Geddoe lowered his hand, not once taking off his glove. "No," he said bluntly. "Runes are the source of magical power in my world. True Runes..."

His good eye shifted evasively. His tendency to keep his own secrets was eroding the longer he existed in this world, where heroes called each other by name all the time. "It is said, by some, that they were born at the creation of our world. They have a will of their own, and retain the memories of every person who has ever borne them. Perhaps that is what you sense."