Champion of the Titan Games

by Brandon Mull

  “Me no steal,” Hermo said. “Me find stuff.”

  “Hermo, Virgil is our host,” Seth said.

  “Let him go,” Virgil said.

  “Reggie, would you watch Hermo?” Seth asked. “Make sure he doesn’t take anything?”

  The dirt figure saluted and followed the hermit troll up the stairs.

  Virgil brought a platter to the table laden with bread, butter, jam, and cheese. He also produced a plate with three cooked, deboned fish fillets.

  “Who names a hermit troll ‘Hermo’?” Virgil whispered. “His parents weren’t very creative.”

  Seth chuckled as he buttered a piece of bread. “Thanks for this food. I hope Hermo doesn’t get into mischief.”

  “Between you and me,” Virgil said, “I don’t have anything of great material value in this house. And I have trouble discarding items, so if he wants something, he will most likely do me a favor by claiming it.”

  Seth took a bite of bread and felt his appetite roar to life. He made an effort to pace himself and squirreled away a few morsels for Calvin.

  “You want to learn about the Games,” Virgil said. “Tell me what you already know.”

  “Humbuggle runs them,” Seth replied. “They’re really hard to beat. People get killed all the time.” Seth’s voice trailed off.

  Virgil stared at him in amazement. “You’re kidding. Don’t you at least know the prize?”

  Seth added cheese to his bread and took another bite. He shook his head.

  “The Wizenstone?” Virgil prompted. “The most powerful talisman in the world? Does that ring a bell?”

  “I don’t know much about it,” Seth said.

  Virgil laughed. “Seth, if you haven’t heard of the Wizenstone, why enter the Games?”

  “I’ve heard of it,” Seth said. He paused, deciding he would need to extend some trust to get the information he desired. “I’m here for Humbuggle. He took my memories.”

  “Really?” Virgil asked. “When? How?”

  “At Stormguard Castle,” Seth said.

  Virgil pressed his fingers to his temples and then released the pose. “You survived the cursed castle? What happened?”

  “I don’t remember much,” Seth said. “But I saw my sister send the Wizenstone away.”

  Virgil rushed over to a stack of parchment on an end table, shuffled through many sheets, and returned with a drawing of a mighty castle. “Look familiar?”

  “Is that Stormguard?” Seth verified. “I don’t remember it from the outside. My memories start in the room where the Wizenstone was kept.”

  “Your sister sent it away?” Virgil asked. “How?”

  “With a magical staff,” Seth said. “After some guys tried to grab the Wizenstone and got turned to dust.”

  “You’re kidding me,” Virgil said. “Did Dante put you up to this prank?”

  “This isn’t a joke. Dante doesn’t even know this much.”

  “Scholars of the Games have theorized that the Wizenstone could be difficult to claim,” Virgil said. “What action turned these men to dust? Did they try to wield the stone?”

  “They reached for it,” Seth remembered. “As soon as they touched it, they disintegrated.”

  “You were an eyewitness?” Virgil confirmed.

  “I’m sharing some of my first memories,” Seth said. “My identity was wiped right before I entered the room with the Wizenstone.”

  “How did you know the girl was your sister?” Virgil asked.

  “I didn’t at first,” Seth said. “I learned a lot afterwards. I’m still piecing things together. It’s been hard to figure out who anybody is, or who is being honest with me.”

  “And now you’ve come here chasing Humbuggle,” Virgil said. “Hoping to retrieve your lost memories.”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re not a rookie of Humbuggle’s Games,” Virgil said. “Just these particular Games. The Titan Games.”

  “That might be true,” Seth said around a bite of fish. “Then again, thanks to my memory loss, I feel like a rookie at most things.”

  Virgil jumped up, rubbing his hands with excitement. “Seth, you have come to the right place. There are those who say I’m crazy. But I’m just more awake than most students of the Games, willing to chase down odd possibilities. The Games are much more complicated than the vast majority imagine.”

  “The Humburgh Mystery House claimed to have secrets about the Games,” Seth said.

