The Dragons of Bone and Dust (Tales from the New Earth Book 7) (31 page)

She squeezed her sister's arm and the
blind woman smiled at the gesture.

“
I do not
see as the rest of you do, apparently,” Sylvie explained. “But
it is sight, nevertheless. And when it happened, I rejoiced. Finally
I was able to do all of the things that my sister and the rest of you
sighted people could do. It was a revelation.”

She paused and drained her glass.
Then she set it down and folded her hands.

“
But down
here, that gift has disappeared. Without access to the magical power
that fills our world above, I am as blind as the day I was born. Not
only that, but I do not even have enough power to help others. Now
all that I can do is create my worthless paintings and be a burden to
others.”

The entire group was quick to
disagree with the woman's assertion. Above the general babble, Tamara
stood up and pounded on the table to get everyone's attention.

“
Be quiet,
please. Sylvie, you are not a burden, to any of us. And I am sure
that your sister agrees.”

“
And I have
seen your paintings,” Simon added loudly. “They are
magnificent. If all you ever did was add beauty to the world, that in
itself would be a worthwhile contribution.”

Sylvie turned her head toward him and
the wizard was once again struck by how she could catch his eyes with
her own, even though she couldn't see him.

“
Thank you,
Simon. That is a lovely sentiment. And Tammy as well. But whether
that is true or not is irrelevant. I am a mage in this new world of
ours. And I believe that I was chosen for a reason, that we all were.
And it is not to huddle down here in the deep while evil roams freely
above us and destroys what is left of the Earth. We must fight back
and we must do it soon. The longer we wait, the more entrenched our
enemies will become.”

Tamara sat down again and leaned on
her forearms.

“
Easier said
than done,” she stated. “I don't disagree, but what can
we do? How can we strike back? There are less than a dozen mages down
here. Plus one paladin and,” she glanced at Simon with a quick
smile, “a wizard. We aren't exactly loaded down with magical
weapons.”

“
Bah,”
Malcolm interjected. “Simon is worth a hundred necromancers
just by himself. And don't forget Aiden and me in your calculations.
I'd say that a pair of warriors whose infected blood heals them
almost instantly is worth something. It's not all about spells and
incantations, you know.”

“
Agreed,”
Liliana spoke up, her silver armor flashing as she gestured. “I
do not cast spells either. The gods aid me, if they are in the mood,
but all that I can truly offer in a fight is my strong arm and battle
prowess, just like Malcolm and Aiden.”

“
I know.
Sorry, guys,” Tamara said ruefully. “I know how valuable
you are. So tell me, Sylvie, what can this small group really do
against the lords of Chaos. You ladies said that you had a plan?”

“
We do,
yes,” Veronique said firmly.

She stood up and walked around to the
end of the table closest to the door, giving her sister's shoulder a
gentle pat as she moved past.

When she was sure that everyone was
watching her, Veronique clasped her hands behind her back and began
to speak.

“
You haven't
mentioned another group that could help us in our conflict with the
forces of evil, Tamara,” she said.

Tamara frowned and looked around.

“
Another
group? Who? The dwarves?”

“
No, not
them. They have done enough for us and besides, the dwarves have
their own battles to fight. We can't expect them to fight ours for
us.”

“
I agree,”
Liliana muttered sternly. “We must stand on our own feet now.”

“
Then who
are you talking about?” Sebastian asked curiously.

“
The
Fabulous Four, of course,” Sylvie said with a broad smile. “At
least, that is what some of our younger people have called them in
the past.”

“
You mean
Virginia and her friends?” Simon asked, suddenly realizing who
the woman might be referring to.

“
Exactly.
Virginia, Anna, Eric and Gerard. Four Changlings who together wield
considerable power.”

“
Yes, that's
true,” Tamara said thoughtfully. “Sorry, you're right; I
did forget to include them. I'm just so used to them doing things the
mundane way that I forget what they can do together.”

“
Many people
do,” Sylvie said. “I myself never had an opportunity to
see them in action, but I've been told about their collective powers
and what they can do as a unit. We'll need them if our plan is to
succeed.”

Aiden tapped on the table and
everyone looked at him.

“
Sorry to
interrupt but what about them is so special? I mean, both Malcolm and
I are very fond of the four of them, but they aren't warriors and
seem to have no real taste for combat.”

“
At the risk
of sounding harsh, their 'taste' for battle is irrelevant,”
Veronique said rather coldly. “We are talking about saving the
remnants of our species here and everyone who can help will have to
step up if we all want to survive.”

The room became quiet at her comment
and the group seemed suddenly thoughtful.

“
Okay then,”
Liliana spoke up, breaking the silence. “What exactly do you
need that quartet to do?”

Sylvie stood up and slowly made her
way to the end of the table to join her sister. She touched one chair
after another as a guide and everyone watched and waited silently
until she had reached her destination.

Veronique took her hand and squeezed
it while her sister delicately touched the tabletop with her free
hand and seemed to look at all of them.

“
We need
them for the one talent that they have that no other magic-user in
the world has, that we know of. We need them because they can cast an
Invisibility spell.”

The group of workers led by Jackson
returned soon after Sylvie had finished explaining what she and her
sister had planned. They brought trays loaded with sandwiches, soup
and pots of tea to the meeting and it gave everyone an excuse to take
a welcome break.

The members of the meeting got up and
served themselves and then sat down in small groups to talk.

