Rune Stealer

Business

"Hello Plianne," I chimed, flashing him a grin. "I see you were expecting us." Zyn shifted on his feet nervously next to me; I could tell he was fighting the urge to sprint to his friends that laid unconscious on the floor.

"I was actually," chuckled Plianne as he stood up. "I expected you a lot earlier, in fact."

"I apologize, my Lord," I said with a slight grin. "We got lost." As I said this, I ran my eyes across his rune on his neck. Usually at first glance I can decipher the ancient text of runes on a person's neck, but for some reason, I could not read Plianne's rune. My breath quickened with frustration as the black lines seemed to be smashed together, rendering them illegible to me. The beginning of a headache sprouted at my temple and I had to look away from Lord Plianne's rune. I met Plianne's eyes with a glare. "Some fief you have, My Lord."

"Yes, I am quite proud of it," cheered Plianne boastfully as he moved his arms, gesturing to the rest of the fief. My head buzzed as I searched for his mind, but as I did, everything became a blur. The minds of all the people in the room seemed to smear together; they were indistinguishable from one another and soon it was like a thick fog had just settled in my mind. I couldn't feel any souls or energy in the air. It felt like I was blind. I shook my head to clear my mind, but that hardly helped. Meeting Plianne's grinning eyes once more as I struggled to collect myself.

"No need to worry about your friends," informed Plianne to Zyn who finally gave in and crouched next to the other boys on the ground. "They were attempting to start a riot in my village," he scoffed.

"Why are you stealing land, Lord Plianne," I asked as I tried to decipher his rune once more, but every time I looked at it, the fog in my brain seemed to thicken. "Because it is available, is it not?" chuckled Plianne with a shrug.

"No," I growled. "It is not your land to take."

"You're right, it is your precious King's lands," hissed Plianne. "That weak King that doesn't even have a rune, that is?" Even without being able to access his mind, I could see Plianne's anger rising and I could tell he loathed the King.

"What do you plan to do," asked Zyn as he stood up.

"Now that would be spoiling the surprise." Plianne's grin reached from ear to ear and his eyes looked over me dangerously as if he was waiting for me to collapse and it finally connected. It was his rune that was doing this to me.

"You're an amplifier aren't you?" I asked, my body getting weaker. Plianne's eyes narrowed and Zyn stiffened.

"Smart girl," Plianne sneered. "Yes I am a rather powerful amplifier." Plianne walked out from behind his desk. "I can amplify the powers of many runes while weakening the power of others."

"Yes, I gathered that from the fog in my brain. If you would be so kind to give my power back to me, I would be grateful."

"I'm sorry my lady," chuckled the Lord, "but I cannot do that. You see, I need you weak and useless."

"Just me," I asked thinking of the fully functioning Zyn beside me.

"Well you and these four other idiots on the ground," hissed Plianne gesturing to my tied up comrades. Plianne seemed to not even register that Zyn was standing right next to me due to his stealth rune. When Zyn used his rune, I couldn't even sense his soul even though I knew he was there. I guess because of his rune that meant that other people didn't even register he was there as if he was invisible.

Zyn and I met eyes as we were both thinking the same thing. Instantly, Zyn began slowly moving around Plianne's soldiers to the evil man who stood in front of me. It was my job to keep him distracted.

"Do you also aspire to use my rune to destroy others?" I asked the man incredibly annoyed that people thought I would just roll over and do as they ask.

"Well but of course," chimed Plianne. "I plan to use you to take over what's rightfully mine."

"And that is?" I fought to not follow Zyn with my eyes who crept closer to Plianne.

"Galabee," growled Plianne viciously.

"I do believe Galabee belongs to the King," I laughed

"No," shouted Plianne angrily as his face turned a dark red. Zyn clenched his crescent moon knife in his hand as he stood right behind the Lord. Even Tinahta didn't seem to register him. "This kingdom was meant to be mine! Not that sad, pathetic excuse for a king! Mine-" Plianne stopped short of his tantrum due to the curve of Zyn's knife hooking around his neck.

Plianne's soldiers and Tinahta seemed to suddenly wake up as Plianne himself let out a little yelp. They all turned to face Zyn holding their Lord hostage.

"Wh-where did you come from?" gasped Plianne.

"Let Laika go," hissed Zyn into Plianne's ear.

"I-if you h-hurt me my soldiers will-"

"Let her go," growled Zyn once again as he pressed the sharp blade of his knife into Plianne's neck. The three soldiers took a step forward as Tinahta took a step back.

"No, no," ordered Plianne frantically to his soldiers. "Alright," Plianne sighed to Zyn. I met Plianne's eyes and soon after the fog lifted from within the walls of my brain. I sighed in relief as the world and its souls came back to me.

"That feels wonderful," I laughed as I smiled devilishly at Lord Plianne.

Immediately after I got my mind back, I reached into the four boys and woke them up. They were all stirring awake as I bent down to untie their ropes.

Once I stood up, I looked at the three soldiers. Their runes were weak without Plianne's amplification.

"Let them go, Plianne," I demanded, glaring at him with narrowed eyes. Plianne hesitated, but a press of Zyn's knife forced him to comply. The three soldiers slumped as the false power of their runes was taken from them. With a blink, all of the three rune souls were in the palm of my hand. There were three loud thumps and a whimper from both Plianne and Tinahta. I kept contact with Plianne's eyes as I closed my fist around the three rune souls and black oozed out of the cracks of my fist and fell to the ground, but disintegrated to nothing before they hit.

Tinahta whimpered again and I snapped my head up to glare at him and Tinahta cried out and cringed away from me. I decided I would deal with the pathetic advisor later so I took hold of his mind and made him unconscious.

"Laika," said Kian as he pushed himself off the ground. The other boys were standing up as well.

"Just in time," I mused, smiling at the boys. I returned my focus to the Lord and hissed," it's time to talk business."