Gates

by Edmund A. M. Batara

  Somehow, I had the feeling it wouldn’t be the same now on an Earth filled with unfamiliar magical creatures and beings. The dark miasma spreading throughout the world from the Mesopotamian underworld clearly was magic; by its presence, it was permeating everything. For some reason, it didn't grant humans magical ability, but it could also be due to the lack of knowledge to make use of such energy.

  I looked at Jen whose attention was on the animated discussion going on between members of the group, though one was detailed on guard duty. I thought of telling her my concerns right there and then, but the presence of the warriors precluded it.

  My fears and suspicions were starting to eat me up from the inside. Guilt was rearing its ugly and heavy head, guilt about the death of Henry and the people back at the farmhouse. Could I have drawn the attention of those creatures? Given Lamashtu’s visit, that was a possibility polluted with despair. The implications were matters my mind adamantly refused to ponder. The mere fact I had kept secrets from Jen was already a heavy burden.

  And that rift-creating ability Lamashtu referred to? That was a mortal concern—mortal, as in lethal. There were already more than enough murderous and hungry monsters around without me adding to them. Though discovering that I was not now part of the menu was a great, though admittedly selfish, relief. But that was with just one of the Mesopotamian underworld realms. I still didn't know if my new-found unpalatability extended to creatures of all the factions.

  I really needed to talk to Jen about everything, but matters had to wait. I didn’t know what she would say or how people would react to such news. This armored lot would probably happily chop me to pieces. But my main concern now was Jen. If things became worse, then I would be forced to stay away from her. And that was a situation I refused to accept—there must be something which would enable me to control the creation or at least determine the time and mode of such rifts.

  Right now, I was praying my rift creation ability could be controlled or at least needed a known trigger. Otherwise, I would have to avoid cities, town, villages, and other human settlements. I would literally be death in person to such communities. Death personified. Now that was a description I would really hate to be associated with.

  I felt Jen tug at my arm. I turned to her. She had a weary smile on her face.

  “The world has really turned upside-down,” she whispered.

  I grinned back. “At least, we’re both alive. And together.”

  “There’s that. But I still can’t get over Henry’s death. After everything…”

  “Jen, I know,” I said softly. “I also feel the same way. We owe him our lives. To lose him just like that doesn’t do justice to the man.”

  I never told Jen the gruesome details of how Henry had died. The man deserved respect even in death. All I said was that one of those vampire-like creatures had surprised our friend.

  But the sudden appearance of the monsters at the farm, their avoidance of me, and the arrival of Lamashtu did raise some significant questions, the answers to which might add to my already burden of guilty suspicions. It was highly probable that the vampire creatures were sent to clear out the homestead, or even to flush me out, a situation which would make me a walking signpost with a magical blinker announcing where I was. Not good.

  I also couldn’t leave Jen now. That would ensure her death, considering the infested nature of the lands around us. Better to have her stay with me now and pray I could shield her from the murderous attentions of bizarre entities. So far, it appeared I was granted a free pass. I hoped to extend the benefits to Jen.

  “Eirikr! A moment of your time?” called Haakon. I stood up and joined them. The battle mage didn’t bother with introductions, a fact which surprised me.

  “No introductions?” At least I had the gumption to ask.

  One of the female warriors laughed.

  “No need, mortal. We know your faces and it’s better this way. No telling if any of us will survive this adventure. We meet an enemy, we fight together. If either or both of you die, there won’t be any emotional ties. We’ll offer prayers, but after that, life goes on,” the speaker explained.

  “As for our company, we have been together long enough to get tired of each other’s faces,” added another warrior.

  That sparked a round of boisterous laughter.

  “Now, Eirikr. We were trying to determine our options. We’re lost like a dvergr in an Alfar whorehouse. The decision is to try to visit the fire jotnars and hope we can steal a ride home. But to do that, we need your help in determining their location,” explained Haakon.

  “I don’t recommend going back where we came from; there’s a great battle going on and I don’t know if it’s over. And two powerful demons were also fighting each other some distance from here,” I replied.

  “What do you suggest?” asked one of the warriors. He looked to be the oldest in the group if his white and silvery hair and beard were any indications.

  The speaker’s blue eyes looked wise. I couldn’t put a finger on it but his gaze gave one that impression. His weapon, a warhammer, was even larger than the battleaxes held by the other men. It looked as if it had seen a lot of use and was more richly decorated than the rest. A powerful magical weapon, based on the faint white radiance it emitted.

  Discovering such magical emanations was also a new ability I discovered. That was one secret Jen knew about though she wasn’t surprised. I guessed she half-expected it after seeing my veins turn green from that ziggurat energy. I had to admit, she was more accepting of the disastrous changes happening around us compared to me. Part of me was still in denial.

