Chronos and the Rogue Hunters

by Edward Eck

  Taryn looked at Dakat and Turner then extended a hand down the passage. “Since ye two know where to find the statues, we’ll follow ye. And that way we can also keep an eye on ye.”

  Dakat and Turner reluctantly took the lead with Max and Taryn following close behind while Radimir brought up the rear. After a few bad turns and one dead end, they spotted a statue in the distance. The group quickly approached to find it was Anubis.

  Max turned to Radimir. “This is what you’re shooting for, big guy.”

  Radimir approached the statue and took a close look at the features of the jackal-headed god while the others examined more hieroglyphics at the base of the statue.

  This time, Max couldn’t make out the writing. “Sorry, but apparently I’m not fluent in dead ancient languages.”

  “Ah, jackal head,” announced Radimir. “I think.”

  Max and Taryn turned to see the head of Anubis atop a muddy black trench coat, dirty white t-shirt, and filthy blue jeans. While it didn’t have the desired Egyptian look Max had been hoping for, Radimir had certainly accomplished the transformation.

  “Great.” Max held out a hand toward Radimir. “Mimno ala tru viso.” Radimir’s clothing was replaced by a truer representation of Anubis as Max remembered him. Radimir’s dark bare chest flowed seamlessly into the jackal head. He wore gold bracers and a black Egyptian shendyt and sandals.

  “Just remember,” Max warned, “don’t touch anyone or the spell will be broken. You’ll still have the jackal head, but your clothes will return to normal.” Max couldn’t remember where he’d learned of the spell’s limits, but he remembered being in another underground tunnel at the time.

  “Now all we need is a quick way to the end of this maze.” Taryn crossed her arms as she examined the work of Radimir and Max.

  “Maybe we have a way.” Max stared at the jackal head of Radimir as he became lost in thought.

  He remembered Anubis from an ancient time. A time when the temples and sands of Egypt were new. When the ancient sorcerers ruled the African kingdom as gods. A flash of memory gave Max an idea.

  “Radimir,” he said. “Anubis didn’t use magic to make his way through the underworld. The very walls merely obeyed his command. Recite this spell then order the maze to take us to the end.” Max handed the scroll to Radimir as he pointed to a set of hieroglyphs.

  Radimir scrunched his brow for a moment. Then shrugging his shoulders, he did as instructed. His pronunciation of the spell left Max cringing. Then the big Russian ordered, “Take us end.”

  Nothing happened.

  Max stood next to Radimir so they could both see the scroll. Max clearly spoke the spell aloud so Radimir could follow along. Max ended by saying, “Tell the maze to take us to Osiris’ judgment chamber.”

  The Russian made another attempt at the spell then ordered, “Take us Osiris judgment chamber.” Still nothing happened.

  After a few more failed attempts, they decided to continue on their search for the statue of Thoth.

  Another hour passed. Finally, they had descended two more levels down when they spotted yet another statue. As they approached this time, Max recognized the head as an ibis, a long beaked bird. “This is Thoth.”

  They examined the statue’s base to find more hieroglyphics, along with three items—a sword, a wheel and a book.

  Max read the writings. “Place the greatest weapon in the hand of Thoth.”

  Dakat picked up the sword, but Max quickly stopped him.

  “What are you doing? That’s not the greatest weapon.”

  Dakat pointed the sword at Max. “It’s the only item among the three that is a weapon.”

  Taryn slipped up behind Dakat and grabbed his wrist. With a quick spin, she wrenched the blade from his hand and landed him flat on his back with his wrist still tightly in her grip.

  Max bent down to better face Dakat. “Thoth is the god of writing and knowledge. To him, the greatest weapon is the book.”

  Max took the ancient tome and placed it in the statue’s hand. For a few seconds, nothing happened, then with a grinding noise, the statue of Thoth slid aside. Behind it was another set of stairs, but to everyone’s disappointment, they led still further down into the depths of the underworld.

  Max looked at each of the others, one by one, then entered the staircase. Once they were all inside the passageway, going down into the unknown, the stairs shifted beneath their feet, flattening and turning into a giant slide.

