The Dragons Return

by J. J. Thompson

  “I suppose so,” Simon said weakly.

  The elemental made a gesture and Simon found himself being lifted gently in a whirl of warm air. He felt no additional pain from the movement and actually felt like he was wrapped in cotton as he moved.

  Aethos floated Simon before him toward the tower, with Kronk and Aeris following behind. They entered the main room, slowly climbed the stairs and Simon was delicately lowered on to his bed. He sighed with relief as the wind was withdrawn.

  “I can't thank you enough for this,” Simon stammered to Aethos but the large figure waved away his thanks.

  “It was my choice, wizard. I would advise that from now on you test your spells outside of this tower. The next time there may not be enough bits of you left to rescue.”

  And with that pointed comment, the elemental disappeared with a loud pop of air.

  In the silence that followed, Simon turned his head and looked at the two little figures on the bed next to him.

  “Well, that was unexpected,” he said with a smile of disbelief.

  “But not unappreciated,” Aeris replied with satisfaction. “However, now you have another decision to make.”

  “Which is?” Simon asked with groan.

  “You can either let me set and wrap your leg and then lie here for a week while it knits, followed by six to eight weeks of healing time,” Aeris grinned down at him, “which will set your spell research back quite a bit. Or you can call Clara and ask her to come here and heal you. You'll be back on your feet immediately and everything will be back to normal.”

  Kronk was gently covering Simon with blankets and stopped to look forlornly at him.

  “Master, do not suffer unduly. Call the cleric. I am sure she would be happy to help you.”

  Simon winced as Kronk brushed against his leg.

  “I'm not as sure about that as you are, my friend. She's got an entire community to lead. She can't just drop everything every time I stub my toe.”

  “Save me from the pride of wizards,” Aeris said to the room at large. He looked at Simon sternly. “Do you think that she will be pleased to know that you were too stiff-necked to ask for help the next time I drop by her town and tell her what happened?”

  Simon jerked up and then gasped as a white-hot stab of pain shot up his leg.

  “You wouldn't actually squeal on me, would you?” he asked plaintively.

  “Of course I would,” Aeris said simply. And then he crossed his arms and stared at Simon with a frown. “This isn't really an option, my dear wizard. Unless you choose to order me not to, I intend to ask for her help regardless. It would be more dignified if it came from you.”

  “I'm not your master, so I won't give you orders,” Simon hissed between gritted teeth, a mixture of pain and aggravation giving him a pounding headache on top of the stabbing ache from his leg.

  “Exactly. So be a good wizard and call the cleric.” Aeris flew closer to Simon until they were almost nose to nose. “Now,” he added in a steely tone.

  “Bullied by an elemental,” Simon muttered to himself. He lay back on his pillow and closed his eyes. The Magic Mouth incantation came to him easily now and he rattled off the spell.

  “Clara, do you have a minute?” he asked the unseen cleric.

  “Simon? Hello! Certainly. I'm reading at the moment. But this is a pleasant surprise. I didn't expect your call for a few more days.”

  “Yeah, I know. Listen, I uh...” Simon opened his eyes as he hesitated and Aeris was still floating nearby, watching him closely. He made an encouraging gesture and Kronk, next to him, nodded vigorously. He rolled his eyes and closed them again.

  “I've had a bit of an accident. I didn't want to bother you. I know how busy you are, but my two house-mates are brow-beating me here and insisted I call.”

  “What's happened, my friend?” Clara asked anxiously.

  “Well, I was casting a new spell, you know, to test it and, um, it sort of went sideways a bit.”

  “And?”

  “And...” He felt his face getting red. “I uh, broke my leg. Look, I know how lame that sounds,” he rushed on, “and Aeris can set it, no problem, so if you're too busy...”

  “For heaven's sake, Simon! I'll be on my way immediately.” She stopped speaking for a moment. “Oh damn, it'll be dark before we get there. I don't think my people will want me traveling after nightfall. We've seen some things from a distance lately, in the darkness, that has made us wary of leaving the village after dark.”

