Mimir's Well (The Oracles of Kurnugi Book 3) (3 page)

CHAPTER 5

            
 
"
I
didn't realize dwarves
could
turn away from earth and stone," Henry said as they neared the black waters of the lake.

              "It happens from time to time," Valin said almost too quietly for Henry to hear. He was the only one who had accompanied them, though he'd gotten directions from others who knew the way. "Most don't survive a week, but Andvari has lived as stoneless for millennia."

              A faint splash sounded through the open cavern, but it was beyond the sight of their emberstones. Instantly, Henry saw the difference between the two lakes. Where Tungl had bits of moss creeping down the stone shores into the water, the area near Eitr was bare. A constant murk swirled around through water, stirred by the waterfall on the other side of the lake. It might have been Henry's imagination, but he thought he saw a shadow as big as he was swimming beneath the surface.

              They made their way around the lake to the waterfall where the dwarves had said Andvari made his home. It took another half an hour, and Henry constantly caught himself looking out over the water to figure out what swam there, but he didn't see anything. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up to turn his back to the lake, but he focused his attention on the cavity behind the waterfall.

              It was little more than a shallow cave with a hard sleeping mat on the floor and a rock that might have been used for a chair. A few fish bones had been scattered on the ground, and a net lay bundled near the mat. A pile of fabric that was more rags than clothes had been stuffed into a corner.

              "He left Jord for this?" Valin didn't bother to try to hide his disgust.

              "It doesn't seem like much of a life, does it?" Henry agreed.

              "Where do you suppose he gets these from?" Andromeda said, as she kicked over the pile of fish bones.

              "From the lake, probably," Henry said.

              Valin shook his head. "Eitr is poisonous. Nothing can live there, but some of the other lakes are fed by streams that flow from the surface."

              "Valin, I saw something swimming out there."

              "You're mistaken, Henry. Those waters will even melt flesh if exposed for more than a few minutes."

              Just then, he thought he heard another splash, but it was impossible to tell over the noise of the waterfall. He walked out of the cave and stood by the shore. About twenty feet in, he saw a definite ripple and pointed to it.

              "A loose stone probably fell in. Trust me, Henry. Nothing can live there."

              "Get me that net."

              "Why?"

              "Look, if I'm wrong, all I've done is waste ten seconds. Just get me the net."

              Valin sighed, but Andromeda ran back to the cave and came back with Andvari's net. She gave it to Henry who looked at it in bewilderment. He tried to spread it out, but it started to tangle. Before long, it had become a hopeless mess. He looked up at Andromeda and Valin.

              "I have no idea how to use this," he admitted.

              Valin rolled his eyes and took the net and spent a few minutes untangling it. He slung it over his shoulder. They watched the water for several long moments before Henry finally shook his head. No sooner had they turned around than splash sounded behind them. Valin didn't wait. He whirled and tossed the net over the lake. It spread out and landed right where the water was rippling. An instant later, a silver pike four feet long leapt out of the lake. It rose at least five feet up before disappearing under the surface of the water. Valin gasped, and Henry moved to help him pull it in. When they finally got it to shore, it was no longer a fish, but a dwarf, soaked to the bone.

              "Andvari," Valin said in a level voice.

              "Lord Valin," the dwarf said as he untangled himself. "Was there some reason you decided to trap me with my own net?"

              "We were curious what could swim in waters that should've killed anything. How did you manage that anyway?"

              Andvari huffed. He made a chopping motion with his right hand, and all the water on him abruptly splashed to the ground leaving him perfectly dry. Valin stared at the water, his mouth opened. Andvari sniffed.

              "There are magics beyond that of the earth," he said.

              "Not for us," Valin said.

              Andvari began rolling up his net and didn't look at Valin when he spoke. "What do you want?"

              "We need to get to Mimir's well," Henry said.

              "Take Bifrost."

              "Bifrost is closed," Valin said. "If you ever bothered to keep up with your people, you'd know that. The gods are waging a war on us."

              "They're not my people," Andvari said. "They made that perfectly clear."

              "You..."

              "Valin," Henry interrupted. "Let me."

              Andvari huffed. "And what makes you think you'll do any better, boy?"

              "Because if Idun's forces take Jord, they'll come here next, unless you actually believe no one in town knows where to find you. We did it easy enough. I get the feeling you're too powerful for her to ignore."

              Andvari considered that for a second and nodded. He turned to Valin.

              "I just want to be left alone."

              "I'll speak to the king."

              "You'll have to leave the horses."             

              "What?" Henry asked.

              "Why do you think I live here?" Andvari asked. "Eitr is a gateway into other worlds. There's a passage down there that can take you where you need to go."

