The Dragons of Ice and Snow (17 page)

Simon stared at her in
amazement. One of his problems had been an inability to cast spells
through his Shield spell. But now, if this being was telling the
truth, and he had no reason to doubt her, he could attack while still
protected. That was huge.

He began to stammer a
thank you and the lady laughed lightly.

“
It is little
enough, child, but it is all that I have to give, for now. But before
I release you, I shall give you some information.”

He waited and she grinned
impishly.

“
Your suspicion
about the white dragons' weakness is correct. Your new spell will
damage them.”

Simon felt a wave of
relief and knew he was smiling foolishly.

The lady shook her head.

“
Do not become too
self-assured. These dragons are much more resilient than any you have
faced before.”

The scene began to fade
away from the edges and, as Simon watched, the lady became indistinct
and hazy. Her outline began to glow a soft silver.

“
A final piece of
knowledge, child,” the lady said, her voice echoing as she
disappeared. “Because I am fond of you. A legend walks the
Earth again. One that was thought lost has returned. If you prove
worthy, you may earn their aid. Be true in all of your dealings and
approach all of your allies with a pure heart and you may gain more
than you would have ever believed possible.”

Simon tried to thank her
but only darkness remained. He groped around himself, feeling nothing
but space.

Suddenly, a huge crash
shook him and he felt himself falling. He cried out and saw a spot of
whiteness shooting toward him. He braced himself, sure that he was
about to slam into the earth and then...

“
Sorry, master,”
Kronk said gently. “I bumped you when I climbed up on the
blankets.”

Simon was lying in bed,
staring up at the sunlit ceiling blankly. He turned his head and
watched as Kronk set down a steaming cup of tea on his night table.

“
Kronk?” he
said, feeling disconnected. “What's going on?”

“
Nothing, master. I
heard you stirring earlier and made you some tea. You have slept for
an entire day.”

The little guy watched
Simon closely, a worried look on his rocky features.

“
Are you feeling any
better, master?” he asked.

“
Feeling better?”

Simon stretched and threw
off the covers. He sat up slowly, listening to his body.

He felt...amazing. His
fever had broken. His head was clear. And he felt energized, as if
he'd been recharged by his long sleep.

“
I feel great, my
friend. I mean really great!”

He turned and sat on the
edge of the bed. He picked up the cup and gave Kronk an appreciative
pat on a tiny shoulder. The elemental smiled widely.

“
That is wonderful
news, master! You must have had a...what did you call it once, a
twenty-four hour flu?”

Simon sipped some tea and
nodded slowly. The memory of his dream began to trickle into his
consciousness.

“
Maybe. Or maybe it
was something else.”

He stood up and crossed
the room to his cupboard to find a clean robe. He slipped it over his
head and walked to the door.

“
C'mon, let's go
downstairs. I want to talk to you and Aeris. And Anaposus, if she's
still around.”

Kronk jumped off the bed
and followed the wizard down the stairs.

“
She is, master. She
is out exploring the little lake behind the tower.”

Simon reached the main
floor and walked across to the kitchen area.

“
She is? Why?”

“
No idea, master.
Water elementals love water. Perhaps she just enjoys it.”

Simon sliced some bread,
spread some strawberry jam on it and sat down at the kitchen table to
eat, sipping his tea between bites.

“
Yeah, maybe. Would
you do me a favor and see if you can find her? And Aeris too? I know
I can just summon them here but I think that's a bit rude unless it's
an emergency.”

“
Certainly, master.
I won't be long.”

Kronk left the front door
open when he went outside. The day was bright and unseasonably warm
and Simon enjoyed the light breeze that blew in and fluttered around
the room. He could smell pine tar, young wildflowers and
freshly-turned dirt and he guessed that the earthen had been working
on the garden while he was sleeping.

He put the kettle over the
fire to make more tea and then made a quick visit to the outhouse.

When he returned, he made
his tea and had just sat down again when the three elementals entered
together.

“
I found them,
master,” Kronk said proudly as he hopped up on to the table.

Aeris floated over to join
him and clapped his hands.

“
Well done! You
found us. What a wondrous feat.”

“
Aeris,” Simon
growled at him in warning and the air elemental quieted, although he
continued to smirk.

Anaposus glided up a table
leg and joined them. Simon watched, still amazed by how she moved.

“
Good morning, sir
wizard,” she said with a small bow. “I am pleased to see
you feeling better.”

“
Thanks. Me too.
Kronk tells me that you were spending time in the lake?”

She glanced at Kronk.

“
Yes. I noticed that
you rely on water drawn from a well beneath your tower. I thought
that I would prove my worth by examining, not only the well, but all
of the local water sources.”

“
Really? Well, that
does sound useful. So what did you find out?”

On one side of the table
was a pile of paper and some pencils. Anaposus slid a sheet across
the table and began to draw on it, explaining as she went.

“
Now, here is your
tower, and below it, here, is the well leading down to an underground
pool. You see?”

Simon nodded, watching
with interest. Kronk and Aeris moved closer and seemed as fascinated
as he was.

“
This is the level
of the drinkable water now. And here is the bottom of your pipe
leading up to the pump. I am afraid that, if left as it is, you will
be forced to find another source of drinkable water in a year or
two.”

“
Oh great,”
Simon said with a frown. “How am I supposed to do that?”

