Eye of Hel: Stories of the Nine Worlds (Ten Tears Chronicles - a dark fantasy action adventure Book 2)

by Alaric Longward

  She fidgeted and spoke. ‘My father died fast?’

  ‘He did,’ I said and tried to forget the terrible murder.

  She made a small sound of discontent. ‘I will lead the house Safiroon now. Thank you for giving me a chance to do so, human.’

  I said nothing as she moved past, and Aloise replaced her. She smiled widely. She was exhausted and somehow strange, afraid, but trying to be brave. She grasped my hand. ‘Meet me before you go there. You know where.’

  I nodded in thanks, and the Regent turned. ‘We have no harbor, really, most our business is conducted from the harbor of our former Safiroon allies. But we do have a modest navy. It’s a shame about that beauty,’ he thumbed at the ship behind us, ‘but we will fix her. Usually we hoist them up there.’

  ‘Up there? Using a spell of Gift?’ Dana asked in wonder, staring at the huge cliffs.

  ‘There is a beneficial spell involved, yes. None can heal with spells,’ the Regent said and bowed at me slightly, ‘save for the gift of Frigg here, our esteemed and beautiful Shannon.’ He smiled gently. ‘And none has found the spells for flying. Not one. Dragons, strange beasts, and griffons do fly, of course, but elves and men and their armies do not, and so we have this.’ He stopped and gestured before him.

  The stone pier stopped steps away from us. A wooden area took its place. ‘What—’

  ‘Move this way, please,’ he said, and we did.

  We stood on a huge platform. It was long as two warships, wide enough to hold three, and then shadows flickered in the air. Ropes were falling from the high mount and Thak grunted as one whipped him in his face. Elves rushed to pull at them expertly until a tent-like sea of ropes was attached to the platform. ‘This will not end well,’ Lex grumbled.

  ‘Nope,’ Thak agreed.

  Kiera giggled. ‘The platform can be lowered all the way to the bottom of the sea with weights, and so if we have a ship, we can sail it in. We need struts that are fitted first, and then the whole ship can be strapped on it. It just sails away up there beyond the winds where we hold and fit them,’ Kiera told us happily, and then we fell on our backs with great thumps. The platform shot up into the air. It did not spin; it went up faster than a bird, and I turned to look down over the side with my stomach in my mouth as Thak gripped me to stop me from falling. The stone pier and sea were whirling below, and Thak and I both vomited, and I swore I saw bones in the disgusting mix. The elves whooped happily, and gulls and other strange, colorful birds screeched in horror as we shot up, and then we flattened as the platform reached the top, slowing down to stop us from being catapulted over Ljusalfheim.

  ‘My gods,’ Dana said, holding a knee. ‘Oh, but that was terrible.’ We were rushing to the land with no grace, and the elves smiled at us, some making whispered jokes at our expense.

  ‘Great, no?’ Kiera laughed, and we stared around the countryside that opened up before us. ‘It is Freyr’s Tooth. Behold.’ She was nearly childishly gleeful at showing it to humans, who were forbidden from seeing it. First things we saw were dozens of warships of savage, powerful, and sleek make. They were resting on tree-sized struts, frames of logs. Several maa’dark were standing around on the side, apparently having cast some sort of a spell for winching the platform up so powerfully. Storehouses of wooden beauty stood in rows, but looking south and west, the ethereal land left us stunned.

  ‘Well, that is worth fighting for,’ Dana murmured near me, and I could only agree. The Regent stood near us, also subdued.

  ‘It is the heart of Aldheim. What was before Hel’s War resembled it across Aldheim, but the war left the other continents purged and changed. This is older than they are, more whole, perhaps. And now they would take this as well? No,’ he said and held Kiera close.

  The land ran downhill to the south. We were at a high point apparently and could see vast fields of subtlest golds and greens, woods of deep emerald shadows and greenish lakes ringed with hills and craggy mountains, and cascades of light blue waters as rivers trailed the land. Cities made up of high towers, adorned with spots of green gardens, villages of finely crafted houses and golden roofs dotted the lands. Herds of animals gazed across the vast fields swaying with wild flowers and even golden crops.

  The Regent sighed. ‘Different from Himingborg, no?’

  ‘Yes,’ I whispered.

