“If the plan works, yes. Ethmira, is there a weak spot between the worlds nearby? The one that we came through is too far to reach on foot.”
“And it's on the wrong side of the hill anyway,” the elf answered. “I doubt if we'd be able to cross the main cavern now with the fumes that must be thick in there.”
She closed her eyes and bowed her head, her expression one of intense concentration. After a moment, she looked up at Simon with the ghost of a smile on her face.
“Yes, there is. I sense one several miles,” she pointed ahead and to the right of the far end of the tunnel, “in that direction.”
“Several miles,” Simon muttered. “Well, that's specific. It's going to be a hell of a run, I'm guessing. Oh well, it is what it is.”
“What's your plan?” Daniel spoke up as he watched his friend intently.
“My plan. Yeah well, it's simple enough, I suppose. When the primal brown arrives, I'm going to lure it to the site of the crossover point. Ethmira is going to open a portal and I'm going to go through with the dragon hot on my heels. Ethmira will immediately close the portal, trapping the primal on Earth while its forces remain stuck in this realm.”
“Simon, that's crazy!” Virginia said, aghast.
He shrugged.
“Told you it was.”
“But what are you going to do if that even works? The primal brown is still an incredibly powerful creature. What are you going to do when you're stuck with it on Earth?”
Simon's smile became vicious and Anna actually backed away a few steps.
“I'm going to kill it.”
Chapter 29
“I still don't understand how you're going to kill that monster, if we even get it here,” Daniel whispered to Simon as they watched Virginia and her friends getting ready.
Eric handed his bow and quiver to Ethmira with a tight smile while Anna and Virginia spoke quietly together for a moment. Gerard was nervously pacing up and down, looking at the end of the tunnel constantly.
“I'd love to explain it, old friend, but frankly we don't have the time,” Simon whispered back. “When they start their attack, I'm going out to lend a hand.”
He gave Daniel a hard look.
“You, mister, will stay in here and out of harm's way. Clear?”
“Hey, who's the old guy here anyway?” Daniel protested.
“Well, technically I'm older than you are, so me,” Simon replied and grinned.
His friend rolled his eyes and then gripped his hand tightly.
“Be damned careful out there,” he said even more quietly. “I don't relish the idea of the elves sealing all of us in this world with the brown dragons.”
“You bet,” the wizard said, squeezing his hand in return. “Okay, looks like they're ready. Here we go.”
He moved forward to stand next to Ethmira and Liliana. Virginia caught his eye, nodded once and then took Anna's hand. The smaller woman clasped Gerard's hand tightly and he grabbed Eric's.
Eric smiled at all of them. “Let's get him, guys,” he said firmly and made a small gesture with his free hand.
A globe of force sprang into existence, shimmering around the quartet and Eric nodded in satisfaction.
“Okay, sweetie,” he said to a nervous Anna. “Your turn.”
She looked up at Virginia, took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
And then they faded into invisibility as it they'd been wiped out of existence.
“Amazing,” Ethmira said under her breath. “I've never seen anything like it.”
“I doubt that there's ever been a group like them,” Liliana said with admiration. “I just hope it works.”
“We all do. Okay, give them a minute to get in position and then we'll move forward. Just because they're initiating the attack doesn't mean that we can't give them a hand, right?”
Both women smiled, Liliana looking almost gleeful.
“I absolutely agree,” she said and gripped her bow tightly. “Just say when.”
Simon watched the floor and pointed at the movement of the gritty sand. They could actually see where the four friends were walking forward as a group.
All four of them followed the motion of the sand. Simon was holding his breath and, once the movement reached the opening at the end of the tunnel, he motioned to the two woman and gave Daniel a quick wave. Then they began to creep toward the exit, listening tensely for any sign that the dragon had spotted the invisible foursome.
“I think it's working,” Ethmira said under her breath.
Simon just kept walking, waiting for the quartet to begin their attack.
He stopped several feet away from the end of the tunnel, listening.
The breathing of the dragon was a loud rasping sound that made the hair on the back of his neck stand straight up. It sounded like the creature was no more than inches away, but the long shadow of the lurking monster showed that it had to be crouched a dozen feet from the exit or more.
“What are they waiting for?” Liliana breathed, her voice barely audible.
And then the shadow was gone. A deep bellow of surprise shattered the air and in response Anna's shriek of fear sounded almost child-like in comparison.
Simon leaped forward, turning to look in the direction of the roaring dragon.
The brown dragon, fifty feet in length from snout to tail, with a head as long as Anna was tall, was rearing up on its hind legs, wings spread out and entangled in branches from the surrounding trees. Below it, Virginia and the others were staring up at the monster, hunched down and waiting for it to attack.
Simon was relieved to see the sparkle of Eric's shield still pulsing strongly around them. He'd been afraid that it would drop once the invisibility spell was cast, but apparently both spells meshed easily.
Gerard was gaping up at the immense creature, his eyes wide with fear.
God, I hope he isn't frozen in shock, Simon thought frantically.
The scaled jaws opened as if on a hinge and he heard the dragon suck in a lungful of air.
