The Dragons of Argent and Silver (Tales from the New Earth #6) (45 page)

Between Gates, Simon took
Kronk aside and asked for a favor. The little guy was thrilled with
his suggestion and happily disappeared underground.

Aeris had joined the
wizard on the first trip and Simon sent him off to scout the area
around the meadow, just in case.

The final Gate involved
transporting a dozen beehives.

“
I'm not sure how
bees will react to the deep cold of the void,” Simon said to
Galder.

The two of them were
standing in the field outside of old Nottinghill, watching while one
of the Haladanin, a male, moved the hives gently to where they could
be transported all at once. Each one was covered with a tarp to keep
the bees inside.

“
They could die.”

The chief nodded his
understanding.

“
True. And that
would be unfortunate. But it is the structures themselves that are
most important to me. We can rebuild our bee colonies. We seem to
have a knack for tracking down wild hives. But the beehives are hard
to construct, especially for people like us with our large hands.
Don't worry, Simon. I won't blame you if the bees don't make it.”

“
Well, it's your
choice,” the wizard told him. “Maybe they'll be insulated
enough inside to survive.”

As the last hive was moved
into place, Kronk popped up from the ground and shook off some loose
dirt.

“
Master, I found
one!” he exclaimed.

Galder watched curiously
as Simon got down on one knee and accepted an oval, milky-white stone
from the earthen.

“
Ah fantastic.
Thanks, Kronk. Hmm, this one's pretty, isn't it?”

“
It is, master. And
you are welcome. Shall I break it into two pieces?”

“
Please.”

The stone was half as
large at the little guy himself, but Kronk easily snapped it cleanly
in half and handed the pieces back to Simon.

The wizard stood up,
brushed off his robe and noticed Galder staring at them in
puzzlement. He grinned and offered the chief one piece of the rock.

“
Uh, thank you. But
why do I need this?”

“
It's what we call a
lodestone, Galder. Each one is unique. If you ever need my aid, all
you have to do is concentrate and think of me and your half of the
stone will energize my half.”

The chief looked skeptical
and Simon chuckled.

“
Go ahead and try
it,” he suggested.

Looking unconvinced,
Galder held up the stone and stared at it.

A few seconds later, the
piece in Simon's hand began to glow with a bluish luminescence and
shook in his palm.

The chief gaped at it and
then smiled broadly.

“
But this is
wonderful!” he exclaimed. “You are truly a great wizard,
my friend.”

Simon pointed at Kronk who
was watching them quietly.

“
No, Galder. There's
your wizard. Kronk and his people have an affinity for the earth
beneath our feet. They can find lodestones, although I'm told that
they are rare. I'd never heard of such things until my earthen friend
told me about them.”

“
Then I owe you my
thanks,” Galder said to Kronk and he placed his large hand over
his heart in salute.

Kronk hurriedly bowed in
return.

“
You are very
welcome,” he said, obviously flustered by the Haladanin's
gratitude. “But I am only a servant. My master deserves your
thanks, not I.”

Simon shook his finger at
the elemental and Kronk hurried to correct himself.

“
I meant helper. I
am my master's helper, not a servant.”

The wizard sighed and
rolled his eyes.

“
You'll never
change, will you?”

“
I try, master. I
really do. But I am what I am.”

Galder watched them, his
eyes glinting with amusement.

“
I shall thank you
both then,” he chortled. “Knowing that we have an ally
that we can call upon will reassure my people. And they have come to
trust you, Simon. I assure you that I will not abuse this gift.”

“
I'm know you
won't,” the wizard told him. “Okay, so let's get you and
the hives back to your people.”

Finally the Gating was
finished. The Haladanin began getting themselves organized and Simon
and the elementals stayed back and out of the way.

“
Any signs of
trouble?” Simon asked Aeris as they watched the bear people.

Galder and several of the
others were moving the beehives to the far side of the meadow and the
wizard wondered why that was the perfect spot. He knew nothing about
bees.

“
Not really.”

Aeris made a circular
gesture with his hand.

“
I patrolled the
entire area for several miles around and saw only small animals and
birds. No imminent threats presented themselves.”

“
Good. These people
deserve a chance to rest and recover from their losses.”

Simon watched the
Haladanin silently for several minutes, lost in thought and then
jumped when Kronk tugged on his robe.

“
Master? What is
wrong? You seem sad.”

“
Sad? No, not
really. Well, maybe a little.”

The wizard nodded toward
the bear people.

“
They've lost so
much in such a short time; their home, most of their friends and
family. Why did that happen? What did they do to deserve it? I don't
know; it's all just so unfair, don't you think?”

“
I know that this
sounds simplistic, my dear wizard,” Aeris said as he bobbed
gently in the mountain breeze. “But life isn't fair. I know
that the Chaos lords want you and all other Changlings, including
these gentle giants, dead. But even if that were not so, sometimes
things just happen. And in a world inundated with magical energy and
all that entails, danger is never really very far away.”

“
Yeah, I know bad
things happen to good people, Aeris. That's always been true. It's
just...”

Simon stopped himself
before he went on a rant.

“
Anyway, it doesn't
matter. They are here now and hopefully will get a chance at a fresh
start.”

“
They will do well,
master,” Kronk reassured him. “They are strong and Galder
is a good leader.”

“
I hope so. I really
do. Okay then, let's say our goodbyes. It's time to go home.”

