Power Play:
Act 1 Svartalfheim
By Jeremy Croston
© 2014/2015 Jeremy Croston
Two Dudes, Brews, & Books
http://ucfgk04.wix.com/twodudesbrewsbooks
This book is a work of fiction.
All of the names, places,
and events that occur are from
the author’s imagination.
Any resemblance to an actual
person, alive or dead, place,
historical event, or business establishment
is purely coincidental.
Cover image by Amanda Sia
Illustrations by Marc Wondolowski
http://www.remarealm.com
Proofreader: Stephanie Croston
Edited by EG Editing Services – Orlando
This book is dedicated to my beautiful wife
who gave me the push to make this a reality.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Part One: Blood and Arrows
Prologue
Chapter 1 - Order
Chapter 2 - Algrim
Chapter 3 - Mallerk
Chapter 4 - Attack
Chapter 5 - Tracking
Chapter 6 - Blood
Chapter 7 - Vengeance
Chapter 8 - Target
Chapter 9 - Trepidation
Chapter 10 - Wolves
Chapter 11 - Found
Chapter 12 - Ustin
Chapter 13 - Trickster
Chapter 14 - Oor
Chapter 15 - Arrows
Chapter 16 - Choice
Chapter 17 - Snow
Chapter 18 - Fire
Chapter 19 - Jack
Part Two: Power Play
Chapter 20 - Practice
Chapter 21 - Hooligans
Chapter 22 - Sif
Chapter 23 – Thunder
Chapter 24 – Rumil
Chapter 25 - Fates
Chapter 26 - History
Chapter 27 – Assassin
Chapter 28 - Hrotti
Chapter 29 - Svartalfheim
Chapter 30 - Hargna
Chapter 31 - Dad
Chapter 32 - Freedom
Chapter 33 - Icing
Chapter 34 - Changes
Chapter 35 - Consequences
Chapter 36 – Azmodeous
Chapter 37 - Training
Chapter 38 - Control
Chapter 39 - Proposal
Chapter 40 - Engagement
Chapter 41 - Arrows
Chapter 42 - Smoke
Chapter 43 - Bonded
Chapter 44 - Harbinger
Chapter 45 – Trouble
Chapter 46 - Thor
Chapter 47 - Duel
Chapter 48 - Loki
Chapter 49 - Plan
Chapter 50 - Revelation
Chapter 51 - Valhalla
Chapter 52 - Jailbreak
Chapter 53 - Showdown
Chapter 54 - Aftermath
Chapter 55 - Midgard
Epilogue
Calder Falls in Love… Again
More from Jeremy Croston:
One Last Thing…
Part One: Blood and Arrows
Prologue
For many cycles, both races of elves lived in peace in the far reaches of Alfheim. High in the great tree, Yggdrasil, they prospered together, enjoying the fruits of their labor. The light elves, fair skinned and golden haired, excelled in the arts and magic. The dark elves, smokey blue in their complexion, preferred to work in crafting metal and using their creations for combat.
But, as all things that are different, they would not always see eye to eye. At first, the complaints were small and easily resolved. As time went on, the differences grew and the feelings between the races hardened. No longer able to resolve their conflicts, the dark elves decided it was time for them to find their own land. The light elf emperor was against this, stating that the dark elves were, in fact, to be common laborers for the light elves. Angered by such arrogance, the dark elves took matters into their own hands. What followed were the Elven Wars.
Cycles of bloodshed and turmoil plagued the realms. In the midst of the chaos, the ice giants of Jotenheim used the distractions of war to attack Asgard. It was only after Thrym’s defeat and exile back to Jotenheim did Odin get involved with the elves. The new emperor of the light elves was willing to come to an agreement with the dark elves, but the feelings in the newly formed Svartalfheim were raw. Odin forced his hand and the Pact was eventually signed and put into agreement.
The peace between the elves has held, but with the unexpected death of the light elf emperor who supported it and the unknown intentions of Alfheim’s new queen, the future is not clear. Only The Norns truly know what is to come, but it is not in their nature to reveal that information so freely…
Chapter 1 - Order
“Order, we need to have order.” The voice of King Oor boomed throughout the assembly hall. The dark elves fell silent and looked at him. “I understand the less than pleasant attitude the Aesir have shown us lately is cause for concern. However, unless we do our due diligence and find out why, the matter will only escalate. We cannot afford to go to war with Odin over hurt feelings!”
Father looked over at me, quietly he murmured, “I am afraid he is right daughter, the Aesir have not attacked us or shown us any harm other than a cold shoulder.”
“But father, we also cannot let them bully us into submission. We need to show them the Svartalfheim has a backbone.”
“So much like your mother…” He snickered a little bit and turned his attention back to Oor.
Ever since mother had passed away, my father Hargna had taken me under his wing to become more of a politician and less of a warrior. I had not liked it much in the beginning, but now I came to realize the political arena is almost as deadly as the battlefield. When I focused back on Oor, it seemed I was in the middle of another dialogue.
