He performed the same technique in Sigyn’s enforced dream sequence. He withdrew from the dream and shut it down. He opened his eyes.
All he could think of when he woke up was that Sigyn must really be pissed.
A sexy, beautiful, social climbing, juvenile, psychotic and really pissed off bitch, he concluded. He waited for around thirty seconds before standing up. A habit he had cultivated since he read that suddenly standing from a prone position may result in dizziness and nausea. He grabbed the wooden statue and went to the window to throw it out. Then he thought about the possibility of hitting something or someone in the dark. Even if it landed on the street, somebody may recognize the pieces and bring it around, with all the accompanying questions. He decided to put it outside the main door of the house, as far away from him as possible.
As he reached the main hall, he saw two warriors sitting down on the chairs near the door. Similarly armored as Jorund, but one had a spear in hand and both have swords hanging on belts from their hips. Both wore armbands on their upper right arm. Colored dark blue and red, he guessed these are more of the Gothi’s huskarls. They definitely looked like the Vikings of Earth’s movies. No horned helmets, he noticed. Damn, he wanted to see one although he knew that was too much to expect. Horned helms are all Hollywood. One stood up.
“Good morning, my lord. Do you need anything?”
“Uhh… what time is it? I couldn’t sleep after waking up.”
“A few hours after midnight, my lord.”
“Is Jorund around? I would like to give him something.”
“He will be here at daybreak, my lord, unless the master of the house had given him other orders.”
“I may be still asleep by that time. Could you give this to him? Tell him it’s a gift for being my guide yesterday.”
“I will, my lord. He is supposed to be one of those replacing us for the day guard.” The huskarl took the wooden figurine.
Tyler asked for the guard’s name and found out it was Asmund. He looked around and saw another guard in an alcove, which makes three for the main hall.
“Tell me Asmund, does the Gothi usually have these many guards at home?”
“No, my lord. But since the forest ambush by the bandits, it had been decided to increase our presence. There are other guards about.”
“I hope nothing disturbs us all. My thanks, Asmund. Be well.”
“As with you, my lord.” The man gave a quick bow and returned to his place.
Tyler went back to his room, reassured by the presence of the guards. He felt a lot better by the removal of the statue from the room. He wanted to go back to sleep but was apprehensive about another encounter with the supernatural minx. But his drooping eyes won the battle.
He slept like a baby.
Knocking woke Tyler up. Calling out why, he was informed that the master of the house has requested his presence at the early morning meal.
Early morning meal? Tyler mused while changing. Ah, BREAKFAST!
"Good morning! You slept well, I trust?" inquired the priest.
He answered that he did but asked leave to first go to the baths. The Gothi said he'd wait. When Tyler came back, his bleariness was gone. He sat down to eat.
"Thanks for the breakfast, Ivar. I thought it was going to be another two-meal day."
"Not if I can help it. We grew up with breakfasts and breakfast we will have."
Both men laughed.
The food was again good. The priest was trying to approximate Earth breakfasts to the full extent he was able as the modern sausages and cheese omelet on the table show.
"If there any coffee in this world?" asked Tyler, "some caffeine would be extremely welcome as of now."
"You said it. Been trying to find it in this world. Have tried through trade contacts asking them to find any evidence of a drink called qahwah or bunchum. Doubt if they've heard of the word coffee, the modern term is Dutch in origin anyway. Have also tried to find some word on cultivated or even wild coffee trees. No such luck so far."
"A pity but I pray that coffee does exist in this world. It would be a dull world otherwise."
The Gothi laughed again.
"So, what's your plan today?"
"Some "me" time probably. Started on the book. Thanks, by the way. I also have to take a break from all the excitement of the past few days. A staycation for the day will be nice. Though I intend to pay a visit to the temple later to give my thanks to your employer."
“Sounds like a plan. Anything you need, just ask the servants.”
On that note, Tyler was left to his own for the day. He then went to the bathroom and grabbed a chew stick which served as a disposable toothbrush. A toothbrush with a tube of toothpaste was one modern amenity he really missed. He didn’t think the state of technology of Adar was going to come up with an acceptable alternative soon. Finishing up, he went to find Jorund. He found him posted outside the main door, along with another huskarl named Gunnar.
Jorund thanked him for the gift and in turn, gave Tyler a small leather scroll case.
“My thanks, Jorund, but you didn’t have to return the favor.” Tyler was feeling a bit guilty about foisting off to Jorund the wooden statue of Sigyn. Though he didn’t think Sigyn would bother with Jorund.
“It’s merely one of my first maps, my lord. I heard that you are an apprentice trader and noticed that you are not that familiar with the far towns of Skaney. I believe it would be of help to you.”