  He went on. ‘It was from here where Freyr ruled this land. I have no capital, none really, for the ghoul Timmerion has taken over the Freyr’s Seat itself. The city of Ljusalfheim is bustling but for the terrible palace area, and I live outside its gates. It’s over there.’ Almheir pointed at a high plateau to the south of us, fifty miles away, and there, indeed, one could see high, white towers reaching up to the air. The golden roof, as long as a vast hill was glittering in the daylight. ‘There, we cannot enter. There, he holds his court. Coinar and our enemies would love to take it, but I doubt they would truly restore the Eye of Hel. But I will since I must.’

  ‘Where is your wife?’ I asked, looking around, I spotted a horse and guards riding away.

  ‘I sent her ahead. She will be in my house,’ he told me. ‘Come. We have very little time. Kiera, send summons to the standing army to gather at the Six Ways. Call General Filaria and Bailan and tell them to summon all the reserves. Leave five thousand cavalry to guard the Ljusalfheim in case the bastards have a way to mount the cliffs. Find your brothers and sisters and all the maa’dark you possibly can. Find more, actually, perform miracles.’

  ‘Yes, Father,’ she said. ‘She will—’

  ‘I will join as soon as we have changed the world. Or failed,’ he said, gazing at me with regret. He gave Kiera a hug and pushed her on her way. ‘The first and second army must cross the border tomorrow morning and march to bottle up Safiroon. Send word to Shinna Safiroon’s sisters that there will be clemency, should they hold their troops in check, or even help us and gather all the Safiroon troops that fled from Himingborg. Tell them Shinna is alive and with us and the rightful ruler of the Safiroon Household.’ He stopped and nodded heavily. ‘Tell them Asfalon has betrayed us. I want his hands on a platter. Make sure my younger children and other family are safe,’ he told her as she mounted a horse. ‘It will be desperate, and make sure our ships are ready to take them to safety. They will have their navy running around our seas.’

  ‘Yes, Father,’ Kiera said and rushed to gather an escort. The Regent nodded for Ljusalfheim. ‘Mount up. And we shall ride.’

  ‘We cannot ride those,’ Lex told him unhappily as the six-legged beasts were brought forward.

  ‘We have horses your size as well; what you have on Earth, I think,’ he said dubiously.

  ‘We can ride them,’ Ulrich growled at Lex. ‘I will, at least.’

  ‘It’s easier than swimming,’ I told Lex, and so he did, cursing under his breath. The horses looked at us curiously but so did the elves who were staring at us. ‘I take it no humans are normally allowed to ride them?’

  The Regent nodded. ‘No humans, but not for any disrespect. They are holy mounts. It is our birthplace. We wouldn’t not welcome anyone else … ’ His eyes took in Thak, and he shrugged. ‘It’s a day for changes.’

  ‘So as not to let us soil the hallowed ground with our filthy feet, we shall ride the sacred things,’ I told him and he laughed.

  There was a great bustle as the Regent’s elves pulled themselves to the saddles; the wounded were carried aside. I lost sight of the others for a moment and then, I found my strange horse and pulled myself onto the saddle.

  ‘Do you think you can take Himingborg?’ Dana asked.

  ‘Surely your “surprises” are mostly spent. Meaning your men and elves in the city are dead,’ Lex added.

  Almheir laughed. ‘I have hope; I told Shannon here. The walls and the gates are mighty indeed and yes, much of my hidden strength there is spent. But we shall see.’ His eyes glittered as he stared at us. Hannae. He was planning for something. Soon, we were all mounted, and he led us forward. Horns were play
ing across the lands as if awakening slumbering guardians and the army of Ljusalfheim, of Freyr’s Tooth, was summoned to war. ‘It will be bitter battle and likely our world will change. Let us hope the gods return and set things anew.’

  ‘I will do my all for this,’ I told him.

  ‘I know, lovely Shannon, Hand of Life,’ he bowed deep in his saddle, his lustrous hair spilling down, hiding his face. I nodded, and we rode.

  CHAPTER 21

  We crossed fields of pristine flowers. Some were wondrous and strange, violet and red and large as a head, and yet, there were familiar, humble ones as well. The horses were tireless, thundering along routes that were barely perceptible. The elven troop guided them toward the golden hall, and we made good time. Deer-like creatures the size of our horses occasionally sprung away from the cavalcade, and we hung onto the bridles as the elven escort pulled us along. Spears glittered, elves were bowing as we passed a village, their eyes agog at the sight of us.

  ‘This will mean trouble for the Regent,’ Dana whispered. ‘You had better succeed.’

