Realm of the Runes: Blood Right

Chapter IX

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The grey Audi's headlights burnt through the thick fog as it pulled off the highway and onto a narrow cobbled lane. Ryaki slept, her breathing soft in the silence. The car purred to a stop in front of tall, black, wrought iron gates.

On either side, old brick walls covered in lichen stood like impenetrable guardsmen, relics from another time. Rich pressed a button on a small handheld remote, and waited. A little crack in the brickwork fell into shadow, before the gates slowly swung open on greased hinges.

The fog cleared a little in the courtyard, and he drove underneath a masonry arch, the car barely fitting between the pillars. The compound had been a hotel of sorts, and dated back almost two centuries.

The driveways were better designed for a horse and carriage, and the garage was a reconstructed stable, positioned underneath the two-story building's dining room. Two other cars were parked idly in the stalls beside them, and Rich glanced over at the woman sleeping beside him. 

"Ryaki." 

He kept his voice soft. She frowned a little in her sleep, and he touched her shoulder. She blinked slowly, uncurling in a decidedly feline manner, stifling a yawn with the back of her hand.

"Oh, good. We're back."

"I'll grab your bag. Dennis wants to get started right away, but you look like you could do with more sleep."

She narrowed her eyes at him, before getting out of the car and stretching her limbs. "You and I both know that's not going to happen."

Rich grunted, opening his door and stepping round to the boot of the car. "What ever you say, Princess."

She curled her lip in disgust, biting back the smile that lurked on the corners of her lips.

"How is Dennis? Still addicted to those awful blue soft drinks?"

"You know it."

"His brains will rot," she muttered, grabbing the sack of trash from the boot of the car and following Rich down a cobbled passageway. The solid oak door looked odd, coupled with a state-of-the-art security console, and Ryaki pressed her palm briefly to the scanner and typed in her code. Rich glanced at her.

"I hope you're prepared. God knows what he's up to now."

He flung the door open and instantly she was enveloped in a wave of warmth. The inside of the the building looked like it belonged on a different planet.

Metal screens cordoned off various holographic screens so that they didn't interfere with each other, and a giant glass table with a touchscreen hologram dominated the centre of the room. Sleek metal chairs were pulled up haphazardly, and a bent curly head looked up from his workspace. 

"Ryaki! Our tech witch, you beast of a thing!" His Australian accent hadn't dulled at all during his years in England, and within a second he was on her like a flea, his skinny arms wrapped around her so tightly that she choked.

"Caaand... breeeefff... unhh..." 

He released her, a giant grin quirking across his face. Thick-rimmed nerd glasses were surprisingly cute on his boyish face, and his dark hair sprang in all directions, a mass of untamed curls. 

"Exactly how many of those drinks have you had today, Dennis?" she remarked dryly, surveying his dilated green pupils. He immediately pointed to a neat stack of crushed soda cans sitting on the edge of the table. She tried not to smile, but it was useless.