I don't have time for this, Simon thought wearily.
“Okay, Aeris, let's cut the whining short today, shall we? I'm going to bring you home, right now. You obviously hate what you're doing and, even though you volunteered for this mission, I won't make you continue when you are clearly miserable.”
The wizard waited, the mournful sound of the north wind's wailing echoing around the room.
“What? No! You can't recall me now. I'm only about halfway through my scout. It would a colossal waste if I gave up now.”
“That's not what I'm hearing every single time I talk to you,” Simon told him impatiently. “What I'm hearing is that you are unhappy and, frankly, bitchy. And I really have had enough of it. Look, you're incredibly valuable to me and we need to know where that damned primal white dragon is, but angry people are hasty people and if you make a mistake, it could prove fatal. And I value you more than that.”
“You do?” Aeris actually sounded surprised and Simon frowned at Kronk.
“He should know that,” he whispered to the little guy.
“He does, master. But he's been alone in that horrible environment for weeks now. It could be affecting him more than he realizes.”
“Hmm, good point.”
“Look, my dear wizard, don't summon me home,” Aeris spoke up. “I would be ashamed to have failed in my mission. I...I apologize if I've been testy when we've spoken. Honestly, I look forward to hearing from you. I do. But, don't we all need someone to complain to, even if we are doing something useful?”
The plaintive question made Simon smile in sympathy.
“Yes, of course we do. Sorry, Aeris. I know this has been hard on you. It's just that we're waiting for moon-rise right now to find out if the amulets we made for Malcolm and Aiden will actually control their Lycanthropy, so I'm a little anxious.”
“You did it? But that's wonderful! I certainly hope the magic is effective. So, um, are you recalling me?”
Kronk tapped the wizard on the arm and shook his head vigorously. Simon was amused at the earthen's support of Aeris and had to agree.
“No, I'm not. If you are absolutely sure that you want to see it through, you can continue your mission.”
“I am, my dear wizard. I am indeed. Thank you for this. I'll try to be more patient in the future.”
“I won't hold my breath, my friend, but don't worry about it. We'll both attempt to learn patience and I'm sure we'll get through this. Anyway, I have to get going. Stay safe and I'll talk to you tomorrow.”
“That sounds good. Good luck with your friends.”
“Thanks Aeris.”
Simon canceled the spell and put down the mirror. He rested his chin in his hands and stared at Kronk.
“Do you think that he's cracking up?”
“Cracking up? I do not understand that term, master.”
“You know, losing it, getting soft in the brain, um,” the wizard tapped his forehead, “going crazy.”
“Ah I see,” Kronk said, his eye's widening in understanding.
He pondered the question in his usual slow, steady way.
“I do not think it is as serious as that, master. I believe that he is lonely and afraid, but Aeris will never admit it. You know that.”
“I have to agree. We'll never tell him we know, but I hope that if he does want to come back, that he admits it and doesn't let his pride overrule his head.”
Simon got up and walked over to get his staff.
“Okay, I'll worry about Aeris later. Right now, I'm heading back to Nottinghill.”
“Good luck to you, master. I hope it goes well.”
“Me too. See you soon.”
The wizard invoked the Gate spell and felt the void close in around him.
Seconds later he was standing in the town hall. There was no one around and he took a moment to wonder where exactly his body went when he watched the world go black during a Gate. After all, he had to go somewhere. It took time to teleport from one place to another and the farther away the target was, the longer it took to reach.
I call it the void, he thought, but is it the Void where the gods fought after they fled the Earth or someplace else?
He shrugged.
Something else to research at a later date.
He walked to the back of the hall and knocked on Clara's door.
“Come in,” she called out and he opened the door and entered.
Simon was surprised to find the cleric sitting on her sofa, knitting.
He crossed the room, sat down at her nod and just stared at what looked like a scarf.
Clara saw his expression and laughed lightly.
“I knit when I'm nervous,” she said, knitting needles flying. “Like yourself, I was in middle-age back before I Changed. I learned to knit when my daughter was born.”
“Daughter?” he asked with real surprise.
She stopped and rested her hands on the pile of wool on her lap. Her eyes got misty as memories seemed to overwhelm her.
“Yes, I had a daughter. I suppose a lot of us had kids back then. And spouses, parents, you name it. It's all so sad, really, and yet I'll go for days now without even thinking about her.” She glanced tearfully at Simon. “Did you have any children? Ah, I see. Well, Cindy was living in Florida when...when it all fell apart. Had just gotten married. Whole life in front of her. And then the dragons came and that was that. There were times early on afterward where I would spend hours just wondering what her last moments had been like. Was she alone? Did she suffer? Gods, I would torture myself thinking of the worst possible scenarios.”
Simon didn't know what to say. He'd been a lifelong bachelor. His parents had passed away when he was quite young and he had had no siblings. The only person he had grieved for had been his friend Daniel and even that had been temporary, because Daniel had survived.
I'll have to contact him once this is all settled, he thought fleetingly.
“You're very quiet suddenly,” Clara said to him as she picked up her knitting again.
