The Dragons of Bone and Dust (Tales from the New Earth Book 7) (56 page)

“Why are the warriors just standing there?”
Barnaby asked in confusion. “Shouldn't they attack while the
necromancers are distracted?”

“How?” Tamara asked irritably. “As
long as those shields are up, none of our fighters will be able to
reach the casters, enchanted weapons or not. The necromancers are up
to something though, so be prepared.”

Simon had been looking around the area, which was
a lot easier now that his globes of light were pushing back the
darkness, and he was a bit puzzled.

“What is it?” Sebastian asked him.
“You look like you've lost something.”

“Hallic. Where is he?”

“Waiting for an opening would be my guess,”
the mage replied as he kept an eye on their enemies. “Like he's
said more than once, a rogue doesn't do well in a stand up fight;
they're more effective striking from the shadows.”

“And you've gotten rid of most of those,”
Tamara added with a laugh as she glanced up at Simon's floating
lights.

“Oh damn, I hadn't thought of that,”
he said ruefully. “Hallic doesn't have a lot of cover now, does
he?”

“Personally, I'd rather be able to see,”
the mage replied. “That rogue has already been of enormous
help. If he can't aid us in this last battle, I certainly won't hold
it against him.”

The necromancers were still shouting at each other
and Simon tried to puzzle out what they were saying.

“Any idea what they're planning?” he
asked the others.

“It's been a few years since I took high
school Latin, I'm afraid,” Barnaby told him. “Sorry.”

“Wait a second; they're speaking Latin?”

“Definitely. I mean, I can pick out a few
words. Death, attack, um...flee or run; something like that. That's
about it though.”

“They sound divided on what to do next,”
Barnaby said with a hopeful grin. “Maybe if we all attack
together, it will scare them enough to actually retreat?”

The others began discussing that idea but Simon
stepped away from them and looked across the rock-strewn field at the
five necromancers.

They were still speaking loudly and one of them
was gesturing wildly, but in the middle of the group one of the
casters was standing silently, his hooded face looking down. One hand
held his staff horizontally across his body and he was as immobile as
a statue.

That has to be the leader, the wizard thought. But
what is he doing?

He could feel the hairs on the back of his neck
stand up and the tingling eddies of magic that moved unseen around
him began to spin and quicken. Whatever that mysterious dark wizard
was doing, it involved summoning a lot of power.

Simon felt a sudden premonition, a smothering
feeling of overwhelming malice. He hurried forward toward Liliana and
the other fighters.

“All of you, retreat! Come back here, right
now!”

The five armored figures looked back at him in
surprise.

“What? What's wrong, Simon?” Malcolm
called out. “We're fine. Those guys are falling apart.”

“It's a trick, damn it!” the wizard
shouted. “That guy in the middle is about to drop something on
us. Now get back, please!”

Liliana didn't hesitate. She'd known Simon too
long to ignore such a warning.

“Move your asses,” she barked. “Go,
go, go!”

Running in full plate armor isn't easy. Or
immediate. The warriors all turned around and tried to retreat as
fast as they could, but it took a moment to build up enough momentum
to run. They never got that moment.

The ground beneath them exploded; rocks and dirt
went flying in all directions. So did the fighters.

All of Simon's floating globes of light burst in
bright cascades of sparks. In their fading light, he watched, aghast,
as Fergus was blown twenty feet into the air. The warrior only had
enough time to cry out once before he slammed back into the ground so
hard that the wizard could hear bones shatter. It was a horrible
sound.

Fortunately, the others fared better. Kate was
blown back toward Simon and the others and they hurried to drag her
out of harm's way. Virginia and her group raced forward to lend a
hand.

“Gerard, Eric, carry her back to where we
were standing,” Miriam commanded.

The cleric looked at the warrior's bleeding face
and shook her head.

“Hurry, there may be internal injuries.
Bring the others back to me as soon as you can,” she added to
Simon.

“I'll try,” he told her.

He turned to look across the field. A mist of dust
and dirt blanketed the area and he couldn't see Liliana. He did feel
a rush of relief at the sight of Malcolm stumbling back toward them
with an arm around Aiden's shoulders. His partner was limping badly.