  “I understand. What things?”

  “No idea. It's a new phenomena, something we haven't seen before. But I can leave first thing in the morning. Can you hold out until then? If the skin is broken or slivers of bone are protruding from the leg, I'll leave right now and to hell with the danger.”

  Simon was touched by her concern and hastened to reassure her.

  “No, it's okay. Aeris tells me it's a clean break. I can get him to set and wrap it,” he looked at the elemental who nodded once, “and I'll be fine overnight. Don't rush on my account.”

  “Oh, do stop being so macho.” Clara sounded exasperated. “Try to rest and see if your two friends can immobilize that leg. You don't want to damage it even more in your sleep. I'll see you in the morning.”

  “Okay, Clara,” Simon said, feeling more relieved than he would ever admit. “I'm in your debt, again.”

  She just laughed and wished him a good night and Simon canceled the spell.

  He turned his head slowly and looked at the pair of elementals.

  “She can't come until the morning, guys. Aeris, she wants you to set the leg and then we have to immobilize it somehow.”

  “Ah, good idea,” the air elemental said. He looked at Kronk. “Could you find me two boards, about three feet long? I'll use them to keep his leg straight after I set it.”

  “Of course. I'll be right back,” Kronk told them, sounding relieved to have something to do. He hopped off the bed and hurried out the door.

  Aeris flew across the room, rummaged around a bit in Simon's bureau, and returned with a twist of cloth.

  “What's that for?” Simon asked nervously.

  “For you to bite on, my dear wizard,” Aeris said a bit grimly. “When I straighten your leg to set the break, it is going to hurt. A lot. So clamp down on this, I'll count to three and then we can bind it.”

  Simon swallowed loudly but reached up slowly and took the cloth.

  “Funny. I've had broken bones before, but not in this body. My old self was so big and strong that I could just laugh off injuries and pain. But now? Now I'm a wimp.”

  Aeris chuckled.

  “You are not a strongman now, Simon. You are a wizard. Brains over brawn, you know.” He tilted his head slightly. “Ah, Kronk is returning with the boards. Let's do this, shall we?”

  Simon stuffed the cloth between his teeth and bit down hard on it.

  “Mmmf,” he said and blinked at Aeris.

  “Okay, here we go. On three. One...two...”

  And then Aeris yanked and twisted Simon's leg sharply.

  He ground his teeth together as pain bolted up his leg and convulsed his body. Tears started from his eyes and he grabbed the blankets in a death-grip.

  After the initial jolt, the pain subsided into a steady, low-level pounding that he could feel along his entire body. But it was bearable, better than it had been before the leg had been set.

  Aeris floated into view and gently took the rag from Simon's mouth.

  “Three. Are you okay?” he asked with a concerned look.

  Simon breathed deeply a few times and then nodded.

  “I think so. Thanks for that. It wasn't pleasant, but I know it had to be done.”

  “Yes. We couldn't allow your leg to start healing crookedly.”

  Kronk tip-tapped into the room, two boards resting on top of his little head.

  “Here they are, Aeris,” he said as he approached the bed.

  “Ah, excellent, Thanks. Do we have a
ny rope or heavy twine in the tower?”

  “Absolutely. How much do you need?”

  Simon watched the two of them working together and had to smile. He was beyond grateful that they were here to help and he was pleased that they had put their differences aside to take care of him.

  Kronk rushed from the room to look for some rope and Aeris carefully set the boards on either side of Simon's leg, moving it slowly to avoid hurting him any more than necessary.

  By the time he was satisfied with the placement of the boards, Kronk had returned with two lengths of rope. Aeris then tied the boards together and flew back to examine his work.

  “That should do for the night, Simon,” he said with satisfaction. “One of us will stay with you in case you thrash around in your sleep, so you should have no problems until Clara arrives tomorrow.”

  “Thanks guys. I would have been so screwed if you hadn't been here.”

  Both elementals looked quite pleased with themselves.

  “Is there anything you need, master?” Kronk asked as he jumped up on the bed and stood next to Simon's head.

