Tales from the New Earth: Volume Two

by J. J. Thompson

  The wizard tried to resist naming any of the beef cows, thinking that it would make it easier to take them in to be 'processed' when the time came. He did name the heifer, calling her Snowflake and her baby, also female, Misty.

  “Not very imaginative,” he said to Kronk as they stood outside of the back gate and watched the cows grazing. “But the names just seem to fit, you know?”

  “I think they are perfect, master,” the little guy replied. “But you will not name the others?”

  Simon explained his reasoning and the earthen sighed and nodded sadly.

  “Very well, master. I understand that they are not pets. I just wish...”

  The wizard looked down at Kronk with a fond smile. He really does have the biggest heart, he thought yet again.

  “Try not to think about it, my friend. Besides, it won't be for a while. Now, did Aeris say where he was going to search today?”

  The air elemental had gone out every day for a week but so far, he'd had no luck spotting any dogs or potential additions to their pool of livestock.

  “Yes master. He has decided to begin at the southern edge of the city and search a hundred acre section at a time, covering as much territory as he can. He told me that it was a quicker way of doing things than just randomly searching in all directions.”

  “That makes sense. I just hope he finds something. If not, I may chance a trip down south. After all, if I use the Magic Mirror spell first and check out a location before I Gate there, I should be fine.”

  Kronk looked concerned but nodded his reluctant agreement.

  “Whatever you say, master.”

  A definite lack of enthusiasm there, the wizard thought to himself. Ah well, that's just his way.

  “Simon, can you hear me?” came a voice from somewhere nearby.

  He whirled around, looking for the speaker, but he couldn't see anyone.

  “Who is that?” he asked loudly. Except for the cows wandering around sedately, he and Kronk were alone.

  “It's me, Tamara. What, you've forgotten me already?”

  “Tamara?” Simon relaxed and grinned. “Hey there! Sorry, I forgot that you and Sebastian can use the Magic Mirror spell now. How are you?”

  “We're fine, thanks. Look, sorry to bother you but this isn't a social call. We have a problem.”

  The wizard exchanged a glance with Kronk, who was listening closely.

  “We meaning you and your brother or the castle as a whole?”

  “All of us,” Tamara replied. She sounded tense. “Are you able to travel? We'd like you to join us.”

  “Um, yeah. I guess. Could you elaborate on what's going on?”

  “Not really. It will be easier just to show you.”

  “Okay then. Give me a minute to get ready and I'll be there. Are you in an open area?”

  “We are. Thanks for this. See you soon.”

  Her presence faded and Simon knew that he was alone again.

  “Come on,” he told Kronk as he hurried through the rear gate. “I need to get my staff.”

  He glanced down at his plain, gray robe and decided that it wasn't too dirty. He'd have to change his shoes though; they were filthy.

  “Master, is this a good idea?” the little guy asked as he tip-tapped along behind Simon. “Should you not have gotten more details before deciding to just blindly Gate to the mage's home?”

  “She sounded like she was in a rush. Besides, Tamara is my friend. If she wants my help, she has it. Simple as that.”

  He rushed into the tower, kicked off his shoes and grabbed another pair from the clothes cupboard next to the door. Then he took up his staff and looked down at Kronk.

  “You ready?”

  “What about Aeris, master? If he returns and we are gone, he will worry.”

  Simon ran his fingers through his hair, hoping it didn't look too wild. His blackened eyes had faded to purple, but there wasn't anything he could do about that.

  “I'm sorry, but if Aeris comes back before we do, he'll just have to be patient. If you want, you can stay here, you know.”

  “Oh no, master,” the earthen said stoutly. “You may need me. I will come with you.”

  “Good. Now, are you ready?”

  Simon began to picture Tamara's face in his mind, but was interrupted by Kronk tugging on his robe.

  “What?”

  “Master, should you not cast your Shield spell before you Gate?”

  “Oh, come on now. Tamara's a friend. I'll be perfectly safe.”

  “Yes master, I am sure you will be. But it will not hurt to be careful, will it?”

