Rainbows and Blood - Chapter Two

Chapter Two1

“The Blood”2

For a moment, the girl and the elf stared at each other, then she looked around him at the decapitated witch. Her head lay a full meter from her body, blood pooling around both. Anfel noticed the girl’s eyes widen and her mouth hang open, so he was ready when she tried to bolt back into the tunnel behind her. He grabbed her arm hard and yanked her back into the house. The opening closed immediately behind her, leaving nothing but the red wall.3

They faced each other, the fear in the girl obvious. She glanced back at the corpse, then at Anfel, wetting her lips. “You killed my mother?”4

Anfel took a curious look at the dead witch before turning to the girl. “She was your mother?” The girl didn't answer, but instead she muttered words in an ancient tongue, her eyes glowing as she threw her hands forward, lightning shooting out of them. Compared to the dead witch’s spell it looked puny – but he still had the feeling it would have hurt had he not still been carrying the book. He held it up. “Immunity against magic.” Anfel used his other hand to draw his scimitar. “Now what do you say we have a chat?”5

The girl stared at the weapon. “That's not a human …” Instead of finishing her sentence she bolted, jumping over the railing separating the witch’s spell area and the living room. Anfel took off after her, using his born elven strength and honed reflexes to easily overtake her and throw her to the ground.6

He rolled off her, both of them standing up. Anfel held his scimitar to her neck. The young witch glanced towards the door. “You'd be dead before you took two steps.” The elf pushed the girl into the cozy sofa with the sword-hand. “So take a seat. Make yourself comfortable. We gotta talk.”7

The girl adjusted herself on the sofa, then used her hand to sweep her black as night hair behind her ear – even though the hair was just long enough to reach it. She looked up at the elf. “Okay. But first – do me the courtesy of dropping your glamour?”8

Anfel shrugged, sheathed his sword and concentrated for a moment. The glamour melted away, revealing his true elven visage. Fortunately the book cancelled all spells except his own. He guessed it had been made so the book’s keepers could use their magic. The girl’s eyes only slightly widened when she saw him. Then she just nodded, like it had all been expected. “Now.” He sat down beside her, leaning back in the sofa, making himself comfortable. “What's your name?”9

“Sellie Magadon.”10

“Sellie … pleased to meet you Sellie. I'm Anfel Kuaram.” He leaned forward, closer to the girl. “I need some … information from you. Do you know where the book is kept? The Blood book.”11

“I …” 12

Anfel leaned closer to listen. She rewarded him by delivering a punch to his mouth and running towards the door. Anfel – now running out of patience – drew and threw his sword at the door, right by her. His knife seemed to just appear in his hand. “If I can be that accurate with my scimitar, do you really think I'll miss your jugular with me knife?” Sellie just stood frozen, staring at the sword and Anfel intermittingly.13

The elf stood up, approaching the girl. He grabbed both her arms, just below the short sleeves of her black jacket. In fact everything on that girl was black, except for the silver chain hanging where her belt should be. He sighed. “What am I going to do with you?” A convenient piece of rope on a shelf nearby answered his question.14

It took some doing but eventually he had the rebellious girl strapped securely to a kitchen chair. She sneered at him. “Get me out of these!” In an instant her face turned pleading. “Please. They hurt my arms.”15

Anfel felt impressed despite himself. He got a similar chair, sat down in front of the girl and put on his best gentle voice. “I'm gonna let you go. But first you have to tell me where the book is.”16

She gave him a disbelieving look. “Even if I believed you – which I don't – I can't help you, I don't know where it is.”17

Anfel shrugged. “Okay.” He fetched his sword from the door. “I guess I'll just have to kill you then.”18

“No. Wait! I do know where someone is that that knows where the book is.”19

“Okay. Okay.” The elf nodded, sheathing the scimitar. “Good. Tell me.”20

“First I want to know why you're after it. I mean …” the girl looked around, “it's obvious you're working alone. Why would the elves send a lone elf after the book? They wouldn’t. So you got some other reason.” Her eyes, heavy with black mascara, locked on him. “Something more personal maybe.”21

He didn't like her perceptive look. “It’s nothing personal. I just want to destroy the world.” Only after those words left his lips did he realize that maybe it would have been more strategic to lie. But he didn't like lying – and it was too late anyway. “Our world anyway. The world of magic. At first I thought that destroying our book would be enough – when I was studying the book it clearly said, that one could not be without the other. Unfortunately I didn't realize this meant I had to destroy both at once. I already have Rainbows,” Anfel held up his book, “and now I just need yours.” 22

