There it was! The safe! Senny grinned. She put her ear to the lock and started turning the dial. There was a click, but not that of the lock. The blood in her body ran cold. She slowly turned around and met the narrow barrel of a revolver.
"I have you now, Belldandy!" It was Drekore. There were still bruised around his mouth and his eyes. His trigger finger moves closer and he was about to fire. Senny closed her eyes.
"Message!" Someone screamed. Drekore dropped his gun as a messenger ran into him. Senny dove and grabbed the weapon. Drekore threw the message off and froze. Senny pointed the gun at him.
"Don't shoot!" the messenger screamed. She was Joysie, the dwarven-gryffon Message Guild head Chief. She fluttered her wings and stood up between Drekore and the gun. Drekore took this to his advantage. He grabbed the girl from behind and dove out the left window. Abashed, Joysie fluttered her wings as fast and as hard as she could, quickly gaining altitude. Yet she was not strong enough to support Drekore's weight as well. She landed behind the tower and broke free from the guard's grasp.
"Thanks," Drekore said, then made a shrill whistle, upon which a majestic white stallion galloped to him. The man mounted the horse. Joysie stared at him for a while, inwardly letting out a long, depressing sigh. Drekore would never know a young girl's dream to be with him. How ironic… Waaaa!
Joysie was ready to hurt a rock at him. He ignored her all the time unless he had some use for her like today. Hell, she though, and threw the rock. It hit Drekore upside the head and knocked him off his horse.
"Are you crazy?!" he yelled at Joysie. She stuck her tongue out at him and took off. Drekore lunged and grabbed the corner of her green dress, ripping off a good part of it. She screamed and kicked him in the stomach. Alas, guards are some of the strongest men in the Empire. Drekore's abdomen didn't sustain any damage due to its massive muscular structure. He grabbed Joysie by the waist and pulled her to the ground. She fluttered her little wings as hard as she could, but Drekore was stronger. He tried to her in a headlock, upon which she twisted around and kicked him in the shin.
"Wohoho!" Drekore yelled. "Feisty, aren't we?" He tried to grab her again, but she once more twisted out of his hands and round-housed him. Her dress was not meant for that kind of abuse. It ripped from her knee up, leaving her standing in what looked like tattered pantaloons. Drekore took Joysie's amazement to his advantage and grabbed her by the wrists. She twisted her arms, but Drekore already knew this routine. He pulled her closer, his grip on her harder than iron.
"You think you can beat the Captain of the King's Guards?" Drekore snorted. He pulled her towards him and kissed her on the lips. She blinked at him, stunned and amazed. After a short pause, he kissed her again, but this time with more passion.
* * *
Senny turned the dial one last time. Click, it opened. She jumped to her feet and pulled open the heavy leaden door. Inside was a dragon tablet on a gold chain. Her eyes widened. She grabbed it and ran into the hall, skillfully dodging the Palace Guards, and other miscellaneous obstacles. They were no match for her. She was afraid of no guard, except Drekore. But he wasn't around, so Senny fought her way through the guards. She hung the tablet around her neck and rushed out through the gate. This was quite a find.
* * *
Kifka walked through the town. There was still no way of telling where Senny was. He rummaged around in his pockets and pulled out an article left by Sennymay in his bed. It was a tiny silk ribbon, red in colour. Kifka looked closer and saw that there was something written on it. He could make out, "D … A … N … I… E… L" etched in tiny gold letters. A cross look came over his face. Who was Daniel?! Kifka tightened his grip on the ribbon. Was this Daniel Senny's lover?! Kifka was going to find this man and make things straight! Senny was his. If a duel were imminent, then he would have it!
The ribbon wiggled in his hands. Kifka almost screamed and threw the ribbon on the ground. The little bugger was like a snake! He stared at if for a while, the jumped back again as the ribbon slithered down the street. Kifka followed. He knew about enchantments, and could sense them, but could not disable most of them yet. The ribbon slithered to a little Half-Elven boy, wrapped itself around his leg and tied itself into a bow. The little boy didn't notice. Kifka walked up to him and began examining him.
There was something strangely familiar about the boy. He hair soft brown hair and lovely tanned skin. But there was something peculiar about his eyes; one was green, the other blue. Kifka snapped his fingers as he finally placed it. This little boy reminded him of Sennymay!
The boy whirled around, startled by the snap. As if some great force had lunged itself at him, he stumbled back from Kifka, covering his face.
"Darkness! Darkness!" the little boy yelled. He backed away more, not daring to look at the Wizard lest the man prove like a Gorgon and freeze him into stone. People around them moved away cautiously and pretended not to see the two.
"I'm not going to hurt you," Kifka said calmly and extended his hand to the boy.
"…Dark Lord Kifka!" the boy finished, yet the beginning of the sentence was lost somewhere in his terrified mind.
