Nym's Arc

Chapter 7 of 41

The door opened. Nym stepped into a warm room. A fire burned in a stone hearth. A man sat before it, his back to her. Silver hair spilled past his shoulders. His golden gown shimmered with runes that caught the flames. He did not look old. Nym studied him and stayed by the door. The black cat slipped past her boots and sat. The man turned. His purple eyes fixed on her. "I don't know who you are," he said. "But you must speak to the runes, not just anyone can enter this tower." Nym held still a moment. Then she spoke plainly. "I have come to learn about my mother." The man stood. His golden boots scraped the floor. "Why would I know your mother?" "Because Thora sent me," Nym said. She looked back for the nymph, but the stairs stood empty. Thora had stayed below with her tree. Nym faced the man alone. "You are the Rune Keeper. She said you would give me my name." "Magnus Runehart gives no names for free." He crossed the room. "Many climb this tower and claim a bloodline. Words are cheap. The runes do not lie. Prove you belong, or leave the same way you came." Nym's chest tightened. She had climbed a whole tower for this. "I have no proof. I was left on a river as a baby. I don't even know my mother's face." "Then I cannot help you." Magnus turned back toward the fire. Anger rose in Nym's throat. She would not be sent away. She pulled the ring from her finger, the ring from the sealed box, marked with the runes she could not read. "This came with me. It opened your doors below." Magnus stopped. He turned slowly. His eyes went to the ring, then to her hands. "Show me your palms." Nym opened her hands. Blue fire bloomed in one. As it lit her skin, faint marks glowed beneath it. Runes she had never noticed, buried in her flesh. Magnus stepped close and took her wrist. His breath caught. "These marks are hers," he said quietly. “How can this be, she bore a child and did not tell us." He raised his eyes to Nym's face. "You have her blood. The runes prove it." Nym's knees felt weak. "Then tell me. Who was she?" Magnus released her wrist. His face hardened. "Knowing her name is knowing her story. Come sit by the fire I will fetch us some food and fresh water." He looked at the door behind Nym. "You proved your blood. You are welcome here." The fire dimmed. Nym and Magnus sat ate and drank, Nym waited to hear what he would say