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

  "Captain Nabbi," he said, inclining his head.

  "Master Vollr."

  The forgemaster glanced at Henry. "Quite a marvel you've brought me. I thought Gulla had lost her senses when she said the whole room went quiet at the sight of a human. Of course, she can't see...that." He gestured at Henry.

  "It caught me by surprise too," Nabbi said. "What exactly do you see?"

  "You don't know?"

  Nabbi shook his head. "We found them on the shores of Lake Tungl and are to present them to King Hreidmar tomorrow. I brought them here so you could examine his sword, but I take it there's something else you find interesting."

  "I was hurt," Henry said. "The forgemaster didn't have the ability to heal me, but he can work with flesh as easily as metal."

  "Impossible!" Vollr said. "Flesh can't be worked."

  Henry gave him a level gaze and waved his hand in front of the dwarf's face. Then, he picked up the edge of his cloak and put it on the table. "He could also work in cloth."

  Vollr looked at him in shock, but the rest of the inn erupted into whispers. Henry drew his sword and laid it on the table.

  "You might as well look at this. It's why Nabbi brought us here."

  Vollr's eyes lingered on Henry for a second before he shook his head and examined the sword. He closed his eyes and held the blade between two fingers while mumbling under his breath. A few seconds later, he opened his eyes and handed the blade back to Henry.

  "Thirty seconds ago, I would've said it was the most amazing thing I've ever seen, but now..." He bowed his head to Henry.

  "Then, it really is a forged blade," Nabbi said.

  Vollr laughed. "It's the most complex and powerful forged weapon I have ever seen."

  "I don't suppose you can tell if it really is his."

  "Not just by looking at it, but Captain, this is so far beyond me, I wouldn't know where to start in making it. I'm not even sure what it does, but I'd wager the same one who made it is the one who worked his flesh."

  "Are you sure?"

  "No, but I thought working flesh was impossible before I saw him, and it would take a greater master than any I know to make that weapon. If he says the one who worked his flesh gave him a forged weapon, I'm inclined to believe him."

  "Splendid," Valin said. "Now, if you're done questioning my word, perhaps we can see to food and rooms."

  "I had to be sure, Lord Valin." The confidence had drained out of Nabbi's voice.

  Valin grunted. A few minutes later, the serving maid brought a bowl of soup with spongy bits floating inside, along with a dark meat that was tough and gamey. Henry almost asked what it was, but then he remembered Valin talking about giant worms, and he decided he'd really rather not know.

  Throughout the meal, the innkeeper assaulted Henry with a barrage of questions before finally accepting the fact that Henry knew as little about how his flesh had been forged as a sword knew about how it was made. The constant attention of every forgemaster in the room made his skin crawl, and as soon as he'd finished his meal, Vollr led him to his room.

  The starkness of the room surprised Henry. Where the rest of the city was covered in intricate carvings, the walls of the room were bare. The "bed" was nothing more than a hard mat on the side of the room, opposite the large fireplace, which Henry suspected could double as a forge. Still, the room was better accommodations than sleeping outside on his bedroll, and sleep came easily.

  CHAPTER 4

  When Nabbi woke them, Henry felt like he'd hardly slept. Outside the inn, Henry shielded his eyes. The sheer number of people out this early surprised Henry, but the light shining from the raised crystals remained constant, so he supposed there wasn't really any day or night down here. The city probably never slept.

  "Right," Henry said under his breath. "It's just an underground New York."

  The people weren't the most amazing part. He'd been so distracted on his way in that he'd missed the finer details of the buildings. Intricate carvings decorated every wall, depicting elaborate scenes. They were so detailed that Henry could make out individual threads on the clothes. They walked for hours, though without the sun, he couldn't say how many. The carvings kept on going. He never saw one repeat itself. They'd gone a few miles before he realized the carvings told a story, one so complex it took the entire city to tell. He saw dwarves fighting in battles and working with stone or metal. People other than dwarves were depicted too. A man was catching a fish. Then, the same man approached a waterfall, and again he stood and spoke with two others, one of whom had a single eye. The next scene depicted the three men standing before an enraged dwarf with a dead otter on the ground. They passed a street, and Henry could see the story progressing on the buildings there.

  "It's our history," Nabbi said when Henry asked. "Everything, from our creation to the modern day is written on these walls."

  "What is that?" Andromeda said pointing at a cliff face rising up over the buildings.

  "It's the palace," Nabbi said.

