Elf Mastery

by Bryant Reil

  “You'll never make it!” Linkin growled from inside the house. “He'll come. He'll kill you!”

  Lianaria had enough. “Silence!” she shouted back into the house. “Or I shall silence you!”

  Linkin fell silent, then laughed, and fell silent again.

  Soon the tea was finished, and Lianaria brought out some omelettes which they consumed like hungry wolves. No one spoke until they finished. Kyla knew that as much as she wanted to spend time with her mother, she had a god of darkness to catch and time was short.

  “Give dad and Bit a kiss for me!” Kyla hugged her mother and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

  Lianaria smiled. “I'll be sure to pass it along.”

  “I'll come back right away. Soon as I can.”

  “I'll head back home as soon as your father and brother arrive. It should be just as safe there as anywhere else, now that the dwarf knows we're here.”

  “Yeah. I'll try to be quick. Keep the light orb. Doesn't look like it's going to last much longer anyway.” Kyla suddenly worried. “What about Linkin? He'll escape again.”

  “Don't worry about him. Just go.”

  “We should maybe kill him so he doesn't—”

  Lianaria stood taller and frowned. “No, Kyla. Don't speak of killing so casually. Your innocence is one of your greatest qualities.”

  Linkin laughed. “Don't speak of killing, Kyla! Mommy will get mad!” Then he growled. “Of course I can speak of killing all I like. Watch yourself, Kyla. You don't give me the rubbing, I'll take it from—”

  Lianaria snapped around at the dwarf. “What did I tell you about threatening my family?”

  Linkin smiled, and giggled, and fell silent.

  “We can't just leave him here with you.”

  “We're ready to go, Kyla!” Eunoe looked ready to spur Castor into motion, and Aura was spiraling overhead.

  “Coming!” she called back. She looked into her mother's eyes. “At least come with us. Please.”

  Lianaria laughed. “And leave him as a gift to your brother and father? No, Kyla. Don't worry. I'll be fine.”

  Linkin cackled. “She won't. She won't! I'll eat her eyes and boil her skin!”

  “I – but he's crazy, mom!”

  “Kyla. Go. Now.”

  Lianaria's eyes were firm and commanding. Kyla had been through a lot of danger recently, and been very afraid. She had even been afraid for her family. It felt more real, now, and Kyla was loathe to leave her mother with the dwarf. She looked at her helplessly, but Kyla couldn't say no. “Yes, mom.”

  She gave her mother another hug and walked out to take her place on Castor. Lianaria gave her a final wave and smile before closing the door.

  ***

  Lianaria turned to the dwarf, who grinned through yellow teeth. “I'm going to find your daughter. Take the rubbing. Eat her alive!”

  Lianaria picked the kitchen knife off the table and wiped it clean on her apron. “No. You won't.”

  ***

  There was a muffled scream. It was interrupted by a gurgle and a thud. Aspen covered her mouth to block the surprised gasp as she looked back at the house. Eunoe, Aura, and Kyla seemed to have heard nothing, and Aspen thought it best not to mention it.

  ***

  Though Kyla had an omelette just a few hours ago, her stomach growled as Denzig returned with a bowl made of bread that was filled with a white and green paste. “Spinach dip! You dip the pieces of bread in it.”

  She grabbed a piece of bread, dipped it, and shoved it in her mouth. It was no cheesecake, but it was good.

  Lampetia sat up stiffly. “Erebus' darkness will soon negate all natural light. We must hurry. Kyla, I have been told you have a ball of aurichalcum you need enchanted.”

  Kyla shoveled another piece of bread in her mouth with one hand, and pulled out the aurichalcum ball with the other. “Yeah. It's this one.”

  “Good. Dip it in the aqualux.”

  Aspen pulled out one of the jars, took the ball, and slowly dunked it into the glowing liquid. As she drew it out Kyla grabbed it and opened the latch. “We need it on the inside, too.” She dipped it again before handing it to Lampetia. “I just need it so the inside stays dark until I close the lid, and then the inside lights up and stays on forever and the outside turns off.”

  “Erebus will be trapped inside, yes?”

  “Yes. Well, I hope.”

  “Very well.”

