Rune mage

Chapter 4: Success

"It works." Steph's voice held just a little bit more awe than I was comfortable with. We were both out back of her tavern looking at a completely undamaged paper despite having had both flames and water applied directly to it. She had declined a test against rodents.

"I have tested it thoroughly," I assured her. "If you give me permission, I can work through the night and have everything ready by sunrise."

Steph's expression was emotional. "Logan you idiot, it works! Do you realize the potential for this? To keep this tavern fire, leak, and pest free...that is worth more silver than you earn in a year as a server here."

I ducked my head. "I am using your tavern as a testing place, it's not worthy of such expense."

She just stared at me.

"I have your permission?" I asked. "I'll be carving runes directly onto the wood support beams and then laying down a net of fine wire and beads. No one will see it because it will be under the threshing. Although, you'll want to be careful of who you have replace the threshing. I'll secure the net so it cannot be moved but you don't want too many questions asked."

Steph titled her head. "Why don't I want too many questions asked?"

I sighed. "I read the new rules. Final year students are not allowed to earn coin from their magics. They state there is concern that these students are learning advanced magics and the temptation to use them without supervision is too great. If I sell my magics, even the smallest rune, I could be expelled."

Steph's expression went blank. She knew what expulsion would equal at this point. She took a deep breath. "Go ahead. I'll have James watch over you so no one bothers you while you work." Then she smiled. It was her mercenary smile, the one that suggested she was going to win no matter what. "If we get through the first month of rainy season with out any leaks, I'll be giving you a raise."

I raised my eye brows. She already paid me more than most servers since I could use runes to lighten the trays and keep customers from getting angry. Plus I showed up as long as I was able and was rarely sick.

I wouldn't ask how much of a raise. She was the owner and could set her own wages. "Would it be alright if James is on the roof with me?" I asked.

"He isn't afraid of heights as far as I know. Why?"

"To cover the whole roof will be difficult by myself. I can show him the general idea and then secure everything myself when we have all the braids in place."

Steph nodded and then looked at the paper again. "Damn. I never once had a mage do anything like this. I've never heard of a mage doing anything like this."

I sighed. "I get the feeling that mages like me, without clear tactical advantages in war, have been shut down or killed off since the war started, and before that too, since war was always on the horizon. My first year here, I was beaten by other students regularly and only one professor did anything about it. The others sometimes even encouraged it, saying that weak mages took power from the strong."

Steph looked up at me, surprised most likely since I rarely spoke so openly. But we were alone in the dark behind her tavern.

"Do you take power from other mages?" Steph asked, her tone incredulous.

I shrugged. "I have collected the leftover remnants of power, just like the anger I collect from the tavern." Like many things, I had an idea of how to actively tap into another mage's power. The problem was testing it. If I took too much I could kill them. What I needed was a small sip of power taken many times. Designs for such a thing floated through my mind.

"So why would they be so afraid of rune mages?" Steph shook her head. "To kill them off, or worse drain them of power... look at this, how helpful this is!"

I frowned. "Wait, drain them of power?" I had only heard of the deaths.

Steph ran her hand through her hair. "It's mostly hearsay mind you, but after you started placing runes down to make your job easier,"

"Everyone's job easier," I corrected automatically. Magic used for selfish purposes was looked down upon.

She tilted her head in acknowledgment, "I asked around about the last rune mage students. You know Hilda, the town historian?"

Hilda was older than anyone else I knew, mostly blind, and meaner than a hungry dog. I stayed away from her. "What did she say?"

"She said that when she was young there was a rune mage student who did rather well for herself. But disappeared halfway through her final year."

"Disappeared usually means dead," I said slowly.

Steph shook her head. "Hilda knew the girl's family. She was drained of her power and cut off from connecting to it again. It drove her mad within a few years and she killed herself. Hilda asked the family what had caused her to be expelled, but they didn't know. Her advice to me was to keep quiet about anything you did for me." Steph paused. "I know most people think she's bitter and mean and spiteful. But I suspect she's seen all the young faces come through here, and seen too many of them never leave."

The idea of being cut off from my power filled me with fear. It would be worse than losing a limb. I looked down at my feet to gather my calm and then rubbed my hands together. "I certainly appreciate your discretion," I said and pulled my carving tools out from my pocket. "I'll get started."

"One more question," Steph said. "Will anyone, mage or not, be able to feel it working? When it rains?"

I shook my head. "I designed the runes spread out so that there is a smaller touch to the magic spread out over larger spaces. The most anyone will notice is a soft sound of humming that rain or fire would cover. Mages might note the feeling but it would be the same as the wards rich folk use. That's where I got the idea from. Those ward mages up by the wealthy area go around applying fresh wards every new moon."

"They're allowed to profit from their magic," Steph grumbled.

"They're old. They graduated the school many years ago, and served their required ten years in the army. They're allowed to use their magics however they want as long as no laws are being broken." My voice was smooth even though I completely agreed with her ire. It wasn't fair to force us to pay a tuition, then limit our way of earning it the final year to manual labor when the final year was known to be arduous. I couldn't change the rules. It would be a waste of energy being upset about it.

"Go ahead, get started. Don't fall off my roof."