Runes of Magic US / AU

A voice echoed through the courtyard "Daenaria!"
Daenaria quickly cupped her hands to put out the tiny sputtering flame in a puff of black smoke, brushed the residue of smoke off her hands onto her skirt and clasped them behind her before the owner of the billowing voice entered the room. Daenaria's father, Arlington, was taller than most men and nearly a foot over his daughter’s diminutive stature. His hair was a fair as wheat and straight as a pin, hers billowed around her shoulders in fiery ringlets.

"Daenaria, what are you doing? You’re supposed to be studying in the chapel with your sisters. Why, oh why, daughter must you always be where you are, NOT supposed to be?" as his question rolled off his breath in exasperation his frustration became very apparent to the her.

"I was just … coming to gather some ..." She scanned the courtyard quickly, her crystalline eyes falling on the well. "... water! It grows hot in the chapel, the summer festival grows close you know." She continued to walk to the well, her gaze fixed on the grass below her feet. Arlington's frown did not lessen. For years he had wondered about his daughter, she was so unlike her sisters and his own beloved wife who had died the summer season past. For years he searched his memory for members of his bloodline that mirrored the willful girl in body and spirit, none ever came to mind. He watched his daughter draw the water from the well and simply shook his head. "Hurry back; you have an obligation to the gods just as much as your sisters. Who, I might add, are doing fine without water."

"Yes Father..." She set the silver ladle back in the bucket and headed towards the chapel dedicated to Narfas, the God of Spring water and healing rites. For as long as she remembered her parents had told her as a woman of the Neurei bloodline she was bound to Narfas. As a child she had thought little of being bound by blood to a god. As she grew older however, the bond had become like a leash tethering her to a place she barely recognized as a home. It was not that her father was unkind, he was kind in his own right, providing food, shelter and a education, but there was more. For as long as she could remember, Daenaria had felt an inability to talk about her need to know more. More than the God Narfas could teach.

The flame magic had called to her long before she knew it had a name. She was in her fifth summer when she summoned her first conjuring of flame. It had been a warm summer, she remember the heat of the slate in the courtyard burning through her sandals. The tiny hummingbird had been hovering over the Hyacinth bushes, fluttering its tiny wings. When she went closer trying to inspect the tiny bird, it flew faster than an arrow into the distance. She had remembered praying to Narfas, asking him to conjure the tiny bird. Narfas did not answer her that day, but someone else did. Opening her eyes, she had remembered the tiny fiery bird, the flames creating a brilliant spectrum of reds and greens and blues the flames perfectly recreating the hummingbird. The elemental bird buzzed around her head, for only a few seconds before disappearing into white smoke.
She cleared the memory from her mind as the chapel came into her view. She sighed softly. "If only to get away for a short while ... I would return, I would do my duty to this bloodline ... But I have so many questions, I just want to know more. It cannot be wrong to want to know more, if my heart is pure can it?" The wind was the only thing to answer the girl back, swirling around her, causing a few errant strands of her crimson hair to cross over her eyes, skewing her vision.

She spent the rest of her day, within the Chapel with her sisters and their teacher, Darius. She poured over the ancient texts and prayers associated with Narfas, all the while the hastily read spell in the town’s library on her mind. It was a spell involving conjuring flames and then shaping those flames into an array of arrows. The text had been complicated and she stumbled across the words as she recited them quietly in a small corner of the Library.

"Daenaria, are you even attempting to transcribe the runes of Narfas?" Daerai frowned at her sister before gesturing to the still blank slate in front of Daenaria. "I've just finished as has Delnaeri and Daelane." Daenaria sighed softly looking over at her two other sisters, the three of them, though she was younger devoured the texts and runes of Narfas. Their minds were like tiny sponges absorbing all of the knowledge and caring little for anything else. "I was meditating on such matters, before beginning to write out the runes to apply vision to the context, Like Darius explained." The words though true and often stressed by their teacher came from her tongue in a clever excuse. Daeari huffed away clearly angry that she had not thought to do the same.