  “Some water would be nice if you could manage it.”

  “I'll get it, Kronk. You stay with him.”

  Aeris disappeared at Kronk's nod and the little guy stood watching Simon carefully. He grinned at the concern in the rocky little face.

  “I'm fine. Stop looking so worried.”

  “Master, you could have died. You do know that, don't you?”

  “Yeah, I know.” Simon picked nervously at the blanket covering him. “Trust me, it isn't lost on me that I could have landed on my head, or on a rock.” Then he frowned. “I wonder what spell that was anyway?”

  “You Gated, master. A most useful and truly dangerous spell, usually only cast by master-class wizards.”

  “Gated?” Simon rolled the word around in his mind. “Gated. No, I don't think I've ever heard of that one.”

  “It's a travel spell, Simon,” Aeris said as he floated back into the room holding a glass of water. He handed it to Simon and watched as he drank carefully.

  When the glass was empty, Simon returned it and lay back on his pillow.

  “Travel spell? You mean wizards could, I don't know, teleport from place to place?”

  “Yes, of course. But Kronk is correct. It is a spell that only the most powerful wizards would use. One mistake, one waver in their concentration and a wizard could end up at the bottom of the ocean, or thousands of feet in the air. You got lucky.”

  “Wow, really?” Simon shuddered. “Then I agree. I was lucky. I'll save the spell, but I think I'll put it away for future use. Distant future at that.”

  “Wise, master,” Kronk told him.

  Outside the sky was darkening and Aeris flew over to the window and closed it. A cool breeze had been blowing into the room.

  “We can't take a chance of you catching a chill, Simon,” the air elemental told him as he locked the window. “Kronk? Would you close and seal the gates please?”

  “Right away. You will stay with master while I'm gone?”

  “Naturally,” Aeris assured him and Kronk patted Simon on the shoulder and then jumped down and left the room.

  “You know, you two are getting along better these days,” Simon said as he tried to relax and ignore the pounding of his leg. The pain was bearable but constant and he doubted that he'd sleep much that night.

  Aeris pointed at the candle on the bed-side table.

  “Could you light that?” he asked and Simon touched the wick with a flick of power. It popped into flame and spread its warm glow through the dimly-lit room.

  “Yes, I suppose we are,” the air elemental said as he returned to hover next to Simon's head. “I think we've defined our rolls now and that helps a lot. Besides,” he added with a twisted grin, “we have your mutual welfare to keep us united. And,” he lowered his voice and glanced around, “I've actually grown a little fond of him. But keep that to yourself.”

  Simon laughed and then hissed with pain as his leg twitched. But he held on to his smile.

  “Don't worry, I won't tell.”

  “Good. Now, I know you're in pain, but try to get some sleep. Kronk or I will be here in case you need anything, so rest easy.”

  Simon closed his eyes, a bit surprised at how heavy his eyelids had suddenly become.

  “Thanks, Aeris. You know, you guys...”

  What else he would have said was forever lost as he drifted into a deep abyss of sleep.

  Chapter 16

  Clara and escort, the duo of Richard and Michael, showed up early the next morning. Simon had slept through the night, to his own surprise, and woke with a dull ache in his leg that was manageable but a low-level irritation. He was a bit cranky with the two elementals as Kronk fluffed his pillows and fussed over him and Aeris made him some tea.

  “And good morning to you, sunshine,” Aeris said with amusement as he handed Simon his tea.

  Feeling abashed at his bad temper, Simon apologized to both of his helpers.

  “You are hurt, master,” Kronk told him. “Of course you are crabby. We don't mind.”

  “Crabby?” Simon had to laugh, carefully. “I've never heard you use that word before, Kronk. But it's accurate. I am crabby. But I'm angry at me, not you. No more stupid testing. I'll be a lot smarter about it from now on, I promise you.”

  “Good to know,” Aeris said as he opened the window wide and let in the warm morning air. “Do you need to get to the outhouse? If so, it could be a bit of a problem.”

  Simon shook his head.

  “Nope. I seem to be fine for now. I wonder how long it will take for Clara to get here?”