  “We have been trying to head west, toward a large city. But we have been forced to head north to escape various creatures. What I saw in the town now being contested between Muspellheimr and those dark creatures, was that the flame creatures had been coming from northern and northeastern directions, though mostly from the north,” I narrated, drawing a diagram in the dirt for clarity. “I suggest we all continue north and then turn west. Hopefully, we’ll see some indication where they’re coming from. At that point, we can go our separate ways as Jen and I still intend to reach the city.”

  The company exchanged glances and then everybody looked at the warrior with the warhammer.

  “Dark creatures which turn to ash. Demons. Monstrous beasts,” he laughed. “Those einherji will have their hands full. But Eirikr’s suggestion is sound. We should avoid facing beings who might turn out to be beyond our capacity to handle, and definitely keep away from an ongoing battle which is not our concern. And we do understand you need to go back to your kind, young man. We’ll travel together until the time comes for us to part.”

  ***

  We continued in a northward direction as I had suggested. But this time, we had warriors with us, with weapons capable of handling whatever hostile and hungry beasts we might encounter. The scouts took front and rear positions, and a warrior guarded each flank from sudden attacks.

  Our new-found companions were not taking any chances. Several times during the trek, a bird call from the leading scout forced us into cover. As a result, our progress was slow, not that I had any complaints. No beastie was a good thing.

  Evening found us secluded in a gully, eating cold rations. The warriors didn’t want to risk a fire. The usual guards were posted, though as expected, we were not included in the watch roster. I did notice one or two warriors were always near us. It was evident that trust was a precious commodity our companions, or captors, were very stingy in doling out. But then again, misplaced faith could kill you.

  The pace of the warriors was a punishing one. Since we didn’t want to be accused of slowing them down, we tried our best to match their grueling tempo. Even if the journey was punctuated with breaks, the speed of the march added to the stress and weariness of our fatigued bodies. Jen went to sleep immediately while my aching limbs ached badly enough to keep me awake. I saw Haakon sitting by the fire and went to join him.

&nb
sp; “So, what’s the difference between those in Valhalla and the House of Gimli?” I asked as I sat down.

  He smiled and pointed at his head. I laughed in response.

  “We are caught in confounding and difficult times, Eirikr. I had believed that Ragnarok would be the culmination of existence, an event when time itself would end. It would appear I was wrong. What’s happening now is worse. Eventually, we’ll have the opposing worlds of Yggdrasill embroiled in a war over Midgard, while fighting against those newcomers. And more realities could be coming, you said?”

  I nodded.

  “A war of chaos with Midgard as the arena. From what I know about magic, crossing into known planes is feasible, provided enough power and the knowledge are both available. A simple truism of magical lore, but one which also raises the possibility of war on different planes when, not if, ability becomes a reality.”

  “All that anarchic conflict while everything is being forcibly drawn into wherever and whatever the other side of that giant rift will bring everybody. Or maybe the opening will just grind everything down to bare energy,” I commented.

  Suddenly, numerous flashes lit up the night sky, Some looked different, like slashes across the dark firmament. In the far distance, a few slivers of light, in colors of bright green and a few of gold, reached for the sky.

  “A massive outpouring of magic from different sources, many unfamiliar,” said Haakon.

  Shit. It’s getting worse. But the Mesopotamians now have competition, aside from between and among themselves. A small consolation. The only problem is that Muspellheimr got to be the first to arrive from the Norse plane of reality.

  “First time I have seemed such a phenomenon. If its magic, familiar or unfamiliar, it can only mean more rifts. Some being created,” I commented in reply to Haakon’s observation.

  “Just how large are these openings?” asked the battle mage.

  “Not that big,” I replied and described the size and appearance of the rift which had massive tentacles trying to squeeze out.

  “A tear in a magical barrier could be made larger. A small portal can be transformed into a gate. It looks like a lot of openings are being created or being expanded,” he said calmly.

  I didn’t say anything. The light spectacle in the heavens could only mean most of the Mesopotamian factions had gained substantial footholds and were bringing over reinforcements. And the few golden beams indicated that more creatures from Muspellheimr were on their way.

  It’s going to be Hell on earth and we didn’t even need Satan for it to happen, I thought despondently.

  12

  Mušḫuššu

  The following day saw us continuing northward for a few hours in the morning and then as we took a break, I dimly sensed disturbances to the west of our position. It was like having a strong impulse to go in a specific direction. Not that I could perceive or had the vaguest idea of what was drawing me.

  “I think it’s time to turn to the west,” I told Haakon.

  He looked at me a few seconds more than the statement warranted and then nodded.

  “I guess the timing is just about right. We’ve been moving north for a while,” the warrior said. “Would you like to separate from the group now or later?”

