“None of your damned business,” he said with a glare. “You have me, obviously. Isn't that enough? Whatever you are going to do to me, get on with it and spare me your crowing.”
“My, my, aren't we touchy?”
She sighed and slipped the buckle back into a pocket.
“Simon, let me explain something to you. You've been a lot more isolated from the world than you know. Much has happened across the Earth in the last couple of years and you've only been on the edges of it. The dragons are clearing out the last of the mundane humans. And when I am done in this area of the country, I shall have enough Changlings under my command to send them west and east to sniff out the rest of humanity in this part of the world.”
She tilted her head and narrowed her eyes as she watched Simon.
“There are others like me out there, you know. Many of them. And do you know how many wizards oppose us? Wizards imbued with pathetic powers from your gods of Light? A handful at best. And soon they will all be gone. Like you, they are even now being captured and destroyed.” She sighed again. “It's such a waste. So, let me offer you a way out of this situation.”
She stood up, pushed her chair back and muttered under her breath.
The ropes around Simon's arms and legs dropped away and he almost fell out of his chair as he was suddenly free. He sat still and slowly rubbed his arms and then his legs, trying to restore his circulation.
Heather walked back to her table and returned. She tossed his robe at his feet.
“Get dressed. It is demeaning for even a white wizard to be seen in your state.”
Watching her closely, waiting for some sort of trick, Simon stood up, picked up his robe and slipped it over his head.
As it settled over his shoulders, Heather smiled a little disdainfully.
“That's better. Come outside with me and let us discuss your options.”
As she turned away, Simon looked longingly at the wrapped staff discarded on the floor.
“Don't bother, little wizard,” Heather said as she opened the door of the cottage. “Without your true name, that weapon would do you no good at all. And I wouldn't want to have to stop you from touching it, nor would you.”
Simon shook his head hopelessly and slowly followed her out.
The unnatural stillness was heavy over the field outside of the cottage. Simon looked up and guessed that it was late afternoon, perhaps an hour before sunset. He'd been unconscious for a long time.
Heather led him to the middle of the field and then turned and waited until he caught up. She folded her arms and watched him with a sly smile on her lips.
“I know you hate me for what I've done to the mundanes, Simon. But consider this. They were doomed from the beginning. The gods of Chaos demanded their deaths and, if I wasn't the one to obey their command, someone or something else would. So, putting that aside for the moment, what harm have I truly done to you, personally?”
Simon stared at her in disbelief.
“What harm? Are you kidding me? You're an evil b...”
She held up a warning finger.
“Uh-uh, little man. Let us not descend to name calling here. Put away your emotions for the moment and answer me honestly, one wizard to another.”
Simon glared at her and then took a deep breath, trying to slow his racing heart and get himself in hand.
“Fine then. Personally, you haven't done a thing to me, yet. Before you became...this, you were a decent neighbor, quietly going about her business, whatever that was. So what?”
She nodded.
“Exactly. I haven't hurt you. I don't want to hurt you. You have power, Simon. Magic that will only grow if it is allowed to. But it is nothing compared to the abilities you could tap into, if you were granted access to true power.”
“Meaning?”
Heather laughed lightly.
“Isn't it obvious? Join me. Swear allegiance to the dark gods. With their blessing, just think how high you could rise in this new world. They don't want to rule the New Earth, Simon; they simply want to conquer it and move on. The Universe is their ultimate prize. This planet is only a stepping-stone, a doorway from the Void into our plane. Once they return, they will select a chosen few to rule in their stead and leave. You could be part of those few, just as I shall be.”
“Really?” Simon tried to keep his voice calm as he listened to the madness that Heather was spouting. It wasn't easy.
“Didn't you tell me that these Chaos Lords of yours hated me? Why would they give me power when they want to destroy me?”
Heather cocked her head and narrowed her eyes as she watched him.
“Oh, I think I could convince them. They want to return, Simon. If turning you into a servant and using you against their enemies, the gods of Light, achieves that goal, so much the better. In fact, I'd say that they'd find such an outcome quite amusing.”
“Yeah, I'll bet they would,” Simon muttered.
“So what do you say? Join me. Your cause is lost, my old neighbor. I have your true name, and so I have your power. Come with me and who knows what heights we can aspire to.”
Her eyes were shining and Simon could see the hunger for power and glory in them. It was sickening.
“Before I make such a momentous decision, I'd like to know a few things.”
Heather's look became suspicious.
“Oh, come on now,” he continued. “Surely you can answer some questions before I make what will possibly be the last decision of my life?”
The former witch nodded slowly.
“Fair enough. Very well then, ask your questions.”
And she folded her arms and waited.
“One thing that I'm curious about. In that fake note you left me, you mentioned the green dragon. How did you know that was my next target?”
Heather snorted a laugh.
