Tartarus Beckons by Edmund Batara (reading an ebook .TXT) 📕

I would be puking all over the place,” declared Habrok when they were a few miles away, though an errant breeze would sometimes remind them of the unique olfactory delights of Akranes.

“Don’t remind me!” protested Tyndur. “Right now, I am looking for a river, a stream, or even a brook. I need a bath!”

“You take baths, Tyndur?” exclaimed Astrid in mock disbelief.

“Once a year. But I’ll take next year’s allotment now,” the einherjar joked back.

Tyler grinned at the on-going banter. The party appeared to be in good spirits. They still encountered travelers, though the number was now noticeably fewer. The usual patrols were nowhere to be found after several miles from Akranes, and the road, though still paved, showed lack of maintenance. Some portions had already reverted to dusty stretches of dirt, marked by ruts from wagon wheels.

The mage thought it was but a sign of the times; soldiers were probably held in readiness near the mountains, and the constant need to watch the dokkalfr drained the coffers, making road maintenance a low priority in this part of the domain. He guessed the good roads were maintained by Maljen.

With those observations in mind, their night camp was more prepared, with magical defenses and watch rotations. Even Habrok resumed his patrol of the area around their campsite, searching for signs of possible enemies.

By the afternoon of the second day from Akranes, the party was approaching a slight incline in the road when Tyler heard a faint explosion ahead of them. It was then followed by several louder ones. Whatever or whoever was responsible for it was coming in their direction. The companions looked at each other momentarily and then exploded into action. The trio on horseback rushed to the top of the rise, while Kobu increased the speed of their carriage. The mage immediately cast a scrying spell.

He could sense three figures fleeing towards them, followed by a mass of pursuers. The ones being pursued were human, though Tyler could detect that one had magical power. But his image of their enemies was clouded, and he knew it was a spell, a powerful one at that if it was able to prevent further scrutiny from his scrying.

Tyler dismounted when they reached the top of the rise. The companions were already deployed in their usual formation, though this time the front had Tyndur, while Habrok and Astrid covered the flanks. Their horses were already tied to a nearby clump of trees. The mage gazed at the clouds of dust in the distance which hid most of the protagonists. Once in a while, fireball spells would explode against the magical shields put up by the two groups. He did consider that the magical buffer put up by the human mage was a formidable one, considering the number of offensive spells detonating against it.

But he still couldn’t clearly see the humans being pursued, the dust raised by the impact of exploding spells made it difficult, even for his enhanced eyesight. At this point, Tyler didn’t want to take sides. For all he knew, the humans were guilty of some heinous crime.

Then he saw the flash of a unique and familiar color of a mage’s robe. An orange one, to be exact.

Chapter Nine

Orange is the Color of Magic

It’s those three amigos again. What the hell are they doing here? thought Tyler as he gathered energy for a spell.

He still couldn’t see who the three were fighting as the fleeing orange-robed mage had cast a magical attack which consisted of raining, flaming rocks. It was something which Tyler had never seen before. Unfortunately, the fiery stones added to the dust cloud hanging over the area.

“Sire?” asked Tyndur, clearly asking for instructions.

“We wait,” answered the mage. “Knowing those three, we don’t know who the guilty party is.”

Tyler then formed a barrier between the pursuers and the trio of fleeing rogues. He could sense the mage among them had reached his limit. Any more spells and the other two would have to carry him. The company remained on the rise and waited for the three to reach them. In the distance, Tyler could see the leading elements of the pursuing force hit the barrier. They were dokkalfr.

Shit. I didn’t think that through. Is this going to complicate matters? considered the mage. At least I didn’t kill any of them.

The fallen warriors who crashed into the barrier were starting to pick themselves up, and the following ranks had stopped. Tyler could see several dokkalfr shouting and point to the disorganized mass.

Officers and mages? he noted. The number of pursuers was fairly large, considering only three humans were involved, though it indicated to Tyler that the trio must have done something spectacularly wrong to elicit such a spirited reaction.

Finally, the three dusty and panting companions reached them. After thinking it over, Tyler cast a light healing spell on the trio. He glanced at the dokkalfr and saw they had already dressed their ranks. A group was deep in discussion in front of the rest. He was glad to see they’ve stopped, intaking a sharp sigh of relief. Any battle with the dokkalfr now would have meant starting off with a steel boot inlaid with a sharp blade.

“Kobu, please watch the dokkalfr while I attend to our unexpected visitors,” said Tyler as he moved towards the exhausted trio who were now seated on the ground. The other three members of the party joined Tyler.

“Let me guess – Orm, Kadir, and Sford,” he ventured.

“I am the handsome one,” said Kadir. He then winked at Astrid. “Hello, gorgeous.”

Astrid swiftly drew her blades in reply and coldly stared at Kadir.

“Kadir, stop being such an ass. Our thanks, High Mage,” said the orange-clad mage, Sford, after he stood up. The other one, Orm, also picked himself up and gave Tyler a quick bow. Kadir followed in short order.

“May I ask what was that all about? They seem to be quite furious at you three,” asked Tyler.

At his words, Orm and Sford angrily glanced at Kadir.

“It’s the