Rune
"The Beregon's killed again!" yelled a man from across the road. The frantic screams
of people flooded the streets as they ran towards their homes. The noise, the blackness,
the fear was filling the night as a dark cloud shadowed the moon.
Rune was filled with terror, and more fell to the fear's grasp every moment. Out of
the night, stood Marcus at a turn in the road.
I must not fear. It will only destroy me,
He thought.
Marcus walked slowly toward the gate enclosing Rune; the people running past him in
the opposite direction, his fists closed tightly at his side, his eyes full of fire.
He approached the gate, and stepped onto a tall rock on the outside. Marcus faced
the dim forest filled with their menacing and crimson autumn trees. He held out his hand
in front of him. Then, a small circular flame arose from his hand. The flame was
a dark orange, but had a mystical green glow to it. It shaped itself into a circle
and hovered an inch or so above his palm.
"Satan!" Marcus called, not particularly expecting a reply, but daring the attempt.
"Satan! What do you want with Rune? Leave this village before you are destroyed,"
Marcus yelled, hesitation between each sentence.
Suddenly, a deep harsh voice came from nowhere. "I am not Satan. I am the Beregon..."
A demon of some kind in league with the devil then,
Marcus thought. He hesitated, then looked up and yelled. "What do you want with
Rune?"
There was a cruel laugh, followed by the hard voice once again. "You do not understand...you
mortals would and will not understand. There is an emptiness in your mind, Mage.
You have nothing with these mortals here."
"You speak of nonsense, demon."
"Why do you attempt good for these people? You do not deserve to die with them."
"Theirs is the way of life I have chosen. I have lived with them, and if so I will
die with them," Marcus said, and drew his sword. He held his sword outward ready
to meet a fight, while the glowing spherical flame was held in his other palm. "And
I do not answer to the low title of a lurid Mage. I am more than you can imagine."
"Then you are willing to die with them." It saw the sphere in Marcus's hand. "The
protection orb will not save you." The voice was suddenly behind Marcus now, and
he turned quickly ready to jump at any moment. There was a look of fear in his eyes
as a tall black shape appeared out of the night. There was a long shadow behind the black figure,
the sound of screaming souls echoing below it. With a movement of it's hand, a bright
light came from a finger and came flashing towards Marcus. It hit the orb, and caused the rock Marcus was standing on to crumble into pieces and disappear. He tumbled
to the ground as the bright light came towards him. Before it hit him, it separated
and shaped itself into a circle surrounding Marcus, then turned into fire as tall
as the evil being.
The burning! the burning...the flame surrounds, and yet does not devour me. The flame
leaves me to drown in the pain rather than end me now.
A thousand things went through Marcus's mind at that moment. Whether to live, whether
to die, whether he'd ever see the day again. He figured at this moment it made no
difference. Then he remembered his only companions left, Sarac and Nambroth. This
meant to protect them and the rest of Rune, he must fight.
How can I fight this when I haven't the strength to lift myself from the ground.
Marcus saw the face of Nambroth in his mind, and found the strength to regain hope.
He lifted his head. His eyes faced the evil figure and a pure black filled Marcus's
eyes completely. He raised his right arm high into the air, and his body followed
until he was drifting in the air over the demon's head. Marcus pointed his hand at the Beregon.
Bolts of light formed from each one of his fingers, and collected in the middle of
his palm. Then, the one beam raced directly for his enemy. The evil rival gave a
loud cry and fell to the ground. It lifted it's head for one last threat.
"I will come again," It said in a low, purged voice as if his throat had been poisoned.
"You will not escape us again."
At that moment, the ground around the demon broke in two, and slowly separated. The
Beregon's black wings opened, and it flew down to the bottom of the furring abyss.
Marcus sighed in relief, and fell to the ground in exhaustion. The door to a nearby
wooden reside flew open, and two people ran toward the unconscious body.
"Marcus!" called Sarac. The two knelt down beside him and checked for signs of life.
"Yes, he lives," exclaimed Nambroth, "But barely. Come, help me get him inside."
"Where inside? There's no place descent for medical treatment of any kind. Although,
what does anything medical matter since Rune lost it's doctor to the evil spirit.
