Magic Runes

by Devyn Jayse

  I sputtered. “I’m always frowning? Pot. Kettle. Black. You’ve perfected the art of the frown.”

  “No, I haven’t.” He frowned.

  I pointed at his forehead. “Do you need a mirror?”

  He raised his other hand to his forehead to verify that he was indeed frowning. I let out a laugh. “Has it become such a reflex you can’t notice anymore?”

  His eyebrows raised. “I think so. No one’s ever told me that before.”

  A snort escaped me. “No doubt your frown scared them off.”

  I pointed at his burger. “Try it, it will make you smile too.”

  I took another bite of my burger and saw the moment he realized how good the cook at Miguel’s was. The frown disappeared from his face. If I had to describe the look on his face I’d say it was euphoric.

  “This is delicious. How come I’ve never heard of this place before?

  “Most of Miguel’s customers keep quiet about it.” The crowd had thinned out returning to the usual regulars. I knew some of them from all the time we’ve spent in the place but didn’t interact much. I didn’t think Adrian wanted to know more about Maximus the vampire, and I didn’t think the various bounty hunters would appreciate me pointing them out to a SBI agent.

  We sat in companionable silence eating the good food. It felt good to unwind after a busy day.

  “Isn’t there a hangout that most SBI agents regularly go to?” I asked him, as I grabbed a french fry.

  “Yes, there is.”

  “I’ve never heard of that place.”

  “I’ll take you one day. They make excellent tacos.”

  Butterflies fluttered in my stomach, and were killed with his next sentence.

  “You’re an SBI consultant. You’re part of the team now.”

  I didn't know what was going on exactly but I supposed a friendship may not be that bad.

  We finished our burgers. Greta came back and reached for the plates. “It looks like you enjoyed them. Will you be having any dessert?”

  I didn’t reply. I was too busy staring at her wrist which was glowing with a green mark.

  Sixteen

  “What's this?”

  Greta let out a sound of alarm. “What’s wrong? Why are you holding my hand?”

  I stared at the marks on her wrist. They were similar to the marks I had seen on Thora. However, unlike Thora, these marks were pulsating with a green light and not blue. I wondered what the change in color meant.

  My eyes raised to meet Adrian’s. He appeared as taken aback as I was. What were the odds of me finding two bewitched women on the same street?

  “When did this appear?” I asked her.

  “I don't know.”

  She looked scared so I eased my grip on her arm and softened my tone. “Think about it, when did you first notice it?”

  She touched the mark with her other hand. “I don't know. I think maybe a week or two ago…maybe three?”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Is this the same one you saw on the girl?” Adrian asked.

  “Yes, I think so.” I confirmed. I squinted but the dim light made it difficult to be completely certain.

  “You’re scaring me,” Greta said. “Tell me what’s going on.”

  I let go of her wrist. “Is there a place we can go for more privacy?”

  “We can go to Miguel’s office if he says okay, but I have to find someone to cover my tables.” Greta looked back and forth between me and Adrian. “I’ll go ask him.”

  She took off in a hurry. I turned to look at Adrian. His customary frown had settled back on his face as he watched Greta leave. Adrian picked up the phone and dialed a number. He raised the phone to his ear. “Hi. It’s me. You need to come to Miguel’s. We’ve got a live one. Let Rafael know too. No, that’s not necessary, she’s with me.” He gave the person on the other end the address and hung up.

  “Think you’re up for a live demonstration on how to remove the rune marks?” He asked me.

  “Yes, was that Joe?”

  He nodded.

  Greta got Miguel’s attention. He glanced our direction and I gave him a nod. He said something to her and she returned to our table.

  “He said I can go to his office but that he’d join us.”

  “Of course.” Adrian got up from the chair and I followed suit.

  The two of us followed Greta to a back room. Miguel’s office was a small space, cluttered in an organized manner. He had a small desk and chair. Metal cabinets stood at the other corner. I assumed that’s where he kept his files. I looked around wondering how we could set this up. I left the room and dragged in a chair behind me. Adrian picked it up from me when he realized what I was doing. I dragged Miguel’s chair from behind the desk and put the two chairs next to each other.

  “Have a seat,” I told Greta. Her eyes darted between me and Adrian. Her anxiety was clear. She was nervous.

  Miguel entered the room and Greta’s expression cleared.

  “Sorry, I had to take care of a couple of customers and reassign your tables,” he said to the waitress. He closed the door behind him and the small office felt even smaller.

  “That’s okay.”

  “What’s going on?” He asked me. “What’s this about?”

  “We have a small situation. This is Agent Adrian from the Supernatural Bureau of Investigation. I’m working with him on a case. Someone has cast a bewitchment on Greta. It’s a nasty little spell. I want to remove it.”

  Greta gaped at Adrian. She blanched. “You’re with the SBI?”

  Adrian nodded. Miguel turned to the waitress. “Someone has cursed you?”

  She shook her head. “No, it can’t be.”

  “Are you sure?” Miguel asked Adrian and I.

  I pointed at the mark on Greta’s wrist and asked the waitress. “What did you think this was?”

  “I thought it was a temporary magic flare-up.”

  “What’s that?”

