“You know, sometimes I really do underestimate you, my friend. That actually sounds about right. If it works, of course.”
“It's just a guess, master. If it doesn't work, casting the Light spell will at least do no damage.”
“True. Okay.”
The wizard stood up, grimacing at the pain in his knees. He decided that he should be standing for this experiment. He walked to the center of the room, planted the end of Bene-Dunn-Gal on the floor and held it tightly with both hands.
“Okay. Here we go.”
He chanted the Light spell aloud, staring intently at the metal gleaming on the staff. When the incantation was finished, he hesitated and then used the word of command to invoke it.
“Invectis,” he said quietly.
Bene-Dunn-Gal blazed for a split second, a golden light flowing along its length. The metal under Simon's hands warmed noticeably, but didn't become hot. And then the staff was quiescent in his hands again.
“Did it work, master?”
“No idea. Let's see.”
Simon walked back and sat down again. He put the staff across his knees and started to examine it closely.
“Any sign of writing on it?” he asked Kronk as he peered at the metal along the staff. The firelight was throwing shadows and his nose was almost touching Bene-Dunn-Gal as he searched it.
Kronk was leaning forward and staring at the staff intensely. He pointed at the very bottom suddenly.
“There, master. What is that?”
Simon slid the staff across his knees and squinted down at the bottom of the bronze coating. There, in minuscule writing, was the incantation for the Light spell.
“Son of a...” Simon muttered, wide-eyed. He looked at Kronk incredulously. “I don't believe it. It worked! It actually worked.”
Kronk looked gleeful, apparently forgetting his original objections to the experiment.
“Look how little room the spell takes on the metal, master! You could imbue the staff with hundreds of incantations.”
Simon sat back and exhaled in relief.
“Wow. This could be a game-changer, my friend. It really could.”
He stroked the staff lightly and Bene-Dunn-Gal responded with a low sound, like a contented cat purring at its master.
“Apparently the staff is pleased as well,” Simon said, amused, but Kronk's expression darkened.
“Never take that object lightly, master. It is a relic of great power, and it seems to be self-aware. A dangerous combination.”
The wizard stopped touching Bene-Dunn-Gal and met Kronk's eyes soberly.
“I know it is. And while I may be excited by this discovery, I'm well aware that any object that demands blood as payment for services rendered isn't exactly heaven-sent. So don't worry.”
Kronk hopped down and crossed the floor to the front door.
“I'm glad to hear you say that, master. And now I must see to the horses. Congratulations on your success!”
Simon watched the little guy fondly as he pulled open the door and went outside. He really was a mother hen, for sure, but who else in this entire world cared more about Valagar the bumbling wizard, formerly Simon O'Toole the I.T. guy, than Kronk?
He got up and returned the staff to its resting place next to the door. One spell inscribed on it was enough for today. Simon was still suffering from the occasional chill and he wanted nothing more than to sit in front of the fire, drink cups of tea and read his books. He trusted his Changling body to throw off the effects of the flu, eventually. He just wished that it would get on with it.
Two days later and Simon really was back to normal, or close to it. He was feeling well enough to help Kronk plant seeds for the season's first crop in the garden. As well, he cleaned the stables and then let the horses out to run in the pasture along the lake.
The grass was lush enough now for the three horses to feed off of and not depend on hay alone. Simon sat in the sun and enjoyed watching them as they grazed.
Tammy still blended in with her surroundings, her mottled coat making her hard to see even in the open field. Sunshine, with her yellow coat, moved like molten gold and Simon found himself watching her with a wide smile on his face. She was quite simply beautiful and a joy to observe.
And Chief was, as usual, a beast out of legend. With his mane and tail made of spikes and the two horns over his eyes, Simon felt that the stallion belonged in a book of mythical creatures. Anyone who didn't know what a gentle creature he was would be quite intimidated by his appearance.
Each horse wandered by while he sat watching them, nudging him, looking for pats and caresses. Simon was happy to oblige, laughing loudly when Chief pushed him so hard with his head that the wizard was actually bowled over and rolled twice in the grass.
By noon, Simon was ready for some lunch and made some sandwiches to eat on the front steps. It was too nice a day to be stuck indoors. He was just finishing his meal and chatting quietly with Kronk, while watching one of the earth elementals walking along the top of the wall, when a rumble of distant thunder made him look around in confusion.
The sky was a deep, pure blue with only a few scudding clouds racing across it and he frowned as he looked up.
“A storm? Doesn't look like it,” he commented to his little friend.
Kronk looked around alertly.
“Not a storm, master,” he said tersely. “I think it's...”
He was cut off by a sudden flash of light that appeared between the steps and the front gate,
Simon leaped to his feet and stared eagerly at the spot where a glowing, hovering mist was coalescing.
“Is that what I think it is?” he asked Kronk hopefully.
“I think it is, master.”
The earth elemental was watching the glowing spot intently.
Both of them stood unmoving and waited to see what would happen. Simon's hands were clenched into fists and he was shaking with anxiety.
“Come forward, wizard,” a voice called from within the mist. It was strained and weak, but Simon thought that it sounded like Aethos.
