Rune mage

Chapter 45: music mage

She looked nothing like Noav.

It helped.

She smiled at me, looked around the office and found the one chair no one dared sit in.

It had been my page's chair.

And she sat in it.

Darkness filled me briefly.

She stood and looked at the chair and then at me. Then she sat in the other chair.

"I should just move it away," I said to myself. But also apparently out loud because she replied as though I was speaking to her.

"It seems a perfectly fine chair, no need to move it away. But perhaps stack a bunch of books or stones so that it is less appealing."

She didn't ask why I had frowned at her when she sat in the chair. Likely she had met many men broken by war.

I set one stone on my desk. "A small test," I said, "no magic used, just singing a simple song."

She looked at the stone. "How does it know when to start capturing sound?"

"I power the rune. Are you ready?"

She nodded and I flicked power through the rune, letting it glow briefly. Then I nodded at her.

She chose a homecoming song. She was unsurprisingly talented. Hers was a velvety voice, low enough to feel familiar and strong enough to make me ache for home. A home I hadn't seen since leaving for school.

When it was clear the song had ended, I closed the power and pressed magic deeper into the light grey stone. When the sound was set, I pulled another stone from nearby, this one a simple daisy design.

"In our fort I have other ways to make this work, because I am here. For you I have made a two stone set so you can have the music or not. If the stones touch, the music plays, because the rune is powered. To make it stop, pull them apart." I demonstrated this, letting her hear the sound of her own singing for a few heartbeats and then stopping it and handing her the stones.

She wept as she made the stone project her voice.

"Does this sadden you?" I asked, confused.

She shook her head. "I have never known anyone who heard their own singing. It is a gift, and my heart has overflowed with tears."

My own heart lifted out of darkness for a moment, feeling joy for the first time in...

The darkness returned quickly, as I realized I had not felt joy since...

Needing to distract myself from the retuned darkness, I asked. "Would you like to try one with magic? I don't think your magic will press into the stone, but you could try. Perhaps something...safe."

She considered this a moment. "I could try sleep,"

I shook my head. "We need to be able to wake at a moment's notice, and the last time a music mage pushed sleep upon me, I was almost too late."

She looked down at her hands.

I was distracted for a moment by knowing where all my men were. Each was accounted for in his proper place. There were so many in my webs who were not mine. They did not wear a protection rune on their skin nor carry it on a charm. I reminded myself we were not being invaded. These were guests.

"Peace then," she said softly. "It does not interfere with thought or movement, but is helpful to men at war. Would that be sufficiently safe, commander?"

I didn't correct anyone when they gave me the rank of commander. I was still officially only a lieutenant, having received no notice of advancement. And it would be rare for a lieutenant to jump past ranks to commander. But and still, I commanded my men and the fort and so I accepted the title with the same grace Archer had accepted his.

I stared blankly at her. "Peace." I repeated dumbly.

She nodded.

And waited in silence while my mind went through the possible ramifications of peace magic being available to us. I could think of no harm that could be done.

"I can think of no harm," I said slowly. I placed down a stone and touched a finger to it, eyes raised. When she nodded I pulsed power through to power the rune and waited.

When a music mage puts magic into their song, it's not longer just a song. Any talented singer can make you feel things. A music mage takes that to a deeper level.

I was silent as I wept, feeling peace flow over me.

When her song ended I powered the rune closed and put my head down on my desk.

"When was the last time you felt peace, commander?" She asked softly.

I shook my head, unable to even find words.

Then I took a deep breath and pushed down my feelings, letting the darkness wrap around me again. I couldn't afford to feel.

After a few shaky breaths I placed the stone atop another with power and waited.

The music flowed but with only the smallest hint of power.

That was still more than I had expected.

I pulled the stone away and placed it on a larger source of power.

The music was slightly louder and the power of her magic was slightly stronger.

I smiled.

I could capture the essence of other's power. It had just never been properly fueled. I left the room and raced down the stairs.

My one hand held the stone and the other traced along the walls. Runes lighting up as I brushed past them.

My men watched me go.

Our visitors watched me.

And the music mage followed me.

Deep the the darkest corners of the fort was a stone column I had spent time carving and pouring power into, when I had no thoughts but pain. There was as much power stored there as I carried.

Maybe more, if my guess about the whole of the fort being connected by my magic. This natural stone column rose to the highest point of my fort, likely that tower had been built around the column, and sank to the deepest point.

I pressed the stone with the music mage's song to the web rune.

I was almost knocked off my feet by the force of peace magic coming from the connection.

The sound echoed through the walls and halls and even the stone itself.

I leaned against the column. I couldn't leave the music stone here, we would never truly rest. But at least I knew it could work. At least with music.

If I had enough power I could store another mage's specialty and wield it. Like a borrowed blade could be used.

I turned and offered her a smile.

"Thank you." I said.

She whipped tears from her eyes.

Behind her Rudger did the same.

I pulled the stone from the power and put it into a pouch I carried at my neck. The music stopped.

And I made my way slowly up all those flights of stairs.

Behind me my sergeant and the music mage followed.

No words were spoken.

As I climbed, as my darkness returned, I wondered if I could weaponize peace.