The Dragons Revenge (Tales from the New Earth #2) Read Online Free PDF

the most.
    But
now? He glanced sadly around the room, eyes flicking to the kitchen
table where the pair had stood most often when they talked. Now he
was alone and there was no way to know when, or even if, he would
ever see his little friends again.
    Simon
gulped down the last of his wine, thought about pouring himself
another glass and decided not to. He was depressed enough without it.
    So
what to do now? There were at least two months of winter left to get
through alone. He had enough supplies to survive, but the solitude
might drive him mad before spring.
    “ Don't
exaggerate, former wizard,” he growled to himself.
    There
was a bigger worry. What would the old gods of Chaos do now? They
must know that he was defenseless. Would that satisfy them? One day,
when the four remaining primal dragons had finished wiping out
humanity in their territories, one or more of them would come to
North America with their brood and finish off the remainder of the
race, including him.
    The
question was, did they hate him so much for his destruction of the
black dragon to want him dead sooner?
    Simon
closed his eyes tiredly and slumped in his chair. There was no way to
know. All he could do was take things one day at a time.
    What
he did decide to do, though, was visit Clara and her village. Chief
was strong enough to get through the snow-covered forest and he was
sure that the cleric was worried about their loss of communication.
    And
who knows, he thought. Maybe she'll have some ideas on how he could
regain his power.
    He
snorted. Yeah, right.
    Simon
heaved himself up, rinsed out his glass and blew out all but one of
the candles. He checked the locks on the door and windows before
taking the candle and walking slowly up to bed, his footsteps echoing
hollowly as he went.
    Before
he tried to sleep, the wizard secured all of the windows on the
second floor and then lay in bed, listening to the winter wind
singing its lonely song as it whipped around the tower. And he
finally acknowledged something in his own mind.
    You
were the best friends I ever had, guys, he said to the departed
elementals. I'll never forget you. I hope you don't forget me either.
    And
on that sad note, Simon drifted into a fitful sleep, thinking of the
empty days to come.

Chapter
3

    Two days passed. Two days
that Simon spent doing chores that Kronk used to take care of. He
didn't really mind. It took his mind off of other concerns. But
finally, on the morning of the third day, he decided to ride to
Nottinghill, Clara's village, and pay her a visit.
    The weather was a bit
milder than it had been, but still clear and chilly. He bundled
himself up in his winter coat, thick mittens and a long scarf and, as
he rode a frisky Chief toward the forest across the clearing from the
tower, glanced back once and hoped his home would be okay in his
absence.
    Without magic, he'd been
unable to lock his door or the gates from the outside. So he'd left
the main gate closed and exited from the small rear gate, hoping that
if anything or anyone approached, they'd assume the place was sealed
tight. It was the best he could do.
    Chief crunched through the
three feet of snow with ease, throwing up his head and snorting
happily to himself. The horses only got exercise when Simon let them
out to run in the snow along the frozen lake behind the tower, and
the stallion had boundless reserves that he needed to work off.
    The trip through the
forest was easier than the wizard had feared. The wind had scoured
paths between the trees where the ground was almost clear and Simon
let Chief pick his own way through, just keeping him headed in the
proper direction.
    It still took twice as
long to ride to Nottinghill as it normally would in the summer and,
by the time Simon rode out of the forest and stopped on the low hill
looking down on the town, his fingers and toes were tingling
uncomfortably and the tip of his nose, deep inside his hood, was
numb.
    I hate the cold, he
grumbled to himself and then