He sat down at the table. Tyndur had found food and drink and piled them, without bothering with food arrangements. Habrok was already eating with the einherjar.
“I cleared matters up, Habrok. It’s safe for you to use the entrance,” Tyler said as he reached for a piece of bread.
“A magical trap, sire?” asked the ranger between mouthfuls.
“Sort of. A Guardian. It blocks the entrance. You have to pass through its body going in or out.”
Habrok’s eyes widened and he nearly choked at the mage’s clarification. His reaction earned him a laugh and a slap on the back from Tyndur.
“Nothing to it, ranger! Feels like swimming through slime without the disgusting muck sticking to you when you emerge,” remarked the einherjar.
“No other entrance, sire? How does one breathe? How long do we have to walk through it? Is it dangerous?”
“No, it’s not dangerous and there’s no other way,” Tyndur answered, preempting the mage. “You can easily breathe inside its body. Somehow, the material does not enter your lungs, and the distance front entry to exit is about fifty feet.”
Tyler smiled. It’s actually around twenty feet, but he let Tyndur have his fun.
The color of Habrok’s face paled.
“You’re sure there no other way?” he tremulously asked Tyndur.
“No, my good man. What’s the matter? Don’t tell me you’re scared? You? The one who rushed into an Aztecah city full of blood eaters and mad deities?” Tyndur’s surprise was genuine, the mage could tell.
“Ah… I have to admit to a fear of enclosed spaces. That’s one reason why I became a ranger. Wide open spaces. I am not afraid of caves or tunnels. There’s still some space in them. But really tight spaces, like a cabinet for instance, somehow make me unbelievably uncomfortable. And those places usually have a spider or two. Horrid things. That’s also why I prefer jumping through windows in my adventures in the pursuit of love.”
“Love? Lust, more likely,” caustically remarked Astrid as she joined them. The group laughed.
“Where’s Asem?” asked Tyler.
“Praying, sire. She said she had been remiss in her devotions and intends to make up for it now that we’re in a safe place.”
“Have some food,” said Tyler. “If she’s not finished by the time you’ve eaten your fill, go and scout ahead with Habrok. I doubt if the temple area has dangerous creatures in it. Though you could ask Apu Rumi on your way out.”
“Apu Rumi?”
“The Gate Guardian. Just think out loud and he’ll understand you. But make sentences short and concise. I don’t think his mastery of human speech had progressed much. Though I noticed it’s getting better the more he talks to us,” replied Tyler.
“I’ll walk ahead while you ask the creature,” volunteered Habrok. “There might be dangerous beasts waiting for us.”
Tyndur grinned at Habrok’s self-serving suggestion.
The group continued eating, though inwardly, Tyler wrestled with another issue.
How do I get to the chamber? Viracocha opened the entrance the last time. I remember where the door was located but how to open it? Bring the orb close to the door? Will a keyhole appear? I’ll teleport past the partition? Open sesame? The mage wrestled with the problem but gave up. Forget it. I’ll experiment tomorrow. I do hope his battle with those Aztecah deities is going well. He does have friends with him so I guess it’s not going to be a one-sided battle. With some of their temples destroyed, I trust his enemies are now considerably weakened. Viracocha did say that the deities tied their source of power to their sanctuaries, feeding off the energies of the main pyramid occupied by their patrons. He’s not facing the whole pantheon, so I think the ones who will be involved are those with destroyed temples. Angry deities, Camulus said.
Well, I’ll be furious as hell if I was in their place, he considered. A heart attack inducing rage. Do deities even have such health or similar concerns? And this freaking line of thought is leading me nowhere!
Tyler laughed to himself. Too many new things to learn in this new world. No wonder my mind goes off on wild tangents.
Then his mind turned north.
I hope Viracocha was able to send a message to Eira. By now, I guess she must be worried. She would welcome a bit of information. I do still have the staff, and she has the necklace. But something current would go a long way in assuaging hidden fears. I would be anxious too if the situation were reversed. But for now, there’s nothing to do but rest and wait.
