She pulled her magic away from him, when she felt the magic from the trees try to tap into hers. Goosebumps formed on her skin while she watched the man disappear into the forest. He was not long for this world, there was nothing she could do to save him.
“Gods above what is happening out here?” Sade muttered to herself and walked away.
A few hours later, she was still in the midst of the great forest, but the trees here seemed healthier and less hungry for her magic. Some of the leaves were turning a brilliant orange-red, though Sade wasn’t sure if it was from the change of seasons or if the trees were dying. She licked her dry lips as she walked past another dried-up stream.
She grabbed her waterskin, a single drop of water dropped onto her parched lips. Now she was out of water and she had seen no signs of it in the central plains. She reached into her rune pouch, sighing when she felt only the rune for the God of Justice. It would take her a week to remake the runes and she didn’t have access to the correct stones. If she used the wrong ones, the magic would blow up in her face.
She looked around and saw a large tree with vibrant green leaves. Grabbing a sharp rock, she walked over and inspected the base of the tree, she found a small hole and began carving a rune. It was a combination rune, one that merged words into a smaller simpler rune, meant to pull out water.
Closing her eyes, she willed a small amount of magic into the rune, not enough to alert any possible Vestrals in the area. Though she doubted there were any, she couldn’t let her guard down.
A small trickle of water streamed out of the hole and Sade let out a whoop of victory. The magic in the rune faded while she drank from the waterskin. Her chapped lips burned when the water touched them and her thirst grew stronger with each swallow. As she poured more magic into the rune, a searing pain spread from her mouth into her belly. Her vision began to blur and she collapsed onto the ground.
Something was wrong with the water.
Gods not here, I am not ready to die! Her mouth throbbed as if she had a thousand needles stuck inside of it. The pain worsened with each breath she took. Unsure of what to do, she curled into a ball and let the darkness take her.
SADE AWOKE WITH A START, frowning when she noticed a poorly sewn blanket had been thrown over her. Her vision still swam, and she could not make out any details beyond her feet. Though she could not see straight yet, she could hear a crackling fire and the sounds of someone walking toward her. Sade pulled her magic in tight around her, trying to draw a healing rune with her mind’s eye, but her magic refused to cooperate and slipped away from her.
Gods, I miss my runes.
“Easy lass, your body is still healing,” a warm male voice said to her right.
“Who are you?”
“I’m Jerrick, runesmith for the village of Oddlehill, who are you? And why were you drinking water from a death wood tree? I know the harvests are bad, but soon the Goddess of the Harvest will return her good favor to us all,” the man said. His voice was filled with hope.
“I’m not a famine-struck,” Sade snapped as her heart beat wildly in her chest. She clutched the blanket and drew her knees to her chest. The pain in her throat was back with a vengeance. She tried to use magic to calm her body, but she was unable to. A barrier had formed inside of her, keeping her magic at bay while the poison wreaked havoc inside her.
“Jerrick, you’re scaring the poor lass!” a woman’s voice this time, though her tone was cold and unwelcome.
“No, Esmelda, we need to get her back to the Vestral for healing. She’s got too much of that damned water in her.”
Sade felt a pair of arms hoist her over a hard shoulder and then onto a bed of straw. She reached her hand out and felt a plank of wood.
“No!” Sade cried out. “Do not take me to the shrine! I cannot enter any shrines!”
“She’s talking nonsense; there is no hope for her now. Let her go, you can’t save everyone,” Esmelda said.
Their voices became muffled when the cart began to move. Every bump in the road sent another cascade of fire through her veins. She struggled to get her eyes to focus on the wood plank beside her, ignoring the searing pain in her stomach.
The cart came to a stop, the sudden movement smashed Sade against the wooden plank. The taste of iron filled her mouth and a crunching sound filled her ears. Blood dropped onto the cart and her nose throbbed. She wanted to scream, but her throat was still soar, so she could only whimper and try to keep the blood from getting everywhere.
“Gods above I’m so sorry!” Jerrick cried, and she saw a small handkerchief being held in front of her face. She took it and gingerly pressed it against her nose.
“Don’t move her, I’ll see if Vestral Marius is available,” Esmelda said and the sound of her hurried footsteps soon faded.
Sade gripped the side of the cart with all her strength, she feared she would pass out again if she let her head rest on the straw. She needed to be awake in case this Vestral Marius suspected anything.
It didn’t take long for the woman to return with the Vestral, Sade felt the gentle flow of healing magic flow around her. Light pink sparks danced on her skin while the magic began to heal her. Her vision wavered for a moment and then returned to normal as her body was cleansed of the poison.
To her right stood a man of average height. His hair was a brighter red than Henry’s. One of his arms was wrapped around a woman, whose braided hair was almost as dark as Sade’s cloak and she was slightly taller than him.
Vestral Marius was standing at the edge of the cart. The runes were in the shape of a hearth, marking him as a Vestral to the Goddess of Marriage. He held a small healing rune in his palm and Sade felt her nose began to shift back into place. Without warning, the rune died out.
“That’s all the healing magic I have. That nose of yours is going to have to heal on its own,” Marius said with a small shrug and his voice lacked any of the warmth Sade had become accustomed to with Vestrals who served the Goddess of Marriage.