"You know me?" Kifka exclaimed, then paused. 'Dark Lord Kifka?' The Wizard frowned.
Suddenly the little boy burst into tears. "I want Sennymay!" he sobbed. Kifka staggered back as the child exploded in a puff of blue smoke. Kifka knew better. He lunged into the smoke and grabbed the boy.
Everything disappeared into blue mist. The little boy was still crying. The smoke soon dissipated. The child giggled out of Kifka's grip and ran into the forest. The wizard sprang after him.
He froze as his nose met the blade of a broadsword. Sennymay's broadsword.
"Senny!" Kifka exclaimed happily. "I finally found you!" He knocked away the sword with his staff and rushed to Senny. He threw his arms around her and pulled her close in a long hug. After a moment of mentally gathering herself, Senny twisted out of his arms and backed away. The little boy was still crying. She lifted him into her arms.
"What did you do to Daniel?" she nearly screamed at Kifka.
"He started crying for no reason!" Kifka almost shouted at her. So this was 'Daniel,' he though to himself.
"He?!" Senny blinked. After a long pause, she burst out laughing. Kifka stared at her. "Daniel is a girl!"
"What?!" Kifka's jaw dropped. Senny handed him the kid. Kifka held Daniel at arm length. The little girl stared at him with puppy eyes.
"You must conquer her heart before you conquer mine," Senny said. Kifka peered at her. The Rogue shrugged, gestured at the girl, and started walking away. Kifka put the girl down and rushed after Senny.
"I must tell you something before you leave," he said. He took her hand and pulled her closer. "Senny…" he whispered. "I love you."
Senny mouthed a response, but nothing came out. Just air. She stood there, her hand in Kifka's, trying to bring herself back to life. "Y-you…" she stuttered, "you don't know me well enough to say that!" she finally exclaimed, then mentally slapped herself on the forehead for such a dump response.
"Is that so?" Kifka asked with a smile. "You love felines, you have an enourmous lust for shiny objects, your favourite colour is black, you love Snowdrops and Lilies of the Valley, your secret passion is tiny freshly-picked cherries, and you always make excuses when someone says 'I love you' because you are too damn afraid to show your feelings!" he nearly yelled the last statement. His face shifted from contented to mad and displeased. After getting no response from the Rogue, he whirled around and started walking away. Daniel ran after him, leaving Senny standing alone.
Senny's paralysis left her once Kifka was out of view. She sighed. Kifka was absolutely right. Throughout most of her teenage life, she rejected anyone who loved her. She was brave enough to face the Dragons of the Etrionese forests, but could not even dare to say the word 'love'. She kept telling herself that this was different and she was not afraid of Kifka's love. She was right about one thing: she belonged to Kifka; she could not reject him. She was, on the other hand, afraid of his love. He was unlike anyone who had ever loved her.
Kifka repeated miscellaneous four-letter words over and over as he walked through the forest, Daniel trailing behind him. How would he have been so stupid to actually think that she could love him? Emotions made one blind to the truth.
"I guess I should release her," Kifka told Daniel as they walked down a trail. Yet there was no cure for this spell. "What is the point of having her if her heart does not belong to me."
Daniel didn't answer. She knew Sennymay's feelings more than perhaps even the Rogue herself, but showed no signs of it. Thus she didn't answer. But then again, Daniel didn't care about what Kifka did or didn't do.
"Every truth has two sides; it is well to look at both before we commit ourselves to either," Daniel pointed out nonchalantly. "Do you honestly think you know which one is the right one?"
Kifka froze. "What are you talking about?!" he exclaimed. "Of course I do!" He had no clue.
"Suit yourself," she said. Kifka was thinking it over now. "You give advice to others, yet never follow it yourself," Daniel said. She tucked a strand of stray hair behind her ear.
"Tell me," Kifka looked at Daniel as he remember Senny's words, "how do I conquer your heart?"
"You already have," Daniel answered without a pause. She saw what Sennymay saw in Kifka, and that same charm was irresistible. He was like an Angel. Yet a Fallen One.
"Then do I now go back to Sennymay?" Kifka turned and looked back at the trail, half-expecting to see the rogue.
Daniel opened her mouth to answer, but froze. Her eyes narrowed and she looked around cautiously.
"Can you hear that?" she whispered.
"Hear what?" Kifka whispered back, looking around. Suddenly, Daniel's eyes widened. She ducked, and half a second after, an arrow zipped by, just missing her head. Kifka grabbed his staff. Three Wood Elves jumped into the clearing, all armed with bows and arrows. Kifka took an advancing stance.
"We don't need you," one of the Elves commanded as he walked forward. "We want the girl." He pointed at Daniel. Kifka noticed that the arrowheads were made of silver, and short wooden stakes hung on their belts. These Elves were either incredibly wealthy, or -- "Give us the Vampire!" he ordered. - Vampire Hunters, Kifka concluded.