“Just thinking,” he replied. “Life is so weird now and we're all just trying to survive and get through it. Memories of the old world seem to get lost in the shuffle, don't they?”
“That's what I meant,” she said as she watched her needles. “Cindy is gone and I guess I still have survivor's guilt. I lived, she died. Why? For what purpose? I think that the only way I made it through was by believing that in this new life, I could make a difference.”
She hesitated and stared silently at the blue and white scarf on her lap.
“Maybe that's why I care so much about the people here. They're all my children in a way, I suppose.” She looked at Simon with a fierce expression. “And I'll do anything to keep them safe. Anything.”
The wizard settled back in the couch and nodded appreciatively.
“I agree. Even though I never had kids, I feel a responsibility toward, well, everyone, I guess. I mean, the human race is on its last legs, literally. Not to sound too dramatic here, but the hunters have become the hunted. I know how much you love this town, Clara. I do too. But my concern has to be more...global. My fight against the dragons is to help protect all of the Nottinghills out there. I don't know how many there are, but they all deserve the chance to survive and grow.”
She smiled weakly and turned to look out of the window.
“Well, it looks like time is getting short,” she said and set aside her knitting. “The sun's going down. Shall we head over to see what's happening with Malcolm and Aiden?”
“Right behind you,” Simon told her as they rose to leave.
Outside, dusk was closing in. Simon saw several people coming and going around the village, some carrying loads on their shoulders, other chatting in groups of two or three. It all looked very pleasant and domestic.
Clara led the way across town to the enclosure. Its high walls looked brooding and ominous in the fading daylight.
Two guards were standing by the door as they approache
d. One was a woman that Simon didn't know. The other was one of the men who had stood guard the previous night.
“Liam, did you get enough rest?” the cleric asked him when they arrived.
The man smiled at her concern.
“I'm fine, thanks. Josh was a little too tired to stand watch tonight, so I asked Becky.”
He looked at his partner, who nodded at them.
“She's as fond of our friends in there as I am and accepted right away.”
“How could I not?” Becky said to him sharply. “The hell those two have gone through, just for doing their jobs? They deserve our support.”
“You're so right,” Clara said. “Thank you both for volunteering. Now, have either of you been in lately?”
“We were waiting for you, ma'am,” Becky said. “But if we're going to secure them in chains, we'd better get on with it. Time is running short.”
The four of them looked to the west. The sky was blood red and rays of intense yellow light fanned out across the horizon as the sun slowly sank out of sight.
“Not to worry,” Simon told them. “Moon-rise isn't for at least an hour. We have loads of time.”
Clara waved the guards toward the door and they hurried to remove the beams hanging across it and swing it open.
The cleric led the way inside. Someone had hung torches from sconces around the enclosure and the flickering light threw weird shadows everywhere. Sitting in the center of the room, both Malcolm and Aiden looked up as Clara and Simon walked in, the guards following along behind.
“Hey guys,” the big man called out as he and his partner stood up and brushed off their trousers. “Back again, I see.”
“Wouldn't want to miss the big event,” Simon told them jokingly. “Hey, you two clean up nice.”
Both men had shaved and changed their clothes. Now they were wearing rawhide tunics and brown leather pants with boots to match.
“Thanks. We feel better than we did, that's for sure,” Aiden told him as he pushed his thick black hair from his face.
“So who did your braids?” Clara asked Malcolm, smiling.
“Julia. She was a stylist back in the day, or so she says.”
He reached up and ran a hand over the tight braids that flowed from his scalp to his shoulders.
“I guess she's telling the truth. They feel good.”
“They're fine,” Aiden said with some exasperation. He looked at the cleric and the wizard. “There's obviously no conceit in his family; he got it all.”
“Watch it, you,” Malcolm growled in mock anger. “How would you like to wake up to a shaved head one morning, hmm?”
“Yeah? How would you like to wake up as a blond?”
The big man gasped.
“You wouldn't! You know how stupid I looked the last time I bleached my hair.”
“Exactly,” Aiden said darkly. “So tread lightly, big man.”
Simon heard a giggle and turned an amused gaze over his shoulder at Becky, who was holding a hand over her mouth.
“They really should take this act on the road,” he told her. She nodded mutely.
“Well, gentlemen,” Clara spoke up briskly, getting everyone's attention. “Time for the big question of the night. Do you trust the amulets to stop your transformations before they begin, or should we use those,” she nodded distastefully at the pile of chains lying near the wall, “just in case.”
Malcolm glowered at the heavy links of iron and then closed his eyes wearily.
“We feel different since putting on the amulets, my lady cleric, but neither Aiden nor I are willing to take chances. Put on the damned chains, just in case.”
Clara waved the guards toward the chains and watched as the previous night's binding was repeated.
“I really hate this,” Simon whispered to her.
“I agree. But it is their choice.”
“Doesn't stop me from hating it,” he replied tersely.
By the time the two men had been wrapped in length after length of heavy chains, the sky had faded to black and the first stars had appeared.
The guards helped lower both men to the ground gently and then, at a nod from Clara, left the room.
