The Accidental Archmage: Book Eight (Where Titans Walk) Read online

  Despite himself, Cotto smiled at the arrival of the genuinely terrifying, monstrous beast. He couldn’t help but wonder how Kronus was able to bind Kampe or how the puny Zeus was able to defeat the entity. Luck, perhaps?

  Chapter One

  Tourists

  Kerberos raised all three monstrous heads to the ashen sky, the brutish motion accompanied by the incongruous sound of bells loudly ringing their way across the silent snowdrifts. Then the gigantic hound howled, and in an instant, the deafening sound drowned out the bells and the loud echoes of Gullin’s ridiculous fit of hilarity. As the baying thundered throughout the white landscape, the party, except for Gullin and the Oracle, all covered their ears. Then everyone quickly scrambled even farther in retreat as the snow dislodged by the unearthly noise immediately rose and threatened to bury the company in an overarching white wave. It was a hasty withdrawal that was only stopped when the Pythia held out her hand toward the oncoming avalanche, instantly dissolving it back to being an unmoving and non-threatening part of the scenery.

  Tyler swiftly looked around and found everybody was alright. However, the female draken had adopted an uncharacteristically bizarre habit of not looking at Kerberos. If not for the direness of the situation, Tyler would have been much amused by the draken’s reaction to the bells the mischievous trio – Gullin, Dio, and Rumpr – had hung on the hound’s necks. But the memory instead made him recall Rumpr’s impish grin.

  The damned gnome would have loved the sight, the mage sadly sighed as he examined their surroundings.

  There was ice and snow as far as his eyes could see. He expected fire and brimstone, not this freezing, bleak and unforgiving landscape. The howling stopped for a while, and the hound glanced their way. After a step toward them, it stopped and again bayed with all of its might. Then Kerberos turned and fled the other way, its fleeing paws violently shaking the ground, and the thunderous quakes fell members of the party into the snow where they stood. Strangely, the mage could still feel the bond between him and Asag, which meant the stubborn and arrogant oaf was still alive. Somehow. He knew the rest of the company was concerned about the daemon, no matter what their feelings were for him. For many, it was a bizarre combination of comradeship and hate – grave irritation at best, bordering on retaliatory mayhem. He was of the party and had proven to be a reliable companion, even with such atrocious manners.

  On the other hand, Gullin probably wasn’t happy a huge, slobbering dog got to her victim first. Tyler looked at Thyma, otherwise known as the Pythia, a questioning expression on his face. Of the remaining members, he guessed only Thyma would have an idea of what Asag’s condition was right now. The Oracle did owe some of her abilities and powers to the rock daemon. Asag’s death or removal from this reality would have cut off such a connection.

  “He’s fine. I think. Extremely annoyed and ashamed, I am glad to report. But I hope he’ll find his way back to us. Tartarus is chaos personified. Distances and images mislead,” answered the Oracle with a wry expression.

  Tyler could detect the sensations Thyma described, and he could feel that the daemon was taking it out on Kerberos. From the inside.

  No wonder the mutt turned and fled, he reflected. Kerberos must be in a world of hurt right now.

  “That’s good to hear. At least, that means we haven’t lost one of us yet,” voiced Tyndur loudly. “Now, where to? I’d love to get moving out of here as fast as we could. My balls are freezing. Shouting swina bqllr! as a battlecry isn’t appropriate in these conditions.”

  ***

  Fortunately, Thyma had some idea of the general direction where to go. Tyler’s scrying came back with scrambled information. He couldn’t make sense of it. When he asked Thyma, the Oracle laughed.

  “Tartarus is a peculiar place, Archmage. It’s a place for the mad, and hence, from our point of view, madder than the inmates. It’s not of the First World, nor of the Second. The ancient Greeks tried to explain the place as a god, a brother to Chaos and Gaia. A close enough explanation. It is a place, yet it is aware at the same time. It is connected to our worlds, yet not part of it. I doubt if even the Titans understood what it really was. I don’t, so don’t ask me any further questions about its nature. Just don’t take everything here at face value,” replied Thyma somberly.

  Trudging through heavy snow was hard work, Tyler knew. But it was made worse by the Oracle’s suggestion that everyone be connected by ropes tied around the waist. It would make sure nobody got separated permanently from the group. Sometimes, a distance of two feet would actually be a mile or more, warned Thyma. Fortunately, the freezing temperature was somewhat eased by Gullin’s exudation of warmth. However, the draken had to be careful not to melt the snow. Walking on wet or icy paths was worse. Then the scene changed abruptly after an hour of walking. Tyler was so surprised that he looked back. Behind them was the familiar snow-blasted scene. In front of them was a vast desert, complete with giant, undulating sand dunes. The heat was now thawing their frozen bones, but as he looked up in the sky, the merciless sun returned his gaze. It was going to be a hot way forward, unless Tartarus suddenly dumped them in another random biome. He heard Habrok sneeze, followed by Astrid, and then saw Thyma looking at him.

  “I warned you this realm is mad. In more ways than one. Though I admit I was hoping for a forest or something not so hot,” said the Oracle, looking around.

  “Why so many distinct environments?” asked the puzzled mage.

