Whispered Spells and Elvish Steel - an Anthology of Fantasy SD Shorts

Part 3 - Outpost

"Let us go, vampire," Rhyl stilled the trembling in her insides to tautly hiss.  "Before I light you up like a roman candle."

"Ho, ho!" the one pinning Rhyl to the wall chortled, baring his fangs.  "This mouse has grown claws, Mercredi."  The vampire looked over at his equally lean and angular comrade.

"Can you believe that?"

"She wouldn't be so feisty if we opened up her warm blooded friend here," the other vampire quickly fired back, baring his fangs close to Carter's throat.  "Mmm, I could go for a little taste of the red right about now."

"Go ahead," Rhyl husked against the pressure at her throat, twisting away from her captor's arm just enough to bring Carter and the other vampire into view.  "He's a pain in the ass anyway.  Bite him and rid me of his annoyance.  I dare you."

"Rhyl??" Carter gasped, eyes wide as he threw another panicked look over at his diminutive companion.  Then he was twitching in surprise as the vampire holding Rhyl captive began to laugh, a low, gravelly sound that had nothing to do with mirth.

"Nice play, mouse," he said with a toothy grin, returning his full attention to Rhyl.  "Your buddy there, is blood-bonded, isn't he?  We take one bite and his elf-touched blood eats our faces off.  A move worthy of a drow, little yet an Ashie like you.  I might just,...urk!"

The iron wood blade appeared out of the vampire's chest where his heart was, dripping in dark blood.  An eye-blink later he flared to incandescence before turning to ash.

"What,...?" the other vampire managed to twist towards Rhyl and say before he too disappeared in a flare of light and ash, the wooden dagger plunged into his chest at close range.

"Cutting a bit close there, don't you think, Rhyl?" the dagger's owner asked, throwing a look over at Rhyl as she massaged her sore neck.

"No closer than usual, Sorn," she quickly replied then flashed a brilliant smile.  "Good to see your timing is still flawless."

With her elven eyesight seeing past the newcomer's glamour, Rhyl was now looking at the features of one of her fellow Ash elves peering out from beneath a black hoodie.  Features that were creased in a grin.

"It is what I do, Rhyl," Sorn replied with a quiet laugh.  Then abruptly he was sobering.  "Now, mind explaining to me why a pair of vampires managed to catch you below ground?  You have a death wish or something?"  He glanced over at Carter.  "And what's with the round ear?  I thought you ditched this clown months ago."

"Hey!" Carter exclaimed as he rubbed at his own neck.

"Calm down, Carter," Rhyl rasped before she turned back to Sorn.  "I accidentally blood-bonded the fool.  Now I can't get rid of him," she explained.

"Ah."  Sorn abruptly frowned.  "That's not like you, Rhyl.  Usually you're so damn meticulous about those sorts of things."

"Yeah, well, I've had a lot on my mind.  Like the Masters summoning the Shadowborn."  Her face tightened.  "We saw a harbinger topside."

Sorn's frown immediately deepend.

"A harbinger?  Are you sure?"

Rhyl jerked a quick nod of confirmation.

"Dead sure.  And now, against my better judgment, I have the overwhelming desire to go and warn the Elder Council."

Sorn's frown transformed into a look of confusion.

"Regardless of the fact that the Council will never allow an Ash elf to address them face to face, why would seeing a harbinger warrant a trip to the big tree?" he wanted to know.  Before she could answer, however, the subway train roared into the station with a 'whoosh' of displaced air, the doors kicking open with a pneumatic 'hiss'.