“Would you please pay attention! Don't get all dreamy on me; this is serious.”
“I know, I know! Don't yell.”
“I'm not. Now consider this: not even the primal green dragon was able to escape the wards around the tower when you used them to trap him, correct?”
“Right.”
“But whoever was really hiding under those robes and calling herself Sarah was able to project an incredibly believable image of herself through those same wards. Granted, she wasn't able to bring a physical object through them, but it was an impressive display of power nonetheless. And she somehow hid Kronk and the other earthen from me and vise-versa. That is actually scary.”
Simon was focused entirely on Aeris now, his simple joy in the day having evaporated.
“When you put it like that, I have to agree. Any suggestions on how we can learn more about her? Or him? Or it, whatever.”
“You could simply wait, master,” Kronk told him. “That creature visited here once; I see no reason to believe that she will not return.”
“Why would she though?” Aeris asked him. “She obviously knows that Simon did not fall for her trap. Instead, it was sprung prematurely. Surely she wouldn't show up at the gates and try to deceive us a second time?”
“That's a good point as well,” Simon agreed.
He pushed his hair off of his face and leaned back on the steps with a tired sigh.
“Sometimes I wonder what it's all for, you know? I mean, so few of us lived through the fall of mankind and now it seems that we're constantly fighting just to survive. Can't we get a moment's peace? Just for a little while?”
Aeris floated closer to him and patted his shoulder.
“I understand how you must feel, my dear wizard. I really do. But the days that we are living in now are not all that different than the times faced by the ancient wizards. They too struggled against evil forces and twisted monsters. Was there really ever a time of peaceful contemplation for your people in their history? I mean a time of true peace and harmony?”
Simon looked past him and considered the question.
Were people ever truly happy, worldwide? Wasn't there always a war happening somewhere? Constant unrest sprinkled through all populations? Crime? Disease? Poverty?
“I think,” he answered hesitantly, “that bad memories are often pushed to the side when we recall the 'good old days'. It's more pleasant to remember the good times rather than the bad. But you're right, Aeris. We were never truly at peace, as a species. In a twisted kind of way, it's encouraging to know that the old magic-users had troubles of their own.”
Simon stood up abruptly and walked down the steps. He began pacing back and forth on the grass, thinking out loud.
“The way that I see it, we have two impending problems right now. First there's this mysterious person who wants my head for some reason.”
He looked at the watching elementals and grinned.
“He or she can take a number.”
Aeris chuckled while Kronk just nodded without comment.
“And then there's the situation with Argentium and those blasted eggs. That, to me, seems like the bigger problem. It threatens not just me, but the entire world. The eggs might have hatched by now or they might not have. If they have though, I don't know how long it takes for young dragons to mature...”
He stopped and looked at the elementals again.
“Do either of you?”
Aeris and Kronk frowned at each other.
“Any idea?” the earthen asked. “Your people were always more involved with wizards and high magic than mine were.”
“With magic, yes,” Aeris replied with a shrug. “But with dragons? No. Even during the final battles that led up to the gods being banished from this realm, elementals played a very minor part.”
He settled down on to the step next to Kronk and looked at Simon.
“Remember, the only reason that all of the evil dragons vanished, and the silver dragon, Esmiralla, entered her long sleep, was because both the Lawful and Chaotic gods were pulled into the Void, along with their magics. The dragons cannot exist in an atmosphere devoid of magical energy.”
Aeris smiled humorlessly.
“But I doubt that we can make that happen again. Magic is here to stay and so we will have to deal with this situation the best way we can.”
“Yes, I agree,” Simon said as he began pacing slowly again. “But how?”
He brushed off some loose grass from the bottom of his simple gray robe and sat down on the steps again. Aeris floated up to hover by his shoulder.
“I suppose that the first thing we need to do is find the argent dragon. Damn you, Argentium,” the wizard muttered. “Why did you have to do this? After everything we've done, everyone we've lost and you've taken us all the way back to square one.”
“Master, if I may?”
Simon looked at Kronk as the little guy hopped up the steps to stand next to him.
“Of course, what is it?”
“I think that the answer to why he did it is simple. I believe that Argentium panicked.”
“Panicked?” Aeris scoffed. “Kronk, the argent dragon is an ancient being of immense power. Why would he panic?”
“He still has emotions, does he not?” the little guy asked, looking up at Aeris. “We saw that he suffered remorse for Esmiralla's actions when she used master to recall the argent dragon back from the dead. And how he grieved when she sacrificed herself to bring down the dark tower. Why should his age make any difference to how he feels? And I think he felt anguish when it came to having to destroy what could be the last of his kind. Evil or not, the offspring of the dragon queen are still related to Argentium, after all. It might have felt as wrong to him as it would to you, master, being made to choose between saving a group of children or letting them die. How would you react? Could you let that happen, even if, for example, the children's mother was an enemy of yours?”
Simon let that sink in and then smiled ruefully at the earthen.
