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

lighting came to the fore, and the mage saw they were on top of a cliff inside an enormous cavern, miles in diameter and height. He looked back and saw a rough open entrance hewn in the wall. Far below them, in the middle of the space, was a small black lake, with swirling and turbulent currents. Closer examination revealed to him his mistake. It was energy, not a dark liquid.

“The darkness in the heart of Adar,” said his companion simply.

“Huh?” Bewildered, the mage was again at a loss for words. It was another spectacle he didn’t expect.

“Darkness lies hidden in all sentient beings, and so it is with worlds.”

“Forgive me, but I am having some difficulty wrapping my brain around the concept,” replied the mage who was rubbing his temples as he closed his eyes. Tyler had been seeking information on everything he thought was needed. But the things he had seen and heard were a massive information dump, giving rise to more questions.

“Metaphysical considerations elude you, mage. But be warned, such matters play a bigger and even decisive role in your line of work,’ observed the being.

“And yet you don’t interfere in matters which might significantly affect you in a bad way.”

“Fate. And her inscrutable reasons. Unless self-preservation is involved. Even my sister knows the invocation of such an elementary rule cannot be contained or stopped.”

“I am trying on the metaphysical front. Believe me, I am. It’s just so difficult to accept seeing such concepts in the flesh. Right now, for me, it’s unreal. Give me time, I’ll learn,” he offered.

“You always do. The mage gets lost at times, but miraculously always finds his way back. I pray your luck holds, and Fate continues to favor you. There’s a lot on those shoulders of yours.”

“Please don’t remind me anymore of that burden thing. Not helping,” replied Tyler in a weary voice. “Shouldn’t we leave?”

“Not yet. I want to show you something, but we have to wait until they get impatient.”

THEY?

The mage looked around. The place was as quiet as a lonely cave could be. But Tyler noticed their voices didn’t echo as they should. A barrier must be preventing any sound from escaping their immediate surroundings, he concluded, though he was sorely tempted to shout and try the quality of echoes in the gigantic space. He doubted if he’d ever get to find a place as massive as the cavern.

“You do know I have an undead invasion on my doorstep. And if Odin fails, I’ll have Ymir again to worry about since Sutr would be focused on the other side of the Barrens. That is if what I suspect happens. Makes one wonder what that trickster of a gaud had been up to?” said Tyler, steering the discussion back to his immediate concerns.

“Don’t you mean god? As in deity?”

“No, I meant what I said. He’s a… troublesome gnat of a trinket!” He was going to say a vulgar term, but thankfully caught himself. As far as Tyler could tell, the entity had no sense of humor. No telling what the reaction would be if he started talking like his normal self, or even like Tyndur at his best.

“Loki. A walking tragedy. Mind colored by pointless rage, extreme sadness, a maddening obsession with unwarranted betrayal, and surprisingly, pain and sorrow brought about by his love for one Sigyn. It appeared that the suffering of the goddess had torn him apart.”

“You know all of those things?”

“As I said. Precious few secrets are hidden from me. Even from those who came before the present crop of newcomers. This is me, as I said,” answered the luminous entity, spreading her arms wide, indicating their surroundings.

“I am Adar, Elder Prime-to-be. I go where I wish and listen where I want. Loki tends to rant when he thinks he’s alone,” continued the being.

“And you called me Elder Prime-to-be!” exclaimed Tyler.

“I am Adar, as I said.” The phrase was patiently repeated by the entity, though in a tone strangely reminiscent of an old-school teacher.

“I could use more knowledge and power, you know. There’s too much on my list. And I doubt if you have time for mentoring left on your schedule,” commented Tyler, trying to present the idea in a light-hearted manner.

“Therein lies the paradox, First Mage. With deities, beings of might, and mortals, such an overwhelming gift should be a humbling one, and yet in each and every instance, the mind or soul was corrupted. I fear your minds and natures are not suited to gifts of power meant to deal with burdens of appropriate magnitude.”

I ask for some help and I get a lecture. Why does she remind me of my mom?

His companion evidently noticed his disappointment as she continued her explanation.

“Granting you more power, that of this world itself, is too much. You have more than enough. You need only to find the knowledge, not only in shrines and temples, but also within yourself.

“Couldn’t I do with more?” spouted the mage, disbelief again tainting his tone. Fucking Zen again.

“No.” An emphatic tone accompanied the reply.

“I understand. Sometimes, I wish the quest were as simple as throwing a ring into a massive volcano in the middle of the realm of my enemies,” remarked Tyler wishfully.

“Then this tale would have been long over and matters happily settled. Sadly, in a battered world full of greedy or impulsive men and scheming, short-sighted gods, and formidable dark beings with ambitions of their own, things are never that simple. You might have been engaging in wishful thinking or speaking of a fantasy when you spoke those words. This is reality.”

Chapter Nineteen

Dwarven Rumble

Freyr spake:

41. “By the mouth of the river | the wolf remains

Till the gods to destruction go;

Thou too shalt soon, | if thy tongue is not stilled,

Be fettered, thou forger of ill.”

Loki spake:

42. “The daughter of Gymir | with gold didst thou buy,

And sold thy sword to boot;

But when Muspell’s sons | through Myrkwood ride,

Thou shalt