Rune Warrior

by Frank Morin

  “I’ll take him alive,” he promised, then launched out the window. He just barely made it to the wall, somehow sticking the landing. Tomas and several members of the Tenth vaulted the ten-foot wall, landing beside him. In unison, they jumped into the cemetery after Spartacus.

  Eirene didn’t wear enough enhancements to make the leap to the wall, so she snatched up Gregorios’ rifle and hopped out the window. Her enhancements were sufficient to absorb the shock, and she ran after the men.

  Spartacus the lunatic, she knew exactly how to handle. The man who now wore Tomas’ body was proving to be an enigma, and that worried her more than any of his ancient plots ever had.

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Theirs not to make reply,

  Theirs not to reason why,

  Theirs but to do and die.

  I’ve always loved that poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson. He captured the heroic bravery of that desperate day without imparting any truth as to our true purpose. Simply brilliant.

  ~Tomas, regarding the Charge of the Light Brigade

  Eirene dropped into a padded leather chair across from Quentin in his mansion and accepted a cool fruit drink from one of the staff. Sarah sat nearby on a plush couch. Gregorios and Tomas entered as she took her first sip.

  “Nothing,” Gregorios said, not bothering to hide his disgust.

  Tomas said nothing, but joined Sarah on the couch. She started to lean against him, then recoiled, as if just remembering he was wearing a different suit. She rose and paced away, hands clenching. Tomas looked after her, his expression pained, but seemed at a loss for what to say.

  If those two didn’t figure out how to reconcile, she’d have to pull Sarah aside and see if she could help. Sarah was an amazing young woman, but she was still locked in her first life, and that limited a person’s vision.

  Gregorios took a seat beside Quentin and glanced at Sarah. “What are you feeling?”

  She spread her hands. “Nothing. I mean, I sense everyone here in the mansion, but I’m not getting anything useful beyond that.”

  “We’ll have to test your range,” Tomas said. “Maybe if we get you close enough, you can pinpoint them again.”

  “Maybe. We don’t even know where to start.”

  Eirene concealed her frustration. Sarah’s new rune had given them one break, but they needed more. She knew Spartacus better than anyone. An hour with him and she’d learn everything they needed to know.

  “The children are interrogating the facetaker we captured,” she said. “They’re motivated, and already confirmed the enemy is seeking another master rune.”

  “Figures,” Gregorios said. “With so much focus on Rome, they had to be.”

  “We’ll have to be careful to avoid memories where a master rune could appear,” Sarah said.

  “Perhaps,” Gregorios said thoughtfully. “Time is short. That much is clear.”

  “You’re thinking of tempting them out with the master rune?” Eirene asked.

  “It might be the best way to force them to play to us again,” he said. “We have some momentum building. We need to leverage it.”

  “We need to find them.” Tomas said, his expression grim. “I owe Spartacus.”

  “At least Carl’s going to be fine,” Quentin said, but Sarah frowned, as if that only reminded her why Tomas had been out of his suit to begin with.

  The dispossessed soulmask strapped to the machine had turned out to be Carl. The little guy had been panicked and didn’t even complain that his body was injured when they reincorporated him. He insisted his new girlfriend would be impressed with the scars, and he never wanted to transfer again.

  “None of us are going to be fine if we don’t stop Paul,” Gregorios said.

  “I’m starting to think the best way to thwart him is capturing Spartacus,” Eirene said.

  “Spartacus never turned on anyone before,” Gregorios said.

  “But in the past he was always committed,” she reminded him. “He’s not himself, and from what he’s suggested, his goals are not necessarily aligned with Paul’s. I wonder if Paul understands what he created when he reincorporated him.”

  “Kind of like a Frankenstein moment,” Sarah said.

  “Perhaps.”

  “We’ll find him,” Gregorios said. “We know what Paul wants now.”

  “If we’re going to draw him to the master rune, we’ll need to prepare carefully,” Eirene said.

