Rune: The Tale of a Thousand Faces by Carlos Sánchez
We’re introduced to Chiri and her best friend Dai. Chiri is deaf, wears hearing devices, but prefers to lip-read and sign. Dai can sign a little and sometimes writes stuff down for Chiri to give her a break. Anyway… time for adventure!
St. Clare’s Orphanage is in the quiet town of The Little Valley. Well, quiet until the orphanage bell rings, scaring a crow and signaling break time for the children. Dai is taking pictures of bugs, excited to show Chiri, but then the orphanage bullies start being jerks. They don’t see Chiri up a tree eating cookies, but they sure do feel the beehive she kicks down on top of them! (BEEZZZ)
After trying a little of the honey from the nest, apologizing to the bees, and giving them her cookie, Chiri grabs Dai’s hand and pulls him along. While Dai doesn’t want to go too far, Chiri would happily live in the forest because the orphanage sucks, except for being able to bake. Interrupting their daydreaming, Dai can hear the bullies calling out for him, but not to worry, Chiri has found a place. Does she see the signs saying “DANGER” and “NO TRESPASSING” nailed to the trees?
Again, Dai doesn’t want to go too far into the haunted forest, worried about being eaten by minions of darkness, or worse, what Mother Superior will say, but Chiri has spotted a friendly crow. The crow flies off and Chiri shouts to follow it. They are led deeper into the woods and only stop when they’re surrounded by ruins. Just as they think they’ve lost track of the crow, it appears and flies into a sinister tunnel, and yes, Chiri and Dai follow it.
The crow leads them past old ruins and murals with strange designs and beings on them. On the other side, it doesn’t look like the Valley’s forest anymore. Chiri is happy to eat fruit with the squirrels while Dai takes pictures. Do either notice all the MISSING posters stuck to the rocks and to the trees? They walk deeper in the wood, continuing to take pictures and coming up with new recipes for the new fruit. Do they notice the WANTED posters stuck to the trees? Probably not because Dai trips over a tree root and lands in front of a toy monkey playing a drum. They decide to follow it.
The toy monkey leads them to a merchant. Chiri thanks the toy monkey and gives it a sweet from her pocket. The merchant greets them and shows them some of his wares like a flute to call your friends when you need them, a jar of magical honey made by giant bees, and a cursed mask worn by warriors of old. Dai and Chiri only want directions back to the Little Valley, plus they have no money for the merchant's goods. The merchant sends them on their way since they’re broke and tells them he’s never heard of Little Valley, but then gives them an ominous message: that they’ll no doubt meet again when they have something valuable to give him.
Again, Chiri and Dai head deeper into the woods. It’s getting darker and the signs posted on the trees and in the ground make no sense, and there are yellow eyes looking down at them from the branches. Suddenly a cat appears with a loud MEOW!! It’s a fat cat so it must belong to someone. They look around and Chiri spots an old man with a huge head buried up to his neck calling for the cat, Roberto. They help the old man, who introduces himself as Yayo, out of his predicament, and yes, he just has a huge head. Yayo is an archaeologist and historian, he and Roberto roam the [dangerous] forest looking for ancient magical treasures. Yes, he did say dangerous.
Yayo explains that the Shadow King has been spotted in the forest. He waits to kidnap lost travelers with the help of his minions. Dai explains they want to find Little Valley, which Yayo has never heard of, so instead of looking, he suggests they go to Breakfast Town as someone in the tavern may be able to help, plus he parked his travel turtle there. As they walk, it becomes even more obvious that Dai and Chiri are very lost. Why, they've never heard of Magareth, the most powerful druid!
The group reach Breakfast Town, and it’s delightful with its waffle rooftops, teapot, milk carton, doughnut, sandwich, toaster, cups, and coffee pot houses all centered around, up and in a massive tree. It also has the best waffles in all of Puddin’. Yayo takes Dai and Chiri to the tavern, nearby where he parked his turtle.
Inside the tavern, Sophie, a Druid who wears a coat with a bird hood, is reading her cereal for mystical guidance to find the Shadow King, but it only shows her two children. Oko, her big burly majestically bearded adventuring companion, sits back, smugly knowing reading cereal wouldn’t work. But then two children walk into the tavern. GASP!!