“How soon to moon-rise?” Clara asked Simon.
He looked up at the purple sky above the roofless enclosure.
“Any time now,” he said quietly.
“You both should head outside,” Malcolm told them. “You're at risk if this doesn't work, you know.”
“We'll take that chance,” the cleric said and Simon nodded silently. “The chains will hold long enough for us to retreat, should it come to that.”
“Clara,” a voice called from the doorway. It was Liam.
“The moon is just creeping into sight.”
“Here we go,” she said to them all.
Simon stood still, watching the men lying bound on the ground. His hands were clenched into fists and he was gritting his teeth so tightly that his jaw ached.
Both Malcolm and Aiden had the same expression on their faces. It was as if they could hear something just out of earshot, a call that the others couldn't.
“What is that?” Aiden asked. He scowled and his eyes darted around the room.
“A song?” Malcolm replied, puzzled. “Or...music? It almost sounds familiar. I don't...”
At that moment, both men went rigid, their chains chiming and clinking together. Then they convulsed, their bodies shuddering and writhing.
“Oh gods, Simon. It didn't work. They're changing. Run. Run!”
Clara turned to dart toward the door but Simon caught her arm and shook his head.
“No, wait. Look,” he said excitedly. “They're fighting it!”
The cleric turned and watched, wide-eyed.
Simon was right. The men's bodies seemed to blur, their outlines' indistinct. For a moment, there was a hint of fur and fangs, a bestial growling and then...it was gone.
Malcolm and Aiden lay there panting, as if they'd just run a great race. They were slick with sweat and wild-eyed. But they were still human.
“Liam,” Simon called out. “Is the moon fully risen?”
“Yes sir, it's well above the horizon now.”
The two men stared up at Simon who grinned widely.
“It worked,” he told them.
Chapter 21
They waited an hour after moon-rise, just to be sure, but Malcolm and Aiden showed no signs of transforming into monsters and Clara finally ordered the guards to remove the men's chains.
It was an incredibly triumphant moment for Simon and the others.
There was a lot of hugging and laughter as the two big men slowly accepted the fact that they were free of their curse.
“Just remember, you two,” Clara told them after everyone had calmed down. “Never remove those amulets. They are yours for life. In fact, when you get a minute tomorrow, I want both of you to go and see the blacksmith. He's got an enchantment that strengthens metal and I want him to use it on those chains around your necks. Better safe than sorry.”
“Trust us, dear lady,” Malcolm said, suddenly serious. “From now on, this chain and amulet is a part of my body as dear to me as an arm. And I'm sure that Aiden agrees.”
“I do. And again, let me say that we will never be able to repay what you and Simon have done for us. You've literally given us our lives back.”
“We only did what anyone would do in the same circumstances,” the wizard said, a little embarrassed by the high praise. “You might also want to spare a small thank you to the poor bastard who bit you both.”
“What?”
“Why”
“Because, according to the legends, the only way to kill a werewolf is with a wound to the heart...with a silver weapon. I'd say your worth as guardsmen just went up.”
Both men gaped at him in disbelief and Simon grinned.
“Maybe you should ask for a raise,” he added with a sly grin at Clara.
The cleric stuck her tongue out at him
and they all laughed.
“Well, what do you know?” Malcolm said in a dazed sort of way. “Every cloud does have a silver lining, if you'll pardon the pun.”
The group laughed again and then Clara dismissed the guards.
“Get some sleep, you two,” she told them. “And thank you for your service.”
As they were leaving, she added, “Tell anyone you happen to see that our friends here are no longer a threat. I'll do the same tomorrow when I call a town meeting. We don't want people panicking if they should happen to see two 'werewolves' wandering around the village.”
“We will, lady,” Liam told her. Becky echoed his words and they both left.
“And you two,” Clara said to Malcolm and Aiden. “For this one night, I want you to sleep in the hall. I'm not kidding when I say that some of our fellow citizens might freak out if they run across you outside tonight.”
“Of course we will,” Malcolm said with an approving nod from Aiden. “If I was in their place, I'd probably feel the same way.”
“Good. Let's go. I brought in some food earlier today, to celebrate if everything went according to plan. Plus, I know that you two are always hungry.”
“She means you,” Aiden said to his partner teasingly.
Malcolm took a mock swing at him and Aiden ducked out of the way with a laugh.
As they made their way to the town hall, Simon couldn't keep the grin off of his face. With everything that was going on in the crazy world they were living in, a win like this was even more satisfying and he intended to savor it for as long as he could.
It was a late night. Clara laid out a spread of roast chicken, venison, fried potatoes, gravy and several types of vegetables. She'd also brought in bottles of wine and urged them all to relax and enjoy themselves.
Malcolm and Aiden ate as if they'd been starving and Simon ended up so full, he had to loosen the belt on his robe. The wine was slightly sweet and went down more smoothly as the evening went on.
Clara disappeared for a short while and returned with the guards from earlier, Liam and Becky, as well as the guard from the night before, Josh. They were all dressed in civilian clothes and obviously off-duty.
Tales from the New Earth: Volume One Page 105