“We need to continue to work together, as clans, and use our stealth to see what information we can spy. The royal mage, Azmodeous, has already tried to make contact with the Aesir to set up a meeting. While we wait for word to return, remember the tasks I have given each clan and follow. For now, that is all.”
Just like that, we were dismissed. I saw Oor go over to Azmodeous and the mage whispered something into his ear. The sight of the elf was enough to give me chills.
“Come Rumil, we have much to do and do not have time for daydreaming.”
“As you wish father.” I fell in line behind him. I knew when we returned to our stronghold; he would want to send out some more teams to see what we could gain from going back into the Great Forest. Aesir activity was gaining in there, especially after Loki’s release.
It was a very strained time in the realms. Cycles ago, my father had helped in the release of the wolf, Fenrir. Prophecy stated when the wolf was released from its bounds that Ragnarok was to start.
The prophecy was not to happen though; Fenrir fled from Svartalfheim and has not been seen since. Before he left, he freed his father, Loki, from his prison and ever since, all the races have been on edge.
“Father, do you think the failed Ragnarok prophecy is the cause of this uneasiness?”
He stopped walking. It seemed like for a few moments I would not receive an answer, but when he turned to me, his eyes were deep in thought. “The very same thought has been crossing my mind too. It has been many cycles since that fateful day Fenrir escaped. With the prophecy so many of us have lived our lives towards no more, it certainly does make for a rather unstable time in history.”
Ominous is
the word I would use, but then father would just tell me not to worry. I could not help it though, I am a natural worrier. Every time I take a team into that forsaken forest, I worry that something will happen. It also did not help that each time I was given new elves to take with me. Father said it was because of my field leadership skills, but it did not help my anxiety.
We continued walking through Svartalfheim until we returned to our stronghold, the Cave of Fenrir. We had lived with the wolf peacefully for many cycles, so it was just not the same knowing he was not here.
As we entered the cave, the Darklighter stronghold was as impressive as always. It had taken a great many elves to carve the citadel into the side of the cave wall, but upon its completion, it was by far the most impressive of all the dark elf clans.
The dark granite stone made our stronghold almost impenetrable. Should Svartalfheim ever be invaded, our citadels would hold that I was sure of. The most impressive feature was the towers that had been built in. From the view at the top, it would take an individual of great skill to sneak in.
Father and I walked in and made our way into his library. Books were never of interest to me, so I never came in unless I had reason.
“Rumil, you heard what Oor said; we need to continue doing our part. As the clean chief, I would like you to take a scouting party in the forest and see what is going on. The Dark Moons have discovered the location of Sif’s cabin out there. I would send them out again, but with the strange happenings coming from Jotenheim, I feel sending them there is better.”
I knew it was coming, but that did not make it any easier. “Father, you keep sending me out there, but nothing ever happens. I truly think it would be better if we…”
He held up his hand to silence me. “I know you want to take a more proactive role, but with your growing duties here at home, I cannot have you gallivanting across the realms. I will assign a party to you and this time do not tell them how utterly useless they are.”
I did not even acknowledge his last comment. I could not help it if most of the elves he assigned me were not up to my standards. It was not their fault, but with our most skilled out in more dangerous areas, the pickings were slim. Even worse, they all tried so hard to impress me that it was rather off putting.
“I will do my best father, as always.”
He smiled, “Good. In fact, I think it would be a wise idea to take your new team on a hunting trip. That would take you into the forest and you could learn their strengths.”
“As you wish father. Is there anything else you need of me this evening?”
He could tell I was annoyed. “No, I think that will be all. Tomorrow, I will put together a team for you and when they are ready, I will send for you.”
With that, I left the library and headed towards my room.
Chapter 2 - Algrim
I was at my desk, reading over some various reports when I heard a knock on my door. I was not expecting anyone to come by, but it was not unheard of either. Getting up, I went over and opened the door to see my favorite elf standing there.
“Rumil my girl! Getting your father all worked up again I see!”
“Hello Algrim, what do I owe this late evening visit?” I moved out of the way and let him in. “Should you not be at your forges? I am sure all the clans are keeping you busy.”
He took a seat at my desk while I sat on my bed. “Bah, they can all wait. I am telling you, something foul is in the air. This conflict brewing with the Aesir reeks of light elves, but no one can prove it.”
“I believe that as well. Whenever I try to tell father it would be best not to waste our time spying on the few Aesir running around the forest, he just brushes me off.”
Algrim started laughing, “That is exactly why I am here my spunky little princess. Until Oor stops listening to that pile of Garm shite Azmodeous, this will never change. Your father is only doing as he is told, so try not to make it harder for him.”
Huh, so that was why he was here. “The Algrim I grew up knowing would have never followed orders he did not believe in.”
