by Booth, John
There were gasps of indignation from around the table.
“How dare you make such demands?” someone asked. This woman looked a little younger than the others, probably not in her second millennia yet.
[We killed a dozen of your elders in less than a minute. Do you think we could not kill you all if we chose?]
The elves were all on their feet shouting. Elissia shouted louder to make herself heard above the din.
“Perhaps we should take a short break before continuing this hearing? It will allow time for tempers on both sides to cool.”
Everybody seemed to think that was a good idea except Fluffy.
[If this Council continues to hide behind its self-importance, it will kill you.]
“What the hell was that all about?” I whispered to my scaly companion. The council had materialized food and drink for us, but I wasn’t touching it. About the only thing I could tell you of ancient stories about the Fey was, don’t drink their wine and don’t eat their food.
[It was necessary, Jake. The Dragons believe that the Council is not acting in a normal fashion. They have asked me to push them to try and reveal the truth.]
“Have the Dragons considered that this might get us both killed?”
[It was considered, but they felt it worth the risk.]
Brilliant. Sometimes my friends were more dangerous than my enemies. We were pretty powerless before these people and it was only luck that got us out of their trap. We were indulging in a big bluff and I was getting an uncomfortable feeling that the elves were getting ready to call us on it. I’m not that good at reading body language, but even I could see the stiffening of sinews taking place as Farolan moved from one council member to the next.
“Look at Farolan, he’s stirring them up.”
Fluffy glanced at the councilors. [I will inform the Dragon Elders.] His face took on that communicating look.
I could feel tension rising around us. Or maybe anger was a better description. It was getting ugly and the second half of this meeting was not going to be like the first.
“Let us resume,” Elissia said in a tone that brooked no argument.
[As you wish.] Fluffy had finished talking to his people and there was a strange hesitancy in his reply.
“Farolan will chair the remainder of the meeting.”
There were loud mutterings of approval and I readied my defensive magic. I had a feeling I was going to need it. Farolan stood and faced us.
“You are the murderers. You, the betrayers. Over a thousand years of protecting worlds from the rapacious grasp of the Valhallans is about to end because of the selfish actions of one stupid human wizard. One tiny insignificant wizard who was unable to defend himself from a little girl.”
The muttering from the other elves got nastier. In some manner I didn’t understand, Farolan had moved the elves from a path of reconciliation to one of rage. It was almost as if he was controlling them.
Fluffy stood and spurts of flames shot from his nose.
[We are not the aggressors. The elves started this and it is time for you to bring it to an end.]
He really could have phrased that better. It was highly likely the elves would take him up on his offer, and not in a good way. I switched to magic sight to see if I could see any signs that Farolan was controlling the council. It didn’t seem possible, but half an hour ago these people had been almost friendly. Green glows in many shades shone from the forms of the Council. There was plenty of magic around them, but no signs of control. Farolan glared at Fluffy and slammed his fist on the table.
“You invaded our territory and killed a dozen of our most revered elders. There is still time to protect the multiverse from your combined stupidity and we should take it.”
There was something strange about the aura around Farolan’s head. There was a darkness that flitted through the green like a fish darting through water. I sensed the buildup of magical forces and created the strongest shield I could manage.
The first attack nearly destroyed us. Flung back by the force of fifteen immense bolts of magic we slid across the council floor. It was as if a nuclear bomb had gone off in front of us. The blast drove the shield and the two of us with it up the curve of the amphitheater, smashing tree chairs to matchwood as they got in our way. My head was ringing and it was difficult to focus, half my reserves were gone in that attack and I could see the elves were far from finished with us.
The elves stepped towards us, taking up a V formation with Farolan at its point. His face contorted so much that he looked more like a demon than an elf.
“Now you will die for your insolence.”
I could see his aura clearly now he was closer. He glowed much the same green as the other elves except that a black shape, something like a spider or maybe an octopus, writhed across his face. It looked alive and grew bigger as I watched, feeding on his rage.
“Kill them,” Elissia hissed. They were lost in their anger, all of them. Fifteen faces filled with hate glared at us. I felt the forces rise and struggled to concentrate enough to strengthen the shield before they struck
The second blast carried us up to the lip of the amphitheater. My reserves were gone and the shield faded away. The Elves came after us, walking slowly, as though we weren’t worth hurrying for. I tried to hop us away without success. It wasn’t clear if they were blocking me or if I was just empty of magic.
[I can’t glim] Fluffy thought at me desperately. [The Elders cannot help us. They believe the elves have gone insane.]
“What’s black with lots of tentacles and lives in an elf’s aura?”
[Jake, this is no time for stupid jokes.]
“There’s one of them on Farolan’s face.”
I felt Fluffy calm himself by a massive effort of will. [You believe that some creature is directing the elves to attack us? It does not matter. Elves cannot see auras; it is not part of their magic.]
“I don’t want them to see auras. I want them to see the truth.”
The Council was upon us.
“Plead for your lives,” Farolan said. “Or for a quick death. That we might grant you.”
