Chronos and the Rogue Hunters

by Edward Eck

  “Look, you have a point.” Cyrus raised his eyes to meet Gollnick. “And when we get back from dealing with Fenrir, I promise to focus more on my other studies. For now, we need to pack for Norway.” Cyrus looked at the paper Gollnick was carrying and decided to change the subject. “So, what did you dig up on this Fenrir?”

  “According to Norse history, after the Asgardians bound Fenrir using Gleipnir, he was chained to the Gioll rock and placed a mile deep in the Earth.” Gollnick flipped through the pages he carried. “Unfortunately, we don’t yet know where this Gioll rock was located. Veena is searching through ancient scrolls in the library of the muses on Mount Helicon, and Elisa is trying to get information from her contacts in New York City to see how and where the dark sorcerers found Fenrir.”

  “Whether we can find this Gioll rock or not,” said Cyrus, “we leave in about two hours for Norway. That giant wolf isn’t going to wait while we come up with a way to re-imprison him. We need you and Veena to come up with some ideas.”

  On the way back to his room, Cyrus stopped in the kitchen and found Meagan there packing rations for the trip: dried fruit, nuts, beef jerky and some canned soups.

  “What’s all this?” Cyrus spread his hands toward the food preparations. “Are you planning on staying in Norway for a month?”

  She had already packed many small bags of food and was filling three backpacks with some of each kind. Along the one wall were three sleeping bags and portable tents.

  “In order to search for Fenrir, we’ll be going into some remote parts of Norway and possibly Sweden,” she replied. “It all depends on how far Fenrir has traveled. We can’t be sure there will be a place to stay, so I thought it best to be prepared. Most of the larger stuff we can shrink down and put in the packs to make it easier to carry, but I wanted to make sure we had enough food for an extended stay… just in case.”

  Cyrus shrugged then took a seat on a nearby stool. “Can you do me a favor? Amber is having nightmares about Tiamat and being in that blasted dark room in Babylon. I tried reassuring her that the dragon won’t bother her anymore, but I don’t think I was very convincing. Tiamat is still on the loose and until that fire breathing monstrosity is defeated permanently, I’m concerned about Amber’s frame of mind.” He left it unspoken that he put the blame on himself.

  “I’ll talk to her,” replied Meagan with a gentle smile. “Are you sure you want to bring her along on this search for Fenrir? Maybe she just needs some time to herself to rest and sort things out.”

  “I’ll be fine,” said a voice from the kitchen entrance. Cyrus and Meagan turned quickly to find Amber standing there in her sweat pants and sweat shirt looking tired. “I just came to grab a bite to eat. I guess I didn’t have much at supper time last evening and I was still hungry.”

  “Amber—” began Meagan.

  “I know,” interrupted Amber. “You’re just concerned and I appreciate the thought, but I need to do this. I need to get back out there and continue to fight these things. Otherwise, Tiamat wins.” As she said this, she straightened and took a deep breath.

  Two hours later, Amber was in the library waiting as Meagan and Cyrus strolled in. Once inside, the doors quietly closed behind them. The scent of incense was strong in the air. At the far end of the room where Amber stood, was the hovering bronze-trimmed mirror. Next to it was a coat rack holding three trench coats.

  Amber was in her jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt with black boots, her brown hair hanging just below her shoulders. She leaned against a nearby table staring at the mirror like she was expecting to see something other than her reflection.

  Cyrus had the Johnny Cash – Man in Black look going today with two backpacks, one over each shoulder. The packs were full, but not overly stuffed. With the larger items inside shrunk down, they did not require much space.

  Meagan’s blue jeans and black boots complimented her burgundy long sleeve shirt. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail revealing her slightly pointed ears. She wore the black baseball cap from the security guard uniform she’d acquired on their trip to Miami.

  “Why didn’t you meet us in the kitchen, sis?” questioned Cyrus. “We don’t know how much food we’ll be able to get along the way. You should really eat something.”

