“My master speaks the truth,” Kronk said. “Even after he first summoned me, two years after the end of your civilization, he was constantly expecting another attack.” He looked at Simon. “In fact, I do not know to this day how you avoided being tracked down by the drakes, master.”
“Neither do I. Dumb luck? The favor of the gods? Who knows.”
“If I may interject, sir wizard,” Chao said politely. “I believe it was for the same reason that my brother and I, and the other people living here now, survived.”
Simon stared at him in surprise.
“You know why the drakes didn't finish us all off?”
“An educated guess, sir, nothing more.”
The slight man held up his hands and looked at them.
“It was the Change,” he said as he rotated his hands and looked at his palms. “This person who you see before you is nothing like the man I was. Neither is my brother. And I suspect that you are not either, sir wizard. But beyond our physical appearance, our bodily structure was altered at the molecular level. In point of fact, I do not believe that any of us are, strictly speaking, human anymore.”
“What?” Simon asked weakly. “Not human?”
Chao smiled at his stunned expression.
“Strictly speaking. We are, of course, an offshoot of homo sapiens; a mutation, if you will. But not human. The drakes were sent by their primal dragons to hunt down mundane human beings. We are anything but that.”
“Well, that's an interesting theory,” Simon said hesitantly. “And not one that had occurred to me. I'll have to give it some thought.”
Lei patted his brother on the shoulder, a proud expression on his face.
“He's always been the smart one,” he told the wizard. “Thinking, thinking; that's Chao.”
Chao snorted and glanced at Lei.
“It is, as our friend here just said, only a theory.”
“What's a theory?”
Simon turned to look at the main entrance. Tamara was just entering behind her brother. Each of them carried a tray holding a silver urn, along with crocks of honey and cups and spoons.
“Hey Simon,” Sebastian said with a grin. “How are you? You're looking so much better than you were a couple of days ago.”
He put the tray down in the middle of the table and moved aside for his sister to do the same with hers.
“I'm good, Bastian. Thanks. Sorry if our little experiment woke you up.”
The mage shook his head and pointed at Tamara.
“It wasn't your experiment,” he said with a good-natured chuckle. “It was my heartless sister. And I had just drifted off too.”
Tamara glared at him and he just looked back with a broad smile.
“Don't you blame me,” she said irritably. “If I hadn't told you about it and went ahead without you, I would have heard nothing but complaints for the next week.”
She looked at Simon and the Zhang brothers.
“Help yourselves,” she said with a nod at the trays. “We made tea to help us all stay alert.”
Everyone poured themselves a cup and Simon took the opportunity to light all of the candles and torches in the room with a single thought. While Tamara and Sebastian just smiled appreciatively, Chao and Lei gasped in surprise.
“That is a truly wonderful talent,” Chao said excitedly. “And I didn't even hear an incantation.”
“My master is an elementalist,” Kronk spoke up proudly. “He has a gift when it comes to working with all four of the elements.”
He smiled fondly up at Simon.
“And with elementals.”
The wizard winked at him and looked at the brothers.
“It's handy, I'll admit, but it really is nothing more than that. I certainly can't set anything non-flammable on fire with my mind. If I could have,” he added grimly, “that damned goblin wizard would have gone up in a ball of flames as soon as I saw him.”
A moment of awkward silence followed his statement and Chao nodded silently and sipped his tea.
“Well now,” Tamara said, changing the subject abruptly. “What do you think, Chao? Will Ellas answer a call to help us with our request?”
“Who can say, lady?” the small man replied. “She is mercurial, flighty. It is always possible that she will say no. She has in the past. We can only hope for a favorable response.”
He finished his tea and stood up.
“Let us see if she is in a good mood.”
Chao walked over to stand in front of the fireplace. The flames dancing behind him turned the small man's shadow into that of a giant.
He drew his fan from his sash, opened it with a ringing clash of metal blades and began to chant.
“It sounds more like singing than spell-casting,” Simon whispered to Lei.
The other man nodded in agreement.
“Yes, the old Chinese language that was used by ancient spell-casters is quite elegant to listen to.”
He laughed silently.
“But hard to pronounce. Chao has mastered it but I can barely string two words together. Just as well that the gods saw fit to make me a paladin and not a mage, I suppose.”
Simon grinned at the man's self-deprecation. He immediately liked both brothers and was even more thankful that Wistia had come across them in her travels. He'd have to tell her that the next time he summoned a group of scouts from the realm of Air.
The chanting continued for some minutes. Kronk edged closer to Simon, who bent his head to listen when the little guy tapped the side of his blocky head.
“Are you not glad that it doesn't take this long to summon one of my kind, master?” the earthen asked with sly look.
Simon covered his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
“I certainly am,” he managed to say. “And stop that. You're trying to make me laugh on purpose. Aeris has had a bad influence on you.”
Kronk only rumbled a deep chuckle and returned to staring at Chao.
Finally, with a twirl and a flourish of his fan, the conjurer ended his incantation. He stood still, breathing deeply, and looked at the watchers.
