Return of the Runebound Professor

“Seriously?” Todd asked, his eyes lighting up.

“Father didn’t put any limits on what I could do with them, did he?” Noah asked Janice.

She shook her head. “No, he didn’t. The two Runes are yours to do with as you please.”

“You are actually the best teacher to have ever lived,” Todd declared, striding up to the table with a huge grin. He picked the book up and flipped through its pages, scanning the Runes within it. “Let it be known that my loyalty can be bought.”

“You only get two Runes,” Janice reminded Noah. She quailed under his gaze as he looked to her. “Just letting you know. If they take your Runes, you won’t get any.”

Noah chuckled. “Yes, I gathered as much. I have no need of these Runes. They aren’t rare enough to garner my interest.”

And refusing to take them is going to keep Father on edge. At the very least, it’ll let him know that I’m well aware he’s trying to wring information out of me. I do actually need to figure out what my next Rank 2 Rune will be, though. Maybe I’ll visit the markets in the city and sell all the monster parts I’ve been collecting so I can buy a Rune or some Catchpaper for myself.

Todd looked up from the book and handed it over to Isabel.

“Thanks, Teacherman,” Todd said. “I wish you’d come along earlier. We could have used your help.”

Isabel shot Todd a glance and he cleared his throat, giving Noah an embarrassed grin. She shook her head and looked back down at it, her brow furrowed in concentration. A few minutes later, she closed her eyes and placed her hand on one of the pages.

When they opened again, Noah caught a glance of the page – the Rune on it was still undamaged.

An Armor Rune? I was under the impression that Isabel was trying to be an agile fighter with that thin sword of hers, but now she’s chosen two Stone Runes and an Armor one. Interesting. I think I’m missing something.

“Thank you,” Isabel said, closing the book before anyone else could see what Rune she’d chosen. She handed it back to Noah. “Todd’s right. This is incredible. You’re spoiling us.”

“Pay it back by succeeding.” Noah passed the book over to Janice, who let out a small, relieved sigh once it was back in her hands.

Would Father have punished her had I tried to take more Runes? Or was she worried about having to try to stop me from doing it? She’s on edge, one way or another.

“That’s all for now,” Noah said, nodding to his students. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you. I’ve still got to speak with Janice a little more, so don’t let me keep you.”

They nodded and headed back to their room, pulling the door shut behind them. Once they’d left, Noah turned back to Janice and splayed his hands out on the table.

“Right then. Let’s get back to the questions, shall we? There are still a few hours of daylight left, and I’d like to make sure I don’t keep you too far past nightfall.”

***

“You know,” Todd said, keeping his voice to a low whisper as Isabel shut the door behind them, “I think I might be in love with another person.”

Isabel rolled her eyes. “You’re an idiot.”

“Two Greater Runes, Isabel! Two!”

“Keep your voice down,” Isabel said, walking over to their window and peering through it. “We don’t want to interrupt what he’s doing. There’s clearly some political maneuvering going on out there.”

Todd scrunched his nose and sat down on the bed. “Hate that stuff. Too much effort for me.”

“So did my father,” Isabel said, her brow darkening.

Todd winced. “Sorry.”

“I’m just being angsty. I’ve got nothing to complain about,” Isabel said, turning away and sitting down next to Todd. “I’m just a little scared to hope again. I’m expecting him to abandon us at any moment.”

“Even if he did, he’s done more for us than any other professor has. I’d say we got a pretty damn good deal if he cut his losses after giving us two free Greater Runes.”

Isabel glared at Todd and he laughed, ruffling her hair. Isabel sighed, not bothering to even try and stop him. She made sure to turn her head slightly to make sure Todd didn’t see the slight smile on her own face.

“At this point, you’ve got to be thinking about your Rank 2 Rune, right?” Todd asked, leaning back and propping himself up on his forearms.

“I already know what I’m going for.”

A flicker of worry passed over Todd’s features. “Your father’s Rune?”

Isabel nodded. “Yeah.”

Todd opened his mouth, then closed it and shook his head. “If anyone can pull it off, it’s you. Or Professor Vermil. I bet he could do it too.”

Isabel reached back and shoved Todd in the shoulder, knocking him onto the bed. Todd snickered.

“What about you?” Isabel asked.

Todd’s laughter cut off abruptly. He was silent for a few moments, then sighed. “I don’t know. I’m not stupid enough to try to go the path of a True Fire. That’ll end up capping me at Rank 3 or 4 when I just can’t handle the combinations anymore.”

“The lack of opposing Runic force to keep balance in your soul,” Isabel said with a nod. “You could get away with it if you had a Master Rune, though.”

Todd snorted. “Who do I look like to you?”

They both glanced toward the door, behind which they could still hear Vermil speaking with Janice in low tones.

“Not him. Not my type,” Isabel said with a grin.

“Good,” Todd muttered. “Everyone was his type up until a few months ago.”

“Weirdest Skinwalker ever,” Isabel agreed. “Might be my favorite, though.”

“He’s not a Skinwalker. We already thought about that one. He’s held the shape for too long,” Todd said, shaking his head.

“You never found a better suggestion for what he might be.”

“Reformed?” Todd offered.

Isabel arched an eyebrow. “Really? In the span of a day?”

“Maybe he had an enlightening experience. He’ll probably tell us at some point. Don’t really care either way, though. Whatever it was, I like the new guy better.”

