The Dragons Revenge (Tales from the New Earth #2) by J.J. Thompson Page A

she stared calmly into the flames.
    “ You know, I don't
feel any different,” he said tentatively.
    She looked at him
quizzically.
    “ Different?”
    “ Well, you know. My
powers. I don't feel any magic yet.”
    He looked at one of the
unlit candles on the wall and tried to light it with his mind. As he
suspected, nothing happened.
    Ethmira followed his eyes
and seemed to understand what he'd tried to do.
    “ Be at ease, my
friend. It is not an immediate result, recovering your magic. Like a
vessel that has been drained of its liquid, your body needs time to
fill with energy again. If you remember when you lost your magic, it
took some time for it to fade away, did it not?”
    Simon nodded, remembering
that his Magic Mouth spell fizzled out and that it took a while
before he lost Kronk and Aeris. He felt a twinge of loss at the
memory.
    “ So, how long will
it take to get it back?”
    “ I have no idea,”
Ethmira told him. Then she smiled gently, reached out and patted his
hand.
    “ Try to be patient,
Simon. And have no fear. Your powers will return, slowly certainly,
but they will.”
    Then the elf stood up and
laughed lightly.
    “ Speaking of
returning, I must get back to my own realm. It will be dark soon and
I would like to get back before then.”
    Simon scrambled to his
feet as Ethmira walked toward the door.
    “ Are you sure?”
he asked her, suddenly reluctant to be alone for another long winter
night.
    “ I'm afraid so,”
she said with some regret. “I'd like to stay and talk for a
while, but my people worry and the Elders will want a full report on
our success.”
    She stopped by the door
and then turned and took Simon's hand in both of hers.
    “ And we have been
successful here, Simon. Don't forget that. We stopped the gods of
Chaos and Darkness in their tracks. They tried to take away a weapon,
you, from the battle for this world, and failed.” She smiled
grimly. “And gave them even more of a reason to hate the elves
than they already had. I find that quite satisfying.”
    Simon had to chuckle at
her tone.
    “ I don't know that
I'd find that reassuring, but thanks. I'll try to be patient. Not
that I have a choice.”
    “ Good.”
    She opened the door and
Simon shivered at the blast of cold air that blew into the room.
    He grabbed his coat and
followed her out into the fading daylight. At her questioning look,
he waved toward the front gates.
    “ I have to lock the
gate after you leave,” he said and Ethmira nodded her
understanding.
    They walked quickly across
the front yard, Simon's shoes slipping on the snow. At the gate, the
elf turned to look up at the tower.
    “ You have a
wonderful home here, my friend. I'm sure that your little companions
will be back with you soon. Until then, keep your gates and doors
locked.”
    She touched the wall next
to the gate and closed her eyes for a moment.
    “ Your wards are
still in effect and you should be safe enough until you regain your
magic.”
    “ Ah, good to know,”
he said. It hadn't occurred to him that the wards he'd cast on the
wall around the tower might have faded when he lost his magic.
    “ Now I must go. Be
assured that we are watching and will aid you when and where we can.”
    “ Thanks again,”
Simon told her sincerely. “And thank your people for me. You've
been the best of friends and I am very grateful.”
    He hesitated a moment and
added, “And say hello to Daniel for me, won't you? Tell him,
well, just tell him that I'm okay.”
    Ethmira smiled warmly,
waved once and slipped out of the gate.
    Simon watched her run
lightly across the snow and disappear into the darkness of the forest
before he put a shoulder to the gate and closed it firmly.
    He managed to engage the
stiff locking mechanism and seal the gate before he slipped and slid
back to the tower and hurried inside.
    He locked the door and
took off his coat. Then he added another log to the fire and sat down
in front of it to warm up.
    Patience, he thought.
Yeah, I'll