Here it comes, he thought. Be ready, Gerard.
Eric gripped his friend's hand strongly and gave him a little shake. The smaller man blinked rapidly and then seemed to break through his fear and scowled up at the monster.
The dragon's head lurched forward and a blast of black liquid spewed from its maw. Gerard yelled something that Simon couldn't hear over the screeching dragon but he saw the results.
An invisible blast of force slammed into the corrosive liquid and sent the sticky fluid splashing back directly into the dragon's face. The results were all that Simon could have hoped for and more.
The creature screamed in an ear-splitting bellow as its own acid soaked its entire head. Smoke billowed up from its scales and Simon watched in horrified amazement as the dragon's eyes literally melted like jelly and ran down its face. The scales peeled back revealing red flesh and yellowed bone and the monster reared so violently that it flipped over and landed with a crash on to its back, thrashing and screaming in agony.
The four friends raced back toward the tunnel, their faces white with fear. Simon and the others moved to the side to let them retreat into the shelter of the cave but stood and waited to see if the dragon was, in fact, mortally wounded.
The monster continued to writhe in torment, slamming into trees, causing a shower of leaves and branches to rain down on it. The ground around it smoked and rotted as it spread its acid in its violent death throes.
And Simon was sure that it was dying. It raised its head once as if trying to get back on its feet and all he saw was melting flesh and disintegrating bone. The dragon had killed itself.
“I guess we don't need to help after all,” he said weakly.
“Now there's an understatement for you,” Liliana replied dryly.
The wizard looked at her and saw an expression of immense satisfaction on her face. Ethmira looked more introspective but nodded when she caught Simon's eye.
“A very satisfying result,” s
he said and then smiled as the paladin rolled her eyes.
“And yes, that too is an understatement. Now, shall we see how our victorious young friends are doing?”
They re-entered the tunnel and found the foursome standing together. Anna was shaking and was being hugged by Virginia, who was reassuring her that she'd done a great job.
Eric and Gerard were both grinning. It looked like a combination of relief and triumph.
“That was very well done, my friends,” Ethmira told them heartily. “It could not have gone any better.”
“I take it the plan was a success?” Daniel asked as he hurried down the tunnel, limping slightly.
“Come and see for yourself,” Simon said and waved toward the exit. “The dragon's acid was indeed its greatest weakness. Our friends are safe and the monster is dead. And now things begin to get really interesting.”
“Interesting?” Anna said in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“Like I said earlier, the primal will know that one of its lesser dragons has died. It will want to know how and why, which means that wherever it is right now, it's coming this way. I doubt that we have a lot of time.”
Ethmira handed Eric his bow and quiver, which he accepted with a smile, and looked at Simon with raised eyebrows.
“You want to head to the place where the worlds intersect? Now?”
“Right now. It may be hours before the primal arrives, it may be minutes. Let's not take any chances. Now this is the part where some of you are going to get angry and start yelling. Please don't. We haven't got the time for it.”
“What?” Virginia said in confusion. “Why would we do that?”
“Because your part is done. None of you can help me with the primal, so I want all of you, except for Ethmira, to get back in the cave, keep your heads down and wait.”
Just as he had expected, the entire group began protesting at once.
“What are you talking about?” Eric roared. “We can help you! We just killed a frigging dragon, for God's sake!”
The others were saying essentially the same thing, except for Daniel, who was watching him with an understanding smile, and Liliana, who looked grim and forbidding.
I won't be able to stop her from coming along, Simon thought uneasily. She'll do it whether I like it or not.
“Everyone, please, calm down,” Ethmira said loudly, holding up her hands.
The shouting quieted down to a dull rumble and the four friends stared at Simon darkly.
“The wizard is correct,” she continued in the uneasy silence. “You will not be able to face a primal dragon, even with your gifts. Simon says he has a plan, and so far his plans have gone well, so trust him. I know that it's hard to swallow, but the odds of you surviving an encounter with that monster are exactly zero.”
She looked at them compassionately.
“I understand how you feel, believe me. And I know the only reason that Simon wants me with him is to open a portal. I too would be useless in such a confrontation, although I hate to admit it. So please, for your sake and for our peace of mind; stay here. Daniel will be with you. If we succeed, I will come back and take you to the portal myself and send you through.”
She looked at the paladin.
“Liliana,” she began but the woman held up a hand to stop her from speaking.
“I am going,” she said firmly and then looked at the others as they began to protest again.
“Be silent!” she snapped and all four of them stopped talking at once.
“Good. Now listen closely. I am going because it is my calling. I must confront this creature; it is my destiny to do so. But also I only risk myself in this. If I die, I die. So be it. But tell me, all of you, would you like to be responsible for each other's deaths? Would you risk watching your friends die one by one, horribly, as you just saw, because you were stubborn or prideful? Is it worth so much to you?”
Virginia looked at her friends one by one and they did the same. Eric's stubborn expression faded and he looked down at the floor. He slowly shook his head.
“No,” he said quietly. “I wouldn't want that. If we could do some good,” he looked up at Simon as he spoke, “then I would risk it. We all would, I think. But if it means everyone's death just so I can prove I'm brave, then no. I can't do that.”
