Mr. Hunter smiled. “An excellent question! Very good. The answer may surprise you. No, they don't.”
The girl did look surprised, thought Justin. He heard several whispers as some of the others discussed the answer.
“Now, pay attention please.” Mr. Hunter waited for the room to quiet down again. “Good. Thank you. It is in the nature of some runes, mostly the ones used for tasks that require long term use, such as giving light, to last almost indefinitely. Very useful, I'm sure you'd agree. Unfortunately, as I said they cannot be recharged. Once a rune's energy is expended, it fades and is gone. Runes may also be used for short term, intense tasks, like the travel runes you've all had experience with.”
“But where does this rune energy come from?” Justin asked.
“Ah, that is a hard one to explain.” Mr. Hunter tapped his mouth lightly with a forefinger. “The historical documents stored in Sanctuary are fairly vague on that point. I believe this was intentional, in case enemies got hold of them. Personally, I believe that the same evolution that gave Titans their dense body structure also intensified their brains, making them denser and stronger and allowing this, I call it cerebral energy, to be focused and harnessed for the Titan's use.” He smiled. “But this is only my theory. However,” he held up a finger, “this is not magic. It is the application of energy focused through symbols to achieve a result. Please do not make the mistake of thinking that runes can be used like spells you may have read about in stories. Runes must be created first before use, and depending on that use, can take some time to make.”
“So only Titans can use runes?” Aaron asked.
Mr. Hunter shook his head. “No, there are runes, the simple ones, that can be used by humans as well. But only Titans can create the runes and focus them on the task they will accomplish.”
Another boy held up his hand and Mr. Hunter nodded at him.
“So who made those travel runes we used to get here?”
“Excellent, you were paying attention.” The boy beamed. “Here in Sanctuary are stored many runes created by the ancients. They left many that we, the humans here, cannot use. And in fact there are some that have uses that we cannot fathom. But the travel runes, and certain others that we can access, were stored here in abundance, specifically for use by the Titan's human allies.”
Mr. Hunter reached up to his neck and pulled a chain from beneath his shirt. There was a tear-shaped pendent hanging from it. “But even humans must use something to properly focus their thoughts on the runes. We use these.” All the teens stared intently at the pendent. The ones in the back were leaning forward to get a better look. The teacher smiled. “You can come up and take a better look if you wish,” he said.
Most of the class stood up and walked to the front of the room to examine the pendent. Justin and Aaron went up as well. Justin looked closely at the shiny metal teardrop.
It had an irregular surface, with little dents and pockmarks scattered over it. But etched deeply in the surface was a rune shaped like three concentric circles with a dot in the center.
“What's the symbol mean, sir,” one of them asked, after everyone had had a look and sat back down..
“Roughly translated, it means conduit or passage. Basically it symbolizes a pathway for my thoughts to focus through, to activate a rune.”
Mr. Hunter began to draw several symbols on the blackboard. “These runes won't make any sense to you yet, because they are written in Titanian.” He turned and smiled at the class for a second. “That's the Titan's language. But once you begin to learn to write and speak it yourselves, the runic symbols will become obvious.”
“We're going to learn the Titan's language?” Benson spoke up, sounding irritated. “What's the point of learning a dead language?”
Mr. Hunter looked surprised. “Dead language? Mr. Benson, Titanian is no more a dead language than the Titans are a dead race. You yourselves are proof of that. All of us,” he tapped his chest,” the Guardians, speak it. The scrolls in the library are written in it and, to use the runes I will be teaching you, you must invoke them by speaking Titanian.”
Justin watched the teacher continue to write the runes on the board. He tried to guess what they might mean, since each one looked more like a picture than an actual letter or word. As Mr. Hunter finished and turned to the class again, Justin held up his hand.
“Yes, Mr. McLeod?”
“Sir, I was just wondering something. Did the runes that you're showing us start off as pictures? Because they almost look like little drawings.”
