The Lost Runes Saga [Epic Fantasy]

In the legends, humans and angels banded together to banish the dragons. Now, they'd need those same dragons to understand how humans meant them no harm. If they wanted to fight the shadows, Vidar wouldn't stand in their way. That dark threat loomed beyond the destructive force of the dragons. Shadows. With the angels long gone, fallen out of this realm, humanity would stand alone if Vidar failed in his mission. Alone, they would burn.

"You can't stay," Alvarn said. Vidar looked up and saw his friend's kind eyes turned on him. "You must go. I get that."

They'd spoken on the matter several times more since leaving the thieves' guild.

"I wish I could stay," Vidar said. "But there's no one else who can do this. No one else I would trust."

Alvarn put a large hand on Vidar's shoulder, the lines of the styrka rune he'd burned into the back of his hand red and angry. It looked painful, but a burn was a small price to pay when the exchange was dragon's essence. "I will keep Halmstadt standing until your return."

"I know you will," Vidar replied. "You need to keep an eye out for the priests as well."

Alvarn pursed his lips. "I will see what I can find, but I doubt they have left much behind when they left, and the church is burning to the ground as we speak."

Vidar nodded. "Do your best, I'm sure you'll find something."

Alvarn held up his hand, raising a finger to count each task. "Dragons. Shadows. Thieves. Rune scribes. Priests. That all? Or do you have more impossible tasks for me to handle?"

Vidar chuckled. "Don't forget the stone gate."

"Of course," Alvarn said. "The stone gate. Easy enough. Should give me plenty of time to work on my stakra rune experiments."

"I wouldn't mind another one of those soaring carts for my journey," Vidar said. "I don't think I'd enjoy walking all that way."

Alvarn guffawed. "Build another cart before you leave in the morning, of course. No worries. You showed me those stakra runes on the soles of your feet, remember? You're a madman, can't you just use them to launch yourself into the air like a bolt from a ballista?"

Vidar scratched his chin and pursed his lips, looking up into the sky and narrowing his eyes.

"I was kidding," Alvarn said. "Don't go getting yourself killed before you return."

"Alvarn—" Vidar began as he rounded a street corner, then he stopped and groaned at seeing what awaited them.

"Vidar! There you are! I was afraid we'd lost you in the attack!" Fredrik shouted, waving his hand over his head.

"Is that the?" Alvarn asked.

"Yes," Vidar grunted. "The rune scribes from Stalheim."

"Why did they bring so many guards?" Alvarn asked.

Soldiers and guardsmen filled most of the street. Guard Captain Andersen was there, and Vidar's eyes widened. "Jarl, as well. This won't end well," he muttered.

As they approached the front of their shop, looking around, he saw no signs of Ida, Siv, Erik, or any of the thieves or student scribes. Other onlookers emerged from buildings and shelters, though, and quite a few were shouting for food, asking what they were going to do about the dragons in the sky, or for kin that'd disappeared in the chaos.

"Let me do the talking," Vidar said.

Fredrik and Freja stood flanked by Jarl and Guard Captain Andersen.

"To what do I owe this marvelous pleasure?" Vidar asked. "Looking for a place to rent now that the keep is all but demolished?"

"What happened to the downed dragon?" Jarl asked, without preamble, ignoring Vidar's jab.

"What makes you think I'd know that?"

"Vidar," Jarl said, warning in his voice.

"Fine," Vidar said. "Didn't you see that gray, enormous dragon carrying the smaller one away in its claws?"

"Damn it," Jarl muttered. "We used too many styrka bolts in the ballistae, and we have been unable to retrieve them so far."

"Offer a bounty," Alvarn suggested, standing tall next to Vidar.

The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

"A gold coin per bolt should do it," Vidar added.

Jarl frowned, put his chin in his hand, and nodded. "That might be a feasible solution. A silver coin per bolt."

He was about to speak again, but Fredrik spoke over him. "You should go in and pack your belongings, Vidar. We are leaving at first light."

Vidar blinked, his mouth hanging open. "What?"

"You gave us your word, remember? When we leave for Stalheim, you come with us. It was part of our agreement, was it not?"

"Yes," Vidar spluttered, "but—"

"I am not spending another moment in this forsaken city, if I can help it," Fredrik said. "The splendor and safety of Stalheim is where proper rune scribes belong." He turned his gaze on Alvarn. "You are welcome to join us as well, of course."

Alvarn and Vidar exchanged a glance, and Alvarn shook his head. "I will stay here."

Stalheim was far to the north. On the eastern shore, yes, but Sveland was long and narrow. Following the road toward Stalheim was Vidar's plan all along. Vidar nodded. "I'll come."

"See?" Fredrik said, turning to Jarl. "I told you he would see reason."

Fredrik gave Vidar a look that spoke volumes of just how reasonable he thought Vidar was. "I'm sure." He gestured toward Guard Captain Anderson, who called out an order to his guardsmen, and they withdrew, marching in three tight lines.