The runes filled the blank slate, falling easily from her hand and they shimmered for a moment, before she took the chalk away. "Well done Daenaria, you’re going to be quite the priestess of Narfas. See how the runes respond even without the words followed!" Darius grinned down at the girl, clasping his hands delightedly on her shoulder. Daenaria smiled politely up at her teacher. He often gave her praise much to her sister’s chagrin. "Magic comes easily to you child it is as if Narfas himself has touched you. Darius gave her shoulders one more resounding pat before collecting her slate. "The lessons for the day are done, go off now and do whatever it is that has been on your mind all day." Daenaria grinned impishly, gathering her texts and hastily pulling them into her satchel. She practically sprang up from her chair, waving behind her as she hurried to the door. "Good-bye Darius, see you in the tomorrow." Darius laughed and called after her despite her shadows decent out the door frame "Till the morrow, Daenaria"

She had gotten rather good at the fireball conjuring. She had experimented with fiery orbs from the tiny and minute to some that were as big as ballast cannons. She never conjured flames such as those around her family’s villa for fear of her father's wrath. Any deviation from Narfas was expressly forbidden for the Neueri women. She had experimented by the stables for a while, but controlling the flame and conjuring are two very different stories. The unfortunate incident of the burning hay bales had sent her outside the walls of the city.

So today it was no different, she sought out the solace of a small clearing in the middle of Silverspring. The sun filtered through the canopy of trees forming a small circle of light. She closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, the fire symbols forming on the back of her eyelids. She cupped her hands together slowly, feeling the magical energy swirling through her fingertips, the spark setting forth a small flicker of flame. Opening her eyes, she coaxed the flame with a few soundless words. The flame responded growing into a palm sized perfectly round sphere. She hurled the ball at a small boulder twenty paces to her left. The flame bursting against the surface of the stone, leaving angry char marks amidst the clearing of the smoke.
"Always a good warm- up" she spoke to the trees around her smiling. "Now onto, the phoenix summoning spell.." She knelt in the clearing, digging through her leather satchel.

The rifling stopped when she pulled a small crumpled bit of parchment from the bag. She carefully smoothed the paper, revealing the hastily written runes and words that accompany them. The spell was complex something that would take weeks to master. Some of the runes she did not recognize and she would have to head back to the library to seek out their mysteries.

As with all works of magic to master a spell you must pick apart each rune, mastering each symbol in earnest in order to string them into the universe with proper intention. Only with complete knowledge and understanding did spells become successful. Darius would have been proud of her mind's inner workings and she laughed as the thought occurred to her.

The sun began to set behind the trees as she packed up her studies, near half of the spell picked apart and studied. Had the sun's light not grown so dim she would have continued further, leaving only the pesky runes to be dealt with. A small flicker caught the corner of her eye and she turned her head toward the direction. The flaming elemental humming bird flickered in the distance, its fluttering wings setting the twilight on fire, with each rhythmic beat.

She stepped closer to the summoned creature and a voice masked by the trees outside of the clearing answered her movement.
"You wish to know more, Daenaria, child of water and fire. Step closer and I will show you."
She stopped in mid step, setting her trembling leg back on the forest floor. The voice was not kind, yet nor was it unkind it was thick like smoke and billowing nearly beckoning as it continued. "It is your right to know more, on the hilltop did you not ask yourself something similar."

"Who are you? How do you know my name? Show yourself!" She straightened to her full, but still diminutive height and set her hands squarely on her hips. A chuckle met the back of her neck and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Two fingers trailed down each of her shoulder blades as a sharp pain ignited against her flesh. Turning swiftly, a tidal wave met the flickering trail of fire left from whatever had touched her back. She felt tenderly at her shoulder blade, a warm tingle the only thing remaining from the strange and frightening experience. Her silk robes seemingly not even singed. "Strange ..." She grabbed her bag and set quickly in the opposite direction of the now dying ember trail, towards home.

