The Dragons of Ash and Smoke (Tales from the New Earth Book 5) (46 page)

The big man was actually
swaying slightly in place and Aiden wasn't looking much steadier.

“
I have to admit,
wearing plate armor for twenty-four hours straight can be a little
bit...fatiguing,” he said wearily.

“
I am tired as
well,” Liliana admitted.

Simon stared at her in
surprise and she raised her eyebrows at him.

“
What? Even paladins
get tired, sir wizard. But while those dragons are in the vicinity, I
cannot allow myself to rest.”

“
Then you are in
luck, lady,” Aeris said as he popped into sight next to Simon.
“The dragons headed south almost as soon as the goblins were,
um, dealt with.” He gestured up at the wall. “So the
guardsman up there just told me. He was on his way down to report
when I showed up, so I am doing it for him.”

“
How did they know?”
Malcolm wondered. “I mean, were the goblins in touch with the
dragons? And how?”

“
I would bet that
the goblin cleric had a way to communicate with them,” Liliana
offered. She was tapping her lip thoughtfully. “The dark gods
may have set up some sort of channel between the two groups, or
perhaps it's a skill inherent in Chaotic clerics? Who knows.”

She stretched and her
armor squealed in protest.

“
In any case, I'd
say that this is our chance to get some rest. Simon, are you staying
with us for a while? I think I can speak for all of us when I say
that you are more than welcome.”

Both Malcolm and Aiden
asked him to stay as well and Keiko smiled at him but Simon shook his
head.

“
Sorry folks, but
no. Once Kronk seals those tunnels, I'll head home. I have stuff to
do around the tower. But tell Tamara to call me if you need anything
or if Sebastian remembers anything of importance from his ordeal,
okay?”

“
Will do, my
friend,” Malcolm said.

He and Aiden bid the
wizard farewell and left for their quarters. Keiko bowed formally and
headed indoors, while Liliana lingered for a few minutes until Kronk
returned.

“
I told you that the
primal red dragon considers you its greatest threat,” she said
somewhat smugly. “Those goblins proved my point, did they not?”

“
Oh, I'll admit the
dragons know I'm their enemy,” Simon replied. “But I
don't think I'm their greatest threat.”

“
If not you, then
who?”

The silvery figure of
Esmiralla flitted through the wizard's mind for a moment, but he just
shrugged.

“
Who knows? It's an
awfully big world, my friend. We may have more allies out there than
we know.”

“
Well, if we do, I
hope they show themselves sooner rather than later. If the dark gods
are sending goblins to do their dirty work, I have a feeling that our
conflict is about to heat up.”

Kronk appeared at Simon's
feet and gave him a thumbs-up.

“
We'll see, I guess.
Grab on, guys,” he told the elementals. “Take care,
Liliana. I'll see you soon.”

The paladin smiled and
saluted and both Aeris and Kronk bowed to her.

“
Gate!” Simon
said as he concentrated on his tower and the world faded to black.

It was still dark when
Simon and the elementals arrived home. Both Aeris and Kronk
immediately did a sweep of the perimeter and checked in with the
sentries on the wall and the roof. All was well.

Simon wearily added wood
to the embers in the fireplace, put on some water to boil and went
upstairs to change. When he'd returned, Aeris had already made his
tea and reported that the tower was secure.

“
Did you expect a
problem?” the wizard asked as he sat down in front of the
fireplace with a contented sigh.

“
After what happened
at the castle? Who knows?”

Aeris moved to hover in
front of the fire. The flames reflected in rainbow colors through his
semi-translucent body.

“
We know that the
red dragons know exactly where you live,” he continued as he
watched Simon drink his tea. “Certainly if they had wished it,
they could have attacked here while you were responding to the crisis
in England.”

“
I guess so. I doubt
if they'd waste their time though. Why bother attacking an empty
building?”

“
Spite?”

Simon didn't really want
to think; he was just too tired. He settled snugly into his chair and
watched the flickering fire numbly.

The front door opened and
slammed shut again.

“
No problems out
there, master,” Kronk said as he tapped across the room. “And
the horses and cows are resting quietly.”

The wizard grunted an
acknowledgment, not in the mood to talk.

“
What's wrong?”
the little guy asked Aeris, who shrugged.

“
He's tired and
cranky,” he said with a quick glance at Simon. “Personally
I think that he should go to bed, but he'd probably snap at me if I
suggested it, so I'll just stay quiet and wait.”

“
Ah, good idea.”

The earthen sat down with
a muffled thump in front of the fireplace, not too far from Aeris,
and stared silently into the flames.

Simon looked from one
elemental to the other. Both were studiously avoiding looking his way
and he finally rolled his eyes at their obvious ploy and stood up
with groan.

“
Fine. I'll go to
bed. Call me if the primal red dragon comes knocking.”

Kronk turned around and
looked up at him brightly.

“
Sleep well, master.
We will keep watch, never fear.”

“
Good night, oh
magnificent one,” Aeris said with a deep bow. His eyes were
gleaming with amusement.

Simon snorted but smiled
in spite of himself and headed for the stairs.

Babysitters, he thought
with a mixture of humor and disgust. Somehow my helpers have morphed
into babysitters. Lovely.

“
Simon O'Toole? Wake
up. We need to talk.”

The wizard swam out of the
depths of a dreamless sleep and sat up, blinking dully.