"What Vampire?" Kifka snorted. His gaze shifted to Daniel, and he noticed tiny white fangs in the corners of her mouth; fangs much like his own.
"Fools!" Daniel screamed. "If you imagine me to be a monster, then so I shall be!" She traced the shape of her face with her fingers, then threw her head back as her hands passed over her face. Kifka stared, not willing to believe. As her hands passed over her face, the girl turned cold. Goosebumps ran down Kifka's spine as if he could feel Death searching nearby. Daniel was indeed a Vampire. Her hair and lips turned ice blue, and her fangs extended beyond their average shape, pointing out of her icy mouth.
"D… Daniel?" Kifka asked, his voice trembling.
"Yes, it is still me," she answered. "Fight for what you believe!"
She sprang into the air and pulled the little red ribbon off her ankle. It spread in her ice hands and she hurled it at an Elf. He dove out of the way and shot an arrow at the Vampire. Kifka joined the battle, fighting off the other two. The second elf managed to get his hands a whistle and call for reinforcements. Soon, the wizard and the Vampire were surrounded by a few dozen Elves.
"Kifka, run for it!" Daniel yelled and jumped into the air once more. She turned around just in time to see Kifka stabbed by a poison arrow and slashed across the face with a silver dagger. Daniel hurled little streaks of blue flame at the Elves, giving Kifka some leverage. Yet she was too late. The Elves' poison was already in Kifka's bloodstream.
Daniel flew to the wizard and grabbed his arms. Kifka screamed in pain as the Vampire lifted him into the air and draped him over her shoulder. She flew out of the forest and headed towards the Healer Guild, leaving the screaming Elves behind.
She flew into one of the windows and landed on the floor. Kifka's body landed behind her with a thud.
Chelrodin ran into the room as he heard Kifka groan. He froze in his footsteps.
"V … Vampire…" he muttered. "What did you do to Kifka?"
"Half Vampire! The Elves poisoned him!" Daniel replied.
Chelrodin nodded quickly. He lifted Kifka up and put him on his operating table.
"I can heal the injuries, but there's nothing I can do about the poison," he said half to himself. He tied Kifka up with bandages. He put a plaster on Kifka's left cheek. There was going to be a painful scar left.
"Don't you know a friendly Elf of something?!" Daniel screamed at Chelrodin.
"I have an apprentice, but she is not yet familiar with the Heal Spell," he answered her. "I will call her. Maybe she can help him in some other way."
Chelrodin walked across the room and stopped in front of an elaborate mirror. He passed his hand over it. His reflection was replaced by an image of a red-haired Dark Elf.
"Apprentice, you are needed," Chelrodin told the elf. She nodded and the image faded back into the healer's reflection.
Suddenly, the Elf appeared in the room, holding on to a ring she had just placed on her finger. It was Artemis. She turned around and froze as she saw Kifka on the operating table.
"What do you think of Sennymay?" Artemis asked Kifka as they walked through the forest together.
"I love her," he answered without any hesitation.
Artemis shook her head. She ran to the table and started diagnosing Kifka. "Elven poison?" she exclaimed and whirled around to stare at Chelrodin.
"Can you do anything?" Daniel asked from the ledge of the window.
"I feel a power inside me," Artemis answered after a long pause. She turned back to the table. "I can try." She closed her eyes. Her hands felt warmer and warmer as she placed them over Kifka's chest. Her mind raced at incredible velocity and her vision swerved and blurred. She found herself compelled by an uncontrollable force.
"HEAL!" she shouted. The lights blinked and wind rushed through the room. Kifka's colour returned to normal as he opened his eyes and sat up. Artemis felt lightheaded as her mind slammed on the breaks and the velocity came to a complete and sudden stop. She was knocked by the leaving force and hurled across the room. Chelrodin caught her before she hit the wall behind her.
"You learned the Healing Spell," he sniffed and wiped a tear from his eye. Daniel breathed a sigh of relief.
"Senny would have never forgiven me if I let you die," the Vampire said. She cocked an eyebrow at Chelrodin as she felt him examining her with his eyes.
"Madam, I could use your services," he said. "I need a new apprentice, for Artemisiana's training is now complete." He looked Daniel over again. "You have a great potential and enourmous magic powers. And besides, I think you could acquit yourself of all Elven charges if you helped me."
"It was a while since I helped a human," Daniel answered. "But I will help you. Could be good for Vampirian reputation." She turned to the other two, "Kifka, Artemisiana, go find Sennymay." Daniel handed Artemis a sealed letter. "Give this to the Rogue." Artemis looked at the letter, then felt nauseous. It was made of human skin! And the seal from something soft and blood-coloured. She placed it quietly in her sleeve pocket.
Back to Gems page.
Back to Main page.
Etrion, "Four Gems," and its characters are Copyright © Sennymay 1997 - 1999.