The moon hung high in the pitch colored sky by the time she hit her family's property line. As she was one-hundred paces away from her home she instinctively knew something was wrong. Her heart sank to her stomach, she dropped her satchel and began running towards her home where the torches were blazing across the night sky highlighting the large family home. She threw open the doors, the grief stricken look on her sister's faces confirming her fears. "What has happened?" She looked expectantly at each of her sisters, in turn, her own panic causing her breath to shake in her ribs.
It was Daelane, the youngest of the sisters, who spoke through broken sobs, the words muffling into gut wrenching cries. "Papa, is dead..." The world fell into blackness, her sisters spinning into the darkness until nothing was left as the words sunk in. She heard another gut wrenching scream that she knew came from her own throat, and the floor met her knees hard...

Part II

The days passed in grieving, the house eerily quiet, and lessons post-poned for religious burial rites. Daenaria lost herself in a cloud of guilt wondering if she could have helped at all had she been there could she have saved her father with the prayers and magical aid of Narfas? The question burned into every minute of her day, keeping her awake on the nights since her father's death.

On the fourth day of grieving, Darius gathered the sisters in their father's study. He silently handed them each in turn a small trinket from Arlington's heirlooms before looping around the sturdy chime wood desk and settling into the large overstuffed deerskin chair. He exhaled slowly as if gathering his words before speaking them. "I have called you here today, Neuri sisters, to speak your fathers last words too you." He unrolled the parchment that had sat so non-descript in front of him. He looked up at the four of them in turn giving a kind smile, something perhaps Arlington himself might have done if speaking to his own four daughters now.

"For Daelane, my youngest daughter I leave you the pearl ring of your great-great grandmother. Your shimmering hair will match its hue perfectly and be an ever present reminder, of how close our bloodline is to the sacred waters of Narfas. Be strong and faithful my beloved daughter."
Daruis smiled softly at the tearful girl, watching as she slid the ring lightly onto her finger.

"For Daerai, my second to last child I leave you the Sapphire pendant your mother wore on the day we were wed. You remind me so much of her as you grow into a young woman. It is my hope wearing her pendant will draw you closer to her and help you grow on your path as a priestess."

The pendant was fastened around the girl’s neck before he had finished reading and when Darius's eyes met her figure he saw her fingering the smoothing stone, carefully tracing the cuts and facets of the gems. He cleared his throat and continued.

"To Delnaeri, my second oldest I leave you the topaz broach of your Aunt Isadora. She was a strong bright light in the line of the Neuri Priestess line, much as I am sure you will grow into."

Delnaeri affixed the broach to the bodice of her gown and smiled softly, her eyes moist with fresh tears. Daruis lifted his gaze to Daenaria now and smiled gently, watching the girl twirl the pendant around her thin fingers.

"To my eldest daughter Daenaria, I leave to you dear daughter this pendant I was gifted on the day of your birth. The fiery stone matches your spirit, may it give you thing wings to soar on as a priestess of the healing waters."
The ruby was cut and polished to mimic a pair of lovely jeweled wings. Daenaria studied them carefully before affixing the tiny silver chain and settling the wings below her bodice.
Darius continued speaking "Tomorrow your lessons will resume. Take the night to remember your father and his gifts to you. When the sun rises we shall honor his memory by applying to our magical studies."
Nodding at each of the sisters Darius offered another warm smile and ushering them out of the room with a flick of his wrist.

Daenaria exhaled slowly, the summer air was thick and the heat of the day still lingered in the stones of the courtyard. She walked slowly down the narrowing stone path that led to the garden. She had always enjoyed smelling the fragrant air, feeling the blossoms against her cheek and exposing her eyes to the various bold colors only nature could create.

