The Lost Runes Saga [Epic Fantasy]

THIRTY-FIVE

With no kenaz runes to light the way, Vidar found silent darkness waiting for him inside. He was about to call out when Erik came rushing out from behind the counter, a dagger in his raised hand, yelling, or perhaps shrieking was a better word for it. Rather than a war cry, the sound was filled with fear and trepidation.

"It's me!" Vidar shouted, waving his hands about.

Erik stopped mid-stride and deflated. "Where've you been?"

"Outside the wall."

That grabbed the younger lad's attention. "Did you see any monsters?"

"Enough to know I'm never going back out there again."

A voice called down from the second floor. "Is that Vidar? You better get up here!"

Erik shrugged and let Vidar pass, then followed behind. Alvarn stood hunched over Vidar's bed, a hand pressed over Rend's mouth as the dragon rider struggled.

"What's going on?" Vidar asked.

"He just woke up and won't stop screaming!" Alvarn said, his voice half-panicked.

Vidar moved over the bed until his face was close to Rend's. "You will not scream anymore, will you?"

Rend glared at him but gave a curt nod, and Vidar gestured for Alvarn to withdraw.

"Now, what's this about?" Vidar asked, pointing at the ceiling. "If you haven't noticed, we have visitors up above."

"They sing. Sing for friend. For Vatrfjall."

"That screeching?" Vidar asked.

"Song of dragons," Rend confirmed. Then he sat up and reached for Vidar's arm, pulling him close. "You put the dragon's gift in me!"

Vidar slapped the hand away. "You were dying."

"I die!"

"Not yet, you don't! You're going to make those dragons fly back to wherever they've come from!"

"Actually, where did you come from?" Alvarn asked.

Rend frowned and looked like he thought about the question for a moment before shaking his head and waving his hand back and forth. "Other land. North."

"One thing at a time. Why aren't they attacking?"

"Song first, then search."

"For what?" Erik asked, pushing his way into the room.

"Vatrfjall."

"Didn't you say they know the dragon is dead?" Vidar asked.

"Yes."

"So why search?"

"Bones. Ceremony."

Vidar shook his head, side-stepping to a different question, one that might prompt Rend to give a proper answer. "When will they attack?"

Rend shrugged. "Not this day. Perhaps day after unless."

"Unless what?"

"You make peace."

Vidar pointed right at Rend's face, the tip of his finger trembling. "That's what we want! How do we make peace?"

"Show you not with shadow."

"This again?" Vidar asked. "What shadows?"

"The shadows," Erik whispered.

Vidar and Alvarn both turned to Erik.

"You know about the shadows?" Vidar asked.

"Doesn't everybody?" Erik said, pointing out the window. "People are disappearing. Children. I'm sure we told you of this before, back at Embla's. Didn't we?"

"Like that man in the alley," Alvarn said.

"What man?" Erik asked.

Vidar sighed. "Don't worry yourself about it. We can't be sure what that was. Could be he just ran off somewhere."

"Erik, please go downstairs and keep guard," Alvarn said.

Erik frowned but complied without complaint.

"Shadows," Rend said. "Dragon fight shadow. You with shadow, dragon fight you."

"Is that why they're here?" Alvarn asked.

"Yes," Rend said, nodding.

"And these shadows are the reason you and your dragon burned hundreds, maybe thousands, in Halmstadt?"

Rend looked away, his face reddening. "Not want."

"You didn't want to?"

"No," Rend said. "First time I ride."

"It was your first time flying on a dragon and they sent you out first to scout?"

"I took."

"You took what?" Vidar asked. Then he understood. A brief, horrified laugh bubbled out of Vidar. "You took the dragon?"

"I take rider place," Rend admitted. "I should ride, not he. I think."

"You took someone else's spot?" Alvarn asked.

Rend nodded, still not meeting any of their gazes. "I think I ready." Then he shook his head, still not looking up from his hands. "I not ready. Now Vatrfjall dead. Forever."

"You thought you were better, so you took the rider's spot. Then, you lost control of the situation because of your impulsiveness."

"Sounds like someone else we know," Alvarn muttered.

"This isn't the time, Alvarn," Vidar said. "Rend, your ego is the reason for every death here, and you're the reason for those other dragons being here."

"You kill Vatrfjall!" Rend shrieked, looking straight into Vidar's eyes, shame exchanged for rage. "I almost control. I learn, then arrows. Vatrfjall pain."

"If it wasn't for us needing you to talk to your friends up there, I'd hand you over to the steward myself," Vidar said.

"I assume there are dragon riders on the other dragons as well?" Alvarn asked, doing a better job of keeping calm than Vidar.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Rend nodded. "Dragon and rider."

"Can you broker peace? Will they know your face?"

"Know I. Shame. They kill I, maybe." He deflated. "I hope."

"You said humans worked together with shadows, but I've heard nothing about that," Alvarn said. "Can you tell us more?"

