The Lost Runes Saga [Epic Fantasy]

TWENTY-FIVE

"We're not coming with you, so you'd better just leave before you get hurt," Vidar said, eyeing the thief with the mace.

Last time, it was a thrown knife at his back. Now, Tyv wanted to talk? These people needed to make up their minds.

"Come with us," the crossbow-wielding thief said. "This is your last chance."

"No, this is YOUR last chance," Vidar said.

The tip of the bolt trembled, then it flew, aimed at his leg. A hidden algiz rune protected Vidar, but then all hell broke out as the big-bellied thief swung at Vidar, aiming for his arm. It bounced off without causing damage, the impact absorbed by another barrier rune. The thief with the knife didn't wait long for his turn, and lunged with the knife point straight at Vidar's heart. A killing blow, if not for Vidar's protection.

All three were much quicker than Vidar anticipated, and the ferocity of the assault made him step back and stumble over a lump of frozen soil. As he fell back, all three followed. They were all focused on him, and it was just as well. Alvarn just stood there, frozen in indecision. Unable to hold himself back, Vidar triggered a stakra rune. This time, he didn't forget the one on his elbow, and they triggered in unison with the one in his palm, serving as a counterpoint to the thrust. In theory, it should've meant Vidar didn't get thrown back. Unfortunately, the stakra rune in his palm held his essence, while the one at his elbow held that of the dragon's.

The imbalance of power saw him thrown forward, spinning through the air, and he crashed into the three thieves, throwing them to the ground as he rolled over them.

This should have been enough to get them to back off, but either they hadn't caught what he did, or they were fools who could do with a little more fear. Either way, they turned, got to their feet, and attacked again. The algiz runes on his body protected against the blows, but they wouldn't do so forever. The bearded man stabbed and stabbed, trying to pierce his way through the translucent blue shimmer. Vidar, wincing and holding up one arm for protection, reached out and touched him with his other palm, pulling essence from the thief. A brief moment was all he had time for before the thief pulled back. The drained thief looked down at his now numb arm, breathing hard as his shoulders slumped. Even the briefest use of the styrka rune was enough to fill the victim with doubt and fear.

"That's right!" Vidar shouted between ragged breaths. "That's what you get!"

The crossbowman charged with his bare hands, reaching out to grab Vidar as the third thief sidestepped to get to Vidar's back before slamming his mace down again. It didn't work this time either. Vidar stepped back to get away from the grabbing hands as he released another stakra burst. It wasn't strong enough to kill, but it pushed the crossbowman back as Vidar tumbled to the ground, unable to use the rune at his elbow to counter thrust again, having spent all the essence in his last attack.

On his back in the snow, Vidar looked up at the mace-wielding, big-bellied thief, who now held his weapon in both hands over his head before driving it down on top of Vidar's head. The algiz rune held but flickered.

Vidar spun on the ground to get his hands and feet below him, then threw himself to the right to get out of the thief's reach before getting back up. Alvarn had finally snapped out of it and was wrestling with the crossbowman. Neither of them held a weapon.

The big-bellied thief struck again as Vidar attempted to put some distance between the two of them. A different algiz rune absorbed the blow, but it, too, was running out. Vidar shouted and held up his palm, readying another stakra burst, but the rune was empty.

The thief's eyes opened wide, and he screamed as he struck again and again. The blows rained down with such intensity that Vidar held no doubt this was now a fight for survival.

The knife-wielding leader was getting to his feet and would soon resume his attacks as well. A high-pitched whine sounded in Vidar's ears, and his arms were sluggish. He couldn't keep from letting out small yelps each time the mace came down on his barrier.

He wanted to add more dragon's essence to the algiz runes, but the attempt failed instantly. Concentrating under the current circumstances was impossible. The stakra rune in the palm of his hand was empty. So was the one at his elbow, and that one left a hole in his coat sleeve. Cold air seeped in.

Vidar raised his hand and screamed, "Last chance! Back off!"

The man with the mace didn't look like he had even heard the warning, and his thief compatriot now rushed forward as well. Vidar triggered the logiz rune. Fire erupted from his palm. The flames gushed out in a torrent, enveloping everything they touched and clinging to his target like a viscous liquid. One short burst, and the thief attacking him burned.

The mace fell to the ground with a low clank before its wielder screamed, flailing his arms, engulfed in fire and death. He fled as he screamed, hurtling down the street and then into an alley. The two other thieves broke away and ran as well, without exchanging as much as a word. Overwhelming force ended the battle the instant Vidar triggered the logiz rune.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

Alvarn frowned after the thief as the horrific yells came to a sudden stop. "You... You burned him."

"I didn't have much of a choice."

"Logiz," Alvarn whispered.

Vidar walked past and hurried over to the alley, Alvarn following close behind. Pain surged up his arm even as the dragon's essence in his heartwell slipped out into his body to heal the damage. Having his bones compressed by two opposing stakra runes took its toll.

