The Dragons of Argent and Silver (Tales from the New Earth #6) (24 page)

“
Oui, I agree. Now,
as you may have been told, I am unable to see with my eyes.”

Simon hesitated and then
replied delicately.

“
I have heard that,
yes.”

“
Be at ease, my
friend,” Sylvie told him with an understanding smile. “It
is not a subject that distresses me. Magic has blessed me with a way
to see that transcends physical sight. I can see you as you sit
there, sir wizard, but not as you see me.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
I can see the magic
around you, around the table we are sitting at, around this entire
ship. Colors that I never saw before I Changed now permeate my
senses. They eddy and flow like the tides. However I cannot read even
the simplest of texts. Books glow with an aura but the writing within
is invisible. And so my sister will be the one to learn of these
runes and wards, not me.”

Veronique patted her
sister's hand yet again.

“
We each have our
roles,” she told Simon. “Anything that I learn I pass on
to my sister verbally. She knows what I know, but I act as her eyes
in such things.”

“
I understand,”
the wizard said quickly. “An elegant system.”

“
Oh, thank you,”
Sylvie said with a wide smile. “It is rare for others to
appreciate our connection. I believe I quite like you, Simon
O'Toole.”

“
I agree,”
Veronique said firmly. “We are by necessity cautious when
meeting new people, especially magic-users. But you are different. I
can feel your goodness, Simon, and how much you truly care about
others.”

Simon shifted
uncomfortably in his chair.

“
I'm hardly filled
with goodness, I assure you. I'm just a guy trying to do the right
thing in this crazy world of ours.”

“
Exactly. What else
can one do, really? Now, it's been a busy day, so I really do not
want to impose upon you any longer. But if you could return and teach
me something about these wards of yours, we would be eternally
grateful.”

Simon happily agreed.

“
I'll take the time
to actually write out exactly how to use them and which runes do
what,” he promised. “That way you'll have reference
material to go on when you need it.”

“
Wonderful,”
Sylvie said happily.

She reached out across the
table and Simon took her hand.

“
Thank you,”
she said simply. “Not only for your future aid with these wards
of yours but for saving our Defiant today. She's a lovely lady and we
hope to live on her for many years to come.”

“
Any time,”
the wizard replied.

He shook her hand warmly,
said goodbye and stood up.

Veronique led him to the
door.

“
Come back when you
can,” she said quietly. “I won't try to rush you;
obviously you know what our situation is.”

“
I do. And I will be
back in a week or less, I promise you.”

They shook hands and Simon
left the room.

Out in the hallway,
Barnaby was leaning against a wall and flipping a small mage light
from one hand to the other. He looked quite bored and smiled with
relief when Simon appeared.

“
Ah, there you are,”
the mage said happily.

The light disappeared and
he stepped forward.

“
Hi. Sorry about the
wait,” Simon said as he joined Barnaby.

“
No problem. What
did you think of Veronique and Sylvie?”

They began walking back up
the corridor.

“
I thought they were
amazing. Very impressive.”

“
They are, aren't
they? I'm glad you liked them; they can be a bit fussy when it comes
to warming up to new people.”

They began chatting about magical wards
as they made their way back up to the main deck. Simon was amazed
again to learn that Barnaby was also unaware of wards and what they
could do.

Back outside, Simon found the three
elementals waiting for him.

“Hey guys. You okay?”

“We are fine, master,”
Kronk told him with some relief. “Are you all right? We were
beginning to worry.”

“I'm good. I just met the leaders
among the mages.”

Barnaby said goodbye and headed below,
telling Simon that he was looking forward to seeing him soon.

“We're coming back?” Aeris
asked as he watched the mage leave.

“Yeah. I'm going to write up a
guide on runes and wards and how to use them. It's weird but
apparently they don't have this ship magically protected. Strange,
don't you think?”

Aeris looked puzzled and spun around,
as if searching for warding stones.

“That is odd. Wards are basic
magic for most spell-casters.”

“Anyway, I thought that it might
keep them safer if they warded the Defiant. So where's Vepolas?”

“She is up ahead, my lord,”
Ana said and pointed. “Over there.”

Simon looked in that direction and saw
the water elemental towering over the crew members who were moving
around, going about their duties. He began walking toward her and the
others tagged along behind.

“Ah, sir wizard,” Vepolas
exclaimed in a surprisingly friendly tone as he approached.

She was standing next to the captain
and both looked quite cheerful.

“Good to see you again. Deborah
and I were just discussing a way to alter this vessel to make it
harder for sea monsters to detect.”

Deborah is it, Simon thought to
himself. That was fast.

“Were you? Any ideas?”

“Actually yes,” Captain
Martelli told him.

She pointed up to the decks that rose
above the deck.

“Apparently the superstructure of
the ship looks a lot like the silhouette of several monsters from a
distance. This can set off other creatures, like the turtles, sending
them into a frenzy and causing them to attack. Vepolas has suggested
that we paint the ship with a specific pattern of stripes to confuse
the senses of sea beasts. We're going to try it and see if it helps.”

“It will,” the elemental
said confidently. “Your ship will be a much less tempting
target after we are done, I'm sure.”

“Glad to hear it. I've agreed to
teach Veronique and the other mages about wards and how to use them
to protect the Defiant, so that will help as well.”

“Ah, wonderful idea,”
Vepolas told him. “I wish that I had thought of that.”

“Well, you can't think of
everything, my dear,” Ana told her with a quick grin at Simon.