“And now we wait to see if I managed to get Ellas' attention. It could take a while.”
“Would you care for more tea?” Sebastian asked him.
Chao shook his head.
“No, thank you. If Ellas does appear and finds me sitting down and sipping tea, she will be most annoyed. I will stand here and wait. Please have more if you wish though; I won't mind.”
“Okay then,” the mage said. “Anyone else want more?”
Sebastian walked around the table and topped up everyone's cup. Then he sat down again to wait along with the rest of the group.
“What's the longest she's kept you waiting, Chao?” Simon asked as he rested his elbow on the table and his chin on his palm.
Before he could answer, Lei chimed in.
“Two and a half hours,” the paladin said. “More or less.”
“Seriously?”
“Lei,” Chao protested. “Don't be so impatient. That was one time. And she had a perfectly good explanation as to why she was late.”
The paladin leaned toward Simon and lowered his voice.
“She was doing her nails,” he said, pretending to whisper while darting a quick glance at his brother.
There was a momentary pause and then everyone burst out laughing, including Chao.
“My brother is more of a joker than his overly large frame would make him appear,” the conjurer chuckled. “That is not the reason that Ellas was late.”
“And what is this?” a high-pitched voice said from somewhere around them. “The sound of people laughing and speaking my name at the same time? I do not think that sounds very respectful.”
The laughter was cut off abruptly and everyone looked around, searching for the speaker.
“We were not laughing at you, Ellas,” Chao said hastily. “We would never do that.”
“Wouldn't you? Humans are treacherous and untrust
worthy; I know that well. My dealings with your kind in the past has gone badly for me more than once.”
When no one else could seem to find anything to say in response, Simon stood up and looked around the room, unsure of where the sprite actually was.
“But have your interactions with Chao been anything less than honorable?” he asked her. “I have only just met him, but from all that I have heard, he is honest and straightforward. How long will you hold the actions of others, long dead, against him?”
The conjurer's expression was unreadable as he watched Simon, but he stayed silent, as did everyone else.
“And who is this?”
An emerald-colored portal appeared above Chao's head and a small figure straight out of a fairy tale darted through it. The sprite, with her long greenish hair, gold and silver gown, and butterfly wings, flitted and dipped in the air, staring straight at Simon.
“You are a bold one, aren't you?” she said regally. “I do not know you, young man, and I am not sure that I like your tone.”
“He is Simon O'Toole, the wizard of whom you have already heard,” Kronk said in his deep gravelly voice.
Ellas looked at him and suddenly beamed a smile at the elemental.
“Ah, the wizard! How delightful! You have returned, safe and sound, I see. Marvelous. And did my skill help your friends to find you?”
“As a matter of fact, it did,” Simon told her.
He bowed as gracefully as he could, sensing that such a gesture would be appreciated by the sprite.
“I thank you so much for that assistance, Ellas. It is quite possible that without your help, I might be dead by now.”
She clapped her hands together and giggled.
“I knew it! I knew that I would be of tremendous help.”
The sprite looked down at Chao.
“You see? Do you? I am useful, as I've said to you so many times.”
“Yes, I know you are, Ellas,” he replied patiently. “I would no ask for your aid if you were not. And I would not have told others the same.”
She flitted down to hover at eye level to Chao.
“You have told other people that?” she asked almost shyly.
“Of course I have. Why, I called you here tonight at the request of Simon O'Toole. You see? A great wizard like him wants your help. That is how much we respect your talents.”
“Oh my, a wizard requesting my help. I'm quite overwhelmed.”
Simon was having a hard time keeping a straight face. Obviously the sprite was someone who responded to flattery and also, even though it was obvious that the conjurer couldn't see it, the wizard was sure that Ellas had a crush on Chao. Her irritation with him had an almost teasing tone to it and he was sure that her reluctance to help him was just for show.
Ellas flew over to Simon and stared at him with immense blue eyes.
“Of course, since a wizard has asked for my aid and not some ordinary spell-caster,” she gave Chao a withering glance, “then I am more than happy to oblige. So, how may I aid you, Simon O'Toole?”
Simon gestured at Chao and Ellas sighed dramatically.
“Fine then,” she said as she flew back to the conjurer. “What do you want me to do?”
The man briefly explained about the strange stone and what had happened when he'd tried to discern its nature, and the sprite momentarily forgot her haughty persona and glared at him.
“Chao, that was foolish!” she snapped. “You could have been injured or even killed playing with strange magics like that. Are you a man or a child? Honestly, I don't know how you manage to get through an ordinary day without my guidance.”
Simon looked over at Lei and the paladin gave him a subtle wink. Apparently he was as aware of Ellas' feelings for his brother as Simon was.
“Yes, Ellas. I admit it. It was foolish. Now, can we put that behind us and focus on the here and now?”
He got down on one knee and, after a final sniff of disdain, Ellas descended to the floor.
“We would like you to examine this mark here,” Chao pointed at the dark smudge, “and hopefully get some sort of reading from it. Specifically, we'd like to know the nature of the curse, or of the creature that was summoned from the stone. Can you help us?”
