Home (Hidden in the Reed's Book 1)

by Declan, Brian

  The second category was called construct and these eight runes did exactly as the category implied: they were used to build a construct out of raw magic. These were the frame on which the rest of the runes were built.

  The third category was the obvious one called expression and they converted raw magic into one of the eight expressions of magic: light, fire, ice, wind, water, earth, shadow and energy. The tricky part about them was that they functioned like a modifier to the other runes and could be very finicky.

  The last category was where the true power of the runes came from, and if you asked Rocious, it was where true empathy got its power also. The bond. The book contained only two runes that could establish a bond, an open bond or a closed bond. As Colville called it, an open bond was transferable: anyone who picked up the object could use it. The opposite was true for a closed bond: only one person could ever use it. But Falcon believed there were two more bonds, and he hoped to discover them.

  “You’re never going to figure out the secret behind the armor without trying,” replied Falcon.

  “I don’t want to figure it out, world’s better off not knowing. Where do you plan to find two people who can test it?” asked Colville.

  “I was thinking the Pathos Academy in Dominion. I heard a rumor about a pair of brothers at the academy,” answered Falcon.

  “Be careful going there,” warned Colville.

  “Why is that?” asked Falcon.

  “All the academies have a bit of a rivalry with each other, sometimes it gets pretty violent,” answered Colville.

  “I’m not from a rival academy,” said Falcon.

  “Lockland trains you, not Connelly. That’s all that matters,” answered Colville.

  “It could be nice to meet pathos other than Master Lockland though,” said Falcon.

  “What is so special about these brothers anyway? Have Denali and his daughter test it,” said Colville.

  “The rumor is they are both attempting the Praetorian Trials next year,” said Falcon.

  “Ah, the real reason: you want to see if you can attempt the trials,” said Colville.

  “Master Lockland would never let me attempt them. Besides, a pathos can help me transfer the bond… that is if it works,” said Falcon.

  “There’s more than a year before the trials, he could change his mind,” said Colville.

  “Trust me, forty years won’t change his mind,” said Falcon.

  “Regardless, be careful, in my experience pathos are a jealous breed,” said Colville.

  “I’m hurt,” mocked Falcon.

  “I’m serious, you’d be better off avoiding them,” said Colville shoving him.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll be careful,” said Falcon pushing him back.

  “Good, then load the cart, you need to leave tomorrow if you’re going to catch up to Centurion Chaplin,” said Colville.

  “Eh, alright,” groaned Falcon.

  “Oh wait. I almost forgot, I made you something,” said Colville.

  Colville reached into his pocket, pulled out a medallion and handed it to Falcon. Falcon ran his hand over the medallion trying to make out the runes Colville had engraved. “What does it do?”

  “It glows. Since you’re traveling at night, it will help light your way.”

  It took a full two days for Falcon to catch up to Chaplin’s caravan. Ten years ago they would never have considered leaving someone to travel alone; a large group was the only safe way to travel. But over the years Dominick demanded more and more weapons from Spring Forge. Now Dominick sent five carts in the winter and another five spread over the rest of the year. He claimed it was to make sure all nine legions were supplied with new equipment.

  To make sure they arrived on time Falcon volunteered to be the one to stay behind with the last cart, but in truth, he was the only option. No one else could help finish the work in the forge and safely lead the cart at night. Similar to the medallion Colville engraved to emit light, Falcon had engraved the carts’ lamps to emit light. The only catch was the lamps needed a constant source of magic. Rocious had left on some errand for Dominick so the only attuned left was Falcon.

  He caught the group, as they were about to start traveling on the third day. He pulled his cart next to the rear guard, before hopping down.

  “Hey Clint, you wanna take over for me? I haven’t slept in a few days,” said Falcon.

  “Sure thing, you should check in with Chap before you fall asleep though,” said Clint.

  “Thanks. Will do,” said Falcon linking arms with Clint and handing him the reins to the cart.

  Falcon grabbed his black cloak and pack before going after Chaplin. He found Chaplin tallying something in his notebook as the carts passed by.

