The earthen closed the door, cutting off the bitterly cold air that was pushing in from outside and tip-tapped across the room to leap on to the table.
“Good day, master!” he exclaimed with a wide smile. “You look much better today.”
“Hello, my friend. Do I? In that case, I must have looked like hell yesterday.”
Simon fixed his tea and returned to sit down at the table. Aeris floated next to Kronk and the two looked at each other for a second.
“You could say that,” the air elemental agreed with a shrug. “We could tell that you'd gone through an ordeal, but we didn't want to bother you with questions. Now though, if you want to talk, we'd like to hear about it.”
“Only if you choose to tell us, master,” Kronk added quickly. “It is not our place to question you.”
Simon had to smile.
“Stop that,” he said affectionately. “You aren't servants, as you well know. You're my friends. And yes, I think I should talk about it, while the whole thing is fresh in my mind. It's starting to take on the qualities of a dream and I have a feeling that it may fade from my memory in time. And I don't want that to happen.”
He drank some tea and tried to organize his thoughts.
“Okay guys, this is what I remember,” he said and started to talk about his meeting with the goddess.
How long he spoke, Simon never knew, but Aeris made him two more cups of tea and he gobbled up several more slices of bread and jam before he was done.
Amazingly, neither elemental interrupted him with questions, but simply listened quietly and intently, their eyes glued to his face.
When he was finished, Simon sat back with a heavy sigh and stretched. He felt like he'd been on a ten mile hike.
“That was an amazing story, master,” Kronk told him. The little guy walked over to the wizard and put a hard little hand on his arm.
“I can never thank you enough for your sacrifice. I am only a servant, master, and you gave your life for me.”
“You're my friend, Kronk,” Simon said tiredly. “I don't know how many times I'll have to tell you that, but it's true. And friends do that for each other. Hell, you did it for me too. So let's just say we're even, okay?”
The earthen seemed to consider that for a moment and then nodded.
“Very well, master,” he said solemnly. “We are even.” Then he shook a finger at Simon. “But let us agree not to ever do that again, shall we?”
“Deal,” the wizard responded with a laugh.
“So you are the pivotal point that humanity's destiny revolves around,” Aeris mused as he stared at Simon. “That is a heavy burden to carry, my dear wizard.”
“I'm trying not to think about it, to be honest. All I can do is take this whole thing one step at a time. And my first step today is recalling our earthen friends to guard the wall. Kronk, can you remind me of their names, please?”
It only took a few minutes for Simon to summon the five earth elementals who had stood watch over the tower. All of them were thrilled that he was alive and well and, like Kronk, were excited to be useful again.
They all trooped out to man the wall again, talking in their gravelly language and laughing together. Simon was relieved to have them back. It gave his life a sense of reality again.
“What's next, my dear wizard?” Aeris asked after the earthen had left.
“I want to get in touch with Clara and Liliana, but I think I'll have to wait until tomorrow.”
He staggered to his feet and walked over to the clothes cupboard.
“Even doing something as simple as recalling those earthen has tired me out.”
He began to put on his winter coat as he talked.
“I'm going to visit the outhouse and then check on the horses. And then I'm going back to bed.”
“Excellent, master,” Kronk told him. “Rest as much as you can, while you can.”
“That's the plan. I won't waste this new beginning that I've been given.” He chuckled a bit self-consciously. “Well, I'll try not to screw it up anyway.”
Simon slipped on his winter boots, walked to the door and took a deep breath before opening it.
A blast of incredibly cold air blew over him and he began trembling immediately.
“I will meet you in the stable, master,” Kronk told him and hurried past the wizard and down the front steps.
“And I'll make you some food for later,” Aeris said. “I think a rich stew is in order. It will give your body the nutrients it needs.”
“Thanks Aeris,” Simon said through chattering teeth. “That sounds great. I'll be back in a little while.”
The visit with the horses was both exhilarating and exhausting for Simon. The three of them were so happy to see him that they practically burst through the doors on their stalls when he arrived. It was only by quickly handing out pats and caresses that the wizard avoided a riot.
Once the three had calmed down, he slipped into Sunshine's box stall to meet the new arrival. The little filly was just as Kronk had described her. Yellow as a banana peel with incredibly huge brown eyes and an amazing streak of brown running the length of her back, she barreled right up to Simon the moment that she saw her mother nuzzling his chest.
“Hello, little girl,” he said as he bent down to stroke her baby-soft muzzle. “Aren't you beautiful? Yes you are!”
The filly snorted and thrust her head frantically into his hand, making Simon laugh with simply joy. He reached out to stroke Sunshine with his free hand as the mare watched the interplay calmly.
“You did good, mum,” he told her and she whickered gently in obvious agreement.
“Now, what shall we call her?”
Kronk had been watching from the aisle between the stalls and now he came in and stared up at them. The filly reached down and sniffed him, neighing softly with excitement. The earthen was an obvious favorite of hers.
“I have an idea for a name, master. If you approve, that is,” he said diffidently.
“Great. What is it?”
