The Dragons of Decay

by J. J. Thompson

  “True enough. Thanks for reminding me of that.”

  “You're welcome. Okay then, I guess that's about it for now. I'll call back in a week, my time, and you can give me a status report. And Daniel,” he added and his old friend looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Take care, all right? If I've learned anything when it comes to dragons it's that they are unpredictable. And this primal brown is obviously more clever than the other primals I've faced. Watch yourself.”

  “I will. You as well. I'll talk to you soon.”

  Simon smiled and shook the mirror to break the connection. Then he picked up his cup and finished his tea.

  “So your friend thinks that Virginia and her friends could help in the elven war?” Aeris asked.

  “You heard? Yes, so he says. I'll admit, I could use the extra firepower, but with any luck I won't need to. It sounds like the elves are holding their own, for now at least. Maybe they'll be able to defeat the brown dragons on their own.”

  “We can only hope,” the elemental agreed. He drifted closer and looked intently at the wizard.

  “What's the problem?” Simon asked him curiously. “Why the look?”

  “How are you feeling?” Aeris asked. “You were unconscious for a week, you've lost perhaps ten pounds that you simply couldn't afford to lose and, between the aftermath of the attack on Nottinghill and the ongoing war in the elven realm, you are under quite a bit of pressure.”

  “And?”

  “And I'm just wondering how you are really doing,” the elemental floated up and gently tapped Simon's forehead, “in here.”

  The wizard watched Aeris drift back to hover in front of the fireplace and then rested his chin in his palm.

  “I'm feeling...a little disconnected, to be honest. Things are happening too quickly and I'm running just to keep up.”

  The elemental nodded silently.

  “I think that I'm a creature of habit,” Simon continued, speaking slowly as he tried to analyze his own emotions. “Except for the attacks, of course, I'm comfortable here. And comfortable with Nottinghill being where it is, slowly growing and maturing into maybe a large town one day. And now it may be gone, just like that. Boom, instant ghost town.”

  “But you have the Gate spell,” Aeris pointed out. “You can visit Clara and the others no matter where they go.”

  “Yeah, I know. But,” he sighed in frustration and ran his fingers through his hair, tucking it behind his ears, “I enjoyed riding down to see them once in a while in the summer. I kind of liked the idea that I had neighbors, even if they were an hour away by horseback. Once they're gone, if they do decide to leave, this entire part of the country will be deserted, except for me. And you guys, of course.”

  “Of course,” Aeris said with a crooked smile. “I must say that I feel the same way. I think we elementals like continuity, sameness. If Nottinghill is emptied and the people leave, it will be very disturbing. But what can we do? It is their decision, their destiny, isn't it?”

  “It is, yes, and I have no intention of trying to convince them to stay if they choose not to.”

  Simon got up and rinsed out his cup, leaving it in the tray next to the sink.

  “So what are you going to do?” Aeris asked.

  “Now? Now I'm going to go up to the study and call Clara. We don't have anything but speculation to go on here and I'd like to hear how things are going from her own lips. Plus,” he tightened his grip on the mirror and walked to the stairs, Aeris floating along behind him. “I haven't seen her for a week and I want to make sure she's okay.”

  In his study, Simon sighed with relief as he sat down at his desk. The old leather chair was much more comfortable on his skinny butt than the hard wooden chairs downstairs. Sunlight was streaming through the windows, warming the room and allowing him to relax even more.

  “By the way,” he said to the elemental, who was bobbing up and down on top of the desk, “how are the horses? Especially Sunshine? She must be due soon.”

  “Within the month, according to our friend, the cleric. She says the mare is doing well and to call her when Sunshine goes into labor.”

  “I intend to,” Simon told him. “No way do I want to act as a midwife; I have no idea what to do during a birth.”

  “As I understand it, you don't actually have to do anything,” Aeris said, amused. “Nature generally takes care of these things.”

  “Sure, until something goes wrong. This is the first horse born since civilization fell, at least as far as we know, and it has to go right.”

  “True enough.”

  The wizard looked into the mirror as he cast the Magic Mirror spell, thinking of Clara, and the surface fogged up quickly.

  “I wonder if Kronk has finished his inspection yet?” he muttered.

  “It's only been about an hour, my dear wizard, and our earthen friend is meticulous. I doubt if he's done yet.”

  “Good point. I...”

  He stopped speaking as the mirror cleared. Clara could be seen sitting by a window in a large room with rough stone walls. She was looking up and speaking intensely to someone out of Simon's view. She was wearing a simple blue robe and her chin-length brown hair was tucked behind her ears. Her hands were folded on her lap.

  The wizard waited until she smiled at her unseen companion and turned to look out of the window. The smile slipped from her face and she suddenly looked tired and dispirited.

  Simon waited a moment, watching his friend. He couldn't remember ever seeing her looking so...lost. It disturbed him deeply.

  Aeris floated over to look into the mirror.

  “She looks very unhappy, doesn't she?” he said quietly.

  The wizard grunted an assent.

  “Clara? How are you?”

  The cleric jumped slightly and glanced around. Then she smiled, looking more like her old self again.