Rend pointed down below. "Dragon shadow enemy. Human and shadow fight dragon."

"You said that already," Vidar said. "Look, we have little time. Let's focus on one thing at a time here and make sure Halmstadt doesn't end up a smoking heap. We need to get Rend in front of the dragons." He glared at Ren. "Where do they set down to rest?"

"Mountain," Rend said. "North."

"The nearest mountain is a three days' walk from here," Alvarn said. "We'll never reach them in time."

"That leaves the rune scribes' guild. Their tallest tower. We have to get Rend up there," Vidar said, looking at Alvarn. "Can you get us in there?"

"I think so, but how is Rend supposed to talk to a dragon rider from up there?"

"We'll think of something. They're not going to come down and stay on the ground. Unless they want to claw at it."

"No claw."

"How do you know?" Vidar asked.

Rend's face reddened again, but this time, he didn't look away. "Good rider."

Vidar stifled another sigh, then nodded to Rend's leg. "How's the leg?"

"Added some dragon's essence to his heartwell just now, before you returned," Alvarn said. "That's why the boy was irate."

"No dragon's gift!"

"Shut up," Vidar said, lifting the blanket from the lower part of the bed. "It's looking better. Have you tried standing on it?"

"He shouldn't. Not yet," Alvarn said.

"We don't have much time, Alvarn. You heard him. They might attack as soon as tomorrow unless he's wrong and they'll burn the city this night."

"Halmstadt is already in chaos without that."

"What do you mean?" Vidar asked, giving Alvarn a good look for the first time since entering. He looked worn, ragged, even. Then Vidar remembered the algiz rune, and Erik charging with a weapon. "You were attacked."

"Several times," Alvarn confirmed, moving his coat from his left shoulder to reveal a blotch of red on his shirt.

"Injured?"

Alvarn nodded. "Not too bad. I've grown rather expert at the use of algiz and stakra these last twelve hours. But Vidar, it's bad out there."

"I saw. Thieves fighting everywhere."

"And all the guardsmen have left to the upper city."

"Typical," Vidar said.

Rend stirred on the bed. "Thief wicked man."

"Thank you for that valuable input," Vidar said, before glancing at Alvarn's shoulder again. "Dragon's essence can heal that, you know."

Alvarn pulled on the shirt, showing pale, fleshy skin beneath. The only remaining sign of the injury was a thin pinkish line across the shoulder. "I know, but it used up a lot, and with what I gave to Rend, there isn't much remaining in my heartwell."

He gave Vidar a meaningful look, but Vidar said, "Sorry, I'm almost dry as well. Had to use almost everything against the oozehounds."

"Oozehounds?" Alvarn asked. "The monster-like animals outside the wall?"

"That's right. I had to go underground and make sure Jarl's men did not discover the other dragon's skeleton. They followed me after I left."

"We thought they hauled you off to jail again," Alvarn said.

"And you didn't come to save me?" Vidar asked, mock-hurt in his voice.

"Eh," Alvarn said, jumping a little at another screech from the dragons, then winced. "Sorry. Figured you'd escape."

"Surtandr?" Rend asked, pushing himself to a half-sitting position.

Vidar pushed him back down. "It is done. They can't reach it. They'll be digging for months, but I had to find a different exit. So I followed a long, vast tunnel that led out beyond the wall."

Vidar gave a short version of what had happened after that, ending with his revelation of combining runes.

Alvarn nodded, scratching at his cheek, where a few days' worth of patchy, thin stubble was growing. "Combining runes is not a new concept, but we have never found a good use for it, with only sowilo, kenaz, and izas available until recently. Styrka does indeed bring with it quite a few interesting applications."

Alvarn's eyes widened. "That's how we'll do it."

"What?" Vidar asked as they left Rend behind on the bed to sleep and recover. It was what the dragon rider needed to restore his leg, and he was having trouble following the conversation, anyway.

Alvarn grabbed a sheet of paper and a thin stick of charcoal. As he seated himself at the table, he drew a rectangle in the middle, pointing at it. "This is Hamstadt."

Vidar leaned over the table, propped up on his elbows. "This?"

Alvarn nodded, drawing the runic symbol for algiz, so it filled up the entire shape. "This is the barrier protecting Hamstadt. This is what we'll craft."

Then he added a whole bunch of lines connected to small styrka runes everywhere in the rectangle. "This is where everyone will pitch in, using their essence to rejuvenate the rune whenever needed. It would be a protection for the entire city."

Vidar leaned in close, sharing in Alvarn's excitement, but then slumped down. "But it will never work."

"Why not?"

Vidar gestured to the piece of paper. "How are you going to make a runic symbol that big?"

"It doesn't have to be that big, not physically. Didn't you mention something about doing this as an experiment? The symbol itself can be much smaller, as small as a wooden disc in theory, though that would make for a difficult crafting, and an even more arduous task of joining the runes."