  Always the mother hen, Simon thought. He was irritated but decided that he didn't have the time to argue with the little guy.

  “Okay fine. You're right. What harm will it do?”

  He held up his staff, its jeweled runes glittering in the sunlight streaming into the tower.

  “Shield,” he said and the opaque barrier appeared around him and Kronk. He looked at the earthen, who nodded, satisfied. Then Simon conjured up an image of Tamara in his mind, making it as detailed as possible.

  “Here we go,” he said. “Grab hold.”

  He felt Kronk's small hand pull on the hem of his robe.

  “Gate,” Simon said firmly and they were surrounded by blackness.

  The void was total sensory deprivation. No sight. No sound. No smells of any kind. Just cold; deep, deep cold.

  Death isn't as bad as this non-place is, the wizard thought as he struggled to keep his focus on Tamara. At least it wasn't the last time I died. He was almost distracted by what a silly thought that was.

  And then he and Kronk were standing in an open area, cobblestones under their feet. It was a gray day in northern England and a cool breeze blew through his shield and past his body, making him shiver. He began to turn in a circle, looking for Tamara, but he wasn't given much of a chance.

  “Archers! Fire!” he heard the mage yell from somewhere to his right. Simon spun around in time to see a fireball slam into his shield, causing the barrier to flare with sparks. Arrows smacked into it, disintegrating as they hit the magical field. He was under attack.

  Chapter 18

  Kronk pulled frantically on his robe.

  “Gate away, master!” he cried. “Gate away!”

  Simon was reeling. He was being attacked by friends and was frozen in disbelief.

  “No,” he snapped as he accepted what was happening. He raised his staff and sent a pulse of power into his shield to fortify it.

  The rain of arrows continued, sparking and zapping all around him, but the wizard ignored them. He was looking for Tamara.

  “Hold your fire,” she called out and he finally spotted the mage. She was standing twenty yards away, across the courtyard with two people he didn't recognize; a man and a woman, both of whom were wearing dark robes. Tamara's sky blue robe was incongruously cheerful considering the circumstances.

  Magic-users, he thought grimly.

  “Tamara! What the hell is the big idea? Why are you attacking me?”

  The courtyard was wide open but there were several low buildings scattered around it, closer to the high castle walls. Simon spotted at least a dozen archers on these buildings, watching him with bows drawn. He ignored them and began walking toward the group of spell-casters.

  “Hold it right there, Simon,” Tamara shouted at him.

  “Or what?” he called back angrily and kept walking. “You've already tried to kill me and failed.”

  He saw the mage and her two companions raise shields and smiled coldly. He could feel the inferior nature of the spells. If he wanted to, he could shatter them fairly easily.

  He moved to within twenty feet of them and stopped.

  “Explain yourself,” Simon said furiously. “I thought we were friends.”

  Tamara lifted her chin proudly.

  “I thought we were too, until my brother was abducted. Yanked away by magic when he was outside of the castle walls yesterday.”


  “What? Sebastian abducted? By whom?”

  “Oh, drop the act, wizard,” the male spell-caster said disdainfully. “We know that it was you.”

  Simon looked at the man. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, although with Changlings you never knew. He was completely bald with a rather large nose and beady little eyes that glared at the wizard. His thin lips were twisted in a sneer.

  The female caster was quite different. She was small and delicate, with long black hair that blew in the chilly wind. Young, she appeared Asian and was watching Simon fearfully. None of the three had a staff or other weapon.

  “Okay, that's just nuts,” Simon told them. He focused on Tamara. “What in God's name would make you think that I would kidnap your brother who is, by the way, my friend.”

  The sound of all of their shields snapping and arcing echoed across the courtyard, and the smell of ozone was thick in the air.

  Tamara hesitated and then nodded at the male spell-caster.

  “Octavian is a mage but also has the rare gift of second sight. He did a scrying after Sebastian was taken and saw him being held captive, in your tower.”

  The man nodded once in confirmation, scowling at Simon.

