The Spirit of the Realm

by Rachel L Brown

  The hall was rather dark compared to the others and had multiple flights of stairs. She poked her head through a couple open doors but found only empty rooms and cold hearths.

  She batted away a few cobwebs from her face as she returned to the hall. She slammed into something warm and solid. A bright light flashed in front of her eyes.

  “Get away from me!” she screamed.

  When the light didn’t fade and her eyes adjusted. She saw Prince Felix staring at her with an open mouth and he was carrying a lantern. Emira noticed he was wearing a shirt of chain mail over his tunic. He peered behind her and he lessened the grip on his sword.

  “Your Majesty, what in the names of the Gods are you doing down here?” he asked, his eyes widened as he glanced down at her shift. He quickly averted his gaze and she tugged her cloak tight around her.

  “I could ask the same, Prince Felix,” Emira said.

  “I was inspecting the unused wings of the castle,” he said dryly, raising an eyebrow at her bare feet.

  “I... need to speak to Vestral Svendir. I have questions regarding the Rite of Dispelment,” Emira said.

  “Ah, then you are definitely in the wrong place,” he frowned and he tapped his sword hilt. “Why do you need to speak to him in the dead of night? If you need to perform a Rite of Dispelment, he is not the one you need.”

  Emira hesitated and Felix’s mouth tightened into a small frown.

  “Your Majesty, is your life in danger?” he asked, lowering his voice into a whisper.

  Emira unwrapped the fabric and showed him the strange rune. He stared at it for a long moment before he shook his head.

  “I have seen nothing like it,” he said. “Why don’t we go speak to the Vestral for the Goddess of the Runes?”

  “I do not know them, and...” Emira trailed off.

  “You’re worried they might have made it,” Prince Felix said and motioned for her to follow him into the small passageway.

  “Yes,” she said. The surrounding walls shrank around her. It was getting so small that Prince Felix’s body was blocking most of the light from his lantern. “Where are you taking me?”

  “A secret way into the streets below the temple. Svendir lives in a small house on that street,” he said, shoving open a rusty gate.

  “Isn’t this something that assassins could get through?” Emira asked.

  “Potentially,” Prince Felix conceded after a long pause.

  He probably thinks I’m crazy. He hadn’t spoken to her since he’d found her at the lake. She still couldn’t remember what happened.

  “You know, the moment I found the rune, I stopped seeing shadow wraiths,” Emira said lightly, his jaw clenched, but he didn’t reply.

  Droplets of water fell onto them from the ceiling.

  “Where is that water coming from?” Emira asked.

  “We are now under the river that cuts through the city,” he said and pointed to some protection runes that flared with light blue magic. “Those runes are keeping the water from getting into this tunnel.”

  “What was it used for?” Emira asked, wiping a droplet from her forehead.

  “The tunnel? No one knows; it was here when they built the city,” he shrugged. “Those runes are still powered by a magic not even our Vestrals can match.”

  “I wish they would teach me about these things,” Emira said as they rounded a bend. “I have spent many hours buried in scrolls about rulers and notable common folk but nothing about this.”

  “They will, once you get through all the boring stuff,” he said. “Have you gotten to the War of the Bucket?”

  “The war of what?!” Emira exclaimed.

  Prince Felix grinned. “You’d have to read it to understand it.”

  “You must be trying to trick me, there was no way there was a war over a bucket.”

  “Men only need the slightest reason to go into war.”

  “Gods above, and you lot call us commoners strange,” Emira muttered.

  Silence fell between them and the sound of their footsteps echoed through the passageway. The rune in her hand was starting to feel hot again. She peeked at it and frowned when she saw it was trying to glow again. The magic once again vanished when she looked at it. If Prince Felix noticed, he said nothing, but he did speed up a bit.

  Soon, they came to a small, rotting wooden door. When Prince Felix opened it, the wood groaned and splinters fell to the ground. Beyond the door was a wide street which was nestled at the edge of the moat that surrounded the temple. A few stone houses were scattered along the street. Emira turned to look at the door, but it disappeared as a magical facade of stone appeared over it.

