The Dragons of Bone and Dust (Tales from the New Earth Book 7) (46 page)

“
Barely. Come on, let's see
what those things are doing out there.”

Simon hurried toward a ladder leading
up to the parapet that ran around the inside of the wall and climbed
up, trying not to trip on his robe. Atop the parapet, he walked over
to stand next to the gate and gazed outward.

The four death knights had vanished.
The fog was receding at a rapid pace and all that was left of the
battle were bits and pieces of bone and greenish flesh.

“
Well, they gave up rather
quickly, didn't they?” he asked Kronk, who had hopped up to
stand on the top of the wall.

“
Yes master, they did. It is
disturbing. Why go to the trouble of arranging this battle to give up
so easily?”

The fog had rolled back about halfway
across the field now and Simon suddenly saw something revealed by the
dissipating mist.

“
Whoa, whoa,” he said. “I
think I spoke too soon.”

It was a man. Maybe.

A figure robed in black and hooded so
that its face was concealed stood in the center of the field. It was
holding a twisted staff that blazed with crimson runes. Its robe was
also edged with blood red writing that Simon couldn't read. The
person's posture was one of pure menace.

“
Wizard, can you hear me from
where you are hiding?'

The voice that spoke was no louder
than that of a whisper and yet Simon could hear it clearly. It was
definitely a man's voice.

“
I'm not hiding,” he said
and moved to stand exposed directly above the gate.

“
What was all of that about?”
he asked loudly. “I assume that you are the one who ordered the
attack?”

The figure didn't move; Simon could
have been staring at a statue for all he knew, but the waves of
malevolence that the robed man emitted were very real.

“
That simple demonstration was
not an attack; it was a warning. My masters have informed me that you
may be planning to move against me. You would be a fool to try. Go
back and live beneath my feet with the dirt-dwellers. Leave this
world to me and I shall let you live, for a few more years at least.
Attack me however and I will annihilate you and everything that you
hold dear.”

The breeze picked up and ruffled
Simon's hair. He slipped his staff off of his shoulder and used it to
help him maintain his balance. The last thing he wanted was to fall
off of the wall now and break his neck.

“
If you're so sure that you can
defeat us, why are you giving me a chance to live? Surely you'd
prefer us to attack so that you can 'annihilate' us quickly?”

The figure still did not move and the
whispering menace of his voice remained the same.

“
I enjoy playing with my prey
before I devour it,” he hissed. “If I destroy you and the
last of the humans too quickly, it will not be as entertaining for
me. And it would be more convenient to defeat the dirt-dwellers and
the last of humanity in one blow. Much more satisfying.”

Simon wracked his brain, trying to
think of something brave or clever to say. But he couldn't come up
with a thing.

“
Who are you?” he blurted
out.

“
I am the hand of Chaos. You
have been warned.”

And with that last statement, the
figure wavered and then faded away as if he had never existed.

“
Jerk,” Simon muttered.

“
Did he Gate away, master?”
Kronk asked as he stared blankly at the now-empty field.

“
I don't know. It didn't look
like it though. There's an implosion of air when someone uses the
Gate spell; when their body is transported, the air rushes into the
space where they were and makes a loud thump. I didn't hear or see
anything like that.”

“
That's because he was never
here,” Aeris said as he descended from above them.

Simon squinted up at him. The sun had
finally made an appearance in all of its glory as the final wisps of
fog dissipated and the day was suddenly blindingly bright.

“
What's that supposed to mean?”

“
It means, my dear wizard, that
the image was a projection. I got close enough to him invisibly to
get a good look. He was translucent, a bit like me actually, when I
got near enough to examine him. Your enemy was never in any danger.”

He sneered in typical Aeris fashion.

“
He did not even have enough
courage to face you in person. So like a necromancer.”

“
Is it? I wouldn't know.”

Simon looked at all of the earthen
gathered together and smiled widely.

“
Folks, let me thank you all so
much for your help this morning. Your quick thinking and willingness
to defend the tower saved both me and my home. I don't know what I
can do to repay you.”

Kronk glanced at his fellows and they
all motioned for him to speak for them.

“
No thanks are necessary,
master. We were merely doing our duty. My people and I are grateful
that you found our efforts satisfactory.”

He bowed and the other elementals
copied him. Then they scattered to resume their watch on the outer
wall, chatting happily in their deep, guttural language. Apparently
they were quite pleased with Simon's gratitude.

Aeris watched them leave with a
little smile on his face.

“
What are you grinning at?”
the wizard asked him as he gingerly made his way off of the arch and
headed for the ladder.

“
The earthen. They are so
easily pleased, don't you think?”

“
You mean they aren't
difficult? I find that attitude refreshing. You might try it some
time.”

Aeris chortled as he floated down the
ladder, following Simon.

“
And make your life too easy?
You'd get fat and boring, my dear wizard. And we can't have that, now
can we?”

“
Heaven forbid!” Simon
answered sarcastically. “Anyway, what I want to know is; what
the hell was that all about? He had to know that the attack would
fail. Was he trying to scare me? Was he toying with me? And does it
mean he knows that we're going to move against the tower soon?”

“
All good questions.
Unfortunately I don't have any answers for you. But let us hope that
they aren't waiting for you and the rest of us when we attack their
stronghold tomorrow night. That would be bad.”

