The Prisoner of Tartarus: A Marvel Legends of Asgard Novel by Richard Lee Byers

Author:Richard Lee Byers [Byers, Richard Lee]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Tags: Historical, Fantasy, Superheroes, Media Tie-In, Fiction
Publisher: Aconyte
Published: 2022-10-04T00:00:00+00:00

Sixteen

The Underworld:

One Day Until Bifrost

“It was good luck,” Kamorr said, “that I was hiding at the top of the rise when Malekith and then Pluto and the snake-men arrived. I kept on hiding, and they kept on not noticing me.” He smiled a wry smile. “Not exactly a unique event in my life, and maybe that’s all I deserve. I could have rushed down and fought beside you. I knew it at the time.”

The chain attached to his wrist rattling, Heimdall laid his hand on the Blackhammer’s shoulder. “You did the right thing. You’re brave and a skilled fighter. I’ve seen it. But even together, we couldn’t have prevailed against those odds.”

“Maybe,” Kamorr said. “But look at us now, stuck in this dungeon awaiting judgment. How are we any better off?”

Heimdall suspected his friend had a point, but he pushed the despairing thought away. This couldn’t be the end after they’d come so far and fought their way through so much. “We’re still alive,” he said. “We may yet find a way to turn things around.”

Kamorr grunted. “Yes. Maybe. In any case, we can’t give up, not with the survival of all Asgard depending on us.”

“I still don’t understand how even a corrupted Bifrost could muster sufficient power to bring that about. But I’m not a warlock. If he thinks there’s a way, I believe him.”

“So do I. Anyway, before he and Malekith took you away, I heard Pluto say that when he was done with you, you’d end up imprisoned in the pit. So, I snuck around down there until I found you and set you free.”

“Yes,” Heimdall said, “and afterward, you fought terrible creatures and kept marching onward without complaint even when you were wounded. I never would have gotten this far without such a staunch comrade. So it pains me whenever I hear you speak slightingly of yourself. I wish you’d stop.”

Kamorr snorted. “Thanks for that. And maybe it is time I stop saying those things and thinking those thoughts. Anyway, now you have the whole story of how we landed here.” He peered at his fellow prisoner. “Doesn’t any of it spark your memory?”

Heimdall felt frustrated as well as guilty for disappointing his friend. “No. I’m truly sorry, but no.”

The Blackhammer sighed. “I suppose I can tell you other things I know about your life, other stories, but they’ll be different. Just tales I’ve heard, not experiences we lived through together.”

Heimdall wondered if there was any point in putting Kamorr to the trouble. Then the door to the prison opened, and eight crimson-eyed reptilian guards entered. One removed the shackles that had been securing the prisoners only to lock new fetters on their wrists and ankles. The others stood poised to respond to any resistance with sword thrusts. Once the new manacles were in place, the snake-men herded them shuffling toward the exit.

“I guess we’re headed for judgment,” Kamorr whispered. “You’ll probably have to do the talking. Unless the judge has the Allspeak, I won’t even understand him.

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