The Dragons of Argent and Silver (Tales from the New Earth #6)
Read The Dragons of Argent and Silver (Tales from the New Earth #6) Online
Authors: J.J. Thompson
Tales
from the New Earth: Book 6
The
Dragons of Argent and Silver
By
J.
J. Thompson
Text
Copyright
©
2016 J. J. Thompson
All
Rights Reserved
“
Watch
him, closely. Something's not right with Simon.”
- Keiko Mihashi, mage
Table of Contents
1
“And I'm telling you, there is
something wrong with the man. He's different!”
“You're imagining things. He's
just under a lot of strain; we all are.”
“That's not it. Damn it, open
your eyes. He's...I don't even know how to explain it. But Simon is
not the same person he was a few months ago.”
Malcolm Deschamps, Changling and
warrior, was annoyed. His partner, Aiden Shen, also a Changling and a
warrior, would not accept facts. And the fact was that their dear
friend, a wizard named Simon O'Toole, seemed different somehow. The
big man couldn't quite put his finger on it, but whenever he was
around Simon these days, he felt uneasy. And he didn't like it.
The two warriors were in the courtyard
of Nottinghill Castle, sparring. It was a late spring day and the air
was just crisp enough to keep them from melting inside their suits of
armor. The men's weapons were padded to keep them from injuring each
other and they moved so quickly in their attacks and ripostes that
the guardsmen watching from atop the walls stared down at them in
awe.
“How can someone so big move so
fast?” one of them asked another as Malcolm, his braided hair
swinging around his face, smashed Aiden's mace aside and leaped in
with a powerful attack of his own.
“Damned if I know,” the
second guardsman replied. “Aiden's almost as big and they both
move like bloody greased lightning.”
Down in the courtyard, the warriors
continued their argument, barely out of breath even though they'd
been practicing for almost an hour.
“I'm not saying he's suddenly
decided to side with the dark gods,” Malcolm told Aiden in
exasperation as he blocked an overhand attack. “What I'm saying
is, I'm uneasy. That's all.”
His partner stepped back and lowered
his mace. He hung it on his belt and removed a glove to wipe off his
forehead.
“Okay, so you're uneasy,”
Aiden said with a frown. “But why? Is it something he's said,
something he's done? What exactly is it about Simon that is bothering
you?”
Malcolm nodded toward the side of the
courtyard where they had left their things and both men walked across
the paving stones toward the pile.
“That's just it,” the big
man said. He reached down and picked up a jug of water. “I
don't know. I think that's the most frustrating part about it. If
there was a specific trigger for my uneasiness, then I could analyze
it, figure it out. But there isn't.”
He gulped down some water while Aiden
grabbed a towel and dried off his face. He accepted the jug from
Malcolm and took a few swallows.
“Thanks. Well then, I can't help
you. The last time we saw Simon, what was it, last week? I felt
nothing from him but goodwill, as always. Either I'm less sensitive
to whatever it is you're feeling, something that I find hard to
believe...”
He grinned as his partner stuck out his
tongue at him.
“Or you're imagining it. And
before you get mad, I don't believe that. You just aren't given to
flights of fancy and you never have been. So I'm stumped.”
Malcolm had begun unwrapping the
leather padding on his sword and sighed loudly.
“So am I. Tell you what though;
Liliana's supposed to be visiting later today and I'm going to get
her opinion. If anyone can sense darkness or hostile magic in others,
it's a paladin.”
“Careful,” Aiden warned
him. “She and Simon are close. If you aren't delicate when you
bring this up, you might offend her. And offending that woman would
be a very bad thing. You may be the biggest, baddest black man on the
planet now, but that lady could take on you
and
me and not
break a sweat.”
Malcolm snorted and sheathed his sword.
He picked up his things and watched as Aiden grabbed his own.
“I'm well aware of what she can
do. I didn't say anything about Simon becoming evil. But if he's
under the influence of a hostile enchantment, Liliana will know. And
I'll have you know that I can be very diplomatic when I want to be.”
