The Lost Runes Saga [Epic Fantasy]

The list of tasks to complete was long, but once he broke down each item into its parts, accomplishing them all was no longer insurmountable. At least not the planned steps, Alvarn corrected himself. Without being omnipotent, there was just no way of knowing if the action and reaction would follow the expected progression.

First, protect Halmstadt. Perhaps the most difficult item on the list, which is why he'd written it at the top of the page. Several tasks and sub-tasks were grouped under that tremendous challenge in an attempt for him to wrap his head around it. The rune scribes' guild needed to be made whole and functioning. That meant freeing those held by the thieves' guild, no matter how much animosity he held toward the guildmistress. To that end, Alvarn stood outside the chapter house of the rune scribes' guild in Halmstadt. The massive stone building had been his home for many years, but recent painful experiences soured whatever nostalgic love for the academy he might still have.

Opening the tall, ornamented front gate showed an empty entrance hall beyond, darkness draped across the high ceiling and scuffed carpets both. The kenaz runes were all out, and from the chill in there, so were the sowilo runes. Not a good sign.

Triggering a light rune and holding it up in the palm of his hand, Alvarn stepped inside and shut the gate behind him. "Hello?"

The words echoed, but no reply came. He craned his neck to glimpse down the corridors going left and right, seeing only more darkness. With the dragon threat ever looming above their fair city, he had no time to spare, so Alvarn hurried to the guildmistress's chamber, finding it just as dark, cold, and empty as the rest of the building. Pursing his lips, he gave the problem some thought. Having heard no sound and seen no glimpse of rune scribes within these halls, the one conclusion was that they'd all left. There was one more place to scour before giving up, however, so Alvarn made his way to the staircase that'd take him down into the underground shelter where the students earlier told him they'd met with Vidar as he passed through on his way toward Alvarn's rescue.

He found the door locked, but that was no deterrent. Quite the opposite. Banging on it produced no result, and calling down to those who might be within was just more of the same. Silence. Several ways of dealing with a locked door waited in his knapsack, and he considered his options. First, sowilo. Using the warmth rune to burn the wood and melt the metal within was a feasible solution, but not the one he'd choose if there were more alternatives at hand. With the risk of damaging the warmth rune, which would cause a most unpleasant explosion, that method should only be considered if all other options were exhausted. Second, he could attempt to open it with the lockpicks he'd received as a gift from one of Ida's confidants. That, however, would be a time-consuming enterprise, especially since he'd received no training in the art.

That left the third option, stakra. Another violent approach, but perhaps the most prudent in this case. Alvarn let a hand rest against the cold wood, feeling the grain. A shame to break such a fine door, one that'd stood for an age, but there was nothing to it. The consequences of not finding the rune scribes weighed heavier than the value of the door. That decided, Alvarn brought out a stakra rune drawn into the grove of a wooden disc. Not the most quality-minded approach to rune crafting, but it was quick and got the job done with the bare minimum of tools. This one was empty and needed rejuvenation. Again, Alvarn considered the door, trying to remember its thickness. From what he could pull from memory, it was almost a hand's breadth thick, meaning the burst of force from the rune in his hand might not be enough.

Alvarn looked inward, marveling at the newfound power swirling within his heartwell. The power of a dragon. One of Vidar's many recent discoveries. Pulling from that source of strength was like drinking out of a fountain of the freshest water when all you're used to is melted, grime-speckled snow.

The power trickled into the rune as Alvarn rejuvenated it, being careful not to add too much, or the integrity of the runic symbol might break down. What that might result in with a stakra rune was something he had yet to experiment with. With the rune rejuvenated, he pushed it into place on the wall opposite the door, using a touch of adhesive. Alvarn drew in a deep breath, considered what he was about to do, again settled on this as the best course of action, and then triggered the rune while covering his face with his coat for protection. Following the loud thump from the rune, the door flew off its hinges in a crash of wood and a squeal of iron. Now, nothing blocked his way. Following the removal of the stakra rune from the stone wall using a thin blade, Alvarn bustled down the stairs while adjusting the algiz runes he'd hidden about his person. If an ambush waited for him down there for whatever reason, he wanted barriers in place for protection. They shifted around as he hurried down the steps, and his thoughts were once again drawn to Vidar's tattoos. It was the solution of a desperate man, and one he would never condone without far more study into the long-term effects, but the effectiveness was undeniable.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"Hello?" he called out once he found himself at the bottom of the staircase. Shuffling sounds reached him from the corridor beyond, and a whispering of voices. "I know you're there! Show yourselves!"

The kenaz rune in the palm of his hand flared to life again, showering the cramped corridor ahead with light. It spilled in to the rooms at either side, showing silhouettes. "It's Alvarn. I mean you no harm!"