  “Hey Chap, I just passed my cart off to Clint, was gonna try and get some sleep,” said Falcon catching Chaplin’s attention briefly.

  “Good thing you caught up. I’ve got a job for you before you pass out,” said Chaplin.

  “Sure, what is it?” asked Falcon.

  “Yeah, the road’s blocked a couple miles up. I sent Decimus to take care of it, but he could use some help,” said Chaplin.

  “Alright,” said Falcon.

  Falcon started jogging to the front of the caravan letting his breathing fall into a steady rhythm. With each breath he pulled a little bit of magic under control. By the time he reached Decimus he was filled with enough magic to make his skin tingle. It would be more than enough to clear whatever blocked the road. Decimus was busy hacking away at a fallen tree when Falcon came over to help.

  “I’ve got a better idea,” said Falcon.

  Decimus looked up at the sound, “What’s that?”

  Falcon took out a knife, and carved a series of runes in one of the fallen trees. Decimus stopped chopping and inspected the runes.

  “Think you can remember them?” asked Falcon.

  “I’m hurt, of course I can remember them,” answered Decimus.

  “Good, prove it,” said Falcon.

  He touched the runes, activating them, and creating a puff of wind that sliced straight through the tree.

  “Cool,” said Decimus.

  “It won’t be as easy as your knife but give it a shot,” said Falcon.

  Decimus did remember the runes, as Falcon figured. Over the years Decimus had disproved the stereotype of being a big, dumb guy who could only swing a sword. He was an uneducated man, not a dumb one. And he always tried to better himself, showing hard work paid off. If only he could read and do sums he would easily be Chaplin’s Optio. They spent the next thirty minutes clearing the trees together, most of the work falling to Falcon since Decimus did not have the ability to refill the magic in his body.

  “Last one’s all yours Dec,” said Falcon.

  “I’m spent kid, you’ve gotta take this one,” replied Decimus.

  The downfall of using the runes: it drained your magic. And if you did not have the benefit of being attuned with the training to refill it quickly, it took a lot out of you. Falcon stepped up to the last tree and activated the runes with a wave of his hand. This time he changed one of the runes, to create a surge of raw force. The result was the whole tree getting pushed completely off the road all at once.

  “I’ll never get sick of seeing that,” said Decimus.

  Falcon shrugged then gathered his cloak and pack to wait for the caravan.

  As usual, Chaplin led the group to the armory while Falcon took the special deliveries. Falcon looked forward to making deliveries, as it was a rare occasion for him to explore the city. It allowed him to meet new and interesting people, and at the same time catch up with people he seldom encountered. Most of them were more than delighted to offer him some fraction of hospitality. Lord Werval and his wife always insisted on feeding him and catching up. Sir Arik Denali routinely greeted him with a bear hug and his daughter even knit Falcon a pair of warm gloves. It’s funny how such a small gesture meant the world, even though he never once wore them.

&nbs
p; When his deliveries were complete he went to one of the few places he had never been: the Pathos Academy. He knew little about the academy other than Praetorian Connelly was headmaster. At one time Connelly had given him an open invitation to attend the academy, but since Rocious had trained him privately for years that may have become a closed invitation.

  Falcon entered the academy grounds trying to look more relaxed than he felt. When he noticed most pathos walking with their hoods up he quickly flipped up his hood and tried to blend in, although they wore robes and he still had traveling clothes under his cloak. He scanned the various buildings looking for any clue as to where he could find Connelly, but they all looked similar. Not wanting to dawdle, Falcon decided he would need to take a closer look inside if he was going to find Connelly. The first couple of buildings appeared to be dormitories, one of which kicked him out since he was obviously not a girl. Continuing his search he eventually found the academy’s library, and decided to ask for directions. There was a pleasantly curvy girl working the library’s front desk, but she was focused completely on her book and did not notice Falcon.

  “Excuse me,” said Falcon.

  The girl did not so much as blink. She scratched her face and continued to read as if she was in her own little world.