Tonight she took particular care to walk each row, admiring each flowering bush or smallest of blooms. She plucked a moonflower in full bloom and tucked it behind her ear, the dusky blue a stark contrast to the deep reds in her hair. She rubbed her hand light across her left shoulder blade and then returned the motion on the right one as well. A dull ache had been settling into her bones all day and seemed to grow worse. The pain did not distract from the fiery glow illuminating behind a bush of flowering rosemary.

She did not speak this time instead she parted the bush quickly with both of her hands. The fiery hummingbird fluttered above her head and then flew a few feet from her hovering over a tall row of sunflowers.
"You’re not getting away this time..."

Daenaria darted over the garden rows, each time she thought she had caught up the bird it would fly just out of arm’s length and hover as if waiting for her. The chase went on until the town was a memory and the forest replaced log and stone buildings. She ran quickly her skirt held around her knees as she ran to catch up with the tiny bird. She ran for what seemed like hours, until the forest cleared and a small town came into view the Hummingbird darted into the building of an Open window. "Perhaps your conjurer is in there too..."

Daenaria slowed to a walk entering the gates casually. Her crystalline eyes scanned the building which was rather large and looked to be an inn of sorts. She walked up to the door striking upon it once with her small curled fist. She did not have to wait long, before a young man with curly blond hair answered the door. "Good, your finally here!."

The boy ushered her in before the words were totally out of his mouth. "I've been waiting here for you for near enough to five days! He said you would be 'ere four days ago … FOUR!" He flailed his hands at her as if shouting the number four was not merely good enough. " Should 'ave given me another four thousand gold coins, fer waitin around for you..." Daenaria shook her head in confusion his words sending her mind alight with a flurry of questions. She spoke interrupting him. "Wait, you've been waiting for me? Who paid you, how much? What is going on?"

The boy looked at her as if she might be dumb or perhaps deaf. When he spoke it was slower and louder. "You were supposed to be 'ere Four days ago ... Fiery red hair, spun in curls ... that looks like you. Daenaria, right?"
She blinked and nodded. "Were you in the forests of Silverspring the other night?" Her voice took on an accusatory tone and she back away from him, this time ready to cast a spell if needed.

"Silverspring? Why would I be t'ere? That's like a day’s journey. No I'm tellin’ ya, I've been 'ere waiting for you and now yer here, So can I leave?" The toe-headed teen pulled a small silver key from his pocket and tossed it at Daenaria.
She caught it instinctively. "What is this for?" She eyed the key slowly pondering it and his action "... and why would you want to leave if you wanted me here?"

He sighed exasperatedly "No, I don't want you 'ere. I was watching the place fer ya. Was paid ta do it..now yer 'ere and my job is done. "
He moved to go around her and she held out her hand pressing it to his chest holding him for a moment. "Who paid you?"

He shrugged lightly, skirting around her "Didn't get a name … bag o’ coins is good enough of a name ... good luck wit the inn Logar needs one."
He was out the door and down one of the winding streets mingling in with some other late night stragglers.
Daenaria sighed softly turning around to eye the empty room. She saw a small flicker of light coming from the second floor landing and ascended the stairs quietly. The humming bird hovered over a bookcase its shelves brimming with old looking texts and rolls of parchment bound by wax. She stepped closer and the bird fluttered its wings wildly turning bird to pure flame and then a white puff of smoke.

The letter fluttered to her feet and she hesitated before bending to grab it. The small action of bending her back sent a ripple of pain through her shoulder blades as if her bones would break through the skin. She whimpered righting herself with the letter in her hand. Her name was written ornately across the front when she flipped the back the seal binding the letter closed nearly caused her to drop the paper, two crimson wings not unlike the pendant around her neck. She opened the letter with trembling hands.


