Keiko was an unknown. Simon watched her speaking demurely with the others, her head lowered and her voice barely audible. Sebastian had assured him that the woman was very powerful but he had yet to see her cast a single spell. He was glad that she had volunteered to come but he wouldn't depend on her.
Malcolm and Aiden. The wizard grinned down at the armored duo. He hadn't asked either man to come along on the expedition but they had insisted. Malcolm's logic was that if the spell-casters fell, Nottinghill Castle would basically be defenseless against the dragons anyway, so why not come with them. Both men were armed with sturdy bows and carried quivers at their hips stuffed with enchanted arrows. They also had weapons on their belts; Malcolm had a sword and Aiden carried his preferred weapon, a mace.
He spared a thought for Virginia, Anna, Gerard and Eric. The foursome had been displeased at having to remain at the castle, but Tamara had been firm. Someone had to remain behind to lead and to mount some sort of defense if the others failed. And because the four friends' magic only worked in tandem with each other, they were chosen to stay. In a battle, if one fell, they were all rendered powerless. No, they had not been happy, but they had agreed in the end. Simon hoped that they would be okay.
And finally there was Liliana, bringing up the rear. Her silver armor gleamed against the black volcanic rock and her sword and shield shimmered with holy power. She had braided her blond hair to keep it out of her face and looked calm and businesslike, as always.
Their eyes met for a moment and she nodded up at him. Simon returned it and then began to ascend again. Time to get on with this.
The group had come together and planned the battle over the past ten days, not long after the wizard had met with Esmiralla. He had waited to tell the others about his meeting with the silver dragon until the wounds on his arms had healed up a bit. The powers that she had given him in exchange for his blood would take a few days to mesh with his flesh and he needed rest and quiet while it happened. Well, at least that was the story he was going to tell the others.
He wasn't sure why he called Tamara first when he was feeling better. Get the worst over with, he supposed. He figured the mage would be furious with him. And he'd been right.
“What?” she gasped. Her face had gone white. “You did what with the silver dragon?”
“We exchanged blood,” Simon said, wincing. Her voice was getting louder and higher-pitched, again.
He had called her from his study with Kronk and Aeris watching him closely. Both of their expressions were carbon copies of each other; total shock.
“And what in the name of sanity would make you do that? With anyone, let alone a dragon?” she asked. She was so enraged that she was shaking: either furious or frightened.
“Yes, please explain yourself, my dear wizard,” Aeris said loudly.
“Master, what were you thinking?”
Simon looked at Kronk.
“You too?” he asked. “Why are you all ganging up on me?”
“Oh that's nice. You didn't even tell your elemental friends? Lovely.”
Tamara was in her sitting room and, as seemed to be the norm when she was upset, had begun pacing like an angry lioness.
“Look. Everybody just calm down, okay? I'll explain but only if you stop yelling.”
“We aren't yelling!” Aeris yelled. He caught himself and closed his mouth with a snap. Then he waited a moment and took an audible breath.
“Forgive me. I was yelling. I won't do that again.”
“Of course you will,” Simon told him with a weak smile. “Maybe not again today, but you will. Let me tell you what happened. Tamara, where's your brother? I think he should hear this.”
She glared at him and then nodded stiffly.
“Maybe he should. Hang on a moment.”
When she returned, not only did she have Sebastian in tow, but Keiko, Malcolm and Aiden as well.
“Oh for God's sake,” Simon said in exasperation. “Really Tamara? All of them? I'm surprised that you didn't drag Liliana in on the conversation as well.”
The door of the room opened again and the paladin strode into the room.
The wizard sighed and sagged in his chair while Aeris snickered.
“You can just explain yourself to all of us, Simon,” Tamara growled at him. Her expression became a bit kinder as she saw his obvious discomfort. “And this way you won't have to retell it several times,” she added.
“Yeah, that's true. Hi guys. Everybody grab a chair; this might take a while.”
The sitting room was crowded with six people in it and Simon waited until the group moved into the nearby meeting room. While they were sorting themselves out, Kronk tapped his arm.
“What is it?”
“Master, why not just Gate to the castle instead of using Magic Mirror?” the little guy asked quietly.
Aeris nodded but the wizard shook his head and tapped the mirror.
“Because there's a chance someone might do something a little...precipitous when I tell them what they need to know. And I don't want to get smacked, to be honest. Besides,” he looked around at the sunlit study, “I'm comfortable right here.”
He patted the atlas that was open in front of him reflectively and looked into the mirror again.
Once everyone was seated, he began to explain.
The wizard told them the story just as it had happened, more or less; how he had contacted Esmiralla after his confrontation with Pyrathius because of a feeling of complete desperation; how he saw the dragon queen for the first time and finally the silver dragon's offer to share power.
“Hang on a second,” Malcolm interrupted. “You said you exchanged blood. How? Like when we were kids and pricked our thumbs to become blood brothers?”
“No, not like that. It was actually a lot more...violent than that,” Simon said with a shudder. “Honestly, I'd rather not talk about it.”
The big man nodded slowly.
“If you say so.”
“So what exactly did you mean, sir wizard? To share power?” Keiko surprised them by asking.
