Rune Warrior

by Frank Morin

  Sarah exited the tiny Roman taxicab in exactly the same place she had just days before when they had chased Rosetta into the Colosseum. Tomas followed her out and she took his hand.

  Instead of returning to the Colosseum, they turned west and skirted the Piazza del Colosseo toward the Palatine Hill. They stopped in front of the Arch of Constantine.

  “I can’t believe we’ve been flipping off a two-thousand-year-old dead guy every time we go by here,” Sarah said.

  “He’s not really dead,” Tomas said.

  “It’s still creepy,” Sarah responded. “You’d think they’d let old grudges die.”

  Tomas shrugged. “Gregorios said his soul probably faded to dust long ago.”

  “I doubt it.” Eirene had looked certain that Spartacus’ soul still lingered. Sarah glanced down at the brochure she had picked up at an information booth. “The Arch was dedicated in AD 315.”

  “Sounds about right,” Tomas said as he led her slowly around the back side of the magnificent arch.

  “This arch was built to celebrate Constantine’s victory, which he credited to the Christian God,” she read.

  “That’s poetic, isn’t it?” Tomas asked. “Given Spartacus’ pagan background, I bet he hated getting stuck on a Christian monument.”

  They rounded the west side of the arch and Sarah frowned when she looked up from her brochure. “Didn’t Gregorios say they incorporated the soulmask into a statue on the top section of the south side?”

  “He did,” Tomas said softly as he too paused to stare.

  That section of the arch was blocked off by construction barriers, and the top half of the arch was covered by a thick, white tarp. A sign declared the arch was undergoing restorative work.

  “I have a bad feeling about this,” Tomas muttered.

  “Yeah.” Sarah glanced around, unable to shake the feeling they were no longer surrounded by simple mortals. This was no memoryscape where they could wake up if the situation turned violent.

  No one else seemed to be paying the shrouded arch much attention. Most people just moved around to the far side and took photos there. No security forces were nearby. After a moment of careful scrutiny, she allowed herself to relax a bit.

  Tomas handed Sarah his daypack. “Be right back.”

  “Be careful.”

  He easily vaulted the construction barricade, leaped eight feet up to a raised catwalk, then disappeared under the tarp.

  Sarah pretended to take photos while scanning for anything suspicious. Tomas rejoined her in less than a minute. His expression told her everything.

  “Have a nice time up there?” she asked anyway with forced cheer.

  “You’re not going to believe this,” he said, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

  “Spartacus is gone.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Remember that man lives only in the present, in this fleeting instant; the rest of his lives are either past and gone, or not yet revealed. Short, therefore, are man’s lives, and narrow is the corner of the earth wherein he dwells.

  ~Marcus Aurelius, fourth life of Emperor Nerva

  Sarah followed Tomas into the Suntara headquarters for a meeting with Gregorios and Eirene, trotting to keep up.

  “This is not good,” Eirene said when she heard the news.

  “It’s worse than that, love,” Gregorios said, looking more upset than Sarah had ever seen him. “Someone just got their hands on one of the most dangerous men who ever lived. No one has ever reincorporated after a dispossession anywhere near that long. Guaranteed he’s unstable. There’s no telling what he’ll do.”

  “I know one thing he’ll do,” Eirene said. “He’ll come for us.”

  “Is that what this is all about?” Tomas asked. “The hat man scouring history for people who hate you?”

  “The list would be too long,” Eirene said.

  “But once he stumbled upon Spartacus, he must’ve dug further,” Gregorios said.

  “There has to be more to it than that,” Eirene said. “We haven’t walked the memories where we defeated Spartacus or where we left him.”

  Events had twisted right into the twilight zone, as far as Sarah was concerned. Before that day, she never would have imagined revenge-crazed gladiators returning from the grave after nearly two thousand years.

  “That hat man has played us for fools this entire time,” Gregorios said. “We thought we were being so clever, and he must have been there the whole time, studying us and learning our weaknesses.”

