The Dragons of Ash and Smoke (Tales from the New Earth Book 5)

by J. J. Thompson

  “You learned something from that monster?” the paladin asked him quietly, watching the people ahead to make sure they couldn't overhear her.

  “A few things,” he replied. “But I'd rather tell all of you at once and not have to repeat the story.”

  “Fair enough. But the fact that you faced that dragon and came away unscathed while it left of its own accord leads to some interesting speculation.”

  “Does it?”

  Simon looked at the woman in the faint light of the stars. She was marching along in her silver armor, keeping a watchful eye on the forest around them and the sky overhead as well. The people were subdued for the most part and he only heard the muted sound of a few of them talking.

  “What sort of speculation?”

  “Well, we know that dragons are intelligent. And the primals even more so. I'm guessing that you somehow convinced that creature to leave. But how you did so is beyond me. A threat? A bribe? Did you reason with it? I'll admit I'm intrigued.”

  “Your reasoning is sound,” he said with the shadow of a smile. “You know, you seem to have altered your opinion about them since the last time they came up in conversation.”

  “What, dragons?”

  He nodded.

  The paladin stopped abruptly and Simon stumbled to a halt, caught off-guard.

  “What?”

  Liliana held up a warning hand. When the group in front of them was about twenty yards away, she began to follow them again.

  “What's going on?” Simon asked with a curious look at Aeris, who just shrugged.

  “I don't want anyone eavesdropping,” she said in a voice barely louder than a whisper. “Because you're right. I have altered the way I think about dragons. Well, about some dragons anyway.” She glanced at him. “I changed my outlook about them the day that Esmiralla paid me a visit.”

  Now it was Simon's turn to stop. He stared at the woman in disbelief.

  “You? You're the one she's been in contact with?”

  Liliana nodded and then pointed at the group disappearing into the darkness ahead of them.

  “Let's keep them in sight, shall we?” she said and then hurried to close the gap between them and the townspeople.

  The wizard followed in a daze. He should have known it was her. Somehow it made sense that a good creature like the silver dragon would contact a paladin, a warrior fighting on the side of justice and the Light.

  When they were a dozen yards behind the people again, Liliana slowed down to a walk.

  “How long?” Simon asked, his voice muted. “How long ago was it that she first contacted you?”

  “Hard to say,” she replied with a frown. “We met in dreams at first, the same way that the gods of Light speak to me occasionally. Our first meeting in the flesh was on that terrible day that the minions of the primal white dragon broke into my refuge. They abducted my people to use in the primal's hideous experiments. Do you remember?”

  Simon thought back to that event. He had Gated to Moscow when he couldn't get in touch with Liliana. He'd found their underground shelter empty, signs of battle everywhere and claw marks on the doors. Malcolm and Aiden had been with him. And just before they had spied the paladin returning from chasing after the drakes that had attacked her people, the wizard had seen something. A dragon. At the time he thought that it had been a white dragon. But now...

  “I remember spotting a dragon a few minutes before I saw you coming back from your hunt for your people. Was that Esmiralla?”

  Liliana smiled faintly.

  “You have a good memory, my friend. Yes, it was. She came to tell me what had happened and what the primal white dragon was up to. At the time, she asked me to keep her existence a secret. I obliged. When you called to tell us that the dragon queen had risen and about the source of your information being the silver dragon, I played dumb. But I think perhaps the time for secrets has passed.”

  “It's too bad that you didn't tell us about her a lot sooner,” Simon said with a touch of bitterness in his voice. “Maybe we could have avoided some of our losses if she'd been around to help us. Like loosing Clara.”

  Liliana's expression was deeply compassionate.

  “She is only one dragon, Simon. The last of her kind. She cannot be in all places at once. And if she falls, there will be none to replace her. I doubt that she would have been able to save Clara anyway. I know that sounds harsh, but it's true. I loved her too, you know.”

