The waiting unknown gave rise to small clouds of fear and doubt in the young Archmage’s mind. The sanctum of the rogue Elder – its safe haven – was magically hidden behind a mountain’s jagged exterior. Even ordinary magic couldn’t detect the opening that was surprisingly fashioned after the Greek temple entrance. However, Tyler observed a preference for Dorian columns and fretwork. Yet the unlit interior waiting for him reminded him too much of a waiting, hungry maw.

Finding the place wasn’t so difficult. It merely took four transfers to locate the site, and that included the original transit from Fossegrim. No unexpected complication reared its ugly head, and Se-Osiris proved quite adept at the use of Thaut’s power to travel such a long distance. Nevertheless, they arrived on an uncomfortable, windy mountain clearing overlooking the sea. From what Tyler could observe, the cursed place didn’t even have a proper beach. It was all sheer cliffs dropping down to the deep blue waters. He couldn’t tell if such a feature was natural or fashioned by magic, but to see miles and miles of the same gray and black rocky surface was an experience which inevitably made him suspect the pantheons. The escarpment was Banna’s wall. A prison’s barrier.

Se-Osiris told them that the rocky dell was where he initially set foot on the isle. Pressed about how he managed to reach land, past all those monstrous sea creatures and the incredible height of the adjacent cliff, the ghost merely smiled and evaded any further questions by pleading a mage’s secrets. Remarkably, the excuse was enough for the company, even Cassius. All Tyler could conclude was that the mage must have been a very resourceful and determined young man who hasn’t heard of the saying about cats and curiosity.

From their arrival point, Tyler took directions from his guides and feed them to Thaut’s agent. Provided the movement was within their line of sight, magical passage was straightforward. At first, the specific location of the dying rogue Elder couldn’t be pinpointed, but its general direction was detected by Tyler’s guides whose abilities appeared to have grown with the Archmage’s progress. Tyler saw the stark difference between this search and the quest for X’s cave. Gone was the fumbling and slow hunt. This exploration was methodical and precise. But the young mage assumed that the efficiency was due to the scientific bent of X and the enormous mental and detection power afforded by the presence of two Elder constructs.

***

Eventually, the company overlooked a small canyon. The Elder source was just below them. Tyler looked west and then south. The skies above the former were tinged with a faint amber hue, punctuated by swiftly moving tiny flashes of light. He prayed the prison of the two mindless monsters would hold, at least until he found a way to deal with - God forbid - both creatures at once, or preferably, the sole victor of such a monumental conflict. Even assuming that the pair were shunted to a dimensional battlefield, where time could be significantly slowed, such a solution was temporary. Once would eventually emerge victorious and turn its fury on the walls of its magical prison. The only consolation Tyler could think of was that the plans of conquest of the two jotunn lords, the lords of the affected realms, had been torn to pieces. Very tiny shreds.

Serves you freaking bastards right, thought Tyler, musing that Ymir and Sutr must have fled to the deepest reaches of their domains. They might not be the brightest jotnar on the block. Still, even a mentally-challenged jotunn could see the deadly danger arising from a monumental battle between a vortex of destruction and an ancient void.

South lay the re-emergence of an old foe and the results of Loki’s machinations. He had no idea what the situation was in those lands. Hopefully, the forces of the unhinged god of mischief would come into conflict with the Aztecha. Yet the Archmage considered such a possibility to be in the future. Loki’s war was focused in the southwest regions of the continent. The Aztecha Empire’s concerns were in the opposite direction. A vast area divided the two predators. Still, it could happen. Hard and difficult resistance might convince either to shift the course of their hunger sideways instead of northward against the larger and more established realms.

So many fucking unknowns, sighed Tyler as he turned his attention back to the task at hand, shuffling his feet against the gravelly ground. Banna, at least where the company had been, didn’t have dirt. It had pebbles, sharp ones honed by the elements. The Archmage figured they were already several miles inland. However, the terrain was still locked in the picturesque yet surreal landscape that initially greeted them, though the volcanic fissures and gaseous emissions described by Se-Osiris became a common sight.

At his gesture, Se-Osiris shifted the company to the canyon floor. Led by Tyler, the group walked toward the opening which only the mage could see. The young man could now sense strong signs of Elder energy. The dark Elder hid well the aura of its bolt hole. A cursory examination, even by an Elder adept, wouldn’t be able to pick up such energy traces—the path to the entryway also led through large boulders and sharp, slippery surfaces, making the site blend with its surroundings.

“This is worse than the least hospitable parts of the Dokkalfr Mountains!”

For once, it was Habrok who was doing the complaining. But Tyler guessed it wasn’t the physical effort that got to the ranger. It was the alien nature of the land. The continent didn’t have anything like Banna. The Void Lands and the Barrens were peculiar and strange places, but they were familiar nightmares. Mortals had previously been to such expanses. Everyone knew something about them. It was common knowledge that they were the result of magic. But Banna wasn’t like that. Nobody, except for heads of pantheons and a few individuals like the ghost mage of Kemet, knew anything about the place. The Forbidden Isle might very well be another planet, and Habrok, mused the Archmage, clearly didn’t have the makings of an astronaut.

