I ran, trying to get to the appointed place before he did, hoping against hope that somehow, I would be fast enough, and I could save Kelle from a fate worse then death.

My heart was racing, and I thought that it must surely burst in a few minutes, but I kept at it. They were just ahead. He was laughing, his eyes gleaming, and his lips as red as blood, which wasn't a surprise. She was terrified. My sweet beautiful Kelle, in mortal peril.

As I ran, my mind flipped back to how it all started, seemingly innocuously.

It all started with a newspaper and a pigeon.....

I was sitting at home, wishing this abominable heatwave would finally break, when the newspaper went thump against my door. I walked to it, opened the door, squinting against the midmorning light, and picked it up. The front headline caught my eye.

VAPIR STILL ON THE LOOSE! CURFEW NOW ENFORCED!

I skimmed over the article, picking out the few relevant unbiased details. Vapir, now recognized to be the mass murderer that had been assaulting our city for three months was still on the loose. The curfew, which the guard had been threatening to enforce since the fourth murder was finally put into effect by Lieutenant Commander Rawer Evergreen, whose picture was featured in the article. Anyone out past moonrise was summarily arrested and thrown in the garrison.

The Elven neighborhood in which I lived, Trefoil, hadn't yet been attacked, but we to be put under curfew also. No one, claimed the Lt Commander, could be sure where Vapir would attack next, except for the killer himself.

It then went into a case history of Vapir, and described what he did to his victims before he killed them.

He was a bit of a psychopath, who thought he was the leader of the UnderOrder, a group of fanatical Dracs who wanted nothing more then the slaughter of innocent civilians, to drink their blood.

Every two or three nights, Vapir came out of hiding, and stalked the night, finding a young man or woman. He would attack them from behind, and drag them into a heavily shadowed area. Where didn't matter. It could be in the shadow of a house of party-goers as long as there was a lot of darkness.

He then would drink their blood until he was full.

More often than not, he would rape all the women, and kill all the men. He had not yet forced anyone to drink his blood, which was even worse, but it was only a matter of time. Case histories of this sort showed that they all did eventually.

The guard were anxiously waiting for the letter which would say that his next victim would be the one he would force to drink, but so far, it had never come around.

Not yet.

I finished skimming, and looked out the window. It was almost time for my meeting with Sorcer Calley. I was his apprentice, and would someday become Sorcer Nat, when he retired, and when I actually managed to learn some spells. Both of which did not appear to be for a long time. He was a tough old Elf and I couldn't get the spells right.

I dressed in my traditional green tunic and black pants, tugged my boots on, strapped the traditional knife to my belt, and puling on a dark blue cloak, I walked out of my house, and headed for Sorcer Calley's.

When I knocked on the door, it opened, and I stepped inside. Sorcer Calley was sitting at his table with his eyes closed chanting what sounded like a spell of discovery. I didn't interrupt. He hated when I did that.

Without opening his eyes, he waved his hand, and the door closed.

"Do you know," he asked me, "what happens to apprentices who can't use magic?"

Aside from having no idea why he was asking this question, I had no idea what the answer was either.

"Ummm, no Sorcer, I don't."

"They are sent," a dramatic pause, "away."

All of a sudden, I didn't like the direction this conversation was going.

"Away?"

"Away."

"Uhh, to where?"

His eyes opened and he looked at me.

"Away." He said again, stressing the word.

"Oh."

"Do you," he continued, and at the same time, I was visited with a horrible premonition of what he was going to say, "know why you are having trouble with even the simple spells?"

I thought about it, and the only answer I could come up with was one I didn't think he would like very much. Still, it was what I had, and he needed an answer, so I gave it to him.

"Possibly because I think different then the rest of the Sorcer's Guild?"

"That may very well be the answer, but the result is still the same."

"Are you...?"

"You are unable to learn the spells, and no Elf outside the Sorcer's guild may know the secrets of the guild without becoming one. You must be sent away."

"You are."

