***
The mage suddenly found himself standing high on a rocky escarpment on the side of a mountain. The stiff breeze blew through his armor and chilled his skin.
“Why here? It’s so damned cold!” protested Tyler. “My balls are going to freeze in a few minutes.”
“Sorry. I was thinking of the perfect scenic view,” replied Loki. A bonfire appeared in the middle of the clearing and the wind’s strength lessened.
“Better?” asked Loki solicitously.
Tyler nodded, holding out his hands to the warmth of the flames.
“Thanks,” said the mage quietly.
“As I said, a very picturesque sight. To your left, the western lands of Skaney, with the added bonus of Ymir’s legions and the dokkalfr, and to the right are the fertile regions of the east. A much, much better proposition, now those rotting undead have been dealt with. I do hope they get buried. Otherwise, they’ll stink up the place.”
Tyler was becoming bewildered. Loki’s discussion was confusing, to say the least – talking about overthrowing the order of things and then concern about sanitation the next. The mage didn’t know if the trickster god was purposely being obtuse or merely demented, though the east reference intrigued him, not without a great deal of apprehension.
“What do you mean by east? Eastern Skaney, I suppose?” asked the mage.
“East is east. Though strictly speaking if one says west, there’s no south or north, is there? Everything is either east or west. Now, where were we? Ah, revolution. Adar-wide. Served on Loki’s silver, no, golden platter. The rise of man. New deities, benevolent, of course. A far lesser number of gods by the time it’s finished. Nicer ones too, I hope.”
“Benevolent? Ha. Just a set of new masters, with a high chance of being worse overlords,” remarked Tyler, still warming himself.
“Same dog, new collar wouldn’t do, Havard. It’s one of your fascinating First World sayings. If the new deities are not worth the change, then why not yet another revolution? And then another? Blood and war, violence and piety, destroy and rebuild. After all the ensuing chaos and mayhem, the trail of bodies, death, and destruction, I doubt if mortal man would be willing to believe in deities anymore. At least, in those that don’t deliver. The ordinary mortal might be gullible or even stupid, but even the most patient animal has limits.”
“You’d be surprised, Loki. But that’s it? Your grand purpose? Would that be worth all the deaths carried on your shoulders? I would say conscience, but that would be lying. What a moronic concept, excuse the term, repeating the same mess over and over again until those at the bottom refuse to have anything to do it anymore,” said Tyler.
“Oh, this part I like! The drama! The moral question! The bitterness! The intellectual and philosophical banter!”
The mage unbelievingly stared at Loki.
This bitch is insane.
“I know that look, First Mage. Remember, the great and wise made me what I am. From a god of mere mischief to a lord of evil. You could say they brought this on themselves. This is what evil does, am I right?”
“I don’t believe so,” slowly replied Tyler. “Mindless death and destruction are chaos, but not evil. Evil is a purpose unto itself. Without that, its existence becomes… pointless.”
“Ha! I do have a purpose. When the pantheons do finally fall, I shall savor my victory,” answered Loki with a smile. Though he did adopt a victorious pose with his right profile facing the mage.
“What purpose would your pointless war serve, if you admit it’s but exchanging old masters for new ones!” shouted Tyler in frustration.
“Sorry, but that’s one thing I can’t share. No lord of evil goes around announcing his purpose in life. That’s common sense.”
Oh, God. He’s not only insane but thinks of himself as a visionary. Probably the worst alternative – an insane visionary. I don’t know anymore. I can’t find the words to describe this pyscho. Batshit crazy? Nah, too mild.
“You think you’ve got a lunatic in front of you, Havard.”
Tyler’s jaw dropped. It was exactly what he was thinking.
“Now let me elucidate,” Loki’s tone changed to that of a teacher. A serious one, though the irritating half-smile remained.
“I am now at war. War is not an extension of politics. Rather politics is but an extension of war. And by that, we define war as a state of mind, consciously or unwittingly focused on the acquisition or attainment of certain properties or a specific purpose. You do understand that?” the deity asked as he paced to and fro, with his hands clasped at the back, in front of the still befuddled mage.