Chiri and Dai walk up to the bar, and while Dai asks the bipedal goat bartender sporting a teacup as a hat for directions, Chiri looks over the menu which has tea and sandwiches and waffles. The goat bartender hasn’t heard of Little Valley. Sophie meanwhile is listening in on their conversation and gives Dai a fright. While Chiri is protecting Dai, Sophie notices her sign language looks like wizard speech. Chiri explains their situation, and though Sophie can’t help, she introduces them to Oko and Boniato, a Pillow Goat who can change size.
A few waffles later, Sophie suggests using rune magic to find the ruins they came through into Puddin’. Oko is surprised they got through the creepy forest without encountering the Shadow King. Everyone in the tavern starts telling them about the Shadow King and his minions. Speaking of, the drummer monkey toy appears in the tavern. Its smile is full of sharp teeth and it starts to grow. Everyone flees the tavern and Sophie and Oko go outside and the toy monkey follows. Oko draws his huge sword and attacks, but the monkey uses its massive strength against him. Sophie draws its attention and throws a potion bottle at its eye. Trying to help, Chiri throws the only thing she has in her pocket, a sweet. As she does so, her necklace glows, but she doesn’t see that. The thrown sweet distracts the monkey, and as it puts the sweet on its head and smiles at Chiri, Oko uses this distraction to slash its gut. The monkey shrinks back down and Sophie uses magic to lock it in ice. Sophie is puzzled how Chiri and Dai escaped it before, after all, her master, Magareth, the most powerful Druid of all time, didn’t escape the Shadow King.
Sophie decides the best way to help Chiri and Dai would be to visit a witch a few days away. Yayo arrives because Roberto insists they help Chiri and Dai. Yayo also pulls out a sword he had buried in his sock drawer. It has an interesting shape with a large circular hilt with runes around the edge. Dai gladly accepts it and Oko offers to teach him how to use it. Together they all head off to find the witch.
As they travel, Yayo teaches Chiri and Dai about Bruno Puddin’ who was the first alchemist, he tamed the wild magic and taught druids wizard speech. He also sealed the evil darkness behind powerful magic and the rarest runes. Sophie teaches Chiri about wizard speech and gives her a book on the runic alphabet. Oko teaches Dai how to use his sword in between Dai taking photographs of their adventure.
One night, while sitting at the campfire, Chiri tells Dai she thinks they could stay in Puddin’ because there are no bullies and no mother superior. Dai doesn’t want to stay, he says they don’t belong there and that they’re safe in Little Valley. Angry, Dai stomps off into the very dark, very creepy forest. Chiri runs after him, but finds loads of toys: the Shadow King’s minions. Chiri runs back to camp and tells Sophie Dai is in trouble before running back into the forest to see Dai in the Shadow King’s arms, and the Shadow King holding a key he magics into the nape of Dai’s neck, twisting it. The Shadow King is weaving a spell, making Dai one of his minions.
When there is only one twist left to complete the spell, Chiri interrupts the Shadow King but using wizard runes without speech runes. Clever girl. Sophie and Oko arrive, the Shadow King puts on a dragon mask and transforms into a giant purple dragon with branch like protrusions on its head and along its long, furry body. Their fight is brutal. Oko cannot move, Sophie is knocked out, but Chiri is still standing. She uses her wizard speech magic to force the dragon mask off the Shadow King, and again her necklace glows. As the Shadow King melts into the forest, he says something cryptic about Wild Magic and promises to see Chiri again.
Oko carries Dai back to camp while Chiri asks Sophie about Wild Magic. Magareth could use wild magic, which essentially means she doesn’t need to use runes to cast magic. At camp, Yayo is there in his pajamas, and Roberto has apparently run off into the forest. They put Dai down to sleep and Chiri looks at the key the Shadow King started to use on him. Sophie warns that Dai may still be affected by what was done to him, so they need to keep an eye on him.
A short while later, Dai wakes up and can feel the keyhole in the back of his neck. He and Chiri share a huge hug, Dai apologizing and Chiri saying she agrees it’s not safe in Puddin’. In the morning, the party heads to the witch. Sophie says she doesn’t trust the witch as she hordes magic and her old mentor fought with her, Oko says it’s because Sophie’s old girlfriend lives with the witch. Sophie pulls out a magic flute and calls to the witch. A small caravan being pulled by a giant pillow goat comes over the hill. The caravan door is flung open and the witch calls them in. Oko stays outside with Yayo’s turtle and Boniato.
The caravan is a heck of a lot bigger on the inside! The old witch, Babcia, sits at a big table ready for tea and a big fox with a missing paw sits nearby on the floor. The fox does not take kindly to Roberto, barking at the cat until it jumps away. They sit around Babcia’s table drinking tea and explaining Chiri and Dai’s situation. Babcia explains portals are rare so they may not be able to return to Little Valley. The Shadow King is interested in the children because he wants to find the portal between worlds so he can consume other realms and they are the key.