  “Simon. Hi! How are you?”

  “I'm great, thanks to you.”

  She made a gesture of denial.

  “It wasn't me, my friend. Thank the gods for their mercy, and thank your elemental friends. They are truly the ones who saved the day.”

  Simon looked at Aeris and winked. The floating elemental smiled widely.

  “I know that. And I tell them how grateful I am all the time, believe me. But divine powers or not, you were the conduit. So please accept my gratitude.” He hesitated and added, “And my condolences for losing so many of your people.”

  Clara's face fell again and she turned her head to stare out of the window.

  “Thank you, Simon,” she whispered. “That's been the hardest part of this whole mess.”

  She gazed outside and narrowed her eyes, focusing on something.

  “You know, except for losing the town hall, the damage really wasn't too bad. My people have promised to rebuild it in the spring, when the weather warms up, which I thought was lovely of them.”

  “That reminds me,” Simon said. “Did Kronk and the others show up?”

  The cleric smiled a bit and nodded, still facing the window.

  “Yes, the three of them popped up about a half-hour ago. They're examining the foundations of the wall now and then Kronk told me they'd make sure that the drawbridges and both gates are sound. If they aren't, they'll just go ahead and do any necessary repairs. Thanks for sending them down.”

  “No thanks needed. You know Kronk; he loves to be helpful.”

  She actually chuckled a bit.

  “True. He is a dear friend to you.”

  There was a long pause and Simon and Aeris exchanged glances.

  “Something's wrong,” the elemental mouthed silently and the wizard nodded.

  “So your home is reasonably intact and your people are doing okay?” he prompted after the silence became uncomfortable.

  Clara turned and leaned back, resting her head against the window frame.

  “For now. Simon, I'm not sure that I should mention this, but you've been nothing but helpful to me and my town for the past
two years and you deserve honesty.”

  “Um, okay. What is it?”

  “Here it comes.” Aeris muttered.

  “Well, the truth is, no, my people aren't doing okay. Or rather I should say that most of them aren't. And that includes me.”

  “I see. So what's the problem?”

  “I wish my mirror hadn't been destroyed by those cursed wights,” she said irritably. “I really hate this talking into space without being able to see you.”

  “Sorry about that, but there's an easy, temporary fix.”

  She looked startled.

  “Which is?”

  “Just fill a bowl or pot or whatever with water. You can use its surface as a mirror to see me.”

  She stood up abruptly.

  “Why didn't I think of that? Okay, hang on a minute.”

  Simon and Aeris watched as Clara made her way around the large, crudely-built room, rooting through several chests. He decided that she must be in the barracks. It was a fairly new building that had been built by Malcolm and Aiden in the autumn. He saw a half-dozen crude cots and some heavy shelving attached to the walls. A large fireplace was built into one of the walls and a fire was burning merrily in it.

  “Aha!” the cleric exclaimed as she pulled out a metal pan from one of the chests. She crossed the room to a table and poured water into the pan from a pitcher that was sitting there. Then she sat down at the table and peered into the water.

  And with an audible click, the cleric and the wizard were suddenly looking directly at each other.

  “Ah, there you are,” Clara said with a genuine smile. “You look so much better than you have this past week.”

  “Well, I'm vertical, so that's an improvement,” Simon joked.

  She smiled quickly and then became serious again.

  “As I was saying, I want to be honest with you, my friend. Cards on the table, as we used to say.”

  “I appreciate honesty, Clara. You probably know that by now.”

  “I do. So, here it is.”

  She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and then looked at Simon intently.

  “The majority of my people, myself included, want to abandon Nottinghill.”

  Her voice was flat and emotionless, but Simon could see the pain in her eyes. And even though he was expecting her to say something about not being happy in the little town anymore, the announcement still hit him like a punch in the gut.

  “Wow,” he managed to say. He felt the blood draining from his face and experienced a moment of dizziness.

  “I am so sorry to drop this on you so abruptly, Simon, but I couldn't think of an easier way to tell you.”

  “Yeah, I understand. Cards on the table, like you said.”

  “Would you like to hear the reasoning behind the decision?”

  “I can guess, actually.”

  He held up his empty right hand and lifted one finger after another.

  “One is the weather, obviously. Almost half of the year you can't grow anything. Your people are stuck indoors, trying to pass the time and becoming increasingly frustrated.”

  “Bang on the money,” Clara said with a firm nod.

  “Two, the attack of the wights, and to a lesser extent the attack by Madam and her undead, have freaked your people out. The wights especially. If such things become a regular occurrence every time there's a winter storm, and the winters do seem to be getting worse every year, how long will the town be able to hold out?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Three, the loss of your fellow townspeople. You've gone from a slowly growing population of almost forty people to twenty souls, including three children. That would rip the heart out of most people, I'd say.”

  Clara only nodded.

  “Four, the children themselves. They are your future. Hell, they're the future of our race. Yes, there are pockets of humanity still out there, but they are few and far between. I would hazard a guess that your people are more worried about them than themselves at this point.”

  The cleric sighed heavily.

  “You see things so clearly, Simon. You really do. Yes, the children. How long can we protect them? What kind of a future do they have if we stay in this inhospitable place?”

