by Olivia Ash
Within seconds, the storm ends.
“Or as gentle as a soft spring breeze…” She draws a symbol that is a cross between an “H” and a capital “N,” placing it to the right of the first one and imbuing it with magic again. A warm breeze gently floats through the room.
She faces the room again. “Runes are also handy in enhancing traps, location or map spells, enhancing protection items, growth of plants, divination, and so on. The uses are great and varied. However, for the purpose of this class, we will only cover the most basic uses.”
She takes a moment to meet the eyes of each student in the room. “Take out your runes. Familiarize yourselves with them.”
Savannah lays her runes out in front of her in neat rows. As she flips some over to reveal their symbol, I dump mine out in front of me and organize mine in rows as well. There are twenty-four of them. But one of mine doesn’t have a symbol on it. I raise my hand.
“Yes, Miss Blackwood.”
This is the third time she’s called a student by name. I figured she had met Savannah and Jesse before. But I know this is my first time meeting her. Yet, she knows me. That is either really good or really bad. Either way, I’m pleasantly surprised.
“One of mine is blank.”
“As it should be. All of you have one that holds no symbol. It is the symbol for eternity. Time out of time.”
I nod. Well, all right then.
I look over at Milo as he takes each rune, one-by-one, and sketches them in his book. He’s focused on every minute detail as he scribbles away.
Jesse leaves his scattered along the surface in front of him, leaning back in his chair with his arm draped over the back of my seat. I shake my head and return my focus to the runes in front of me. Each seems basic in design. Boxy, with straight lines and no curves.
Savannah stares at her runes. “These are said to be the language of the gods. When used properly, they can speak to you.”
“Interesting,” I say, fingering one that looks like an arrow.
“There are a lot of healing spells that use runes too,” Savannah adds.
“Really?” That explains her devotion to the runes. “Do you know any of the runes already?”
“I know all of them.” She breaks into a proud smile.
I nod, impressed. “That’s a cool advantage to have. Maybe you can help me study them later?”
She leans in close and playfully nudges me with her elbow. “Of course!”
Jesse sits forward and yawns. “This is boring. I want to get to the real stuff.”
“Maybe if you familiarized yourself with the runes, you wouldn’t be so bored.” I nod toward his runes.
Milo snorts as he scribbles furiously in his notebook, moving on to the descriptions from the book.
“I need to be entertained,” Jesse says. “Engaged. So far, this class is far from those two requirements.”
“Language of the gods,” I mutter.
He sits forward. “Really?”
I point to Savannah who nods in my periphery.
“Why didn’t Lady Nimue start with that? That’s much more exciting.”
I shake my head as I spin another rune in my hand, this one looking like a sideways hourglass. As I move to set it on the table, a bright blue and purple electric bolt of light shoots into my finger from the rune. The sharp sensation makes me jump.
“Are you okay?” Savannah asks.
I nod.
Lady Nimue’s gaze turns toward us. “Be mindful of your thoughts when working with your runes. They are very powerful. Almost like conduits. Intention is everything. Too much intent may result in unexpected outcomes.”
I really wasn’t thinking of anything, to be honest. I was just focused on wondering what the meaning was. That’s all. Looking at the page for the rune in the book, the description I find is cryptic at best. It symbolizes a sword. Nothing referring to electricity or lightning.
“And here,” Jesse says, elbowing me, “I thought I was the one with the shocking personality.”
I chuckle. “You wish.”
I thumb my way through a few more pages, trying to figure out how or why a rune would react to me like that. If I’m going to control my magic and prove myself, I’m going to need a lot more than mere personality.
Chapter Four
After a short time, Lady Nimue gathers our attention. “Now it is time to demonstrate your understanding of runes by performing a small experiment. Everyone is allowed to pick their partners.”
“I pick you,” Savannah says to me.
“What if I say you can’t have her?” Jesse asks.
“Your loss for not acting quick enough.”
I chuckle. “Good one.”
“I know, right?” She grins at me.
“Very well, I’ll share her,” Jesse says, feigning disappointment. “Just this once.”
“You’re insufferable,” I say.
He winks. “Milo and I could use some bonding.”
“If you insist, however I would rather not get touchy feely,” Milo retorts.
“I’m wounded. Deeply.” Jesse mimes a knife in his chest. “Touchy feely is my forte.”
“You’ll live.”
I try my best to stifle a giggle. Milo has some spunk. I like it.
We share a look. A proud smile stretches Milo’s lips. Even being smug suits him. Everything looks amazing on him. It’s impossible for him not to be hot as hell. My magic reacts to both him and Jesse, but it almost feels like it’s responding more to him. They both flow through me, but his is more like rapids and currents whereas Jesse’s is cool, free flowing, and almost icy at times.
“For this experiment,” Lady Nimue continues, “You’ll be combining runes to create an enchanted item. There are a variety of items you may chose from here.” She gestures to a shelf next to the door.
“Please make sure your intentions are clear and you control the amount of energy you infuse into your enchantment, or you may get more than just a tiny zap, like Miss Blackwood.”
I lift my gaze to Lady Nimue. She nods once.
