The Dragons of Ash and Smoke (Tales from the New Earth Book 5) (3 page)

Stanis
nodded silently.

“
Yeah,
that sounds like her. Always thinking about others before herself. Oh
damn. I'm going to miss her.”

“
Her
people will as well. I understand that two warriors, Malcolm and
Aiden, have been leading the people since then. They are steady and
caring men and are doing their best, but the people still mourn
Clara.”

“
You
said that she was the only casualty? But I saw mounds of ashes in the
burning town hall. I was sure that the children...”

“
The
children are safe,” Opheilla told him reassuringly. “I'm
afraid that you saw what your fearful mind expected to see. But the
ashes were only ashes, Simon. Everyone else made it, except for my
fellow cleric.”

He sagged
against the pillows with relief and the cleric quickly stood up and
crossed the room to a heavy wooden table. She filled a flagon with
water, returned and handed it to him.

“
Here,
drink this,” she said as she sat down again. “Take a
moment to gather yourself. You've had a lot of hard news in a very
short time.”

He
accepted the flagon gratefully and slowly drank the cool water. His
dry throat was instantly relieved and his stomach settled down.

“
Thanks
so much,” he said when he'd emptied the large cup.

“
Not
at all,” Opheilla replied and took it from him.

“
But
what happened when I got back?” Simon asked Stanis. “I
remember the red dragon attacking but that's about it. How did I
survive? Obviously I took some significant injuries,” he added
and held up his scarred arms.

“
Significant?”

Stanis
barked a laugh.

“
Laddie,
you were practically burned to a crisp!”

“
Stanis,”
the cleric said, giving him a quelling look.

“
What?
It's true, isn't it? It's taken you six months to bring him back from
the brink of death and heal his wounds.”

“
Well,
yes. That's true enough,” she said grudgingly. “Still,
there's no need to be so...graphic.”

“
Bah.
He's a man used to pain, lady cleric. Why, if you believe the tales,
he was reborn once! I'm not surprised that he simply shrugged off a
dragon attack.”

Simon had
to laugh a little at that outrageous statement.

“
I'm
not immortal, Stanis, I assure you,” he said. “Lucky yes,
and I've had the gods' help,” and he nodded to Opheilla as he
said this.

She
smiled gratefully in return.

“
But
I should not have survived a surprise attack by a red dragon. So what
happened?”

“
Ah
well,” Stanis said as he rubbed his hands together in
anticipation. “I can tell you exactly what happened, seeing as
I witnessed the entire thing.”

Opheilla
rolled her eyes silently and Simon grinned at her.

“
You
saw it? But I thought you had left with the townspeople?”

“
We
did. But we only retreated underground and waited out the attack. We
wanted to retrieve any supplies and belongings that the people felt
they needed, if they weren't all destroyed. After all, they'd been
through a lot and we thought that it would help them to cope with
their losses.”

“
That
was a lovely gesture, Stanis,” Simon told him.

The dwarf
cleared his throat loudly.

“
Yes,
well. We also wanted to give your brave friend, the lady Clara, a
proper burial. She had more than earned it.”

Simon
felt himself tearing up again but didn't say anything.

“
So
we waited several hours, tended to the youngsters and then returned
to the town. As you might remember, our drills only extend several
feet above ground when on the surface. I'm not surprised that you
didn't see it when you entered the burning village, what with the
destruction and your exhaustion after your battle with the primal
brown dragon and all. We had actually just retrieved what we could
from the settlement and laid Clara to rest when you arrived. As is
customary, I was the last to board the drill and that is when I heard
the roar from overhead.”

He
grimaced and shook his head, the small golden beads that were woven
into his beard clicking together.

“
At
first I thought that it was attacking us and I was set to dive into
the drill and go deep. But when I looked up, I saw that it was
looking at something on the other side of the town hall and I moved
around to see the target. And it was you.”

Simon was
listening intently.

“
Then
what happened?” he asked breathlessly.

Stanis
was obviously enjoying telling his story and he paused for a moment,
until a growl from Opheilla hurried him along.

“
Well,
I think your wizardly instincts are nothing short of phenomenal, my
friend. You were engulfed in flames and I was sure that it was the
end, but somehow you managed to cast a Shield spell on yourself. It
didn't last long under the onslaught, but it was enough to save your
life; barely. The dragon pulled up and banked around for another pass
and I raced over, grabbed you, and hot-footed it back to the drill.
We barely got underground in time, but at least that damned beastie
didn't have the satisfaction of claiming a wizard that day.”

“
I
was with the party when we visited the town,” Opheilla added.
“I wanted to speak with Clara. There are not that many clerics
among our people and I was interested in meeting a human who had a
connection with the lords of Light.”

She shook
her head regretfully.

“
We
spoke only briefly, but I feel like I lost a friend that day. Ah
well. Fortunately I was able to send you into a deep sleep at once
and begin healing your wounds, else you would not have made it back
here alive. And that is pretty much the entire story.”

“
Not
quite. On the advice of the survivors, I went back to the town a few
days later,” Stanis said.

“
Oh
yes, I'd forgotten that bit,” the cleric said.

