Rune Warrior

by Frank Morin

  He scowled at the writhing gladiator. “Some memories don’t get better with time.”

  “Well I wish you’d played with him a little longer,” Sarah said. “You just squashed the hat man and I was finally about to get a look at his face.”

  “Dead?”

  “I doubt it. I don’t see blood everywhere.”

  “Must have fled the memory. He’s fast.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “You tell me about it,” he countered. “As soon as we get back.”

  Gregorios tipped his head to the sky. “Bastien, get us out of here.”

  As Sarah began fading from the memory, Spartacus heaved himself off the impaling swords. He stumbled toward them, blood gushing out of his torn body, hands extended like claws.

  “I will avenge her!”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Edward, you paint an excellent picture of the Roman period, but note my edits. In the following passage, you failed to redact references to Nerva’s multiple lives. It is critical we maintain the illusion that every emperor was a separate man, living only one life.

  “If a man were called to fix the period in the history of the world during which the condition of the human race was most happy and prosperous, he would, without hesitation, name that which elapsed from the death of Domitian to the accession of Commodus. The vast extent of the Roman Empire was governed by absolute power, under the guidance of virtue and wisdom from men who never lost the cohesive function of their minds. The armies were restrained by the firm but gentle hand of Nerva through four successive lives (use his other names here), whose character and authority commanded respect. The forms of the civil administration were carefully preserved by Trajan, Hadrian and the Antonines, who delighted in the image of liberty. Such princes deserved the honour of restoring the republic, had the Romans of their days been capable of enjoying a rational freedom.”

  ~Harald, of the facetaker council, in a letter to Edward Gibbon with edits to his proposed work, The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire

  John stepped out of the back of a Lincoln Town Car and waited for Peter to remove the mask they had secured over his eyes.

  “I do not appreciate the drama,” John scowled.

  Peter made a little bow. “I apologize for the inconvenience, but you must understand security is of paramount concern.”

  John grunted. Gregorios would hunt them down, determined to assassinate him and anyone who helped him. They would indeed have to be careful.

  They stood inside a large, empty warehouse. John guessed they had crossed half of Rome, but his sense of direction was not as good as it used to be. They could be anywhere in the city.

  Peter took him up an industrial lift, then down a bare hall. He stopped at a solid steel door and opened it with a flourish. The inside was covered in polished mahogany.

  John stepped into an exact replica of his own comfortable study, complete with bookshelves, a fireplace, and several overstuffed chairs.

  “We drove a long way just to come home,” he grumbled as he sank into the chair closest to the fire. The warmth felt good.

  A lovely, slender Asian woman dressed in a simple white robe appeared by his side with a tray of his favorite brandy and sweetmeats.

  “Where’s this machine of yours?” he demanded, feeling right at home.

  Peter said, “It is being prepped as we speak. It is a proven model, just like the ones Mai Luan was preparing to use to restore your health.”

  “None of that mucking around in my memories, though?”

  “You will be completely at ease, Great One,” Peter said. “We will have to walk some of your memories to give the machine time to calibrate to your unique mind signature and begin reversing the effects of your accumulated soul fragmentation.”

  John grunted again. “Very well. Let’s get started.”

  “Soon,” Peter assured him.

  The man’s subservient faded. “We will heal you, but first you must do us a favor in return.”

  “What favor?”

  “We are going on a little trip.”

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  The inconsistency of single-life mortals never ceases to amaze me. On the one hand, from the best inquisitors, I learned principles governing human nature and how to influence the minds of men. On the other hand, my soul may never feel cleansed from the tainted memories of disgusting tortures employed by the worst of them.

  ~Francesca

  Sarah eagerly pried up the jagged faceplate and removed the heavy helmet. “What happened in there?”

  “Did you kids notice anything strange during that trip?” Gregorios asked as he sat up.

  “You could say that again,” Francesca said with a tired laugh.

  Before they had begun the memory walk, she had been perky and vibrant as any late teen. Now dark circles hung under her eyes and she sagged where she sat on the floor next to the machine.

  Her siblings were likewise exhausted, sprawled together on the floor. As they recounted their experience, Sarah was surprised to hear it was Alter’s intervention that saved them. For all his talk of wanting to destroy the demons, he’d missed a unique opportunity.

  Sarah hugged him. “Thanks for helping. Sounds like you’re our hero.”

  He beamed bright enough to light the vault.

  They all rested for a few minutes, recovering from the strange ordeal. Sarah read concern on everyone’s faces, even Gregorios’.

  “So you experienced a unique backlash at the same time we experienced dramatic memory tampering?” Gregorios asked.

  “It was more than a loss of strength,” Bastien said, his beautiful accent thicker than usual. “It targeted the heart of our nevra cores. I have never felt anything like it.”

  Gregorios turned to Alter. “How did you counter it?”

  “I’m not really sure. I applied a standard linking rune. It shouldn’t have made that dramatic an impact.”

  Francesca rose with a groan and began to pace, her mature expression a bit incongruous on one who looked so young. “I see one of two possibilities. First, the attack was initiated from the other machine that this man in the wide-brimmed hat is using. Somehow it allowed for an assault against us through the shared memory.”

