He would be able to do this thing where he created this ball of light and could make it warm giving the impression of the sun. It never burned.
What I would give for that warmth right now. What I would give to go roll in the grass on a warm, sunny day.
“Jullia?” I call. She hums in response. “Do you know anything about runes or runic curses?”
I can tell she stops what she’s doing and turns to look at me. “Where did that question come from? I don’t really know much except what is talked about. Runic magic is technically a learned magic anyone can do, but the mental aspects of it are why not every does do it. It’s more than just knowing numbers and symbols and having intent.”
“Does Asher know more about it? He knew how to make a blood oath.”
She hums again. “Maybe. . . his ancestors used to be one of the main experts in runic magic, but after the War of Gods a lot of the knowledge wasn’t passed down. He only knows how to create the rune for the blood oath and how to draw a protection circle. Maybe a few other ones too, but that’s it.”
I wonder if the library would have more information. Nana said she wasn’t an expert in runic magic – though she seemed like one with how easily she could do them – and she said she couldn’t break mine. She said I’d have to find someone who is an expert in runic magic and explicitly knows runic curses.
“Why. . . ?” Jullia asks again.
I blow out a puff of air. “Just curious, I guess. I’ve seen runes around the school. Do you know anyone who would be an expert in them? One of the professors maybe?”
I slide my eyes over to her and watch her ponder. Her lips form a thin line as she glances at me, and when she notices me watching her she winces.
“Don’t tell me it’s Thorne.”
I want nothing more to do with that fucking demon.
Her expression softens a bit. “No, but. . . “ Why does there have to be a “but”? “. . . the only professor I know of who might know about runes is Professor Asier. Asher’s first year he said Professor Asier subbed for his astronomy with relative astrophysics class and there was a chapter about how runes correspond with astrophysics. Asher said it was one of his favorite classes and chapters even to this day.”
Ahh, so not the demon but one of the devils. He hasn’t talked to me or interacted with me since the first day. Even when he came back for the next class after the demigod subbed he didn’t even look at me.
Not that I’ve given him a reason either. I’ve made sure everything has been turned in on time, if not before then. Same with the demigod too, now that he’s my race insight and theology professor. My only days I’m free of them are Tuesdays and Thursdays when I have philosophy and physics and astronomy with relative astrophysics. And even then, Callahan is in my astronomy class but at least he sits a few rows behind me so he’s not next to me.
“Are you going to ask him?” she asks me.
“I don’t know.”
Someone knocks on the door and that must mean it’s about six o’clock because Asher always comes over to bring dinner for him and Jullia. The last two Sunday’s I’ve been passed out so his look of surprise mixed with guilt as Jullia opens the door and lets him in is no surprise.
There’s a plastic bag with takeout in his hand.
“I thought you’d be a sleep,” he says as he crosses the room to set the food on Jullia’s desk. It smells like chow mien. “If I had known I would have gotten you something.”
He shrugs out of his jacket and drapes it over the back of Jullia’s desk chair. I wave him off and look back at the ceiling.
“I’m not hungry.”
Which is a lie because I didn’t eat any food yesterday and haven’t eaten anything today. Asher scoffs lightly under his breath. Yeah, even I wouldn’t believe that.
“Want me to go grab you something?” he asks, even though he already has his shoes off by the door and is crawling onto Jullia’s bed. She snickers at him as she moves all her notebooks and textbooks. Part of me thinks it’s weird no one has laptops since they have other modern twenty-first century technology.
I wave at him again. “I might go out anyway.” Not that I have any money to buy food, but maybe I will see if Professor Asier is in his classroom or office.
“The sun doesn’t set for another almost two hours,” Asher supplies, even though I already know that. That’ll be the one plus to fall, the sun setting sooner. “Where are you gonna go?”
“She might visit Professor Asier to ask about runes,” Jullia whispers not so discreetly.
“What do you want to know about runes?” Asher asks me, which is followed by a slapping sound. “What?”
“You and Hanna are the most un-discreet people I have ever met,” she grumbles.
They make me smile. “I was curious about runic magic and runic curses. I wanted to know if anyone knew about them. Or maybe the library has some books on them. . . ?”
