The Dragons Revenge (Tales from the New Earth #2) (33 page)

“
Glad
we could brighten your day,” Simon said with a grim smile.

“
Well,
half-brighten at least. I'm glad to see Aeris back. But the rest? Oh
gods, this is bad. And you've made a vow to stop her to Aethos. I'm
going to take a guess and say that the elementals won't allow you to
wiggle out of that responsibility. Not that you would,” she
added hastily.

“
No
I wouldn't. Well, not in this case at least.”

Simon
pondered his alternatives for a moment.

“
Aethos
didn't say I had to kill her, thankfully. He said I had to stop her,
whatever it takes. I just have to figure out how to do that.”

“
Stopping
a wizard usually means killing them, Simon,” Aeris told him
flatly.

“
I'm
afraid I have to reluctantly agree with Aeris,” Clara said
slowly. “If this wizard is killing other Changlings, how else
could you stop her? Locking her up wouldn't work. Magic is magic.
Even in a cell, she could still cast spells.”

“
Especially
if she is a master-class wizard,” Aeris added. “She would
have enough spells locked in her memory that she would not need to
use a spell-book to be a danger.”

Simon
squirmed uncomfortably. Cold-blooded murder was simply not something
he could see himself doing.

“
There
are a few alternatives, I suppose,” Aeris said thoughtfully.

“
Like
what?” Simon looked at him hopefully.

“
Well,
you could cut out her tongue. If you cannot pronounce a spell, you
cannot cast it.”

“
Aeris!”
Clara exclaimed, shocked.

“
What?
I didn't say it was a good alternative. And, of course, there's
always her true name.”

“
What
about it?” Simon asked. He knew that a wizard couldn't access
their full power without knowing their true name. He had learned his
in a dream from one of the old gods. He had to keep it on his body at
all times so that he could channel his magic through it.

“
If
she carries her true name on her person, as we can assume she does,
then capturing her and finding it would allow you to nullify her
power.”

“
It
would?” Clara cut in. “That certainly sounds more
hopeful. How does that work. Aeris?”

The
elemental scowled as he stared at the desk beneath him.

“
I'm
trying to remember. It wasn't a subject that wizards spoke of openly
very often, for obvious reasons. I do remember hearing that someone
who knows a wizard's true name cannot be attacked magically by that
wizard. Also, there is a process, a spell I suppose, called Siphon
Magic, that can be used to drain the power from a magic-user.”
He looked at Simon. “Something like what the dragons did to you
when they attacked the tower. Without her power, this wizard would be
effectively useless to the gods of Chaos. Her power over the packs of
monsters she commands would, I believe, be canceled. After that, you
could either imprison her or let her go. She would be of little
threat.”

“
Siphon
Magic,” Simon said quietly. “Why does that sound so
familiar?”

“
Old
games, my friend?” Clara asked lightly. She knew that Simon
used to play fantasy games back in the old world.

“
Possibly,”
Simon answered. He sat wracking his brain, trying to loosen the
memory from wherever it was buried. Finally he shrugged and looked at
Clara.

“
It
will come to me eventually. Anyway, I wanted to bring you up to
speed. I'll think about how to deal with this wizard and let you know
when I make a decision. Have your people been informed about the
mutant Changlings?”

“
Of
course. We have strengthened our defenses. Don't worry about us. Just
stay safe, all alone up there in your tower.”

“
He's
not alone, lady,” Aeris said stoutly. “Kronk and I are
here to ensure his safety, never fear.”

Clara
smiled gently.

“
Good.
That reassures me, my friend. Call me when you have news.”

“
Will
do. Talk to you soon,” Simon said and smiled as he canceled the
spell.

Both
he and Aeris remained silent for a while after speaking with Clara.
The elemental moved back to hover over the center of the desk and
stared out of the window behind Simon at the field beyond.

The
wizard rested his chin on his hands and thought about the best way to
neutralize a wizard without killing her.

You
killed Madam, a part of him said accusingly.

You
can't kill what is already dead, he replied. This mad wizard isn't
undead though. She's living and breathing and I don't think that I
can just kill another person, unless it's in self-defense.

“
Can
you do it?” Aeris asked in a small voice. “Can you kill
this woman?”

Simon
looked at him and shook his head mutely.

“
I
didn't think so.”

Aeris'
tone of voice was more accepting than accusatory. He shrugged.

“
So
what do we do?”

The
wizard sat up slowly and pushed his hair out of his eyes.

“
We
find another way.”

A bell started ringing
loudly in alarm as Simon, Kronk and Aeris appeared at the front gates
of Nottinghill. It was just after noon and it had been two weeks
since the wizard had spoken with Clara about the marauding wizard
that was ravaging the countryside.

A head popped up over the
top of the wall to the right of the gates and stared at them across
the moat. The drawbridge was up and the town was closed off.

There was a brief pause
and then Simon heard someone shout, “Stop ringing that damned
bell! It's the wizard and his elementals.”

He grinned down at Kronk
who chuckled deeply.

“
I guess I should
have told Clara that we'd be Gating over to see her,” he said.

“
At least you landed
us outside of the wall,” Aeris said from where he hovered on
Simon's left side. “If we'd appeared in town, they probably
would have shot you.”

“
Exactly why I did
it,” Simon told him.

