Liliana had a hand on her sword and was slowly turning in a circle, scanning the perimeter of the clearing for any threats.
Virginia and Anna were speaking quietly to each other; Virginia seemed to be reassuring her smaller friend.
And Eric and Gerard were simply standing side by side and watching Simon, waiting for directions on what to do next.
The glade was very quiet once the swan had left. Strange trilling birdsong could be heard from far away, but it was muted and hard to hear clearly. The trees, immense sentinels that reached hundreds of feet above their heads, were still and brooding. There was no wind and here on the floor of the forest, the air was cool and the sunlight meager and weak.
“So what now?” Gerard asked, glancing at both Simon and Virginia.
“Good question. I assumed that we'd be met by someone,” Simon told him.
He examined the trees and tried to get his bearings.
“I think that Daniel and Ethmira headed off in that direction,” he said, pointing vaguely. “Toward that big hill we saw as we were landing. May as well give that a shot, don't you think?”
Virginia shrugged.
“Better than just standing here. To be honest, I'm feeling a little exposed, especially after what happened to that poor elf.”
She looked up at the distant sky apprehensively and Anna moved closer to her. Virginia put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a reassuring squeeze.
“Okay then. Let's go. I'll take point. Liliana? Could you bring up the rear please, just in case we have any surprises?”
The paladin nodded grimly and waited until the others filed off after the wizard before following along behind.
Simon walked slowly into the forest, holding his staff in his left hand and using it as a walking stick. There seemed to be a faint trail beaten into the dark soil beneath the trees and he followed it carefully, scanning the shadows as he did so.
The day had begun so hopefully, he thought. Daniel had arranged for an elvish scout to meet them in the new town at dawn and the handsome elf, wearing mottled leather and carrying a bow, had led them to the seashore. There he had somehow found the proper spot and had simply had everyone link hands.
The group had exchanged nervous smiles and then the scout had walked toward the crashing waves. There was a faint disturbance in the air over the sand, but it was hard to focus on. Three steps, no more, Simon thought and then they were standing in the middle of a forest, blinking in the dim light and looking at each other in disbelief.
A few minutes later the elf had been killed in a dragon attack and Simon had been forced to use his limited energy to bring it down.
I'm going to pay for that, was his grim thought. He could already feel fatigue setting in and it was the worst possible time. If he had to confront Ethmira, he needed all of his strength and he needed to be alert. He hoped they found the cave sooner rather that later.
As if his wishful thinking had given fate a nudge, they spotted a flash of gray through the trees a few minutes later and found themselves staring at a wall of rock that loomed out of the forest and rose above them to the height of the trees.
“Is this where your friend and Ethmira went?” Eric asked and Simon nodded slowly.
“I think so,” he say and reached out to touch the jagged surface. “I mean, how many small mountains are there around here? It must be the place.”
“Okay guys,” Virginia said. “Everyone spread out and look for a cave entrance. Anna, come with me. We'll go right. Eric, Gerard? You go left. Don't hurry and everybody stay within earshot. Give a yell if you find anything.”
The group moved off and Simon found himself alone with Liliana. The paladin was standing with her hands on her hips, staring up at the looming mound of stone.
Simon decided to hedge his bets a little, just in case his fatigue slowed him down later. He waited until the others were far enough away so that he could speak quietly without being heard and began whispering to Liliana.
“While we have second,” he murmured. “I wonder if you could do me a favor?”
She looked at him and raised an eyebrow. Then she glanced to the right and left and moved a step closer.
“Certainly,” she replied under her breath. “Is there a problem?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I know that you're always alert, and I appreciate that, especially now when I'm a bit drained from that dragon attack. But please, don't relax too much once we find the cave and join Daniel and Ethmira. I don't have time to explain right now but things may not be what they seem and if something unexpected happens, I need you to be ready to react.”
She frowned and searched his face intently.
“That's a rather vague warning, my friend,” she replied but held up her hand before Simon could answer. “But I will take it to heart. Have no fear, I shall be vigilant.”
The wizard let out a little sigh and smiled weakly.
“Thanks, that's all I could ask for.”
“Simon!”
He turned to the left and saw Eric waving in the distance, maybe fifty yards away.
“We found the entrance!” he yelled.
“Okay. We'll be right there.”
Simon looked at the paladin.
“Go ahead and join them. I'll get Virginia and Anna and be there in a minute.”
“Right.”
Liliana hurried off and Simon went to find the two young women, the wall of rock on his left.
It only took a minute to catch up to them. He could hear Virginia speaking, talking about some sort of rock-climbing trip she'd taken back in the old days. Anna was laughing; apparently there'd been a funny mishap.
“Hey guys?” he called out. “Eric and Gerard found the entrance. You can come back now.”
The voices stopped and a moment later, the two women appeared from some brush that clung to the wall.
“That didn't take long,” Virginia said with a smile.
“Yep. Let's go. I'll feel better when we're safely under cover.”
He turned and led the way back.
When they reached the others, Simon found the three of them watching the opening in the rock as if expecting a bear to come barreling out of it in full attack mode.