Sellie’s mouth hung open. Clearly she had not been expecting this. “But if I tell you – even if you don't kill me – I'll die.”23

Anfel smiled a cold smile. “And if you don't – you’ll die. I appreciate the tough situation you're in, but wouldn’t you rather have a few more hours to live?”24

She looked away, thinking. Finally her eyes went back to him. “Okay. Here’s your deal. I'll take you to him. But you're on your own with convincing him to help you. And I won't guarantee I won't try to escape.”25

“Uh huh. And what if I say … No? And tell me the location or die?”26

“Even if I do, how are you going to get there? I can put a glamour on you, make you look like a warlock. And the guards know me. I could just walk right in with you.”27

“But why would you help me?”28

“To change your mind.”29

“Huh?”30

“I'm gonna change your mind.” The girl looked determined enough to make Anfel wonder, just for a moment, if she could do it.31

He threw that ridiculous notion out of his head, grinned and got his knife. “You are more than welcome to try.” The elf cut the rope holding her to the chair. “I believe we have a deal. Of course if you so much as breathe the wrong way I will kill you.”32

Sellie stood up. “I’d expect nothing less from the merciful elves.” Her voice was laden with sarcasm. She went up the steps to the table carrying the witch’s spell book, and began flipping the pages. 33

The elf followed her and watched the complicated diagrams and words in a language he couldn't understand fly by. “Looking for the warlock glamour?”34

“Yes.” She eventually stopped, and read a page for a bit. Then she fetched chalk from the table – except the chalk was the color of blood. She began drawing on the floorboards, a circle with a triangle in it. Symbols added themselves too, and finally she stood up, glancing at Anfel. “Okay, stand there. And lose the book – this won't work if you touch it.”35

Anfel looked at her for a moment, narrowing his eyes. “How do I know this is really the spell you promised?”36

She met his gaze. “You don't. But this is your only chance. I'm guessing your team is after you for stealing the book, and my team is after you on principle. You're all alone, and I'm all you got.”37

“I could kill you and find someone else.”38

“Who? Who would help you?”39

“Someone. Somewhere.”40

“Do you have the time to look? Or stand around here for that matter?”41

Anfel had to admit she was right. It was only a matter of time before the elves found him. If they hadn't already, they’d find the book gone soon. And then what? He had hoped to be done by now, but everything had changed. He nodded, put the book on the table, and stepped into the circle. What's the worst that could happen? He didn't fear death. “I'm ready.”42

Sellie nodded, and began a long and complicated chant, occasionally glancing at the book for reference. When she was done, Anfel didn't feel any different. “Well.” He looked at his newfound accomplice. “Did it work?”43

She held up a mirror. “See for yourself.”44

The elf was genuinely shocked to see the outcome. The pale flaky skin, the black hair, the yellow eyes, all that leather … He had the sudden and brief urge to kill himself. Anfel shook his head for a moment, clearing his thoughts. He turned to the little witch, smiling. “Good job. Now lets go find … who is it we're looking for?” Anfel wrapped some dark red cloth from the witch’s table around the book, before putting it under his clothes.45

Sellie had already opened the tunnel she had originally emerged from. “An elder.” Anfel thought for a moment, then he grabbed a leg bone from the table, held it behind his back and followed Sellie. He discreetly laid it into the opening as he passed. The girl kept talking, “He's my mentor.” Lights sprung to life as they walked, illuminating the stone corridor.46

The elf glanced back, and watched with satisfaction as the opening closed around the bone. It´d be his way out – if he needed one. He turned to the girl. “Mentor? You do know I'm not going to play nice. You're okay with that?”47

She glanced back at him. “Please. He's despicable.”48

“Okay then.” The elf followed her all along the tunnel as they kept going deeper and deeper, until suddenly it opened up into a huge cave. Even Anfel was surprised. He had seen the illustrations, but … actually being in an underworld was different than reading about it. The giant city lay ahead, towers reaching far up into the ceiling. Everything made from stone, mainly bricks.49

The people that walked on the streets – they weren't people. Every time they passed a pale vampire, a floating ghost or even a seemingly innocent little girl who Anfel knew from experience were usually the worst of the worst, he had the urge to grab his scimitar and start hacking away. Like he had done his whole life.50

But he refrained. Soon it would all be ended. Soon, he promised himself. “So where does he live?”51

