Everyone was quiet at breakfast. It was Lindell’s turn to stay at the office, and Eireen had insisted he stay, since he’d been awake shivering all night. The office was always strangely quiet when everyone was gone, even more than when they were all there and just not talking. It was a silence that reminded him of his travels, when he had gathered dangerous artifacts for the museum. The times when he’d been alone in strange, often terrifying places. He pushed that thought aside. This was the office, this was home. But the Rune Master had gotten in once already.

  Sitting there doing nothing, it was hard to ignore the burning tension of his magic. It was hard to ignore that wrong feeling. Whatever had been wrong with his magic before, the binding was making it worse. Neither could he stop worrying about Eireen, Hector and Cory. Who would the Rune Master curse next? Lindell was lost in thought when someone stumbled into the doorway of the office. Cory ran past Lindell, into the kitchen. Lindell was on his feet quickly. He had just stepped into the kitchen doorway when a blast of red threw him back.

  Lindell hit the floor hard, his breath rushing out of him. That magic… He had seen it without even trying. He stumbled to his feet, having landed back in the front room. Cory stood in the kitchen doorway. His corruption was released, but his eyes were a much darker purple than they should be. They were almost black. Cory’s expression was blank. This had happened once before, back in Shale. Vedrix had calmed Cory’s magic then, but Vedrix wasn’t there.

  Red magic flickered around Cory. Lindell could feel it from where he stood, something sharp and hot in the air. The red was getting thicker. Lindell’s heart pounded. What should he do? Cory took a step closer, staring at Lindell without expression. Lindell hoped his theory was right. He ran at Cory, grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him into the kitchen. Lindell cried out as the corrupt magic bit into him, making small cuts up and down his arms.

  “Cory!” Lindell called out, but Cory didn’t respond.

  Lindell ran for the cupboard in the kitchen. Cory ran after him, the magic in the air so thick around him that Lindell almost couldn’t see him anymore. Lindell threw a sprig of thistle at him. Cory stumbled back, but that definitely wouldn’t be enough to stop him. Lindell ran for the hearth, tossing a handful of thistle in. He lit the fire with a shaking hand just as Cory took a step closer to him again. The thistle burned, releasing a bitter, earthy smell.

  Lindell coughed, moving away from the smoke. The red around Cory faded out. His eyes returned to a more normal shade of purple, then he collapsed onto the floor. Lindell didn’t go to his side yet. Having seen Cory’s magic out of control before, he would give the thistle more time to work. Cory’s corruption pulled back. He rolled onto his back, coughing. The thistle smoke was thick in the air. Lindell thought he might have put too much in the fire.

  He opened the window, leaning out so he could breathe. Cory sat up slowly, grimacing. His eyes were back to their usual gray. His eyes closed and he collapsed back onto the floor, breathing deeply. Lindell got Cory to his feet with some difficulty, laying him on the rug by the fire. He closed the office door, locking it, then he sat on the kitchen floor, keeping an eye on Cory. Eventually the fire died down to embers. There had only been a small part of last night’s log left in there, as well as the thistle.

  When the fire went out, Lindell closed and locked the window, not feeling safe with it open. The sun was at its midday highest. When he turned away from the window, Cory was sitting up. He looked at Lindell, then looked away quickly. Lindell sat beneath the window, leaning against the wall behind him.

  “Did I hurt you?” Cory asked.

  The cuts on Lindell’s arms stung, but none were deep. “No, you didn’t.”

  “Someone bumped into me in the market alleyway,” Cory said. “It was too crowded to see who it was.”

  “The Rune Master,” Lindell said.

  Cory nodded. “Whatever he did, it made me lose control of my magic.” He frowned hard, staring at the dark fireplace. “There’s something you and the others need to know. I didn’t think anyone could make me lose control like that. I’ll tell all of you at dinner. There’s more about corrupt magic that most don’t know. Vedrix wants it kept secret, but I trust all of you, and you need to know for your safety.” He stumbled to his feet. “I need to sleep.” He stifled a yawn on his way to the stairs.

  Lindell reluctantly opened the front door of the office again. He sat behind the desk, staring at the doorway. No one came. At sunset, Eireen and Hector returned to the office. Cory came down just as they came in. Hector cooked dinner that night.

  “Floretta Eady was found in an alleyway near her house this morning,” Eireen said. “She was cursed in the same way as the others.”

  Would the Rune Master go after Pearl, even though she was pregnant? Or Irwin, even though he didn’t live in Arkose?

  “I wonder what the Rune Master will do to the duke after he’s cursed all of his allies,” Lindell said.

  “I doubt he’ll just keep him asleep,” Hector said.

  A heavy silence settled over them.

  “Are you alright?” Eireen asked Cory.

  “I am,” Cory said. “My magic is still unstable, but it should be alright so long as I don’t use it. The thistle worked. I don’t think this is what the Rune Master would have intended. He wouldn’t know what kind of magic I have.” He hesitated, seeming to prepare himself. “I almost became an Aurith, something only a corrupt soul mage can become. Vedrix and Nox, the God of Night, came up with that name. Nox is the only god other than Vedrix who knows the truth.”