  “Excuse me,” said Falcon louder.

  Again the girl continued reading, oblivious to Falcon’s presence. Either she is deaf or that is one amazing book, he thought. Falcon walked around the desk and started reading the book over her shoulder.

  Falcon started reading her book aloud, “Of all loci only those with—”

  The girl jolted out of her chair, “BAAHHH!” she screamed, dropping her book. “Who?! What are you doing back here?”

  “Same as you. Reading. This is a library right?” asked Falcon with a smirk.

  “You can’t be here,” replied the girl, ignoring his question and pushing him around the desk.

  “Actually I am looking for Headmaster Connelly,” said Falcon.

  “Headmaster Connelly? Who are you?” asked the girl. She was clearly flustered having someone else there.

  “My name’s Falcon, and you are?” asked Falcon.

  “Falcon…” said the girl.

  “Yes, like the bird, falco peregrinus,” said Falcon.

  Falcon waited while the girl took a few breaths to calm her nerves. He recognized the rhythmic breathing, as it was the same Rocious had taught him to help bring magic under your control.

  “Nice to meet you Falcon, I’m Lucina. Most people call me Lucy. Well, I don’t know a lot of people so it’s not most. Most people don’t even know my name, but if they did they would probably call me Lucy,” rambled Lucina.

  Falcon spoke up before she continued rambling, “Got it, your friends call you Lucy, nice to meet you. Can you tell me where to find Master Connelly?” asked Falcon.

  Lucy paused to take a deep breath, “Well, his office is actually on the third floor of this building. But he should be giving a lecture right now,” answered Lucina.

  “Okay, where can I find him?” asked Falcon.

  “Cornwell Auditorium I think. I can show you,” said Lucina.

  “Don’t you work here? You’re just going to leave?” asked Falcon.

  “I do, but in the two years I have worked here I’ve only seen a handful of people and they usually know where they’re going,” answered Lucina.

  She took a hat, a scarf and a pair of gloves then followed Falcon to the door. Falcon held the door and let her take the lead.

  “That’s surprising. I would think you’d need to study to learn magic,” said Falcon.

  “I know, right? That’s what I thought. But once everyone figures out the runes they forget about all of the books, and there are only a few masters that reference them,” said Lucina.

  “Yeah, learning magic isn’t at all what I expected ten years ago,” said Falcon.

  “You’re a pathos?” asked Lucina.

  “Yeah,” answered Falcon keeping it simple.

  “Oh, it’s just that normally students don’t wear traveling clothes around campus. When did you start?” asked Lucina.

  “About ten years ago,” said Falcon reluctantly.

  Lucina stopped walking and put her hands up. “Whoa. Look, I don’t want any trouble.”

  “I’m not here to cause trouble, all I want is to talk to Headmaster Connelly,” said Falcon trying to look innocent.

  Lucina watched him suspiciously. When they first met she seemed to be a total scatterbrain but now she appeared to be ready to fight at the first sign of danger. If there was one thing that Falcon had learned from his years of training, it was what someone looked like before they attacked. He read Lucina like she was just another book in the library.

  Lucina brought her hand back a few inches, “What academy do you go to?”

  Falcon dropped his eyes a little lower, “None, I’m—”

  Lucina took a quick step and threw a blast of ice. Falcon kept his hands down but hopped to the side, moving barely enough to avoid the ice.

  “Whoa there. Calm down,” said Falcon trying to keep his voice jovial.

  Lucina took another step to send a second blast of ice at him but her reflexes were simply too slow compared to Falcon’s. He jumped forward and spun behind her. Her blast of ice flew nowhere near him this time.

  “I’m not—” he said.

  She spun trying to find him.

  “Here—”

  Lucina swung a blind fist trying to find him but Falcon caught her hand.

  “To fight!” said Falcon.

  Staring her in the face, Falcon realized she was frightened and let go of her hand, only to be kicked in the stomach. It was not a powerful blow but Falcon let it knock him over.

