The Dragons of Ash and Smoke (Tales from the New Earth Book 5) (12 page)

He
nodded silently and she smiled up at him.

“
And
now, sir wizard, the world awaits. Come along and let's get you
home.”

The
walk from Simon's room to the front gate took almost an hour, because
Opheilla took her time and walked unhurriedly through the city.

Simon
might have been eager to leave, but he wasn't impatient with her.
They spent their time talking, looking at sights that he hadn't seen
during his stay in Kingstone and discussing the various threats that
had appeared in the world since he'd been laid up. The time passed
quickly.

When
they reached the massive main gates, towering iron doors guarded by a
dozen warriors, they were met by four scouts who were to escort Simon
beyond the city. Their leader, a powerful looking woman named Vara,
greeted them both and banged a mailed fist on her armored chest.

“
Welcome,
sir wizard. My squad and I are honored to accompany you into the
tunnels outside of Kingstone. How far do we need to travel before our
guest is able to cast his spells?” she asked Opheilla, who
looked thoughtful.

“
No
more than a half-hour's march, I would say. The dampening field
should not extend beyond that.”

The
woman nodded and her three companions arranged themselves around
Simon.

The
wizard offered Opheilla his hand and she shook it firmly.

“
Come
back and visit us when you get a chance,” she told him. “Don't
be a stranger.”

“
I
won't,” he assured her. “And if you're ever in the mood
to see the sky, drop by my tower. You will always be welcome.”

She
laughed and thumped him gently on the shoulder.

“
I'll
keep that in mind. Now off you go, dear friend. And take care.”

The
escort moved forward and Simon waved one last time at the cleric and
then turned and followed Vara and her warriors.

They
slipped through a small portal to the side of the huge gates and
exited the city. Beyond, a high tunnel led off into darkness and Vara
lit a torch, strictly for Simon's benefit, and led the way forward.

Opheilla's
estimation turned out to be spot on. Simon could literally feel
himself relax and breathe easier as the unseen anti-magic field
dissipated.

The
group was stomping along in one of the main dwarven tunnels when he
felt his magical senses extend for the first time in months and he
stopped in his tracks.

The
others halted as well and Vara, who was leading, turned around and
hurried back.

“
Is
there a problem?” she asked as she scanned the area.

Simon
noticed that all four warriors looked around constantly and wondered
what sort of trouble they were expecting this close to the capital
city.

“
Not
at all,” he told her. “But the dampening field has faded.
I think I can Gate from here.”

“
Ah,
excellent.”

Vara
appeared to be memorizing the location as she stared at one unique
carving on the tunnel wall, ironically of a dragon.

“
I
want to thank you all for your escort,” Simon told her and the
others. “It was reassuring to have you watching my back.”

A
couple of the warriors smiled and nodded proudly, but the leader
simply accepted the thanks in a business-like manner.

“
You
are welcome, sir wizard. But we would do the same for any that have
been named dwarf kin. Now, perform your spell please. There is a
heaviness in the air here that I do not like.”

The
escort's smiles faded at her words and the quartet spread out,
surrounding Simon and looking in all directions.

The
Gate spell came easily to mind and the wizard wondered what Vara was
worried about as he began chanting. He didn't sense any danger at
all.

When
the spell was poised and ready to invoke, he looked around one last
time.

“
Thanks
again,” he called out.

The
guards were at least twenty yards away now and almost impossible to
see in the darkness. Only Vara's torch marked her position.

“
Our
pleasure,” he heard her reply. “Now go, sir wizard. Go!”

And
her torch went out.

There
was a wailing cry from the now total darkness, followed by a bellow
from one of the guards. He was cursing in dwarvish and then his voice
was cut off abruptly. Something blacker than the inky tunnel seemed
to be moving straight at Simon and he felt a wave of fear wash over
him.

“
Invectis
!”
he said frantically just as the blackness rose up to overwhelm him.

And then he was sucked into the void and away.

It was his first Gating in months and seemed to last an
eternity. He concentrated on the area in front of his tower, the
courtyard as he called it, afraid that the interior layout of his
home may have been changed in his absence.

He burst abruptly into the real world again and stumbled
to his knees, unprepared for the rough ground he'd landed on.

What had happened to his escort, he wondered
frantically. They'd been attacked but by what? He might never know.
Stanis had made it clear that all magical communication was banned
now, even though he'd allowed Simon to speak to him via the Magic
Mirror spell in the past. Unless the king contacted him, he was cut
off.

He sighed in frustration, knowing that there was nothing
that he could do. He only hoped that Vara and her squad had survived
the assault. In the meantime, he pushed aside those dark thoughts for
the moment and looked around.

It was the middle of a bright sunny day, late spring
perhaps. The Sun fell warmly on to his back and the uneven ground was
covered with thick green grass.

Simon simply knelt there for a few minutes, sucking in
great lungfuls of air and savoring the smell of the grass and the
open world around him.

