Ethmira accepted this and gestured to all of them.
“Please follow me,” she said. “There's a more comfortable room down this tunnel where we can sit and talk.”
She led the way followed by Daniel, Simon and Liliana. The other four filed in behind them, talking in whispers.
The room that Ethmira led them into reminded the wizard of a conference room. Torches hung from the walls and many candles were lit on the large round table that occupied the center of the room. Heavy wooden chairs circled the table, in front of each chair someone had place a jug and cup.
Everyone took a seat and Simon examined the jug. It was full of clean, cool water and he filled his cup gratefully. The air was warm but moving with a gentle current that kept it from becoming too hot. The chair was very comfortable.
“You said you wanted to explain,” Liliana said coldly. “So explain.”
“Very well,” Ethmira said. She folded her hands on the table in front of her and glanced from face to face.
Daniel was sitting on her left and Simon had decided to sit on her right. The others were scattered around the table in no particular order. The place could have held twice as many people.
“Let me take you back to our battle with the primal white dragon,” she began. “You remember that night?” she asked looking at Simon and Liliana. Both nodded.
“Well, it was then that we, my people, decided that we could no longer sit on the sidelines while your world was decimated. We had to take matters into our own hands.”
Chapter 28
The elven woman poured some water into her cup and took a sip.
“Understand, we knew that, should we choose to, we could retreat to our world here and seal it after us, keeping our lands and our people safe from the dragons forever. And frankly, there were some among my people who urged us to do just that.”
“So why didn't you?” Virginia asked as she leaned forward on her elbows. “I mean, what difference would it make to the elves if the Earth was taken over by the dark gods or not? You have all you need right here.”
“True enough,” the elf answered. “But you see, we elves are an ancient people. Much older than humans, of course, and even older than the dwarves. We are calm, controlled and logical in most things. But if there is one thing my people are passionate about, it is dragons. We hate them with a loathing that is quite unfathomable. We were there, you see, at the beginning, when the dragons first ravaged your world. We lived in both realms then, yours and ours. Those creature decimated my people. Humans had not even appeared on the planet then.”
She sipped her water again and Simon watched as she put down her cup and laid her hands flat on the table, palms down. She was staring at nothing, lost in her memories.
“We fought back but we were not a war-like people, and we had no magic. And so, after devastating losses, we massed for one final assault to drive the dragons back into the Void. We failed. We were left lessened, weak, our ranks thin. And so we retreated to our own world and sealed it completely. We watched from this side as your people rose, conquered the planet, learned to use magic and fought against the gods of Chaos. It was so inspirational that we opened the way between worlds again, allowed contact between our peoples.”
She sighed and drew invisible pictures with a finger on the tabletop.
“Together with the dwarves, we elves and your people rose up once more and defeated the dragons, sent them back into darkness. With their mightiest servants vanquished, the dark gods retreated into the Void, taking the lords of Light with them, as well as the magical energy of your world. We could not survive in such an environment. We had to return home and hope for better days to come.”
“So your people and ours are responsible for banishing the dragons so long ago?” Anna asked, wide-eyed.
“Not alone,” Ethmira answered with the ghost of a smile. “The dwarves had risen at that point and joined in the fight with their magical machines and inventions. They were our allies through much of the fight. Unfortunately we had a, well, let us call it a falling out after that final battle, and elves and dwarves have been on uneasy terms ever since.”
“While this story is fascinating,” Simon said coolly, “it doesn't explain what you have been up to since the magic returned to the Earth. Nor does it answer several other rather glaring questions, such as how the brown dragons were able to enter this world in the first place.”
“I know, sir wizard. I'm getting there. But I wanted you to know why we loathe the dragons and to what lengths we would go to destroy them.”
Ethmira refilled her cup and Simon and Liliana exchanged glances while she did so. The paladin raised an eyebrow and Simon shrugged slightly. Neither of them was convinced of anything at this point.
“Now, back to the battle with the primal white dragon,” the elf said, picking up the story. “When we joined you, Simon and Liliana, that night, we saw firsthand the horror of what the dragons could become. The mutation that the primal white had undergone and that horrible fusion of human and dragon that it was performing shocked us beyond belief. It was worse than anything that we'd experienced back in the ancient times when facing the dragons. We knew then that we would have to take drastic action. Simon, “ she looked over at him, “you had destroyed three of the five primal dragons, but we knew that they were nothing compared to the brown and red primals. If those two joined forces, which rarely happens between dragon species, your world would not be able to stand against them and you and yours would fall. So we decided on a plan of action and implemented it that very night.”
“I don't understand,” Liliana said with some confusion. “What plan? Simon and I were the last ones to leave the plateau after the battle. You and your elves were gone before us.”
“True. We came home and a hasty meeting was called by the council of elders. We told them what had occurred and they came up with their plan.”
She shook her head and the anguish on her face was heart-wrenching. Simon's suspicions were fading by the moment.
