After he got his breath back from laughing, Ambrose had asked what he could do to make himself useful. Reabeck had been teaching Trelen how to shape the tiles and so he made himself busy digging more clay so they could focus on learning.

  He had not been at it long when he heard talking from where the direction of the kiln. A few moments later Shigrock came through the woods towards him. "That Trelen fellow-lass says you should have some nails and a hammer; ya mind if I use em?"

  "It would be impressive if you could make a table without them." Ambrose joked. "Sure, they should be in the trunk by the hut."

  The dwarf nodded and then looked to the area he had been digging. "You've made quite a dent?"

  Ambrose shrugged. "I have been planning to dig out a small lake to slow down the river flow a bit but building easy access to the other side has been... Difficult."

  Shigrock looked across the river, silent in thought. "We come across underground rivers and the like when cutting through the rock. Some have currents so fast they could whip away a man before he could scream." He lent over looking down into the water. "It's deep but not too deep. We use multiple heat runes to melt rock and pour it into the water so it cools into pillars. If my daughter ever gives Gro-lag a break you can always ask him to make some."

  "I'm not sure how we would be able to hold and pour molten rock?" Ambrose said, blankly.

  The dwarf shrugged. "You're a mage, aren't you?"

  You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

  "Not a good one." He laughed. The mention of runes and his inadequate magic piqued an idea that had been forming in his head since the dwarves had arrived. "If I was able to describe a rune to you, do you think you could tell me what it did?"

  Shigrock raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Have you not checked in the tome Reabeck gave Gro-lag?"

  "I looked through it but I couldn't see them?"

  The dwarf's face shifter to one of genuine interest. "There are very few runes I can imagine wouldn't be in those pages." He rubbed his beard in thought. "I will try."

  Ambrose described the runes he had seen on the trap that he had freed the golden rabbit from, what seemed so long ago now. Shigrock listening intently.

  "The rune you recognised does sound like one for concealing but that also explains why you haven't seen anything like them in the book, the runes used for placing on buildings or perhaps the ground are not the same we place on to runestones."

  He nodded as he listened. "I guess that makes sense. Do you think you know any of them?"

  "Your explanation was a bit... Vague but I think I do know one."

  Ambrose looked at him expectantly.

  "I am fairly sure one of them is meant to neutralise elven magic."

  Elven magic he knew was what the dwarves used to refer to the type of magic he was somewhat able to do. "Meant to?" He asked, noticing the words Shigrock had used.

  He considered for a moment before answering. "There are rune patterns that we know in theory should exist, that should have certain effects but we haven't been able to get em right." He stopped and rubbed his beard "But what you described sounds pretty close to the attempts we have made so far." He turned and spat onto the ground. "But that isn't what concerns me though."

  Ambrose grimaced. "What is then?"

  Shigrock gave a grunt and screwed his face. "Lad, I have been a rune craft for well over a hundred years, I have studied and designed countless patterns and configurations." He looked at him dead in the eyes. "Some of them runes you described, I ain't ever heard of ones like em."