Battle Seer

Chapter 6: The Rune Man
conclusion

by Julian Lawler

Battle Seer began in issue 118.
Chapter 6, part 1 appears in this issue.

“He speaks babble, my lord,” spoke Eliath, his body shifting to place himself in a better position between the struggling prince and the rune man.

“Tell me more!” Palance yelled in frustration. “You know my dreams. I saw them in your eyes. Tell me more.” He stopped struggling and just stood there staring at the man that possibly knew Andina’s fate.

The rune man kept his gaze locked on Palance, his hand steadily dripping blood to the floor. He seemed to be oblivious to anybody else. He also ignored the fact that men in black leather armor, weapons brandished, were rushing into the stable yard. Their swords were held at the ready. More than one man held a bow, the bow string taught with tension.

In a matter of seconds, an entire guard of men surrounded the prince. Their weapons drawn, their faces set in grim anticipation, they watched the rune man. Any sign of a spell about to be cast and an arrow or sword would take the rune man through the heart and throat. A heavy silence filled the stable yard and Palance could hear his own breathing.

The horses whinnied at the sudden presence of so many men. More than a few stomped their feet angrily, kicking up a slight film of dust.

But the rune man didn’t seem to notice the danger that he faced.

“Nobody move,” Palance commanded. “I need him alive. He knows things. We need to question him. Hurt him if you must, but don’t kill him.”

The rune man turned his head slightly as if listening to an inner voice. He closed his eyes and lifted his other hand to wipe grime off his brow. When his eyes opened, they were clear. The dark circles around his eyes had receded. His tall body wasn’t gangly anymore, but straight and proud. There wasn’t a hint of madness in his whole demeanor. Palance didn’t know when the transformation had happened.

Then the rune man laughed. It sounded like a high-pitched thundercloud rolling through the streets, directly at Palance. It filled his ears and he wondered if the man was committing sorcery with his very voice. Palance saw more than one of his men flinch and aims waiver on their mark. Swords were gripped harder and bows pulled tighter.

“You know I cannot hear you from in there,” said the rune man. “Come out here and we shall talk.” The madman indicated the street behind him.

“There is no way you are going,” stated Eliath flatly.

“I wasn’t thinking of going,” the prince growled back. Palance wanted to speak to this man. But he knew he could not trust him enough to agree to the request. For his own safety, he would not step outside of the Sun Cathedral until necessary. He waved with his hand, urging the rune man into the stable yard. “You come in here.”

The other man shook his head. “No, my powers will not work in there. I cannot allow myself to be at your mercy. I have paid the price. I have not given part of my soul to have the sanctity of this place take my magic away.

“But I can see you wish to know more. I must tell you that an age of dark times is here. There is nothing you can do to change it. The evil that shall come is unstoppable, as the deaths of so many are irreversible. How did they get here?” The rune man seemed to lose himself in his thoughts.

“Ask her who hides beneath the lake. She hides there, you know. She is afraid of pure things. Like the light: she can’t stand it. It sears her soul and gives her pain beyond reasoning. I don’t think she knew what pain meant until now, but enough of her.

“You want to know about your love. This love of yours is strange. You will do whatever it takes to be with her, yet it is all to no avail. She will die. Even as we speak she is being pursued. What if I said you cannot reach her in time? I wouldn’t be able to change your mind, right? I thought so. She will die, anyway.

“And the worse part about it is you will run off to save her not knowing that you are just acting out what is supposed to happen. Your love for her guarantees it. Take your men, your weapons, and your love. Run off to save her, and find what it will get you.”

The world seemed to stop. Nobody in the stable yard moved. The horses didn’t knicker or whine. Beyond, the streets surrounding the back alley of the Sun Cathedral were completely empty. It was a strange sight.

The rune man continued to talk. “I know you. You are the prince of Acrene Tarrynth and commander-general of the Iinnin Lodar. You are my lord, so to speak. You love a woman whose name is Andina Lerouse. Careful now, I don’t need to be killed, yet. You still need me. For the sake of the Nations, you still need me.

“But I know more about you than you think. I know of the dreams. Haven’t we gone through this already? What if I told you those creatures with the red and blue eyes were all from here? Yes, they are all men and women who turned away from the light. Now they seek to escape their infernal home. Beware, for they now have the means to come here. If you think the Nations are a dark place, it is yet to grow darker, blacker, and meaner.”