I have arranged for you to stay here. I am sorry I frightened you the other night. But everything will be illuminated when the time is right. The time has come to begin learning who you really are child of water and fire. Not all is as it appears. You are not your father's daughter. You belong to the universe Daenaria. It is time you begin to learn the world is not ready for what you can unleash if it is not controlled. Start at the beginning of the first shelf your questions will be answered in time. I have written your history here and when you are ready perhaps we shall meet again.

Much had happened over the past weeks. The sun had reached it's highest peak and even though the days were still warm, the nights had begin to cool, signalling the end of the warm season.
The inn was near complete, various beds. couches, tables and chairs had been bought and paid for in full, either through traditional monetary means or via barter through various herbs and foods, she had begun to cook in the Inn's expansive hearth. She had hopes of at least attracting a lunch crowd from the various crafter's in the village.

She read much during her her free time. When the ever increasing pain, burning through her shoulder blades was not all consuming; she would travel to Varanas, selecting various accessories to decorate the inn. Some days the pain had caused her to think she was dying. Hard bulbous deformities had formed on the blades of her shoulders, stretching the skin only causing more discomfort. It was as if her bones were shifting. She could feel the bones grinding and reforming, breaking through tendons and sinew, forming the horrible disfigurement. She had tried in vain to heal herself. She had prayed and drawn runs around her sacred space, to no avail. She could numb the pain with great concentration, but little else was to be done. One night the pain would not cease. Despite all of the writhing and half cried prayers, bones broke forth from the skin of her back, two huge crimson stained wings stretching out over her head. She eyed the wings in her peripheral vision, exhaling a shaking breath as the pain finally sated. She sat for hours,the large wings curled around her frame as the blood dried on the stone floor of her sleeping chamber..

The next few days were spent getting use to the idea of now having, crimson hue-ed wings. She could make little sense of what had caused the wings to form, but she wagered a fair guess it had something to do with her night in the woods. She Tailored many of her dresses So they laced now in the back, with convenient holes to accommodate the delicate area where bone met flesh. She had never met another winged human and the prospect of exposing herself was horrifying. As they days lingered on, she could no longer hide in the Inn, due to necessity. She would be unable to afford to feed herself very much longer, if the Inn did not open it's doors soon. In order for the inn to start generating money, she needed to stock her cabinets well and acquire linens for the beds, she recently acquired from local Logar carpenters.

The journey to the city was rather uneventful. Her wings curred, unassuming around her frame, like a strange feathered cloak. Upon her arrival within the walls of the city, her travels went from uneventful, too quite the opposite. She was not quite half-way to the tailor's shop when she happened upon an elf. She stopped short and caught herself staring, momentarily entranced it was not often an elf was seen roaming a human city. The elf caught her gaze and the distance between them, a tome held in his hand.
"excuse me lady. I note an unusual energy around you. Might you be willing to take a look at a few pages for me?"
The elf extended the book to her, eyeing her wings curiously. Daenarie, fluttered the crimson feathers in response to the gaze and took hold of the offered book.
" I can try to help you sir. However, I offer no promise I can help you, despite what you may or may not sense."
She opened to the marked pages of the leathery book, exposing pages of runes. Some of the symbols tugged at her eyes instinctively, but not enough to give the elf an answer to even a basic question on it's meaning. She shook her head softly offering the book back to the elf.
" I am sorry Sir. I am Uncertain of their meaning.."
" Forgive my rudeness Lady. My name is Wyzer and I thank you for your efforts."
The elf offered a bow, daenarie smiled and mimicked his actions.
" Daenarie Neurei, priestess of Narfas."


" WYZER, Brother!"
A tall elf, about twenty paces from Herself and Wyzer raised his hand, summoning attention to himself and beckoning the elf to him. Not only had she seen an elf, she had engaged in polite conversation! Now as Wyzer motioned to her from his place next too the new elf, it seemed she was about to become engaged in a conversation with two elves. Wyzer and the Green-haired elf were already deep in conversation when she approached. Wyzer addressed the other elf as Tahltril, and although she was not fluent in the elven tongue she assumed it to be his name.