“Perspective, Kronk. You always help me gain perspective, did you know that? No, of course I could never do that. And I can understand now why Argentium couldn't either. But even though we are, or were, allies, I have no choice but to look at the bigger picture now. We have to find those eggs and, if the argent dragon can't bring himself to destroy them, then I will. And I will face the consequences of my actions afterward.”
“Even if it means making Argentium your enemy?” Aeris asked bluntly. “Are you prepared to do battle with him? He is almost as powerful as any of the primal dragons were. And I believe that he is much more intelligent.”
Simon stared at him expressionlessly.
“If I have to, yes. Argentium is trying to save his people and I am trying to save mine. Sadly, we are both doing the wrong thing for the right reasons. I suppose that the universe does have a sense of irony after all. Who knew?”
“This will end badly, master. Very badly,” Kronk told him anxiously. “You and the last good dragon should not be enemies.”
Simon stood up again, too nervous to sit still. He walked up the steps and grabbed the handle of the front door. Then he rested his forehead against it for a moment and closed his eyes.
“I know that, but what is the alternative? If you have one, either of you, please tell me. I would love another solution to this horrible problem.”
Neither elemental had an answer.
The wizard sighed.
“Yeah, me neither.”
He opened the door, looked back and smiled sadly at them.
“It's inevitable then, I suppose,” he said before he walked inside and closed the door behind him.
Stating that he would destroy the dragon eggs and actually doing it were two different things. First, Simon had to find them.
And so the following morning he was up early summoning a group of air elementals. He had asked several of them to scout for him before and he welcomed them back warmly.
Both
the newcomers and the returning elementals seemed thrilled to be asked to help.
It was certainly a relief to Simon that none of them appeared with an ear-splitting crack of thunder, now that their ruler, Astrandamus, had allowed them a less ostentatious entrance. Loud noises gave him a headache.
Aeris, Brethia and Orriss were among the group of ten elementals who floated above the wizard's desk in his study. He wanted the three of them to join in the search because they were the most experienced of all of the scouts and Aeris, for all of his bluster, was an excellent leader.
Once all of them had settled down and were listening to Simon, he moved to sit on the window ledge behind his desk and looked at the entire group that hovered and bobbed in the sunlight that was streaming into the room.
“Again, thank you all for coming,” the wizard began. “As usual, if anyone isn't interested in working for me for whatever reason, please tell me now and I will allow you to return home immediately.”
There was silence from the group and Simon smiled at them.
“Thank you. Okay, I have a very specific job for you this time. I need to know where the argent dragon is, and I need to know as soon as possible.”
“Pardon me, sir wizard,” one of the elementals piped up. “You are speaking of Argentium?”
“I am.”
“But, no disrespect intended, aren't you and he allies? Can you not simply request his presence?”
“Argentium isn't taking my calls right now,” Simon said dryly. “And for those of you who don't know the reason for that, it's because he has something in his possession that we need to find.”
“May we ask what that is, sir?” another elemental asked.
“Aeris? Would you do the honors please?”
“Of course.”
Aeris flew away from the group and joined Simon. He spun around and looked at them all gravely.
“The argent dragon has stolen a clutch of eggs from the queen. We believe that they are the last eggs that she will ever produce.”
There were many gasps and wide-eyed looks from the elementals, and Aeris nodded.
“I see that you understand the gravity of the situation. Good. Argentium believes, for reasons of his own, that he can raise these five dragons to go against their evil natures and become servants of the lords of Light. Simon O'Toole and I do not. So we need to find the argent dragon, hopefully before the eggs hatch, and destroy them. If we are not able to do this, it is possible that the world will see the rise of five new primals who will grow to repopulate the world with evil dragons once again. And that would spell the end for what is left of humanity, including our wizard here.”
“That's horrible!” one of them exclaimed.
“Yes, it is,” Simon told them. “And what is almost as horrible is the thought of destroying newborns, even if they are dragons. I'd really rather not have to do that. So let's find these damned eggs before they hatch, shall we?”
“Where shall we start looking, my lord?” Orriss asked eagerly.
Simon glanced at Aeris, who nodded and flew back to the desk. The atlas was lying there and he flipped through it, pointing at various maps. The others huddled around him, watching closely.
“We believe that, unlike the dragon queen, Argentium will have retreated to the solitude of the high mountains. He is more at home in the cold and desolation of the peaks. And with his powers, he could easily keep the eggs warm enough to hatch. So we will focus our efforts on the highest of the world's mountain ranges.”
Aeris assigned each elemental to a specific region and they memorized the coordinates and flew out of the open window one by one. Finally all of them had left and Simon and Aeris were alone.
Kronk was outside doing chores, earlier telling Simon that dealing with one air elemental at a time was more than enough for him. The wizard wisely didn't mention that to Aeris.
“And where are you headed?” Simon asked as he sat down at his desk.
“Here,” Aeris told him, tapping on a map in the atlas.
The wizard leaned forward and checked the location.
“Ah, you saved the biggest and best for yourself, I see,” he said with a grin. “Mount Everest, the granddaddy of them all.”
