The Dragons of Ice and Snow (32 page)

Simon sat on the front steps with his
tea in the cool early sunlight and explained what he'd done and why
and then he waited to see their reactions.

“I think that was a very kind
thing to do, sir wizard,” Ana said with a smile. “Aeris'
talents were being wasted here. He is meant to scout and explore, as
are all of his people. It was probably the best thing for him.”

“Hmm. Thanks. Kronk?”

The earthen took his time answering. He
sat one step below Simon and rubbed the top of his head thoughtfully.

“I'm not sure, master. I agree
that he was feeling, I don't know, confined. And he was becoming
increasingly short-tempered. But what you have sent him to do is
incredibly dangerous. A primal dragon has powers that we still do not
understand, and each one is different. It is quite possible that if
Aeris finds the primal white dragon that it will sense him and
attack. Or perhaps the dragon's servants will discover him before he
ever reaches their master. I just don't know.”

The little guy's voice was thick with
concern and Simon nodded in sympathy.

“I know you're worried, my
friend. So am I. And I gave Aeris the chance to say no, believe me. I
just think, no, I hope that sending him on a mission was the best
thing. Not for me or for our cause, but for him.”

The wizard finished his tea and stood
up.

“But if anything happens to him,
it's on me and I'll be the one that has to live with it.”

He turned and went inside thinking
heavily about his decision.

A week passed and Simon decided that he
needed a break from practice, a change of scenery. So he announced to
Kronk and Ana that they were going on a trip.

“A trip?” the water
elemental asked in surprise. “Where to?”

“Nottinghill. I haven't seen
Clara for a while now and you've never been there. We need to do some
socializing.”

He grinned at Kronk.

“And you, my friend, like feeling
useful so I'd like you to examine the town's wall and drawbridge, see
how they're holding up.”

The earthen had been looking a bit glum
since Aeris had left but now he cheered up quickly.

“Ah, master, that's a very good
idea. It has been months since I checked on the condition of the
fortifications. When do we leave?”

“Give me an hour or so. I'll be
riding Chief and we're taking the girls along with us.”

“Girls?” Ana asked,
puzzled. “What girls?”

“The mares,” Kronk spoke
up. “They need some exercise, don't they, master?”

“Exactly. Sunshine is starting to
get a bit of a gut. And no, I'm not blaming you,” he added
quickly as he saw Kronk's expression change. “But running along
the lake isn't enough, I guess. Besides, they'd probably like to get
out and about too.”

About an hour later, the little
procession left the tower bound for Nottinghill. Simon was in the
lead on Chief. The big stallion was bouncing from one hoof to another
in delight and his horns flashed wickedly in the sunlight. He
nickered and chortled to himself as they went and the wizard couldn't
help but grin at the big horse's antics.

Behind them, the two mares Tammy and
Sunshine followed placidly. Neither was on a lead; Simon trusted them
to stay close to Chief on the trip.

He had packed his saddlebags with a few
essentials and slung his staff over his shoulder, but Simon didn't
anticipate being away for more than a day or so. He'd told the
guarding elementals to keep the place locked up tight.

Kronk would normally travel underground
and meet the wizard at his destination. But the earthen was very
protective of the horses, so he rode with Simon, sitting on the
saddle in front of him.

Ana was traveling across the ground
somewhere near them, unseen. Amazingly, when she traveled, the
elemental collapsed into a pool of water and flowed along the earth
like an animate puddle. It was one of the oddest things that Simon
had ever seen.

The forest air was cool and most of the
new leaves hadn't emerged yet, but the wizard was happy anyway. A few
small, yellow spring flowers had bloomed here and there in the
undergrowth, adding a splash of color that made Simon smile each time
he saw one.

The air was thick with song, birds
flitting here and there frantically building their nests and
searching for food. Kronk's little head jerked from side to side as
he watched them with delight and the wizard was reminded yet again
why he felt so much affection for the child-like little guy.

The path between the trees was still
clear and easy to follow. A few branches had fallen across it over
the winter and Chief leapt over them with ease, his energy boundless.

