“No more than a half-hour's march, I would say. The dampening field should not extend beyond that.”
The woman nodded and her three companions arranged themselves around Simon.
The wizard offered Opheilla his hand and she shook it firmly.
“Come back and visit us when you get a chance,” she told him. “Don't be a stranger.”
“I won't,” he assured her. “And if you're ever in the mood to see the sky, drop by my tower. You will always be welcome.”
She laughed and thumped him gently on the shoulder.
“I'll keep that in mind. Now off you go, dear friend. And take care.”
The escort moved forward and Simon waved one last time at the cleric and then turned and followed Vara and her warriors.
They slipped through a small portal to the side of the huge gates and exited the city. Beyond, a high tunnel led off into darkness and Vara lit a torch, strictly for Simon's benefit, and led the way forward.
Opheilla's estimation turned out to be spot on. Simon could literally feel himself relax and breathe easier as the unseen anti-magic field dissipated.
The group was stomping along in one of the main dwarven tunnels when he felt his magical senses extend for the first time in months and he stopped in his tracks.
The others halted as well and Vara, who was leading, turned around and hurried back.
“Is there a problem?” she asked as she scanned the area.
Simon noticed that all four warriors looked around constantly and wondered what sort of trouble they were expecting this close to the capital city.
“Not at all,” he told her. “But the dampening field has faded. I think I can Gate from here.”
“Ah, excellent.”
Vara appeared to be memorizing the location as she stared at one unique carving on the tunnel wall, ironically of a dragon.
“I want to thank you all for your escort,” Simon told her and the others. “It was reassuring to have you watching my back.”
A couple of the warriors smiled and nodded proudly, but the leader simply accepted the thanks in a business-like manner.
“You are welcome, sir wizard. But we would do the same for any that have been named dwarf kin. Now, perform your spell please. There is a heaviness in the air here that I do not like.”
The escort's smiles faded at her words and the quartet spread out, surrounding Simon and looking in all directions.
The Gate spell came easily to mind and the wizard wondered what Vara was worried about as he began chanting. He didn't sense any danger at all.
When the spell was poised and ready to invoke, he looked around one last time.
“Thanks again,” he called out.
The guards were at least twenty yards away now and almost impossible to see in the darkness. Only Vara's torch marked her position.
“Our pleasure,” he heard her reply. “Now go, sir wizard. Go!”
And her torch went out.
There was a wailing cry from the now total darkness, followed by a bellow from one of the guards. He was cursing in dwarvish and then his voice was cut off abruptly. Something blacker than the inky tunnel seemed to be moving straight at Simon and he felt a wave of fear wash over him.
“Invectis!” he said frantically just as the blackness rose up to overwhelm him.
And then he was sucked into the void and away.
It was his first Gating in months and seemed to last an eternity. He concentrated on the area in front of his tower, the courtyard as he called it, afraid that the interior layout of his home may have been changed in his absence.
He burst abruptly into the real world again and stumbled to his knees, unprepared for the rough ground he'd landed on.
What had happened to his escort, he wondered frantically. They'd been attacked but by what? He might never know. Stanis had made it clear that all magical communication was banned now, even though he'd allowed Simon to speak to him via the Magic Mirror spell in the past. Unless the king contacted him, he was cut off.
He sighed in frustration, knowing that there was nothing that he could do. He only hoped that Vara and her squad had survived the assault. In the meantime, he pushed aside those dark thoughts for the moment and looked around.
It was the middle of a bright sunny day, late spring perhaps. The Sun fell warmly on to his back and the uneven ground was covered with thick green grass.
Simon simply knelt there for a few minutes, sucking in great lungfuls of air and savoring the smell of the grass and the open world around him.
I'm home, he thought over and over again, his joy almost choking him. Home.
He tore out a handful of grass and brought it up to his nose. Had anything ever smelled as sweet? And the color! Had green always been this vibrant?
Finally Simon pushed himself to his feet with the staff. He looked up at his tower and smiled widely.
“Hey there,” he said to it. “You look good, old girl. As strong as the bones of the Earth that you were made with, as Kronk would say.”
He turned in a slow circle and looked around the yard.
The outer wall was in good repair and the grass, though long, had obviously been clipped to a reasonable length. The tower itself showed no signs of weathering or cracks, which was reassuring. All in all, he might have just stepped out the day before; that's how well everything had been taken care of.
The main gates were closed and locked and Simon walked toward them. A movement up on the parapet caught his eye and he saw an earth elemental walking slowly along it, guarding the perimeter as they always did.
They stayed, he thought poignantly. They actually stayed and kept watch.
“Hey up there,” he called out. “How are you?”
The earthen stopped and looked down. It was hard to see the expression on the little face, but the earthen's mouth dropped open and it stared down at him in obvious surprise.
“Sir wizard!” it finally rumbled in a deep voice that always sounded so odd coming from such a small creature. “You have returned!”
Before Simon could answer, the elemental began jumping up and down.
“The wizard has returned,” he bellowed. “He has returned to us!”
