“Hey, we're friends,” Malcolm protested. “And friends tease each other.” He looked at Simon. “Right?”
“Absolutely. Aiden, relax. I never take anything the big guy says too seriously, unless it's related to battle. Okay?”
“Yeah, I know. Actually I was just trying to scare him a little,” Aiden commented while looking at his partner. “Unfortunately he's so thick-headed that it never really gets through.”
“Boom! One for your side,” one of the guardsmen said with a laugh and the others joined in.
Simon was pleased that the group was lightening up a bit. Sebastian's situation was dire, but then they all knew that. Brooding about it wouldn't help.
The large globe of light above the courtyard continued to fade and several of the warriors went inside the castle and returned with torches that they set up around the grounds. Malcolm assigned some of his people to guard the tunnels and sent the rest back up to patrol the walls. A couple of men climbed up and cut down the body of Octavian.
As Simon watched them carry the remains away, Tamara joined him. She had been giving orders to some of the civilians who'd been allowed to come outside now that the danger was past. People were beginning to clear away the damage that the battle had caused and some had scaled the buildings and tossed down the bodies of the goblins. It was grim work.
“How are they?” Simon asked her as he looked at the castle's inhabitants. As a group they seemed twitchy and pale-faced.
“Exhausted, nervous, all of that,” the mage replied. “But determined too. They are a strong bunch and they know that this settlement could be humanity's last chance. They won't crumple under the fear of attack; whether it be by goblins, dragons or anything else. Virginia, Anna and the two young men, Eric and Gerard, have been amazing, according to reports. They are turning out to be natural leaders, as a foursome.”
Simon wrapped his hands around his staff and leaned on it with a sigh.
“Good. That's good. I'll make sure to thank them later. Like you and me, they know that those of us who can use magic have to keep the others safe, or at least as safe as possible.”
“I know.”
He glanced at her and saw the depths of the woman's compassion as she watched over her people. For all her hard, gruff exterior, Tamara cared deeply for these Changlings and he was pleased to see it. If the worst happened and they lost Sebastian, she would need a reason to go on. Her people could be that reason.
“If these goblins are as treacherous as they seem, considering how they treated Octavian, I don't see them getting a lot of help from humans in the future,” Malcolm said as he and Aiden rejoined Simon and Tamara.
“I'd guess that that little arrangement was a one-time deal,” Simon told him. “I can't even figure out how Octavian met up with those foul creatures, let alone made a deal with them.”
“Aiden?” a woman called out from across the courtyard.
The group turned as one to see a young woman with short, spiky black hair hurrying across the grounds. She was wearing a simple white blouse and brown pants. Simon noticed dark circles under her eyes and thought that she looked worn out.
“Miriam?” Aiden replied loudly. “What is it?”
“Our new cleric,” Tamara told Simon under her breath.
He nodded silently and suddenly understood why the young lady might be looking so wrung out. She had probably been caring for the inhabitants emotionally during the attack, reassuring them and praying to the lords of Light. He wondered vaguely if it had helped.
“Nothing,” the cleric said as she joined them. “I just wanted to know if any of your troops were hurt. I've heard that those goblins might have poisoned their weapons, so if any of the warriors have even a scratch, it should be treated right away.”
“Oh damn, I remember reading about that,” Simon blurted out.
Miriam looked at him in surprise.
“There are books on goblins?” she asked.
The wizard laughed at her dubious tone.
“Not really, no. But I have a collection of old fantasy books that have been remarkably accurate about mythical creatures. There are mentions of goblins in those books and they apparently do like to poison their blades and arrow tips. Malcolm, you might want to ask around and see if any of your guards are scratched.”
“I'll do that right now,” the big man said and quickly walked away, shouting at the closest warriors, the ones guarding the goblin tunnels.
“Miriam, while you're here,” Aiden said to the young woman, “allow me to introduce Simon O'Toole, a wizard and a good friend. Simon, this is Miriam Conway, our resident cleric.”
