Heart [ON HOLD]

Chapter 15: Runework

You can't do anything about the length of your life, but you can do something about its width and depth.

-Evan Esar

"You don't like me, do you?" Cora asked.

Tark scowled.

"Focus."

Cora glared at the dwarf, but looked back at the paper on the ground and the quill in her hand.

"I don't even have any ink."

"If you cared to shut up for a moment I would tell you why."

Cora's teeth ground together.

"I don't see how this is going to help me get that bloodrose."

"Its called magic. And it happens to be my area of expertise. No more talking."

Cora glared at him.

"Look, if you want to live, you'll just have to do what I say. Without magic, you'll never get into the castle. I'm just going to go over the basics. This is what everyone learns when they're first starting out. In order to understand how magic works you need to learn about the beginning of our world. Before Catrimar, there was a substance called ether. It congealed and formed this land over the course of millennia. It told the shapes of mountains, earth, trees...dwarves, fairies, humans. The magic of the ether in these objects became dormant, but the core of our world remains pure, pulsing ether. For this reason, our world continues to live and change."

"So what happens if it all goes dormant?" Cora asked.

"That, young lady, is what we call the end of the world. But that's beside the point. In places, the crust of dormant magic is weak, resulting in ether hotspots where the core leaks through, particularly where an auspicious event or symbol stands. The circle of stones is one such spot. We call it Ithliel. It is a source of powerful raw ether. Now, you recall how I told you humans all have dormant ether inside them?"

Cora nodded.

"Well, all living things possess some level of dormant ether. It is what keeps them alive and determines their lifespan. Humans have less ether than dwarves. You only live about seventy years if you're lucky. Dwarves can live up to a thousand years. Dragons can live for even longer."

Tark continued.

"The ether in you resides in your blood and centers in your heart. That's why when someone or something eats something else's heart, it gains its abilities and strengths.

"In order for magic to work, you have to have a intermediary. A translator. The three most common forms of translators are crystals, runes and wands, but they work in different ways. Most beings write spells as it is the easiest way, especially for a being with a shorter lifespan. It's called the Runework technique. You take a quill or even your finger and draw the rune that represents what you want. For instance, a rune that means 'destroy' or a rune that means 'fire'. The symbols channel and transmute the raw magic - ether - in your blood to that specific purpose. Here," Tark said, holding out a hand. "Give me the quill and the paper. I'll show you."

Cora handed them to the dwarf and he poised the quill over the paper.

"Watch closely."

He made three, deliberate strokes on the paper. Instead of ink, an amber glow seeped from the tip. Cora's eyes grew wide. When he lifted the quill for the last time, the rune burst into flame in his hand. She gasped as Tark cradled the fireball in one hand.

"I can throw this at whatever I like, or if I'd added a few more runes I could have made it seek a target. There are unlimited variations."

"Why doesn't it burn you?"