Book One – Chapter 12

Eventually, Abar pulled the map in front of them. “So, about the rune …”

Samasira pronounced it for the others:

c̮̲̥̟̳͖̼͉̬̠̣̾̆̓́ͤͯͨ͌͠r̶̹̽̉͛ḙ̴̩̾̓̅̿͋ͬc̷̸̙͚̺͖̞͆ͩ͌ͥ̅̓̑ͩ͡͠e̗͒ͦ̌ͬ̃̒ç̤͓̘̲̇̔͋ͫ̇̍ͥo̴̩̳̰̮͔̩ͬͣ͋̋̃ͧr̨̳̓͌͗͜ȧ̺͖̖͂͑̃̓̈́͝ 

“It is a rune that combines two words,” Samasira grabbed Abar’s pencil from the table and used an empty section of the map, an undefined section of water that outlined the Northlandic Ocean, to draw the rune. It was not necessary for her explanations, but it gave the other two something to look at while she pulled her hands back under the blanket. “They are cr̸̬̈́̓͡è̲̮ͮč̙̹̈ͣ͢ecȯ͒͐r and c͕̹̳ͦͥ͜ǫ͓̳ͭ͞r̫̻̖͋̓͘͜a̰ — to raise and heart.“

“The racing heart?”, suggested Kel-Khadar.

“What? No, it’s raise.”

“The rising heart?” Kel-Khadar tried again.

“No, raise. Raise, Arr-Eyy-Eye, as in to conjure. Or maybe to grow?”

“Like, raise a child?”, asked Abar. “Are you sure?”

“The growing heart?” asked Kel-Khadar.

“The heart that grows?” threw in Abar.

“Grow a heart?” continued Kel-Khadar. “You need to get stronger?”

“It could be symbolic. I mean, does it have to do with, you know, your witchcraft?” asked Abar, “Or was a rune just easier to write than spelling growing heart?”

“Beats me,” For several minutes, Samasira tried very hard to remember, but her mind remained blank. With a resigned tone, she eventually turned her attention to the map, “Well, that was that. Where to next?”

“Please don’t ask”, Abar groaned. “I really, really don’t want to get back down again.”