The Lost Runes Saga [Epic Fantasy]

Leaving that meeting through a series of underground passageways, Vidar emerged near Runes Aplenty, unsure if he'd made the right decision to leave everything in Alvarn's hands. The decisions made in that small room were so different from the plans he might've hatched himself. He sighed and looked up at the empty sky as wind buffeted his face and set his coat flapping. No, he shouldn't doubt his friend. In many ways, Alvarn was the more capable of them. A planner, going about his tasks with consideration and due diligence. His coming up with a different path forward was something Vidar should've expected. His friend would get things done, would see the others, and even Halmstadt, safe. He smiled to himself and closed his eyes for a moment, enjoying the silence of the night and even, he found, the cold.

By the time morning rolled around, Alvarn still hadn't shown, so Vidar left a note and set off for Nordstan, where he crossed through the gate without issue. Seeing the imposing keep far up the slope to the north with its upper floors now reduced to ruin stirred something in his chest, which surprised him. He'd never held love for the upper city, the rich men and women who lived there, or the keep itself with the steward sitting atop mounds of gold, but it was still part of Halmstadt. His city. The dragons had a lot to answer for.

Few people braved the early morning cold in Nordstan. Those with means didn't need to. This meant Vidar walked up the streets alone for the most part. The occasional troop of soldiers or guardsmen crossed his path, but those who spotted him let him be. Most of their eyes were up in the sky, scanning for threats from above, rather than thieves prowling the streets.

A wave of nostalgia hit Vidar when he realized where he'd ended up. It was the same cluster of buildings where he'd met with the city officials in charge of mapping stoppages in the sewer system, where he'd learned just how little they knew of what would become Vidar's own little kingdom. The dragon bones resting, the gold that allowed him to purchase the rune shop, and the spear covered in styrka runes. He looked down at his hand, at the pocketed grooves and deep valleys where the runic symbol burned into him. It hadn't been an enjoyable experience then, but that rune allowed him to learn about essence manipulation, which allowed Vidar and his friends to slay a dragon. Rend's dragon.

"Stupid dragon rider," Vidar muttered as he searched the buildings, trying to find the right one from the instructions he'd received. There, on the far left of the street, opposite a butcher's shop for the wealthy. A candle burned in the window near the door. Before Vidar even had the chance to knock, the door groaned open, and a pale face appeared.

"Vidar."

Vidar blinked, his mouth falling open. "Embla?"

She gave him a thin smile and opened the door wider. "Please, come in. Tea?"

"Thank you," he said, following her in and closing the door behind them.

The inside looked much like the last place he'd seen her in, the building where she managed the Rat's Nest. Orphans with nowhere to go, receiving food and shelter in exchange for a hard day's labor. Desks were crammed together across the bottom floor, each of them with stacks of papers or ledgers on them. Embla guided him through an open door with a sign above it, but the letters danced and spun too much for Vidar to catch their meaning. Inside were four desks squeezed into a far too small place.

"Please, sit," Embla said, gesturing to a chair in front of a desk as she made her way to a corner where a kettle simmered over an open flame. No sowilo runes for her, but he noticed kenaz runes set into metal in the ceiling.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, leaning back in perhaps the most uncomfortable chair he'd ever sat in.

"Once I gathered myself after the accident and found that no similar positions to my previous one were available, I approached some city officials I knew," she said. Embla poured tea into two cups, then returned the kettle to the corner and sat down behind the desk. "What I found was that the oversight for the wayward children of Halmstadt didn't exist in the form that I would have liked. So I made them see things my way, and they were wise enough to offer me the position."

"So you are in charge of everyone who had your old job?" Vidar asked.

She grabbed her cup in both hands and drew in a breath with her face over it, savoring the scent before taking a small sip and nodding. "That's right. And now you're here. I've heard a lot about you, Vidar."

"None of it is true," Vidar said, narrowing his eyes.

That made her chuckle. A strange noise coming from her. "At least the smell still lingers," she said, looking over the rim of her cup, laughter glittering in her eyes. It was like she was a different woman from the one he'd met. A hard façade having melted, or perhaps she was just feeling nostalgia over lost days.

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Vidar took a sip of his own, savoring the warmth going down as he swallowed. "I was supposed to meet an administrator here."

"Another one of my duties," Embla said. "With the recent upheaval, the crown has lost a lot of clerks and administrators in Halmstadt. Few of us have the luxury of only one area of expertise."

"Oh," Vidar said.

"Indeed." Embla put the cup down and grabbed a thin stack of papers. She placed the papers side by side in a row in front of him. "I need your signature on these."

Vidar scanned the pages, but they were just gibberish to him. So he looked up at Embla instead. "What are these?"

"You are going on a journey to Stalheim. The caravan leader has requisitioned food and water, as well as protection for you."

