The Rune Smith

Chapter 15- No Justice

Mutine Presariom was the God of Death.

Or at least in the minds of the people of Sownis. But the few stories Alia had heard seemed pretty conclusive.

It was a revelation that shook Alia to the core. She was never going to be able to leave, not with the God of Death on her back like this.

"So... he's..."

"Not at all like you might believe he is. There are no true gods in this world. I'm trying to educate you, could we please move on?"

More questions were picking at Alia's brain, but she couldn't bring herself to ask any. Jeremy had essentially told her, all in due time.

"Yes."

"Good. As I was saying, there is a large conflict between our kingdoms, your king at the head of your side of the conflict, and King Mutine at the head of our side. We are hoping to sway the conflict in our favor by having you on our side."

He paused, waiting for Alia to say something in response. Alia said nothing. She had no idea what to think.

Jeremy decided to keep educating Alia.

"I am certain that you are well aware of the slavery in Lurris, considering the requirements for Rune Smiths to come into existence."

Again he paused, this time considering what he had just said.

"Wait a second. Is it possible for there to be more than one Rune Smith?"

Jeremy looked at Alia expectantly.
This time she did answer. Jeremy was not a bad guy, she could see that now. He was just in the wrong place.

"No. I had Carrin read me one of the books on the original sealing rune. The rune was made specifically to limit the number greatly."

"Oh."

Jeremy considered it for a second, staring at one of the walls. He almost appeared to be asking the wall, are you listening?

He turned his attention back to Alia.

"Anyway, slavery is only present in two places on Lura. Only one of the two places is a continent. That continent is your own. Lurris. In addition, illegal slavery can be found in most places, so you still have to be careful."

Alia didn't like that he was addressing her directly.

"With that in mind, King Mutine is largely against such a disgraceful thing. Which is why he chose to deal with the issue. He realized that the King of Lurris would never back down unless there was something that could bring him to his knees. So he took you. It was incredibly lucky that the one prince who absolutely despised slavery is your friend."

Jeremy paused and Alia watched as a sickly expression washed over him.

"Or lucky in King Mutine's eyes."

Jeremy didn't approve of Mutine's behavior either.

Jeremy gave Alia an reproachable look.

"King Mutine plans on wiping out the entire royal family. And he will being doing it today."

Alia stood up, throwing herself at Jeremy. The both of them fell over and she grasped his collar, pulling his face close to her. The harm the royal family had caused. None of it mattered. They were still Luca's family. And he would be devastated if they died, regardless of how much Luca despised them. Alia had known how much he cared for the royal family from the moment they met. Luca had defended them the moment Alia and Luca met.

"YOU MONSTERS!" She spat.

Alia had never seen Jeremy as terrified as he was now, which wasn't saying much considering how long they had known each other. But he was not a person easily scared if he was working in the position he was.

His voice quavered as he spoke, the words coming out jumbled.

"I... He... Not... I... Didn't...Stop... Tried..."

Alia released him, falling limply to the floor. She watched as Mutine dispelled the map, leaving the room darker than Alia had known it to be. He was smiling, his cruel grin filling Alia's eyesight.

"My power may have decreased greatly, but considering the power I had before, I still have enough to push you to the floor. And to kill you on the spot. But I'm not going to."

"If you're so powerful, why do you need me? Why do you need anyone?"
Mutine frowned, a disturbing emotion to see on his face.

"My abilities have been greatly restricted since I was stripped of them by the others. I can no longer bring back the dead, nor control non living things as I was previously able to. In addition, I am limited to simple magic. As much as I would like to take over this world and reduce it to rubble, I am stuck here unable to do anything."

"But that doesn't really answer my question."

"Just like every other organism on this planet, you have no patience."

Mutine sighed, returning to his usual grim smile.

"I told you that I discovered how to extract magic from another living thing. What I didn't tell you is what I plan on doing with the magic."

Mutine stepped toward her confidently, and Alia moved exactly one inch before she felt herself being restrained. She looked wildly around, trying to find what was holding her back but found nothing. Mutine pressed one finger on the space where her heart was.

"I plan on putting it in you."

"Why me? And why tell me this?"

Mutine was all smile at this point.

"Because you, my dear Rune Smith, can make runes. And if you can make runes and have magic, then the possibilities are endless. And if you and I will have a beneficial relationship, then I feel I must keep no secrets from you. It's only right to do so."

"And killing the entire royal family is? I will never ever work with you."

"Well, none of them are saints. Not even close. Excluding your lover boy Luca, that is."

"He's not my lover boy."

Lies whispered Alia's conscience.

"When exactly are you planning on killing them? They don't get together long enough to kill all of them."

Mutine grew serious and out of the corner of her eye, Alia caught Jeremy close himself off entirely.

"Now, of course."

Mutine snapped and the room went dark. The walls suddenly lit up and Alia could see the halls of the Imperial Academy, along with a few other places she didn't recognize.

Mutine let out a crazed, excitable laugh.

Alia gulped, her heart sinking.

"And we have front row seats."

I hope you all had a fantastic Valentines Day! Sorry I'm a bit late!

I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and I ask with a kind intent that you vote, share, and comment. Voting only takes a second, and it is very, very appreciated.

Plz Stay Sensational!
Ennycema (Now officially a magic bean!)