“No, that's just what that group of monsters sounds like when they get together,” he said with disgust. He glanced at Simon and Kronk. “Follow me. We have to get to the edge of the trees so that I can show you where the wizard is.”
Simon nodded and clenched his hands, trying to stop them from shaking.
“Lead on,” he said and he began to creep along behind Aeris as the air elemental glided forward. Kronk followed behind them.
At the forest's edge, the three of them hunkered down behind the trunk of an old maple tree. Aeris faded until he was almost invisible and moved around the tree until he was looking at the open field beyond.
“Come and look, Simon,” he whispered. “Stay low and move slowly.”
The wizard crept forward on his hands and knees, hitching up his robe to free up his legs somewhat. He adjusted his staff to make sure it didn't get caught on the tree.
Simon stared, appalled, as the open field came into view. Kronk, on his right, rumbled with disgust.
About fifty yards ahead, gathered in a group that hopped and slithered and growled, he saw the mutant Changlings. He had seen them with the Magic Mirror spell, but seeing them close up and personal was a different experience entirely.
There were perhaps twenty creatures in sight. Some stood on two legs, some on four and one looked like a giant snake, with a humanoid face and vestigial arms. Some were covered with scales, others with long hair. Some even wore a few sad pieces of ragged clothing. They were fanged and clawed and altogether horrible to see.
And the stench of them made Simon gag. It was a mixture of wet fur, sweat and excrement that threatened to make him vomit.
He tore his eyes away from the pack and looked at Aeris.
“Where's the leader?” he murmured.
Aeris was on the ground next to the wizard's head and his distaste was just as evident as Simon's.
“Look there,” he said, pointing. “To the left, just beyond the mutants.”
Simon squinted and then saw someone standing on a tree stump almost screened by the hopping, churning group of monsters. He hadn't seen her at first because she was wearing stained brown robes that blended in with the trees on the far side of the field.
The wizard was wearing his own usual dark gray which was also hard to see in the shadows of the forest.
Just lucky, I guess, he thought vaguely as he watched the enemy wizard intently.
She was simply standing on the large stump, head bowed inside her hood. Her long hair hung down almost to her waist and hid her face. The streaks of white, so much like his own, caught Simon's eye.
She's been using a lot of magic lately, he thought with trepidation. This could go sideways so easily.
He looked at the elementals.
“Is there any reason to wait, or are we ready?”
The two little figures exchanged looks.
“We're ready, Simon,” Aeris said for them both.
“Okay. Kronk, how long until you're set?”
The earthen stared across the clearing at the dark wizard.
“Five minutes to get in place and bring in the others, master. Then I will move.” He looked at Aeris. “Does that give you enough time?”
“It should,” the air elemental replied. He turned to the wizard. “Simon, once I draw them away, or as many as I can, and Kronk makes his move, you must strike. Do not hesitate. There is no telling how long the earthen can hold her.”
“I'll be ready,” Simon said grimly, his voice shaking a bit. “Can you get back to me in time? I'll be Gating as soon as I get to her.”
“Don't worry about me. If I can't reach you in time, I know where the rendezvous is. I'll be there either way.”
Simon slipped Bene-Dunn-Gal off of his back and laid it on the ground beside him. He pushed himself up until he was kneeling in the shadow of the tree. The sky had clouded over and the air had become slightly chilly.
“Okay, Kronk. Aeris will wait three minutes and then begin his diversion. Be careful. We don't know the extent of this woman's powers.”
Kronk sighed.
“Yes master, I know. We've been all through this.”
“Okay then. Go! And good luck.”
Kronk gave him a tight smile and then sank into the earth.
Simon began counting under his breath.
One-one thousand. Two-one thousand. Three-one thousand.
He kept his eyes on the wizard and her unruly pack as he waited but she never moved and the monsters continued to snap and growl at each other, their calls and hoots a continuous muted roar. He had almost gotten used to the stench that wafted over him, or else he was just too focused to care about it anymore.
He reached the three minute mark and looked at Aeris.
“Now!” he whispered. “Good luck!”
Aeris nodded and gave him a small salute. He hesitated and moved to within inches of Simon's face.
“Remember, my dear wizard, that these are not true Changlings. They have been twisted into monsters by the dark gods. If any die, it will be a mercy killing, like putting down a rabid dog.”
Simon swallowed noisily. He nodded his understanding and Aeris returned it. Then he disappeared with a quiet pop and the wizard snuck back behind the tree and stood up, Bene-Dunn-Gal firmly in hand.
The plan was for Aeris to make as much noise as possible to create a diversion and draw off the pack, or most of it. Simon would then wait for Kronk to make his move and then it would be his turn.
He gripped the staff with sweaty palms and stared at its length, looking at the tiny writing that rose from its bottom tip about a foot. He had imbued the metal with dozens of spells, so many that he'd collapsed into exhausted sleep every night for almost two weeks. But hopefully it will have been worth it, because he certainly didn't have the time to start memorizing spells now.
Simon peeked out to watch the pack and, at that moment, a tremendous crack of thunder rolled across the field, making the air vibrate. Several leaves drifted down from the trees and the wizard was almost deafened by the sound.
