The Dragons Return

by J. J. Thompson

  The element’s eyes widened. “Well, thank you, master! I don’t think anyone ever said something so nice to me before.” He looked around the stable. “It’s important that they are comfortable, don’t you think so? That way, when you need them, they will always be rested and happy to serve.”

  “Good point. And I meant what I said. I’m sure that I would be half starved and the place would be a mess, if you weren’t here to take care of things. If you ever need anything that I can give, just ask and it's yours.”

  Kronk shook his head. “Oh, no master. To be useful, to accomplish something and not be someone’s plaything, that is reward enough. I am…happy here. Perhaps for the first time outside of my home, I am really happy.”

  Simon didn’t say anything for a moment. He cleared his throat several times. Then he smiled.

  “You asked if I needed some help and, as usual, I do. Could you join me in the study when you have a minute? I’d like you to look at something for me.”

  “Of course, master. I only have a few small tasks to finish up and I will be right there.”

  “Excellent. Then I’ll see you in a few minutes.”

  Simon left the stable and walked back around the tower. His eyes were still a little misty from Kronk’s comments. What kind of people were they back then, Simon wondered, for Kronk to be happy doing chores? He shook his head in disbelief and walked back into the tower.

  He was shuffling through the various spell combinations that he had written out when Kronk tapped into the room.

  “I’m here, master. What can I do for you?”

  He jumped onto a chair and then to the desk and walked over to stand beside Simon.

  The summoning spell was lost in the pile of papers and Simon spent a moment sorting through them to find it.

  “Ah, here it is.” He moved the other papers aside and laid the spell out on the desktop. “This is the spell I used to summon you. I think.” Simon glanced at the little guy. “Um, I sort of threw a bunch of runes together when I invoked the spell and you appeared, kind of accidentally.” He could feel himself getting red but Kronk just laughed.

  “Then it was a happy accident, master. I am not hurt to learn that I came here by mistake. I only hope that I have been useful to you.”

  “You are incredibly useful, Kronk! I was a little worried that you’d be, well, insulted by how you got here. I’m glad I was wrong.” He smiled at the elemental.

  “And now that we have settled that, master, you said you wanted me for something?”

  “Oh, right. Well, this is the spell, like I said. I was wondering if you know if it’s right or not. I’m just guessing that you may have seen some of these spells back in the old times.”

  Kronk looked down at the symbols for a moment.

  “I do remember some things, master. At least when it comes to summoning spells.” He pointed to two runes. “These two have to be switched with each other. The rest look right.”

  Simon stared at the spell. “Are you sure?” The little guy looked at him. “Not that I’m doubting you,” he added quickly.

  Kronk shrugged. “I can’t use them, master. But I know what they look like and their proper order, at least for summoning beings like myself.” He looked at the spell again and pointed at a symbol. “This one is the earth rune. Perhaps if you switched it with another element, you would summon a different sort of elemental? I don’t know for sure though.”

  Simon slapped himself on the forehead. It was becoming a habit.

  “Of course! That’s logical. And if I added one of the power runes to the end, like I did with the magic missile spell, it might boost the power and summon a stronger elemental.” He sat and considered for a minute. Then he looked at Kronk again. “Thanks. Both for checking the spell and giving me the idea to try it in a new way. Maybe I’m finally going to make some progress in this new magical world of ours.”

  Kronk just smiled and then turned to look out of the window.

  “What’s wrong?” Simon stared at him. The little guy seemed to be lost in thought suddenly.

  “Nothing, master. I was just thinking that now you will be able to summon more useful servants. I don’t suppose you will be needing me much longer.” He sighed quietly. “I was beginning to like it here.”

  Simon looked at Kronk in surprise. “Not need you? I need you now more than ever!” Kronk looked at him in surprise. “Who else can I depend on? Not for the tasks that you do around here, which are very important by the way, but for help to deal with all this magic stuff. I’m still finding my way, and will be for a very long time. I trust you and I hope you will stay for as long as you want to.”

  Kronk’s little face lit up with a wide grin. “I will stay with you always, master! Or until you no longer need me.”

  “Good. Then we are stuck with each other for a long time to come, my little friend.” Simon patted Kronk lightly on the back. “Now that we’ve settled that, I think it’s time to give this a try.” He looked at the summoning spell, drew out a blank sheet of paper and carefully copied the runes until he came to the rune for earth. He stared at it a moment and and then glanced at Kronk.

  “Do you know what the strengths of each element are, Kronk? I mean, what did the wizards in the old times use them for specifically?”

  Kronk looked thoughtful. “Yes master, I think I remember. Earth is related to strength, protection and defense. Air elementals were used for tasks involving speed and agility. Fire, well fire is offensive, pure and simple. And water is related to health and well-being.” He stopped talking and just looked at Simon, who stared back for a moment and then blinked.

  “Um, that’s nice. But it’s a bit vague. What exactly does all that mean?”

  “Oh! I see. Sorry, master. I will try to explain in more detail.” He seemed to be sorting through his thoughts for a moment. “Well, we earthen types were used to aid in physical tasks, like carrying heavy loads for building and that sort of thing. Also we were often set as guards, either for certain places or people.”