              "So you're guarding the gateway to here?" Valin asked.

              "I'm making sure nothing that doesn't belong here comes out. I'll change you into a fish and lead you to the valley of the rivers. That's the best I can do."

              "The one between worlds?" Henry asked.

              Andvari nodded. "You should be warned. The mind of a fish is not like that of a man. It can take some getting used to. Thinking won't be easy."

              "This doesn't sound like a good idea," Valin said.

              "I'm not sure we have a choice," Henry said. "Not unless I want to fight either a god or a dragon."

              "You shouldn't go anyway, Valin," Andromeda said.

              "What?"

              "You fulfilled your obligations when you got us here," she said, "but your high king is preparing for war. In all likelihood, he's going to call for reinforcements from Fjalar and the other kings under him. You're needed here for when that happens."

              "My grandfather can send generals."

              "You are his general."

              Henry could see that Valin wanted to argue, but finally he nodded. Wordlessly, Henry handed him the reins to Pegasus.

              "Ok," he said, turning to Andvari. "What do we do?"

              The dwarf stepped into the water and motioned for Henry and Andromeda to follow. They did. As soon as Henry stepped inside, he tripped and fell on his face. A momentary panic seized him as he inhaled the poisonous water, but then he realized he could breathe. It was easy. He tried to get to his feet only to discover he didn't have them anymore. A great fish swam in front of him, and Henry knew instantly he should follow. The fish circled him a few times before vanishing. They swam into the murky water and found a hole in the bottom of the lake. Light was scarce, and he saw little but the occasional shimmer off the fish's scales as they swam through a network of tunnels.

              Andvari. That was the fish's name. His thoughts felt like mush, and he struggled to remember. There had been someone else with him, but the name escaped him. Andvari led him through a series of tunnels infinitely more complex than they ones they'd crossed on their way to Jord. Sometimes other fish swam by, and occasionally, Henry had to fight back the urge to go after them and have them as a snack.

              Abruptly, Andvari turned and swam down, disappearing into a crack so small Henry would've sworn the fish couldn't have fit. He darted down and entered the crack as well. He just barely fit and would've made it through unscathed, but a minnow charged out of the water and bumped into him. The little thing was strong and knocked him into the rocks. A particularly sharp one cut a line across his stomach. The smell of the water changed as blood spread out from him. The little fish bumped into him again and again. It was like it couldn't tell where it was going. Henry found himself flopping end over end as the rocks scraped him again.

              A few seconds later, the minnow swam out in front of him, and Henry noticed it only had one eye. It disappeared just as they came into a larger cavern. Something tickled his side, and Henry would've laughed if he'd been capable of it. At first, he thought it was the minnow, but it didn't feel quite the same. Soon the tickling became an itch and then a burn. He swung his tail wildly, churning the water. Finally, the great fish turned to investigate. Somehow, its eyes went wide. A red fish with green eyes swam up to Henry and began ramming into his side, but he didn't feel it. Flakes of green film drifted in the water, and it took him a second to realize they were coming from him. The big fish blinked. Henry only had time to wonder if fish actually could blink when a current rushed on him and slammed him into the rock, knocking him unconscious.

CHAPTER 6

            
 
H
enry opened his eyes to a grey sky. It wasn't cloudy. It was just grey. The sun shone dimly overhead, as if seen through fog. A gentle breeze threw a spray of water into his face. He coughed and sat up on muddy ground. His stomach clenched in pain, and he lifted his shirt. Scrapes and cuts littered his abdomen. Andromeda was next to him, just beginning to wake up. Andvari stood over them.

              "Sorry about that," the dwarf said. "Those parasites eat flesh and are attracted to blood. I had to call a current to get them off of you."

              "You could have warned us about them." Andvari shrugged, and Henry offered Andromeda a hand up. "Are you alright?"

              She stood up and closed her eyes for a second before nodding. "I'm fine. Where are we?"

              Henry turned around and took in their surroundings. They were on the shore of a slow flowing river. A little ways off, the bank gave way to a sea of pale green grass that swayed in the wind. The air wasn't exactly odorless. It smelled like nothing, though he didn't understand how he knew the difference.

              "We're just outside of Asgard," Andvari said. "This is the Kormt, one of the two rivers Thor crosses to reach Yggdrasil. The Ormt is two days that way, and the great tree lies beyond it."

              "What's between here and there?"

              "Whatever lies in the space between worlds."

              "You're not being very helpful."

              The dwarf shrugged and waded back in the water. "I was never stupid enough to try to cross it."

              "We don't exactly have much choice."

              "Personally, I'd go with the dragon, but that's just me."

              "You're just going to leave us then?"