  “But what does he want?” Sarah asked. “We still don’t know anything about him besides his creepy pick-up attempt on me.”

  “We know he means business,” Gregorios said. “He’s clearly bent on removing everyone who might be a threat to whatever he’s planning.”

  Eirene snapped her fingers. “I think he’s thinking bigger than that.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She activated her tablet and flipped through a couple of documents. “Zuri just informed me that two major transfer contracts are suddenly getting cold feet. I hadn’t paid it much attention until now. We had other priorities to worry about.”

  “But now you think they’re connected?”

  “I do.”

  She held up her tablet and showed Gregorios a news web site. “The crown prince of Thailand just announced his father died.”

  “You’re losing me,” Gregorios said. “I was hoping for some good news.”

  “It’s not good news, but it might be a glimmer,” Eirene said. “The crown prince has already named a new successor.”

  “Let me guess,” Tomas said. “A previously unknown son in his early thirties?”

  “Bingo.”

  “Wait, what?” Sarah asked, confused by the rapid turn in the conversation.

  “They completed the transfer,” Gregorios said. “That’s why they turned on you.”

  “But how?” Eirene asked. “Who did the transfer for them?”

  “That may finally provide a solid lead,” Gregorios said.

  “More than that,” Eirene said. “Who knew we were having trouble?”

  “The man in the wide-brimmed hat,” Sarah said. “If he’s the one causing it.”

  “Undoubtedly,” Eirene agreed. “It’s finally starting to add up.”

  “I don’t add as fast as you,” Gregorios said.

  “Think about it. They waited until we were in the middle of an important soul transfer to initiate their disruption rune. That left us vulnerable, but it also left our contracts vulnerable.”

  “Of course,” Tomas said. “They know how to counter the disruption. They could waltz in there, complete the transfer and look like saviors.”

  “I bet they’re spreading rumors to our other clients too,” Eirene said.

  “They’re not just trying to keep us from interfering in their plan,” Gregorios said. “They’re trying to replace us.”

  “Whoa, that’s bad,” Sarah exclaimed. Some aspects of the real world that she’d learned about since getting caught up in the fight against Mai Luan still disturbed her, but the reason she could cope with it was knowing Eirene and Gregorios held the reins. The thought of someone like the creepy man in the wide-brimmed hat taking over filled her with dread.

  “This is far bigger than we suspected,” Eirene said.

  “It ties in with what Mai Luan was doing, but this guy is dreaming big,” Gregorios agreed.

  “Who has the power to do all that?” Sarah asked.

  Gregorios shrugged. “If we knew, we would’ve eliminated them by now.”

  Eirene frowned as she scanned her tablet. “Listen to this. The crown prince of Thailand just announced that his father’s last will compels him to make some changes to the government.” She scanned further and whistled. “He’s proposing sweeping changes to concentrate far more power in the monarchy.”

  “That’s stupid,” Gregorios said. “They’ll depose him or start a civil war.”

  “He’s got bigger
plans than that,” Eirene said. “In his speech, he included some very belligerent rhetoric against China.”

  “That’s bad, right?” Sarah asked.

  “It’s bad,” Tomas agreed. “But it doesn’t make sense. The two nations have gotten along pretty well since at least the seventies.”

  “He’s off his gourd,” Gregorios said. “Maybe the transfer didn’t go right.”

  “But it wasn’t the crown prince who was transferred,” Eirene said. “He’s named the new heir Bhumibol in honor of his deceased predecessor.”

  “You’d think he’d have more imagination,” Gregorios said. “This has to tie in with the hat man’s broader scheme. We need to find out how.”

  “I’m on it,” Tomas said. “I’ll take Anaru over there and ask a few questions.”

  “Anaru doesn’t ask questions,” Sarah said nervously. “He breaks things.”

  Tomas gave her a reassuring smile. “Fine. I’ll ask the questions and if I don’t like the answers, Anaru will break things.”

