Chronos and the Rogue Hunters

by Edward Eck

  “As you draw the water, you will know,” said Urdr. “You will pay the price or fail to obtain that which you need. The well will not allow a second attempt.”

  Cyrus swallowed hard and nodded. He stepped forward and placed his hands on the crank that would lift the bucket. Slowly he turned the wheel and the rope began to rise. In seconds, he knew what he had to do. In less than a heartbeat, he dreaded the price. The well had demanded the one thing that gave him the strength to lead. The one thing he needed to protect his friends and defeat his enemies… but he only had one shot at this. His stomach sank as he momentarily held the crank in place with his right hand and untied the magical bracer with his left.

  Amber called to him, “Cyrus, no! You need that.”

  Cyrus continued to turn the wheel as the bracer slipped from his forearm. “It’s what the well wants. We have no choice.” He dropped the bracer into the well, watching as it disappeared into the shadowy depths. Seconds later, a small splash echoed from the darkness. As he continued to turn the wheel, a bucket of water appeared at the end of the rope.

  Urdr stepped forward with a small flask. “Fill this and take the water with you to make Gleipnir. Then take a drink yourself. The well has deemed you worthy. But be warned again… only you may drink of its waters.”

  After filling the flask, Cyrus took a long slow drink. The water was sweet to the taste, but he felt no different. He looked at the Norns. “It didn’t work.”

  “It will,” replied Urdr. “You asked for the spell to create Gleipnir. When you are ready to cast it, the words will come to you. Take heed. Your friends are almost spent and your time runs short. The four deer, Dáinn, Dvalinn, Duneyrr and Duraþrór have returned. They await you in the clearing where you arrived. You must hurry.”

  Cyrus smiled. “Sounds great. I don’t think I could tolerate another erratic squirrel ride. A second time on that critter and I probably would lose my lunch.”

  37 The Immortal Ra

  Once Radimir had returned to a more normal appearance with filthy clothes, Tiem led the three of them to another side room with a mirror. The young man cast the spell to open a mirror portal, “Mirtor tolanga se-atum.” Max was the last to step through to find they had returned to a little shop in the market. Once again they pushed their way through the marketplace, passing many merchants still trying to sell their wares.

  “Start over,” commented Radimir.

  They made their way to the Great Sphinx as Tiem had originally suggested. It was getting close to evening and the sun was beginning to set. Near the ruined temple in front of the Sphinx, Tiem took a seat on a large block of stone. He motioned for the others to sit as well.

  “It’s late and the tourists will soon leave. We’ll go in the front door rather than sneaking around to the back.”

  Max took an unpleasant seat on a rock facing Tiem. “So how do you know Ra?”

  Taryn and Radimir took equally rough seats next to Max.

  Tiem reclined against another rock as if it were the most comfortable seat in the area. “Ra is my mentor. Many from this area know of him. Some still worship him as a god. Others know he is merely a powerful sorcerer. He teaches us the arcane writings he has collected throughout the centuries. A vast library exists beneath our feet. Also, beneath us is his audience chamber. He resides both here at Giza and sometimes further south at the temple of Karnak.”

  “What can you tell us about him?” Max pressed. He remembered their encounter with Odin which hadn’t gone so well. He wanted to avoid another unpleasant confrontation with the only other immortal on the planet.

  Tiem smiled. “Ra is a very pleasant person, just don’t try to touch him. He’s sensitive about that. He’s been expecting you… Though your detour through the Tomb of Osiris was a little troubling. We thought maybe you had joined the dark sorcerers. Or perhaps, the two lost in the Osiris Shaft would take you by surprise.”

  Taryn chimed in, “Trust me, we’ve overcome every other pain in the frozen butt ye can think of. A couple of skinny and frightened dark sorcerers weren’t much of a challenge.”

  “Frozen? In Egypt?” Tiem’s head tilted.

  Max waved a hand. “We came here from Canada… by way of Asgard. It seems fire elemental sorceresses don’t like the cold.” Max pointed to Taryn and added, “Especially this one.”