“Wow. Good one, Aeris,” he muttered in admiration.
The monsters that had been fighting and cavorting in the middle of the clearing leaped apart as if they had actually been struck by lightning. Bestial heads swung this way and that, looking for the source of the apparent attack.
“I'm over here, you pathetic mongrels!” came a shout from the far side of the field. Simon was taken aback. He hadn't realized that Aeris could actually yell that loudly.
Must be an air elemental thing, he thought. You're a tricky one, my friend.
As one, like mindless beasts, the pack flung themselves toward the mocking voice. They bayed and howled and slavered as they raced across the field and into the forest on the other side.
The wizard was suddenly standing alone on the tree stump, her head still tilted forward, unmoving.
Simon looked at the distant figure suspiciously. What was she doing? Hadn't she seen her minions leave? She was on her own without any guards.
Something's not right, the wizard thought with a stab of panic. We'll have to wait. I'll summon Kronk back and...
The ground around the stump exploded and Simon gaped at the sight of a half-dozen earth elementals, including Kronk, leaping straight up from underground. They swarmed over the figure of the immobile wizard, knocking her off of the stump into a crumpled heap on the ground.
Without any hesitation, Simon jumped out from behind the tree and raced across the field, looking frantically around to see if any of the wizard's minions were in sight. But the area was still clear and the howling of the chasing pack was barely audible.
He slid to a stop next to the elementals and looked down at the body, still shrouded and hidden by its robe and hood.
“Did you guys knock her out?” Simon asked as he stared at the still figure, panting loudly.
Kronk had been peering underneath the hood of the body and now looked up at the wizard with wide eyes.
“No master. This p
erson was already dead.”
“Dead? What...”
The little guy pushed back the hood and Simon found himself looking into the face, not of the wizard, who's appearance he knew well, but that of a young man.
As the elemental finished removing the hood, the long white-streaked hair slipped off and fell to one side. Underneath was a mass of blood-stained blond hair. The young man's eyes were half-open, staring dully at nothing.
“We've been tricked, master,” Kronk said angrily. “The wizard was never here.”
“But, but, how?” Simon stuttered. “How did she know that we were planning an attack?”
The elementals were all staring up at him and then looked at each other. Finally, Kronk shrugged.
“At a guess, master, I would say that she was able to detect your Magic Mirror spell. You have been watching her for long periods every day, in the early morning and again in the evening. But after you saw the imminent attack this morning, you stopped watching. Perhaps she suspected that you would try to intervene? I do not know for sure.”
Simon slipped Bene-Dunn-Gal over his shoulders, sighed in frustration and then caught himself.
“Which way is that farmhouse from here?”
Kronk pointed.
“That way, master. Perhaps two miles.”
“Okay, let's go and check on them. If the wizard is gone, maybe they'll be safe. We can tell them about Nottinghill and see if they'd like to move there, at least temporarily until we can actually find and capture that woman.”
There was still no sound of the pack returning. Simon listened intently and then nodded.
“At least something's going right today,” he said to himself. “Aeris, I need you,” he added loudly.
The air elemental appeared a few feet away, laughing loudly.
“Oh, that was marvelous,” he said as he tried to control his mirth. “I had them running around like mindless animals. Which they are, of course.”
“We've been tricked,” Simon said flatly and Aeris stared at him, his glee forgotten.
“What?”
“Look,” the wizard said as he pointed at the body. “She set us up. That damned wizard was never here.”
Aeris zipped down and hovered over the sprawled body of the young man.
“But then, who is this?”
“No idea. Some poor Changling that she caught and used as bait, I guess.”
Simon looked at the five earthen that Kronk had summoned.
“Could you all do me a favor and bury this poor guy? It's the least we can do for him. Kronk and Aeris and I have to get to that farmhouse.”
“Of course, sir wizard,” one of them said with a bow. The others bowed as well. “Anything you need of us, we will do. Should we follow when we are done?”
“No, that's fine. You can head home after this. Thanks for the help.”
He waved, turned away and began to jog toward the distant farm.
Simon heard Kronk stumbling along behind him while Aeris caught up and flew to his right.
“You're going to check on the farmers?” the air elemental asked as he floated along.
“Yeah. Maybe we can get them out of harm's way before that wizard returns. At least we can warn them.”
Aeris flew silently for a minute and Simon watched the ground, avoiding roots and fallen branches as he ran. He spared a thought for how stupid he must look as he ran with his robe pulled up to his knees so that he wouldn't trip.
I never appreciated how women could move so gracefully in a dress, he thought wryly. I know I can't.
“Simon,” Aeris said, interrupting his thoughts.
“Hmm?”
“I don't think you need to run.”
The wizard slowed to a stop and looked at the hovering figure.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I think I recognized that young man that the wizard used to trick us. You may not have, but I think he was one of the Changlings from the farm.”
Simon was stunned. He stared at Aeris' solemn expression, trying to grasp what he was saying.
“You mean, she's already killed them all?”
“Who can say? But I'd guess that the summoning of reinforcements was simply a ruse. She probably attacked the farm this morning, after you stopped observing her. But we should check regardless. There may be survivors.”
