The Accidental Archmage - Book Five: Loki's Gambit

by Edmund A. M. Batara

  “Asem?” he softly called out. No answer came from the motionless priestess.

  “Asem!” Tyler shouted loudly when he got nearer. The condition of the priestess was worse than he thought. Blood was oozing out of several punctures and gashes in the body.

  Kneeling down beside the sallow Asem, he felt for a pulse. It was there but could be barely felt. He immediately cast another healing spell. And then another. Tyler looked at the wounds. They were closing slowly, but her pulse remained weak. A fourth medicinal invocation followed. He could now sense the easing of the struggled breathing of the priestess. The mage threw a quick glance at his companions and their immediate surroundings.

  Apparently, only the priestess suffered injuries or was attacked. The rest appeared unhurt though asleep. But around where he knelt were mounds of iron claws.

  Fucking ambush, the furious thought arose in his mind. Despite his emotionally clouded mind, he found the idea to ask his guides to release more energy to him and send H to scout around their position. He wanted to check on the others, but instinct told him Asem was in a grave situation.

  “She’s dying, Elder,” X suddenly spoke up.

  “She is in a critical condition, X,” answered Tyler. “She's still bleeding. I believe her internal injuries are worse than I thought. I am not a healer, but some major organs might have been damaged.”

  “Only an internal scan will reveal such injuries, Elder. But the spell is not in our database,” replied X sadly, a tone of voice which surprised Tyler despite his greatly worried mind. Then unexpectedly, a thread of an idea came to the fore. It was a desperate plan but it was all Tyler had.

  “X? If I send enough scrying energy through Asem, can you determine the extent of her injuries? And after that, direct healing to the critical ones?” Tyler asked.

  Unfortunately, X never got to answer the mage’s query. A sudden blaze of soundless light exploded on the other side of the priestess, startling and momentarily blinding the mage. He quickly blinked several times, clearing his vision. A tall figure in golden armor, the right hand holding a staff with a large curved blade, greeted his eyes. The armor looked unfamiliar, being made of plates overlapping each other and formed around the arms, legs, and body. Smooth large pauldrons protected the shoulders and a large part of the upper torso. But the ibis-derived helm didn’t leave room for doubt who was the newcomer. It was the deity Thaut. An aura of safe, cleansing light extended in a large circle from the figure. But around Thaut’s human form swirled an angry vortex of red and black.

  “Daughter,” said the god, softly.

  Tyler looked around. The glow extending from the deity was revitalizing him. The mage could feel the last vestiges of his malaise of drowsiness withdrawing, swiftly forced back into nothingness. His companions were stirring. When he looked back at Asem, the priestess was already suspended a few feet off the ground, a gentle golden glow surrounding her body. Tyler realized the deity’s impassive face was looking at him.

  A formidable god in his own right, Thaut's presence was that of subdued grandeur but it didn't stop the atmosphere around the knoll from being filled with it.

  Tyler's enhanced senses could detect a core of righteous anger simmering under the aura of well-being being exuded by Thaut's mere presence. If his anger was a bonfire, then the center of the fury the mage could sense was white-hot in its intensity.

  Shit. Is he mad at me? The thought immediately arose in his mind. Suddenly unsure of himself, he asked his guides.

  “Hal? Is he angry at me? I can see his aura. He's really, really mad. If he is, warn me. I might be able to say a short prayer before he blasts me to atoms.”

  The mage had no illusions about Thaut's power which he suspected to be at the level of Odin or Zeus—probably higher when one considered the deity's obsession with lore and knowledge.

  “No, Elder. We don’t sense any animosity directed at you. Nor could we see any related telltale sign in his aura. But we’re surprised about your kind having knowledge of atoms. There are, however, even smaller particles,” said the guide.

  “Good. I hate to be on the receiving end of a father’s rage. Especially one as powerful as Thaut. But I thought you had access to my memories before. Atoms. I am surprised you didn't pick that up. At least before I told you to stop,” replied the mage.