  Henry gaped as they neared it. The wall was sheer and went up at least a hundred feet and was so long that he couldn't see the end of it. A single scene had been carved into it. A massive human figure lay dead and other, smaller figures seemed to be forming the dwarves from the dead one's flesh. Gold runes, forming a large arch, had been inlaid in the midst of the dwarves.

  Nabbi approached the guards standing in front of it. One stepped forward with a hand raised. Nabbi pulled out a rolled parchment and handed it to the guard who skimmed over it. The guard grunted and made a vague gesture with his hand. Someone appeared to take their horses as the runes on the wall began to glow. A vertical seam appeared down the middle of the arch. The door swung inward, revealing a passage lined with dwarven warriors armed with spears, though Henry couldn't tell if they were real or only statues. They didn't move as Nabbi led them past, though Henry thought the eyes followed them. They walked by several branches in the hall before stopping before a large pair of double doors made of some dark stone. No sooner had they stopped, than the doors rumbled open. Henry glanced at Valin, who shrugged.

  "Did you think the title 'Stonelord' was ceremonial? All dwarven kings have dominion over the earth. Fjalar could barely do anything. None can do more than Hreidmar."

  Henry nodded and stepped into the room. He'd thought he'd seen splendor before, but that was nothing compared to the throne room of the high king of dwarfkind. It wasn't just big. It was the size of a football stadium. The floor and walls were made from gold, and so many gems covered the ceiling that he wasn't sure what it was made of. Bright red emberstones formed a path down the center of the room, and their footsteps sounded like musical notes. They were halfway across the room before Henry could make out the shining light at the end of the path. After another few minutes, it grew so bright he had to look away. Nabbi forced him forward, though the dwarf too looked at the ground. Soon, even the reflected light grew bright enough to make him shield his eyes. Nabbi and Valin fell to their knees. Henry and Andromeda did the same a heartbeat later.

  "Rise Valin," a deep voice that made Henry think of a rockslide said. "Introduce me to your guests."

  As if on cue, the light dimmed. Henry looked up and realized that Hreidmar's throne had been carved out of single diamond-like emberstone. The blinding light was now a soft white glow. The king himself was a squat dwarf wearing a robe of woven gold. His skin was the deep grey of mountain stone, and pearl white hair tumbling from his head gave him the appearance of a snow-capped peak. His eyes shimmered silver and showed all the strength of the earth itself.

  "Stonelord," Valin said respectfully. "I present Princess Andromeda of the surface kingdom of Gothia and Master Henry Alexander Gideon..."

  "Of Master Gideon, I know," the king said. "You caused quite a stir at the Hammer and Anvil; a human with forged flesh carrying one of the most powerful swords ever seen in this city. They say you can turn men to stone and that rulers who get in your way have a habit of losing their thrones."
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  "That's a little bit exaggerated, Stonelord," Henry said, as he tried to avoid looking the dwarf in the eyes. "What I mean is, I could only do those things because of special circumstances."

  "Really?" Hreidmar asked. "Tell me, young human, how many rulers have you actually dethroned?"

  "Two. One in Greece when he conquered a friend's kingdom and another who tried to invade Argath." Henry said quickly. He bit his lower lip and corrected himself. "Well, three rulers if you count Frederick, but he got his throne back."

  Hreidmar stared at him for what felt like an eternity. Then, the dwarf king threw back his head and howled with laughter. The light of his throne pulsed with every breath, and Henry could almost feel the room shaking as Hreidmar laughed.

  "Why don't you tell me why you're here, young human," the king said between chuckles.

  "Fjalar said you're in the middle of a war."

  Hreidmar shrugged. "I have fought wars before." He glared at Henry. "Though rarely against humans."

  Henry raised his hands. "I'm not here to fight you, but this war is a little different."

  "So it is. These humans seem to know secret ways through the earth that even we have forgotten, and some of my own people have turned against us. The gods have been using magics hidden away so long ago that we knew of them only by legend. Never before has Odin himself ever made war on us."

  "That's because it's not Odin," Henry said.

  The dwarven king snorted. "Who else could lead the gods?"

  "Idun."

  Hreidmar's face became stony. He stepped off his throne, which dimmed to faint glimmer. The red emberstones shone brightly under his feet. He walked up to Henry, and though Henry was taller by a head, he couldn't shake the feeling that he was the smaller person.

  "What do you know, boy?"

  Henry swallowed and took a step back. "Her apples were corrupted."

