Simon jumped back as the elemental rose up from the fog and flew over the parapet.
“Cripes, you scared the hell out of me,” the wizard spluttered.
Aeris looked at him a puzzled smile.
“You know, I've never quite understood that saying. How does one 'scare the hell' out of someone? What is this hell you keep mentioning anyway?”
“It's just a saying, Aeris. I assume you startled me on purpose? And welcome back, by the way.”
The elemental moved to float by Simon's right shoulder.
“Thanks. And no, I didn't surprise you on purpose. I just got back and looked for you downstairs. Since you weren't on the main floor and I assumed you'd be awake by now, I came up here directly. Where's Kronk?”
“Gardening. He'd never let something like a little fog stop him from doing his chores.”
Aeris held a hand over his nonexistent heart.
“Ah, such dedication. It's almost inspiring. Well, not really. Anyway, how have you been doing? Feeling like your old self again?”
Simon stepped closer to the parapet and peered into the fog. It was deathly quiet except for the sound of his and Aeris' voices.
“I am, actually. Happy to be home, safe and sound. For now, at least.”
“Glad to hear it. And I have some news that will cheer you up even more; I've found Chief and the mares.”
The wizard felt a thrill of excitement and smiled broadly.
“That's fantastic. Where are they?”
Aeris pointed vaguely out at the fog.
“West and a little to the south. In your measurements, about forty miles or so. The three of them look quite well actually, all things considered.”
“Wait. What are you talking about? There are four of them.”
The elemental's expression became solemn and he shook his head slowly.
“I'm sorry, my dear wizard, but there are only three now. Perhaps it was her youth or inexperience or something else, but the filly, Sunbeam, is gone.”
Simon couldn't believe what he was hearing but he knew that even Aeris wouldn't joke about something so tragic.
“Are you sure? You checked everywhere?”
“Once I tracked them down, I circled out from the three horses in a spiral pattern. That is why it took me so long. If I had come back as soon as I'd found them, I would have returned two days ago. You know how close the filly was to her mother, Sunshine. And Chief and Tammy as well. The older horses would never have let her stray. She's gone, I'm afraid, and I doubt that we'll ever know what truly happened.”
Simon sat down on the parapet and remembered when the little foal was born. She'd been the color of a ripe banana and Kronk had named her Sunbeam. Mischievous and energetic, she'd been a joy to watch and play with. And now...
“She's really gone,” he said heavily.
“I'm afraid so. And the others have not had an easy time of it either.”
Simon looked at Aeris.
“What do you mean?”
“All of them bear several scars and Chief has lost part of one horn. I'd say that they've had to fight to survive more than once.”
“Then we have to get them back here, right now!” Simon said sharply.
He sprang to his feet and Aeris flew back a few feet. The elemental made a calming gesture.
“Easy there, my dear wizard. They are already on their way home.”
“They are? How?”
“Their Change affected more than their appearances; you know that. They are all much more intelligent than normal horses were back in the old days. The three of them knew me immediately when I found them. I explained that you were back, just as we are speaking now, and they headed for home straight away. They should be back sometime this afternoon.”
“Will they get back alright?” Simon asked anxiously. “You said they've had to fight out there.”
“Not to worry. I found nothing between the tower and the horses in my scouting that could threaten a beast like Chief. They will be fine.”
He looked at the surrounding fog and shook his semi-translucent head.
“Although they will make better time if this blasted fog lifts soon.”
Simon took a deep breath to try to calm himself. Aeris' news was a lot to digest in a short amount of time.
“Will it? Lift soon, I mean?”
Aeris only shrugged.
“I may be able to feel a storm approaching, my dear wizard, but this sort of phenomena is beyond me. However, the sun is out above us and should help to burn off the mist fairly quickly.”
“Good. Let's head inside; my robe is getting damp from all of this humidity, and it's cold.”
Back inside, the two of them went downstairs and Simon hung the kettle over the fire. He told Aeris about summoning his fellow air elementals and the job he had given them.
“You couldn't have waited until I returned?” Aeris asked, sounding a little offended. “I could have helped them search.”
“Don't get your feathers all ruffled,” Simon told him as he made his tea. “I wanted you here with me. Brethia and the others may be gone for several months, you know.”
“Well, I'm touched, I suppose,” Aeris admitted grudgingly. “But still, I hate to miss out on such an adventure.”
The wizard sat down at the table and smiled at him.
“I think we'll have more than a few adventures of our own before they return. And not all good ones either.”
Aeris floated above the table and watched Simon sip his tea.
“You have a point there. Have you tried to contact any of the people from Nottinghill Castle?”
“Tried and failed. The dwarven cities are warded against magic, as you well know, and that hasn't changed. Unless Shandon allows me a direct line somehow, the only way that I'll be able to talk to any of them is to go down there for a visit.”
“Are you going to do that?” Aeris asked with an intrigued look.
Simon sipped his tea silently for a moment, thinking about it.
His several trips below ground had never been anything but frightening and dangerous. The dwarves loved their caves, but he could live the rest of his life quite happily on the surface.