Personally, I feel that a good percentage of-" Sarac stopped in the middle of her
thought and screamed.
"What is it, Sarac? Speak!"
"His, his eyes..."
"What of his eyes?" Nambroth exclaimed.
"They're black. He used his powers," said Sarac shaking her head in discouragement.
"He said he wouldn't use them since they caused a drain of his strength."
Nambroth seemed confused, "What's wrong with his eyes! And what can you see from his
eyes being black that indicates he used powers?"
"That's the whole point, Nam. When he uses his sorcery, his eyes turn fully black.
The supplement in the chemical of the blackness enables him to use the magic."
Nambroth nodded, "He uses magic... so I had guessed. He would never tell me of it
because he believes I'll love him more if I think he's a normal human being like
everyone else. But I know he's no different. He's just special. He must feel that
I think he's some sort of alienated being or something. But, I don't feel that way. I love him
no matter what. I wish he could understand that."
They went to lift him, but at that moment Marcus began to gain consciousness. His
breaths became harder and he opened his eyes.
"I must of blacked out. I wonder if-" He breathed in harshly and gripped his head.
His eyes were back to their original green color now.
"You used your magic, didn't you!" exclaimed Nambroth.
How did they come to that conclusion so quickly?
"He had to." Sarac said, "Don't worry about it, Nam. The main point is that he's fine
now."
Marcus looked suspiciously at Sarac. How much does she know?
"Yes, and that the Beregon's dead! And that Rune is free again and out of harm's way
at last!"
"Nambroth, do not embrace false hopes like that. You know not what occurred between
the Beregon and Marcus."
She definitely knows something...
"Well...it makes no difference what we say here, because what we say isn't necessarily
what will be so. I say we should forget what is said here, and be cheerful. Come
with me. Tom is nearby." Nambroth said. "If I remember correctly, which I do, we
haven't eaten anything for...well a long time. I can't remember when we ate last, and that's
a bad sign!"
She laughed, and Sarac managed a smile. She had other things on her mind that she
couldn't stop wondering about.
Marcus was paying no attention. His thoughts were engulfed in questions. "There is an emptiness in your mind, Mage" were the words of the Beregon. What is
this emptiness? A lack of knowledge, perhaps? And why would he call me a Mage?
"Despite the circumstances, that's actually a good idea," said Sarac. "How about it,
Marcus?"
No, these philosophies won't help me now. I need to find out...Sarac. She knows something.
No... she couldn't possibly. How can I accuse her? She's only human, so how could
she know anything of me? She's just afraid, that's all. She is probably guessing
about all this. But the Beregon. What did he mean by "There is an emptiness in your
mind"? Why is it that thinking about my power frightens me?
Nambroth looked at him. "Marcus?"
He was startled, and came out of his daze in thought. "What?" he said nervously.
"I said how about it?" answered Nambroth.
"How about what?"
"We go and see Tom. It's already about five in the morning."
"Of course. That sounds fine." He hesitated, trying to comprehend in his mind what
Nambroth had just said. He was so surrounded by thoughts, and questions he had no
answers to. Then, out of these questions came one basic truth: Nambroth, standing
there caring. That was enough for him to clear his mind...temporarily.
* * * *
"What brings Skippy and the gang here at this time of day?" said the local bartender,
Tom, as the three entered the tavern.
"Tom! I haven't seen you in ages my friend," said Sarac with a laugh, walking towards
the counter. "How's your nephew little Robby?"
"Not so little anymore," answered Tom. "What will it be for you, Skippy?"
Marcus cocked his eye and replied, "It's Marcus."
Tom snickered. "Whatever you say..." and started walking towards the other two. He
looked over his shoulder and whispered, "...Skippy."
They all laughed while Tom set out a meal unlike they had had in weeks. Tom was eating
a portion of his dish when he spiked a new topic of conversation.
"I have a question for you, Sarac old chap."
"Ask away."
"I heard a bit of commotion and yelling this morning. I thought it best to get to
the basement in case it was those dreadful thieves again. But, what exactly was all
the ruckus?"