  “Soul magic isn’t like other magic,” Eireen said when Cory didn’t continue.

  Cory nodded. “It doesn’t come from the magic of Eavris. Vedrix calls it Aurica. He created it. When he realized what he created, he tried to destroy it, but it scattered. Sometimes it finds its way into people. It destroys what magic they originally had and replaces it. If it seeps into their souls and bodies, they become corrupt. Vedrix explained this to Wallace and I a few years ago.”

  “Is that why your magic sometimes tries to take over?” Lindell asked.

  “Yes,” Cory said. “That can be stopped easily with thistle, but if it isn’t stopped, I will lose myself and become an Aurith. The same will happen if I lose control of my magic. If it had gone any further earlier, only Vedrix would have been able to bring me back.”

  “Why does Nox know about this?” Hector asked. “Are he and Vedrix close?”

  “A friend of Nox’s, Sean, was a corrupt soul mage,” Cory said. “Sean became an Aurith. At the end, he didn’t want to be saved.” He didn’t look at any of them. “Nox and Vedrix had no choice but to kill him.”

  “You’re still cursed?” Eireen asked.

  “I am,” Cory said. “My magic is still unstable. I’ll have to be extra careful.” He looked at Lindell, then looked away quickly. “I’m sorry about earlier.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Lindell said. “And you didn’t hurt me. These cuts aren’t deep.”

  Cory tensed. “The Rune Master has already gone after Tabitha, Lindell, and I. He’s likely planning to go after each of us.”

  “Then we’ll have to be more careful in crowded places,” Hector said.

  No one said anything more during dinner. Lindell lay awake that night, his magic burning inside of him, fighting the binding but not getting past it. He didn’t hear Eireen’s deep breathing. She rolled over, wrapping her arms around him.

  “You were shivering again,” Eireen whispered.

  Lindell hesitated. “It’s cold without all that fur.”

  “The Rune Master has a lot to answer for,” she said quietly. “We’re going to have a lot of rune stones to break.”

  “I wonder where he’s storing them,” Lindell said. “Maybe at his house. He probably has a whole collection of them somewhere. Maybe they’re all lined up on his mantle.”

  Eireen smiled, her face barely visible in the darkness of the room. Not much moonlight came through the curtain. Maybe it was cloudy out there. Eireen sighed.

  “Will you tell me what’s worrying you?” Lindell asked quietly.

  “I miss the forest,” Eireen said. “I miss Iterna. But I love you, and I love our child.” She closed her eyes tightly. “I don’t know what I should do, and I fear it’s too late to make any choice other than to stay in Arkose. I know you wouldn’t be happy living out in the forest.”

  This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

  Lindell’s heart clenched. “Maybe I could be…”

  Eireen opened her eyes, but her expression was lost in the darkness. “You won’t give up on Arkose. You won’t give up on stopping the Rune Master, and I wouldn’t ask you to. I know you genuinely care about doing what you can to make things better here. You never liked to travel.”

  “Is there anything I can do to help?” Lindell asked. Was she going to leave?

  “This is something I have to figure out on my own,” Eireen said.

  He hesitated. “How did you meet Iterna?”

  She had never spoken of it before. She was silent for so long he thought she wouldn’t talk about it now. “I’m from Ivra. I was left an orphan by Onora’s rebellion against the tyrant king. I barely remember escaping the city during the uprising, having already been left to fend for myself.”

  He rubbed her shoulder when she didn’t continue. “You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

  “Those memories are unpleasant,” Eireen said, “but what came after was better. I was lost in the forest, but Iterna found me. I was too young to know my name or my family’s name, so Iterna gave me a name.”

  “You love the forest because you grew up out there,” Lindell said.

  Eireen nodded. “I grew up traveling through forests all over the world with Iterna and other Priests of Iterna.” She sounded wistful. “I love Iterna because she saved me and raised me. She’s practically a mother to me.”

  Lindell pulled her against his chest. “I love you,” he whispered. “I don’t want to lose you, but I want you to be happy. If…” He didn’t want to say it, but he was going to, no matter how much it hurt. “If you want to go back to Iterna, I understand.”

  “I’ll figure things out,” Eireen said quietly.

  Neither of them said anything more. Lindell closed his eyes, the exhaustion of the day pulling him into sleep at last.

  -- --

  Lindell and Eireen were awake at sunrise. Cory was already downstairs in the kitchen, and Hector joined them not long later. Eireen was making breakfast that morning. After breakfast, Cory went to open the office.

  “Are you going home?” Eireen asked Hector.

  Hector shook his head. “I will help however I can. Staying home won’t make much difference if the Rune Master is determined to curse me.”

  “Will you stay here?” Lindell asked Eireen.

  She shook her head. “I’ll be fine. Hector is right that it won’t make much different. We need to find the Rune Master.”

  “To do that, we need a lead of some sort,” Cory said.