  “I can go get you something if you’d like lunch,” offered Meagan placing her backpack on a table and starting to turn around.

  “No, I ate in my room,” replied Amber. “Let’s get going.”

  “Are you sure you’re up for this?” asked Cyrus one last time before their departure.

  Amber just nodded and smiled at the two of them.

  When they reached for their trench coats, the little knobby arms of the coat stand extended to each of them in turn. As they each took their coat, the knobby little arms retracted and the coat rack again became still.

  Before they could depart, the library doors swung open and Gollnick came hobbling into the room using his cane, struggling to maintain control of the mess of papers and a book he was carrying under one arm.

  “I’m glad I caught you before you left. Here, take these,” said Gollnick as he offered the items to his niece. “The book contains information on Norse history from a sorcerer’s point of view—not what mythology tells us. The paper is a map of the area where Fenrir was last spotted along with the locations of all known attacks.” He then pulled a small mirror out of his pocket and handed it to Meagan. “Also take this. It’s too small for transport, but it can still be used for communication. Remember when you get to Skåbu, Norway, my friend Sven will take you to the location at the edge of town where the third attack took place. He is not a sorcerer, but he does know about magic. His transportation and local information are invaluable, though he will be of little help in a magical battle.”

  Meagan accepted the items and placed them in her backpack. She then hugged her uncle. “Thanks Nick, we’ll be safe. Don’t worry.”

  “I always worry. That’s part of the job description of being an uncle.” Gollnick then turned to the others and smiled. “You two be safe as well.”

  “We’ll keep in contact and let you know of our progress as often as we can,” said Cyrus. He turned to the mirror and spoke the magical spell to transport them to Norway, “Mirtor tolanga se-atum.” The image began to swirl like a whirlpool. Cyrus was the first to enter the portal followed by Amber and finally Meagan.

  With the three of them now gone, the image returned to normal leaving Gollnick standing there looking at his own reflection. “Am I getting too old for this?” He paused a moment. “Nah,” he said, shaking his head as he turned around and walked out of the room with the aid of his cane.

  8 Norway

  Amber, Cyrus and Meagan stepped out of a corner mirror with wrought iron framing into an old log cabin. The walls were made of roughhewn logs, and the plank floor was dusty and in need of a good cleaning, as was most of the cabin. An old stone fireplace along one wall had a warm fire burning. Hanging above the fire was a pot of boiling water. In one corner, was an unmade bed and along the opposite wall, a table with four chairs. Next to the fire sat two comfortable looking chairs with a large worn carpet between them.

  Seated in one of the comfy chairs was an elderly man, perhaps in his late seventies. His face was lined with wrinkles and his pale blue eyes looked almost ghostly. His tattered brown cap and heavy brown jacket had obviously been patched more than once. He sat there watching the fire as the trio emerged, but showed no sign of surprise at their arrival.

  “Care for something hot to drink before we head out?” he asked. The man walked to the fireplace and using a mitt, pulled out the pot of boiling water and proceed to carry it to the table where four cups were already waiting.

  “You’re Sven, right?” Cyrus set down his pack then followed the old man to the table. Amber and Meagan relinquished their packs to join them.

  “Aye, Sven is me,” replied the man with a bit of an accent. He poured the hot water into the four cups then set the p
ot down on the table. From a little jar of fine grey powder, he scooped a bit into each cup, stirred the mixture, then handed one to each of his guests before sipping from his own mug.

  Amber’s eyes lit up upon tasting the drink. “Hot chocolate!” The pleasant taste brought a smile that Cyrus had not seen in many days.

  Meagan sniffed her cup before taking a sip. “No, it’s herbal tea.”

  “Tastes more like coffee to me,” said Cyrus, now confused. “How did you know what we each like to drink?”

  Sven smiled over the rim of his cup as he took one more warming sip. “I may not have magical powers, but I know people who do. The proto-essence powder makes your drink smell and taste like whatever you most desire—a concoction Elisa first introduced me to many years ago. By the way, if you happen to see her anytime soon, please ask her to send more. It’s hard to get in these parts.” He then took another sip of his own drink and smiled as it warmed him from the inside.

