The Accidental Archmage - Book Five, Edmund Batara [best way to read ebooks txt] 📗

in the way of sisterly concern? Come, Lady of the Eastern Wind, let us depart. From what Asem told of you, I could do with another daughter. Less stubborn than her,” grinned Thaut.

Again, with the “Lady of the Eastern Wind”?

“And have no fear, First Mage. A daughter she will be to me. And they will return to your party if and when Fate decides. I will find you when that time comes,” advised the deity. “Come, daughter. Let us go heal your sister. Perhaps you’ll learn something new during your stay with us.”

A suffused glimmer surrounded the trio and then they disappeared. Quiet reigned on the mound as the rest of the companions, Tyler included, looked at the empty spot where Thaut, Asem, and Astrid left the Barrens.

“Why only her? Can’t I be adopted too?” asked a grumbling Tyndur.

Chapter Three

The Feathered Serpent

Bragi spake:

8. “A place and a seat | will the gods prepare

No more in their midst for thee;

For the gods know well | what men they wish

To find at their mighty feasts.”

Loki spake:

9. “Remember, Othin, | in olden days

That we both our blood have mixed;

Then didst thou promise | no ale to pour,

Unless it were brought for us both.”

Othin spake:

10. “Stand forth then, Vithar, | and let the wolf’s father

Find a seat at our feast;

Lest evil should Loki | speak aloud

Here within Ægir’s hall.”

The group chuckled at Tyndur’s comment. The einherjar grinned back at the remaining members of the party.

“A little laughter goes a long way, my friends. It ails me to see our party disheartened by such misfortune. But look at it this way, we are all still alive. It is said that not every cloud that darkens the sky brings rain,” said Tyndur with uncharacteristic seriousness though a smile lingered.

“One of the sagas, I remember,” remarked Habrok.

“Indeed, it is,” replied Tyndur. “Now our party is two fewer, but it does mean more heads for us to bash.”

Now that’s the Tyndur I remember. But that serious part of him I have not seen before, thought Tyler. But I appreciate his effort at lifting the spirits of the remaining companions.

“Gather your things and come closer, our time to leave is nearly upon us,” advised the mage.

Each man, including Tyler, quickly took hold of waterskins and provisions, shouldering some packs and holding onto others. To the mage, they all looked comical, loaded down with various sacks and bags.

We’ll sort everything out on the other side. I doubt if all of the bags are full, the mage thought just as a bright circular glow suddenly erupted from the edges of the mound. It rapidly shrank and the luminosity intensified, though Tyler could see that the lower portion of the dazzling half-orb enchantment was not touching the ground. It reached the group, gave off a flash, and disappeared. The knoll was now empty.

***

Disorientation struck Tyler as soon as his feet felt the ground. He dropped the bags slung on his right shoulder while he hung on to the staff. The mage had to close his eyes as a spinning sensation assaulted him when he tried to open them. At the same time, he hoped his companions were better prepared than he was for the sudden change. But even as vertigo made him dizzy, he erected a square barrier around them, estimating the distance from his memory of the positions of the members of the group as they departed the mound.

Thaut’s transportation spell has a different flavor. I never felt this sick in the transfers made by the other deities, the mage observed as he held onto his spinning head.

“I have erected a barrier around us. Give me a moment. That transfer made me dizzy,” he called out to the companions.

“It was a disconcerting trip, sire. But we have recovered. We are on another desolate plain. No creatures in sight. The ground is rocky, and the terrain hilly. But there appear to be trees in the far distance,” Kobu updated him.

“Elder, if we may?” spoke X.

“Yes, X?”

“We apologize, but you should be aware that we have detected faint Elder emanations in front of us, right in the direction you intend to go.”

“What kind of signals? There are dark Elders in this world as we have confirmed. It could be another cult,” replied Tyler. An image of cockroaches abruptly entered his mind. Quite apt, he concluded.

“We don’t believe so, sire. It is similar to what one would detect from an Elder shrine, comparable to what we once occupied, but this one is heavily shielded. We doubt if even dark Elders could detect it, much less those of the pantheons of this world. Our temple barriers are specifically attuned to a frequency not accessible to the lost ones,” answered Hal.

“Interesting. We don’t have any record or information about a shrine in these parts. We’ll find out sooner or later what’s waiting for us. Monitor it. Hopefully, we won’t need to divert from our present course,” said the young mage.

“Of course, Elder.”

“Can you call me Tyler or First Mage instead? Even ‘sire’ would do, it’s how members of the party address me. Seeing that Zin structure made me uncomfortable about being called an Elder. I know, they’re Lost Ones. But still…”

“As you want, First Mage,” replied X.

“Yes, Elder First Mage,” added Hal.

I swear Hal really is developing a human sense of humor. Or is he learning it from Tyndur’s dialogue? Well, as long as he doesn’t affect a skaldic air, I guess it’s okay. It was an amusing observation, one that has constantly cropped up since X joined them and Hal was upgraded. The young mage suspected that full sentience was possible once the knowledge required was available. He just didn’t know whether it would be a positive development or a cause for concern.

Slowly, Tyler opened an eye, trying to gauge its reaction to the bright sun. The dizziness affecting him was now disappearing. Thankfully, it