Rune mage

Chalter 5: Unexpexted protégé

"Logan?"

I turned around, half expecting an attack. The first day of school and I had already been ambushed twice. Granted, my attackers had only been trying to get me to break the rule of no fist fights outside of the training arena. Once it was clear I wasn't engaging them, they went off to find some other victim.

But the speaker just waited for me to notice him and then cleared his throat, nerves evident.

"I'm Noav. This is my brother, Lu."

I tilted my head in greeting.

"Lu is a rune mage," Noav said.

I raised my brows. "First year?"

Both of them nodded. No wonder Lu looked so pale. I glanced around, then gestured to an empty classroom.

"I have about thirty minutes right now," I said.

Lu looked too young to be fifteen, but that was the way life worked sometimes. His hair was cut short and uneven. His clothing as well as his brother's indicated that they were from a family less well off.

I held my hand out for a shake but stopped him before he reached for me. "Rule one, do not shake hands with anyone but your brother unless you trust them with your life."

He looked at me for a long time, then at his brother, then shook my hand.

"Other mages can feel your power by touch." I flicked a feather of power to a rune hidden on my body. This was part of an awareness rune I had designed so I could tell if my attacker had enough power to destroy me or was bluffing. His power was decent, I would rank him at about the middle level for a first year. It could grow with the right training. For a rune mage it was more than enough to end up here rather than staying at home. They had probably hoped he would be able to stay at home.

There was also a decidedly feminine feel to the power. If I had time I might have explored why that was, but time was limited. I let go of the shake and pulled one of my braids free from my hair. I pulled away two of the hidden charms, their runes engraved on the inside of the bead rather than outside. I placed both in his hand and then braided my hair again.

"The first week there is a fitness and fighting test that left me nearly dead. Braid these into your hair if you can, failing that, wear them on a tight bracelet. I will provide them the power since they are my runes, but we will meet so you can learn them on your own." I considered for a moment. "I have memorized the one book in the library, so you can check it out and learn from it as well."

"So you'll help Lu?" Noav asked softly. "He's so small and doesn't look like much."

I looked Lu over and didn't miss the glare he sent his brother. "It is a big brother's job to want his sibling to be protected, and being here is hard and dangerous. Of course I will help. I have one day a week off of school classes, where I will be working at the tavern. You can meet me there and I will help you between tasks." I looked to Noav. "I will not have time or ability to train him to fight."

They both smiled. "Lu can fight. He just doesn't look like he can," Noav said. "I'll work with him on developing strength and endurance." He paused for a moment. "What would you like in return?"

I frowned. "You're a third year right? Well. In the final year you are not allowed to accept payment for any skill involving your magic. So. I cannot accept payment if I wanted to. But, as it turns out, I don't want to. I wish someone had been there to guide me. I wished many a time I had another rune mage to ask questions of. Is my power unique? Could other rune mages use my runes? So many questions."

"What do these runes do?" Lu asked, his voice too high to have properly hit puberty. He was looking at the runed charms in his hand.

"The pure white one is a rune of remembrance. The first week has so many things to learn and the professors take great pride in caning those who fail to recite trivia the first time asked."

Noav nodded while Lu paled. "They cane you for not knowing something the first week?"

I shrugged. "Most of them will simply humiliate you. And if you defend yourself in any way they will remind you that we are a kingdom at war and cannot coddle its future warriors. The off white one is for...well-being is how I would put it. Won't stop you from getting bruises but should stop cracks and out right breaks, should prevent illness. The first years are usually unused to the types of illnesses that breed in schools like this. They are fully powered and will stay that way until we meet again."

I watched Lu put the charms onto a necklace.

"Do you know where I work? The Boar's head inn?" I asked them.

Noav nodded. "I'll show him. Would it be alright to trade, a service for a service? If you are tutoring Lu, could Lu accomplish some task for you? Or perhaps I could?"

I thought about the exact wording of the rule. "It specifically states no coin or spendable trade or tender. So I could not accept a gold earring as payment but it does not say we cannot accept services." I rubbed my face. "I'm not sure what I would request. I have a specific process for my laundry." It was needed to keep the runes sewn properly. "I eat at the tavern or the school kitchen."

"Unnamed favors, perhaps?" Lu suggested.

I shook my head. "No, a man could take advantage of that. A favor unspecified could lead to servitude of a sexual nature." Both of them blushed at that. "But if we agree that for every week we meet, there will be a shared agreement for a favor rendered, that would suffice I think. This way each meeting we could discuss what I might need help with and what you might have ability and time to accomplish." I looked to Noav. "What kind of mage are you?"

"Music," he replied.

I smiled. Everyone loved music mages. "If you don't already have a job, Steph would pay nicely for a musician."

He looked surprised. "Most mages without offensive magic hate me," he said softly. "It is illegal to bring harm to a music mage, even students. We are exempt from the physical punishments and trainings, lest we be injured to where we cannot play or sing."

I shrugged. "You're lucky, no doubt. But you're not here demanding I help your brother. You're not obnoxious or arrogant. I don't have time to hate people who are lucky and good."

They both relaxed.

"I have to go," I said and stood. "I am at the Boar's Head every night and all day on our day off of school. You are welcome to come any time with questions Lu."

I walked out of the room, making sure there was no one else waiting in ambush. Then I went back to my room to replace the two charms. I was going to need both to get through the day.