  Cyrus set down his cup. “So, what can you tell us about the attacks?”

  “Homes were destroyed and the occupants are missing. No idea if they were targeted attacks or if the beastie was just hungry.”

  “Has anyone actually seen the creature?”

  Sven looked out of the corner of his eye at Cyrus. “Yes, but he was drunk at the time so no one believes him. And it’s a good thing. Norse myths are well known in these parts. If it got out that the legends were true, there’d be a panic.”

  “Are we sure it’s Fenrir?”

  “Your Muse friend seems to think so. And the evidence supports it.” Sven chuckled to himself. “Even though the authorities are baffled by the attacks. They don’t suspect a giant wolf.” Sven took another sip of his drink. “Finish your coffee and I’ll take you to the site of the nearest attack.”

  After the four of them had emptied their cups, they went outside. A cold wind blew and Cyrus felt the frigid temperatures down to his bones. Wrapped in their trench coats with hands tucked in their pockets to keep warm, Sven led them north through the little village.

  At the edge of town, they spotted another cabin, but this one was in ruins. Huge logs were shattered and what remained of the roof was a pile of broken shingles. One wall appeared to have a huge bite taken out of the logs. From the sheer size, Cyrus estimated the creature must have been fifty to sixty feet tall.

  Sven picked up a broken board from the wreckage. “A drunk neighbor claimed it was a huge mountain wolf, but the authorities say it was an explosion. They claim the homeowners must have been experimenting with explosives and blew themselves up. Only there’s no sign of burn marks… and the building collapsed inward.”

  Cyrus kicked over a few boards and shingles as he searched the ground. “Any tracks leading to or away from the building?”

  “Aye,” replied Sven, “over this way.” He then led the trio to a nearby wooded area. Cyrus looked up as he made his way into the woods. The tree branches higher up were broken and devoid of the snow that still clung to other non-broken branches.

  Sven guided them to a set of immense paw prints on the ground. “Authorities say this was just a prank by some of the neighbors to make people think it was a big monster.”

  Meagan stooped to examine and measure the paw prints. “Have there been other reports?”

  Amber just stood near the edge of the woods, looking up into the trees at the broken branches.

  Cyrus watched as she trembled then lowered her head and closed her eyes. He could only imagine what was going through her mind. “You okay, sis? You look cold.” He started to take off his trench coat, but she stopped him.

  “No, it’s not the cold.” She looked at the tree tops once again. “Do you think it’s as big as Tiamat?”

  Cyrus immediately knew where her thoughts were. “Amber, this is a wolf. Admittedly, a large wolf, but a wolf nonetheless. You need to stop thinking about that blasted dragon. We need you in the here and now. Please.”

  “Tracks head south-southeast from here toward Oslo, the capital,” said Sven as he pointed. “I’ve had no word yet, but there are other villages along that trek. Easy prey for an enormous hungry wolf.”

  Meagan approached to get a better view of the trail. “If this is Fenrir, any idea where he came from?”

  Sven didn’t respond right away, but then shook his head. “There have been five attacks that I’ve heard of. All of them coming in a somewhat southerly direction away from the mountains. If the pit where Fenrir was bound is up in the mountains, it will be almost impossible to find even in the best of weather. There’s a lot of rough terrain up there.” He pointed northwest above the treetops toward a mountain range many miles away.

  “We should get started,” suggested Meagan. “If this cold front is bringing any snow with it, it may cover whatever tracks are still visible. We need to find the pit and the Gioll rock where Fenrir was chained.”

  “I’m too old for a trek into those mountains,” said Sven, “but if you can get word to me, I’ll do what I can to help upon your return.”

  Meagan pulled a compact mirror from her pocket. “We can use this to communicate. I also have a telepathic link with Nick. If we can’t get word to you by mirror, it’ll come by way of Ravenicon castle.”

