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

Chapter 37: A Last Dance

Seiren unfolded the request with trembling fingers. Myrtin's pained look left a sour taste in her mouth. Her jaw dropped.

'A new heart.'

Oh, no. Madeleine's voice conveyed all Seiren needed to know.

Seiren spun round and scooped up the runes she'd been doodling idly all day since she received yesterday's impossible task and shoved them into her dress pocket. She would rather have practised her chaos magic yesterday instead, but there was no Bonsie about and no Loren to anaesthetise anything. Instead, Seiren had stacked about fifty runes – mostly violets – that, when activated in sequelae, would create a dancing show of puppets. She was quite proud of that. Whimsical things, but she'd worked damn hard.

She didn't put her boots on, preferring to pad to Kori's room in her socks to not be found. She shot up the stairs with as much stealth as she could manage. The candles leading to his room on the fourth floor were all lit, flickering low on their stands. Even from the end of the corridor, she could hear his weak panting. She hurried over and pressed on the door. To her surprise, it eased open.

The candles bathed the room in a soft glow. The wind outside had died down earlier on in the day, with only the occasional rustle of leaves audible. The curtains stayed shut, turning day into night.

Kori sat at an incline on the bed, his eyes shut and his skin had taken on a shiny, grey pallor. His hands lay on his sides, still. His breaths came rapid, shallow, and his lips looked bluer than ever.

"Kori!" Seiren said in a hushed, horrified voice, rushing to his side. His eyelids fluttered, his eyes glazed initially before recognising her voice.

He looks awful, said Madeleine, strained.

"Seiren!" His voice was barely above a whisper and even the effort seemed to exhaust what little reserve he had left. "You're... here!"

"Oh, Kori. What happened?" Her heart thumped against her ribs. She clutched his hand. They were so swollen, the skin stretched just like his legs, the fingers icy.

"My heart.... It's not so good." He panted, his skinny shoulders heaving. He pursed his lips, each breath coming through with a whistle.

I think his heart's failing.

Don't say that, Seiren thought, vehement.

"Oh, Kori," said Seiren again, her own heart squeezing. She ran her fingers over his knuckle, biting her lip. What could she do? No amount of chaos magic – much less the little amount she knew – could give him a new heart. He looked so uncomfortable, each breath laborious. "What can I do? I can't heal you. I'm so sorry."

"Papa... if you can make... him less... sad." He nodded his head to the corner. With a start, Seiren spun around. She sighed with relief, seeing Professor Fernard fast asleep in the plush chair in the corner. He was dressed in the same tattered robes she'd seen him in two days ago when she passed him in the corridor.

"He's been staying with you?"

"He hasn't... left."

His face was half-submerged in darkness, but even from this distance, the bags under his eyes and prominent wrinkles were visible. Seiren felt a pang of sadness for the grumpy professor.

"You have... magic for me?"

Seiren swallowed a lump that had materialised out of nowhere into her throat. She nodded, her eyes prickling, seeing the tired, sallow look Kori had taken on. She shuffled back and knelt on the ground, producing the runed papers from her pockets. She arranged them in order before placing the human figurines Fernard had created from her designs. Seiren glanced up briefly, catching the weak sparkle in Kori's eyes.