After thanking Jorund again, he took his leave. He did intend to ask Jorund to get him a map but this map would do. He needed information. Information being half the battle was one of his personal mantras. The map, old as it may be, would answer the question of where exactly in Adar had he found himself. He went back up to his room and spread the thick parchment scroll on the small table. It was a bit faded, clearly well-used.
He found that he was in the Principality of Maljen. Apparently the only principality in Skaney, the rest being fiefdoms with a central territory called Ahrensburg. The city commanding the area is Hirdburg. From the name he figured it to be the seat of some sort of High King among the Norse. The symbol for the city did appear bigger than those for the rest of the settlements.
Skaney appeared to be isolated with only one land route going outside its territory, through a southern area called the Dry Plains. It was hemmed in the North by two expanses. One being the Barren Lands which was separated by a mountain range from the other expanse ominously called Ymir’s Domain. The dearth of settlements in those areas indicated that these lands are unexplored and dangerous. He did notice that his ostensible town of Barholm was indeed far from Maljen. Even farther away than Hirdburg.
Skaney also looked to have a lot of forested areas and lakes. Fossegrim Forest and its lake appeared on the map and the lake was indeed bordered by small mountains on one side. Tyler remembered the rocky cliffs he saw when he first arrived. Beside Fossegrim Forest was a smaller forest, the Maljen Forest. He guessed that’s where Eric’s house was located. Putting back the scroll in its case, he figured that settles it for now.
Glancing at his bed, he saw the book on runic magic waiting for him. Ignoring his curiosity for the time being, he decided to take stock of his situation and come to a decision about his course of action. The past few days have been exciting and dangerous enough to deprive him of the opportunity to engage in such a vital mental exercise.
He sat down on the bed and adopted a meditative pose. The easy pose, or sukhasana, as called in yoga. Though he wasn’t a yoga practitioner, he found it useful. He closed his eyes and did deep breathing exercises. After a few minutes, he found himself as calm and collected as he could be. He began to reflect on his current predicament.
The reality was stark. First, he is on another world, an Earth-like planet of an earlier and more primitive time. A period when hacking and slashing with a bit of magic thrown in was more effective than a five-inch thick modern contract. A world where magic is real. Where mythological an
d legendary beings and creatures exist. Death by a thousand paper cuts or by onerous litigation were not possibilities in Adar.
Second, as Andreas had said, there’s no way to go back. Even if he found a way, the greatly slower time in Adar may result in him going back to an unrecognizable Earth, if it took him too long to get back.
Third, he can’t use runic magic, again according to Andreas but his conversation with Loki confirmed it. But Miss Psychotic stated she gave him the power to do some form of magic and from what he had seen, it appeared to be true. Though as of now, it also seems to be involuntarily triggered. But aside from such a statement, she didn’t give him anything to work with. And right now, that singularly lovely face must be raging mad at him. But then again, she could be lying.
Now, if he had some form of magic he can use, then he could at least have a decent chance of surviving in this world without being bound to a deity. Deities and similar beings are capricious. What he had seen and experienced only reinforced this belief. But he had seen that he could do magic. He just had to learn how to do it in a voluntary, effective, and willful manner. And not kill himself in the process. The book may give him some ideas. Or at least make for interesting reading.
Fourth, what’s the real interest in him by Ymir, parties unknown, Loki and even Odin? Definitely, Odin now knew of his strange ability and his ignorance on how to use or manifest it. Sigyn, on the other hand, talked about needing him in an attempt to gain godhood? goddesshood or whatever such a thing is called? At least Sigyn’s avowed reason appears plausible. Unbelievably dangerous, exceptionally selfish, and even unusually suicidal, but believable. And no telling if any other being would like to join the Kill-Use-Enslave Tyler West Fan Club. Shit.
Fifth, his role and purpose in Adar. Assuming his arrival was accidental as Sigyn suggested, what can he do now? At least his immediate basic needs would be shouldered by Andreas. Ostensibly, by Odin’s instruction. But for the long-term, he didn't like where it was going. Leeching off. Being beholden. Sitting on his bum. He has to find his own way in this minefield of a world.
His morning thinking session gave him a nagging headache.
CHAPTER LORE:
Kerasti - Old Norse. Meaning "beloved".
Qahwah - Arabic word for coffee but the term was traditionally held to refer to a type of wine. The word led to the Turkish kahve which in turn gave rise to the modern "coffee".
Bunchum - Another Arabic word word "coffee". Derived from the ancient Ethiopian word for the coffee plant (bun or bunno). It is believed that the coffee plant itself is indigenous to Ethiopia and Yemen.