  He sighed heavily and nodded, looking ahead. They were approaching the castle. Someone had set out torches on both sides of the huge gate to help guide them home.

  Simon shivered. The night was cool and he wanted to be back inside where it was warm.

  “I know that. But...ah well, what does it matter? What's done is done. Let's concentrate on the job at hand and get these folks to their rest and then I'll tell you and the others about my conversation with Pyrathius.”

  When the people were all safely back inside the castle and the gates closed and sealed, Tamara gathered the leaders in her quarters. She had a large meeting room off of her sitting room with a table more than large enough for everyone to sit at. Someone from the kitchens had set out plates of fruit and jugs of juice and tea and the group helped themselves.

  The room blazed with many candles and a large, ancient fireplace was throwing off heat from a blazing heap of logs. Paintings of unknown nobles covered the walls and Simon felt like he'd taken a step back in time to the middle-ages. It was a weird sensation.

  “Nice place,” Aeris whispered in his ear. He was floating just above the wizard's right shoulder.

  Simon smiled wanly as he waited for the meeting to start.

  “I know we're all tired,” Tamara said after everyone had settled down. “But I'm guessing that the group wants to know what happened with the red dragon. Simon? Can you tell us now?”

  The wizard was sitting at one end of the table sipping tea. He glanced around at the expectant expressions, rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath.

  “Before we begin,” he said, “I'd like to ask Liliana to tell you all what she told me earlier.”

  The paladin raised an eyebrow but didn't protest.

  “As you wish. Cards on the table time, I guess.”

  She proceeded to tell all of them about her contact with Esmiralla. It wasn't a very long story and when she was done, there was very little protest about her secrecy. Simon was quite surprised.

  “If you trust her then that's good enough for me,” Aiden said firmly.

  “And me,” Keiko agreed in her small voice. Her posture was very stiff and she kept staring down at the tabletop.

  It seemed to be the general consensus.

  “Good. I just wanted that out of the way before I started,” Simon told them. “So, this is what Pyrathius had to say.”

  He'd been right. No one could quite believe it when he told them what the primal red wanted.

  “Let me get this straight,” Tamara said when he'd finished speaking. “That monster wants to fight with us?”

  “To defeat the queen, yes,” the wizard replied. “After that, all bets are off. He tried to get me to believe that we could make a peace between us when we were done, but I personally think that's B.S..”

  “Of course it is. You can't trust them!” Sebastian exclaimed. “They want us all dead. Red dragon. Yellow dragon. Who cares? We're bugs to them and in the end, they just want to squash us.”

  He was more agitated than Simon had ever seen him before. His hands were shaking and he was bone white.

  Tamara was sitting at the head of the table and her brother was seated to her right. She reached out and put a hand on his arm.

  “Easy, Bastian. Stay calm. You're still recuperating. Don't overexcite yourself.”

  Sebastian stared at her a bit wildly and seemed to catch himself. He sat back and closed his eyes for a moment while he took a slow deep breath and visibly relaxed. Then he tried to smile at his sister.

  “I'm okay, Tam
my. Sorry. Fell apart there a bit, didn't I?”

  “You're fine. Just fine.”

  She looked around the table.

  “Opinions?”

  “I think it's a trick,” Malcolm growled. “To put us off, make us lower our guard.”

  “Why though?” Aiden asked calmly. “What would be the point? That horror could have leveled this castle if he had wanted to. But he didn't. Instead he tried to make a deal. And not just with a random human either, but with the person responsible for killing his siblings. I think it's a stretch to assume it's a ruse.”

  Keiko simply nodded her agreement with Aiden.

  “Liliana? What do you think?” Tamara asked.

  The paladin was resting her chin on one mailed fist and listening to each of them. She sat up and tapped a knuckle lightly on the table.

  “Personally, I'm inclined to believe him, at least to a point.”