“That's one of your questions? Fine then. I knew for two reasons. First, the next most powerful primal dragon in the hierarchy is the green. I assumed that you would want to face them from the weakest first, which was the black, to the strongest. Naturally you would pursue the green next. And secondly, you foolishly mentioned your plans to that insipid cleric in that little town, what is its name, Nottinghill? Yes. Well, I was listening in at the time and you yourself gifted me with that information.”
She shook a mocking finger at him.
“You should never share your plans with others. Trust is vastly over-rated, in my opinion.”
“Clara is entirely trustworthy,” Simon said angrily. “It was my own fault for not realizing that someone could eavesdrop on my conversations.”
Heather shrugged.
“Whatever. But that is how I knew. Imagine how upset my masters were when I passed on that tidbit of information.”
Simon felt a coldness settle in his belly.
“You told them?” he asked faintly.
“Of course.” Heather grinned at his reaction. “After all, you did manage to kill the black dragon, didn't you? I know it was all luck and trickery, but the gods seemed to think that you might be a threat to the other dragons as well.” She chuckled. “Do you know much about the green dragon and its attributes, Simon? I still have some power over herbs and growing things and have some small fondness for the primal green. It lives in deep jungles and absorbs the life energy of plants. Its breath is chlorine gas, potent and deadly. And it was very grateful for my warning.”
Simon took an involuntary step back.
“You spoke to that monster? Are you insane?”
“Not at all. The dragons are highly intelligent. Even you must know that. And, as I said, I feel like the green and I have common interests. So naturally I got in contact with it.”
Heather frowned a little and stared past Simon.
“I wish I could say he or she, but only the gold dragon is female. All of the others are gender-less. Ah well.”
She focused on him again.
“I suppose I should mention, perhaps as a little incenti
ve, that the green dragon would like to deal with you personally.”
She giggled at Simon's look.
“Oh yes. You have offended it. Killing its sibling, threatening it and its masters? Yes, if you decide to foolishly follow your current course of action, I am to deliver you up to the green. Add that into your decision making process before you say yes or no, Simon.”
Everything that the former witch had told him about the green dragon's nature, Simon's research had already uncovered. But she had failed to reveal one thing; the dragon's only weakness. Either Heather didn't know it, or chose not to tell him about it. Interesting.
“Now then, this little chat has gone on long enough,” Heather said firmly. “I've given you a choice and now is the time for you to make it.”
“Just one more question, please. It will help me to decide my course of action.”
The former witch looked skyward as if in exasperation and then frowned.
Simon followed her look and then stared fixedly at a spot directly above Heather's field.
“What is that?” he asked.
The spot was growing larger, swirling in a circular motion, its edges tinged with green light.
“Oh dear,” she said faintly. “Apparently my ally has become impatient. We're running out of time.”
She looked at Simon.
“Ask your last question, little wizard. The primal green is coming. If you decide to join us, I believe that I can stop it from destroying you. If not, well, at least I won't have to drag you down to South America to meet it.”
Simon was still watching the now enormous round patch in the sky. The center had turned a pale red in color while the edges were now distinctly green, the color of new grass.
He tore his gaze away from the sight and looked at Heather.
This is it, he thought. Let's hope I've done this right.
“Okay then, here it is. You have my true name in your possession, right? So, where do you keep yours?”
Simon watched the woman closely as he asked his question and saw her hand twitch involuntarily toward her throat before she gave him a look of disdain.
“Did you really think I would tell you that? And what does it matter? You cannot use your magic on the one who knows your true name, little wizard. Don't you know that?”
She looked up quickly.
“Now, make your decision, Simon. Join us and live. Deny us and die. Those are your only choices.”
“Actually, there's a third choice,” he said and stepped back quickly. “Now!” he shouted.
“What?” Heather said, confused. And then the ground around her exploded in all directions.
A half-dozen earth elementals leaped upward and grabbed her, pulling her off her feet and slamming her to the earth.
Simon moved forward while the former witch was pinned by Kronk and his fellow earthen, but faltered as Heather laughed.
“What a fool you are, Simon,” she said as she looked up at him. She was spread-eagled against the ground, her arms and legs held down by the enormous strength of the little elementals.
“I have your true name. And now you've forced me to use it. Ah well, at least your death at my hands will be quicker than what the green dragon would do to you.”
She grinned evilly up at him.
“Good bye, foolish wizard.”
An incantation spewed from her lips, spoken so quickly that Simon couldn't even tell what spell she was casting. But instead of trying to stop her, he simply stood and watched.
“Master!” Kronk cried out from where he held one of the woman's shoulders against the ground. “Quickly, you must stop her.”
Simon smiled at his little friend and shook his head.
“Let her dig her own grave, Kronk,” he said tightly. “She's more than earned it.”
Heather finished her incantation and then hesitated, looking up at Simon in confusion.
“You want to die, do you?” she asked him.
“No, and for all you've done, I don't want you to die either. Surrender and you can keep your life. All I will take from you is your true name, and your power.”
She hissed and spat at him, then laughed crazily.
“Oh, is that all? I have you, fool. Now burn! I invoke this spell with your true name.”