“I'm not completely sure,” Simon told her reluctantly. “Esmiralla told me that I would be more, um, sensitive to the presence of dragons, just as she is.”
“Meaning?” Tamara asked tersely.
“Well, for example I now know where Pyrathius is, right this minute,” he told them with a hint of self-satisfaction.
That got their attention.
“Are you serious?” Liliana asked said. She leaned forward across the table toward Simon's image.
“I am.”
“Where is he then?”
“Japan. Specifically,” Simon looked down at the atlas, “he is sitting inside a volcano called Sakurajima. Apparently it is, or was, very active.”
“One of the most active in the world,” Keiko assured them. “I remember it from my youth.”
It was funny to hear someone say that who looked as young as the tiny woman did, Simon thought, but then the Change had made most of them young and fit again. The ones it hadn't turned into monsters, that is.
“So you can tell where dragons are. Great,” Tamara said sarcastically. “But so what? What did the silver dragon get from you in exchange, hmm?”
Simon hesitated. This is where things are going to get nasty, he thought and took a deep breath.
“She's able to cast spells now, like the primal white dragon could, but without mutating into a monster.”
And that was the last chance he had to speak for quite some time.
It was Liliana who finally calmed down the others, especially Tamara and, oddly enough, the usually demure Keiko. Both women made it clear that giving a dragon more power, even a supposedly good dragon like Esmiralla, was foolish at best.
“All of you, stop it,” the paladin had finally shouted at them. Her steely demeanor and obvious power had the effect of breaking through the anger of the others.
“I have communed with Esmiralla. I know her, as best as any huma
n can know a dragon. I sense no evil in her and I assure you that as a paladin, I would know if she was black in her heart. She is not. If she is more powerful now, thanks to our friend, then that is a positive thing.”
She turned to look at Simon's image.
“Will she help us against Pyrathius?”
“She said that she will, but she also told me that we can't wait any longer than a few weeks to confront him. If we do, he may suspect that we have rejected his offer of an alliance. If we approach him soon, we can take him off-guard and give ourselves a small advantage.”
“Not much of one, though,” Aiden said. He looked weary as he sat staring down at the table.
Neither of the warriors were wearing armor, unlike Liliana, and Simon noticed that both men appeared to be very tired. They obviously had a lot on their minds as they worried about taking care of the castle and its people. He wondered if they had been taking on extra patrols and guard duty. Knowing their dedication, he was sure that they had.
“Anything that will help us is welcome,” Malcolm averred and gave his partner an encouraging clout on the shoulder.
Aiden smiled a bit and nodded.
“So you think we should attack?” Tamara asked the wizard.
“I do. And soon. I've contacted my friends Daniel and Ethmira in the elven realm. She's offered to join us with as many archers as she can muster.” He looked around at the group. “They are all grateful for our help against the brown dragons and are eager to repay us in kind against the primal red and his followers. So at least we'll have some help there.”
“That's excellent news,” Liliana told him. “They will be a welcome addition. But against Pyrathius we'll need something more.”
“What about the dwarves?” Sebastian finally spoke up. “Can you ask for their aid, Simon?”
The wizard pushed back his hair and turned his chair so that he could look out of the window behind his desk.
“I can try. The problem is that dwarves and elves simply don't get along. A few joined me way back when we took on the primal black dragon, but there were only a handful on either side so it wasn't a big deal for either group. I think that the elves will be coming to the battle in force. I'm not sure that Stanis Ironhand and his people would be...comfortable with that many in one place.”
“But that's ridiculous, Simon,” Tamara objected. “If Pyrathius destroys us, his next target will be the dwarves and then probably the elves. At least Ethmira and her people know that. What the hell is wrong with the dwarves?”
“They are as hard-headed as the rock they live within, lady,” Kronk spoke up from behind Simon.
The wizard spun his chair around and looked at the little guy in surprise.
“Forgive me, master, but it is true. My people revere the dwarven race, but they will not even speak to us and have not for thousands of years. And why? Because they are as stubborn as stone.”
“I don't care if they're as thick as bricks,” Tamara snapped. “They need to pull their heads out of their arses and help us or they will be the next ones on the dragons' hit list.”
“Well, I'll try to call Stanis and ask, but don't expect much from that quarter. I may not even be able to get through their wards. And now that I've told you guys what's what, we have to make plans. Oh and I need to take Tamara and Sebastian on a little trip, but that can wait for a day or two.”
“A trip?” Sebastian asked curiously. “To where?”
“A hole in the ground in Russia,” Simon told him with a grin. “I'll explain later.”
Ten days later and here they were, crawling up the side of a volcano to confront the primal red dragon. Simon knew that if he stopped to really think about what they were doing, it would seem insane.
Maybe it was, he thought. But then, when it came down to a choice between an insane plan and certain death, insanity would seem the preferable route.
“You're lost in thought,” Tamara said from behind him.
The wizard looked back over his shoulder and gave her a quick smile.
“Not lost exactly. Just going through the many ways that this can go horribly wrong. My usual pep talk to myself before battle.”
The mage laughed, the first time Simon had heard her do that in days.