  So far they’d had no luck finding a lead, even with all of them looking. Lindell didn’t say it, knowing they were all thinking it. He, Eireen, Cory, and Hector split up outside the office. Lindell went down to the harbor, avoiding passing through the crowd, though he didn’t think the Rune Master would curse him twice. He wasn’t even sure the same rune witch could curse the same person twice, while the first curse was still active. He didn’t want to test that theory.

  He spotted Donovan passing through the crowd. Lindell hoped it was his imagination, but he thought the captain might be even taller and paler than before. Lindell stood at the harbor wall, thinking. They had nothing to go on. The Rune Master was one of many witches in Arkose who didn’t like the duke. He wore a red cloak once while carrying out his unpleasant deeds. He had snuck into the office of Phoenix through the window and left a note threatening them. He had poisoned Tabitha’s tea without her noticing. He had cursed Lindell and Cory without being seen. Who was he?

  Lindell shivered again, missing his fur, regardless of how people had looked at him.

  “You stopped using your magic to change your appearance?” Wilson asked, joining him at the harbor wall. “Or has the Rune Master cursed you as well?”

  Lindell hesitated.

  “I know illusion witches can’t change their appearance to the extent you did,” Wilson said. “Or for such a long time. I know the members of Phoenix are not what they said they are. I am not your enemy, but Belanger has begun asking questions about Phoenix. You have Irwin to thank for that.”

  “That won’t get better, even if we find out who the Rune Master is,” Lindell said.

  Wilson shook his head. “No, it won’t. Worse still…” He lowered his voice, moving closer. “I have discovered that Belanger is from a well known family of witch hunters in Vandis. He was likely trained as a witch hunter, but I don’t yet know if he is truly one of them.” He sighed. “Julius and Giselle were weave witches. That may have had a part in their fate if Belanger is truly a witch hunter.”

  “Belanger wouldn’t want it known his wife was a witch,” Lindell said.

  “He may not have even known before she revealed it publicly,” Wilson said, that deep sadness in his eyes again. “I hope you don’t find out how it feels to lose the person most dear to you. Please, stop helping the duke.”

  “It’s not the duke we’re helping,” Lindell said. “We want to break the curses on the nobles and everyone else who was cursed.”

  Wilson sighed. “Would these people thank you? The magic hating nobles who are close to the duke?” He shook his head, then turned to go.

  “Do you have a red cloak?” Lindell wasn’t sure why he asked. It wouldn’t tell them much. Plenty of nobles in Arkose hated the duke, and many of them had those red cloaks.

  Wilson looked back at him. “I and most of the nobles in Arkose. They went out of style years ago. I always thought it stood out too much, but I like having it.”

  “Because you’re from Skarn,” Lindell said.

  Wilson nodded. “It’s a little bit of home.” He walked away.

  “Does he have any new leads?” Hector asked, standing beside Lindell.

  “Not that he mentioned,” Lindell said, “but he found out Belanger is from a witch hunter family, from Vandis.”

  Hector frowned hard. “He may have been trained as a witch hunter. That would explain his dislike of magic.”

  “Maybe he really is the one who killed Giselle and Julius,” Lindell said.

  The two of them split up to continue their search. It wasn’t long before Lindell had to rest, shivering violently. Now it wasn’t his appearance that made people not want to talk to him, it was the constant shivering. He was at the harbor wall again, the warm breeze and the sun warming him up a little. When he looked away from the sea, Wilson was hurrying toward him.

  “Someone found Eireen in an alleyway,” Wilson said. “She was taken to the healer’s.”

  Lindell was running before Wilson could say more. He didn’t stop until he reached the healer’s. The unconscious nobles took up all four beds on the left side of the room. Eireen was on the first bed to the right of the door. Lying just as still as Vern, Ernest, and Floretta, her eyes were closed. Delia hurried over when Lindell came in.

  “It’s the same as the others,” Delia said.

  Lindell’s magic fought the binding harder than ever, but it still couldn’t break through.

  “I’m sorry, I can’t help her.” Delia hesitated. “I don’t know how the curse will affect the baby.”

  A bigger part of Lindell’s magic yanked free of the binding, but it felt more wrong than before. It felt…dark. He shoved that thought aside.

  “I’ll find Cory,” Lindell said, but Cory hadn’t been able to break the other curses. Still, they had to try.

  Delia nodded, not saying anything.

  Lindell found Cory at the market. The two returned to the healer’s and Cory tried to break the curse. He couldn’t.

  “It’s like all the Rune Master’s curses,” Cory said.

  Lindell shivered again. Whenever he was out of the sun, he got cold.

  “You should go back to the office,” Cory said.

  Lindell started to protest.

  “Please,” Cory said. “Eireen would want you to. Go sit in front of the fire. Your body is cursed, it hasn’t really returned to normal. You’re going to be cold without your fur.”

  Lindell reluctantly left the healer’s and returned to the office. He lit a fire in the hearth and sat in front of it. He felt a little better there, but he was still tense all over. The only thing they could do for Eireen was find the stone and destroy it.