  “You can use magic?” Adrian asked her. That was a deviation in the profile from the other girls.

  “No, I found out about supernaturals from my grandmother. She says the gift died with her. She used to bring me here and I liked it so much I asked Miguel if I could get a job. Being around supernaturals makes me feel less strange.”

  Adrian glanced at Miguel. He verified her words with a nod.

  “I can’t use magic,” Greta gave Miguel a sideways glance. “But I can take it in.”

  She was talking about getting high off excess magic. Miguel’s expression remained shuttered. Clearly he wasn’t going to comment about the extracurricular activities of his employees.

  “Sometimes if you take in a little too much magic, it can cause a wicked whiplash. I thought this was part of that and it would go away on its own.”

  “How have you been feeling lately?”

  She hesitated. “I’ve been okay.”

  “No, she hasn’t.” Miguel interrupted. “Tell them the truth. She’s been complaining of headaches and feeling drained. She had to switch shifts the other day.”

  Adrian and I looked at her. She nodded. “Yes, I’ve been feeling terrible ever since that day.”

  “What are your symptoms?” Adrian asked her.

  “Just the nasty headache and a general sense of exhaustion. Who would want to put a spell on me?”

  “What’s what we want to find out. When did this first appear?”Adrian asked.

  “About two weeks ago.”

  “Has it been the same color since you first noticed it?”

  “No, it was light blue at first but then changed to green. Ir reminded me of how bruises change color. I was expecting purple next to match my hair.” She raised her hand and fluffed her hair. “So what does this spell do, other than make me feel terrible?”

  “What’s your original hair color?” I asked curiously.

  “It’s been so long, I don’t remember,” she joked. When I didn’t laugh, she replied, “It’s blond.”

&n
bsp; “Are you from here?”

  She shook her head. “We moved here from Finland.”

  I exchanged glances with Adrian. There it was again, the Scandinavian connection. She noticed and asked, “What is it? What does that have to do with anything? What’s this spell doing?”

  “It’s taking some of your energy.” I answered her.

  “Why?”

  “We’ve established that you’re not a practicing witch. Can you tell us who you spend your time with?”

  Greta hesitated. I could understand why she may not want to share names of people she got high with to an SBI agent.

  “All we’re interested in is who’s casting these spells to harm young women like yourself. Your information can help us save lives.”

  “Who would put a spell on me?”

  “That’s what we need your help with.” Adrian replied, patiently.

  Greta’s eyes widened. “Am I going to die?”

  “You’re not going to die,” Miguel assured her. The look he gave us indicated we better not fail him. He patted her back.

  “Would it be okay if I tried to remove the spell?” I asked Greta.

  “Yes,” she replied.

  “No,” said Adrian at the same time.

  We all looked at him in surprise.

  “Why not?” Greta wailed. “I don’t want to die.”

  “She’ll remove it. We’re just waiting on two more agents. I want them to see this.” Adrian replied. “We can’t remove it yet.”

  “Where are they?”

  “On the way. In the meantime, I’d like to ask you a few more questions.” Adrian interrogated the girl about her companions. Nothing I heard seemed to add any fresh information. Adrian kept asking her until he had a timeline of her activities over the two weeks before the mark had appeared. She was a university student and spent most of her time there or at Miguel’s. It crossed my mind that perhaps the magician was using Miguel’s to target these women but upon reflection I realized it didn’t explain Thora or some of the other women. I wondered if we would ever learn something that would help us crack the case and catch this guy.

  A knock sounded on the door and then it opened, and Joe and Rafael stepped in. Adrian brought them up to speed.

  Greta sat waiting for him to finish. I took the seat across from her. “It’s going to be okay.” I promised her. “I’ve managed to unravel one of these before and I’m going to remove this one from you too.”

  I reached forward for her hand and turned it so her wrist was visible to me.

  “Does it hurt?” She asked me.

  “No, it won’t hurt you. The spell will focus on hurting me so that I go away but I won’t stop until it’s completely gone.”

  The agents moved in closer. Miguel walked around us and sat in his desk chair. His expression remained neutral.

  “Can I start?” I asked the agents.

  “Yes,” Adrian said.

  I glanced at them to make sure they all could see what I was about to do. I reassured Greta, “This shouldn’t hurt. If it does, let me know but I think all you’ll feel is me tracing lines on your wrist.”

  She gulped and said, “Okay.”

  The light was much better in this room so I was able to make out the different runes used. I lightly traced them in reverse concentrating on which ones bit back at me. Those were the ones that were going to be more difficult to remove. I worked until every last rune mark had faded from her skin.

  I leaned back in my chair. “How do you feel now?”

  Greta put a hand to her head. “My headache’s gone.”

  I smiled. “That’s good to hear.”

  She raised her wrist to examine it. “It’s really gone?”

  “It is,” I assured her. “You should start feeling better soon. Don’t push yourself as your energy slowly returns.”

  Greta’s eyes brimmed with thanks. “Would it be okay if you helped my friend too?”

  I stilled. “What?”

  Her smile slid off her face. “My friend has the same mark. She got it the same time I did. But her’s is a different color.”

