“You can't know that,” Aeris told him darkly. “You saw only a small portion of the area. There could be a mass of drakes just waiting to strike. And then what?”
“That's why I want the two guardsmen with me,” Simon said calmly.
He studied both of his little friends, knowing that their worry meant that they cared.
“Look guys, I owe it to Liliana and her people to make absolutely sure that there are no survivors. Surely you can see that?”
Both of the elementals stopped talking and exchanged a glance. Then they nodded slowly.
“Of course we can, master,” Kronk said, speaking for both of them. “How could you not? You care for others. Why do you think we admire you so much?”
Simon squirmed uncomfortably at the compliment and Aeris laughed a bit.
“So when are you leaving?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Right away. And before either of you asks, no, you are not coming.”
This set off another round of arguments and Simon finally just got up wearily and crossed the room to pick up his coat and gloves. He grabbed the staff and turned to look at the elementals standing beside each other on the table. They had stopped complaining and were watching him. Kronk looked resigned, while Aeris was scowling furiously.
Simon shook a finger at him.
“Instead of being mad, you should wish me luck. You know, just in case.”
“Master, don't say that!” Kronk said in shock. He looked at Aeris. “Wish him luck. Right now!”
Aeris reluctantly nodded.
“Fine. Best of luck,” he told Simon grudgingly. “And for all our sakes, don't do anything foolish!”
The wizard chuckled and chanted the Gate spell.
“Foolish? C'mon, Aeris, you know me.”
“Exactly. I know you. So be careful.”
“Thanks guys. See you soon.”
Simon invoked the spell and felt himself being pulled away. His last sight was of Kronk wringing his hands nervously.
And then he was standing in the middle of the town hall in Nottinghill.
He looked around but the place was deserted. He stood still a moment, trying to decide if Clara would be in her quarters or outside.
While he was making up his mind, Simon shifted his coat to his left arm and slipped his staff over his shoulder, adjusting it until it hung comfortably.
Weird how much I've missed having one of these, he thought reflectively and felt another pang of loss as he thought of Bene-Dunn-Gal. Ah well, at least this one helps boost my spells. I might need that soon.
The main door opened at that moment and the cleric strode in. She saw Simon and smiled at him affectionately.
“Not wasting any time, are you?” she asked as she approached. Then she did something that she'd never done before. She hugged Simon fiercely.
“Um, hi?” he said as she released him and stepped back.
Clara laughed at his expression.
“Sorry, but I think sometimes that none of us appreciates you the way we should. Here you are, shooting off into the unknown, risking your life for people who are basically strangers.”
She tilted her head slightly as she watched him.
“You're a special breed, Simon O'Toole,” she added.
The wizard snorted.
“No I'm not. You would do the same thing in my place, Clara. Anyone would. But for some bizarre reason, I was given the skill and the power to step up and try to help others. That's all it is.”
“Self-deprecating too,” the cleric said with a grin and Simon rolled his eyes silently.
“Anyway, I've just spoken to Malcolm and Aiden. They are eager to help you in any way they can.”
“Are they? Wonderful. You did tell them what we might face, didn't you?”
“Simon, warning those two about danger just gets them excited.”
The wizard chuckled and Clara motioned for him to follow her outside.
They left the hall and turned to the right.
“We finally built a barracks earlier this year, as soon as the ground began to soften up,” the cleric said as they passed several small houses, doors open to the warm spring day.
“Several of our people volunteered to join as full-time guardsmen, so Malcolm and Aiden have been busy with training.”
She glanced quickly at Simon.
“I'm just telling you this in case you were worried that taking them with you would leave us defenseless.”
“I was a bit, to be honest. Thanks, that's reassuring.”
They approached a low, one-story building built of rough stone. The roof was made of uneven wooden planks and the entire structure looked a little unfinished.
“Yes, I know it's a bit...utilitarian,” Clara said as she caught Simon's dubious look.
He felt his face turning red.
“It's not that,” he said quickly. “I think I'm a bit spoiled, to be honest. Having earth elementals to build for you is great, but they are such perfectionists that I'm not used to seeing something built by regular people.”
They stopped several yards from the barracks and Simon looked from the misshapen building back to Clara.
“You know, if you'd asked, Kronk and his fellow earthen would have happily built the barracks for you.”
“Yes, I mentioned that to the boys, but they wanted to do it themselves. We may all have Changed but machismo lives on.”
Simon laughed and Clara sighed and smiled.
The door of the barracks burst open and two men strode out into the sunlight. Their armor clanged as they walked up to Simon, both of them grinning like kids.
“Sir wizard! How good to see you again,” Malcolm declared loudly.
Simon was still overwhelmed by the man. The guardsman was simply the biggest man that the wizard had ever met. He towered more than six inches over Simon and was broad-shouldered and narrow-hipped. He was black, with long braids that hung to his shoulders and a handsome, friendly face. Right now he looked happier than the wizard had ever seen him.
His partner, Aiden, was almost as large. He was Vietnamese and his thick dark hair was longer than Malcolm's. His expression matched that of his friend.
