The Dragons of Ice and Snow (7 page)

“
And
when we left home, you sealed the tower and activated the wards as
usual.”

“
Right.”

The
little guy's speech became even more deliberate as he seemed to think
through his words.

“
So
the only ones who can enter the tower now are the three of us. That
is unfortunate. If you called Clara, she could travel to the tower
and find a copy of the spell. Then she could show it to you using the
Magic Mirror spell.”

Simon
stared at the little guy in surprise. That hadn't even occurred to
him. By the look on Aeris' face, he felt the same way.

“
But
she cannot get in, so that idea is useless. You could contact the
dwarven prince, Shandon Ironhand. If he is in their capital city, he
could perhaps send a party out to find us. That might take some time,
but it is another possible way to escape.”

The
wizard nodded thoughtfully.

“
True.
Good thought, Kronk.”

“
Thank
you, master. But there is something else that I think may be our best
choice in this situation.”

“
And
that is...?” Aeris asked, a little sarcastically.

“
I
can retrieve the spell myself.”

Simon
gaped at Kronk.

“
What?”

“
I
can go myself. Even from here, I can reach the tower in less than a
day and get your old spell-book with the Gate spell in it. You can
call me with the Magic Mouth spell after a few hours to see where I
am and, once I reach home and get the book, you can summon me back
here.”

Simon
stared at him, feeling incredibly stupid. He should know better than
anyone that once you summoned an elemental, you only had to call it
using its name to have it return to you.

“
You
will have to remain in this spot while I am gone though, master. It
is the only source of water in the area. Can you be patient and wait
for me?”

Simon
threw his coat on to the ground and sat down on it. He was almost at
eye level with the earthen.

“
How
long, Kronk? How long will it take you in total?”

The
little guy looked thoughtful.

“
Perhaps
twelve hours, master. Unless something unforeseen happens. I cannot
guarantee the exact amount of time, but that is my guess.”

“
I
think that his plan is the best one that we have at the moment,
Simon.”

Kronk
looked up at Aeris, who winked at him.

“
I
have to agree,” Simon said. “Okay, my friend. If you're
sure about this, then go ahead. Be as fast as you can. Aeris and I
will make small talk while you're gone.”

“
Small
talk, master?”

The
wizard chuckled.

“
Just
a joke. I meant that we'll be as patient as we can. I'll call you in
a few hours to see how you're doing, all right?”

“
Yes,
master.”

Kronk
crossed the tunnel to stand next to the wall, then he turned and
looked at Aeris.

“
You
take care of our master while I'm gone,” he told the other
elemental firmly.

“
Of
course I will,” Aeris answered, sounding a little exasperated.
“As always. Now get going! The sooner you get home and back,
the sooner we can get out of this place.”

Kronk
stared at Aeris a moment longer, then waved and disappeared into the
wall, leaving a small pile of pebbles and a hole where he had entered
the rock.

“
Well,
I guess that all we can do now is wait,” Simon said as he drew
up his knees and rested his chin on them.

“
Shall
we try small talk?” Aeris asked teasingly.

Simon
laughed shortly and stared off into the darkness beyond his globe of
light. It was going to be a long wait.

The
wizard explored the small alcove around the well for lack of anything
better to do, but there was really nothing to see. The fire-pit held
only ashes and the dwarves had left nothing else of interest.

Finally
the rigors of the past day caught up to him and, after asking Aeris
to check on the trail to the surface again, just in case, he spread
out his coat next to the well and lay down to rest.

How
long he slept, Simon didn't know, but when he slowly woke up, joints
and muscles throbbing, his Light spell had faded again.

Not
all that reliable, he thought sourly and recast it as he stood up in
the darkness. He let down the bucket into the well, brought up some
water and quenched his thirst.

His
stomach sloshed and growled, obviously hungering for something more
than water.

You'll
just have to wait, he said to it silently, and tried to put visions
of roast chicken and fresh bread out of his mind.

Simon
walked out into the tunnel just in time to see Aeris emerge from the
darkness to his left.

“
Ah,
you're awake,” the elemental said brightly.

“
Obviously,”
Simon replied. He shook his head and watched as bits of dust fell
from his hair. He stretched and then looked at Aeris curiously.

“
So,
any sign of pursuit?”

“
Nothing.
Either the dragons gave up or they found the cave entrance and
decided that it was useless to try to burrow in after us. Whatever
the case, I'd say you're safe for now.”

“
Good,”
Simon said and walked back into the alcove. He sat down on his coat
and pulled the water bucket over to him. It was still more than half
full and he could see his face reflected in its surface by the globe
of light hanging in the air behind him.

Aeris
had followed him and watched with raised brows.

“
So
what are you planning now?” he asked.

“
It's
time to stop reacting and start acting,” Simon said, looking up
at him. “I want to know what's happening out in the world. And
I want to know if our new 'ally' actually betrayed us or was attacked
by the dragons herself.”

The
elemental flew down to hover above the floor next to the wizard.

“
And
just how are you going to do that?”