It took over an hour to reach
Nottinghill, even though their pace had been brisk. As the group
emerged from the forest to come to a halt atop the small hill that
overlooked the town, Simon took a moment to enjoy the view.

He noticed small changes to the layout
of the place. A few more houses had been built and he peered across
the rooftops at an oddly-shaped building at the far end of the
village. It was six-sided, like an octagon, and was open to the sky.
It had high walls and nasty-looking spikes sprouting from the top of
them.

“What the heck is that for?”
he wondered out loud and pointed at the strange structure.

Kronk stood up and craned his neck to
see over Chief's large head.

“No idea, master,” he said
as he stared. “I have never seen a building like it before.”

“Me neither. I guess we'll find
out when we get down there.”

Simon looked around.

“Ana?” he called. “Are
you here?”

“Over here, sir wizard,”
she answered and Simon looked quickly to the right to see the
elemental rise from the thick grass, smiling up at him.

“Oh, there you are. Would you
join us up here, please? I want the guards to see all of us
approaching the gates. They may be a little twitchy.”

“Of course,” she said
calmly and flowed up one of Chief's legs to stand behind Simon on the
horse's back.

The stallion snorted and reared a bit
at the obviously strange sensation of the elemental moving over his
body. Simon patted his neck reassuringly and he settled down with a
disapproving snort.

A last glance reassured the wizard that
the mares were still following them closely and then he chirped at
Chief and they began to move down the hill.

When they reached the main gate of the
town, Simon found that the drawbridge was down and the gates were
open. A single guard stood just outside the entrance and waved when
he spotted the wizard.

“Good morning!” he said
loudly and motioned them forward.

The horses' hooves rang on the wooden
drawbridge as they ambled across and Simon pulled up Chief when they
reached the guard.

“Morning,” he said with a
smile. He vaguely recognized the man's face, but couldn't think of
his name. “How are you today?”

“Fine, thanks. Lovely day, isn't
it?”

“Gorgeous.” Simon gestured
at the open gates. “Things are calm these days, I'm assuming?”

“Oh absolutely. We haven't had
any incidents lately.”

The guard's face darkened slightly.

“Well, none from outside of the
village, that is.”

“Meaning?” Simon asked,
puzzled.

“Uh, I'll let Clara tell you
about it.” The man glanced up at the sky. “She should be
in the town hall right now, having lunch. Go ahead up.”

“Thanks a lot. Enjoy the day.”

With a nod, Simon urged Chief through
the gates and into the town.

Villagers were moving around, everyone
looking healthy and busy. The wizard exchanged greetings with several
of them and noticed how fascinated they seemed to be by the sight of
the stallion and the mares. He reminded himself that his were the
only horses that they had seen since the fall of the old world.

Ana also got her fair share of intent
looks but took no notice. She was looking around with interest and
appeared very pleased by what she saw.

“These people seem to be doing
very well, sir wizard,” she commented as they passed a row of
small, neat houses.

“They are, Ana. The human race is
resilient, even if we are all Changed. The dragons will learn that to
their sorrow one day,” he added grimly.

“No doubt they will,” she
said absently, staring at a woman carrying an infant in her arms.

Simon grinned at the young mother and
she smiled back warmly.

A few minutes later, they reached the
large log building that was the town hall. There was a post with a
metal ring in it next to the door that Simon knew had been installed
just for him and the horses. He dismounted, tied Chief to the post
and urged the mares to stand next to him.

He patted and stroked all three,
praising them until all of them were nickering contentedly.

“You keep an eye on the ladies,”
he told the stallion with a smile, and Chief brushed his big head
across the wizard's chest, sending him staggering.

With a laugh, Simon found his balance
and gestured for the elementals to follow him inside.

The main portion of the hall was empty;
rows of benches sat facing the center where a fire pit had been dug
and lined with stone. A pyramid of logs was set there, ready for
future use. Above it, a smoke hole opened to the bright sky and lit
the room, leaving sharp shadows in the corners.

The wizard strode across the room to
the back of the building and a small door that led to the cleric's
quarters. He glanced down at Kronk and Ana and then knocked twice.

