The Dragons of Ash and Smoke (Tales from the New Earth Book 5) (22 page)

“
If you and Brethia
agree, yes I do.”

The two elementals
exchanged a smile and then watched Simon attentively.

“
What can we do for
you, my lord?” Brethia asked respectfully. She flew over to
float next to Orriss.

Simon explained the
appearance of the flight of dragons from the previous day and their
need for someone to watch the skies.

“
I don't blame the
earthen,” he said with a quick glance at Kronk. “They are
made to be more in tune with the world at ground level. Your people,
as flyers, are aware of the world above ground. What we've agreed we
need is a sentry to stay up on the roof and keep an eye on the skies.
I asked both of you because I don't think it's fair to make one
person a permanent fixture up there. If you agree, one of you can
take a twelve hour shift on guard and the other can do whatever they
wish and then you can change places.”

He drank some tea and
watched while Brethia and Orriss began speaking excitedly together in
their airy language that sounded like gusts of wind. At one point,
they turned and asked Aeris something. He answered with a comment and
a noncommittal shrug and they continued their conversation.

“
So what do you
think?” Simon asked as the two elementals fell silent.

Orriss gestured for
Brethia speak and she lifted her chin and looked at the wizard.

“
Firstly, allow me
to say that both of us are so grateful that you would ask us to work
for you again, especially after we failed our scouting mission in
Mexico.”

“
You didn't fail,”
Simon said quickly. “None of us knew that the country had been
infested with goblins. You survived and returned to warn us. That was
more than enough.”

She bowed.

“
Thank you, my lord,
but we respectfully disagree. My three companions were killed and
Orriss only escaped the same fate because you recalled him in the
nick of time. However, we will put that behind us, if that is your
wish.”

“
It is.”

“
Very well then. We
agree to serve you again, if you will have us. Aeris,” she
nodded at him, “has said that you will need us to stay for a
while?”

“
I guess so.”
Simon leaned forward. “Look, if you're worried about being
stuck here for an extended period, we can agree to a time limit, say
a month or two, on your service and then I'll summon another pair to
take your place.”

Aeris chuckled and the
wizard looked at him.

“
What are you
laughing about?” he asked, puzzled.

“
Because you are
exactly wrong, my dear wizard.”

“
Not wrong, my
lord,” Orriss said hurriedly, with a worried look at Aeris.
“You just have things a little...reversed, that's all. We both
want to stay for as long as you need us. We are made to serve and,
although you do not blame us for our failure in the mission down
south, we do and we'd like to redeem ourselves.”

He paused and Brethia
began to speak.

“
And your kind offer
to allow us time to explore on our own is a tremendous gift, my lord.
We have never experienced such generosity from a wizard before. It is
an exciting prospect.”

“
Um, okay. So since
it seems to be a yes, then welcome to our home.”

Both elementals bowed
deeply.

“
Aeris, would you
take our friends up to the roof? You can work out what shifts Brethia
and Orriss want to take between them.”

“
Certainly. Come
along you two and we'll head up.”

“
Thank you both for
this,” Simon told them gratefully and was answered with a pair
of wide smiles.

“
No, thank you, my
lord,” Brethia said earnestly while Orriss nodded vigorously.
“We will not let you down.”

The wizard watched as all
three flew off and zipped up the stairs.

“
Eager, aren't
they?” he said to Kronk as he finished his tea and got up to
make some more.

The earthen snorted softly
with amusement.

“
They believe they
failed you before, master. No elemental wants to live with that
shame. I would say that you could not have found a more loyal pair to
serve you.”

“
That's not why I
summoned them,” Simon said with a grimace. He put on the kettle
and turned around to look at the earthen. “You know that.”

“
I do, master, but
they don't. And explaining it again will not convince them
otherwise.”

Simon sighed helplessly.

“
No, I suppose not.
Oh well, at least they seem happy to be helping. That's all I can ask
for, I guess. I'll admit I'm feeling better already knowing that we
are covered by sentries watching in all directions, including
upward.”

“
Yes master. So,
what is next?”

“
Next?”

Simon watched the kettle
as it swung gently over the fire.

“
Next I spend the
day resting up because tomorrow you, me and Aeris are heading to
Russia. I'm getting that blasted furniture back here if it kills me.
And relax, that's just an expression.”

“
I know that,
master.” The little guy grinned. “But please make sure
that it doesn't.”

After a quiet, uneventful
period of rest, Simon was ready the following day to Gate to Russia
and pick up a couch and chair. Aeris and Kronk seemed eager to go as
well and he wondered whether his friends were a little bored.
Considering the fact that they had spent many months stuck in the
tower, he wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.

He got ready to go,
slipped his list of keywords into a pocket of his robe, just in case
he forgot what they were, and waited for the elementals to join him.

Kronk entered the tower
through the front door, left open as usual during nice weather,
followed momentarily by Aeris.

“
The horses are out
and enjoying the pasture, master,” the earthen told him.

“
And our two new
sentries are up above scanning the skies,” Aeris added. “They
haven't decided who should take the first shift off and so they will
both stand watch while we're away.”

“
Okay, that sounds
good. You both ready?”

They nodded and Simon
grabbed his staff, excitement rising inside. His stomach began
roiling with anticipation and he found himself grinning foolishly.

“
Okay, grab hold,
guys.”

Kronk touched the wizard's
robe and Aeris flew closer and put his hand on Simon's shoulder.

