So much for sneaking in unnoticed, he thought wryly. Oh well, it also means that no one can sneak up on us.
The passage was narrow but high and twisted and turned with snake-like undulations. The ground was level and dry.
A sharp curve suddenly revealed the opening to the cavern ahead. Torch light flickered and danced off of the walls and Simon quickly extinguished his light with a thought and held up his hand to stop the others.
There was a small gasp from the group and then silence. He turned and found that everyone had bunched up and was watching him closely.
“This cave opens up ahead,” he whispered. “Shall we try sneaking in or just go on and announce ourselves?”
“What's with all the sneaking anyway?” Eric asked in confusion. “We're meeting friends, aren't we?”
Simon's thoughts were racing and he shrugged, trying to sound convincing.
“Listen, after that surprise attack earlier, we don't know that Daniel and Ethmira are safe. They may have been attacked. Hell, they may not even be here for all we know. I mean, I sort of expected one of them to meet us in the clearing, but no one showed up. That makes me nervous.”
Eric's eyes widened and he nodded abruptly.
“Damn,” he said. “I'm so thick. I should have thought of that. Sorry, Simon.”
“Don't be. I hope that my paranoia is simply that. So what should we do? Group decision time.”
“We'll scout ahead,” Virginia said firmly.
“You'll..?”
Simon stared at her.
“What, all four of you?”
She smiled a bit impishly.
“Have you forgotten one of our little tricks and how we escaped captivity a few years back?”
A light clicked on in the wizard's mind and he slapped his forehead, quietly.
“I did. Speaking of being thick. Okay, go ahead. But please try to be quiet. Just because you can't be seen, doesn't mean you can't be heard.”
“”We know, my friend. Here, let us by and we'll link up and go in for a look around.”
Simon squeezed by the four of them and then stood watching, Liliana standing to his right.
“What's going on?” she asked, clearly baffled. “You think that the four of them can sneak around unnoticed?”
Simon almost laughed out loud.
“These four can. Watch.”
The foursome joined hands, Virginia leading followed by Anna then Gerard and finally Eric. They whispered to each other for a moment.
“You ready, hon?” Simon heard Virginia say.
Anna nodded and took a deep breath.
“Okay then; you're on.”
And then Simon and Liliana were looking at...nothing. All four friends had disappeared instantly and Liliana hissed in shock.
“By the gods, they can turn invisible?”
“One of their tricks, as Virginia likes to call it. I guess I never mentioned it to you, but the four of them were being held by a group of mundane humans for a couple of years, as slaves, when Aeris found them on a scout. They got away during a drake attack by using this ability. It's actually Anna's gift but it only works in she's linked to the others.”
“Remarkable,” the paladin muttered.
The two of them were barely whispering while they listened closely for any sounds of distress.
The time stretched on like a taut piano wire ready to snap and Simon found himself sweating in the warm air. Liliana, as usual, looked cool and collected, her hand firmly on her sheathed sword and her eyes narrowed.
The wizard leaned his staff against his chest and wiped his palm on his robe. He dabbed his forehead with his sleeve and gripped the staff again.
“Shouldn't they be back by now?” he whispered finally. “Maybe we should go ahead in.”
“Your choice,” Liliana told him. “You're leading this little expedition.”
“Okay then. I think...”
He stopped speaking as he heard the squeak of someone hurrying toward them across the sand of the cave. The paladin tightened her grip on her sword hilt and Simon heard the creak of her gauntlet against the metal.
He took a breath and waited.
Gerard appeared in the opening to the cave and waved them forward.
“Come on in, guys. It's safe,” he told them and then turned back and hurried out of sight.
Simon and Liliana looked at each other and the wizard smiled with relief.
“That took long enough,” he said. “I wonder what the hold up was?”
“Let's go in and find out,” the paladin suggested and he nodded.
Simon walked forward and entered the cavern beyond the tunnel. It looked pretty much the same way it had when he spoke with Daniel in the mirror.
Torches flickered along the walls and piles of supplies were still scattered here and there. Simon looked around as he entered the open area and then frowned.
“Where's Daniel?” he wondered out loud. He scanned the room again but only saw Gerard, who had crossed the cave and was disappearing down another passageway.
“Hey Gerard, have you seen...” he called after him, but the small man's blond head vanished from view.
He sighed in exasperation and looked at Liliana.
“What's the rush?” he asked.
The paladin simply smiled vaguely. She was examining the cavern and stared up at the small holes in the high roof that were letting sunlight into the cave.
“I believe this place would be fairly easy to hold against a dragon attack,” she told Simon with approval. “Its own water source, openings too small for dragons to enter? Very nice.”
“Yep. Listen, let's follow Gerard. I'd like to speak with Daniel and see if he has any news. I suppose the others have already told him about the attack. Maybe he has an idea on what happened.”
The paladin nodded silently, still looking around thoughtfully and they began to walk across the open area.
As they approached the next passage, Virginia entered the cavern through it and stood there watching them.
“Hey Virginia,” Simon said with a smile. “What took you guys so long? Is this place that big?”