  “Your kind were bodyguards? Wow, that’s amazing.”

  “Not really, master. While the little ones like myself were not used in that way, my larger brethren were quite capable of protecting what their masters wanted protected. Now, with the air elementals…”

  “Just a second. I’ve been wondering, since you’ve mentioned them a few times, just how big are these other earth elementals?”

  The little guy shrugged. “It varies, master. I am the smallest type but the power of the wizard dictates the strength and size of the elemental he summons.” He looked up at Simon and smiled. “The most powerful wizard I have ever heard of once summoned an elemental that was bigger than this tower. Or so I was told.”

  “Have you ever met one that large?”

  “Oh no, master. They do not associate with little ones like me. We are very much beneath them.”

  Simon’s eyes widened. “What? You’re kidding, right?” Kronk shook his head. “You mean that these big guys think you are a lower class than them?”

  “Of course, master. Because we are a lower class.” Simon started to speak but Kronk cut him off. “No, master, you must understand this. It is important. If you ever summon one of them, remember that they are powerful and prideful as well. They must respect you, right away, or they will not serve you.”

  Simon sat back in his chair. This was a new twist. He thought that the summoning spell would give him control of the elemental he called forth, but apparently not.

  “You mean that if I summon one of them and they don’t like me or respect me or whatever, they can refuse to follow my orders?”

  “Yes, master. I thought you knew that.”

  “I’m still new at this, remember? I mean, when I summoned you, you seemed to have no problem helping me around the place.”

  “Of course, master. I have told you that I am happy here. I am useful. But these others, they have always been used by great wizards. They are not lessons to be learned b
y young training wizards, as we are…were. They cannot be forced to do anything that they do not wish to do.” He stared intently at Simon. “They are dangerous, master. Always remember that.”

  “Would they attack me? I mean if I summoned one and it didn’t want to do what I wished?”

  “No master, they would not harm you directly. But they could show their displeasure in other ways.”

  “Such as?”

  “Some of them could tear this tower apart like it was made of paper.” Kronk jumped down to the floor and tripped over to the nearest wall. He reached out and stroked the stone, as if soothing a pet. “I can feel the faults in the tower through the stone, master. I would not harm the structure but some of my brethren…” He shrugged.

  Simon stood up and walked to the window. He looked out across the field toward the forest and held on to the edge of the windowsill. The stone felt strong and sturdy, but if Kronk felt there were flaws in it, he wasn’t foolish enough to doubt him.

  What else can I do with this power? Could I use it to strengthen my home? Could I learn to defend this place better? He looked down at the rune stones embedded in the grass around to tower. They might slow down an attack but he doubted that they would stop one. And somehow he had a feeling that sooner or later, someone or something would threaten him and his home. He had to learn more, learn faster and learn better. But how?

  He turned and looked at Kronk. “Is there a way for me to improve my use of magic? I mean faster than I have been, with less of a hit or miss way of learning?”

  Kronk tapped over to the window, jumped up and stood on the sill. “Not from me, master. But perhaps from another.”

  “Another? You mean another elemental?”

  The little head nodded. “The air elementals were used as scouts in the old days. They are able to move swiftly and invisibly. If you were to summon one and ask it search out runes or knowledge, perhaps old books of lore or something, it is possible that it might find something to improve your grasp of magic.” He shrugged. “Another way might be to summon a larger, wiser elemental who has more knowledge of these things than I do. But I have mentioned the risks in that. It is your decision.”

  An air elemental. Simon wondered what that would be like. Well, as long as I use the same level of summoning that brought Kronk to me, it shouldn’t be too dangerous, he thought. I hope.

  “Okay, my friend. I think I’ll try the air summoning.” He walked back to the desk, sat down and contemplated the summoning spell. He wrote out the symbols on a clean scrap of paper and inserted the air rune where the earthen one had been. Then he concentrated on the spell. He knew that the spell had to be firmly memorized before he could cast it, not just read off the paper. Why this is so, I have no idea, he thought. The nature of magic, I suppose.

  He stood up, walked around the desk and focused on the center of the work table. He took a deep breath and chanted the summoning spell. Then he uttered the trigger word. “Invectis!” and watched the table. Nothing. He waited another minute or two. Still nothing.

  “Um, Kronk? Any idea what happened?”

  Watching from the window, the little guy shrugged. “Nothing happened, master.”

  Simon rolled his eyes. “Yes, I can see that. I meant, any idea why nothing happened?”

  “Well, master, you did not use your hands. Perhaps that is it.”

  “My hands?” Simon looked at Kronk and then down at his hands. “I didn’t use my hands for what?”

  Kronk sighed quietly and Simon almost laughed at yet another of his own mannerisms that the little guy had apparently picked up.

  “Master, magic isn’t just chanting spells. It is a mixture of gestures, tone of voice, state of mind, all of that.” He seemed to think for a moment. “All of the wizards that I remember used their hands to gesture with when casting a spell. I have noticed that you do as well.”

  Simon stared at him. “I do? That’s weird. I’ve never consciously done that.”