  “Are you insane?” the wizard asked Tamara. “On this guy's word, someone you barely know, you decided to trick a friend into coming here and killing him? What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “Barely know? We've been here for months, ever since we moved up from Australia,” Octavian said scornfully. “Tamara and I are very good friends.”

  From the vague look that she gave him, Simon guessed that Tamara didn't quite agree with that assessment.

  “It wasn't just on his word,” she said heavily, her anger fading. “I used Magic Mirror to look for Sebastian and I found him, Simon. Well, we found him, together. In your tower. Chained in the dark in your cellar. Now tell me why. Why would you do that?”

  “Impossible, master,” Kronk whispered.

  Simon looked down at him and raised an eyebrow.

  “No one can pass your wards to see inside the tower, master,” the little guy elaborated softly.

  The wizard nodded and gave Kronk a tight smile.

  “So you saw Sebastian inside my tower, did you? And on that basis, you were willing to kill me?”

  Tamara looked confused and Simon felt something, some sort of energy, twisting around her. It was separate from her shield; darker, heavier somehow. It seemed to thin, become ragged and then it snapped back into place just as Octavian made a small twisting motion with one hand.

  Something clicked in Simon's mind and he thought he knew what was happening. He looked down at Kronk.

  “Do me a favor,” he said under his breath. “I'm going to have to move fast in a moment. I want you to go deep and wait for me to summon you home, okay?”

  Fortunately the little guy didn't question him, the way that Aeris would. Instead he nodded, whispered “Good luck, master,” and disappeared into the ground.

  “Where have you sent your servant?” Octavian asked suspiciously. “Spying on us, is he?”

  Simon ignored him.

  “I'm curious, Tamara. Let's say that you'd managed to kill me. Then what? You rescue your brother and then sit here in your castle until the dragons come to finish you off? Don't you think that you might need my help with that?”

  “Bah. We don't need help from a treacherous dog like you,” Octavian snarled. “Between myself, Tamara and Keiko, we can withstand a dragon attack.”

  “I wasn't talking to you,” Simon snapped at him. “Tamara?”

  His friend was watching him with a increasingly puzzled look on her face. Her hands were clasped tightly together, the knuckles shining white through her skin. And in her eyes, there was something out of place. Deep within was a hint of desperation, something that Simon had never seen in this strong woman before.

  The wizard nodded and smiled at her.

  “What are you grinning at?” Octavian spat at him. “You are about to die for your attack on a fellow magic-user.”

  “Oh shut up,” Simon said, suddenly losing all patience. “No one is dying today.” He caught the man's eyes. “Well, I'm not anyway.”

  Time to move, he thought.

  Simon slammed the butt of his staff on to the ground and sent a burst of brilliant energy arching through the air. The three shields of his opponents exploded with loud bangs, sparks cascading all around them. Tamara, Octavian and the woman, Keiko, collapsed, falling to their knees and shouting in pain. Before the watching archers could react, Simon dropped his own shield, ran over to the dazed trio and grabbed Tamara's arm.

  “Gate!” he shouted as he heard the chilling sound of arrows whistling towards him.

  Darkness sucked them away and he focused on his tower, hoping that he hadn't let go of Tamara in the void.

  He staggered into daylight moments later, thankfully with his friend's arm still in his grasp.

  “Where did you get to?”

  Simon looked around and spotted Aeris floating down the stairs.

  “I was just looking for you,” he added. “Wait. Is that the mage, Tamara?”

  “Yes, it's her. Help me get her to the couch, would you?”

  Displaying his surprising strength, Aeris took one of Tamara's arms and helped to guide the dazed mage to the couch. They sat her down and watched as she stared at her lap blankly.

  “Could you make some tea?” Simon asked the elemental, who was looking at the woman in concern.

  He nodded and quickly flew across the room to the kitchen area.

  Meanwhile, the wizard knelt down, took both of Tamara's hands in his own and squeezed them gently.

  “Tamara? Hey, how are you doing?”

  She slowly looked up at him, her sapphire-blue eyes dull and sunken, the diagonal scar across her pale face glowing vividly.