He was lying, there was plenty of magic still within him. Though, someone who wasn’t a Vestral wouldn’t know that.
“Do you not have a Vestral of Healing?”
“No, I am the only Vestral in this place,” Marius said then turned to Jerrick. “This is the ninth person I’ve had to help you rescue this month! I do not have time for this! If you keep rescuing those who are marked for death, the God of Death will come after you.”
With that he gathered his cloak and stormed away. Esmelda shook her head and hopped onto the cart beside Sade while Jerrick returned to the front.
“I’m sorry, did I cause you any trouble?” Sade asked her when the cart began to move again.
“No, Marius has had a stick up his arse ever since he was assigned to our village.”
“And why is he the only Vestral?”
“Because we are not a large village, we are not considered important enough to have a Vestral for every single God. We do however have a few Vestrals from a few nearby temples who visit from time to time,” Esmelda said, Sade couldn’t help but wince. “Not to worry we have a few villagers who help Marius ensure the altars are clean.”
“I see,” Sade shook her head, “I’m sorry, my manners have failed me. I’m Sade.”
“And where are you headed, Sade?”
“I’m not sure.”
Esmelda frowned, her eyes narrowed as if she were suspecting her of something. Sade’s mind raced, she couldn’t say she was looking for Vestrals who served the God of Justice, that would only raise more suspicion about her.
“My family died in a Shivering Fever outbreak,” she said, it wasn’t a complete lie. Her family, before she joined the Vestrals, did in fact catch the Shivering Fever. But that was over fifteen years ago.
“Oh, you poor thing, I’m so sorry. My sister caught the Shivering Fever, but she was able to pull through and only lost an eye,” Esmelda said. The cart came to a stop in front of a sturdy wooden house. It was one of many houses nestled agai
nst a tall wooden wall, though this one had a large shed next to it. A crude sign hung over the door, letting people know this was the runesmith’s shop.
The door to the house opened and two small boys tumbled out, one had the bright red hair of his father and the other had their mother’s dark hair. They looked to be around eight years old, Sade wasn’t sure since she’d never been around children for very long.
Jerrick jumped off the cart and swept the boys into a hug while they shrieked with delight.
Another woman hobbled out of the house. She looked like Esmelda, though she was shorter and had streaks of gray in her hair. One of her eyes was covered by a cloth. Her good eye narrowed when she saw Sade and she placed her hands on her hips as her mouth curled with disgust.
“Gods above we have barely enough food to feed us all, and now you’ve brought another one?” She snapped at Esmelda who glanced at Jerrick.
“You know he cannot leave a soul in need alone,” she said, the two boys ran over and hid behind her skirt. They peeked out at Sade with shy smiles.
“Ah don’t be shy boys, we’ve got a new guest with us for a few days,” Jerrick said and frowned. “I’m sorry lass I did not catch your name.”
“I’m Sade,” she said.
“I’m Herjack!” the boy with the bright red hair shouted.
“And I’m Devin,” the other boy said and pointed at the one-eyed woman, “that’s Aunt Adora.”
“Pleased to meet you,” Sade smiled at them.
“Did you almost get eaten by a griffin, miss Sade? That’s what happened last time,” Devin said.
“Boys! That is enough! Miss Sade has had a long day,” Esmelda snapped and gave Sade an apologetic smile, while her sister shooed the boys back into the house.
The shed doors opened with a loud crack and a young man stormed out of it, he threw a handful of wooden runes on the ground. A few of them landed near Sade’s feet. She picked one up and noticed the tracings of a fire rune on one side and an ice rune on the other.
“This is impossible! I cannot work with these bloody pieces of wood!” the man shouted and Jerrick crossed his arms.
“That is because you have combined two runes that by the rules of nature cannot be combined,” Sade said dryly as she picked up another and noted the carvings on this one was gibberish.
“And what do you know about runes?” the man hissed and eyed Jerrick. “This another one of your strays?”
Jerrick started to reply, but Sade was quicker to respond.
“I was trained in rune carving at the Temple of Plainspire,” Sade said with a grin, the two men stared at her with open mouths. Most Vestrals knew how to carve runes, it was the only way they knew how to inspect them for flaws. But seeing as they usually had no time to make them, they used runesmiths to craft new ones when needed.
“An apprentice to great Old Ragnul himself?” the man roared.
“The one and only,” Sade said with pride.
“Ha! I knew there was a reason I came across ya lass!” Jerrick said while Sade continued to pick up the wood.
“Do you know anything about rune theory?” she asked the man, waving yet another poorly carved rune around, “do you want the Vestral who uses this to die?”
The man threw up his hands. “I am done with this.”
Jerrick sighed as the man stormed off into the night.
“I seem to cause nothing but trouble for you,” Sade said, handing him pieces of wood. She picked up a few more and followed him into his small workshop.
“Ah, he carved runes like a butcher. I was having to redo most of his work.” Jerrick said then gave Sade an odd look when she placed the broken runes onto the large table in the center of the room. “So, you trained at Plainspire? Why, you could live a cushy life in some fat lord’s castle carving all sorts of things, and instead you’re wandering around the kingdom drinking from poisonous trees?”
