Charon Unguarded (Ferryman Saga Book 1) Read online

  ‘It’s not like we had a choice … So many of us didn’t even survive the crossing, let alone a millennium in the mortal realm.’ That bet had come with a high forfeit.

  ‘You don’t have to tell me that. I was there. I will answer your questions but you must promise that what you know will go no further than you and your friend. Can you make that promise for him? If you are not certain that you can trust him to keep quiet, you must keep what I tell you to yourself.’ Odin’s blue-grey eyes met Charon’s. His face was an almost unreadable wall, but the jovial smile had gone. He was dead serious and Charon knew only too well what he could do to those who crossed him.

  If Charon was being brutally honest he was not at all certain that he could promise on Hermes’ behalf. He was known to tell secrets if he saw an advantage to it. ‘Very well, but I need you to make me a promise too.’ Charon saw no reason that this encounter should be so one-sided. A nod from Odin signalled his agreement. ‘I need your assurance on two counts. Firstly, that you will tell me what you know directly. I don’t have time for riddles or half-truths. Secondly, I want you to promise that once I have this information, neither you nor your associates will attempt to harm or obstruct us in our actions from now on.’

  Odin roared with laughter and clapped Charon on the shoulder. ‘You are a very funny man. I will promise you only that I will tell you what I can, but I will be succinct.’ This, Charon noted, was not the same as all that he knew. ‘I cannot promise that you will not be harmed as I am not the orchestrator of the coming disaster. As noble as your intent may be, if you get too close there will be consequences. Only you can decide if the risks are worth the prize.’ He waved the serving girl back, took the jug and sent her on her way. ‘Charon, you are not a foolish man – Hel told me as much – but this is not your fight. You are dealing with forces you cannot begin to comprehend.’

  ‘I understand that Ra has decided to flood the planet and rejoin Osiris to escape what is coming and because he has decided that he cannot beat it he’s going to run away. He didn’t say it outright but I remember his promise. It doesn’t end well. I can’t let him take away the choice to fight or flee from the rest of us. He hasn’t even told the other gods the real reasons behind his decision. He lied and told them that he’s bored.’

  ‘I see. This might be why I was not invited to attend. You see, I was the one who warned Ra. I wanted to tell all your leaders but I thought it would be unlikely that I would be believed alone and I was assured that he would deal with it. So, the leaders have no idea what is coming?’

  ‘Not a clue.’ Charon shook his head. ‘Zeus and his brothers haven’t even bothered to tell us that Ra is planning to get us all home. Don’t take it personally, but they have always put their own interests first. They are not likely to believe me either so there is no point in me warning them, at least not until I know more.’ Charon took a sip of his drink and stared at his hands.

  ‘I want you to take this to Zeus, he should know this as it affects us all.’ Odin’s face was grave and unsmiling. Charon wondered what could possibly make this giant so concerned but it had to be serious. ‘You see, the calamity which is set to befall us could well be the deciding war between the gods and the giants. Alone we stand a chance at defeating them again. However, there is a factor which was not in play before.’

  ‘Which is?’ Vikings and their dramatic build-ups, Charon thought impatiently.

  ‘The Titans,’ Odin said. ‘The Ice Giants[1] have entered into a war pact with the Titans[2].’

  CHAPTER 9

  The Message

  This information hit Charon like a flying brick and he jumped, falling backwards off the bench. He came to a few minutes later, lying on his back with several people standing around and peering down at him. He felt the back of his head. A lump the size of a golf-ball throbbed furiously. He reached up to take Odin’s large, leathery hand and pulled himself to his feet, wobbling a little as Odin guided him back to the bench.

  ‘You took it better than Ra did. Have a drink. You look like you could use one.’ A cup of warmed mead was pressed into Charon’s hand.

  ‘Angry?’

  ‘Scared. He curled up into a ball, hid under the table, and started crying. Took us half an hour to get him to come out. I’m not surprised that he has decided he can’t win. It probably explains why he hasn’t told anyone else, though I am loath to guess as to why he has decided to just wipe everyone out to save his own skin. Cowardly way to do it if you ask me.’ Odin shook his head sadly.

