Rune Mage [Fantasy/Adventure | Book 1 +2 | Complete]

Chapter 61: A White Glow

Seiren dashed down the stone steps, the sound of her feet echoing off the stone walls. She turned left at the bottom towards the men's quarters. There was a traitor within Karma, supplying Hanna with rune magic to breach the walls of Acrise. But who would do that? What do they stand to gain? If Karma falls, there would be no more mages, no more peace.

And what was worse, it could be any of the mages they know who provided those runes.

Seiren burst into Rowan's shared room without knocking. The other mages would be out working. Sure enough, the room was empty except for Rowan leaning against the bedpost, fast asleep in the corner. The two other beds were tidy. Two framed photos sat on the far left table, a well-leafed textbook sat on the middle one, and on Rowan's lap there was an open tome with multiple bookmarks jutting out. Intrigued, Seiren leant closer. Chapter ten: Advanced Burst Magic and its Application in Combat. Of course Rowan would be scrubbing up for the fight to come. Seiren remembered the book on advanced runing combinations on Maura's table. They were really more alike than they'd care to admit. She glanced at the bookmarks and did a double take. Long snouts and soulful black eyes stared back. She tugged out the nearest one. It had soft fluffy brown-white fur and perky ears that tipped down at the top. She'd almost forgotten the soft spot he had for dogs.

Rowan sniffed. Seiren snatched her hand back in alarm. Something shone on his cheek. She leaned in closer.

"Loren?" he said, groggy. His eyes fluttered open, dark green in the dim light. Seiren's chest tightened.

"No, it's Seiren."

"Oh." He couldn't sound more disappointed. Seiren fought back the rising resentment. He sniffed and tried to subtly wipe the tears from his eyes whilst pretending to rub his nose. Seiren feigned interest in the textbook on the middle table. Rowan cleared his throat and made to speak but then choked, his cough thick and wet. He coughed until he wheezed and was blue in the face before flopping back, gasping for air.

"Are you okay?"

Rowan closed his eyes. For a moment, Seiren wondered if he'd died. His eyes flew open as he started another coughing fit again. He leant forward, hunched over his knees, hacking his lungs out. Seiren put a hand on his shoulder, unsure what to do.

The coughing didn't stop. She slapped his back, the way her mother used to do when she'd choked on sweets. It made no difference. He wheezed, clutching the front of his chest. Seiren's heart palpitated. What was this? Pneumonia? Consumption? She wasn't a doctor. His skin glistened with sweat despite the chilly air. He strained forward, each hacking cough rippling through his chest.

Seiren bent forward and placed a hand on his chest, attempting to empty her head. The hubbub in her mind drifted away, replaced by the steady drumming of blood in her ears. After a long time, the thoughts and the drumming, too, faded. She became aware of the energy in her body with each breath in and out. Magic tingled to the end of each hair on her body.

All the while, she thought of Madeleine. Not Madeleine as Seiren had last seen her, twelve years old with her chubby face and long dark blonde hair tied in braids on either side of her head, but the same age as her, but with shoulder-length hair that fell in light curls and the same thin, pinched face and long-lashed dark eyes. But eighteen-year-old Madeleine's hair curled a little more and her eyes were a little further apart than Seiren's. The hesitation of her previous failures, first with Kori Fernard and then with Loren herself, crept into her conscience. The real Madeleine pressed against the doubt, spreading her own warmth and positive energy until the negative thoughts dissolved away.

Rowan's energy pulsed against hers. Keeping her mind otherwise empty and bathed in the happiness of Madeleine having her own body again, Seiren released her own energy into Rowan's, encouraging its natural flow.