  “I don’t think so,” Alter said. “I’ve studied all the runes, but none suggest such a function.”

  “You assume they use the same runes,” Bastien said.

  “Even if they weren’t, I can’t see how a rune sequence could open such a conduit with the power to undermine your nevron.”

  Sarah was so grateful they had access to his expertise. Unfortunately, that didn’t help them figure out what really happened.

  “Assuming you are correct,” Francesca said, still pacing. “Then the second possibility is that the attack somehow commenced outside of the machines.”

  “I’ve already double-checked with security,” Harriett said. “No suspicious visitors or security breach, or unattended pastries. I don’t see how anyone could have initiated anything from out there.”

  “And this vault remained secure,” Bastien added.

  Francesca stopped pacing. “Then a third option must be considered, that somehow a fundamental flaw has developed in our nevron.”

  “I don’t buy that one,” Gregorios said. “Perhaps one of us might have faltered, suffered severe, unexpected soul degradation, but not all of us simultaneously.”

  “Well, why not?” Alter asked. He seemed to be enjoying the turn in the conversation.

  “The more likely scenario is that it is some kind of rune twisting everything,” Francesca said.

  “Maybe it’s Mai Luan,” Sarah suggested, her voice shaking a little as she considered the terrifying Cui Dashi. Memories of desperate struggle flickered through her mind, concluding with the feel of the axe in her hands as it slashed through Mai Luan’s face and drove into her torso. She shuddered.

  “Mai Luan is dead,” Gregorios said.

  “Who’s
the man in the hat?” she demanded. “He was so strong, like she was. He was talking weird too.”

  “Perhaps he seeks Mai Luan’s heka cell, as we do,” Bastien suggested.

  “To kill them or to recruit them?” Harriett asked.

  “He wasn’t friendly,” Sarah said. “The guy was spooky. He proclaimed himself my master and said if I wasn’t useful to him, he’d kill me.” She was tired of being treated like a second-class mortal just because she didn’t have any special powers.

  “Send me back in,” Alter declared, throwing himself into one of the chairs. “I’ll avenge you.”

  “He’s gone,” Sarah said. “I left him singing several octaves higher and then Gregorios dropped a statue on him. I guarantee he’s sitting on an ice pack somewhere right now.”

  Bastien held up a fist for her to bump.

  They still didn’t have any answers, and argued through another round of fruitless questions. They needed to find Mai Luan’s heka cell, but Anaru and the Tenth were doing all they could on that front.

  They might not know much, but it was clear to everyone that the man in the wide-brimmed hat was a threat. No one had any idea who he was or why he’d targeted Sarah. They needed to hunt him down or destroy his machine. Sarah didn’t like killing, had enough nightmares to deal with for a lifetime, but she suspected they might not have a choice in stopping that creepy guy. Mai Luan had proven how dangerous it was to allow anyone else to walk important shared memories. The master runes were too dangerous to trifle with, and some people were just evil.

  Domenico entered the room, looking worried. “Sir, we just received word from Tomas. Eirene suffered some kind of debilitating sickness while trying to perform the soul transfer for the king of Thailand.”

  “Is she all right?” Gregorios asked, looking worried. Sarah bit her lip, terrified to think anything might have happened to Eirene. She loved her like an aunt.

  “She’s resting,” Domenico said. “That’s all we know.”

  Sarah blew out a relieved breath.

  “What kind of sickness?” Francesca asked. The other siblings gathered around Gregorios, silently supporting each other.

  When he described what had happened, Bastien and the girls all shared a knowing look. “That sounds much like what happened to us,” Bastien said.

  Domenico tapped his earpiece and listened for a moment, his expression growing grave. “Sir, we just received word that another facetaker in Africa suffered a similar breakdown. She died from the effects.”

  Gregorios grimaced. “We can’t afford to lose anyone else.”

  There weren’t that many facetakers to begin with. The four nasty old council members had died, but Sarah wasn’t sure that was a bad thing. From what she’d learned, despite ongoing efforts to identify new facetakers around the world, sometimes decades passed before they discovered a new one.

  “Keep me posted on Eirene’s condition,” Gregorios ordered. “And warn the others to refrain from activating their nevra cores until further notice.”

  “Tomas is taking care of her now,” Domenico reported. “He’s hopeful of a full recovery and said they would schedule a second attempt at the transfer as soon as Eirene regains her strength.”

  Sarah hoped Tomas had left a message for her, and was tempted to check her phone right there. If he hadn’t called yet, they’d have to talk about that when he returned.

  “Tell them to hold off,” Gregorios said.

  “But sir, apparently the transfer vehicle was left in a partial transfer state.”

  “What does that mean?” Sarah asked.

  “It’s bad,” Gregorios said. “Extremely painful. It means the soulmask was only partially removed. It’s worse than normal torture because the victim can’t black out to stop the pain.”

  Sarah shuddered. “That’s horrible.”

  “Demons,” Alter whispered. He’d moved to stand close beside Sarah.

  “Don’t start,” she whispered back.

