“No! Don't talk like that! I can be there in a few minutes. I can Gate you out and Clara can heal you.”
“That I will not allow,” the paladin said in a weak but firm voice. “I will not leave my home, even at the cost of my life. Moscow is under my protection, and I will protect her until the end.”
Simon picked up his spell-book and slipped it into a pocket. Then he strode across the room and grabbed his staff.
“Fine. Then you'd better be good at healing, because I'm going to give you the time to do that.”
“What? What are you...”
“See you soon,” he said and tossed the mirror on to his sofa. Then he quickly chanted the Gate spell.
“Simon! What are you doing?” Aeris cried.
“What I have to,” he replied shortly. “Wish me luck.”
He invoked the spell and the room began to fade.
“But...” was the last thing he heard from Aeris before the world went black.
Chapter 14
As the black of the void faded into the world of sight and sound again, Simon gagged at the stench of rotting, putrid flesh.
He was standing within a few feet of the body of the drake. For some reason, the corpse was rotting quickly and the open wounds were green and running with sticky fluids. The smell was gut-churning.
He looked around quickly and spotted Liliana. As he hurried toward her, the paladin raised her sword, as if she had been drifting out of consciousness and was startled by his movement.
When she recognized him, Liliana let her weapon drop again and looked at him in pained disbelief.
“You're here,” she said faintly.
“Of course I'm here,” he said, trying to smile. “Did you think I'd just leave you to die? I don't do that to my friends.”
He knelt down next to her and dropped his staff while he examined her wounds.
They looked bad. The worst was a deep cut across her stomach where the armor had been ripped away. It was still leaking blood and Liliana had her hand pressed tightly against it.
Simon looked around. The paladin had made her stand in the remnants of a destroyed building. Part of the roof covered her where she lay, while the rest had been burned away. The ground was covered in rubble, pieces of broken cement and pools of melted glass. There was nothing he could use to stop the bleeding and he growled in frustration.
He bent down and tore a strip of cloth off of the bottom of his robe about six inches wide. He folded it quickly and then held it up so that the paladin could see it.
“Would you lift your hand for a second? I'll put this over the wound. It should at least slow the bleeding a bit.”
“Ah, thank you. That will help.”
She dropped her bloody hand and Simon squatted down next to her and gently covered the injury with the folded-up piece of cloth, trying not to stare at the raw lips of the open wound.
Liliana put her hand on top of the bandage and sighed with obvious relief.
“That is much better. Thank you.”
Simon nodded and then looked at the dead drake.
“Have you heard anything from the other beast?”
“Not yet, but I am sure that it's close. Their sense of smell is excellent. It will easily follow the trail of the one that I killed.”
“No sign of dragons?”
She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes.
“None. The drakes were set loose and left to hunt. As far as the dragons are concerned, I'd guess that they think I'll be taken care of by their servants. They may be right.”
“They aren't,” Simon said angrily and she opened her eyes in surprise at his vehemence.
“We need you, Liliana. This city, this world, needs you. I have few enough allies in my fight with the damned dragons and I've lost too many as it is. I'm not losing any more.”
She nodded slowly, her eyes searching his.
“Thank you. I'm used to being self-sufficient, as you have probably figured out by now. It's hard for me to ask for aid, to rely on anyone but myself. But it seems that I have no choice in my current situation.”
Simon had to smile.
“Good. I'm glad to help.” He stared around at the desolate building. “How far are we from your new hideout?”
Liliana rested her head against the wall again and frowned at him.
“Why? I don't want to lead that drake to my home.”
“I meant for after. I assume you'd rather be comfortable while you heal up than sit here in this shattered building.”
The paladin actually laughed lightly and then hissed, clutching the bloody cloth to her stomach.
“Well, aren't you the optimist, sir wizard? I am afraid that my new home is quite a distance away. I'll have to stay right here for now.”
She let go of her broken sword and grabbed his wrist convulsively.
“What is it?” he asked, startled.
Liliana's voice dropped to a whisper.
“It's coming,” she said under her breath.
Simon lifted his head and looked around slowly, his eyes darting to the left and right.
“I don't hear anything. Are you sure?”
“I'm sure. I can feel it.”
“Where? What direction?”
She picked up her sword and pointed it shakily to the left. There was a wide opening there in the wall, scuffed marks on the ground leading outside.
“I came in that way and faced that drake in here. I assume the other one is following its trail.”
Simon grabbed his staff and stood up. He crept along the wall until he reached the opening. He peeked around the edge and found himself looking out at a wide alley, high walls on either side. It ran at least fifty feet to a street beyond that was choked with rusted old cars and wreckage.
The day was cool but not cold and the sky was gray. It was late afternoon in Moscow and he was struck at how quiet it was. No birds chirping, no wind. Just silence, oppressive and filled with a sense of menace.
“I don't see anything,” he whispered over his shoulder. “Are you sure...”
