Chapter 14

“What do you mean, he vanished?” Corec asked as they returned to the inn. It wasn’t the same inn he’d stayed in the last time he was in town, since he hadn’t wanted Katrin to meet Betta. “He got lost in the crowd?”

“No,” Katrin said. “He disappeared, right in front of my eyes. I was watching him the whole time.”

“Magic?” Shavala suggested.

“It must have been.”

“Are you sure it was the same type of rune?” Corec asked.

“How would I know? But it looked the same, except that it was red.”

“I wonder what he meant by another one so soon,” Corec said. “Maybe this is happening to more people? He didn’t say anything else?”

“No, nothing else. He just laughed at me again, then disappeared.”

“Why do you think he was laughing? Was he just surprised?”

“I don’t know. With my luck, my mark means something rude.”

Corec grinned. “That could be it.”

“If he showed you his sigil, he must have wanted you to know,” Shavala said.

“Unless he’s just as bad at hiding it as I am,” Katrin replied.

“Perhaps we should stay in the city longer after all, and try to find him,” Corec said.

“If we’re not going to talk to any other wizards here, I’d rather move on. I don’t know how we’d look for someone who can disappear.”

“That’s true.”

When they got back to their rooms, they found Bobo waiting for them. His eyes immediately went to the girls’ runes.

“No luck?” he asked.

“No,” Corec said. “We’ve got a couple more ideas, though. I thought you were going to be at the library all day?”

“I’ll go back later, but I found some things I thought you’d want to know right away.”

“Like what?”

“Well, I started by searching for binding sigils, but that seems to be an elven phrase. The library has some elven books, but I can’t read the language. In the other sources I found, it appears binding runes is the more common term.”

“The wizard already told us that,” Corec said.

“Oh.” Bobo looked disappointed momentarily, but then he brightened. “I did find one other thing. I copied it down for you.” He handed over a sheet of paper.

Corec read it out loud. “The Chosar learned to create runes like those that shone brighte uponne the browe of the wardens’ bondemates.” Looking up at Bobo, he said, “Why is the spelling so strange?”

“Languages change over time, and this was written a thousand years ago. The Eastern language was still being consolidated from the languages that came before.”

“I couldn’t understand what you said,” Shavala said.

Bobo quickly translated it to trade tongue for her, since her Eastern wasn’t as strong.

“What does it mean?” Katrin said. “What are the Chosar?”

Bobo hesitated for a moment before speaking. “I’ve only seen the name a few times. It seems to refer to an ancient tribe of people, from thousands of years ago.”

“Does that really tell us anything, though?” Corec asked. “We already know they’re binding runes. What does it matter how long it’s been since people learned to make them?”

“I thought it was curious that binding runes are based on some other sort of rune that was placed on someone’s brow. From what I’ve read today, they can be put anywhere, so is it a coincidence that yours are in the same spot?”

Katrin said, “I thought it just meant the Chosar learned to make binding runes from these other people, the wardens. Not that it was something different than a binding rune.”

“I suppose it could be read that way, but wouldn’t you be interested in learning more about the wardens, just in case?”

“What else did the book say?” Corec asked.

“It was a scroll, and that was the only useful part. It was a translation of a translation, discussing the wisdom of the first peoples. The paragraph before it was about crop rotation—quite advanced for its time—and the paragraph after was about fishing. The rest of the scroll didn’t mention anything about wardens or runes, and there were only a few other references to the Chosar.”

“First peoples?”

“The people who came first,” Shavala said. “The ones who learned how to control the elder magic.”

“What, like elves?”

She didn’t reply.

Bobo said, “If you look far enough back in the history books, it doesn’t talk about the different races. It refers to them by their tribes, like the Chosar, and we don’t know what the different tribes were. When an author is talking about everyone, not just a specific group, then it’s the first peoples. Or sometimes the Ancients—which obviously isn’t what they called themselves.”

Corec nodded. “Are you going to look for other references to wardens this afternoon?”

“Yes. It can’t hurt to know more.”

“I suppose, though if they’re as old as you say the Chosar are, it seems unlikely to be helpful. Did you learn anything else?”

“Well, I discovered that the legends of The Dead God first originated amongst the dwarves. I’d never heard that before.”

Corec stared at him, unable to figure out what the dwarves or The Dead God had to do with anything.

Bobo shrugged expressively. “Not all lines of inquiry meet with success. I think I’ll need another day to search for information on wardens and binding runes.”

“I guess we could stay in the city one more day.” Corec looked at Katrin. “Maybe you should tell him what you saw, in case it helps?”

“Oh?” Bobo said. “What did you see?”

“Ahh, you’ve returned,” Deshin said. “How can I help you today?”

“I have some more questions,” Corec said. He’d come to the bookshop alone that morning, after Bobo had headed out for a second day at the library.

“I’m happy to help in any way I can, but I must admit I’m not an expert on binding runes. I’ve never actually cast a binding spell myself. I have a book on them somewhere.”

“I’m not...” Corec started, then paused. He hadn’t come for information on the runes, but perhaps it would be helpful. “Could I see it?”

Deshin strode over to a shelf standing against the left wall and ran his finger along the spines of the books. “No, no, close but no, no ... yes.” He pulled a small, leather-bound tome off the shelf and thumbed through the pages. “Let’s see ... binding runes, their uses, and ... how to create them. Oh, dear—this really should have been locked in the back room. No harm done, I suppose.” He handed the book to Corec. “I’m afraid it’s not cheap, though. Twenty silver.”

Corec jerked in surprise, almost dropping it. Books were expensive, but half a gold? Bobo’s horse had cost less.

