The Accidental Archmage: Book Nine: The Dragon Houses

by Edmund A. M. Batara

  “Why, Archmage? I believe Thaut’s power would be enough to grant Ritona the grace to pass through the proscription,” asked the baffled Se-Osiris.

  Tyler considered how to reply. It seemed mortals were unaware of the Avatar’s barrier. It was inconceivable that the leaders of the pantheons responsible for their own separate wall would be unaware of the other. Their potent magical skills should detect its presence, or the deaths of those unfortunate enough to stumble into it would have warned them. That said, the ethereal blockade raised by the deities served to prevent mortals and minor spirits of the mainland from exploring Banna and avoided provoking the local inhabitants. He doubted if the exiles from the First World could withstand incursions and invasions from the Forbidden Isle. The island’s touted dangerous seas filled with krakens and other sea monsters would merely be a slight annoyance.

  The Avatar’s barrier served the same purpose but also prevented the residents of the island continent from leaving. He appreciated the precaution, yet it might also be because Adar was just waiting for the right moment to reclaim the mainland. Banna’s dominions may be advanced magically, but its inhabitants seemed to be incredibly predatory. At best, they exhibited the confrontational traits of mortals. The exiles from the First World were at least of the same species. The island’s population comprised vastly different ones. He doubted if what they had observed were the only races on the island.

  Schemes and games, he reflected grimly. Adar must have its own plans. It’s so… Darwinian. With a touch of Machiavelli.

  Mortals were the ultimate losers in their games, Tyler decided. He didn’t know the game plans of those involved. All he could manage were assumptions and conjectures, and they might be wrong. At least, Lumeri’s aim was direct and straightforward, even if it wasn’t to everybody else’s benefit. If he wasn’t sure about his twin’s disposition, Tyler would let him loose on the so-called players. Yet, keeping mortals ignorant appeared to be a key element in all the intrigues and conspiracies he had encountered. He suspected even the notion of an Archmage was a means of co-opting the most powerful among the mortal races.

  Screw them all, even the ones I know nothing about, swore the young mage, tired and disgusted from considering the hellish intricacies of plots within plans upon schemes. I’ll start with a fucking ghost.

  “There’s a second barrier. One created by a power of this world. This world, not of Earth.”

  “Ah, Geb.”

  “Huh?”

  “Our word for the homeworld, the original one. It also refers to our god of earth, the brother of Nut, the sky. It’s the prevailing mythology, but as with deities, one really never knows,” grinned Se-Osiris. The spirit turned and stared at the broad, roiling expanse before them. “But a second wall? I can’t sense it.”

  “It’s there. That’s why I asked those questions. The pantheons have to worry about such an entity, not only the Elder race,” whispered Tyler as he followed the gaze of his companion. He assumed Se-Osiris knew about the powerful beings who bumbled the pantheons. The mage wouldn’t be worth his reputation if he was ignorant about such a momentous event. “They know its existence.”

  “And you told me this because?”

  “You remember your humanity. I will talk with my original companions about such matters. Yet, I have reservations about Cassius. Such hatred can’t be healthy,” said the Archmage, sneaking a glance at the Romanii.

  “I have my misgivings too. I pray he finds his way back. The mixture of a thirst for revenge and a hunger for power has spelled the downfall of many a talented mortal. Unfortunately, the blood of innocents would have paved the rise and greased the destruction of those singular individuals—a bloody, hellish tragedy. One would have thought we have learned from uncounted lessons, but self-flagellation must be one of our primary attributes. But your words have given me plenty to consider. Hopefully, I’d have such an interval.”

  “Permanent invisible blinders, too, probably. We’re quite fond of being led like sheep for shearing or the slaughter,” added Se-Osiris after a moment. Then his gaze took a faraway look. “A mage and time on his hands. What a dangerous combination.”

  Tyler smiled wryly. He liked this ghost of a mage.

