The Dragons of Ice and Snow

by J. J. Thompson

  The guard nodded reluctantly and adjusted the spear that was slung across her back.

  “Very well then. Your name, sir?”

  “Simon O'Toole. I live to the north. Malcolm, Aiden and I traveled together not too long ago.”

  The guard looked dubious, obviously still not aware of who he was, and the wizard actually had to hold back a laugh.

  So much for being famous, he thought with some hilarity. This is one way to keep me humble, if I ever needed it.

  The guard stepped up to the door and pounded on it.

  “Malcolm?” she called. “You have a visitor.”

  There was a moment of silence and the woman looked at Simon and shrugged.

  “We have no wish to speak with anyone,” Malcolm finally replied. The voice coming through the door sounded exhausted and his tone was bleak.

  “I'm sorry, but he's a stranger. He says his name is Simon O'Toole. Do you know him?”

  Again there was a pause and Simon waited anxiously. It was quite possible that the men wouldn't want to see him, considering how depressed and dispirited they probably were.

  “Let him in,” Malcolm called out, his tone still dull.

  The guard looked at the wizard with some surprise and then lifted the planks out of their brackets and set them aside. She grabbed the handle on the door and slowly pulled it open, its hinges squealing painfully.

  “Go ahead in,” she told Simon. “I have to secure the door after you, though. Orders.”

  Simon nodded his understanding and stepped into the enclosure.

  With no roof to block the morning sunlight, the interior was brightly lit. In the center of the pen, Malcolm and Aiden were sitting on the ground, knees pulled up to their chests and heads bowed. Neither looked up as the door slammed shut.

  They were wearing gray canvas shirts and leather pants. Their feet were bare. Both looked scruffy and unkempt, very different from the neatly turned out men that the wizard remembered.

  Simon slowly walked toward them and then sat down on the hard, dry earth in front of them and folded his legs beneath him.

  “Why are you here, Simon?” Malcolm asked dispiritedly, not bothering to look up. Aiden remained silent.

  “And hello to you too,” the wizard said with a grin. Both of the big men raised their heads and stared at him and Simon was shocked by the blank passiveness on their faces.

  “You look good, my friend,” the big man told him. “Did Clara ask you to come? I told her not to, but then, she never does listen to me.”

  There was a hint of the old Malcolm in his voice and Simon's smile widened.

  “No, she didn't. It was just a happy coincidence that I showed up today for a visit.” He raised an eyebrow. “If you believe in coincidences in this new world of ours, which I don't.”

  “If you're here to try to convince us to leave this place, I fear you are wasting your time. Aiden and I will not put our friends and our home at risk for our freedom. Better they kill us than take a chance that we are not dangerous.”

  “We don't know enough about this...curse, disease, whatever it is, to trust that it only appears during the full moon,” Aiden spoke up, sounding as dejected as his partner. “We came to Nottinghill to start a new life. We offered the skills that the gods had given us to protect this place. Can we do less than that now when we've been infected?”

  He glanced at Malcolm.

  “As he says, better to be dead than to harm others.”

  Simon's smile faded and he had to clear his throat a few times before he could speak.

  “Your concern for the town and its inhabitants is admirable, my friends,” he said in a voice clumsy with emotion. “I don't know that I would be as selfless if I were in the same situation.”

  “Yes you would,” Malcolm told him sharply. “You've done nothing but risk yourself for others since you became a wizard.”

  “Yeah, well, whatever. Anyway, I'm not here for a social call. I summoned an elemental who had knowledge of this whole Lycanthropy thing; certainly more than is written in the lore that Clara was able to dig up.”

  Both of the men's faces suddenly showed a trace of desperate hope.

  “And? Is there a cure?”

  With a sigh, Simon shook his head.

  “No, I'm afraid not. You will carry the disease with you until the day you die.”

  Aiden groaned and dropped his head while Malcolm closed his eyes a moment, and then nodded heavily.

  “That's what we thought. Well, I suppose it's good to have it confirmed, to know for sure.” He nudged his partner. “Are you ready to face what's coming?” he asked in a soft voice.

  Aiden looked at him and his gentle smile was heart-breaking.

  “With you, I am willing to face anything,” he said calmly.

  Malcolm reached over and gripped his shoulder. He gave it a firm shake and then looked at Simon.

  “Very well. Tell Clara that we are ready. I believe silver is necessary to end a werewolf's life. Or an enchanted blade. Ours will do just fine.”

  “Hang on there, you two,” Simon said, holding up his hands. “This all sounds very noble and I'm not disparaging your willingness to sacrifice yourselves for the greater good, but as they used to say, it's not happening on my watch.”

  “What?” Malcolm seemed puzzled. “But you just said that there is no cure. Do you think that we want to spend the rest of our lives caged up like animals? We do not. Death would be preferable to that existence.”

  Simon stood up and brushed some dirt off of his robe.

  “Typical warrior types,” he said with a exaggerated eye-roll. “Guys, in my experience, there's always more than one answer to every problem. There is no cure, no, but there is a way to control the disease, to stop you from transforming into beasts.”

  Malcolm struggled stiffly to his feet, reached down and pulled Aiden up beside him.