“Something wrong?” he asked them.
Gerard shook his head.
“Nope. Just waiting for you guys. But caves aren't necessarily friendly places, you know? Pays to be cautious.”
“Good point.”
Simon muttered a spell and a globe of silver light appeared above his head and floated there placidly.
“”Hey!” Anna exclaimed with a big smile. “I like that spell!”
Several of them laughed at her girlish enthusiasm and Simon smiled at her gently.
“So do I, Anna. It's handy, especially when exploring spooky caves with who knows what waiting behind some corner, just ready to spring at us.”
He had lowered his voice and the small woman's eyes got huge as he spoke. Then Simon winked at her and she laughed nervously.
“Don't do that!” she said and slapped his arm.
“Sorry. Couldn't resist. Okay, same as before. Single file. I'll take the lead, Liliana at the rear, please. Are we all ready?”
“Let's do this,” Virginia said resolutely and the others murmured in agreement.
“Here we go.”
Simon stepped into the narrow crack in the stone wall, his magic light following above him and lighting the path ahead. The floor was covered with thin, gritty sand and crunched underfoot.
So much for sneaking in unnoticed, he thought wryly. Oh well, it also means that no one can sneak up on us.
The passage was narrow but high and twisted and turned with snake-like undulations. The ground was level and dry.
A sharp curve suddenly revealed the opening to the cavern ahead. Torch light flickered and danced off of the walls and Simon quickly extinguished his light with a thought and held up his hand to stop the others.
There was a small gasp from t
he group and then silence. He turned and found that everyone had bunched up and was watching him closely.
“This cave opens up ahead,” he whispered. “Shall we try sneaking in or just go on and announce ourselves?”
“What's with all the sneaking anyway?” Eric asked in confusion. “We're meeting friends, aren't we?”
Simon's thoughts were racing and he shrugged, trying to sound convincing.
“Listen, after that surprise attack earlier, we don't know that Daniel and Ethmira are safe. They may have been attacked. Hell, they may not even be here for all we know. I mean, I sort of expected one of them to meet us in the clearing, but no one showed up. That makes me nervous.”
Eric's eyes widened and he nodded abruptly.
“Damn,” he said. “I'm so thick. I should have thought of that. Sorry, Simon.”
“Don't be. I hope that my paranoia is simply that. So what should we do? Group decision time.”
“We'll scout ahead,” Virginia said firmly.
“You'll..?”
Simon stared at her.
“What, all four of you?”
She smiled a bit impishly.
“Have you forgotten one of our little tricks and how we escaped captivity a few years back?”
A light clicked on in the wizard's mind and he slapped his forehead, quietly.
“I did. Speaking of being thick. Okay, go ahead. But please try to be quiet. Just because you can't be seen, doesn't mean you can't be heard.”
“”We know, my friend. Here, let us by and we'll link up and go in for a look around.”
Simon squeezed by the four of them and then stood watching, Liliana standing to his right.
“What's going on?” she asked, clearly baffled. “You think that the four of them can sneak around unnoticed?”
Simon almost laughed out loud.
“These four can. Watch.”
The foursome joined hands, Virginia leading followed by Anna then Gerard and finally Eric. They whispered to each other for a moment.
“You ready, hon?” Simon heard Virginia say.
Anna nodded and took a deep breath.
“Okay then; you're on.”
And then Simon and Liliana were looking at...nothing. All four friends had disappeared instantly and Liliana hissed in shock.
“By the gods, they can turn invisible?”
“One of their tricks, as Virginia likes to call it. I guess I never mentioned it to you, but the four of them were being held by a group of mundane humans for a couple of years, as slaves, when Aeris found them on a scout. They got away during a drake attack by using this ability. It's actually Anna's gift but it only works in she's linked to the others.”
“Remarkable,” the paladin muttered.
The two of them were barely whispering while they listened closely for any sounds of distress.
The time stretched on like a taut piano wire ready to snap and Simon found himself sweating in the warm air. Liliana, as usual, looked cool and collected, her hand firmly on her sheathed sword and her eyes narrowed.
The wizard leaned his staff against his chest and wiped his palm on his robe. He dabbed his forehead with his sleeve and gripped the staff again.
“Shouldn't they be back by now?” he whispered finally. “Maybe we should go ahead in.”
“Your choice,” Liliana told him. “You're leading this little expedition.”
“Okay then. I think...”
He stopped speaking as he heard the squeak of someone hurrying toward them across the sand of the cave. The paladin tightened her grip on her sword hilt and Simon heard the creak of her gauntlet against the metal.
He took a breath and waited.
Gerard appeared in the opening to the cave and waved them forward.
“Come on in, guys. It's safe,” he told them and then turned back and hurried out of sight.
Simon and Liliana looked at each other and the wizard smiled with relief.
“That took long enough,” he said. “I wonder what the hold up was?”
“Let's go in and find out,” the paladin suggested and he nodded.
Simon walked forward and entered the cavern beyond the tunnel. It looked pretty much the same way it had when he spoke with Daniel in the mirror.