Sukhasana - A pose practiced in yoga. Also called the decent pose or pleasant pose. It is similar to sitting in a simple cross-legged position.
Jorund's old map of Skaney
CHAPTER VI
An Old Man’s Ring
God, what I would give for some aspirin right now, thought Tyler as he made himself comfortable and started reading the thin book.
The book was intended for aspiring apprentice mages, he observed. Once one gets past the hortatory preface, the warnings on avoidance of injuries and collateral damage, the injunctions against abuses, only thirty-two pages of practical theory and knowledge remained. Knowledge of no use for him as they dealt with the principles of runic magic and a few basic non-offensive spells.
The theory itself was interesting. It posited that Adar’s inhabitants were all born with some degree of magical affinity, which may or not manifest during a person’s lifetime. An observation which seems to apply to almost all of its inhabitants.
In Skaney, when the ability manifests itself, the person is brought before a temple and tested. If found acceptable, then the candidate has to select a profession - the path of a mage which had ranks and specialized classes, a warrior class with a few subclasses, or a priest. The practice applies to nobility and peasant alike. Training in runic magic then commences. It followed predetermined levels, depending on the choice of profession and magical affinity. Magical affinity, intelligence, and survival ability dictated the pace of advancement from apprentice to high mage. Which the book warned may take a lifetime.
The book took him up to an hour after the day-meal to finish. He believed the book would suffice for now as the advanced books dealt with the practical application of runic magic. An ability which he does not have any proficiency. But the principles enunciated in the book were quite clear. The source of the magic, which is said to be the cosmos, gives knowledge of the magical energy, termed as “kunna”. Training provides the ability to understand and channel it, and finally the means to direct it. Given the general practice of magic in Adar, he surmised that these basic principles would apply to any practice of magic in this world. Though the nuances of understanding the source of magical energy may differ as well as the means of channeling it.
He realized he needed basic knowledge of such an energy, find out how to harness and use it. Then determine the trigger or triggers to activate the ability, and use the ability in an effective way. Channeling it through external means, as is the practice in runic magic, is something which he didn’t need to know as it is beyond his abilities. He can get knowledge about the magical energy itself, at least the Nordic interpretation, from their magical practitioners. Yet he had to be careful as unquestioned adoption of the Nordic belief system may lead him down the wrong path of learning.
As an unsuspecting teacher and source of information, he volunteered the Gothi. The rest he had to find out on his own. Freak me twice with cherry on top, thought Tyler to himself, this is going to be a lot more difficult than I thought.
He prepared to visit the temple next door to give his thanks to Odin. He didn’t want to appear ungrateful. Nor did he want to get on the bad side of the head of the Nordic pantheon. Being polite never hurt anyone. Especially with the canny head of Asgard. Besides, his mother had always emphasized that “please” and “thank you” are the two most important phrases in the English language. Well, he may have forgotten it sometimes but he did try to practice it. Going out of the house, he went straight to the temple with Jorund following him. A permanent bodyguard, he thought. It’s just that he didn’t know whether to feel cool or scared.
The stave temple was a wooden building with stone walls making up the first floor. A cattle skull hung above the main entrance. It looked like a Norse version of a pagoda, though not as big. It had three floors, diminishing in size the higher the floor. Wooden tiles made up the roof material. It had a multiplicity of roofs, making the temple look as if three structures of the same make and design but of different sizes were piled one on top of the other. The inside looked like the interior of a small modern church, with wooden well-made pews and small alcoves to each side of the chamber. In front of the pews were some tall stone blocks arranged in a circular pattern, engraved with runic inscriptions. The back wall was also made of stone but of a different and darker color. Two doors at each end frame the entire spectacle. The floor was of flat stones.
There was no one inside. As it was early afternoon, Tyler guessed it must be down time for the devout. He looked around and guessed some elements of the temple design must have been the Gothi’s influence. The interior was paneled in hardwood and had a high ceiling. The third floor must be a room. For what reason, Tyler couldn’t determine though he noted the height gave a nice view of the town. There also must be rooms behind the closed doors in front of him. He looked behind him and noticed Jorund remained outside the temple. He took his place in a pew, keeping to the side. He had no idea on how to act after that. Working with what he knew of churches, he knelt, put his hands together, and closed his eyes. Now how do you address the big man without sounding like an acolyte?
“Oh, Great Odin, All-Father of the Norse, thank you for the help and guidance I have received so far. I apologize for the bother and trouble I have given your servant but as a naïve visitor to your world, I pray for further knowledge and guidance,” he murmured.
The Accidental Archmage: Book One - Ragnarok Rising (MOBI EDITION) Page 12