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  How are the facetakers so successful? Sadly, so little pains do the vulgar take in the investigation of truth, they accept readily the first story that comes to hand.

  ~Thucydides

  Eirene entered the vault after dinner and found Alter sitting at his worktable in the far corner of the room. Papers were scattered across its surface, but he was leaning back in his chair, staring at the smooth, stainless-steel wall, his expression pensive.

  “I thought I’d find you here.”

  “Hello, Eirene.” He made a weak attempt to organize his scattered papers as she approached.

  “Have you found anything new?”

  “Possibly.” Alter showed her a rune drawn on a blank sheet of paper. “I’ve combined the binding rune I used last time with a rune of balance and a rune of inner strength.”

  Eirene studied the complex rune with interest. Basic runes were pretty straight-forward, but these were more subtle than the normal enhancements the enforcers usually focused on. The artwork was exquisite, which she had come to expect from Alter.

  “Do you think this’ll help block the effects of the potential forbidden rune?”

  “It’s my best guess so far. The force of my soul isn’t stronger than your nevron, so that can’t affect the process. It has to be something about my rune powers.”

  “Most likely,” Eirene agreed, but she studied him, considering again the startling possibility that had come to her. He looked so much like his great-grandfather. He had inherited his powerful rounon gift from his hunter bloodline, but could he have inherited something more from hers?

  “These runes may generate an effect similar to what you would have felt with me bound to you.”

  “Let’s try it.”

  Alter’s confidence faded. “There’s no way to tell if it’ll work.”

  “There’s one way.”

  “It’s risky.”

  “Life is risky,” Eirene said, placing a hand on his arm. “Thank you for working so diligently despite the hard times your family’s going through.”

  The vault door opened and Gregorios entered, followed by Sarah, Francesca, and Harriett. The three girls were chatting close together, discussing one of Harriett’s favorite recipes. It hadn’t taken Harriett long to interest Sarah in baking as a new hobby. Her daughters might be centuries old, but they still embraced youth with so much passion, particularly when wearing such beautiful young forms.

  “Alter has a prototype rune for us to test.”

  “Good,” Gregorios said. “Let’s see it.”

  Alter made no move to show him the sheet, his expression turning hard.

  Eirene had scanned the workbench for weapons when she first entered, but she double-checked. She didn’t really believe Alter would attack Gregorios, but it paid to be cautious. She gently took the rune from him. Working on it helped keep him distracted from his father’s secret mission, and they needed his help now more than ever.

  Sarah peered around Gregorios’ shoulder at the paper and exclaimed, “This is wonderful.” She took the paper and traced the lines with her finger. “You’ve combined the binding rune with a couple others.”

  Alter smiled at her enthusiasm, and Eirene silently thanked the girl. Without Sarah, Alter would most likely have already left them, or tried something foolish. She loved getting to know her great-grandson, and she agonized with him over the suffering of his family. He had been placed in a very difficult position and she yearned to comfort him. She had to be careful, though. Their relationship was strengthening, but it was new and therefore very fragile.

  Sarah looked up from the rune. “This part has something to do with willpower, right?”

  “Correct. Inner strength. And the other is tied to psychic balance.”

  She snapped her fingers. “Ha! I would’ve gotten that one in a minute.”

  Alter grinned. “I bet you would’ve.”

  The exchange seemed to ease his tension, so Eirene moved to the Sotrun machine. “Francesca, why don’t you take the chair? Let’s do a simple, happy memory first.”

  “Of course, Mother.” Francesca settled gracefully into the chair and gave Alter a wink. “Want a ride?”

  “I think Alter should stay out here to monitor the test,” Eirene said, saving a flustered Alter from having to respond. “Let’s try it with no passengers the first time.”

