Path of The Dragon Mage (Book 3) 7. Engrave (Patreon)

“You should go on and dive the dungeon without me,” Corvus said. “Level up as much as you can.”

Roan and Starella, especially, needed to increase their levels. They had just begun their Pathwalker journey last week and both were still in the low single digits.

Roan and Starella looked surprised though Gwen nodded as if she had been half expecting this.

“You need to work on your combat skills,” Roan objected. “No offense, but you kind of suck.”

“If my cousin were any kind of prince, he would take offense,” Starella sniffed.

Corvus didn’t know if he should be more annoyed at Roan or Starella. Either way, he felt a headache coming on. “Leveling up my skills is important, but I need to work on the Nest Guardian’s runes.” Roan started to object but Corvus held up his hand. “No, this takes precedence. Go have fun. I’ll be here when you get out.”

“What about her?” Gwen asked, pointing rudely at Hattie.

The other girl raised a reddish eyebrow at her and then abruptly spoke in her thick accent. “I do help.”

“Have you been listening to us this entire time?” Starella demanded.

Hattie turned to her, eyebrows crinkled. “I… help,” she said again, haltingly.

Corvus checked his language skill and found it unchanged. Catching Starella’s eye, he shook his head. “No, I don’t think she can fully understand us… and that’s part of the problem, too.”

“I don’t trust her,” Gwen said.

“She hasn’t tried anything. Besides, I have the two guards and I have Charm.” Then he added, casually, in case Hattie did understand more than she let on, “And she knows if she tries anything, she’s forfeiting the life of her Kelpie.”

Hattie’s expression didn’t change. Either she wasn’t getting the context of the conversation or her emotional control was quite good.

“You have your daggers?” Gwen asked.

“Of course I do.” He twitched his vest aside to show a glint of steel. “Go run the dungeon. Have fun.” Feeling brave, he leaned over and dotted a kiss on her cheek.

Gwen flushed and the look she sent Hattie was almost triumphant.

Really? He thought ruefully.

Hattie was a beautiful young woman… if he could ever get past the fact that they couldn’t understand each other and her hair literally looked like wet blood, but he certainly didn’t share any connection with her.

Roan and Starella grumbled a little but they were excited to try out the dungeon again and collect tickets for themselves, now that they could.

Soon, they were gone and Corvus was left with Hattie and the two guards. Looking around, he directed the men to guard the mouth of the tunnels in case any enterprising noble wanted to track him down. Then he looked to Hattie.

“I don’t know how much you understood of our conversation,” he told her steadily, “But you and I need to talk. It would be best if we sat down and hashed out each other’s conversation in an orderly manner. Too bad we don’t have time for that. So, you’re going to stick with me until we can figure things out. You can be my assistant.”

With that, he grabbed a quill, bottle of ink, and a clean sheet of parchment from his Bag of Holding and pushed them at her.

“Hold this.”

Hattie did, the sliver manacles jingling. She frowned down at the objects in her hands, clearly not understanding.

Well, hopefully between the two of them they could sketch out a basic pigeon language. Their Path skills should help bridge the gap.

Corvus gestured to her to followed him and then started walking toward the ring of runes along with Granite. He glanced at the dragon. “How are the Nest Guardians adapting to the chances?”

Granite snorted. “There are objectors… of course. The oldest feel they are better… caretakers for the eggs than… a human with the appropriate Path. But… most of us agree this is a good thing.”

“Change is frightening,” Corvus agreed.

“But this change… it feels right. Better we give the eggs a chance… with people who can hatch than spend an eternity moldering here.” Granite paused for a moment as if considering his next words. “Most feel our young… will have a better future.”

Corvus nodded. From his conversations with Granite, he knew most of the Nest Guardians did not actually live in the dungeon but in deeper tunnels far below. He had hoped one day to visit their underground complex as his Night Vision allowed him to see in very low light though he didn’t want to ask for such a favor until he had fixed the runes which essentially enslaved them.

“You mentioned it was almost nesting season for the females,” he said. They’d reached the wall and he gestured for Hattie to hand him the paper and quill. She would hold the ink for him to refresh the quill.

He didn’t actually need her to carry those items but he’d been interested to see if she would try to pick the lock with the quill… or stab him with hit.

She had done neither.

“Yes,” Granite replied ponderously. “With the females gone to nest… it will slow the progress of clearing out the tunnels…”

As he and Granite chatted, Corvus copied down the runes as best he could on the parchment paper.

Hattie became interested, looking up in confusion at the wall, then back at the paper, then the wall again.

A thought occurred to him. “Can you see these runes?” he asked, pointing to the ring brilliantly displayed on the wall.

She looked at him blankly.

Interesting. As far as he could tell, the runes on the wall were etched in pure mana. But Hattie looked as puzzled as if Corvus were copying down images from a blank wall. Could she not see mana?

She was a Pathwalker. Yes, he had his rune sight ability to help, but once the runes were activated and unhidden everyone should see it.

“Runes,” he said, tapping the wall.

She pointed at the page and said something that sounded… vaguely familiar to Corvus.

“Codah.”

Codah? Did she mean codex?

“Well, we call them runes,” he said and continued to copy down what he saw from the ring onto the page. Once he had a clean copy he could activate them one by one and see—

Hattie gasped and ripped the page out of his hands.

“Hey!” He tried to snatch it back but she stepped out of his reach with a fluidity that was eerie. It didn’t help that her eyes never left the page.

She scanned the runes for a moment, a hectic flush brightening her pale cheeks. Then she looked at him, demanded something sharp in her language, tapped the page again, and repeated herself.

“I don’t know what you’re saying — give it here.” Again he tried to snatch the page away and again she easily avoided him. It was doubly ridiculous considering her wrists and ankles were manacled which should have hindered her movement.

A droplet of fear trickled down his spine. Maybe she truly was a demon host?

No. She was a Pathwalker and had to be using some skill against him.

“I need that. Look, I’m copying the runes from the wall here.” He jabbed a finger to the mana marks he could see and she apparently couldn’t, “to this page. I’m copying the runes. Runes!” He repeated louder, more slowly as she glared at him.

“Prince Corvus?” His voice had risen in his frustration and the two guards stepped from their posts towards him. “Do you need assistance, sire?”

If he didn’t know any better, he would have thought that the men were trying not to laugh at him.

“I’m fine, thank you,” he said with stiff dignity and turned back to the girl, holding out his hand for the page.

Brilliantly green eyes narrowed, she looked again from him to the wall and then to the page. Abruptly, she jabbed a finger to the first rune and spoke a word. “Stechek”.

Corvus leaned over to see she had pointed to the first of the runes he’d sketched on the page.

“Do you know what that is?” he asked.

Hattie stared, uncomprehending.

How would she be able to read runes without being able to see runes?

Corvus frowned and reached for his Bag of Holding. He withdrew another quill and blank page and copied the rune out large. He pointed at it and said, “Stechek.”

She nodded, cautiously.

“I hope “Stechek” isn’t demon speak for ‘don’t activate that’” he muttered.

He pressed his finger to the rune and pushed mana into it. No need to strengthen the bond with his own blood -- especially when he didn't know what he was activating.

Ding!

You have added new rune 'Engrave' to your rune dictionary.

"Engrave?" he repeated looking at Hattie. "Stechek means engrave?"

“Dur stechek,” she confirmed, brows furrowing. “En… grave? Ah!” She nodded.

Ding!

Your Language Skill has gained a level.

New level: Beginner 3

That seemed to be a yes.