  “I’ve had enough cold to last me until the next ice age.”

  “Me Russian. Cold not bother. Heat, not so good.” Radimir had to have his say.

  They continued their light conversation for a few more minutes until the last rays of light crept over the horizon. The tourist crowds had departed as Tiem predicted. A few locals remained seated around the area with Max and the others.

  An older man with a long white scraggly beard called to Tiem, “The coast is clear.”

  Tiem stood, stretched his arms and let out a sigh. “Come, my friends. It’s time to meet Ra.”

  He led them down a short ladder and around a small limestone altar between the paws of the Great Sphinx. “This is the Tothmes Tablet, our entry to Ra’s audience chamber.” He indicated a large stone slab placed against the breast of the huge monolith. Tiem placed a hand on the tablet and cast a spell. “Toth les Toth mos une altu.”

  The limestone tablet began to shimmer and Tiem’s hand passed through it. He then walked through the stone block and disappeared. Max and Taryn exchanged a glance then followed him through the tablet with Radimir close behind.

  They emerged in a small chamber inside the Sphinx. Before them was a neatly carved set of stone stairs leading down. They descended behind Tiem twenty feet into a large chamber. The walls were perfectly straight and well maintained. Curtains hung between support columns to break up the appearance of the solid walls. Tripods with plates of burning embers lit the room with a warm glow. Hieroglyphics on the walls depicted many battles as well as times of peace. At the far end of the chamber sat an empty golden throne with a leopard lying lazily at either side. Golden chains restrained them as they sat up and eyed the newcomers.

  Attendants were busy making preparations. Three seats had been placed facing the throne at a distance of twenty feet. Other attendants stood off to the side, preparing food.

  “Come, my friends. The great Ra has been expecting you.” Tiem motioned for them to follow.

  He led them to the three chairs. Once they each took their seat, Tiem took a few steps back and clapped his hands once. Attendants stepped forward bearing plates of exotic foods from all over Egypt. Max accepted a goblet of wine. He looked to Taryn and Radimir with hesitation before eating or drinking.

  Tiem stepped forward. “Please, my friends. You must be starved after your journey to the tomb of Osiris.”

  Max placed his goblet on the arm of his chair. “Shouldn’t we wait for our host?”

  “Ah, no.” Tiem smiled. “The lord Ra does not eat. He has no need of sustenance.”

  Max furrowed his brow and once again exchanged looks with Taryn and Radimir. With a shrug of his shoulders, he began to eat. The others followed suit. Max hadn’t realized how hungry he was until he consumed the first bite.

  After Tiem insisted on a second plate of food for each of his guests, they sat back in their chairs.

  “Enough. I couldn’t eat another date,” said Max.

  Tiem clapped his hands twice and the attendants moved quickly to clear the plates and refill their goblets. Tiem then moved to stand slightly behind and to the right of the throne. “The master will arrive shortly. In the meantime, some entertainment.”

  Four scantily clad Egyptian girls with veils around their waists dashed between them and the throne. Music began to play in the background and the girls started to dance.

  Taryn turned to Max with a cold stare. He could tell she wasn’t pleased, but all he could do was shrug. He had no idea what the customs were and didn’t want to offend their host.

  She didn’t say a word, but crossed her arms and sat with pursed lips, watching the fire burn atop one of t
he tripods.

  Radimir had no trouble enjoying the entertainment, but Max sat in the middle quietly thinking about the tirade he would hear from Taryn once they left the place. With this in mind, he had difficulty enjoying the show.

  After about ten minutes of dancing, the flames on the tripods engorged for a second before returning to normal. Tiem clapped his hands twice more and the girls dashed from the room. Tiem bowed and waited.

  From behind the throne emerged a bald man with skin as dark as copper. He wore a red sash across his shoulders which left his chest and abs bare. A white shendyt—a form of Egyptian skirt worn by the men—covered him from the waist down. The man passed right through the golden seat like a ghost and stood before them. He extended his arms to the sides and bowed his head.