Oh good. I’m an example.
Fun.
“So, what do you want to do?” Savannah asks.
I shrug. “I’m open to ideas. I’m completely new to runes.”
“Really?” She seems genuinely surprised.
“Well, if I had learned anything about them, it was too long ago to really remember.” Being a captive of trolls left little room for leisurely rune studies. In fact, little room for leisurely anything.
“Huh.”
“So, do you have any ideas?” I ask with a smile.
“Let’s go pick something out.” She stands and approaches the bookshelf.
I join her, hoping she’ll pick something that won’t end up zapping me again.
A handful of crystals of various colors line one shelf. Another shelf has stones, twigs, and leaves stored on it. The third shelf holds various colors of string.
“We could enchant a crystal and make it glow,” Savannah suggests. “Or, we could use a twig with some string and see if we can’t get it to grow. The leaves are different. We could use them and a stone and make it a boat that will float in water or something…”
“All of them sound like really good ideas. I think we should try something with the twigs.”
Honestly, I have no idea what to do, but I’m anxious to get started, and though the glowing crystal sounded neat, I wanted to try something a little more intricate.
“I like your thinking.” She grabs a couple twigs, green string, and heads back to our seats.
The first rune associated with growth is one that looks like two sideways “V’s” facing and opening toward each other, with their top lines running parallel to each other. The other rune is one that looks like a “B.” We place the runes on the twigs and wrap the green strings around them until it’s a tight bundle.
Once we finish, Lady Nimue approaches us. “Let’s see how your creation works.”
Both Savannah and I nod to each other and lay a hand on the twigs. Our goal is to just make it come to life and grow a little.
Warmth enters my hand and radiates outward. I look to Savannah. Her focus is entirely on the twigs. Her face wears a smooth mask of calm.
White light glows beneath our hands, shining on the twigs that begin vibrating under our hands. They stretch out, turning green, and buds of dark green leaves grow in various intervals along their lengths. We remove our hands as the twigs take on a mind of their own, swelling until they conjoin to form a wide trunk of large oak. Roots curl and curve along the table, hanging over the edge, reaching for the ground.
Pretty damn cool if I do say so myself.
Everyone at my table stands up and moves back as we crane our heads toward the top of the tree that continues stretching up toward the ceiling. Large branches split off in every direction, sprouting leaves as the table creaks and groans under the weight of a nearly full-grown tree.
“Oops…” I take in a deep breath. The look on Lady Nimue’s face tells me this isn’t as cool as I thought.
Murmurs and chaotic chatter take over the silence in the room as the tree finally comes to a halt. Well, at least its little growth spurt is done.
I gawk at the giant tree taking residence in the room. Savannah shifts, and I look to her. We exchange wide-eyed glances. The Lady walks around the tree, her face a picture of utter shock as she states, “This… this is…” She shakes her head. “What was the intention?”
“Just to make it grow a little,” I say.
“Yeah,” Savannah agrees. “Nowhere near this much.”
“How many runes did you use?” Lady Nimue asks, weaving her fingers together in front of her.
Savannah clears her throat. “Two—Jera and Berkana.”
Lady Nimue’s astonished expression switches between us and the oak. “Your intention was to make it grow only a little?”
I nod. “Just like an inch or two, with maybe a couple of leaves.”
“You must have put too much energy into the growth. Also, next time, pulse your magic into the enchantment, and when you start to see an effect, remove your hands.”
I nod.
Our attention is pulled away by tapping coming from the other side of the classroom door. Lady Nimue waves her hand. The door opens, and a large black and maroon megaphone floats into the room, hovering in the air. The charm of enchanted items usually intrigues me but looking at the massive tree sitting in the middle of the class, my excitement is dampened.
The megaphone bobs in the air as the message is given. “Wren Blackwood is expected in Headmaster Storm’s office immediately.”
With its job done, it floats back out of the room. The door closes behind it.
Great. Now I’m in trouble.
The babbling of students doesn’t help matters either. My nerves turn erratic as a cold lump of weight settles in my stomach. I wonder if I just did the unthinkable.
I nervously look to Milo and Jesse. Milo shrugs as Jesse smiles and mouths the word “troublemaker” to me.
I roll my eyes.
Savannah pulls my attention to her with a hand around my arm. “Go, I’ll take care of this.”
My shoulders slump. “Thanks.”
I stand and make my way to the door. Before I walk through, I turn and face Lady Nimue. “I’m sorry.”
“All is well, Miss Blackwood.” She gives me a soft smile. “We are all still learning.”
And with that, I head to Gideon’s office.
Chapter Five
As soon as I turn down the hall that leads to Gideon’s office, I see the large portrait change. The images that hide Gideon’s office never cease to amaze me. They are different each time I visit and seem to correlate with a season or event happening at the academy. The current image is a school-like setting.