With a great convulsion, Heather pulled her shoulders out of the earthen's grasp and pointed at Simon.
“Invectis ienna Nomis!” she cried loudly and then cackled, watching him with anticipation.
Her laughter turned to screams as Heather burst into flames; fire covering her as if she'd been soaked in kerosene.
The earthen moved back quickly. They weren't harmed by the fire but simply stepped back while the former witch writhed and convulsed in her final agonies.
Part of Simon regretted her death, but a very small part. He remembered the heap of bodies in that burned-out farmhouse. Mundane humans or Changlings, it made no difference. They were innocents, cruelly destroyed by Heather for her own ambitions.
The fire that the wizard had involuntarily called down upon herself was so intense that within moments she had burned to ashes. If she had been wearing her true name around her neck, on a pendant or something, it was consumed. Nothing remained but a faint outline that hinted at a human figure.
Around the field, the wall of thorns shuddered and faded from a vibrant green to a dead brown color. It shivered and collapsed into itself, snapping and crackling as it dried out and died. A smell of dust swept across the field from the remains of the barrier.
Simon sighed and wiped his sleeve across his forehead.
Well, he thought, that was step one. Now things are going to get really bad.
“Master?”
He looked down as Kronk hurried over to him. The little guy pointed up at the swirling sky.
“I was listening below ground, master. Is the green dragon truly on its way?”
“I'll go out on a limb and say yes.”
The wizard looked up at the intensifying colors swirling high above them.
“But moving something as large as a dragon through a Gate probably takes more time and power than it would for just a person. Hopefully we have a few minutes before it arrives. Come on.”
Simon turned and ran back to the cottage, Kronk hard on his heels.
Inside, he grabbed Bene-Dunn-Gal and tore the cloth off of it. The staff purred happily at his touch.
“Yeah, nice to see you too,” Simon told it as he hurried to the witch's table and searched through the heaps of detritus that littered its surface.
“Ah, thank God,” he exclaimed with relief as he found his rawhide necklace with the dragon crystal and the dwarven token still attached.
He slipped it over his head and tucked it inside his robe, found his shoes and put them on and then headed outside again.
“I'm glad to get that crystal back,” he told Kronk as they rejoined the five other earthen. All of the little guys were watching the now huge round spot in the sky with trepidation.
“At least the dragon won't be able to absorb my magic when it gets here.”
“But master, I don't understand something.”
Simon leaned his staff against his chest, wiped his face off again and pushed back his hair. Then he planted Bene-Dunn-Gal butt-first on the ground and looked down at his little friend.
“What don't you understand?” he asked, looking up from time to time in anticipation.
“The witch, wizard, whatever she was,” Kronk gave the pile of ashes that were Heather's remains a quick glance, “had your true name. Her spell should have done to you what it did to her. Why did it not work?”
Simon smiled a crooked grin.
“Call it my own paranoia, I suppose. You remember last year, when I learned that I needed to know my own true name before I could use magic most effectively?”
“Of course, master. You asked us how wizards kept their names with them, what items they used.”
Simon nodded slightly as he glanced skyward
again.
“Yes, and I said then that a bracelet or ring would be a bit obvious and that if a wizard were captured, their names could be stolen and used against them.”
“But, master, that is what happened!” Kronk said emphatically. “You wisely decided to inscribe your true name on your belt buckle but the witch found it anyway. I heard her use it when she cast her spell.”
“Did you?”
Simon looked down at the earthen and grinned.
“What did you hear?”
“Your secret name, master. It was...”
Kronk hesitated and the wizard nodded encouragingly.
“It was Nomis, master,” the little guy said, almost whispering.
Simon couldn't help it. He began laughing. There was a slight note of hysteria in the sound, but he could feel some of his fear diminish in the honest rush of emotion.
He calmed down and shook his head.
“Kronk, my little friend, Nomis is just Simon spelled backwards. Heather's spell was aimed at no one and so it rebounded on her.”
The little red eyes widened as the earthen absorbed what the wizard had said.
“Then, then, the name inscribed on the buckle was just a ruse,” he said to himself.
“Yes, Kronk. It was a trick. I took Aeris' suggestion last year, the one that I initially thought was nuts, and decided to run with it.”
“His...?” Kronk frowned, obviously trying to remember what was said in that long ago conversation. He gave a little jerk as he finally recalled what they had talked about.
“You put your name on your body itself?” he asked Simon in a small voice.
“I did. I won't tell you exactly where, but I don't think I need to. You saw me limping for a day or two after that.”
Kronk looked at Simon's feet, looked up at him again, and the wizard winked at him.
“Master, you are brilliant,” the earthen said in awe.
“Not brilliant, my friend. Just lucky. I...”
A blast of hot wind, smelling of damp weeds and rotting plants suddenly swept down from above and sent Simon reeling, wiping his stinging eyes.
“Sir wizard, it comes!” one of the earth elementals called out. They all looked up and Simon felt fingers of fear crawling up his spine.
Tales from the New Earth: Volume One Page 75