  Lampetia took the ball and started to sing. Her voice was high but she sang very softly. The ball slowly started to glow until it was brighter than Eunoe. Then it flashed and Lampetia handed it to Kyla. “Mark, with your finger, how you would like it to activate. Something that will be difficult to guess should the wrong person get hold of it.”

  Few people could spell Philosthenes in any language, so Kyla spelled her father's name in Elvish script with the tip of her finger. Once she finished the light turned off.

  “Do it again.”

  Kyla nodded and repeated the signature. As soon as she finished the light turned on. She opened the latch and was pleased to see the inside was still in shadow. She closed the latch. “How do I know the inside is on?”

  “We can feel it.”

  “Oh. Good.” Kyla turned the outer light off.

  “The inside is still on, and will remain so unless you open the latch.”

  “This is perfect! It's the prettiest trap ever made!”

  Eunoe frowned. “Now we just need to get Erebus inside it.”

  There was a zap, and a howl, and a thunderous shriek. Denzig grew to his larger size and his pupils turned to narrow slits. “The portal! They must have found a way to reopen it. Get out of here. I'll hold them off!”

  Aura dissipated into a wind and flew down the corridor to the portal. Angry shrieks echoed through the corridors. Aspen ran over to Phaethusa and tried to help her up, but she groaned and pushed her away. “Leave us.”

  The sound of the clamour increased and Denzig moved to block the path from the portal chamber. “Hurry!” Flames licked the air as he spoke. “Go to the Withers' home.”

  “Who?” Kyla only knew one home in Whitehall.

  “Kyle's house. Tell him Denny sent you.”

  “Oh. Right.” Kyla had never tried to contact Kyle after the Halloween party.

  “We need to stay and protect Phaethusa and Lampetia!” Aspen protested.

  “Aura and I can manage!” Denzig growled. He shot a blast of flame down the corridor, which led to more shrieking, but as if to prove him wrong a single harpy flew past him and lunged at Phaethusa. Aspen rapped it on the head with her staff and it dropped to the floor.

  “Fine. Keep to the shadows, Kyla. Whitehall has its own problems, but it's safer than here and you should be able to get to Withers' unseen. We'll meet you there as soon as we can.”

  Kyla stood, torn. This was a decision she was tired of making. She hated to leave people in danger, but she knew she couldn't help and had her own role to play. She nodded and ran.

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Whitehall Revisited

  Kyla could see the subdued lights of Whitehall from a distance. She crept forward through the taller grass away from the road. She feared the worst for the others but this was no time to worry. She had to act.

  The streets were empty but loud noises popped up in the distance: dogs barked, alarms sounded, people yelled. A loud bang echoed like thunder. Kyla stopped as she heard another loud noise in the air. She couldn't see what it was but it shone a light toward the ground as it flew over Whitehall. She didn’t know if it was a human device or one of Erebus' disciples. She ducked behind a bush until it disappeared.

  The town itself was in disarray. Vehicles with broken windows lined the sides of the road. It wasn't so easy to hide now, so Kyla stood up and walked briskly. She felt the exposed points of her ears. Hopefully no one would notice them. She tussled her hair to try to hide them, and regretted that she kept it so short.

  Could she remember the way to Kyle
's house? She had only been there once. She first found the ice cream shop where Kyle worked. It was dark inside, and one of the windows broken.

  Kyla heard heavy breathing and shuffling steps behind her. A man in dark clothes grinned and lunged. Her heart pounded and her leg swung out of its own accord, kicking his kneecap. She heard the familiar stomach-wrenching pop as it moved out of position. The man's face contorted as he buckled to the ground. Looking around to make sure there were no others, she ran and didn't look back.

  ***

  It took another half-hour to find the house. The lights were on so Kyla got as close as she could to the window and peered in. They likely couldn't see her, she knew, because of the reflection from the inside, so she made no noise lest she startle them. She could hear the black picture-box talking but couldn't see what it was showing from this angle. There were some jars of food set out, and Kyla's stomach rumbled. The Withers, at least, looked to be faring better than the people at Equinox, though she could see the front door was barricaded. Kyla went around and pressed the bing-bong button. She heard it go off, and there was a harsh shout.