Aeris shrugged.
“Why not? I actually doubt that the argent dragon would have gone to such an obvious location, but you never know. He may assume that we are searching deserts and wastelands for him, the way we did for the queen. It is a logical assumption, after all.”
“Yeah, well I'm glad that you remembered something of the nature of silver dragons. I had no idea that they liked the cold, to be honest.”
Aeris dropped down to the desktop and sat down, drawing his knees up to his chin.
“Argentium is unique, the only argent dragon that ever was. But he is closely related to the silver dragons. They were the equivalent of the evil white dragons in many ways, and we know that they were most comfortable in cold climates. That's why we're searching mountains. I do have one question before I go on my way though.”
Simon sat back and listened carefully. Aeris rarely sounded as serious as he did at that moment.
“Go ahead and ask.”
“Okay, the question is this: if we do locate Argentium and find that the eggs have already hatched, will you have the stomach to take five innocent lives?”
As the wizard began to answer, Aeris held up a hand and cut him off.
“Wait, and give it some thought, my dear wizard. Remember, evil blood or not, a newborn dragon is as pure and defenseless as any baby. Will you commit murder to save your people from possible future evil? Will you strike before you have the proof that these dragons will grow up to be monsters?”
Simon stared at him in confusion.
“Hang on a second. Aren't you the one who thinks that Argentium is being delusional? That he has convinced himself that he can change the young dragons' nature when such a thing is impossible?”
“Yes, and I still believe that. But I am not the one who has to spill their blood. And, just between you and me, I've been known to be wrong. Occasionally.”
The wizard might have smiled at that admission if the topic wasn't so serious.
“Damn it, Aeris! There you go again, throwing a wrench into the works.”
He stood up and walked over to the window, staring out at the distant forest.
“Do you have an alternative?” Simon asked without looking around.
“Perhaps. Perhaps I do.”
The elemental flew across the room and floated by Simon's right shoulder. He too stared at the trees waving in the warm afternoon breeze.
“I think that, before you strike, you should talk to Argentium. Get his opinion. See what he thinks.”
“Are you nuts? He stole the eggs in the first place. Of course he's going to say that they will never be a threat to humanity when they grow up. What else could he say?”
They looked at each other soberly.
“You seem to forget what the argent dragon is like,” Aeris said evenly. “He may have taken the eggs out of desperation, but Argentium cannot lie; it is simply not part of his nature. Talk to him, and ask him his honest opinion. He may surprise you.”
He shook his head and looked back outside.
“Of course, this is all moot if the eggs haven't hatched yet. I would feel no guilt in destroying them in that case. Unfortunately, that would guarantee a war with the argent dragon.”
“A bridge to be crossed, if and when,” Simon said cryptically. “Fine. If we manage to locate Argentium and the eggs have hatched, I'll talk to him. That's assuming, of course, that he doesn't just attack me on sight.”
“Oh, I suspect that he's a little more reasonable than that. Okay then, I'm off. If one of the others finds the argent dragon first, recall me please.”
“I'll do that.”
Aeris waved and shot out of the window and into the bright sky, fading quickly into the distance.
Simon sat down again and stared blankly
at the open atlas.
What else could possibly go wrong, he wondered.
It took two weeks, but then the wizard's question was answered.
One by one, the scouts had returned from their assignments, each one reporting failure. And one by one, Simon had thanked them for their efforts and sent them back to the realm of Air. Except for Brethia and Orriss. They went back to keeping watch on the roof.
Aeris was the last elemental scout to report back and he was disgusted with himself and his results.
“Nothing,” he grumbled as he told the wizard about his mission. “I scoured that blasted mountain from its base to its peak, and all that I found was ice, snow and rock.”
“Sounds lovely to me,” Kronk rumbled with a dreamy smile.
Aeris gave him a sour look and turned to Simon.
“Sorry about that, but I guess my theory about the dragon's whereabouts was completely wrong.”
The wizard sat back in his comfy chair in front of the crackling fire and shook his head.
“It was worth a try,” he said. “Don't take it too hard. We'll just have to rethink our strategy and look elsewhere. What I'm mostly worried about is the time wasted. I very much doubt that we're going to find those eggs unhatched, whenever we do locate them. And that means confronting their protector.”
Both elementals looked glum at that prospect.
That night, Simon was woken up by a shout from downstairs.
“Master!”
Kronk skittered into the wizard's bedroom and jumped up on to the bedside table.
Simon snorted loudly and sat up, looking around wildly in the pitch blackness.
“What? What is it? Kronk?”
“Yes master. I'm sorry to wake you, but you must get up immediately.”
The wizard groped in the darkness until he knocked over the candle beside his bed.
“Damn it,” he snarled.
“Easy, master. I caught it. Here.”
Simon spotted the earthen's glowing eyes and reached out his hand again. The little guy thrust the candlestick into his palm and he accepted it gratefully.
“Thanks,” he said as he lit the candle with a thought.
The Queen of Dragons (Tales from the New Earth Book 8) Page 34
