Eagle's Guard

Chapter 5

Aiden slumped down onto the slate roof and breathed in the warm pine-scented air. The patter of footsteps on the cobbles mixed with the gleeful cries of children playing. He wished he could be so free, but he would have to make do with these fleeting moments on the roof. He stretched out, letting the tension dissipate from his limbs, feeling the warmth of the slates soaking into him. His eyes flickered, lazily watching people as they walked by below. He was tempted to sleep, but suddenly his eyes went wide, dragging his body upright.

It was a girl. And she had vanished right before his eyes.

Or had she?

Aiden saw her a little way down the street, her steps bringing her closer to his house. She was hooded in a green cloak, a deep purple scarf wrapped over her nose and mouth. The long ends of her reddish-brown hair escaped around her shoulders. She stepped nimbly through the crowds as if some unseen force created a path for her. Then, as suddenly as she had appeared, she disappeared again.

Aiden sat up straighter, thoughts of sleep banished from his mind. He strained his eyes to catch a glimpse of the girl. Had no one else noticed her vanish? It seemed not, for those in the street carried on as if nothing extraordinary had just occurred.

Leaning forward, Aiden’s fingers traced the shape of Ailm, the seer. He brought the shimmering rune up to his face and peered down at the street. Where was she? Maybe he had imagined the whole thing?

Aiden lowered his hand, but just before he let the rune fade to nothing he caught the green flash of her hood. She emerged from his uncle’s bakery across the street with a hot pastry in hand. Aiden focused on her hooded head and gasped. Her cloak was like nothing he had ever seen before. It was speckled with the runes of Fearn, the shield, Iogh, the resilient, and Luis, the protector. And not runes like his father would sew. These were real runes, drawn with light.

No wonder she had been able to vanish with magic like that in her cloak. But where could she have acquired such a cloak? What sort of a person needed a cloak to make them invisible? Who was this girl?

Aiden scrambled across the roof and jumped into the branches of the pine tree in his back garden, swinging himself down to the ground. He slipped through the passage at the side of his house and walked casually out onto the street. Without Ailm he could not see the girl at first, but he found that as he concentrated she slowly came into view, eating her pastry in the corner of an alley. The runes in her cloak were not meant for true invisibility then, just clever concealment, otherwise he would never have seen her without the magic.

Aiden crossed the street and stepped through the doorway into the thick, sweet smell of the baker’s. He blinked as his eyes adjusted after the brightness of the street. Behind the counter stood Branwyn, his cousin, a small, wiry figure with long dark hair pulled back from her face. Aiden smiled.

“Hi Branwyn,” he said, leaning over the counter. He glanced around, checking that no one else could hear. “I need your help.”

“What for?” she replied, her blue eyes sparkling as she dusted floury hands on her apron and leaned in conspiratorially.

“There was a girl in here a minute ago and her cloak was covered in magic. And I don’t mean a few runes sewn around the edges. I mean it was covered in real runes. Enough to make her disappear. Don’t you find that strange?”

“Aiden, you think everything is strange,” she replied.

Grinning, Aiden leaned in closer. “Yes, but this is stranger than usual Bran. That girl is hiding something.”

Branwyn wrinkled her nose. “How do I help you?”

“What do you know about her?”

Branwyn shrugged. “She’s been here a few times before. Always has good money, but then so does everyone. I don’t know what you want me to say. I never noticed any magic.”

Of course not, Aiden thought. He had only seen the runes on her cloak by using runes himself. Branwyn had no such skill. He met Branwyn’s eyes. “Come with me. We’ll follow her, uncover her secrets.”

Branwyn laughed and shook her head. “Don’t be ridiculous Aiden. I have work to do and I’ll bet you do too.”

“It’s fine,” said Aiden. “This is what lunch breaks are for.”

“Well I’ve had my lunch already,” said Branwyn.

Aiden gave her a mock frown. “You’re no fun anymore Branwyn. We used to sneak off all the time exploring the City and tracking down runes, following around people who were much less strange than this girl.”

She just laughed at him again. “We can’t spend all our days having adventures. Sometimes we have to live in the real world.”

“Well, enjoy your afternoon in the real world,” said Aiden, giving her a big grin. “I’m going for an adventure.”

With that he left the bakery, screwing up his eyes against the sudden brightness. He ran a hand through his unruly brown hair and glanced to the place where the girl had been sitting. She was gone. But as Aiden focused on the empty spot she came into view. It was only the magic in the cloak bouncing his attention elsewhere. He looked away quickly, hoping he had not caught her attention, and watched her slyly from the corner of his eye.

The girl stood, tucking her scarf close around her neck. She looked both ways along the street before stepping out into the crowd, threading her way between two carts stacked with vegetables. Aiden walked after her, straining his neck to see her above the sacks of potatoes. If he lost sight of her just once he might never be able to find her again.

