Knight of Runes

by Ruth A. Casie

  A chill rose up his spine. Could he keep her safe? He tossed out that doubt in an instant. Yes, he could keep her safe from anything. He squeezed her hand and smiled. His plan formed as they walked. He would ask for her hand and he would move heaven and earth to marry as soon as possible.

  Ask for her hand? She said her parents were dead. But he knew better. It wasn’t easy to kill a great druid like Max.

  He needed to get more information.

  They were passing Elfrida’s cottage where they paused for a moment.

  “I was worried,” Elfrida said, hugging her tightly. “I couldn’t help you.”

  Rebeka went into the cottage to refresh Elfrida’s cup and Arik sat down on the stool outside.

  “You knew all along didn’t you?” he asked her.

  She nodded. “Yes, Arik. I knew she was your betrothed, Maximilian and Ellyn’s daughter. She has the look of her mother and then some. Her old nurse would never forget her. I have waited a long time to see her again. How did you know?”

  “There were many signs but the most persuasive—she has my mark on the nape of her neck.” He looked toward the cottage. “I remember how trusting and strong she was when her father and I placed it there and she gave me mine.”

  “Does she know?”

  “No. Max must have hidden the memories. I need to find out how to unchain them. But before I do, I want her to come to me because she wants to, not out of duty. If I have learned anything about her, it is her strong sense of controlling her own destiny. She has to trust me and love me of her own choosing. I cannot make her say the words to bind her here without her knowing the consequence. These last months she has done everything to find her way back. She has to want to stay here. I need to be certain. When I am, I’ll tell her. Until then, I don’t want anyone to know about this.”

  “Ah, you have to make her love you.”

  “Yes, Elfrida.” He looked closely at the woman and patted her hand. “I have to make her love me.”

  “Things will start to move quickly now. The pieces will fall into place. Be ready, Arik.”

  He was too startled by her information to offer any objection.

  “Here you are, Elfrida.” Rebeka returned with the hot tea.

  Rebeka and Arik stayed awhile longer before finally saying their goodbyes and heading to the lake.

  He led her to a broad rock on the shore. “Let’s sit here. And talk.” Rebeka told Arik how she searched the library and Leticia’s books to find a way back to her time.

  “I thought the answer might be in Leticia’s other journal.”

  “No, that journal holds other secrets. I’ve kept it safe to protect the family. It’s a long story but it all has to do with the king. Several times our family has come to his aid, both at Castle Ruthven, and with his medical problems. To protect us, he never told anyone that it was Logan and I who moved him out of Castle Ruthven.”

  “Interesting.” Rebeka had heard the legend. “It’s still a mystery,” she told Arik.

  He gave her a wry smile. “My biggest concern was for Letty and now the girls. Letty helped ease some of his medical problems using her vast knowledge of herbs. I argued with him after I found out. I was afraid his court would brand Letty a witch. The king promised to protect her. She documented his treatment in her journal and protected the information. When she died and Katherine burned her books, I thought this journal was amongst them.”

  “You’ll be glad to know you’ve been successful. While history shows James was intolerant of witches, your family is not mentioned. As a matter of fact, there is very little information about your family that survives.”

  How strange it was to know he’d been successful. His biggest fear was erased.

  They sat in silence, looking out at the blue ripples in the lake.

  “I dreamt of this,” she told him. “I was swimming, and couldn’t get to shore.”

  “What did you do?”

  She shrugged. “Nothing. It was you. You came and got me. And took me home.”

  “Home.” He helped her to her feet and they started back to the Manor. It was the first time he heard her say the word.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “Arik, can I steal Rebeka away from you for a while?”

  “Aye, Doward, but not too far, she may tire.”

  Her eyes rolled and the corner of her mouth twisted in exasperation. “All right, both of you, I’m fine. I’m not going to swoon!” She looped one arm in Arik’s, the other in Doward’s, and steered them toward the garden. “Doward and I can talk in the garden’s summerhouse. I can rest if I get tired. Do you both agree?”

  Arik left them at the garden entrance.

  “I’ve told Arik everything,” she told Doward. “He understands better than either of us thought.”

  “I’m not surprised. He’s returned to the old ways. He understands some things cannot always be explained by logic and accepts them.”

  “The old ways?”

  “The way of nature and the Otherworld.”

  She stared at him baffled. “The Otherworld?”

  “Arik can read the runes and understand the formulas and spells because he’s a Druid. Actually he’s a powerful Druid priest He tried to help Leticia but nothing he did could heal her. Tormented when she died, he denounced his powers.”

  “He must have been devastated.”

  “The king believed, as many did, that while Leticia lived, the land would be safe. Arik promised the king he would protect Leticia with his life. But even the mighty Druid, Arik, couldn’t heal her.”

  “I knew there was something special about him from the very beginning.” She looked up, a bit disoriented, and quickly pulled her drifting thoughts together. “At the festival, I saw the runes on his body but I didn’t know their significance. I thought them only a warrior’s battle markings.”