Unfortunately, his friends were all down there now. Somewhere. And if they were to begin to fight back against the Chaos lords and their servants, the wizard would need to coordinate with the rest of his people. It definitely wasn't something that he could do on his own.
“I think so,” Simon replied reluctantly. “I hate it down there, but I don't see that I have a lot of choices.”
“Maybe you should wait until my fellow air elementals return from their scouting?” Aeris suggested. “There may be other Changlings on the surface that you can ask for help.”
“Yeah, maybe. But I'll still have to talk to Tamara and Liliana and the rest of the human leaders. And Shandon, of course. He may be willing to help us, now that we know his people are on the dark gods' hit list after they 'dispose' of us.”
The front door opened with a loud bang and Kronk hopped into the room. He slammed the door closed behind him, making Simon wince, and tip-tapped across the room to jump up on to the table.
“Welcome back,” he said to Aeris.
“Thanks. How's the garden looking?”
“Very well. I have finished weeding and replanting all of the crops now.” He smiled up at Simon. “You will have some fresh vegetables very soon, master.”
“Thanks, Kronk. I'm looking forward to it. Do you need some help? I don't mind working in the garden.”
“Oh no, master. You have too much on your mind right now. If I need an extra hand, I will just ask one of my brethren to help me. They enjoy a break from patrolling the perimeter occasionally.”
“Hmm. Okay then. But don't hesitate to ask if you need help. And speaking of help, I'd like to ask for yours.”
Kronk's eyes glowed an even brighter red and he smiled broadly.
“Anything I can do, master. You need only ask.”
<
br /> Aeris rolled his eyes at the earthen's eagerness and Simon gave him a sharp look.
“Thanks. We've been discussing how to get in touch with the humans who are now living in the dwarven cities and I was wondering if you could think of a way that didn't involve me actually having to go there in person.”
The little guy frowned and tapped his chin.
“I do not think so, master. If the dwarves have sealed their cities against magical attack, those wards will affect your ability to contact your fellow humans as well. I fear that you will have to descend into the great underground tunnels again and travel there yourself.”
Simon drained his cup, sat back and nodded.
“Damn it. That's what I was afraid of. Okay then, I guess we have something to look forward to. Sort of.”
He glanced out of the window at the wall of gray fog that blanketed the tower.
“But not today or for some time to come. I need to practice and get used to using my powers again. Aeris, do me a favor and find the horses, would you? I know that Chief can take care of himself and the mares, but I'd like you to keep an eye on them until they make it back.”
The air elemental chuckled and gave Simon a casual salute.
“Happy to. I'm sure they're fine but it will give me something to do. We should be back in a few hours.”
“Good. Hopefully this damned fog will have lifted by then.”
Aeris nodded and disappeared with a small pop.
“I have cleaned out the stable, master,” Kronk said as Simon got up to rinse out his cup. “It was quite dusty and filled with cobwebs after being unused for so long.”
“Ah, thanks Kronk. I should have thought of that myself. I doubt that the horses will want to spend much time inside during the summer anyway, but it's good to know that they can retreat to it during bad weather or whatever.”
“That was my thought as well, master.”
Simon left his cup in the sink and walked to the stairs.
“Time for some reading and practicing,” he told the earthen. “If you need me, I'll be in the study.”
“Yes master. Have fun.”
Several hours later, after pouring through old books of stories and fables about magic and monsters, Simon made his way downstairs. He pulled a kitchen chair over and sat in front of the fireplace, dearly missing his old comfy chair.
The fire had died to embers; there was no real need to keep it burning all of the time during the summer months unless the night got really cold. The wizard carefully added a log from the neat pile beside it, waited for it to begin burning, and then sat back and stared deeply into the flames.
If I want to begin to strike back and turn the tide on the dark gods, he thought, I'll have to go after their most powerful servants. Fighting through hordes of undead monsters would be a waste of time and energy. I need to destroy the necromancers who raised them in the first place.
The front door opened with a muffled squeal.
“Oh dear, I'll have to oil that straight away,” Kronk said from behind him.
Simon smiled but didn't take his eyes off of the dancing flames.
“Are you well, master?” the little guy said as he clattered across the floor to peer up at the wizard. “Do you need anything?”
“You mean besides a more comfortable chair for my skinny ass?” Simon asked as he adjusted himself on the hard wooden seat. “Not really. I just find that I sometimes think better when I'm sitting here and watching the fire.”
Kronk stepped into the fireplace and pushed the burning log into a more balanced position. He ignored the flames licking at his body and Simon watched him, amazed as always by the earthen's casual attitude toward such intense heat.
“Yes master, I have noticed that.”
He stepped out on to the stone flooring in front of the fireplace and waited for his body to cool off.
“I hope that you are thinking great thoughts, master.”
The wizard laughed and wriggled on the chair. It got really uncomfortable after a while.
