LUCKY THIRTEEN
"I don't know if this is going to work."
In truth, Miho couldn't be sure at all. Amon was sick, very sick, obviously caused by the burns on his arm. However, it was weird. The burns came from the inside out, without any infection of any form. They came from the witches, from their curse, written with their own blood on the stage. The empath made her former partner some tea, hoping it would sooth the man.
Karasuma hadn't seen anything like this. On all of the victims of the witches of Nocturne, the burns had never been this bad. The injuries were identical, but the wounds healed quickly on the other victims. On seeds, witches, and humans alike, the burns sealed up rather swiftly and neatly, leaving not even the faintest of pale, pink scars. They remained slightly raised marks as a warning. In Amon's case, however, the runes continued to surface, singing and burning anything placed above them. Their glowing refused to subside either.
Robin didn't want to look at it. She couldn't bear to set eyes upon the burn marks. The curse itself, the Craft of whoever had placed these demon marks on Amon. The energy, in thin, worm like strands squirmed and wriggled above and within the man's skin. She could have removed it, pulled the energy out from Amon at any time. She could have just dispelled the seeming curse very easily, with little concentration or effort and a slight wave of her hand to scatter the energy. But a lingering doubt remained as per what exact that would do to the man marked by the runes, what would be left in their wake.
It was never wise to alter something there remained doubt over. The witch had learned that years ago. Robin had learned to trust her instincts, and, right then, her instincts told her that to affect the runes would bring worse hassles for the pair of fugitives. Something about a faint whisper over them called to her and warned the girl.
'These are meant to be.'
Robin knew the runes. She knew them well. Even Hagalaz, the Rune of Disruption, spoke to her in gentle, comforting tones. They were welcoming, friendly, and soothing. Each and every one of the Elder Futhark held a special meaning for her, speaking to the young witch and telling her the great secrets of the universe. They were not things she should have been afraid of.
The teenager had never been afraid of the runes until then. No witch Robin had ever encountered used the runes in such a way. No spell had ever left a burning mark on a person, especially not one that continued to burn and destroy long after the injuries were left. And no runes ever felt so disquieting as these. The energy the runes had been imbued with was not normal, either. It seemed older, ancient, potent and distinctive. The power felt foreign and almost toxic, unlike anything Robin had ever seen in her life. Never before had the runes so confused and frightened Robin.
Amon took the tea in his good hand and held it, just studying it as the hot liquid swirled from mixing. Miho hadn't the heart to tell him, but the empath truly didn't think it would work. She had never attempted to scry on a living person, and never on anything as exotic as runic magic. Karasuma had never attempting anything of that magnitude, nor any form of scrying on anything, even small things, of Amon's.
Besides, he had so often looked at her gifts as an invasion of privacy. The entire time Karasuma had worked alongside Amon, the man had been very careful never to allow her to scry him. The empath never knew if it was because he despised gifts and crafts, or if it was simply the fear of what she would find hidden in the man's dark subconscious.
Amon curiously prodded at the wound lightly, jerking his finger back when he found the flesh to still be searing hot. "We have no other choice."
"Please, Karasuma," Robin begged.
The empath sighed. "Alright."
Amon moved over on the couch, allowing Karasuma to sit beside him. The woman drifted a hand over the burns, feeling the heat from the curse marks. She recoiled into herself, allowing her gifts to go free. It was like an eagle taking flight, unfurling its wings and taking to the wind.
'Robin, promise me…'
A surface thought, and nothing more. Miho started when she saw Amon's sacrifice for Robin during the siege on Raven's Flat. He shoved Robin down and into the secret passage ways beneath the well. Miho often wondered how exactly Amon had gotten Robin out of Raven's Flat without getting her caught by the invaders. Karasuma hadn't known what Amon had given for the Craft user. Suddenly, she fostered a deeper respect for the former hunter. There lay something there, beneath Amon's gruff exterior.
'The witch was apprehended.'
Again, an older, more mundane memory.
Karasuma shook her head and gave up. "I'm only picking up things from Amon, not from the runes." The woman looked to Robin. "Go fill up a bowl of ice water."
"What are you planning to do?" Amon demanded.
"I need to touch them."
xxxx
Cursed.
