The Dragons of Ash and Smoke (Tales from the New Earth Book 5) (15 page)

“
This
is the home of a wizard. That is its reason for being. That is why
all of us are here, to help you. Without your presence, it was just
an empty shell.”

Simon stopped and stared
at him, grinning.

“
Well
now, scratch an air elemental, discover a philosopher. Who knew?”

Aeris laughed a little
self-consciously.

“
Maybe
so. But the place just feels right again with you here. Now we can
move forward, to whatever future you envision. Make it a good one, my
dear wizard. Frankly, I am tired of being bored.”

After the horses were back
in their stalls, Simon, Aeris and Kronk all returned to the tower. To
Simon's surprise, Aeris had begun making a stew before he'd met him
outside and the elemental shot across the room as they entered.

“
What's
that?” the wizard asked as he put his staff back in its place
and took off his shoes.

“
Stew.”
Aeris began stirring the large, cast-iron pot that was hanging over
the fire. “I filled the pot with water and dropped in some
dried venison before I went out. I'll add the vegetables now and it
should be ready by the time the sun sets.”

“
Hey,
thanks Aeris. That sounds wonderful.”

“
No
trouble. Just part of my job. Right Kronk?” the air elemental
asked pointedly.

The earthen sniffed and
tapped across the room. He jumped up on to the kitchen table and
watched Aeris stirring the pot.

“
We
all have our tasks, you know,” he said with a touch of
exasperation in his voice. “Why must you make such a fuss about
it?”

“
I'm
not fussing,” Aeris told him. He put the large spoon on the
table and floated off toward the stairs to the basement. “I'm
simply making conversation. I'll be right back with the vegetables.”

And with that, he zipped
down the steps and disappeared.

“
So
how are you feeling, master?” Kronk asked as Simon sat down at
the table with a tired sigh.

“
Better
than I have any right to be, I'd say. Thanks for taking such good
care of the horses, by the way. I know you'll say it's your job, but
you've done it excellently and deserve some praise. So, well done.”

The little guy smiled a
bit shyly.

“
My
pleasure, master. I care for them a great deal. So now that you are
beginning to settle in, what comes next?”

Simon put his elbows on
the table and rested his chin on his hands.

“
That's
a very good question, my friend,” he said as he stared at the
whorls and veins in the wood of the table. “I suppose I'll
start by contacting Tamara and the others, see how they're doing. I
noticed that you've already planted the early crops in the garden,
and thanks for that, so that's a job done. I guess...” his eyes
darted around the room and he grimaced as the hard wooden bench that
had replaced his old sofa caught his eye.

“
Okay,”
Simon said as he straightened up. “This is going to sound
trivial, but I know where to get replacements for my old sofa and
comfortable chair that I lost in the fire. I'd like to go there and
get them sometime in the next few days.”

“
Wait
a minute,” Aeris said as he came up the stairs carrying a
canvas bag. “The red dragons are taking over the world, the
dark gods are breathing down your neck, and you're worried about
furniture?”

Simon pushed back his hair
and watched as the air elemental flew to the counter, emptied his
sack and began cutting vegetables.

“
No,
I'm not worried about that. But to be honest, I've missed sitting in
front of the fireplace in my old chair. It was my favorite place to
think and, I don't know, I need some familiarity and routine back in
my life right now. Does that make sense?”

“
Of
course it does, master,” Kronk said loudly, cutting off Aeris'
response. They glared at each other for a moment and then Aeris went
back to preparing his stew.

“
If
it makes you more comfortable and happy, then I think it is a
splendid idea, master,” Kronk continued. “So where are
these pieces of furniture?”

“
Russia,
actually,” Simon told him and grinned at the two elementals'
almost identical looks of surprise.

“
Russia?
How on Earth do you know that?” Aeris asked as he dumped a
bunch of sliced carrots and turnips into the pot.

“
I
saw the pieces back when Liliana was living in an old bunker.
Apparently it had been owned by someone from the Russian elite back
in the day and the leather furniture looked almost brand new. I asked
her if she would mind if I raided the place for some of it someday
and she said to go ahead. So that's what I'm going to do.”

“
You
know, that's actually not a bad idea,” Aeris told him as he
stirred his stew. “If this bunker was sheltered from the
dragons on the Night of Burning, and from the subsequent attacks by
drakes, there may be other supplies there as well. It might be worth
a look.”

“
My
thoughts exactly,” Simon told him with a smile. “Personally
I'm praying to one day come across a crate full of instant coffee.
God, how I miss my coffee.”

The rest of the day passed
quickly. Simon visited every room in his tower and spent time in each
just reconnecting with the place. He even went down to the basement
and poked through his supply rooms and his cold storage. By the time
he was done, he finally felt well and truly grounded. He was home.

He woke up the next day
later than usual. Sleeping in his own bed had been so comfortable
that Simon just didn't want to get up. Instead he lay there watching
the sunlight streaming in the bedroom windows, dust motes playing
through the light rays like tiny ghosts dancing around each other.

When Kronk timidly knocked
on the door frame, the wizard languidly turned his head and winked at
him.

“
Good
morning, master,” the little guy said softly. “I am sorry
to disturb you, but I was wondering if you would like me to heat the
water for your tea?”

Simon stretched and then
rubbed his eyes.