The two of them shook hands and exchanged smiles. Her expression changed though and she stared at him with sudden rapt attention.
“Something wrong?” Simon asked, after a quick glance at Aiden.
“Wrong? Oh no, not at all. But did you know that you have one brown eye and one blue eye? It's quite a striking trait, isn't it?”
“I do?” The wizard clapped his hands over his eyes. “My God, when did that happen? I'm cursed!”
He peered through his fingers and grinned at the cleric, who laughed and blushed.
“Sorry. That was a stupid thing to say, wasn't it? It's just that you don't see that sort of thing too often, do you?”
“True. And I apologize as well, for teasing you. So how are your people doing?”
Miriam followed Malcolm's progress with her eyes as she answered.
“They're good, thanks. The children were very scared when we barricaded the doors in the main hall, but they did fall asleep finally. Now I've just sent them all back to their own quarters. They'll be fine.”
“Glad to hear it. They are our future.”
“I agree.”
A warrior came toward them out of the shadows from the far end of the courtyard holding her arm with one hand.
“Jenny?” Miriam exclaimed. “What's wrong? Are you hurt?”
The woman snorted in disgust.
“It's just a scratch but Malcolm told me to report to you and had a few choice words for me when I tried to argue. So here,” she stuck out her arm. “Have your fun.”
“Oh for... Jen, this is important. Those bloody goblins may have poisoned their weapons.”
The warrior shrugged her armored shoulders.
“If they did, then it's the mildest poison ever. I can't even feel the wound.”
“Simon,” Miriam said as she tried to examine the cut on the woman's forearm. “Are you able to conjure light globes? Oh good. Could you summon one for me please? I can't see well enough in this torchlight.”
“Happy to help,” he replied and the cleric smiled absently.
A globe of clear white light appeared over Simon's head and he sent it to hover a few feet above Miriam and Jenny.
“Damn it,” the cleric snapped as she checked the wound. “Of course you can't feel the wound; it's so infected that the nerves have been deadened.”
“What?” Jenny said sharply and looked at her arm. “Oh my God!”
The cut was shallow and not too long but had turned an angry red. The flesh underneath it was expanding as they watched, swelling alarmingly and turning from red to black.
“Oh damn,” Tamara exclaimed fearfully. “Miriam, do something!”
“I am doing something,” Miriam snapped as she gently prodded the wound. “Now be quiet please and let me work.”
As she poked the inflamed bulge on Jenny's arm, the warrior hissed and gritted her teeth.
Miriam shook her head and frowned down at the injury.
“Okay, this isn't good. The weapon that did this wasn't poisoned. It had some sort of infection on it, like a disease.”
“A disease?” Jenny yelped. “But you can treat it, can't you?” she asked desperately.
“We'll see. Do you have a knife?”
“A knife? Yes, of course.”
The warrior reached around behind her back with her free hand and pulled out a long da
gger. She offered it to Miriam, hilt-first.
Simon and the others were watching closely. He looked up to see Liliana standing back. Her expression was calm and, unlike the others, she didn't appear to be worried in the least.
The paladin seemed to feel the wizard watching her and looked at him. She nodded at the cleric and gave him a subtle thumbs-up. Simon felt a wave of relief wash over him and smiled back gratefully.
“Okay Jen, grit your teeth and look away,” Miriam said as she pulled out a length of cloth from a pouch hanging on her belt.
“Why?” the warrior asked nervously.
“Because I can't try a healing until I drain the infection. And it's going to hurt. Now be a good girl and do what you're told.”
Jenny gave her a nervous grin and turned her head to look across the courtyard. She swallowed loudly and set her jaw.
The cleric raised the dagger and sliced open the swollen lump on the warrior's arm. A stream of yellowish pus gushed out and splattered to the ground, causing Simon to turn away quickly to avoid vomiting.
