The Dragons of Bone and Dust (Tales from the New Earth Book 7)

by J. J. Thompson

  “Sorry, Miriam? The name sounds familiar but...”

  “Miriam is a cleric, from Nottinghill Castle. She's volunteered to join us as the healer on our endeavor.”

  “Oh right, right. Now I remember. So what have you all decided? How are we going to play this out?”

  “Subject to your approval,” Veronique said again.

  Simon was sure he heard her smiling behind her words and chuckled ruefully.

  “Fine then. Subject to my approval.”

  “Good. Now we've limited the party to the maximum that Virginia and her friends can cloak with invisibility; twelve. For hand to hand combat, we'll have Malcolm and Aiden along with Liliana and two talented warriors from Nottinghill, Fergus and Kate. Malcolm says they're exceptional fighters. The casters will include myself, you, Tamara, Sebastian and Barnaby. Miriam will come along to serve as healer, a talent we all hope she won't be called upon to perform.”

  “Amen,” Simon said firmly. “But that's only eleven, Veronique. Who's the last member of our happy crew?”

  The mage laughed shortly at that but then her voice became serious again.

  “The last person to join our party may come as a surprise to you. He certainly surprised us.”

  Simon and Kronk glanced at each other, mystified.

  “So who is he?”

  “A dwarf. A volunteer, actually. His name is...”

  She paused and they heard some whispered conversation.

  “Hallic Barston. He was given permission to join us by the king himself and is apparently a personal friend of Shandon's.”

  “Is he? Well, that's good to know. But I wasn't expecting a dwarf. I thought that the king didn't want to get involved in our war?”

  Yet another pause.

  “Nay, he doesn't. But I do.”

  The voice with a pleasant baritone and had a oddly Scottish lilt to it.

  “I'm sorry,” Simon said to the unseen speaker. “Is this Mr. Barston?”

  “Aye but please, call me Hallic.”

  “Okay Hallic, I'm Simon. Nice to meet you. Um, why would you want to join a bunch of humans on what could very well be a one-way trip into danger?”

  “Well Simon, it's like this. I have a certain set of skills, unique ones, at least to your people, that could serve you well in your quest. And frankly, when I caught wind of your plan to take the attack to the necromancers, I thought that my help might aid in your success. I mean, I don't want to sound immodest, but I'm quite good at what I do.”

  The wizard had to grin at Hallic's obvious self-confidence.

  “I appreciate that, Hallic. But what can you do? Are you a warrior? A caster?”

  “Nay, none of those things. Warriors be useful, I suppose, but those great gallumpin' masses of armor are always targets. Not for me, thanks. And magic? Well now, I'm rather good at countering magic, I suppose, but I've never had a talent for using it.”

  “Then what else can he do, master?” Kronk whispered curiously.

  Simon shrugged.

  Who was this dwarf and what aid could he bring to the mission?

  “I know you can't see me, Simon, but I can see you and your little friend there.” Hallic told him cheerfully. “You both appear a wee bit mystified by me, am I right?”

  “You are. I'm just wondering how you can help us.”

  “Polite dwarven society doesn't approve of my kind,” Hallic said with a laugh. “They pretend my caste does not exist and shun us when they can. But Shandon knows better. He uses my kind to good effect in certain situations. Situations like your recent abduction, for example.”

  “What? You were part of the search for me?”

  “Nay,” the unseen dwarf said, sounding quite pleased with himself. “I'm the one who found you. With a little help from some casters, I'll admit. And I cleared the way for the royal guard to swoop in heroically and rescue you. And not even a thank you from any of them.”

  “Well, if that's true, then thank you from me, Hallic. I wasn't told about your involvement.”

  “Of course you weren't. Not to worry though; Shandon rewarded me handsomely for my services. So, do you want me to tag along on this enterprise? I'm fairly sure that you will need my help somewhere along the way.”

  Simon stood up slowly. He stretched to loosen the kinks in his back and then stepped up the stairs to lean against the front door jam.