The others murmured in chastened agreement and Virginia stepped forward and took Simon's hand. He leaned on his staff and waited for her to speak.
“I think...we just wanted you to know that we wouldn't abandon you when things got really bad,” she told him softly. “We don't let our friends face danger alone.”
“I know that. All of you, I know that. But you must know how I feel as well. Letting you face a hopeless battle just to die in the end is not something I can do. It's just not right, you know?”
Anna wiped away a tear and nodded her understanding.
“Okay, Simon,” Virginia said and squeezed his hand. “We'll stay here with Daniel. You go and do what you have to do. Just be careful, all right? We all want to see you again.”
“I will. Thanks, guys. Daniel? Take care of them, okay?”
“I'll do what I can,” his friend said. “And I echo their sentiments. Watch your ass.”
Everyone laughed a bit in relief and Simon grinned at his oldest friend.
“You know me. I always do.”
He turned to Ethmira.
“Are you ready?”
“I am.”
Liliana nodded when Simon glanced at her.
“Then let's do this,” he said.
The three of them stepped out of the tunnel, paused in the sunlight to wave back at their friends and then began walking. Before they got too far from the cave, Liliana looked at Simon curiously.
“How exactly do you plan to get the primal to follow you to the portal site? Set up signs? Put down a trail of breadcrumbs?”
He chuckled.
“Something like that. Do either of you have a knife?”
Ethmira reached around and pulled a small knife from a sheathe on the back of her belt.
“Careful, it's very sharp.”
“Good,” Simon said and rolled up his sleeve. Before he could continue, the elf made a movement too quick for his eyes to follow and was suddenly holding the knife again.
“Are you about to do what I think you are?” she asked sharply.
“The dragon is going to want to know who or what killed its servant. It will want evidence and answers. If I leave a blood trail, it will easily smell it and follow us.”
“Clever,” Liliana muttered.
“Yes, clever,” Ethmira agreed. “But foolish. You will need all of your strength to deal with the primal, whatever you intend to do, and draining your blood will quickly diminish it.”
“Then what do you suggest...” Simon started to say and then watched, amazed, as the elf neatly slashed open a cut in her forearm and then slipped the knife back into its sheathe.
“Since I'm not going to be involved in any upcoming battle, I may as well shed my blood in some other useful way. Besides,” she added as she began walking away, “the primal brown hates elves. It will follow my blood trail eagerly.”
Simon and Liliana exchanged glances and the paladin just shrugged.
“She's right,” she said and hurried after the elf.
Simon sighed heavily and began following them.
Strong women, he thought ruefully. Gotta love strong women.
The journey to the weak spot between worlds wasn't too taxing for the wizard, at least at first. He knew that his magical energy wasn't at its maximum level, but he thought that it would be adequate. He hoped it would be anyway.
Ethmira led them with assurance, twisting and winding her way through the massive trees and ducking around the undergrowth.
Her blood trail was easy enough to see, even for Simon, and when her wound began to close, she matter-of-factly cut her arm at another spot and kept going.
He guessed that they had been wa
lking for about an hour when the elf stopped abruptly.
Simon and Liliana pulled up short behind her and the wizard took the opportunity to lean against his staff and catch his breath.
The day was warm but not hot; however he had to wipe his forehead off with his sleeve as he breathed deeply.
“What's wrong?” the paladin asked.
Ethmira looked puzzled and frowned in concentration. She cocked her head and listened intently.
“What...” Liliana began to say again but the elf held up a hand.
“Wait. There's something...”
From behind them, a long way away, a faint shivering cry rolled through the forest. A sprinkle of leaves cascaded down on them from above and all three looked at each other, wide-eyed.
“Primal?” the elf asked, her face suddenly pale.
“Primal,” Simon replied bleakly.
They hesitated a moment, as if frozen in time.
“Let's move!” the wizard barked and Ethmira spun on her heels and began to run.
The race had begun. Simon had no idea how far the portal location was and didn't have the breath to ask. All he could do was try to move fast enough to keep the elf in sight as she ran lightly through the forest and, at the same time, try to listen for pursuit through the pounding of the blood in his ears.
How long they ran, the wizard never knew. But as they stumbled into a small clearing, dazzlingly bright after the comparative darkness of the ancient forest floor, Ethmira slid to a halt and waved her hand at the open area around them.
“Here,” she gasped, sounding almost as winded as Simon felt. “It's here.”
He leaned on his staff and bent over, watching sweat droplets hitting the knee-high ferns and grasses that grew thickly in the glade.
When his vision had finally stopped pulsing red, he stood up painfully, wiped off his face and finally had a chance to look around.
The clearing was perhaps fifty feet across and almost circular. To one side, the gnarled roots of an ancient tree poked skyward and he realized that the fallen tree had opened up this section of the forest and allowed small bushes, leafy ferns and thick grass to get a foothold. If they hadn't been in fear for their lives, it would probably have seemed pretty. Now it just made him feel exposed.
The Dragons of Decay Page 40