  Max quickly lost track of their depth as they slid into the darkness. Dakat and Turner screamed in terror as Radimir put up his hands and called, “Yeah!” At the end of the slide, Max was the first to land in a large room. No sooner did he get his bearings when everyone else crashed into the room one after another as they reached the end.

  When he looked around, Max found the walls of the room were clean and smooth, as if built by the Egyptians just days ago. Three-legged raised cauldrons held plates of burning coals, giving light to the room. Behind them ran a raging underground river—the Duat. At the far end sat an empty throne of gold and in front of the throne was a golden set of scales. One side held a large feather. The other, an empty plate awaiting the heart of the recently deceased.

  Through a passage behind the throne appeared to be a bottomless pit. “Osiris’ judgment chamber,” Max informed the others. “This is where he decided who would go on to the afterlife and who would have their heart eaten by Ammut before being cast into darkness.”

  As if on cue, a loud roar came from a side chamber. Through a large doorway strode a bulky creature. Ammut stood ten feet at his shoulders. The hippo hind end blended into the front of a huge lion. Its crocodile head snapped happily at the prospect of fresh food.

  Max looked around for Dakat and Turner who were already eyeing the scales and the feather. “Hold your place, you two, or so help me you will be lunch for that monster.”

  “Now what do we do?” asked Taryn, already preparing a fireball in each hand. She stood off to the side, arms spread and legs slightly flexed, ready to move in an instant.

  “Wait.” Max held up a hand. Then looking at Radimir, he nudged his head in the direction of Ammut. Radimir just looked at Max. Max realized the Anubis look-a-like wasn’t getting the hint. “Anubis?” he prompted.

  Radimir looked blankly again, then recognition flashed in his eyes. He turned toward Ammut. He took a few steps forward and raised his right hand. “I Anubis. Let pass.”

  The massive creature sniffed the air a few times then started toward Radimir with its jaws wide open, growling with hunger.

  Taryn called, “I don’t think he’s buyin’ it.”

  Radimir quickly touched a wall, breaking the illusion, and shape-shifted his head back to normal.

  The quick change caught the monstrous creature by surprise, just long enough for Radimir to dodge the snapping attack of Ammut’s huge crocodile mouth.

  Max looked around to discover the two dark sorcerers had made their way around the room to the scales.

  Turner began to search the throne, but Dakat immediately grabbed the feather from the scales. “I have the feather with which to judge the deceased,” Dakat anounced. “Ammut, I command you to devour these three enemies of the kingdom.”

  Ammut’s attention was attracted by the feather. He moved toward the dark sorcerers.

  “No, you fool,” called Dakat. “Attack them, not us.”

  Turner cast a fireball spell and threw the ball of flames at the creature.

  Ammut charged the two sorcerers, knocking Turner over the throne, through the passage and into the darkness of the pit. The massive head of Ammut then swiveled to follow the feather once more.

  Dakat threw the feather at the creature and backed himself into a corner screaming. With a quick snap of powerful crocodile jaws, the top half of Dakat was engulfed, his shrieking suddenly silenced. As Ammut threw back his head, the screaming was briefly heard again as the last of Dakat’s feet disappeared down the gullet of the massive
creature.

  After a lite snack, Ammut turned to the trio for its main course. It took a few steps forward before a bright flash of light in the center of the room stopped all motion. The intense light even forced Ammut to cry in pain.

  When Max regained his sight, he spotted a figure standing before the throne of Osiris. He blinked a few times and rubbed his eyes until they cleared enough to recognize the young man named Tiem from the market earlier that day.

  The boy spoke a few words in ancient Egyptian. Ammut closed his jaws and looked from Tiem to the newcomers and back to Tiem. The massive creature then turned and strode out the passageway the same as when it entered.

  “Welcome, my friends.” Tiem spread his arms wide and bowed. “I fear I must ask why you chose to disturb Ammut from his slumber?”

  Taryn extinguished her flames and stood by her friends.

  Max stepped forward. “We have come seeking Ra, not Ammut. I think we just got some bad directions. Odin told us to come here. Perhaps he knew these dark sorcerers were here trying to release Ammut. He was a little vague on his directions.”

