“Our mage is right, Habrok. Don’t think about it too much. It’s still not clear if we’ll get to fight a Titan. Though by way of respect to Astrid, I’ll try not to cut off her head,” announced Tyndur.
“Oh no! Don’t do that. Or even think of doing it. She’s still my grandmother,” cried out the horrified Astrid. Tyndur guffawed in reply.
“Wait! What’s so funny? It’s scary,” protested Habrok. Somehow, it resulted in more merriment.
The party had left Maljen at dawn. Thanks to Ivar, a small carriage and horses had been provided, together with needed provisions. The mage sat in the coach with Kobu at the reins. Good thing the Gothi remembered Tyler’s lack of familiarity with horses, to the mage’s great relief. Other companions were now riding horses, and Ivar also brought out Norse boar spears.
They were now proceeding towards Fargravik, though the company still have to pass through the fishing town of Akranes. Traffic appeared to be normal, their group was meeting travelers and merchant convoys regularly though Tyler could feel the tension in the air. Even armed patrols seemed to be a regular and welcome occurrence.
The war may now be confined to dokkalfr lands, but the fear of Ymir and an uncertain future clearly cast a cloud on the region, thought Tyler. Unfortunately, after the dokkalfr, Skaney would definitely be the next target.
So far, travel was smooth and speedy, thanks to the stone-paved road which the mage suspected to be of Roman influence. Its existence though spoke highly of the jarl who had it constructed – building it was expensive. On further reflection, Tyler realized that Skaney’s jarls ruling the border areas seemed to be a good lot. The jarl of Hedmark cared for his people, and the ones governing Maljen and nearby areas also appeared to fall into the same category. It was unfortunate that the realm could be headed towards civil war as the jarl of Hedmark predicted.
I hope that if that ugly war rears its head, it would be at a time when the issue of the invasion of those two giant jotunn had been resolved. Skaney needs its collective strength right now, he thought sadly. Then he saw Tyndur ride close to the carriage. The einherjar had taken it upon himself to be the vanguard of the company.
“Sire, do you plan to stay in Akranes? Or do we continue without stopping?” asked Tyndur.
“What do you suggest? I am not familiar with this part of Skaney or the fine details of normal journeys. The last time was when I tried traveling from Maljen to Scarburg. You know how that turned out,” replied the mage.
“Since time is of the essence, I suggest we forget about a night in Akranes. We can rest in Fargravik,” said the einherjar.
“Your decision, Tyndur. Just inform the others,” Tyler told him.
When the einherjar left, Tyler continued enjoying the view. Unlike the road from Maljen to Scarburg, the present route was quite scenic. The road ran through an open area but there were plenty of woods along the way, and from time to time, they were in full view of the sea which was on their right side. The weather was excellent, not too cold, with a gentle breeze accompanying their convoy.
Tyler couldn’t decide if that was Freyr’s doing or a blessing from Astrid’s uncles. They were the four wind deities of Grecian myth. From what Astrid told him, they were Boreas or the North Wind, Notus of South Wind, Zephyrus the West Wind, and Eurus who represented the East Wind. She got along well with Zephyrus, but she suspected Eurus was a bit miffed when Thaut referred to her as the Lady of the Eastern Wind. The first two were gruff deities but didn’t begrudge her heritage. It was Eos she was worried about.
The mage was surprised about the reaction of Eos. Astrid did say the Titan wasn’t too happy, but she didn’t expect it to be a significant concern. The Valkyrie expected to be warned if and when her grandmother goes on the warpath. When he asked why, Astrid, in her usual candor, clarified that she could see Eos was furious with her husband. The Valkyrie believed it was because Eos suspected a deeper relationship had developed between her mortal grandmother and the Keeper of the Winds, and every time Eos remembers Astrid and her sister, the Titan would be reminded of her suspicion.
“You think she’ll run after you? She could easily find you, with that demi-goddess aura. Your sister would be safe, considering she had not manifested any power. Except over Habrok, of course,” Tyler had asked. The fury and schemes of a jealous and vindictive Titan were life-threatening concerns.
