Page 7 of The Seeker

I moved toward the door, not wanting to discuss this with her any further.

“But, Runa, the consequences⁠—”

“I will take them as they come,” I assured her as I exited the room with my shoulders tossed back, closing the door behind me. Hopefully, Friar wouldn’t ask any more questions.

I’d decided something—that I was done being pushed around by Leif. I was going to do anything to escape his clutches.

Even if it tainted my soul.

Because war waged on outside of the walls of Malheim, and I was tired of being an unintended pawn.

CHAPTER 3

Once I was returned to my room and my escort left, I immediately started on the second portion of my plan.

Picking up the book Leif demanded I read to us both, I began reading aloud to myself. Although I was still unclear exactly how the Seid magic worked (and I resolved to find out more later), I knew the words in the book had to be read aloud—silent reading didn’t transfer the magic from the book to the person. The magic was in the sound of the words themselves.

I read to myself, page by page, pausing every so often to ensure there were no aural indications of anyone approaching and keeping my voice low enough that the guard stationed outside of the door wouldn’t receive the magic. Once I finished one page, back and front, I would push my nail through one of the symbols, effectively eliminating it, so the next time I read, I would read the spell incompletely.

I was doing this all on a hunch, and the hunch was that the book had to be read in the exact order for the magic to work. If my hunch was correct, I was effectively rendering the magic useless.

I grimaced as I pushed my nail through the parchment. I was ruining a part of my family’s history, something that belonged to the coven I was born into. But I couldn’t take the risk that this book did as Leif said, even if I was reasonably certain he was wrong.

I didn’t want to provide Leif with any more magic—no matter what magic it was.

After about twenty pages, I heard the sound of talking in the sitting room, outside the bedroom door. As discreetly as possible, I bent the corner of the parchment before unbending it again—so I would know where to start the next day.

Leif pushed open the door, a smile on his face when he noticed me in bed. It didn’t escape my notice the way his eyes scoured the whole room, searching for something, before he began to undress.

As if there were someone in the shadows waiting to attack.

“Are you feeling better, my heart?” His back was to me, the words muffled as he pulled his shirt over his blond hair.

I forced a smile. “I am. I thought we could start reading this book tonight?” I held up the tome I’d spent my afternoon destroying.

“I think that’s an excellent idea.” He beamed as he finished undressing. He climbed into bed next to me, pulling the plush red blanket over both of our legs.

While his chiseled chest had once made me swoon, I fought off a grimace now, my thoughts consumed by a certain dark-haired general.

A dark-haired general who still hadn’t come to my rescue.

As soon as he settled, I began to read, my thoughts drifting to another time, another place.

Another man.

I was back in the forest of Ralheim, Otho sitting across from me on a rock, dressed in his military uniform.

I glanced around, wondering why my mind had chosen this memory to take me back to. Maybe it was because I’d been thinking of Otho as I’d drifted off to sleep.

It was the night I’d entered the forest as Milo and emerged as Runa.

The night my old life ended, and the new one began.

“Runa.”

My gaze snapped to Otho, trying to remember if he’d said my name that night. I didn’t think so, but it had been so long ago⁠—

“Are you hurt?”