She continued on, dodging a group of children as they chased each other in and out of the alleys. Aiden stumbled as one of the young boys ran right under his feet. He looked up quickly, ignoring the boy’s angry chatter. Where was she? How could he have lost her already?

He saw Halfdan, the blacksmith, step out of his doorway, his face sooty and red, a pair of tongs, tips still glowing, in his hand. Halfdan waved and Aiden smiled at the man who had taught him Teine, the rune for fire. The blacksmith’s cat jumped down from the window ledge, trotting after something. He twined himself around someone’s ankles and the person reached out a hand from under a green cloak to rub his ears. Aiden laughed. His eyes may have lost her, but the cat was not to be fooled.

The girl stroked the cat for a few seconds longer before continuing along the street. She reached its end and took a left. Aiden followed. The street broadened and the girl moved swiftly and gracefully, flitting among the people like she was made of nothing but air. Aiden hastened his steps but was caught behind a cart laden with timber, the smell of freshly hewn branches filling his nose. He pushed his way past, muttering apologies at the shouts that followed him. Aiden fixed his eyes on the green hood ahead.

“Watch it,” cried a man, an armful of books and papers swirling into the air.

“Sorry,” said Aiden, ducking past and hurrying on before he could be made to help pick them up. He lifted his head, brows creased. He had taken his eyes off the girl.

He scanned the street. He had just passed the weathered stone buildings of the old barracks. Where would she be going? Lots of retired soldiers lived in this area but there were plenty of other people too. And too many of them seemed to be on the street. Aiden craned his neck. He wanted to use Ailm, the seer, but his father’s words rang in his mind. People were wary of the runes unless they were being used by a trained wizard or soldier. He narrowed his eyes, almost willing the rune to work without actually drawing it.

And then he saw her.

She was much further away, almost rounding the next corner, but she turned aside, her green hood disappearing through the door of a tall sandy-coloured building. Aiden ran after her. One building’s length away he slowed. What was he going to do when he got there? He stepped closer…

An ear-splitting crack rent the air. The building erupted sending shards of stone in all directions and a rush of hot air knocked Aiden to the ground.

The street filled with a cloud of dust billowing upwards in a swirling storm of grey that blocked out the sun. Aiden’s ears were left ringing and for a few seconds he clutched his head before the screams and cries began to filter through. His fingers shook as he rubbed dust from his eyes. All around people struggled to their feet, clutching at each other or brushing dust from their clothes, wide-eyed confusion on their faces. Moaning sounded from amidst the stone debris strewn across the street and someone cradled their arm to their chest, blood trickling between their fingers.

Aiden pulled himself to his feet, ignoring the sore places where he was bound to have bruises later. The acrid taste of smoke caught the back of his throat and he brought a hand up to cover his mouth and nose. He could hear others coughing nearby. Somewhere a voice called out for the Eagle Riders.

To Aiden’s right the bare shell of the tall sandstone building loomed through the haze. Its front wall was almost completely blown away, baring the building’s interior to the street and leaving the wooden floors sagging at a dangerous tilt. Already fire burnt in the ruins, licking its way skywards. Soon the whole building would be alight.

Aiden knew it was dangerous to stay, but something held him. Maybe, just maybe, the girl was still alive. His eyes strained to see through the filthy air, stinging as the smoke bit at them. On the third floor Aiden could barely make out the limp shape of a body. Was it her? Was she still alive? Yes! With shaking arms she rolled onto her side, sitting up and coughing. Runes flashed on a cloak of green.

The building groaned and shuddered. Flames crackled around the foot of the building, spitting sparks into the air as it devoured the furniture, tongues reaching for the wooden boards of the stairs. Distantly Aiden heard the heavy rattle of soldiers running. Would they make it before the fire took over? Even then, Aiden doubted it would be enough. They needed the Eagle Riders. It would take powerful magic to stop the fire and maybe more to save the people within. Aiden clenched his fists and looked to the empty sky.

They were not going to make it in time.

Aiden ran into the burning building. Flames billowed around him, the heat singeing his skin as he jumped through. He felt like he was going to be sick, but for some reason he could not abandon the girl. She was his responsibility.

He ran across the floor, climbing through heaps of rubble. Smoke stung his eyes, sending tears dripping down his face. He choked, his mouth almost too dry to breathe. The stairs stood ahead, floorboards splintered by falling stone, the banisters edged with soot. He took the first steps on his tiptoes. Chunks of wood dropped from the ceiling above, trailing fire. A floorboard snapped beneath his foot, swallowing his ankle. Aiden grabbed the banister, crying out as the heat seared through his hand. He gritted his teeth and pulled himself up, taking the steps two at a time until he reached the third floor.

The girl knelt near the open face of the building, hunched over the body of an older woman sprawled on the floor beside her. She shook the woman by her shoulders and brushed the hair and dust from her face. Aiden rushed to their side. The girl looked up, eyes wide, blue and bright with tears. Her hood had fallen down to reveal her long, reddish-brown hair, tangled and dirt-stained by the explosion.