“I don't know about great thoughts, but one thing has occurred to me. There was more furniture in that underground bunker in Russia where we got the couch and chair. So I intend to go back there in the very near future and see if I can find any replacements for what we lost.”
The little guy's face lit up.
“That is a wonderful idea, master. Perhaps there were other chambers that we did not see. I should have searched the stone around that sanctuary more carefully while we were there.”
Simon got up with a wince and carried the chair back to the kitchen table.
“I never thought of that. Do you think we missed something?”
“It is quite possible, master. Whoever had that place built was obviously worried about their own security and safety. Perhaps to the point of paranoia. They could have had secret rooms tucked away off of the main shelter.”
“Huh. Secrets inside of secrets, eh? Yeah, that's a possibility. Okay, we'll check on that when we head back. Any sign of Aeris and the horses yet?”
He pumped some water into the kettle and hung it over the fire.
“No master, not yet. But the fog has lifted, so that will help them travel more easily.”
Simon looked out of the nearest window in surprise.
“Well, what do you know? I hadn't noticed. Excellent. We can head outside once I make my tea, and take a walk around the tower. I'd like to see how the garden is doing.”
A short time later, the pair was standing on the edge of the very large garden behind the tower. Kronk was beaming proudly after Simon had exclaimed at how well everything was organized.
“Every plant in its place and all of them growing well. You've done wonders in only a few days, my friend.”
“Oh, I cannot take much of the credit, master,” the little guy said modestly. “I only moved a few of the plants and trimmed some others. And weeded, of course. The crops grew on their own. And the work that you and I did together, back before you had to leave, allowed them to keep growing well over the years.”
“Well, I still think that you're a genius.”
“Why do you insist on inflating his ego? Especially over weeds?”
Simon and Kronk both looked toward the back gate, which was standing open. Aeris had flown through and was hovering just inside of it, watching them with a smirk on his face.
“I'm complimenting him because he deserves it,” Simon replied. “I'd do the same for you if you earned it.”
“Would you now? Well then, allow me to 'earn' this glorious compliment of yours.”
Aeris turned and flew to the open gate.
“Come on in,” he called out. “Your home is waiting for you.”
Simon felt a rush of excitement and barely had time to brace himself as Chief, Tammy and Sunshine raced through the gate in a rush, raising dust and flinging grass in all directions.
The three horses crowded around him and the wizard hugged each one in turn. Chief carefully kept his head raised to keep his keen-edged horns from accidentally goring Simon.
The wizard noticed with a pang of regret that the horn on the left had been broken off about halfway down its length.
Must have been a hell of a fight, he thought in passing.
The horses were in better shape than he'd feared but all bore signs of their years roaming free. Chief had the broken horn and a tear in one ear. Tammy's chest was criss-crossed with several wide scars. And Sunshine...
Simon ran a hand down from between her ears to her chin. He knew the horses were more intelligent since their Change and he stroked her chin as he spoke quietly to her.
“I'm so sorry that you lost your little girl,” he said with a catch in his voice. “I'm sure you all fought bravely against whatever took her away from you.”
Aeris hadn't mentioned that one of Sunshine's eyes was cloudy with blindness. A scar crossed her face diagonally and had pierced the eye. It had long healed but she would obviously be half-blind for the res
t of her life.
The mare rested her chin on his shoulder and let out a long, slow sigh. She closed her eyes and almost looked content.
Simon wrapped his arms around her neck and squeezed as hard as he dared. Then he slowly let her go and looked at all three animals.
“Welcome home, all of you. Your stable is clean and ready for you. There's water inside, and Kronk somehow managed to find a bag of oats that wasn't ruined, so there's food as well. We'll leave the gate open so you can come and go as you please.”
He looked directly into Chief's deep brown eyes.
“I'm sorry that I left you. I didn't have any choice, but that's no excuse. Thank you all for coming back. It wouldn't be home without you.”
The stallion held his gaze for a moment and whickered quietly. Then he glanced at the mares and led them into the stable.
Simon pushed back his hair with trembling fingers and wiped off his forehead.
“Thank you, Aeris, for a job well done. It really does almost feel like things are back to normal now.”
The air elemental flew closer and folded his arms.
“That's it? That's the best you can do for a compliment? I must admit, I'm a bit underwhelmed.”
He grinned as he said it though and the three of them shared a laugh.
“You are correct, master,” Kronk said happily. “We are all truly home again.”
Chapter 9
When there are no calendars to keep track of the days and no clocks to mark the time, weeks can pass in the blink of an eye. Or at least that was how it seemed to Simon as he settled back into the routine of his old life.
Once the tower was cleaned up and all the little repairs were done, and once the horses had adjusted to being home again, it was time to add the final touches to his life. The first one being a replacement for his couch and chair.
“I know it seems a bit silly,” he told Kronk and Aeris as he got dressed one morning. “But I just can't get comfortable in my own home until I have everything back the way it was before. Is that petty?”
Before Aeris could jump in with what would probably have been a snarky comment, Kronk cut him off.
The Dragons of Bone and Dust (Tales from the New Earth Book 7) Page 10