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

CHAOS MAGE Chapter 24: Journey to Bairnkine

"I have a bad feeling about this."

Seiren squeezed Madeleine's hand as Martel Solidor's neighbours readied their two horses with enough supplies to get them most of the way. Her money bag sat empty at her hip; the last of their coins had gone towards purchasing these horses. Kaim's group had taken the horses that had brought them to Leitholm and left the night prior; there was no trace of any of the four now. Even if Kristen didn't end up killing the twins with her revived magic, they would probably end up starving or dying from exposure.

"Bairnkine is a city built out of clusters of settlements atop a sandsea," Martel said in a low voice. "Horses will only get you so far, and then you'll have to continue on foot across the rigs built by the ancestors."

"A sand... sea?"

"Ah, you've never been to eastern Hanna or Moakai, have you?" Seeing the twins shake their heads, Martel pursed his lips. "It's a large stretch of desert, but the sand moves like water. It's a peculiar phenomenon found only in the east. To survive out there, our ancestors built rigs that drilled deep beneath the surface of the flowing sand. The sandsea levels fluctuate every year and old structures get buried deeper."

"Makes for a perfect burial place no-one will find," Seiren murmured.

"There are still people living in Bairnkine?" Madeleine said.

"Yes. Not many, but enough to keep the area alive."

"But why?"

"Beneath the sandsea are valuable resources, most notably liquid Hannite. When refined and crystallised, and ground to dust, it becomes summoner's dust. So you see, Bairnkine, despite its desolate location, is very much the backbone of Hanna."

The neighbours slotted the last of the water-rich horse feed and human food onto the horses' backs.

"Right. So we head northeast?" Seiren squinted at the sky.

"Travel only when there is light. The further east you go, the more wild animals there are. For a good thirty miles east of Falnash and before you head into the outskirts of Bairnkine there is no civilisation. Don't get injured, or the battle is lost before you even get there. I hope you have a strategy."

Seiren exchanged a look with Madeleine. All night, she'd been whispering into Seiren's ear, trying to dissuade her from gallivanting without the insurgents east. Heading west first would at least guarantee them safety in numbers. Eleia could summon and Kaim's group was armed. Although Seiren had her rune and flash and Madeleine her rune and burst, if they faced more than one Daemonium member it was unlikely they would last for very long. Seiren was reminded vividly of how easily Gulmore, the Daemonium member, executed Kaim's group when they attempted to assassinate Fautos.

But time was against them. If Kristen got to the burial site of Hanna and somehow got her magic back — there could be no other reason Prince Magus could be moved so suddenly that way — it would be the end. Martel had said only those with royal blood could open Hanna's tomb; Seiren was willing to bet her magic Kristen was travelling with Magus with the aim of using Magus's blood to gain access. Kristen had defied what was thought possible by reanimating Pollin's corpse for over six years. Seiren could only imagine what she could do with the body of one of the original twins, allegedly with summoning magic beyond imagination.

Seiren bade Martel goodbye and strode towards her horse, a tall, majestic, dark brown creature with a flowing black mane like Hannan hair. It was taller and broader than she'd expected; she only came up to its chest. Intelligent dark eyes surveyed her. It didn't make a sound.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" grunted the neighbour. "These are hardy horses, but they're not the most friendly."

"I'm not looking for a daemon," Seiren said, running a hand over the leather saddle. She hooked her foot in the foothold like she'd seen Eleia do and hopped onto the horse. She caught the tip of her other boot on the saddle as she swung it over and almost toppled straight back off again had the neighbour not caught her and shoved her back on.