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

flames in the fireplace. Now that his memory
was jogged. Simon did recall the tale of the powerless young wizard.
Aeris had said that she could barely move or even feed herself. But
that couldn't be happening to him, could it? He'd just regained his
power.
    “ And I told you at
the time,” Aeris continued forcefully, “that she was
lucky to have even survived. Most wizards who overextended themselves
ended up dead.”
    He suddenly flitted
forward until he was almost nose to nose with Simon, who pulled back
into the chair in surprise.
    “ And you may too,”
Aeris concluded in a terse whisper.
    “ But, but, I just
got my powers back! I need to work at them to make them stronger.
Just like in the old days when I trained for power-lifting. Work the
muscles until they ache, then work them some more.”
    “ Magical power is
not a muscle, master,” Kronk said softly. “I do not know
as much about it as Aeris does, but I do know that magic misused or
overused can rebound on the caster with tragic results.”
    Aeris looked down at Kronk
and nodded once.
    “ But then what can I
do?” Simon asked querulously. Even to himself he sounded like a
petulant child and he cleared his throat in embarrassment.
    “ I will tell you
what you cannot do, Simon,” Aeris said seriously. “You
cannot cast any spells for at least a week.”
    “ A week?”
Simon asked loudly. He sat up abruptly and his blanket fell unnoticed
to the floor.
    “ Or two. Possible
longer.”
    Before Simon could
protest, Aeris cut him off.
    “ At least ,”
he repeated. “Have you seen yourself lately? You have lost
weight. Weight that you do not have in abundance, I might add. You
are gaunt and pale and,” he looked Simon up and down, “shaking
like you have a fever. In short, my dear wizard, you are killing
yourself. And you don't even seem to know it.”
    “ But
I, I...”
    “ Master,
look at your hands,” Kronk urged.
    Simon
held his hands up against the fire and his eyes widened in shock.
Seen against the light, they were almost skeletal. His knuckles stood
out like knobs on a tree branch and the skin looked thin and
stretched.
    He
looked at Aeris and then at Kronk, both filled with concern, although
the air elemental tried to hide it with his brusque tone.
    Maybe
they are seeing more clearly than I am right now, he thought. Was he
just being stubborn? If so, it could cost him his powers, or worse.
And that would leave the world with one less weapon to use against
the dark gods.
    Simon
bent down and picked up the blanket with a trembling hand. He wrapped
it around himself again and snuggled into the chair.
    “ Okay,
guys,” he said in resignation. “You win. Perhaps I should take a break from practicing. For a little while, anyway.”
    “ Wonder
of wonders, he's finally seeing reason,” Aeris said with a tiny
smile.
    Kronk
grinned broadly.
    “ Excellent,
master. You need to eat more and work less. We will take care of any
chores that need doing. Won't we?” he asked Aeris pointedly.
    “ Hmm?
Oh yes, of course we will,” Aeris said, trying to sound more
eager than he looked.
    Simon
chuckled at their exchange.
    “ Thanks,
you two. I know you have my best interests at heart. Maybe I've been
a bit too eager to regain what I've lost. It's mid-winter now anyway.
I'll rest, read a few old books I haven't read for a long time and
get my strength back.”
    “ Well,
at least that will save me from having to travel to Nottinghill and
telling Clara what's been happening here,” Aeris said slyly.
    “ What?
You weren't going to squeal on me, were you?” Simon asked
faintly.
    “ Of
course I was. And bear that in mind the next time you overexert
yourself. You wouldn't want that poor woman slogging through the cold
and snow to check on your health, would you?”
    “ You're
heartless, Aeris. Do you know that?”
    “ Of
course I am. I'm an elemental. We don't have hearts. Now why don't
you be a good little wizard and go up to bed. Your