Palance felt his mouth go dry. Should he listen to this man? Were his words true? Were the Nations in grave danger? What about Andina? Who pursued her?

“Sir,” he called out. He tried to ignore all the men that surrounded him. “Who is after Andina? You have to tell me. Who is this lady beneath the lake? What lake? It doesn’t make sense.”

The men of the Iinnin Lodar still took the imminent threat of the rune man very seriously. Eliath Camil still felt like hard iron in front of the prince. Eliath wasn’t a large man but it didn’t matter. The commander’s thin, wiry frame could have taken a number of soldiers in a situation like this.

The rune man, his blood still oozing slowly to the dirt street, pointed a finger at Palance. “You must come out here, my lord.” He made Palance’s title feel like a mockery. “I cannot hear you in there. Come.” The statement sounded more like a command.

Worst of all, it sounded like a threat.

Eliath stood up to shield the prince should an attack come. Palance felt the situation slipping between his fingers. He needed to do something and fast. His men were tensing. Men fingered their weapons and eyes narrowed with anticipation.

“Wait, wait,” he commanded. “We need this man alive.” He made sure everyone heard and understood. Palance prepared for what was about to happen. Where was Father Rayul? Ian? Maybe they knew this man. But he couldn’t wait. “Take him.”

It felt like he had just unleashed a snare full of tension. Men jumped forward in a rush. Eliath pressed back against him as the commander drew a tiny dagger from his sleeve. Palance drew his black hilted sword as he prepared to jump into a roll if need be.

The rune man watched the men come at him through gaunt eyes again. He brought his arm up above his head as he rubbed blood between his fingers. Instantly, the air sizzled with energy. A sharp bright line cut across the empty air before the rune man, as he drew his rune sigil with a bloody finger. In a blink of an eye, the rune man brought his arm down and then up. With a flicker of his hand, he enacted his magic.

Before any of Palance’s men reached the outside of the gate, a wall of brilliant energy rushed forward to meet them. The floor shook slightly with the force of the gathered energy. Men were blown back several feet and as many stumbled. Where men fell, they rolled and jumped to their feet almost instantly. Palance had to make sure the shifting ground beneath his feet didn’t topple him.

It was over just as quickly as it had begun. Where the gates should have been when closed, a wall of sizzling yellow energy sealed the exit. The wall of energy was smooth and yellow, with no apparent breaks in it. It was a solid wall made of pure force. Palance couldn’t see how they could ever break such a thing.

The rune man was lost. Damn! he thought angrily as he gripped his sword. He looked around to his men who were already composed and calm. It would take more than that to destroy these men. They needed to catch this man. Palance knew he had to believe every word the rune man had said.

Eliath walked over to the newly formed wall. He scooped up a handful of dirt and tossed it at the gathered energy. Sparks flew in every direction, and the commander had to jump back to avoid its angry hisses. Men had to shield their eyes from the brilliancy that resulted. When it cleared, the wall remained unhindered.

“Nobody get close to this damn thing,” growled Eliath. “Coran, go and make sure nobody gets near this thing on the other side. We can’t afford to have some kid burn his hands off if his curiosity gets the better of him. Hurry! Move.”

A gruff man, large and broad shouldered with a scar across his neck, turned to several men. “Seonin,” he pointed to a young man with reddish hair. “Go. Take ten of your men and protect the people of this place. Make sure nobody gets close to the wall. You, you and you, come with me. We must see if we can track this rune man. Let’s go.”

With that said, a large number of men left the stable yard. The others left remaining stood at attention. Their faces were impassive, but their eyes showed an eager hunger to hunt. Their lord had been threatened. Now it was their turn to hunt the threat.

As Palance considered what to do, Father Rayul stormed into the stable yard, his white robes slightly brushing the ground. His face was clouded with worry. He had three men standing behind him, dressed in riding clothes with bags and sacks over their shoulders. The prince recognized his own man immediately. They stayed under the stone archway that led into the stable yard as the priest came over to Palance.

“What happened here? What’s going on?” The priest took in the entire area. He only paused to make sure nobody was hurt. When his eyes came upon the wall of energy, his face took upon a stern look. Palance had never seen the priest look so angry before.

“Who did that?” he asked quietly.

“I don’t know,” replied Palance. “It was a tall gangly man who had many interesting things to say. I know the Sun Cathedral is warded so that none may hear sounds coming from inside of it, but this man could hear us. I’m positive of this. Eliath called him a rune man.”