Vidar rubbed at his eyes. Exhaustion was setting in. Again, he hadn't rested enough after the injuries, and not at all since helping Leio. But another screech from far up above chased the tiredness away. This was not the time for sleep.

"So you'll need a runic symbol," Vidar said, looking at Alvarn, who nodded, and Vidar continued. "Then styrka runes to feed essence into it. And they can be small as well."

"Yes," Alvarn said. "

But you'll still need the circle to make sure the barrier stretches over all of Hamstadt."

"I'm not so sure," Alvarn said.

"Look, can't you just tell me your idea? This back and forth is making me drowsy," Vidar complained.

"Fine, I'll demonstrate," Alvarn said. He walked over to the wall and drew an impeccable-looking algiz rune on the wood, without adding a circle. Then he placed his hand near it, closed his eyes, and breathed out before removing his hand and working his fingers. "There."

"Rejuvenated," Vidar said. "Without a circle. Inefficient."

"That's right," Alvarn agreed. "Good. But..." He grabbed a wooden cup from a side table. He made sure it was empty, then made a weak underhand throw, lobbing it at the wall, almost as far away from the rune as possible. A weak shimmer appeared before it struck the wall. The cup fell to the floor.

"The flame from a dragon is far more frightening than a wooden cup," Vidar said. "That rune must be empty now."

"It is," Alvarn said.

"So?" Vidar asked. "Even without the circle, the effect doesn't stretch for eternity."

"No, that would be preposterous. But maybe we can find a way to stretch it far enough. It is a thing of intention. You can control it to a degree."

"Not to the degree we need to cover Hamstadt."

Alvarn kept his eyes on the runic symbol on the wall, his head tilted to the side, cheek resting on his hand, his lips pursed as he thought. But then, finally, he shook his head. "No, you're right. It is doubtful we will make it cover enough. Then there is the issue of the rune itself. It can only hold so much, even with styrka runes feeding into it."

"What if we do it on a smaller scale?" Vidar asked.

"What do you mean?"

Vidar stood and walked over to the wall, tapping at the algiz rune. It was indeed empty. "We can't make a circle around all of Hamstadt. That's impossible. But it wouldn't be out of the question to create smaller circles around a few houses or even a whole street. Then those living there would keep it rejuvenated together."

"That might just work," Alvarn agreed, his eyes shining bright with excitement. "Only," he said, frowning. "We'll never make it in time."

"You'll have to talk with the rune scribes' guild and make help," Vidar said, "And the thieves can lend aid with making circles, if nothing else."

"The thieves?" Alvarn asked. "Isn't that just a waste of time? Not to speak of the danger."

"I've given my word to Ida. If nothing else, I don't want to see her dead."

"That is commendable. But you better hurry, or they might all be dead before the night is through."

Vidar let out a joyless chuckle. "You're right. I'll handle the thieves. You handle the guild. That way, you can find a way for us to get Rend up that tower as well."

"I'll do my best," Alvarn promised. "What about the steward and his men?"

Vidar thought for a moment, then shook his head. "They'll refuse to move soldiers away from their posts and the ballistae."

"We should at least try."

"Fine. I'll see what I can do. The rune scribes from Stalheim seemed to like me, at least. Gave me a writ and everything. Maybe they'll listen to reason. But I'll need to find Fjodor and Ida first. And if everything goes to shit, we have a contingency plan."

"They gave you a writ?"

Vidar dug through his coat and pulled out the folders, now looking a little worse for wear. "One for me and one for you. Said we're too knowledgeable and special to stay in Halmstadt."

Alvarn grabbed the folders but didn't glance at their contents. "That's a topic for another time. What was that about a contingency plan?

"I told you about the tunnel. Everyone would have to leave Hamstadt and cross the fields into the woods and climb down into the tunnel. But it would be safe there."

"Can't we just go down into the sewers in that case?" Alvarn asked.

"Maybe," Vidar agreed. "But it's dangerous down there. One misstep is all it takes for you to be swept away, and most people won't fit in the entrances unless we widen them."

They descended the stairs, told Erik of the plan, and asked him to safeguard the workshop while they set off into the night to somehow make this far-fetched idea work.

Before they separated, Vidar grabbed Alvarn's coat. "One more thing."

"What's that?"

"If the dragons come crashing down, dead by Jarl's arrows, you need to get to one first."

"For the essence," Alvarn said.

"That's right. You can have what I have, a heartwell with regenerating dragon's essence. Just have a care about the riders, if they're still alive."

"I'll do my best," Alvarn said. "But it's a slim chance."

"Everything about what we're trying to do here is a slim chance," Vidar said with a grin before slapping Alvarn's shoulder, turning, and then running into the night. "Meet me outside the guild in a few hours!"

"I'll see you soon!" Alvarn shouted back.