The man beamed. “Good guess! And quite correct. Like some eastern alphabets, Titanian began as pictograms, symbols meant to convey their meaning in pictures.” He chuckled. “You stole my thunder, Mr. McLeod. Now, I want you to try and guess what each symbol means.” He looked around at the other teens. “So, for the first rune on the left, who wants to take a guess as to its meaning?”
The symbol was of a simple circle with a line sticking out of the bottom and at the upper right and left. There was a long pause and then Norm slowly raised his hand.
“Yes, Mr. Holden. What do you think it means?”
“Well, it looks a bit like the sun with three rays coming out. So, maybe it means light?”
“Excellent!” Mr. Hunter said approvingly. “That's exactly what it means. The stones in all of the glowing baskets you see throughout Sanctuary are marked with the rune for light. That was a bit of an easy one though. The next one is a bit trickier. Anyone have a guess?”
The next rune looked like two horizontal wavy lines. Justin was reminded of the symbol for male except that one was vertical wavy lines. He also thought of water but he couldn't understand what a rune for water would do if used. Summon water? That doesn't make sense, he thought. Someone raised their hand behind him and guessed at water.
“Good try,” Mr. Hunter said. “And I can see why you would think that, but it's not water. Anyone else?”
Two wavy lines. Justin thought hard. Two wavy lines. Hey, wait a second! He raised his hand.
“Yes, Mr. McLeod?”
“Is it heat, sir?”
“Aha!” the teacher grinned at him. “Exactly right! The rune stands for heat or warmth. And if you add this,” he drew the same three lines that symbolized rays that were in the first symbol, “it means fire. And that is the way that the more complicated runes were created. You take a simple symbol and add to it to change or enhance the rune to something more powerful.”
Gerry raised his hand this time. “Sir,” he said. “Would you use that rune to start a campfire or whatever?”
“Indeed yes, Mr. Smithson. And if you add a circle around the fire symbol, you intensify the effect to create a weapon.”
“A weapon, sir?” Benson spoke up eagerly. “What sort of weapon?”
Mr. Hunter suddenly looked embarrassed. “Oh dear, I shouldn't have told you about that. It's too early. Well, since I brought it up. You could take a stone with that rune etched upon it, invoke it and throw it at an enemy, Mr. Benson.” He shook his head and shuddered slightly. “A horrible thought really. Throwing a ball of fire at someone. Horrible.”
The teens began to talk to each other excitedly. Aaron looked at Justin. “Wow. An actual fireball! It may not be magic, Justin, but it seems awfully close to me.”
Justin agreed. Again in his mind he pictured the battles that must have taken place in Atlantis between the two groups of Titans. Fireballs. Wow. What other weapons had they used against each other?
“Settle down, class.” Mr. Hunter looked a bit uncomfortable. “We will discuss offensive uses for runes in the future. But for now, you need a grounding in the basics. And.” he held up a finger, “not one of you could invoke this rune if you had one anyway.”
“Why not?” Benson asked impatiently.
“I already told you, Mr. Benson. You need to be able to speak Titanian. And you need to understand what you are saying when you do. You need to think in the language. Simply saying the words to i
nvoke a rune does nothing, unless you know, deep down, what the words actually mean. Understanding is the key.”
Justin glanced at Benson who was glowering at the teacher. One of the other teens sitting with Benson muttered something to him. He shook his head impatiently. Justin looked back at Mr. Hunter but he wondered what Benson was thinking. Did he actually want to use runes on someone? Justin agreed with the teacher. It was a horrible thought.
Mr. Hunter was still speaking. “And, as I've shown you, you must have a focusing device, like the pendent, to even attempt to use a rune.”
“So we'll be getting pendents like yours, sir?” Norm spoke up.
Mr. Hunter chuckled. “Oh no, not like this.” He reached into a pocket inside his suit and brought out something that seemed to glow in the rooms light. He placed it on his desk and waved the class forward. They all stood up and walked to the front again.
Justin saw a bracelet sitting on the desk. It was solid and looked like it was made of titanium. The surface was rough and dimpled with small bumps and dents. All around the circumference there were runes etched deeply into the metal.