  “How many master runes are tied to the history of Rome?” Sarah asked.

  “Probably several that I can think of,” Gregorios said. “It was the center of the world for a long time.”

  “I’m betting on the fall of Rome,” Eirene said. “It fits the profile of what Mai Luan was looking for in Berlin.

  “Agreed,” Gregorios said.

  Quentin leaned forward. “But which fall?”

  “It fell more than once?” Sarah asked.

  The door opened and Alter entered. Eirene waved him to a seat next to her before answering.

  “Rome’s been sacked multiple times.

  “But the one that shocked the world was in 410 A.D. by the Visigoths,” Gregorios said. “That was the critical moment in the city’s history. After that, the council moved headquarters to Constantinople, which became the seat of the Eastern Roman Empire, and didn’t return to Rome for centuries.”

  “History didn’t just revolve around you,” Alter said.

  Gregorios shrugged. “Most of the time it did, actually.”

  “We just wrote ourselves out of it,” Eirene said. “Gregorios is right. The sacking of Rome by the Visigoths was the moment, especially with the Spartacus connection.”

  “What really happened?” Sarah asked.

  “You’re learning,” Gregorios said, approving.

  “Baladeva’s influence had already waned,” Eirene said. “But Spartacus remained. He prepared a special force of enhanced warriors concealed within the Visigoth ranks. The primary purpose for the sacking of Rome was to give his force access to the city. Their mission was to destroy our temple.”

  “The god of thunder, right?” Sarah asked.

  “Correct. Summanus, god of nocturnal thunder.”

  “The temple was well respected,” Eirene said, “and our positions there granted us access to all levels of society.”

  “And Spartacus was affiliated with Quirinus, the war god, right?” Sarah asked.

  “Sounds appropriate,” Tomas said.

  “More than you know,” Gregorios said. “Priests of Quirinus were feared for their brutality. Spartacus preferred fighting with the oaken staff, which was their symbol of power.”

  “When he sacked Rome, he led his forces and the priests of Quirinus to destroy our temple,” Eirene said. She couldn’t help but think back to the disturbing nightmare she recently had.

  “They succeeded?” Tomas asked.

  “The temple was destroyed,” Eirene said. “But I finally defeated Spartacus there.”

  “How?”

  “Because she’s smarter,” Gregorios said. “She restored me to Spartacus’ body. It served me well for a long time.”

  “Never looked right on you,” Eirene said.

  “That’s what Spartacus was talking about today,” Sarah said. “Taking Tomas’ body was payback.”

  “He picked the wrong suit,” Tomas said. He and Sarah shared a look, and she gave a tiny nod.

  “We’ll get it back,” Eirene assured Sarah. “I beat Spartacus because I knew he was coming and I had time to prepare the battlefield to my advantage. That’s what we’ll do again.”

  She turned to Alter. “Before we lay those plans, tell us what you discovered from the machine we found in that church.”

  Studying the new machine had calmed Alter. He looked almost stable. “It’s virtually identical to the machines we’re using, but I did find a new rune.”

  “Is it the one we need to circumvent their assault on our nevra cores?” Her voice quivered with eagerness.


  He smiled. “It is. It’s fascinating and definitely not one we’ve seen before. I don’t know where they got it, but it appears to be exactly what we need to counter their forbidden rune.”

  Eirene shared a relieved glance with Gregorios. They had faced many crises and terrible threats through the long centuries, but always their nevra cores had been a constant, a bedrock they could always count on. With that forbidden rune, Paul had struck at the very heart of their strength, the root of their identity.

  Alter held up a silver chain with a small, round pendant engraved with a rune. “The facetaker hiding in the sarcophagus was wearing the rune. That’s why she was able to embrace her core.”

  He extended the pendant to Eirene and she eagerly took it. “How is it activated?”

  “It builds on similar principles to the escape rune I designed.” After she settled the chain over her head, he took the pendant in his hand. “I activate it, and it remains active, powered by your soul.”