Sade repeated the answer she had given his wife and Jerrick gave her a sympathetic pat on the back.
“I’m sorry lass, I know it’s not the most pleasant way to die. But the Gods must have kept you around for a reason!” he said. Sade walked over to a shelf filled with various types of wood and stones meant for runes.
“Perhaps,” she said, picking up a gray stone that glinted purple in the candlelight.
“Look I don’t know how long you’ll be in town for, but seeing as my apprentice just walked out. Would you mind helping me out while I look for a new one? I’ll pay you and we have an extra bed. Can’t say we have the most fulfilling food in town, but my wife does what she can.”
Sade turned the stone over in her hand. Vestral Dirna had said she couldn’t use magic, but she’d said nothing about carving runes. In her haste to leave the temple, she had forgotten her coin purse.
“I accept and I would be more than happy to help your new apprentice learn the ropes.”
Jerrick grinned, and he slammed his hands down on the table with glee.
“Fantastic! I must warn ya, Vestral Marius placed a rather large order for healing runes so I’ll need you to start in the morning if you can.”
Sade nodded. “That I can do.”
“Well then let’s get some supper, I don’t know about you, but I’m famished.”
THE NEXT MORNING, SADE was browsing the small marketplace, looking for a piece of griffin bone she could use to form a better carving tool. Jerrick had given her some coin as advanced payment.
She passed by the mostly barren stalls, some had dried meat and shriveled up onions and others had worn textiles. The merchants stared after her with hallow gazes, none shouted anything about their wares. Sade shivered as she moved through the silent market, her magic inside of her sung with tales of despair and desperation when she passed by. The feelings became too great, so Sade blocked off her magic. She spotted a small stall that held many bones and small furs.
“Welcome to my stall, I have rat bones, horse bones, rat fur and mouse skin,” the haggard woman sitting in the center of the stall said.
“Do you have any griffin bone?”
The woman blinked at her, Sade shifted her stance and waited for the woman to speak. When it was clear Sade wasn’t going to leave, the woman stood and pulled out a wing bone that had been whittled down to the size of Sade’s small toe.
“Do you have anything... bigger?” she asked while she inspected the bone.
“No, and if you want to hunt a griffin yourself. You’re out of luck, all the griffin’s in this area have been hunted,” the woman snapped. “Now are you going to buy it or not?”
Sade thought for a moment about reprimanding the woman for her manners. Her anger quickly faded while she took in the woman’s haggard appearance; she was more bones than anything else. She dug into her pouch and pulled out two silver pieces.
The woman handled the silver with a reverence that rivaled the most pious of Vestrals.
“Do you want anything else?” she eyed Sade’s pouch.
“No, I just need the griffin bone.”
The woman’s eager expression soured.
“If you’ll buy nothing else, then please move away from my stall. You’re going to scare away potential customers with that nose of yours.”
Sade gently touched her nose, it was still swollen. Not wanting to anger the woman further she headed back to Jerrick’s workshop. When she heard a man shouting.
“Stop! You can’t destroy it, its unjust!”
Sade ran towards the sound, none of the merchants in their stalls moved. The magic within her yearned to leap forth, but without her runes she had no proper way to channel it. She rounded a corner and skid to a halt when she saw Vestral Marius carrying a small statue of the God of Justice. An angry old man was standing in his way.
“You cannot destroy what is sacred! The God of Justice will surely make you pay!”
“For the last time, I have to do this,” Vestral Marius said, his expression looked tired.
“No, you can defy the High Vestral a
nd put the damn statue back where it belongs!” The old man bellowed and tried to grab the statue from Marius. He was answered with a blast of magic as the runes on Marius’s cloak glowed a light purple. The old man tumbled to the ground and Marius stormed away.
“Please! Do not do this!” the old man pleaded, but Marius was long gone. Sade rushed over to him.
“Are you all right?” she asked, she could see no signs of bleeding.
“No, the God of Justice has been declared dead by that evil witch,” the old man snapped. “Why didn’t you stop him?”
“I don’t want to be executed for going up against a Vestral. Besides, how could I stand up to magic?” Sade asked, even if she wanted to help, she was useless without her runes.
The old man’s gaze turned to her. His dark eyes had a slight glow to them, with a hint of madness that plagued those who were chosen by the Gods, but not properly attuned.
“You could have stopped him! But you held back!” the man shouted, and tendril of wild magic began to form around him. Sade took several paces back, ready to flee if she needed to.
“What are you doing? If Vestral Marius catches you, your head will be on a spike!” Sade said glancing around, not another soul was nearby, but that could change fast.
The man’s eyes glowed a light blue, the God of Magic’s color, and red sparks filled the air. The telltale sign of fire magic, but the old man held no fire rune. He would not be able to control the flame if it got out of hand.
Sade reached into her rune pouch and held out the rune for the God of Justice. Its orange magic pulsed within the two triangles. A stream of magic burst out and smothered the fireball that was forming. The old man’s magic sputtered and died around him. Unrefined magic couldn’t hold a candle to the magic of the divine, dead God or not.
The Spirit of the Realm Page 7