Elfshot

by M. H. Bonham

  “That’s the best you could come up with? I was expecting something more memorable from the great Ironspell.” With that, he threw a lightning bolt at me.

  I disintegrated in a flash of light.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Okay, I didn’t exactly disintegrate in a flash of light. My doppelganger did. With Vindar capturing the Light Elves and Garik an unwilling but competent accomplice, I had already backed away from the group in the hopes that I’d have a lead start before they figured out it wasn’t me. The severing of the doppelganger created a backlash in the magic and I collapsed from the pounding headache. I couldn’t stop screaming even though I knew it would attract Vindar. When my vision came back, I found myself curled up in a ball in one of the alcoves off to the side where I had seen children playing. The old female Elf who had seen me and sent me a telepathic message stood over me. I was about to say something when she put her finger to her lips.

  At that moment, Vindar and several of his men ran toward us. Fear caught in my throat. Was she going to hand me over to them?

  Vindar stopped and looked at her. “Have you seen the human?”

  She shook her head. “I have seen no humans here.”

  “He would look like a Dark Elf.”

  “I have seen no one other than those I know.” She nodded. “Maybe he went down the other tunnels.”

  I stared at Vindar’s face as he studied her expression. He took no notice of me. “All right.” He turned to his Elves. “He went through one of the other tunnels. Let’s find him. I want Ironspell dead.”

  We must have waited a good five minutes before the old Dark Elf touched me on the shoulder. “Come on, Ironspell. We have work to do.”

  “Who are…?”

  She raised a finger to her lips. “Come with me.”

  ~ * ~

  I stumbled to my feet and followed her down several tunnels until we came to a corridor with several doors down it. It was surprisingly well lit with mage lights and what appeared to be florescent fungi and moss along the walls, casting the tunnel in an eerie blue-green glow. The Drow fashioned the doors out of stone, much to my surprise. We took the third door on the left and it swung open with just a touch, like the door at the entrance to the caverns. She led me into the room, which I discovered was a living room with an upholstered couch, stone table, and several wooden chairs.

  To my surprise, cool, fresh air circulated throughout the room. I could see a much younger female Drow in what appeared to be the kitchen, complete with a hearth and wooden shelves, as well as two boys that looked equivalent to human children ages five and eight.

  “Li’alla, we have company!” The elder Elf called to the woman.

  Li’alla turned and looked at me. Too skinny to be pretty, she met my eyes with her gaunt gaze. She wore a plain brown tunic and trews. They looked well-worn and shown many patches. “Oh, Nana, what have you brought?”

  “Nana! Nana!” the two boys shouted as they ran out of the kitchen.

  Nana smiled and bent down for a hug. “How are my two rapscallions doing? Have you been minding your mother?”

  “Yes, Nana.” The children spoke in unison and I tried to hide a grin. Children were alike all over, no matter how different they were.

  Li’alla wiped her hands on a worn dishtowel before coming out. “And who did you bring us?”

  “Li’alla, I want you to meet Ironspell. Ironspell, this is one of my granddaughters, Li’alla.”

  Li’alla looked horrified. “Oh Nana! What foolish thing have you done?”

  “Which one? There are so many.” Nana winked at me.

  The eight year old approached me. “I’m Li’arn.” He looked up at me proudly with his dirty face and smiled wide.

  “And I’m Naran!” the five year old shouted and held up a lizard for me to inspect. “And this is my dragon, Rossca”

  “Quite a dragon,” I agreed while thinking about Darkfire. I hoped the dragon was all right. “I’m glad to meet you. I’ve never met Dark Elf boys before.”

  The two urchins beamed. “I have a bigger dragon,” Li’arn announced. “Wanna see?”

  “You’ve brought Vindar’s enemy to our home!”

  “Yes, yes, I have. And about time, too. Vindar needs to be taught a lesson in how to treat kin.”

  I smiled weakly. As a cop, I hated domestic disputes, and now I was in the middle of one. “I’m sorry, Li’alla, Nana rescued me when Vindar and his Elves searched for me. I’ll be happy to leave you all alone and try to find the Elfshot myself.”

