The Accidental Archmage - Book Five by Edmund Batara (best e ink reader for manga .txt) 📕

“Plainer words have never been said. Though this time, the foe is one bereft of the breath of life, driven by the hatred of living mortals and interfering gods.”

“Undead, huh? From what greeted us so far, I would assume they would be made up of former enemies in the past. Beings who fought each other to the death—mortals, creatures of the Barrens, and the darker elements of Skaney’s lore.”

“You do have a talent for the right conclusions, plainly and succinctly adorned. We did contribute to the bloody mayhem,” smiled Odin again.

Tyler closed his eyes, trying to keep in check the rising fear in his soul. He had barely made it through the Scarburg siege, and the struggle nearly cost him his life. His bones started to feel cold while memories of that dreadful experience romped their tortured way through his thoughts.

“Just keep that black whirlwind of destruction in check, First Mage.” Odin’s words broke through his morbid and fearful frame of mind. “It wouldn’t do, destroying the world in order to save it. Remember, mortals and deities here have nowhere else to run.”

I must have been more traumatized than I thought by that experience, concluded Tyler. Only the prospect of another Skaney siege awoke whatever Freudian roots Scarburg left in my psyche. The battle at Wilan’s temple didn’t give me this kind of creepy, apprehensive feeling, and there were undead there.

“I guess I really couldn’t refuse, could I? They overran Hedmark, and Skaney’s chances of surviving will be much lesser,” observed Tyler. His calm reply surprised him.

“Put it this way. Past Namdalen, the undead would have no option but to look west. I doubt if they’ll choose the path offered by the Dry Plains. After the seat of the High King, only Fossegrim Forest would stand in their way. That is if the war of those two overgrown children in the north doesn’t become worse,” said Odin.

“What did start the war between Sutr and Ymir? It seems so sudden,” said Tyler.

“Ymir is said to have stolen Sutr’s sword of fire, which to my mind was a stupid thing for a jotunn of ice to steal. But the obvious incongruity in the motivation does escape the mind of the dull. The artifact had been found conveniently hidden in a cavern deep within Ymir’s realm. A being or beings want deadly strife between the two elementals.”

“Can’t you do anything about it?”

“The pantheon is already deeply involved in the fighting here. We take care of those we believe mortals can’t handle. I have left the needed force to defend Asgard, but the greater part of our strength is engaged in physical and magical combat. I sent Loki to see if he could settle matters between the two. His fighting skills leave much to be desired, but he’s also a jotunn. He knows how they think.”

Chapter Fifteen

Down Came Three Spiders

Njorth spake:

33. “Small ill does it work | though a woman may have

A lord or a lover or both;

But a wonder it is | that this womanish god

Comes hither, though babes he has borne.”

Loki spake:

34. “Be silent, Njorth; | thou wast eastward sent,

To the gods as a hostage given;

And the daughters of Hymir | their privy had

When use did they make of thy mouth.”

“Loki? Him?” The unease was palpable in the mage’s tone.

“There’s no one else to send. Every deity with a bit of jotunn in them or who has an acceptable knowledge of their way of thinking, is fighting somewhere in Skaney.”

“I do hope you know what you’re doing,” muttered Tyler straight away, before he remembered who was beside him.

“Sorry about that. An instant and unthinking reaction,” he apologized.

“Rest assured you are not alone in speaking those words. All those I confided the plan to were… aghast,” said Odin. “I don’t blame them. From the god of mischief to the deity of evil was quite the leap. But in hindsight, the evidence and motivation were too weak.”

Shit. What am I hearing?

“Lore says it was Loki and the mistletoe. That it was Hodr, who was also killed for the horrifying deed. Yet, both Baldr and Hodr are to come back after Ragnarok. Why Hodr if he was guilty of being Loki’s pawn? And yet mere suspicion damned Loki. He would have been put to death if he was not my son.”

“You think he didn’t do it?”

“Mayhap. Killing family members is strictly punished in myriad ways. Baldr was also Thor’s brother—my son—thence covered by Asgard’s covenants. If Loki did it, he would have known the Aesir and Vanir would sacriifice one of his children – Fenrir, for one. Ha! That would bring the prophecy of Ragnarok to a jarring stop. Loki’s not that weak. It could have been somebody else. Shapeshifting is common among the Norse legend beings. A murderous loser in a quest for a fair lady’s hand? An outraged father? Who knows, though there’s some basis for a jealous suitor’s wrath.”

Tyler was speechless – he was hearing a myth turned on its head. Then he realized one common element in the prophecy Odin was describing.

“Wait. I know Fenrir will be a crucial player in the prophecy. Loki and Thor too, of course. But also his other children – your grandchildren. Is Ragnarok a dynasty drama? A myth conveniently centered around you and your immediate family?” said the dumbfounded Tyler.

“Unfortunately, yes. It does appear to be an augury revolving around my family. Though the same could also be said for the pantheon of Hellas.”

The entire mythology stuff is but a fucking family reality show. Different channels, but still…

“And yet, I didn’t allow his death or the payment of any blood-debt. You might say I unwittingly hastened the prophecy along. Let that be a lesson, First Mage – never make a decision when you’re deep in grief. Like your sudden impulse to run off to distant Kemet, for example. An admirable trait for a leader, yet short-sighted,” continued Odin.

“I