The Dragons of Decay by J.J. Thompson Page A

woman who was gripping her little
girl to her chest, eyes wide and terrified.
    “ Take
my hand,” he told her gently, “Someone hold on to her
shoulder and everyone else grab the hand of the person next to you.”
    When they
were all firmly connected, Simon smiled at Clara, chanted the Gate
spell and took them away.
    Kronk and
Aeris quickly began to organize the survivors once they arrived in
the tower. The sense of relief from the three parents was palpable
and they began thanking Simon hysterically.
    “ No
need, folks. My friends will help with food and whatever else you
need. I have to get back.”
    He chanted
the incantation again, nodded to the elementals and Gated out.
    Each
casting of the Gate spell drew more and more energy from the wizard
and it was only the desperate nature of the situation that kept him
on his feet. But by the time he had returned for the final group,
Simon could barely see or speak.
    He
appeared in the hall and fell to his knees. Malcolm, Aiden and the
group of four magic-users led by Virginia had insisted that they be
taken out last, so that they could hold the building against the
wights.
    Aiden
hurried over and knelt down beside the wizard.
    “ Easy
there, Simon,” he said as he wrapped a heavily-muscled arm
around him. “Take a breath, recover your strength for a
minute.”
    “ Do...do
we have time for that?” Simon gasped and stared through the fog
toward Virginia and the others.
    “ We
can hold them for a few more minutes,” she replied firmly, even
as she stood there shaking like a leaf. Anna was being held up by
Eric, who was himself listing to the side. Gerard looked like a
ghost. His skin had lost all color and he appeared almost
transparent.
    “ You
know, it's not nice to lie to a wizard,” Simon told her with a
half-hearted attempt at humor.
    The others
chuckled weakly.
    “ Aiden,
could you help me over there please?” he whispered to the
guardsman.
    “ My
friend, I would carry you anywhere you wanted to go if you needed me
to,” the man replied fiercely.
    He
practically lifted Simon to his feet and then put an arm around his
waist and helped him over to the others.
    “ We're
all...”
    The wizard
gasped, took a ragged breath and tried again.
    “ We're
all going to have to be linked for the spell to work,” he told
them.
    “ We
know, Simon,” Virginia said with a exhausted smile. “The
problem is that once the four of us connect with someone else, our
circuit will be disrupted and our spell broken. The walls won't be
reinforced anymore and those monsters will rip through this building
like it was made of paper.”
    “ Can't...can't
be helped,” Simon told her blearily. “Without that
connection, you'll be left behind. Just wait until I speak the
incantation. I'll hold Aiden's hand. Malcolm, you take his other hand
and touch Virginia's shoulder and then I can invoke the spell. It
will only take a few seconds.”
    “ Well,
let's hope those damned wights give us those seconds,” Malcolm
rumbled.
    “ Let's
hope,” the wizard panted. “Okay, here we go.”
    He chanted
the spell very slowly so that he didn't stumble over the words. One
mispronounced syllable and he would have to start again.
    When he
was finished, he pushed Aiden away gently so that he was standing on
his own two shaky legs and took the big man's hand.
    “ Okay
folks,” he said. “Malcolm, take Aiden's hand. When I
count to three, put your free hand on Virginia's shoulder. And you
four just keep holding on to each other. Got it?”
    “ We're
ready,” Malcolm growled, staring at the door that was twisting
on its hinges from the constant blows from outside. He clasped his
partner's hand firmly and gave him a reassuring grin. Aiden nodded
silently.
    Simon
sucked in a huge breath. His throat felt like it was lined with
crushed glass.
    “ Okay.
One...two....three!”
    A jumble
of things happened at all once.
    Malcolm
dropped his hand on to Virginia's shoulder. At the same time, Simon
felt the