“Fair enough. What we were saying was basically what you and I spoke about earlier. Constricting a spell-caster, clothing-wise, limits their flow of power. It doesn't stop it, of course, but it does alter it somewhat. It is possible that the silver dragon is subtly trying to make you less able to counter whatever it is she is planning. If she's planning anything, that is.”
“May I ask a question, master?”
Simon looked at the earthen.
“Kronk, you know you don't have to ask permission to ask a question. Anything you want to know, ask away. Always.”
The little guy smiled his appreciation.
“Then, master, I would like to know something; when did you last use your magic?”
“My magic? You mean, cast a spell?”
Kronk nodded.
“Hmm, good question. Let me think.”
Simon snuggled into his chair and sipped his coffee, trying to remember.
He hadn't used his power to light any candles recently. Instead he would light one off of the fire and use it to light the others.
The wizard frowned to himself.
That's a weird thing to do, isn't it, he thought. What else has been happening that I haven't noticed?
“When did you last speak to any other humans?” Aeris asked, cutting into his confused thoughts.
“You mean, like in Nottinghill Castle?”
“Them or your friend Daniel in the elven realm, or anyone else for that matter.”
“Um.”
Simon thought about it some more. His mind seemed to be fighting him, fogging his memories and making it hard to focus.
“Okay, this is some weird crap that's going on right now,” he blurted out.
“What is the problem, master?” Kronk asked anxiously.
“I can't seem to remember. It's like everything is blurry, mashed together. I can't figure out exactly how long it's been since I cast a spell. Is that strange or what?”
“Simon!” Aeris snapped urgently.
The wizard stared at him in surprise. The air elemental rarely used his name.
“Stand up, right now, and cast a spell,” he continued.
“What? Why?”
“Must you question everything I ask? Just do it and I'll explain why later.”
Grudgingly Simon pushed himself to his feet and walked to the middle of the room.
“What do you want me to cast?”
“Doesn't matter. Anything. Try...your shield spell.”
The wizard looked at him, trying to figure out what Aeris was up to. The elemental looked back at him intently.
Simon sighed and rolled his eyes.
“Fine. Whatever.”
He looked around and noticed his staff leaning against the wall next to the front door.
Might as well do this right, he thought and walked over to grab it.
“Hey Mortis de Draconis. Long time no see.”
He frowned and wiped off the staff with his sleeve. It was covered with a thin layer of dust.
“Guys? How long since I used old Mortis here?” he asked the elementals.
Both of them had moved to stand on the kitchen table and were watching him closely.
“Weeks, master.”
“Weeks?” Simon stared at Kronk. “Are you sure?”
“I am sure, master. It has been a long time.”
Simon stroked the staff.
“What the hell have I been doing? Esmiralla, are you there?” he asked sharply.
Nothing. No answer.
“Typical. The one time I want to talk to her, she's gone. Fine then, let's do this.”
He raised the staff and watched as his arm began to shake, as if the length of light metal suddenly weighed a hundred pounds.
“What the hell?” he muttered. “Screw it, I'm not stopping now.”
He slammed the end of Mortis against the floor and the sound echoed through the entire tower.
“Shield!”
A translucent globe appeared around the wizard extending six feet in all directions. A smell of ozone hung thick in the air and the shield crackled with static electricity. At the same time, the air seemed to become brighter and the room sharpened, objects coming into focus.
“What?”
Simon looked around open-mouthed. Why, even the colors were more vibrant and rich.
“What is wrong, master?”
“I don't know. Nothing, now.”
The wizard looked over at the elementals.
“It's like everything was gray and drab and is now suddenly full of light and color.”
He took a deep breath.
“Even the air smells cleaner and sweeter. Aeris, what the hell just happened?”
The air elemental looked quite pleased with himself.
“It is what I suspected, my dear wizard. For some reason, the silver dragon has stifled your powers and muddled the paths of magic that permeate your body. That in turn made it less likely that you would want to cast any spells and that reinforced the control she has exerted over you. Casting that spell has cleaned up your pathways, so to speak, and allowed your power to flow as it should.”
“You knew this would happen?” Simon asked him, still amazed at how clear-headed he suddenly felt.
“I only hoped,” Aeris told him. “It was a long shot, but happily it seems to have had the desired effect.”
Simon stretched and breathed deeply. He felt...amazing.
“Well, good job,” he told the elemental. “If I was paying you, you would have just earned a raise.”
Aeris looked at Kronk, who shrugged, and then back at Simon.
“I don't know what that means, but you're welcome, I guess. Glad to have the real wizard back.”
He frowned then.
“But what happens when Esmiralla returns and finds that the old wizard has returned? Won't she know that you suspect something?”
“Will she?”
Simon canceled his shield and it shimmered, fizzled and faded away. He put his staff back in its place and gave it an affectionate pat before walking back to the kitchen counter.
“Esmiralla has already told me that she can't read my mind,” he continued as he hung the kettle over the fire again.
“If that's true and I play the part of the befuddled wizard, she won't know.”