  “Later. When we’re on our own, both of us can try skirting whatever beasts or unsavory entities we encounter. I am not that confident about continuing north by ourselves. Most of the lights we saw last night were in that direction. I believe it’s best to make the most out of the security your company provides,” I answered with a smile.

  He laughed as he slapped my back—it hurt—and called out instructions to the rest. Then he looked at me with a grin.

  “Good decision. I would have made the same choice if I were in your place.”

  The journey now was more difficult. Broken terrain and thicker forest saw to that obstacle. Unlike before, we didn’t have the luxury of finding and using forest trails which showed fewer animals frequented this part of the woods.

  Our scouts were more careful now, which meant a lot of pauses while the area in front of us was checked. From what I overheard, Helga, the scout, could see numerous creatures in the distance, along flatter ground, every time she clambered up a tree. Inevitably, that meant our route was meandering; one intended to avoid the beasts and monsters she espied. Nor was Helga familiar with most of the creatures she saw. On the bright side, the scout now reported sighting different kinds of fire jotnar, which in turn signified we were on the right track.

  By mid-afternoon, we reached the edge of the woodlands. Before us was flat terrain for the most part, broken by clumps of coniferous trees. Browns and yellows of arrowleaf weeds colored the grassland waiting for us. Thick clusters of sagebrush and dogwood also marked the landscape.

  The entire party lay prone as the scouts and Haakon, together with the elder warrior, conferred. They were not happy with the contour of the land before us.

  Too open, ambush, exposed to the sky, were some of the phrases I heard. Despite my lack of forest and military experience, I could see they were right. But there appeared to be no other alternative, the same exposed landscape extended on both sides of our position.

  For a change, I couldn’t hear any sound of fighting or other noise in the distance, but my feeling of disquiet had increased. The strange energy surges I could sense were faintly thrumming now, a few in strong beats, and were starting to be uncomfortable. I assumed this development was probably related to being closer to the disturbances I had sensed earlier.

  Then I noticed the warriors had stopped talking and bows were brought out. The forest had gone silent. There was a sudden rise in tension in the air. Jen moved closer. As I looked around trying to determine the cause of such apprehension, I noticed most of the party were observing the sky. Warriors quietly spread out, taking cover behind trees and bringing out their weapons. Jen and I did the same, but we stayed together.

  For the better part of an hour, everyone waited in place. Nothing happened, but the warriors never relaxed. Finally, Haakon lifted his arm and made a series of complicated hand signals. Two warriors moved from their positions, crouched and moved to the edge of the woods, weapons at the ready. I still couldn’t see what alarmed them. Then the duo strode out from the tree cover.

  As soon as they moved out, I felt a powerful pressure pass through me, making me violently and involuntarily shudder. Jen looked at me, concern and a question in her eyes. I shook my head and embraced her. The pair of warriors had barely taken a few steps when a loud thump echoed throughout the area. Something huge had heavily dropped down in front of the woods.

  A large dust cloud accompanied the loud crash, and as I lowered my head, I saw the exposed pair of warriors run back to the cover of the trees. A strident hissing sound followed. I counted to ten and looked up. In front of us was a great black beast, like a huge lizard, appearing like what one would expect from a dragon. It was scaly, with four feet, claws, horned head, and a long snake-like tongue. But there the similarity ended. It had a long neck like a giraffe, its legs appeared to have feathers, and a red plumage on top of its head, in the place behind the horns.

  My mind raced, trying to identify the inexplicable creature. Arrows were already flying in the air toward the beast. There were no shouts of recognition from the warriors and neither did I remember anything like the creature from those found in Norse mythology, a realization which left Mesopotamian myth.

  “Eirikr! Back! Go back deeper into the woods!” I heard Haakon cry out. I followed the command immediately, holding Jen tightly, not wishing for any accident to separate us in this sudden encounter. Glancing back, I saw the monster closing in. We raced back around fifty feet and took cover behind some trees.

  The beast had already entered the woods by that time and I could see the warriors fighting it from the flanks. Every time it tried to attack one group, the other would assault it. Spears were already buried deep inside its body, and numerous cuts showed the effectiveness and
skill of the fighters.

  But the party was fast running out of cover. The creature had toppled trees around it, creating obstacles for its attackers. Suddenly, its rear legs gave way, a testament to the precise slashes made by the warriors. Immediately, the gray-haired warrior, the one with the enormous warhammer, took a running leap and landed on the lower neck. Two quick blows and the monster keeled over with a massive crash on the forest floor, its neck broken. One of the warriors rushed to the head and used his battleaxe to ensure it was as dead as it looked.

  As it lay there, the crushed and sliced head now at a right angle to its body, I finally remembered the name of the creature lying dead before me. A mušḫuššu, one of the earliest dragons to appear in ancient myth. Drawings of the beast decorated numerous temples and religious artifacts of the Mesopotamian world. But I didn’t recall any illustration which showed it to be black.