“I don't know where Liliana is!” the
big man shouted at Simon as soon as he saw him.

“Don't worry, I'll find her,” the
wizard told him as he hurried forward. “Just get Aiden back to
Miriam; with her help and his fast metabolism, I'm sure that he'll be
fine.”

Malcolm nodded and shot his partner a look of
concern. Aiden was glassy-eyed and blood was dripping from both of
his nostrils. He'd lost his helmet in the blast.

“Aeris? Find Liliana please. Kronk, you go
as well.”

“Certainly,” the air elemental said
agreeably. He faded from sight as he flew toward the dust cloud.

“I'm happy to help, master,” the
earthen said and he immediately slipped into the ground.

“Shield,” Simon said.

He waited for the shimmering globe to encase him
fully and then looked at the three mages.

“Wait here and cover me, please. I doubt
that those damned necromancers are done with us.”

“Should you be going alone?” Tamara
asked anxiously.

“I'll be fine. Protect the group. If you
have to start shooting before I return, do so; don't wait for me.”

“But...”

“See you soon.”

The dust was still hanging suspended over the site
of the explosion. There was no wind, and no sound from the last spot
that Simon had seen the necromancers. He wondered if they had
actually retreated under the cover of their attack or were still
lurking around somewhere. He intended to find out.

The shield sparked and sizzled as it filtered out
the dirty fog and the wizard carefully climbed over and around mounds
of fresh dirt that smelled vaguely of gunpowder and burnt grass. The
aroma pinched his nostrils and he coughed several times.

He used his staff as support on the uneven ground
and kept lifting his robe as it got caught on rocks and debris. There
was no sign of Liliana's silver armor and no movement or sound
anywhere nearby.

In the distance behind him, he could hear some of
the group's muted conversation, but he couldn't tell who was talking
or what they were saying. One thing that did lift his spirits was the
tinge of pink on the horizon; dawn was coming.

A streak of light made him flinch but it was just
Aeris returning. Simon opened a small hole in his shield and the
elemental flew through.

“Found her,” he said quietly and
pointed at a spot off to the left.

“Kronk is with her. The paladin is conscious
and should be standing by the time you reach her. She said she'd wait
when we told her you were on your way.”

“Should be standing? What does that mean?”

Simon began walking carefully in the direction
that Aeris had indicated. He had to circle around the gaping hole in
the ground where the explosion had occurred and glanced in as he
passed it. It was deep and very dark, the bottom hidden in shadow.

“It means that she broke her leg when she
was tossed across the field,” the elemental said
matter-of-factly. “But it's healing and she'll be mobile again
in a few minutes.”

Simon stopped and stared at Aeris.

“Seriously? She can do that? I mean, I know
paladins can heal but...”

“She is extraordinarily powerful, my dear
wizard,” Aeris replied in admiration. “I actually saw her
wrench her leg back into place before she applied her healing gift to
it. An impressive sight.”

“Wow. That's intense.”

They kept moving and the dust around them settled
as they went. The night was still and dark, even with the glow on the
horizon and Simon strained to hear any suspicious noises.

“Where are those damned necromancers?”
he whispered.

“No idea,” Aeris murmured. “But
if I might make a suggestion, you should drop your shield. The
shimmer from it can be seen a hundred yards away in the dark.”

Simon agreed with the elemental, even though it
made him nervous to be without his shield's protection. He dismissed
the barrier and it collapsed with a sound like meat sizzling on a
grill.

“I swear, if we make it through this in one
piece, I'm going to ferret out that spell to see in the dark.”

“Good idea. It's quite handy.”

Aeris stopped after a minute and looked around
curiously.

“What is it?” Simon asked.

“Probably nothing, but I'm pretty sure that
I left Kronk and the lady paladin right here.”

He zipped down to the ground and began glowing.

“Yes, I was right. Look, footprints. She was
right here.”

“Well, she isn't now. Which way do the
tracks lead?”

Aeris pointed straight toward the large mound that
was the remains of the dark tower.