“True. True. At any rate, until
the new paint scheme is implemented, I shall remain aboard the
Defiant and help to defend it, just in case.”

She glanced around at the ship and
ended up staring at Deborah.

“I like it here and it is a nice
change from the water realm. I could be useful.”

Simon was surprised but kept it to
himself. The water elemental was touchy and he'd rather leave her
here in a good mood.

“That's great, Vepolas,” he
said. “I'm sure that the captain and crew are grateful for the
help.”

She smiled expansively and looked at
the busy crew.

“Yes, of course they are. Thank
you for summoning me, wizard. I must admit that I am enjoying myself
immensely.”

“And thanks from me as well,”
the captain said. “If not for you and Vepolas here, I think
this old ship might have met her end today.”

“Any time, captain,” Simon
told her. “I'll be back soon to speak to Veronique and Sylvie.
I hope to speak with you then.”

“A pleasure. You have an open
invitation to visit the Defiant,” she said.

They shook hands firmly and Deborah
turned away and began barking orders to her men.

Vepolas nodded absently and drifted
off.

“Did you want to come back to the
tower with us?” Simon asked Ana.

“If it would not be an
imposition, my lord, I would like that.”

“Good. Okay you three; everyone
grab hold and let's go home.”

He took a last look around while the
three elementals each touched his robe.

The Defiant was a remarkable ship and
her people seemed happy to live on her. But personally, Simon
couldn't wait to get home. At least his tower didn't keep shifting
under his feet. He swallowed down a new wave of nausea and raised
Mortis de Draconis.

“Gate,” he said quickly and
felt the void take them away.

“
Wake up, master. We
have a problem.”

Simon pulled his pillow
over his head with a groan. It had only been a few days since he had
visited the Defiant and he had been working late nights to write his
guide to using wards for the mages.

“
Just five more
minutes,” he muttered. “It's too early to get up.”

“
We have a visitor,
oh great and powerful one,” Aeris said with his usual sarcasm.
“And we can't open the front gate and let her in without your
permission. So do us all a favor and get your butt out of bed.”

Simon sighed heavily and
stubbornly kept his eyes closed for another minute. Then Aeris' words
sank into his foggy brain and he sat up abruptly.

Kronk was standing on his
bedside table and Aeris was floating beside him. Ana was absent. The
early morning sunlight was just starting to light up the bedroom and
the wizard sighed again. He was right; it was really early.

“
A visitor?”
he asked as he stumbled out of bed. “Who?”

“
The elven maid,
Ethmira,” Kronk told him with obvious excitement. “She is
waiting outside of the main gate, master. She is alone.”

“
Alone? Uh-oh.
What's the problem now?”

He got dressed quickly,
ripped a comb through his disheveled hair and blearily made his way
downstairs.

The gates of the wall
around the tower could no longer be opened without his order; it was
a measure he had taken when one of the patrolling earth elementals
had opened the main gate once to repair it without permission and had
let in a score of monsters. Now none of them could interrupt the
magical wards' protection by opening the gates unless Simon was
present.

Inconvenient but safer, he
thought as he let himself out of the tower into the cool morning air.

Kronk and Aeris followed
him to the gate and Simon looked up at the earth elementals who were
standing on the arch above the large doors.

“
Is our guest still
out there?” he called up.

“
Yes, my lord. She
is alone.”

“
Okay, let's open
the gates.”

“
Allow me,”
Aeris said and zipped forward.

He flipped open the bars
and locks on the gate and pulled them open with his surprising
strength.

Simon walked forward and
saw Ethmira, wearing her usual green and brown leathers and armed
with a bow. She smiled as they made eye contact and they met just
outside of the wall.

“
Good morning, my
friend,” she said warmly and grasped his hands. “How are
you?”

“
Morning. I'm fine,
thanks. It's good to see you. Please, come in.”

“
Thank you.”

They began walking slowly
toward the tower and Ethmira greeted both Kronk and Aeris in a
friendly manner.

“
Still caring for
your wizard, I see,” she said to them.

“
Yes, lady elf, we
are,” Kronk replied politely as he followed Simon.

“
We have no choice
really,” Aeris added with a dramatic sigh. “Without us,
he couldn't even find his socks. It's a burden, but one we bear in
dignified silence.”

The elf laughed lightly
and glanced at Simon, who rolled his eyes.

“
I haven't seen a
lot of this silence you mention, Aeris,” he said. “Keep
working on that, would you?”

The air elemental made a
face and dropped back to follow along behind them while Kronk rumbled
a laugh.

As they crossed the yard,
Ethmira placed a delicate hand on Simon's arm.

“
Now that we are
meeting in person, allow me to say how sorry I am for Daniel's loss.
Both myself and my people mourned his passing.”

Simon cleared his throat
and nodded.

“
Thank you. I miss
him and I guess I always will. But I know what lies beyond this
mortal life now and I am sure that we will see each other again.”

Ethmira smiled gently.

“
Of that I have no
doubt,” she agreed.

They reached the front
door and Simon waved his guest in ahead of him. They entered the
tower and crossed the room to sit at the kitchen table.

The elf looked around at
the room fondly and watched as Simon began making tea.

“
I've missed this
place, you know,” she said as she leaned her bow against the
table next to her. “I remember the first time I visited. Even
then there was a feeling of warmth and home here.”

Simon chuckled at the
memory.

“
I remember that as
well. My shock at meeting an elf for the first time, and then
learning that you knew Daniel? It was a lot to take in.”

He hung the kettle in the
fireplace and waited at the counter for it to boil.