“It's big but that's not what took the time. Simon, we found...”
Anna hurried out of the tunnel and stood next to her friend. She stared at the wizard and the paladin with wide eyes, her face pale.
Simon noticed that the smaller young woman was shaking and was stopped by Liliana's firm hand on his shoulder.
“Wait,” she said tensely. “Something's not right here.”
He looked at her and her grim expression and then at Virginia.
“What do you mean? What's wrong?”
From the passageway, Eric entered with Gerard in tow and lined up with the women. All of them stared blank-faced at Simon and he was suddenly covered with goosebumps. Liliana was correct; something was very wrong.
“Well, here you are, my old friend,” a voice echoed through the cavern and then Daniel appeared from around the foursome and walked forward. Ethmira was walking closely behind him. She was holding a short sword against Daniel's lower back.
“I wish we were meeting under better circumstances,” the man added with a grimace. He glanced over his shoulder and gave the elven woman a grating look of disdain.
Liliana sprang forward, her hand whipping down to her sword.
“Hold, paladin!” Ethmira snapped as she stepped forward and slipped an arm around Daniel's neck. She rested her sword's edge along his throat. “Do not do anything foolish. You four, join your friends.”
Virginia and the others carefully circled Daniel and the elf and moved to stand behind Simon.
“I'm so sorry,” she whispered to the wizard. “She knew we were coming, somehow. We couldn't even try to rescue your friend.”
“Don't sweat it,” the wizard told her, keeping his eyes on Ethmira. Daniel looked calm and in control, which helped Simon to keep his emotions in check.
“Okay, Ethmira,” he said as everyone settl
ed down and stood quietly. He could feel the paladin's eagerness to spring forward and prayed that she wouldn't do anything precipitous.
“Would you like to tell me what is going on? I thought we were friends.”
“Did you, young wizard,” she replied in a level voice. “You have an interesting definition of friendship then.”
“I don't understand.”
“Oh, I think you do. You believe that I'm a traitor, don't you?”
There were several gasps from the others and Liliana looked at Simon with narrowed eyes.
“Why would you say that?” he asked, trying to remain calm.
“Why? Because your dearest friend told me so, that's why.”
And she tapped Daniel on the shoulder with her free hand.
“Daniel? You told her?” The wizard was aghast. “How could you tell her?”
The older man closed his eyes for a moment, looking incredibly weary and worn out. Then he looked at Simon intently
“Simon, I've known Ethmira for a very long time. I consider myself a good judge of character, usually. So, after you and I spoke and realized that we both had suspicions about her and her loyalty, I felt I had no choice but to confront her directly.”
“That was a mad thing to do,” Liliana snapped at him angrily. “Look what's come of it.”
“Nothing's come of it,” Daniel said with more vigor. “Simon, both of us were wrong.”
The wizard stared at him and then at the elf.
“Wrong? Daniel, she's holding a sword to your throat! What the hell are you talking about?”
Ethmira shook her head and looked at the wizard and the others with something akin to pity.
“Daniel and I,” she began, “were a little concerned that you or one of the others might do something foolish before I got a chance to explain what has really been going on. This was his idea, actually. I personally think it's a bit too dramatic, not to mention dangerous.”
She lowered her sword and sheathed it in one smooth motion and Daniel stepped forward and met Simon's accusatory stare with a shrug.
“I had to slow you down a bit and give us all a chance to talk. And do not draw that sword, young woman!” he snapped.
The wizard turned quickly and saw that Liliana's sword was halfway out of its sheathe and she was glaring at Ethmira murderously.
“Liliana, stop!” he said loudly.
She spun to face him and he held up a hand.
“Let's hear them out first, shall we? Bloodshed should always be the last resort.”
The woman stood poised for a moment, obviously working things out in her head. Then she pushed the sword back in its sheathe firmly, nodded once and folder her arms, the armor flashing in the torchlight.
“Very well,” she said harshly. “Go ahead and explain. But it had best be convincing or the consequences will be unfortunate.”
Ethmira accepted this and gestured to all of them.
“Please follow me,” she said. “There's a more comfortable room down this tunnel where we can sit and talk.”
She led the way followed by Daniel, Simon and Liliana. The other four filed in behind them, talking in whispers.
The room that Ethmira led them into reminded the wizard of a conference room. Torches hung from the walls and many candles were lit on the large round table that occupied the center of the room. Heavy wooden chairs circled the table, in front of each chair someone had place a jug and cup.
Everyone took a seat and Simon examined the jug. It was full of clean, cool water and he filled his cup gratefully. The air was warm but moving with a gentle current that kept it from becoming too hot. The chair was very comfortable.
“You said you wanted to explain,” Liliana said coldly. “So explain.”
“Very well,” Ethmira said. She folded her hands on the table in front of her and glanced from face to face.
Daniel was sitting on her left and Simon had decided to sit on her right. The others were scattered around the table in no particular order. The place could have held twice as many people.
“Let me take you back to our battle with the primal white dragon,” she began. “You remember that night?” she asked looking at Simon and Liliana. Both nodded.