He glanced down at himself.
“But I refuse to go back to the jeans and t-shirt look. The robe stays. If she doesn't like it, tough.”
Kronk began shaking his head and Simon paused as he was rinsing out his cup.
“What?”
“Master, that is a very bad idea. If the silver dragon is plotting something, you must not tip her off. You should continue to dress as you have been and play your part.”
The wizard leaned back against the counter and rubbed his eyes, feeling desperately tired of his situation.
“Yeah, I guess you're right,” he said reluctantly. “How negatively will it affect my powers?”
“It shouldn't be too severe,” Aeris told him thoughtfully. “The fact that you are aware of what is happening now is what's important. Plus, just casting that one spell re-energized your magical pathways. It should be fine.”
“Let's hope so.”
A sensation, just an itch in the back of his mind, made Simon shiver and he quickly looked at the elementals with wide eyes.
“She's coming back!” he hissed and raced toward the stairs.
He leaped up the steps and into his bedroom, yanking off his robe as he went. He tossed the garment into his cupboard, grabbed a random pair of pants and a shirt and frantically put them on.
He was walking back out of the room, breathing slowly to quiet his heart rate, when the silver dragon's presence returned full force.
'Good morning, wizard. How are you feeling this day?'
“Fine, thanks. Raring to go,” Simon replied as he walked down the stairs. “Big day, after all.”
'It certainly is. The biggest. Before this coming night passes, w
e shall be free of each other.'
She paused and the wizard walked across the main floor to the kitchen counter. Not surprisingly, Aeris and Kronk had disappeared. Simon didn't blame them.
'I assume you are pleased that you will finally be rid of me?'
Simon saw that the kettle was steaming on the counter and made his tea.
“I think we both will be. After all, you must feel trapped inside of my mind, don't you?”
'Yes and no,' Esmiralla replied. 'I can project my thoughts out of your body and travel the world, so I am not totally restricted to what I can see and hear in this state.'
Aha. So that's what she does, Simon thought. Interesting.
“Good to know.”
He made his tea and settled into his chair in front of the fire.
“Are you going to tell me what this whole ritual entails? I should know, shouldn't I?”
'It is simplicity itself,' the dragon said loftily. 'Just do what you are told when I tell you and we will get through it. However, if you deviate in the slightest, the ceremony will fail and the items your elementals retrieved will be wasted.'
“And we'll have to start the whole thing all over again,” Simon said with a frustrated sigh. “I get it.”
'Good. Play your part, I shall play mine and we will be two separate beings again by this time tomorrow.'
Her presence faded again and Simon sipped his tea and stared at the flickering flames.
“And not a moment too soon,” he whispered.
Chapter 7
The day passed at a snail's pace from Simon's perspective. Esmiralla's presence hovered in the back of his mind and he was hyper-sensitive to it and everything that he was doing.
He had changed his clothes and now wore baggy old jeans and a misshapen gray sweater; both felt strange against his skin but he knew that he had to continue to play his part.
Kronk and Aeris came and went as usual, but there wasn't a lot of conversation between any of them. The wizard could tell by the not-so-subtle looks the elementals gave him in passing that they were as nervous as he was. They were afraid of letting the silver dragon know that they suspected her of trickery. It made Simon a bit paranoid and he spent most of the day just aimlessly moving from one room to the next, trying to stay calm.
'You seem restless today,' Esmiralla remarked at one point.
Simon was flipping through a book in his study, staring blankly at the pages. He almost dropped it when she spoke. Did she sound suspicious?
“Restless? Yeah, probably. I mean, tonight is a big deal, isn't it? I'm anxious to get it over with,” he answered a little too quickly.
A long moment passed.
'Yes, of course,' she finally said. 'I must admit that I am eager to begin as well. Try to think of something else.'
Easy for her to say, Simon thought but he felt relieved. She hadn't caught on to the real reason for his twitchiness.
He eventually gave up trying to read and went out for a walk. The day was beautiful and he thought that it would help to distract him.
The meadow in front of the tower, between the outer wall and the forest, teemed with wildflowers and long green grass. The smell was almost intoxicating and Simon lost himself in the delight of his senses for several minutes.
'We will be performing the ritual out here,' Esmiralla told him abruptly.
Simon was roused out of his pleasure by her voice ringing through his head and he scowled in irritation.
“Why?” he snapped.
'Because we will need a fire, a rather large one, and this open area will be the safest location for it. Also, we need to be out under the full moon for the magic to be effective.'
“That doesn't sound like any magic I've ever heard of before,” Simon said, now more confused than angry.
'No offense, wizard, but you are very young and uninformed. Magic comes in many forms and flavors. For our separation to take place, this is the path that we must use.'
She paused.
'And so we will need a large fire, after the moon has risen. I will let you know when the time is right.'
She faded into the background again and left Simon shaking his head.
A fire for what? Roasting marshmallows? Making s'mores?
It felt raw and primal to him and the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. What was coming?