He’s turning everything upside-down, and I get a lecture on political philosophy?
“Mortal man is a creature created with an innate inclination to conflict, or war. Semantics and all that. There will always be competing goals or limited material wealth that would entice men to do the worst to their fellow men. Therein lies the test of mortals, to transcend such mortifications or remain as mere beasts clad in better raiment. The existence of extraneous beliefs chaining them down is a serious obstacle to such ascendancy.”
“Loki. You’re reducing all the useless deaths and devastation from your still-undeclared war to a philosophical argument. What you’re doing is a senseless and costly experiment in removing man’s belief in deities. It is marked by so many inconsistencies, copious bloodshed, and inestimable suffering that I doubt there would be anybody left to save in the end. That’s not right. It’s an abominable concept. I don’t think it’s too late to stop this madness. Stop it now,” entreated Tyler, half pleading and half arguing.
Given Loki’s extreme mood and mind swings, the mage had given up attempting to get the deity to see reason. Tyler knew it was a forlorn hope. Something in Loki was sadly and irreparably broken, and the mage strongly doubted if he could convince the mad deity not to step over the edge in his descent to final madness. It appeared that Loki didn’t mind bringing the entire world down with him. The more he saw of the deity, the better he felt about not confronting him about the discovery of the plan to plunge Skaney into internal strife. Loki definitely had a reason for laying the groundwork for such a war. It was typical Loki. Layers upon layers of plots and schemes. Tyler doubted if it’s only Skaney on Loki’s plate of conspiracies.
“Ah, Havard,” said Loki, “I did hope you’d see reason and join me. But right now, you remind me of a phrase from one of your world’s songs which I happen to like. A man who is too afraid to fly that he never did land.”
I knew it. He has at least a viewing portal somewhere. And he also uses it as a freaking radio? And what’s that song?
Suddenly, the deity’s mood shifted.
“But matters are what they are. An exciting game! A different one! Sweep your opponents off the board without touching the opposing main piece!” exclaimed Loki. Then he abruptly turned pensive. “I don’t think I’ve heard of such a game before.”
At the thought, the Trickster God immediately brightened up. “Imagine that! We’ve just invented a new game! Either of us might end up dead or painfully imprisoned for eternity, but they can’t take that away from us! We’re trailblazers, you and I!”
God help me. This is getting seriously off-track.
“And what do you plan to do now?” Tyler asked, halfheartedly trying to get the subject back to Loki’s plans. He had given up. Talking to Loki was like eating a bunch of unlabeled filled chocolates. One never really knew what the next flavor would be.
An insane god of mischief and evil. That’s who I am facing, realized Tyler. Even the squids had a clear purpose. Loki merely thinks he has one or deludes himself to believe he has something greater than ordinary havoc and mayhem.
“Well, that’s for me to execute and for you to find out!” announced the deity. “Happy hunting!”
Just like that, the scene shifted and Tyler found himself back on the outskirts of Fossegrim Forest.
***
Upon arrival, the mage hel
d up his hand to stop questions from his worried companions and walked to a large stone. He sat down and looked at his friends.
“I need to think while what he said is still fresh in my mind,” explained the mage. The companions nodded and adopted a defensive formation around him.
That was one confusing experience. A Rorschach test come to life.
Loki obviously wanted Tyler to know he was indirectly responsible for the recent troubles besetting all the realms. The mage didn’t doubt the mad deity had more schemes now just unfolding beyond his knowledge. The mage’s cold detachment came into the forefront of his mind, washing away vestiges of fury and other emotional distractions that would hinder a calculated assessment of the situation.
First, the mage focused on the assumption that though peculiarly insane, Loki didn’t do or say anything without reason. His appearance now and the statements he made were calculated to obtain some kind of response, decision, or way of thinking. But Tyler was at a loss on what was the end game of the deity. The attack on Asem had been intended to trigger a reaction from Kemet and draw them into waging war in a faraway land.
