An Empire in Runes (The Runes of Issalia Book 3)

by Jeffrey L. Kohanek

  “We can finally get some sleep,” Brock remarked.

  Ashland stepped closer. “It’s been a while since we’ve had a room alone.”

  Brock shrugged. “I’m so exhausted that I just want to sleep.”

  “Really?” Ashland asked with a smile.

  She stepped closer and cupped his face with her hands. Leaning in, she pressed her soft lips against his. Brock melted into the kiss, his head swimming in the pleasure of the moment. When she pulled away, she looked into his eyes.

  “Are you sure that you just want to sleep?” She asked coyly as she ran her hand over the muscles of his bare chest and shoulders.

  Brock’s heart pounded in his ears as his pulse raced. “Um…maybe I could be persuaded to wait just a bit before sleeping.”

  “That’s what I thought.” She whispered as their lips intertwined, and Brock let his building passion take him.

  CHAPTER 2

  Brock signaled to Cam, who waved his hand in return. The long shadows from the morning sun made it difficult to see Cam and Puri within the alcove across the canyon. The rumble of the approaching wagon grew louder as it rounded the bend and rolled into view. Brock urged his horse into motion with Parker following closely behind. Cam and Puri emerged on horses from their hideout, riding in from the opposite side. In less than a minute, they closed the gap and slowed as they approached the gravel road where the wagon waited.

  As Brock expected, the driver stopped the wagon as soon as the destroyed prison wall was within view. Brock pulled the reigns and his horse slowed to a stop. Nodding, he addressed the driver.

  “Good morning.”

  Looking nervous, the man responded. “Um…good morning.”

  Brock glanced toward Parker, who sat beside him with his bow ready and pointed at the man. Cam and Puri waited on the other side of the wagon, both with swords drawn. Brock smiled as he tried to put the man at ease.

  “Sorry if we scared you, but we couldn’t chance you turning around before making your delivery,” Brock said, trying to sound friendly. “What’s your name?”

  “Um…Isaac,” The man replied.

  “It’s nice to meet you, Isaac. Tell me, who is the delivery for?” Brock asked.

  “I don’t know. I just bring the order here and some guy named Gambo pays me four gold Imperials. I go back to Wayport for another load and return two weeks later. They pay me well to not ask questions,” the man said. “Who are you, anyway?”

  “We now run this place,” Brock replied. “We didn’t agree with the previous landlord, so we decided to take over. However, we still have a need for the food and supplies you’re delivering. If you would be so kind as to go on and finish the delivery, we’ll still pay you. In fact, your commission just went up to five gold imperials. If you come back in two weeks with another load, five more gold will be waiting for you.”

  A smile spread across the man’s face. “Sounds fair.”

  Brock waved his hand, and the other three lowered their weapons. He flashed the man another smile.

  “Let’s go on in and get you unloaded.”

  * * *

  After watching Bernard and Olive carry the last two crates toward the cellar entrance under the mess hall, the wagon driver turned toward Brock.

  “Okay. That’s the last of it,” Isaac said.

  Brock placed five gold coins in the man’s hand before shaking the other. “Thanks again. We’ll see you in two weeks.”

  Isaac nodded. “I’ll be here.”

  The man climbed aboard the empty wagon, took hold of the reins, and gave them a quick jerk. The two horses kicked into a trot, pulling the wagon toward the gate.

  Turning, Brock noticed Cam and Puri approaching. Dressed in all black, with a leather vest, leather shorts, and tall leather boots, the six-foot tall Tantarri woman cut an imposing figure. The peaked leather headband holding back her dark hair, the sabre strapped to her back, and the long dagger on her hip further reinforced her image.

  Standing a half-head taller than Puri, the blonde teen at her side was even more impressive. Brock’s gaze shifted to Cam and found his tall friend’s face clouded with concern. Cam lifted his muscular arm, showing a frayed roped dangling from his meaty fist.

  “Gambo escaped,” he said.

  Puri’s dark eyes flashed toward Cam before looking at Brock. “The shed door was open when we went to bring him food. There is no sign of the man.”

  Brock sighed. This could lead to trouble. “He likely escaped during the night. Hopefully, he just ran for his life.” He considered the risk for a moment. “We better increase the night watch to four per shift. Apparently, he was able to make it past them last night, so we need more eyes on the wall.”

  Cam nodded and then gestured for Puri to follow, the two crossing the yard toward the bunkhouses. Brock smiled as he watched them. Cam and Puri were always together now. Brock expected that they were in love, but their relationship was odd. Brock thought back to the near-fatal sword wound Puri suffered during their takeover of the prison. After Brock healed Puri, he had witnessed how the two looked at each other. Thankful that she was alive, Cam had kissed Puri, with the kiss lasting for quite some time. In the three days since, Cam had never let her out of his sight.

  Brock broke from his reverie to focus on his next task. Taking a breath to firm his resolve, he began crossing the compound yard to where a small group of former prisoners waited. With the compound restocked with food, Brock needed to begin training them to use Chaos.

  CHAPTER 3

  “Are you positive we have this ability, Brock?” Jerome asked.