  Taryn raised an eyebrow. “Or maybe he’s lost his mind.”

  “I see,” said Tiem. “Unfortunately, your assessment of the all-father may not be far off.”

  He then turned to Max. “Ra has been expecting you, Chronos, master of time. This is why I met you in the market earlier. If you will follow me, I shall take you to him.”

  36 The Well of Urd

  It wasn’t long before Cyrus and Kallan were holding on to the furry scruff of the elephant-sized squirrel named Ratatoskr. The giant grey critter had a long bushy tail where five dwarves clung for dear life. Ratatoskr scurried this way and that around branches, stopping every once in a while to sniff a crevice for nuts… which he never found.

  Cyrus wasn’t sure how the others were fairing, but he felt like he was about to lose his lunch. It was by far, worse than any roller coaster he had ever experienced. A quick glance at Kallan’s face revealed a similar expression of nausea. He could only imagine how the dwarves were doing on the swishing tail.

  After two hours of clinging to fur for dear life, they arrived in a dark wooded area. The most notable object was the giant root they had just come down. Ratatoskr held still long enough for his passengers to disembark. After a quick sniff of the air, the giant squirrel took off up the tree and out of sight once again.

  Cyrus dropped to one knee and hung his head. “Well, there goes our ride.”

  “I’m not complaining,” responded Kallan as he pursed his lips and held his stomach. “I’m not sure I could stand another two-hour ride on such an erratic creature.”

  Cyrus looked over his shoulder at the five dwarves. Most were seated on the ground, pale faced and looking just as queasy as he felt.

  After a five-minute rest, Cyrus rose and tried to rally his troops. They were sluggish to respond, but slowly got to their feet. Kallan had just joined them when Cyrus heard something approaching. His first thought was the Nidhogg had already found them. He knew in their current condition, they would put up little fight against a supposed monster. But after a brief pause, he realized the sound was actually hoof beats upon wood.

  Four giant deer approached down the trunk of Yggdrasil. Landing not far from their position, Cyrus watched as seven people disembarked. They stood and stretched their arms after a long ride. No one appeared pale faced or bent over.

  As Cyrus, Kallan and the other dwarves approached, the four deer became spooked and darted away up the trunk of the tree. When they neared the newcomers, Cyrus picked his sister and Meagan out among the crowd. It quickly became clear, the other five were elves, tall slender figures with long straight hair… and well-armed with sword and bow.

  Cyrus called out to his sister and their friend, “Amber, Meagan!”

  The girls turned around with smiles on their faces. Their joy quickly faded as both dwarves and elves prepared for battle. Heavy dwarven battle axes gleamed in the sun as razor sharp arrows were knocked to elven bow. Both sides were well armored and numerically matched.

  “Wait!” called Cyrus and Amber in unison. Cyrus threw his arms out in front of the dwarves, attempting to prevent an unwelcome confrontation. Amber imitated his motion in front of the elves.

  Cyrus noticed that Kallan and Meagan did not join in the attempt to stop the misunderstanding. They merely stood their ground unmoving. Cyrus wasn’t sure what bothered him more, the fact that Kallan hadn’t moved to join him or that Meagan appeared to be siding with the elves.

  Both groups were ready for a fight, but neither made a move.

  Cyrus looked over his left shoulder. “Amber, what are you doing here? And why do you have five elves with you?”

  “I could ask the same of you and the six dwarves,” his sister called back.

  “We need water from the Well of Urd to strengthen the new Gleipnir. You?”

  “The scrolls containing the spell to make Gleipnir were destroyed. Someone needs to drink water from the Well of Urd to gain the knowledge to recreate the spell.”

  Cyrus directed his attention to their two unmoving friends. “Kallan? Meagan? We could really use your help here. Anytime you two want to jump in, it would be appreciated.” Cyrus knew of Kallan’s distrust of elves, but Meagan’s actions had left him confused ever since arriving in the nine realms.

  Kallan stood with his arms crossed. “The elves tricked your friends into coming to get the water for themselves so they could use the spells they learn against the dwarves.”

  “Unlikely,” called Meagan. “Everyone knows dwarves have always been greedy, underhanded thieves.”