He didn’t hear anything from Thyma or Astrid, but the pair had their own means of coping with the strangeness, not to mention making their way through the field of rocks easier. Se-Osiris had no problem with physical obstacles, and Cassius wouldn’t be a mage of such a high rank if the state of the terrain inconvenienced or affected him. The exile, Tyler’s shadow guardian, was silent as usual though the Archmage noticed Kobu kept close to him as he made his way through the treacherous ground. Tyler knew the warlord was watching, making sure that if he slipped or stumbled, a cracked skull wouldn’t be the result of a fumbled step.

At length, the group stood before the entrance itself. The magical spell was definitely similar to what hid that proto-Indian kingdom back in the Barren – Sarva’s people, the remnants of the Meluhhaites. Tyler was aware that what the rest of the group could see was the rocky surface of a precipitous cliff. He could just imagine the questions running in their minds. The guides had been sending queries, according to Hal, but had received no answer. It was peculiar, but excusable if the one within was concealing its presence. A rogue Elder on the run wouldn’t reply to any query directed at its hiding place.

At that moment, the young man noticed that Cassius and Se-Osiris were both staring at him with quizzical looks. The others were more concerned about their surroundings and had adopted defensive positions. The contrasting reactions spoke volumes about the trust reposed in him by the two groups comprising the company – the veterans and the newcomers. The former behaved with full confidence in their leader, however strange or peculiar the situation might appear to be. The newcomers had room for doubt.

Tyler merely gave everyone a confident smile and waved for them to follow. He was satisfied with X’s finding that the barrier itself contained no dangerous energies. It was passive and benign, according to the guide. He stepped through the threshold of the deception and walked forward. After a few steps, he noticed nobody was following him. It was a curious fact which forced Tyler to halt and go back through the magical veil.

“We couldn’t pass, sire,” reported Kobu as soon as he saw Tyler. “Even the ghost was prevented from following you.”

“A very curious phenomenon indeed,” said Se-Osiris as the two mages went to the Archmage.

Tyler immediately grasped the significance of the oddity. Elders, of whatever stripe, appeared to have extremely guarded attitudes towards their secrets. Whoever was waiting for him didn’t want others to see what Tyler was going to see or discover.

At least it didn’t turn them all to ashes like what that tablet did to Eira’s brother. But I guess the Elder within knew I wasn’t going to come alone, mused the Archmage. Then again, if malice and danger were involved, my guides would have warned me.

“It looks like I am the only one allowed to go inside. It’s not our house, so we abide by the owner’s rules,” said the Archmage. “Wait for me here, and while I am inside, Kobu takes over.”

With that statement, Tyler immediately turned and walked back inside. He didn’t want to answer questions from the pair of mages. Before the contending, egoistic pair was magic they have not encountered before, which was enough to create a mountain of questions. Tyler was in no mood to humor them.

Once inside, he had the prudence and common sense to stop and scrutinize the dim surroundings. It looked simple enough. A stone hallway led directly inside, deeper into the complex. Tyler couldn’t sense any threat or danger waiting for him, but that didn’t mean it was safe. Magic being what it was, a calm environment could suddenly turn viciously dangerous. Only a higher ability in the art would enable one to detect traps and hidden hazards. Tyler understood that only an idiot would assume he was that good a mage at this juncture. There were too many unknowns and the powerful emanations he could now feel only added to his trepidation.

“Guys, what do you think?” he asked his guides.

“It is Elder magic, sire. There’s no question about it. But the power waiting for us doesn’t seem to be as powerful as we expected. Unfortunately, our efforts to examine the area ahead of us had been stymied by the same energy. We’re not that powerful yet to be able to contend with the raw magic of an Elder,” replied X. “Caution is advised.”

Tyler nearly laughed out loud at the last statement. It sounded too modern and out of place in an era of ancient beliefs and magic.

One small step for Tyler, the mage told himself as he began to walk forward. Hopefully, not toward a giant trap.

***

He didn’t have to go far and came to a large, well-lit stone room. The chamber was bare, empty of furnishings and décor, except for a golden object floating in the middle of the space. It was a depiction of a circle of thick rope with no end.

“A shen. An ancient symbol of Kemet symbolizing eternity or the infinite,” replied X to the mage’s rushed query.

“If it’s from Kemet, what the hell is it doing in a rogue Elder’s sanctum?” remarked Tyler. The situation was strange enough to put him on guard.

Another fucking surprise. Or complication, he silently complained to himself.

Tyler examined the suspended artifact and discovered that it wasn’t a solid object. It was an illusion, but one which looked substantial enough. Then the shen began to rotate slowly. Whoever placed it in the room made it react to the presence of visitors. The young mage instinctively double-checked his shields. But the unusual symbol didn’t do anything except spin in place.

“It appears to be waiting, sire,” remarked Hal.

“That seems to be the case. Any idea on what it does?” asked Tyler.

“No dangerous energies are present and its functional matrix is similar to the tablet of Iapetus – if the Archmage remembers what that Titan left behind in Fossegrim in the wake of Eira’s abduction. We assume the shen is a communications device of some sort,” advised X.

“Oh, screw this. Am I supposed to touch that thing?” exclaimed Tyler. This time he inadvertently voiced the question.

“A directed release of your energy might work. The act did trigger the Titan’s spell,” reminded X.

The Archmage didn’t reply, and instead, let loose a bolt of fire against the object. The artifact silently absorbed Tyler’s attack, and then the shen dissolved, reforming into a familiar human shape.

It was Lumeri.