Torches flickered along the walls and piles of supplies were still scattered here and there. Simon looked around as he entered the open area and then frowned.
“Where's Daniel?” he wondered out loud. He scanned the room again but only saw Gerard, who had crossed the cave and was disappearing down another passageway.
“Hey Gerard, have you seen...” he called after him, but the small man's blond head vanished from view.
He sighed in exasperation and looked at Liliana.
“What's the rush?” he asked.
The paladin simply smiled vaguely. She was examining the cavern and stared up at the small holes in the high roof that were letting sunlight into the cave.
“I believe this place would be fairly easy to hold against a dragon attack,” she told Simon with approval. “Its own water source, openings too small for dragons to enter? Very nice.”
“Yep. Listen, let's follow Gerard. I'd like to speak with Daniel and see if he has any news. I suppose the others have already told him about the attack. Maybe he has an idea on what happened.”
The paladin nodded silently, still looking around thoughtfully and they began to walk across the open area.
As they approached the next passage, Virginia entered the cavern through it and stood there watching them.
“Hey Virginia,” Simon said with a smile. “What took you guys so long? Is this place that big?”
“It's big but that's not what took the time. Simon, we found...”
Anna hurried out of the tunnel and stood next to her friend. She stared at the wizard and the paladin with wide eyes, her face pale.
Simon noticed that the smaller young woman was shaking and was stopped by Liliana's firm hand on his shoulder.
“Wait,” she said tensely. “Something's not right here.”
He looked at her and her grim expression and then at Virginia.
“What do you mean? What's wrong?”
From the passageway, Eric entered with Gerard in tow and lined up with the women. All of them stared blank-faced at Simon and he was suddenly covered with goosebumps. Liliana was correct; something was very wrong.
“Well, here you are, my old friend,” a voice echoed through the cavern and then Daniel appeared from around the foursome and walked forward. Ethmira was walking closely behind him. She was holding a short sword against Daniel's lower back.
“I wish we were meeting under better circumstances,” the man added with a grimace. He glanced over his shoulder and gave the elven woman a grating look of disdain.
Liliana sprang forward, her hand whipping down to her sword.
“Hold, paladin!” Ethmira snapped as she stepped forward and slipped an arm around Daniel's neck. She rested her sword's edge along his throat. “Do not do anything foolish. You four, join your friends.”
Virginia and the others carefully circled Daniel and the elf and moved to stand behind Simon.
“I'm so sorry,” she whispered to the wizard. “She knew we were coming, somehow. We couldn't even try to rescue your friend.”
“Don't sweat it,” the wizard told her, keeping his eyes on Ethmira. Daniel looked calm and in control, which helped Simon to keep his emotions in check.
“Okay, Ethmira,” he said as everyone settled down and stood quietly. He could feel the paladin's eagerness to spring forward and prayed that she wouldn't do anything precipitous.
“Would you like to tell me what is going on? I thought we were friends.”
“Did you, young wizard,” she replied in a level voice. “You have an interesting definition of friendship then.”
“I don't understand.”
“Oh, I think you do. You believe that I'm a traitor, don't you?”
There were sever
al gasps from the others and Liliana looked at Simon with narrowed eyes.
“Why would you say that?” he asked, trying to remain calm.
“Why? Because your dearest friend told me so, that's why.”
And she tapped Daniel on the shoulder with her free hand.
“Daniel? You told her?” The wizard was aghast. “How could you tell her?”
The older man closed his eyes for a moment, looking incredibly weary and worn out. Then he looked at Simon intently
“Simon, I've known Ethmira for a very long time. I consider myself a good judge of character, usually. So, after you and I spoke and realized that we both had suspicions about her and her loyalty, I felt I had no choice but to confront her directly.”
“That was a mad thing to do,” Liliana snapped at him angrily. “Look what's come of it.”
“Nothing's come of it,” Daniel said with more vigor. “Simon, both of us were wrong.”
The wizard stared at him and then at the elf.
“Wrong? Daniel, she's holding a sword to your throat! What the hell are you talking about?”
Ethmira shook her head and looked at the wizard and the others with something akin to pity.
“Daniel and I,” she began, “were a little concerned that you or one of the others might do something foolish before I got a chance to explain what has really been going on. This was his idea, actually. I personally think it's a bit too dramatic, not to mention dangerous.”
She lowered her sword and sheathed it in one smooth motion and Daniel stepped forward and met Simon's accusatory stare with a shrug.
“I had to slow you down a bit and give us all a chance to talk. And do not draw that sword, young woman!” he snapped.
The wizard turned quickly and saw that Liliana's sword was halfway out of its sheathe and she was glaring at Ethmira murderously.
“Liliana, stop!” he said loudly.
She spun to face him and he held up a hand.
“Let's hear them out first, shall we? Bloodshed should always be the last resort.”
The woman stood poised for a moment, obviously working things out in her head. Then she pushed the sword back in its sheathe firmly, nodded once and folder her arms, the armor flashing in the torchlight.
“Very well,” she said harshly. “Go ahead and explain. But it had best be convincing or the consequences will be unfortunate.”
The Dragons of Decay Page 37