“Of course I can help the wizard,” Ellas replied. “As usual, you underestimate my abilities. Typical.”
The sprite touched down next to the spot and Chao moved back to give her room. Ellas delicately touched the stain with a fingertip and closed her eyes.
The room became still and everyone seemed to be holding their breaths. Chao watched the sprite intently, a worried expression on his usually serene face, and Simon realized that the conjurer was as fond of Ellas as she was of him.
What an odd relationship, he thought.
At that moment, he just happened to look down at the table and saw Kronk watching the proceedings, as wide-eyed as a child on Christmas morning. It made him smile.
Okay, maybe not so odd after all.
They all jumped as Ellas let out a little shriek and shot straight up into the air, almost slamming into the ceiling.
“Hatred! Oh, the hatred!” she gasped, hugging herself in fear.
She stared down at the stain on the floor, as if afraid that it would suddenly come to life.
“Ellas? What is it?” Chao asked, looking up at her.
“That...that thing, that stone or whatever it was,” she stuttered, pointing at the black spot. “It was sent by something inhuman. The malevolence, it's like nothing that I have ever felt before.”
She calmed down a little and descended to hover next to the conjurer.
“And it is all directed at you,” she said as she turned to point at Simon.
“At me? But, what did I do?”
“I cannot tell you why this thing hates you, young wizard, but hate you it does. It is powerful, that much is clear, and I get a sensation of...”
Her voice trailed off and she shook her head in confusion.
“A sensation of what, Ellas?” Chao prodded gently.
“It is seeking him out,” she said replied in a shaky voice. “It is hunting you, Simon O'Toole. But what it is and where it might be is something I cannot say. That is all that I've learned and all that I want to learn. Make of it what you will.”
Simon bowed slightly toward the sprite.
“You have my thanks, Ellas. At least now...”
Before he could finish, the little lady vanished without a sound.
“Um, okay then,” Simon ended lamely. “I was going to say at least now we have a little bit of information about that damned thing.”
“She was terrified,” Chao told them as he walked back to the table and sat down beside his brother.
“Did you see her face? I have never seen Ellas afraid, of anything. I didn't even know that it was possible. Whatever threatens you, sir wizard, must be very bad indeed.”
“Yeah, thanks for that,” Simon said with a wry grin.
“Oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean...”
“Forget it. I was just kidding. And please, would you and Lei call me by my name and not 'sir wizard'? That's way too formal among friends.”
The brothers looked flattered.
“Thank you, Simon,” Lei said gratefully. “We are honored.”
“You're welcome. And now we can focus on the big question: what the hell is hunting me and how do I stop it?”
Chapter 26
Over the protests of Tamara and the other leaders, Simon headed home soon after Ellas disappeared.
“Do you guys really think that I'd be safer sitting here waiting for something to attack me?” he asked them reasonably. “If it's as powerful as the sprite said it is, then being at home when it catches up to me wouldn't be less safe, now would it?”
Tamara frowned at him.
“I hate it when people use logic against me,” she said irritably. “It's so...level-headed.”
“Sorry,” Simon grinned. “But my tower is warded even better
than the castle. Actually, now that I think about it, I need to redo my wards around Nottinghill's perimeter, don't I? Whoops, I forgot.”
“Don't sweat it,” Sebastian reassured him. “But if you could come back sooner rather than later and take care of that, we'd appreciate it.”
“Remind me, please?” he asked, glancing down at Kronk.
“Of course, master. I shall do that.”
“Good.”
He stood up and, for the first time, noticed his old atlas lying next to Tamara, apparently forgotten by everyone. He picked it up absently and then held out an arm toward the earthen.
“Grab my sleeve, Kronk, and let's go home. See you all soon.”
“Be careful, my friend,” Chao told him earnestly. “If Ellas is afraid of whatever it is that is stalking you, then it would be wise to be cautious.”
“I always am. Take care.”
The wizard waved and then Gated away in a cloud of black mist.
“There's always more to worry about, have you noticed that?” Tamara asked her brother.
Sebastian began to gather up the dirty cups.
“True. And if there isn't, then all we have to do is wait and something will appear.”
Simon collapsed into bed as soon as he got home and left Kronk to tell Aeris what had happened. He was just too tired to even think coherently, let alone try to explain what they had witnessed.
The next day though, he sat out on the front steps of the tower and talked it through with both of the elementals.
“What is your take on all of this?” he asked Aeris as they enjoyed the bright morning sunshine.
“My take? You mean my opinion?”
“Yes, that.”
The air elemental looked thoughtful as he tried to express himself.
“I think that you are in trouble,” he told the wizard. “Oh, don't roll your eyes. Yes, I know that you are always in some kind of trouble, my dear wizard, but this may be different.”
“How so?”
Simon was enjoying the sound of the distant birds from the forest and the scent of fresh-cut grass in the air; Kronk had trimmed the lawn around the tower. He allowed his mind to wander a bit and jumped when Aeris snapped at him.
The Queen of Dragons (Tales from the New Earth Book 8) Page 33