“And that is why I broke away from the clans and became the blacksmith. You, on the other hand, are too entrenched to break away. You are destined for greatness child and I truly believe that.”
“Now you are just trying to cheer me up. My destiny is to forever be entangled in these petty conflicts it would seem.” It was times like this I envied whoever lived on Midgard. They were cut off from the troubles the rest of the realms dealt with.
Breaking away from my thoughts, “Algrim, what can you tell me about Midgard?”
“What is this curiosity all of the sudden?”
“I just envy their position, sealed off from the rest of the realms. I would imagine it is a peaceful and happy realm.”
He tapped his finger on his head while thinking. “To be honest, I do not know much about it. The Aesir used to go over there from time to time, but for some reason it was sealed off. I know for a fact that no dark elf has ever been there.”
From the limited selections to read from in father’s library, I knew the people of Midgard were called humans, but very little was referenced about them or what abilities they may possess.
“I would not go daydreaming about life on another realm. We have work here to do and it would be best if you kept your thoughts on that.”
I sighed, “Of course. I will do my best to keep to whatever plans my father has.”
“That is my girl. In the meantime, may I also suggest you get out and start introducing yourself to more elves? A woman of your age should already have found her one, if not already gone through the rituals.”
I am sure he felt the needles coming from my eyes, as he got really quiet upon finishing. “Again, I know my father put you up to this, but at this point, I am happy. When I am ready to find my mate, I will let everyone know. Until then, you can tell father to worry about his own issues.”
Algrim grunted something along the lines of an apology and said goodnight. I hated getting angry with him, but he should have known better than to get involved with that particular argument. I knew deep down that I just had not met the right one for me yet and I was not in any rush to.
I knew I was being a silly child, but I wanted my soul mate to be different than everyone else. I wanted it to be like the stories my mother told me as a child where two total strangers met and it was love at first sight.
Now was not the time to think about it or to have to deal with my father and his pestering. Tomorrow I would be saddled with a new group of elves that would need training. Going into the forest, even for a simple hunting excursion could still get one killed. I resolved myself that after a quick breakfast, I would hone my shooting and make sure I had plenty of arrows sharpened to be on the ready.
As I lay down, my last thoughts were of my mother who died too early. During a hunting trip with a few other elves, including Azmodeous, she had died when they were attacked by dire wolves. Azmodeous had been the only survivor and relayed the story.
Father was too distraught to ever question it, but to me, it seemed questionable. At the very least, I came to regard Azmodeous as a bit of a coward. If the attack was that bad, he should have died too, helping to defend the party. No, I suspected he ran to save his own life and let the other die that fateful day.
Sleep was overcoming me, and as I passed into my dreams, I heard my mother’s voice admonishing me. “Do not think about the past, daughter. No, embrace the future as your destiny is soon at hand.”
Chapter 3 - Mallerk
I had left the dining hall after a quick breakfast. When I returned to my room, I found a bunch of arrows leaning up against my door with a note.
‘I updated the shafts with a steel alloy. These should fly truer and give you more accuracy. Not that you need it, but let me know either way.’
-Algrim
I smiled to myself. I could only guess that this was his way of saying he was sorry for getting in the middle of my business with fa
ther. I picked up the arrows and they were quite a bit lighter than the last batch he had made for me. Excited, I went to my closet and grabbed my bow.
Unlike normal long bows that most dark elf archers use, mine was quite a bit different. A little shorter, but with a double bend at the end and a second piece of wood running parallel to the limbs gave it extra weight on the draw. Algrim called it a compound bow.
It did not take me long to get to the training range. There were a few of my cousins at the range, and I waved to them. I made my way past down to the end of the range that was known as Rumil’s Corner. My targets were not stationary, moving up and down, left to right, at high speeds. I had trained so hard to become the top marksman in my clan.
Eager to try out the new arrows Algrim fashioned for me, I quickly went to work. His words were true, as the arrows flew straighter, but they also hit the mark harder. Five arrows in and I had already ruined three of my targets. No matter, the joy of shooting arrows that produced such accuracy and power was exhilarating.
“I am not surprised to find you here at the range again.”
I jumped and my shot went way off. I turned around, right into the smirking face of Mallerk, one of Azmodeous’s guards. “What are you doing here?”
Just looking at him made me ill and the fact he continually tried to advance on me made it even worse. “I thought I would see how my chosen one was fairing.”
The thought of that made me want to throw up my breakfast. Appalled, “You overstep your bounds! I am definitely not your chosen.”
“That is because you refuse to place your palms with mine. The Norns will bless our union.”
“I do not think so, for I have not upset them so much that they would place me with you.”
His smirk faded. I could only guess realization set in. “So you are refusing to see what destiny has in store for us?”
“I have no desire to see what I already know. We are not to be mates Mallerk and it is best if you get that through your head.”
Power Play: Act 1 Svartalfheim (Ragnarok on Ice) Page 1