The Dragons Revenge (Tales from the New Earth #2) (46 page)

All Simon needed was a
basin of water and some privacy to get cleaned up. Clara gave him a
clean robe, deep blue and very soft, and told him to keep it as a
gift. It was a nice change from his usual gray clothing.

After getting cleaned up
as well, Ironhand joined the wizard and they were served a hearty
meal of fried chicken, fresh rolls and other delicious home-cooked
staples.

As they ate, Clara
peppered them with questions. Simon sat quietly and let Ironhand do
most of the talking. His own part had been minor at best.

When she heard about the
loss of the stronghold and the deaths of so many dwarves, Clara paled
with shock.

“
So it was a
concerted attack,” she said, somewhat dazed. “The gods of
Chaos truly want us all dead.” She looked at Simon, who was
sipping some tea. “If you have a chance to speak with the
elves, you should tell them about this. They have to be a target as
well.”

“
I suspect that the
elves know about all of this,” he told her quietly. “Their
scryers apparently keep a close watch on the goings-on in our world.”

“
Aye, that's true
enough,” Ironhand said gruffly. “For all that we aren't
on the best of terms, the dwarves know that elves see more than most
others. Who knows, maybe they will stir themselves and aid the mortal
races for a change, instead of holding back and gazing down on us
from the elven realm.” He grimaced. “But I doubt it.”

The dwarf stretched and
leaned toward Simon. He'd been given a white tunic and leather
breeches and looked a lot better than he had two hours earlier. When
he grinned at the wizard, the cleric's power of healing became
obvious. His smile was wide and even and all of his missing teeth had
been replaced.

“
When I'm fully
healed and the smith in town repairs my armor, I'll need to get in
touch with my people and tell them that I still live. You have done
so much for me, sir wizard, and rest assured that I will repay you
one day.”

“
There's no need for
that,” Simon protested. “I'm just sorry that I couldn't
do more for your people.”

“
Bah, a dwarf always
pays his debts,” Ironhand said sternly. “Your rescue
allowed me to live to fight another day. And, if the survivors from
my home meet a tragic end before they reach our capital city, I will
at least be able to tell my people what happened and prepare them for
the war to come.”

He looked around at Clara
and back to Simon.

“
And make no
mistake, my friends. We are now at war. I speak for all dwarves when
I say that the dragons are now our mutual enemy. The wrath of the
dwarves has been roused and that has not happened in many ages of
men. We will fight them now to the last, in memory of those we have
lost.”

He stood up and limped
around the table to stand next to Simon, who scrambled to his feet.

The dwarf held out a hand
and Simon took it in his own. Ironhand shook hands with him gravely.

“
You are now kin to
the dwarves, Simon O'Toole. We will answer your call if and when you
need us. No more retreating from the dragons. No more standing back
and letting others fight in our stead.”

He released the wizard's
hand and reached into a pouch that he had slung over his shoulder.
Then he presented Simon with a piece of metal, smoothed and etched
with symbols. It was inlaid with some black mineral that glowed from
within.

“
Take this, my
friend. If ever you meet another dwarf out in the world, show them
this token and they will recognize you as kin and will aid you as
needed.”

Simon was deeply touched.
He knew how proud and self-sufficient the dwarves were.

“
I thank you,
Ironhand. And you know that if you need me, I will be there.”

“
Aye, I know that
now.”

He winked at Simon and
returned to his seat.

“
How are you going
to reach your people?” Clara asked him curiously.

Ironhand grinned slyly.

“
We have our ways,
lady cleric. Best to leave some dwarven secrets to the dwarves.
Suffice it to say that they should be here in a day or two. So I
won't be a burden to you for very long.”

Clara laughed lightly.

“
You are far from a
burden, my friend. But I'm sure you want to reach your people as soon
as possible.”

“
Speaking of
reaching people, my two friends back home are probably getting
anxious about me,” Simon said with a rueful smile. “I
left them a bit abruptly when I went to help Ironhand, so I think I'd
better get back.”

Clara stood and waited
while Simon and Ironhand exchanged warm farewells. Then she led him
back through the hall and outside.

“
You've made a great
ally today, Simon,” she told him as they stood in the late
afternoon light.

The wizard smiled and
shrugged a bit self-consciously.

“
If that's the case,
it was entirely unintentional. I just wanted to help.”

The cleric squeezed his
shoulder gently.

“
I know that. I'm
certain that Ironhand does as well. You have a good heart, my friend.
Follow it and it will never leave you astray.”

“
Thanks, Clara. Call
if you need me. And take care of Ironhand. He's a tough one, but he's
been through a lot and he lost his entire community.”

“
I will. The gods of
Justice have taken a great interest in the dwarves, which I am sure
they won't appreciate.” Her eyes twinkled with amusement.

Simon laughed.

“
Maybe not.”

He slipped Bene-Dunn-Gal
off of his back and chanted the incantation for the Gate spell.

“
Talk to you soon.”
he said to the cleric, who nodded and waved.

Simon invoked the spell
and gratefully headed for home.

The general relief that
Kronk and Aeris showed Simon when he returned home was quickly
surpassed by amazement when he told them what happened.

“
The dragons
destroyed the dwarven stronghold?” Aeris asked in amazement.

“
Leveled it,
according to Ironhand,” the wizard said as he brewed some tea.
Evening had set in and Simon wanted to sit by the fireplace and run
through the events of the day. He felt drained and doubted that he
had enough energy left to light a candle.