And then he turned and raced off along the parapet, running and shouting at the same time.
“Okay then,” Simon muttered. “Good to see you too.”
He examined the gates and found the locking mechanism well oiled and functional. The gates were pristine and he was reassured once again that his home had been kept safe.
Time to go in, he thought and turned to walk to the front steps.
He almost tripped over his own feet then. Five earthen had appeared as if by magic between him and the tower. All of them were grinning in delight.
“Hey guys,” Simon said with a smile. “How are you? I was just checking things out. The place looks great. Well done.”
One of the earthen, as black as coal but smoother and more defined than the others, stepped forward.
“We are pleased to see you home and safe, sir wizard.”
“Chakka, isn't it?” he asked.
“Yes, sir wizard,” she replied in her pleasant, high-pitched voice, obviously pleased. “I am honored that you remember me. We,” she indicated her fellows, “have endeavored to maintain your home as best we could. It meets with your approval?”
“More than that,” Simon assured her. “It's perfect. Have you had any troubles while I was away? Any attacks from ghouls or wights or anything else?”
“None. After you left for the town in the south, things remained quiet. Perhaps the creatures knew somehow that you were not in residence. But for whatever reason, it has been peaceful. We were all deeply saddened when we heard of the attack on the new settlement and, when Kronk told us that you had fallen, well, it was devastating.”
“But you stayed.”
“Of course, sir wizard,” she answered proudly. “We are earthen. Our loyalty is absolute. You tasked us with guarding and
maintaining your home and that is what we have done, to the best of our abilities.”
“And you have done a spectacular job,” Simon assured them. “Listen, I know you've been stuck here for months, so if anyone wants to leave, head home for a visit or even permanently, you have my permission to do so.”
Chakka looked at her fellow earthen and they rumbled to each other in their gravelly language for a moment. Then she turned and looked up at Simon.
“No sir wizard. It is a generous offer, but we would rather maintain our posts, if that is acceptable to you?”
Simon grinned. Earthen, he thought. You had to love them.
“You are welcome to stay here for as long as you wish. Remember though, you aren't servants or slaves. If anyone wants to leave in the future, simply come to me and tell me.”
They all bowed as one and then made their way together back toward a ladder that was leaning up against the parapet. They were speaking loudly and happily with each other and Simon could see how pleased they were that he was back. It was delightful and humbling at the same time.
He started off for the front door again, enjoying the warmth of the day. The dwarven city was comfortable in its own way, but it was never very bright and always a bit chilly. Now that he was out, he realized how much he'd missed the open air.
Now, I wonder what the tower looks like inside, he thought with a twinge of concern as he walked up the front steps.
The door wasn't locked and opened smoothly with a simple push. He waited a moment, took a deep breath and stepped inside.
Chapter 7
“How can it be dusty? I dusted it just the other day.”
“No, you did not. That was two weeks ago.”
“Was it? How quickly the time flies when you're being made to do drudge work.”
Simon stood just inside the open door and listened to the argument filtering down from upstairs. He was laughing as quietly as he could. Apparently Aeris wasn't thrilled at being stuck doing housework.
“It isn't drudgery,” Kronk said loudly. He sounded distinctly irritable, very unlike his usual placid self.
Simon wondered just how many of these arguments they'd engaged in over the past six or seven months.
“It is necessary. When master comes home, he must feel a sense of order. He will want things to be precisely the way they were when he left.”
Simon quietly leaned his staff against the wall next to the door and tiptoed over to the clothes cabinet. He took off his shoes and left them inside.
“Kronk, we don't know when our wizard will return, if ever. You do realize that people in long-term comas rarely recover, don't you? And if they do, they are often very much diminished, mentally.”
There was a long pause.
“Hey! Why did you throw that?”
“Never say that!” Kronk bellowed. “Master will heal. Master will be fine. He will come home to us and be exactly the same as he was when he,” another pause, “when he was taken from us. Do you hear me?”
Simon stood still and felt a lump form in his throat. The little guy's loyalty was heart-warming.
“All right. All right. Honestly, you need to stay calm. I'm not saying he won't be back. I'm just looking at all of the possible outcomes of his condition, that's all.”
“No, you are being negative. Again. And that is not useful. Now get that dusting done. I must finish folding these clothes and then let the horses out for a run. The filly gets restless when she is locked inside for too long.”
Simon walked across the room in his bare feet and found the kettle in one of the lower kitchen cupboards. He pumped some water into it, trying to be as quiet as possible, and then set it over the pile of logs in the fireplace. He concentrated on the wood and felt his power flow easily through him and ignite the dry tinder.
So the filly must be doing well, he thought happily. He'd worried about Sunshine's foal many times since he'd woken up. He knew that Kronk was very fond of the horses, but bad things did happen on occasion, no matter how much you cared for something.
The water began to boil and he found his box of dried chamomile tea leaves and a pot of honey that looked almost fresh. Kronk had been taking care of everything, it seemed, even making sure his supplies were changed when they went bad.