A shrill cry echoed down the alley, a scream of rage and hunger. It sounded like an old rusty hinge and set Simon's teeth on edge.
“Yes, I'm sure,” Liliana said dryly.
She tried to push herself up but only moved a few inches before collapsing back against the wall.
Her face twisted in pain but she bit back a cry.
“Well, that was a bad idea,” she said with a grimace.
Simon turned to look down the alley again.
“No movement yet. The drake sounds close but it can't be. These buildings must be distorting sounds.”
With another quick glance, Simon pulled out his spell-book and flipped through it.
“Is this a good time to do some reading?” Liliana asked in surprise.
The wizard smiled as he scanned his spells.
“I've got a lot of spells locked in my little head,” he said as he read. “But it never hurts to have a few extras memorized.”
He scanned through a few spells, quickly memorized them and put the book away.
“Anything yet?” the paladin asked anxiously.
“Nothing.” Simon frowned. “I don't get it. That thing sounded so close.”
A slight movement drew his eyes upward and he glanced in that direction, expecting to finally see a bird or a scudding cloud racing across the sky. Instead he stood there gaping in shock.
A drake, dirty white and scaled, was racing down the side of the building on the left side of the alley, as if it was running along the ground.
“Whoa!” Simon shouted and staggered backward toward the paladin.
“What is it?”
“Shield!” he barked as the drake, six feet high and a dozen long, fell the last few feet to the ground and leapt through the opening into the building.
A mouthful of dripping fangs shot out at Simon and Liliana, only to rebound from the shield, which sparked and sizzled as the drake bounced of
f of it.
The scaled horror shrieked in pain and anger and crouched down, ready to spring. It's red-rimmed yellow eyes were slitted like a cat's and its mouth dripped thick ropes of saliva.
Simon watched as the drake reached out a paw with razor-sharp claws and swiped it across the shield. More sparks and the smell of burning flesh followed and the monster skittered back, screaming in frustrated rage.
“How long will your barrier last?” Liliana asked through her teeth. She was pointing her sword at the drake, lips drawn back in hatred.
“I've managed to extend it to ten minutes,” Simon told her as he kept his eyes on the beast. “That gives me time to see if my new spell is effective.”
The paladin spared him a quick glance.
“Is now the best time to experiment?” she muttered.
“It may be the only chance I'll get,” he replied. “Is it true that the drakes share the same weaknesses as the primal that they're a part of?”
“It is. Why?”
“Perfect,” Simon said with satisfaction. “Okay, you ugly... Let's see how much cold you can handle.”
The drake whipped its tail from side to side, debris and stones flying in all directions. It suddenly leaped at the shield again, and again was slammed back, this time so violently that it actually somersaulted in the air.
It landed on its feet like a cat and dug furrows in the cracked cement floor with its jagged claws.
“Not too bright, are they?” he said to Liliana, who snorted a bit.
“They are beasts, full of malice and hunger, nothing more. Just wind them up and let them go. The perfect hunter to do the dragons' dirty work.”
Simon chanted an incantation, keeping his eyes glued on the spot where the drake was hunkered down. The monster was helpfully staying in place, obviously frustrated by the shield and apparently trying to figure out what to do next.
The wizard paused, thinking about the slaughter of innocents that these creatures were responsible for, not just Liliana's people but the untold millions in the cities and towns that the dragons had attacked when the world was consumed. Rage tinged his vision red and he pointed his staff at the ground beneath the drake.
“Invectis!” he growled, his arm shaking with fury.
There was a moment of deathly silence and the drake lifted its heavy head and looked around in confusion. And then, from all directions came the shrill sound of violent winds converging at one point.
The drake was slammed into the ground by the pressure of the frigid winds. The air became white with condensed moisture and flakes of snow swirled around it. The cement floor snapped and crackled and was covered with a thick layer of ice.
The monster only had the chance to utter a dismayed wail that was quickly cut off and then the air thrummed with deep cold and both Simon and Liliana watched in amazement as the drake was covered with frost and then, it froze solid.
“Wow,” the wizard said as he stared in shock. “That was, um, surprising.”
He turned at the sound of the paladin's laughter.
Liliana was smiling wickedly as she looked at the frozen beast. Icicles made of drool hung from its gaping jaw and its eyes looked like two yellow marbles.
“Oh, that was perfect, Simon. Perfect.”
She winced as she began to stand and the wizard quickly wrapped an arm around her shoulders to help her up.
“Are you sure you should be...”
“I'm healing as we speak. Don't worry about me. But I have to see this up close for myself.”
Simon nodded and canceled the Shield spell. Then he helped Liliana to slowly walk across the room to stand next to the frozen drake.
The air was still cool but the chill was fading quickly. The drake however was radiating a deep cold and looked like an ugly icy statue of itself.
The paladin laughed again, her expression one of satisfaction. Simon stepped back so that she could stand by herself and watched, both pleased and a little alarmed by her reaction.