  Falcon stayed on the ground and showed her his hands.

  “Hey, hey,” said Falcon. Lucina accepted her victory and stopped attacking for the moment.

  “You need to leave,” said Lucina.

  Falcon stood up but kept his distance.

  “First I need to talk to Headmaster Connelly. I’d like your help finding him, but I understand if that’s too much to ask. Either way I suggest you not attack me again,” said Falcon. Nearby students turned to watch the scene, more out of amusement than concern.

  “I don’t trust you,” said Lucina.

  “Tell me where he is then and I’ll be on my way,” bargained Falcon.

  “I’m not letting you wander around causing trouble. I’ll show you to his lecture hall,” said Lucina.

  Falcon started walking again, “Thank you.”

  Lucina walked after him but stayed her distance, “Don’t try anything.”

  “Got it,” said Falcon.

  Lucina showed him the rest of the way to Connelly’s lecture hall.

  Falcon reached for the door but Lucina smacked his hand away, “You can’t barge in during a lecture. They don’t have rules where you come from?” asked Lucina.

  “Okay, okay. I’ll wait. Thanks again,” said Falcon.

  “Do you cause this much trouble at your own school?” asked Lucina.

  “I told you I don’t have a school,” said Falcon flatly.

  “You said you were a pathos, or was that a lie?” asked Lucina.

  “Are you this much of a bitch to everyone?” asked Falcon.

  Lucina narrowed her eyes at Falcon, but he ignored her and took a seat on the floor next to the door. Lucina sat next to him, “You’re an asshole.”

  Falcon took the medallion from Colville out of his pocket and spun it on his finger. “And yet you were the one who attacked me,” he said offhand.

  Lucina turned her head away and they fell into a quiet competition of patience. Lucina started picking at the floor then realized what she was doing and stopped. Falcon stopped spinning the medallion and held it in his hand. Lucina looked down at the medallion and started tapping her foot. Falcon noticed her foot and had to stop himself from laughing.

  Most children who grew
up around court politics learned the trick to waiting and Falcon was no different. You simply had to find ways to entertain yourself. His most recent trick was activating the runes on his medallion one at a time, pulling back his magic right before it began to glow. It was something that Rocious made him practice over eight years ago to use magic more efficiently. Now it simply helped pass the time.

  Lucina caught herself tapping her foot and gave up on patience, “I’m sorry I attacked you.”

  Falcon kept his eyes on the medallion, “Not for calling me a liar?” he asked.

  “Yeah. I’m sorry for calling you a liar and attacking you,” answered Lucina.

  “Thanks,” said Falcon.

  “That’s all you have to say? Thanks?” said Lucina.

  Falcon glanced at her hand twirling her hair.

  “I accept your apology, so thanks,” said Falcon.

  Lucina let go of her hair and crossed her arms, “You’re not sorry also?”

  “No. You were being a bitch, so I called you a bitch. I’m not sorry,” said Falcon.

  “I take it back, you really are an asshole,” said Lucina.

  “It’s a crappy job but someone has to do it,” said Falcon.

  Lucina stared, not sure if he was making a joke, flirting or trying to offend her. Either way he had a point.

  “You sound like my sister,” said Lucina.

  Suddenly light burst from the medallion as Falcon turned to Lucina, “You have a sister?”

  “Yeah, you have a problem with that?” answered Lucina.

  “Does she go here?” asked Falcon.

  “Whoa, I brought you to see Headmaster Connelly, that’s it.” said Lucina.

  “I only needed him to help me find a pathos with a relative that could help me test something,” said Falcon.

  “To test runes. Well yes, my sister is here, but she isn’t attuned,” said Lucina.

  “That might actually be a good thing. Let’s go,” said Falcon jumping up to leave.

  Falcon smiled, trying to look innocent, hoping she would be more inclined to help him.

  “You’re talking about genetic transference; it’s a myth,” said Lucina.

  “Well, I think I’ve figured out how to do it with this set of runes. But I need some help testing it?” asked Falcon trying to make it sound interesting.