"Alvarn?" a voice asked.

"Lysander?"

One of the many teachers in the guild shuffled out of the gloom, holding up a hand in front of his face to block out the light from Alvarn's kenaz rune. He was one of the oldest rune scribes in Halmstadt, and the one who taught Alvarn how to first rejuvenate a rune. Bald with age spots covering his wrinkled skin, Lysander walked with a bent over stoop. Despite this, intelligence and life shone in his eyes.

"Lysander!" Alvarn cried out, lessening the effect of the light rune so it wouldn't bother the old man's eyes so much. "What are you still doing down here?"

"The dragons," Lysander croaked. "Many of us took refuge in the guild's shelter, thinking we would find the students down here. Alas, they are lost to us."

A shadow of sorrow passed over the old man's face, and Alvarn hurried to put his mind at ease. "The students are fine. They helped protect Halmstadt against the attack, and they are under my protection."

Tears filled Lysander's eyes at hearing that his beloved students were free of harm, and he took Alvarn's hand in both of his, squeezing. "You've come such a long way. Thank you for keeping them safe."

Heat rose to Alvarn's cheeks, and he changed the subject. "Unfortunately, as I'm sure you are well aware, quite a few rune scribes were kidnapped by the thieves' guild." He craned his neck, looking over Lysander's shoulder to get a glimpse of whoever else might be down in the shelter. "How many of you are down here? We must band together and free our brothers and sisters."

"Such terrible news," Lysander said, releasing Alvarn's hand to pick at his rune scribes' robes as he turned to look the way he'd come. "Trigger the kenaz runes. No need to sit in the dark when an old friend arrives. And don't forget the sowilo runes! These old bones need warmth."

He waved for Alvarn to follow into the chamber, speaking without looking back. "We must petition the steward, of course. Scoundrels. Always been more scoundrels than respectable citizens in Halmstadt, but kidnapping? To put such a low value on a life!"

Another voice rose from the small crowd of about thirty rune scribes huddling in the shelter, and Alvarn didn't recognize the one who'd spoken. "What of the guildmistress?"

"As far as I am aware, she is among the kidnapped," Alvarn said, looking out over the sorry crowd of rune scribes hiding away when the city needed them most. Perhaps this item on the list of tasks had been too optimistic.

Still, he needed to try. "Like I just told Lysander, we must band together and free those taken by the thieves' guild."

"You want us to stand against the thieves' guild?" a young woman asked. She pulled her light brown hair to the side and out of her face, showing a face streaked with worry. "How do you propose we accomplish such a task?"

Alvarn held up two runes, one in each hand. "Stakra and algiz. Thrust and protection. We'll render an escort of soldiers and guardsmen from the marshal, not the steward, then show the thieves what it means to stand against the most powerful guild in all of Sveland."

"What good is a rune against a knife in your back?" someone asked.

One of those who'd graduated to become a rune scribe the year before Alvarn, Henrik, got to his feet. "The thieves are murderers! We can't stand against them and hope for success! Let the crown deal with those scum!"

"Like I said," Alvarn said, forcing back the exasperation from his voice. "We will try for help from the crown, but I'm sure you haven't missed the catastrophe unfolding in Halmstadt this very moment!"

"You mean the dragons?" Lysander asked.

Alvarn nodded. "And the shadows."

"The what?" the girl from before asked.

Lysander grabbed Alvarn's shoulder. "You must return the students to these halls before they come under duress."

"No," Alvarn said. "They are safe for the moment. Moving them would be unwise. Can I count on your bravery and the essence running through you in the coming days? Like I said, we must rescue the rune scribes from the thieves' clutches!"

The small crowd was silent for a long while, then Henrik cleared his throat and spoke. "Gather the soldiers we need for this proposed assault, and I will stand with you."

Alvarn glanced around, not liking the lack of confidence in Henrik's all-too-flowery words. "Will the rest of you rise to this occasion?"

Murmurs of assent spread, with only a few keeping their silence. That was it then. The first sub-item was checked off his list. A few more and he would have the pieces necessary to check one thing off the list, saving the rune scribes. This was an imperative part of the item at the top of his list, saving Halmstadt. Alvarn's plan was coming to fruition. Little by little, he would see this impossible task through. All it took was a little planning, some convincing, and keeping calm while making preparations.

"Very well, then," he said, nodding in approval at each of those gathered before him. "I will see the marshal straight away and secure the soldiers we need. Keep yourselves hidden and safe until my return."

Alvarn turned to walk away, then had to double back. "The door upstairs is in need of repair. Best you see to it."