Aeris didn't sound very hopeful and Simon turned away, cursing loudly.
“How is she doing this?” he shouted. Several birds fluttered away from the surrounding trees as his voice echoed through the forest.
He began to move again, walking this time and sick at the thought of what they might find when they arrived at the farmstead.
“What one wizard can learn, another can as well, isn't that so, master?” Kronk asked a few minutes later.
“Yeah, I guess so,” Simon answered, keeping his eyes on the ground ahead. “Why?”
“I was just thinking, master, that's all. Is it possible that the dark wizard also can use Magic Mirror? That she spied on you as you spied on her?”
That comment made Simon stumble to a stop again and turn to look at the little guy.
“My God. I hadn't thought of that. Yes, of course it's possible. If she's getting direct help from the gods of Chaos, it's even likely. Damn. That means that she could be watching us right now, having a great laugh at how well her ruse worked.”
“I doubt that, my dear wizard,” Aeris told him. “She's probably getting as far away from this part of the country as possible.”
“What makes you say that?”
Aeris began moving forward and Simon followed along.
“Because, you may have been tricked, but you are still a wizard, as she is. All modesty aside, you are quite powerful. Why should she risk your wrath when she's gotten away with this charade? Better to move on and begin her bloody campaign in some place far away from here.”
“Yeah, maybe. I guess it doesn't matter now.” Simon scowled. “But the minute we get home, I'm going to see if there's a way to block that blasted spell. Kronk was right. If I can spy on her, she can spy on me.”
Chapter 18
The farmhouse was a scene of desolation. When Simon and the elementals emerged from the forest and stared across the freshly dug furrows of the fields surrounding the large farmhouse, with its barns and storage sheds, there was nothing left but smoldering timbers and collapsed walls.
“Crap,” Simon whispered. In his heart, he had held on to a faint hope that maybe Aeris was wrong about the attack. But he hadn't been.
“I am so sorry, master,” Kronk said as he looked out over the fields. “Such a waste. Such an evil, evil waste.”
“I know, my friend. I'm sorry too. Sorry for them, whoever they were. They survived the fall of the modern world, the attack of the dragons, Changing into something totally unknown to them, only to be brought down by some nameless bitch and her dark masters.”
He wiped a hand roughly across his eyes.
“Well, that's it. No forgiveness now. No mercy. This creature has to be stopped. Taking her power isn't enough. She had to be destroyed.”
“Revenge, Simon?” Aeris asked quietly.
“Perhaps. A bit. But mostly it's because I think that even if we could strip her of her magic, she would still always be a threat.”
Reluctantly, he began to walk over the rough, turned earth of the fields toward the house. There couldn't be any survivors, but he wouldn't leave without at least checking first. He owed the memory of the Changlings that much, at least.
He examined at the furrows as he stepped over them. Would today have been planting day? What sort of crops had they intended to grow? Corn? Wheat? Had they been as eager as he'd been to see the spring and start the new growing season?
He found himself becoming more and more depressed and slowly walked with his shoulders hunched, not looking at the smoking ruins ahead.
He almost tripped as Kronk grabbed the hem of his robe.
“What the...?
” he exclaimed as he turned angrily to look at the little guy. He'd almost fallen flat on his face.
“Master, beware!” Kronk yelled before Simon could say anything. He was pointing toward the buildings and the wizard's breath caught in his throat.
A mass of bodies, feral, bestial, all howling and hooting, was racing from behind the smoldering house straight toward them.
“Simon, behind you!” Aeris called out and the wizard glanced over his shoulder to see a second pack of beasts emerge from the forest at almost the exact same spot that he had came from.
“They were following us.” he stated. The mutants were moving fast and would be on them in seconds.
Simon slipped Bene-Dunn-Gal off of his back and slammed it butt-end into the ground.
“Shield!” he barked and the air six feet in all directions turned opaque with a subdued thump.
Just in time. The creatures smashed into the shield and bounced off. They clawed and bit at it, growling and slavering as they tried to reach him.
Simon knew exactly how long the shield would last and he began counting down his internal timer as he cast it.
“Okay, you two. Kronk, get below ground and head for home. Aeris, you know you can pass through the shield as long as I'm the one who cast it. So get flying. Meet Kronk back at the tower.”
The two little figures gaped at him.
“Master, I will not leave you!” Kronk averred. “I will not have it said that I ran from a fight and let my master face evil alone!”
“If you think you've getting rid of me that easily, Simon,” Aeris hissed, “then you don't know me at all. I'm staying.”
“Damn it!” Simon barked. “I can't win this battle if I have to worry about the two of you. Now get the hell out of range and let me do my job.” He glared at them both. “That's an order!”
He had never ordered either of his small friends to do anything before, but he knew that as summoned creatures, they would have to obey.
“Yes master,” Kronk mumbled, barely audible over the continuous howls and barks from the attacking monsters. The shield was starting to thin and crackle at the edges. Simon know what that meant.
“Good luck,” was the last thing the little earthen said and he sank out of sight in the newly-turned earth.
The Dragons Revenge (Tales from the New Earth #2) Page 24