Flight From Ironheart IC

[Meltemi]

Ruya
The street behind her was empty, and Ruya leaned against a wall, trying to catch her breath again. Her curiosity warred with caution as she thought of the magic they must be using. She could try to sneak in and inspect the premises while they were hunting her, but if they returned, she knew she would almost certainly be trapped. Alternately, she could simply find a cluster of normal cultists and try to trail them, but she knew that was also dangerous given her usual clumsiness.

She remembered then that her options weren't just restricted to those alone, and she touched the travel bag over her left shoulder reflexively, making certain that she still had it and her books, containing all she'd learned over the past several years. The small rune on it that lightened its weight glowed reassuringly at her touch, a sign that the fabric had not torn during her flight. Moving back into an empty alley concealed from the street proper by a sharp turn, she pulled out one book in particular, and several pieces of chalk. Opening the book, the pages began to glow with a faint light barely sufficient to read by, she began to trace out the correct runes for the circle on the cobblestones, the walls, wherever there was free space. This was a small and simple circle, one she had first created in her youth with her sister, and one she had refined and improved upon many times to make it both simpler and safer.

Not even ten minutes later, she had finished a small circle, traced along the walls and cobblestones to surround her in a hollow shell. Setting off the circle, she felt her invisibility fade away again, as the world around her filled with faint blue flames. Each individual orb of light, always present but almost never seen, was a single spirit, variously creatures that had never existed, lives never given form, the purest essences of consciousness, or the souls of those humans lost between the celestial and demonic realms, each with an existence that normally could never do more than see the material world through the ties of magic that held all things together. Like material life, they themselves came in many forms, some arrogant and condescending, some aloof, some dangerous, some friendly and curious, and some few, like Barguist, desirous of the power to manipulate their world. They could not move far, but few even knew they existed to this extent, much less how to see them, and so for small acts, like seeking and spying, they were capable enough. It was hardly as capable as a true scrying, since the spirits rarely saw things as humans did, but it was safer and far more difficult to stop. Her circle would attract and permit only those that did not intend any harm to enter and speak to her, she knew; she had drawn it enough times for her past work.

Not even a minute passed before one successfully passed the barrier into the circle with her. It floated before her as the magic took effect, and its flame abruptly brightened. It began to speak, its "voice" heard mentally as both echoing and entirely inhuman. Who are you?

"I am Ruya Perist." She spoke softly, not letting her voice carry. The small orb of flame floated higher. "I want to ask for your help."

My help. My help. It repeated the words, as if not quite understanding or believing. Your name, and your sister's name becomes known to many among us, and to many not-us as you call upon our aid. Some of envy, some of hate, some of...other sorts. One of us is always with you, and he- It suddenly began to flit back and forth, as though realizing something. Where is the Gurt Dog?

This was extremely unusual, she knew, and she wondered if it was because of where she was. Normally, they simply asked what help she needed. Though she didn't recognize the name, there was only one dog she knew of that the spirit would care about. "Barguist is with my sister. What do you know of them? Has my sister used this circle, too?" It was only natural that Alya would have known the runes for the original circle, considering they had worked together on both this and the bindings that had given Barguist his form, but as far as Ruya knew, Alya had never been interested in any form of divination, and except for Barguist's particular request, these spirits had roused nothing but an abstract interest in her.

My help. It shifted the topic suddenly. You ask for my help, and my help I offer. The colour of its flame shifted slightly, taking on tints of violet, and she realized that pushing it too hard on her sister immediately would simply drive it away. The price becomes something dear, something only you and she can give, something I must know and have.

Another unusual request. Normally, they were straightforward, and normally, they simply asked for some simple task any person with two arms and a brain could do; Barguist had been the only one to ask for a body from her, though she knew that others like him existed. All of those she had called on in the past who had been able to enter the circle had reacted with mostly curiosity, some strange regard for the flesh-and-blood human that could see and speak to them. She looked about at the other spirits revealed by her magic as they continued to mill about the outer edge of the circle, casting the alley in an eerie blue light. No others entered, however, and she wondered what was happening here in Gast. These spirits existed completely distinct from normal human interactions, though powerful magic could affect them indirectly, and she suspected that some divine and demonic creatures dealt with them as well. Beyond that, though, she knew of little that could even perceive them. "What is the price?"

The price becomes something precious, something I ask you give of me and mine when time becomes yours to grant. Another curiously unhelpful non-answer. But time is not now yours to give, nor exists here the one to give it to. The help you desire.

It was more than passing strange, but the information other spirits like this had given her had saved her life more than once in the past. She had suspected that these small spirits knew far more than they let on for some time. This little spirit knew her name, though she had never been to Gast, and knew her sister, who had been. It knew of Barguist, who had been a spirit like it, but was also from her home on the northern edge of the kingdom. It had also thought that Barguist was with her and not Alya, a very strange mix-up. It demanded some price, but refused to name the price, and it had just let slip that the price wouldn't even be for itself, but given to some other "one". "Then, when the time is mine to give, I'll hear your price, but in return, you'll also tell me what you know of my sister."

Perhaps. Yet another oddity to add to the list. It was always clear and simple, yes or no, but she set it aside, recognizing that it was the best she was likely to get. "I want you to find a house, three stories, likely smelling of strong magic." She spent another moment quickly describing the house further. "What I want is for you to search inside it. There's a cellar and a room on the third story, both of which I want you to look through for signs of magic or any people still within, and I want you to return here and tell me what you've found. What kind of magic they are using, the ritual they're preparing, anything that seems important about the building or its inhabitants." Almost by habit, she added two final words, however unnecessary they were for something that couldn't be touched or even seen by most of the world. "Be careful." The spirit bobbled slightly and flitted away, vanishing as it passed beyond the small range of the circle. She sat quietly, waiting for its return. As she did, she flipped over to a blank page and sketched out the circle she had just drawn, tracing out its paths, then began looking at ways to improve it further. Every time she cast a spell, she saw ways to improve it, and this time was no exception. Absorbed in her work, and surrounded by the pale blue of the spirits, she continued to write.