"Protection?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "I don't need protection."

"So you'll fight whatever monsters you find all by yourself?" Embla asked with a smirk.

Vidar paled a little.

That made her grin. "So that story was true, at least."

"Fine, fine. I'll sign," Vidar said, grabbing the pen off her table and dipping it in a vat of ink. He signed his name at the bottom of each page and took another, larger gulp of tea. It was quite good.

"So, is it true?" Embla asked.

"Is what true?"

"That you're part dragon."

"What?" Vidar asked. "Who told you that?"

"It's a rumor," Embla said.

"There seem to be a lot of rumors going around," Vidar said. "You shouldn't trust everything you hear. Just a rune scribe with a writ from Stalheim, leaving this forsaken city behind for a life of riches and respect."

"I'm sure you are, Vidar."

They exchanged a look, and then Vidar sighed. "So, are the little urchins of Rat Town safe?"

A fire ignited in Embla's eyes. "They will be. Even if I have to crack a few wealthy heads to get it done."

"The Fallen Angels have mercy on anyone standing in your way," Vidar said with a smile, standing. "I wish you luck."

Embla scanned the pages he'd signed and nodded to herself. "Best of luck on your journey. The caravan leaves in a few hours from the eastern gate."

The trek to the eastern gate was a long one, and dawn approached as he made his way through the different parts of Halmstadt. At one point, he passed over where he knew the dragon's bones rested, the place where it had all begun. Vidar sealed the chamber off from access through the underground passageways to stop the steward's men from reaching it, and Alvarn would soon close it from the other side. Leaving the dragon down there with its secrets still hidden, irked him, but Vidar had little choice. Like he'd already explained to Alvarn and the others, he needed to leave, and he needed to do so now. Catching up to the flying dragons was impossible, of course, but with the map from Rend, he knew where to go. A long journey to be sure, one that would take him across much of Sveland, but one that would start that same day.

People were waking up, heading to whatever tasks and jobs remained, with so many houses, shops, and businesses having burned to the ground. If not for the styrka-algiz glyphs, more would be gone, a lot more. He passed several such glyphs in his walk, and he tested a few, crouching down to touch the runic circle, sensing the essence within. Both algiz runes and styrka runes were brimming with essence. The citizens of Halmstadt were keeping up their end of the bargain, lending their essence to keep their families safe.

Crowds were forming near the eastern gate, and since Vidar saw nothing he recognized as a caravan, nor Fredrik or Freja, the rune scribes from Stalheim, he allowed himself to be carried through the gate in the mass of people leaving, struggling to move past those entering Halmstadt in the early morning.

Many carried shields or other pieces of wood with styrka-algiz glyphs on them. The students and rune scribes had performed a fine service in spreading the protection out to a good number of people.

Past the eastern gate, to the side of the road, on a patch of gravel, eight carts stood in a line. Quite a few broad-shouldered men loaded the carts with supplies while others readied leather straps and harnesses they'd later use to pull and push the carts. A few oxen stood in front of the heaviest carts, their tails whipping back and forth as they munched on piles of grass placed right in front of them. Vidar counted twenty-two soldiers, who all stood guard around the carts while Fredrik rummaged around atop one. Freja sat with her hands in her lap in another, looking a little dazed but in a good mood, a smile on her lips as she looked at the road disappearing in the distance.

One figure he hadn't expected to see was Jarl, striding up to him, having spotted Vidar coming through the gate out of Halmstadt.

"Are you coming as well?" Vidar asked.

"I am," Jarl confirmed.

"But who's going to handle the defense of Halmstadt?"

Vidar took in the man in front of him. Rather than the fine cloth and pieces of armor he usually wore, and the shining pommel of his sword sticking out of an ornamental sheath, Jarl now wore rough clothes in brown, gray, and dark green colors. Worn boots adorned his feet, and the sword, while of fine quality, looked no better than what a soldier might use.

"Did they—"

"The steward felt that my preparation for the defense was lacking in several key areas," Jarl said, scratching at stubble forming on his cheeks. "Especially regarding the protection of the keep itself. To that end, he decided it was time for a new marshal of Halmstadt."

"And he sent you away?" Vidar asked.

Jarl gave him a tired smile. "And he sent me away. I have family in Stalheim, since I am from there, so this was a good opportunity for me to find something new."

"I see," Vidar said.

Jarl held out his hand. "Perhaps we can put the past behind us and find a beneficial path forward."

Vidar looked at the hand for a moment, then glanced up at Jarl's honest face. "Yes," he said, taking Jarl's hand to squeeze it. "Let us put the past behind us. I just hope whoever replaces you will do a fine job in protecting our city."

Jarl's face fell a little, but he made no comment, and the two turned and walked up to the carts, talking of the journey in front of them.