Another deity on our list of enemies? A Titan at that? I sure hope not, thought the worried mage.
“I don’t know. It will all depend on her mood. I do hope grandfather warns us if matters escalate,” replied Astrid. “But my uncles will definitely send word to me.”
“You’re not alone, Astrid. We’ll be at your side if ever she tries to go after you,” reassured Tyler.
And damned be anybody who attacks us, he fumed. Good thing, I managed to create some more Elder energy during our last night in Maljen. Though I better have more, excruciatingly painful the process might be. Facing a Titan is nothing to sneeze at. I do have to wait until Fargravik. Doing it during one of our breaks would just unduly worry the rest. I guess Kobu suspected something, but he’s quiet about it. The man must have seen worse magical rituals.
“Thank you, sire,” said the Valkyrie. “I knew I had found the right lord and comrades-in-arms.”
The journey up to Akranes was uneventful, the best kind of travel for the group. Eventful would mean facing monsters, deities, or other creatures who were usually after their heads. Even the breaks for the night were undisturbed.
As they passed through Akranes, pausing only to replenish some of their depleted supplies, there was an unspoken consensus that Tyndur made the right decision. The entire town smelled of fish – fresh, dried, and rotting fish. Everybody in the company wore scarves or pieces of cloth over their noses. Tyler could only hope that the nauseating smell didn’t permeate their clothes. They lasted only less than an hour in the town, the company was that desperate to get out of the noisome place.
“By the gods! A few more minutes there and I would be puking all over the place,” declared Habrok when they were a few miles away, though an errant breeze would sometimes remind them of the unique olfactory delights of Akranes.
“Don’t remind me!” protested Tyndur. “Right now, I am looking for a river, a stream, or even a brook. I need a bath!”
“You take baths, Tyndur?” exclaimed Astrid in mock disbelief.
“Once a year. But I’ll take next year’s allotment now,” the einherjar joked back.
Tyler grinned at the on-going banter. The party appeared to be in good spirits. They still encountered travelers, though the number was now noticeably fewer. The usual patrols were nowhere to be found after several miles from Akranes, and the road, though still paved, showed lack of maintenance. Some portions had already reverted to dusty stretches of dirt, marked by ruts from wagon wheels.
The mage thought it was but a sign of the times; soldiers were probably held in readiness near the mountains, and the constant need to watch the dokkalfr drained the coffers, making road maintenance a low priority in this part of the domain. He guessed the good roads were maintained by Maljen.
With those observations in mind, their night camp was more prepared, with magical defenses and watch rotations. Even Habrok resumed his patrol of the area around their campsite, searching for signs of possible enemies.
By the afternoon of the second day from Akranes, the party was approaching a slight incline in the road when Tyler heard a faint explosion ahead of them. It was then followed by several louder ones. Whatever or whoever was responsible for it was coming in their direction. The companions looked at each other momentarily and then exploded into action. The trio on horseback rushed to the top of the rise, while Kobu increased the speed of their carriage. The mage immediately cast a scrying spell.
He could sense three figures fleeing towards them, followed by a mass of pursuers. The ones being pursued were human, though Tyler could detect that one had magical power. But his image of
their enemies was clouded, and he knew it was a spell, a powerful one at that if it was able to prevent further scrutiny from his scrying.
Tyler dismounted when they reached the top of the rise. The companions were already deployed in their usual formation, though this time the front had Tyndur, while Habrok and Astrid covered the flanks. Their horses were already tied to a nearby clump of trees. The mage gazed at the clouds of dust in the distance which hid most of the protagonists. Once in a while, fireball spells would explode against the magical shields put up by the two groups. He did consider that the magical buffer put up by the human mage was a formidable one, considering the number of offensive spells detonating against it.
But he still couldn’t clearly see the humans being pursued, the dust raised by the impact of exploding spells made it difficult, even for his enhanced eyesight. At this point, Tyler didn’t want to take sides. For all he knew, the humans were guilty of some heinous crime.