Marcus dropped his knife. Sarac stopped chewing and looked at him. She didn't know
what to say, and how much to add or deduct from the description. After a moment of
hesitation she managed to answer.
"The Beregon. He came again." She decided to leave the description at that. Tom's
face turned white and his eyes faced the window to the street. He stared out half
expecting to see it, and half expecting to see hell itself. He finally spoke again.
"How many dead?"
"Three have been found," she answered. "There are reports of two more bodies in the
forest just outside the city, but they haven't been discovered yet."
Tom sighed deeply "I knew it would return sooner or later. After the last batch of
hangings, I assumed it would hunt down and destroy those remaining of the resistance."
Marcus's eyes widened, and he spoke out quickly. "What of this?"
"You don't know? Sarac knows. I thought she had told you a long time ago," Tom said.
He turned to Sarac. "They know we two are acquaintances. The first place they'll
look is here."
The two looked at her strangely. She smiled awkwardly and whispered to Tom softly,
"Can we talk about this in the kitchen?"
They both stood and walked toward the other room. Tom looked over his shoulder and
said, "We'll be back in a moment." The two reached the kitchen and shut the door
tightly behind them. Sarac was the first to speak.
"Why will they look for me?"
"Because the power was passed onto you before Lila was killed."
"Yes, but how do the searchers know we have it? There are very few of our kind left,
Tom."
"Well, it's not that simple. The searchers don't know I have it. As far as their knowledge
goes, there is only you in Rune."
"But, how do they know?"
"Hrevac. He talked."
Sarac gasped. "Hrevac? But, his wife is one. How could he have the heart to give it
all away like that?"
Tom sighed once more, and put his hand on her shoulder in comfort for what he was
about to say.
"Hrevac betrayed us. He killed her. Veronica is dead."
Sarac stepped back in horror and breathed outwardly so suddenly that a small cry of
distress sounded. She managed to speak through the shock.
"Quickly, did she pass her power to someone before she died?"
Tom shook his head. "No, Hrevac did it as quickly and quietly as possible. She had
no time... I know what you're going to say. You're going to say that her death makes
you and I the only ones left in Rune. Hrevac hates us, Sarac. He hates Mind Walkers.
He's trying to kill us off one by one."
Sarac's tears began to slowly die down. "Is that what we're called among the people?
'Mind Walkers'?"
"Yes. An interesting name, yet partly fitting. Don't you think?"
"I suppose it's lacking features." she said, and then smiled.
"You see?" he said merrily. "You're starting to cheer up." At that moment, Tom grasped
his chest in pain. Sarac rushed to help him to the nearest chair. He let out a few
small quick breaths and said, "My time is growing shorter by the days. Each dawning
of the sun breaks me down. I fear I will not last to see you through these hard times."
"Don't say such things!" yelled Sarac. "We will remain in Rune after all this evil
is diminished, and we will have dozens of children and prosper for years to come!"
Tom smiled softly and exclaimed, "Such a beautiful dream that is. But I see you have
not read my mind recently."
"I've no reason to. What has happened?" she asked.
"Why don't you find out for yourself," he replied.
Sarac bent back her head so she almost faced the ceiling. She closed her eyes, and
then postured her head so she was looking straight at him. Thoughts, images, emotions,
all of it racing past her as she passed the speed of light through an endless corridor. Designs and forms in all color patterns imaginable swarmed and swirled about her.
Thoughts, ideas, reason...all sculptured into the reflections of his mind. She advanced
through his senses and discovered what she had gone there to find out. All of this
happened in only a second, and when she had unmasked the secret, she pulled out of
his mind with a step backward from the shock of returning to reality.
"No!" she cried loudly. "No, your life energy is draining! Not now!"
"My cycle is almost completed. As you found out, I have only a short while left...I
will have to pass my power on to a new host soon."
She walked over and wrapped her arms around him. "Why must this happen now..."
There was a loud laughter coming from the other room. "Sounds like they're having
a better time than we are," she remarked.
"Tell me," he started. "Why did you never tell them of your abilities?"
She hesitated for a moment. "If Marcus doesn't even understand himself, how could
he understand me? And as for Nambroth, well..."
