Chapter 18
When I knocked on the door, it was Haraldr himself who answered. He nodded at me, then wordlessly led me down the hall to the door to the library and then on to the still-cold fireplace. I settled onto my stool as he sat down on his.
Then we sat just looking at each other for an uncomfortable length of time. Was I supposed to speak first?
"I didn't make much progress," I admitted. I had only intended to break the silence, not lead with my failure, but there you go.
"It's only been a day," he said. "And it's the first rune you're attempting to bond with."
"It gets easier later on?" I asked.
He shrugged noncommittally.
"I haven't had a chance to do anything with it since I was interrupted last night," I said. "I was trying to draw the shape of the rune over and over, and it
