“No thanks needed. You know Kronk; he loves to be helpful.”
She actually chuckled a bit.
“True. He is a dear friend to you.”
There was a long pause and Simon and Aeris exchanged glances.
“Something's wrong,” the elemental mouthed silently and the wizard nodded.
“So your home is reasonably intact and your people are doing okay?” he prompted after the silence became uncomfortable.
Clara turned and leaned back, resting her head against the window frame.
“For now. Simon, I'm not sure that I should mention this, but you've been nothing but helpful to me and my town for the past two years and you deserve honesty.”
“Um, okay. What is it?”
“Here it comes.” Aeris muttered.
“Well, the truth is, no, my people aren't doing okay. Or rather I should say that most of them aren't. And that includes me.”
“I see. So what's the problem?”
“I wish my mirror hadn't been destroyed by those cursed wights,” she said irritably. “I really hate this talking into space without being able to see you.”
“Sorry about that, but there's an easy, temporary fix.”
She looked startled.
“Which is?”
“Just fill a bowl or pot or whatever with water. You can use its surface as a mirror to see me.”
She stood up abruptly.
“Why didn't I think of that? Okay, hang on a minute.”
Simon and Aeris watched as Clara made her way around the large, crudely-built room, rooting through several chests. He decided that she must be in the barracks. It was a fairly new building that had been built by Malcolm and Aiden in the autumn. He saw a half-dozen crude cots and some heavy shelving attached to the walls. A large fireplace was built into one of the walls and a fire was burning merrily in it.
“Aha!” the cleric exclaimed as she pulled out a metal pan from one of the chests. She crossed the room to a table and poured water into the pan from a pitcher that was sitting there. Then she sat down at the table and peered into the water.
And with an audible click, the cleric and the wizard were suddenly looking directly at each other.
“Ah, there you are,” Clara said with a genuine smile. “You look so much better than you have this past week.”
“Well, I'm vertical, so that's an improvement,” Simon joked.
She smiled quickly and then became serious again.
“As I was saying, I want to be honest with you, my friend. Cards on the table, as we used to say.”
“I appreciate honesty, Clara. You probably know that by now.”
“I do. So, here it is.”
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes for a moment, and then looked at Simon intently.
“The majority of my people, myself included, want to abandon Nottinghill.”
Her voice was flat and emotionless, but Simon could see the pain in her eyes. And even though he was expecting her to say something about not being happy in the little town anymore, the announcement still hit him like a punch in the gut.
“Wow,” he managed to say. He felt the blood draining from his face and experienced a moment of dizziness.
“I am so sorry to drop this on you so abruptly, Simon, but I couldn't think of an easier way to tell you.”
“Yeah, I understand. Cards on the table, like you said.”
“Would you like to hear the reasoning behind the decision?”
“I can guess, actually.”
He held up his empty right hand and lifted one finger after another.
“One is the weather, obviously. Almost half of the year you can't grow anything. Your people are stuck indoors, trying to pass the time and becoming increasingly frustrated.”
“Bang on the money,” Clara said with a firm nod.
“Two, the attack of the wights, and to a lesser extent the attack by Madam and her undead, have freaked your people out. The wights especially. If such things become a regular occurrence every time there's a winter storm, and the winters do seem to be getting worse every year, how long will the town be able to hold out?”
“Exactly.”
“Three, the loss of your fellow townspeople. You've gone from a slowly growing population of almost forty people to twenty souls, including three children. That would rip the heart out of most people, I'd say.”
Clara only nodded.
“Four, the children themselves. They are your future. Hell, they're the future of our race. Yes, there are pockets of humanity still out there, but they are few and far between. I would hazard a guess that your people are more worried about them than themselves at this point.”
The cleric sighed heavily.
“You see things so clearly, Simon. You really do. Yes, the children. How long can we protect them? What kind of a future do they have if we stay in this inhospitable place?”
“I know. And lastly, at a guess I would say that staying in this part of the country is a constant reminder of everything we've lost as a people. All around there is nothing but wrack and ruin. Ottawa is a deserted hulk. The closest towns are graveyards. Everyone's former life and all that they've lost is on glaring display here. It's got to paint a dark shadow over even the most cheerful person's soul.”
Aeris gave Simon a sad smile of approval.
“Exactly right,” he whispered.
“You are so perceptive,” Clara said. She turned away and quickly wiped her eyes. “Everything you've said is correct. There are many more reasons, little things really, but yes, you've summed it up perfectly.”
Now it was the wizard's turn to sigh, long and loud.
“It's just such a shame,” he said heavily. “All the work you've done, the life you've built for yourselves. All for nothing.”
“Not for nothing, my friend. We've learned life skills that will help us along the way. We're closer than ever as a community. And I'd say that we're all a heck of a lot tougher than we ever were in our previous, more mundane lives.”
“I can't argue with that. Or with your decision. So, where do you all want to go? And when?”