  Brock sighed. “You might feel frustrated right now, but I believe you can do this.”

  Brock pointed to the starburst rune on his head, intertwined within the rune of Order. One rune was fake, a result of body ink from a very expensive artist named Bennett. The other symbol was the result of something that appeared when the Tantarri Elder, Yuranni, divined Brock and informed him that he was part of an ancient prophecy. At the time, Brock didn’t understand the cryptic words. Now, he understood them with grim clarity.

  Brock continued speaking to the small group. “Ashland and I were able to divine this rune within each of you, of that there can be no doubt. This is why you, like me, were left Unchosen. It’s also why, when discovered, The Hand kidnapped you and locked you away. Trust me. It’s there. You’re all former Academy students, you know how divining works and what it means. You have the potential to channel Chaos. I need your commitment to realize that potential.”

  While maintaining an image of confidence, Brock stared into the six sets of eyes looking back at him. He had decided to start with the prisoners who had been former students of the Academy, hoping that they might be the easiest to teach. If he could get these six familiar with the basics of Chaos, perhaps they could help him train the others.

  Salina pushed her dark hair back, sighing as well. “So you’ve told us. I swear that I can feel this angry energy you speak of, but I can’t seem to tap into it.”

  Brock nodded. “It just takes a special effort the first time. After you’ve done it a few times, it gets easier.”

  “You’ve explained that we need strong emotion to make it work.” Stein remarked.

  Brock nodded in response.

  Stein glanced to the others. “Emotions don’t just turn on and off at a whim. The more times I try, the more I feel nothing but frustration.”

  Brock sighed again. “You’re right. We’ve been at this too long today. If you’re tired, it’s going to make it even more difficult.” He glanced west, finding the sun hovering above the horizon. “It’s almost dinner time. Go get some f
ood and then relax for the evening. We’ll try again in the morning, when you’re rested and recharged.”

  They nodded and stood to leave with Salina eying him and flashing a smile as she turned away. Watching them retreat toward the bunkhouses, Brock thought about the training. It might prove more difficult to teach these people to use Chaos than he had hoped. Time could become an issue. The Horde was not going to sit around wait for him to be ready.

  As he considered his options, he noticed Ashland and Benny approaching. While Ashland matched Brock’s short stature, Benny was a little taller but lacked Brock’s athletic physique.

  Ashland held a chunk of glowstone in her hand, which emitted a soft blue light. Benny shouted to Brock as they drew close.

  “We did it!” He glanced toward Ashland, who had an eyebrow raised. “Well, Ashland did it. I just helped her figure it out.”

  Brock sat back on the large rock he had been using as a seat during the training. “What did you figure out now?”

  Benny glanced at Ashland again, who nodded. He obviously wanted to be the one to share the news. The quirky guy adjusted his rectangular spectacles and ran his hand through his thick brown hair.

  “After reading about the method used for Infusion in the journal, we sat down to see if we could figure it out. It took a few attempts, but Ashland was able to make it work.”

  Brock’s eyebrows raised, interested. “What did you do?”

  Ashland smiled, stepping close to hug Brock’s arm as she held the chunk of glowstone up for examination.

  “This.” She nodded toward the glowing rock.

  Brock’s brow furrowed. “Glowstone? Why are you showing me a piece of glowstone?”

  Benny laughed, unable to contain himself. “She made it. It was just a plain old rock four hours ago.”

  “Four hours ago?” Brock asked. “It’s still glowing though.”

  “Exactly,” Benny replied, his head bobbing up and down. “At first, it glowed with the same bright white light we’ve seen before when something is Chaos-charged with Light. However, when she used Order to trap the Chaos within the stone, the intensity dimmed and the light softened to the blue of glowstone. After that, the effect seemed to stabilize. While a use of Chaos normally lasts little more than an hour, the effect from infusing Chaos into the stone lasts far longer.” Benny paused, grinning. “It might even be permanent.”

  Brock took the fist-size stone from Ashland, holding it up for closer inspection. He wouldn’t have been able to discern it from a regular chunk of glowstone. Staring at it in wonder, he began to consider the possibilities of using Infusion for other things.

  “So, how’d you make it work?” he asked.

  Ashland laughed, “I did what you did.”

  Brock looked at her, confused. “What do you mean? I have no idea how to make Infusion work.”

  Ashland gestured, and Brock didn’t have to look to know she pointed toward Wraith. He could feel her sitting behind him.

  “You did it when you healed Wraith,” Ashland said. “When you described the free Chaos raging within her and how you captured it and surrounded it with Order, it seemed an intriguing concept.” She put her hand on the stone resting in his palm. “After I charged the rock with Chaos and it lit up, I then focused on trying to trap the Chaos in the rock using Order. Since it’s not a living thing, it took a while because I had to draw on whatever Order I could find from all about me.”

  She waved her hand in the air. Brock knew what she meant and understood the difficulty involved. Order came from life force and was far easier to manipulate within living things.

  Ashland continued, “When I was finished and had the Chaos sealed within, I opened my eyes to find the rock had dimmed to the soft blue light of glowstone.” She smiled, her eyes alight with pride.