“That way,” he said with certainty.
“Oh, that's not good.”

“Gee, you think? Damn it, what if she was
captured?”

“She wasn't.”

Aeris increased the strength of his light and
examined the ground.

“There are no signs of a struggle and I
doubt that even those necromancers could capture Kronk before he
could slip underground. No, for whatever reason, they left on their
own.”

“Then we have to follow. If the two of them
run into those casters by themselves, not even Liliana's strength and
skill will be enough to save them.”

Aeris looked back at the others, now a hundred
feet away. He could see them in the gloom but they were invisible to
Simon.

“Should we go back and...”

“Tell them what's happened? There's no time.
You can go back if you want to, but I'm going on.”

The elemental snorted.

“You'd be lost without me. I'm sure that
lady Tamara will chase after us as soon as she realizes that we've
ventured back to the tower.”

He dampened his light, but Simon could still see
his body bobbing up and down. The horizon was brightening by the
minute and it wasn't as dark as it had been.

“Lead on then,” he said to Aeris. “But
not too fast; I don't want to make too much noise in case it attracts
attention.”

The pair continued to move ahead slowly, following
the tracks in the loose dirt. As the daylight grew, Simon could soon
see the footprints, not only of Liliana, but the tiny ones of Kronk
as well. He had to smile at the contrast between the two.

They reached the long high mound of broken stone
and metal in a few minutes. The tracks continued up the side of the
wreckage and Simon gamely followed.

“We've created an artificial hill,” he
panted as he tried not to slip into any of the gaping holes in the
rubble.

“True. In a few years, it will probably be
covered in grass and plants. Well, Kronk will be pleased, no doubt.”

It was still predawn but the sky was now a mixture
of red and gold in the east that faded to darkness in the west. If
the circumstances hadn't been so grim, Simon would have enjoyed the
beauty of the moment.

“Wait!” Aeris told him suddenly, his
voice muted. “Listen. What is that?”

A sudden cacophony of sounds rang out, just out of
sight on the other side of the mound and Simon tried to redouble his
speed, pushing himself urgently along with his staff.

“Metal on bone,” he gasped. “It
has to be Liliana!”

He finally reached the top of the hill, slipping
on the unstable surface, and spotted the paladin. She was surrounded
by a dozen undead; animated corpses that reeked of rotting flesh.
They were flailing at her awkwardly while Liliana blocked and parried
their attacks.

“Aeris, circle around and see if you can
find those damned necromancers. They have to be somewhere nearby.”

“At once,” the elemental said and
disappeared.

Simon quickly raised a shield as he watched the
conflict.

The wizard had no idea where the zombies had come
from; probably from underneath the wreckage of the tower. Certainly
the disgusting things looked the worse for wear. Several had limbs
missing and all of them were oozing pus from gaping wounds that
hadn't been inflicted by the paladin.

Ah well, he'd have to analyze things later; right
now it was time to get to work.

Simon concentrated on the nearest undead creature
and pointed his staff.

“Burn,” he muttered as he focused his
will.

Mortis twitched in his hand and the monster burst
into flame. Simon hurriedly turned his attention to the next
assailant and did the same thing.

In the meantime, Liliana continued to attack. Her
sword sliced off arms and heads as easily as if she was wielding a
chainsaw. She smiled as some of her opponents began burning but
didn't lose her focus.

“Is that you, Simon?” she called out
as she blocked another attack with her shield.

“It's me,” he replied loudly. “How
are you doing?”

“I'm disappointed, to be honest. I spotted
some movement up here and came over to take a look. These mindless
brutes attacked but they aren't a challenge. I was actually hoping to
find the necromancers, but I think they've run off.”

The paladin swept the head off of her last
opponent and looked around for more.

Simon stumbled forward and joined her, stepping
around the smoldering remains of the three undead he had destroyed.
He dropped his shield spell as he went.

“Thanks for the help, but you should have
conserved your strength,” Liliana told him as she wiped gore
off of her sword with a small piece of cloth. She sheathed the
weapon, slung her shield over her shoulder and smiled at him.