“I had never questioned the elders in all of the years that they ruled this world, but I questioned them that night. They were firm in their convictions though and I bowed to their wisdom. We returned to that hellish plateau. Remember the time differential between our worlds. Only moments had passed since the death of the primal. You, Simon and the lady paladin were just Gating away as we arrived. We went through the area, scattering arrows, leaving a few small items of clothing and generally making it obvious that elves had taken part in the battle.”
“But why?” Virginia asked softly. “Why let the dragons know that you were there?”
“To make ourselves a target,” the elf said simply. “We were sure that the brown dragons would investigate the aftermath of the conflict; their territory is closest to that part of the world and there was communication between them, although it was cursory at best. The brown dragons were our greatest enemies back in the old days. Of all of the draconic species, it is the brown that we truly despise. Which made what happened next even harder to do.”
“Which was what?” Liliana asked, her voice less cold than it had been. Like Simon, she was totally caught up in the story.
“We sent scouts out to act as bait. They attacked lone brown dragons, killing several and stirring up the rest. Eventually the primal brown was enraged to the point where it summoned its forces to it and they followed the signs we left for them to a transfer point between the realms. And then...”
She bowed her head and pressed down so hard on the table that her fingers went white.
“And then those chosen few opened the way and allowed the browns to cross over, to this world. All of the scouts were killed in the process.”
“My God, Ethmira!” Eric exclaimed. “Why the hell would your people do that?”
He was staring at her in shock and his expression was mirrored in every face around the table except Daniel's. He just watched her sadly and reached out a thin hand to grip her shoulder.
> Ethmira looked at him with a sad smile, patted his gnarled fingers and cleared her throat.
“We did it for a simple reason, really. It separated the browns from the reds. Two singular forces instead of one combined threat. Each species of dragon is powerful in and of itself, but together? We would have had no chance against them and neither would your people.”
“But to allow them to come here?” Simon couldn't quite grasp what he was hearing. “We saw the destruction that the dragons have already caused on the trip here. They are literally using their powers to rot your entire forest.”
“I know that,” she replied. “As I said, this was not my decision. The elders had a plan, you see, in case we could not destroy the dragons here in our own lands. We would seal the realm again and the dragons would be trapped here for all of eternity. Your world, your universe, would be safe from them. Yes, the red dragons remain, but at least they would be the only species of dragon left to threaten your home.”
“Doesn't that mean that all of the elves would die?” Anna asked in a small voice. She was curled up on her chair and looked even smaller and younger than usual.
Ethmira smiled at the young woman.
“Not all, no. Some would remain to keep the dragons' attention while the majority would cross over to your world. My people would survive, but we would lose our homeland forever. A hard price to pay, but one we would pay gladly if it meant the end of the brown dragons.”
There was a long moment of silence where everyone seemed lost in his or her own thoughts. Simon finally looked over at Ethmira and asked the questions that were burning brightest in his mind.
“Ethmira, I may not be the best judge of people, or so I've been told by some others in the past,” and he gave Daniel a significant look.
The older man laughed and nodded appreciatively.
“But I believe your story. However, I have some questions that I'd like answered, if that's okay?”
“Of course. You deserve answers. After all, you believed that I was a traitor up until a few moments ago. If it will set your mind at ease, then ask your questions.”
He nodded his thanks.
“I only have a few. How did the primal black dragon sense you the first time you visited me? You said that the longer you remained in the world, the more chance that monster would have of sensing you. But we figured out that dragons can't feel the presence of elves any more than they know when humans are nearby. So why would you tell me that? And later, you said that you and Daniel were covered by a glamor that only lasted a short time, but there really aren't such things as glamors, are there?”
Ethmira's face showed her dawning understanding as Simon spoke and she smiled wryly when he was finished.
“So that is why you thought I was a traitor, because you believed I lied to you,” she said flatly.
“More or less.”
“Well, when we first met, I wasn't sure of you. I knew only what Daniel had told me; that you were his friend, that you were trustworthy and that you needed some help. That's why I crossed over with the key to his box that you discovered. You are quite correct when you say that dragons can't sense us, but they can sense magic being used. And when we open a portal between our two worlds, a huge surge of magic takes place as the energy moves from one world to the next.”
She made a vague gesture at the room around them.
“Our ancient world has very little magic now, Simon, and so when we open the way, the power is sucked into this world from yours. And dragons can sense that quite easily, I'm afraid. So when I journeyed to meet with you the first time, I drew the attention of the primal black dragon by entering your world. And when I opened the portal for the return trip, that pinpointed my location exactly. That is why the dragon appeared and why it almost caught me.”
“And the glamor?”
Ethmira laughed and shook her head, looking at Daniel fondly.
“My friend, sometimes I wish that you could actually use magic. There are so many things you do not understand.”
He looked surprised.
“Such as?”