“
Now there's an
understatement.”

Simon walked back to the front steps
and sat down. He stared at the securely-closed gate, frowning in
thought.

Aeris flew into his field of view and
looked at him somberly.

“
What is it?” the wizard
asked.

“
I just had a thought: why
didn't that necromancer bring along a dracolich or two? Those death
knights were powerful, surely, but a dracolich could have attacked
from above. And you know yourself that unless you strengthen the
wards around the tower, aerial attacks against us can be quite
effective.”

Simon nodded as he considered the
implications of that question.

“
Do you think that guy was the
man himself? The leader of the undead legions?”

“
He called himself the hand of
Chaos, my dear wizard. Not a hand of Chaos, but
the
hand of Chaos. I'd say that's your answer right there.”

“
But
who is he? Where did he come from? Why is he doing this? The human
race are his people. What kind of reward is so great that you would
commit genocide to achieve it?”

He shook
his head in bewilderment.

“
I
just don't get it.”

Simon
didn't see the fond look that crossed Aeris' face for a moment.

“
And
that is why you are such a good leader,” he said gently. “You
have absolutely no ambition to lead. You have to be dragged kicking
and screaming into that role every time it comes up.”

“
And
that's a good thing?” Simon asked dryly.

“
It
can be. I read something in your library that stuck with me. It was
written by some fellow named Shakespeare and it goes like this:
'Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown'. Well that's you, my dear
wizard. And that is exactly opposite to what that person we just ran
into is like. I'm guessing that he was a little man who was offered
power; power to control, power to rule, power in all of its many
aspects.”

Simon
stared at the elemental in surprise.

“
Wait,
you read Shakespeare? That line is from Henry IV, isn't it?”

“
It
is. And it applies here to that necromancer, but in reverse. His
voice fairly dripped with arrogance and self-assurance. If you'd like
my guess, for what little it is worth, I would say that the last
thing he expects is an attack. I think he was being quite truthful
when he says he wants to play with you all first, torment your people
and the dwarves before destroying you.”

“
Evil
bastard,” Simon whispered.

“
That
he is.”

Aeris
began to ascend and the wizard tilted his head back to watch him go.

“
I'll
be helping Brethia and Orriss keep an eye on things,” he said
as his form disappeared into the bright sky. “Just call me if
you need me.”

Simon
pulled up his knees and rested his chin on them.

“
Yeah,
I'll do that,” he muttered, already lost in thought.

Trying to
figure out the time difference between his home and northern England
was a bit difficult for Simon. Clocks no longer worked and he only
had a vague idea of what month it was. Luckily he had Aeris and the
day after his encounter with the mysterious necromancer, the wizard
Gated to the quiet bay several miles north of Nottinghill Castle.

He arrived
with Kronk and Aeris and the three of them looked around the scenic
area. The bay was secluded and very peaceful. The ocean could be
heard crashing beyond some breakers, but here the water was almost
still.

The
shoreline was rocky with stubby little trees and spindly bushes
growing stubbornly wherever they could get a foothold. It was warm
but not hot and the sky was streaked with fast-moving clouds.

Aeris
turned to look at the western sky. It was painted with streaks of
orange and purple, and the light was dimming quickly.

“
Our
timing was good,” he said and then glanced around the bay. “But
the others are a little late.”

“
Perhaps
it is we who are early,” Kronk pointed out. “The sun has
not set yet.”

“
Don't
worry about it, guys,” Simon told them. “We're here
safely and we aren't late. So let's just be patient, okay?”

He had
made sure to check out the location in his mirror before Gating, just
in case, and it had been clear of any obvious threats.

The air
smelled of salt, with a hint of rotting fish thrown in. Simon leaned
on his staff and looked around. He'd never visited the seaside in his
previous life and he found everything about it interesting.

“
You
know, I saw the ocean a few times from the walls of Nottinghill
Castle,” he said as he carefully walked down the sloping ground
to the edge of the water, “and from the location of the second
town of Nottinghill. But I never got that close to it.”

Aeris flew
past him and floated just above the surface of the bay. He glanced at
the water and shrugged.

“
What's
the big deal? It's salty water. Not exactly fascinating, is it?”

“
You
have no poetry in your soul, do you know that?” Simon said with
a grin.

He
crouched down and dipped his fingers into the cool liquid.

“
Great
stories have been written about the sea; epic poems, legendary
ballads. And you just described it as salty water. Good grief.”

Kronk
chortled at Aeris and the air elemental frowned and looked irritably
at Simon.

“
Well,
excuse me for being practical. Seriously though, what use is it to us
and in particular, you? You can't drink it, you certainly don't need
to sail across it to get around, and you hate fish. Case closed.”

The wizard
just rolled his eyes and stood up.

“
Never
mind,” he said. “Let's concentrate on the job at hand.
Now, I wonder where our friends will show up?”

“
There,
master,” Kronk said as he pointed up the slope to a hill about
thirty yards away, the highest point of land around the bay.

“
And
what makes you say that?” Aeris asked him.

“
Just
a guess. But it is clear of plants and trees and large enough for the
entire group. Plus I would wager that you could see for quite a
distance from up there. I believe Tamara would prefer to appear at a
place like that.”