He bowed to the wizard and smiled down at Clara.
“Thank you for allowing us to accompany Simon,” he said cheerfully.
“Don't thank me. You know that you are free to do as you please, especially right now when things are quiet.”
She looked up at both of them sternly, hands on her hips.
“We want you back here in one piece, so don't take any risks. And remember, if Simon tells you to do something, listen to him. He has more experience fighting the dragons than anyone, so follow his orders.”
“Clara, I'm not their boss,” Simon protested.
“You are leading this...expedition. You are the wizard and you know the area better than they do. So you are in charge.”
Clara's tone was quite firm and Simon held up his hands in surrender.
“Fine, fine. Whatever you say.”
She looked at him and then up at the grinning guardsmen and burst out laughing.
“Okay, fine. You three decide who does what. I'm just worried, that's all.”
“My friend, your words are wise, as always,” Malcolm told her, becoming serious. “Aiden and I are under Simon's command, whether he thinks we are or not. So don't worry. We live for battle, because that's what the Change turned us into. But we aren't stupid or impetuous. And we want to come back.”
Clara looked a little mollified and nodded weakly.
Aiden stepped forward and got down on one knee in front of the cleric. Malcolm hastened to do the same and Simon watched them curiously.
“Will you give us your blessing?” the young man asked formally.
The cleric's expression became solemn and she gently put a hand on both of their heads. Even kneeling, they were as tall as she was.
“In the name of the gods of Light, I bless you and strengthen you. May your swords
be swift, may your aim be true and may your enemies fall before you.”
She stepped back and the pair rose as one and thanked her.
Simon was fascinated. He'd never seen Clara act as a pure cleric before. But he had felt the magic gather around her and flow into the guardsmen and he didn't doubt her power.
Both Malcolm and Aiden were wearing full plate armor, gray and functional. Both had shields slung across their backs, but were armed differently.
Malcolm had a sword on his left hip while Aiden was armed with a long mace hanging from a loop on his belt. It had vicious spikes radiating in all directions and Simon thought that it looked incredibly deadly.
“We are ready when you are, sir wizard,” Malcolm said pointedly.
Simon looked up at him and nodded.
“Sorry, I was lost in thought for a moment.”
He reached out and clasped Clara's hand.
“I'll do what I can to make sure they're safe, my friend, but I can't guarantee anything.”
“I know that. They are adults,” she looked at the guardsmen and smiled crookedly, “barely, and have made their choice. I accept that. Just watch out for yourself, Simon. We want you back as well.”
“Thanks.”
Clara stepped back and Simon looked up at the pair of warriors.
“Okay guys. Each of you put a hand on one of my shoulders. And don't squeeze too hard. I'm a bit fragile.”
They both laughed and gently put an armored hand on opposite shoulders.
“Good luck, all of you,” the cleric said and they all smiled at her.
Then Simon chanted the Gate spell.
“Invectis!” he said firmly and watched as Clara disappeared, her anxious expression the last thing he saw as they faded into the void.
Chapter 10
The three men arrived smoothly in the center of the Moscow outpost. Malcolm and Aiden immediately drew their weapons and fanned out, moving slowly and looking in all directions.
Simon could barely see. The torches on the walls had burned out, so he muttered under his breath and made a gesture and a globe of light appeared in his hand and rose up to hover several feet over his head.
“Handy spell,” Malcolm remarked quietly as he searched the room.
“That it is,” the wizard agreed.
He slipped the staff off of his back and put on his coat. The air was cold but not freezing and he left the coat open.
Simon watched, not moving, while the two guardsmen made sure that the area was clear.
Aiden ducked into a small doorway in the back and returned, shaking his head.
“The latrine is empty. Some dried blood on the floor but no bodies.”
“The same out here,” Malcolm said as they rejoined Simon in the center of the room.
“Blood but no remains.” He looked at the wizard. “You think that drakes did this?”
“There's no way to know. But the front door was covered in deep gouges, definitely claw marks. A dragon wouldn't be able to get in here without doing massive damage. Drakes are only about six feet high and twelve feet long. They could squeeze down that hallway,” he nodded toward the far end of the room, “and attack. And,” he hesitated then plowed on, “they eat what they kill. That would explain the lack of bodies.”
“Yes it would,” Malcolm said grimly, exchanging a glance with Aiden.
“Should we head toward the entrance?” he asked Simon, obviously deferring to his leadership.
Simon grimaced but nodded.
“No other choice. If anyone escaped, they went that way. Unfortunately there is no other exit.”
They began to walk toward the hallway.
“Foolish, having a refuge with no back door,” Aiden muttered.
Malcolm glared at him and he shrugged.
“Well it is, and you know it. I'm not disrespecting the people here, but it was short-sighted.”
“Yes, it was,” Simon said, forestalling an argument. “I'm no tactician, but I wish I'd mentioned that to Liliana. Perhaps they could have found a better refuge.”
Malcolm nodded reluctantly but said nothing. Once they'd reached the hallway, he motioned for Simon to stay behind him and led the way forward.
