The Lost Runes Saga [Epic Fantasy]

FORTY-THREE

The streets of Halmstadt were far from empty, with citizens hurrying this way and that. People were leaving, carrying their possessions in their arms, or pulling carts behind them.

"I hope the villagers outside direct these people where I told them to go."

"That tunnel you mentioned?" Alvarn asked.

Vidar nodded. "Aye. It isn't ideal, but it beats being burned to death by dragons."

"Most won't be leaving."

"I know," Vidar said. "That's why the larger barriers will be so important."

They walked in silence for a moment before Alvarn spoke again. "Thank you."

"For what?"

"You just saved me."

"But it was my fault you were there."

"I would've gone either way and you know it."

"Still," Vidar said. "At least they don't have logiz."

Alvarn pointed then. "Looks like we have guests."

Even from a distance, it was apparent that the rune shop was packed full of people. Kenaz runes lit up the inside and shapes shuffled around. Vidar set off running, but soon slowed his pace. They weren't under attack from rune scribes or some disgruntled thieves' guild faction. Students. They were rune scribe students.

Inside, he ignored the many sets of eyes and elbowed his way to the counter, where Ida was showing the algiz rune to a group of students. Erik sat beside her, the two of them pressed together.

"You brought friends," Vidar said.

Ida let out a squeak and ran around the counter to wrap her arms around him.

"Enough of that," Vidar said, after hugging her back. "This many won't fit in here."

Siv frowned, but Vidar waved it away. "We'll think of something. For now, I've got tasks for all of them."

"What do you have in mind?" Alvarn asked even as he made some notes on the algiz runes, correcting an angle or two.

"We don't have much time, and we all know how useless the rune scribes' guild is. If we want Halmstadt to remain standing this time tomorrow, it's going to be up to us to make that happen. The thieves' guild will provide the tools we need," Vidar tapped Siv's temple, "but we're going to need some serious rune crafting."

Vidar explained what he'd prepared and what he had in mind, sending Siv and Erik out to liaison with Ida and Fjodor, while most of the other rune scribe students headed for the southeastern gate with Siv's friend in charge. The styrka rune was new to them, as was the idea of joining one rune to another, but they'd get it done, they promised. Free from under the rune scribes' guild, they were itching to prove themselves, and Vidar was not one to complain.

Before, he'd pondered how they'd have time to do everything without coming up with an answer. Now, rune scribes, well students, were falling over themselves to help. With this, they might have a fighting chance of getting everything done in time. It was slim, but his plan didn't sound impossible even to his ears any longer.

"What about us?" Alvarn asked once the shop cleared out.

"We're going back to the guild with Rend. If there's a chance to avoid fighting altogether, we have to seize it."

"Something tells me they will not be pleased when we ask to climb their tallest tower."

Vidar harrumphed. "I'd like to see them try stopping us."

"I might have a better solution," Alvarn said, polishing his now cracked glasses.

"Oh?" Vidar asked. "I'm all ears."

"It's an ongoing experiment, but I'm almost certain it will work, and you won't even need the tower at the rune scribes' guild. I'll just need an hour or two to fine-tune some aspects."

They walked out back and Alvarn brought Vidar to what looked like an oversized storage shed with double wooden doors painted a dark brown., where he fiddled with a simple lock.

"What's this?" Vidar asked.

Alvarn got the lock open after bringing a sowilo rune to melt the ice that was keeping it shut. "Storage. It's part of the house."

"Huh."

"This little plot of land right here is part of it, too. Thought you knew," Alvarn said, opening one door, then the other, revealing a cart, the sort you pushed and pulled yourself.

"This is your big reveal?" Vidar asked. "A cart? Not sure if you know this or not, but carts don't travel up."

Alvarn triggered a kenaz rune and hunched down to shine a light on the cart's underside. "This one does." He grinned. "Or it will, once I'm done with it."

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

The back of the cart pointed outward, and Vidar saw stakra runes inlaid into the wood, eight of them in total. Once he made it to the front, he saw more on its sides. The underside, however, was blank. "You made this to run on its own. The runes up front are for steering?"

Alvarn stood with a grunt, leaning on the staff. "Right. Only it doesn't work quite right since the front wheels can't move. The turning is stiff at best."

"Wait," Vidar said. "You've been testing this thing on the street?"

"No," Alvarn said, laughing. "Not yet. Just a few small tests back here, but I'm sketching on a new design that'll work better."

Vidar scratched his chin and shook his head. "We won't need wheels."

"We won't," Alvarn agreed.

"So what you're saying is," Vidar said, looking up at his friend, "you're building us a dragon."

"Not quite."

Vidar's heartbeat picked up, and the tips of his fingers tingled. This was something he hadn't even imagined, but now that he imagined it, he wanted to turn his imagination into truth. "But it will fly?"

"Once I'm done with it, yes," Alvarn said. "That's the idea. It will not fly but the thrust from the stakra runes should be enough to move it in vertical space while keeping the cart stable. The added thrust from dragon's essence will make a real difference."

Vidar couldn't keep his grin contained a second longer, and he laughed, slapping the side of the cart. "Yes! This is the best idea you've ever come up with! Fix it and then we'll go flying! How soon can it be ready?"