  Adrian’s voice was deadly serious as he asked, “And what color is that?”

  Greta looked between me and the agents.

  We tensed waiting for her answer.

  “Red.”

  Seventeen

  The agents and I rushed over to the university. Greta shared her friend’s schedule with us. Liv was taking a night class and we raced to get to her in time. We had no idea how the spell worked but the last girl that had a red mark had died soon thereafter. We couldn’t afford to waste any time.

  We reached the class Greta had told us Liv had five minutes before it was due to end. By the time we got there, students were already departing. I hoped we hadn’t missed her.

  “Joe. Rafael. You take the right. Carmen and I will take the left.” Adrian told us. We had a photo of the girl and now compared it to the faces we saw leaving either taking a right or left down as they exited. I hoped we hadn’t missed her as I scanned the faces of the students streaming out.

  “Carmen? What are you doing here?” A voice to my right asked.

  I turned to see Sylvia’s daughter, Irene, in front of me. “Hi Irene, I didn’t know you were doing night classes.”

  “I’m trying to graduate early.” She gave me a strange look. “Why are you here?”

  “I’m looking for someone. Here,” I showed her the photo on my phone. “Do you know her?”

  “Liv? Sure, she’s still inside. She’s talking to the professor.”

  “Thanks! I’m sorry, I have to go. I’ll see you at your birthday party, alright?”

  “Okay,” She waved goodbye at me with a quizzical look.

  I pushed my way past the students still exiting the room and entered. Irene was right. Greta’s friend held a paper and the professor leaned forward to read it. I gestured to the agents to follow me in. There were only a couple of students left. They eyed us with curiosity but left. The professor raised his head to answer his student, when he noticed us standing in the doorway. “Yes? Can I help you?”

  Adrian pointed at the student. “We’d like to talk to her.”

  Liv exchanged a look with the professor. “Who are you?”

  The three agents took out their badges as one and said, “SBI.”

  “What?” She didn’t react. Clearly while she engaged in magical activities, she wasn’t too immersed in the supernatural world.

  The professor gave his student a wary look. I couldn’t tell what he was from his energy but, like most supernaturals, he wasn’t fond of the SBI. My respect for him grew when he offered. “Would you like me to stay with you?”

  “I don’t know. What’s the SBI?”

  “Supernatural Bureau of Investigation,” I answered her. Panic bloomed on her face. “Don’t be scared. We got your details from Greta. We noticed that she had an unusual mark on her wrist and she told us you had a similar one.”

  The panic in her eyes faded but the concern remained. “She told you that?”

  “Yes. I managed to remove it for her. I’d like to do the same for you.”

  “You can do that?”

  “Yes, we can do it right here.”

  The professor spoke up. “Well, if you don’t need me, I’ll get going.”

  She glanced back at him. “Thanks.”

  “Can you show us your mark?

  Liv placed the paper she was holding on the table. She pulled up her sleeve and revealed the middle of her forearm. Unlike the other marks, this red one pulsed with an angry energy. The agents had grim expressions on their faces. I remembered the last time they had seen one like it, the girl had died. I refused to let that happen today.

  “It changed color right before class. I called Greta to ask her if hers had done the same.”

  “Does it hurt?” Rafael asked her.

  “No, I just have a migraine.”

  “Do you usually get migraines?”

  �
�No, only since the…” Her voice trailed off. She didn’t want to admit to the magic flare.

  “It’s okay, Greta told us. She didn’t tell us you were with her at first. Are you ready for me to try to remove it?”

  She looked at me and then at the men. She seemed to consider me the safer option. “Yes.”

  I concentrated on the runes. These were different than the previous two I had reversed. It was as though the person adding them had increased in levels. The first mark I had removed from Thora had been easy. The second from Greta was average. This appeared to be the difficult one. I wondered why since the girls had been together.

  “Let’s have a seat, this may take some time.” I sat down. Liv followed me and took the chair next to me. The agents clustered around us.

  “Would you mind if I took a video of this?” Joe asked me and Liv.

  Liv shrugged. “That’s fine.”

  I looked up at him. I desperately wanted to say no, but I knew it would seem suspicious. “Sure, but would you mind just recording her arm and not my face?”

  “Of course.” He got out his phone and aimed it at Liv’s arm.

  I raised my hand and traced a finger around the runes to get a feel for them. Liv flinched at my touch. She could sense the spell wanted to keep me away. “Don’t worry, it’s going to try to hurt me more than you. It’s warning me off.”

  “Did it hurt for Greta?”

  “No, but hers was green so it was a little more simple. I’m going to do my best. Don’t worry.” I found an easy rune to reverse and traced it backwards. The pulsing slowed slightly.

  “Carmen, would you mind explaining to us what you're doing?” Joe asked for the record.

  I began to explain my process. “Do you see this here? They’re a variety of runes that have been interposed over each other. You need a thorough knowledge of rune marks to be able to separate them otherwise they all blend together and it looks like one master rune. Here’s one that you may recognize. It’s a popular one. All I have to do is turn it around to unravel it.” I drew it on her arm the correct way and then reversed it. “Here’s another you may know.” I continued to talk through my work as I steadily reversed the runemarks on her arm.