  “Who's there?” came a gruff voice through the door.

  “Kyla!”

  “Who?”

  Kyla heard Kyle and another man talking inside but couldn't make it out. After a moment she could hear shuffling from the inside of the house and the door opened a crack. A mustached face poked through.

  “Who are you?”

  “Kyla. Denny told me to come here.”

  The man stuck his head out the door and looked around. “Where is he?”

  Kyla wasn't sure what was appropriate to tell the stranger, but thought to play it safe. “He's taking care of some personal issues. He'll be here as soon as he can.”

  “Come on in.”

  The man opened the door and Kyla stepped inside.

  “Look, I'm sorry what happened at your party. See, it was—”

  “What party? Oh, never mind. We got bigger problems.”

  “Yeah, I know. That's why I came.”

  The mustached man extended his hand. “Paul Withers.” Kyla took it and shook in the human fashion.

  “Kyla.”

  Kyle appeared in the doorway. “Hi! I haven't seen you since Halloween! Good to see you're ok.”

  Mr. Withers' eyebrows went up. He looked back at Kyle. “Is this the one—”

  “Yeah.”

  He looked back at Kyla. “Met some of your friends on Halloween. Heard you went missing. Glad you made it safe.”

  Mr. Withers pulled Kyla inside, closed the door and set some furniture in front of it.

  “Take a seat. Have some food as well. You look hungry. All we got is some bread, jam, and pickled beets. Things better straighten out soon. We'll be lucky if we have power by the end of the week.”

  “You'll be lucky if you have it in a few hours.” Kyla felt more relaxed once she realized the mustached man was Kyle's father. She walked in and grabbed a small dish and fork and served herself some of the pickled beets. She had never had beets pickled, and quite liked them. From her seat in the living room she could now see the images on the picture box. There was a woman talking into a rounded stick about a riot pictured in an inset. Fires blazed and men in black uniforms and transparent shields were trying to hold back an angry crowd.

  “End of days,” Mrs. Withers said.

  “Nonsense,” Mr. Withers muttered. “Just a... just a freak anomaly. All those CO2 emissions. Clouds blocking out the sun.” He turned to Kyla. “Denny, he's got connections everywhere. Does he know what's going on?” Mr. Withers squinted and peered at her more closely. “What in Heaven's name is wrong with your ears?”

  “You're pretty hard-core on the costumes!” Kyle exclaimed. Kyla felt her ears.

  “Yeah. Well, I know what's going on. I'm the one who told him. I tried telling the army how to fix things but no one'll listen to me. That's why I'm here. I might need your help. My friends should be here soon. I hope.”

  Kyle was more focused on Kyla's ears than her words. He slowly reached out and touched one of the points and turned to his parents. “They're REAL!”

  Mr. Withers looked annoyed. “Son, we can talk about her ears later. Kyla, what do you know?”

  Kyla slowed down her chewing. She wasn't sure how to begin and doubted they would believe her. But it had to be said. She fished into her pocket and drew out the orb and activated it. It lit the room more brightly than noonday.

  “What is that?” Mr. Withers asked.

  “It's made of aurichalcum and enchanted with light. It's immune to the darkness. This one was made special.” Kyla opened the latch. She looked up and noticed Mr. Withers staring at her.

  “All light is immune to the darkness. Darkness yields to light, not the other way around.”

  “Normally, yes, but sometimes the darkness needs a good kick in the pants. As Erebus grows stronger, light fades. The stars, the sun. Even the lights in here are going dim. But this will keep working. What's more, I think I can trap Erebus inside.”

  “Who, or what, is Erebus?”

  “Erebus...the...” Kyla knew she was getting into things the humans were unlikely to believe. “He's a creature of darkness. He's come to earth. That's why it's been so dark all over the world. He stopped the shipments of light from the sun and stars, and the stronger he gets the faster—”

  Kyle threw his hands up in the air. “It's the party all over again, dad. She's high.”

  Mr. Withers looked at her carefully. “She doesn't look high. Maybe confused.”