The three watched as the
drawbridge was slowly lowered and the gates were swung open. By the
time they could enter the town, Simon saw that Clara was waiting for
them, flanked by two huge men in armor that he had to assume were
Malcolm and Aiden, the new guardsmen.

He walked forward with
Kronk tip-tapping along on one side and Aeris floating on the other.
For a moment, he pictured how they must look as they advanced and he
almost started laughing.

Something out of a
storybook, he thought. Of weird tales.

Clara waved and then
waited until they reached the gates before coming forward and giving
the wizard a huge hug.

“
Welcome to you
all,” she said warmly. “What a nice surprise. If I'd
known you were coming, I would have told the guards and you could
have Gated directly into the town hall.”

“
I didn't want to
disturb you,” Simon said. “And besides, it was a last
minute decision.”

Clara looked at him
closely and then nodded. She noticed Bene-Dunn-Gal slung over Simon's
shoulder and her eyes widened a bit.

“
I see. Very well.
Now, before I take you up to the hall, allow me to introduce the
newest members of our little community.”

She turned and waved at
the two armored men.

“
That very large
fellow with the lovely braids is Malcolm.”

Simon looked up at the
guardsman. He was simply the biggest man that the wizard had ever
met, even back when he was the old Simon O'Toole.

Malcolm was black with
chiseled features and large eyes. The eyes were a surprise. They were
the color of honey. He grinned as he removed his plated glove and
extended a hand.

“
Good to meet you,
sir wizard. We've heard some stories about your exploits.”

Simon shook hands, his own
skinny fingers engulfed by Malcolm's grip.

“
Nice meeting you,”
he said with a smile. “And don't believe everything you hear.
Stories grow with the telling.”

Malcolm laughed and threw
a glance at Clara.

“
Yes, I know. But
our dear cleric assures me that they are all true and who am I to
argue with the chosen of the gods?”

“
Oh Malcolm, hush,”
Clara said, blushing. “Aiden, can't you keep him in line?”

The other man stepped
forward and shook Simon's hand as well. He was chuckling.

“
I never have been
able to before, so why would it start now? Nice to meet you,”
he added to Simon.

Aiden appeared to be of
Asian descent but he was almost as large as Malcolm. His face was
smooth and pleasant looking and his mane of black hair was longer
than Simon's.

“
If you get a chance
while you're here,” Aiden said to the wizard, “I wonder
if you'd tell us about your battle with the black dragon? Hearing
about it from someone else isn't the same as hearing it from the man
who actually did the deed.”

“
Um, sure. If I get
a chance,” Simon said, feeling a little uncomfortable. “It
was a group effort though. I'm sure Clara and Virginia and the others
told you the whole story.”

Malcolm reached down and
put his large hand lightly on Simon's shoulder.

“
I see that you are
not a boaster. That is a credit to you. But we are interested in the
story on a more practical level. The New Earth contains monsters of
all kinds, seemingly. But the dragons are at the top of the food
chain. And one day, we may be called upon to fight them. So it is
only prudent that we learn all that we can of them.”

Simon nodded at this
common sense attitude.

“
I understand. I'll
be happy to discuss it when I can. If not today, then the next time
I'm in town.”

“
Good enough,”
Malcolm said and slapped the wizard lightly on the shoulder. Simon
almost fell over. “Oops! Sorry about that. Sometimes I forget
my own strength.”

“
No problem. I
didn't really need that shoulder for anything today anyway.”

At Malcolm's look of
dismay, Simon burst out laughing and the others quickly joined in.
The big man finally grinned at the joke.

“
I think I like you,
sir wizard. I think we're going to get along just fine.”

“
Hey,” Aiden
said and gave Malcolm a dig with his elbow that made their armor ring
hollowly. “Just don't get along too well. I don't need any more
competition.”

The pair of them broke up
and Simon smiled at the sight of two such large men teasing each
other.

“
Yes, well, now that
we're all acquainted, why don't you two grinning loons raise the
drawbridge again while I take Simon and the elementals up to the
hall, hmm?”

Clara pointed sternly at
the cranks next to the gate that operated the drawbridge and the two
guardsmen gave her a slight bow and waved at Simon. He said goodbye
and joined the cleric as she walked up the road. Kronk and Aeris
followed on their heels.

“
So this visit was
spontaneous, was it?” she asked the wizard as they walked. They
were both enjoying the lovely day and Simon looked around as they
went. He noted that the small houses had all been repaired after the
hard winter and the road, covered with cobblestones, was recently
swept and cleared of debris. Townspeople nodded and greeted them both
as they passed. The elementals were a source of fascination and got a
lot of second looks. They didn't seem to mind.

“
Yes, it was.”
Simon lowered his voice. “Actually, things have taken a turn
for the worse, and I wanted to see you in person before we moved on.”

They reached the door of
the town hall and Clara stopped and looked at him.

“
Moved on? What do
you mean? Are you leaving your tower?”

“
No, no! Nothing
like that. Bad choice of words there.”

The cleric led them into
the hall. Inside, the main room was empty and Clara brought them
through to her quarters and sat them down on her couch.

“
Would you like
something?” she asked graciously. “Tea? Wine? Something
to eat?”

“
No thanks.”

Simon looked at Aeris and
noted his strained expression. Kronk, as usual, looked stoic.

“
We simply don't
have time, but I appreciate the offer.”

Clara sat at the opposite
end of the couch and watched him anxiously.

“
What is it, Simon?
What's happening?”