  “You're saying that we can stop the change? That there's a way to actually live with this curse?”

  “That is exactly what I'm saying. It will take a few weeks to get what we need; it needs to be gathered under a full moon, and that's about two and a half weeks away, I believe. You'll have to wait as patiently as you can until then. Can you do that?”

  Both of the men were smiling with dazed relief.

  “Can we do that? By the gods, of course we can. To know that there is a way to counter this disease other than dying? We'd sit here for a year and call it worth it. Wouldn't we?” he added as he looked at Aiden.

  “Longer than that. Simon, how can we ever thank you?”

  The wizard laughed.

  “Seeing the light come back on in your eyes is thanks enough.” He reached out and gave Malcolm a clout on the shoulder and the man grinned.

  “There, that's better. Look guys, I'm sure that Clara will be by later to tell you more about all this. I can't know how dull the next little while is going to be for you, but stay calm and wait it out. We'll have you out and doing your jobs again before you know it.”

  Both of the men thanked him profusely and Simon left them feeling better about life and the world than he had for some time.

  When the guard had answered his knock and then sealed the door again behind him, she looked at him closely.

  “No bites? No scratches?” she asked.

  Simon snorted.

  “Don't be absurd,” he said. “Neither one of them is dangerous in human form and the disease can't be passed on while they are. Everyone knows that.”

  She looked skeptical.

  “That's not the rumor that's been going around,” she said as she moved back to her original position. “Why else would they lock themselves away unless they felt that they were a threat?”

  “They've been misinformed,” Simon told her in a reasonable tone of voice. “And if it makes you feel better, within a short time they will have a way to control their affliction for good and they will be able to return to the general population.”

  Her eyes went wide.
/>
  “Really? They won't have to die?”

  “Exactly. And you can tell the rumormongers amongst the townspeople that too. Maybe they can pass the truth around for a change.”

  He nodded once and headed back toward the town hall, cursing gossipers under his breath.

  When he entered Clara's quarters, he found her and the two elementals pouring over a large, leather-bound book. She was tapping a page and nodding at something one of them had just said.

  “Exactly. Those petals are distinctive. It shouldn't be too hard to find and as long as we get there during the full moon, I see no problem.”

  “You've had some luck?” Simon asked as he leaned his staff next to the door and took a seat.

  “We have indeed. The plant was actually called several names including wolf's bane, but it is definitely the one we're looking for.”

  She handed him the open book and the wizard examined the illustration. He read the description underneath and looked at the cleric in surprise.

  “The Rockies? We have to go to the Rocky Mountains?”

  “I'm afraid so. Remember what Aethos said? That the flower could be found in the mountains in the far west? Well, he meant the really far west.”

  Simon tapped his lips and nodded slowly, scanning the page.

  “Okay, that should be fine. I can use the atlas at home to get the proper coordinates for a Gate. Four thousand feet up, huh? Well, at least the view will be nice.”

  Clara smiled, got up and left the room. She returned a few minutes later and handed Simon a cup of tea.

  He thanked her warmly and sipped the sweet liquid.

  “How did Malcolm and Aiden take the news?” she asked as she sat down again with her own cup.

  “Exactly as you'd imagine. They were thrilled. By the way, I mentioned that you might drop by later, tell them about the whole process.”

  “Of course I will. I talk to them every day, although I'll admit it's been a very depressing few days. It will be nice to see them smile again.”

  “Good. Well, I'd love to stay but this development has changed my plans. I'll head back to the tower and check out the atlas. I'll probably do a few Gates to the location to make sure that there is actually wolf's bane to be found.”

  The cleric set down her cup, looking thoughtful.

  “That's a very good idea. It would be foolish to wait until the full moon only to discover that there is no wolf's bane there.”

  “Exactly. You two ready?” he asked Kronk and Ana.

  To his surprise, the earthen shook his head.

  “Have you forgotten, master? I'm supposed to check the wall and drawbridge while I'm here.”

  Simon slapped a hand to his forehead.

  “Gees, of course! Sorry about that. Clara, Kronk's going to do an inspection, just to make sure that there are no problems with your defenses.” She smiled at the little guy in appreciation. “He'll return to the tower when he's done.”

  They all rose and left the room, Simon grabbing his staff as he exited.

  Kronk waved as they left the building and then disappeared underground.

  Clara gasped with delight as she saw not only Chief but the two mares as well. All three were sucking up water from buckets that some helpful townsperson had brought to them.

  “I didn't know you had brought all three horses,” the cleric said happily. “I don't think I've ever seen the mares before.”

  “Well, in that case, allow me to introduce you.”

  He waved Clara toward the horses and she moved forward tentatively, obviously nervous around the big animals.

  “Don't worry, they're quite gentle. This little lady here who blends into the background is Tammy. Tammy, this is my friend Clara.”

  The mare lifted her head and then dipped it so that the cleric could stroke her face. She blinked her large brown eyes once and then went back to her water.

  “And this slice of gold is Sunshine. She's put on a bit of weight, but we love her anyway.”

  Sunshine raised her yellow head and snorted at Simon in disgust. He laughed and reached out to scratch under her chin. She made a show of pulling back and then closed her eyes with a contented sigh.