  Hreidmar's face became several shades lighter until it was the color of gravel. "How do you know this?"

  "An Oracle told me."

  "Her apples are a source of life. How could they become corrupted?"

  "I don't know," Henry said. "The Oracle could only see the present. I'm here to find the one who knows the past."

  "And where is this past seeing Oracle?" the king asked.

  "I don't know," Henry said. "All I can say is that Idun has it."

  "You don't know anything about it?"

  Henry shook his head. Neither the magic mirror, which was the Oracle of the Present, nor the Oracle of Delphi, which was the Oracle of the Future, had been able to give him much information on that, though the mirror had given him an ominous warning. "It sees everything that was, and apparently, it demands a price for its knowledge."

  Hreidmar thought about that for a second. Then, his eyes widened, the stones around him brightening in response to his mood. "Mimir."

  "What?"

  "Legend says Odin plucked out his eye and hung upside down from the great tree, Yggdrasil, for nine days, with a spear in his side to gain the right to drink from the Well of Mimir which granted him the wisdom of the ages."

  "That could be it. I need to go to it. It might tell me how to stop Idun."

  Once again, the dwarven king laughed. He climbed back on his throne, causing the light in it to flicker and causing the more mundane gems to sparkle.

  "You don't do things by half measure, do you boy?"

  "What's that supposed to mean?" Henry asked.

  "Mimir's Well lies near the root of the world tree, a place where the gods meet daily to discuss their war."

  "I've been to dangerous places before," Henry said.

  "Spoken like someone who's never seen a god."

  This time, Henry was the one who snorted. "Who do you think forged my flesh?"

  Hreidmar looked to Valin. "Interesting friends you have here. Very well. I will take you at your word that you intend me no harm. Still, you can't just stroll across Bifrost to reach the well. I'd wager even you don't want to directly confront a god, especially one whose whole purpose for being is to guard that bridge."

  Henry nodded. "I'd prefer to avoid fighting one. That's the way the gods use, then?"

  "It connects Asgard to Midgard and to the great tree," the king said. "Only Thor doesn't use it for fear it would break under his weight. There's another way though. How would you feel about fighting a dragon?"

  Henry gaped at him. "What?"

  "A dragon. Do you think you can kill it?"

  "Are you serious?"

  Hreidmar shrugged. "Yggdrasil lies at the center of all creation. Those worlds its roots don't touch, its branches do. I know of a root touching this world. You could climb it if you think you could defeat the dragon guarding the way."

  "So you're saying my only options are to fight a god or fight a dragon?"

  "If there are others, I don't know them."

  Henry glanced at his companions. Andromeda shrugged and shifted her weight. Absently, she ran her foot along an emberstone at her feet. Its light dimmed, as if it were shying away from a human touch. Valin grunted and stepped forward.

  "Stonelord, you said all the gods, save Thor, use Bifrost."

  "You don't want to fight Heimdall or the dragon at the base of the tree, but you want to brave a valley only the strongest of gods dare to cross?"

  "I take it Lord Heimdall can't be avoided?" Valin asked.

  "He's a bridge guardian," Hreidmar said, shaking his head.

  "Neither can the dragon?" The king shook his head. "But it should be possible to pass through the valley unseen."

  "Perhaps," Hreidmar said slowly, "but that valley isn't a part of any world. It's a thing of borders and boundaries. The things that exist there are...wrong."

  "It still sounds like our best option," Henry said. "How do we get there?"

  "That's another problem," Hreidmar said. "I haven't the slightest idea."

  "Who would then?"

  Hreidmar paused for a second. Nabbi brought his hand to his forehead and shook his head. Finally, the king sighed. "Andvari, the stoneless."

  Valin cursed.

  "What is it?" Henry asked.

  "A stoneless is a dwarf who has turned his back on earth and stone. He is no longer a dwarf in any way, save body."

  "But he was one of us once," Hreidmar said. "He just might be willing to help us."

  "OK, fine," Henry huffed. "That still doesn't tell us where to find him."

  Valin sighed and turned to Henry. "Do you remember the lake that I wasn't sure was poisonous?"

  "You said you were sure it wasn't."

  "Yes, well, I may have exaggerated my certainty a little. Anyway, Andvari lives on the shores of a lake that is poisonous. In fact, once Andromeda drank from Lake Tungl, I worried it might actually be Lake Eitr. That's where Andvari lives."

  "Fine," Henry said. "Let's go."

  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 tur
n 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.