He stood up and took his leave of the group, saying he wanted to rest. Tyler noticed Habrok was pumping Tyndur and Astrid for information about the temple area, though the ranger was inserting what he imagined were innocuous queries about experiences of the two while inside the Guardian. Unfortunately for the ranger, Tyndur noticed the deception and the answers Habrok got were not to his liking. Astrid let the einherjar do the talking, though it was obvious she was finding it hard to keep a straight face.
Tyler smiled at the antics of his companions. From experience, he knew it was best to be thankful for the quiet times. But for the mage, the sight of the bed was a welcome one.
Tyler closed his eyes as soon as he laid himself down on the bed. Sleep came easy. The mage planned to rest for a while and then check on the reports of Habrok and Astrid.
He woke up, floating above Viracocha’s main temple complex. The sky was eerily aflame.
“You’re late.” A familiar though grouchy voice said at his side. It was Viracocha. He looked exhausted. A bit older.
“I didn’t know you were expecting me. Though you don’t look well,” testily answered Tyler. He was sleeping deeply when the deity woke him up. Understandably, he was irritated.
“I wanted the First Mage to see how the gods on this world do battle. Your dream self would have enabled you to see it without any danger. But you took your time, and the fight’s nearly over. Don’t mind the less than handsome appearance. I’ll recover. I gave a lot more than I received.”
“You could have told me about the plan,” replied Tyler. I missed a battle between deities!
“I had guests, and it escaped my mind,” chuckled the deity. “I thought you were tired. But you’re in time to see the end game.”
“I can’t see anything except for the sky which looks to be on fire.”
“An after-effect of great magics wielded in anger,” explained Viracocha as he touched Tyler’s brow.
Tyler’s sight changed. He found he could see three figures facing off in the distance. The two Keltoi goddesses and an unknown character.
“Where’s Camulus?” he asked.
“Gone back. Severely wounded. Though we disposed of Toci and sent Tlaloc and Centeotl licking their wounds, tails between their legs. I believe that’s how mortals would describe it. As for that fellow, that’s Xochipilli. He’s cornered now. The two Keltoi goddesses smell blood and victory. And they’re mad at Camulus’s injuries.”
As he watched, Xochipilli, wearing colorful Aztec armor and a long spear, vanished from his position in the sky and abruptly reappeared a short distance from his previous location. One of the Keltoi goddesses had materialized in his intended path, blocking the way. It was clear he was trying to escape. When he stopped, the other deity, the blond Keltoi, blurred in the direction of the trapped Aztecah god. Tyler could see the tip of the glowing spear held by the being. As Andred swiftly stabbed, Xochipilli was quick enough to turn and successfully parry the attack. A poor defensive move which opened him up for a succession of arrows in his back from Nemanja. The wounded Aztecah dropped on one knee from the assault. An opening for the radiant spear being viciously planted in his neck and pushed down to the groin area. A blinding blaze of light followed. When it disappeared a few seconds after, Xochipilli was gone.
“That’s two down,” remarked Viracocha. “Though I can’t imagine how their pantheon will react to the loss of two of their own. I believe they will be cautious about future aggressive actions. Or I
could be mistaken. Against common sense, they could try for a retaliation. The rest know this attack was a foolhardy one, considering the great loss of power resulting from the destruction of their temples. But then again, Tlaloc was never known for his intelligence. I might be wrong too in that conclusion. Hah! Too fluid a situation and too many unknowns.”
Here’s a deity admitting to me he doesn’t know everything and he could be wrong, thought Tyler.
The two Keltoi goddesses suddenly appeared in front of them.
“Well done, ladies,” congratulated Viracocha with a smile.
“At least you left one for us,” grumpily answered Andred. “For a while, I thought you and Camulus would grab all the fighting and merely leave us to support the two of you.”
“That would never happen, Andred. At least with me. I don’t know about Camulus. I know how the two of you love a deity-level battle once in a while.”
Nemanja laughed. “That we do, darling. Anyway, we’ll be off and see how that wimp of a war-god is doing.”