  “No, you can’t! You just got here!” Naran looked as though he might cry.

  “Tut, tut, there’ll be none of that.” Nana spoke to me and shook her head. “You’re kin, and that requires proper treatment.”

  “Honestly, don’t trouble yourself. You more than helped me…” I began.

  “No, and that’s that.” Nana crossed her arms and glared. The kids cheered.

  Li’alla studied me and then heaved a heavy sigh. “I suppose you’re right. But Vindar is Hel-bent on taking over their world. If he finds out we have Ironspell, I’m terrified what he would do to the children.”

  “He’ll do nothing, because he won’t know until it’s too late.” Nana said. “And anyway, I can handle Vindar with my magic.”

  “You’re stretched thin as it is. It won’t take long before it makes you mortal.” Li’alla shook her head. “It’s better that he didn’t know.” She turned to me, hands on her hips. “Well, sit down, Ironspell. You’re our guest here.”

  I hesitated and then pulled up a chair and sat. “How did you get wood here?” The kids sat down on a rug at my feet and played with their lizard. I felt kind of sorry for the critter, but they seemed to handle it gently enough. They chatted to each other, oblivious of the grown up conversation.

  Li’alla shrugged as she walked back into the kitchen. “How we get anything, really. We trade for most of it with other races in other worlds. Those who will deal with us.” She poured water from a kettle that hung over what I deduced was a magical fire into cups filled with spices and herbs. “I don’t have to tell you that we wouldn’t have anything if we didn’t.”

  “You trade?”

  “Minerals mostly, although we have some gold and precious gems.” Nana nodded. “Some countries in your world pay high prices for metals and minerals, including uranium, molybdenum, and iron.”

  “Uranium?” My brow furrowed. “That’s for weapons.”

  Li’alla walked back in with a tray full of warm bread slices and butter. “Not entirely. Some nations use it for power plants. “Most of it isn’t weapons grade.” She smiled tightly. “Have some bread—it’s not much, but it’s what we have.”

  “Why aren’t you all better off then?”

  “Vindar.” Nana nodded. “He and his cohorts rob the people to ensure that he keeps us in poverty. He thinks by presenting Earth as a goal, he’ll get most of our warriors riled up to fight against a common enemy instead of looking at him or any of the other warlords.”

  “There are others?”

  Li’alla walked in carrying a tray with cups filled with hot tea. Despite the tunnels being hot, the room was cool enough to drink tea. I took a cup and handed it to Nana before taking my own. Li’alla took a cup and set the tray down on a coffee table hewn from stone. She sat down across from me on the couch. “Yeah, but Vindar is the worst after Fane. Luckily Fane hasn’t taken notice of us.” She shook her head. “The Dark Elves or Drow, as our Light Elf relatives are so quick to call us, have no centralized leadership the way humans do.”

  “But we don’t have a centralized leadership. Our people have nations, and my nation and many of the Western nations, are democratic.”

  Li’alla smiled in amusement. “Yours is actually a representative democracy—not a pure democracy. And, of course, there is corruption in it like anywhere.”

  “Well yeah, but…”

  “It is, however, preferable to having the anarchy we have here,” Nana sai
d. “You see, we know your kind more than you think, even though we have been separated for a long time. Sure, your father closed the gate on Vindar’s father’s troops in Colorado and gave him a bloody nose, but those of us who are more peaceable envy your world.”

  “You could live in my world,” I said. I took a sip of the tea. It tasted sweet with hints of rosehips, ginger, and cinnamon. “This is excellent.”

  “Thank you,” Li’alla said. “But as for living in your world, we’d be under constant threat. The Light Elves have sworn to slaughter us. Most humans hate us more than Orcs because of Vindar’s and his father’s attempts at eradicating them.”

  “So, what can I do about this? Vindar has captured my team—and they all hate my guts, except maybe Garik, but Vindar did something to him.”

  “A geas.” Nana nodded. “You probably sensed it from his aura, but you had no idea what it was.”

  “Yeah, I saw something dark crawling along his aura. Is that what that was?” I looked at her.

  “Yes, in a manner of speaking. Vindar is well known for using coercive magic against people—especially people that have little magic.”