“Such as the fact that elves may not cast magic, but we are magic. And we have a natural camouflage that we call a glamor that we can trigger when scouting or going into battle. No, it does not shield us from dragons; as Simon said, those creatures cannot sense us magically. But it does give us some protection. It confuses the eye, makes us harder to target and to hit. Unfortunately, it does not last that long.”
She turned to look back at the wizard.
“When we aided you in your battle with both the primal black and white dragons, we used our glamor abilities each time. It probably kept more of us alive that might otherwise have died. And if we use a glamor when others are nearby, like I did with Daniel the time I brought him over to meet with you, they are imbued with it as well.”
“Oh for the love of...” Daniel said in exasperation. “Why didn't you explain that to me?”
“You never asked, my friend. Why didn't you ask us?”
“Miscommunication, obviously. Damn. I am so sorry for doubting you, Ethmira,” Simon said. His sense of relief was like a breath of fresh air. He had been fond of the elf from the moment he'd met her and knowing that she hadn't betrayed her own people was incredibly comforting.
“There is still one thing left to clear up,” Liliana said, her voice still hinting at suspicion.
Ethmira looked at her calmly.
“Of course. Whatever you'd like to know.”
“The elders,” the paladin said harshly. “Your elders were ambushed and killed while being taken secretly to a place of safety.” She looked around the room. “Here, I assume. How did the dragons find them?”
And now Ethmira truly looked grieved. She made a helpless motion and sat back in her chair, her delicate features becoming pale.
“They did it themselves,” she said in a voice barely louder than a whisper.
“What? But why..?”
“It was against all of our protests,” the elf continued. “They gathered those of us who had positions of command and stated their case. If the primal brown dragon could be convinced that the most powerful of all of our people had been destroyed, it would let down its guard, its suspicions would fade and it would be ripe for an attack. They also made sure that they took as many of the lesser dragons with them as possible That not only decimated the ranks of the dragons, it also helped convince the primal that it had killed off its greatest threats. Now it rests, smug in the knowledge that the elves will soon be conquered and this world made its own. After that, it plans to rejoin the primal red on your world, likely thinking it can force one of my people into opening a portal for it.”
“I still don't understand,” the paladin said. “If you mean to seal this world and trap the dragons here, why would the elders sacrifice themselves? It makes no sense.”
Ethmira turned her head heavily and looked directly at Simon.
“Because of him,” she said simply.
Simon gasped in shock and then jumped up so quickly that he knocked his chair over.
“Me? They died because of me? What are you saying?”
“Be easy, my friend,” the elf said with a reassuring gesture. “I'm not blaming you for their deaths. I am saying that they had enough hope and faith in you that they willingly sacrificed themselves believing that you might be able to save this world. Sealing the realm is a last resort, and we will do it if we have to, but the elders hoped, with your history of victories over the primal dragons, that you might have a plan to destroy the brown dragons that would allow our lands to remain free.”
Simon righted his chair and sat down heavily, feeling as if someone had knocked the wind out of him.
“So my question, sir wizard, is this: do you have a plan to kill the primal brown dragon?”
The wizard looked around the table from face to face. Virginia and her friends were watching him hopefully. Liliana was stone-faced but alert and Daniel simply smiled at him comp
assionately, knowing him well enough to be able to guess at his feelings.
Finally he looked at Ethmira. They locked eyes and the question seemed to hover over them like a spell waiting to be cast.
He sighed and nodded.
“Yes, I do,” he said quietly.
Eric and Gerard cheered and Anna clapped her hands excitedly. Daniel nodded approvingly while the paladin simply closed her eyes with relief.
Virginia leaned toward him across the table and searched his face with her eyes.
“You don't have a lot of conviction in your voice, my friend,” she told him. “How good is this plan of yours?”
“Honestly? I think it's insane,” Simon told her with a shrug. “But it may have a chance, thanks to what Ethmira just told me about the elders and the possible state of mind of the primal brown right now.”
He emptied his glass, refilled it and drank thirstily. His mouth and throat had dried up completely.
“What does the dragon's state of mind have to do with anything?” Daniel asked with a frown.
“If there's one thing I've learned from facing the first three primal dragons is that they are arrogant beyond belief,” Simon told him. “That's not surprising, I suppose, considering how ancient and powerful they are. And now, if the primal brown believes that there are no more significant threats to it and its followers, maybe we can use that to lure it into a trap.”
“A trap,” Liliana repeated flatly. “You expect to be able to trap a monster that's bigger than one of the old jumbo jets? Well, my friend, I'll give you points for nerve, at least.”
“Thanks,” he replied with a grin at her expression of disbelief. “It's good to have your support.”
The paladin gave him a grudging smile.
“So what do you want to do, Simon?” Ethmira asked him. “We won't be safe here for long. It's possible that draconic scouts might have spotted Pharra when she brought you here; they do pass over this section of the forest on occasion.”
The Dragons of Decay Page 38