"I will give you one last chance." He held up something that looked like a knife. It was long and silvery, and had a small black handle on one edge, and a blunted edge tapering to a sharp point on the other. He held it so that the black handle was between his thumb and index finger, and looked toward a small metal pot he had.

"This is a slilt. It is a knife which measures your magical potential. With it, you can cut through anything, as long as your magical ability lends it strength. The amount of damage is equal to the amount of power you put into it. Without magic, it is as a stick to you. Observe."

He held the knife, then sliced through his pot with the knife, almost as if the pot wasn't made of tempered metal. There was a whisper of air, and the pot fell in half.

He didn't bother to say anything else, then handed me the knife, and looked at another pot he had.

I took the knife in my hand, holding it awkwardly, then turned toward the pot. I closed my eyes, and concentrated, tryng to bring up something, anything, any amount of magic that I could use to slice through the pot.

I thought I felt something, and seized the moment, striking out at the pot.

Clang, clatter.

The pot fell off the table, and bounced. I opened my eyes and looked at it. There was a scratch down the side, but nothing more.

"As is traditional," Calley then said, "you must pack your bags, and leave Elvaran before this time tomorrow. I won't tell you where to go, because I have no say. You must decide for yourself. Now go."

I had known since I started my training that Sorcer Calley was strict, and unforgiving. It had never hit home just how unforgiving he was, until today.

I began to leave, but then something in my rebellious nature turned me around, and made me ask the question. "Would... would it be possible for me to ever return?"

"It has never been done."

That's a start. At least he didn't say no, there isn't. "Well, how would I go about doing it?"

"You must accomplish something that no one has done before. You must complete a great task, that has never been done, and you must," here was a pause, whether for dramaticism or for some other reason, I didn't know, "use magic."

I felt my heart sink, and then splash into my stomach, making me feel a bit nauseous.

"I... see."

Sorcer Calley didn't reply. Instead, he just nodded, and closed his eyes again. That was when I turned, and walked out.

I went back to my place, and stepped inside. I looked around the house, and then went back to my room to begin packing, to decide where to go. I thought that perhaps I would go to the city of Avalon to visit with my cousin, Lyna. She would have a place for me to stay, and I would be able to figure a way to learn magic.

I stepped around to the closet, and looked over my wardrobe. I silently gathered it all up, and put it into a bag, then looked around to see if I was forgetting anything.

My eyes fell on a couple of books I had ben reading, and I picked them up, and tucked them into my bag. I slung it over my shoulder, and began to walk out the door when I happened to see a pigeon resting in the coop I had, specifically for nesting pigeons.

I reached, and carefully cupped it in my hand, holding it steady, while I removed the message from around it's leg. I unrolled it and read over it.

Dear Nat, I hope this message finds you well, and I hope that you receive it in time. You see, finally, my yelmé has asked me to be his bride. We will wed in four weeks. I hope to see you there, though I know you are very busy with your studies with Calley. I hope you can make it, and I look forward to seeing you in four weeks time. All my love, Lyna.

As I read the note, I smiled, thinking how happy Lyna must be that her yelmé, or betrothed, finally made it official. He had been slacking off for a while, and I thought that I might have to go down there and beat- err, excuse me, talk- some sense into him.

I smiled again, and setting my eyes to the east, I began my trek to Avalon.

Two weeks later, I got to Avalon, and checked into an inn called The Dragon's Kiss. They gave me a room up on the third floor, and I went upstairs, and looked around. It wasn't quite what I would have called a room, it was more like a niche, or possibly even a hole in the wall. I was wondering if I would have to fight a rat for it.

The next night, I went to Lyna's house, and knocked on her door. She answered it, smiled when she saw it was me, and opened it the rest of the way, and then embraced me.

"Nat," she said. "How are you doing?"

I smiled back at her. "I'm doing fine. More or less."

"More or less?"

"Well, Calley decided I wasn't learning fast enough and..."

"You got sent away?"

"Yes, I'm afraid I did."

She sat down on the couch, smoothing her flaxen hair over her shoulders. "Is there any way he'll let you come back?"