  They all thanked Sven before he returned home. Cyrus kept an eye on his sister as the three of them began following Fenrir’s tracks back up into the mountains. For the most part, the trail was not difficult to follow. Not many creatures are large enough to break the top branches of trees or leave footprints three feet long.

  Meagan had taken the lead while Cyrus hung back to walk with his sister. Amber kept pace with them, but Cyrus needed to get her mind off Tiamat. He knew if she continued to dwell on the dark chamber and the giant dragon, she might freeze up if they encountered danger.

  “This cold front could slow us down, especially if it starts to snow. Any chance you can change the weather and warm things up a bit?” asked Cyrus cheerfully. He figured it would at least get her thinking about her powers rather than her problems.

  “As an air elemental sorceress, I can affect the weather to a point, but not the temperature,” she said with a degree of exasperation. “Besides you know what happened last time I tried to manipulate a weather front this large. I created a storm in Petra and you had to put me to sleep in order to stop it.”

  Cyrus realized in addition to her nightmares of Tiamat, she still didn’t trust using her elemental powers. “Amber, you need to forget about Petra and Babylon,” he said. “Your powers are developing faster than mine. You need to be confident in your abilities. Don’t be afraid of them. You control them, not the other way around.”

  She picked up her pace to move ahead of him.

  Cyrus could tell the conversation was over for the time being and it was best to leave her be for now. But sooner or later, Amber and her powers would be required and he needed her to be up to the challenge… both for her sake as well as his and Meagan’s.

  9 An Unexpected Call

  Less than half an hour after the departure of Amber, Cyrus and Meagan, Gollnick had returned to the library and pulled a large overstuffed chair in front of the mirror. Stacks of books towered over him as he sank in the comfortable seat. After a brief moment to relax, his mind turned to the reason for his return to the library. They needed information and it was going to be up to him to find it.

  He piled a few books on a table next to the chair. A pen and tablet were placed there along with a glass of water. Wanting to be near the mirror in case anyone needed him, he adjusted his seat for a long stay. It had taken the ancient Norse gods years to find a way to imprison Fenrir; he had only days.

  “Mirtor a mirtor tong-la Elisa.” Gollnick would start with Elisa and see if she had any new information for him. The mirror became all fuzzy then a picture emerged in the center. It was dark and he couldn’t hear a thing. “Elisa? Hello? Are you there?”

  A moment later the dark form in the center was replaced by a bright light, followed by
Elisa’s face. Gollnick was glad to see her again. Even though she was his ex-wife they still maintained a friendly relationship.

  “Nick, why didn’t you just contact me telepathically?” she inquired with a furrowed brow.

  “Maybe I wanted to see your beautiful face.” Gollnick smiled. Normally a face to face communication was an indication of a level of urgency. In this case it couldn’t have been more true as he thought about the trouble in Norway.

  “Now I’m really concerned. What’s the emergency?” Elisa crossed her arms as she tilted her head to one side.

  He recognized the body language. It was what she always did when she expected to hear bad news. Gollnick let out a quiet sigh. “The dark sorcerers. They’ve released Fenrir, the giant wolf from Norse mythology.”

  Elisa’s head straightened as her jaw slowly dropped and her posture began to slump.

  Gollnick continued, “He’s randomly attacking villages in Norway. Amber, Cyrus and Meagan have gone there to see if they can find out how he escaped and if there’s any possibility to re-imprison him.”

  “Not quite the bad news I was expecting, but it’s bad enough.”

  Gollnick now realized what news she had anticipated. It occurred to him they’d had no communication from Arizona. “I haven’t heard from Taryn or Vincent yet. I tried contacting them earlier, but they were busy. I’ll check in with them next. In any case, I may need to recall Vincent to examine the Tablets of Destiny to see if they contain any information regarding Fenrir.”

  “I’m concerned, Nick. It’s been many years since the dark sorcerers even attempted to open one prison… and now in the span of less than a week they’ve found three? Something’s not right. They must be getting information from somewhere.”