“And that's not discouraging at all,” she told him with a crooked grin. “Look, we've planned this out as well as we can. We've tried to cover every contingency. But in the end, all we can do is our best. Luck, or fate if you believe in that sort of thing, will do the rest.”
She slipped on a loose stone and caught herself with a growl.
“And at least it will be a hell of a fight,” she added and wiped the sweat off of her forehead again.
“At least it will be that,” Simon agreed.
He turned back to keep an eye on the path ahead. He'd done as much slipping and sliding as Tamara, or more, and had several oozing scrapes on his knobby knees to prove it.
Pyrathius knew that the humans were on their way, of course. The group had seen several patrolling red dragons pass by high above them since they had begun their climb. In fact, Simon and the others were making their approach as obvious as possible in order to keep the dragons' attentions focused on them in the hopes that they wouldn't become aware of the humans' allies until it was too late. Whether the ruse worked or not could make the difference between success and failure.
About thirty minutes passed before Kronk slid down the trail toward them. Simon signaled for everyone to stop.
“What's wrong?” he asked as he leaned on his staff, panting. He took the opportunity to drink some water from a flask on his hip and saw the others doing the same.
“Nothing, master, but we are only a few hundred yards from the top of the crater now. I thought I should warn you.”
“Ah great. Okay, thanks Kronk. Could you go below and tell Kassus to stand ready? I'll be calling on him and the others soon, I think.”
“Yes, of course.” The little guy hesitated. “Good luck, master. Take care of yourself, won't you? I don't...I mean, we don't want to lose you.”
Simon went down on one knee and gently put a hand on the earthen's slight shoulder.
“You won't. I'm way too stubborn and thick-headed to fall to a dragon, even the primal red. Don't worry, I'll see you on the other side.”
Kronk smiled and nodded and then disappeared beneath the earth, leaving a small pile of dirt behind.
“So where's he off to?”
The wizard stood up as the group climbed up to join him.
“We're nearly at the top,” he told them. “So I sent him to let the elementals know that we're almost ready to begin the assault.”
“What about Ethmira and her archers?” Liliana asked. Of all of them, she was the only one that seemed unaffected by the heat.
Being a paladin has its perks, Simon thought wryly.
He pulled a small, egg-shaped crystal from a pocket of his robe.
“Kronk made a lodestone for me to use today. I have one half and Ethmira has the other. When we're ready, I just need to activate it and its other half will glow. That's the signal for her to begin the attack.”
“Handy,” Malcolm said from above him. He towered over the rest of the group.
“And undetectable, even by Pyrathius.”
“Speaking of whom, shall we get up to the rim of the crater and see where our 'ally' is?” Sebastian said lightly. “I'm sure he's expecting us.”
“Just like that?” Aiden asked in surprise.
“Just like that,” Tamara told him. “We aren't creeping up on that monster, Aiden We are walking up to join him as allies against the queen. At least, we're hoping he thinks that's why we're here. After all, no one would be crazy enough to walk openly into the lair of a primal dragon unless they were there as friends, right?”
“Except us,” he replied a bit nervously.
“Exactly.” Liliana's grin was fierce. “Be bold, warrior! Stare death in the face and make it bow before you.”
There was a moment of utter silence.
“Did she really just say that?” Keiko asked in disbelief.
The paladin looked around at all of them and then the entire group burst out laughing.
“Oh gods, I did say that, didn't I?” she spluttered. “Forgive me, Aiden. That may have actually been the dumbest sentence that I have ever uttered.”
Simon laughed so hard that he had tears in his eyes and he felt the tension that had been building up inside him drain away somewhat. When he'd finally managed to calm down, he wiped his face on his sleeve and leaned on his staff.
“Ah, thanks Liliana. I think we needed that chance to relieve our nerves. Okay folks, let's get up there and see what we can see, shall we?”
“Lead on, Simon,” Tamara told him. “We're right behind you.”
Chapter 28
The crater of the volcano stretched out several hundred yards from one side to the other. As the group scrambled to the top, they saw the incredible vista open up before them and more that one person gasped in wonder. It was awe-inspiring.
The sheer drop from the lip of the crater to the smoking surface below was at least five hundred feet. Vents on the hardened lava crust spewed black dust and smoke in choking fumes that obscured their vision and made seeing the inside of the crater almost impossible.
“Are you sure he's down there?” Tamara asked as she cleared her throat. The smoke was making it hard to breathe. “I can't see a damned thing.”
“Oh he's down there all right,” Simon assured her. “His malice is rising like the black smoke around him. Can't you feel it?”
“I can,” Liliana said as she glared down into the volcano. “We may not be able to see him, but Pyrathius can see us. And gods, how he hates us.”
“Yeah? Well, it's mutual,” Malcolm growled. “Imagine that monster thinking that we would actually fight on his side. Is he delusional or what?”
“Arrogant,” Simon said quietly, almost dizzy from the fumes of the place and the antipathy from the primal dragon. “His arrogance tells him that he is our superior in every way. Why wouldn't he think we'd be honored to join him? His pride would allow for nothing less.”
The Dragons of Ash and Smoke (Tales from the New Earth Book 5) Page 37
