Veil by Jae Waller

Author:Jae Waller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: ECW Press
Published: 2019-10-08T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

The day before we sailed, a Sverbian woman with darting blue eyes came to the Knox Arms. I’d met Janekke when I went to Ingdanrad. She’d been Marijka’s friend at the mage school. Marijka had gone on to herbalism, but Janekke specialized in cutting people up and putting them back together. She’d come with a ship of mages who’d answered our call for aid.

In Iannah’s room, Janekke showed us two fingernail-sized stones etched with delicate marks. “These are magnets amplified for distance. You carry one, and the scout carrying its match can track you anywhere. Our best runic mage created them. Even that nullifying cuff Arril made you wear can’t break their bond.”

I held a stone in each hand. They pulled toward each other, drawn together like lovers. “Wouldn’t it be better to mark the runes on me?”

“Gods no. One, you’re not magnetic. Two, Ingdanrad law forbids putting runes on other people. Only the mage who inscribes a rune can safely remove it, so if they refuse, or die, you’re stuck with it.”

“Then how do I get this past Cattil? How do I out-smuggle a smuggler?”

Janekke opened a worn satchel, showing rows of shiny tools bound in place. “The trick is Cattil can’t out-surge a surgeon. I’ll put the stone in your arm. Worst-case scenario, you can tear it out with your teeth. However, Tiernan Heilind insisted you be fully informed before consenting to get cut open. Pelennus, you’ve got no connection to Eremur’s military anymore, correct?”

“None,” Iannah replied, examining Janekke’s tools.

“Good. They already think mages are uncontrollable fanatics, given our work in depraved subjects like terraforming and breeding woollier sheep. What I’m about to say must stay quiet.” Janekke smoothed her apron. “Iollan och Cormic was imprisoned for carving amplification runes into his acolyte’s chest. The boy died of a seizure.”

I cringed. “I’ve only heard of standing on amp runes. That’s how Tiernan tested my water-calling.”

“Bodily inscription is far more powerful, and that increased power can help the rune-wearer tear a rift in the world. It’s also far riskier. Och Cormic should’ve been hanged for murder, but he claims the acolyte inscribed himself to enhance his earth magic, and we couldn’t prove the runes killed the boy.”

“Suriel must’ve paid them well,” Iannah muttered, opening and closing a pair of clamps.

Janekke shook her head. “Och Cormic’s research was always an ethical peat bog. My guess is they wanted to work with Suriel. A three-thousand-year-old air spirit is a treasure trove for scholars.”

“Hang on,” I said, realizing I’d never seen Tiernan barechested. “Did Tiernan do this body stuff when he was Iollan’s acolyte?”

“No. That’s where it gets interesting. Our linguists solved the cipher och Cormic used to code his research, but it covers intensely complex magic across multiple disciplines — theology, anatomy, ecomancy. Heilind has spent the past few months working through it. The first mention of bodily inscription is dated five years ago. It’s a sheet of amp runes designed for a fire mage with, theoretically, enough stamina to withstand the effects.

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