THE AEMARI SPRING/ Echoes in the Palace

So, it was morning and Verra and I headed into the Silver Ring while Thomlin and Lira surveyed the Palace. A place I thought I'd never set foot again but why was I here?

Well, the plan (I didn’t come up with) involved getting to the Palace’s Vault where “treasures” were kept under lock and key. Only problem is the wards, basically like an early warning system, these rune wards are scattered around the Palace making infiltration difficult. And we can’t even teleport past them either. So if we wanted in, we needed a Runesmith to shut them down.

Deeper into the Silver we went, passing by the Guild. Verra insisted on walking, something about her friend being a free spirit. Past the water bridges and vine tunnels we got to the edge.

“Revelia” Verra yelled waving her staff.

In front of what looked like nothing, the air started to shift.

Nestled between two cliffs, a waterfall flowed into a spring lake glowing with a faint light. The cliffs themselves were carved with ancient runic scriptures, each one thrummed like a choir.

“So this is it?” I asked.

Verra leaned on her staff, her braid spilling over her shoulder. “Yep. That is the source of Magna, the Aemari Spring.”

At the center of the spring, a white-robed Mage stood holding a bowl of black ink was chanting to a small crowd. A girl stood in the middle of the water, hair still wet from being submerged.

“Focus, Sazala,” the Mage said softly. “Breathe in….and out...”

Sazala exhaled, her chest rising and falling with the rhythm of the breeze in concentration. Six runes from the cliffs, circled the water, making bubbles rise up.

“...Feel the energy around you,” the Mage continued. “The trees, the water beneath your feet. The hum in your ears, let it guide you.”

Suddenly, the glow around the water intensified all around Sazala.

On her right arm, a rune etched itself into existence, glowing brilliant white, pulsating like a heartbeat. It was jagged and sharp, like cracks in storm clouds, the mark of Lightning.

“Wow, Ariyanna. It worked!” Sazala gasped. “I can see it!”

Ariyanna smiled and reached for the bowl in her hand and dipped her two fingers. The ink was a special blend of volcanic sand, silver and crushed moonstone, used to etch the rune into the skin. An artificial inscription.

With steady hands, she traced over Sazala’s rune, the ink sinking into the flesh, sealing the Magna within.

"There," Ariyana whispered. "Now it's truly yours."

Sazala flexed her fingers, marveling at the rune’s glow. “Thank you so much.”

Ariyana smiled. “Congratulations.”

When the ceremony ended, groups of mages in golden robes began to disperse. We weren’t allowed to get near the spring, if anything just witnessing the ceremony would be considered sacrilege.

Ariyanna noticed Verra and waved.

It was only when she came close that I recognized her.

“You?” we said simultaneously.

The same mage I saw when I woke up in the Restoration wing.

She laughed softly before turning to Verra, embracing each other like old friends.

“I thought you were an apprentice?” I asked just for curiosity's sake.

Verra snorted. “Well, Ariyanna here refuses to take the Order exam, so she remains an apprentice. But no one knows more about runes than her.”

Ariyanna smirked. “I just don’t believe in this whole system of fitting into orders. Everyone should do what they want when they want without worrying about the political drama.”

Free-spirited, now I get it.

After Verra and Ariyanna caught up while I stood beside them like an idiot staring at the blue sky, we went back. Soon it was nighttime, infiltration time.

The palace was ahead, tall and graceful and do I really need to explain the colour at this point.

“Why do I feel like we’re walking into a trap?” I whispered.

“Because we are,” Thomlin said cheerfully. “Except this time we’re the trap.”

“That doesn’t make any sense.”

“It doesn’t have to. We just need to get through the first two checkpoints.”

“Stop talking,” Lira hissed. She tied her hair into two tight braids, pulling her cloak close. “The number of guards has increased.”

“This is risky, Ari,” Verra asked, looking at Ariyanna. “If they catch you...”

“What are they going to do? Demote me?” Ariyanna clicked. Then knelt and pressed her hands to the earth, closing her eyes.

Instantly, runes bloomed over her skin, glowing the same soft pink as her hair. The ground shook and runes became visible, glowing, one by one they shifted from gold into pink.

“One down,” she breathed, opening her eyes.

