The Dragons Revenge (Tales from the New Earth #2) (38 page)

“
Exactly.”

Aeris flew from the table
to the comfy chair in front of the fireplace, picked up a book lying
there and returned.

Simon looked at the heavy
book in surprise.

“
It's that mystery
book that I found those new spells in,” he exclaimed.

“
It is. Your divine
friends gave you more than just some spells when they gifted you with
this amazing tome, Simon. Look at this.”

The elemental flipped open
the book and turned pages until he found what he was looking for. He
tapped a small illustration.

“
Look familiar?”

Simon leaned forward and
scanned the page.

“
Hey, that's the
rune I use to ward the walls,” he said with some surprise.
“But, different. It looks more...complex.”

“
It is. You've been
using a very simple version of the rune, apparently. According to
this, if you strengthen the existing runes and add some to the
parapet up on the roof, they will actually encase the entire tower
and block hostile magic.”

He smiled up at Simon.

“
All
hostile magic, my dear wizard. That means Gate spells, Magic Mirror
spells, anything at all.”

“
Hmm.”

Simon
read the text dubiously.

“
But
what if she showed up and started raining fireballs down on us?”

“
Doesn't
matter,” Aeris said smugly. “If the tower is sealed with
these runes, an attacker would have to breach the wall physically
before they could attack with magic. And good luck knocking down a
wall built by earth elementals.”

The
wizard sighed with a profound sense of relief.

“
If
we have a way to keep the wizard out and unaware of our plans, maybe
the next time we try to stop her, we'll catch
her
by surprise.”

Aeris
made a growling sound and his smile was cold and deadly.

“
Let
us hope so.”

Simon
hurried to finish his tea and jumped up. Aeris looked at him in
surprise as the wizard grabbed the book.

“
I
think I'll beef up the runes on the wall with this new one and add
several up on the roof. I won't feel safe until I seal this place
magically.”

“
Good
thinking, my dear wizard. I approve. Kronk is in the stable. I'll
join him and let him know what you are up to. It will ease his mind,
I think.”

“
Sounds
good,” Simon said as he headed for the door. “I'll call
Clara after I get this done. See you soon.”

Upgrading
the runes along the wall and then climbing to the roof to add a rune
at each point of the compass to the parapet was probably one of the
most satisfying things Simon had done in a long time.

When
he had finished casting the spell to inscribe the final rune, the
wizard breathed a sigh of relief and then gasped. A translucent dome
appeared briefly over the tower, racing up from the outer wall and
snapping closed just above the tower itself. Then it faded and Simon
smiled.

He
was weak-kneed and shaking from casting so many spells in a row, but
felt that it had been worth it. For a few minutes, the wizard leaned
on the parapet and looked out across the forest.

“
Spy
on us now, you...” he muttered with a scowl. “I'll find
you eventually, but the next time, you won't see me coming.”

A
mild breeze, filled with the sweet smell of spring, blew over him and
ruffled his hair and Simon breathed deeply. He allowed himself to let
go of his fury for now and just enjoy the moment. Then he smiled and
made his way back inside.

Kronk
and Aeris were waiting for him downstairs. Both were grinning when he
arrived.

“
Beautiful,
master,” Kronk exclaimed. “We saw the shield come into
being around the tower. Well done.”

“
Thanks,”
Simon said with a tired smile. “I can't tell you how much
better I feel now.”

He
went to the counter and filled the kettle with water. After he hung
it over the fire, he tossed the spell-book on to the table and looked
at Aeris.

“
I
still don't understand why I didn't see that rune earlier. I went
through that blasted book backwards and forwards and never came
across it.”

The
air elemental flew over to the book while Kronk jumped up to the
table top.

“
At
a guess, I'd say that you are being spoon-fed spells as you need
them, my dear wizard. You were not strong enough to cast that rune
even a week ago. Now that you are, the rune appears.”

He
stared at the book speculatively.

“
I
suppose it's reassuring to know that the gods of Light are still
giving you their aid, if only surreptitiously.”

Simon
leaned against the fireplace and raised an eyebrow.

“
Maybe.
But it also makes me feel like a child being led around by the hand.
Not the most comfortable feeling, you know.”

“
But
you
are
a child, at least in magic, master,” Kronk said gently. “One
step at a time is the best way to learn, don't you think?”

“
Yeah,
I guess.”

The
kettle began to boil and Simon made his tea. He sat down at the table
and sipped it for a minute, staring blankly at the book.

“
Is
something wrong?” Aeris asked.

“
Hmm?
Oh no, not really. I'm just trying to figure out how I can tell Clara
about what happened. She's going to be very upset.”

Kronk
tapped over and stood by Simon's right hand.

“
Tell
her about it as it happened, master. It is the only way.”

“
I
suppose.”

The
wizard sat back, put down his cup and cast the Magic Mouth spell. The
elementals looked at each other in surprise but said nothing.

“
Clara?
Are you there?”

“
Simon!”
he head the cleric respond. “Good morning. I'm so relieved to
hear your voice. I'm sorry I'm not near a mirror so that we can speak
face to face.”

“
Don't
worry about it. I'm not using the Magic Mirror spell at the moment.
Do you have a free minute so we can talk?”

“
Certainly.
Actually, since you can't see me, I can tell you that I'm standing
out in the corn field right now, overseeing planting. So go ahead, I
have plenty of time.”

