“I'm worried too,” he said as he leaned against the counter. “But horses have been giving birth for a long time, most with no problems at all. Moving the population of Nottinghill has to take precedence. We have a two day window before that mega-storm hits and they have to be moved along with their belongings by then. Unless,” he looked at Aeris, “the storm has changed course?”
“I'm afraid not,” Aeris said regretfully. “I can feel its progress. It is racing down from the north steadily. By this time, two days from now, this entire part of the country will be buried in snow.”
Simon pulled a shoelace out of his robe pocket and tied back his hair. He sighed at the confirmation of the storm's timing.
“So there it is, Kronk. We'll have to trust that if Sunshine does have her foal, that your fellow earthen will be able to care for her until we return.”
“I have explained things to them, master,” the earthen said dubiously. “I suppose they will be able to help. Somewhat.”
“Have some faith in your own people, Kronk,” Aeris told him with a little smile. “They are reliable. Now, if we're all done here...”
“Not quite,” Simon told him. He picked up the mirror from the table and leaned back on the counter again.
“I want to talk to Liliana before we get moving.”
“The paladin? Why?”
“You tell him, Kronk. I have to get things moving.”
While the earthen was explaining the situation to Aeris, Simon cast the Magic Mirror spell and focused on Liliana, keeping her face firmly in mind.
“Liliana, can you hear me?” he asked the fogged mirror.
The mist rolled back and the wizard found himself staring at the paladin. She was standing in a rubble-choked street, looking up at something that he couldn't see. Without moving her eyes, Liliana answered him.
“Good day, my friend,” she said softly. “How are you?”
“I'm fine, thanks. How are you doing?”
Liliana was in full armor and gleamed in the cold Moscow sunlight. A sword hung across her back but her head was uncovered, her blond hair whipping around her face in the wind.
“Surviving, Simon. Surviving.”
She finally looked away from the sky and began walking.
“So what can I do for you today?”
“Um, well, there are things happening here that I thought you should know about.”
The paladin stopped abruptly, her brow furrowed.
“Things? Wait a moment; I like to see those to whom I am speaking.”
She looked around the street. Several twisted, rusted-out hulks that once upon a time had been cars were scattered haphazardly along the road and Liliana hurried over to one. Its windows were long gone, but a sheet of shining ice covered the blackened hood of the vehicle and the paladin peered down at it.
With an odd wrenching sensation, Simon was suddenly staring at her. She nodded and smiled perfunctorily.
“That's better. Now, what is happening? You sound quite tense.”
“I do? Well, I never was a very good poker player. Never could control my emotions enough. Yes, I'm tense. And worried. Let me explain what's happened over the last few days.”
As he proceeded to tell Liliana everything that had passed since the last time they had spoken, he began to notice subtle changes in the paladin's face.
She looked thinner, her cheeks pinched as if she was starving. Her eyes, always large and blue, looked enormous now. And she was, if anything, paler than ever. Simon wondered if Liliana and her people were getting low on supplies.
The paladin allowed him to speak uninterrupted, her face set and expressionless. She adjusted her sword once and shook her head irritably when her hair whipped across her eyes, but other than that, she stood unmoving, listening closely. When he was done, the wizard relaxed and waited for her comments.
“So you have run into these creatures as well,” she said so faintly that Simon could barely hear her over the wind.
“You've seen them?” he asked, startled. “Why didn't you signal me with your lodestone?”
“There was nothing you could have done,” she explained with a negligent shrug. “The attack was futile. Our new headquarters was secure enough to turn aside the attack. My people were terrified though and it's been difficult to motivate them to scour the city for supplies. We were trapped underground for several days until the storm they used for cover blew over. It frightened them.”
“Understandable. I thought you'd lost a little weight,” he commented, trying to make it sound like a joke.
Liliana frowned in response.
“That is irrelevant. Now, about your news. Your friend, the cleric, and her people are moving south? Now that is interesting. This new land is more moderate?”
“Very much so. It's very fertile as well. The coldest weather it gets is the occasional frost.”
“And these...goblins? They are barred from this Florida?”
“They are. The state has been transformed into a very large island and those creatures can't swim.”
A faint smiled crossed Liliana's face and faded. She looked up at the sky again and blew out a long breath.
“What is it?” Simon asked her. “What are you looking for? Dragons?”
“No, not dragons. The wind has moved and is blowing from the north. I can feel moisture in the air and I fear another storm is approaching.”
“Like the one racing toward us here.” Simon shook his head. “If I was a suspicious man, I'd say that it was more than a coincidence.”
“Well, I'm not that suspicious, my friend, but I do not believe in coincidence. I think the gods of Chaos are interfering directly in this, taking advantage of our weakness in the wintry season to attack us simultaneously.”
Simon whistled between his teeth.
“Damn,” he muttered. “That hadn't occurred to me.”
“And since that may be the case, your situation has given me an idea.”
“Okay.”
“I was wondering,” Liliana said with uncharacteristic hesitation, “if, assuming my people agree, if we could join Clara and her people in the south.”
