Rumble Runes Novels & Stories

“You remember I was telling you about that old entrance to the tunnels?” “This is it?” said Jim. Father Powers nodded. “This is it. Now stay close, it’s dark down here and we’ve only the one torch.” The steps were narrow and worn to smooth, polished depressions in the middle. The temperature dropped and became almost freezing as they descended. Jim’s arms came up in goose bumps. “Do you . . . do you know what those things are?” said Jim. “They’re Byrgen,” Father Powers told him. “Or Byrgen-Beorden, to give them their full title. It’s from the Anglo Saxon, roughly translated it means ‘grave-child’ or ‘born-of-the-grave.’”

In the next moment, he had his blade just an inch from Jin's neck. The wind suddenly changed direction and four wrists covered in black metal met his weapon. His eyes grew wide at the rune etched on the metal—the symbol of the Rigiddin. Ryder’s instincts automatically backed out and he withdrew his stance. Four shirtless men with black tattoos and leather sandals stood guard at Jin’s back. The others also showed up. There were many of them. Ryder suddenly raised his sword though he didn’t mean anything by it. His weapon just instinctively went in a defensive position.

Burn marks at the edges, as if something powerful had exploded from the center. “A ritual circle,” Halric muttered, kneeling to study it. “But old. Ancient. Some of these glyphs… I thought they were banned.” “They were,” I said. “This one here—” I pointed, my fingers trembling. “This is the Rune of Hollowing. It means ‘to empty the vessel.’” Nilo crouched beside me. “Then this one here means ‘spirit inversion.’ And over here—” he pointed to a jagged shape etched in blood-red stone, “’gate.’”

Erik smirked at them, “Anyways shouldn’t you guys get to training? I have some things to say to our runt about her performance today.” “Ugh, again with that name.” Angelica twisted her face in disgust, “I thought we were done with that?” “Nope.” “Um,” I said, “Why exactly am I being called a runt?” “It’s what we call new recruits. Because they are hardly up to the levels of their superiors.” Erik explained, that same damn smirk still playing on his face. I wanted to rip it off. “Ah, so that’s your wolf.” He said. “What?” I asked in confusion.

Ricardo’s rage had intensified so much that he had to curl his fingers into a fist to keep him from acting out. With quickened breathing, Ricardo’s blue orbs which always shined incredulously bright fluttered open with a new kind of darkness. A startling kind. That look of raw rage in his orbs had been a reminder not to cross the line with a man like Ricardo Sanchez. He might’ve shown great restraint in his dealings with me, but there was no denying the fact that I was kneeling and carving my blade into a man who was feared by all. An animal who ruled the jungle–the Ghost.

Rune let out a growl, a deep, primal sound that sent a shiver down my spine. "You think you can control me, Alora?" His voice was low, rough, like gravel in his throat. "You think you can play this game and win?" I smirked, pressing my body even closer to his, letting the heat of his skin seep into mine. "Oh, Rune," I whispered, my breath ghosting over his lips, "I don’t just think I can win. I KNOW I can."

Damien made a sound of protest, but it was too late. She lifted one hand and laid her palm flat on the cold stone, just below Roland’s. The reaction was immediate. The runes blazed—not with their usual dull gold, but with a startling wash of silver-white. It was the same color her aura had taken on the terrace. A pulse shot through the wall like lightning hitting water. On the other side, the corrupted wolf screamed, but it wasn't rage or violence behind his voice. It was the scream someone makes when a splinter buried deep in flesh is suddenly yanked loose.

“Rancid left you something.” Nitro stood up and walked to the back of the room and opened a door. He disappeared inside and returned a few minutes later with a large box, one that would hold an expensive dress. He placed the box on the table in front of Jake and sat down again. Jake opened the box and pulled out the black leather jacket. It felt heavy in his hands and he turned it over. On the back, etched onto the leather, was a burning phoenix with his road name, ‘Wrath’, beneath it. Jake swallowed the lump away and looked at Bandit.

The boxes made my arms tremble. It was past midnight when I finally went home with a crumpled hundred dollars in my fist. Daniel had already left. He didn't usually live here. I could only rely on myself. Dad's room light was still on. I heard him anxiously shout, "The money's gone? Didn't you say this would definitely make money? How will I pay for my daughter's tuition if I can't get the money back? A gamble? W-What do I have left to gamble? This rundown old villa is all there is!"

Her shadow stretched across the floor — wrong, enormous, rippling with wings and teeth and something serpentine. Her voice trembled for the first time. “Please… hurry…” Her hand spasmed. “Before they decide for you.” The ground lurched violently. Under their feet, the earth cracked. Not randomly. The crack made a shape. A rune. A chosen rune. A Rune of Sacrifice. Auren recognized it instantly and screamed: “KAEL—DON’T STAND IN—” The rune flared. Kael was trapped inside its boundaries. Light roared around him like a cage snapping shut.