  ‘I will,’ I said. ‘Where the hell is Thak?’ I had entirely forgotten him.

  ‘You are riding me,’ the Jotun said with a slightly equine voice, and I nearly fell.

  I slapped him, and he whinnied maliciously. ‘You have to stop this. Is there any limit to what you can morph into? Did you eat the real horse?’

  ‘No, I did not. I’m sated, for some reason,’ he said as some elves looked at the talking horse incredulously and with disapproving frowns. ‘There are limits. I cannot become anything larger than I am normally.’

  ‘I owe you for the shark prank,’ I told him darkly. ‘That was cruel.’

  ‘Cruel? It was hilarious. But I owe you for this. You gave me a rare sight of the land. Few of Hel’s army ever saw this place. I’m in the damned Freyr’s Tooth! A Jotun! Imagine!’ he said. ‘And they have to bear it for now. Oh, how they hate it. So yes, I owe you.’

  ‘If I die, don’t stay,’ I told him. ‘They will have a dimmer view of things here if the House Coinar takes the place.’ I looked at the elves. ‘Perhaps not stay at all, even if Coinar loses.’

  ‘No,’ he agreed and whinnied with a mocking voice. ‘I’ll help you, Shannon, but won’t stick around if you die.’

  We sped on until Mar began to fall and the light failed, and the blue and red moons stalked the skies; the bright stars Warrior and the Lady rose. We sped past darkening woods with a curious glow around the leaves as if they had sucked light during the day to release it in the night. Fireflies were buzzing around the boughs crazily, zigzagging and then freezing as we thundered past. ‘Looks like wood spirits,’ Lex chuckled. ‘Grandpa was always saying he saw them, especially when he had been brewing something in the backroom of his office. Drunk as a priest.’

  ‘I can’t imagine you listening to stories about wood spirits.’ I chuckled at him.

  ‘I have a soft side,’ he confirmed. ‘I only smuggled to make a living. And for the excitement.’

  ‘They are spirits indeed,’ Dana said. ‘Fiery, pretty,’ she said as one of the tiny creatures buzzed past.

  ‘I wonder if they will fight for the Regent.’ I grinned nervously. ‘They could storm Himingborg easily.’

  The Regent whispered and the muttering stopped as before us opened a valley lit by gentle fires and lights made by the Gift. Villages dotted the valley’s sides; roads led to a cold looking, walled enclosure, and around the enclosure, high towers and rich gold and wood mansions dotted the land. Inside the enclosure, silence reigned, darkness ruled and looking at it gave one a sort of disquieting feeling. The Regent led us down towards Ljusalfheim, but our eyes could not leave the Freyr’s Seat, the Whispering Shadows, the dark hall. It was a long hall with a high golden roof, though the bright metal was tarnished under dirt. It had colonnades of silver and gold, and they fully encircled it. Around the structure, there was a small, intricately built wall of stone and wood, and the gate was made of iron with a boar’s head crafted of tarnished silver. We steered our mounts past it for a large mansion sitting near the gates, simple in comparison to the vast, golden hall. It had many levels; windows were open, and haunting music was drifting down from high windows up in the third story.

  We stopped as Almheir was giving orders to an armored elf with a long spear, his voice frustrated. Then the elf snapped a salute and ran off. Far in the distance, we could see columns of elves marching off towards the south. The Regent nodded at us to dismount, and we did. ‘This is Song Haunts,’ he told us. ‘My wife is a patron of music, so I renamed our house and my ship to her tastes. She did not waste a moment to have her musicians play something for her. She has been so afraid these past months. Can hardly blame her.’ He listened to the ethereal music. ‘Somehow fitting for our coming trials, Shannon, no?’

  ‘Yes, my lord. Was there some trouble with the army?’ I asked.

  ‘We have …’ he said angrily, ‘only one army available. Fifteen to twenty thousand elves. We will have a number of Safiroon troops as well, but it was a surprise. My son had distracted the one he commanded near the Safiroon borders by sending it up north. We will face perhaps fifty to sixty thousand enemies out there, likely more. Many enemies will have died taking the city, and many will have to garrison the rest of the Safiroon lands. If I had time, we would have a hundred thousand, but I do not have any time. It will be desperate. Perhaps they will not expect us to attack.’

  I nodded at him and nearly fell as Thak shuddered, taking the shape of an elf as I slid off his back. The Regent scowled at the giant, who simply smiled viciously. ‘I go with her.’ He thumbed my way.