Thinking, he said, “I didn’t actually come here to ask about the runes, but I’ll buy the book if you can spend some time answering questions about my magic.”

Deshin cocked his head to the side. “I’m happy to try, but I may not know all of the answers.”

“I understand.”

“Let’s go in the back so we can sit down. If I hear the door open, I’ll need to come out here to attend to a customer.”

They returned to the small room from the day before.

Corec spoke first. “You said I’m not a wizard. What am I?”

Instead of replying, Deshin said, “Could you cast your mage light spell again?”

Corec summoned one of the small, silvery balls of lights and sent it to hover above their heads. “I can do a couple other things, too.”

“Other spells?”

“I don’t know if they’re spells,” Corec said. “I’ve always just thought of them as things I can do. I can make a ... sort of shield, for a brief time.” He concentrated, and felt his mind shift in the way that told him the barrier was in place. “You can’t see it now, but try to touch me.”

Deshin reached out to poke Corec’s shoulder with a finger. He didn’t appear surprised when the shield shimmered as it blocked him.

“You didn’t hit it very hard,” Corec said, “so you can probably touch it another time or two before it disappears. Or, if nothing hits it, it’ll go away on its own in a few minutes.”

“Anything else?”

“Just one other. It helps me run when I’m wearing my armor. Otherwise, I can’t move very fast in it.”

The wizard nodded. “Those sound like spells to me. And they sound like ... How much do you know about the four types of magic?”

“Just the names. And Shavala—who was with us yesterday—has told me a bit about elder magic.”

“Each type of magic comes to its bearer in a different way. The elder magic makes itself known whether you want it or not, but it’s more ... primal. If an elder mage wants a light, he’ll summon fire. And the shield you showed me doesn’t seem like elder magic either. For divine magic, well, if you were a priest, you’d know it. Priests get their magic from blessings. If a priest has been given the blessing of healing by his god, then he can use healing magic. As for demonic magic, we can’t really study it, because only demons can use it. I think we can rule that one out. Which leaves arcane magic.”

“Like a wizard, right? But you said I wasn’t one.”

“Wizardry isn’t the only way to access arcane magic, just the most common. I’ve heard stories of people who learned to cast a spell or two without any training and without knowing the words, but they’re rare. Most of them are never able to go beyond that, but a few have managed to keep teaching themselves more. They generally can’t learn anything too complicated, though. A binding spell, for example, requires a lot of preparation. You can’t just... think about it and make it happen.”

“Could I learn to cast spells the normal way?”

“I don’t know,” Deshin said. “You’d have to have a knack for it first—most people don’t—and then it might take you years just to learn how to summon your mage lights that way. Or it might go faster since you can already do it.”

“How do I find out?”

“You’d have to apprentice with an experienced wizard. An apprenticeship usually lasts for ten years.”

Corec laughed. “I can’t do that. I guess I’ll keep going as I have been.”

“Well, if you want to try something else, I do have another book...”

The smell of the ocean and the cries of the seagulls grew strong as Katrin and Shavala approached the harbor.

Katrin checked that her hood covered as much of her face as possible. “Let’s not take too long here.”

“You don’t have to stay with me,” Shavala said. “I know you don’t want anyone to find you. If we’re leaving tomorrow, I want to see the ships first, and the sea.”

“Then you’re coming with us?”

They’d never discussed whether the elf girl would continue traveling with them. She didn’t seem to mind the blue mark on her head, and unlike Katrin, she had her own money and knew how to live off the land.

“It seems like I should,” Shavala said. “At least until we know what’s happening. Are you sure you don’t wish to return to the inn?”

“I can’t let you walk around the city alone!”

“I’m doing better now. I went out last night while you were sleeping.”

“Last night?” Katrin asked. “By yourself? In the dark? I didn’t hear you leave. What if you were mugged?”

“I didn’t bring my belt pouches. I had nothing for anyone to steal.” Shavala cocked her head to the side. “Do you mug people?”

“What? No!” Katrin hated talking about that part of her life. “I picked people’s pockets sometimes, but I tried to only steal from people who could afford it.”

“How did you know if they could afford it?”

“Sometimes I didn’t,” she admitted.

They turned the corner, and the docks district appeared before them. Sailors walked in loud groups while full wagons passed steadily back and forth, children laughing as they ran between the traffic. A line of taverns and inns spread to the right while the merchant houses had offices and warehouses to the left. Beyond all the activity was the harbor itself. The docks closest to shore were reserved for small fishing vessels, which could maneuver in shallower water, but it was a clear day so most of those boats were out to sea. Farther out, docked in the distance, were half a dozen large cargo ships.

“Oh,” Shavala said, as she stared at them. “Where are the sails? I thought they were big.”

“You see the tall things sticking up? Those are the masts. When the ships are docked, the sails are furled and wrapped around the mast. If we stick around for a little bit, we’ll see ships coming in under sail. Maybe not one of the big ones, but at least a fishing boat or two. We’ll have to get closer for a good view, though.”

They headed in that direction, avoiding the main thoroughfares with the heavier traffic. As they walked, they passed a boisterous group of seaborn who’d apparently been diving recently, since their hair ranged from blond to white. They each carried a mesh bag full of lobsters. Walking among the group was a solemn man with a staff-spear braced over his shoulder. His skin had a faint bluish tinge, and darker swirls of blue and purple ran from his neck up to his temples. His ears were slightly angular, though not as pointed as an elf’s, and his eyes scanned back and forth as if he was looking for threats.

After they’d passed, Shavala whispered, “Was that a demonborn?”

“No. He’s stormborn, I think.” It had been several years since Katrin had seen one, since they rarely left the Storm Heights. She wondered how he’d come to be working with a gang of divers.