“
So what do
you think?” Malcolm asked Simon in what was, for him, a subdued
tone of voice.

He and Aiden had joined the wizard at
the far end of the table, away from the others.

“
Think?”

Simon chewed reflectively on a
sandwich loaded with meat and cheese and then washed it down with a
sip of tea.

“
I think
that their plan is bold and, on some levels, insane.”

He grinned at the warriors.

“
I like it.”

Both big men burst out laughing and
Malcolm almost slapped Simon on the back again.

“
Uh-uh!”
the wizard said as he held up a hand. “I don't need any broken
bones just now, thanks.”

“
Malcolm,
you ox,” Aiden growled. “Think before you act. How many
times do I have to tell you that?”

“
Sorry
Simon,” the big man mumbled. “I forgot. And why do you
think I keep you around?” he added to his partner. “To
remind me of these things, of course.”

“
I'm pretty
sure that's not the only reason you keep him around,” Simon
said slyly and then chuckled as Malcolm became tongue-tied.

Aiden burst out laughing as well but
quickly grew somber again.

“
They're
suggesting a frontal assault on what is probably their main
stronghold?” he said with a shake of his head. “I know
that you were joking a bit, Simon, but that truly does sound crazy.”

“
Crazy like
a fox,” Malcolm told him. “If nothing else, we would
definitely have the elemental of surprise on our side.”

“
For a very
short time. But then what?”

Simon finished eating and looked down
the table at the others. The two sisters were sitting apart from
everyone else, speaking quietly. Neither had eaten anything and both
seemed even paler after they had finished presenting their proposal.

Tamara and Sebastian were seated near
the center of the table speaking with Liliana and Captain Martelli,
who had arrived with the servers. Apparently she had been brought up
to speed on the plan and now was speaking intently with the others,
frowning as she tapped the table with her forefinger, making some
sort of point.

“
That's the
whole reason for wanting to use the powers of Virginia and her
friends,” Simon said to Aiden. “If a group could approach
invisibly and take the guards by surprise, we could be inside before
an alarm was sounded. It would definitely give us a strategic
advantage.”

“
For how
long though?” Malcolm wondered as he traced patterns absently
on the tabletop with his fingertip. “And would it be enough?
There is no way to know how many enemies are in there, where they are
and, more importantly, what they are. Monsters? Spell-casters?
Demons? Who the hell knows? Ignorance of an enemy's strength is a bad
way to start a battle, my friend.”

Simon became quiet and thought about
the proposal. The sisters believed that the ruins of Nottinghill
Castle and the tower that had been erected there was where they would
find the leaders of the armies of undead roaming the Earth; possibly
even the master necromancer who was leading the entire thing. When
someone had asked why they assumed that one person was in command of
all of the forces, Veronique had been the one to answer.

“
It's sound
military thinking,” she'd said. “Too many cooks spoil the
broth, I believe is the old saying. If you do not focus command
through one ultimate leader, your efforts become scattered, wasted.
And that can often lead to chaos and disorder. No, my sister and I
believe that only one person runs the show; in the name of the dark
gods, of course.”

“
She was
right, you know,” Aiden said suddenly.

Simon looked at him in surprise.

“
Who was
right?” he asked.

“
Veronique.
I don't know if she had any formal military training back in her
previous life, but my Change has given me a grasp of tactics and the
efficient use of troops that I never had in the old days. And she's
right. Any army needs a leader, a single focus. The question is, is
that leader holed up inside that misshapen tower?”

“
Funny,”
the wizard said. “I was thinking the same thing. And I'm trying
to think of good arguments as to why that person couldn't be in
there.”

Malcolm looked at him quizzically.

“
Why? Don't
you want to find him or her?”

“
Of course I
do, but you saw the tower, didn't you? Tamara said that all of you
had gotten a good look at it thanks to the dwarves' technology.”

The big man scowled and nodded.

“
Yes, the
king was good enough to take us to their communications hub. Amazing
place, by the way. Reminded me of an old-style television studio.
Except that, apparently, their devices are run by magic, not
electricity. Somehow they've managed to send a probe to the surface
far enough away from the tower to be undetected by our enemies. It's
a horrible place.”

“
I know. I
saw it using the Magic Mirror spell. My point is that the tower is
huge. It must be thirty or forty stories high. How many levels will
we have to climb to reach the top, the logical place for their leader
to be waiting? Do we have enough power to make it? And if we do, what
kind of shape will we be in when we get there? Because I guarantee
you, that person, whoever they are, has to be incredibly powerful.”

“
Not too
powerful for you, sir wizard,” Malcolm stated confidently. “A
man who can take down a dragon will be more than a match for some
scummy necromancer.”

Aiden elbowed his partner hard in the
midriff and Malcolm grunted in surprise.

“
You'll have
to excuse him,” Aiden said to Simon. “He still thinks
we're living in some sort of fairy tale, instead of a world where
life and death often hang by a thread.”

“
Stop poking
me! I meant what I said. Our friend is a great wizard and I have
faith in him.”

“
Guys,
please. No squabbling,” Simon said with a tired smile. “You're
reminding me more and more of my elemental friends, Kronk and Aeris.
Look, I appreciate the vote of confidence but, wizard or not, I'm
just one guy. We have to act as a group in this and not rely on one
person. Because if we do, I can almost promise you that we'll fail.”