  “You're kidding,” Malcolm said. He stared at her with wide eyes. “You? Accept the word of a dragon? My God, if there is anyone in this room who hates the evil dragons more than I do, it's you. And you believe him?”

  “I still hate them,” Liliana responded coldly. “And I always will. But maybe it's because of my exposure to the silver dragon. Our conversations together. I've learned just how intelligent and far-sighted a dragon can be. Granted, Pyrathius is evil to the core, but he has a mind and he has emotions. He isn't just an unthinking killing machine.”

  “And why do you think he really wants to ally with us?” Aiden asked.

  “I should think that was obvious,” the paladin said as she looked from person to person. “He's terrified.”

  Tamara snorted and Liliana looked down the table at her.

  “You disagree?” she asked levelly.

  “I do. Come on, did you see that thing? It was large enough to use this entire castle as a bed! It is the most powerful thing that I have ever seen. And you think it's afraid? What could possibly scare something so large?”

  “Something even larger,” Simon answered her.

  Everyone turned to look at him and he shrugged at them.

  “What else? Look, I agree. He's evil. It almost drips off of him like sweat. But he has also been alive since mankind first climbed down from the trees and started walking upright. At a guess, I'd say that any creature who has lived that long is very much attached to the idea of continuing to live. He doesn't want to die. It's as simple as that, in my opinion.”

  “Interesting thought,” Sebastian said. He had curled up in his chair and looked half-asleep, but obviously he had been listening closely. “Could it be that the longer you live, the more attached you become to life? I would have guessed the opposite.”

  “We can discuss philosophy some other time, Bastian,” Tamara said irritably. “So okay, let's say that he does actually want help to defeat the queen. What then? I'm guessing that we're all agreed that the red dragon will turn on us as soon as that happens, right?”

  “Undoubtedly. We are prey to him,” Liliana said with a frown. She wasn't looking at anyone. Instead, she had removed her mailed gloves and was examining her fingernails absently.

  “Let us not forget that for his masters, the Chaos lords, to return, all of humanity has to die. We are the lock on the door, so to speak, and they want us gone. Once the queen is out of the way, Pyrathius will slaughter us.”

  Simon nodded in agreement.

  “She's right. We may share a common enemy right now, if the primal is telling the truth, but if we do manage to defeat the dragon queen, he will be after our blood. I don't doubt that for a minute.”

  The discussion continued for another half-hour or so, but no one had any ideas about how to deal with a treacherous dragon as powerful as Pyrathius.

  Keiko was looking from one person to the next and, as the meeting was winding down and Sebastian seemed to be nodding off in his chair, she tentatively held up a hand as if she was back in school.

  Tamara smiled and motioned for her to speak.

  “I had a thought,” the tiny woman began in her unassuming way.

  Sebastian grunted and seemed to wake up. He squinted down the table at her and tried to focus.

  “What thought, Keiko?” he asked, his voice thick with fatigue.

  “Just this: is not this primal dragon taking a big risk asking us to help him defeat his own mother?”

  Malcolm let out an incredulous laugh.

  “A big risk? How is our helping him a risk? It's ourselves we have to worry about, I'd say.”

  “Yes, I agree,” Keiko said in an even voice. “That is not what I am saying. I mean, if we by some miracle manage to destroy the dragon queen, will not the primal dragon die as well? As I understand it, when a primal dies, all of its lesser dragons fall too. Well, doesn't that also apply to the queen? If she goes down, doesn't that also kill her offspring?”

  She folding her hands on her lap and sat back with a delicate nod.

  Total silence followed Keiko's questions and more than one person looked a little confused. Obviously such an outcome hadn't occurred to them.

  “Simon?”

  The wizard looked down the table at Tamara.

  “Yes?”

  “You're our resident dragon expert. What do you think?”

  Simon looked at Aeris who winked at him discreetly. It helped to ease the tension that had built up inside of him.