Students dressed in all black are gathered in a straight line, standing shoulder to shoulder, with their hands outstretched toward something I can’t see. The room they’re standing in reminds me of the arena here at Blackbriar. Their hands glow at the instruction of the professor pacing the line behind them, and all at once, beams of colorful light leave their hands. The glow expands through the entire wall, swallowing all the shapes. The image stills and dissolves away, leaving behind a bright, colorful forest with leaves in shades of autumn. A light fog hovers over the ground, moving through the trees in an eerie motion. Shadows of unicorns move through the trees. One looks at me with glowing red eyes. Its black mane moves with a breeze that dances through the trees, sending the colorful leaves falling to the ground.
I gasp.
I know this place. It’s an ancient long-lost forest called Blackbriar Forest. It was home to unicorns at one point. Very magical. I don’t recall the entire legend, but from what I do remember, the forest was said to be the birthplace of all magic, and unicorns were said to be its great protectors.
It’s also the academy’s namesake.
The unicorn continues on its way through the trees until it fades away into the shadows.
As the image dissolves, the door to Gideon’s office appears. I approach and tap on the door. Seconds later, the sound of chairs scraping against the hardwood floor seeps through to me. The handle turns, and Gideon appears in the doorway. He smiles warmly at me.
My cheeks burn as I smile back. The man has a killer, make me weak in the knees smile. I think he flashes it just to get to me.
I love it.
“Miss Blackwood,” he says, opening the door wider and gesturing for me to enter. “Please, come in.”
As I enter, my eyes settle on a thin woman, standing tall with flowing silver hair that glitters in the sunlight filtering in from a nearby window.
“You have a visitor,” Gideon says.
But this woman needs no introduction. Her lips stretch, never parting enough to reveal teeth and never wide enough to reach her eyes. But within her brown eyes is recognition.
“Aunt Patricia.” I rush to her, nearly knocking her over as I wrap my arms around the woman I haven’t seen since I was taken by the trolls. It’s good to see her, after all this time.
“Hello, my dear.” She grabs my shoulders and gently pushes me back, holding me at arm’s length. She studies me for a moment. “You look well. I was so worried about you. Thank goodness you are here at Blackbriar.”
Gideon adds, “I’ve taken the liberty of explaining to your aunt the progress you have shown here so far.”
Gideon takes a seat at his desk. He’s official, distant, acting as the headmaster that he is. He doesn’t share any glances, despite my magic still reacting to being so close to him. I figure it’s to keep up appearances. He has a way with making sure I know exactly how he feels about me when no one else is around, and for the time being, I’m okay with that.
“Your adjustment to being here has been quite impressive, I am told.” Aunt Patricia smiles. “And so quickly, too.”
I nod. “Thank you.” My mind instantly races to the tree in the class I just left. “I have a long way to go though.”
“You will get there, I am sure. Oh, and do not fret about tuition, it has already been handled.” She gives Gideon a matter of fact nod and takes a seat in front of his desk.
“Thank you,” I say with a grateful grin. I had been wondering about that aspect, especially after Soren shared how some mages didn’t attend Blackbriar because of money.
Aunt Patricia shifts in her seat. “You are quite welcome. As soon as I learned you were here, I knew you would need the assistance.”
“When did you arrive?” I take the other seat in front of Gideon’s desk.
“Just before you were called here,” Gideon responds.
“Thank you,” I say. “For allowing me to miss out on the last few minutes of class to say hello.”
He nods with a smirk. There’s a glint in his eyes that makes heat rush down my neck. I force myself to look away from his gorgeous face.
“Despite it being
her first day, she’s showing significant promise to become a great and powerful mage.” Gideon nods toward me. “I’m sure this will make the Blackwood family proud.”
“Yes. Quite interesting, considering the circumstances of her birth,” Patricia adds. She seems lost in thought. Her eyes cloud over with a memory that replays in her mind. She blinks it away.
Gideon adds, “It’s not common for a half-mage to have such skill, that’s true. But I have seen reports of it. She’s a rare delight, indeed.”
Right. Half-mages don’t typically have powers. I do. Because of the meteorite I fused with when I was a little girl. “I’m just as surprised as everyone else. How long are you planning on staying?”
“Only a few days. Enough to catch up and spend some time with you.”
I’m elated to have my aunt back. I almost don’t catch the nearly imperceptive way her lips curl downward at the corners. Her brown eyes, like my father’s, seem perceptive, catching onto more than what they let on. It makes me question why she isn’t as excited as I am over our reunion, but then I remember that my aunt is a very proud woman. High class, and rich. She had been raised to have strict control over her emotions and reactions, and when I lived with her, she tried to instill the same in me. She seems rigid, but maybe she’s just tired from the trip. She was half-way across the world not too long ago.
“I am looking forward to it.” I smile.
“Your classes are going well so far then?” Aunt Patricia’s tone softens, and I suppose that’s her way of talking in a friendly manner. At least she’s trying.
I nod. “I’ve only had the one so far, but yes. It’s Introduction to Runes. Fascinating. What was your favorite class?”
“It’s been so long that I can hardly remember.” Patricia gently bats at the air.
“Yes, speaking of,” Gideon says, “Wren has another class coming up. Since it is her first day, I would prefer her to miss as little as possible. I can escort you to your room and make arrangements for you and your niece to have time tonight. Maybe have a private meal.”