“Keep him talking,” I whispered to Fluffy. There was nothing left to lose, but I still needed the time. I slid behind Fluffy as if I was using his body as a shield. Farolan mustn’t see the knife.
[Hurt us and you will bring the wrath of the Dragons upon you.]
The Council members laughed.
“We do not fear the Dragons. You are a pitiful remnant of the race you once were,” Elissia told Fluffy. “Your human hides behind you as though you can protect him. Soon you will be nothing but roasted lizard.”
‘Oow!’ Pricking my finger hurt. I hastily smeared my blood over both sides of the blade and waited to see if anything happened.
[Your leader is possessed. If you had the eyes to see, you would know it for the truth.]
It sounded like the biggest church bell I have ever heard, going off inches from my ears. I rolled from behind Fluffy, clutching my hands to my head. They were all feeling it too. Especially Farolan, who writhed in agony on the ground. The black shape on his face grew in size and morphed to take on the form of a big black bird. Then it flew away as the sound of the bell slowly faded.
“You should have seen that. That thing on Farolan just flew away.”
[I did see it. I believe we all did.]
Farolan was unconscious. Elissia knelt before him and checked he was breathing, then she and the rest of the Council went into a huddle and talked so quietly I couldn’t hear them.
Power flooded into me and I shivered with relief. Being without magic is frightening. It would take another few seconds or so before I would be able to hop us out of there. Assuming I got the chance.
Elissia and the rest of the Council turned to face us.
“It appears that our actions have not been totally our own. We have no lore to explain what we saw and must investigate. Under the circumstances, we withdraw the charges against you and
there will be no further attacks, though it may take some time to inform all those Farolan has used. Go in peace, Dragon Retnor and Wizard Morrissey.”
That was the politest ‘get lost’ I’ve ever heard.
I touched Fluffy and hopped us to the BatCave.
29. Surprise
What I wanted most was to sleep. Fluffy had already curled up on the floor and little puffs of smoke were coming from his nostrils. A sure sign he had already succumbed to tiredness. I wanted to hop to Jenny and Esmeralda and tell them I was safe, but I had neither the power nor the concentration. I fell on the mattress and the world faded away.
[Jake, wake up.]
The insistent voice in my head kept repeating itself until I abandoned the warm cozy place I’d been hiding and surfaced into the waking world.
[We have slept for nearly a day. There are things…]
I couldn’t be bothered with whatever he wanted to tell me. Jenny and Esmeralda would be worried as I knew we must have been away for a least a week, maybe two. There was no question about where I would go first.
“Where’s Jenny?”
[Jake, listen to me. We have…]
“Been away too long. Yes I know. Tell me where Jenny is and I’ll hop to her.”
My dragon gave a mental sigh. [She is with Inspector Thomas. They are approaching the police station where you were incarcerated. But Jake…]
I didn’t hear the rest of it, because I hopped.
There are several inconspicuous places I know around that building and I arrived at the one nearest the front door. Merging into the crowd of afternoon shoppers, I looked over and around their heads searching for my wife. Spotting them just about to go through the main door I ran to them and tapped Jenny on the shoulder.
She turned and looked enormous. It was difficult to believe how big the baby had grown in just a couple of weeks. How big would she be when she gave birth? She’d never be able to walk.
Jenny saw it was me and her face lit up before bursting into tears. She hugged me so hard it hurt, not to mention that her tummy pressed into me.
“You’re back. I knew Fluffy was alive, but it was difficult to see anything else but that for so long.”
Inspector Thomas coughed in an embarrassed sort of way. “Glad you’re safe, Jake. A lot of people have been worried about you.”
I couldn’t see why Jenny was so fussed. For me, it had been a long couple of days, but a week wasn’t a long time.
“It’s only been a week or two. We got caught in a time trap so it was much less time for us.”
Jenny held me at arm’s length in astonishment. “It’s been over two months. Our baby’s due in the next few days.”
‘Two months,’ no wonder Jenny was so huge. I felt the need to sit down. Inspector Thomas must have noticed how lost I looked because he squeezed me gently on the arm.
“Come up to my office. We were heading that way anyway. You can finally see that silver box and I can put it back in ‘evidence’. I’ve been using it as a paperweight, but it really needs to go back before someone accuses me of nicking it.”
We followed the Inspector into the police station. Sergeant Willis nodded at us as we headed towards the stairs. Jenny was keeping up a non-stop monologue, filling me in on everything that had happened while I was away.
“Salice is in a bad way. The main storehouse caught fire and half their remaining food went up in flames. A strange moon has appeared in the sky and everyone thinks it’s an ill omen. Oh, you missed Captain Cari’s funeral. It was wonderful and sad all at the same time. The King, Queen and Esmeralda spoke of the loss to the kingdom and I spoke of the personal loss you felt when he died. Urda’s been keeping me in touch with things and taking me over there until the last week or so. That was when Anna went missing and Urda’s been going crazy trying to find her.”
That stirred me enough to comment. “Urda can’t find Anna? She must have tried tracing her and there are lots of her personal things she can use.”
“It didn’t work. Urda’s in a state over it. But what are you going to do about the food. The people of Salice are on the verge of starvation and your Dad just says ‘Jake’s already fixed it’ when I ask. He won’t say how you’ve fixed it though.”
