The Dragons of Ice and Snow (50 page)

He
hesitated and rubbed his eyes with his forefinger and thumb. All he
could see was the sad, lost group of people bundled up against the
cold and waiting for their fate. Waiting to be turned into monsters.

“
But
this?” he carried on, his expression bitter and his mismatched
eyes glowing. “This...abomination cannot be allowed to
continue! So I need ideas, folks. Suggestions. A plan of attack.
Anything. Because one way or another, I'm going up there to try and
stop it.”

He
paused again, his shoulders slumping, looking, if he'd known it, as
vulnerable as the young teenager he appeared to be.

“
And
I need your help,” he added simply.

There
was a long moment of silence.

“
Of
course we'll help you, Simon,” Daniel said finally. “I've
met with the elders since you and I last spoke of this. There are
some elves who want to join the fight, your friend Ethmira among
them. I think we can promise you at least fifty archers to aid in
your attack.”

He
winked as Simon caught his eye.

“
You
just tell them when and where to meet you and they'll be there, I
promise you.”

“
Thanks,
Daniel. I didn't expect the elves to get involved in this, but I'll
gratefully accept their help.”

His
old friend nodded and smiled grimly.

“
So
let me get this straight,” Tamara said stiffly, her expression
still cool. “You are going to attack this mutated primal white
dragon?”

“
I
am.”

“
And
how many dragons are up on that mesa? Dozens? Hundreds? Besides this
unholy magic that the primal can use, and that Gate spell, what else
can it do? Can it cast other spells? Can it Gate in reinforcements if
it's attacked? Does it have any weaknesses?”

“
I
don't know.”

“
Is
there a way up to the top of that mesa or do we need to sprout wings?
Will the prisoners even be alive once you attack or will they already
have been turned into monsters? Or will they be killed the moment you
appear to save them?”

“
All
good questions,” Simon said levelly.

“
Look,
if you don't have the stomach for this, why not just say so instead
of attacking the one person on Earth who has actually killed a primal
dragon?” Liliana asked, her voice as sharp as glass. “Two,
in fact. If you want to stay in your city and protect your people,
that's fine. We'll do this without you.”

“
We?”
Simon looked at the paladin, startled.

“
Of
course we. These beasts have taken my people, used perverted magic to
alter them, changed them into monsters.”

She
looked around the empty room she was sitting in. Simon thought it
looked like a destroyed shop of some kind. Liliana was sitting on a
stool in front of a counter.

“
I
am alone now,” she said with a suspicious catch in her voice.
“I can no longer protect my people, but by the gods, I can
avenge them.”

“
Thank
you, my friend,” Simon said gently. “If nothing else,
we'll give them a fight to remember.”

“
That
we will.”

She
stood up stiffly.

“
Call
me when you are ready, Simon. I want to be alone until then. Thank
you for the opportunity to take the fight to the dragons.”

“
Thank
you for agreeing to help. It will be no more than a few days before
we strike. Be ready.”

“
I
shall be.”

Simon
waved a hand across the sheet of mica and watched the paladin's face
fade away.

“
Clara,”
he said, “I called you because I wanted to keep you in the
loop. At the moment, Nottinghill is in no danger, as far as we know.
If you have any ideas that might help though, I'm all ears.”

The
cleric looked at him compassionately and smiled a bit.

“
I'm
no tactician, as you know. I can't help plan an attack that I
honestly think is futile.”

She
held up a hand as Simon began to protest.

“
I'm
not saying that you're going to fail. I would have said the same
thing when you took on the primal green dragon. And I certainly
thought it when we faced the leader of the black dragons. So perhaps
my doubt is a good luck charm.” She winked. “I hope so
anyway.”

Simon
had to chuckle.

“
I
do too.”

“
But
I do have two things to offer. The first is that if you somehow
manage to rescue any captives up there, Gate them back here. I will
do my best to heal them. I think the gods of Light will be generous
with their healing power for victims of draconic torture.”

“
Thanks,
I appreciate the offer. What's the second thing?”

The
cleric looked past Simon and waved at someone. He involuntarily
looked over his shoulder and then reddened. Obviously she had been
signaling someone on her end of the communication spell.

A
moment later, Clara was almost crowded out of the mirror's view by a
handsome black face grinning broadly.

“
Good
day, sir wizard,” Malcolm said heartily. “I hear you're
planning a little hunting trip.”

Simon
had to laugh at the warrior's choice of words.

“
Yes,
you could say that. How are you? And how's Aiden?”

“
Good
as gold, thanks to you and our fearless leader here.”

“
Now
Malcolm,” Clara said sternly.

“
Oh,
come on, lady cleric. You are our leader, like it or not. Now accept
the term graciously. It's much more lady-like,” he added,
giving her a wide-eyed look of admiration.

Clara
made a retching sound.

“
Lady-like,
my butt! I've never been a lady, thank you very much. At any rate, we
can discuss this later. You and Simon need to talk.”

“
We
certainly do,” the big man said, becoming serious.

Simon
watched as the cleric handed her mirror over and moved aside to let
him speak face-to-face with Malcolm.

“
So
what can I do for you, my friend?” the wizard asked. He glanced
quickly at the other two mirrors. Daniel was writing furiously while
Tamara was listening to someone whispering in her ear. He looked back
at the big man and nodded.