After Sophie storms out of the caravan, not happy at being called out for her true motivation for being there, revenge for Magareth’s death, Babcia offers to use magic to help Chiri and Dai remember where they crossed over. In order to complete the spell, Babcia will be a personal item from them both. Dai hands over some photos of Little Valley and Chiri tries to give her grandmother's necklace, but Babcia says it’s too special and that she’ll need it, so instead uses her recipe book. Babcia gives Chiri the potion to drink which reveals she has natural power and has not been touched by the Shadow King’s darkness.
Memories come crashing back into Chiri. Roberto swats Chiri back from them and she tells Babcia what she saw. Babcia has an idea where the portal may be. She’s placed doorways all over Puddin’ in her younger adventurous days so she could travel easily so they head down a long winding stone stair to a door that leads them into the creepy forest. Before they leave, Babcia gives Chiri and Dai a Wisp to show them the way, and to Sophie, she hands over a healing potion.
When Babcia heads back into her caravan, she finds Yayo asleep at the tea table and tells him if he hurries he can catch up. He’s concerned they’ve all left including Roberto. In front of him are some of Dai’s photographs, and when Babcia looks at them, she exclaims that they have to stop them! In the forest, the adventuring party has found the ruins and the portal on a hill. Chiri and Dai say their goodbyes to Sophie, Oko, and Boniato, but it seems Roberto wants to go with Dai, so he sits on top of his backpack. When Oko goes to grab him, Roberto scratches him. Before Chiri and Dai can step through the portal, Babcia shouts “STOOOP!” The Shadow King is already here… he’s the cat! GASP!
Roberto starts to change then, his eyes and teeth growing as he changes into the Shadow King. Babcia saw Roberto’s true self in the pictures Dia took. A mask suddenly appears in front of not-Roberto and the Shadow King morphs around it becoming the merchant from the creepy forest Chiri and Dai met after first arriving. The Shadow King confirms what they suspected, he wants the children to help access the portals where he will have fresh crops of minions. The Shadow King used Dai to scare Chiri into wanting to go back to Little Valley when she was starting to feel comfortable in Puddin’. Chiri and Dai do not take kindly at being used or the Shadow king’s threats, so it’s time to fight!
The Shadow King calls his minions and loads of creepy toys head for the party. Swords swing, teeth bite, magical paper cranes are sent, and potions fly. During the melee, Babcia's huge fox turns into a girl, it’s Sophie's ex! Eventually the Shadow King’s human face mask is slashed. He takes it off and puts on his purple dragon mask. Not again!
Chiri, however, is bored by the stupid lizard routine while everyone else looks nervous. Oko, Sophie, and even Dai rush to attack the Shadow Dragon. Chiri doodles a rune circle in her notebook and uses wizard speech to cast a small flame. It does nothing except offend the Shadow Dragon who is about to eat Dai. Dai uses his sword to cut the dragon mask making it fall off leaving the Shadow King in his faceless shadow state. The Shadow King turns on Dai. Yeah, you don’t go after the best mate.
Chiri’s eyes go black and her pupils turn to golden stars as she pulls wild power and creates a rune circle in the air. The Shadow King sees her workings and is worried. The magic looks complex and strong, and Chiri is determined as she blasts the Shadow King who becomes frozen in ice. Wow. Even Magareth couldn’t do that!
Babcia puts the Shadow King into a stronger jar as the ice is already cracking. Though the Shadow King hasn’t been permanently stopped and there are still questions about Chiri’s magic, it’s time to celebrate the win they have achieved with a feast. Chiri and Dai also need to decide if they are staying in Puddin’ with their new family or not, all of whom offer to help them. As Chiri and Dai stand looking back at the portal entrance deciding, the crow which led them to Puddin’ comes flying through, landing on Chiri’s head. They read it as a sign to stay. As the weeks pass by, they know they’ve made the right choice, even when Dai can feel the Shadow King crack his bottle prison.
Back in Little Valley, Dai’s bullies are bored. Mother Superior finds them lounging about and asks if they have seen Chiri and Dai. The bullies think they’re dead after going into the ruins. This startles the Mother Superior who remembers an older woman holding a necklace with magical power. They couldn’t have crossed over? But Chiri was wearing Magareth’s necklace…