“The where we are still debating. The when is as soon as possible. If another storm hits and brings more wights down on us, we may not survive. So it has to be soon.”
“Well, you know I'll help in any way I can. I'll volunteer right now to be your personal transport.” He smiled sadly. “Just tell me where to go, and I'll Gate all of you, and whatever you need to take with you, to whatever destination you choose.”
Clara's face showed her relief.
“Oh thank you! I didn't want to ask, especially since you've just gotten out of bed after being ill for a week, but that would be a lifesaver, it really would.”
“My pleasure. But if you don't mind a bit of advice, if you all really want to leave, then sooner really is better than later. You're right; another storm could be just around the corner and you don't want to be caught a second time. I'm not saying that a wight attack will come with it, but we just don't know, do we?”
“That's true,” the cleric said reflectively. “Okay, here's what I'm going to do. I'll gather everyone up today, as soon as we finish speaking. There are a few old world maps floating around here somewhere and maybe my atlas can be dug up from the ruins of the town hall. We'll try to find a suitable location and then, imposing on your generosity,” she grinned at him and Simon laughed lightly, “perhaps you can use the Magic Mirror spell to check out our choice to make sure that it at least looks safe?”
“I'll do that, of course. Why don't you go ahead and have your meeting. Signal me with the lodestone when you've made your choice, and maybe pick a few alternates just in case, and then I'll scout them out for you.”
“Thank you yet again, my friend,” Clara told him, her expression closer to normal than it had been earlier, and the lines of stress around her eyes fading. “I'll make the rounds right away, call a meeting and get back to you as soon as I can.”
&n
bsp; “All right, Clara. I'll talk to you later.”
She smiled and waved and Simon broke the connection. He looked glumly at Aeris.
“You were right,” he said tiredly. “They're leaving.”
Chapter 9
Kronk returned to the tower about two hours after Simon had spoken with Clara. The sun was just starting to go down in the west and the air was getting colder when he burst in the front door, a gust of wind whipping through the room and making the candles on the kitchen table and the mantle over the fireplace flicker and waver.
“I'm back, master,” he cried as he slammed the door behind him and jumped up to close the bolts.
Simon was treating himself to some hot chocolate and smiled at the little guy over the rim of the cup.
“So you are. How'd it go?”
Kronk tapped across the room and leaped up on to the kitchen table. He stood in front of the wizard, cold still radiating from his rocky body.
“It went well, master. The wall around Nottinghill is still intact. We did some minor repairs on both gates and the front drawbridge, but it did not take long. They are as secure as the earthen can make them again.”
“Good. Well done, my friend.”
Aeris flew down from upstairs, a large book in his arms.
“You may as well look too,” he was saying as he reached the bottom. “Maybe you can find some good spots that they haven't even thought of.”
He spotted Kronk as he approached the table.
“Oh, you're back. How was it?”
“Fine, fine. A few small repairs, nothing major.”
“Excellent.”
Aeris dropped the book on the table and Kronk looked at it curiously.
“The atlas, master?”
“Yeah.”
Simon slid the book over and opened it flat on the table.
“Did you see Clara before you came back?” he asked.
“Yes master. I told her how things went and she expressed her gratitude.” He paused and looked a bit perplexed. “She was somewhat distracted though.”
“Distracted by what?”
“Well, I had to interrupt her, master. She was in the barracks and the rest of the townspeople were there as well. They were having a meeting of some sort and there was quite a bit of loud discussion going on. I got in and out as quickly as I could so that the lady cleric could return to her business.”
“How loud?” Aeris asked him with a pointed look at Simon.
“Quite loud, actually. There was a lot of shouting and, um, lively debate.”
“I'll bet there was,” the wizard muttered. He gave the atlas a brooding look.
“What is going on, master?”
“I think that they're going to leave Nottinghill,” Simon told him sadly. “I understand their reasons, but it's such a shame. All the work they've put into it, all the work you've put into it and just like that: gone.”
He let out a long breath.
That'll teach me to pass out for a frigging week, he thought bitterly.
But you aren't involved in this, his inner voice said softly. It is their choice.
“It is sad, master,” Kronk agreed and then echoed the wizard's thoughts. “But it is their decision to make, isn't it?”
“I know. I know.”
He slapped his two hands down on the atlas.
“And since it will probably be the consensus to leave, I thought I'd maybe look around for a place for them to move to. You know, give them some options. The final destination will be up to them though.”
He began flipping through the book and the elementals moved to either side of it to watch.
“How far south is far enough, master?”
“At a guess, I'd say far enough that they never have to deal with winter again.”
Simon found a detailed map of the old United States and ran a finger down the middle of the country.
“It has to be fertile enough to grow crops, get enough rain and sun, and rarely get too cold.”
“What about that one?” Aeris suggested, tapping on a state.
“Nevada?”
Simon stared at him.
“It's mostly desert. They won't have to worry about snow but I don't think there's a lot of water there.”
“Right, right,” Aeris nodded as he stared intently at the map.