  “Perhaps not, master. But you do it, all the same. And this time, you just stared at the table and did not move. Maybe if you used your hands?”

  Move my hands, move my hands. Fine, he thought, I’ll move my damned hands.

  Feeling a bit self-conscious, Simon closed his eyes for a moment and tried to empty his mind of all thought. Go with the flow, he thought. Just feel it and maybe your hands will follow suit. He opened his eyes, read the spell again and memorized it. Then he concentrated and intoned the words slowly, moving his hands along with the rhythm of the incantation. Finally he said “Invectis!”

  Again, there was no reaction. Or was there? Above the center of the table, Simon could just see a disturbance in the air. It looked like the ripple of warm air you would see rising above a candle. There was no real shape, no colors or shadows, but there was definitely something there.

  Simon walked around the table to get closer to the disturbance.

  “Um, hello?” he said.

  The flicker in the air increased but there was no response. Simon looked at Kronk who was watching the ripple intently.

  “Kronk, is this an air elemental?”

  “Yes master.”

  Kronk jumped from the window to the floor, skittered across it and climbed to the tabletop. He walked to the center of the table and stared at the ripple. Simon noticed that the two of them seemed to be the same height, although the ripple was hard to focus on and constantly rose and fell above the table top.

  “Well, are you just going to stand there? Or are you going to say hello?” Kronk asked impatiently.

  There was another moment of silence, then the ripple began to pulse faster.

  “Why should I say anything?” it replied. The voice was much higher pitched than Kronk’s. It had a breathy, almost echoing sound to it, as if the speaker were farther away than the top of the table. “I have been summoned to serve, as a slave. I will do so, but do not expect me to speak more than is needed.”

  The ripple coalesced and darkened slightly and now Simon could see a definite shape. Two arms, two legs, the suggestion of a head. But he could not make out any features and the figure was still mostly transparent.

  Kronk snorted. “A slave? You are living in the past. This wizard,” he pointed at Simon, “is not like those from the old days. He wants us to help, yes, but only if we agree to do so.”

  The air elemental turned from Kronk and looked at Simon. There was a definite face there now, with features more closely resembling a human face than Kronk's. It stared at Simon and finally spoke again.

  “How long since the old days? How much time has passed in your years?”

  “I’m told that it’s been about ten thousand years since Atlantis was destroyed,” Simon replied.

  “Ten thousand years? Then those who once commanded us are long dead and forgotten?”

  Simon nodded. “Pretty much, yes.”

  The air elemental was silent again. Then slowly it rose from the table until it was hovering at eye level to Simon, who watched this with amazement.

  “So, young wizard, what do you want from me?”

  Simon glanced at Kronk. “My friend here suggested that I summon an air elemental. He told me that back in the old days, your kind were good at finding things, scouting out territory. I need information rather badly right about now.”

  “So you wish me to scout for you.” The elemental seemed to be thinking. “And when I am done?”

  “You're free to go,” Simon said. “Or you may leave now. It's your choice.”

  He held his breath, waiting for the elemental's decision.

  The filmy being took its time, silently hovering over the table.

  Finally, with a little flash of light, the being became almost solid and Simon found himself staring at a human-looking creature. Its face was refined and looked like that of a young man, unlined and innocent.

  “And what exactly did you wish me to search for?” the elemental asked.

  Simon thought carefully. He might only have on
e shot at this so it had better be a good one.

  “I need knowledge of magic. I'm new at this whole wizarding thing and I want to learn and become better at it.”

  “Ah.” The air elemental sighed airily and shook its head. “An apprentice. How lucky for me,” it said sarcastically. “So you need information, spells, magical tomes. Yes, fine.”

  It hovered for a moment longer, a look of concentration on its face.

  “Very well, wizard. I shall do your bidding this one time. And then we shall see about a more permanent arrangement.”

  The little figure wavered. “I shall return,” it said and with a small popping sound, it disappeared.

  Simon and Kronk exchanged a look.

  “So now what?” he asked the little rocky figure.

  “Now, master? Now, we wait.”

  Chapter 7

  Waiting had never been Simon's strong suit, so he tried to keep busy until the air elemental returned.

  He tidied up the tower, aided by the ever-eager Kronk. He groomed the horses¸ did some baking, washed his clothes. In short, he tried everything he could to distract himself and not think about the elemental's mission. It didn't really work very well.

  By the third day, Simon was pacing the floors of the tower. He'd tried to make some sense of Daniel's book, but the writing seemed scattered, disconnected. He felt like there was something missing. Perhaps his friend had written an addendum that linked all of the facts and figures together and had forgotten to add it to the book. Or maybe he was just too thick to figure out the meaning of what he was reading. Either way, the book just added to his frustration and he had finally tossed it aside to read later when he was less distracted.

  It had begun raining early in the morning and so Simon was denied even the simple pleasure of walking around the lake. He finally grabbed the frustrating notebook again, walked out and sat on his front step, protected from the gently falling rain by the lintel above the doorway.

  He opened the book and started from the beginning, This time, he tried to piece together Daniel's route in his travels around the globe. He had brought some paper down with him and used a roughly-sharpened pencil to list the locations of his friend's discoveries.