“
Here we go.”

A few long moments of
mind-numbing darkness and intense cold and the three stepped out of
the void into a dark, musty room. Simon gestured and a bright ball of
light appeared and rose to float above his head.

“
Hey, we made it,”
he exclaimed and both elementals looked at him in surprise.

“
You didn't think we
would?” Aeris asked.

“
Well, I hoped we
would. But after the last few days of weirdness, I had my doubts.”

He looked around the room.
It was, of course, the same bunker that Liliana had used for a short
time as a shelter. According to her, it was deep below the mansion of
an old Russian oligarch, a man who became wealthy under the fallen
government. From the looks of the place, the guy had had expensive
tastes.

“
Okay, everyone fan
out and poke around. Besides the furniture, we might find something
else that we can use.”

Kronk skittered away and
began peering into the darkened corners of the room, while Aeris
floated off toward the only doorway leading out of the place.

Simon walked over to the
huge sofa he had seen when Liliana had resided here. It was large and
overstuffed, covered with a tan leather and when he sat down on it,
he let out a contented sigh. It was like being enveloped in a warm
bear hug. Awesome.

The matching chair was
just as comfortable and he pictured himself sitting in it in front of
the fireplace.

Ah, it's the simple things
in life, he thought.

“
Master, I'm afraid
that there is nothing here but cobwebs and dust,” Kronk said
from across the room. “The rug is mildewed and some mold is
growing along the base of the walls.”

“
Oh well, I was
hoping for some pleasant surprises, my friend, but that's okay. It's
the furniture that I was really interested in. Could you slip
underneath the couch and see if there's any rot there? If it's moldy,
I may have to pass on it. Damn.”

While Kronk cheerfully
examined the underside of the couch, Simon walked around the room.
The walls were covered with shelves stuffed with books. He took down
a few at random and then replaced them. All were heavy, expensive
tomes, but unless he wanted to learn to read Russian, they were of no
use to him.

There was a large desk
strewn with loose papers, a few pens and odds and ends; nothing that
he could use though. It looked like the trip would only net him the
furniture, if it passed Kronk's inspection.

Aeris appeared in the
doorway, glowing dimly in the darkened room.

“
I may have found
something,” he said excitedly. “Piles of sealed wooden
boxes. Care to take a look?”

“
Absolutely. Coming,
Kronk?”

“
Be right there,
master,” came the earthen's muffled reply. “Just as soon
as I finish examining the furniture.”

“
Okay then. We won't
be far.”

Simon followed Aeris out
of the room and into a long, narrow hallway. The walls were covered
in rich wood, but the smell of rotting carpet and mold was even
stronger here and pinched his nose with its acrid bite.

“
There are two
storerooms off of this corridor,” Aeris said as he flew ahead.
“And beyond them is a stairway that was closed off by a heavy
metal door. It looks like your friend, the paladin, forced her way
in. Strong woman.”

“
She is that.”

The floating ball of light
bobbed along making it easy for Simon to find his way. After about
thirty feet, the hallway took an abrupt right turn. Ahead, the two
rooms opened to the right and left and the heavy iron door could be
seen ajar just beyond.

“
Where are the
boxes?” Simon asked.

“
To the left. The
room on the right has some tools and clothing, mostly rotten. Nothing
useful.”

“
Gotcha. Okay, let's
see what we can see.”

When he entered the room,
the first thing that Simon noticed as his light globe lit up the
place were the stacks of boxes. Each was made of rough wooden planks
and they were piled three or four high. He counted at least six
stacks.

“
Did you check to
see what was inside?” he asked Aeris eagerly, suddenly burning
with curiosity.

“
And spoil your fun?
You wound me, my dear wizard. No, I knew you would want to be here
for this.”

Simon laughed in delight.
He felt like a kid on Christmas morning.

“
Thanks, Aeris. You
were right.”

Several of the stacks were
higher than his head and he wondered how they were going to get the
boxes down.

“
Should we just push
until we knock them over,” Simon asked, nodding at the tall
stacks.

“
Certainly not!
There could be fragile contents inside. Allow me.”

Aeris flew up and around
the tallest pile, five boxes high. He began to circle the stack
faster and faster until he was barely a blur and the air was
shrieking with the wind he had whipped up.

Simon covered his eyes as
dust and small slivers of wood flew in all directions. He began
coughing violently and stumbled out into the corridor.

“
Master, are you all
right?”

Kronk was hurrying down
the hallway toward him looking concerned.

“
I'm...” the
wizard paused to cough and then cleared his throat several times.
“Fine, thanks. It just got a little gritty in there. Aeris is
moving some boxes and he raised a bit of a breeze.”

“
Hurricane is more
like it, master,” the little guy commented as he peeked into
the room. “What a mess.”

“
He's just trying to
help, Kronk. Be nice.”

“
I am always nice,
master,” the earthen replied with wide eyes. “Am I not?”

Simon sighed. Sometimes
these two are like children, he thought.

“
Yes, you are. Let's
wait for the dust to settle before heading back in. By the way,
what's the report on the furniture?”

“
Remarkably clean,
master. There are a few mildewed spots that I can fix easily, but no
rot or mold. They will do nicely, I believe.”

“
Excellent! Thanks
Kronk. Even if the boxes in there are empty, at least the trip hasn't
been a total waste of time.”

“
Very true, master.
And now you will be more comfortable at home, and a happy wizard is a
productive wizard.”