“I was actually thinking about this one,” Simon told them and pointed.
Kronk knelt down by the map and read the legend.
“Florida, master?”
“Yup. I know the northern part of the state gets the occasional frost in the winter, but they grew a lot of crops there in the old days, so there is fertile ground. And I know there were a lot of small towns and communities scattered about. Who knows? Maybe there are still some survivors down there.”
“Well, if the people from Nottinghill agree, there is a way to find out,” Aeris told him.
At Simon's questioning look, the air elemental pointed at himself.
“Just do what you did once before, and summon some of my kind. A half-dozen of them could scout that area in a week at most. They would bring back detailed reports of ideal locations to settle in and any dangers present. And perhaps news of Changlings too.”
“Excellent suggestion,” Simon told him and Aeris grinned, quite pleased with himself.
“Okay. I'll mention it to Clara when I talk to her again.”
The wizard frowned down at the book and then flipped over another few pages. He pointed at the map and the elementals peered at it.
“They may actually want to go further, maybe Central or South America. If that's the case, I'll still suggest sending your people down first to scout, Aeris. We can't have them walking in blind.”
“Absolutely not, master. Those people have suffered enough,” Kronk said firmly.
Aeris agreed.
“We must make the transition as painless as possible, especially for the children,” he said.
Simon was a little surprised at the feeling in the air elemental's voice. Aeris wasn't known to be sentimental but the wizard could tell that he really cared about the townspeople.
“Good. We're all on the same page then,” he said as he closed the atlas. “Now we'll just have to wait until Clara and the others decide, one way or another.”
The rest of the evening the three of them spent discussing the various scenarios that could come up once the people of Nottinghill made their decision. In the middle of the talk, Kronk asked a question that caught Simon by surprise.
“Are you thinking of leaving as well, master?” the earthen asked quizzically.
The wizard stared at him for a long moment.
“Why on Earth would you ask that?” he finally replied.
“I don't know, master,” Kronk said with a quick shrug. “The other humans are leaving the area. You will be left here with only myself and Aeris for company. I just thought that you'd want to remain close to your own kind.”
Simon leaned forward, rested his elbows on the table and his chin on his hands.
“My own kind?”
Aeris was watching him a little wide-eyed and the wizard wondered whether both of the elementals thought that he might head south with the others.
“Kronk, my friend, there are no others of 'my kind'. I'm a wizard, possibly the only one on the planet. Sure, the others are Changlings just like me, but there is very little else that we have in common. I've come to accept that I am a magical creature, a different kind of mutation than the others, I suppose, and that puts me outside of what a 'normal' human being is now.”
He smiled at them both.
“I have a hell of a lot more in common with you guys than I do with other humans, so in that respect I am remaining with my own kind. So to answer your question, Kronk; no, I'm not leaving. I can Gate anywhere the people of Nottinghill decide to move to. If they need me, I'll be there. But to be honest,” he paused and looked around the room, “I'm very fond of this tower. As long as the gates stay closed, we a
re as safe here as anywhere else on Earth. And I like the peace and quiet, to be honest.” His smiled broadened. “At least I do when you two aren't arguing.”
Aeris opened his mouth to object, realized that Simon was joking, and gave him a silent, wry grin.
Kronk nodded once.
“I am glad, master. We too think of the tower as our home. I cannot speak for Aeris, but I would be saddened to leave it.”
“I agree,” the air elemental said softly.
“And besides, we cannot move Sunshine in her current condition,” Kronk added seriously. “I do not know if Gating a pregnant mare would harm the unborn foal, but it might. I would not like to take that chance.”
“Definitely not,” Simon agreed. “She stays put for now. I think moving somewhere else would upset her a lot. Like most animals, horses dislike change of any kind.”
The evening wore on and Simon finally went to bed, still waiting for Clara to signal him using the lodestone.
Must be quite the meeting, was his last thought as he drifted off to sleep.
The next morning, Simon toasted some bread in the fireplace, slathered it with apple jelly he had received in trade with the good people of Nottinghill and sipped his tea as he ate.
Kronk was out with the horses and Aeris had decided to sweep the area around the tower. 'Just in case,' he'd said.
Simon pulled Clara's lodestone out of his pocket, but the egg-sized stone was still dim and cool to the touch. She hadn't called.
What is taking them so long, he wondered. He also wondered if maybe there weren't as many people who were willing to leave their town as the cleric had assumed. It could get ugly if that was the case.
He was just washing up when he felt a flash of warmth and a gentle tingling in his pocket. It was the cleric's lodestone.
“Finally,” he said out loud. He sat down at the table and picked up the mirror. He'd carried it around the tower all morning.
Simon cast the Magic Mirror spell, settled back in his chair and waited for the mist to clear off of the reflective surface. When it did, he saw that Clara was once again sitting in the barracks. She was alone and there were faint purple bruises under her eyes. Her hair was untidy and her expression as she gazed out of the window was one of profound sadness.
Tales from the New Earth: Volume One Page 130