I grinned. Dad was sworn to secrecy, along with Mam. From what Jenny had told me, everything on that particular front was running to schedule.
“Jake, it isn’t funny. Esmeralda hasn’t been eating and you know she needs to. I was taking her food, but then I found she was giving it to the servants to give to those more desperate.”
I was about to tell her what I’d done, there and then, but Inspector Thomas was fumbling with his key to unlock the office door. Jenny talking about Esmeralda reminded me of what she said to me a couple of nights ago, about being wary of anything to do with the kidnapped boy.
“Let me go first,” I said to the Inspector and set up a protective shield in front of us. My energy levels were far from replenished, but I had the magic built up while I slept. It was probably a waste of time, but ignoring Esmeralda’s warning could be more than stupid, she was a bright lady.
I opened the door and saw the box on the Inspector’s desk. It glinted at me and I turned the shield into a bubble around us as the box exploded.
Protecting Jenny added urgency to increasing the power to the shield. The blast shook the building and I tied the bubble to the walls, which crumbled under the force of the blast. Most of the blast went outwards. The outer wall of the Inspector’s office disappeared completely, the floors above and below us began to fall and I created supports, trying desperately to keep the building in one piece. The bubble protecting us held and was strangely silent as I’d blocked out sound with it. I realized as I diverted magic to hold the building together that it was filled with people who didn’t deserve to die.
Water was beginning to pour through cracks in the ceiling. I looked at my reserves in horror. There was no way I could keep this up for long.
“Jake, what’s happening?” Jenny asked. She was a little pale, but otherwise fine.
“No time to talk. Inspector, I’m holding the building together, but it’s going to collapse soon. Get Jenny and everybody else out of here.”
The Inspector nodded and took my wife’s hand. Jenny pulled away and put her phone into my shirt pocket. “When that rings everybody will be safe.” She kissed my forehead and followed the Inspector.
If there had been an available supply of girders I could have propped the building up with them, but there was nothing I could use except pure force, and using that drained my magic. My reserves dropped like water in a bathtub with the plug out. The taps were adding magic, but the level dropped steadily. It was impossible to estimate how long I could continue to hold everything up.
Using magic puts a physical strain on the body. The longer I use it, the more it hurts. Holding things up was exhausting in a way that fighting the elves hadn’t been. Sweat formed as I struggled to keep the floors in place. The one below me sagged alarmingly and I increased the power holding it up.
I don’t know how long I kept the building in one piece. Probably less than five minutes though it felt like I’d been holding it for hours. I needed to retain enough magic to hop away and my reserves were dropping close to zero. It was already lower than the level I’d set myself as a minimum. Jenny’s phone buzzed and I hopped.
There was an almighty rumble as the police station collapsed. I was on the other side of the square. Nobody noticed me arrive, though there was a crowd around me. Their eyes fixed on the building opposite, most of them videoing its collapse with their phones.
Jenny’s phone buzzed again and I answered it.
“Jake, where are you?” It was Jenny’s voice. My heart skipped a beat with relief.
“Far side of the square. Where are you?”
“By the ambulances.”
“Wait there.”
A policeman tried to stop me crossing the line they’d set up, but a moment of control l
ater he saluted me as I headed for the ambulance crews. Finding Jenny took another few moments.
“Are you all right? Is the baby okay?”
Jenny looked distressed, but she nodded as she took her phone from me. “I need to let Mum and Dad know I’m safe. I’ve given the Inspector back his phone. He needs it.”
I looked around and spotted the Inspector talking to the ambulance crews. He saw me and waved for me to come over to him.
“A dozen dead or seriously injured. It could have been hundreds.”
“I’m sorry. It was my fault.”
“Don’t talk stupid. The bastards who fastened that to the boy’s shirt are responsible. They meant you to find him and they weren’t the slightest bit bothered it would blow him to pieces. If you come across them, Jake, don’t feel guilty about killing the lot of them.”
I nodded, sharing his anger. However, there was nothing further I could do. Whoever the people behind this were, they had done an excellent job of protecting their identities. I shook the Inspector’s hand and returned to Jenny’s side.
“Do you have enough power to hop us to Salice?”
I checked. The answer was, barely. “Yes.”
“Take us there. Esmeralda needs to know you’re alive.”
I took her hand and we hopped.
Fuel was not something the locals were short of and a large log fire blazed away in our apartment keeping it warm as toast. As I expected, nobody was home. Jenny pulled on a bell rope while I went to look out of the window.
Winter had settled upon Salice. The country was a fairytale kingdom and like in all good fairytales, the snow fell thick and fast in winter, just as the summers were glorious and the autumns long and lingering. Two months since I was here last and the weather had changed completely.
Though there was a foot of snow on the ground the sky was clear. The world Salice was on had two moons and they were visible in the sky, even though the sun was in the process of setting. Today they had three moons; the third was lozenge shaped. It was a few miles away and a few miles up. It reflected light like silver, though I suspected it was stainless steel. I’d been expecting it.