Then he saw the flash of a unique and familiar color of a mage’s robe. An orange one, to be exact.
Chapter Nine
Orange is the Color of Magic
It’s those three amigos again. What the hell are they doing here? thought Tyler as he gathered energy for a spell.
He still couldn’t see who the three were fighting as the fleeing orange-robed mage had cast a magical attack which consisted of raining, flaming rocks. It was something which Tyler had never seen before. Unfortunately, the fiery stones added to the dust cloud hanging over the area.
“Sire?” asked Tyndur, clearly asking for instructions.
“We wait,” answered the mage. “Knowing those three, we don’t know who the guilty party is.”
Tyler then formed a barrier between the pursuers and the trio of fleeing rogues. He could sense the mage among them had reached his limit. Any more spells and the other two would have to carry him. The company remained on the rise and waited for the three to reach them. In the distance, Tyler could see the leading elements of the pursuing force hit the barrier. They were dokkalfr.
Shit. I didn’t think that through. Is this going to complicate matters? considered the mage. At least I didn’t kill any of them.
The fallen warriors who crashed into the barrier were starting to pick themselves up, and the following ranks had stopped. Tyler could see several dokkalfr shouting and point to the disorganized mass.
Officers and mages? he noted. The number of pursuers was fairly large, considering only three humans were involved, though it indicated to Tyler that the trio must have done something spectacularly wrong to elicit such a spirited reaction.
Finally, the three dusty and panting companions reached them. After thinking it over, Tyler cast a light healing spell on the trio. He glanced at the dokkalfr and saw they had already dressed their ranks. A group was deep in discussion in front of the rest. He was glad to see they’ve stopped, intaking a sharp sigh of relief. Any battle with the dokkalfr now would have meant starting off with a steel boot inlaid with a sharp blade.
“Kobu, please watch the dokkalfr while I attend to our unexpected visitors,” said Tyler as he moved towards the exhausted trio who were now seated on the ground. The other three members of the party joined Tyler.
“Let me guess – Orm, Kadir, and Sford,” he ventured.
“I am the handsome one,” said Kadir. He then winked at Astrid. “Hello, gorgeous.”
Astrid swiftly drew her blades in reply and coldly stared at Kadir.
“Kadir, stop being such an ass. Our thanks, High Mage,” said the orange-clad mage, Sford, after he stood up. The other one, Orm, also picked himself up and gave Tyler a quick bow. Kadir followed in short order.
“May I ask what was that all about? They seem to be quite furious at you three,” asked Tyler.
At his words, Orm and Sford angrily glanced at Kadir.
“It’s the short guy’s fault,” declared Orm.
“I’m not short! And it’s not my fault!” protested Kadir vehemently.
Tyler disregarded the two and looked at Sford. The mage seemed to be the most reasonable and lucidly communicative among the three. He could have asked Orm, but the large warrior apparently had a habit of keeping to himself.
“Kadir got hold of a magically charged lightning scroll. I hope he paid for it, though I doubt it, those things are ridiculously expensive. In fact, he talked about nothing else during our entire journey. And when we got to a point a few miles ahead, we saw a group of armed dokkalfr heading towards us. Guess what this fool did?” explained Sford.
“Ah. He used the scroll,” commented Habrok.
“Good thing it worked. Such offensive artifacts are generally for mages, there’s too great a chance it wouldn’t work for those with little or no knowledge and instead create a backlash of magical energy,” continued Sford.
“I did try to grab him, but he slipped past my grasp,” added Orm.
“Hey, Sford! You said generally for mages, does this mean I am a mage?” butted in the unrepentant Kadir.
Sford turned and icily looked at him.
“No. You were just lucky. Or there’s an extremely busy and unfortunate deity watching over you.”
“But what are you doing here? The last time we saw you three was back in the Barrens,” asked Tyndur.
“Another commission,” Orm answered in his usual terse fashion.
“Don’t you know there’s a war on between the dokkalfr and Ymir? And you’re heading directly into it?” Tyler asked, continuing the einherjar’s line of questioning.