  “Memories are not knowledge and our voyage through your mind was but a cursory examination, a necessity to establish the parameters of understanding you and your milieu,” clarified Hal.

  Good. Hopefully, the two didn’t access the more embarrassing parts of my memory. Porn surfing included.

  His strength and wakefulness returning, Tyler stood up and walked toward Thaut. A quick glance back and the mage saw the companions all awake and facing the deity, though all on bended knees. But the sight of copious tears flowing down Astrid’s face was a shock to him. He could sense the agonizing desire of the Valkyrie to rush to Asem’s side, though the warrior kept her emotions and sounds of crying in check.

  “Hail, Thaut. I apologize, but this seems to be a bad day for all of us,” called out Tyler as he neared the deity.

  “Ah, First Mage. It is indeed a day of sorrow,” answered the deity. Thaut then waved a hand, and then Tyler suddenly found himself in a transparent square encompassing him, the god and Asem. They were separated from the physical world though still in the same location.

  “Is she going to be alright?” blurted out Tyler.

  “She will be, but my daughter needs time to recuperate. The internal damage was severe. A few moments more and she would have been beyond anyone’s help. I did sense healing energies at work when I arrived. Your doing?”

  “Yes. I didn’t know what to do so I just pumped spell after spell into her body,” answered Tyler dejectedly. The sight of Asem lying still, her attire covered with blood, was like a knife suddenly plunged and cruelly twisted into his emotional being. “I thought I was going to lose her. Like I lost Jorund.”

  “My daughter,” said Thaut as he unhappily looked at Asem’s body suspended in the air. “So stubborn. So mortal in thoughts and deeds.”

  The deity turned his head to Tyler.

  “I have lost sons and daughters through the ages, First Mage. Unlike other deities, I never could get used to it. And Asem is a favorite of mine. Unique in her perspectives and more powerful than most of her ancestors. I have never seen such a combination of immortal and mortal traits among my children. She’s wiser than most deities, I must admit.”

  “At least I am glad, extremely glad, to see her alive,” replied Tyler.

  “That makes both of us, First Mage. Though I need to remove her from your company for a while. She needs to recover, and my temple is the best place for her right now. But in a few minutes. Her condition must be stabilized before traveling. The power of a deity, even one as powerful as I, needs time to work. Especially in her current condition.”

  “How did you know we were in such dire straits? Kemet is far from here. And from what I learned from Loki, a deity needed to have visited a place to transport there.”

  “Prayers from a devout follower could form the necessary link. But she’s my daughter. Blood calls out stronger than any prayer. It was a good thing you were able to start the healing process, though I also sense something different about your curative enchantments,” said Thaut.

  Tyler stayed silent and kept his eyes on Asem.

  “Never mind. That’s a puzzle for another day. My thanks,” said Thaut finally after a few moments of uncomfortable silence.

  “She’s one of us. A close friend and a valued companion. Asem would have done the same for any of us,” replied Tyler softly.

  “That she is, First Mage. I never saw her so happy. She loved being part of your company. But Asem never did fully accept the deity part of herself. On the other hand, she fully embraced her mortal side. But now the question – who did this?”

  Suddenly, Tyler felt emanations of rage coming from Thaut. When the deity arrived
, he didn’t expect Thaut to be so calm about the entire disaster. If the god did keep his emotions in check, then he had enormous self-control.

  Thaut only allowed his sadness to seep through his aura. But now, the mage could sense how tightly the god guarded his emotions. Unfortunately, the raising of the question of who perpetrated the attack was too much for the emotional barriers the deity created around himself.

  “I honestly had no idea, Thaut,” answered the mage. “Though I strongly suspect a non-magical attack, a persistent chemical agent to weaken our will to stay awake and then a powerful gas to put us to sleep when those creatures finally made their move.”

  “As to the means, I could understand why it was done that way. A very devious strategy, considering the reaction of the soil in this place to ordinary magic. The same reason why Asem is suspended in the air while my healing powers do their work.”

