“Good morning, Clara,” he said lightly.
Her head barely moved as her lips twitched with the barest of smiles.
“Good morning, my friend. How are you feeling today?”
“Great, thanks. No residual effects from my long slumber over the past week. I hate to say it, but you, on the other hand, look like you could use some sleep.”
“Do I?”
She sighed and turned away from the window. Simon watched as she picked up a small bowl. Some water splashed over her wrist and then the wizard was looking at Clara face to face.
“It was a...difficult meeting yesterday. Lasted until the wee hours actually.”
“Why's that?”
“Oh, lots of reasons. People are afraid to stay and afraid to go. The general consensus was that we have to relocate, but the problem was getting people to agree on where.”
She rubbed her temples and closed her eyes for a moment.
“And one person was holding out, adamant that he wasn't leaving no matter what.”
“Anyone I know?”
“Probably not. His name's Henry. He only found his way to Nottinghill last year. He's a general laborer, helps out where and when he can. I don't want to sound unkind, but he's a bit of a layabout; does the minimum, gets out of work when he can, tends to whine a lot.”
She shrugged.
“I guess every large group has someone like that. Anyway, he was comfortable here; always got enough to eat, loved the wine, found a willing partner. So he wants to stay, even with the danger. Unfortunately, his lady friend has no intention of staying. She's terrified of another wight attack, as are most of the others. When she told Henry this in front of all of us, he...kind of lost it. Took a swing at her.”
Simon sat up with a jerk. He'd never heard of any of the townspeople acting violently toward each other. It was a chilling thought.
“What happened? Is she all right?”
Clara laughed, a rather sad sound.
“Oh yes. Henry didn't realize the kind of reflexes that Malcolm and Aiden have. Before he could even get close to touching Sheila, that's his ex-girlfriend's name, the big guy dropped him with a clout to the side of the head. He's lucky that it didn't cave his skull in. I healed it immediately and now he's off somewhere, sulking I suppose.”
“He sounds like trouble, Clara,” the wizard said angrily. “What are you going to do with him?”
“Do with him?”
She looked into Simon's eyes with some confusion.
“Why, bring him along, of course. We don't have enough people as it is. We can't afford to abandon anyone, even one as small-minded and head-strong as Henry. Not without a damned good reason anyway. I'm hoping that he's learned his lesson, but we'll keep an eye on him for a while.”
“I don't know that I would be so forgiving, but it's your choice, of course. So after all of this, have you decided where you want to go?”
“Yes. Well, it came down to two choices really. Northern Mexico or Florida. I think either one would be a good choice. Someone mentioned California but the weather there can be...unstable sometimes. And there's always that old fear about a massive earthquake sending the entire state into the ocean. So, what do you think?”
“I think that great minds think alike,” he said with a wink and a grin. “I was going through my old atlas last night with my two friends and we also thought Florida would be a good choice.”
Clara laughed, sounding relieved and more like herself.
“That's good to know. So what's our next move?”
“Scouting,” Simon told her. “Instead of poking around using the Magic Mirror spell, I'll summon some air elementals and send them south along with Aeris. I can only have ten of each type of elemental summoned at a time, so I'll call in nine of them and send five to northern Mexico and the other four plus Aeris will scout out Florida. He claims that it will probably only take a week, possibly less.”
“Ah, that's a wonderful idea, Simon. Better safe than sorry these days. I'll tell the others. It will definitely make them less jumpy if they know that their new home, wherever it may be, is reasonably safe before they go.”
“My thoughts exactly. I'll get started right away and get back to you as soon as I hear anything.”
“Good. I'll get everyone to start packing the essentials. No sense in waiting until the last minute to get ready to leave. Oh, by the way, how's that beautiful lady, Sunshine, doing?”
“Resting comfortably, according to Kronk. I'm going to be checking on her daily from now on, and he's in there several times a day. Regular mother hen actually.”
The cleric smiled widely and looked more cheerful than she had a few minutes earlier.
“Gods bless him. Now if there's any change or she goes into labor, don't wait. Come and get me right away, day or night, all right?”
“Will do. Good luck with the packing. I'll talk to you soon.”
Clara waved and Simon canceled the spell. He sat for a moment and thought about what she had said.
Someone trying to beat on a woman on this New Earth of theirs? Had they learned nothing from what had come before?
He slammed a fist on to the table and the two candle holders jumped and almost tipped over. Simon took a deep breath and pushed back his hair.
Malcolm and Aiden will keep an eye on that Henry guy, he thought, trying to calm himself. And if they catch him at it again, somehow I doubt that they'll stop at a smack to the side of the head.
With that thought giving him some comfort, Simon got up and headed for the stairs. He'd left the atlas in his study and the chair up there was a lot more comfortable than the kitchen chairs.
Once he'd settled into his seat, Simon stared at the center of the desk and winced a bit, knowing what was about to happen.
“Aeris, I need you,” he said firmly.
A distant echo of sound was followed by a flash of intense white light and a crack of thunder that made his ears ring.