  Virgil huffed and shook his head. “This town has more suckers than an octopus. Starstruck hopefuls arrive eager to garner instant fame and fortune. A whole industry has sprung up to prey on their delusions.”

  “The Mystery House is a sham?”

  “Mostly,” Virgil said. “It’s better than some of the sideshows in town. Lots of people peddle the same generic information labeled as secrets. Some are total scams. This whole town is part of the Games, and legitimate hints can sometimes be found in surprising places. The Diviner inside the Humburgh Mystery House can provide real help, but good luck finding him.”

  “Who is the Diviner?” Seth asked.

  “We’re straying into advanced topics,” Virgil said. “Basics first. The Titan Games are portrayed as gladiator combat with the prize being the Wizenstone. If any combatant wins a hundred consecutive fights, the Wizenstone is theirs.”

  “Did Humbuggle set it up recently?” Seth asked.

  Virgil shook his head, a small smile on his lips. “No. The Titan Games have gone on for centuries.”

  “But the Wizenstone was at Stormguard Castle,” Seth said. “People were competing for it there.”

  “Exactly,” Virgil said. “Humbuggle has established multiple Games, all with the Wizenstone as the prize. Some are less possible to win than others.”

  “How can simultaneous Games be played for the same prize?” Seth asked.

  “Fair question,” Virgil said. “Ask Humbuggle. He has been doing it for centuries.”

  “Does that mean the Games are rigged?” Seth asked.

  “Not completely rigged,” Virgil said. “If there were no way to win, the magic sustaining them would unravel. But the Games are riddled with devious tricks and loopholes.”

  “How much have you figured out?” Seth asked.

  Virgil gave a huge laugh. “Not nearly enough. But at least I’m trying to make sense of the complexities. Plenty of people don’t even know to investigate.”

  “I don’t have to win the Games,” Seth said. “I just need Humbuggle.”

  “Good luck finding Humbuggle outside of his Games,” Virgil said. “I’ve never heard of it happening. All his time and attention are focused on the Games. We have only vague descriptions of what he looks like.”

  “I’ve seen him,” Seth said.

  “Don’t tease me,” Virgil said with a nervous laugh.

  “At Stormguard Castle, when my sister sent the Wizenstone away, Humbuggle was there. He looks like a dwarf.”

  “Everyone knows that much,” Virgil complained.

  “If I had the ability to draw his face, I could show it to you,” Seth said. “He had a forked beard.”

  “I’m impressed you have seen his true form,” Virgil said. “It’s a rarity.”

  “If I need to enter the Games to find Humbuggle, what’s my next step?”

  “First you need to learn all you can,” Virgil said. “The Games began ages ago. Originally the demon dwarf held them in the kingdom of Selona. Several hundred years ago, the Giant Queen invited Humbuggle to stage the Games here. I think she hoped it would give giants a better chance at obtaining the Wizenstone.”

  “Did it work?” Seth asked.

  Virgil shrugged. “The Giants do have more convenient access to the Games than most. Of course, in exchange for hosting the Games, the Giant Queen must admi
t an annual quota of participants and spectators into her sanctuary, which gives her the weakest borders of any enchanted preserve. She also gifted Humbuggle the land on which Humburgh stands.”

  “Does he live here in Humburgh?” Seth asked.

  “He has a mansion in town,” Virgil said. “I don’t know of anyone who ever saw him inside of it.”

  “Is it abandoned?” Seth asked.

  “The house is fully staffed,” Virgil said.

  “That might be a good place to investigate,” Seth said.

  “They’re secretive,” Virgil said. “But anything is worth trying.”

  Seth took another bite of bread and chewed thoughtfully. A few minutes before, it had seemed like he might never feel full again, but he was already almost sated. “Will I have to learn to fight like a gladiator?”

  “That’s one option,” Virgil said. “It’s the most obvious way into the Games. We should go to the arena and let you watch a round or two before you make any choices in that direction.”

  “You mentioned there are other Games,” Seth said.