A light came to Father Rayul’s face. “Did he draw a sigil?”

Palance nodded yes.

“Did he have a black book? A book with markings and strange designs?”

“Yes,” answered Palance.

Father Rayul walked over to the wall that barricaded the stable yard. He lifted a hand to it. As he did, the hairs on his hand stood on end. His satin robes clustered together with static. He turned to look at Palance. “Was he tall and gaunt?”

Palance nodded. He could feel anger coming to his face. “I see you know this man.”

Father Rayul nodded.

“He says Andina will die; yet I will still marry her. He said men and women from some infernal home struggle to get out. What am I to do?” Palance took in the priest with a grave look. “Should I believe this man? I don’t know that I’m not sure he wasn’t lying. We must get him.”

Father Rayul ran a hand over his mouth. “We will get him. Please, rest assured that when you get back, we will have him here. We will keep him inside the Sun Cathedral. His powers will not work inside.”

“I know,” agreed Palance. “He wouldn’t come in here. He said he had paid the price. Do you know this man’s name?”

“Yes, I do.” conceded the priest. “His name is Roman Garrenson. He is a rune man as Eliath claims. He is notorious for causing fights and making people cower in his wake. His words are dangerous and wicked. Nobody confronts him because he is not ashamed of showing his power.”

He turned to face his commander. “Eliath, go help Coran find this Roman Garrenson. Be quick about it and tell Larson to find Ian for me. I need to speak with him. It seems I will not be taking all of my men with me. If the rune man’s words are to be heeded, then I don’t have much time. I will need to hurry to Ramendae. A small force of one hundred men can travel faster than a large one of five hundred. I will need speed, not strength. Andina’s life might depend on this. Hurry! Go.”

Eliath left without another word.

“Father Rayul, do we have the supplies needed for this trip?”

The priest bowed slightly. “Yes, we do, my lord. We were still gathering the things needed for you, but with your force cut down to one hundred men, we have more than enough. Will you be leaving today?”

Palance considered for a moment. Would that be a wise choice? If he left today, or tonight, he would be reaching the borders of Acrene Tarrynth and Ramendae some time in the night. No, he didn’t want that. Nobody liked traveling through the Hills of Fae for good reason. He would not take such a risk with his men. He would wait until morning.

“No, Father. I think it’s best we wait until tomorrow morning. I will want to leave before the sun breaks the horizon. I don’t want the people of Nomen to know that I travel their streets. Rumors spread like wildfire, and this is exactly what I’m trying to avoid. When the sun finally shows its face, I want to be out of the city.”

Father Rayul understood. “Very well. I guess we have a lot to do, then. Come, let me introduce you to the men Ian and I have picked for the journey to Geamehn. Ian will arrive shortly. I have told them about the dangers. They understand the importance of this mission. I have notified them that this letter is of the utmost importance and that it goes to the king himself. They know they are going to ride like the wind, and they promised to make the journey in eight days.”

“Give them whatever they need, Father,” said Palance as he followed the priest. They both came to stand before the three men that would risk their lives for him. They wore simple leather armor under their riding garments. Weapons were strapped on two of the men. The third man wore dark green robes.

“Allow them to chose the horses of their liking. I’m sure it will be paid back in full.”

As he stood in front of the three men, they went to one knee with their heads bowed. Palance took them in, but he wasn’t seeing them. In their place, he saw men and women from his dreams screaming and crying. He saw their eyes of red fire and blue ice stare back at him. He could feel the heat they radiated. He could feel the agony of existence without hope.

Most of all, he could sense that they knew him. They knew when he dreamed and that he watched. They knew.

Father Rayul did not need to introduce the three men, but he did so anyway to keep formality.

“This is Light Bearer Alguin Sorrel,” introduced Father Rayul. The man bowed low.

“This is Ian’s man Aurin Nubel.” The man bowed in turn.

“Last, but certainly not least, your man Ivan Lustcrow.”

The prince hardly heard the introductions.

He could hear the words of the rune man ringing in his ears. He couldn’t ignore them. No matter how he tried, he couldn’t get his thoughts to focus on the men before him that were already rising to their feet. He was vaguely aware that they were giving him their names. His head felt crowded and coated with words that were poison to his consciousness. He couldn’t squeeze the mad thoughts the rune man had given him, and he knew why, because he believed every word of it.

To be continued...

Copyright © 2004 by Julian Lawler