This is a chapter to a book I'm working on. I'm not very good at introducing characters, so please tell me what you think!

(this is more of a study than a story.)




Chapter 1

Niyana shook pale hair out of her eyes and peered around the wall, calm despite her current situation. 'Are you sure we could trust him?'� she whispered. 'I mean, he is a thief.'�

'I'd trust that boy with my life,'� Myles assured her, laying a heavy, callused hand on her shoulder. 'And even if I didn't, there isn't much choice left.'�

Niyana scowled and ground her teeth. 'If he betrays us, I'll wring the little rascal's neck!'� she shifted her weight impatiently. 'By Frozen Waters, where is he?'�

'Right here,'� a grating voice said. 'Listening to every word you've said.'� they whirled. Rame stepped from the shadows, dark hair reaching his thin shoulders. He looked only twelve, yet his gaze showed he had seen the world more than any other adult.

Niyana saw Myles' shoulders tense, and she gently rested a slender, webbed hand on his shoulder. She didn't know what bothered him; she had been startled by Rame's sudden appearance, but something really bothered him. And the elf seemed to revel in it.

Infuriated, Niyana stepped in front of him, meeting the boy's defiant gaze with her own. 'Well? What about the guards?'�

'Hm?'� Rame lifted his thick, raven hair to tap a delicately pointed ear. 'I can't hear you.'�

Niyana's soft cyan eyes flashed dangerously, but her stance remained calm. 'Oh, you didn't?'� she said quietly, smoothing back her white hair to reveal small slits for ears. 'Perhaps I should pound it into you. Which way would you prefer? My fist?'� she raised her right hand, bathing her palm and webbed fingers in an eerie blue glow. 'Or my magic?'�

Rame squared his shoulders stubbornly, holding her gaze with ease. But Niyana could sense his fear and smell his sweat. 'Tell, me, boy, before I shove this down your throat. What happened to the guards?'�

The boy took a deep breath, struggling to keep his terror under control. 'What guards?'�

Niyana grinned, bearing pointed teeth as she extinguished the magic with a flourish. 'Good boy,'� she said. 'You know your place.'�

The elven boy glared up at her. 'Yes, and it's not under humans like you!'�

Niyana flung white fire at his face, but with a spell of his own, Rame waved it away, brushing beads of sweat out of his eyes. Then she knocked him down, and Myles had to pull her away before she could do anything truly fatal. '�It's always that, isn't it?'� he whispered. 'You can keep your pride under control until it comes to that.'�

Niyana narrowed her eyes as the boy rose under her watchful gaze. 'I am not human!'� She growled. 'Anyone who says otherwise won't be able to say anything again!'�

Rame brushed blood from his pale lips. 'With all of your din, it will be a matter of seconds for someone to find us!'� he rasped.

Myles raised his eyebrows. 'Remember, Rame: if we're caught, you're caught, too.'�

Rame grinned. 'Oh, I could always escape. I'm not helping you out of charity, human.'� Niyana stared at him out of one cyan eye, and he frowned in frustration. The man was always easy to push around before the nymph came along.

'Well, do you know where they've hidden it?'� The nymph asked, calling small sparks to dance around her long, webbed fingers. 'You're the thief; you should know these things. Any skilled thief would.'�

The elven boy crossed his arms over his narrow chest. 'The first tower, to the left. There are several hexes and wards along the stairs and doors. After that there are seven magicians standing over a Constellation, one on each point. They stand between you and the chest. Then, of course, there's the demon trapped in the chest, waiting to be released to rip human flesh again. Once you kill him, you'll have to overcome the magic in the book, and then the wretched thing is yours.'� He smirked. 'Good luck, nymph. Farewell, human.'�

He turned to go, but Myles caught him by the arm. 'You forget. There is nothing else to do here but get that book.'�

'Unless you want to go back to that silver cell of yours,'� Niyana added. 'I have no objections to that.'�

Rame's golden eyes flared as he jerked away from Myles' grip. 'There are other options, old man. And I'm not going to follow two humans on some madman's wizard's quest!'�

He started back down the corridor. Niyana sighed and turned to Myles. 'Catch the elf and hold him for me,'� she whispered. 'Tightly.'�

The old man shook his head. 'No! Niyana, It'll kill him!'�

'If he dies, it will be the mule's own fault!'� she snapped. 'He's too stubborn for his own good. He forced us to do this.'�

Myles took a deep breath. 'Fine. Follow me.'� Niyana trotted behind him as he ran towards the boy. Rame glanced back over his shoulder and broke into a run, but it was too late. Myles pinned the boy's arms behind his back and wrapped his other arm around the boy's chest, despite his struggles. Myles used to be able to do this before the victim had a chance to fight, back when he was a young soldier in the king's army. 'I'm too old for this,'� he muttered under his breath. 'Hurry up, Niyana.'�

The nymph reached inside of the human-ish cloak Myles had given her before they came here, a wicked gleam in her eye. Rame watched her pearly hand warily.

Slowly, she raised her hand, and the boy's eyes widened in fear. He fought harder than ever, but Myles held him firmly. The elf cried several spells, but not one of them worked.

'Go on, boy, try your little charms,'� the nymph taunted, smiling openly. 'They won't work around bare silver, will they?'�

The silver dragon in her hand hung on a silver chain. They both shone ominously, glowing bright with the elf's life force. She inhaled the scent of the boys fear and pain, savoring it. 'What happens if it touches you, elf?'� she asked, slowly drawing the amulet near his ashen face. He leaned against Myles as far as he could, trying to escape the deadly charm. 'Will it hurt? Will it make you cry for mercy?'�

Myles watched grimly as she swung the silver dragon in front of Rame's face. The boy's golden eyes followed it intently, his face slick with perspiration. 'That's enough, Niyana,'� the old man ordered. 'If you keep that thing out any longer, you'll kill him.'�

Ignoring his warning, Niyana pressed the amulet into his cheek. Rame screamed in pain and thrashed in Myles' arms.

'Niyana, stop it!'� Myles snarled, pulling the boy away. 'It won't do any of us good if he dies!'�

Scowling, Niyana placed the silver dragon back into her cloak. 'He should learn to keep his tongue between his teeth,'� She complained.

'Was that the only reason you did that?'� he demanded.

The nymph didn't answer.

Gently, Myles laid the boy on the ground. The elf's face was contorted in pain, and he was panting heavily. The man worriedly pressed a hand to Rame's forehead as Niyana strode forward and knelt by him. 'Oh, get up, you sop,'� she growled. 'You won't die. Since when did the 'Great Magical Rame' bow before pain?'� The thief took a deep breath and staggered to his feet, leaning on Myles for support. 'There, see? You're fine. You can accompany us on this 'madman's wizard quest,' as you call it.'�

Rame gritted his teeth and touched the burned skin where the silver had touched. 'I don't understand you two,'� he muttered in his hoarse voice. 'What's so important about this stupid book, anyway?'�

Niyana stretched her thin lips into an unnerving smile. 'Something that is worth enough to be guarded by life-threatening hexes and wards, seven magicians on a Constellation, a magic chest, and a demon. How does that suit your thieving taste?'�

Rame blinked as she turned down the hall. It certainly did seem like a lot for a pretty bauble.

Want to comment on this Short Stories? Sign up to Edit Red and you will be able to comment on Short Stories and get access to: Upload your own stories and poems, get readers and their feedback, promote your work...