“
I'm
going to ask her,” Simon answered with a shrug.

“
Ask
her? Just straight out say 'Oh, by the way, did you sell me out to
the dragons?'” Aeris said in a mocking tone.

Simon
had to smile.

“
Yes,
that's what I'm going to do, more or less. First though, I want to
talk to Clara, tell her what's been happening. You know how much she
worried about this trip.”

“
For
good reason,” Aeris muttered.

“
Exactly.
Now hush, please. I have to concentrate.”

The
elemental sighed dramatically but quieted down and watched as Simon
muttered the incantation for the Magic Mirror spell.

He
watched his reflection fade in the dark water as he concentrated on
an image of the cleric.

“
Invectis,
”
he muttered and the water rippled and flowed for a second before
becoming still and black.

Clara's
face appeared ghost-like on the quiet water. She was standing outside
wearing a light jacket in the early spring weather, watching
something in the distance. Her expression was troubled.

“
Clara?
Hi, it's Simon.”

She
jerked and looked around. Seeing no one, she smiled widely.

“
Good
morning, my friend. It's so good to hear from you. I thought for a
moment that you had Gated in right behind me.”

“
No
such luck,” he said ruefully. “I wanted to call and bring
you up to speed on what's been happening.”

“
Good.
I've been a little worried, frankly. So how was the meeting? Do we
have a new ally?”

“
Not...exactly,”
the wizard said reluctantly. Aeris snorted and Simon ignored him.
“Let me tell you what's going on.”

He
spoke at length about what had happened after his arrival at the
meeting place. Clara's expression darkened and she frowned, listening
intently as he went through the entire crazy series of events.

When
he was done, Simon watched her closely, waiting for her reaction.

“
But
you're safe now, aren't you?” was the first thing she asked.

He
smiled, touched by her concern.

“
For
the moment, yes. A bit hungry, to be honest, but I doubt if a dragon
could reach me down here. Kronk should be almost home by now and I'll
contact him once I finish speaking to you.”

“
And
the paladin?” Clara asked flatly. “Do you really intend
to speak with her after what's happened?”

“
Of
course. We don't know if she betrayed me or was attacked. Better to
know one way or the other, don't you think?”

The
cleric began walking and Simon could tell from her surroundings that
she was making her way back to the town hall. She nodded and greeted
several villagers as she went, but her face looked strained.

“
I'm
not sure, my friend. Right now, if she's in league with the dragons,
she, and they, may believe that you are dead...or dying. A dead
wizard is no longer a target or a threat. However, a live wizard,
trapped underground? Remember last year, Simon. Remember the dragon
attack on the dwarven stronghold. Dragons
can
attack you beneath the earth. If this Liliana should tell them of
your survival, it is possible that they could find a way down there.”

“
But...”
Simon began. Clara cut him off sharply.

“
But
nothing. Right now you are basically defenseless. The only thing
keeping you alive, I believe, is the fact that the enemy thinks that
you are no longer a danger to them. Do you really want to inform them
otherwise?”

Simon
watched as the cleric entered the hall and walked quickly through it
to her quarters. She went into her bedroom and reached for a small
mirror lying on a table.

And
suddenly Clara was looking out of the surface of the water directly
into the wizard's eyes.

“
Ah.
There you are. Now we can speak face to face.”

She
studied him closely and Simon tried to smile. Her intense examination
of his face stopped him before he could even twitch his lips.

“
You've
lost weight, again,” she stated. “You can't afford to do
that, you know. You're too skinny to begin with.”

“
Yeah,
thanks Mom,” Simon said and Clara smiled grudgingly.

“
Fine.
I worry about you. That's what friends are for, isn't it?”

“
I'm
watching out for him, lady,” Aeris spoke up suddenly and rose
up until he was looking at the water over Simon's shoulder.

The
cleric looked at him and nodded approvingly.

“
I
know you are, Aeris. You're a good friend to Simon.”

She
looked back at the wizard.

“
If
you called me looking for advice, then here it is. Wait. Wait until
you are back in your tower with your wards to guard you and your
spell-book in hand. When you are, then by all means contact this
so-called paladin and try to get some answers. Impatience now could
have dire consequences, Simon and frankly, we can't afford to lose
you.”

“
I
agree,” Aeris said shortly.

Simon
looked from Clara to the elemental and back again. He rubbed a hand
over his face, still tired and now very hungry.

Maybe
they're right, he thought. Whether you talk to Liliana now or a few
days from now will make little difference. It was his feeling of
betrayal that was urging him to call her and get to the bottom of
things.

If
he was being honest with himself, Simon had to admit that he was
deeply offended by the thought of someone breaking their word and
playing him for a fool. It wasn't something that he would ever do and
it was galling to think that it might have been done to him.

He
blinked several times and looked at Clara again.

“
All
right,” he said wearily. “You and Aeris are making sense.
After all, what could it hurt to wait until we're home and safe
before I speak to Liliana, right?”

The
cleric seemed to sag with relief and Simon saw Aeris nodding out of
the corner of his eye.