Simon's mouth dropped and the paladin hurried on.
“Not permanently, perhaps,” she said quickly. “That would depend on how well we all got along. But maybe until the winter passes. We could certainly pull our own weight and help with the relocation and any rebuilding that needs to be done. To be honest, the weather here is getting worse all the time and supplies are scarce. My people are depressed and unhappy. And now with this latest attack by the wights, they are even more gloomy.” She sighed and looked directly at Simon. “Some of them have given up. They are despondent, hopeless. Perhaps a change of scenery, some warmth and companionship would help them.”
Simon grinned and shook his head.
Liliana stared at him.
“You disagree?”
“Far from it. I was actually going to ask you if you would like to come with us. But I honestly didn't think you'd agree. I know how much Moscow means to you.”
“Yes.”
She looked around the deserted street, her eyes unfocused as if seeing the city as it used to be.
“I love this place, but it is not the home that it was. I think that I've been holding on to the past too tightly. It has chained me to this city. But now those chains are threatening the people who look to me for protection and that is unforgivable.”
She shook her head with a look of regret and stared at Simon again.
“Let me speak to my people and see what they have to say. I suspect that they will be quite eager to leave. Call me back in a few hours and I'll let you know what we've decided.”
“Will do. I hope they do decide to come with us. The future is looking a lot brighter for the folks from Nottinghill and I really hope your people will share in it.”
“We'll see. I will talk to you soon, Simon.”
“You bet. Good luck.”
The wizard broke the conn
ection and sat back with a relieved smile. The elementals had been listening intently.
“So there's a chance that the lady paladin and her few people will join the others, master?” Kronk asked.
“A good chance, I'd say,” Simon replied. “Seems they're really depressed about the incessant cold and lack of supplies. Can't say that I blame them either.”
“Well, a few more willing hands would be welcomed by the lady cleric, I should imagine,” Aeris said.
“Maybe. But people are a bit leery of strangers these days, as you both know. I'm hoping the novelty of seeing some new faces will help them be accepted by the folks in Nottinghill.”
“I am sure that will be the case, master,” Kronk said, sounding reassuring.
“Yeah. Listen, could you get my pack from the basement?” he asked the little guy. “I'm going to bring the mirror, my spell-book and some food and water with me when I head out.”
“Of course, master. Right away.”
The little guy jumped down to the floor and hurried toward the stairs.
“Oh and see if you can find that canteen too, would you? It'll be next to the sleeping bags in the dry goods room.”
“Yes master,” Kronk called back as he hopped down the steps and disappeared.
Simon set down the mirror and searched through the cupboards, pulling out several sealed jars of dried fruit.
“Anything I can do?” Aeris asked as he watched.
“Sure. I wonder if you can go up and get my spell-book? It's in the study. Oh and the list of Gating coordinates I left on the desk?”
“Happy to do my bit,” the air elemental said with a quick salute and a crooked smile.
He shot off across the room and up the stairs.
“I wonder if air elementals actually invented sarcasm,” Simon murmured to himself absently as he sorted out the jars.
Chapter 14
When the three of them appeared in Nottinghill, next to the remains of the destroyed town hall, Simon took a minute to really look around at the little town.
The hall itself had been leveled by the wights during their attack. Rough timbers jutted up haphazardly from the wreckage, covered by ice and crusted snow. The wizard stared at it sadly, remembering the warmth and sense of companionship he had always found within. Now it looked like the skeletal remains of some ancient ice giant.
With a sigh, he turned and looked across at the small houses of the town. It was perhaps ten o'clock in the morning and the bitter sunlight blazed up from every surface, mockingly giving no hint of the storm that even now was racing southward toward them.
People were busily scurrying from place to place. Some carried bags or boxes, others joined together to shift heavier loads. Simon saw a man he recognized as the town blacksmith carrying an enormous bundle of iron rods over his shoulder, carefully watching his footing so that he didn't slip beneath the obviously heavy load.
“They must have decided on their destination last night,” Aeris observed as he watched.
Simon nodded silently, looking away from the people to the walls of the town itself.
“So much time and effort put into this place,” he said quietly, the frigid air biting uncomfortably into his lungs as he spoke.
“These people put everything they had into making a new home for themselves, starting over practically with nothing. And now...”
He shifted his backpack and felt a deep sadness welling up inside of him. To move away must feel like giving up to a lot of the people here. And he could understand that feeling totally.
“Master, surely it is better to live than to hopelessly cling to the past?” Kronk asked, practical as always.
The wizard looked down at him and smiled.
“Aren't you a little upset that the walls and fortifications that you and your people built are going to be abandoned?”
Kronk shifted his feet and the snow squeaked beneath him.
“No, master, not really. We are going to help them build a new home, are we not? It pleases me to think of that. After all,” he added with a wave at the perimeter wall, “stone is just stone. It can always be reshaped and replaced. I hold no sentiment for it, really.”
“I wish I had your healthy perspective, my friend.”
Simon turned and nodded at the blocky barracks building.
“Let's go. Clara will be in there, I suppose. We might as well get this show on the road.”
