The Rune Smith

Chapter 28- Preparation

She instantly felt her cheeks warm. That had sounded better in her head.

"Okay. Okay. Yeah. I completely know what I'm doing."

"It doesn't seem like you do."

"Not helping Carrin."

"I apologize."

"That didn't sound very sincere."

Alex interjected, stopping the conversation.

"We're not getting ANYWHERE. Alia, just do something. You said that you were going to alter reality, so do just that."

"All I was trying to do was get myself into the right mindset."

"Just get on with it."

Luca was gritting his teeth. The back and forth conversation with useless subjects was clearly getting on his nerves.

Alia took in a deep breath, trying to cool her nerves. She relaxed her tense shoulders, which she hadn't realized were as tight as they were.

She needed to think of something to do. Something simple. Something easy.

"Got it. Is there a room we can go to where I won't destroy anything."

She was met with worried looks from all of the people surrounding her.

"I swear I don't want to destroy anything. I've only done this in a dream; there's nothing telling me that doing this in real life won't cause any problems."

"Just what are you hoping to do?"

Luca seemed to be genuinely considering her plans. The question seemed to relate more to the type of room that would be best for the experiment rather than expressing distrust in Alia.

In all honesty, the fact that Luca was trusting Alia this much seemed unfathomable. And yet, it was happening nonetheless.

Alex was the only voice of reason in this conversation.

"Alia, if what you're planning on ends up with the entire castle coming down on our heads, I would very much prefer that you give a proper warning. And if that is, in fact, your plan, I suggest you come up with a different idea."

"Personally, I would rather not die. However-"

If looks could dismember, the Carrin would be limbless. The glare Alex was giving him was burning.

"Don't you even suggest that dying is less important than a 'scientific breakthrough' as you so often put it."

"Noted."

"You argue like a married couple."

Alia clapped her hands over her mouth. Alex's stony cheeks grew slightly darker in hue. Carrin on the other hand seemed to like the connection, smiling smugly.

"I just planned on trying to create a levitation rune. Not the normal ones, but ones that can make object-heavy objects- fly around the room like birds. There are only runes that go up and down, left and right in straight lines. I was just worried that if this works the object might break something important."

Luca banged his fist on the nightstand.

"The throne room."

A rather loud cry of "what" came from Alex, followed by exasperated stuttering. Alex was fighting the fact that Luca was almost king. She wasn't used to someone so relaxed, so normal, being the ruler of Sownis.

"Commander, relax. The throne room recently had multiple protection runes embedded into the walls and floor. You were the one who suggested them, you should know this."

The Commander has regained her composure and managed to answer Luca's statement with a great deal of professionalism.

"I wasn't suggesting that they needed to be used so soon."

"Well, if something goes wrong, we can use this opportunity as a way of testing them."

Alex went silent for a few seconds. Alia could almost see the cogs in the Commander's head turning, considering what Luca was suggesting.

"Fine."

Her teeth were gritted so hard her words were dry and strained. If Luca kept acting so rashly, Sownis would not have a king from the same line ever again.

Luca shrugged.

"It isn't like you can deny my word."

Alia was horrified. Luca had never been this rude.

"Luca!"

"I'm joking. I'm not king just yet. I don't quite have that much power. Alia, I'm going to give you half an hour to prepare. Is there anything specific that you need?"

Her mind ran through the necessary pieces that had been in the dream. She need someone with a very specific focal.

"I only need a really heavy object and someone whose magical focal could possibly relate to levitation."

Luca smiles reassuringly.

"Done."

...

It had, in fact, taken Alia thirty minutes to become prepared. Despite how easily she had gotten out of bed when she had woken up, that energy appeared to have been fleeting. The moment everyone left the room, Alia became acutely aware how sore she was.

They had been a fantastic distraction, but now she had to deal with the pain she wasn't aware she had. Lesson learned; laying in one spot for a few days does not mean that you awake refreshed.

Additionally, Alia was starving. Hunger pangs jabbed at her stomach, making it difficult to stand.

She moaned the entire time she spent changing into a new, crisp uniform.

Just as she was about leave the room, on instinct, she turned back to her nightstand, searching for the identification bracelet. It was there, but once she picked it up, the clasp fell to the floor, making a small clank as it hit the hard ground.

She nearly cried.

There was no legitimate reason for her to cry. The bracelet was not a gift, it was not all that valuable, and it was meant as a way for the king to always keep his eye on her. But it gave her a sense of security she had lost when she had to leave her family. And she had broken it.

She scooped it off the floor, stuffing it into the shirt pocket so that it was right next to her heart.

It may be a symbol of the invisible prison that she had always been in, but it was the oldest object she owned. Even imprisonment can come with good memories. And she felt somewhere that if she didn't keep the bracelet she would loose the few good memories she had.

Thirty minutes were up.

A deep breath, just like every other breath she had taken over the course of this experience. Dream world included.

"Here we go."

And just like the dream, she could feel Estara's presence.

But she maybe she just imagined it.