  ‘He’s even willing to leave his own people to die. The only reason I know this is bigger than him is because I confronted him about his decision to end it all just because he’d had enough.’ Charon touched the back of his head again and winced. That was going to hurt in the morning. ‘How did the Titans even meet the Ice Giants? As far as I knew the Titans were all still trapped in Tartarus. They weren’t happy about it either. They are not to be trusted …’

  ‘And your leaders are? From what I heard, it was the gods who declared war on them, not the other way around?’ Odin asked, raising an eyebrow. ‘You said yourself, none of them has told you about what Ra said. Would you know anything if you had not had the temerity to eavesdrop on their meeting?’

  Charon had to take a moment to consider this. Hades took orders from Zeus, as did Poseidon. Their sisters were pretty much ignored by all three of them. Hera, Demeter, and Hestia were gods knew where anyway. Hera had leapt at the chance to divorce Zeus and had levelled every count of adultery and cruelty squarely at Zeus’s feet in the process. This had earned her quite a bit of sympathy, and a very healthy alimony award. She would be unlikely to want to talk to them, let alone work with them. Would it be worth tracking them down? None of them was known for sharing information. ‘Probably not, but you haven’t answered my question.’

  ‘Ha! You tell me. It took Zeus and his brothers to seal them down there so I’d like to know which idiot let them out.’

  ‘Let them out?’ Charon was appalled. The very idea that anyone would deliberately release them into the world was terrifying. It meant that whoever did that knew exactly what they were, where they were, and the havoc they could cause.

  ‘Yes. You understand. Good. It took several attempts to explain that to Ra. Look, I am going to be completely straight with you now. Even if I physically could fight them all back, I just don’t have the numbers, and the law prevents me from acting alone. I want to get this sorted out before the Council gets so much of a sniff of what is going on.’

  The laws preventing interference in the ruling of other pantheons were clear and immovable. Odin’s desire to alert the other gods was not forbidden, nor was it forbidden to request assistance, but the Council were to have the final say over any plan. They said it was to prevent rash action and exposure of their kind, but Charon suspected it was so they could take credit from the Fae courts for preventing a disaster. Charon did not envy Odin. He’d had to act but couldn’t beat back the Ice Giants with the Titans backing their corner because their very involvement prevented him from acting alone beyond the warning. While ineffectual, he believed he had done his part and tried to warn the Olympians of the coming danger, but from there on his hands were tied. Ra, on the other hand, had interfered. His decision to conceal this news to serve his own purpose was espionage and he would have to be dealt with. That would have to wait.

  ‘Did you press the issue of informing the Olympians?’ asked Charon thoughtfully.

  ‘To the point that Ra ceased responding to my calls or messages. He informed me the matter was now in hand and should be left to him. I had no means to contact your leaders directly or any idea that he had come up with his own ‘plan of action’. Odin was clearly unimpressed with this duplicity. ‘It explains why I was not invited to that meeting. I would have destroyed his attempt to escape at our expense.’

  ‘You knew about that meeting?’

  ‘Of course. You didn’t think the Fae were the only people with spies, did you
? Before you ask, no, I won’t tell you who they are. They are still useful and telling you would compromise that.’

  Charon couldn’t argue with that. The rage he felt toward Ra was now reaching frothing point. ‘I have no direct access to Zeus or Poseidon,’ said Charon. ‘I might be able to get a message through to Hades, though I can’t see him reacting well.’

  ‘I would be surprised if he did,’ Odin said. ‘I need you to arrange an introduction. One that won’t get back to Ra. If you absolutely need to use Hermes do, but be careful what you tell him. You might trust him, but I don’t. If you have any doubts, don’t say anything. Now, it is late and I am tired. You will be escorted back to your friend.’

  Charon watched Erick lumber over to them. ‘I will need to contact you.’

  ‘Take this,’ Odin handed him a cheap throw-away mobile phone. ‘There is a contact number already programmed in. Erick, I need you to ensure Charon doesn’t get lost on the way out of the building. He has an important job to do for us.’ Erick nodded and led the way back to the stairs and out of the hall.