  Doward moved to the edge of the bench and spoke eagerly. “Letty bound up her writings in magic to keep them secure. When you uncovered her book and were able to read some of the runes, he had no choice but to awaken his powers. The Council gladly restored them to him. He should have done it sooner, when he realized the attackers at the river wore Bran’s mark. I just hope he isn’t too late. Now he’ll set things right. Including helping you return to your proper time.”

  “I don’t think I want to go back. I’m staying here.”

  “No! If you stay, you’ll change history and who knows what will happen. You must go back.” His voice was uncompromising but oddly gentle.

  She got up and paced the small garden. He was right of course. She couldn’t stay. But the thought of going back, something she’d been pursuing for months, was the last thing she wanted to do.

  “I’m sorry to be so abrupt. I didn’t know you felt this way.” He spoke firmly. “You must return to your time.”

  She couldn’t face Doward. The question tore at her insides. Once Arik found his answer and protected his land, would he need her? Perhaps that was the meaning of her vision? If she stayed, the family would be doomed. Icy fear gripped her heart. She knew Doward was right. “Let’s not say anything to anyone. Please?”

  “I’ll say nothing.”

  “Arik knows I came through time. He must know how to get me back. I’ll find a way to make him tell me.”

  The library was quiet except for the shuffling of pages. Maps and papers were scattered over the table. A light floral fragrance filtered in through the open terrace door.

  “Logan, could you translate these runes while I work on the formulas? They’re not as they should be.” Arik, Rebeka and Logan sat at the library table bent over Letty’s book.

  “Are these the maps of the lightning strikes?” Rebeka asked, holding up a parcel of papers.

  “Yes.”

  Her heart wasn’t in the research. How many times had she sat at this table hoping to find the way back. Now she looked only half-heartedly and hoped the secret remained hidden. Not yet. She knew she had to leave. She also knew that the lo
nger she put it off the more difficult it would be. Her heart pounded out the words with every beat. Not yet, not yet, not yet. She shook her head and pushed the thought aside. I will ask him, but not yet.

  She forced herself to concentrate and once again looked at the maps that lay on the table. Each represented a different section of land. She shuffled them around and tried to make some sense of them but it was difficult. The scales were all different. She used a larger map of the area to get a better overall picture. Looking back and forth between small maps and the larger one gave her an idea. She began to transpose all the lightning strikes to one map.

  A gentle August breeze wafted through the open doors, disturbing the papers on the table. She picked up a cloth-wrapped stone from the basket on the floor and set it down on the corners of the papers to hold them in place.

  When she finished, it still didn’t make any sense. She traced a line between the various points to count them off. An odd sensation flashed up her neck. She knew this pattern but couldn’t put her finger on it. She tore through Leticia’s journal looking for something…she didn’t know what. She would know it when she saw it.

  There it is! She reached for her corresponding notes.

  “Arik, this section mentions wards.”

  “Let me see.” He stood leaning over the table and took the book from her. “Ah, warding the land. It’s a basic practice for protection. Here let me show you the Manor wards on the map.” He took one of the smaller maps from under one of Rebeka’s improvised paperweights. “I placed the wards there myself a long time ago.”

  Rebeka looked carefully at the spots Arik pointed to on the map while Arik seemed to be distracted by the paperweight in his hand.

  “Do you know where you found this stone?”

  “Let me see.” She took the cloth off the stone and read the information. “Ah.” She searched the table, moving through the maps, looking for one in particular. “Here.” She pulled out the map of Oak Meadow, pointed to one of the notations and handed it to Arik. He examined the stone and paid particular attention to the etched marks.

  “Can anyone do the warding?” She gazed at the stone he held.

  “Warding is a basic skill for an adept.” He spoke absently. “It includes choosing the correct places, writing the correct formulas, using the correct chant and a talisman.”

  Rebeka returned to Leticia’s journal. “What type of talisman?”

  “For me it’s the runes I wear.”

  “For someone who doesn’t have runes what would it be?”

  “It could be anything as long as it’s infused with the sacred words.” He put the stone down and looked at her.

  “What was Leticia’s talisman?” She sat down in the chair and gave him her full attention.

  “Her amulet, she was never without it. What have you found?” He leaned closer to her.

  “I found two things, first about the wards. I’ve transposed all the lightning strikes onto one map. Look at the pattern.” She handed him the map. “The section of the pattern shows all your land covered by warding. If we complete the pattern, this land to the north would also be included.”

  “Stuart’s estate? I didn’t ward his property. I didn’t ward my land. I only warded the Manor to keep Letty safe.” He took the map from Rebeka to see for himself.

  He picked up another covered rock from the basket and took off the cloth and found the etching on this stone more readable. “This is part of the warding formula but it has subtle differences. Show me where you found this stone.”

  Rebeka checked the references. “Here, close to Autumn Chase.”

  Arik finished drawing the warding pattern on the large map.

  “Luke.” His new houseboy hurried into the room. “Marcus should be at the practice fields. Tell him I want to see him.” Within minutes, his captain entered the library, still wearing his dusty practice gear.

