As Cedric walked downstairs to work on the SUS rings he promised to make for me and a few odds and ends for the team, I turned back to check in on Red when my eye caught the color of an orange-robed figure entering the shoppe. It was a young Rune Lord mage. That was a truly rare sight.

  I walked over and welcomed her. “I am Gwydion, the proprietor of this shoppe. How may I help you Rune Lord?”

  I was immediately struck by her eyes. Her iris was the same shade of orange as her robes. And she was a hero with a golden cognito like my own.

  She smiled and said, “I am Starla Griefbearer, and a mutual friend sent me to you. The alchemist, Alexander.”

  There was something off about the way she looked at me. It was as if she looked just a little to my right and not into my eyes.

  “Yes, Master Alexander is a staple for adventurers in our city, and unlike most mages, he has a deep and charming personality.”

  She laughed, and again it seemed like she did not look directly at me.

  Gwydion, her eyes do not function like yours. She does not see with them. Bella explained patiently.

  That brought me up short, and I must have drawn in a breath suddenly because she smiled again. “Ah, you just figured me out, did you?” She asked.

  “How do you get around if you can’t see?” I asked her, a cross between awe and confusion in my voice.

  She shrugged. “I took blindness as a drawback and magical 360-degree sight as a benefit. In a way, it is like my other life as well. I don’t see it as a handicap. In fact, I’m not really fond of that word, but I forgive its use by others.”

  “That is amazing,” I said.

  “Amazing? That word I do appreciate.” She said and smiled.

  “I apologize if I offended,” I said.

  She shrugged again. “How about we get back to business?” She replied without malice in her voice.

  “Of course.” I agreed.

  I inspected her more closely. She carried a spear-staff with the blade replaced with what looked like a slightly glowing white unicorn’s horn. I could feel the enchantments around its magic and the dozens of runes carved all across her staff from where I stood a couple of feet from her. A number of her staff runes had been filled in with silver.

  “How did you meet Alexander, and why did he send you to me?” I asked, genuinely interested.

  She motioned to her staff. “I was hoping to add sockets to this if it is possible.”

  “Adding sockets to wood is problematic,” I said. “May I look at it?” I asked.

  She handed it to me. As soon as I held the staff, the unicorn’s horn turned gray and lost its glow. I handed it back to her quickly.

  When she held it again, it glowed white once more. “Huh, I didn’t know it would do that.” She said. “The horn was given to me by the unicorn’s mate for saving the life of her colt at the cost of her mate. Of course, the mate was also a powerful spirit that asked for my support in ridding the land of its enemy.” She looked at me. “But that falls under TMI. Sorry.”

  I laughed. “No, it sounds like an interesting story. At least you managed to stay dry and not get attacked by some crazy, powerful boss shark out in the bay.”

  She laughed in return. “We could swap stories, sometime.”

  I said, “I am only aware of how to add sockets in wood sung into being by elves. There may be other ways, especially magical staves like this one. But I’m not sure what would happen if I were wrong.”

  “Then I am in luck. This staff, before I started carving runes in it and before the unicorn spear was added, had been sung into existence by an elf as part of a debt owed by my parents’ sacrifice many years ago.”

  “That must be the Griefbearer part of your name, then?” I asked softly.

  “Yes. Even though it happened when I was very young, I still remember and miss them.”

  “Do you mind if I look at the staff again?” I asked.

  “Sure. I believe it would have turned black if you had been evil or had evil intentions. Instead, it went gray and you lost its magical benefits while holding it.”

  “Or, I’m a guy,” I said. “Don’t unicorns have a thing against men?”

  She cocked an eyebrow. “True, men can be problematic as well.” She said as she handed it to me.

  I reached out my mind into the staff, humming an elfsong as I did. I could tell the wood was not thrilled with the rune engravings. An elf would have sung them into existence. But it was still vibrant and alive. It was also stronger than it should have been, no doubt due to the unicorn horn.

  I handed it back. “I believe I can add the sockets as requested. It is best to do this after the staff is made and before other enchantments are placed on it, but I don’t think it will be a problem.”

  “How long will it take?” She asked.

  “Only a few minutes, but the only number of sockets I can add is five,” I said.

  “I thought seven was the maximum.” She replied.

  I smiled, thinking of my own staff. “Well, there are ways to put in more than seven, but it is complicated and takes several days. Unfortunately, I cannot add any number other than five. I never learned more or less than that.”

  She nodded. “Took it as your fifth, huh?” She asked.

  “Yes, it seemed far more useful than adding one or two sockets to something.”

  “True. Then all we need to do is agree on the price. And I have only fifty gold to my name and promises for magical potions and such in the future.”

  “You are not a very good negotiator,” I said.

  “Just letting you know what I have. But Alexander said you also might trade for knowledge.” She added.

  “Oh?” I said, looking at the dozens of runes on her staff.

  “Would you be interested in learning some rune magic?” She asked.

  “In fact, I am interested in them. Do you have a book of rune magic?” I asked hopefully.