  “I know. And lastly, at a guess I would say that staying in this part of the country is a constant reminder of everything we've lost as a people. All around there is nothing but wrack and ruin. Ottawa is a deserted hulk. The closest towns are graveyards. Everyone's former life and all that they've lost is on glaring display here. It's got to paint a dark shadow over even the most cheerful person's soul.”

  Aeris gave Simon a sad smile of approval.

  “Exactly right,” he whispered.

  “You are so perceptive,” Clara said. She turned away and quickly wiped her eyes. “Everything you've said is correct. There are many more reasons, little things really, but yes, you've summed it up perfectly.”

  Now it was the wizard's turn to sigh, long and loud.

  “It's just such a shame,” he said heavily. “All the work you've done, the life you've built for yourselves. All for nothing.”

  “Not for nothing, my friend. We've learned life skills that will help us along the way. We're closer than ever as a community. And I'd say that we're all a heck of a lot tougher than we ever were in our previous, more mundane lives.”

  “I can't argue with that. Or with your decision. So, where do you all want to go? And when?”

  “The where we are still debating. The when is as soon as possible. If another storm hits and brings more wights down on us, we may not survive. So it has to be soon.”

  “Well, you know I'll help in any way I can. I'll volunteer right now to be your personal transport.” He smiled sadly. “Just tell me where to go, and I'll Gate all of you, and whatever you need to take with you, to whatever destination you choose.”

  Clara's face showed her relief.

  “Oh thank you! I didn't want to ask, especially since you've just gotten out of bed after being ill for a week, but that would be a lifesaver, it really would.”

  “My pleasure. But if you don't mind a bit of advice, if you all really want to leave, then sooner really is better than later. You're right; another storm could be just around the corner and you don't want to be caught a second time. I'm not saying that a wight attack will come with it, but we just don't know, do we?”

  “That's true,” the cleric said reflectively. “Okay, here's what I'm going to do. I'll gather everyone up today, as soon as we finish speaking. There are a few old world maps floating around here somewhere and maybe my atlas can be dug up from the ruins of the town hall. We'll try to find a suitable location and then, imposing on your generosity,” she grinned at him and Simon laughed lightly, “perhaps you can use the Magic Mirror spell to check out our choice to make sure that it at least looks safe?”

  “I'll do that, of course. Why don't you go ahead and have your meeting. Signal me with the lodestone when you've made your choice, and maybe pick a few alternates just in case, and then I'll scout them out for you.”

  “Thank you yet again, my friend,” Clara told him, her expression closer to normal than it had been earlier, and the lines of stress around her eyes fading. “I'll make the rounds right away, call a meeting and get back to you as soon as I can.”

  “All right, Clara. I'll talk to you later.”

  She smiled and waved and Simon broke the connection. He looked glumly at Aeris.

  “You were right,” he said tiredly. “They're leaving.”

  Chapter 9

  Kronk returned to the tower about two hours after Simon had spoken with Clara. The sun was just starting to go down in the west and the air was getting colder when he burst in the front door, a gust of wind whipping through the room and making the candles on the kitchen table and the mantle over the fireplace flicker and waver.

  “I'm back, master,” he cried as he slammed the door behind him and jumped up to close the bolts.

 
Simon was treating himself to some hot chocolate and smiled at the little guy over the rim of the cup.

  “So you are. How'd it go?”

  Kronk tapped across the room and leaped up on to the kitchen table. He stood in front of the wizard, cold still radiating from his rocky body.

  “It went well, master. The wall around Nottinghill is still intact. We did some minor repairs on both gates and the front drawbridge, but it did not take long. They are as secure as the earthen can make them again.”

  “Good. Well done, my friend.”

  Aeris flew down from upstairs, a large book in his arms.

  “You may as well look too,” he was saying as he reached the bottom. “Maybe you can find some good spots that they haven't even thought of.”

  He spotted Kronk as he approached the table.

  “Oh, you're back. How was it?”

  “Fine, fine. A few small repairs, nothing major.”

  “Excellent.”

  Aeris dropped the book on the table and Kronk looked at it curiously.

  “The atlas, master?”

  “Yeah.”

  Simon slid the book over and opened it flat on the table.

  “Did you see Clara before you came back?” he asked.

  “Yes master. I told her how things went and she expressed her gratitude.” He paused and looked a bit perplexed. “She was somewhat distracted though.”

  “Distracted by what?”

  “Well, I had to interrupt her, master. She was in the barracks and the rest of the townspeople were there as well. They were having a meeting of some sort and there was quite a bit of loud discussion going on. I got in and out as quickly as I could so that the lady cleric could return to her business.”

  “How loud?” Aeris asked him with a pointed look at Simon.

  “Quite loud, actually. There was a lot of shouting and, um, lively debate.”

  “I'll bet there was,” the wizard muttered. He gave the atlas a brooding look.

  “What is going on, master?”

  “I think that they're going to leave Nottinghill,” Simon told him sadly. “I understand their reasons, but it's such a shame. All the work they're put into it, all the work you've put into it and just like that: gone.”