  “There have been, over the years,” Virgil said. “Stormguard Castle is one example. Before that there was the Travertine Library. There are many rumors of other contests.”

  “So many Games for the same prize?” Seth asked.

  “That is part of what makes winning complicated,” Virgil said. “When he uses magic to create a competition, there must be a real possibility to win. So Humbuggle’s goal is to make the Games almost impossible to win. It’s conceivable that winning certain Games leads to the start of others. Since the Games have continued for centuries, with a grand enough prize to draw some of the greatest heroes the world has known, I would say Humbuggle has accomplished his aim.”

  “Have you discovered any of his deeper secrets?” Seth asked.

  “Only hints,” Virgil said. “But Humbuggle openly adores tricks and riddles. You should do all the research you can before taking action.”

  “Have you considered joining the Games?” Seth asked.

  Virgil chuckled. “I know my limits. I’m a brilliant researcher. And a fan. I advise those who intend to join the Games. I don’t participate directly. That’s the only reason I’m still around.”

  “If I want, I can go sign up and fight in the arena?” Seth checked.

  “The arena is always accepting new combatants,” Virgil said.

  “Can we catch a fight today?” Seth asked.

  “It’s too late,” Virgil said. “We can go in the morning.”

  “Are tickets expensive?” Seth asked.

  “Do you have money?” Virgil asked.

  “I’m broke,” Seth said.

  “There are ways in without money,” Virgil said. “Do you have a place to stay?”

  Seth shifted uncomfortably. “Not yet. We just got to town.”

  “You can have one of my couches,” Virgil said. “It isn’t fancy, but you can’t beat the price.”

  “Maybe I could get rid of wraiths for somebody,” Seth said. “Then I could pay you something.”

  “The undead can’t enter Humburgh,” Virgil said. “You’ll have a hard time finding your kind of work here.”

  Seth thought about Virgil’s assertion. Did a presence like Reggie not count as one of the undead?

  “What about me?” Calvin asked from Seth’s pocket. “Could I sneak inside the Games as a passenger?”

  Virgil gasped, then crouched to observe the pocket where Calvin was peeking out. “And who are you?”

  “Calvin, the Tiny Hero, avowed liegeman of Seth Sorenson.”

  “You must be a nipsie,” Virgil said.

  “I can sometimes sneak past magical defenses,” Calvin said. “They’re not usually attuned to invaders my size.”

  “You haven’t come up against Humbuggle,” Virgil said.

  “Actually, I sort of have,” Calvin replied. “I couldn’t enter Stormguard Castle.”

  “I think it would go similarly if you tried to sneak into the arena,” Virgil said. “Humbuggle is remarkably thorough, especially where the Games are involved.”

  “Calvin must like you,” Seth said. “He sometimes lies low.”

  “Virgil is our kind of guy,” Calvin said. “It’s written all over him. You haven’t heard of other nipsies around here, have you? Perhaps a female named Serena?”

  Virgil scowled in thought. “Now that you mention it, I heard tell of a nipsie spotted at Humbuggle’s manor. The rumor stood out because we don’t see your kind in Humburgh. Meeting a nipsie is a first for me.”

  “I’m encouraged that you heard about a nipsie,” Calvin said.

  “At least it’s a lead,” Virgil said.

  “Thanks for your help,” Seth said.

  “My thanks go to you,” Virgil said. “Without heroes who brave the Games, I would have nothing to study. We’ll help each other. Should we go find the hermit troll and the little golem?”

  “I have weird friends,” Seth said.

  Virgil smiled. “You can add one more to the list.”

  Kendra waited on a bench near a towering urn in the study where she had first met Dectus, her arm bandaged. After receiving medical attention, she had been escorted here by the servant who had intervened with Ronodin.

  The alchemist who dressed Kendra’s arm had commented that without his healing solutions, stitches would have been required. Instead he packed the gash with a gelatinous substance, glued the skin together, and wrapped her forearm with gauze.

  She had been waiting for Dectus much longer than she expected. Had the giant been notified she was here? Did he not care?

