I dipped a finger in Thandi’s blood and quickly moved to Sol’s chest, drawing runes around the wound itself and down her sternum.
Runes for healing and growth around her heart.
Runes for power and blood down her sternum.
A rune for love under her breastbone.
A Communication Rune on her temple.
The last two were not intended, but something in Thandi’s blood spoke to me, and I knew once I drew them that they were right.
Once I was done, I pushed a cloth at Thandi and he wrapped his hand. I cut my own palms, squeezing until blood dripped from my hands onto the runes I drew on Sol’s skin. As I squeezed, I muttered words of power. I never knew which words to say until I was in the act of drawing and activating the runes, and these felt right.
As soon as I was done, the runes on Sol’s skin flared brightly, and I felt the innate magic in my blood heat and drain until I was left panting andsweaty on the ground next to Sol. I was dizzy and suddenly exhausted, clearly having over-pulled from my innate magic.
I heard a gasp from behind me and raised my head from the ground to watch as Sol’s skin knitted back together in front of our eyes. As it closed, the runes I drew in Thandi’s blood turned black, permanently etching themselves into her flesh.
As the runes settled into her skin, I could see the easier rise and fall of Sol’s chest, her pulse steady and strong in her neck. Content that the Mage was going to live, I laid my head back on the ground.
The world grew fuzzy, and voices seemed far away.
“What happened to her?”
“What do we do? Is she okay?”
The voices were panicked, and I felt my body lifting from the ground until I was encased in strong arms, my nose pressed against a surprisingly soft tunic that smelled like bitter smoke and a hint of sweetgrass.
“Mmmfine,” I mumbled into the chest holding me. My body started jostling, and I realized whoever was holding me was moving. “Jusoverdrew.” My words sounded drunk even to my own ears, my eyes were closed, and I clutched tightly at the tunic pressed against my face.
“Sleep,” the deep voice commanded again.
I tried to tell that voice exactly what they could do with their commands, but the world went blissfully black and silent as I slipped into slumber.
Chapter 40
Rohak
After healing Sol, Faylinn quickly lost consciousness, clearly using too much of the magic within her blood. Immediately I scooped her from the ground, Thandi copying my movements with Sol, and we moved back toward the inn. She was light in my arms and made soft little snorts as she slept with her face pressed to my tunic.
I’d never seen Rune Magic of that caliber before. Every child, Mage or Vessel, was taught the basics of runes and the power of innate magic in our blood. But true masters of the arcane art were few and far between. I racked my brain as I carried Faylinn back, unsure if I knew ofanyRune Masters. Their craft was obsolete, Mages choosing to focus on the magic they could pull rather than what was readily available to them.
Perhaps it was something we took for granted for years, and now it was a lost art. So lost that even Alois couldn’t read the book we found in the Keeper’s library all those years ago.
I hummed quietly to myself.
I must find a way to bring her back to the capital with me. She is who Alois needs.
She shuffled a bit in my arms, burying her head against my neck so her little huffs of breath feathered against my exposed skin. I hadn’t ever held a woman like this, even my trysts were short and perfunctory, and I couldn’ttell if I hated or loved the way she clung to me. She was strong beneath my fingers, her body clearly used to manual labor and hard work, but she was much too slender. Whether by choice or the lack of food over the past week, Faylinn needed to take care of herself, especially after the energy she expended while saving Sol.
The walk back to the inn was short and I was grateful to release Faylinn into the waiting arms of one of the villagers. Yet, as soon as she was gone, I felt empty and bereft without her. I rubbed my chest absently, my magic grumbling at losing her proximity.
The villager quickly took her from me before slamming the door to the inn in my face. They still weren’t trusting of us, and I couldn’t blame them. If what they said was true, my Mages killed one of their community members in front of them. While I trained my Mages to be cutthroat and even bloodthirsty, I never would have authorized the execution of justice in such a manner.
I turned from the inn with a grunt, meeting my remaining Mages outside the wards.
“What now, General?” The few of my company sent to retrieve Faylinn’s things returned, one clutching a leather satchel that clinked as she moved, another holding two scorched vials.
“Is that all that remained?”