  “Different people, different sufferings. We haven’t met any of the punishments yet, or any of the inmates, so be on your guard,” came the answer.

  The fucking changing biomes were not punishment enough? thought Tyler testily.

  Suddenly, the entire landscape shuddered strongly, the sudden spasm throwing them into the gritty, hot sand. Several more followed, though the consecutive quakes were much lesser in severity and occurred intermittently. The party picked themselves up, brushing the harsh sand from their clothes and armor.

  “That’s strange,” said Thyma, looking at the sky. “I sense Tartarus under attack. Somebody or something just broke down the Gates. Now, that’s something you don’t sense every day.”

  “Anything else?” asked Gullin irritably. It was apparent that being in a different dimension was a new experience for her, and it appeared she didn’t take to the experience with aplomb. To some extent, it gave a sense of relief to the mage. They’d all be newbs together, except for Thyma, of course. He really wasn’t comfortable with the inscrutable facade drakens adopted when it came to knowledge. At least he now saw a crack in that smugness.

  “No. Nothing at all. I couldn’t even imagine why somebody would barge in here like that – breaking down the Gates and such. Even Zeus was careful and threaded cautiously when he entered Tartarus during the Titanomachy,” answered Thyma.

  Then Tyler remembered the squids, and the last thing they told him.

  You will not enter the Gates of Tartarus. We’ll make sure of it.

  The young mage was taken aback by the sudden comprehension. He didn’t expect that his least favorite dream visitors would try to tear down Tartarus itself. His mind refused to consider what the arrogant bastards would do if they learned he was already inside the cursed domain.

  ***

  “What now?” asked Habrok, though the question was addressed to no one in particular.

  “We cross that damned piece of land,” replied Tyndur grimly. “It’s going to be a hot trek, that I could see. Never thought I’d see a desert. Heard of it, but never, ever even deemed of being in one. And I hate the blasted place just by looking at it.”

  Tyler noticed Thyma was observing the exchange with amusement. He couldn’t really conclude with certainty, but it seemed the Oracle knew more details about Tartarus than she let on. Then he did a mental face-palm.

  Of course, dumbass. She’s a Titan. Don’t you remember what she said about the knowledge they had?

  “It’s going to be tough crossing that desert, Thyma
. Most of us aren’t prepared for such a trek,” he told the Oracle.

  The mage already saw the daunting problems waiting for them – water, provisions, heat protection, and the fact that none of them were acclimatized to the desert heat. Gullin didn’t have a problem, and he suspected Thyma also fell into the same category. For all he knew, the being could create a microclimate around herself.

  The Oracle replied that it wasn’t really an issue. The biome could change without warning. It’s the nature of Tartarus, she reminded them. The realm detests order and loves chaos. It was a revelation that immediately got him asking his guides about any side-effects of the domain on his nature. Chaos is chaos. Disorder and destruction are part of such an elemental force. If such energy was around them, it posed a grave danger to Tyler. The mage’s constitution and nature were more receptive to the influx of ambient power than he wanted. The guides said they couldn’t detect any threat from the nature of Tartarus itself. But they sensed a subtle difference in the energy flowing through it. Magic from the Second World was present, possibly because of the relationship between Hades and Tartarus. But it appeared that the latter had magic of its own. Tyler wasn’t surprised. It was a different dimension, after all.

  “Now you’ve got me all thirsty,” the einherjar told Thyma, taking a swig from his water flask. “But I wonder where we’ll get our water? Unless we return first to that wintry landscape and get some snow out.”

  At his words, the company turned to look at where they came from. But now, instead of the white scenery of an icy domain, it was desert as far as their eyes could see. At the sight, Tyndur hurled curses and insults to the sky. The mage noticed an impressive improvement. The einherjar had expanded his repertoire.

  “Oh, don’t worry, Tyndur. Water isn’t a problem. I could easily create springs,” said Thyma, trying to calm down the enraged einherjar. “Now, food, that is a problem. There are edible creatures here. But many beasts are also corrupted, which means the same as or worse than being poisonous animals. We just need to be careful about what we eat. Bring them to me first so I could check.”

  “You mean Habrok could bring down a deer, and we can’t even be sure if we could eat it?” asked Tyndur, his voice rising a decibel.

  Thyma nodded. It was an unfortunate reply which gave rise to another venting of frustration on the part of the warrior.

  “Tyndur,” Tyler called out finally. The exhibition was entertaining, but it was time to move.

  The revelation that something or someone was attacking Tartarus made him uneasy. If Tyler could fly directly to the fortress of Iapetus, he would. He doubted if any deity, other than the expression of a more powerful domain, could just break into the infamous dark realm. And the only such realities he knew were Adar and Earth. Hades and the other underworlds didn’t count. They were but creations of a namesake god or the appropriate deity of darkness, evil, punishment – whichever applies. What primarily concerned him were the intentions of the squids, for he had no doubt they were responsible for the dangerous intrusion and ensuing disturbance. The mage had no doubt that the entities were already making merry mayhem at the entrance of this fabled dark domain. Tyler didn’t know how far they would go to prevent Iapetus from making him a hostage. Or whether they’d use the opportunity to get rid of Eira. The very thought made his ears burn.