  ***

  Their longed-for return was achieved with no trouble. Tyler made sure that the opening made in the Avatar’s barrier was wide enough to allow the spell to pass through with ample space to spare. Materializing on a vast, grassy plain, the mage didn’t have to guess where they arrived.

  Sigtuna, he determined, taking in the sight of the mountains in the distance and the slight breeze. Though Tyler observed they must be in a different part of the expanse. There was no sign of the furious battle that had bloodied the area. Yet, he sensed a different flow in the magical field. It had a dark, angry tone to it. Looking up, the colors of the bright sky seemed dull, as if someone had leeched away some of its vibrant energy.

  “Thyma!” He heard Astrid call out the seer’s name. Tyler glanced back just in time to see a soft glow surrounding the demigoddess. Her eyes rolled back, the whites showing. Thyma’s body stiffened. Then a deep, strange voice sprang from her.

  Fie! A dark tempest, a black plague!

  Nowhere shall you shelter,

  Nothing shall give you warmth;

  Pen shall be cruelly broken,

  Precious ink spilled in wanton;

  Weapons of war crushed,

  Under the caress of a famished breeze.

  Chapter Seven

  Let There be Dragons

  Right after her peculiar behavior and strange utterance, the seer collapsed. Astrid caught her and laid the unconscious Thyma on the ground, head resting on the Valkyrie’s lap. The female warrior laid hands on her friend’s brow and began checking for any illness. The Kemetian mage went to her, sandaled feet a few inches off the ground. For a portly figure, he moved fast enough, but Tyler credited it to being spirit form. Yet he noticed that the spirit mage was more intangible than usual.

  “Not a malady, my lady,” Se-Osiris addressed the Valkyrie. “The Pythia cannot but follow her nature. Yet, for such a vision to come unbidden, I fear the truth behind the vague words.”

  “It could be the odd magical aura I sensed in the ether,” said Tyler as he walked toward the trio. “Anybody else felt the subtle change?”

  “I did,” admitted Se-Osiris somberly.

  The Archmage’s gaze went to the rest. Nods supported his observation. Even Habrok knew something was wrong. Ritona was likewise heavily bothered though the relief and joy at escaping Banna warred with the worry arising from what she could sense.

  Tyler looked farther afield. But his vision was limited. They were in a shallow depression, the lower side of an undulation in the land. Sigtuna was nowhere in sight. Still, it was better than appearing on the top of a height in the terrain, silhouetted against the sky. Attention wasn’t a good idea for the present.

  He asked the ranger to determine where they were on the plain. A proper bed and filling meal in a Sigtuna inn would be welcome right now. Thyma seemed to be sleeping, and the regularity of her breathing reassured him. Still, it was evident that the group needed to rest properly. Even a day in a proper bed would do wonders.

  Tyler checked the field around them for a mile out and found no threats. Nor did he discern the location of the settlement. That meant Se-Osiris’s return spell was off the mark. He expected to come back to their original site which was just outside the town. The mage wondered if the guided passage through Banna’s barrier shifted the direction of the travel enchantment.

  Could be, he decided. It’s not as if magic is an exact science. Even here, where it’s prevalent as gravity. Does gravity even exist here? Or did magic take its place?

  Then their attention was caught by the sight and sound of the ranger hurrying back. The speed and urgency of his movements called the mage’s attention. The man had clearly thrown caution away. He immediately triggered a shield around them and saw the rest adopting def
ensive stances. Even Astrid laid Thyma’s head on a folded cloak and drew her xipoi. The scout went directly to him.

  “Numerous specks in the sky, heading this way. Closing fast. A hundrað, possibly more. Given the distance, I’d say large drakes, though I’ve never seen them gather in such a large group before.”

  A hundred or more, considered the mage with trepidation. We could handle large drakes, but not that many.

  He asked about Sigtuna. The town was several miles away, in the direction of approaching horde, came the reply. Tyler grimaced at the news. His run of bad luck was still going strong. The mage noticed the Romanii lost in thought as he glanced in the bearing the ranger mentioned.