"You are cursed."
Sakaki buried his head in the newspaper, ignoring the voice in his mind, mussing with the old, outdated periodical. He hated those voices, those distant people. They seemed to find him. Tortured souls. They spoke through Haruto's mouth.
"They are hunting you down."
They were talkative today, apparently, loudly.
"They're coming."
Sakaki slapped the newspaper down on the counter and rushed out, into the gardens. Sunlight beamed down over the grounds and the front yard as that bright orb rose in the east. The koi pond sparkled and twinkled in the daylight. Kathain waded almost up to her waist, trying to clear out the dead, fallen leaves, while Nycole and Brett sat at the edge. The handful of large, colorful pond fish swam around her, strangely not bothered by the girl's presence in their home.
"Like lambs to the slaughter."
"I see you're feeling better," Sakaki noted, speaking to Kathain.
"At least, for now."
The girl gave a nod before lobbing a huge clump of leaves from the pond and into the sloppy pile of disgusting, rotting leaves on the driveway. "Sleep always helps. And the water. Water doesn't carry anything."
"She has seen."
He nodded. "I see."
"You will see."
Nycole glanced up, already aware of the voices, the individual minds, within Haruto. "And the others? Talkative?"
"You have no idea."
"A bit."
xxxx
xxxx
"The Thirteen have always been."
Whispers. Ancient languages. It poured through her ears and into her. The words wrapped around Karasuma, enveloping her and enfolding her like many warm blankets. She could hear the girl again. Kathain. They spoke in hushed voices, terrified. The words felt cursed, as if it were a sin to utter them.
"The Thirteen have always been warriors."
Karasuma pushed harder, searching.
"There are others. And others shall come and pass."
The runes. They came from a man. A medium sized, muscular man, hardened by years of working outside. Black feathers fluttered over him. A name carried with the bird as it jumped, surging into flight and leaving behind it a trail of molted, black wisps. The name was a simple one. Raven. Like the trickster bird itself. The runes were around him, and inside of him. However, unlike Amon, the runes burnt a warm, white light, as a blessing. The runes flowed from Raven.
"But the Thirteen have never waned. They shall fight until the end of time, battling for all eternity."
And from the other girl.
There were two red heads. They danced. The long lengths of cord leading down to the glow sticks bore the runes, glowing as gleaming just as brightly and protectively as they did upon Raven. They flowed from the other girl, with the straight red hair. They slipped from her body, down the poi, and through the air in graceful arcs before fading and dispelling. Her energy fueled the runes.
"You are not of the Thirteen. But you play just as important of a role."
Karasuma concentrated hard now, focusing on the girl who supplied the energy.
"Sakaki. We need your help, just as much as you need ours at this point."
Nycole. The name came to Karasuma. This girl was a telepath. This had to be the one who held control over Sakaki's mind. Still, it was an important link.
"I know the spirits talk to you, Sakaki."
Miho jumped. Spirits?
"They move in and out of you, talk to you. You can't stop them, can you?"
The woman felt sick suddenly, Spirits. She didn't want to hear the affirmative response from Sakaki. Now that she listened carefully, Miho could hear them, speaking in Haruto's ear, telling him things. The empath couldn't be sure if they were actually spirits of the telepath invading Sakaki's mind, for, yes, these voice were intrusive, forcing their way into the hunter.
"We can help you learn to control them."
Control? Miho reeled, suddenly lost among the runes, lost in the combination of Teiwaz, Hagalaz, and Naudhiz. Her hand burnt, but she needed a location. The woman got closer the deeper the burns cut into her, seeing a house. The runes formed detail as the house did, the image forming in her mind with the runes on her hand. It was almost clear now.
"Just help us, Sakaki."
She screamed.
xxxx
"No!"
Miho recoiled back, snapping away from Amon. When she looked down, her palm bore the reflected marks of the runes, branding into her flesh. Small, neat red marks. Karasuma threw her hand into the ice water to cease the burning sensation.
"Did you find anything?" Amon inquired with a lack of concern.
"I found them."
xxxx
Oh, Zurizip, I've been writing like a mad woman as of late. It's mostly for a good friend of mine and to warm up for a bigger project than this. The faster I write, the faster I get to see her reactions.