  “No. I learned to read runes when I was little. I carved all 77 of these magical runes in the staff based on a book my master possessed, but I have only mastered some of them for magical effects. The foundation of rune magic is in these 77 runes and their use in combinations.”

  I did not know that. “There are no more than those 77?” I asked.

  “There certainly are, but these are united and special. Each of the 77 can be used with another, and legend states that any seven of these runes could be used in combination for the most powerful of spells. How water and earth or fire and air might combine is beyond me. But this is how I was taught.”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  “Adding sockets would be worth several thousand gold. The typical rate is five hundred for each of the first three, a thousand for the next two, and then fifteen hundred for the sixth and two thousand for the 7th. Seven thousand gold for seven sockets. But the prices could be higher given Twilight effects.”

  “So, 3,500 gold for five sockets?” She asked.

  “Or more. But I would probably charge less for a hero.” I admitted.

  “What would you like in trade?” She asked.

  “My shoppe is working on magic to defend the city, and runes are a part of our plans. If you would give us a day and work to empower objects, I will add the sockets for you at no additional cost.”

  “So, work here for a day and get a five-socket spell for free?”

  “Yes. And if you agree to stay and defend the city, I will also see that you get five 7pt gems that can be added to your staff for services rendered to the city. You may even get a magical ring or two along the way.” I added.

  “I’m not much of a city person.” She said.

  “I can provide you a room upstairs with the other journeymen who are helping, and if you share what you know about runes, I will share what I discover as well.”

  “It is tempting.” She admitted. “But I got here more by accident than by plan. I’d like to head back north.”

  “A hundred thousand goblins are heading south as we speak and will be at the city walls in a week. You couldn’t go that direction regardless, and we really could use your help.”

  “I’m free to come and go as I like?” She asked.

  “Of course. I’ll even front-load this deal by giving you the sockets now as long as you give me your word you will stay and help.”

  “You trust me?” She asked.

  I pointed to the white unicorn's horn. “I do, but you come with a stronger recommendation for trust than my own opinion.”

  She smiled sadly, recalling the loss of the unicorn and his sacrifice for his family.

  She extended her hand a little off from where I stood, and we clasped arms. “Done.” She said.

  “Done.” I agreed.

  She gave me back the staff, and I cast my Enchant Item spell to open the spear-staff to my magics and then cast the Add Socket V spell. I then cast the Seal Enchanted Item spell. It was not necessary in most cases to add this, but the item was already magical, and this helped to ensure that magical effects did not slip and share themselves in undesirable ways.

  “Would you like five elemental gems to go in your staff?” I asked.

  “Sure.” She answered.

  I withdrew one of the cloth bags I kept with me at all times that carried gems. I had another with SUS rings in it and a third with my blank dwarven copper rings. I sorted out one of each elemental type and then said, “As a bonus, I can call up specific powers for each gem, so it is not a random effect when they are inserted.”

  “That’s a huge benefit.” She said, excitedly.

  “So, what kinds of abilities would you like to call upon? It is a weapon, so there will be attack options, neutral options, there may be defensive options, and there is always the ability to summon elementals as well. What is your favorite element?” I asked.

  “Air.” She responded quickly. “I like air the best, but fire is a good weapon.”

  I lifted the tourmaline and said, “Let’s see what this one has to offer.” I used a casting point to enter the gem used for elemental air and searched for options. The 7pt gems were the weakest of the precious gemstone options, but they were far superior to the other crystals that served as SUS spells.

  “Okay, in this 7pt gem you get one choice of a First or Second Element spell, and your options include: Air Bolt, Breath Any, Lesser Wall of Air, Levitate, Lightning Bolt, and Summon Lesser Air Elemental. Often there are seven choices, but this gem seems to have only six, but that is better than the minimum offering of just three that I read about recently.”

  “Wow, that’s cool. I can sort of levitate now with my air rune, but it is a bit messy with the amount of dust and debris it kicks up. But it also allows me to cast the equivalent of Air Bolt. Rune magic is imprecise, and you use your will and imagination to give it form. I can sort of do all of those things except summon an actual elemental.”

  “It is a lesser elemental and is not very powerful, but it is a step up from an elemental pet or a minor elemental. It will obey your instructions, but in a literal way. You must keep it simple and only ask for a single purpose.” I explained.

  I would have gone for the levitate spell, myself, given its extraordinarily rare frequency. It is a neutral spell, but if used creatively, I knew it could be both defensive and offensive.

  “Since I already have air, earth, fire, and water runes. I’ll take the Summon Lesser Elemental for each of those gems. What options exist for the ruby?” She asked.

  “You know your elemental gems!” I said with a laugh.

  I empowered the other four gems and placed them in the staff. I lifted the ruby and searched within it. “Your options include: Enhance Five Senses, Heal/Harm, Lesser Blood Armor, Remove Venom/Poison, Telepathy, and Cure Blindness.”

  I said the last one a little self-consciously.

  “Ooh. Some good ones.” She thought about it. “I have the heal rune; otherwise, I would take that ability. What does Lesser Blood Armor do?” She asked.

