Not Just Another God ✓

Chapter 19: I am the Magnus and I speak for the trees

"Duck!" Magnus screamed and we all clambered to the ground, waiting for the creature to pass.

*

The creature landed with a thump on the ground in front of us, scorching a hole in the ground.

I silently thanked the gods (wait does that mean I thanked myself) and almost burst out laughing as I got a proper look at the creature that had given us all a fright.

A larger-than-usual, glossy black raven was shaking it's feathers with a sort of dignified annoyance, and I immediately knew that this was no normal bird.

Annabeth, Magnus, Hearthstone, and Alex were now looking at the raven curiously too, and both Magnus and Hearthstone's faces were pulled into grimaces, probably from the memory of unfortunate past experiences.

"I don't like ravens," Magnus said, standing up and looking at it suspiciously.

I stood up, brushing myself off, and took a step closer to the glossy mass of carefully preened feathers.

"Careful," Annabeth warned, and I shot her a small nod, taking out the pen I always had in pocket, ready to use.

The raven looked up all of a sudden, staring at me with its beady onyx eyes.

It seemed to analyze me, looking me up and down so intensely, I was pretty sure it knew what I was thinking.

With a slight nod, it ruffled its feathers, took two hops forward and bowed, a graceful, dignified bow, the kind that I could never pull off without feeling stupid.

I felt a tingle at the back of my head, and the raven's voice filled my brain, a high pitched, accented squawk.

"My lord," I heard him say, "my master Odin sent me. I was to give you this."

He flew up onto my shoulder, and I struggled to support his weight, and not to mention the claws that were digging into my skin. He dropped an small, decorated bag into my palm, and flew to the ground once more.

"Thank you," I said, and with a slight nod of his head, he flew away, his huge wings creating a slight breeze.

"Well," Magnus said, "at least you didn't go through all that suffering for nothing."

"Yeah," I replied, holding up the cream colored bag.

Hearthstone stepped forward, silently asking to see the runes. He still looked more pale than usual, and still didn't seem to be back to his normal self.

I handed him the bag, and he started examining it with a slight frown of concentration etched on his face which for Hearthstone probably was equal to a surgeon making a life saving cut or something.

"Are you going to teach me the ropes?" I asked, because there was absolutely no way I could learn this by trial and error. I had seen the tiring tax the runes had left on Hearthstone and if he was a skilled rune user, who knew what would happen to a beginner?

Hearthstone handed back my pouch of runes and gave a short, hasty nod, almost as if he was scared of agreeing. He then turned away, leaning heavily against the huge tree for support.