  “Ra,” Max whispered to his companions, then hesitantly stood and mimicked the movement. Taryn and Radimir exchanged a glance before doing the same.

  Ra lowered his arms and took his seat upon the throne. He placed a hand on each armrest and leaned back. His gaze traveled over each of his guests then settled upon Max. A huge smile spread across his face as his demeanor became more jovial. “Chronos, my old friend. It’s good to see you again.”

  “You know me? I mean you really know I’m Chronos?” Max was excited to meet someone who actually knew who he was and could possibly tell him something about his past.

  Ra sighed. “So your memory is gone once again? I figured as much, but I always hope something of your last life will remain for a change.”

  “My last life?”

  “As usual, I suppose I should start at the beginning. You are Chronos, king of the Titans and god of Time. Actually you are the only sorcerer I know throughout the last ten thousand years who has mastered the power of time—one of the few powers I have never been able to master myself. I do believe there was another, but I never met the wizard Merlin.”

  So many questions flooded Max’s mind he didn’t know where to begin. He waited patiently to see what else Ra would reveal.

  “Some of what I am about to tell you, your friends may already know, but there is more. Ten thousand years ago, dark sorcerers attempted to steal magical energies from other realms. They found one brimming with powerful magic and began to siphon that power from what we now call the Nightmare Realm. This ripped a hole in the fabric of reality… creating a passage between our two worlds. Hundreds of creatures flowed through this rift into our world. Most of the dark sorcerers fled in fear. You, Odin and I each journeyed to the rift in the hopes of closing it. None of us individually had the power to seal it, but together we succeeded. However, in doing so we cursed ourselves with immortality.”

  Max titled his head. “Cursed? I would think most people would consider it a powerful gift to live forever.”

  “Unfortunately, as you may have already noticed, our immortality came with a price. Each of us bears the weight of our curse differently. You live a normal life for the most part, but whenever you die, you reawaken as a seventeen-year-old boy with no memory. You get flashes of past lives, information you need to survive or fight, but you never retrieve all of your memories, just fragments. Like hitting the reset button in modern day video games. A few times, these memory gaps have even driven you insane.”

  Max’s line of sight dropped to the floor in contemplation of all the knowledge he must have lost over the years… all the friends he once knew.

  Ra continued, “Odin, though blessed with great wisdom, has been trapped in the body of a weak old man for thousands of years. In the past five hundred or so, his mental faculties have also begun to give out. Some days he is very lucid, others a raving madman. Time has not been a friend to him.”

  Max looked at Ra once again. “And what about you?”

  “My curse set in over the first hundred years or so. Since then it has been constant. I live and cannot die, but I have no physical form. I am not dead, but I am no longer tangible. I pass through all that I touch. I am not seated upon this throne, merely holding my position above it. I cannot eat or drink, but I will never starve. You have no idea how much I long for the taste of food or the touch of another human being.”

  Max considered what it would be like to never be able to touch anyone or anything ever again. The thought scared him. “How do you deal with it?”

  “I have no choice. I accepted that fact long ago. It no longer has hold over me. Odin, not so much. He still blames you for our curse.”

  “Me?”

  “It was you who came to us with a revelation that the curse of immortality was due to a minor error in the spell you cast to seal the rift. So long as the great seal exists, so do we. If the seal is ever broken though, our curse should end and we would live out normal lives… but it would mean casting this world into the darkness of the Nightmare Realm once again. That is something I cannot do.”

  Taryn touched Max on his hand. “Odin’s pledge to help our friends.”

  Max thought about their last encounter with Odin. “Before leaving Asgard, Odin promised to help our friends. They’re trying to find a way to create a new Gleipnir to re-imprison Fenrir.”

  “The great wolf of Norse mythology has escaped?”

  Max nodded. “A dark sorcerer has released the creature. Our friends went to Nidavellir to seek the aide of the dwarves in making a new Gleipnir.”

  Ra leaned back and closed his eyes. After a few minutes he looked upon Max and his friends once again. “I have spoken with Odin through our mental link. As expected he forgot his pledge until I reminded him. He is now on his way to aide your friends.”