  “How many of those pendants do you have?” Gregorios asked.

  “Bastien is preparing more,” Alter said. “By the time we return to headquarters, they should be ready.”

  “Excellent.”

  “I’ve already applied them to the other machines,” Alter added, looking pleased with Gregorios’ approval. “They should work now without needing my assistance.”

  “Good,” Sarah said with a smile. “You can join us in the memory.”

  “I plan to.”

  Eirene was relieved to hear his commitment to hunting Paul. He was their secret weapon, the one member of the team who could stand against Paul with a real hope for victory. The rest of them had gotten lucky, but without Alter, some of them were likely to die before they brought Paul down.

  “Then you and I have some work to do,” Eirene said, rising.

  “What work?” Alter asked.

  “You’re the one who’ll face Paul, but you can’t do that if you don’t know how to use your nevra core.”

  Alter began to look nervous, but Eirene took his chin in her hand and forced him to meet her gaze.

  “You’ll have time to sort everything out eventually, but right now you need to know how to leverage every advantage. Come with me. I’m going to teach you how to remove a soul.”

  He rose reluctantly. “Whose?”

  “Mine.”

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  One must step into the shadows before basking in the light of glorious triumph. If I hesitate, my nation will fall. Despite my secret fears, I must seize this chance to defeat the sultan. If I refuse the destiny only I have the power to obtain, how can I ask my people to sacrifice their lives or the force of their souls to my cause?

  ~Vlad Dracula, Rune Warrior, Voivode of Wallachia, 1475

  “I don’t think this is a good idea,” Alter said as he followed Eirene into the sparring room overlooking the shattered pool.

  She gave him a hard look, wishing they had more time to ease him into his new reality. “Do you think you can beat a full Cui Dashi without knowing how to wield your strength?”

  “But I don’t want this,” he whined.

  “What makes you think that matters?” The harsh answer caught him by surprise, as she’d intended. She’d been trying to be gentle with him, but coddling him in this would only get him killed.

  “I’m a demon,” he said more stubbornly.

  “Alter, you are who you are. If you choose to be a demon, then that’s what you will become. Just because you’ve learned a new side to yourself doesn’t define you.”

  “How can you say that?” he demanded. “My family and yours have united in one thing despite our differences for dozens of generations. Whenever a Cui Dashi rises, we destroy them. I have that curse, so I must be destroyed.”

  “If that’s what you want,” she said, not showing how much she yearned to comfort him. “But don’t you want to take another Cui Dashi down with you?”

  “I know what you’re trying to do,” he growled.

  “Good. I always knew you were smart.” When he didn’t return her smile she added, “The choice is yours, Alter. I know this is a shock and I promise we’ll take the time to sort things out when this crisis is over, but right now I need you. You’re a hunter, and no matter what else has changed, that hasn’t. I’m asking you to help me hunt the monster who hurt your family, the monster planning to destroy both me and Sarah.”

  She had him and he knew it.

  “Fine. What do I have to do?” He bit the words off through clenched teeth.

  “You’ve felt your nevra core already. Can you embrace it at will?”

  “I haven’t tried.”

  “Try.”

  He grimaced but still made the attempt. She waited for half a minute before a glimmer of purple flickered in his eyes. She felt the tiny pulse, like whispers across her skin as his nevron flared. It disappeared almost instantly and Alter shuddered.

  He rubbed his arms. “That is unnatural.”

  “It’s a part of you, so it’s natural,” Eirene countered. “Like any tool, like any weapon, it’s neither good nor evil of itself. Only in how you choose to wield it can it be classified.”

  “Every other Cui Dashi has been evil,” Alter said. “Perhaps it corrupts them.”

  “Corruption is a choice. Most souls, powered with an active nevra core or not, cannot withstand the lust for power.” She squeezed his shoulder. “That’s why I’m so optimistic now. None of the others were raised with your code of honor. You alone may have the strength to retain your integrity despite the awesome power entrusted to you.”