  “I’m good, sire. I just needed to get that off my chest. But if a naughty deity was in the vicinity, that would have been doubly satisfying,” replied the einherjar, his voice a lot calmer.

  Tyler grinned. It was typical Tyndur. Then he looked at Habrok, and the ranger gave him a nod. Food was now a priority on the man’s list.

  ***

  Their trek along the sand dunes wasn’t as bad as Tyler expected. Astrid recommended keeping to the ground and not on top of the dunes. Going up and down the undulating slopes was taxing, she explained, and there was always the risk of falling down the slip face. The hot sun was made bearable by a shield that Tyler created above the company, while Thyma contributed a cooling breeze. The companions were still tied to each other. Thyma continued to insist on it, reiterating her warning that nothing is what it seemed in Tartarus. The fact that Gullin was included in the arrangement was telling. It meant that even if one could fly, there was no assurance the flyer would reach the destination even if it could be seen in the distance. By the time the party took a break, the sun had already gone down. As the companions took their meals, the Oracle told them not to trust the day-and-night cycle they see. True enough, after a few minutes, the sun was high up in the sky again.

  “Hah. This realm is going to drive me crazy,” commented Habrok disgustedly.

  “That’s why it’s called the abode of the truly damned, ranger. Those merely damned are in Hades,” laughed the Oracle. “You know, with this company, I never had such amusement in all my life. It makes my decision to go with you worthwhile.”

  “Well, we do find ourselves facing strange things,” countered Kobu. “We do our best to please, as innkeepers are wont to say.”

  “It’s your reactions, exile. Mere mortals would have quailed or broken down at what you have seen and experienced. Yet, your reactions were quite the opposite of what even a deity would expect. Tyndur here is one prime example,” explained Thyma, still laughing.

  “Me? That’s nothing. Never cared for deities, or the whole bowing and scraping thing,” replied the einherjar casually. “I wouldn’t mind cracking a divine head or two if it came to that.”

  “See?” Thyma told Kobu.

  ***

  Suddenly, the terrain shifted yet again. The company found itself walking along a vast wetland, and most were suddenly buried up to their ankles in mud.

  “For the love of Zeus!” exclaimed Habrok with dismay. Of all the companions, he was the one deepest in the muck, right up to his waist.

  Tyler watched as the party hauled the cursing ranger out of the muck. Though the mage could see a lot of suppressed mirth, no laughs greeted the fate of Habrok, except for a loud guffaw from the einherjar. He considered the company lucky – it could have been quicksand. The mage was starting to be frustrated at their progress. With enemies at the Gates of Tartarus whose intentions weren’t exactly clear, aside from obviously keeping him from the clutches of Iapetus, combined with their slow pace, Tyler was worried that a lot of nasty things could happen as the company trudged its slow way across a constantly shifting landscape. Not to mention they haven’t meet any of the denizens – and Punishments – that Thyma mentioned.

  “Hal? X? Our Elder energy reserves?” asked the mage.

  “Minuscule,” came the disappointing answer.

  He expected the reply though the mage wanted to be sure. Tyler had the beginnings of a plan. But it would require Elder energy sufficient for one spell. It was another wild idea and probably could invite aggressive repercussions. Given that they were in Tartarus, the mage didn’t have a clue of what that might be, reminded as he was of his guide’s observation that a strange undercurrent of power ran through the dark realm. But Tyler didn’t care about the consequences. What he wanted was the fastest way to Eira before all hell broke loose. If those squids did break through whatever defenses Tartarus had, then what he planned to do was a picnic in comparison.

  “Thyma, what’s your reading on the battle at the Gates?” he asked the Oracle, who was busy casting cleaning spells on the group. Mud and grime did characterize everyone’s appearance.

  “They’re still fighting. I could sense the arrival of some Titans at the Gates. Though what I could detect was a surprisingly worried concern over… only a number of individuals. They really must be powerful to wreak such havoc, “replied Thyma simply.

  It’s the squids, alright, concluded the mage, noting the continued vibrations running through the ground. They were not that strong anymore, yet remained a constant reminder of the deadly race for time. I hope that mad Titan’s minions could hold the Gate. I didn’t expect to be rooting for them.

  “We
have problems, Thyma. We don’t know the fate of Asag, and I feel as if we’re not getting anywhere. And our provisions. I hesitate to let Habrok hunt. He might not be able to return to us. There must be something we could do,” explained Tyler.

  The Oracle didn’t answer immediately and finished up with her cleaning spells. She looked at the mage and then stared into the horizon. Then Thyma closed her eyes. Meanwhile, the company again deployed themselves in a defensive formation. But Gullin walked to the mage who was watching the woman.

  “It is a strange land, Archmage,” said the draken. “And the energies here confuse even me.”

  “I am not surprised, Gullin. Though we are in what mortals and deities call an underworld. For the Greeks, this would be the underworld of underworlds. Their version of an Inner Hell. Members only. Not really a land in the normal sense, but rather a dimension filled with tortured souls,” replied Tyler, not taking his eyes off the Oracle.