Alvarn mirrored Vidar's excitement, grinning. "Return here when the dragons show up and I'll be ready."

"I'll go clue Rend into our plan and what we're expecting of him, then try to think of some way of getting the dragons' attention."

"I have something for that as well," Alvarn said.

Vidar patted Alvarn's arm as he walked past, heading to the workshop. "It's good to have you back, man."

"It's good to be back."

After hurrying up the stairs, taking the steps two at a time, Vidar stood, frozen. "No, no, no," he muttered. "Alvarn!"

"What?" Alvarn shouted up through the ceiling.

"It's Rend!"

"What about him?"

"That slippery bastard, he's gone!"

It was quiet for a moment, then Alvarn shouted, "That's not good!"

Vidar flew down the stairs and ran to the back door. "I'm running to catch up with Erik! If anyone knows anything, it's him!"

"I'll come with you!"

"You must stay here and finish whatever it is you're working on!" Vidar shouted, slamming the door behind him.

The sun shone with not a cloud in the light blue sky. Genuine warmth clung to the air and sweat soon ran down Vidar's face as he ran toward Ida's newest hideout. She'd shared its location with him when last they met. It was right on the doorstep of the church of the fallen angels, and when he passed the massive stone building, he stopped dead in his tracks. The massive double doors stood open. Refugees once again clamored to enter. He wanted nothing more than to once again ignore it, but found that this time, he couldn't. These people were in danger. He just knew it.

"Don't," Vidar said to a mother with two young boys at the back of the crowd.

She eyed him with suspicion. "They offer bread and shelter for my young'uns."

"If you walk in there, you and your children are never coming back out," he said, panting from the run. "Head to the northeastern gate. There is better protection to be had."

"The priests would never hurt us," the mother insisted. "The fallen angels choose them to speak in their voice."

"They're evil," Vidar said, grabbing an algiz rune from his satchel. "Take this. It'll protect you."

The woman accepted the rune, held it up to her face, and narrowed her eyes, then glanced to the crowd and the open doors. "What of them others?"

"Let me handle that."

She gave a quick nod, then grabbed the hands of her sons and hurried in the opposite direction.

"But mama, I'm hungry," one of them whined.

Vidar turned to the crowd and shouted. "The priests will harm you! Do not go inside!"

Not a single person bothered to even turn around. The din of voices and shouts made it impossible for anyone to hear his warning, much less heed it. This could not stand.

Vidar pushed his way through, ignoring the curses directed his way as he made his way toward the front. If they wouldn't listen to his sound advice, he'd just have to close the doors himself and then find what those blasted priests were doing inside, no matter what.

Looking down to avoid being elbowed in the face, Vidar did not see the person he bumped into. Vidar glanced up, seeing a familiar face.

"Little scribe."

"Lytir! What are you doing here? You're not with them, are you?" Vidar asked, pointing to the church towering above them both.

"Nefarious creatures striving to return to the ways of old," Vidar said, smiling wide and reaching out to his sides with both arms. People who'd been jostling each other and forcing their way forward went around him without a word of complaint. "The hour draws near and this is not your struggle, not yet. You must find the rider and turn foe to friend before it is too late. The hour draws ever closer, the window all the more narrow."

"Rend? I've been looking for him. Tell me where to find him!"

"The boy mourns his friend, and the call beckons, thrumming through his blood. A connection not so easily severed, even in death. Locate one and find the other."

Vidar groaned. "That bastard is in Nordstan? I'll never find him there!"

"Then one must, yet again, do the impossible. Retrieve your friend or see all you hold dear turn to ash even before the darkness claims us all."

"Can't you help me find him?" Vidar asked. "The mysterious stranger hiding in plain sight thing is interesting, but this time I need help!"

A smile twitched in the corner of Lytir's face, and he turned to glance over his shoulder at the large, cavern-like entrance into the church. Even from here, in the throng of people, Vidar saw just how dark it was within.

"We all have tasks pulling at our attention. Go now, little scribe. The hour draws near."

"Dammit," Vidar cursed, turning to push his way back out of the crowd.

At least now he knew where Rend ran off to. Searching through all of Halmstadt was no longer necessary, but sneaking into Nordstan and even the keep was not something Vidar wanted to waste time on. Lytir was right, though. They needed Rend. Without him, the other dragon riders would care little about Halmstadt and its people.

With no time to waste, Vidar set off toward the upper city. The gates stood open, and he made it past the guards without being stopped by blending into the large number of people heading in and out of Nordstan. Soldiers patrolled everywhere, carrying heavy crossbows with arrows adorned with styrka runes, but most of them kept their eyes toward the sky, ignoring the common people. New ballistae stood everywhere and from the number of rune scribes around, Vidar figured they would use Alvarn's invention when it came time to fire upon the dragons, allowing for a much greater range of movement. Even more ballistae were being built all over the place. He hadn't seen a single one outside of Nordstan.

The bustle of activity meant no one paid him any mind. Vidar hurried up the street, heading toward the keep while hoping to find Rend skulking in an alley somewhere, but no such luck. A line of men blocked the wide stairs leading up to the plaza. Even more soldiers patrolled around the keep and here, they were forcing people back, shouting for them to return to their homes.

If Vidar wanted to get closer to the keep, he would have to return to his domain and find a path forward below the streets of Nordstan.