  ‘You cannot go with her, Jotun,’ Almheir said testily. ‘She is going over there.’ He pointed at the tarnished golden hall. ‘It is closed to anyone else; only Hand of Life will enter.’

  ‘Oh? Why is that?’ Thak asked.

  ‘That’s the way it is. An elf will find himself dead if he tries to go there. It is part of the curse,’ Almheir explained with a note of anger in his voice. ‘You will obey me while in my home. In my realm.’

  ‘I will stay close, nonetheless,’ Thak grumbled as I was shaking my head at him.

  ‘Now,’ Almheir said, listening wistfully to the music again. ‘We should enter my hall for a moment, and you will prepare, Hand. We need to talk in private as the contracts are drawn.’

  ‘Should we come as well—’ Dana whispered, but I shook my head at her.

  ‘Wait here,’ I told them and walked forward. The Regent offered me his hand, and I was led to the house. Elves swathed in robes opened the gilded doors of fine red and black design, and we went forward. He led me through a hall set with an expensive table and a roaring fire on the side, and I admired the many fine sculptures of elven women with enchanting good looks.

  He noticed. ‘They are your predecessors. I have known many. When Euryale murdered them, I sculpted them here, so we will never forget them.’

  ‘They are so beautiful,’ I said wistfully, though seeing them there so life-like made my skin crawl.

  ‘They are and so are you, for a human,’ he said humorously. He led me up the stairs to a doorway of white wood and pushed through. Inside, there was a bed made of dark metal with intricate silvery strands depicting flowers and birds. A huge harp was glistening in the starlight. A tub was filled with water that gave off a strange fragrance and a fair elven maiden was testing the water. She smiled at me, though there was a surprised, interested look on her face. She recovered quickly and gestured for the water. Almheir nodded as he stripped away his gauntlets, and I was confused for a second. He expected me to go in. Why not? I took off my helmet and let go of th*e armor, which fell apart around me. Almheir smiled at that. ‘It has been a while since I saw that take place,’ he said. ‘The one who lost the armor left us to fight her, the fool, a dear fool, but a fool she was.’ I nodded and began to fumble with my chain armor, then my belt, which refused to open, and I failed to pull off the Gorgon’s runed boots.
The Regent smiled and waved. The elven woman disappeared after she curtsied. Almheir watched her go and stepped closer to me. ‘I thank you,’ he said as he deftly opened my belt. I heard an elven voice singing with lament, high and hauntingly beautiful though pained. ‘You are very brave,’ he said. ‘Very.’

  ‘I am not,’ I retorted. I went on as he kept listening to the song. ‘So, I am to marry you, in order to serve your interests now, in the war? Shall I sign the contracts?’ I asked as he roused himself from the music and bent down to open my armored boots. He pulled them off gently, and I felt somehow naked without them, more vulnerable at least.

  ‘It is so,’ he said. ‘Do not speak of the war for now. Do not worry about it. Just take this moment and enjoy yourself.’

  ‘Can I?’ I asked nervously.

  ‘The contracts are drafted,’ he said and nodded at a fine desk on the side. ‘Sign them later, and we are married. I will be your husband; you will serve me in the war, even if you die in a moment.’ He looked bothered by the thought. ‘We will keep …’

  ‘My death a secret,’ I said softly. ‘Should it go that way.’

  He didn’t have to say it, but he agreed. ‘The houses will think you are with me, even if you die. They will think so. If you survive and succeed, it will be interesting to see what takes place. There will be no war, at least. Freyr will return. And he will sort things. Everything will change. Here.’ He turned me around and opened up my armor on both shoulders. He slid it down a bit, stopping for a second, for the skin around my shoulder was bleeding and broken and raw, a sight he had seen, and worse. He took a deep breath. ‘I will have her head one day, the Devourer’s. For my wife. For you. For hundreds of others. For the war. For my honor. Heal the wound.’ His finger touched the wound Cosia had made with the dagger.

  I nodded. He wanted to be sure. I gathered the spell and released it, and he staggered as we both were healed. He smiled wistfully, and I saw he was relieved. He slid the armor down. I had a loincloth on, and I covered my breasts instinctively, but the elf lord did not notice and removed the loincloth with a deft jerk, and there I stood nude. His eyes took in my curves, and he sighed. I lifted an eyebrow at him. ‘You wish me to stand here or shall I go in?’