“
Went
back for what?” Simon asked, puzzled.

“
For
your other companions. We were told that several people went with you
into the elven realm and that they would be back eventually,
presuming they lived. And they were correct. Almost a week later,
that paladin, Liliana? Yes. She and four others were returned to the
town and we met them there. Fortunately the red dragons must have
written off the destroyed town and were nowhere to be seen. We
brought them back here to join the others. So that's one bit of good
news.”

Simon lay
back against the pillows and picked at the quilt, absorbing what the
dwarves had told him.

“
I
want to thank you both. Not just for saving my life, for which I am
eternally grateful, but for saving the people of Nottinghill. I think
of myself as one of them in a way, and your generosity has been
nothing short of amazing.”

“
Bah,”
Stanis said in his gruff voice. “Nothing that any decent person
wouldn't do. After all that you have done for us, sir wizard, could
we have done any less?”

“
I
agree with him,” the cleric said with a gentle smile. “You
have been named a friend to the dwarves by Stanis, as you know. So we
were simply saving one of our own. Gratitude is unnecessary.”

“
Well,
you have it nonetheless,” Simon said firmly. “So where
are the people now? And where are Kronk and Aeris? I'll admit that
I'm a little surprised that they aren't here.”

Opheilla
looked at Stanis, who nodded as he caught her eye.

“
Yes,
well, there's another story that needs to be told, I suppose. Now,
then, let's see.”

Before Stanis continued
his tale, Opheilla insisted that her patient have something to eat.

She left the room and
quickly returned with a tray of food and drink, which she set across
the bed on Simon's lap.

“
Go
ahead and eat, lad,” Stanis told him. “I can talk while
you listen.”

“
Ah
and he does love to hear himself talk, doesn't he?” the cleric
said with a fond smile.

Simon chuckled and began
eating. There was a hot, gruel-like porridge that was fairly bland
but sweet. It was perfect for his delicate stomach. Also some
finely-sliced fruits that he could eat one piece at a time: apples,
pears, peaches. They were all fresh and delicious. He wondered where
the dwarves would get fruit underground, but saved that question for
another time.

The jug on the tray was
filled with hot tea. Simon could have sworn that it was chamomile. It
was also sweet, but not overly so, and he enjoyed it very much. It
made him nostalgic for home.

“
First
of all, your two servants,” Stanis began. When the wizard
started to protest, he held up a large hand. “Aye, I know they
are your friends as well, but they do serve so that is how I think
of them. At any rate the capital, and indeed all dwarven cities, is
sealed to elementals and always has been.”

“
That
is actually untrue,” Opheilla objected. “There was a time
when elementals from the earthen realm were welcome among us.”

“
Yes,
well, that was long ago,” Stanis said with a shrug. “They
are certainly unwelcome now. And before you ask why, it is a long
story. It goes back to when the different elemental leaders were
warring amongst themselves. Their feuding spilled over into this
world and ended up involving the dwarves, the humans and the elves.
It was actually the catalyst that eventually led to the long-standing
animosity between my people and the elven race. But again, it's a
long and convoluted tale.”

“
Sealed
against elementals?” Simon said in confusion. “But how is
that possible?”

Stanis looked a bit grumpy
after mentioning the elves and Opheilla answered instead.

“
You
know that we don't use magic very often, except to improve our
handiwork. But there are spell-casters among us. They are
not...popular with other dwarves, but in times of need will be used
to bolster our defenses. Several were instrumental in holding back
the dragon hybrids that were created by the primal white dragon.
After the wars on the elemental planes, these magic-users created
wards specifically designed to keep out the elementals. And these
wards exist to this day. Your servants could not join you here when
we brought you into the city to be healed. Forgive me for not knowing
their names, but I have never met them.”

“
Yes,
I understand.”

Simon felt horrible that
his friends had been kept from him. He knew that Kronk especially
would probably have been frantic knowing that he, Simon, was severely
injured and that the little guy couldn't reach him.

“
So
do you know where they are?” he asked Stanis.

“
No
idea,” the dwarf said indifferently. “Perhaps back at
your tower? Who can say?”

Simon felt a moment of
anger at the dwarf's attitude but quelled it. Obviously these people
had no interest in elementals and, considering the history between
them, he shouldn't be too surprised. And getting mad at the people
who had saved your life would be very ungrateful.

So he nodded silently and
continued to eat his first solid meal in months.

Perhaps the cleric was
more sensitive than Stanis, or maybe she could read Simon's face
better, but she hurried to reassure him.

“
As
a wizard gifted with power over the elements, I'm sure that you would
feel it if your companions were in peril. Do you?”

Simon swallowed a mouthful
of food and then settled back into the pillows and searched within
himself.

No, there was nothing
wrong there, magically speaking. His standard spells were still
locked in his memory, which surprised him somewhat, and he could
sense, somehow, that Kronk and Aeris were still on the Earth. They
were like two little pulses of warmth glowing inside of him. It felt
almost comforting.

“
Yes,
I think you're right,” he said finally. “At least, I can
sense something that might be them. I hope it is anyway.”