“Well, since you named her mother after the Sun, and the filly is the same color, I thought perhaps naming her Sunbeam would be appropriate, master.”
Kronk watched Simon anxiously and the wizard grinned down at him.
“Perfect, my friend. She's not quite as banana-yellow as her mum, but she is a bright little Sunbeam, isn't she? That's her name then; Sunbeam.”
He stroked the filly and she quivered with pleasure.
“How do you like your new name, Sunbeam?” he asked her and she snorted and tossed her head excitedly, making him laugh.
“I believe she approves, Kronk.”
“Thank you, master. I hope she does.”
They spent a few more minutes playing with the filly and Simon made sure to fuss over Chief and Tammy as well. The stallion ran his nose over the wizard's body, sniffing gently as if making sure that he was real.
“It's really me, old buddy,” he told the big horse as he reached around his neck and hugged him. Chief squealed a little in his throat and carefully rested his head on Simon's shoulder, keeping his dagger-sharp horns high and out of the way.
Tammy got her share of love as well. The mare, hard to see in the semi-darkness of her stall, was gentle with the wizard as well and, as he often did, Simon thought that the Change had made them so much more intelligent than they used to be.
When he got back inside the tower, Kronk at his heels, the wizard only had enough energy left to take off his winter clothes and collapse on to a kitchen chair.
“Well, that was fun,” he said to the elementals. He was panting heavily.
“And exhausting, apparently,” Aeris responded from the kitchen counter. He was peeling potatoes he'd brought up from storage and Simon watched him, bemused by the sight. He'd never seen the air elemental wielding a knife before.
“Yeah, it was. I'm just going to catch my breath and then head up to bed. Hopefully I can sleep until dinner time.”
“The horses
were very happy to see you, master,” Kronk said as he hopped up on to the table.
“And vice-versa, my friend. Our new addition is quite the beautiful little lady, isn't she?”
“She certainly is, master. And thank you again for allowing me to name her.”
“You named her?” Aeris asked in surprise, pausing in his potato peeling to stare at the earthen. “What did you name her?”
“Sunbeam,” Simon spoke up. “She's almost as yellow as Sunshine, so it makes sense. Besides, Kronk does most of the work with the horses, so it was only fair that he have a say when it came to naming our little filly.”
“Hmm. I think I'll go out and meet the new arrival after I'm done here,” Aeris said thoughtfully as he pulled a large pot out of the cupboard. He dumped the potatoes into it and began slicing up a slab of dried meat.
“Good idea.” Simon struggled to his feet. “Thanks for making dinner, by the way. I'm sure it'll be great. I'm heading upstairs.”
“Sleep well, master,” Kronk piped up while Aeris just waved his knife.
The wizard walked slowly to the stairs, smiled at the elementals and began climbing.
It took two more days of constant eating and sleeping before Simon felt confident enough to sit down in his study with his mirror to try to get in touch with his friends. He was constantly worried about all of them now.
Clara and the people of Nottinghill were facing the great unknown down in Florida, Liliana and her few followers were being beaten down by Moscow's harsh winter, and possibly in line to be attacked by wights, and then there was Daniel and the elves in a war with the brown dragons. It was overwhelming to say the least.
“Who should I call first?” he asked Aeris, who was floating above the desk. Kronk was out taking care of the horses.
Snow had begun falling that morning, but the air elemental assured Simon that it was a simple snowfall and that no real storm was imminent. Nevertheless, Kronk had decided to let the horses out for a run early just in case the weather got worse.
“It depends on which one you're the most worried about,” Aeris answered practically.
Simon sighed and shook his head. He picked up his hand mirror and stared at it.
“Not that helpful an answer. I'm worried about all of them. Everyone is facing some sort of crisis right now. The question is, which group is in the most danger?”
“Then I'd say call your friend Daniel first,” the elemental said at once. “The brown dragons are the greatest threat at the moment. Let's face it; if they conquer the elven realm, basically it's all over.”
Simon stared glumly at Aeris, nodding slowly. Put like that, the choice was pretty clear.
“You're right. Okay then, let's see what's going on over there.”
He chanted the incantation for the Magic Mirror spell, sat back and got comfortable in his chair and then focused on his memory of Daniel's face.
The mirror fogged up and Simon felt his magic drain away a bit. It wasn't as bad as he thought it might be.
I must be getting stronger, he thought with some relief.
The reflective surface abruptly cleared and the wizard was looking at a scene of chaos.
The mirror showed a large clearing surrounded by immense trees. Elves dressed in leather armor were racing here and there, groups coming together and separating again, several people barking orders. It all looked a bit crazy. But as Simon watched, he realized that there was no panic to be seen. The elves, all of whom carried bows across their backs, looked stern and business-like but none appeared to be frightened.
Instead, they were getting orders from their leaders and then disappearing into the deep forest again.
Must be their command center, the wizard thought as he watched the organized chaos. Now where is Daniel?
He muttered his friend's name under his breath and let the spell direct his view. The mirror panned to the left and focused on a table set up under a massive old tree that was covered with thick moss. The table was surrounded by several elves wearing robes who were reading from scattered sheets of parchment and speaking quietly with each other.