Tahltril barely looked at Daenarie and she was almost thankful, as she began to overhear the details of their conversation. The green-haired elf was apparently under the effects of a curse, he called the Black Shadow, an intense darkness that was slowly diminishing the elf's control over his form. Curses you see are tricky things, and the ongoing conversation made her frown as she continued to listen, the seriousness of it's content not to be diminished.

Wyzer was convinced he was able to help free Tahltril from the bonds of the curse. The only problem he had mentioned was finding a priest to carefully hold onto the soul of the elf, while the curse was being destroyed. Daenarie cleared her throat and spoke barely above a whisper.
" I am Priestess under the wing of the God Narfas, perhaps I can help."


Both elves swiveled their gaze to the girl, seeming to study her more closely now. Wyzer nodded his seeming approval. No sooner had it been settled that she would help with the removal of the curse, when a fear inducing voice escaped the mouth of Tahltril. The Black Shadow, spoke through the elf, venom lacing it's words as it spoke of threatening to take the soul of Tahltril with it's banishment into the ether.

Daenarie remained half hidden behind Wyzer as he launched the first of various magical attacks on the cursed elf. After what felt like an eternity, Tahltril fell causing Wyzer to signal Daenarie too do her work. The young winged priestess summoned all of her energy, her lips moving soundlessly as she drew the runes above the fallen elf. His soul hung above her for a moment, before returning back to the body of the elf, in turn saving his life and freeing him from the majority of the curses hold. After receiving the thanks of the two she headed to the small inn, hidden in the eastern center of Varnas, she body far too tired after it's efforts to make the journey home, to the Fiery manticore.

Daenarie awoke late the next morning, the sun already high in bluest of skies. She helped herself to a large breakfast of fresh eggs and bacon. Magic still depleted the girl's energy, yesterday being no different. The Center of Varanas was always bustling, being home to many important buildings and sects of various schools. She walked into a rather large circular building, it's large glass ceiling catching her attentions. Cystalline eyes, the color of the ocean, remained hovering to the heavens admiring the many colored classes in the mosaic design. A small figure in the center of the room , cleared her throat catching the attentions of Daenarie.

" Come closer girl..."
Daenarie heeded the words of the woman stepping closer to the center circle. A hum of magic clung to her skin and she frowned sensing a barrier between the two.
" who are you..why are you surrounded by a barrier of magic?"

The woman laughed the sound almost breathless. A sorrid tale of fallen divinity and the name Illumine followed. Daenarie listened to the words of the goddess and took pity on the being. She above all, hated when god's made mortals their playthings. In her mind a god who would dally in the fate of other deities, was unforgivable. Daenarie, pressed her hands against the magic current, quite surprised that she could pass through..Illumine also seemed surprised by this and urged the girl still closer.

Daenarie slowly stepped through the magical field at the behest of the Goddess. The energy clung to her skin, causing her to shiver. Once she was inside of the circle, Illumine quickly grabbed the girls hand, murmuring words she had a hard time understanding. Daenarie felt the magics lessen and then all together cease as the final words fell from the mouth of the Fallen Goddess. Illumine dropped the girl's hand and stepped out of the circle that had been her prison. She left quickly, her voice ringing in the Circular room.
" You have my thanks..Do not think for a moment, I will be the only one watching you."
No sooner had Daenarie freed the fallen goddess she realized perhaps she should have never done such. Meddling in the affairs of Gods was perhaps not the smartest thing she had done since leaving home.


She hurried herself out of the building, nearly bumping headlong into Tahltril, She nearly jumped out of her skin, seeing the now silver-haired elf. Her breath caught in her throat as he caught her by the arm. She began to apologize for her clumsiness, only to have him wave off her words, instead offering to walk her to the city gates.

(Some Character contact has been edited due to my, horrid memory. If you are involved in the story and have any issues with my creative reimagining..you write it )