  “We must head back to the castle on the bridge, that door is one way only,” Prince Felix said when he gently tapped her elbow. “Svendir’s house is this way.”

  They hurried across the street to a stone house; it was two stories tall with windows looking out to the street. Small runes glittered on the doorframe and Prince Felix pounded on the door.

  “Are you trying to wake the entire city?” Emira hissed and grabbed his arm.

  “I-”

  The door flew open to reveal a sleepy-eyed elderly woman in a sackcloth shift. Her eyes widened when she saw Prince Felix and widened further when she saw Emira.

  “Your Majesty! Your Highness!” the woman exclaimed. “What brings you to our doorstep this late at night?”

  “I need to speak to Svendir,” Emira said.

  “Of course!” she said and let them inside. The main room was small, and aside from a small hearth, a plain wooden table, and a shelf filled with scrolls; the room was rather bare. But Emira found it to be the first comforting sight she had seen in nearly three months. It reminded her of home.

  “That is Theodora, Svendir’s wife. She’s a Vestral to the Goddess of Marriage,” Prince Felix whispered. Theodora ran about lighting candles and calling for Svendir.

  “They can marry?” Emira asked.

  “Most don’t, but usually the Vestrals to the Goddess of Marriage marry at some point,” he said.

  “The Vestral for Marriage back in Griffin’s Bay didn’t marry,” Emira said. Prince Felix shrugged.

  “Your Majesty! Your Highness! What brings you to us at this late hour?” Svendir shouted as he ran down the stairs into the main room.

  Emira set the rune on the table and Svendir’s face turned whiter than Emira’s shift. A rune floated out from a small pouch that was resting on a hook by the door, it shone a bright blue as it rested next to Emira’s rune.

  “Theodora, I will need you to activate the dispel wards around the house,” he said to his wife. She nodded and quietly slipped into another room.

  “Where did you get that?” he asked, fear creeping into his voice.

  “I found it in my bag of warming stones,” Emira said and sat in a chair. Prince Felix stood near her, he crossed his arms while he frowned at the runes. “What is it?”

  Svendir held up a hand as he walked over to the room his wife had gone into. He leaned into the doorway and then, after a brief conversation with her, walked back to the table and stared down at the rune.

  “This is a rune of madness,” he said as he peered at it. The skull painted in the center seemed to shimmer at his words. “And an extremely dangerous one, at that. The Council of High Vestrals outlawed these hundreds of years ago.”

  “Then why was it in my bag of warming stones!” Emira exclaimed. Svendir walked over to the small batch of scrolls he had on the shelf and stared at them for a moment before he grabbed one.

  “Your Majesty, before I continue, I need to know your exact symptoms,” he said and set the scroll down on the table. Emira began telling him of what had happened. The Vestral nodded as he listened, his eyes never leaving the scroll as he read.

  “I see and do you have anything on your person related to your deceased betrothed?” He asked, and Emira nodded. She tugged out the small chain from under her shift and held up the ring. The metal somehow l
ooked more worn than ever.

  Svendir rested his elbows on the table and she tucked the ring back into its hiding place. He stared at a blank spot on the wall as Emira waited for him to speak.

  “Well? Do you have a solution?” Prince Felix asked as Svendir continued to stare into space; a soft glow had formed about him. He scowled at Prince Felix’s words and shot him a glare.

  “It is extremely rude to interrupt when a Vestral is listening to their God,” Svendir said and the glow from his eyes faded.

  “The magic in this combination rune is rather complex, as it combines the properties of several runes,” Svendir tapped a line in the scroll in front of him. “I don’t know all the intricacies involved, but I know one rune in that jumbled mess is the one for attachments. The magic in it will seek out anything that you have a strong emotional attachment to and bury itself in it, then it will look for every opportunity to weaken your mind. Once that magic has done its job, the other more... sinister parts come into play.”