  “I did notice something strange, Thaut,” said Tyler. He never did like using honorifics when dealing with deities. They were, as he suspected and finally confirmed, only beings born out of man’s desire and imagination, given form and existence by the magical energy of the world.

  “I believe that, next to Asem, I was the last one brought down by the sleeping mist. But our enemies ignored me and the rest of the companions, focusing their attacks on the priestess, who was still fighting,” continued the mage after Thaut nodded for him to go on with his story.

  “That’s… enlightening,” said Thaut after a few moments of reflection. “An attack against me and mine? What did they have to gain? The pantheon of Kemet is not at war, nor have I done anything lately to arouse the enmity of other gods. But the iron claws remaining of your assailants tell me they are sasabonsam, wretched dark creatures found in the southwest, particularly in the jungles and cursed corners of that part of Adar. And how did they find you? It was not as if everybody knew where you were, as your party was constantly on the move. If not for Asem, even I wouldn’t know your location.”

  “The Monarchy did know where we were going,” volunteered Tyler. “But they had every chance to kill us all while we were with their army. But even Girnita Balashi didn’t know how we were going to do it or where we would cross the Barrens.”

  “A dangerous enigma, then. My mind tells me there’s an intricate plot behind what happened. And by intricate, I mean a bigger, sinister scheme. I believe the attack on your company was but a bait to draw me and the rest of our pantheon into something. I have to reflect on this day’s events. Lashing out never did do anybody good.”

  “Can you sense whose hand guided these monsters?” asked Tyler, pointing to the largest mound of iron claws. Fury was rising from his gut and blood rushed to his head. From what Thaut said, the ambush was not done by creatures of the Barrens. Tyler felt like breaking something, even a deity’s head if it came to that.

  “They hid their magical residue well, a fact making me more cautious about the entire situation. The puppeteers of these creatures want me to decide on a course of action in their favor. On that level, I need to know first what the game is – Senet? Talf? Xiangqi? Knowing what is on the table will eventually lead me the real opponent. Keep that in mind as you also need to check your anger; I could feel it from here. When the time comes, direct it against those we know to be responsible for this grievous and cowardly deed.”

  “You’re millennia ahead of me in those kinds of mind games, Thaut. For now, my only concern is getting the company back to Skaney safe and sound. I am already happy that Asem is still alive.”

  “I could help you there a bit, though I have only explored part of the Barren Lands. It was a vastly more dangerous place in those days. But I desisted from proceeding further due to my concerns about arousing the ire of the Norse pantheon. We were not on good terms during those days.”

  “Anything to get us closer to our destination would be of great help,” answered Tyler.

  “It will be near the second mountain range, the one bordering Skaney and the edge of the Dry Plains. That’s the farthest I was able to reach. The mountains in the distance only mark the center of this broken land.”

  “Thanks,” replied Tyler with enormous relief. “Avoiding the creatures populating the central part of the Barrens puts us in your debt.”

  “No, First Mage. Keeping the ember of life in my daughter until I arrived placed me in your debt. I am just repaying the favor. But you’re right. Monstrous creatures infest the middle part of the Barren Lands. Not as bad as the cursed Void or even the Death Lands, but still a struggle for deities, much less mortals. Or even a First Mage.”

  Thaut then waved his hand and with a quick flash of gold, the magical barrier disappeared. Tyler could now see the rest of the party around the mound though each was on its edges, facing a different direction. Astrid had taken a position nearest to the unconscious priestess.

  “It’s time for me and mine to go, First Mage. But rest assured that Asem will come back to your party if she wants to return. With all the risk such a decision entails, it is not my wont to tamper with the threads of fate. But your path appears to be a difficult and tumultuous one. Unbelievably interesting though. No wonder my daughter embraced your quest.”

  The deity suddenly stopped talking and stared into the sky. Moments later, he slowly turned to Tyler and shook his head.