  “With your permission, Archmage?” asked Cassius. The man looked eager to flex his magical muscles. Tyler remembered the mage’s stressed and overtaxed countenance on Banna. Yet fear was absent in that battle, and in its place was indignation. It was the face of a man who believed that it was an insult to be placed on the defensive by the enemy. Cassius probably wanted to get back some of his lost confidence. Tyler didn’t blame the Romanii. The level of power they had faced was outrageous.

  He nodded and a surge of energy immediately flew skyward. It was a passive spell, and its echo was familiar. The Romanii had released a scrying field. Almost as quickly, a considerable force hit the personal barrier of the mage, sending him flying backward. Cassius hit the ground hard, unable to stop himself. As the mage struck the waiting soil, Tyler saw the flash of his personal shield as it triggered. But the Romanii left a long furrow behind. He rose quickly, visibly unharmed, and ran to Tyler.

  “First time for everything. Those are drakes. But of a kind I’ve never encountered before. They’re capable of magic. Powerful, too. My strand of a scrying spell was flung back at me with added strength. That should teach me not to take things for granted,” puffed the Romanii, trying to catch his breath.

  Let There be Drakes

  Tyler glanced at the Kemetian mage.

  “Never had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting such creatures, Archmage. I haven’t come across any lore dealing with the subject. I am familiar with the kind known as the drakene, aerouant, drakon, or ormr as other Norse call them, long or sometimes, lung, as the Zhong referred to them, arach, and so many other terms. But my knowledge of drakes – miserable copies of such grand entities – finds them a little more than beasts. Nothing about being able to wield magic.”

  “We encountered bone drakes in the Barrens,” said Tyler slowly, wondering whether he had a replacement for the scholarly leanings of Hal and X. Se-Osiris sounded like them. What should have been a straightforward answer turned into a lecture.

  “That’s false life created from necromantic energy or because of some inane magical experiment. Yes, I’ve heard of those terrible skeleton drakes,” the spirit replied. “But from what Cassius said, these are a totally different kind.”

  “Kobu?” he asked the exile.

  “An ancient story of a terrible war among the Great Ones. But that’s all. The legend isn’t even complete. Bits and pieces. Other than that, nothing.”

  “Did you get a sense of where they’re headed?” Tyler turned to the Romanii.

  “Us. Towards us. There can be no doubt. The sudden rise of magic in this area – divine energy, at that – must have caught their attention. Their emergence now isn’t a good sign considering the state of Adar. But Sigtuna is in their way. I wouldn’t be surprised if some turn their attention to the town. They’ve got the numbers and the intelligence to act that way.”

  ***

  Tyler found himself on the top of the mound with the two mages, the ranger, and the exile. Astrid and Ritona remained with the recovering seer. His eyes took in the sky. The approaching killer flocks were not specks anymore. The horizon was full of the strange drakes. He guessed they were about ten to fifteen miles from the town. His magical sight showed him how they looked, and the relationship with the ancient dragons found on Adar was unmistakable. Smaller versions of that majestically terrifying race. The mage estimated that the largest he could see would be three-quarters the size of Nýchta, the dragon belonging to Anemothýella’s race. Yet he noted that though the creatures looked menacing enough, with a fearsome similarity to what dragons had been portrayed on Earth in Western culture, they lacked the singularly august aura – that visceral dominating strength – of their primeval kin.

  Then he noticed a streak of crimson running through their batlike giant wings even as the body coloration different from creature to creature. The mage couldn’t remember if the ones they encountered on Sterkstein had the same trait. As Tyler wondered about the unique marking, the inspection also showed him that his ability to see into the magical spectrum had improved. Some of the incoming creatures had auras of red and gold. He immediately assumed those were the magic wielders. Unfortunately, there seemed to be a lot of them.

  Damn. I should be more observant about such matters, the mage thought, speculating if they were of the Reiði Elds tribe. The name of the clan, Angry Fire, should have indicated their abilities. But the flying and land-bound examples they had encountered in the past didn’t exhibit any magical abilities. Shit. They must have sent those without the talents of their more powerful kin. Must have been drones. A disturbing sign of strategy. These bastards are seriously intelligent.