When the three of them walked into the building, the scene was one of controlled pandemonium. A stack of goods was piled ceiling-high in the center of the room, constantly being added to as people shuffled in and out. Simon ducked out of the way as he was nudged from behind by a young woman carrying a bundle of neatly folded clothes.
She grinned at him as she passed and rolled her eyes. Simon smiled in return and then looked around for Clara.
“There she is,” Aeris said. He was hovering next to the wizard at shoulder height and pointed at the far end of the room.
The cleric was listening intently to a group of people who surrounded her, a deep frown on her face. Simon recognized Malcolm and Aiden because they towered over the others in the group and he made his way toward them, weaving in and around the turmoil.
“Because we all agreed, that's why,” Simon heard Clara say as he came within earshot.
The cleric was looking at a sheaf of papers that the wizard recognized as the notes the air elementals had made of their scouting trips.
“The coast is a viable area, there's plenty of fertile ground for crops and the notes make it clear that oranges and other fruit trees are growing wild there, ripe for the picking. And besides,” she looked up at Malcolm as she spoke, “a view of the ocean and the warm waters will lift everyone's spirits immensely. Right now we need that.”
“Fine, fine,” the big man said in his heavy bass voice. “I'm not disagreeing, Clara. I'm just pointing out options.”
She sighed and seemed to sag a bit.
“I know that. But we were all up half the night going around and around this whole discussion. We voted and the majority ruled. Now, let's just get on with it. We need to get down there and look around in person first before we start the actual move.”
“Ready when you are, boss,” Simon said loudly with a grin.
The entire group turned to look at him in surprise and the cleric chuckled.
“Right on time, as usual. Good morning, Simon. Are you all set to start this crazy adventure of ours?”
“Ready, willing and able,” he said as he greeted everyone. Malcolm gave him a hearty clout on the shoulder and Aiden grabbed him to stop the wizard from toppling over.
“And hello to you too,” Simon said, rubbing his arm.
“Oops. Sorry about that,” the big man said and he reached down and gently patted the wizard on the back.
“Malcolm, try not to knock out our only means of transportation, would you?” Aiden asked in exasperation.
Simon winced as he moved his shoulder but had to laugh at Malcolm's look of dismay.
“Relax, guys. I'm not quite as delicate as I look.”
He slipped off his backpack and pulled out the piece of paper with his list of coordinates on it.
“Clara, it sounded like you guys decided that settling along the east coast was the best choice?”
She nodded wearily.
“It was a long night of loud discussions, but...”
“Arguments,” Malcolm said with a broad grin.
“Loud discussions,” the cleric continued. “But in the end, we agreed that it would be the best place to start over.”
“Okay.”
Simon went through his list and tapped a set of numbers.
“I picked a location off of my map of Florida on the coast, fairly central, that might suit. Now, who wants to come along and take a look?”
“Aiden and I will be coming with you,” Malcolm said firmly. “Just in case. As will Clara, obviously. Mark, you wanted to join us?”
A man wit
h short, sandy-colored hair that Simon vaguely recognized nodded.
“Mark was an engineer back in the old days,” Clara told the wizard. “He asked to join us as an extra set of eyes.”
“Fine by me,” he said with a smile at the man. Mark was fairly short, with a thin beard and large brown eyes.
He looks more like a choirboy than an engineer, Simon thought for a moment. But then none of us looks like what we used to be anymore.
“Okay then. If you're all ready, let's go down and take a look. Clara, would you take hold of my arm please? Everyone else, make a chain, each touching the next.”
Clara and the others got themselves in position while Aeris held on to Simon's shoulder and Kronk moved to touch the hem of his robe.
Simon chanted the incantation of the Gate spell, looked around to make sure that everyone was set and then focused on the written coordinates. When he felt that he had them firmly set in his mind, he invoked the spell.
“Invectis!” he said and felt the familiar pull of the void as they were sucked out of reality and into nothingness.
A blast of warm air hit the group as they reappeared again. Simon had chosen a flat, slightly elevated spot, according to his map, and it turned out to be the perfect choice.
They were standing in knee-high grass looking down a gentle slope at the ocean, which was pounding on the beach about a mile away. The air was sweet and gentle and the distant cries of gulls seemed like something out of a fairy tale.
“Oh my,” Clara exclaimed, a look of sheer joy on her face. “It's like being pulled out of a bad dream and into paradise.”
Mark, the practical type obviously, gave the beach a quick glance and then began to walk around the area slowly, reaching down to pull at the grass and look at the soil beneath it as he went.
Simon watched him for a moment and then looked at Kronk.
“Why don't you join our friend?” he suggested with a wave at the engineer. “Tell him about the ground, available water, whatever else he needs to know.”
“Ah, good thinking, master,” Kronk said with a knowing look. “I will do that.”
And he scurried off through the long grass toward Mark.
Simon took a moment to just breathe deeply, trying to work the remnants of the wintry air out of his body. He checked out the country around them and tried to imagine a town being built here.
Tales from the New Earth: Volume One Page 138