Jenny groaned loudly but made no comment. Miriam hurriedly wrapped the cloth around the wound and clamped her hands on top of it. Simon turned back just in time to see a warm, golden light shimmer across the cleric's hands. He watched as Jenny slowly stood up straighter and gave Miriam a grateful look.
“Oh, that feels so much better,” she exclaimed as she wriggled her fingers.
Miriam released her arm and tied the cloth around the wound securely.
“Good. I want you to go to your quarters and rest, Jenny. That healing will leave you weakened for a few days; I drew upon your own energy to repair the damage. So eat as much as you can and get some sleep. Change the wrapping before you turn in and then leave it alone. Come by and see me tomorrow and I'll make sure you are healing as you should. All right?”
“If you say so, Miriam. And thanks so much.”
The cleric smiled at her and watched as the warrior walked away.
“Good job,” Tamara told her. “We'll have to make sure that everyone knows about these poisoned or diseased weapons before any future encounters with goblins.”
“That would be helpful,” the cleric agreed. She pulled out another length of cloth from her pouch and dropped it on the ground to soak up the pool of stinking yellow fluid that had dripped from Jenny's wound.
“This stuff is nasty. I'd rather no one touched it.”
“If you'll step back, I can deal with it,” Simon told her.
With a surprised look, the cleric moved away a few paces.
Simon concentrated on the discolored length of cloth and willed it to heat up. The disgusting object burst into flames and burned away in a few seconds, leaving behind a sooty stain and a nasty stink that dissipated quickly.
“Wow. Thank you,” Miriam said with delight.
“My pleasure. I wouldn't want anyone else to be exposed to that infection.”
The cleric waved at the group and headed off toward the nearest staircase leading up to the top of the walls. As she disappeared into the night, a rumble under Simon's feet signaled Kronk's return.
The little guy emerged from the ground and smiled up brightly at the wizard.
“Hello master! You are well?”
Before Simon had a chance to answer, there was a disturbance in the air a few feet in front of him and Aeris came into view.
“Oh, you were scouting as well?” he said as he caught sight of Kronk.
“I was, yes.”
“Hey guys, welcome back. I'm fine, Kronk. So what news do you have for us?”
Tamara moved toward them and waited anxiously for the elementals' reports.
Aeris motioned for Kronk to go first.
“Master, the tunnels that the goblins used to escape extend beyond the wall for perhaps fifty yards. They went deep enough to avoid the wards. The group hurried off to the southeast.”
“I picked up their trail in that direction,” Aeris cut in. “They didn't waste time trying to conceal their tracks; just raced off through the forest as a group.”
“To where?” Tamara asked desperately. “Where did they go?”
“Several miles, lady mage,” Aeris told her. “They disappeared below ground again beneath a very odd structure. A ring of large stones that appears to be quite ancient.”
“Stonehenge?” Simon asked, surprised.
Tamara looked at him with a little smile.
“Stonehenge is far to the south, my friend. But there is an old site, possibly used for magical ceremonies once upon a time, that is similar to that more famous landmark. I've seen it once or twice.”
She looked at Aeris.
“And you're saying that the goblins are hiding beneath it?”
He nodded and glanced at Kronk.
“Aeris is correct, lady,” the little guy said. “The creatures have burrowed under this very old stone circle. I moved through the rock and discovered a series of natural caves connected together about fifty feet below the surface.”
“And my brother? Did you find him?”
Kronk shook his head regretfully.
“Lady, I did not dare take a chance of searching for him. If I was discovered, the goblins might have killed their prisoner. I felt it best to return and report to my master and let him decide what we should do next.”
Tamara sagged a little but nodded dejectedly.
“Of course. That was wise, actually.” She smiled faintly at both elementals. “Thank you for your efforts.”
They bowed respectfully and then waited, watching Simon.
“Aeris, could you find Malcolm and Aiden and ask them to join us please?” he asked.
The air elemental immediately flew off into the darkness.