He walked slowly down the steps and cautiously approached the now pulsing mist. He stopped a few paces away and peered at it.
“Aethos?” he asked hesitantly.
“Yesss,” the voice replied with a exhausted sigh. “We have extended ourselves to save our small brother, but the cost was high. I have given him some of my essence but left myself weakened. I will not respond again if you attempt to summon me until I have regenerated, so bear that in mind.”
“I understand,” Simon said gravely. “Thank you for your efforts on our behalf.”
“It was not for you, wizard. It was for one of our own. But before I return the little one to you, I will have your vow.”
“My vow?” Simon repeated, perplexed. “About what?”
“You will vow to hunt down those responsible for attacking one of our people. You will vow to discover how he was injured. Aeris claims not to remember specifics. We are not so easily harmed and we must know how it was done.”
Aethos' voice strengthened.
“And you will vow to stop these attackers, by whatever means necessary.”
Simon began to speak and Aethos cut him off.
“Mind, wizard, that we will be watching you to ensure that you keep your word. Should you not, we will withdraw our favor and take back our brother. And we will never aid you again. Will you give your vow?”
The wizard watched the formless mist swirling in front of him and had a feeling of dread. He knew, somehow, that this was one of those moments in life where he was about to take a step that would change his destiny, forever.
Would he swear to destroy whoever or whatever had attacked Aeris? What if it had been a mistake, or an error? He could be vowing to hunt down an innocent.
He remembered Aeris' broken body and felt his resolve harden. No, that hadn't been an accident. Someone had meant to kill his friend. There had to be a price to pay for that.
He
looked grimly deep into the mist.
“You have my vow, Aethos. There is an evil out there now that must be dealt with. And it harmed an air elemental. I didn't even know that was possible. So I will find this force and stop it. I swear.”
“I accept your word, wizard. Make sure you keep it.”
There was another bright flash of light and Simon covered his eyes, blinking furiously. When he could see clearly again, the mist, and Aethos, was gone. In its place was a familiar foot-tall figure floating lightly where the mist had been.
“Aeris!” Simon cried, grinning widely. “Welcome back.”
The air elemental flew forward and rose until he was at head height.
“Thank you, my dear wizard. I am more than pleased to be home.”
He looked down at Kronk and they exchanged a friendly smile and a nod.
“Let's go in. I'm suddenly in the mood for a celebratory glass of wine.”
“Any excuse, eh Simon?” Aeris asked slyly as he followed the wizard up the steps.
Simon chuckled at the dig.
“Well, in this case, it's a good excuse.”
Back inside, Kronk and Aeris took their customary places on the kitchen table and Simon found a bottle of wine, a gift from the people of Nottinghill, in a cupboard. He opened it and searched for a glass while letting the wine breathe.
“So tell me what happened to you,” he said over his shoulder as he rinsed the glass.
Aeris bobbed up and down silently for a moment and the wizard poured himself some wine, sat down and stared at the elemental expectantly.
“Well?” he asked after a long silence. “What's the matter? Can't you remember how you were injured?”
“I can, somewhat,” Aeris answered reluctantly. “But before I talk about that, I have a confession to make.” He took a deep breath. “It was my own fault that I was attacked.”
“What?” Kronk and Simon asked at the same time.
“Yes, my fault,” Aeris continued. “I was overconfident, sure that the creatures that I was following could not detect me while I was invisible. I was...mistaken.”
“That's who attacked you? Those Changlings that have been destroying homes?” Simon asked.
“”No, not all of them, my dear wizard. Just one. One who saw through my invisibility. One who pinned me down with magic and cast spells that almost destroyed me. Just one.”
Simon's breath caught in his throat.
“A spell caster? So they can use spells.”
“Some of them can use magic, at a rudimentary and basic level, true. They can cause fires and such. But the one who almost killed me? Oh, that one is quite, quite different.”
“How so?”
“For one thing, she is not a monster; at least not outwardly. Obviously her heart is as black as the Void.”
“She?” Kronk piped up, sounding startled.
“She,” Aeris assured him.
“Okay,” Simon said. “So what does this woman look like?”
The air elemental moved closer to the wizard and watched him fixedly.
“She looks like you, Simon. In fact, she could be your twin sister.”
“What!”
Simon sat up with a surprised jerk.
“What are you talking about? I don't have a sister. Or a brother for that matter.”
“Nevertheless, the similarities are striking. Like you, she has two different colored eyes, except that one is blue and one is yellow. Her hair is dark like yours with flecks of white in it, just like yours. And she appears to be around the same physical age and height.”
“Okay, that's creepy,” the wizard said, feeling a little stunned. “But you said that you were following mutated Changlings. You never mentioned a humanoid one.”
“Apparently she is the one that has been coordinating the packs of Changlings that are ravaging across the countryside. The pack that I was following met up with several others in a meadow deep in the forest. In the center was a little hill and this robed and hooded being stood there, surrounded by hundreds of the creatures.”
“Hundreds?” Kronk said. He looked at Simon in alarm. “We did not know that there were that many, master.”
“No, we certainly did not.” Simon leaned forward. “So what happened at this little get-together?”