“Thank you, dear friends. And also extend my thanks to Camulus.”
The two raised their weapons in farewell and vanished.
“They didn’t see me?” asked the surprised Tyler. “And she called you ‘darling,’ there still must be something there.”
“Of course, they didn’t see you. Only a few deities can see a mortal when he is floating around in his dream state. Like you. As few as those able to enter the dream itself. And as to that term of endearment, that’s nothing. We’re old friends now. A note about war goddesses, my boy, especially that one – she could call you ‘darling’ while slitting your throat. Feisty, lovely, and extremely dangerous.”
Viracocha’s expression turned serious and he heaved a sigh.
“It was fortuitous that the Aztecah were much weakened. At their full strength, I don’t know if the four of us could stand against four of them. We probably would win but at the cost of the lives of friends. Not a good exchange.”
“Not a good trade indeed,” agreed Tyler. “Deity battles do appear to be similar to human ones. I was expecting a magic show.”
“It was a magic show. Only you didn’t see it. How do you think that spear and those arrows were able to penetrate the defenses of Xochipilli? Or how was Nemanja able to anticipate his movements? Look at the sky. The reddish-yellow color is disappearing. All throughout the fighting, all those involved were casting spells and invoking mystical defenses. It’s difficult to engage in purely magical combat when the contestants are all armed and can wield such power. An unguarded focus on enchantments will result in a sudden beheading or skewering. Take your pick.”
“And I guess you wanted me to watch how gods and goddesses fight. A huge difference compared to minor deities, much less demi-gods, and demi-goddesses.”
“Of course. Nothing like the actual event to show the reality of a battle. Now, I have to be off.”
“You’re not going back to the temple?”
“I want to, but there are a lot of things to prepare. Remember that in a war, one does not take anything for granted. I have to make sure the pantheon and its allies are ready for any possible retaliation.”
“Wait, wait. I remembered something. How do I access the door you used?”
“Just go where we went and make sure you’re carrying Inti’s orb. The door will show itself. But you have to enter the door and pass through the portal alone. The chamber still has defenses against unauthorized intruders, and there’s only one orb.”
“Thanks for the reminder. I was wondering whether to bring the companions down to the chamber where the portal was located.”
“Don’t. And thank you for getting my son’s essence back. Once you use the orb, he’ll be free. Just press the orb to the portal. Remind me to thank you for the redecoration of the Aztecah temple complex. After everything they had done, I guess it’s only fitting,” remarked Viracocha. The deity waved his hand. Tyler could feel being drawn back to the temple.
“Goodbye and good luck, First Mage.”
Now how did he do that? Tyler thought as he woke up. Was the temple rigged to send my dream self or did he call it to his side? A cool trick but a dangerous one. You could send a dreamer to the worst place in this world. Play havoc with someone’s mental state. Induce sleepless nights. Quite a charmer of a spell. I hope he’s the only one with the ability. The squids and some powerful deities like Odin could summon one to a dream world or enter one’s dreams. But I doubt if they have the power to tamper with or alter a mortal subconscious. That’s a totally different thing. But I guess there are nuances to its use. Again, the things I still have to learn! Or cram, which I think describes it better. If somebody takes the time to teach me.
Remembering what he wanted to do, the mage stood up and walked out of the room. Though still sleepy, Tyler felt a sense of responsibility to check on the companions. He found Tyndur still at the table. The einherjar was sharpening his battleaxe. The scouting party had not yet come back.
“Was Asem able to go with them?” he asked.
“No, sire. She’s still praying. Must be a bushel of prayers to catch up on,” answered the einherjar who kept on honing the weapon.
“A High Priestess does have a lot of praying to do. I guess she overlooked much of her religious duties lately. Not to mention keeping her father informed of our progress,” said Tyler as he sat down.
“How about you, Tyndur? Changed your mind? Found a god worthy of your worship?”
The einherjar stopped what he was doing and looked at the ceiling, his mind on the question. The mage could see the furrowed brows of the warrior. Finally, he looked back at Tyler.