The elementals' were
waiting next to his chair and, as he sat down with his tea cup, each
one moved to one of the chair's arms.

“
Did the dwarf know
how many of his people survived, master?” Kronk asked, his
voice thick with sympathy.

Simon sipped his tea and
felt his body slowly relax.

“
No, he didn't. I
could tell that he was anxious to find out if they had made it to the
capital, wherever that is.”

The wizard looked from
Aeris to Kronk.

“
I hadn't realized
just how many dwarves there were down there. By the way that Shandon
spoke, there might be dozens of cities below ground, not to mention
their capital.”

“
They are an ancient
race, master,” Kronk told him thoughtfully. “When they
retreated underground, back when the magic was withdrawn from the
world, they became very secretive. No one knows what they have been
doing since then, or how large their population has grown.”

“
I would guess that
it isn't as large as you might imagine,” Aeris added. “They
were never a very prolific race. But I have no doubt that now that
the dragons have stirred their anger, they will become an intractable
enemy.”

His smile was almost
cruel.

“
That attack on the
dwarven stronghold might be one of the biggest mistakes the dark gods
have ever made.”

Simon considered that,
looking deeply into the flames in the fireplace.

“
You know, that's a
very good point.”

He stood up, picked up the
token that Ironhand had given him off of the kitchen table and
returned to his seat.

“
Shandon gave me
this and said that I am now kin to the dwarves. I wonder what that
means, really.”

He handed it to Kronk, who
turned it over in his small hands and then returned it. The little
guy looked impressed.

“
I do not know as
much about the dwarves as some others do, master, but I do know that
they take great pride in family. For Ironhand to, I suppose, adopt
you into his clan, is a very great compliment.”

“
It's much more than
a compliment,” Aeris averred as he took the token from Simon
and stared at it. “It means that you have the right to call
upon the dwarven race to come to your aid in battle.” The air
elemental's eyes brightened. “Can you imagine it? An army of
dwarven warriors, clad in their enchanted armor and wielding their
mighty axes, fighting alongside you against the dragons?”

Aeris sounded almost
awestruck and Simon looked at him humorously.

“
You seem impressed
by that thought,” the wizard said with a grin.

“
Of course I am. As
you should be. The handful of dwarves, including Ironhand, who aided
you against the primal black dragon were nothing compared to
thousands of their people fighting for your cause. If it comes to the
point where you need their aid, the very Earth itself would tremble
beneath their army's tread.”

Simon felt a twinge of
excitement at the idea, but it was excitement muted by caution.

“
I wouldn't want to
be seen to be using them, Aeris,” he told the elemental. “I
took up the quest to destroy the dragons by myself. If other want to
help, I'll welcome their aid. But I won't coerce or trick people into
a fight that they may not want to engage in.”

“
Begging your
pardon, master,” Kronk said diffidently, “but I have to
agree with Aeris.”

“
You do?” the
air elemental said in disbelief. “That's a new one.”

“
No it isn't,”
the earthen snapped at him. “I agree with you when what you say
is sensible, which it usually isn't.”

“
Guys? No fighting,
please.”

“
Yes, master.”
Kronk gave Aeris a final glare and then looked at Simon. “But
he is right in a way. The dwarves, through Ironhand, have now vowed
to fight the dragons. Your battle is their battle. You will not be
tricking them if you call them to fight by your side.”

There was a subtle rumble
that shook the tower slightly and Simon looked at the window, where
the sky was darkening rapidly.

“
Your fellow earthen
have arrived to patrol the wall, by the sound of it,” he told
Kronk as he stood up, grabbed a candle and lit it from the fireplace.

“
Yes, that is them,
master. Right on time.”

“
I admire their
reliability.”

Simon lit several candles
around the room, made himself more tea and sat down again.

“
Speaking of being
reliable, I wonder how
your
brethren are doing out in the world?” he asked Aeris.

The
air elemental shrugged casually.

“
Fine,
I'm sure. It should be several weeks before any of them return to
report, so we won't know until then.”

“
Hmm.”

The
wizard relaxed and stretched his feet toward the fire. His thoughts
flitted in all directions. What was the next move of the dragons?
What would the dwarves do when Ironhand reported back to them? What
was really going on out in the world?

He
sighed heavily.

“
There
are forces moving now. Forces that may roll over us unless we take
action first. But I can't do anything until we learn where the primal
dragons are situated.”

He
watched the dancing flames, imagining bestial faces peering out at
him, snarling and scheming.

“
Are
you still determined to attack them on your own, master?” Kronk
asked quietly.

“
Do
I have a choice? The gods are moving against us. All signs point to
it.”

He
held up a hand and ticked off points on his fingers.

“
The
assault on us by those two dragons earlier this year. The attack of
the undead on Nottinghill. The rogue wizard roaming the country
slaying surviving humans. The destruction of Ironhand's stronghold.”

He
dropped his hand and then pushed back his hair.

“
I
think the dark gods are becoming impatient. They want this world and
they want it desperately. If I can take down another of their
draconian servants, it will be a major setback. It may slow down
their advance, give us some breathing room. Then we can try to
organize aid from other Changlings world-wide.”

Aeris
looked skeptical but remained silent. Kronk made a noncommittal sound
in his throat.

“
I
know, I know. The odds are ridiculous. But just imagine it. There
must be others like myself out there, wizards who even now are honing
their skills, knowing that the dragons will hunt them down one day.
If they could be gathered together, focused into a force and launched
at each primal dragon in turn, we could stop the gods of Chaos in
their tracks.”