  “I wouldn't say that I'm an expert, but if you want my opinion, then I think that Keiko has got a valid point. The dragon queen is the fount from which the life of her children flows. Cut off that fount and they will die. All of them. The primal has to know this.”

  “Then what the hell is he doing?” Malcolm asked with a scowl. “He's risking his own destruction by attacking his mother. Is he that frightened of her?”

  “Maybe he is,” Aiden mused as he rubbed his chin. “Fear is a great motivator. Maybe he thinks that if he doesn't try to deal with her, then his death is assured. But if he manages to trap her again, as she has been since time immemorial, then he will be safe and can continue his war against us.”

  “I believe that you have nailed it, Aiden,” Liliana said firmly. “I doubt that Pyrathius believes that we can actually kill the queen. But if we help to weaken her to the point where he can lock her away again, he will have achieved what he wants to achieve. Then he steps on us, allows the dark gods to return and rules over the Earth. A win-win in his mind.”

  “Has anyone wondered what the dragon queen is thinking about all of this?”

  Every head swiveled around to stare at Aeris where he floated next to Simon.

  “Excuse me?” Tamara said.

  The elemental looked abashed but lifted his chin and looked at each of them.

  “I said, aren't you curious about what she thinks? She is the mother of dragons, right? That means that she is at least as intelligent as the primal red is; probably more so. And now she's free and her son, the last of her children, is trying to lock her up again. As a mother, how do you think she feels?”

  “Who cares?” Malcolm asked as he folding his massive arms, his armor squealing. “She's a dragon. And she's evil. I don't give a damn about her or what she thinks. Why should I?”

  That seemed to be the general opinion and Aeris finally shrugged.

  “Fine. I was merely wondering.”

  “Well, if that's everything for now,” Tamara said as she stood up, “then let's adjourn. We all need some rest.”

  The group began to chat amongst themselves and several people got to their feet. Simon stayed seated and stared at Aeris.

  “What is it?” the elemental asked quietly. “Did I sound that stupid when I asked my question?”

  “Far from it,” the wizard answered as his mind raced. “I think your question might have been the most insightful one of the entire meeting.”

  “You do?” Aeris sounded both surprised and flattered. “Well, thank you.”

  “No, thank you. You've given me an idea.”

 
; The elemental immediately looked worried.

  “Now, now, my dear wizard. Don't do anything foolish.”

  “Hey, no worries. It's me.”

  Aeris grumbled and muttered something that Simon was fairly sure wasn't very flattering, but he let it go.

  He stood up and walked across the room to where the others were gathering.

  “Okay everyone, I'm out of here. If you need me, Tamara or Sebastian can give me a call.”

  “Thank you, Simon, for your help,” the mage said. She shook his hand warmly while the others murmured their agreement. “Having a face to face chat with a primal dragon goes above and beyond the call.”

  The wizard had to smile.

  “Apparently it's part of my job description now. Goes right under the 'knows how to write computer code that no one will ever need again' section.”

  Everyone laughed and Simon took that opportunity to signal Aeris to touch his robe. He waved at the group, raised his staff and Gated home.

  Kronk was waiting when they got back. He was obviously irritated about Simon and Aeris leaving without him but just nodded when the wizard told him that Tamara had needed his help. He reported that the animals had calmed down once the illusion of the dragon had disappeared. He also had a surprise for Simon.

  “Look master,” he said proudly. The earthen jumped up on to the counter and held out a small metal pot.

  “What is it?”

  “Milk!” Kronk exclaimed. “The mother of the calf now has excess. Her baby has begun eating some grass and doesn't need as much any more.”

  “And exactly how did you manage to milk that behemoth?” Aeris asked incredulously.

  “Err, it's complicated,” the little guy replied vaguely. “Let us leave it at that.”

  Simon smiled broadly.

  “That's excellent! Thanks so much.”

  He had collapsed on to his chair in front of the fire and had been getting ready to head to bed but now jumped up and went to the sink to fill up his kettle.