“
Sorry,
we're on a four-way conversation here. What's up?”

“
We
want to join your attack on the dragons,” the man said bluntly.
“I've been eavesdropping during your meeting, with Clara's
permission by the way, and I think you could use a couple of able
warriors.”

Simon
looked at him closely.

“
Did
you hear the part about twelve foot tall dragonoids? And a humanoid
primal white dragon? That didn't escape your attention, did it?”

Malcolm
grinned.

“
That
was the best part. Look, sir wizard, you can use all the help you can
get, right? Aiden and I wear enchanted armor. It's fireproof, among
other things. Our weapons can cut through steel. I'm guessing that
they'll have the same effect on dragon scales. And, just in case
you've forgotten, unless those dragons are using silver weapons, we
can't be killed.”

Simon
sat back and held up both hands.

“
Whoa
there, Malcolm. I suspect that dragon-fire could reduce even
Lycanthropes to ash if a blast hit your directly.”

“
So
we'll be sure to duck. Simon, you need us. Now be polite and say yes.
Don't make the two of us slog all the way to your tower and camp by
the gate until you let us in. I warn you, we'll sing.” He
frowned. “I actually like Aiden's singing but he has reduced
people to tears and it wasn't because of the love song he was
screeching at the time.”

The
wizard broke up. He began to laugh and caught a glimpse of Tamara's
almost scandalized expression. It only made things worse.

“
I'm...I'm
sorry, everyone,” he gasped finally, wiping his eyes. “Malcolm,
that was just mean.”

The
big man grinned.

“
Okay,
okay. Fine. You can come along. Did you need me to Gate down and get
you or...”

“
Not
at all. I know you need a few days to prepare. We'll get our stuff
together and join you two days from now. Is that enough time?”

“
It
had better be,” Simon told him, the laugher dying in his
throat. “Those people may or may not still be alive, but the
dragons are probably capturing others as we speak. This has gone on
long enough.”

“
Good.
We'll see you then. Clara's waving goodbye from the other side of the
room, so you go ahead and deal with the others. And Simon? Thank you
for this.”

“
Don't
thank me,” the wizard said, shaking his head. “The odds
are against us and, if anyone falls, it's on me.”

“
No
it isn't. We're volunteers. Remember that. Take care.”

The
wizard cut the connection and looked at Daniel and Tamara.

“
Old
friend,” he said. “I'll call you in two days, my time.
Aeris will give me the coordinates of that mesa and I'll relay them
on to you. Hopefully there's an entrance nearby from your world to
ours.”

“
That
sounds good,” Daniel replied. “Get some rest while you
can. You're looking a little pale.”

“
Thanks,
I will. Talk to you soon.”

At
Daniel's smile and nod, the wizard canceled the spell.

“
And
then there was one,” Tamara said dryly.

“
True.
So as you've heard, I've got some help in the upcoming, what shall we
call it? Battle? Rescue mission? Both, I suppose. You and your
brother take care. Whether this works or not, the dragons are really
going to be pissed. Keep your people undercover for a while until
things calm down again.”

Simon
raised a hand to cancel the spell and the woman sat up abruptly.

“
Hang
on a second there, mister wizard! You mean, after this lovely chat
between friends that you aren't going to ask for our help?”

The
wizard looked at her in confusion.

“
I
thought I already had?”

“
Well,
okay, technically maybe. But that paladin spoke before I had a chance
to clarify my position. Sir wizard, I brought up the dangers that we
are facing because we must go into this venture with our eyes wide
open. You've fought dragons, including the two primals that you
struck down. Good job, by the way.”

“
Um,
thanks?”

“
You're
welcome. Anyway, if you want my input, after hearing about what you
saw through you little friend's eyes there,” she smiled a bit
at Aeris, who returned it, looking startled, “then here it is.
I think that the top of that mesa has been covered with a spell
nullifying magic.”

“
Nullifying...really?”
Simon frowned in thought. “I hadn't thought of that. It's
certainly possible, I suppose.”

“
More
than possible. I know that your powers are geared toward dealing with
the elements, and elementals. Mages, on the other hand, do things a
bit differently. I can cast a spell to block magic. So can my
brother. So we are familiar with such things.”

“
And?”

“
And,
I think that it is quite likely that you won't be able to Gate in and
attack those dragonoids, or whatever you call them.”

Simon
felt like he'd had the wind knocked out of him.

“
Oh.
Oh damn. Well, maybe there's a trail or somewhere we could climb up.”

“
There
isn't,” Aeris said reluctantly. “And before you jump down
my throat, I didn't tell you because it didn't seem important at the
time. I circled the entire mountain before you contacted me. It's
basic scouting, after all. Besides, I was bored. It is sheer all the
way up on all sides. And the sides rise up almost a thousand feet,
give or take.”

“
You
look a little woozy, wizard,” Tamara said, sounding amused.
“Don't worry. I'm sure that you'll think of some way to get us
up there.”

“
Thanks
for the vote of confidence,” Simon said, thinking hard. “Let's
hope it's not misplaced.”

“
Let's
hope. But supposing you do find a way to reach the top, there is
still the matter of the null spell. If it is active, the dragons will
still have their breath weapons, not to mention their fangs and
claws. And if, as I suspect, that primal dragon is the one who cast
the nullifying spell in the first place, it will be able to use its
magic against us.”