  “You’re amazing.” Brock leaned close to give her a kiss. After pulling away, love reflected in her bright blue eyes. “Have I told you that I love you?”

  Joy lit her face as she smiled. “Yes, but I could always hear it one more time.”

  CHAPTER 4

  “Good. You’ve got it,” Brock said, feeling genuinely excited.

  Salina beamed with pride as she held the brightly glowing stone up in triumph. The other students held hands before their faces to block the bright light from their vision.

  “I knew you guys could do this.” Brock said, encouraging them. “You just need to keep at it. Feeding off raw emotion to grab ahold of Chaos the first time is the tough part. After that, it gets easier each time you do it.”

  Salina laughed as she lowered the rock, not looking directly at it. “I knew I could feel Chaos before, but I just couldn’t seem to get to it. When you had me reliving the fear I felt when they kidnapped me from the Academy, everything changed. I was suddenly able to reach it and draw it in. It felt like I ate a thunderstorm that might tear me apart. It was frightening, yet exhilarating.”

  Brock smiled as he shared her excitement. “That sounds right. I shudder to think of what would happen if you continued to hold it in. I don’t think our bodies are made to hold that kind of energy for long.”

  Jerome stood. “I want to try again. If she can do it, I know I can do it.”

  Salina raised an eyebrow. “Do you think you’re better than me, Jerome?”

  Jerome stepped closer, thrusting his chest out as he glared down at Salina. Brock jumped between them.

  “Stop!” Brock shouted. “We’re not going to start fighting each other. The Horde is out there, killing innocent men and women. You can’t imagine how frightening they are. We need to band together to stop them, not fight each other over our own stupid pride.”

  Despite Jerome being a head taller than Brock, he backed away. Brock could see fear in his eyes. He turned to see Salina step back. Looking to the side, he saw Wraith standing with her ears flat and her teeth showing a menacing grin.

  Despite the tension of the previous moment, Brock chuckled. “Relax.” He said to the dog. “I’m fine.”

  A rumble from the direction of the wall caught his attention. He turned to find Parker driving a two-horse wagon through the gate. The wagon turned toward the mess hall and slowed as Parker pulled on the reins. With Puri leading Parker’s horse, she and Cam rode in on horseback, following the dust tail left by the wagon.

  Brock addressed the small group of former Academy students. “We’ve made some progress today. However, I think now is a good time to stop. Practice drawing the Light rune on your own, memorizing every line. We’ll meet here again tomorrow after breakfast.”

  They nodded and thanked him as they dispersed. He stepped away, heading toward the wagon as it circled behind the mess hall. After a dozen steps, Wraith caught up to Brock before slowing to shadow him. When he neared the horses, he held his hand up for her to stay back from them.

  “Where’s the driver?” Brock shouted to Parker as the wagon came to a stop.

  Parker dropped the reins and jumped down with his bow in hand. The bangs of his dark hair were fluttering in the west wind, dancing against the Order rune marking his forehead. Standing a half-head taller than Brock, Parker’s eyes met Brock’s gaze.

  “It didn’t go as well as it did with the last driver,” Parker said as he met Brock. “I suspected problems just by watching this man’s demeanor. I tried the same casual approach you took last time, but his response to my first question was a crossbow bolt.”

  Brock’s eyebrows shot up in concern. “You’re okay though?”

  Parker nodded. “Yes. I saw it coming and ducked. The bolt went over me and then he fired one that sailed between Puri and Cam before he turned the wagon and tried to outrun us.”

 
“Bad idea.” Brock said.

  Parker lifted his bow. “Yeah. I put an arrow through his throat and he tumbled off the wagon. Puri caught the team and slowed the wagon while I checked on the man.”

  Glancing around, Parker stepped closer and whispered, “He was marked with ink at his back hairline. It was in the shape of a hand.”

  The Hand again. Brock was afraid of that. He suspected they might have an extensive network, stretching far beyond the walls of this compound. He would need to remain mindful of that and treat outsiders with caution until he was confident they were not compromised. An inspection of the previous wagon driver thankfully yielded nothing suspicious. This time, they weren’t so lucky.

  “Grab some people and get the wagon unloaded.” Brock said to Parker.

  “Cam, Puri,” Brock shouted. “Can you two make sure these horses get food and water? We’ll need this wagon for more supply runs.”

  “Sure, Brock.” Cam replied, stepping beside one of the horses to unhook it from the wagon as Puri approached the other.

  As they worked, Brock walked away. He waved his hand and Wraith followed. The dark specter of the future was looming on his mind. The confrontation with The Horde was coming fast; he could feel it. He had put it off as long as he could, but it was time to put things in motion.

  CHAPTER 5

  The door creaked as it opened, Brock turning toward it to find Tipper and Libby entering the mess hall. As usual, Tipper’s blonde hair was a tangled nest. In all the years Brock had known Tip, the teen’s hair had been untamed. Tip flashed Brock a familiar smile, which Brock returned with a nod before shifting his focus to Libby.

  Although Tipper stood a bit taller than the girl at his side, their thin builds were a match. She swept a stray bit of her long black hair from her large brown eyes, tucking it behind an ear as her nervous glance shifted about the room.