“
Not to worry, sir
wizard. Fortunately for you, I can help.” She looked at Kronk
again. “Your earthen friend can dig out a tunnel from the
artesian water source that feeds your lake up to your well, with my
help. Once this is done, you will have a reliable source of fresh
water for many years to come, decades perhaps.”

“
That's amazing,
Anaposus. You've just solved a problem that I didn't even know I had.
Thank you!”

She smiled, looking
slightly embarrassed.

“
No need to thank
me. Any water elemental could have done the same thing. I just
happened to be available.”

Simon sat back and looked
at her with a raised eyebrow.

“
Maybe. But you also
took the initiative and found the problem before it became serious.
That shows independence of thought. I like that.”

“
Then perhaps I can
have your permission to stay?” the water elemental asked,
sounding suddenly nervous.

The wizard tapped his
lower lip and then nodded once.

“
From me, yes. But I
don't live here alone. Kronk and Aeris have a vote as well. If they
agree, then you may stay for as long as you choose. If not, then I'm
afraid that you will have to return to your home realm. I don't want
to sound mean,” he added quickly. “It's just that hanging
around here with nothing to do all day would become very boring for
you after a while.”

“
You're giving us a
vote?” Aeris asked. “Since when?”

“
We cannot decide
something like this, master,” Kronk objected. “This is
your tower, not ours.”

“
Guys, guys,”
Simon cut them off, raising his hands. “Look, this is your home
too. I will not allow someone new to join us if you don't approve. I
need a serene work environment for my research.” He grinned at
Aeris, who rolled his eyes dramatically. “Well, as serene as it
gets around here. So yes, you get a vote. Make your choice.”

The two elemental locked
eyes for a long moment, their expressions unreadable. And then they
both turned to Anaposus, who was watching them anxiously, and smiled.

“
If you wish to
stay, lady elemental, I have no objections,” Kronk told her
politely.

“
I quite agree. A
female perspective has been sadly lacking in this place for quite
some time,” Aeris added a bit pompously, but he was smiling as
he said it.

“
There you have it,”
Simon said, noting the relief on the water elemental's face. “You
are now a member of my household, for as long as you choose to be.
Welcome, my friend.”

Anaposus looked at them
all, beaming broadly and then bowed.

“
Thank you, sir
wizard. I am overjoyed by your acceptance. I assure you all that I
will not be a burden.”

“
I think I speak for
everyone when I say that we already knew that.”

Simon sipped his tea and
tried to organize his thoughts.

“
You do realize that
all we need now is a fire elemental to join us and we'll completely
represent all of the elementals,” Kronk said quietly to Aeris.

“
Shush!” the
air elemental said with a quick look at Simon, who pretended he
wasn't listening. “Don't give him any ideas.”

Trying to look serious,
the wizard cleared his throat and the three elementals looked at him.

“
Now that that
business is cleared up, I wanted to talk to all of you about
something. It's about a dream I had last night. Or rather, a vision.”

“
A vision, master?
What sort of vision?”

The three elementals stood
side by side on the kitchen table and watched Simon closely.

Kronk was wide-eyed, Aeris
listened with his usual look of mild skepticism and Anaposus' face
was blank and unreadable, her skin rippling like she was being moved
by unseen currents of water.

“
A visit from the
gods of Light, I believe. I think that's why I'm feeling so good this
morning. A small gift, perhaps.”

Simon put down his cup and
stared at the dregs in the bottom of it.

“
So what happened
last night, master? Did the gods give you knowledge of advanced
spells again?”

The wizard shook his head,
still looking at the wet tea leaves in his cup.

“
No. The...being
that spoke to me said that such things could only be given once. I
have no idea why, but there it is.”

“
Then what was the
purpose of this vision, sir wizard?” Anaposus asked quietly.

“
Well, the lady that
I saw did give me a gift. Several small gifts is the better way to
describe it, I suppose.”

Simon looked up from the
cup and put his elbows on the table. He interlocked his fingers and
rested his chin on them, staring from one elemental to the next.

“
She said that from
now on, I'll be able to cast spells while I have the Shield spell
activated. That's huge.”

Aeris was wide-eyed.

“
That is huge,
Simon,” he said. “Imagine being in a battle and not
having to drop your protection spell before you attack? Amazing.”

“
Exactly. She also
told me that I will be able to memorize more spells and, something
else that may be quite helpful; I'll be able to cast while moving.”

He grimaced a bit.

“
I've always had to
stand still to cast. Running and chanting incantations always seemed
mutually exclusive. But the lady told me that I'll be able to do that
now, and I see no reason to doubt her.”

“
Wondrous gifts, sir
wizard,” Anaposus said soberly. She seemed a lot more
thoughtful than the other elementals, who were both looking quite
pleased.

“
You sound less than
impressed,” Simon said to her.

The water elemental looked
surprised by his observation.

“
Oh no, it's not
that. But my people have always believed that divine gifts are a
double-edged sword. There is a balance to things, that's all. Did she
say anything else, this goddess?”

Simon pulled at his lower
lip, a bit less excited than he had been because of Anaposus' sober
comment.

She has a point, he
thought. I was a little too cocky last year when I had so many
powerful spells at my disposal. I'm going to have to watch that.

“
Master? Are you all
right?”

“
Hmm? Yeah, I'm
good. Just thinking. Yes, Anaposus, she did say one last thing. How
did it go? Oh yeah. She said 'a legend walks the Earth again.' And
something about if I'm worthy enough and treat others honestly and
remain pure of heart, I might earn their trust.”