“It's not far.” 52

Anfel realized how vulnerable he was as he walked along the street. All Sellie needed to do was to shout him out and everyone would descend upon him like obsessed teens on someone with a ticket to their idol’s sold out concert. Killing an elf was a feather in every Blood’s hat. But so far she hadn't. Maybe she really was aboard with this. “I'm curious. How do you plan to change my mind?”53

“Hmm?”54

“You said you were gonna change my mind.”55

She glanced back at him. “Oh yes I will.” Both of them headed through a narrow alley to a different street. “But for now – we're here.” She pointed towards a large house in front of them. From the size and height Anfel knew someone rich and powerful must live there. But no matter the magic – the book would protect him. Sellie looked at him. “Okay, stay calm, don't say a word.”56

She led him straight to the guards at the front gate. They carried full armor and from the size, and massive built – not to mention the tail and the horns – he guessed minotaur. They grunted at her, pointing to Anfel. Sellie shook her head. “He's a friend. Here to see the master. Let us through.” After a bit of grunting, they finally decided to swing the massive iron gate open for them.57

Anfel nodded to his accomplish. “Good work.”58

She smiled at him. “Thank you.”59

The two of them headed into the house itself. They met multiple guards along the way, but everyone simply took one glance at Sellie, then let them through. Anfel had no idea which way was what after a bit. The green painted corridors, overloaded with hideous “art” just blended into one another in his mind.60

But eventually they came at one that ended in an ornate door. Sellie turned to the elf. “That's it. That's his study.”61

“Good.” Anfel looked at her, debating with himself whether he should just kill her now. He decided against it, reasoning that she might be useful in getting out of the place – though a tiny part of him told him that maybe he just wanted the company. Pushing that part out of his mind, Anfel took the book out and unwrapped it. As soon as he touched it the glamour disappeared, so he had to move fast. He glanced at the girl. “Follow me, and say nothing.”62

The elf headed to the door, hesitated for a moment with his hand around the doorknob. Then he drew his sword and kicked the door in. Splinters flew everywhere. And yet the pale old man in the middle of the room, sitting at an elaborate desk didn't look very disturbed. In fact he didn't even look up. He simply dipped his quill in the ink on the table, and finished an illustration, before finally turning to Anfel. “I assure you, knocking would have worked just as well.”63

“What can I say? I like to make an entrance.” The elf approached the old warlock, stopping at his desk. “I need some information.”64

The warlock stood up, facing Anfel. “Certainly. But first, Sellie, the book please?” Before the elf knew what was happening, the girl had snatched the book straight from his hand. 65

Anfel stared at her. “But you're a witch, you shouldn’t be able to touch it …”66

“Wrong. She's not a witch yet. Her initiation ceremony is three months away still.”67

The elf shook his head. How could he have been so stupid? He just assumed she has been initiated already with the level of spells she could do. She must be a prodigy. “So the “I'm gonna change your mind” line … ?”68

Sellie grinned. “I'm really surprised you fell for that.”69

Suddenly the elf lunged towards the girl, but the warlock merely flicked his hand, throwing Anfel into a chair with invisible force, and binding his hands and feet with a magical black rope. “Attacking young girls is quite rude behavior young elf. You should know better.” The warlock approached him. “But I must thank you for bringing us the book. Although we can't destroy it – for obvious reasons – we can use it to alter a whole lot about the “Rainbows” as they're called. Once we're done you won't even recognize your beloved race.”70

Sellie threw the book into the air and caught it. “Meanwhile you’ll get to enjoy our finest torture.” She still grinned ear to ear.71

The warlock nodded and turned to the girl. “Oh and if you could contact your friend, the guardian as soon as possible. I’d like for her to start working on the Rainbows book right away.”72

“Of course.”73

Anfel just stared at Sellie. “You know the guardian? The one who carries the Blood book?”74

“Oh yeah. I do. I kind of lied when I said I didn't know where it was. What's the matter? I hurt your feelings or something?” Her smile was teasing.75

The elf was saved from answering by an explosion rocking the entire house, and a bright flare of light. The warlock rushed to the window. “What is going on?” Shortly afterwards a squad of minotaur guards ran into the room. 76

Their leader turned to the warlock. “We're under attack. The Rainbows – they're inside the city.”77

Anfel smiled. They must have noticed the bone when they finally got around to inspecting the closest witch hideout. They had to have arrived with a battalion at the house just after they left. “You gotta love the good guys and their timing,” he said, looking the warlock straight in the eye, noting with satisfaction the old man's burning glare.78