I sat down opposite her, and rubbed my eyes. I finished by placing my hand over my mouth, and remaining silent for a few seconds.

I told her what Calley had told me, and she nodded, then sat back.

"You have to use magic?"

"Yes, I do."

"Interesting."

"Why?"

"Because, I can do this." She lifted her hand, and pointed to a pitcher of water that was a couple feet away from both of us, and it floated up and over to her, and she took it in her hand, pouring herself a glass of water.

I gaped in open astonishment. "How... how...?"

She smiled at me, and then sent the pitcher back to the table. "I have had the ability since I was a little child, Nat," she said, with laughter in her voice, "though I myself didn't know until one of my friends pointed it out to me. She taught me how to do some stuff, but not much. She doesn't have much ability herself."

"Why... why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I didn't want to make you feel bad. I thought about telling you, but then you told me that you were going to enlist with Calley, and I didn't want you to feel bad, or anything, so..."

"Yes, but..."

"Oh, hush, Nat. It's all in the past anyway. Perhaps I can help train you. The way I've heard it told by the Chanters, I do magic differently then everyone else. Perhaps you have the same problem."

"Or perhaps I just can't do magic at all. Maybe I'm just another normal Elf."

"No, I don't believe that. There must be some reason why Calley wanted to train you. He must have seen some potential."

"Maybe, but perhaps he was just making a mistake. He showed me a knife, a slilt, that works on magic. I couldn't use it."

"Not at all? Not even a cut?"

"A small one."

"Well, see, there is some potential there-"

"A very small one."

"We just need to figure out how to tap it."

I sighed and let my head fall back onto her couch.

Two weeks after that, there was another attack, this one in a neighborhood right outside my cousin's. Lyna lived in the Bluesea section of Avalon, and the attack had been in Greensea.

Lt. Commander Rawer Evergreen (featured in a picture there also) was on the scene with a rapidity that did justice to the Guard Elite, and he was investigating the matter, but so far, no leads presented themselves to him.

It was disturbing to me, for some reason that Evergreen had gotten there so quick, but it was later dismissed as I read that he got hand delivered messages stating when and where the next attack would be. Unfortunately, most times, there wasn't enough time to do anything about it, even though Evergreen usually left hours ahead of the rest of the guard to try and intercept Vapir.

During the two weeks I had been staying with Lyna, we had worked a little every day, between her planning her wedding, and her more and more frequent trips to see her Yelmé, to try and figure out how to get my magic going. She insisted the potential was there, and she wasn't going to rest until she found out how to bring it to the fore.

Two days after the attack, Lyna was wedded to Relyt.

As I stepped into the glade, where the ceremony was to take place, one of the ushers stepped over to me and asked if I was from the bride's family or the groom's family.

"The bride's," I said.

"Very good, please come this way." He led me about halfway up the aisle, and pointed out which seat was mine.

I sat down, and waited for the cermony to begin. A few minutes later, the usher returned, leading a pretty Elven girl in a blue dress to the same row. He told her to sit down in the seat next to mine, and she did.

She looked at me. "Hello," she said cheerily.

I smiled back. "Hello."

"How do you know Lyna?"

"I'm her cousin. I'm staying at her place for a while until I can get back on my feet."

"Ahh, I see. I'm one of her best friends." She held out her hand. "My name is Kelle."

The wedding was great. Lyna looked beautiful, and Relyt looked like the happiest man in the world, which he should have. Men don't normally get to marry Elves, due to the fact that us Elves are immortal, unless we are killed. But Lyna knew that, and still she was marrying him. Such was the depths of love that she had for him.

When they shared their first kiss as man and wife, there was a loud cheer from the assembled crowd, myself among them. Kelle treated me to a beautiful smile, and I found myself smiling back, and before I knew, I winked at her. She blushed, and looked toward the ground.

At the reception, I asked her to dance, and for the rest of the night- no, sorry, not quite the rest of the night, it came to a premature end, as you will soon see- we danced together, like we were meant to be together. Somewhere, in some celestial plan for the universe, there was a small inscription, that read "Kelle and Nat meet and fall in love at first sight." There had to be.

