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

job. Dealing with the younger generation was definitely out of his skill set.

Finally, the mage looked at the last of the group—the little forest spirit. He beckoned for her to come to him. The young girl, with her hair now braided at the back, courtesy of Seier, walked shyly toward the mage.

Birki was right. Very, very young, he observed.

When the spirit stood before him, he was dumbfounded. The resemblance to Eira was more than passing. It was as if he was looking at a much younger version of his wife. He looked at Birki, but the being just grinned.

“Now, do you have a name?” Tyler gently asked, holding the girl’s hands. The being shook her head. Then the mage noticed that the edges of the shape of the entity were vague, as if not completely formed.

“Do you have a name you want to be called by your friends, your brothers and sisters?” he continued.

Again, she shook her head.

“Would you like me to give you a name?” That question got a nod. Tyler looked at Birki.

“Any suggestions? I admit I am not that proficient in giving names to little girls,” he said.

“The name of a forest flower, perhaps? Vivindel comes to mind. The Norse name for honeysuckle or woodbine. Intense fragrance, aggressive climber, and beautiful flowers,” suggested Birki.

“How come you know so much about it?” asked the astonished mage.

“Earth spirit, you may have forgotten.”

Tyler turned to the girl.

“Would you like to be called Vivindel?” That got a vigorous nod. “Now, wait a moment while I complete your form.”

The process took less time than he expected. Tyler smiled at the girl and told her she could now return to her seat. He didn’t ask about her powers. She was still very young and would have to discover or learn about them as she grew up.

He turned his attention back to the assembled entities.

“I guess we’re done with that part. I will return when I can, but in the meantime, Birki will take care of your training and learning. Let’s try to get you all to grow in strength and experience.”

Nods greeted his statement though all of those gathered looked happy. Polemos and Machi, in particular, looked like they couldn’t wait to explore in their new forms.

“I have to leave now. My time is limited. But we are all in this together. The staff is your home now. Protect it. You are brothers and sisters. Aside from me, there’s no one else you could rely on. Never forget that,” Tyler said as he stood up.

As he left the hall, with Birki closing the door behind them, Tyler could hear rising bedlam as the energy forms talked excitedly. He smiled again and continued walking. Birki caught up with him.

“A piece of advice, First Mage, if I may.”

Tyler stopped.

“Let’s keep this realm and the energies within the staff a secret. In time, those boys and girls are bound to be very powerful spirits. Especially with your adventures now and in the future. I daresay you have the seeds of a new pantheon inside that hall.”

Chapter Six

Old Greyskin

Bragi spake:

14. “Now were I without | as I am within,

And here in Ægir’s hall,

Thine head would I bear | in mine hands away,

And pay thee the price of thy lies.”

Loki spake:

15. “In thy seat art thou bold, | not so are thy deeds,

Bragi, adorner of benches!

Go out and fight | if angered thou feelest,

No hero such forethought has.”

The mage stared at Birki, unable to say anything. The thought never crossed Tyler’s mind. Now the obvious had been pointed out to him, it did make sense.

“I didn’t think of it that way, Birki,” he sputtered.

“I know, First Mage. But sometimes things happen. Usually for a reason. But only time will tell.”

“Is there any place we can talk privately? There are a few matters I would like to clarify,” asked Tyler, still deeply affected by Birki’s remark.

I placed little importance on deities and now I am in a position to create new ones? An entire pantheon? A powerful one at that, considered Tyler with trepidation. Fate really is a bitch. Uncommonly fond of ironies too.

The observation crossed his mind that such an extraordinary collection of gods, one reaching across different cultural divides, represented some of the strongest energies of Adar. But right now, he didn’t want to talk about it. He needed time to think about what happened and its implications.

“There’s a private room this way,” answered Birki.

Tyler followed the entity as Birki turned left and followed a narrow corridor. The workmanship of the place was indeed exquisite. The mage didn’t even notice that a corridor was there. To the naked eye, the wall appeared seamless.

“You know, it would be good to get Hrun to contribute to populating the staff. Though I hope the ill-conceived inclination toward prose does not accompany any contributed energy. He was one of Adar’s first children and his power over stone would enhance your own abilities. Three more represent water, fire, and wind, the eldest of their respective clans. But you’ll have your work cut out if you venture that way. Fire has a poor relationship with Rumpr and the water elemental. Wind dislikes Rumpr. Other dislikes might have formed, but that’s family for you.”

“What are their names?” asked the mage.

“Ah. Extremely bad manners for me to give you their names without their consent. Let them tell you themselves. That is, if you do come across them,” replied the being.

The two entered an enclosed room looking more like a study. With a wave of Birki’s hand, a window appeared on the wall, giving a view of the landscape below the keep.

“Nice touch, huh? Windows at one’s command. But it only works for Vathys. And you and me, obviously,” said Birki as he sat down. Tyler followed suit. The mage was tempted to experiment with what his companion mentioned – the power over the keep and its very form – but