"You feel she's human and therefore wouldn't understand?" he blurted.
"No, it's not like that," she retorted.
"Sarac, there are humans that are afraid of something different. Our abilities and
powers are strange to people. They've never seen anything with our capabilities before,
and so they are afraid of us. But not all humans are like that. Nambroth, for instance, seeks truth, goodness, and justice. Those are important virtues for people to
have. Do you think if she knew you were a mind walker, that she would want to kill
you?"
"Of course not," she replied.
"Don't you think it's time to put forth a little trust in those who care?"
There was more laughter coming from the other room, and Sarac watched the door to
the main room, and gained the courage to tell them; everything. She left Tom's embrace
and pushed the door open. Her two companions were sitting with their backs to the
wall. Sarac couldn't hear what they were saying, but they seemed cheerful and at ease for
the moment. And that she wished nothing more than to let it be so, but even if she
did it would not last. In here, time seemed to stop for them giving a moment of peace.
The solace they had enjoyed for only a few hours could not keep them any longer.
"I'll take care of issues here at the tavern, don't worry about me," said Tom. "Although,
you three should really be on your way soon. I have a feeling if you stay here any
longer, you'll be putting yourselves at risk."
Sarac nodded. "I agree. You both be ready to leave! I fear we can not stay here any
longer." She shook her head sadly, wishing it didn't need to be this way. She had
slipped into the Beregon's mind while it was in Rune and had discovered the answers
to all of the questions that tortured Marcus. He was
a Mage; created, like all Mages are. Marcus was created by the Beregon for the sole
purpose of serving the darkness. That is why the Beregon terrorized Rune: he had
come for Marcus, come to take him back.
She could never find it in her heart to tell him. He would leave; he would go out on his own without hesitation and give himself up
for the sake of all of us
, she thought. No, she would never let that happen. Sarac made up her mind: Marcus
must not discover it for himself. She would have to keep him as far away from the
Beregon as she could, for his own sake.
Tom looked away from them as he heard screams and saw torches outside through the
window. The people were running through the streets in a form of chaos. He did not
move; only whispered to himself. "Here it begins..."
* * * *
A torch was thrown through the window, sending glass everywhere. Marcus and Nambroth
saw the violent crowd and ran for Sarac who was opening the back window for them
to escape. A second torch was sent through that window and Sarac fell back trying
to avoid it. She covered her head as the shattered glass came down, and Tom pulled her up
as the fire started catching the floor around her. They looked back at several tables
that were rising into flames as two more torches came crashing through the shattered
windows. The western wall of the tavern ignited, and soon the counter was engulfed in
the growing blaze.
"Tom! is there a back way out?" Marcus shouted.
Tom looked to a small room in the back of the structure. "Come with me!" He stumbled
past the burning tables and they followed close behind. Dashing through his apparent
quarters, there was an old and worn-out door just beyond the bed. Marcus flung himself against it and the door fell open. He was running out, but then immediately stopped
short and caught his fall with his hand. The others came to a halt behind him. They
were surrounded by a huge mob of people, allegedly members of the town as well. They
carried torches and large weapons which they held aloft, eagerly awaiting the four.
"Get back!" A voice yelled at the companions. "You don't belong here!"
One man grabbed Marcus by the arm and threw him toward the rest of the crowd. "This
is the one! He is the reason for the Beregon's anger toward us. I saw him conspiring
with him!"
Two others secured him and bound his hands, despite his struggle to break free. Nambroth
screamed in protest and started forward after him, but Tom refrained her. Sarac was
horrified, not knowing what she could possibly do to stop this. Behind them Toms
beloved home was rising in flames, lighting the darkened night sky above.
"Go back!" Another man yelled at the three, pushing Sarac with the hilt of his sword.
"They are in league with the evil! They helped the demon one!" Another voice rose
amid the chaos. "Yes! Send them back to the hell they came from!"
Other men came forward and held their clubs before Sarac, motioning for her to retreat
back into the tavern. They signaled for Tom and Nambroth to do the same. Marcus shook
his head and murmured obscurely.