We danced together for the entire night, and then something happened. Something that would alter the course of my life, and change everything I knew.

It began with the tossing of the flowers.

"Everyone ready?" Lyna called over her shoulder. There was an enthusiastic shout that they were ready, and then the flowers were flying. It fell into the middle of the crowd of unmarried girls, and there was a general struggle.

No one was sure of the outcome until the victor stood up, holding the bouquet. I felt my mouth drop open, and something jump within me.

Kelle walked over to me, and wrapped the arm holding the flowers around my neck and kissed me. I must confess I was a bit surprised, and didn't kiss her back. She pulled back, and raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to try that kiss again?" she asked. Laughter from the general assembly. I smiled, blushing slightly, and kissed her back.

When we broke, she smiled. "Much better. Now it's your turn." She motioned with her head to where a group of men were standing.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes," she said with a voice that brooked no delay. I sighed and walked over to where the group of men were standing and took my place among them, right in the middle. There was no paticular reason why I stood rght int he middle, except that the thought that when the veil came down, it might come right down to the middle o the group, and there I would have the best chance.

Relyt removed the veil from Lyna's dress, and stood with his back facing us. If he had been looking toward us instead, he might have seen a shape skulking right outside the window where Kelle was standing, watching. Unfortunately, we were all turned away, and none of us saw him.

As Relyt got ready to throw, silence descended, and then the veil was up and flying. It was arcing straight toward me, and I lifted my hand to grab it. I wouldn't even need to move, it was coming straight toward me.

Suddenly, there was a smashing of glass, and something squealed loudly. My first thought was that someone had dropped a glass, but somewhere in the part of my mind that was moving even slower then time itself seemed to have gone, I realized it couldn't be a glass, because it was too loud.

Forgetting about the veil, I turned toward the sound, and caught just a glimpse of a blue dress disappearing out the window.

I darted toward it, and jumped, barely clearing the broken shards of glass as I did, and landing awkwardly on the grass. I leapt up, and caught a glimpse of a dark shape struggling with something as he carried her toward a horse.

He looked back at me, and I caught a glimpse of a white face, and red lips. Something about that face struck a chord with me, and I knew I had seen it somewhere, but I couldn't place it just now. The man jumped up on the horse, and, carrying his burden in front of him, reared the horse, and yelled at me.

"Vapir is triumphant again!"

Vapir had struck again. It would be in the papers tomorrow. He had struck at a wedding in broad daylight, and no one, save one useless Elf had seen him. Rawer Evergreen would make his appearance, and get his picture in the paper again, but there would be no leads as usual.

I knew what was going to come though. I knew it as surely as I knew how to catch Vapir. The thought of Evergreen getting his picture in the paper had told me everything I needed to know.

Vapir hadn't killed his victim this time. All the attacks had been capture and kill. In quick succession. There was never any evidence that he had taken his captives anywhere special to kill them. He just did it where the opportunity presented itself.

This time, though, he had taken someone, and hadn't killed them. And I knew, in the core of my being that this time, he wasn't going to drink her blood, she was going to drink his blood, and become a Drac.

This time, he had Kelle.

All that passed through my mind in the time it took Vapir to wheel the horse around. I began to run after him. After his horse.

I'm accounted a fairly good runner, even for an Elf, and some Elves have been known to run for two days and nights wthout stopping. I would run as long as I needed to, and as hard as I needed to, to catch him, and stop him once and for all.

Determination, anger, and fear for Kelle propelled me to run faster then I had ever run before. I was catching up, but it was also taking a toll. I was tiring, which was totally unnatural. I should have been able to run much longer then this.

I was within a few feet of the horse when I knew that I was at the end of my race. I had to make one final attempt, or give up. So I leapt.

I threw my arms out, caught something hard and sinewy with my hands and grabbed it, holding on with all my might. There was a popping sound, and then I was rolling, tumbling across the ground as something thudded and screamed in front of me.