  “Marcus, at sunrise, I want you to take two men and go to the two areas I have marked on this map. You’re searching for stones buried in the ground. They’ll be close to the surface.”

  “Do you want me to bring them to you?”

  “No. If they have any markings on them, copy them and bring that to me.”

  “Wait, Marcus. Let me show you how to make a rubbing of the stone.” Rebeka turned to Arik. “Would that work?”

  “Yes, it would be fine.”

  Rebeka showed Marcus the technique before he left.

  She was confused. “Why do you want to see the markings?”

  “I didn’t ward this area. According to the stones you’ve found, and the pattern that’s emerging, I think the remaining stones would be where Marcus will search. I need more information. We’re getting closer but there are still some unanswered questions. Now, what else did you find?”

  “Leticia mentioned the amulet began to irritate her. She applied a soothing salve. She mentions it here.” She showed him the journal.

  He read the page and, when he was done, he raised his head.

  “Why didn’t she tell me?” He spoke more to himself than to Rebeka.

  “The dates in her journal match the dates documenting her illness.” Arik opened a locked compartment in the desk and removed a pendant. His fingers ran over the gems and rubbed the intricate gold chain. His eyelids slid closed and his body stilled, all but his fingers which continued to caress and rub the gems. His eyes flew open when he had teased out the information he sought.

  “It’s been tampered with.” His voice was a bare whisper.

  She could see the thoughts racing in his head.

  Louder, with more certainly he stated, “Someone altered the spell.”

  “Who?”

  “I don’t know. I need to see the inscriptions on the ward stones. With any luck, Marcus will find them intact.” Arik offered nothing else. Rebeka busied herself and waited.

  Late the following morning, Arik’s captain rode through the stone gate. He found Arik in the courtyard.

  “Arik, here are the rubbings of the stones. They weren’t far from the surface.” Arik took the documents into the library where Rebeka was already working. He spread the parchment on the table and searched them, eager to decipher their message. Finally, he pushed his chair back from the table.

  “These two stones are whole. They don’t appear to have been struck by lightning. You can clearly see the etched formulas. Each warder crafts his signature into the formula. This one appears to be protection for a large parcel of land. It includes Stuart’s estate and the area where you came down the mountain. A great deal of energy is needed to protect an area that vast. There is something else. This formula has a small subtlety. Once the ward is broken, the energy is drained—not only from the ward, but from the land as well. It would leave the land and the people vulnerable to almost certain destruction.”

  “Where did the energy go?”

  “Not to where but to whom. The energy was shifted to someone. Last night I wondered what would cause the amulet to irritate Letty. It was made only for her. What she felt as irritation was her energy being drained. Her energy must have been directed to someone else. The spells on the amulet and on the stone have the same signature. I thought it strange that it went missing when she died. Now I know. Whoever took it killed her. Leticia was murdered.”

  “Can you tell whose signature it is?”

  “I have my suspicion.”

  “You’ve solved the problem. It’s not the weather at all. Someone is purposefully trying to destroy the land, Arik. It’s my dream. Someone is out to destroy your family.”

  “Yes. The wards must be adjusted at once. Then we can see about identifying the signature.” He didn’t tell Rebeka restoring the wards would close the door to the future and prevent her from going back. Did he have a choice? He looked at her strong graceful profile as she worked. A voice deep inside told him to empower her, to let her make the decision. He closed his eyes. For the good of his people and family, he couldn’t do that. He had to adjust the wards
immediately.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  “Lord Arik.” Jeannie knocked lightly on the estate office door and entered. “Sir Stuart’s man, Robert, is here to see you.”

  “Send him in Jeannie and bring some ale.” Arik sat at his desk searching through ancient documents looking for a way to close the wards, yet still give Rebeka a choice. So far, he found none. Bran was at the bottom of this, he was sure. His mark on the men and this subtle attack was his style, his signature. Arik studied the deadly formula so he could craft the antidote and make certain there were no after-effects. Magic was a tricky thing.

  The messenger came into the room and bowed, just as Skylar arrived.

  Arik looked at his niece and then at Robert. What goes here? Skylar must know that Jeannie brought Robert to see me. He looked at the two of them and stifled a smile. I don’t need to be a magician to see what this is about. Well, Skylar is of age and Robert is cousin to Beatrice and is fast becoming one of Stuart’s best men.

  “Skylar, Robert brings me news from Sir Stuart. Wait on the terrace. I’ll call you when our work is done.” Arik sounded more dismissive than he intended.

  Jeannie appeared with two glasses of ale, handed one to each man and scurried out.

  “Have some ale. I’m certain you can use it after your long dry ride from Autumn Chase.

  Now what news do you bring from Sir Stuart?”

  “Our patrol met Marcus and his men when they were looking for the stones in the field. He told us their mission and showed us how to make the rubbings. We found similar stones in two of our fields. Recent rains washed the ground away lifting them to the surface. When we realized what they were, we made rubbings. Sir Stuart told me to bring them to you.” He handed the documents to Arik.