"No...this can't be. I must do something," he whispered, afraid for their lives. His
eyes started to blur into a pure black. One of the men saw this and called to the
others. "Quick! Get the suppressant collar! He's using his witchcraft!"
A young boy in his teens rushed to Marcus and closed a thin, gray collar around his
neck. Marcus began to feel somnolent, and his eyes returned to their original green.
He closed his eyes and lost consciousness.
Others began to huddle around the three, forcing them backward with every step. Tom
tried to comfort Nambroth, who was near hysteria. Sarac stood tall and gazed straight
into the eyes of the man before her. "You can not send us to die in that pyre like
a flock of witches!"
"We can and we will. Return from where you've come," he replied coldly. Several others
unsheathed their swords and pointed them at Sarac, motioning for her to step down.
She and the other two backed away slowly. The angry crowd closed in on them and continued to force them back until they stood in the doorway from whence they had come.
The man who had seemed to be the crowds leader shut the door before them with a grimace
and locked his sword across the center to block them from escaping.
"Keep watch here," he said.
"What if they escape?" an older woman asked.
The leader's face hardened and he recovered from the temporary emotion of guilt he
had felt. "...Kill them" With that, he left them, never to return to this spot for
the rest of his life.
Tom stared at the door that separated them from the rest of humanity, then turned
to Sarac. "This cannot be. We must get her out," he said, clutching Nambroth and
stroking her hair to try and comfort her, though he doubted he would have much success.
Sarac read his mind and knew what he planned to do. She nodded, and followed him as they
ran to the next room. Dodging falling planks of wood that were burning off the ceiling,
they came to the kitchen once more. Tom cupped Saracs face in his hands and looked
into her eyes. "Do not be afraid... this is not the end," he whispered. Her eyes began
to water and she embraced him. She could see everything around her swallowed in flames,
and hid her face in his shoulder. He kissed her forehead and looked to Nambroth who was huddled beside the counter with her arms around her chest, tears trickling down
her face rapidly. The two came and kneeled beside her, placing their hands on her
shoulders. They closed their eyes and a blue light began to encircle them, then
with a bright flash it disappeared. Tom opened his eyes first, and shook the girl before
him.
"Nambroth! Listen to me!" he said loudly over the crackling of the fire and the sound
of beams and timbers hitting the floor. Sarac pointed above them where the fire had
made a small hole in the roof. Tom nodded. "We have passed our powers to you, Nambroth. You must get out safely!"
Nambroth opened her eyes that were red with crying and filled with confusion. Sarac
placed her hand on her friend's cheek. "Do not worry. You will understand once you
are away from this place." She looked to the opening above her. "Quickly."
Tom hoisted Nambroth onto the counter beside them that the fire had not caught yet.
She gained her composure and understood that this was no time for weakness. She reached
and caught hold of the wood above her. After pulling herself up, she looked back
through the opening at her companions below.
"Hurry!" she exclaimed.
Sarac reached for Toms hand and held it tightly as she looked up at her. "One has
a greater chance of escape than two or three." Her voice trembled as she managed
to utter those words. She took a deep breath, feeling the heat emanating from approaching
flames. "You are the last of us, Nambroth Cirin. I will see you again in a place where
evil has no reign."
She searched Saracs eyes for the gentle innocence that used to reside there. Instead,
there was the endurance of a stubborn martyr; but beneath the facade was the endurance
of the greatest friend she ever had. She shifted her glance to Tom, and then evaded them entirely. Was this really happening? Were they really asking her to abandon
them?
"Don't look back," Tom said softly, his voice trembling.
Filled with reluctance, she turned from them and slid down the side gutter. Escaping
into the woods, she crouched beside a tree and wept. Her tears came harshly, the
breath of sorrow filling her soul. Against Toms wishes, she looked back at her last
homely abode, hardly recognizing it. No structure could even be seen; only the rising fire
into the sky engulfing everything. Quickly she turned back around, not wishing to
watch her friends' death, and drifted into quiet thought.
It all rests on me now... I am alone. I am all that is left of the Mind Walkers. With
these powers comes the knowledge to control them....I will not forget you.
With that, she gained her strength and courage. Marcus needed her, and she would not
let him suffer the same fate as the others.
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