Simon
nodded and looked around the room vaguely as he began to explain what
had happened the previous day.

Clara
did not interrupt his story and the wizard told it all the way
through to the end, pausing occasionally to drink some tea. When he
was finished, Simon drained his cup and waited tensely for the
cleric's comments.

“She knew that you were coming to
attack her? That dark wizard
knew
?”

“
Yes,
she did.”

“
By
the gods. Simon. I have been impressed by you before, but being able
to escape that trap? You've outdone yourself this time.”

The wizard
stood up and went to the front door. He leaned against the door frame
and stared out across the yard. A robin poked around in the grass,
searching for a meal, its chest a brilliant ruby red.

“
But
Clara, I failed them. All of those Changlings, killed, because I was
too stupid to realize that any spell that I could cast to spy on an
enemy wizard could in turn be used by them to spy on me.”

“
Don't
you blame yourself for that woman's evil deeds, my friend. Don't you
dare!”

Clara
sounded as angry as Simon had ever heard her.

“
But...”

“
No!
I won't hear it. In this crazy world of magic, we are all still
finding our way. Those poor farmers were probably doomed whatever you
had done. I know it's hard to hear. It's harder for me to say. But
that is the truth. And now you know better and your next meeting will
be much different, I have no doubt.”

Simon looked
back at the elementals watching him and smiled grimly.

“
You
can be sure of that. We found a way to block her spying, thanks to
Aeris.”

He explained
the new runes and their use and Clara expressed her delight.

“
So
they not only block a Magic Mirror spell, but actually block magical
attacks? Hmm. Would it be possible to do the same for Nottinghill?”

“
Hang
on, I'll ask.”

Simon walked
back and sat at the kitchen table.

“
Our
friend wants to know if we could protect her town the way we've added
protection to the tower,” he told the air elemental.

“
I'm
afraid not,” Aeris said regretfully. “The runes could not
extend their field over something as large as an entire town.”

He paused
thoughtfully.

“
You
could protect a large building, such as the town hall, though. That
way, any plans that Clara and her people made there would be kept
secret, plus it could be used as a refuge in the event of a magical
attack on the town.”

Simon passed
on Aeris' answer to the cleric.

“
Well,
that's certainly better than nothing,” she replied. “It
would be good to know that we can't be overheard by evil forces when
we hold meetings. If you could stop by in the next week or so, Simon,
and help with that, we would very much appreciate it.”

“
I
will, Clara. By the way, the next time those gods of yours drop into
your dreams, thank them for their gift of my new spell-book.”

He had told
the cleric about the mysterious book earlier and the woman had
laughed.

“
I'll
try to remember to do that, Simon,” she said, amused. “Let's
be reassured that they are still trying to help us in our battle
against their evil brethren.”

Simon
watched as Aeris began to make him some more tea and smiled his
appreciation.

“
Oh
I am, believe me. Well, I'll let you get back to your planting. By
the way,” he looked at Kronk and winked, “now that we
have a bit of time, I'm going to ask Kronk to find me another
lodestone and I'll send Aeris down with your half in the next day or
so.”

“
Ah,
that's a relief. Thank you. It will be good to have a way to get in
touch with you, just in case.”

“
Any
time. Talk to you soon.”

Simon
canceled the spell and accepted a fresh cup of tea from Aeris.

“
You
don't mind, do you, guys?” he asked them, already knowing the
answer.

“
I'm
happy to help, master,” Kronk said quickly. “In fact, now
that the horses are taken care of, I will go immediately if that's
all right.”

“
Sure.
Go ahead. Just be careful down there.”

The earthen
smiled at Simon's warning.

“
There
is nothing that I fear beneath the earth, master,” he said. “I
will return as soon as I can.”

He hopped
down from the table and tip-tapped out of the tower.

“
And
you?” Simon asked Aeris.

“
And
me? Delivering the lodestone to Clara, you mean? Of course I will. It
is important that they are able to call for help from you if they
need it.”

“
Good.
Thanks.”

Simon opened
the spell-book and flipped through it at random while Aeris watched.

“
Looking
for something in particular?” he asked finally.

“
What?
Oh, no. I'm just catching my breath. I want to add more spells to
Bene-Dunn-Gal,” and he glanced at the staff across the room as
he spoke, “just in case.”

“
Good
thinking. I have to dust the rooms upstairs anyway, so enjoy your
casting.”

Simon gaped
at Aeris as the elemental flew toward the stairs. Before he went
upstairs, the small floating figure turned and caught the wizard's
expression.

“
What?”
he said with some irritation. “We all have to pull our weight
around here, don't we?”

“
Uh,
yeah. Yes, of course,” Simon said quickly. “Err, enjoy.”

“
Very
funny,” Aeris snorted and disappeared up the stairs.

Kronk
returned that evening with a new lodestone. He split it in half and
Simon asked Aeris to head to Nottinghill the following morning with
one piece of it and give it to Clara.

As
darkness fell, the three of them sat companionably on the front steps
watching the sun set. The air cooled down and the surrounding forest
quieted until bird song was replaced with the chirping of crickets.

Simon
could see the wall around the tower shimmering slightly with the
power of its new runes and he felt a sense of security from it. He
sat with his knees drawn up, resting his chin on his hands and
staring into the darkening sky. He was drained from casting a dozen
spells and storing them on his staff and now he sat sleepily, feeling
content.