He made his tea, sat down at the kitchen table and sighed. He was home. Now to inform the odd couple upstairs. He took a deep breath.
“Hey guys?” he yelled gleefully. “Aren't you going to come down and welcome me back?”
There was a long moment of silence.
“Who is that?” Aeris called down, sounding confused.
“Oh come on, Aeris. Surely my voice hasn't changed that much, has it?”
“Master?” Kronk said so faintly that Simon could barely hear him. It was quickly followed by a bellow. “Master!”
The little earthen raced down the stairs so quickly that he tripped and bounced down the last few steps. He quickly leaped up and ran across the room so fast that his short legs were just a blur.
He jumped up on to the kitchen table, skidded to a halt and just stared.
Aeris flew down the stairs a little more slowly and floated over to the table, his eyes wide and, for a change, with nothing to say.
“Hi,” Simon said to them both. “How are you doing?”
Kronk hesitantly tip-tapped across the tabletop and reached out to pick up the wizard's hand. He stroked it slowly, his shocked expression fading into a broad grin.
“Master, it is you,” he whispered. “You are home.” He looked closely at Simon's face. “Are you well?”
“Very well, my friend,” the wizard replied and patted the earthen's blocky shoulder. “Very well indeed.” He looked at Aeris. “And I'm pretty sure that I'm not 'mentally diminished',” he added with a wry grin.
“Ah, so you heard that,” the air elemental said and looked a little lost for words.
“What's this? Nothing to say? That's not like you, Aeris.”
“No, it isn't, is it?”
He floated over to join Kronk and finally smiled at Simon.
“You look well. In fact, with your hair grown back, you look exceptional. What was it like?”
“What, staying with the dwarves?”
Aeris nodded and Simon looked at them both and shrugged.
“It was...good. I mean, they healed me and named me dwarf kin. I owe them a lot. But living underground for months can be a bit depressing. No sunlight, always surrounded by rock.”
He smiled at Kronk who had released his hand and was listening closely.
“I know it's natural to you, my friend, but for me, after a while it began to feel like I was locked up in a very comfortable prison.”
The earthen returned his smile and nodded.
“I understand, master. Not everyone is suited to live in the deep places. And you look like you could use some sun, to be honest.”
He looked Simon up and down again and sighed contentedly.
“But you do look fine, master. Just fine. We owe the dwarves our thanks. My people admire them and this just confirms our opinion of them. It is regrettable that they refuse to meet with us.”
Simon sipped his tea and felt his body relaxing.
“That may change. Some of the dwarves seem to admire the earth elementals too and, who knows, they may initiate contact some day soon.”
“That would be wonderful, master.”
“So, my dear wizard, you are home again,” Aeris said with satisfaction. “That is good. It's been quite dull and routine since you left.”
“Yeah, I heard some of the dull when I came in,” Simon said dryly. “Are you two constantly at each other's throats or what?”
“Oh no, master. Hardly ever,” Kronk told him with a quick glance at Aeris. “Once in a while we, what is the expression? Butt heads? Yes, that is it. But we both have our duties and life goes on fairly quietly.”
“Uh-huh.”
Both elementals looked suspiciously innocent and Simon wo
rked hard not to smile. He finished his tea, got up and put the kettle over the fire again. He leaned back against the counter and looked around the room. He still missed his old comfy chair in front of the fireplace, and his sofa. The wooden furniture built by Kronk and the other earthen after the fire in the tower was functional, but not very comfortable.
“Have you spoken with any of the people from Nottinghill?” he asked the elementals.
Both shook their heads in unison.
“I'm afraid not,” Aeris answered him. “Your lodestones were destroyed when you fell to that red dragon, so there was no way for them to contact us. I believe those two mages from London have learned to use the Magic Mirror spell, but they haven't used it to call us here.”
“Perhaps they do not wish to speak to servants,” Kronk told him. “Not all humans care for elementals like our master does.”
“I'm sure it's not that, guys,” Simon insisted. “Tamara and Sebastian aren't like that. They've probably been too busy, settling in to their new home.”
He made another cup of tea and sat down again.
“I wonder what the place is like?” he said wistfully. “Imagine, living in a castle! That must be pretty cool.”
“But master,” Kronk said with a perplexed look. He waved at the room around them. “You live in the next best thing. As servants to old wizards back in ancient times, both Aeris and I have dwelt in castles and they are very similar to this tower.”
“Hmm, good point. Well, the castle would be a lot bigger, that's for sure. The dwarves told me that most of the surviving Changlings have moved in together. I wonder if it feels crowded?”
“I would imagine it does,” Aeris commented thoughtfully. “If you've lived with only a handful of people for years and then find yourself surrounded by scores, it could feel stifling.” He shrugged. “I suppose it must feel safer though.”
“I hope so. I'm going to have to call them soon. Tomorrow probably. I want to take the day to settle in and reconnect with my home again. By the way, thank you,” Simon told them with an affectionate smile.
They both looked puzzled.
“For what, master?”
The Dragons of Ash and Smoke (Tales from the New Earth Book 5) Page 8
