When he got back inside the tower, Kronk at his heels, the wizard only had enough energy left to take off his winter clothes and collapse on to a kitchen chair.
“Well, that was fun,” he said to the elementals. He was panting heavily.
“And exhausting, apparently,” Aeris responded from the kitchen counter. He was peeling potatoes he'd brought up from storage and Simon watched him, bemused by the sight. He'd never seen the air elemental wielding a knife before.
“Yeah, it was. I'm just going to catch my breath and then head up to bed. Hopefully I can sleep until dinner time.”
“The horses were very happy to see you, master,” Kronk said as he hopped up on to the table.
“And vice-versa, my friend. Our new addition is quite the beautiful little lady, isn't she?”
“She certainly is, master. And thank you again for allowing me to name her.”
“You named her?” Aeris asked in surprise, pausing in his potato peeling to stare at the earthen. “What did you name her?”
“Sunbeam,” Simon spoke up. “She's almost as yellow as Sunshine, so it makes sense. Besides, Kronk does most of the work with the horses, so it was only fair that he have a say when it came to naming our little filly.”
“Hmm. I think I'll go out and meet the new arrival after I'm done here,” Aeris said thoughtfully as he pulled a large pot out of the cupboard. He dumped the potatoes into it and began slicing up a slab of dried meat.
“Good idea.” Simon struggled to his feet. “Thanks for making dinner, by the way. I'm sure it'll be great. I'm heading upstairs.”
“Sleep well, master,” Kronk piped up while Aeris just waved his knife.
The wizard walked slowly to the stairs, smiled at the elementals and began climbing.
It took two more days of constant eating and sleeping before Simon felt confident enough to sit down in his study with his mirror to try to get in touch with his friends. He was constantly worried about all of them now.
Clara and the people of Nottinghill were facing the great unknown down in Florida, Liliana and her few followers were being beaten down by Moscow's harsh winter, and possibly in line to be attacked by wights, and then there was Daniel and the elves in a war with the brown dragons. It was overwhelming to say the least.
“Who should I call first?” he asked Aeris, who was floating above the desk. Kronk was out taking care of the horses.
Snow had begun falling that morning, but the air elemental assured Simon that it was a simple snowfall and that no real storm was imminent. Nevertheless, Kronk had decided to let the horses out for a run early just in case the weather got worse.
“It depends on which one you're the most worried about,” Aeris answered practically.
Simon sighed and shook his head. He picked up his hand mirror and stared at it.
“Not that helpful an answer. I'm worried about all of them. Everyone is facing some sort of crisis right now. The question is, which group is in the most danger?”
“Then I'd say call your friend Daniel first,” the elemental said at once. “The brown dragons are the greatest threat at the moment. Let's face it; if they conquer the elven realm, basically it's all over.”
Simon stared glumly at Aeris, nodding slowly. Put like that, the choice was pretty clear.
“You're right. Okay then, let's see what's going on over there.”
He chanted the incantation for the Magic Mirror spell, sat back and got comfortable in his chair and then focused on his memory of Daniel's face.
The mirror fogged up and Simon felt his magic drain away a bit. It wasn't as bad as he thought it might be.
I must be getting stronger, he thought with some relief.
The reflective surface abruptly cleared and the wizard was looking at a scene of chaos.
The mirror showed a large clearing surrounded by immense trees. Elves dressed in leather armor were racing here and there, groups coming together and separating again, several people barking orders. It all looked a bit crazy. But as Simon watched, he realized that there was no panic to be seen. The elves, all of whom carried bows across their backs, looked stern and business-like but none appeared to be frightened.
Instead, they were getting orders from their leaders and then disappearing into the deep forest again.
Must be their command center, the wizard thought as he watched the organized chaos. Now where is Daniel?
He muttered his friend's name under his breath and let the spell direct his view. The mirror panned to the left and focused on a table set up under a massive old tree that was covered with thick moss. The table was surrounded by several elves wearing robes who were reading from scattered sheets of parchment and speaking quietly with each other.
In the middle of these important looking people, Simon spotted his friend who was staring at a map that was spread out on the table. He tapped at a spot on the diagram and said something to a elf to his left, who nodded and made a quick note on a piece of parchment.
“They must be planning a battle or something,” the wizard muttered to himself.
Aeris floated over to stare into the mirror. He looked thoughtful.
“Perhaps they are responding to an attack,” he suggested.
“Yeah, possibly. We'll know soon enough, but I'm going to wait until Daniel isn't quite so busy.”
The two of them watched as the meeting went on. Simon thought that his oldest friend, who was wearing a somber brown robe, looked more like a wizard than he did, with his long white hair and wise eyes. He may have prematurely aged, but Daniel seemed more alive than he had in years.
“This war seems to have brought out the best in him,” Simon told Aeris as he nodded at his friend.
“I agree. Some men rise to the challenge and thrive in conflict. It appears that your friend is one of them.”
Simon didn't answer, but watched Daniel proudly. The elves around him obviously valued his opinion and he was constantly being consulted by the others at the table.