They began to leave the courtyard and
Aiden glanced at his partner.
“Really? Since when? And where I
have been during these flashes of 'diplomacy'?”
Malcolm glowered at him but held his
tongue. There was something wrong with Simon, damn it, and he
was
going to get to the bottom of it. With or without Aiden's approval.
Later that day, just after noon, the
paladin arrived for a visit. Liliana Travnikov, once a citizen of
Moscow, former middle-aged wife and mother, strode through the front
gates of Nottinghill Castle. She had Changed, like all surviving
humans, into something different since the dragons had returned to
the world.
Her armor gleamed like silver in the
midday sun, clean and flawless as if freshly polished. Her head was
bare and her blond hair, braided to keep it off of her face in
combat, hung down behind her to the small of her back. Her features
were heavy but handsome and she exuded an air of quiet competence.
Liliana paused just inside the open
gates, nodding to the two sentries on duty, and looked around the
inner courtyard of the castle. She liked to admire the cleanliness
and general order of the place. Tamara, the erstwhile leader of the
castle, insisted that everything be kept tidy, which meant that the
walls were kept in good repair and the cobblestones regularly swept.
The paladin approved.
She adjusted the straps of her shield,
settling it more comfortably across her back, tapped her sword hilt
absently and began walking again.
Across the courtyard, the main entrance
to the castle beckoned and Liliana walked toward it. She passed
several of the residents who were going about their business and
smiled and nodded to each. Everyone looked reasonably healthy and
content and she stopped a few times and chatted with some of them.
Apparently Tamara and her brother
Sebastian, both of whom were mages, were having some sort of argument
and the paladin was advised to be diplomatic when she met them.
She thanked those who warned her and
kept walking. Tamara was always a bit touchy and Liliana, who had
faced dragons in battle, wasn't overly concerned about the woman's
mood. But she would, of course, try not to poke the bear.
Inside the main hall, people were
coming and going in an orderly fashion. Everyone seemed to be busy
and there was a genial bustle in the air. The paladin found the
nearest guardsman and asked for Tamara's location.
He looked at her with wide eyes and
answered in a hushed voice.
“She's in the gallery with
Sebastian. Malcolm and Aiden are there as well.” He lowered his
voice even more. “There's a full-blown row going on.”
“Keiko isn't with them?”
“No. She's quite ill with the flu
and has been ordered by our cleric to stay in bed for a few days.”
He paused and added, “Be careful
in there, lady.”
She raised an eyebrow but thanked him
for his information and headed toward the gallery.
Liliana had lived in the castle for
several months before deciding to find a home outside of the
settlement. She didn't like crowds and these days any gathering of
more than a handful of people felt like a crowd to her. But she
remembered the grand gallery and enjoyed wandering through it
whenever she dropped by to visit. It was often used for meetings or
social get-togethers and apparently it was being used for such today.
The castle was a maze for those who
were new to it. Hallway after hallway, room upon room, the place just
seemed to go on forever. But Liliana had no problem finding her way
to her destination and entered the gallery after a few minutes.
The room was huge. Its arched ceiling
rose up twenty feet above her head and the wood-paneled walls were
covered with medieval paintings of long dead nobles and warriors.
Shelves filled with books, delicate tables covered with nick-knacks
and other assorted oddities made the room a fascinating place to
spend some time.
Liliana only had a moment to look
around before her attention was drawn to Tamara, who was loudly
berating someone in the center of the gallery.
“I am not going to start
distrusting our most valuable ally because of a feeling!” she
exclaimed, her strong voice echoing around the large space.
The paladin walked forward quietly as
she took in the scenario.
Malcolm was standing in the center of
the room where the sunlight was beaming in through the stained-glass
windows. He had his hands on his hips and towered over the mage. His
steel armor gleamed in the multicolored light as he frowned down at
her.