  “Meagan, what is wrong with you?” called Cyrus even more confused than before.

  Amber responded, “Cyrus, there’s something you don’t know and now’s not the time to discuss it… but I guarantee, Megan is definitely sticking with the elves.”

  Cyrus could see they had a stalemate, with him and Amber stuck in the middle. They had to find a way for their two groups to work together, but with two of their friends on opposing sides, he couldn’t just let them battle each other.

  No one moved for a few long minutes. Cyrus could feel his heart race and he was sure the others felt it too, waiting on the edge of a battle they couldn’t avoid. He felt even less comfortable knowing he stood between axes and arrows just waiting to fly, until a loud roar followed by the breaking of tree limbs could be heard in the distance. Reluctant to look away from the dwarf-elf standoff, Cyrus’ head turned minutely in the direction of the disturbance. He both dreaded and welcomed the approach of the Nidhogg. At least the two groups would now have a common enemy to deal with rather than each other.

  “You know, you people really have some issues to work out,” called Cyrus. “Unfortunately, right now is not the time to do it. The Nidhogg is approaching. You can either stay here and kill each other, or you can help us get the water from the well. You can’t do both. I’m here to save Midgard so I’m going after the water. What you do is up to you. Kallan, Meagan, time to stow the emotional baggage and come with us.”

  Cyrus ran from the clearing with Amber close behind. Kallan and Meagan hesitated, locked in a staring contest, but Meagan eventually broke the connection first and ran after Cyrus. Kallan followed at a discreet distance. The remaining dwarves and elves followed suit, each keeping a close eye on the other.

  In a few minutes they came across a hollow in the woods where a stone well sat near part of a root of Yggdrasil. Cyrus took one step toward it, but heard the breaking of branches, tree limbs and trees overhead. A large scaled claw crashed down through the brush and dug into the ground less than a hundred feet from their position. He looked above the tree tops and saw the sharp fangs and giant maw of a massive creature.

  Its black scales and red glowing eyes left little doubt—the Nidhogg had arrived. Dwarves and elves immediately charged the creature, axes and swords ablaze as they slashed and hacked at its massive claw. It took all of them to attack t
he single visible appendage of the monster.

  A second claw slammed into the ground nearby followed by a howl so loud it deafened Cyrus. Three of the elves and two of the dwarves sprinted for the second claw, slamming their steel into the well armored extremity.

  While the others slashed at the monstrous claws, Cyrus, Amber, Meagan and Kallan ran for the well. The hollow provided minimal protection from the battle raging around it, but at least the tree cover kept them hidden from the behemoth.

  There sitting next to the well were three old ladies. They made no move to greet their guests except with a dark stare. Kallan and the other dwarves had not mentioned anything to Cyrus about a guard, so this was an unexpected surprise. He stepped forward and mumbled, “Hi, uh, how ya doing?”

  Kallan strode in front of Cyrus. “My apologies. My friend is unfamiliar with our ways. I am Kallan Stonefoot, prince of Koldihr. My friends and I have need of water from the Well of Urd.”

  One of the ladies stood. “We know who you are, princeling. And we know your friends. This is Verdani and Skuld and I am Urdr. We are the Norns. We protect the Well of Urd and feed Yggdrasil.”

  Kallan bowed. “My lady, I was under the impression there was once a great hall nearby where you resided.”

  “The Nidhogg saw to that long ago. Now we dwell in this hollow.”

  Meagan stepped forward. “Forgive us, great ones, but our friends are buying us precious time with their lives. We have need of water from the well for two purposes: to gain the knowledge needed to create a new Gleipnir to once again bind Fenrir, and to bolster that new binding against his added strength.”

  Urdr bowed her head. “So, it’s true, the great wolf has been freed. We feared this would happen. You may draw the water from the well as you wish, but be warned. The well will demand a sacrifice.”

  Cyrus could see, while Kallan and Meagan were working toward the same goal, they challenged each other, practically stepping on top of the other to speak. He placed a gentle hand on each of their shoulders and pushed them apart, allowing himself to stand before Urdr. “My name is Cyrus Marx. I’ll draw the water from the well, but how do I know the price it will demand?”