“What's it say, sir?” one of them asked.
Mr. Hunter picked up the bracelet. “Partly, it spells out the name of the owner of the bracelet, in Titanian. Her name was Dania.” He looked at the runes for a long moment. “We don't know who she was or what she did, but this is one of the few personalized bracelets that has survived since the fall of the Titans so long ago.” He waved them back to their seats and, when they had sat down again, held up the bracelet.
“As you can see, the bracelet itself is in very rough shape. I am guessing that it was used during the final conflict and was damaged. We don't really know. But no one can use this bracelet except the original owner, who is, as I said, long gone.” He smiled at the class. “The bracelets that each of you will wear will also be keyed to you and you alone.” He suddenly looked very serious. “It may be a hard choice, whether to actually create your own bracelet, so we will give you some time to decide.”
“You mean someone would choose not wear a bracelet and use runes? Why would anyone do that?” Benson's scorn was audible in his voice and Mr. Hunter stared at him for a long moment. Then he smiled.
“Of course they would, Mr. Benson. None of you have to wear one if you do not wish to. You see, once you put on one of these bracelets, you can never take it off again.” He looked at Benson and then at the rest of the group. “Ever.”
Benson gulped and stared at Mr. Hunter in disbelief. “Never? But, why not?” he asked.
“Because of the binding between Titan and bracelet, Mr. Benson.” The man held up the old bracelet again. “One of the properties of titanium is a kind of genetic memory. During the process of binding the bracelet to yourself, the metal will be infused with your blood.” There was a general gasp throughout the room and Mr. Hunter smiled slightly. “Don't worry, it's only a drop or two. But once this occurs and the bracelet is placed on your wrist, it will grow as you grow, adjust itself to your wrist and stay there for the rest of your life.” He shrugged. “So you see, that is why I want you to think about this carefully. You can't change your mind once the bracelet is on your wrist.”
Mr. Hunter put the bracelet back on to the desk. “Of course, you will never be able to use runes properly without a bracelet, but if that is your wish, then so be it.”
The rest of the lesson proceeded more quickly, with Mr. Hunter showing them the runes for water, air and knowledge. This last rune was shaped like a spiral and the teacher explained that it signified the edge of a scroll.
“What's it used for?” Gerry wondered aloud.
Mr. Hunter chuckled. “I will show you tomorrow. We're going to be visiting the library and I think you'll be impressed.” With that, he wished them a good day and they headed back to their rooms for lunch.
“I like him.” Norm said as they crossed the courtyard. “He's not grumpy like a lot of my old teachers.”
“Yeah, I wonder what he used to do?” Gerry said. “Librarian, maybe? Seems excited to show us the library here.”
Justin and Aaron laughed at Gerry's tone.
“Not a bookworm, Gerry?” Aaron asked.
“Nah, I prefer sports to studying.” He slapped Norm on the shoulder. “But now I've got ol' Norm to help me if I need it, so I'm covered.”
Norm looked a bit indignant. “Hang on a sec,” he said. “If we get homework, you're going to have to do it, not me!”
Gerry sighed dramatically. “Fine,” he said. “But you'll help, right?”
Norm looked suspicious. “Help, yes. Do it for you, no.”
They all laughed as they arrived back at the boys quarters.
“See you after lunch, guys,” Aaron said with a wave as he and Justin entered their room.
Chapter 15
After they had eaten, Justin and Aaron waited for Jonathon to arrive to take them to their next class.
“Titan history.” Justin glanced at his schedule. “I wonder why they think that's important?”
Aaron walked in from the bedroom. “No idea. Sounds interesting though. I mean, all we learned was from the net. Now we'll find out the real story.”
Justin agreed. He was excited at the idea of learning the truth about the Titans. And he was intensely curious to know how they had predicted a rebirth of their species five thousand years after Atlantis had been destroyed.