  “Tell her to use extreme caution,” Gregorios told Domenico. “And notify me prior to commencing the transfer.”

  After Domenico left, Gregorios said, “We may need to send someone out to help her.”

  “We must identify the source of this malady,” Bastien said, looking deeply worried.

  “It has to be rune related,” Francesca said. “But to affect the entire world, I can’t even imagine what rune they might be using or how they might be fueling the spell.”

  “They would need a lot of souls,” Gregorios agreed. “I know of at least one location they were being stockpiled. We may need to consider an assault there to determine if that source is being utilized.”

  “But have you known runes of such power?” Bastien asked.

  Alter spoke softly into the ensuing quiet. “I have.”

  His face betrayed the same reluctance he always displayed when forced to discuss his family’s lore.

  Sarah nudged him with her shoulder. “We’ll keep it secret.”

  Alter sighed. “There are some runes we never use, runes that are too dangerous. I know little about them, but they might have the power to do something like this.”

  “I love secret recipes,” Harriett said. “I’ve never heard of these.”

  “Of course you haven’t,” Alter snapped. “My family has hunted them with particular zeal for millennia. They’re known as forbidden runes, and we do not speak of them.”

  Sarah said, “You’re suggesting that someone has not only gained access to one of Mai Luan’s machines, but also has one of these forbidden runes, and that they learned how to use it?”

  “There’s no guarantee it’s the same group,” Francesca said. “Perhaps the man with the hat is looking for the group that has the forbidden rune.”

  “No,” Bastien said. “That does not make sense. If he lacked the rune, he too would have suffered the effects.”

  “I bet they’re the same group,” Sarah said. “He seemed surprised we were in the memory, as if he understood things were about to go bad.”

  “At this point, let’s keep the possibility open that they’re not,” Gregorios said. “I believe you’re on to something, Alter. I’ve known a couple times where heka cells triggered huge problems. They usually killed themselves in the process, or we removed them, but the runes they used were almost always lost. I’ve never heard of this particular type of effect, but it’s entirely possible.”

  Sarah paled. “What if they combined this forbidden rune with the master rune?”

  Alter recoiled as if she’d sprouted a second head.

  “They don’t have it,” Gregorios said, but he looked troubled.

  “They might have obtained a different one,” Alter said. “If they have a machine, that means they have a facetaker. If that person’s got the right memories, they could find another master rune.”

  “And if they do?” Gregorios asked.

  Alter looked shaken. “It would be really bad. If they had enough souls to power it, I can’t even imagine how bad.”

  “Imagine it,” Gregorios said. “If we can’t stop them, that might be exactly what they’re looking for.”

  “What do we do?” Alter asked.

  “How do we block a forbidden rune?”

  He shrugged. “Depends on the rune. I’d need to understand what it’s doing and search the family archives. With enough information, I might be able to come up with a way to block it. We usually just kill whoever’s trying to use it.”

  “That works too,” Bastien said. “Assuming we can find them.”

  “That’s how we begin,” Gregorios said, showing more confidence than Sarah felt. “Double the effort to track down that heka cell. Alter, check with your family and see what you can find.”

  “I’ll try.” He looked like Gregorios had asked him to wrestle a shark.

  Alter talked about his family a lot, particularly to Sarah. She felt she knew them, but they considered the facetakers enemies. Sarah didn’t envy Alter the task of broaching the
subject with his father. Melek was going to be furious that Alter had mentioned forbidden runes, and suspicious of any information sharing now that the direct threat of Mai Luan was past. In fact, he might just decide to take Alter home.

  Alter had mentioned a couple of times that his father had already started urging him to go. He’s suggested that Sarah come visit his family compound, but she’d declined. She was actually very tempted, but Alter would read far too much into such a visit.

  “Let’s discuss what you learn after you speak with your father,” Gregorios suggested.

  “All right.” Alter looked a little suspicious, but Sarah was glad Gregorios had made the offer. The two of them needed to work through their issues. This might be a way to begin doing that.

  After they all left, Sarah took a cab back to Quentin’s mansion and spent an hour working out and beating on the punching bag. Things were going badly and she couldn’t shake a growing fear that things would get worse before they got better.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Luck is of little moment to the great general, for it is under the control of his intellect, his enhanced mind, and his judgment.

  ~Livy

  Tomas stood by one of the windows of the spacious apartments he shared with Eirene on the second floor of a Spanish-style residence within the Klai Kangwon Palace complex. A thin drape was drawn over the open window and he stood to one side, still able to see out while remaining hidden.

  Eirene entered the sitting room. It was the first time she had left her bedroom under her own power since her collapse. She looked pale, but seemed herself again. She was dressed and looked stable enough for an audience with the king.

  Tomas breathed a sigh of relief. Nothing was worse than the feeling of helplessness he had endured in the face of her invisible attack.

  “You’re looking better.”

  “Almost human.”

  Not as good as he had hoped. She needed to feel more than human.

  “How are they handling the delay?” she asked.

  “Strangely well. Up until midnight last night, they were hounding me every ten minutes for updates. Today I haven’t seen anyone all morning.”