  “I see,” Emira said. “Do you have any idea who placed it?”

  “Unfortunately, whoever did was brilliant and made sure that they left no magical signature of who they are.” Svendir yawned and Prince Felix moved beside him.

  “Can you tell who made it?” he asked.

  Svendir paused and took a long breath. “I’m afraid this rune looks to have been worked on by multiple people.”

  “Then we need to destroy it,” Prince Felix said, and he reached for it, but Svendir smacked his hand away.

  “You touch that thing with your bare hands, and I guarantee you will go mad in a way that is irreversible.”

  Emira shuddered as she looked at the fabric she held in her hands. She had no idea she was that close to being doomed to a life of unending horror. Svendir cleared his throat after a few moments.

  “Your Majesty, I’m afraid we cannot keep the dispel wards up for much longer. Whoever placed that rune is likely tracking it and if it goes missing for too long...” He trailed off.

  “Then what do you suggest I do? If I cannot destroy it, then how am I to protect myself?” Emira asked.

  “Well, the good news is, now that you know of the rune’s existence, your mind will shield itself for a time before the magic in the rune figures out another way to break you.”

  Svendir’s words did not inspire any confidence within her. She stared at the rune with disgust. She was not angry at the existence of magic itself, for that would be like being mad at air or water. No, it was the twisting of something the Gods had given them for purpose so vile.

  “Will a protection rune work?” Prince Felix asked. He reached into his pouch and held out a small rune. The edges of the stone were worn and a small amount of magic shimmered inside the carving.

  “If it’s used on her only, then the rune of madness might drain itself as it tries to get past it,” Svendir stroked his beard and tapped his foot. He grabbed the rune from Felix and a swirl of magic flew into the rune from his hand. When the rune shimmered, he held it out to Emira, the rune hummed in her hands. Svendir grabbed the protection rune off the table and the magic within it flickered and faded.

  The magic in the rune of madness flared and sent a whirlwind of dark smoke towards Emira. She winced and closed her eyes, terrified to see the shadow figures again. When she opened her eyes, she breathed a sigh of relief when saw only Svendir and Prince Felix.

  She handed the rune back to Prince Felix, but he shook his head.

  “Keep it. That protection rune was with me the entire time I was in the borderlands; it’s made from a stone that is supposed to grant luck, so it should do the trick,” he said.

  “Now, remember,” Svendir said, “you will need to have it recharged every month.” He grabbed a small pouch and used magic to put the rune of madness inside of it. He handed it to Emira while Prince Felix protested.

  “She will be fine now that she has the protection rune,” Svendir said and tapped the edge of his nose. “Your Majesty, that rune will need to be on your person at all times. If you don’t mind, I would like to make a few modifications to it. Oh, and I will need that ring.”

  Emira hesitated before she tugged the chain over her head. “What for?”

  “You’ll see,” he said. He took it then ran into another room, leaving her and Prince Felix to exchange confused glances. He returned moments later, and Emira’s eyes widened. Somehow, he’d gotten a hole inside of the stone and strung the ring through it.

  “How?”

  Svendir’s eyes twinkled. “Ah, some things are best left mysteries.”

  Emira tugged the chain over her head, she noticed the ring had been restored to its shiny copper state; the rust from the sea was gone. The last time she had seen it like this was when Thomas had worn it on the day of their betrothal.

  “Your Majesty, I regret to inform you that the dawn is soon upon us,” Prince Felix said.

  “Right,” she turned to Svendir and smiled, “thank you for your help. I owe you my life.”

  “Ah, tis nothing but my solemn duty, Your Majesty. I am sorry I cannot tell you more about the rune,” he said with a bow.

  “No matter, I will find out its secrets,” Emira said and she turned to leave.

  “Majesty, there is one... other thing,” Svendir said. His gaze darted from her to Prince Felix. “The only one who would be capable of this magic-”

  “Is the High Vestral?” Prince Felix interrupted and Svendir shook his head.