I'm home, he thought over and over again, his joy almost
choking him. Home.

He tore out a handful of grass and brought it up to his
nose. Had anything ever smelled as sweet? And the color! Had green
always been this vibrant?

Finally Simon pushed himself to his feet with the staff.
He looked up at his tower and smiled widely.

“
Hey
there,” he said to it. “You look good, old girl. As
strong as the bones of the Earth that you were made with, as Kronk
would say.”

He turned in a slow circle and looked around the yard.

The outer wall was in good repair and the grass, though
long, had obviously been clipped to a reasonable length. The tower
itself showed no signs of weathering or cracks, which was reassuring.
All in all, he might have just stepped out the day before; that's how
well everything had been taken care of.

The main gates were closed and locked and Simon walked
toward them. A movement up on the parapet caught his eye and he saw
an earth elemental walking slowly along it, guarding the perimeter as
they always did.

They stayed, he thought poignantly. They actually stayed
and kept watch.

“
Hey
up there,” he called out. “How are you?”

The earthen stopped and looked down. It was hard to see
the expression on the little face, but the earthen's mouth dropped
open and it stared down at him in obvious surprise.

“
Sir
wizard!” it finally rumbled in a deep voice that always sounded
so odd coming from such a small creature. “You have returned!”

Before Simon could answer, the elemental began jumping
up and down.

“
The
wizard has returned,” he bellowed. “He has returned to
us!”

And then he turned and raced off along the parapet,
running and shouting at the same time.

“
Okay
then,” Simon muttered. “Good to see you too.”

He examined the gates and found the locking mechanism
well oiled and functional. The gates were pristine and he was
reassured once again that his home had been kept safe.

Time to go in, he thought and turned to walk to the
front steps.

He almost tripped over his own feet then. Five earthen
had appeared as if by magic between him and the tower. All of them
were grinning in delight.

“
Hey
guys,” Simon said with a smile. “How are you? I was just
checking things out. The place looks great. Well done.”

One of the earthen, as black as coal but smoother and
more defined than the others, stepped forward.

“
We
are pleased to see you home and safe, sir wizard.”

“
Chakka,
isn't it?” he asked.

“
Yes,
sir wizard,” she replied in her pleasant, high-pitched voice,
obviously pleased. “I am honored that you remember me. We,”
she indicated her fellows, “have endeavored to maintain your
home as best we could. It meets with your approval?”

“
More
than that,” Simon assured her. “It's perfect. Have you
had any troubles while I was away? Any attacks from ghouls or wights
or anything else?”

“
None.
After you left for the town in the south, things remained quiet.
Perhaps the creatures knew somehow that you were not in residence.
But for whatever reason, it has been peaceful. We were all deeply
saddened when we heard of the attack on the new settlement and, when
Kronk told us that you had fallen, well, it was devastating.”

“
But
you stayed.”

“
Of
course, sir wizard,” she answered proudly. “We are
earthen. Our loyalty is absolute. You tasked us with guarding and
maintaining your home and that is what we have done, to the best of
our abilities.”

“
And
you have done a spectacular job,” Simon assured them. “Listen,
I know you've been stuck here for months, so if anyone wants to
leave, head home for a visit or even permanently, you have my
permission to do so.”

Chakka looked at her fellow earthen and they rumbled to
each other in their gravelly language for a moment. Then she turned
and looked up at Simon.

“
No
sir wizard. It is a generous offer, but we would rather maintain our
posts, if that is acceptable to you?”

Simon grinned. Earthen, he thought. You had to love
them.

“
You
are welcome to stay here for as long as you wish. Remember though,
you aren't servants or slaves. If anyone wants to leave in the
future, simply come to me and tell me.”

They all bowed as one and then made their way together
back toward a ladder that was leaning up against the parapet. They
were speaking loudly and happily with each other and Simon could see
how pleased they were that he was back. It was delightful and
humbling at the same time.

He started off for the front door again, enjoying the
warmth of the day. The dwarven city was comfortable in its own way,
but it was never very bright and always a bit chilly. Now that he was
out, he realized how much he'd missed the open air.

Now, I wonder what the tower looks like inside, he
thought with a twinge of concern as he walked up the front steps.

The door wasn't locked and opened smoothly with a simple
push. He waited a moment, took a deep breath and stepped inside.

“
How
can it be dusty? I dusted it just the other day.”

“
No,
you did not. That was two weeks ago.”

“
Was
it? How quickly the time flies when you're being made to do drudge
work.”

Simon stood just inside
the open door and listened to the argument filtering down from
upstairs. He was laughing as quietly as he could. Apparently Aeris
wasn't thrilled at being stuck doing housework.

“
It
isn't drudgery,” Kronk said loudly. He sounded distinctly
irritable, very unlike his usual placid self.

Simon wondered just how
many of these arguments they'd engaged in over the past six or seven
months.

“
It
is necessary. When master comes home, he must feel a sense of order.
He will want things to be precisely the way they were when he left.”