The Accidental Archmage by Edmund Batara (read out loud books .TXT) 📕

She suddenly kissed him on the lips. A peck, nothing more. But the feeling of Eira’s lips

stupefied Tyler. He was still speechless after she had gone, the feeling of her lips

leaving a warm sensation in his chest. Her wonderful smell, her soft electrifying lips, her closeness. Freak me again, he finally thought.

A quick breakfast the following morning and he was off, Brovi leading the way. The

short sword was at his hip and he carried the staff in his right. They traveled at a fast

pace, with the same routine as before. The bear, he had to admit, was an excellent

guide. Brovi even knew the best crossing point for the forest river. As the sun reached

the mid-day point, they finally reached the boundaries of the forest.

They were on a small foothill and stayed well back inside the forest cover. From his

vantage point, he could see the river on the right winding its way into Fossegrim. The

terrain in front of him was flat with scattered trees. But some degree of cover was

provided by the foothills which bordered the flat land adjoining the river. He decided to

use the foothills as cover for his journey. By keeping to its edge, he knew he would be

able to see into the flat area while being hidden by the trees. All he had to do was keep

north for several days.

Activating his triangular barrier, he moved out of Fossegrim into the continued cover

provided by the foothills. He had already said goodbye to Brovi who immediately turned

back when they reached the boundary of Fossegrim. As he continued to move through

the undergrowth, making sure he was always under the eaves of the trees, he noticed

that he couldn’t see any animals along his path or even to the sides. He did see a

couple of deer once but they were some distance off. Birds, however, remained as

noisy as ever. Either something has happened to scare off the animals or he was given

some sort of protection by Eira. He continued to push northward. He was surprised at

his pace. Unlike before, he didn’t get tired easily and he could now maintain his speed

for a longer time.

On the third day, he could spy a town in the distance across the river. Smoke was still

rising from it. Bildsfell, he deduced. He was too far away to see any movement, human

or otherwise, but the town didn’t appear to have been totally burned to the ground.

Some walls were still standing and the smoke only came from some areas of the town.

He prayed most of its people made it out alive before the final attack.

Not wishing to remain in one place for too long during daytime, he moved north again.

About an hour from where he saw the town, he decided to take a break and slowed

down his pace. He was also looking for a water source to refill his waterskin. He saw a

meandering brook in the distance. Its bank, from Tyler’s side, was elevated and rocky.

He had to find a way down to reach the brook. As he was considering the most

convenient approach to the brook, an arrow whistled through the air and embedded

itself in the tree in front of Tyler.

“Hold! Magoi!” a voice shouted.

CHAPTER LORE:

Vord nafjardar - Old Norse. Mythological being. Translated as "night roaming hag."

Magoi – Greek term for magician. Unlike many cultures, the ancient Greeks tend to look down on magic practitioners unless they were directly affiliated with temples. Plato himself described magicians as a low order of humanity.

CHAPTER XI

Greeks, Gods, and Gifts

The arrow dug deep into the tree trunk. The fletching was still vibrating from the force

of the strike.

Shit! Again? You merely want to go your quiet way to a bloodbath and what do you

get? People who want to skewer you even before you get there! Wait for your freaking

turn!”

His thought did sound absurd to him but he stopped. He raised his hands and turned in

the direction of the voice. But his right hand still held the staff. He stood there waiting.

After some time, a tall woman, clad in a modest chiton covered by leather armor

shaped like a muscle cuirass, stepped out of the trees. But the cuirass also accentuated

the shape of her breasts as well as its healthy size.

She also wore a light Corinthian-style helmet with short cheek plates. Her feet had

sandals of some sort, with greaves of some metal. Her forearms were also covered with

armor of the same material. In her hands was a bow with an arrow, pointed at him. A

short spear was slung on her back and a sword at her hip completed her attire.

A young man followed her, clad in typical hoplite armor, but without the helmet. The

youth moved to the side, keeping some distance between himself and the

woman. Trying to box me in, observed Tyler.

Weapons were a sword at the hip, a round shield and a spear. The man was also

pointing the spear at him. As they got near, he noticed the young man to be shorter

than the woman, with curled but unruly hair, and an arrogant expression on his face to boot. The woman put away the bow and arrow and drew her sword.

Even with the helmet on, he could see her piercing blue eyes, fair skin and the black

hair trailing out of the back of her helmet. They were Greeks, he realized. Not only the

armor gave them away but also their physical features. Smaller and slimmer than the

typical Norse.

“Who are you, Nord?” the woman asked.

“I am Havard. I was on my way to Scarburg.”

“Alone? In these forests. And a magic-user. Speak the truth, human!”

“Answer her!” echoed the young man. Or boy? Tyler couldn’t make up his mind. He had

that androgynous handsome face with egotistical features.

“I escaped the ambush of my column from Maljen going to Bildsfell. Went through the

forest and came out here.”

“A liar! Through a forest full of beasts? He’s not a magoi! More a goetes, I say!”

shouted the young man again.

Tyler was irritated. If I am a mage, then a forest full of beasts wouldn’t be a problem,

asshole.

“May I suggest we