  Clara smiled and stroked the mare's flank. Then she stopped abruptly, her hand resting on the horse's side and looked at Simon in surprise.

  “Putting on weight? You do realize that Sunshine is pregnant, don't you?”

  “What?”

  He stared at her in complete surprise and then looked at the mare, who seemed to meet his gaze with a knowing look.

  “Oh my God,” he exclaimed. “I've been wondering over the last few years if the horses had been made sterile when they Changed. You old dog, you,” he said to Chief.

  The stallion raised his head and blew out a breath, spraying Simon with water.

  “Hey! Watch it!”

  Chief nickered to himself, apparently pleased. He turned his magnificent horned head toward Sunshine and gave a high-pitched neigh.

  The mare bobbed her head and then began drinking again.

  “Just how intelligent are your horses, Simon?” Clara asked after watching the exchange.

  “No idea, but a lot more than they used to be. I'm pretty sure that they can understand everything I say to them.”

  He stroked Sunshine's flank and then looked at the cleric.

  “You can feel the baby inside of her? Awesome. Any idea how far along she is?”

  Clara put her palm on the mare's large belly and stared off into the distance. She had a small smile on her face.

  “About four months, I'd say,” she told Simon after a moment. “How long is the gestation period for horses?”

  “Around eleven months. So she'll be due in late autumn. Good. I was afraid it would be in the middle of winter. Nasty time to give birth.”

  He tightened the girth on Chief's saddle, untied his reins from the post and mounted smoothly. He moved his staff on his back until it settled comfortably and then gestured for Ana to join him.

  This time the stallion didn't react to the sensation as the water elemental slipped up his leg and settled across the front of the saddle.

  “Thanks for the information about the mare,” Simon said, looking down at Clara. “It's good to know that the horses will go on. I think the world would be a poorer place if they died out.”

  “I agree. Keep me updated on her condition, please. If you need any help, let me know. And thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you've done and are doing for Malcolm and Aiden.”

  “Hey, they're my friends too. I'll call you in a few days, after I scout out that area in the Rockies and see if I can find some wolf's bane. If not, we'll have time to find another spot before the next full moon.”

  “Right. Talk to you soon.”

  Simon waved and turned Chief toward the gates. The mares followed closely.

  When they'd reached the hill that led into the forest, Simon stopped a moment and looked back at the town. The ugly enclosure that held his two friends caught his eye and he scowled at it.

  After those two are safe again, they'd better tear that thing down. If they don't, I may burn it to the ground myself.

  And then he gave Chief his head and they set off for home.

  Chapter 17

  Simon spent a day studying maps in his atlas, checking coordinates and deciding on the best spots to explore in his search for wolf's bane. It wasn't easy.

  The atlas was either very general when it came to showing proper elevation, or else he was being a little thick. Whichever it was, finding a point in the Rocky Mountains that was exactly at four thousand feet was almost impossible.

  He mentioned this to Kronk after the little guy returned from Nottinghill and, as usual, he had a practical solution.

  “Use your Magic Mirror spell, master,” the elemental said with a shrug. He had been passing the study where Simon was sitting at his desk and had stopped when he heard the cursing. He had a basket of laundry balanced on his head and it loo
ked like the basket was moving by itself.

  “What?”

  The wizard looked up and snorted a laugh at the sight of the animated laundry walking into the room.

  Kronk slipped out from under the basket and frowned up at him.

  “You are having a hard time locating this wolf's bane, yes? Well master, simply use the coordinates in your book there to look at each likely site. Then you won't have to Gate from place to place and waste time.”

  He lifted the laundry again and left the room.

  “Just a thought, master,” he said as he disappeared down the stairs.

  “You're brilliant,” Simon called after him gratefully.

  “Thank you, master,” came the faint reply.

  The wizard grabbed a sheet of paper and made a list of promising coordinates. Then he hurried down to the main floor, made some tea, got his hand mirror and returned to his study to check out the list.

  The first location that appeared in his mirror was out before he even bothered looking around. When the fog cleared from his view, he was looking at the sheer side of a mountain. There were ridges of rock as far as the eye could see and the only thing that was green were patches of lichen clinging to the mountainside.

  Glad I didn't Gate there, he thought wide-eyed, and nervously swallowed some tea.

  The next two spots were flat enough, but again were basically bare rock and stone. A few stunted pine trees were struggling to survive in the barren landscape but that was all.

  He hit pay dirt at the fourth location.

  The mist-covered surface of the mirror cleared to reveal a lush meadow, filled with tall grasses blowing in the wind, mature trees and splashes of color from bunches of flowers scattered throughout the area.

  Simon picked up his book on Canadian flora that he'd discovered in his library and thanked Daniel once again for throwing seemingly random reference books at him over the years. He flipped through it to the page he'd found earlier.

  And there it was: Aconitum. Wolf's bane.

  He hadn't really read through its properties before, so now he took a moment to do so. And whistled in surprise. Extremely poisonous?

  Better be careful with this stuff, he thought and made a mental note to take gloves with him when it was time to harvest the flower.