“Me too.” Isabel nodded. “But if you aren’t planning to get a Master Rune, then you need to think about your combination. What Rune did you take from the book?”

Todd glanced to the side. “Steel.”

Isabel shot Todd an amused look. “You as well?”

“My dad left a strong impression on me too, okay?”

“Well, don’t do what he did. There are limits to everything, Todd. Even Imbuements.”

“Look who’s talking,” Todd said with a chuckle. “And I’m not going to make Imbuements. I’m going to be a soldier.”

“Right. That’s why you’ve already got your eyes Imbued, and I’d be willing to bet that isn’t all. Someone else is supposed to do that for you, you know. Soldiers work in teams.”

“Well, I’m going to be strong enough to do it all on my own. I don’t want to need someone else to be able to fight at full strength.”

“Can’t argue with you there.”

They fell silent for a few seconds, watching the setting sun’s rays dance across the dim alleyway through their window.

“So…” Todd drawled. “Want to take a look around the market? The Linwick Estate is huge, so I bet there’s some interesting stuff for sale.”

Isabel hopped to her feet and pulled Todd up. “That sounds fun. Through the window?”

“Much better than leaving through the door,” Todd said. He pulled the window open, letting a gentle breeze into the room. He squeezed himself through, then dropped to the ground with a grunt.

“You’re lucky the windows are so big here,” Isabel said, slipping through the window after Todd.

Todd stood up, brushing the dirt off his backside. “Are you implying I’m fat? This is all muscle.”

“All might be a bit of an exaggeration,” Isabel said. She sent a glance back at the house. “Let’s go.”

They turned – but not toward the street. Both of them headed into the shadow of the alley, slipping between the house and the wall behind it and keeping to the darkness as they headed deeper into the city.

“You think they were listening to us?” Todd asked.

“No clue,” Isabel replied. “Did you really want to take the risk, though?”

“It’s only a risk if something happens. Is the asshole we’re looking for here?”

“Yeah. I found his name in the lineage book before Edward stole it from me,” Isabel replied, her eyes growing cold. “He’s close to the main branch, so he should be here.”

“I know you’ve got a Greater Rune partially filled, but I don’t think we’re going to stand much chance as we currently are, even if we get the jump on him,” Todd warned, moving quickly to keep up with Isabel. “Don’t do anything stupid, Isa. It’s not worth it.”

“I know,” Isabel snapped.

Todd frowned and Isabel paused, looking back at him. “Sorry. I – I just need to see. I have to know how strong we need to get to kill him.”

“I’m with you either way,” Todd said. “If it was a month or two ago, I would have been all for taking him out now.”

“I know,” Isabel said, a flicker of a smile passing over her lips. “Because you were basically begging to start going after them.”

“Well, that was before we had any chance of getting strong enough to actually deal with them the proper way,” Todd said. “Things are different now, and I don’t want to get Professor Vermil in trouble. I want to kill the bastards, but I want to do it once I’m strong enough to kill them in the daylight.”

“As do I. I just need to see his face so I remember what I’m working toward.” Isabel’s fists clenched at her sides. “I won’t make you come with me, though. You’re right. It’s a risk. I just need to see.”

“You know I’m coming with you,” Todd said. “Just make sure it’s only looking. We can’t handle him yet.”

“I know,” Isabel said.

The two of them continued through the alleys for a few more minutes, only stepping out into the main streets after they’d put a good bit of distance between themselves and the house.

“We can’t leave the area or a guard won’t let us back in,” Todd said under his breath, just loud enough for Isabel to hear him.

“That’s fine. He should be in this area anyway. He’s not main branch,” Isabel replied, pausing to glance at a tall wooden street sign before turning and heading down the road. Todd hurried to keep up with her.

“How do you even know where he lives?” Todd asked. “The book didn’t have that stuff.”

“I know where all of them live,” Isabel replied, her eyes cold. “I wasn’t checking the book to make sure he lived here. I was checking it to make sure nobody had killed him before I got the chance.”

They turned down another street, passing a row of beautiful houses. Several of them had guards posted around the entrances, but the majority were unwatched. Evidently, the Linwicks weren’t particularly concerned with trying to attack them inside their own city.

Isabel came to a stop near a patch of vibrant yellow shrubbery ringing one of the houses. Todd grimaced at the plants.

“Man, those are hideous.”

“This is his house,” Isabel said, nodding up to a small crest at the top of the building. “See the stars with the line running through them? That’s his line’s symbol.”

“Huh. Didn’t realize that was a thing,” Todd admitted. “Did Vermil’s family have one of those?”

“No. It’s too gaudy, and he’s under a mage called Father. He’s ruthless, but not flashy at all. He also wasn’t involved.”

“That’s good. It would have been a bit awkward if we had to kill his dad,” Todd said, peering at the mansion. “I don’t suppose this is enough of a look for you?”

Isabel swallowed heavily. “Do you think he’s home?”

“You’re the one that did all the stalking,” Todd replied. “I have no idea. It’s your call, Isabel.”

“Let’s wait a little in the street,” Isabel said, turning away from the house. “There’s a bench over there. Maybe he’ll come out and we’ll get a glimpse of him.”

Todd nodded, trying and failing to not show his relief. The two walked up to the bench and sat down. Isabel’s hand tightened around the metal bar at her side so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

“Dayton Linwick,” Isabel muttered, the words like rancid poison as they passed through her lips. “I don’t know if it’ll be today, but you’re going to pay for what you did to our families.”