  “That is a good one and a power you can use anytime, but unlike the other effects, it will stay active until dispelled or used up. For every personal health point you sacrifice during the casting of its effect, you get two invisible points of magical armor around you that will absorb most forms of damage before any harm comes to you.” I explained.

  “So, if I used 25 of my 26 health, I would get a 50-point magical armor around me?”

  “Yes. It would, in effect, triple the effect of your health points. This is more common among 14pt rubies. I don’t see it as an option with 7pts very often. In fact, this is the first time. I think this ruby came from a little adventure I had with wisps a while back. It may be that monster treasure drops offer effects that carving the gems does not. I’ll have to look into that sometime.”

  “Ok, that’s a no-brainer. I’ll go with the armor.” She said with a wide, happy smile.

  I wondered why she did not even consider the Cure Blindness effect.

  “Do you have a Lesser Healing Potion?” I asked.

  “I do.” She replied.

  “Then let’s go into one of the showing rooms so you can sit down. I’ll empower the gem, and you can use it. You will need to focus on the twenty-five health points. If you lost that last one-” I left my sentence unfinished.

  “End of the road.” She said. “I understand.”

  I led her to Meeting Room One. “Using the power of the gem to do this is far safer than using the blood magic spell directly. So the risk should be minimal.”

  We sat down, and I asked her to pull out her healing potion. “I’ll hold it for you and help you if you need it. When you get that low, especially when all the damage comes at once, it could be disorienting to you.”

  I inserted the ruby along with all the other gemstones into her staff. I handed her the staff and said, “It’s ready for you to use the effect. You will understand all the abilities once you hold your weapon.”

  “That is cool.” She said. “I do understand how each one works.”

  She took a steadying breath and plunged ahead without any hesitation.

  The color drained from her face, and she looked weak and frail. It took several attempts for her to grasp the vial, and I helped her to hold it while she brought it to her lips to drink.

  The magical effects of the potion were as immediate as the damage she had taken. The potion did not fully heal her because she had used more than the twenty points it returned, but she was at a solid eighty percent.

  “That was far worse than I expected.” She said, still a little winded. “It was like looking through a blinking red haze. I had tunnel vision and my coordination was off.” She looked up at me, not quite meeting my gaze directly. “Thanks for helping me with the potion. I probably would have spilled it all over myself.”

  She stood up, wobbled for a second, and then seemed to have her balance back.

  She sure doesn’t wait around long. I thought.

  Women are stronger than men in your species. Bella informed me. In all species, actually. She added.

  “I sense the protective armor. It is strong!” She said with that wide, happy smile again. “What do you want me to do?”

  I loved her energy and enthusiasm.

  “I will introduce you to the team working on runes. If you like, as the only Rune Master in residence, you can be the team lead and report to me, and join us at our briefings. In the meantime, I will give you a blank tome, and I would like you to write down as much about each rune you have mastered as if you were teaching an apprentice. We will need to understand what the runes can do. If there are aspects of general rune magic you need to explain outside of the individual runes, you can start with that in your writings. If there are secrets you do not wish to put in writing, then either come speak to me about them or use your own judgment to keep them secret. No journeyman is being asked to reveal anything that goes against personal judgment. We have blurred the lines between guilds in the shoppe, but part of the benefit of this sharing and trust is that you are then permitted to gain access to the other journeymen’s books as well. You can also have a True Copy made of your final book in preparation for working with an apprentice someday.”

  “That’s another benefit.” She agreed. “Writing it all out will take time.”

  “I’m the keeper of the books for security, but the protocol is to approach a fellow journeyman and ask to learn a spell if you are interested in it. If the journeyman approves, you come to me or Bella to gain access to it. Agreeing usually results in a trade of spells of mutual interest.”

  “Who is Bella?” She asked.

  “I am,” Bella said as she walked into the room.

  “Nice to meet you.” Starla reached out her hand and shook Bella’s. As soon as their hands met, the necklace around Starla’s neck in the shape of a unicorn horn pulsed once.

  Starla said, “You are a spirit, Lady Bella.”

  “I am.” She replied and smiled. “I knew the spirit whose mortal family you protected. You are welcome here.”

  I had never heard Bella welcome anyone before, at least, not like that.

  Bella turned to me. “You wanted me to remind you that you have work to accomplish below.”

  “Thank you, Bella,” I said. I turned to Starla, and it dawned on me that the necklace was where her spear-staff went when she was not holding it. It was much like my ring function. “If you will join me, I will show you our crafting stations on the lower level, assign you a space to begin your work, and then perhaps Bella could show you to your rooms and get you on the schedule.”

  “That would be fine,” Starla said.

  We walked down the spiral stairs through the marble pillar, which she found amazing, but admitted that she could tell that an illusion covered the pillar when she got close enough to it. I introduced her to Red, who welcomed her on board, as did the others below. I got her situated at a desk near the rune workers and settled her in with archer Adric and his calligraphy sister, Aldreim, since they would be working together closely.

  I decided to use some of my available time to work on more rings, especially since we just added a new journeyman to the mix. If she worked out, and I assumed she would, I planned to give her a journeyman ring for her added protection.