  Once they had gone, Odin turned to another figure who had been hiding in the shadows. ‘I take it you are satisfied that he was unharmed, Hel.’

  ‘It is cruel to involve him. He does not have the power to survive this.’

  ‘He has more power than you realise, my dear. Power comes in more forms than force or brute strength.’

  ‘Not for this. Odin, he should not be involved. It is not his fight,’ she said.

  ‘Do you say that because you care for his well-being, and are trying to protect him, or are you hurt that he didn’t ask after you, and you want to be rid of him?’ Odin looked her in her one good eye.

  ‘That is none of your business!’ Hel spat back.

  ‘No matter, but we need to know who or what let our enemies out, how, and why. As it stands, Charon is our only means to that end.’

  CHAPTER 10

  The Nurse

  The ride back to the old factory was no more comfortable than before. The only difference was the weight of the information Charon carried with him. Someone had released the Titans. As news came, there was little bigger than this. He used the time to think back to before the crossing. An escape from Tartarus was not unprecedented. Long ago, even before the rise of the Olympians, the Cyclopes – the single-eyed sons of Uranus, who were locked away because their father was afraid that one of them would usurp his rule – were released by the Titans after they had been falsely imprisoned there by Uranus. This is now known to have been a very bad idea. For all that he had a justified grudge against his deadbeat dad – lived in a cave and slept all day – Cronus turned out not to have fallen far from the tree when it came to crappy parenting. They had managed to rid themselves of a tyrant only to discover that Cronus was as big a despot as his father. Hands up who didn’t see that coming?

  That whole affair led to the emergence of the Erinyes – the judges of the gods, and overseers of divine justice – the Furies; Alecto, Tisiphone and Magaera; the Fates, and the Norns. Basically, they are in charge and woe betide anyone who gets on to their naughty list. It had been they who decreed the law of non-interference after the crossing. Then came Zeus, as spoiled and petulant as any of the Titans who had risked their lives to see him to adulthood, not to mention free his five siblings from the belly of Cronus. Zeus liked to take all the credit for the victory against his forebears but everyone knew the real story. It was just not a good idea to bring it up in his hearing.

  As mythical prisons went, Tartarus was not the greatest in terms of high-security. Especially not since Zeus had killed Campe, stole her keys and released the Cyclopes that Cronus had imprisoned after he’d got what he wanted from them. That was when the real trouble started. For a moment, he began to sympathise with Ra’s decision to leave the Olympians out of it. No, this needs to be cleared up once and for all. He could think of several suspects who might have had the motive to release them, but would they have had the means?

  The van stopped and the doors were opened for him. Thankfully his exit was a great deal more dignified than his initial entrance but it was hardly compensation. ‘Where is Hermes?’

  ‘How should we know?’ the driver called from the front of the van.

  ‘Shut up, Eadric. Helpful as ever.’ He shook his head. ‘I’ll take you to him. Stay close and only in my footprints or you’ll set off the wards again. That won’t win you any friends. They take hours to reset.’

  Charon did as he was instructed. Luckily the man’s boot prints were lit by the floodlight above their heads. This time, he could move without being struck down with a mystical heart attack. He still didn’t feel right though. What with being thrown around by faeries, setting off magical booby traps and generally ending up on the floor, he’d had enough of being beaten up to last his very long lifetime. Tomorrow, no, today, was a Saturday, so at least he would be able to sleep it off.

  It was not long before they reached the old office where Hermes was being held. It looked like it had been ransacked. Had Hermes put up a fight? He sat in an old chair nursing a mug of tea. On either side of him stood a guard dressed like Erick had been, only more heavily armed. They did not look in any mood to joke around. Hermes was being checked over by a matronly woman in a white coat. She was well spoken but had a hint of an Italian accent. He decided not to ask. ‘How is he?’

  ‘Stubborn, Mr Charon. Your friend is very stubborn.’ she said, tutting and putting her light back in her case. ‘I had to call the guards just so I could examine and treat him. That was a nasty cut but there is no major damage and what there is will heal fast. One of the advantages of our kind.’

