Rainbows and Blood - Chapter Four

Chapter Four1

“Human”2

“He’s not a warlock, he’s an elf in a glamour, he’s holding me captive!” Sellie said all of this too fast for Anfel to be able to stop her. “Don’t attack him, run and get help!”3

The elf looked at the two vampires calmly. “She’s lying.”4

Already the two young guys narrowed their eyes. “What’s your name?”5

Anfel smiled, then he reached down, broke the legs off his chair, and in one smooth motion drove the splintered ends into the vampires hearts. They turned to dust on the spot. But when he turned to Sellie, she had already taken off in a sprint out of the restaurant and down the street. “That girl.” The elf took off after her. 6

All the people on the sidewalk were his biggest obstacle. They kept getting in the way. He glimpsed her form through the crowd. He was gaining on her – but it wouldn’t be hard to lose her regardless. Sellie took a turn and Anfel followed. The elf ruthlessly pushed a bald man out of his way. The foot traffic on this street measured thinner than before – so noticing her ducking into a bookstore was no problem.7

The store was big, and crowded. A line extended from within the store to a table. Some kind of book signing. The elf didn’t see the girl. He calmly walked into the store, scanning the faces for any sign of her. Anfel didn’t see her, but a few curious glances from customers towards a space behind one of the book-filled tables was all he needed. 8

He rushed towards it and jumped over it, but a previously crawling Sellie had already launched into a sprint towards the door. Anfel caught up with her in the doorway, throwing himself at her. Both of them hit the sidewalk outside the place. Sellie tried crawling away, but the elf held her tight. Finally, when she stopped struggling, he allowed her to get up, still keeping a firm grip on her arm.9

She glared at him. “Oww, you’re hurting me.”10

Anfel could see they were gathering quite a few stares, so he turned and started walking along the street, forcing Sellie to follow beside him. “Look,” he hissed. “I can’t keep doing this. I haven’t got time to make this into one of those human cartoons where one animal chases the other forever.”11

Sellie’s face was sullen. “So let me go.”12

“That was exactly what I was planning.”13

“Really?” She looked at him suspiciously.14

“Yes. Really. Just tell me where the guardian is – and I’ll get there myself.”15

She stopped, ripping her arm from his grasp – he allowed it to happen. “How do I know you won’t kill me as soon as I say? For that matter, how do you know I’ll even tell the truth?”16

“Because otherwise, I will kill you.”17

“You’re gonna find me despite knowing nothing about me – before the collective might of both the Rainbows and the Blood finds you?”18

Anfel had to admit the girl had a point. “Do you want to come with me? Because if you do, you can’t keep running.”19

The girl just stared at him for a moment, opening and closing her mouth a few times, before looking away. “No.”20

The elf sighed. He couldn’t help it, some deep part of him felt for this girl. “I’m sorry, for doing this to you. For killing your mother, for making you a fugitive with your own people. You can chose to believe me or not, but it’s the truth. I know you are in a difficult position. But remember, if you tell me, and I succeed, all your pain will be wiped away.”21

Sellie shook her head, looking up at Anfel. To his surprise there were tears there. He couldn’t tell if they were real or fake, but they tugged at his heart. “I don’t want to die.” The sincere emotion in her voice told him the tears had to be real – either that or girl could easily win herself an Oscar.22

He hesitantly stepped closer, his hand reached towards her face. He wasn’t sure what he intended to do. Anfel let the hand fall down. “I could easily fail. And then …”23

She looked up at him. “And then what? And then what do I do? My master is gonna kill me. That’s not an expression. He really is gonna kill me.”24

“You could hide …”25

“Hide? Where? Do what? Even if by some miracle I elude them … I don’t fit in the human world anymore than you do. I don’t age the same way. I’d have to try to suppress my powers so the Blood won’t find me but … they’d leak out anyway. Let’s face it – it would hardly be a life.”26

Anfel just looked at her. He knew she was right. But there was nothing he could do. “Are you going to tell me the address?”27

Sellie swallowed, wetting her lips for a moment. “There’s a party tonight. At her house. She’ll be there. It’s your best opportunity. She’s well guarded. And don’t be fooled just cause she’s a cheerleader. She’s powerful. The other cheerleaders are mostly witches, but the book will protect you from that. A lot of the guys at the party will be vampires, and there’s also a werewolf – watch out for him.” She told him the address. “Think you’ll remember?”28

Anfel just nodded. “Are you sure you don’t want to … ?”29

“Commit double suicide and a little genocide to go with it? I think I’ll pass. If I just got a few hours to live, I’d rather have some fun.”30

The elf nodded. “I’m sorry …”31

“Just go.”32

“I’m sorry I can’t change things for you,” Anfel finished. Then he turned away from her, and started walking. He knew she could be lying. She had tricked him before. The smart thing was to take her with him – but he had made his decision. Besides, he could always try to locate some other Blood to torture if this fell through.33

A sudden shout made him turn his head, “Wait. Wait!” Sellie ran to catch up with him. 34

Anfel looked at her curiously. “Changed your mind?”35

“Sort of … what you said. Change things. I just realised, we can change things.”36

“What are you talking about?”37

“The book. We can make the guardian use it to change me.”38

“I don’t …”39

“Human. She can make me human.”40

Anfel stopped, staring at the girl. “Is that even … would it work?”41

“It should. Right? At least it’s worth a shot. Will you do it? Will you help me? If you help me I’ll help you. Willingly.” Her eyes were bright, filled with hope. 42

The elf could hardly believe the answer that readily formed in his mind. He had a feeling he might regret this. “Yes.”43