“Come in,” Clara called out
and he opened the door and stepped inside, followed by the
elementals.

The young woman was sitting at the
table she used for meals and small gatherings, reading by the light
of several candles. Two windows, one to the north, the other on the
opposite wall, let in bright sunlight but the center of the room was
dim enough that she needed the extra light.

As usual, the cleric was wearing a
simple blue robe and had her dark brown hair pulled back in a braid.

Clara looked up from a book she was
reading intently and put it down as she realized who her visitors
were.

“Simon! How lovely to see you.”

She got up and hurried over to shake
his hand warmly.

“Welcome, welcome. I didn't know
you were going to drop by.” She looked down at the elementals
with a warm smile.

“It's good to see you again,
Kronk,” she said and the earthen bowed.

“Thank you, lady,” he said
cheerfully.

“And this must be Ana,” she
said. “I'm so happy to finally meet you in person.”

The water elemental copied Kronk's bow.

“The pleasure is mine, lady
cleric,” she said graciously.

Clara invited them to have a seat and
then left the room, returning shortly with a tall pitcher and two
glasses.

“Apple juice,” she said as
she set them down. “Made from last year's crop of apples. It's
quite good actually.”

Simon accepted a glass gratefully and
tried it. Tart and sweet at the same time, it was delicious.

“Ah, very nice,” he said as
Clara sat down again. “I wonder that your vintner hasn't
thought of making cider yet.”

The cleric chuckled and sipped her own
juice.

“Oh, he has, believe me. But the
trees haven't matured enough yet to produce the amount of apples
needed. Another year or two should do it. By the way, thank you for
the saplings. We were never able to grow them ourselves, but now they
are flourishing.”

“Don't thank me,” Simon
told her and nodded at Kronk. The little guy was standing on the
table watching them, Ana beside him.

“Kronk has the green thumb. He
can literally grow anything.”

“Then thank you, my friend,”
Clara said to him, raising her glass in a salute.

“I was happy to help, lady,”
he said with a grateful smile.

“So. Simon, to what do we owe the
pleasure of this visit?” she asked politely. Her fingers were
twisting and interweaving and Simon glanced at them curiously. The
cleric wasn't normally a nervous person.

Something else that was strange caught
his eye. He looked at the small pile of books next to the cleric's
left arm and nodded toward them.

“Interesting reading you've got
there. Werewolves of London? Lycanthropy: Myth and Legend? What's
with the sudden interest in hairy monsters?”

Clara didn't return his grin and Simon
frowned at her grim expression.

“What's going on?” he asked
as he rested his arms on the table and leaned forward.

The cleric ran a hand over the book in
front of her. Simon looked at the title. Movie Monsters: Then and
Now.

“We live in strange times, don't
we?” Clara said in a subdued voice. “Undead creatures
stalk the night. Dragons soar across the skies. Wizards, clerics,
paladins. It's all so...make-believe, isn't it?”

“I hear you,” he replied.
“There are some days when I pinch myself, thinking that it's
all been a fever dream and I'll wake up back in my old mundane life.
But I never do.”

“I feel the same. Lately, I wish
it was true more than ever. But it isn't and we have to deal with the
new reality as best we can.”

“Clara, what's happened?”
Simon asked simply.

She sighed and pushed herself back from
the table. She stood up and walked to the window that overlooked the
majority of the town, watching her people.

“You might have noticed our
newest addition,” she said with a nod through the window.

Simon stood up and joined her. She
gestured at the octagonal structure that had caught his eye earlier.

“Yeah, now that you mention it, I
did. We saw it when we were up on the hill near the forest. What's it
for?”

Clara rubbed the side of her face, her
eyes fixed on the building.

“About a week ago, some hunters
that were out looking for game reported finding several carcasses in
the forest. They described them as mutilated, eviscerated, torn to
pieces. These weren't normal kills from wolves or coyotes. We
suspected that some new monster had moved into the area. So,
naturally, Malcolm and Aiden went out to search for signs, see if
they could discover what had been doing the killing and if it was a
threat.”