Rune Mage [Fantasy/Adventure | Book 1 +2 | Complete]

Chapter 6: The State Mage's Secret

"This isn't working," Seiren said out loud, running a frustrated hand through her hair, sitting cross-legged on the wooden floor of her rented bedroom in Benover. Books scattered the entirety of the tiny room, opened at various chapters about burst magic in practice showing sketches of burst mages, in various poses. Some snapped their fingers like her. Others clapped, pointed fingers, or punched. The gesture in question did not matter; it was the focus provided by the gesture that was the requirement.

It had been a week of her endlessly practising. Rowan tried his best, but ultimately burst magic was best learnt by practice. Empty your mind. Peace, quiet, tranquillity. All the sounds faded. Her world turned black when she shut her eyes. Her pulse slowed until it was a steady drum in the background. Madeleine inhaled at the same rate as her, evening her breaths.

Seiren drew on her magic. She focused on a point in the wall. Eyes snapped open. She threw her arms forward and snapped her fingers. A tiny spark flashed, lasting less than half a second. She sighed in frustration, leaning back against her bed.

"Why isn't it working?"

Her eyes landed on the nearest book, The Essentials of Magic. One of the earliest books she acquired when she enrolled into King's and the basics for any trainee mage. The badly-repaired and dog-eared book opened onto the introductory chapter on burst magic. A tea stain – acquired long before the book came into Seiren's custody – covered most of the sketch of the man projecting a torrent of water from the palms of his hand.

Common mistakes in trainees include failure to fully empty the mind before drawing on magic, altering their target after conjuring the magic, and responding to distractions during the conjuring.

I don't know. Madeleine sounded equally puzzled. I don't think you're doing anything wrong. Could it really be you just don't have a gift for burst?

To the point where I'm completely impotent with it? When all the idiots in my class could do it with their eyes shut?

Maybe we're just missing something.

What is missing is Rowan understanding that burst is a complete waste of my time. I could be perfecting the rune to bring you back, but instead I'm mimicking flatulence with my fingers.

See it as extra studying, not something you need to do to please Rowan.

Seiren gave it one more try. This time, a spark didn't even appear. With a frustrated growl, she leapt to her feet and picked up her chalk with one hand and her cloak with the other.

"I'm going runing," she said out loud, glaring at the haphazard pile of books on the floor. A bit of rune magic would sort out her brain. Runes followed rules. Runes were predictable and could be deconstructed and reconstructed. Burst left no traces, promised nothing.

The night air proved to be relaxing. That tiny Benover bedroom was claustrophobic and far too dark for proper studying, even with candles.

If we were still in Garlinge we could maybe have kept that room. Madeleine mourned. I did quite like the quilted art on the wall. I think if I practised more I could maybe have made something like that.

Well, until my wage from being a state mage in training comes in, we'll have to put up with this hovel. Bloody capital rents are extortionate.

As with everything.

Even the oranges cost four times as much. Seiren missed eating oranges.

Her boots tapped on the stone slab ground. Benover, as the capital, was also the main finance centre of the country, and maintenance was better financed here than any other city or town. Artificial shrubs, probably carved from green runes, decorated the paths. The streets were silent, empty. Yellow runes glowed in street lamps that lined the streets.