The air elemental appeared and hovered over the desk.
“You know, your entrance could be a bit less...flashy,” he complained to Aeris, who only rolled his eyes.
“That's the way it works, my dear wizard. I didn't make up the rules; I just have to abide by them.”
“Yeah well, anyway, I was talking to Clara a few minutes ago.”
“Were you? Excellent! Have they made any decisions?”
“As a matter of fact, they have. Come over and look at this.”
He opened the atlas and Aeris drifted over and hovered by Simon's right shoulder.
“What did they choose?”
“Florida for one, so we guessed correctly there. And...” he flipped through the pages until he found the correct one and tapped the map.
“Northern Mexico. Apparently they think the weather and soil there would be suitable for a new town.”
“Two locations,” Aeris muttered to himself as he rubbed his chin. “Interesting. So what do you want to do?”
“I'm going to recall the other air elementals that scouted for me before, the ones that searched the major cities for signs of life. I wrote down all of their names and summoning them should be easy enough.” He grimaced. “Except for that damned thunder.”
“Rules, my dear wizard. Rules,” Aeris said smugly.
“Yeah right. I want you to take four of them with you and check out Florida. The other five I'll send down to Mexico. You said it should take about a week?”
Aeris studied the map of Mexico and nodded.
“Just the northern part of this country?” he asked as he pointed at the map.
“That's it.”
“Then yes, no more than a week, barring any unforeseen surprises. And there may be some of those, as you well know.”
“I do, thanks. And I'm telling you now what I'll tell the rest later; no heroics, right? You go, you scout, you report back. If any of you run into something too dangerous, including, God forbid, dragons, then get your ass out of there and back here. Cle
ar?”
“Of course. We're scouts, not warriors. Just make sure you impress that on my fellow elementals. Some of them can be a bit...flighty, on occasion.”
“You don't say?” Simon told him with a knowing look.
Aeris just sniffed and looked away haughtily.
“Okay, hang on till I find that list of names.”
The slip of paper was tucked in the back of one of the desk drawers and, by the time Simon had found it, Kronk had returned from the stable and jumped up on to the desk. He watched the proceedings quietly.
The wizard was fascinated when all of the air elementals were finally recalled and they bobbed and weaved together on his desk, speaking quietly in their breezy voices that sounded like mournful gusts of wind. He also had a small headache from the nine claps of thunder he'd had to endure during the summonings.
Simon explained the mission to them, making sure to emphasize to the group that they were to be cautious and not take any unnecessary chances. Then he let Aeris split them into two groups, showed each group their specific map and wished them the best of luck.
The last of the elementals popped out of the room and left Aeris and Kronk standing near each other. The earthen looked at his friend and his expression was serious.
“You be careful down there,” he said stiffly. “Master and I have no interest in training a new air elemental to take over your tasks here.”
Aeris looked at him with wide eyes.
“Why, Kronk, I didn't know you cared,” he said sarcastically. When the earthen didn't rise to the bait, the air elemental smiled diffidently. “Don't worry so much; I'll be fine. And I'll be back before you know it.”
“Just remember, I've given you permission to return at any time; no need to wait for me to summon you,” Simon told him. “I suppose I should have done that for your fellows too. Damn. Well, too late now.”
“I know, my dear wizard, but you do not give that boon to every summoned creature,” Aeris said seriously. “Stretching the rules is your specialty, but doing so too often can be pushing your luck. At any rate, I'll return as soon as I can.”
“Right. Take care, Aeris.”
The airy figure nodded to them both and disappeared, leaving the wizard and Kronk to stare at each other with worried looks.
Simon put the list of names back in his desk and leaned back in his chair, watching the earthen curiously.
“What is it, master?”
“I was just wondering why Aeris thinks that allowing all of the elementals I summon permission to return to the tower is a bad idea.”
Kronk looked a little surprised.
“Forgive me, master, but is it not obvious?”
“Not to me. You seem to agree with him, but why?”
“Several reasons, master,” he replied.
Simon got up and motioned for the little guy to follow him as he headed downstairs. Kronk kept talking as he hopped down the steps.
“One reason, master, is a cautionary one. You remember that the water elementals have allied with the dark gods and the dragons?”
“How could I forget?” Simon said with an edge to his voice. He was still seething over that betrayal.
They reached the main floor and crossed to the kitchen area. Simon filled the kettle and set it over the fire while Kronk jumped on to the table.
“Well then, master, can you imagine the kind of havoc Anaposus could have caused if she had been given permission to negate your wards and enter the tower whenever she wished? The results could have been catastrophic.”
The wizard took a cup out of the kitchen cabinet, added a teaspoon of dried tea to it and leaned back on the counter, waiting for the water to boil.
“Ana. Yes. That's a valid point, for sure. Damn it, I actually really liked her, you know?”
“As did Aeris and I, master. And to be fair, she had to obey her leaders. An elemental's loyalty is always, first and foremost, to their ruler.”
“I suppose so.”