  “No, though she might have helped carve it. This magic is too powerful,” his voice dropped to a whisper and a haze of dark purple magic swirled around the room. “The only ones who would be powerful enough for this magic are the Gods themselves... and the Spirit of the Realm.”

  With that, he straightened his posture and shooed them out the door before they could question him further. The door shut with a firm thud, Emira turned to Prince Felix, who looked to be lost in thought.

  “The Gods? Do you think they would do this?”

  “No, the Gods stopped doing divine runes themselves ages ago; that’s what the Vestrals are for. Which only leaves the Spirit of the Realm,” he said, his hand tightened on his sword hilt.

  “But why would the Spirit target me? I thought it had chosen me!” Emira sputtered. Prince Felix hushed her as small group of guards walked past.

  “It chose you. I received the proclamation itself,” he said once the guards were out of earshot. “However, it never explained why it chose you.”

  Emira wanted to throw herself into the moat. “It wanted to use me.”

  “I fear the Spirit views common folk as nothing more than puppets.”

  Emira fell silent as they made their way up a long flight of stairs to the bridge that connected the temple to the castle.

  “I need to inform the people,” Emira said as they passed by a few sleepy-eyed nobles on their way to the temple. They were not awake enough to recognize her, though a few raised their eyebrows at her disheveled appearance.

  “If you do that, you will not be able to escape the ire of the High Vestral,” Prince Felix said, “you might lose the throne.”

  “Prince Felix, if I keep silent about this, I am no better than those who sit in their castles and do nothing to help the people.”

  The gray walls of the castle loomed over them and Emira’s determination grew. She would need to expose the Spirit of the Realm and the High Vestral, but how would she do it? She stopped in her tracks when an idea floated through her mind.

  “I will do it at the coronation,” she said, and Prince Felix’s eyes widened. “Think on it: if the people do not wish me Queen after I reveal the truth to them, then I shall not get crowned.”

  “I think it is a terrible idea,” Felix said, “you only have the rune as proof.”

  “And Svendir’s word,” she said. A look of uncertainty crossed his face. “Surely the word of a Vestral of the God of Knowledge counts for something.”

  “This is madness Majesty,” Prince
Felix muttered and Emira grinned.

  She raised her head and walked away from him. A group guards and maids rushed over to her when she stepped through the gates. While the maids fussed over her appearance, she smiled at the sky. For the first time since she had come to this place she felt she had a purpose. Even if it meant she would no longer be Queen of Sodervia.

  20

  The Battle of Oddlehill

  SADE’S HEAD THROBBED while she watched the group of Initiates in front of her. The magic that flew around the group was clunky; they barely had it under control. Each Initiate held a rune of ice over a bucket. The task was a simple one and the first thing a Vestral ever learned to do: turn water into ice.

  “For the last time! You must let the magic flow through you and into the rune, then direct your thoughts. If you cannot turn mere water into ice, then how are you going to control a ball of fire in a windstorm?” Sade shouted. No one in the group met her gaze, instead they stared at their feet.

  “But how can I direct the magic in and out of the rune at the same time?” A young man with a bushy beard asked.

  “Reach out with your magic and feel what I am doing. I will not show this again.” Sade stormed over and pulled an ice rune out of her pouch. She let the magic inside of her fill the ice rune to its breaking point. The rune shimmered in her hand.

  “Once the rune is ready, you must let the magic run its course,” she said. Magic arced into the air and settled over the bucket, freezing the water within. She let the crowd around her ogle it for a moment. Then she pulled the magic back into her rune and the ice melted.

  “You have until sundown,” she said and headed over to the platform.

  Corin stood on the steps, annoyance was plastered over his features while he watched the struggling Initiates.

  “In any other circumstance, I would laugh, but we have a problem,” he said, he held up a tiny scroll. “The Vestrals who have been ordered to kill us will be here at dawn.”

  Sade glanced at the group in time to see one accidently freeze their foot. She winced, but before she could act another member of the group was able to melt the ice.