Suddenly Liliana drew back her arm and smashed her broken sword down on the head of the drake. It shattered like crystal and frozen flesh, bone and brains exploded in all directions. It was horrifying and yet almost comical at the same time. Simon dodged to avoid being hit by the hideous debris.
The paladin turned back and looked calmly at Simon, her expression once again serene and controlled.
“I cannot thank you enough, sir wizard,” she said, her voice thick with emotion. “Not only for destroying this monster but for coming to the aid of someone you barely know.”
“That's what friends do,” Simon said simply and shrugged.
“Do they? Well, perhaps I have been alone for too long. My friends have always been few, both before and since the world changed. My people were companions but I was not close to any of them.” She looked away. “Considering how much their deaths affected me, maybe it's just as well.”
Simon didn't know how to respond to this bit of personal information, so he decided to change the subject.
“What now?” he asked the paladin. “Are you well enough to make it back home alone, or would you like me to come along?”
Liliana lifted the bloody cloth off of her stomach and showed the injury to Simon. He gasped at the sight.
The gaping wound was gone. All that was left was a thin red line, still covered with sticky blood, that looked like an old, almost healed scar. Simon stared at it in wonder.
“That is amazing,” he said finally. “When you said you would heal, I had no idea that it would happen so quickly.”
“Blessings from the gods,” Liliana said with a wry smile. “As you can see, I'll make it back to my hiding place by myself.”
“Good. I'm glad to hear it.”
Simon hesitated, not sure if it was the right moment to bring up the paladin's lie. But he took a breath and plunged on.
“Liliana,” he said slowly. “I wanted to ask you something.”
She wiped her sword on the drier side of her bandage and slipped it into its sheathe. Then she looked at him quizzically.
“Of course. Anything.”
The wizard looked at the stained hilt of her sword and then at the shattered head of the drake. He swallowed nervously.
“Well, this may not be the best time to talk about this, but it's been bugging me and I'd like to clear the air.”
Liliana gave him a long searching look and then she smiled slightly.
“No, allow me. You found out that I lied to you, didn't you?”
“Um.”
She laughed and gave him a clout on the shoulder that almost knocked him over.
“Oh, sorry about that. Yes, I did lie to you, sir wizard. I simply did not want to be bothered by others after my people's destruction. I needed to avenge them, to vent my rage in a useful way. Little did I know that my vengeance would anger the dragons enough for them to send other drakes after me.”
“I think I understand,” Simon said as he rubbed his shoulder. “But then, how did you block my communication spell?”
She turned away and stared at the drake. Rivulets of water were now running off of the carcass, creating little pools on the cracked floor.
“I mentioned it already. Rage, my friend. Pure animal rage. I know a little something of magic, you see. I've studied old books in some of the city's libraries. I know that there are ways to stop someone from contacting you with spells. Strong emotion is one way.”
She looked back at Simon.
“I did not intend to block you, not the first time you called. I was simply too furious for you to reach me. When you told me that you had called, I knew what had happened. I did not want you to call again, not until I was ready, so I lied.”
“But I was told that a paladin who lies can lose their powers.”
He gestured at her healed wound.
“Obviously your powers are still intact.”
Liliana shook her head and sighed.
“Your source of information is only partly correct. Eve
ry paladin has a patron, a god who grants them their powers. My patron is...a little more forgiving than others. She has given me license to take the battle to the dragons, come what may. The only way that I would have my powers removed would be if I were to slaughter innocents. And I assure you, my only targets in this war are the dragons and their minions.”
“She?” Simon was startled. “Weird. I was visited by a god in a dream, who appeared to me as a young woman. She told me to call her Lady. She mentioned something about a legend walking among us. Would I be correct in assuming that she meant you?”
The paladin looked at him closely, seeming to be weighing her answer. After a moment, she nodded reluctantly.
“Yes, I suppose she was. You see, the legend she was speaking of was that of a rogue paladin, one who could go her own way without following any of the 'rules' that other holy warriors had to follow. It's an old story.”
“Is it? I've never heard of that one, but I'll take your word for it.”
“Now, if we are done for the moment, I'd like to get home before the dragons return or send another wave of drakes after me. I want to get cleaned up and sleep for a day or two.”
She stepped forward, removed her gauntlet and offered him her hand. Simon hastened to extend his own and they shook warmly.
“I want to thank you again for your help. If you hadn't come to my aid, I would have died here.”
The wizard felt his face getting warm.
“I have a feeling that you would have survived without my intervention,” he told her.
“No, my friend. I would not. Take care of yourself. Remember, if you need me in your battle with the primal white dragon, you need only call.” She grinned. “I won't block you next time.”
Simon laughed.
“Good. I appreciate that.”
Liliana waved and, after a quick look at the darkening sky, she slipped out of the building and was gone.
Simon cast the Gate spell and stared at the sagging body of the headless drake.
Well, he thought. One down, only a few thousand to go.
And he invoked the spell and headed home.
Tales from the New Earth: Volume One Page 97