Darkness filled the shallow alley. It was a dead end, reaching no more than a few steps in, with no signs of the dead thief. No burning corpse. Nothing.

"What happened to him? Ran here, didn't he?"

"He did," Vidar said. "Are you hurt?"

A red blotch covered the side of Alvarn's face, like he had taken a fist there.

"I'm fine. We should go."

"Didn't you have any runes with you? What if the thief had a knife?"

Alvarn showed a small stakra rune in the palm of his hand. "I have this, but I couldn't use it."

"Why not?" Vidar asked.

"What if I killed the man?" Alvarn breathed in through his nose, smelling the air. The smell of burning flesh lingered. "I don't want to hurt anyone."

"Sometimes you have to."

Alvarn shook his head. "Where did this one go?"

Vidar kept staring at the lip of the alley. "I don't know. He's just gone."

"He climbed into a window."

"He was on fire, Alvarn."

They stood in silence for a moment. Then Alvarn spoke again, his voice low. "That logiz rune frightens me."

"Didn't want to use it," Vidar said. "But I didn't have much choice."

"There is always a choice," Alvarn said.

"So you think I should have just let him bash my head in?"

"No, of course not. You made the right choice. I'm just saying there is a choice," Alvarn said.

Vidar kept his mouth closed. There was no point in arguing.

"Who are these people?" Alvarn finally asked.

"You heard him. Tyv sent the goons, which means Fjodor messed up somehow."

"What do you mean?"

"It's a long story," Vidar said. "But I think we should get back to the shop first, to make sure everything is well over there."

People were coming back to the street after checking to make sure the fighting was over and done with. Vidar and Alvarn hurried their steps, neither of them wanting to be stopped and questioned. Linus waited for them outside. His anxious, jittery movements calmed somewhat when their eyes met, and he breathed out, shoulders slumping, before standing straight again.

"You're alive."

"No thanks to you," Vidar said. "What happened?"

Alvarn opened the door, and the three of them entered together to get out of the cold.

"The group sent to protect you didn't report when they were supposed to, so Fjodor figured something was up. Your family is fine, but some tried getting into their house. We kept a lookout, but it was the guards who caught them. The ones protecting the place? And from what that group is saying now, looks like they doubled the number of guards. No one is getting close to that place again."

Vidar didn't know what to think of that, but it stoked the fire of outrage building in his chest. "Fjodor was supposed to protect everyone."

"He did. He does," Linus said. "They knew about our group's positioning and everything when they struck."

"So there's someone among Fjodor's people who is reporting to his chief fellow?" Alvarn asked.

"I think so," Linus said. "There's a new group around your house here with more experienced men, so you don't have to be afraid," he told Vidar, who scoffed.

"I'm more concerned about dragons descending on Halmstadt than some petty thieves. Tell your boss I hope we don't have a repeat of tonight's events."

"Sure," Linus said, rummaging through his pockets. "I just wanted to show you this."

He came out with a piece of paper and unfolded it to show a pretty decent kenaz rune.

"Not bad, so you've been practicing," Vidar said.

Alvarn plucked the piece of paper out of Linus's hands and went over to the counter. He messed with it for a moment, then returned with a new line sketched on it. "This is the correct angle," Alvarn said.

Linus accepted the piece of paper, giving Alvarn a look but not saying a thing before he left, heading out into the night.

"Made the boy upset," Vidar said.

Alvarn looked out the window at Linus's disappearing back, shaking his head. "It's important to correct mistakes early." He turned to Vidar again. "I can't believe you're teaching more amateurs after everything that's happened. Do you know how dangerous it is?"

"Of course I know!" Vidar half-shouted. "But we need more people to protect Halmstadt."

"They will use the runes for the thieves' guild, not for Halmstadt."

"They'll do what needs doing," Vidar said.

"We'll see."

A low groan sounded through the silence, coming from upstairs. Vidar and Alvarn's gazes locked as they heard it. Ignoring the sleeping Erik, they entered Vidar's small bedroom to find Rend in a sorry state.

"Fever," Alvarn said, looking down at the squirming dragon rider. "He won't live much longer like this."

"I still need him," Vidar said.

He put a hand on Ren's chest.

"Hold on a moment," Alvarn said. "He said he didn't want it."

Vidar looked back over his shoulder at Alvarn, paused for a second, then returned to what he was doing. "He doesn't get to choose death when our lives could depend on his actions. If he wants to die, he can do so later."

Rend's heartwell filled with dragon's essence. Vidar took an extra moment to see if he could move essence into Rend's heart and beyond, to make it reach his leg. Unfortunately, the strands of power would not accept his tampering no matter how much he tried. Rend would have to rely on his body using the dragon's essence on its own, like last time.

"I really hope you know what you're doing," Alvarn said, his voice barely a whisper.

"So do I, Alvarn. So do I."