  “Do we share a mental link?” asked Max.

  Ra sighed. “At one time, but each time you died and were revived, the link weakened until it stopped working altogether. We have never been able to reestablish it since.”

  Max noticed an older man approach Tiem and whisper something in his ear. Ra looked over his shoulder and Tiem stepped forward.

  “My lord,” said Tiem, “we have just received word. Ravenicon castle is under attack from dark sorcerers.”

  “What?” Max rose to his feet followed quickly by Taryn and Radimir.

  “It seems our discussion is at an end for now. Chronos, you and your friends must depart immediately. Tiem will take you to the nearest mirror. Since my magic has little effect on the real world, I would ask that you allow Tiem to accompany you in my absence. Even if the crystal does not select him as the newest member of your Circle, he can be of great use to you in this battle.”

  Tiem faced Ra. “My lord!”

  Ra smiled. “You are ready, my son. It’s time you faced your destiny.”

  38 The Challenge of Strength

  After a brief thank you and goodbye to the two remaining elves, Cyrus and his friends along with three dwarves returned to Nidavellir to the mines of the elders. The dwarf company bade a peaceful farewell to their two fallen comrades then set out to build a fire in the forge of the lower mines.

  Once the fire was hot enough, the six impossible items were added. The dwarves took turns pounding the conglomeration of weird ingredients… from rock to sea water to things Cyrus didn’t even want to know about. At the end, they added water from the Well of Urd.

  While the elder dwarves worked, Cyrus pulled Kallan aside. “I need you to do something for me while they make the new Gleipnir. A friend of ours should be arriving shortly. He will stay near the entrance to the mines, but won’t come in until someone fetches him. Can you bring him to us here? Oh, and he probably won’t be very talkative.”

  Kallan scrunched his brow, but nodded his affirmation and headed off for the mine entrance.

  It took many hours of heating and reheating the items until it formed a glowing hot mass of goo. Sturlin summoned Cyrus to the forge. “The time has come, my friend. As we start to pound the glob into a single strand, you must continually recite the spell. You will grow tired as this process can take another few hours.” He handed Cyrus a mug of ale then held up his own. “A toast, to good fortune,
long life and a swift end to this process.”

  Cyrus clanked his mug to Sturlin’s then took a long slow drink. It would need to last for a lengthy time. He finished his mug, slammed it down and concentrated on the spell. It came to his mind quickly and easily, like he had known it for years and could recite it without even thinking about it. “Tuglo freela aris midjo almir-altu dolong ertisal prhyetr simglay.” As one iteration ended, he started again and again… and again.

  The dwarves hammered the glowing glob as Cyrus chanted. With each strike of the hammer, the glob formed into a thin piece of glowing mud. As the mud cooled, a ribbon began to form. Each stroke produced a mere inch or two. For a creature the size of Fenrir, they knew the ribbon must reach many hundred yards. It had to be long enough to bind the great wolf’s legs, muzzle and body so the creature could never again escape.

  Cyrus and the dwarves spent almost three hours spell-casting and working the mass into a thin ribbon. When they finally reached the end, Cyrus collapsed with a dry sore throat. The many dwarf smiths admired two hundred and twenty yards of silky fine material before also collapsing from exhaustion. It was light blue in color with a slight greenish sheen.

  Kallan gave a tug on a section of the ribbon. Though it looked paper thin, it remained incredibly strong. He laid it down and gave a sly smile. “The wolf will not be happy to see Gleipnir again.”

  “You’re right,” Meagan said. “He won’t be happy to see it, but he will recognize it. We’re going to need a way to camouflage it.”

  Cyrus waved as he croaked a quiet response, “I have that covered.”

  After a few hours rest and a gallon of water, Cyrus felt much better, though still a little hoarse. He examined the length of the new Gleipnir, somewhat proud of the fact he had a hand in its creation.

  Kallan rushed into the chamber. “Cyrus, I found your friend. Unfortunately, we have a bigger problem. Fenrir has arrived in Nidavellir. He has entered the mines and is making his way to the city.”