  “Suggestions on how to handle this mess? Quite the numbers,” Tyler voiced out loud, not taking his eyes off the approaching cloud of large fangs and claws. Yet the question of whether to call them dragons or drakes rose in his mind. They were more dangerous and formidable than ordinary drakes, yet a lot lesser than an ancient wyrm. He couldn’t remember how Gullen called them. The hell with it. Drakes it is. It’s an insult to even compare them to their scary and larger ancestors, he decided finally.

  “We face an enemy familiar in form, yet with unknown abilities. The prudent commander would withdraw and learn about the danger first. But unfortunately, we are not graced with such a choice. My humble suggestion is to draw out an example of the kind of magic we’re facing. The numbers militate against the option of us waiting for them to arrive. They’re spread all over the sky. A wise precaution. These creatures act like mortals waging war,” commented the exile with detachment.

  “We take the battle to them?” countered the mage in disbelief. “I am not fond of suicide.”

  “We test the leading echelon and observe the reaction. Then a plan could be made. Energy and opportunity are precious elements in a battle, and it would be… unproductive to squander them,” replied Kobu.

  Tyler noticed the subtle hesitation. He meant foolish. Nope. I’d avoid committing such mistakes again. I should learn from the strengths of my companions, and in matters of war, I’ve got Kobu.

  The staff became warm, catching his attention.

  “Birki?” he called.

  “We see the problem, Sire. We stand ready to help,” said the guardian.

  “They’re flyers and I doubt the children could handle them.”

  “Children?” laughed the elemental. “More like young men and women. And their abilities have grown. All thanks to the massive influx of power the staff had absorbed. That sanctuary was particularly potent. But we also have a matter of significance to discuss. We need your presence.”

  “Hey, man. You should let them out and practice,” his double barged in. Tyler didn’t like the eagerness in Tom’s voice. The dark bastard had a plan in play.

  “Sire? I felt something new. A strong destructive tremor in your aura and I couldn’t sense your guides,” the suddenly concerned Birki asked. “Is everything alright?”

  “A change I have to discuss at length with you and my wards,” he answered and thanked God for small mercies. The mage grasped Tom couldn’t directly talk with Birki, much less enter the world within the staff. If his double could enter it, then the damage he could do was inconceivable. His twin could influence his wards and even increase their abilities to deal out terrifying damage. The wo
rds my pantheon reverberated in his mind.

  “But just stand ready. We’ve got a Romanii and a spirit mage from Kemet who report to their pantheons. Ritona is also here. I prefer not to reveal your existence as of now. Adar is in a chaotic mess. Revealing you prematurely might create complications we don’t need. We want allies, not new enemies. Collectively, the wards present the possibility of a new pantheon, and you know how deities think,” he told Birki. “Tell them to prepare for very troubled times.”

  “Does that mean it would be some time before you visit, lad?” asked the guardian. “Then let me tell you our latest concerns. You got a new charge, Archmage. A dark one. The drakon egg is hatching, too. It’s now huge. We had to create a new room for it. It would be a good thing if you’re around when it does since Vivindel is still absent.”

  The stunned Tyler was at a loss for words. The news had the effect of two sizeable rocks him striking square in the forehead, leaving him in a daze. It took him several seconds to recover from Birki’s disclosures. He quickly considered what he heard, already hearing a meaningful snigger in the recesses of his mind. Then Cassius’s voice called him back to his surroundings.

  “Newcomers, Archmage. Coming from the left at great speed. Five massive wyrms, as they dub them here.”

  ***

  Fear and alarm gripped Tyler. It gleefully pounded his shaking nerves and stomped an overwhelmed mind. The cloud of approaching strange drakes was already a sordid nightmare. He still didn’t have an idea on how to handle them. It was not as if they were in the same category as the Birds of Ares.