“And another reason that elementals shouldn't be allowed to enter and leave whenever they choose to is that they could lead danger back to the wizard who summoned them. That could be very bad, master.”
Simon watched the little guy intently, fascinated.
“What kind of danger?”
“Once there were supernatural creatures who could track their prey across vast distances. Evil creatures whose names I never knew, but who could use magic to follow others. An elemental could, in theory, lure one of these monsters back to their master. That would be an unforgivable breach of trust between one of us and his master.” Kronk shook his head mournfully. “Unforgivable.”
The water was boiling and Simon made his tea, adding a large dollop of honey. Then he sat down at the table and took a few sips before continuing his conversation.
“What kind of creatures are we talking about here? Dragons?”
“No master, not dragons. As I said, I do not recall ever hearing their names. But certain malevolent monsters could use magic almost as well as wizards, although not by using spells. They were horrors back in the ancient world. There have been no signs that these things have emerged into this new world, but the planet is large and, well, you never know.”
“Great. That's all we'd need,” Simon muttered into his cup.
“Indeed, master. These areas that Aeris and his compatriots are going to explore are new to us. Who can say what dangers wait for them. It was wise of you to admonish them to be cautious as they scout.”
“Let's hope they all listened. I don't want any casualties; I just want information.”
“They listened, master. You are their summoner, after all.”
Kronk grinned widely.
“And although I do not believe that you understand their language, I do, master, and Aeris was quite firm in reinforcing your orders.”
“Was he?” Simon drained his cup and answered the little guy's grin with one of his own. “Well, what do you know? I think our friend may actually be growing up.”
Chapter 10
Simon had tried to keep track of the months of the year since the old world had fallen, even though he knew that his dates were shaky at best. But he'd guessed that it was late November or early December when he sent off the air elementals to scout out possible locations for the people of Nottinghill.
A few days later, he and Kronk were in the study early one morning, talking about the earth elementals and the possibility of them helping to build a new town for Clara and her people, when Simon mentioned his guess at the date.
“I really do think that the winters are getting worse each year,” he told the little guy, who was standing on the desk next to him. The wizard nodded at the windows in the room, both of which were so thick with frost and ice that the sunlight was broken up into rainbows as it struggled to penetrate the glass.
“It's so cold out there that the snow is like a skating rink. I fell on my ass this morning when I visited the outhouse.”
He rubbed his hip gently and winced. There was a bruise there that was rapidly becoming an interesting shade of purple.
“I'm sorry to hear that, master,” Kronk told him gently and Simon smiled at his concern.
“No big deal. I just have to watch my step from now on. My point is, I can't remember it being this cold this early before. Kronk, you're a lot more in touch with nature than I am. Is it getting worse every year?”
“I would say yes, master. Back in the old, old days, the seasons were very extreme. Summers were quite hot and dry, winters were bitterly cold and often filled with violent storms. Spring and autumn were the seasons of growth and decline. It was all very organized.”
“But what is causing this?”
“Magic, master,” Kronk answered simply. “Magic has a profound effect on the natural world. Since the dragons returned, magical energy has been pouring into this world from the Void, sent by the gods of Chaos and, to a lesser extent, by the lords of Light. It continues to do so even now. That is why the w
eather is getting more extreme with each passing season. The world is still not saturated with magic. That will take many more years.”
“And the weather will just get worse and worse?” Simon asked him. Kronk nodded. “Great. Something else to look forward to.”
“The good news, master, is that in regions that have temperate weather all year long, that weather tends to stay quite gentle with little change. Again it has to do with the nature of magic.”
“Huh. That's actually good news.”
Simon looked at the window again and grimaced.
“Too bad I can't just move the tower to a warmer climate,” he said whimsically. ”I really do hate the cold, you know.”
“I know, master. I know.”
Chuckling at the little guy's dry comment, Simon flipped open the atlas on the desk yet again and stared down at the detailed map of Florida.
“I wonder how Aeris is doing?” he said to himself.
“You could just call him, master,” Kronk told him.
“Yeah, I know. But I don't want to distract him. If there's trouble, he'll pop back and tell us, right?”
The earthen stared at him silently.
“I mean, he would just come home, wouldn't he?”
“Probably, master. Yes, probably.”
They looked at each other for a long moment and then Simon grabbed the mirror that was lying next to the atlas. He raced through the Magic Mirror incantation and invoked it.
“Aeris, can you hear me?” he said loudly into the clouded glass.
His heart was in his mouth as Simon waited for a response. Aeris was not one to take orders to heart the way the other elementals probably would. He was an independent thinker, which the wizard appreciated. Most of the time.
“Yes, as usual my hearing is intact,” came the irritable reply and Simon grinned in relief. “What's the emergency?”
“No emergency. I just wanted to check in and see how you're progressing.”
The mirror cleared and Simon could see the air elemental floating several feet above a sandy beach. Behind him, breakers were crashing on to the shore and the waters of the ocean were a rich mixture of blue and green. The wizard suddenly longed for the warmth of southern climes.
Tales from the New Earth: Volume One Page 131