We moved along the pathway of the Banquet hall, keeping low, using the golden trees for cover. The courtyard were empty save for the occasional patrolling guard wearing gold and black armor.

“This way,” Lira said, taking point. She led us through the courtyard. The deeper we went, the warmer it became, the air scented faintly of incense.

Then we heard voices.

Lira shoved me behind the fountain, her hand over my mouth. Two priests passed by, their white robes trailing on the marble. I held my breath until they were gone.

“That was close,” I muttered when she finally let go.

“You breathe too loud,” she shot back.

“You grab faces too hard!”

“Focus,” Verra cut in, glaring at both of us.

Ariyanna’s grin widened. “I’m so glad I agreed to do this.”

The first checkpoint passed without incident. Two guards strolled past, spears in hand, never glancing our way. We reached the next set of wards and Ariyanna did the same thing but this time it didn’t work.

“Give me a minute. The anchor is stronger than earlier, but I got it.”

Then after what seemed like forever, Ariyanna opened her eyes, performed multiple hand signs and pressed both palms to the floor.

“Release,” she commanded, the runes changing colour.

We darted past the Fountain, keeping low. I thought we were clear — until a flare of golden light exploded across the courtyard.

The wards reignited, brighter than before, shifting back to a deeper golden.

“No, no, no…..Someone’s reactivating them,” Ariyanna hissed, sweat streaming down her face as she tried to push back.

From the door opposite where we were hiding, a figure stepped out in Golden robes.

“The Golden Circle Order,” Ariyanna spat under her breath. “Shit.”

Shit indeed.

The figure’s presence was suffocating. I could feel it from here as they walked, revealing…her face? It was a woman with silver hair and a Golden Circle Sigil on her chest.

She weaved hand signs in quick succession and the ground began to vibrate like a heartbeat…steady, then faster until it rattled my skull. I dropped to one knee, clutching my head. Before I could make a sound, Verra touched my temple, murmuring something under her breath and the pressure vanished.

“Can you stop it?” she whispered.

Ariyanna’s face had gone pale. “Not the way I was doing before. I recognize that Anchor, it’s Rhennmar’s.”

“Who’s that?”

“Her sister,” Verra replied grimly.

“WARDKEEPERS!” Rhennmar’s voice cracked across the courtyard like thunder. “REPORT! WHY ARE THE OUTER WARDS FAILING?”

Two apprentices in grey scrambled into view, bowing so low their foreheads nearly hit the floor.

“Forgive us, GrandSage Rhennmar, we didn’t notice....”

“WORTHLESS.” Her voice was ice. “ALL OF YOU, OUT OF MY SIGHT. I’LL HANDLE THIS MYSELF.”

She glanced once around the courtyard then put her hands on her back and opened the double doors, disappearing inside.

“Alright,” Thomlin said softly, cracking his knuckles. “I’ll take the door. You four....”

“Stop!” Ariyanna snapped. “She’s strengthened the anchor everywhere. If we so much as breathe wrong, she’ll know.”

“What do we do then?” Thomlin asked.

My question exactly. I thought about using resonance and hope I get Ryder. During training Thomlin said, Ryder was the best anchor of the six and we needed that now.

“It’s simple, really,” Ariyanna smirked. “We use an Anchor-Reversal.”

“Seriously?” Verra asked worriedly. “That’s a forbidden technique.”

Ariyanna shrugged. “Then it’s a good thing we’re already breaking every other law tonight.

“It might work if you change the flow of the wards,” Thomlin grinned. “It’s genius but can you do it?”

Ariyanna scoffed. “Of course. No one knows runes better than me, not even my sister. Besides, it would be embarrassing if you put all your hopes on me and I disappoint.”

“Alright then.” Thomlin crouched. “We follow your lead.”

“You two keep watch,” Verra told me and Lira. “but try not to move until we’re done.”

I strapped my pack tightly and nodded.

“You know what to do,” Ariyanna drew a rune from her skin, transferring it to the ground where it glowed red. “I’ll speak the incantations and you two echo them backwards. And remember to match my rhythm exactly or there’ll be backlash. Ready?”

Thomlin cracked his knuckles. “Cheery.”