  ‘Tell me something I don’t know. Hang on! Our kind? You’re …’

  ‘Like you?’ She laughed ‘How would I be here if I were not, Mr Charon?’ She patted his arm then looked him up and down. ‘It would appear you have your own share of bumps and scrapes. Want me to have a look at that bump?’

  ‘No thanks. It’s nothing.’

  ‘Suit yourself. I would recommend that he’s not left alone tonight. Keep him at yours tonight and I’ll come and check on him later.’

  ‘But you don’t know where I live.’ This woman was scarily informed.

  ‘Oh, don’t I now? Just keep him sat still and give him plenty of fluids.’

  ‘Fluids?’

  ‘Everyone should drink plenty of fluids.’ The nurse sighed, picked up her bag and left the room. ‘Goodnight, Mr Charon. Some of us have beds to get to.’

  Charon knelt beside his friend. The blood had been cleaned away and it looked like he had been given stitches. One coat sleeve was rolled away from his wrist and a cannula had been fitted. Probably for painkillers. When it came to treating the gods, it usually took enough anaesthetic to floor an elephant just to take the edge off, and as for the needles … He hoped they had given his friend enough because it looked like that hurt.

  ‘Herm? You awake, buddy? It’s time to go now.’

  ‘Hmmm, yeah. You okay?’ Hermes tried to stand up and swayed. The guards either side caught him and draped an arm each round their shoulders. Charon nodded thanks.

  ‘Never mind that now. Let’s get out of here. There is something I need to tell you.’

  CHAPTER 11

  Friends with Forked-Tongues

  Hermes choked and sprayed hot coffee over Charon’s kitchen table. In fairness, he’d taken the news better than Charon had. He was impressed. The chair had barely rocked at all.

  ‘You okay?’ He threw Hermes a cloth and patted him on the back until he stopped coughing.

  ‘A little build up would have been nice.’ Hermes croaked, ‘Something like ‘Good morning, I think you’d better brace yourself, I have some really bad news.’

  ‘I thought I had,’ Charon said.

  ‘You didn’t even pause!’

  ‘Didn’t I?’ Charon was sure that he had but didn’t feel it was worth arguing about. ‘Sorry. Look, I know you don’t think I should get
involved …’

  ‘Finally, the penny has dropped!’ Hermes snapped as he distractedly mopped up coffee. ‘You’ve only been warned twice. Now you’re running errands for a bunch of Vikings? You know they don’t trust you right? You’re not one of theirs, no matter how cosy you got with Hel.’

  ‘It’s not an errand, and it’s not like they’re pirates … any more. I am one of the only people who know what’s coming. Someone released those creatures and they did it for a reason. What’s more, Ra was planning to let us all die just to save his own sorry skin. How do we know it wasn’t him who let them out?’ He knew this was unlikely. Ra had no access to Tartarus or the realm of the giants. Whoever let them all out had to both have access to Tartarus and be willing to work with a member of another pantheon. Hades had forbidden all but his closest associates from going down there but he’d never posted a guard. Talk about overconfidence. It could have been anyone. What Charon couldn’t fathom was why anyone would ever let them out. The Titans hate us. Who would ever trust them? The noise of a fork handle banging on the table brought his attention back to Hermes.

  ‘Earth to Charon? You still with me? You’d zoned out on me for a moment there. I was asking, why would Ra bother to call that meeting if it was him who released them?’ Hermes asked. ‘It would be the first thing that would start raising suspicion. You were right the first time. Ra is just looking after himself.’ Charon had considered this but added to the fact that Ra did not reveal a larger threat, it had given him pause for thought.

  ‘I don’t know. I just don’t trust Ra.’ Charon could think of a couple of hundred reasons why but he wasn’t going to tell Hermes while he was being so obstructive. He couldn’t help but notice that Hermes’ understanding of the situation was remarkably astute when his sole source of information was Charon, and Charon being a typical member of his Pantheon, had not told him everything. He needed time to think it through by himself. He certainly didn’t want to admit that Hermes had raised a valid point about Ra.