“
Morning
Kronk. Yes please, that would be nice. I really should be up by now,
but it felt so good to sleep in my own bed again.”

“
I
understand, master. Do not get up if you do not want to. There is no
rush.”

The wizard smiled at the
little guy.

“
That's
generous of you, my friend. But the world won't wait. I have things
to do. Be down in a minute.”

Kronk nodded and headed
off, leaving Simon to roll out of bed and get dressed.

By the time he'd managed
to stumble down the stairs, the water was boiling and there was a
pile of fresh toast and honey waiting on the kitchen table for him.

“
Someone
baked?” he asked as he sat down.

Aeris was puttering at the
counter making his tea and flew over to hand it to him.

“
I
did, actually. While you were sleeping.” The air elemental
bobbed up and down and folded his arms as he watched Simon sip his
tea. “I know how much you like your toast in the morning.”

“
Wow.
Thanks Aeris. That was very thoughtful of you.”

“
Yes,
well, eat up before it gets cold,” Aeris replied gruffly and
floated back to the counter.

“
You
slept well, master?” Kronk asked as he stood in the fireplace
and adjusted the burning logs.

Simon winced as he watched
this. It always bothered him when the little guy would casually stand
in the midst of the fire to pile the logs more efficiently. Kronk,
being made of stone, was basically immune to the heat.

“
I
did, thanks. The tower feels like home again.”

“
Good
to hear,” Aeris said as he wiped down the kitchen counter. “So
how are your powers now?”

Simon chewed thoughtfully
for a moment and then swallowed, washing down his toast with a sip of
tea.

“
How
are they? Hmm, good question. Certainly my base power seems to be
back in track.”

He glanced at a candle
sitting on the mantelpiece and it flared to life, the flame dancing
merrily. He extinguished it with a thought and saw Aeris nodding.

“
So
that works. The Gate spell that I used to get back was, I think,
fairly effortless to cast. But that's all I have to go by. The
dwarves have an invisible anti-magic field over their city that
didn't let me practice while I was there.”

Kronk stepped out of the
fireplace and waited a moment until his body cooled down. Then he
jumped up on to the table and watched as Simon spread honey on
another piece of toast.

“
The
field still exists, master?” Simon nodded, his mouth full.
“Interesting. It is created by an ancient device, built by the
dwarves to keep us out.”

He exchanged a look with
Aeris, who frowned silently.

“
Wait
a second,” the wizard mumbled through his food. “The
field was built to block elementals?”

“
It
was, my dear wizard.” Aeris floated over to join Kronk on the
table. “It had the added benefit, or side-effect, of stopping
magic-users from casting spells. But that is not what it was
initially designed for. It's been surmised by some in the elemental
realms that the effect on their casters was a surprise and they
adjusted their attitudes toward magic to embrace this.”

“
You're
kidding. They hate magic use now because nullifying it was part of
the effect when they blocked your people?”

“
Sad,
isn't it?” Aeris said with a disgusted expression. “Very
dwarven though. A stubborn people.”

Simon sat back and sipped
his tea thoughtfully.

“
Imagine
condemning an entire cross-section of your own people because of
that,” he said, not sure whether to feel sad or outraged.

“
To
their credit, master, they were afraid that the war between our
realms would spill over into their cities,” Kronk said,
sounding as if he was trying to be fair. “They had been allied
with both the earthen and the fire elementals back then and did not
want to take sides. Certainly their solution avoided that dilemma.”

“
To
the extreme, I'd say,” the wizard replied a little bitterly.
“Who knows how powerful their people would be today if they'd
allowed their magic-users to hone their skills over the years.
Instead, they've come to rely on their machines and inventions to
defend against attacks. Personally, I think that is a limitation.
They might not agree, of course.”

Aeris picked up his empty
cup, crossed to the counter and began to prepare more tea. Simon
smiled his thanks.

“
I
assure you that they would not agree,” the air elemental said.
“Their stubbornness is legendary. A stiffly proud bunch.”

“
They
have more in common with the elves than they might think,”
Simon said as he accepted the cup from Aeris. “Daniel mentioned
that they are set in their ways as well, but from the other
direction. They do not use machines beyond simple bows and other
straightforward mechanisms. Too bad the two groups couldn't combine
their strengths. They would be a formidable force.”

Both elementals laughed
and Simon looked at them with raised eyebrows.

“
What?”
he asked.

“
Oh,
just the idea that the dwarves and elves would ever ally for anything
long-term, master,” Kronk rumbled. “Such a thing is
unimaginable.”

“
Maybe
so, but with the dark gods fighting to return to the world, they may
not have a choice one day,” the wizard said darkly. “Ally
or die and all that. Let's hope that their stubborn mindsets don't
end up getting their people killed.”

This somber thought
stifled the elementals' laughter and they both became pensive.

Simon finished his tea,
got up and walked to the door.

“
Guys,
could one of you fill the kettle again for me please? I want to get
washed up after I visit the outhouse and I'm guessing the lake is a
bit too cold yet for a dip.”

“
I'll
do that,” Aeris volunteered. “And what are you going to
do after that?”

Opening the door, Simon
looked back at him and shrugged.

“
Start
making some calls. It's time I found out what's been happening out
there since I left. Should be interesting.”