              Andvari looked over his shoulder at Henry. "If you're asking if I'm coming with you, the answer is no, but I can take you back if you wish."

              "I don't think so," Henry said.

              "Suit yourself," Andvari said.

              The dwarf leapt into the air and shimmered. As he started coming down, his body compressed, and his limbs shrank. By the time he hit the water, he'd taken on the form of the great fish, and he disappeared into the river.

              "Well, shall we go?" Andromeda asked.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

              The wind never varied, and only the occasional low hill broke up the terrain. Henry kept a look out for whatever everyone had been afraid of, but it was just more of the same as far as the eye could see. Even the sky remained the same uniform grey.

              "I don't like this place," Andromeda said. "It feels...dead."

              A flapping sound cut off Henry's reply as the wind gusted into his face. In front of him, two massive wings appeared held together as if hiding something. They separated and rapidly shrank until they fit on the side of golden sandals. The Greek god smiled and inclined his head to each of them.

              "Well, she's not wrong," he said. "Not entirely anyway."

              "Hermes, what are you doing here?"

              Hermes sighed. "Do we really have to go through that again?"

              "A message?" Henry asked.

              "Of course."

              "Fine. What did you mean when you said she's not wrong?"

              "She said it feels dead. It is, in a way."

              "In what way?"

              Hermes rolled his eyes. "When you passed to this side of the Kormt, you passed between worlds. That's not the only river that marks that kind of boundary."

              "The Styx?"

              Hermes nodded. "It's how you first crossed into Greece. I thought I should explore it to see where else it led. When I got your message that the enemy was Idun, I knew you'd show up here eventually."

              "You did?"

              "I was pretty sure." The god shrugged. "I thought it was at least a one in three chance."

              Henry shook his head and let out a breath. He met Hermes' eyes. Though pale blue, those eyes seemed to possess more life than the washed out colors of the land around them.

              "What was the message you had?" Henry asked

              "I'm to tell you fighting has broken out at some of the boundaries of Argath."

              "Is King Frederick alright?"

              "He's holding his own. His new alliance with Fjalar seems more than capable of defending the kingdom. In fact, he's sending men here."

              "What?"

              "He doesn't particularly want Idun to send him another Zuab. Fjalar agrees. Both of them are coming here to help you."

              "Through the tunnels?" Hermes nodded. "But that took days."

              Hermes scanned the empty horizon for several seconds. Henry followed his gaze, but there was only the same nothingness he'd seen since they'd come into this valley.

              "It's much less if you actually know where you're going," Hermes said. "A dozen or so dwarven masters of the earth can also speed things up a great deal. I expect they'll be able to meet up with you soon."

              "How about an army from Greece?"

              "That's a little easier. Zeus closed off Greece so Idun's army couldn't get in if they tried, not that they have. Anyway, without a need to keep so many men at home, Greece is able to send a large force through another way that I know."

              "How big?"
              "Twenty thousand or so. It won't be enough to conquer this land, but we should be able to take enough of Idun's strength so she won't be a threat anymore."

              "I don't suppose you know what corrupted her?"

              Hermes shook his head. "If this were Greece then maybe, but this is a strange land with strange gods. I don't entirely understand their limits."

              "Alright," Henry said. "We're on our way to see the Oracle right now. With a little luck, it'll be able to tell us how to stop Idun. How will I find you once you get here?"

              Hermes' sandals buzzed as the wings began to flap sending ripples through the grass. He raised an eyebrow at Henry. "We'll be the army not made up of Norsemen."

              "Right." Henry rolled his eyes and turned to go.

              "Henry," Hermes said, all trace of mirth gone from his voice. "Be careful. I've heard some of the stories of this place. These are harsh lands, and harsh lands breed strong people. The legends they tell are equally strong. If even half of what I've heard is true, there are creatures here that would make Cetus look like an earthworm and Medusa like a child."

              Hermes inclined his head and lifted into the air. The wings on his sandals expanded. They flapped once, obscuring him, and then, he was gone. Henry turned to take in the landscape. The grass swayed in the wind, and the odorless air made his skin crawl. He wondered what monsters could lay hidden there. When he looked back at Andromeda, she gaped at him.

              "What?"

              "That was a god."

              "Yes, I know."

              "You talked to him like he was a normal person."

              Henry blinked. She'd met Hermes before, but of course that had been in another world. After a few seconds, he laughed. "We've known each other for a long time. I wouldn't exactly call him a friend, but I do trust him, more or less. Just don't follow him if he leads you into a volcano."

              Andromeda looked surprised at that. "Of course not. What kind of fool would do that?"

              Henry groaned. "Never mind."