“Unfortunately, no. Not yet. They can kill me again if that’s blasphemy. I already died before anyway. I see them as powerful beings, sometimes wise beyond compare and often dumb as donkeys. So, no, not yet. I do have my questions about how we came to be as humans. Or even how this world was made. But for the most part, I keep those questions to myself. Unsettling queries, I admit, and thinking about the possible answers gives me headaches. I am still waiting for an enlightening moment. A ray of sunlight piercing the dark clouds of ignorance. But it never came to me during my hermit days. Maybe it will come during these more exciting episodes.”
Tyler chuckled. “Maybe it will. I never thought of you as a philosopher.”
“Every eremite is a philosopher, sire. Though such activities sometimes lead to disconcerting scenes. Like the time I saw one arguing with a weed. Or Fritjof the Spider Hermit, who does nothing but clamber all over the mountains and caves, criticizing fellow hermits on everything he could think of – clothes, viewpoints, manner of walking, field of study, the cave or habitat. Everything. The man was a bothersome gnat.”
“What happened to him during the siege? The dokkalfr got him?”
“Oh, he didn’t live long enough to see the siege, sire. Somebody brained him with a rock.”
“That’s… unfortunate.”
“I suppose even hermits have their limits. For one of them, peace with the world didn’t include Fritjof.”
“Still on your quest for ascendance?” asked the mage, figuring it was the best time to ask, considering they were alone in the hall.
The einherjar’s eyes took on a faraway look.
“A man, even when he had already died once, needs something larger than life itself to drive him forward. I guess that’s me. I might not reach my destination, but by Heimdal’s eye patch, the journey will be interesting,” answered Tyndur. “Like the present. I believe I made the right choice in agreeing to the old man’s request. But who am I kidding? It wasn’t a request. It was a threat. A subtle one. At least by his standards.”
“What did he say?” asked Tyler, now interested in how Odin dealt with others.
“It was simple enough – Tyndur, you have two choices: go with the mage and possibly find what you seek along the way or I drag you back to Asgard, either in a hale and hearty shape or mildly toasted. Take your
pick.”
Tyler laughed. Tyndur looked at him curiously.
“I was not joking, sire. His hand already had a sizable lightning bolt,” said Tyndur, a thoughtful expression on his face.
“Oh. He must be serious then,” commented Tyler, keeping his laughter in check. He couldn’t think of anything else to say, given Tyndur’s expression.
“Anyway, I think I’ll go to bed now. Wake me up if something’s amiss. It appears you’ll be up waiting for our explorers,” continued Tyler.
“That I will, sire. If you don’t mind me asking, which gods do you believe in?”
The question caught Tyler flatfooted. He remembered the injunction, repeatedly emphasized by Dionysus, against preaching or saying something about monotheistic practices. Though, on reflection, the mage knew he should have expected such a question. The way Adar works, queries about who worships whom or what was bound to come up. Though a lapsed Baptist, Tyler still prayed from time to time. He chose the words of his reply carefully.
“I believe in the divine force which created everything. That each being, dark or of the light, fulfills a role in a grand scheme, the details of which are beyond our comprehension.”
“Unconventional, sire, but logical. Though I suggest keeping that thought to yourself. It sounds almost as sacrilegious as me not choosing a deity.”
Tyler smiled and walked back to his room. As he got ready to sleep, the mage turned his attention to his guides.
“Hal? X? What do you think will we find tomorrow when we enter the portal?”
“We have no idea, Elder. What Inti did had no precedent. Nor was the possibility considered by our creators – moving an Elder temple to another dimension devoid of magical power. An Elder sanctuary of knowledge does have reserves of energy, but such a reservoir is not infinite. Maintenance of the tablets and the system itself requires the raw energy of this world which is then converted by the core of the structure into the required kind of power. The information of how the complex converts the energy is denied us. A wise precaution. Even the Elder mechanism where you found me only acted when there is a need for the dampening field and the barrier. I am not allowed access to its internal workings,” explained X.
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