“Ah! We know! But the area we’re interested in lies on the sea side of the mountains. We’ve been told by our employer that there’s minimal, if any, presence there of either dokkalfr or jotnar. It’s an easy job,” voiced out Kadir.
And what are those dokkalfr out there? A mirage? thought Tyler.
At what the rogue confidently declared, Tyndur suddenly slammed his boot into the ground, and as soon he got the attention of the three, he carefully looked at them and shook his head.
“You’re jinxed,” the einherjar declared, pointing his finger at the rogue.
Orm immediately cuffed Kadir’s head and then looked at Tyndur.
“You’re right,” he said and then turned his attention to the rogue who was still holding the part of his skull which Orm struck. “And you. You’ve been telling us that easy thing all this time, and look what happened. Those dokkalfr would be hunting us now.”
“Sire, movement,” Kobu warned.
Everybody looked at the dokkalfr host. It was about three hundred strong, though they could see mages in the mix of skirmishers, armored infantry, and archers. A group of three individuals had detached themselves from the main group and was heading their way. They were riding horses, a fact which surprised Tyler since he thought dokkalfr didn’t use steeds.
Tyler stared at the three before him. They had dismounted, and two were male, the other a female. The female and the apparent leader were wearing armor, though their weapons were sheathed. The third member was in a robe, but Tyler could see that he wore internal armor, a dark protective gear made of leathery material. He had a dirk on his belt and a staff.
A mage, he concluded. As for the other two, the complexity of their armor and engraved runes indicated that they were leaders of some sort. But the height of the three meant they were nobles.
The male stopped well away from weapons reach, removed his helmet, and raised his hand, palm out. He had long wavy hair, bound at the back. He looked like a veteran campaigner, if the small scars on his face were any indication.
“Hail and greetings, humans,” he said. His two companions moved to flank him.
Tyndur positioned himself in front of Tyler and looked back at the mage. Tyler nodded, thinking about the einherjar’s vast knowledge about the land and peoples around Skaney. Suddenly, he felt worry rise among the rest of the companions. Then he realized it was Tyndur who was going to do the talking.
Oh, shit. It’s going to be a battle for sure.
“Hail and greetings too, dark ones. What brings you out of your holes on a fine day such as this?” said the einherjar.
Fuck Tyndur. And fuck me for agreeing to his suggestion.
The dokkalfr stared at Tyndur. Everybody became quiet, and the tension continued to rise. Tyler watched as the dokkalfr leader’s hand slowly inched towards the sword at his side.
Tyler could sense the killing intent in the dokkalfr, though he could also see the effort exerted by the being to control himself. His companion, the one Tyler suspected to be a mage, put his left hand on the shoulder of their leader. Suddenly, the furious aura Tyler felt was gone. Yet Tyndur had an oblivious look on his face throughout the entire time.
The dokkalfr leader took a deep breath, and looked at Tyler.
“I wish to talk to the leader of this party. Not to a mouthpiece.”
Tyndur was about to fire back with another of his verbal jabs, but the mage got him first.
“I’ll take this, Tyndur. Let’s not make it worse,” he calmly told the einherjar. At his words, Tyler could sense a palpable decrease in the tautness in the atmosphere.
“My greetings and apologies, but the antagonism between our races seemed to have come between us,” said Tyler. “I am Havard, High Mage.”
The dokkalfr leader gave a slight bow.
“I am High Thegn Galar, the Hersir of the force you see. I come to seek restitution, the weregild for the dokkalfr those three slew and injured,” said the leader.
“They are not of my party, High Thegn Galar,” replied Tyler.
“Even so, High Mage. Your spell prevented my men from exacting justice for an unprovoked attack. And you gave them sanctuary.”
Shit. Kadir jinxed us all. Could a jinx be contagious? thought Tyler.
“Yet I was told your men were armed when they approached these three,” reasoned Tyler.
“Humans and dokkalfr go armed during these troubled times. If an attack were our intention, my men would not have shown themselves. We now have two dead and several injured.”
Tartarus Beckons Page 9