They advanced slowly, the subtle squeak of armor and leather sounding very loud in the enclosed space. The blood had dried on the concrete floor and Simon did his best not to look at it or to imagine the last moments of the people who had lived here.
They turned to the left and saw the broken door lying twisted and slashed. Its metal plating gleamed in the light of the wizard's spell.
Malcolm moved forward and knelt beside the thick door. He ran his hand over the deep gouges, the metal grating unpleasantly under his mailed fingers.
“If a dragon didn't do this, then I can't think of anything else that could,” he said, his hushed voice echoing along the hallway.
Aiden brushed by Simon and examined the door as well.
“The slashes are over an inch wide,” he said in disbelief. “Whatever it was, it was huge.”
Simon looked past them at the steps leading up toward the ground floor. Sunlight still beamed in from above but it was growing darker as he watched. He knew that dusk was approaching.
“Guys, it's going to be dark soon. I think we'd better get upstairs and look around while we can.”
He made a small circular movement with a forefinger and the globe of light disappeared with a little pop.
“Good point,” Malcolm said. “With your permission, Aiden and I will go first.”
The wizard nodded with a tight smile and the two warriors began to climb the stairs, step by step. Simon moved to stand at the bottom of the stairway and watched them anxiously.
He counted thirty steps on the staircase and waited impatiently until the two guardsmen had reached the top before slowly following them.
Aiden turned and looked down at him. He gave Simon a thumbs-up and the wizard hurried up to join them.
At the top, Simon stopped and looked around, the two warriors on either side of him.
As the mirror had shown him, the roof had been torn clean off of the old theater and the blue sky, dotted with swiftly moving clouds, was open above them.
“My God,” Aiden whispered. “The sheer power it would take to rip off the roof of this place is staggering.”
Malcolm nodded mutely, obviously more interested in their surroundings. He moved to the right and motioned for his partner to head in the opposite direction. Simon stood still and examined the floor, trying to identify which way the survivors, if any, could have gone.
There were smudged tracks and a few boot-prints, but nothing to indicate if any were fresh. The dirt that must have rained down on the floor when the roof had been torn apart had muddled any existing evidence and all that he could see were scuff marks.
He moved forward toward what must have been the front entrance of the theater. The doors had fallen away, whether through recent violence or from the original dragon attack on the Night of Burning four years earlier, but there was an obvious path from the door to the stairs and he assumed that if anyone had made it out, they would have run that way.
There were wooden beams, misshapen pieces of metal and other bits of debris strewn across the floor and the path to the door twisted and turned somewhat to avoid these obstacles. Simon followed it slowly, watching the ground and straining to see any sign of recent footprints.
Several feet from the doorway, he stopped dead as if he'd walked into an invisible wall.
“Guys?” he called out, trying to keep his voice as low as possible. “Could you come over here please?”
Simon heard the sharp sound of metal on metal as Malcolm and Aiden hurried toward him from the depths of the building.
“What is it, sir wizard?” Malcolm asked as the two of them approached.
Simon just nodded at the ground in front of the gaping doorway. The guardsmen moved up to stand next to him and stared.
Aiden gasped while Malcolm mut
tered a curse.
“Well, now we know, don't we?” Simon said simply.
There was a large paw print pressed into the dirt, reminiscent of a dog's track, but over half a foot across. At the front edge were the clear marks of four claws that had dug into the concrete floor and left shallow grooves behind.
“Drakes?” Aiden asked under his breath.
“Drakes,” Simon answered, his voice bleak. “Damn it.”
Malcolm pushed past Simon carefully and moved to stand next to the entrance. He peered outside, looking around carefully.
“It looks clear,” he said and turned to the wizard. “Do you want to continue looking or should we...”
A ear-splitting scream from somewhere overhead cut him off and the three of them immediately ducked down and looked up instinctively.
A flash of white, almost silver in the dying rays of the sun, shot across the sky over the theater; there and gone so quickly that Simon barely saw it.
“Dragon!” he hissed.
“No kidding,” Aiden said as he looked up wide-eyed.
“Did it see us?” Malcolm asked, watching the sky.
“Wait. If it did, it will come back for another pass,” Simon told them.
They stayed crouched down, the guardsmen balancing their armored bodies by keeping one hand flat on the ground, and waited.
The cry was not repeated and they could hear no sound of dragon-wings. After a few minutes, Simon stood up cautiously and the others followed.
“I think we dodged a bullet that time,” he said, feeling a bit shaky.
“Let's hope so. I'd rather face a drake than a dragon, to be quite honest,” Aiden said, gripping his mace tightly.
“You haven't cast any spells except for that globe of light,” Malcolm said, looking curiously at Simon. “Any particular reason?”
“Yes. Dragons can sense magic. The light spell uses so little power that I thought I could risk it. But if I cast a Shield spell and one of them is close enough, it will draw it like a bee to honey. It's best to wait until we need it.”
“Sensible,” the big man said approvingly. “No need to stir up a nest of snakes unless absolutely necessary.”
“Exactly.”
Aiden had moved to stand at the doorway and now he hissed a warning.
Tales from the New Earth: Volume One Page 91