Freja clapped her hands and beamed. "Hooray! We are going to have so much fun!" She quieted and frowned, biting her lower lip. "Unless monsters eat us on the way."

After giving instructions to meet with some administrator in Nordstan, the upper city, in preparation for the journey, the Stalheim rune scribes left, taking Jarl, Guard Captain Anderson, and all their men with them.

There were no signs of Ida's people on the street, but it was only a matter of time. Runes Aplenty was silent and dark, with no heat runes active to stave off the cold, leaving the place hollow-seeming as they stepped inside.

"I'll rejuvenate a few sowilo runes to chase away some of this clamminess," Alvarn said, stepping over to the counter.

"We'll be leaving again soon," Vidar said, glancing out through the window. "And be careful with the dragon's essence, or you'll burn this place down."

People were milling about, and a few shops were even opening up in spite of the recent attack. That showed resilience on the part of Halmstadt's citizens. At some point, they'd need to open Runes Aplenty again to feed themselves, but not yet. Vidar and those around him didn't have that luxury.

A knock at the door.

"Told you," Vidar said, opening it up.

"Guildmistress wants you," a girl said. She couldn't be more than twelve, and wore thin clothes, inadequate for the weather, in earth colors, full of rips. The girl's hair fell in front of her face, hiding most of it, light brown and tangled. What little of her features showed through were smudged with soot, except for two narrow lines at the sides of her eyes. She'd been crying. "Come with me."

"Where to?"

She looked him up and down, but her face betrayed no emotion. "I'll take you."

Rolling his eyes, Vidar turned and waved for Alvarn to follow. "Come on, then."

"Ida." She cleared her throat. "Guildmistress, I mean, only said you." Her eyes darted into the shop, then out to the street, like she might bolt at any moment.

"Stay calm," Vidar said, keeping his voice smooth and warm. "Alvarn is a friend. Ida knows him."

She took a step back. "He a thief?"

"Look at him. Does he look like a thief?"

"No," the girl said, shaking her head. "Thieves don't wear glasses."

Vidar blinked. "There you go."

"Fine then. Come, come," the girl said, waving for them to follow.

Like the previous times, the path to their current hideout was all but straightforward. Street up and street down, scurrying down narrow paths and rushing over courtyards full of people gathering around algiz-styrka glyphs for protection. That's what Vidar had settled on naming the act of joining runes together, glyphs. More than once, he considered telling the girl that Fjodor knew the location of their hideout, but stopped himself each time. Frightening the child would not lead to them getting to their destination any faster.

After an excruciating half hour, they were back to a building a few streets over from Runes Aplenty, and Vidar drew long, steadying breaths to keep himself from exploding into a fit. The place had a run-down look about it, like it'd been empty for a long while with no one to tend to repairs. All windows were boarded shut, even those on the second floor. The door opened a crack after the girl performed a long series of rhythmic knocks.

It was dark and silent inside. "Password?" a voice called.

"Shit goblin," the girl said through a giggle, glancing back at Vidar, who let out a tired sigh as the door swung open to admit them.

Vidar and Alvarn followed the girl inside, the door clicking shut behind them, throwing the small group into darkness. Whoever let them inside lit a candle and raised it to give some small, however inadequate, light to see by.

"I'm Ella," she whispered. "Come with me."

They continued through the empty house, past a separate, also locked, door, and down to a basement full of dust and discarded things from whoever used to live there. Ella walked through the room on light steps, careful not to disturb anything, until she reached a blank wall on the opposite side. She bent over and pulled a moth-eaten carpet to the side, revealing something familiar.

"Is that a hatch?" Vidar hissed.

Ella produced a key and opened it with a familiar clunk. It was one of Vidar's hatches, except this one was bigger. Not by much, but enough for Alvarn to fit.

"Johanna, you go first," Ella said.

The girl who'd fetched them climbed down. Ella nodded to Vidar and Alvarn, and Vidar climbed after, marveling at the wider passageway.

"It's tight," Alvarn grumbled, but he made his way down as well.

The hatch clicked shut above them, and they descended to the bottom in darkness. Once they'd made it down and out of the narrow joining tunnel, Vidar triggered the kenaz rune on his forehead, giving them ample light to see by.

Johanna and Alvarn turned away, covering their eyes, but soon grew accustomed to the light source.

"What is this place?" Vidar asked, his voice echoing down the empty hallway.

No water or human waste ran past them here. It was just bare stone from floor to ceiling.

"This way," Johanna said, as Ella emerged from the tunnel behind them.

A long corridor followed. The sound of rushing water soon tickled the edges of Vidar's hearing. Before they made it to the source, however, a single door appeared on the right-hand wall, set into the stone. Thick metal. Cold to the touch, with spots of rust around the edges. It'd been there a long time.

Rather than knock on it, Johanna whistled a shrill note, and a door soon unlocked from the inside.

"About time you got here, Vidar," Ida said. "And Alvarn. Welcome."