Simon made a gesture and the magic light he had created for the cleric moved to bob up and down a few feet over his head.
“I'd like everyone's input before we move on the goblins,” he told Tamara and Liliana.
“I agree,” the paladin said with approval. “We must make a coordinated effort, both to rescue Sebastian and to destroy those creatures. I do not know how they came to be here, but I can guess.”
At Simon's curious look, she gestured skyward.
“The dragons, of course. I am willing to bet that the red dragons transported a group of goblins to this country specifically to attack this castle and take prisoners. The primal red must be frantic to destroy the last remnants of humanity for the gods of Chaos. Information is important and I would guess that your brother,” she looked at Tamara, “was taken because he is a caster and probably has more knowledge of our plans than an ordinary castle dweller.”
“The dragons,” the mage hissed. She glared up at the sky blazing with cold stars. “It's always the damned dragons. God, there are only a handful of us left. Why not just attack en masse and level this place? Why pussyfoot around like this?”
Aeris popped into sight next to Simon's right shoulder.
“Lady, you are joking, aren't you?” he asked incredulously.
Kronk was looking at her with surprise.
“I found the warriors, by the way,” Aeris said to the wizard. “They will be here shortly.”
“Thanks.”
Tamara looked from the elementals to Simon and back again.
“Of course I'm not joking. There must be hundreds of red dragons out there in the world now. Why not just send them all against us at once?”
Aeris snickered and then seemed to realize that he might sound insulting.
“Forgive me, lady mage. I meant no offense,” he said quickly.
“None taken. Go on.”
“Well lady, the primal red dragon could not command that many dragons at once. It is not possible.”
Simon was listening intently. One thing he'd learned ever since the elementals had come into his life was that they had knowledge of things that he never would, and that knowledge was often triggered by circumstance. They had surprised him more than once with information that they s
eemed to pull out of thin air.
“Why not?” he asked Aeris.
“Because, my dear wizard, the red dragons are the most independent of all dragons. I daresay that is why we saw only three dragons earlier today. Any more than that and they would turn on each other. Remember that flight of dragons that we saw over the tower not too long ago? It occurs to me that they did not attack because they refused to cooperate with each other.”
He paused and added, “And then there is the small matter of how much they fear you.”
“Fear us?” Malcolm boomed out as he and Aiden appeared out of the gloom. He laughed derisively. “Not likely.”
“They don't fear us,” Aiden agreed. “ A handful of Changlings aren't a threat to the dragons.”
“Forgive me, sir, but I don't mean you,” Aeris said diffidently. “I meant him,” and he pointed at Simon.
“What? Are you kidding me?”
“He is not, master,” Kronk said firmly. “Your name and your deeds are, I have no doubt, known to all dragons by now. You have destroyed primals. Do you not realize how terrifying that must be to a lesser dragon?”
“But...” Simon began to protest.
“They're right,” Liliana said, cutting him off. “We keep forgetting just how intelligent dragons are. Yes, they are monsters, but they are also thinking creatures. And they are very old. In all of their experience, no one has ever harmed a primal dragon, let alone killed not one but four of them.”
She stepped forward and tapped Simon on the chest.
“You, my friend, are the boogeyman that gives dragons nightmares now.” She grinned at him. “Congratulations.”
The wizard looked from face to face and couldn't help laughing.
“I'm sorry, folks, but look at me. Malcolm, you or Aiden could squash me with one hand. If I weigh more than a buck-fifty, I'd be surprised. And you think that even a lesser dragon that averages fifty feet in length and breathes fire is afraid of me? No offense to all of you, but you are gravely mistaken.”
“Look, can we argue about this later?” Tamara asked sharply. “My brother is a prisoner of those filthy goblins and we need to get him out of their clutches right now!”
“I agree,” Simon said. “That's why I wanted all of you here together. You are the leaders here as well as the most powerful of all the Changlings in the castle.”
Tales from the New Earth: Volume Two Page 28