Some time passed before the meeting broke up. The clearing had emptied of warriors and the elves that were with Daniel each bid him farewell and moved out of sight into the trees. Daniel sat on the edge of the wooden table and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He ran his hand through his hair, smiled a bit impishly and stared out across the clearing.
“Okay,” he said. “You can say hello now.”
Simon chuckled.
“You're getting good at sensing my presence,” he replied.
“I am, yes. I suspect it's something in the air. The elven realm is steeped in magic. It permeates every rock and tree, and every person that lives here, including myself. So, it's been a while. I was worried that something had happened to you. Are you okay?”
“Okay?”
Simon hesitated, wondering whether he should actually tell Daniel about recent events. But he couldn't see any honest way to avoid it and answered slowly.
“Yes, I'm okay. Now. Better than I was a few days ago, at least.”
Daniel frowned, his thick eyebrows shadowing his pale blue eyes as he stood up and leaned over the table on his hands.
“Why? What happened a few days ago?”
“Well, this is going to sound weird but I sort of...died.”
Saying that out loud sounded absurd, even to Simon, but how else could he explain it?
“What the hell are you talking about? Hang on a second, I need to see you.”
Daniel reached down behind the table and picked up a canvas bag. He plopped it on to the tabletop and rummaged around inside it for a minute.
“I finally got one of the elven artificers to make me a mirror,” he muttered as he poked around the bag. “I lost my last one. He was amused, actually. Elves have no real use for mirrors. Remarkable lack of vanity for people who are so naturally beautiful. Aha!”
His friend pulled out a small flat piece of metal. It was square, perhaps four inches across and seemed to be made of silver.
“Here we go,” Daniel said and peered
into the mirror.
Simon's own mirrored surface wavered for a moment and then he was looking into the keen eyes of his best friend.
“Well, well,” Daniel said as he raised an eyebrow. “For a dead man, you look pretty lively. Don't think I like the buzz cut though. And you're too skinny, as usual.”
“Yeah, thanks Dad,” the wizard answered sarcastically.
His friend barked a laugh and then became serious again.
“So tell me what happened. And take your time. You have a tendency to skip over details sometimes.”
“Do I? Huh. First I've heard of that. Okay, here's what happened, more or less.”
And then Simon told essentially the same story that he'd told the elementals. Like them, Daniel allowed him to speak without interruption until he was finished.
“That's about it,” the wizard concluded. He watched Daniel closely. “So, what do you think?”
“Think? I think that you have more lives than a bloody cat, that's what I think. I also think that that being, a goddess no less, was right. This is literally your last chance. If you are gravely injured or killed outright, that's it. You're gone.”
Daniel stared off with narrowed eyes and Simon waited quietly. Aeris, who had left the room during the wizard's story, returned with a steaming cup of tea, which Simon accepted gratefully.
“Imagine though. Being reborn. You realize that we can only call this a miracle, don't you?”
Simon shifted in his seat uncomfortably.
“I really hate to use that word,” he said heavily. “It was a gift, certainly, but I didn't walk on water, or feed hundreds of people with one loaf of bread.”
“No, you just rose from the dead,” his friend said sharply. “Personally, that screams 'miracle' to me.”
“Yeah, well, whatever. Anyway, you wanted to know where I'd been and now you have your answer. Your turn. How are things going in the war against the brown dragons?”
“Surprisingly well, to be honest. The elves are holding their own, at least for now. I don't think it can last though. The attrition rate is very high and the elven population isn't that large. Eventually they will simply run out of warm bodies to throw into the fight. And then we're done.”
Simon nodded, not surprised at the news.
“So how much time do you think they have? I realize that your time stream and ours here on Earth are different, but in terms of months or years in the elven lands, what's your best guess?”
Daniel looked away forlornly, his lips moving as if he were silently counting.
“We've discussed that. The others you saw me with earlier are members of the ruling council. Their estimation is, perhaps, a year. No more.”
“A year?”
Simon leaned forward abruptly, almost dropping the mirror in surprise.
“My God, is that all? A year for the dragons to conquer an entire world?”
“Yes, a year,” Daniel answered with an abrupt nod. “The brown dragons aren't like the other types of dragons. The acid they spew is like a form of rot. It spreads like a cancer, infecting every living thing it touches. The elves have had to burn entire swathes of forest to stop it from spreading, although harming trees breaks their hearts. It is a horrible thing to see, Simon, a wave of this infection consuming everything in its path. Truly terrifying.”
“I can't even imagine it. Any word on the primal brown?”
“Nothing. That damned monster is laying low, obviously, letting its servants do its dirty work for it. We have scouts out searching high and low for the beast but so far, no sightings.”
Simon sipped some tea and thought fiercely.
“We know that the primal is the key,” he said, thinking out loud. “Cut off the head of the snake and all that. It's obvious that destroying it is the only chance the elves have.”
“We're aware,” Daniel said dryly. “Naturally that's why we're searching for it. Of course, finding the primal and killing it are two different things. Any ideas on how we could destroy it?”
Simon shook his head.
