Crossroads (Book Two)

Chapter Seventeen: Lessons Learned

The warm water had alleviated the soreness of her muscles, but it had taken three rinses before the water turned clear and all traces of mud had been washed away. Her skin prickled in the chill air of the room as she dried. Aurora turned to the wall were the heating rune she had drawn the night before had already faded, then quickly stuffed her legs in woolen pants, and a tunic that went past her hips.

As the sun achingly climbed the sky it warmed many of the rooms in the castle, but as night approached, bringing the end of autumn, the cool air seeped into every room. Her room was too small for a fireplace, so as soon as Aurora mastered a heating rune, she'd placed one on the wall and another on her bed.

She remembered the first rune she had made; a lifting rune. It had been a miserable failure. Runes, she'd learned, were not about writing, anyone could write a rune, they had to be imbued with power.

During one of her early training sessions with Master Owen, he had led her past a doorway from the kitchens that led down a winding staircase and outside. Curious she'd followed without question.

Small buildings were scattered across the yard in makeshift alleys. The store houses contained every type of good needed for running the castle, from a tannery to a grain house to all manner of bolts of cloth, were held or made in this section of the castle.

In her exploration of the castle, she had not seen this part before. The only other section of the castle that Master Owen had shown her was the Mage's Tower, where he was housed and apparently a few others as well. He stopped alongside a group of people wearing long red tunics who were staring at a pile of sacks on top of a large flat stone.

This was different, if not puzzling.

They each wore a golden emblem above their heart and expressed an obvious curiosity about her. Two, a boy and a girl, were about her age, the two other boys were significantly younger, and the last and the leader of the group appeared to have permanent scowl across his face.

In front of the red clad group, whom she'd discover later were called rune paiges, Master Owen asked her to create a lifting rune. Master Owen addressed the blonde haired man with the permanent scowl, "My apprentice would like to help your paiges today, Mentor Sal."

The scowl deepened, "It's Mentor Salvador."

"You're right, of course."

Aurora was not the only one to notice that Master Owen had not apologized before turning his attention back to her. "Draw the rune on one of the sacks and take it to the kitchen," Master Owen instructed.

Already anxious at drawing her first rune, the added stress of an audience did not make it any easier. The first marking had been so feeble that it had begun to fade before she had finished writing it. One of the boys snickered and another openly laughed which earned him a slap to the back of the head by the older girl.

"Try again," Master Owen encouraged her, his voice full of patience. After her seventh attempt she let out a frustrated groan.

Mentor Salvador cleared his throat. "Unfortunately, we do not have any more time to waste. Edrick, transport the sacks then report to Lady Neera. The rest of you, follow me to receive your assignments for the day."

The boy with messy black hair and dark eyes, who'd laughed at her earlier, knelt by the slab of stone and drew the rune. The stone rose effortlessly several feet off the ground, carrying its heavy load, and with a gentle nudge, Edrick glided it away to the kitchens with a smirk.

She shook her head at the memory of what happened the next day as she swung her arms into a long-corded vest. Embarrassed and angry at her failure, she'd woken up and stomped out to the store house where the sacks were kept.