  “You still haven't told me exactly what you are and what you can do, Hallic,” he observed.

  “Ah, that's true. Well, in your language, I would be called a rogue. I am a member in good standing of the Thieves Guild. Not a guild that the average dwarf will even acknowledges exists, but it does. Ours is an ancient and proud order, no matter what others might say about it.”

  “You are a thief?” Kronk asked suspiciously. “And you ask my master to trust you?”

  “I didn't say thief, rock man. I said rogue. There is a substantial difference.”

  “Veronique, if you can hear me, could you cancel your spell please?” Simon said abruptly. “I'm going to cast Magic Mirror from my end. I'd like to see who I am speaking with.”

  “Of course, Simon,” the mage replied. “We'll wait for you to reconnect.”

  “Thanks.”

  The wizard felt the spell dissipate and went inside with Kronk at his heels.

  “You wish to see them, master?”

  Simon hurried up the stairs and into his study.

  “Him, Kronk. I want to see Hallic. If we are to trust our lives to a stranger, I want to get a good look at him.”

  “Ah, I see. Understandable, master.”

  “What's understandable?” Aeris asked as he zipped into the room.

  “Where did you come from?” Kronk said to him.

  “The roof. Keeping watch as I usually do when things are quiet. What's going on?”

  Simon sat down at his desk and picked up his mirror.

  “Bring him up to speed, Kronk,” he said. “while I get in touch with the others again.”

  While the elementals whispered together, Simon cast the Magic Mirror spell and waited for it to connect to Veronique. Thanks to Shandon lowering the wards against his magic, the mirror misted over quickly and then cleared to show the meeting room in Kingstone, looking almost exactly as it had during his last visit.

  “Hi again,” he said to the mage. “Sorry, but I like to see the people I'm talking to.”

  “And get a good look at a stranger offering his aid, I'd wager.”

  A dwarf was sitting to Veronique's left and was grinning crookedly at Simon. Obviously the entire group could see the wizard's image.

  “Yes, that too. It's good to meet you, Hallic.”

  “And you as well, sir wizard. In the flesh, so to speak.”

  “Sort of, yes.”

  The dwarf, unlike almost every other adult male in the city, did not have a long beard. Instead, Hallic's facial hair was trimmed close to the skin. He had thick black hair and his eyes were sky blue. They looked like sapphires against his swarthy complexion.

  He wore black leather armor and gloves with the fingers missing. Simon couldn't see his entire body from where he was sitting, but the wizard caught sight of at least three daggers in his belt as well as a short-bladed sword.

  Hallic was obviously aware of the wizard's scrutiny and sat there relaxed while Simon gave him the once over.

  “So, do I pass muster?” he asked with a smile after a few moments.

  “Oh, sorry!” Simon replied, embarrassed as he realized that he'd been staring. “I didn't mean to be rude. I've just never seen a dwarf like you before.”

  “Well now, I'll take that as a compliment, sir wizard. We are not numerous, those of my profession, and we tend to keep out of sight. Better for business, don't you know.”

  “Simon,” Tamara interjected, “Hallic has a unique set of skills that might serve us well in our assault. In fact, I'd say that he is essential to our success.”

  The wizard looked between the mage and the
rogue skeptically.

  “How so? What exactly is it that you can do, Hallic?”

  “Oh, is this a job interview?” the dwarf asked, still apparently enjoying himself. “How droll. What I can do for you is keep you and your party alive, Simon.”

  He stood up and now the wizard could see that the rogue was both taller than the average dwarf and much slimmer. He moved more like a dancer than a warrior.

  Everyone was sitting at the table close to the door and the far end of the conference room was not as well lit as the rest of the area. Hallic walked toward the end of the room, speaking as he went.

  “For example, I can use the play of light and shadow to my advantage as a scout.”

  There was an odd flicker as the dwarf reached the end of the table and several people gasped. Hallic had vanished.

  Simon peered into the mirror but the rogue was nowhere in sight. As far as he could tell, that part of the room was empty.

  “A useful skill to have, I think you will agree,” Hallic told them from the doorway.