  Francesca’s flirtatious habits were usually harmless, but Eirene wondered at her decision to target Alter. They were both her children, although separated by centuries and many lifetimes, but it still felt weird. Besides, Alter was already on edge. Francesca could usually read men better than anyone Eirene had ever met. Her training with the Spanish Inquisition in the late fifteenth century had formed a solid foundation that she’d built upon ever since.

  She used those skills constantly in her position running much of the family business. They owned vast real estate holdings and major positions in virtually every economic market. Francesca could overturn the economy of any country if she ever chose to do so. Eirene would trust her to know where to draw the line.

  Gregorios moved toward the helmet but Eirene picked it up first. “I’m driving.”

  “Are you sure that’s wise?” he asked. “You were hit pretty hard in Thailand.”

  “That’s right. I know what to expect.”

  Alter drew the rune on her left arm with a black marker, and it began to glow under his hand as he activated it. “I’ll be right here if anything goes wrong.”

  “I know, dear.”

  That was exactly why she was testing the rune and not Gregorios.

  Eirene closed the faceplate over Francesca’s beloved face and slipped her hands into the slots on either side of the helmet.

  “Here we go.” She tentatively opened the seal kept around her soul powers and embraced her nevra core. Even before she could focus on the machine and set Francesca’s mind free to walk her memories, her nevron, so familiar and so trustworthy, rebelled. It rebounded through her chest and seared her innards like living coals.

  Eirene gasped and doubled over, nearly pulling her hands from the machine. The pain spiked to unbearable levels. It was happening so much faster than last time. She had hoped she could withstand it, keep the forces under control with the help of Alter’s rune.

  She was wrong.

  She couldn’t breathe and would have fallen if Gregorios hadn’t caught her.

  “Mom!” Francesca and Harriett shouted together as Francesca struggled to escape the helmet.

  “Alter!” Gregorios cried, his voice tight with concern.

  Eirene didn’t feel Alter’s hand on her shoulder or the marking of his rune, but the pain began to subside. Within seconds of his linking the strength of his soul to hers, the rebellious tide of her out-of-control nevron receded like a gentle wave. Somehow the strength of his soul wrapped her nevra core like a blanket, protecting and calming it.

  She straightened and blew o
ut a shaky breath. When she glanced at Alter, she could see the purple fire of her strength reflected brightly in his eyes.

  He must have linked tighter to her than last time. Such a close bond was dangerous. She wasn’t sure what effects her nevron might trigger in him. If hers wasn’t so unstable, she would have used the connection to test her theory, but instead shuttered her powers and stepped back from the machine. Her legs shook, and Gregorios guided her to a nearby chair.

  Sarah dropped to her knees beside Eirene and proffered a cup of water. She sipped it and the cool liquid felt wonderful trickling into her burning guts. She couldn’t drink much because her stomach ached and her hand still shook.

  “Thank you, Alter,” she said, gripping his hand in hers. “You saved my life.”

  “I guess the rune failed to rise,” Harriett said.

  “It was such a beautiful one too,” Sarah added.

  “What do you think went wrong?” Gregorios asked.

  “How should I know?” Alter snapped. “I don’t even know what we’re dealing with. I told you it might not work, that it was dangerous to try.”

  “We had to,” Eirene said. “Our best lead is still finding the hat man through the machine.”

  “We’ll have to do it with Alter bound to us again,” Gregorios said.

  Alter glared. “And what if I don’t want to help again?”

  “Then you’d be preventing us from catching the person responsible for all of our problems.”

  “You’re assuming we all believe some figment of your imagination is really responsible.”

  “He’s real,” Sarah said. “I saw him twice.”

  “Or you saw what Gregorios wanted you to see.”

  “How can you say that?” Sarah demanded, looking exasperated.

  “It was his memory!”

  Alter was working himself into a powerful enough anger that he might justify doing something stupid.

  Eirene spoke softly. “Alter, do you really want to blame my husband so much that you’ll let the person who attacked your home, the man who attacked Sarah, get away with it?”

  Alter paced away, hands clenched into fists.