“To be honest, things have been so crazy that I haven't given it a lot of thought. Now though, while I'm forced to stay close to home to recuperate, I'll make it my main focus.”
“Please do.” Daniel smiled then. “It's good to know that you're okay, Simon. Take my advice and don't overdo it until you rebuild your strength. And don't worry. Time races there compared to here. You'll have plenty of time to recover before deciding whether to cross over and join us here. And who knows? We may stop the blasted dragons ourselves.”
“I hope you do, to be honest. But if not, my decision has already been made; I will join you in the fight. You can count on that.”
He drank more tea and watched while Daniel picked up some papers and slipped them into his pack.
“Anyway, I'll let you get some rest,” his friend said. “Call me back whenever you wish. I doubt that there will be much change here for weeks or months, Earth time, but call anyway if only to say hello.”
“Oh I will, believe me. Your advice is always good and, to be honest, you keep me in touch with my past. Sometimes I seem to need that stability.”
“Always glad to help,” Daniel said with a wink. “Take care of yourself.”
“You too. Keep your head down and we'll talk again soon.”
With a smile, Simon shook the mirror to break the connection and then put it down as he drank his tea.
“What do you think?” he asked Aeris, who'd been listening intently.
“I think that we had better get you healthy quickly. The elves may have some time to spare, but this world does not.”
He flew off toward the door.
“I'm going to make you a sandwich.”
Chapter 20
After he ate, Simon felt strong enough to cast Magic Mirror again. This time, he decided to get in touch with Clara. He was very concerned about the former inhabitants of Nottinghill and he wanted to reassure the cleric that he was alive and well.
Kronk rejoined them in the study. The horses were well and the earthen was in a jovial mood, almost gushing about how adorable the little filly was. Simon and Aeris exchanged tolerant looks and the wizard tried not to laugh. For a little person made of stone, Kronk had a big heart.
“You are calling the lady cleric, master?” the little guy asked as Simon chanted.
He nodded as he cast the incantation.
“Yep, I am,” the wizard said as he finished casting the spell. He held the mirror up so that both elementals could move around on the desk to watch the surface with him.
“That is good, master. She was very upset when we...lost you. We all were, actually.”
Simon patted his friend gently.
“I know, Kronk. I know. Trust me, I'll never put you guys through that again.”
“See that you don't,” Aeris said pertly but winked when the wizard glanced at him.
Simon focused on the mirror and waited nervously while the surface misted over.
Was Clara okay? What about the rest of the townspeople? If they had had any problems, the cleric wouldn't have used her lodestone; after all, she thought he was dead.
“Is this taking longer than usual?” he asked anxiously to no one in particular.
Aeris just shrugged and Kronk made a unidentifiable sound deep in his throat as he stared at the mirror.
You two are a lot of help, the wizard thought irritably.
“It is clearing, master!”
The little guy was right. The fog on the surface of the mirror slowly, seemingly reluctantly, rolled back and the three of them were watching a remarkable scene.
Bright sunlight was beaming down on the new settlement and Simon felt his tension melt away as he saw the people of Nottinghill moving around, working, laughing and generally looking happy and well.
The mirror zoomed in to focus on Clara, who was holding one of the settlement's three young children while she spoke to the little girl's mother. Both of the women were smiling a
s they spoke and the child was giggling because the cleric was bouncing her in her arms.
“They look well, master,” Kronk said brightly.
“They do, don't they?”
“Can you pull the view back?” Aeris asked and pointed to the left side of the mirror. “I'm curious about those structures.”
Simon adjusted the picture by moving the mirror and he saw what Aeris was talking about.
“Tents,” he said. “Huh. I wonder where they found tents?”
“They look very fragile, master,” Kronk observed dubiously.
“Temporary shelter, obviously,” Aeris told him. “The weather down there is fair enough to make such things viable.”
“Yeah, and with your wall around the village, Kronk, they really don't need to build houses right away for protection, right?”
“Yes master, I suppose so. But now that you are back, perhaps we can travel down there soon and I and some of my brethren can build their homes for them?”
“I'm sure they'd be grateful. I just wish I was strong enough to go today.”
“You aren't,” Aeris told him quickly. “So don't even think about it.”
Simon glowered at him and the air elemental returned his look.
“Don't try to intimidate me, my dear wizard. We both know I'm right.”
“Yes, I know. I hate that by the way.”
Aeris just chuckled and looked back in the mirror.
Clara was handing the child to her mother and Simon zoomed the image in to focus on the cleric.
“Good morning, Clara,” he said loudly when he was sure that she was alone.
The reaction to his voice was startling. Clara looked around wildly, her short brown hair whipping across her face and her eyes wide with surprise.
“What? Who is that?” she exclaimed.
“It's me, Simon. Come on, it hasn't been that long since we last spoke, has it?”
“Simon?” She shook her head again. “What evil sending is this? Who speaks? In the name of the Light, reveal your true nature, demon!”
“Well, this is awkward,” Aeris muttered.
The wizard had to agree. He'd forgotten for a moment that Clara thought he was dead.
Tales from the New Earth: Volume One Page 145