  “The Dark Elves had captured every one of the Light Elves I was with.” I nodded. “But why didn’t Eir see the geas on him? She’s a goddess. Certainly she would’ve known.”

  Nana shrugged. “Not necessarily. Depends how the geas activated. He could be normal one moment and then upon meeting the conditions of the spell, it would activate. Even a goddess like Eir might mistake the tiny smudge on his aura as being the damage from his capture. And since it would only activate on a few set conditions, it could easily be overlooked.”

  I shook my head. “I guess I need to rescue them.”

  Li’alla stood up. “No, you can’t. You’ll just get captured and Vindar will kill you as revenge for his father’s death.” She walked back into the kitchen and picked up the water kettle and came back out. “You’ll be dead, and that won’t help anyone.” She poured more water in my tea and tossed a few more herbs in the cup.

  “Nice to know I’m appreciated.”

  “You’re kin, even if you look human. You look like Evrardin in a lot of ways.

  “You knew my father?” I glanced from her to Nana.

  “Of course we did,” Li’alla said. “Even though he was mostly human—as you are—you’re still an Ironspell.”

  I cocked my head. “I don’t understand you.”

  Nana put her hand on my arm and patted it gently. “You don’t know, do you?”

  “Don’t know what?”

  “I am your grandmother.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  “What? You’re kidding me, right?” I stared at both of them, completely baffled.

  Li’alla shook her head. “I’m afraid not, Ironspell. We are your clan.”

  “Umm, I come from wizards who have existed for more than a millennium,” I said. “Eir said the Dark Elf in me came from a thousand years ago. Maybe longer.”

  “Ironspell, I am your grandmother…”

  “Could you say that like Darth Vader? That would be so cool.”

  “Nana isn’t your grandmother as in your father’s mother, but she doesn’t want to add so many greats before the term for simplicity sake,” Li’alla said, exasperated. “She’s the Dark Elf who married your however many greats, grandfather.”

  For the first time I was utterly speechless. It took nearly a minute before I could form a coherent sentence. “You…you married an Ironspell?”

  Nana smiled. “Your grandfather’s name was Alfric Ironspell—oh, the last name’s spelling changed over the centuries, but he was my husband. He was a great wizard at the time, even though he was completely human. We lived hundreds of years together and I bore him many heirs. My children’s Dark Elf blood made them longer lived and resistant to most diseases. The Dark Elf magic they wielded was formidable and the name Ironspell became synonymous with powerful wizardry. In time, many of your ancestors returned to Svartalfheim because they were so long lived. Those who chose to remain on Earth chose humans as their consorts. Those who followed me to Svartalfheim after I buried your grandfather took Dark Elves as spouses. You see, you are my heir as much as you are the son of another great wizarding line, the Cabas.”

  I blinked. “The Ironspells are still alive here?”

  Nana waved a thin wrinkled hand at Li’alla. “Your cousin.”

  I turned to Li’alla who curtseyed. “We’re family?”

  “Yes,” Li’alla said. “Somewhat distant, but if we trace the family tree, I could tell you if we were first, second, or third, and how many removed.”

  “Why hasn’t Vindar gone after you?”

  “Who says he hasn’t tried?” Li’alla scowled. “Why do you think Nana looks how she does? She’s burning herself up protecting the clan. In case you hadn’t noticed, both the planet and Vindar are constantly trying to kill us.”

  “How? Vindar saw you.”

  “Vindar saw a young Elf maiden—not me.” Nana smiled kindly. “He doesn’t even know where the Ironspells live in the tunnels. Since he doesn’t rule this area, he has no allies here.”

  I nodded. “It’s obvious you’ve been keeping tabs on me through magic, so you know I’m not the most powerful wizard out there…”

  “That is where you are wrong, child. You are very powerful, but you haven’t unlocked your full potential yet.” Nana took another sip of her tea.

  I took a slice of homemade bread and bit into it. It tasted of whole grains, oats, cinnamon, and something sweet I couldn’t quite identify. Perhaps a spice from another world or plane of existence. “This is also very good.”

  Li’alla smiled. “Thank you.”

  I turned to Nana. “I haven’t unlocked my potential?”