My arm was a mass of pain, throbbing sharply at me. I propped myself up, and looked down the path. The horse was lying on it's side, and breathing heavily. Foam was flecked around it's muzzle, and it wasn't making any attempt to get it up. It's leg was bent in an unnatural way.

Further down the path, a crumpled pile of blue lay in the path, and just beyond it, a pile of black. I forced myself up and staggered forward, The pile of blue was beginning to move, and I went to it.

"Kelle... Kelle, are you okay?"

She looked up at me, as I held her head in my hands. "Vapir...." she whispered.

"I know, I know. Only, it's not really Vapir. There is no Vapir, it's only-"

Whack! I jumped back as Vapir's boot connected with the side of my body, and i rolled with it, trying to minimize the pain, but not succeeding very well.

I looked up at him, at that face. "Who else knows? Do your men know?"

Rawer Evergreen stared down at me. "Of course not, you little..." his mouth twisted in disgust, "...Goblin."

Anger welled up in me. That was the worst insult you could hurl at an Elf. I stood up, and faced him square on. He smiled, showing me his white teeth, and the sharp, long eye teeth. "You still stand. You are rebellious, aren't you, Goblin?"

"Don't call me Goblin," I said, as I began to move toward him. He reached a hand inside his cloak and pulled out something shiny and silver.

"Not another step Goblin, or I run you through with this." He held it up, and I could see it was a slilt. The son of a whelp had chosen the one weapon I would have absolutely no power with if I managed to get it away from him. "That goes for you as well, my apprentice."

Behind him, Kelle, who had been slowly getting up, determined to take him from behind, froze. He hadn't been looking in her direction, couldn't possibly see her, but knew all the same. He could use the slilt. That proved it.

"Listen, Evergreen," I said, desperate for anything now, "I'll make a deal with you. If you let us go, I won't tell anyone about your secret. I swear it on my honor as a member of the Sorcer's Guild."

He laughed. "And what is that worth? The honor of a Guild member who can't even use magic? No, you won't tell a soul, I'm sure of it, but not because I'm going to let you go. You're not going to tell a single living soul, because I'm going to kill you.

"As for you, my apprentice, you will stay right there, and you will not move. If you do, I will kill your boyfriend, and then resurrect him as a Drac. If you stay there, I'll just kill him and leave him. Do you understand?" He still wasn't looking at Kelle. She nodded.

"Good." He turned back to me. "Now, be a good little Goblin, and close your eyes. I promise, it will be quite painless. At least, I think it will."

He stepped forward, and I lashed out with a kick, catching his knife hand with my foot. His hand flew out, but he didn't let go of the slilt the way I had hoped he would. He gritted his teeth, and kicked back, catching me in the stomach.

"You can't fight me! I'm more powerful then you are! When are you going to see that? You shouldn't even have gotten past that energy sapping spell I put on you!"

I managed to stand back up, and he raised an eyebrow. Then his face darkened, and his eyes promised death. His voice became deathly silent.

"Very well, then. You die." He leapt at me, and as I kicked at him, he caught my foot with his other hand, and threw it out of the way, spinning me around. I caught a glimmer in the dying sunlight as his slilt came down, and I threw myself down. There was a whisper of air next to my ear, and a buzz of something angry, and I raised my arm to where I thought it would be headed.

Thud. My arm struck his, and I brought my hand down to his elbow. I pulled downward with all my might, and threw him to the ground. There was a crunching sound, and then a skittering noise as his slilt skipped across the ground. I reached for it, at the same time as he did. I would have reached it first, but he had grabbed my shoulder. He used it to propel himself forward, toward the slilt. I grabbed his hair, scrabbling my free hand up to the blade. The hilt was just barely out of reach, and his hand was maybe an inch closer.

My eyes locked on the slilt, and I focused every nerve in my body to the hilt, stretching, trying to recover it, but at the last, a hand that wasn't mine got hold of the hilt.