Summer rolled in early,
not long after the Haladanin had been relocated. It was lush with
colors and smells and cheered everyone up enormously.

Simon and Kronk worked in
the garden and their produce grew quickly. Aeris helped where he
could but he really hated gardening and so spent most of his time
either puttering around the tower, cleaning and dusting, or off on
patrol.

One incident that did
depress the wizard was a report by the air elemental a few days after
the journey out west.

Simon was weeding in the
middle of his rows of carrots when Aeris zipped around the corner of
the tower and stopped abruptly a few feet away.

“
Ah, the intrepid
farmer,” the elemental said with a faint smile.

The wizard sat back on his
heels and wiped off his forehead with the back of his hand,
unknowingly leaving a dark smudge of dirt there. Aeris didn't mention
it.

“
Hey there,”
Simon said with a grin. “Thanks for the compliment but I'm
hardly a farmer. Now those people worked hard. If any of us fits that
description, it's him.”

He nodded across the
garden and Aeris turned in time to see Kronk unearth a massive rock
and carry it effortlessly to the edge of the garden. The earthen
dropped it there, hurried back and began to refill the hole.

“
Hmm. Good point.
But we both know how much he likes working with dirt.”

“
Well, he is an
earth elemental, Aeris. What did you expect? Anyway, he keeps finding
those blasted rocks. It's like the damned things grow overnight. So
what's up? You seem to be in a rush.”

“
I am, a bit.”

Simon stood up, brushed
off his knees and walked to the side of the garden. He was wearing
shorts and a t-shirt today, robes were just too hot for gardening,
and he picked up an old towel he'd left there.

“
Why?” he
asked as he wiped the dirt off of his legs.

“
I have some news.
It's not urgent, just curious.”

The wizard dropped the
towel, picked up a flask of water and began drinking as he motioned
for Aeris to continue.

“
Well, it's about
the old town of Nottinghill. Apparently the enemy of the Haladanin
was, um, upset that they got away.”

Simon let out a deep
breath, closed the flask and looked at Aeris curiously.

“
How could you
possibly know that? Although it's probably true.”

“
Because he razed
the town to the ground.”

The wizard frowned at him.

“
I beg your pardon?”

“
It's been
flattened, destroyed, obliterated. What part of 'razed to the ground'
wasn't clear?”

“
But, you mean all
of it?”

“
Everything. The
outside wall is rubble and all of the buildings have been burned to
their foundations; even the well in the center of town has been
poisoned. It smells incredibly foul now. By the Four Winds, all they
neglected to do was salt the earth. It's horrible.”

Simon sat down with a
thump and looked across at Kronk, who was blissfully unaware of the
news and happily digging away.

“
But why? Why do
that? What's the point?”

Aeris settled to the
ground in front of the wizard and looked up at him.

“
Who can say what
the motivation was. But I'll tell you what it looks like to me. It's
something a child would do when they didn't get their own way; a
spoiled, impetuous child.”

“
We're talking about
an incredibly powerful necromancer here, Aeris, not a child.”

“
Maybe not. But very
powerful people who are used to getting what they want can act like
children, don't you think? I've certainly witnessed that kind of
behavior before.”

Simon slapped the dried
dirt from his feet and wiggled his toes, watching as small clumps of
earth dropped to the ground. He preferred gardening with his feet
bare; it saved wear and tear on his shoes.

“
Okay, that's
worrying. If our opponent is some sort of egomaniac who is also an
evil wizard, we could be in even greater trouble than we thought.”

“
Or less. Immaturity
can lead to mistakes, my dear wizard. Emotions controlling a
general's strategy will defeat him every time.”

“
You're calling this
guy a general now?”

“
Isn't he? Aren't
you both? You each command forces. The necromancer has his undead
armies and you have us, the elementals. Each of you must counter the
other. It's a classic struggle seen time and time again with your
species.”

Simon stood up with a
grunt and walked back to his carrots.

“
I don't see it like
that.”

He knelt down, grabbed his
trowel and looked back at Aeris.

“
Thanks for the
update. Keep your eyes open. This guy may not be as immature as you
think he is; maybe he's simply insane.”

Aeris' mouth dropped open
in surprise.

“
Well now,” he
muttered. “Isn't that an encouraging thought.”

A week later, Simon and
Kronk harvested for the first time that year. Early carrots, beets,
tomatoes; the earthen made vegetables grown and thrive at a
ridiculously fast pace.

When he got in touch with
Tamara, he learned that after the first assault had been beaten back,
the undead hadn't returned.

“
We've scoured the
nearby countryside,” she said to Simon in the mirror. “No
sign of them anywhere. We have patrols out just in case, but it seems
that we've earned ourselves a respite.”

“
Glad to hear that.
Listen, I've got a bunch of fresh veggies to trade if you're
interested.”

The mage's eyes lit up.

“
Interested? I'm
thrilled. We're still finishing off last years' preserves and dried
fruit. Any fresh additions to our diet here would be most welcome.”

“
Good. I'm also
bringing one of my cows. I hate to do it, but she's older and huge
and will supply your people with beef for quite some time. I only
want a few steaks and roasts when your butcher is done; the rest is
yours.”

“
As always, you are
too generous, Simon. What do you need in return?”

He went through a list in
his mind.

“
A couple of new
robes would be nice. I don't care about the color except, please, no
green.”

He shuddered and Tamara
chuckled.