  Everyone's head turned to look at the same moment and Simon was reminded of spectators at a tennis match. He almost burst out laughing.

  “How the hell did you do that?” Malcolm said, wide-eyed. “Are you a magician?”

  “Pah, I have no magic, big man. Only skills that I have honed over decades.” He looked at Simon. “I can scout ahead of your party and warn you of any unexpected surprises. I have a knack for finding and disarming traps, as well as, shall we say, eliminating obstacles.”

  “Such as guards?” Simon asked him.

  “On occasion. I'm not much good in a stand up fight against well-armored foes, but I can strike from the shadows to good effect. You have an air elemental friend who scouted out this evil tower, did he not?”

  Aeris moved around until he could look into the mirror.

  “That was me,” he said proudly.

  “Ah, a wonderful job. Masterfully done.”

  “Oh, thank you,” the elemental replied, nonplussed.

  “But, meaning no offense to your friend, sir wizard, I could have done the same job, without the ability to become invisible.”

  Hallic winked at Simon and glided back to his chair to sit down again.

  There followed a moment of silence as it seemed that everyone was waiting for the wizard's opinion.

  For his part, Simon was amazed at Hallic's skill. He could see how useful the rogue could be, but he did have a question.

  “Hallic, I think you'd be very helpful to us,” he said slowly.

  Several of the people at the table nodded at the comment.

  “But I did want to ask you one thing.”

  “Anything at all, sir wizard.”

  “Why? I mean, why would you want to help us? We're human. Our war on the surface doesn't really affect you or your people. And quite frankly, friend or not, the king has made it clear that he wants to keep all of his warriors close to his cities in case they are attacked as my people have been. So why do you want to get involved?”

  Hallic stared at Simon thoughtfully, pulling on his lower lip.

  “Yes, that is the question, isn't it? And the answer is fairly simple. Unlike my king, whom I respect very much, I believe that your war can have a great impact on the dwarves. If you manage to somehow destroy the leaders of the evil forces that are getting their orders from the lord of Chaos, it will take pressure off of my people. You will have cut the head off of the snake, as it were. The undead that roam the nights above, as well as those dracolich abominations, only exist as long at the necromancers who raised them exist. Destroy the caster and you destroy the creature.”

  The rogue looked at the others in the room.

  “You've assembled a mighty group here, sir wizard. Brave, talented and determined. But the dwarves live in this world as well, even if we live underneath its surface. I think that we should at least be represented in this venture.” He grinned. “And the king agrees. After all, if I fail, it will have little impact on the defense of Kingstone. But then, I have no intention of failing.”

  Simon stared at the rogue for another long moment and then smiled.

  “You make a very good argument, Hallic. And who am I to disagree with Shandon Ironhand? If everyone else approves, then I think you should join us if you wish.”

  “Excellent! I await your command, Simon. Just tell me when we head out and I will be ready.”

  “That's in the hands of Tamara and the others. Folks, I'm ready to go at a moment's notice. Just get in touch with me and we'll meet wherever and whenever you wish.”

  The group debated for a few minutes and decided to launch the assault on the dark tower before the end of England's summer.

  “The weather's not all that great even at the best of times,” Tamara said with an affectionate grimace. “But I think it's wise to go soon, before autumn sets in.”

  “Okay, that sounds good,” Simon told her. “Any idea of where you will want to gather? You know the area around Nottinghill Castle a lot better than I do.”

  “If I may?” Sebastian interjected.

  “Go ahead, Bastian,” his sister said. “You have a spot in mind?”

  “I do. Along the coast, about two miles north of the castle, is a small bay. There's a flat area just above the shoreline and an easy hike from there to Nottinghill. Best of all, it's far enough away from our enemies for us to remain undetected when we arrive. Hopefully.”

  Simon looked at Malcolm, who was nodding in approval. That sealed the deal for him. If the warrior thought that the idea was sound, then he trusted the man's instincts.

