friends' memories to rest, I will keep an eye out for patrolling dragons. If I can find one that keeps a fairly regular schedule, and some of them are creatures of habit, I will signal you with the lodestone that you said you made for me and we can devise a plan of attack. That way, you can test your spell and I...”

  She gripped the hilt of her sword so tightly that Simon heard her metal glove squeal.

  “I can begin to take my revenge. For now, I thank you all, but I'd like to be alone.”

  Simon reached inside his coat and pulled out the half of the lodestone that Kronk had found for him. He handed it to the paladin and she accepted it with the ghost of a smile.

  Then he stood up and Aiden, with a last glance down the hallway, walked back to stand next to Malcolm.

  “Are you sure you wouldn't like to come back to Nottinghill with us?” the big man asked her. “You could rest, heal up, perhaps meet some new people.”

  Liliana shrugged irritably.

  “I have no need to rest or heal, warrior. I am a paladin. And as for meeting new people? Thank you but no. I'm not feeling very sociable right now.”

  She stepped forward and shook hands all around.

  “Thank you for coming. I do appreciate your concern, truly. Forgive me if I seem rude but...”

  “No need for forgiveness, lady,” Aiden spoke up. “We understand. If you need us, Malcolm and I, in the future, you have only to ask.”

  “Thank you both. Simon, I'll be in touch.”

  “I'll be looking forward to it, Liliana. Be careful. You're alone now and that makes you more vulnerable than you were before.”

  “Does it?” She smiled grimly. “Woe betide any beast that crosses my path now. I shall show it no mercy.”

  Simon had nothing to say to that. He gripped his staff firmly and chanted the Gate spell.

  “Grab hold, gentlemen,” he said to Malcolm and Aiden.

  They each put a hand on a shoulder and Simon smiled one last time at Liliana. Then he invoked the spell and watched her fade into darkness, a feeling of deep sadness rolling over him.

  The wizard stayed for the night in Nottinghill. When he and the guardsmen had returned, they had spent several hours speaking with Clara about what had happened.

  The cleric was shocked and saddened by the news of the attack on Liliana's people but accepted the paladin's wish to be left alone with her grief.

  “She will have to sort this out for herself,” she said softly.

  They were sitting around the central fire in the town hall. The fire was burning even though the day was still warm.

  Simon sat alone on a bench, his coat and staff lying next to him. He was sipping some tea and staring quietly at the flames. The burning wood smelled sweetly and he felt exhaustion creeping up on him.

  “That can't be healthy,” Aiden objected. Both he and Malcolm had gone to the barracks and removed their armor. Seeing them sitting side by side wearing plain tunics and leather pants seemed strange to Simon. Somehow they looked younger and more vulnerable.

  “Alone with thoughts of your friends being slaughtered? How can that be good for her?”

  “And what would you have us do?” Clara asked him simply. “We cannot force ourselves on her if she doesn't want our company, can we?”

  “Of course not.” Malcolm said, with a look at his partner. “But I agree with Aiden. Moscow is a ruin. Depressing enough, I'm sure. But now Liliana is alone there, with dragons and perhaps drakes sniffing around, searching for her. A grim prospect.”

  They fell into a glum silence, each alone with their own thoughts.

  Finally, after Simon had yawned for the fourth time in a row, Clara stood up and smiled at him.

  “I think it's time to call it a day, my friends. Simon, come along. I've got the guest room all ready for you.”

  He wanted to protest that he should get home, but the wizard was so tired that he simply stood up and followed her meekly.

  “Good night, guys,” he said to the guardsmen.

  They both wished him a good sleep and then left the hall.

  The next morning, Simon had a quick breakfast with Clara and then got ready to head home.

  “Let me know when the paladin contacts you again, would you?” the cleric asked. “I'm worried about her.”

  “I am too, Clara. And yes, I'll give you a call when she calls me. Talk to you soon.”

  When Simon appeared in front of his tower, he was greeted by three distinctly different voices.

  “Master, you're home! Welcome back!”

  “Where have you been? You could have at least called to tell us you were still alive!”

  “I hope my spell proved useful, sir wizard.”

  He rolled his eyes and turned to look at the open front door. The three elementals were standing beside each other. Kronk was beaming, Aeris was scowling and Ana was watching him with polite interest. Simon had to smile.

  “And what are you grinning at?” Aeris barked. “We, I mean, Kronk was worried sick. He thought you'd been eaten by a dragon.”

  “No I didn't,” the little guy said indignantly. “I was sure that master was perfectly fine. You're the one who was pacing the wall all night, muttering to himself.”

  “I was not! The wizard can take care of himself. I barely noticed that he was gone.”

  “Did you get a chance to cast the Blizzard spell, Simon?” Ana asked, after giving the other two a puzzled look.

  “No, I'm afraid not. Stuff happened and I never got a chance. And it's good to see you again. I hope your visit with Aquamastis went well?”

  He climbed the steps as he spoke and the elementals moved back and then followed him into the tower.

  Simon hung up his coat, res
ted the staff near the door and sat down at the kitchen table with a feeling of relief. It was good to be home.

  “And hello to you two,” he said to Kronk and Aeris as they settled on to the table. “I hope there wasn't any fighting while I was gone?”

  The air elemental sniffed loudly.

  “I wouldn't waste my time,” he said loftily.

  “No master, no fighting. Aeris was too busy worrying,” Kronk said, shooting Aeris a sly glance.

  “I was not! Honestly, Kronk, you're worse than a child.”

  “If I might interrupt your bickering, boys?” Ana said with amusement.

  “Did she just call us boys?” Aeris asked Kronk, frowning.

  “I believe she did. Hmm. I think I like it.”

  “Guys. Guys. Argue later. First let me tell you what happened. It will also explain why I wasn't able to cast the Blizzard spell.”

  Simon repeated what he had told Clara the night before almost word for word. As he spoke, he got up, stoked the fire and hung the kettle over it.

  He was sitting, sipping his tea by the time he was done.

  Aeris had forgotten his irritation halfway through the story. He listened with wonder and, Simon thought, a touch of sadness when he heard that Liliana had been left alone in her devastated city.

  “That poor woman,” he said softly when the wizard was done.

  They all looked at him in surprise and he bristled.

  “What? I do have feelings, you know.”

  “Um, yeah. Sure,” Simon said. “Of course you do. Anyway, that's why I didn't use Blizzard, Ana. The battle was over by the time I arrived.”

  “I understand,” the water elemental said. She rippled gently as she stood next to Kronk.

  The little earthen had simply listened in rapt attention when Simon told them about the events in Moscow. Now the wizard looked at him quizzically.

  “Any thoughts, my friend?” he asked.

  “Thoughts?” The deep red eyes became a little brighter. “Just one, master. What happened to the dragon?”

  Simon frowned a bit.

  “What dragon?”

  “The dragon you said flew overhead a few moments before you saw the paladin returning. You mentioned it and then said nothing more. What happened to it?”