In the middle of these important looking people, Simon spotted his friend who was staring at a map that was spread out on the table. He tapped at a spot on the diagram and said something to a elf to his left, who nodded and made a quick note on a piece of parchment.
“They must be planning a battle or something,” the wizard muttered to himself.
Aeris floated over to stare into the mirror. He looked thoughtful.
“Perhaps they are responding to an attack,” he suggested.
“Yeah, possibly. We'll know soon enough, but I'm going to wait until Daniel isn't quite so busy.”
The two of them watched as the meeting went on. Simon thought that his oldest friend, who was wearing a somber brown robe, looked more like a wizard than he did, with his long white hair and wise eyes. He may have prematurely aged, but Daniel seemed more alive than he had in years.
“This war seems to have brought out the best in him,” Simon told Aeris as he nodded at his friend.
“I agree. Some men rise to the challenge and thrive in conflict. It appears that your friend is one of them.”
Simon didn't answer, but watched Daniel proudly. The elves around him obviously valued his opinion and he was constantly being consulted by the others at the table.
Some time passed before the meeting broke up. The clearing had emptied of warriors and the elves that were with Daniel each bid him farewell and moved out of sight into the trees. Daniel sat on the edge of the wooden table and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He ran his hand through his hair, smiled a bit impishly and stared out across the clearing.
“Okay,” he said. “You can say hello now.”
Simon chuckled.
“You're getting good at sensing my presence,” he replied.
“I am, yes. I suspect it's something in the air. The elven realm is steeped in magic. It permeates every rock and tree, and every person that lives here, including myself. So, it's been a while. I was worried that something had happened to you. Are you okay?”
“Okay?”
Simon hesitated, wondering whether he should actually tell Daniel about recent events. But he couldn't see any honest way to avoid it and answered slowly.
“Yes, I'm okay. Now. Better than I was a few days ago, at least.”
Daniel frowned, his thick eyebrows shadowing his pale blue eyes as he stood up and leaned over the table on his hands.
“Why? What happened a few days ago?”
“Well, this is going to sound weird but I sort of...died.”
Saying that out loud sounded absurd, even to Simon, but how else could he explain it?
“What the hell are you talking about? Hang on a second, I need to see you.”
Daniel reached down behind the table and picked up a canvas bag. He plopped it on to the tabletop and rummaged around inside it for a minute.
“I finally got one of the elven artificers to make me a mirror,” he muttered as he poked around the bag. “I lost my last one. He was amused, actually. Elves have no real use for mirrors. Remarkable lack of vanity for people who are so naturally beautiful. Aha!”
His friend pulled out a small flat piece of metal. It was square, perhaps four inches across and seemed to be made of silver.
“Here we go,” Daniel said and peered into the mirror.
Simon's own mirrored surface wavered for a moment and then he was looking into the keen eyes of his best friend.
“Well, well,” Daniel said as he raised an eyebrow. “For a dead man, you look pretty lively. Don't think I like the buzz cut though. And you're too skinny, as usual.”
“Yeah, thanks Dad,” the wizard answered sarcastically.
His friend barked a laugh and then became serious again.
“So tell me what happened. And take your time. You have a tendency to skip over details sometimes.”
“Do I? Huh. First I've heard of that. Okay, here's what happe
ned, more or less.”
And then Simon told essentially the same story that he'd told the elementals. Like them, Daniel allowed him to speak without interruption until he was finished.
“That's about it,” the wizard concluded. He watched Daniel closely. “So, what do you think?”
“Think? I think that you have more lives than a bloody cat, that's what I think. I also think that that being, a goddess no less, was right. This is literally your last chance. If you are gravely injured or killed outright, that's it. You're gone.”
Daniel stared off with narrowed eyes and Simon waited quietly. Aeris, who had left the room during the wizard's story, returned with a steaming cup of tea, which Simon accepted gratefully.
“Imagine though. Being reborn. You realize that we can only call this a miracle, don't you?”
Simon shifted in his seat uncomfortably.
“I really hate to use that word,” he said heavily. “It was a gift, certainly, but I didn't walk on water, or feed hundreds of people with one loaf of bread.”
“No, you just rose from the dead,” his friend said sharply. “Personally, that screams 'miracle' to me.”
“Yeah, well, whatever. Anyway, you wanted to know where I'd been and now you have your answer. Your turn. How are things going in the war against the brown dragons?”
“Surprisingly well, to be honest. The elves are holding their own, at least for now. I don't think it can last though. The attrition rate is very high and the elven population isn't that large. Eventually they will simply run out of warm bodies to throw into the fight. And then we're done.”
Simon nodded, not surprised at the news.
“So how much time do you think they have? I realize that your time stream and ours here on Earth are different, but in terms of months or years in the elven lands, what's your best guess?”
Daniel looked away forlornly, his lips moving as if he were silently counting.
“We've discussed that. The others you saw me with earlier are members of the ruling council. Their estimation is, perhaps, a year. No more.”
The Dragons of Decay Page 26