A diversion of a strong ally from the northern chaos? he considered. Though I believe the war would sap Kemet’s strength as quickly as the desert heat. However, I doubt if that’s the only card Loki intended to play in that part of Adar. It couldn’t be that simple. The bastard evidently had created an extensive network of allies throughout Adar and its pantheons. If he couldn’t get them as allies, Loki would somehow provoke some kind of reaction of benefit to him – the invasion plans of Sutr and Ymir for example.
His thoughts shifted, now focused on the dokkalfr, his next concern. Promises to deities do have to be honored. Tyler knew he didn’t need another pissed-off powerful being. If Freyr gets mad, his sister Freyja would be too – a make one angry, and get two furious situation.
At least Ymir would have to reduce the dokkalfr first to secure his flank before he tries marching on Scarburg again. Fighting on the dokkalfr’s main turf would be difficult – mountains, defended underground cities, fortified tunnels, all that would take time. Yet Ymir wouldn’t commit everything to the Dokkalfr Mountains. He’s still the paranoid jotunn lord. He’ll keep a lot of forces on his border with Sutr and some in the area facing Scarburg. But once the dark elves are conquered, Eastern Skaney is good as gone. And the dwarves. But from what I remember of Jorund’s map, they would fall under the fire jotunn’s sphere of responsibility. Unfortunately, Sarva’s people would be in the middle of all this chaos.
As he sat thinking, a melodious voice broke his reverie.
“Havard!” He turned at Eira’s voice. The beautiful forest spirit, his wife, was there, walking toward him. The companions bowed. Suddenly, the young man forgot everything as he stood up and strode toward the long-missed comfort of those arms. He embraced his wife tightly and acutely felt the tightness of her welcome hug. Tyler lost himself in her presence, smelling her wondrous scent, feeling the texture of her skin. He was lost in the intoxicating air of Eira being in his arms. He was home. Tyler could feel the warm tears of his wife flowing down her face and into his neck. At that point in time, the world might end that instant, and he didn’t care.
He was home.
Epilogue
Threads
And after that, Loki hid himself in Franang’s waterfall in the guise of a salmon, and there the gods took him. He was bound with the bowels of his son Vali, but his son Narfi was changed to a wolf. Skathi took a poison-snake and fastened it up over Loki’s face, and the poison dropped thereon. Sigyn, Loki’s wife, sat there and held a shell under the poison, but when the shell was full, she bore away the poison, and meanwhile the poison dropped on Loki. Then he struggled so hard that the whole earth shook therewith; and now that is called an earthquake.
A strange mist, colored by flecks of red fire, arose from the ground, surrounding Tyler’s form.
The companions looked on in shock. Eira stared at him and immediately tightly hugged his body. Tyler hugged her back as the strange fog drew quickly brought both down into the ground.
A blackness encapsulated the two though the mage felt himself being drawn to a certain destination.
“Guys, what’s happening?”
“A sort of teleportation spell, sire. Though a bit crude. It’s not instantaneous,” answered Hal.
Leave it to Hal to be technologically discerning. And distracted, thought the mage.
“I am afraid that’s obvious to everyone, Hal. Where are we going and who is doing this?” asked Tyler, making clear he wanted to be answered.
“No idea, sire. Though it appears to be one of the underworld dimensions of myth. The taint in the energy used shows that fact. As to the perpetrator, it could be anyone ruling the many dimensions of the dead,” Hal replied.
“Just be ready. And don’t wait for any instructions from me if there’s an imminent danger to all of us. We’ll find out soon enough who is doing this,” instructed the mage as he clutched Eira tighter. The forest spirit stayed quiet, though Tyler could feel her gathering magical energy.
That’s my girl.
The darkness around them abruptly disappeared.
Tyler saw they were both flying at great speed and height above a blackened and devastated landscape torn by numerous flaming lava flows and angry volcanoes. The sky was darkened by multiple large columns of smoke coiling up into the ashen skies. He looked in the direction where they were flying. An enormous black crater, its sides ominously marked by fiery geysers and gushing sulfuric fumes, waited for them.