  “And it appears my daughter joined a mission which would make or break this world. A tall order, even for deities,” Thaut said gently. “But even if I told her that, it would only make her more determined to continue on this path with you. Mortals. You never fail to amaze me. Willingly taking on impossible odds.”

  Huh? Impossible odds? Nobody told me that! Well, Viracocha might have let slip a few words to that effect, but that old man never used the word 'impossible,' Tyler thought as he inwardly cursed Viracocha.

  “Can you clarify what you said? Somehow, that doesn’t help my confidence. Terrifying, even,” said Tyler in a tremulous tone.

  “No. To tell you the few details my vision showed me is interfering with the future. I am sure you know the dangers inherent in such an act. No deity on Adar is infallible, and I am not stupid enough to think that showing you one possible future would be of help,” came Thaut’s emphatic reply.

  “I am screwed, am I?” Tyler blurted out.

  “Only if you allow yourself to be,” replied the deity with a laugh.

  “Farewell, First Mage. When I leave, keep your company on this knoll. You'll have a few minutes to prepare and gather your gear. Your party will be transported to the farthest point I have explored. Hopefully, it's less dangerous now.”

  Less dangerous?

  “Wait! Please wait!” a voice cried out. It was Astrid. The Valkyrie was openly weeping as she ran to where Tyler was standing. Reaching the mage, she immediately went on her knees and lowered her head. The mage was astonished. From what he knew of the people of Adar, the presence of a deity was enough to make them keep their distance and Thaut was no ordinary god of a pantheon. That was more than enough to discourage the companions from coming closer. Even Tyndur stayed away. But the mage noticed that Kobu had positioned himself closest to the mage.

  Come deities or dragons, the man will keep to my side, thought Tyler. It could be a complication in the future if and when I want to be alone.

  “Sire, a boon! I beg of you!” came the supplicating entreaty from the Valkyrie. Thaut looked on, the beginnings of a smile on his face.

  “Rise, Astrid. You don’t have to do that. We all have been through a lot and are all comrades-in-arms,” said the stupefied mage. Tyler noticed how the flow of tears created tiny furrows on the dirt-filled face of the Valkyrie. She looked terrible. Heartbreaking sadness mingled with extreme concern marked her countenance. It was the first time Astrid had done such a thing. The incident shattered his image of the proficient Valkyrie, the warrior of the wind.

  “I would like to go with Asem, if the Great Thaut, her father, would allow it. The priestess had been a dear sister to me. Not on
ly as a comrade and companion. I… it wouldn’t be the same if I didn’t know if she had recovered or not. All I ask is to be at her side while she recovers and then I’ll be back,” said the Valkyrie.

  Habrok’s observation back at the temple, the thought came to Tyler. But who am I to deny Astrid?

  “Of course, Astrid. You can go with Asem if her father allows it. Your concern for Asem will be the death of you if you continue with us. The lands ahead are still dangerous, and a split second could mean the difference between saying hello to the sun the next day or greeting your gods in the afterlife,” answered Tyler who then looked at the deity.

  “A great heart brooks no denial, First Mage. Who am I to stand in the way of sisterly concern? Come, Lady of the Eastern Wind, let us depart. From what Asem told of you, I could do with another daughter. Less stubborn than her,” grinned Thaut.

  Again, with the "Lady of the Eastern Wind"?

  “And have no fear, First Mage. A daughter she will be to me. And they will return to your party if and when Fate decides. I will find you when that time comes,” advised the deity. “Come, daughter. Let us go heal your sister. Perhaps you’ll learn something new during your stay with us.”

  A suffused glimmer surrounded the trio and then they disappeared. Quiet reigned on the mound as the rest of the companions, Tyler included, looked at the empty spot where Thaut, Asem, and Astrid left the Barrens.

  “Why only her? Can’t I be adopted too?” asked a grumbling Tyndur.

  Bragi spake:

  8. "A place and a seat | will the gods prepare

  No more in their midst for thee;

  For the gods know well | what men they wish

  To find at their mighty feasts."