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

CHAOS MAGE Chapter 7: The Teirrinese Documents

17 years ago, Benover, Karma.

Another screw-up. The council needed to do something about treating all mages as interchangeable whether they be fresh out of the oven or have thirty years beneath their belts. They simply weren't the same and when it came to experience in managing civilian conflict and as human weapons in battle, the new mages stuck out like a yellow rune at night, their burst magic erratic and unreliable and their runes poorly-drawn and unpredictable. Their inexperience was a liability and people's lives were lost as a result of it. The mages assigned to the Teirrin royal family should have been more experienced, even rivalling those of the Karman king's mages, but instead, two of them had graduated King's but three years prior. If they were better trained, perhaps the devastation could have been limited.

Sallows had been gone for over two weeks since Teirrin blew up, which was said to be from a deep underground source of energy awaiting mining being triggered by some unknown cause. The result was a rippling explosion tearing through the entire country, stopping just short of the Karman-Teirrinese border thanks to the magical barrier against external threats. Bovaria and Solmin were meant to return from their trip the day after the incident. Now they would never return, and Kommora was all alone.

This must never happen again.

Storming down the corridor towards Sallows's office, her feet flying over the marble floor stained grey and white by the moonlight shadows, Kommora ran over the things she would say to him. He'd always listened to her thoughts and suggestions. Out of all the other king's mages, Cronin Sallows was the only one who took her advice seriously about freshly-graduated mages needing a probationary period before gaining full licensure and being available for state service. Kommora hadn't slept since the Teirrin incident. The thoughts spiralled through her mind, never letting her have a moment's rest. All the barriers that should have been in place, all the communication, all the safety measures — and the cumulation of the failures meant this incident occurred. Sallows was due to return from Teirrin tonight and Kommora would be damned if she let her thoughts rage for another day.

A sudden flurry of movement and a hush in the air made her pause. The courtyard was empty, the ghastly topiaries cast in sharp relief beneath the moonlight. A crisp winter chill hung in the air. There shouldn't be anybody else except night guards here, and Kommora knew the routines of the guards well enough to know their patrol shouldn't bring them to this part of the building for at least another hour. Something wasn't right. Pressing her back against one of the pillars, she eased out a breath and took a piece of rune paper and chalk in her hands. She'd been developing and then trialling this rune as a means of supporting inexperienced mages — just as well.

She set it on the ground and flicked her finger. The rune glowed violet before a subtle light rippled outwards. She'd have to risk getting found if these unwelcome visitors were mages. The chalk etchings within the double circle drifted as the scanning continued, orientating themselves with respect to Kommora's position in the centre of the circle. Four, all standing near the corridor leading to the offices of the king's mages. Kommora waited, anticipating detection and an attack. Nobody jumped her. If it had been Sallows — or any mage, really — her detector rune's effects would have been discovered.

She had the element of surprise and magic on her side. Darting into the shadows and camouflaged with her black cloak, she took out sheets of rune paper and drew modified red runes, silencing their effects and amplifying the powers with sigils. She spotted the first trespassers, barely visible in the shadows of one of the pillars, a gun in his hand. The violet runes on the side of the body of the weapon glowed faintly. His companion stood several metres away, facing another direction. Kommora found the last two based on the information from her detector rune. All armed.