Aeris looked over Simon's shoulder as if picturing the events he was describing.
“The figure began speaking to the horde. I was at the edge of the clearing, in the tree tops, and couldn't hear what it was saying. I knew that it was important to know what orders were being given and so I decided to get closer.”
He sighed lightly, still looking off vaguely.
“That proved to be my undoing. As I floated above the gathered creatures, who were unaware of my presence, the robed figure stopped speaking. I froze, sure that I was undetected, but waiting for the speech to continue. And then the figure turned and a pale hand shot out of the robes and pointed straight at me! 'Intruder' it screamed and that is when I knew that it was a woman. And that I had been exposed, somehow. I turned to flee and found myself frozen in mid-air. The woman cried out in a language that I had never heard before and I was suddenly yanked back, as if by a giant hand, and I found myself on the ground at her feet.”
Simon was listening, open-mouthed, caught up in the story while Aeris began speaking faster, reliving the moment.
“I looked up and saw the woman push back her hood and for a moment, Simon, I thought it was you! So similar. But no, it was not. The beasts howled and slobbered around me, so I knew that I had been rendered visible again. And this woman glared down at me, a finger pointing, her power keeping me pinned to the earth.”
Aeris looked at Simon.
“She spoke to me then, but it was an insane rant and barely coherent. All about spies of the gods of Light and her destiny and who knows what. Gibberish, really. But her magic was real enough. When she'd finished her diatribe, spittle flying from her lips, she smiled at me. It was an evil, ghastly, gloating smile. She screamed an incantation in that strange language and...” He shrugged a bit wearily. “That is all I remember. The next thing I knew, I was back in the plane of air and Aethos was using his own essence to heal me.”
“That must have been a surprise,” Kronk said with a knowing smile on his face.
“You're telling me. An great elemental like him using his own life force to heal a little one such as myself? Unheard of! But, he did it. I owe him my life.”
He stared intently at Simon.
“And you as well, my dear wizard. Aethos told me that you summoned me back in time to save my life, and I thank you for that.”
Simon smiled briefly.
“Thank luck, Aeris. I just decided that you'd been gone too long and wanted you home. The timing was random, but I'm more than grateful that I called you back when I did.”
“As am I,” Aeris said and bowed slightly, something that he had never done to Simon before.
The wizard felt his face getting red and avoided Kronk's knowing look.
“Yes, well... Anyway, you're back now and looking like your usual self and that's all that matters.”
Simon drank some wine and savored its smoothness. Clara's vintner sure knew how to make wine, he thought with relish. He put down his glass and felt his pleasure drain away as the air elemental's expression became grave.
“No, it's not, Simon. That woman is evil and she's still out there. She commands that hellish pack and it is hunting Changlings. And,” he added with emphasis, “she's a wizard.”
“Wait. What?” Simon almost knocked his wineglass over. “Are you kidding me?”
“A wizard,” Aeris repeated firmly. “No other type of magic-user could have seen through my cloak of invisibility or damaged me the way that she did. Not even a mage can see the invisible. And a witch could not have harmed me. She is a wizard, I'm certain of it.”
“Holy crap,” Simon muttered. He stood up and refilled his glass. Then he looked at the elementals, nodded at his c
hair by the fireplace and crossed the room to sit down in front of the fire. While his two small friends followed him, he leaned forward and added a log to the low-burning fire.
A cloud of embers burst in the fireplace like tiny fireworks and Simon watched them vaguely as Kronk hopped up on to the armrest on his right and Aeris hovered over the one on his left.
The wizard sipped his wine and glanced at Aeris. The air elemental was watching the fire as well. He looked a bit dazed and Simon wondered if he was really back to his old self.
“So, any suggestions? What's our course of action now? Aethos made me swear to stop this wizard, if that's what she is, but I'm not exactly sure how I should do that.”
“I know. And I'm sorry that you had to make that vow, Simon, I really am. I had no idea that he was going to do that.” He continued to stare at the red-blue flames but smiled crookedly. “I am simply not that important to my people. Personally, I think he used my situation as an excuse to make you chase down this woman.”
That hadn't occurred to Simon.
“Why?” he asked.
“Why? Because, as you know, an elemental cannot enter this world unless it is summoned. Aethos returned with me on his own because he told you that he would, but he could not then go racing across the country to find the wizard. So he's put that burden on you.”
Aeris finally looked at Simon.
“It's a rather cruel thing to do to such a young magic-user as you still are, my dear wizard. But I will say that I agree that this woman must be stopped. Somehow she controls that mass of twisted Changlings. Remove her and they will become leaderless and scatter to the four winds.”
“But still dangerous,” Kronk pointed out.
“I know that, but welcome to this New Earth,” Aeris said to him. “It is a dangerous place and will become more so as time goes on. But it is not on Simon to right all of the ills of the world. Others, like Clara and her people, must bear some of that burden as well. So to answer your question, my dear wizard, I have no idea. If we could track her movements, then perhaps we could confront her when she was alone and not surrounded by her monsters. But, no offense, I have no intention of putting myself in that situation again.”
Simon had an idea.
The Dragons Revenge (Tales from the New Earth #2) Page 21