  “You could be a very powerful mage if you set your mind to it. I know you want to help people as a police officer, but don’t you think you’d be better served becoming the mage you were born to be?”

  I laughed and held up my hands. “I’m not Elven. I’m human. There’s no way I could be more powerful than some of my Drow relatives…”

  “Dark Elf—not Drow,” Li’alla interrupted me. “Drow is a slur the Light Elves chose to describe us. Just like we use the word ‘Sunny’ as a slur for Light Elves.”

  “Sorry.” I grimaced. “I didn’t know.”

  “Now you do.”

  “Fair enough.” I sighed. “But I’ll still call any Dark Elf of Vindar’s a Drow. Just fair warning.”

  Li’alla chuckled. “Fair enough. I call them worse things.”

  Nana eyed me appraisingly. “You have a lot of magic in you, both wizard and Fae magic, if you would use them.”

  I stared at her. “I have Fae magic?”

  “Of course you do.” She nodded. “You inherited it from me and from your Cabas side.” She smiled. “Yes, you have Light Elf in you as well, but it isn’t as recent as my blood.”

  “But Eir said it happened over a millennia ago.” I looked from Nana to Li’alla. “I don’t look like a Dr…Dark Elf.”

  “No, you don’t, but that doesn’t matter.” She nodded. “You have our magic, just like you have Light Elf magic. It is an untapped resource within you. You could become more powerful than just a human wizard, if you so chose.”

  A silence followed and I considered her words carefully. “But I know nothing about Fae magic.”

  “You do, only you haven’t used it.” Nana nodded. “Wizard magic comes from the head. Fae magic comes from the heart.” She leaned over and tapped my chest for emphasis.

  I pondered her statement. Knowing that I could do Fae magic was one thing; actually doing it was something else.

  “So, why are you even in our world?” Li’alla broke the awkward silence. “Nana most likely knows most of the story, but I’d rather hear it from you.”

  I sighed. “Okay, but it’s going to sound unbelievable.” I told her about how Vindar and his Elves had sent a toxic alchemical gas to kill huma
ns. I then relayed the adventures in Idaho Springs and how Elryn and Duncan had become Elfshot. They listened to my whole story about Eir’s realm and how I got conscripted. “Okay, so assuming I am as powerful as Nana says, which I doubt—no offense intended…” I glanced at Nana, who shrugged. “How in the hell am I supposed to find the Elfshot and destroy it? As well as rescue the team I was with and kill Vindar?”

  “Killing Vindar won’t solve the problem,” Li’alla said. “As much as I loathe him, if we kill him, another warlord would just take his place. Your best bet is to go after the Elfshot. Chances are he has enough stockpiled to cause a pandemic. If any other humans have been Elfshot, they might spread the disease anyway.”

  “Eir wouldn’t be involved in this if it isn’t lethal to Light Elves.” Nana raised her cup for more hot water. “The Alfar have always been favorites. Sure, the gods come to the Svartalves and the Dwarves for our craftsmanship, but they look on us as bastard stepchildren and not true Elves.”

  “I still need to rescue my team.”

  Li’alla shook her head. “I told you Vindar will just kill you the moment you try it. Your Elves are dead, anyway. Vindar won’t let them escape this time.”

  “I can’t just leave them there.” I thought about the millions of people who died from the alchemical attack.

  “What is more important? The lives of 20 billion people across two planes of existence or five Light Elves? That’s what you’re dealing with.” She turned to Nana. “Explain it to him.”

  Nana nodded. “A very wise man said the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few…”

  “Or the one.” I finished her quote. “Spock is a fictional character from Star Trek.”

  “And a very wise Dark Elf,” she said with a smile. “It would do well if you would listen to his advice. Vindar most likely has enough Elfshot to infect the inhabitants of both worlds.”

  “Look, I’m tired of making the decision who lives and who dies. Millions died from the alchemical gas because I didn’t figure it out in time.”

  “And yet, you saved billions.” Nana looked sternly at me. “What makes you think you’d have done any better when the most brilliant Normal and Supernatural minds couldn’t figure out Bailey’s and Vindar’s plan?”