  Alter tried again. This time the flicker of purple fire came in seconds and grew. His eyes burned like living amethysts, and purple flames flickered across his hands.

  “Feel it,” Eirene urged softly, thinking back to the first times she had embraced her nevra core. She had exulted in the feeling of strength that filled her from the living power of her soul force.

  Over time, embracing her nevra core had helped her understand herself better, granted her sensitivities to the souls of others no mortal could hope to understand. That another of her descendants could share that glorious sensation thrilled her.

  Alter met her gaze and she embraced her own nevra core, her burning eyes mirrored in his. Her nevra core was a cherished part of her and, when needed, a well-honed weapon, but she could never hope to stand against Alter. Cui Dashi nevra cores were always magnitudes more powerful than any other facetaker. Something about the interaction between an active rounon and the nevra core became a multiplier.

  Paul would brutalize him.

  Alter lacked training, lacked the will to embrace his nevra core. If he didn’t learn to overcome that reluctance, he’d be worse than useless in a confrontation with the older Cui Dashi.

  Eirene shuttered her own nevron. “How do you feel?”

  He opened his mouth to reply, but no words came for a long moment. She wasn’t surprised. He’d been raised to hate the soul powers of the facetakers and despise the Cui Dashi above all things, but he struggled to hate what was now part of him. The glory of his awakened soul force couldn’t be denied.

  “I need to understand,” he said finally.

  Good. That small step was the most important one.

  Eirene sat on the floor and motioned him to sit beside her. They spent a few minutes discussing the nevra core, how to embrace it, how to direct it, what it meant. He was already familiar with harnessing the strength of his soul through bonded runes. This was the next evolution in accessing the full potential of his soul force.

  “Wait,” he protested. “Are you saying our rounon gifts are somehow related to the nevra core?”

  “Of course,” she said. “I know many of your ancestors have understood that connection. It’s disturbing that they’ve chosen to withhold that truth from you.”

  “They withhold nothing,” Alter snapped, but didn’t sound convinced.

  “All of the real powers of the earth are connected with t
he strength of souls. Rounon gifts are but a different manifestation of that same basic source, with more limited access.”

  “I don’t believe you,” he insisted. “How could we be tainted with the same evil?”

  “Evil is defined by choices. Alter, aren’t you listening?” Eirene poked his forehead for emphasis. “You already know that kashaph are gifted in similar ways to the hunters. It’s only your code of honor that maintains your integrity. Hunters could apply their runes in the same way heka do.”

  “We wouldn’t,” he said softly, but a glimmer of understanding appeared in his burning eyes. “We choose not to.”

  “Exactly. It’s the same now that you can access this greater manifestation of your soul force. It is your choice.”

  “Teach me.” For the first time he released his anger, his self-loathing.

  She explained the connection of the soul to the host body, the soul points concentrated in the face, linking the soul to the senses, which served as anchors. Mortals couldn’t feel those points, which were roughly similar to physical pressure points.

  “With your active nevra core, you can grasp those points,” she explained, guiding his hands to the correct positions along her jaw line. His nevron pulsed against her with undeniable strength. She forced down a ripple of fear.

  “Now, focus your nevron on those points. Sever them. That breaks the bond between the soul and the host body, allowing you to remove the soulmask.”

  When he hesitated she repeated, “Remove my soul, Alter. That’s an order.”

  His control was rudimentary, and his nevron slammed into her soul like a sledgehammer to the skull. She reeled, but couldn’t break free of his grasp. His burning fingers sank into her skin and his amethyst eyes widened with the undeniable thrill of overpowering another’s soul.

  Eirene’s nevron responded instinctively to the blow and her eyes burned with her soul force.

  It didn’t matter.

  Alter was Cui Dashi. Although fledgling, his innate strength far outstripped her own. His fingers sealed to the soul points along her jaw and severed her bond with her body as easily as his sharp blade cut through skin.