“Where are we, kerasti?” asked Eira, the fear in her voice palpable as she took in the desolate and frightening sight.
“If I am not mistaken, this must be Tartarus. No other underworld fits the scenes we are seeing. Way below Hades, the Greek underworld,” replied Tyler. And it appears we’re heading toward its darkest depths. But the last observation remained unuttered. He didn’t want Eira to be more frightened than she already was.
The pair dizzyingly dove down the black crater and again blackness surrounded them. Tyler could see a pinprick of light ahead.
“We are nearing our destination,” he told Eira.
“Good,” came the reply. “I am tired of being afraid.”
A flash of intense light engulfed them and the two suddenly found themselves in a brightly lit cavern. In front of them, seated in a chair made of stone, was a bearded old man, wearing a ragged and dirty chiton.
“Hail, First Mage. I would stand up, but the effort of bringing you here has exhausted me for the moment. But what is this? A beautiful forest spirit from Skaney? Quite powerful too, I may say. No wonder my power was tested! I was bringing two!” laughed the stranger who then bowed in the direction of Eira.
“Our greetings too, stranger,” replied Tyler. “You have the better of us as we do not know your name. Nor does a gracious host suddenly grab his guests without warning or permission.”
“My apologies, First Mage. You see, I can’t leave this place yet. But I believe that time might be nearing. And I wanted to see and talk to the mortal who had thwarted many of my plans, indirectly and directly.”
“Thwarted? I don’t even know you!” replied the mage sarcastically. The slightly condescending tone of the being was getting on his nerves.
“My name then. Once upon a time, mortals knew me. Praised me,” the seated figure mused, eyes taking a faraway look. “Loved me for what I and mine did for them. Now, I hear they curse my name. Ah, the lies the gods above would weave!”
“You still haven’t answered me, you know,” Tyler reminded him.
“You’ll know it eventually. But remember this, First Mage. My sons and I fought for mortals before and were punished for it. This… this deepest part of Tartarus was our reward. The fools! They only made it possible for us to meet beings who hated them more than we do!”
“Fought for mortals? And you say you’re the one responsible for those schemes resulting in the deaths of so ma
ny mortals?”
“Not all of those plots. Even I couldn’t manage the will of some powerful beings. Though I could, in some small way, guide their desires toward the results I seek.”
“And what would those be? Another attempt to rule Adar?”
“Nothing so mundane, First Mage. The liberation of mortals from the shackles of ignorance clamped on them by the so-called pantheons is a worthy goal, is it not?” smiled the entity.
“Yet you still haven’t answered me why so many died because of your scheming. I would guess that undead plague was your doing. Probably other troubles which had buffeted the world above. Even Loki’s plotting,” accused Tyler.
“Ah. Innocent casualties in war are a necessary consequence, First Mage. Especially when the stakes are high enough. The plague was a necessary diversion to assist Loki in his plans, without his knowledge, of course—though I believe he credits Echidna and her friends with the feat. It goes without saying, I have asked the Titan to play along. As to Loki, I wouldn’t touch that trickster with a dory. And the other schemes? Suffice it to say you’ve blunted most of them.”
“Then why am I here? Revenge?”
“And risk the wrath of the Ones who set the divine rules? No, I am not that foolhardy. But you were bound to find out later. What I want is for you to pick a side in this conflict – the side of mortals, or that of the pantheons,” the being answered self-righteously.
“And what about the magical energy of this world then?” countered Tyler.
“Magic has been responsible for the existence of the pantheons, and their source of power. A free humanity does not need magic.”
“You’ll also disappear then,” observed the mage coldly.
“A small price to pay for the freedom of mortals, wouldn’t you agree? My son gifted mortals with fire and what did they do? Punished him for eternity until a half-mortal, a demigod, freed him! A small matter, fire, but one which improved the lot of mortals 1,000-fold! Those are the kind of beings you have been helping!” shouted the stranger.
The Accidental Archmage - Book Five Page 35