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

Chapter 47: Spawn of the Hell-Witch

Peron whipped around with swiftness unexpected in someone of his girth and rammed a shoulder against the thick oak door. He bounced back with a shout.

"Damn, it's locked!"

"I'll send for help!" said Felora, her voice high. She fumbled for a pigeon-summoning rune.

"Out the way!" Seiren swept past him, tugging paper and chalk out of her pockets. With a flourish of strokes, she completed a rune, slammed it on the door, and snapped her fingers. It glowed violet, rippling outwards until it reached the door frame. She pressed her body against it and phased through, ignoring Felora's "Wow!"

The door opened up to a grand hall, decorated by paintings and false vines. Glowing runes of all colours lined the edges, bathing the room in a gorgeous rainbow glow that shimmered and changed colours by the second. Recca Mirren might be a complete cow, but her light runes were amazing. The air was stifling with the smog of perfume. Seiren fought back a gag.

At the top of the wide marble staircase, a cloaked, hooded figure pinned Recca Mirren down. Her two military personnel lay against the corner, probably dead.

Seiren opened her mouth in a shout.

Don't announce your presence, you idiot! shouted Madeleine, halting her. Seiren hesitated, eyes darting around the place for an alternate route to the top without being seen. Throughout all this, the two struggled at the top, with Mirren emitting ear-shattering screams at intervals, although getting weaker each time. Seiren wasn't surprised Mirren couldn't hold her own at her age against Ashworth, who was in her prime. Felora drew her runed gun, trained on the two atop the stairs. Peron caught Seiren's eye and knelt just beneath the overlooking balcony, one leg bent and his hands interlinked together.

Seiren took a running start; Peron bolstered her jump. Seiren's blonde hair whipped back as she soared upwards. Her hands flew out and caught the smooth stone edge of the balcony's barrier and she clambered over, breathless. She fingered her collection of runes in her pocket. She didn't want to hurt Mirren, even if she was a pretentious cow. Her target was Ashworth.

Felora fired from the bottom of the staircase. It hit the grandfather clock behind Ashworth and Mirren, shattering its glass. Ashworth's head whipped up with a snarl and, taking in the two military personnel advancing, she leapt off Mirren, unsheathing more knives from her long sleeves.

She missed?!

It was a warning shot, you idiot! Or she'd hit Mirren. Go, Seiren!

Ashworth's knives came out in a flurry like the bullets from the military personnel' guns. A series of claps followed; the knives glowed a variety of red and orange, the latter causing blasts of hot air that whipped Seiren's hair back. Peron dived and pushed Felora out of the way, returning fire from behind one of the pillars. Rumbling cracks filled the air as the blasts from the red runes shattered the marble staircase and nearby pillars. Ashworth took to the stone handrails, skidding down and brandishing a short throwing knife in each hand. Her hood whipped back, exposing dark blonde hair drawn tightly back in a ponytail, flapping in her wake.

Seiren sprinted, leaping over the fallen Mirren -- she gave the unpleasant old mage a courtesy glance; the woman seemed rather unresponsive -- and kept up on the overlooking balcony, rifting through her pocket for the yellow rune. Ashworth shot knife after knife at Peron and Felora. Peron stepped in front of Felora, a staff -- where did he get one from?! -- in his hands. He deflected several of the knives as Felora returned shots. The knives glowed with the light from the runes wrapped around their handles, blowing smoke and debris with every clap from Ashworth and forcing the two to remain on the move.