  “Let's call that our rendezvous site then. Contact me when you're ready; a day before would be preferable but if you feel rushed for any reason, don't hesitate to call and tell me. I'll be ready.”

  “Thank you, Simon,” Veronique said. “I doubt that we'll wait too long. I for one am eager to strike back at those fiends.”

  “We all are,” Tamara averred,

  Malcolm growled something under his breath and slammed a fist on the table, making the candlesticks shake and dance.

  Liliana looked stern but remained silent. In fact, the only person who seemed calm and faintly amused was Hallic. When Simon caught his eye, the dwarf gave him a sly wink and a grin.

  I'll have to keep an eye on that one, the wizard told himself. There's more to him than he's letting on.

  Simon wished them all well and broke the connection.

  “So what did you two think of all that?” he asked the elementals.

  Kronk simply shrugged.

  “It went well, master. Don't you think?”

  “I suppose so. Aeris?”

  “Why didn't Sylvie speak?” the air elemental wondered. “Or Barnaby or Virginia? They all seemed rather...subdued, didn't they?”

  “Did they? I hadn't noticed. In Sylvie's case, I'm guessing that she wishes she could accompany her sister. And with her senses augmented by magic, she probably could. But someone has to stay with the people of the Defiant. Captain Martelli is a fine leader, but the sisters are actually in charge.”

  “Virginia didn't look happy,” Aeris told him.

  “Are you sure? Damn it, I was so busy trying to assess that Hallic character that I didn't really pay that much attention to anyone else. It has to be because they are sending her and the others to safety once they get us inside the tower.”

  “Ah, I hadn't thought of that. And Barnaby?”

  Simon stood up with an exasperated sigh.

  “I'm going downstairs to make some tea. Feel free to join me. And I have no idea why Barnaby didn't speak up. Maybe he just didn't have anything to say? Not everyone can talk endlessly like you can, Aeris.”

  The elemental clutched his hands to his chest and rose dramatically above the desktop.

  “Ah, a barb! I'm wounded, wounded! Your wit has cut me to the quick.”

  The wizard looked at Kronk.

  “See what I mean?”

  Chapter 21
/>   Summer came in early and steamy that year and, even though he'd never been a fan of intense heat, Simon loved it. The high-pitched song of the cicadas at mid-afternoon, when the heat and humidity hit its peak, became his cue to retreat to the lake to cool off for an hour or two. He began to get some color in his skin for the first time in his life.

  “I do believe that you are getting a tan,” Aeris observed one afternoon, a few weeks after the wizard had spoken to Hallic and the others. “It's a mere tinge, mind you, but at least you aren't burning as much anymore.”

  Simon was floating on his back in the middle of the lake with his eyes closed, the still air barely moving the water. At the elemental's comment he smiled dreamily as he drifted.

  “I'm grateful for that,” he replied softly, little ripples tickling his skin. “The burning and peeling was frustrating.”

  “Fascinating to watch though. You looked like a patchwork quilt at times, with your mottled skin.”

  The wizard opened one eye and squinted at the elemental, who was hovering just over the lake a few feet to his right.

  “Glad I could amuse you,” Simon told him. “Did you just come over to mock me or did you want something?”

  “Now, now, my dear wizard, don't be so sensitive. As a matter of fact, Kronk wanted me to pass along a message. First, he's picked the first of the early corn, so you can have corn on the cob for dinner if you want it. We both know how much you like that.”

  Simon flipped forward off of his back and began treading water.

  “Hey, excellent. My God, can he grow vegetables or what? There's no way corn would have ripened by now if this was back in the old world.”

  “An earthen's talent, as you know. And secondly, Brethia and Orriss have returned, along with the others. They all met up and came back together so that you could get their findings all at once.”

  The wizard gaped at Aeris and the elemental laughed.

  “Close your mouth, oh great one, before you swallow half the lake.”

  “They're back? Why didn't you tell me?”

  Simon began swimming toward the shoreline closest to the tower. Aeris floated easily along behind him.

  “I did tell you, just now. And what's the rush? You've waited months for those reports; a few more minutes won't make any difference.”