I ceased struggling, and Evergreen jumped up, and turned to face me. I slowly stood up, exhausted from the last few minutes, and then Evergreen was leaping toward me again, mouth open wide.

Suddenly he staggered, and fell, with a scream. I had no idea what had happened, but suddenly, my mind cleared, and I could breathe normally again. His spell had suddenly ended, and I realized that Kelle was standing behind him, holding the slilt that was buried in Evergreen's leg.

She yanked it out, and drove it home in his back. Evergreen gave a final spasmodic shudder, and lay prone.

I went over to Kelle, and held her, looking in her eyes. "Are you alright?" I asked her.

She nodded, looking unbelieving. "I've never killed someone before," she said in a conversational tone of voice.

"No, I don't doubt it," I replied, almost as rationally. She laughed.

"Why were you going for the slilt? I thought, from what he said that you wouldn't have been able to use it."

"Well, I wouldn't have. But I figured I would be safer with it then I would be if he had it."

"Ahhh. I see."

"Why did you grab it?"

"Well, obviously, I can use it."

I looked down at the hilt of the knife sticking out of his back. "Yeah, I guess so, but... you can use magic?"

"Of course I can. Who do you think taught Lyna?"

"I..." had no idea what to say, actually. The sound of hoofbeats in the distant was drawing nearer. It must have been the Guard Elite finally coming.

"You silly Elf," she whispered and kissed me. I kissed her back, and then turned to watch the Guard Elite approach, her hand in mine.

It was not the Guard Elite. It was a band of about a dozen men, all dressed in black, with very pale faces.

They looked at us, and at the body of Evergreen.

The one in the lead spoke first. "He is dead?"

I felt her squeeze my hand, as I replied, "Yes. He is."

The one in the lead drew a rapier as he looked at me. "Then so are you."

He rode forward, and swung. I jumped back, and pulled Kelle after me. We ran into the woods, the sound of pursuit close behind, We slid down into a ravine, and I grabbed a branch that was close to the size of a staff.

The leader rode down on me, and swung. I parried the blow, and brought up the other end of the staff. He blocked, swung again. I ducked under, and brought the end up into his stomach. He whoofed, and fell to the ground. He was back up again immediately though, and swung at me. I blocked, aimed for his legs. He jumped my staff, and swung at the same time. the blade came within two inches of slicing half my hand off. It cut a bloody gouge right through my hand, effective killing the last two fingers on my left hand.

I swung again, catching his blade near the hilt, and turning it awkwardly. He spun with it, trying to turn it to his advantage, but before he could complete it, I had cracked him a good one on the head. He fell to his knees, and I cracked him again.

He fell facedown in the water, and I didn't bother to revive him.

There was silence in the ravine, and then a shout of outrage. I looked toward it, and saw it was one of the riders, and he had Kelle in his saddle, with a knife held to her throat.

With his free hand he pointed at me. "You'll die for that, Elf!" then he wheeled around, and signaled.

"To Kyon!" he shouted. The other riders follwed after, taking Kelle with him.

Kyon. A name known among the Elves as an evil place. It was a castle that had once been used by the cult of Dracs, until they had been run out by Tyram Sorsc, who now ruled there.

Apparently had run them out. It would appear they were actually still there, and if they were still meeting there, that had to mean that Tyram knew something about it. Was perhaps even in on it.

There was only reason they would be going to Kyon.

To sacrifice Kelle to their goddess, Chraigena.

With a blind determination, I followed after, running for a day and a night, then resting during the day. Running for the night and a day, and then resting at night again.

After a week and a half, I reached castle Kyon, home of Tyram Sorsc, and the cult of Dracs.

I began my trek across the field toward it, never knowing what awaited me inside, who I would meet when I got there, and what I would get caught up in when I did.

This is where the story ends. Yes, it's a cliffhanger, and I'm sorry, but it's the way I designed it. The end of the story will come around in the first novel of my RiftTraveler Trilogy. Be on the lookout for it. It will be up here soon, I hope. In the meanwhile, go back to the stories page