  “Doing?”

  She shook her head and her short blond hair bounced around her face. She seemed to gather herself with an effort and then frowned in confusion.

  “Wait. What's going on? Simon?”

  She pulled away and looked around the room.

  “Where are we?”

  “In my tower. I brought you here to get you out of the range of the hostile spell you were under.”

  Tamara stood up abruptly and walked away several steps. Then she turned around, looking at the room, noting the details. She spotted Aeris, who nodded to her as he set the kettle over the fire.

  “This is so weird,” she said finally. “I feel like I've been asleep for a week. Did I,” she hesitated and then rushed on, “did I just try to kill you?”

  Simon grinned.

  “Yeah, pretty much. Thankfully, Kronk suggested that I raise my shield before I Gated over to the castle. Oh, speaking of which...”

  He looked at the bare floor a few feet away,

  “Kronk, come home,” he said firmly.

  There was a gentle rumble and the tower creaked slightly. And then the little guy slowly faded into view , smiling when he saw that Simon was okay.

  “Thank you, master. It worked, I see.”

  “It did, yes.”

  “Would someone please tell me what is going on?” Aeris asked plaintively from the kitchen counter.

  “I second that,” Tamara said with the shadow of a smile.

  She walked back to the couch and sat down heavily.

  “I feel like I've been sleep-walking for days. Simon, you said you brought me here to break the spell I was under? What spell?”

  The wizard leaned his staff against the wall near the door and then crossed the room to join Aeris.

  “You called me earlier, in case you don't remember. I was out in the back pasture at the time. You said that there was a problem and asked me to come to you right away, which I did.”

  He took out two cups and Aeris handed him the tin of tea.

  Simon grinned over at the mage.

  “When a friend tells me they need help, I don't question it, I
just go. Kronk got me to cast Shield before we left, which is just as well because as soon as I arrived at the castle, you attacked me along with about a dozen archers.”

  Tamara covered her face and then rubbed her eyes.

  “Oh my God,” she said weakly. “I can't believe I did that. You might have been killed!”

  “I'm sure that was Octavian's intent,” Simon said dryly.

  The kettle boiled quickly and Aeris picked it up and flew over to fill both cups. Simon smiled his thanks and went back to the couch. He gave Tamara her tea and then sat down again.

  “But he didn't succeed. I don't know what spell he was using to control you, but it was obviously using a lot of his energy. He couldn't even attack me directly. Neither did that woman, Keiko. Hmm, I wonder why?”

  “Actually that doesn't surprise me,” Tamara told him. She sipped her tea and closed her eyes for a moment.

  “Ah, that helps. Thanks. No, Keiko came with Octavian and the others from Australia, along with Miriam, a cleric. None of the group from the south really likes Octavian. He's been trying to run things since they arrived, but most of my people just ignore him. Makes him furious. The fact that Keiko did not attack is a good sign. It means that she's not on his side in this.”

  “Huh. Sounds like this was some sort of twisted power grab on his part,” Simon mused. “How did he get a dozen archers to join in the attack? And where were Malcolm and Aiden and the others from Nottinghill?”

  “It's hard to remember,” Tamara said with a frown. “But I think the warriors were out on patrol, while the townspeople were working the fields beyond the castle walls. What Octavian offered those idiots to attack you is beyond me, but none of them were originally from Nottinghill.”

  Her frown turned to a scowl.

  “When I get back, I assure you, they will be punished.”

  “One problem at a time, my friend. Now, your reason for attacking me was your belief that I abducted your brother. Do you remember that?”

  She stood up again and began pacing, teacup in hand. Kronk waved silently at Simon and pointed at himself and then at the front door. The wizard nodded his understanding and watched as the little guy let himself out. Tamara didn't even notice.

  “That's right,” she said, shaking her head in dismay. “Bastian went missing early yesterday, while outside of the castle. What the hell he was doing out there is beyond me. One of our people saw him leave by himself and never thought to ask where he was going. Anyway, I was frightened and tried finding him with the Magic Mirror spell, but all I found was darkness.”