The sun set finally and Simon sat on the front steps outside of the tower watching the world's colors fade away. Crickets started singing their evening song and the air began to cool. He just sat there quietly, taking it all in.
“It must be almost time, master,” Kronk said quietly.
The little guy was sitting to the wizard's right while Aeris hovered to his left.
“Getting there. How long until moon rise?”
“About an hour,” Aeris replied in a subdued voice. “But if the silver dragon waits until it is overhead, that will take almost three hours.”
Simon looked up and watched the first stars appear in the purple night sky.
“She probably does.”
“I gathered up the firewood, master,” Kronk said. “And arranged it properly. It is ready to be lit whenever the dragon wishes it.”
“Ah, thanks,” the wizard said gratefully. “I appreciate it.”
“It was nothing, master. It helped to take my mind off of things for a short time.”
Aeris floated forward until he could see the earthen sitting next to Simon and gave him a quelling look.
Kronk's glowing red eyes widened and he nodded hastily. Obviously the air elemental had warned him not to mention their suspicions aloud.
Simon watched the exchange and had to suppress a smile. Subtlety wasn't really the little guy's strongest skill.
“Esmiralla, are you there?” he asked, deciding to be direct.
A pause.
'I am. What is it?'
“Do we wait for the full moon to be high in the sky, or can we begin when it rises above the horizon?”
Both elementals watched quietly, eyes riveted on the wizard's face.
'It will be best to wait until it is directly overhead,' she replied. 'Have the ingredients ready next to the fire and I will tell you when it should be lit. Have one of your servants do it; I don't want you using your magic.'
“Why not?”
'I have my reasons. Trust me, it is important. Now please, I am preparing for the ceremony in my own way. Do not distract me further.'
And she was gone completely.
“Okay, that's weird,” Simon said, looking from Aeris to Kronk and back again.
“What is weird, master?”
“She doesn't want me to light the fire with my powers. She wants one of you to light it instead; using a torch lit from the fireplace, I suppose.”
“Why?” Aeris wondered.
“She wouldn't say. Just told me to trust her.”
“Hmm.”
Yeah, Simon thought. That isn't at all suspicious.
“Is she...?”
Aeris made a vague gesture and the wizard chuckled.
“No, she's not still around. I felt her fade away again. I'll be damned if I know how that works.”
“You might not understand it if she tried to explain it, my dear wizard. Ancient draconian magic would probably not make much sense to a human mind.”
“You're probably right. Okay, look guys, this may be our last chance to talk privately before Esmiralla comes back, so let's make it count. I don't trust this whole process, but it's the only chance I've got to get away from the silver dragon, so I have to take it. But I want you to watch me closely. If something happens, and God knows what that might even be, you have my permission to take whatever actions you deem necessary to counter Esmiralla.”
Both elementals looked surprised by Simon's blanket statement.
“Whatever actions?” Aeris repeated. “That gives us an awful lot of leeway, you know. An unscrupulous person could take advantage of an opening like that.”
“But we
would never do that, master,” Kronk hastened to assure the wizard. “Would we?” he added with a glare at Aeris.
“Of course not. I didn't mean us when I said that. But what if, to save you from her schemes, we have to do something fairly violent? Like knock you out or immobilize you for a time? Is that acceptable?”
“Aeris!” the earthen gasped in shock.
“Whatever you believe you have to do, do it,” Simon answered levelly, catching Kronk's eye. “I don't want to die, not again, and the gods of Justice have assured me that I will not be brought back if I do. There's still so much work for me to do in this world and I want to be around for a while to do it. So please, watch my back the way I would watch yours if the situation was reversed. All right?”
Aeris nodded while Kronk wrung his hands, seemingly wracked with indecision.
Simon gently put a hand on the elemental's small shoulder.
“All right, my friend?” he asked quietly, the night sighing around them.
“As you say, master,” the little guy agreed hesitantly. “But only if we absolutely have to.”
“Good. Thanks. That's all I ask. Now, if you guys wouldn't mind, could you bring the blood and the egg out to the clearing?”
He was looking to the east as he spoke and saw a pale glow beginning to light up the dark sky.
“It looks like the moon is about to show her face and we might as well be ready whenever Esmiralla returns.”
While the elementals headed downstairs to get the ingredients, Simon got up from the steps and walked unhurriedly to the main gate.
The gate was wide open and the field beyond it was cast in shadow. The night had truly arrived and with it a chilly breeze that made him shiver. The forest on the other side of the meadow was a vague, distant mass of darkness and the grasses ahead hissed and whispered like secretive snakes.
Maybe I'm just being paranoid, Simon thought as he leaned against the right side of the gate and crossed his arms.
Esmiralla may very well be doing exactly as she says she is; splitting us apart so that we can both go our own way. He certainly hoped so.
He watched the moon slowly ascend above the horizon and enjoyed the earthy smells in the night air around him. The distant woods seemed mysterious, alive with unknown cries and odd primordial sounds that reminded Simon that the world had Changed as much or more than he had.
The Dragons of Argent and Silver (Tales from the New Earth #6) Page 8