  “Wonder no more, wizard,” Aeris told him as he looked out the window. “They're here.”

  Simon started to sit up and thought better of it as a wave of dizziness dropped him back on to the pillow.

  “Could you go and meet them, Aeris? I'll, um, just wait here.”

  Aeris chuckled as he looked over his shoulder.

  “Good idea. I'll bring them up.”

  And he vanished with a pop of air.

  Simon lay there waiting impatiently. He decided that he wasn't very good at being an invalid. He needed to be up and about, doing something.

  Kronk was standing on the table next to the bed, his head barely as high as the now-extinguished candle beside him. He seemed secretly amused but stayed silent.

  After a few of the longest minutes that Simon had ever experienced, he heard the rattle of footsteps downstairs, followed by the light sounds of a single person climbing the stairs. Clara walked into the room followed closely by Aeris and then stopped and stared at the wizard sprawled on the bed.

  “Good morning, Simon,” she said brightly.

  He tried to smile and guessed that it was more of a grimace.

  “Hi Clara. Look, I'm sorry to drag you away from your duties. I know that you're a busy person and...”

  She walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. She put a finger on his lips to stop him from speaking and stared at him levelly.

  “Simon, hush. I'm a cleric. While it's still a fairly new vocation for me, I know where my duty lies. And it is with the sick and wounded, not micro-managing every move my people make. So stop apologizing.”

  She pulled back the covers from his leg and nodded appreciatively at the splint.

  “Fine work, Aeris. You've kept it immobile and,” she laid her hands carefully on the wrappings, closing her eyes, “set it cleanly. Excellent.”

  Aeris bowed slightly.

  “Thank you, Clara. It was my duty.” He winked at Simon. “We want our wizard around for a long time.”

  “Good,” she replied with a smile. “So do I. Now, Simon,” and her voice became serious, “when I begin, you may suffer some discomfort. I can heal, yes, but what I do is accelerate the body's natural healing. It will hurt, but I assure you that the pain will only last a moment. Can you bear that?”

  Simon stared at her in
disbelief.

  “Bear it? Of course I can bear it. Anything to get out of this bed and back to work.” He thought for a moment. “But no promises on whether I scream or curse.”

  “Noted,” she said with a laugh. She looked at Kronk.

  “Little one, could I ask you to stand on the bed next to Simon and hold his shoulder down? Aeris, hold down the other one, please.” She looked at Simon apologetically. “You mustn't move while I heal you. The fracture could mend badly and then we'd have to re-break the leg and start again.”

  “Understood,” Simon replied and watched as the two elementals positioned themselves on either side of his head.

  Clara bowed her head and seemed to be praying. Simon swallowed his impatience, and his nervousness, and waited for her to begin.

  The cleric finally raised her head and put her palms on his leg.

  “Now,” she said firmly. “Hold him down.”

  Both of the elementals put their small hands on Simon's shoulders and pushed down firmly. He took a deep breath and waited anxiously.

  He could only see the ceiling while he was being held down, but Simon knew when the healing began.

  He felt a warmth gathering in his leg. It started gently and quickly ramped up to a barely tolerable burning. And then the pain slammed into him. For an intense moment, he felt like someone had smashed his leg with a sledgehammer.

  Simon gasped loudly and then gritted his teeth, his breath whistling painfully through his twisted lips.

  The pain seemed to come in waves, waxing and waning like a red tide. And then...it was gone. Just like that.

  His body collapsed in relief and Simon actually moaned aloud at the pleasure of being pain-free.

  The elementals released his shoulders and he lifted his head weakly to look at Clara.

  “Did it work?” he murmured.

  She smiled at the question, her face pale and drawn.

  “Of course it worked, Simon. The gods of Light are good like that.” She breathed rapidly, almost panting and Simon watched her, concerned.

  “Are you okay?”

  “Fine, fine. The gods gave me the gift, but the energy for a healing comes from me. Don't worry. A cup of tea and a chance to sit quietly for a while and I'll be as good as new.”