  Kendra took out Bracken’s first horn, gripping it tightly. Bracken had warned that even with the horn she wouldn’t be able to communicate with the Fairy Realm because it was too effectively sealed off from the mortal world. She wondered if Bracken was close to completing his work expelling the demons. She worried about the fire she had seen when crossing the Fairy Realm on her way to Titan Valley. And it bothered her that Ronodin seemed to know about the upheaval there.

  Was it possible that Bracken really loved her? Could his full affection simply be on hold? Or was Ronodin messing with her mind? She knew she couldn’t trust anything he said.

  Kendra gently scratched at the edge of her bandages. If she could leave her mortality behind and join the fairies, would she do it? Was the option even possible? What would such an action do to her ties with her family? Might it not be worth any cost if the transformation meant getting to spend eons with Bracken? Teens grew up to eventually leave home and become adults. In many ways Kendra was already on her own. Maybe her destiny would take her farther from home than anyone could have guessed. Kendra wondered if Bracken cared enough for the issue to ever be relevant.

  Finally Dectus burst through the door. He relaxed a bit when he saw her, straightening his robe before closing the door gently. As he crossed to her, Kendra had a clear sense that he was trying to conceal how rattled he was.

  “You’ve had an eventful time,” Dectus said, crouching to scoop Kendra into his palm.

  “That’s one way to put it,” Kendra said, raising her injured arm. “The giant killer attacked me.”

  Dectus carried her to his desk and set her down carefully. “I’m aware of the altercation. What did you learn?”

  “He is Ronodin, the dark unicorn,” Kendra said. “He was behind the fall of Wyrmroost and other dragon sanctuaries.”

  Dectus nodded. “That is useful information. Unfortunately, the Giant Queen has placed me on probation as a member of her Council.”

  “Wait, why?” Kendra asked. “For protecting Titan Valley?”

  “That isn’t how the queen views it,” Dectus said. “She thinks I encouraged you to create a scene that would make Prince Doranio look bad.”

  “But you had no
part in it!” Kendra exclaimed.

  “Word of what the servant saw got back to the queen immediately,” Dectus said. “Everything her servants observe gets reported. She was angry with the giant killer, but he insisted she put a silver collar on him and then testified that you started the fight. The giant killer claimed he was only resisting your attack.”

  Kendra opened her mouth to defend herself and then paused to reconsider her words. “I guess I did throw fruit at him. And I tried to whack him with a bowl.”

  “Were you lying when you claimed he attacked you?” Dectus asked.

  Kendra avoided his gaze. “Well, Ronodin has attacked me and my family in so many ways, but technically I fell and hurt myself while trying to hit him.”

  “The Giant Queen knows the truth because Ronodin wasn’t strangled,” Dectus said.

  “He kidnapped my brother,” Kendra said. “He destroyed Wyrmroost and got Agad killed.”

  “I don’t like him either,” Dectus said. “But you must not make false accusations. To the queen, you have been established as disreputable. Your testimony against Ronodin will mean little.”

  Kendra winced. She hadn’t anticipated the consequences of starting a fight with Ronodin, nor had she foreseen the implications of her false accusation. She had responded to problems of the moment instinctively and let her anger take over, and it had weakened her ability to help protect Titan Valley. Dectus had paid a price as well.

  “I’m sorry,” Kendra said.

  “Consider it a lesson in politics,” Dectus said. “If you claim the moral high ground, the chinks in your armor become targets. You mustn’t give your enemies wrong behavior to exploit.”

  “Someone like Ronodin will always take advantage,” Kendra said.

  “Precisely,” Dectus said. “And a ruler like the queen has her biases, meaning even perfect arguments get ignored at times, leaving little chance for flawed ones.”

  “Whether she knows it or not, with Ronodin here, Titan Valley is in danger,” Kendra said. “How long has he been courting the queen?”

  “Off and on for several months now,” Dectus said.

  “Does she trust him?” Kendra asked. “Does she share secrets with him?”