“I'm just hoping we get a teacher who can make it interesting,” Justin said. “My last history teacher could make a battle sound as fascinating as watching paint dry.”
Aaron laughed. Just then the door chimed. It was Jonathon.
“Gentlemen, follow me please,” he said and beckoned them from the hallway.
In the courtyard, all the teens, boys and girls, met up and followed Jonathon through yet another door. This time, the door led to a corridor that was decorated with simple scenes of hills, trees and clouds. Justin found it very peaceful. The short corridor led to a single narrow door that opened as they approached. Jonathon stopped before they reached the entrance and turned to look at them. He had a very serious expression on his face.
“Your teacher for Titan history is named Ghelena. She is an excellent teacher and knows more about the subject than anyone else here.” He hesitated a moment. “But she is an...unusual person and I wanted to warn you before you entered her class that Mr. Fitzgerald holds her in high regard and will not tolerate any insulting behavior toward her. Do you understand?”
The group looked at each other in surprise. Several of them began to ask questions but Jonathon cut them off sharply.
“I did not ask for questions. I asked if you understood. Do you?”
There was a general nodding of heads and Jonathon, apparently satisfied, turned around and led them through the doorway..
This new room was the first one, other than the Ocular room, that Justin had seen that wasn't made out of solid rock. The ceiling was covered with lightly-colored panels that glowed gently while the walls and floor were covered with a rich, dark wood. There were many big chairs with deep pads scattered around the room and the air smelled of cedar. Somewhere, an instrument that sounded like a flute was playing gently. The effect was one of serenity and calm. Justin felt relaxed as soon as he entered and he saw that Aaron had a slight smile on his face.
“Ah, I like this place,” Aaron whispered.
“Me too,” Justin replied.
The chairs were all facing the center of the room and Jonathon waved the class toward them.
“Ghelena will be with you shortly,” he said and left.
Justin and his three friends found some seats close to each other and sat down.
“Did you see Jonathon's face?” Norm asked nervously. “I've never seen him so serious before.”
“Yeah,” Gerry replied. “I wonder what's so different about this teacher? And why would he think we'd insult her?”
“I don't know, Ger.” Justin looked around the room. “B
ut we'll see soon enough.”
At the back of the room, there was a second doorway, as narrow as the first. It was open but Justin could see only darkness when he looked at it. He turned to speak to Aaron and then his eyes were drawn back to the door as he heard an odd sound.
The others in the room stopped talking and listened as well. The sound reminded Justin of someone slowly rubbing sandpaper on wood; a soft, persistent rhythm of a rough surface scraping over a smooth one.
There was movement deep within the doorway and Justin watched as someone emerged from the darkness. As the person moved into the light of the room, several of the teens cried out. Many jumped to their feet and Norm leaped up and back so fast that he fell right over his chair. Justin sat frozen and simply stared at something that should not have been able to exist.
It was a woman, perhaps. Her face was covered by a veil that concealed all of her features except her hair which was pale blonde, almost white and falling well down her back. She wore a robe of deep blue that extended down far enough to cover her feet. Except that she had no feet. Instead, she was supported by a serpent's tail that wriggled below her waist and propelled her along with a slow, smooth undulating movement.
As the woman or half-woman, approached, she seemed to notice the reaction of the students, because she stopped moving forward. She simply swayed back and forth, perhaps watching them from under her veil.
Justin swallowed hard. He wanted to say something but no words came to mind. For the first time in his life, he was truly speechless.
Suddenly, a voice began speaking from beneath the veil. Justin's shock and fear were immediately soothed and he felt calm and relaxed. The voice was gentle, sweet and warm and the other teens were also visibly put at ease when they heard it.
“Please,” the faceless figure said. “Please, don't be alarmed. I know I am not something that you have seen before. But I mean you no harm, truly. Please sit down.”
Everyone took their seat again. Somewhere deep inside himself, Justin was amazed at how quickly everyone calmed down. It was only later that he was to wonder how it had happened. For now, he listened eagerly to that delightful voice.
The Return of the Titans Page 15