  Kyla didn't know what they meant by 'high', but gathered they weren't referring to altitude. She understood they didn't believe her, at any rate. “You'll see when my friends get here. I mean, I'm just an elf. All I got is these pointy ears and those don't impress you. When you see Aura you'll know. She can fly and turn invisible. You'll have to believe me then, right?”

  Kyle walked off with a grunt. Mr. And Mrs. Withers looked at her patiently. They didn't believe her so probably wouldn't help. Not yet; but things were going to get worse and worse and Kyla figured if they didn't help now they'd turn to her when there was nowhere else to go.

  Mr. and Mrs. Withers spent some time asking Kyla questions about herself while trying not to look at her ears. The more she talked the more insincere their smiles became, and eventually they directed her attention to the picture-box, which showed alternating scenes of disaster and discourse. Kyla, worried for her friends, at first paid little attention, but soon the news of the human world grabbed her interest.

  Many cities had lost access to power, and water supplies were dwindling. Violence was erupting and martial law had been declared in many of the human nations. People were fleeing to the countryside to escape the violence. Religious groups declared End of Days, as Mrs. Withers believed, though many blamed the phenomenon on the mismanagement of industry and the environment. People disputed this in animated debates, though they were all wrong together. Kyla felt sorry for them. They seemed intelligent creatures, and some were friendly, yet in their darkest hour they had no idea what was really going on. And it was likely to get worse very soon.

  After a while Kyla's concern for her friends again began to outweigh her interest in the human world, and she stood by the window and watched. The lights were growing dimmer, and even the image on the picture-box was becoming more difficult to see. Kyla yawned.

  “I've set up a bed for you downstairs,” came a sudden voice. Kyla jumped and turned her head to see Mrs. Withers standing behind her. “Sorry to startle you. You look tired. If you'd like to get some rest, I can wake you if anything happens.”

  Kyla looked back out the window. Doubt crept in. What if Erebus didn't come? What if he did, but the trap failed? Kyla's plan didn't seem like a good one. Still, it was the only plan she had, and she needed to be ready. She nodded and followed Mrs. Withers downstairs.

  ***

  Kyla was awakened by furious whispers. She opened her eyes but saw nothing.
It reminded her of the time she woke up alone in Denzig's cave. She took out the aurichalcum ball and activated it. She was lying on a mattress of—air? —in a large room with a cold cement floor. There was a set of wooden stairs leading to a door. She walked up to it slowly and put her ear to it. Mr. and Mrs. Withers were in the middle of an energetic discussion.

  “I can't contact any of the officers!” Mr. Withers hissed.

  “You're the Sheriff! You should be taking care of this!”

  “The town is shut down, Martha! No lights anywhere! I can't see a blasted thing! Where's that girl's light ball?”

  The door opened suddenly and knocked Kyla to the ground. Mr. Withers apologized. “Would you mind holding your light up for a minute? I just need to find a flashlight.”

  Kyla held it up to illuminate the room.

  “Oh, thank you.” Mr. Withers rifled through shelves, pulling down and opening boxes, and rummaging through piles of knickknacks. Finally, he put his hands on his hips. “I have one in the car. Come with me.”

  There was only darkness outside. No fires, no lights in the windows, no streetlamps. Kyla's ball created a bubble of light over the Withers' yard which ended at an impenetrable wall of darkness. Impenetrable to sight, at least. There was noise. Shouting, wailing, slamming of doors. Footsteps and gruff voices approached from the darkness as Mr. Withers opened the door to his vehicle and pulled out a black metallic cylinder. One end was wider and made of glass. It looked like one of the human lights in portable form. Kyla heard a click. The light on the end of the tube turned on, and Mr. Withers smiled.

  “Ah! Looks like we'll be fine!”

  Kyla wasn't so sure. She wrapped the ball of aurichalcum in her shirt. No light came from the end of Sheriff Withers' tube in the thick dark. “Your light isn't strong enough.”

  The yard illuminated as Kyla brought the ball back out. Mr. Withers looked upset and confused. He walked to the street outside the boundary of Kyla's light. Click. Click. Click click click. He cursed under his breath and walked back. “Something's wrong with it,” he muttered.

  “Where'd you get that light?” came a voice from the darkness. “You got more of those?”