“Well, it was then that we, my people, decided that we could no longer sit on the sidelines while your world was decimated. We had to take matters into our own hands.”
Chapter 28
The elven woman poured some water into her cup and took a sip.
“Understand, we knew that, should we choose to, we could retreat to our world here and seal it after us, keeping our lands and our people safe from the dragons forever. And frankly, there were some among my people who urged us to do just that.”
“So why didn't you?” Virginia asked as she leaned forward on her elbows. “I mean, what difference would it make to the elves if the Earth was taken over by the dark gods or not? You have all you need right here.”
“True enough,” the elf answered. “But you see, we elves are an ancient people. Much older than humans, of course, and even older than the dwarves. We are calm, controlled and logical in most things. But if there is one thing my people are passionate about, it is dragons. We hate them with a loathing that is quite unfathomable. We were there, you see, at the beginning, when the dragons first ravaged your world. We lived in both realms then, yours and ours. Those creature decimated my people. Humans had not even appeared on the planet then.”
She sipped her water again and Simon watched as she put down her cup and laid her hands flat on the table, palms down. She was staring at nothing, lost in her memories.
“We fought back but we were not a war-like people, and we had no magic. And so, after devastating losses, we massed for one final assault to drive the dragons back into the Void. We failed. We were left lessened, weak, our ranks thin. And so we retreated to our own world and sealed it completely. We watched from this side as your people rose, conquered the planet, learned to use magic and fought against the gods of Chaos. It was so inspirational that we opened the way between worlds again, allowed contact between our peoples.”
She sighed and drew invisible pictures with a finger on the tabletop.
“Together with the dwarves, we elves and your people rose up once more and defeated the dragons, sent them back into darkness. With their mightiest servants vanquished, the dark gods retreated into the Void, taking the lords of Light with them, as well as the magical energy of your world. We could not survive in such an environment. We had to return home and hope for better days to come.”
“So your people and ours are responsible for banishing the dragons so long ago?” Anna asked, wide-eyed.
“Not alone,” Ethmira answered with the ghost of a smile. “The dwarves had risen at that point and joined in the fight with their magical machines and inventions. They were our allies through much of the fight. Unfortunately we had a, well, let us call it a falling out after that final battle, and elves and dwarves have been on uneasy terms ever since.”
“While this story is fascinating,” Simon said coolly, “it doesn't explain what you have been up to since the magic returned to the Earth. Nor does it answer several other rather glaring questions, such as how the brown dragons were able to enter this world in the first place.”
“I know, sir wizard. I'm getting there. But I wanted you to know why we loathe the dragons and to what lengths we would go to destroy them.”
Ethmira refilled her cup and Simon and Liliana exchanged glances while she did so. The paladin raised an eyebrow and Simon shrugged slightly. Neither of them was convinced of anything at this point.
“Now, back to the battle with the primal white dragon,” the elf said, picking up the story. “When we joined you, Simon and Liliana, that night, we saw firsthand the horror of what the dragons could become. The mutation that the primal white had undergone and that horrible fusion of human and dragon that it was performing shocked us beyond belief. It was worse than anything that we'd experienced back i
n the ancient times when facing the dragons. We knew then that we would have to take drastic action. Simon, “ she looked over at him, “you had destroyed three of the five primal dragons, but we knew that they were nothing compared to the brown and red primals. If those two joined forces, which rarely happens between dragon species, your world would not be able to stand against them and you and yours would fall. So we decided on a plan of action and implemented it that very night.”
“I don't understand,” Liliana said with some confusion. “What plan? Simon and I were the last ones to leave the plateau after the battle. You and your elves were gone before us.”
“True. We came home and a hasty meeting was called by the council of elders. We told them what had occurred and they came up with their plan.”
She shook her head and the anguish on her face was heart-wrenching. Simon's suspicions were fading by the moment.
“I had never questioned the elders in all of the years that they ruled this world, but I questioned them that night. They were firm in their convictions though and I bowed to their wisdom. We returned to that hellish plateau. Remember the time differential between our worlds. Only moments had passed since the death of the primal. You, Simon and the lady paladin were just Gating away as we arrived. We went through the area, scattering arrows, leaving a few small items of clothing and generally making it obvious that elves had taken part in the battle.”
“But why?” Virginia asked softly. “Why let the dragons know that you were there?”
“To make ourselves a target,” the elf said simply. “We were sure that the brown dragons would investigate the aftermath of the conflict; their territory is closest to that part of the world and there was communication between them, although it was cursory at best. The brown dragons were our greatest enemies back in the old days. Of all of the draconic species, it is the brown that we truly despise. Which made what happened next even harder to do.”
“Which was what?” Liliana asked, her voice less cold than it had been. Like Simon, she was totally caught up in the story.
“We sent scouts out to act as bait. They attacked lone brown dragons, killing several and stirring up the rest. Eventually the primal brown was enraged to the point where it summoned its forces to it and they followed the signs we left for them to a transfer point between the realms. And then...”
Tales from the New Earth: Volume One Page 156