His bedroom was lit by the
rising sun, but it was quite early. The birds were singing their
morning song and a gentle breeze whispered past the tower. It
promised to be a beautiful day.

Simon was alone. He
thought that one of the elementals had called but neither was there
with him. Had he been dreaming?

“
Hello?” he
said in a croaky voice.

He cleared his throat and
tried again.

“
Hello? Is someone
there? Tamara? Sebastian?”

A long quiet moment
passed.

“
Neither of them,
young one. It is I, Esmiralla, that calls. Awaken. Something has
happened that requires your attention.”

Simon threw back the
covers and hopped out of bed. The floor was chilly and he hurriedly
went to his cabinet and slipped on a gray robe and his indoor shoes.

“
Esmiralla?”
he said as he got dressed. “What is it? What's going on?”

“
Something I feared
might occur and yet never believed would happen. You must have done
something momentous to frighten the great Pyrathius.”

Rubbing the sleep from his
eyes, Simon stumbled out of his room. He carefully walked down the
stairs as he spoke to the unseen silver dragon.

“
Who is Pyrathius?
Should I know him or her?” he asked as he reached the main
floor.

“
He
is the primal red dragon. One should know the names of one's enemies,
shouldn't one?” she chided gently.

“
Uh,
I guess. So why would a creature like
him
be frightened of me?”

Simon
added a log to the banked fire and used a poker to push it around on
the embers until it began to burn. Then he moved to the counter and
pumped some water into the kettle.

“
You
mean, aside from the fact that you've killed all of his siblings and
their dragons?” Esmiralla asked with faint humor.

“
Err,
yeah, besides that.”

“
I
have no idea. I have not been keeping a close eye on you, young
wizard. What have you been up to?”

Simon
gathered his thoughts, still thick with sleep, and began to tell the
silver dragon about what had happened in England the day before. By
the time he'd finished, the kettle was boiling and he made some tea.

“
So
the red dragons deposited the goblins near your human allies, they
set up a base and took a mage prisoner to question him? Hmm,
interesting. And then you had your elementals attack the base, save
the mage and destroy the goblins. Yes, I could see that being
disturbing to Pyrathius.”

“
But
why?” Simon asked. He walked to the two windows in the main
room and opened them wide, letting in the cool, sweet morning air.

“
Why
would it matter to him? I mean, they're just goblins, right? I can't
see a primal dragon caring about goblins all that much.”

“
No,
I am sure he does not care about them. They are simply tools to be
used and discarded. No, it is the way you foiled his plan that may
have unsettled him.”

Simon
sat down in front of the fire and watched the flames blankly,
listening to the dragon.

“
I
don't understand.”

“
The
elementals, child. You used elementals to attack Pyrathius' goblins.
It has been a very, very long time since a wizard walked this Earth.
And it has been an even longer time since a master elementalist has
existed. The primal red is perhaps finally beginning to understand
how you defeated his brothers.”

“
The
elementals were only one part of those battles,” Simon
protested. “The clashes were a lot more complicated than that.”

“
Perhaps.
But that is what may have caught Pyrathius' attention. Or perhaps,
after such a long life, he is simply a coward. Who can say? But it
has led him to do something that I did not expect. And I fear that it
may mean your doom, young Simon O'Toole. Yours and your people.”

A
chill of fear tightened Simon's skin and raised goosebumps along his
arms. He stood up abruptly, put his empty cup on the kitchen counter
and crossed the room to the front door. He opened it and stepped out
into the bright morning sunlight.

“
What
are you talking about?” he asked as he lowered himself
carefully and sat on the steps. He felt suddenly as frail as an old
man and the warmth of the sun across his body felt comforting.

“
The
primal dragon, like his siblings, is a proud being. He controls
hundreds of lesser dragons. He is, in many ways, the greatest power
on this New Earth of yours now. And yet, for some reason, he has
called for help. I cannot understand it; I simply know that it has
happened.”

“
Help
from whom? Who or what could aid such a creature?”

“
Master!
Good morning. You are up early.”

Kronk
had come tapping around the corner of the tower and was now
approaching with a broad smile on his rocky face.

Simon
smiled absently and put a finger to his lips. The earthen's eyes
widened and he stopped at the bottom of the steps and watched the
wizard intently.

“
Pyrathius
has awakened his mighty mother, the queen of the evil dragons;
Aurumallia, the yellow dragon.”

“
Yellow
dragon?” Simon repeated aloud. Kronk's mouth gaped as he
listened. “The dragon queen still lives?”

“
She
does. Somewhere in the world, she has slept hidden since the gods of
Chaos returned. They have channeled their orders through her to her
children, but she has existed in a dream-like state since they
brought her back into this world. Passive and inert.”

She
paused a moment and Simon stared at Kronk.

“
Is
it the silver dragon you are speaking to, master?” the little
guy whispered anxiously.

The
wizard nodded and held up a hand, listening intensely.

“
But
Pyrathius found her and managed to disturb her slumber. I sense that
this was against the wishes of the dark gods. If he survives the
coming battles, he may have to pay for his audacity. But he seems not
to be worried by that thought.”

“
What
is she like?” Simon asked.

“
Like?
She is the epitome of evil, young man. It was she who directed the
massacre of my people, including the slaughter of the great silver
dragon, Argentium. Her power is unimaginable and uncontrollable. If
she has indeed awakened, even the dark gods will tremble.”

“
But
why? Surely they created her to serve them?”