Wielders of Magic, Book 2: The Trinity

"Rentham." She smiled a little, her lips giving him a little quirk and her eyes softening at the sight. "Lord of Shadows."

"I am no lord anymore, dear lady." He said, coming over to her and taking her pail hand, kissing the back of it. "But you, you are a sight to behold. I am honored to be in your presents, and will treasure it as long as I live."

"Thank you, you kind man." Kekinda laughed a little, crouching down to his level as he knelt. "And I will treasure this visit. Most people that come through here I have to kill, but I have a feeling you will be my guests."

"We would be most honored!" Jaden said, whipping his swords around in the air to wipe the blood from them before putting them away. "We have something to ask of you as well."

"Oh?" She smiled warmly and her gaze drifted over to the two magic users, unconscious against the cave wall. "Are they your friends as well?"

"Yes. I think they need some help." Rentham sighed, going to them and hoisting Drusilla into his arms as Jaden went to get the dark warlock, throwing him over his shoulder.

"I am dearly sorry for my pet. He is still being trained as you can see. I want him to fulfill my commands when I am away as well as when I am here, an its very difficult. After all, dark magic is hard to cleanse from a vessel." She let a hand fall on Drusilla's forehead, cleansing the burns along her arm and putting her into a deep sleep. She went over to Rey than and slid her delicate hand along his chin with her long nails gently scraping against his skin. "I see this one was cleansed not to long ago." She touched his forehead as well and than walked to the front of the group, leading them into a dark cave.

"Was that tunnel your creation?" Rentham asked, following with the assassin behind.

"Yes. I don't like visitors really, especially the ones that hurt Heritan, my red dragon. The poor beast is on his last years, and he is as cleaver as he is powerful, though . . . feeble." She shrugged, the fallen king silently dodging her long robes as he accidentally stepped on one of the tails. "I had pity on him when I found him, and now I take care of him. My magic is greater than his, by far, so he does what I tell him - but the fact still remains that he is of dark magic. Sometimes you can't change someone like that . . ." A sigh escaped her lips as she turned to the right, leading them away from the light that was head.

They entered a softly lit candle room where two beds laid. "Place them here, than join me in my sitting room. Just walk towards the light if you would." Kekinda smiled warmly and left the room as Jaden and Rentham set their friends down. They turned around and than almost jumped out of her skin.

"Oh! Don't be alarmed at my servant! She is the one that caused Heritan to be blinded, so I made her my servant!"

A girl stood before them, carrying a bowl of steaming water. Her mouth had been sealed shut, nothing but white, untouched skin, and her eyes red rimmed and a glowing blue. She looked as if she was under the influence of a strong fever, but acted with a sound mind. They both stared at her for a moment before leaving the room, both walking into the lighted place that the wise woman had said.

The Neutral Witch sat on a large sofa, pouring tea as the two adventurers came. She gestured for them to sit and they did so, not speaking a word as they both looked up.

It was true, she did have a house in the ground with sky light windows.

"You have a fine home." Rentham said, taking a cup of tea as she handed it to him. She looked as if she was no older than twenty, with calm golden eyes and luxurious red hair that flowed down pasts her knees. It was spread elegantly with her voluminous robes, held tight around her waist as they flowed down around her legs; two perfect, cream colored birch twigs crossed over one another as she lay propped up on the couch, staring at them as if they were old friends.

"So why have you come?" Kekinda asked, sipping the tea.

Rentham started. "We want to win the world back to the Magic Wielders. We plan to stomp out the face of the hunters, drive them back to their squabbling homes-"

"And show them that they should not mess with the power of the ages with their feeble swords." Jaden added, crossing his arms and looking rather irritated at the mention of the witch hunters.

"Why come to me? If your power is so . . . powerful, than why do you need me to help you?" She sat up than, looking at them both with puzzlement.

"Because, we are not as powerful as you, dear lady." Rentham said, taking her cool hand in his. "We are seeking the trinity, the most powerful of all magic users in the universe. You must help us."

"The trinity!?" She shouted, backing away. "I will not go near those people!"

"But-"

"One is dark and the other is light, they tug at my soul like two ropes, trying over and over to convert me to their magic! I will not!"

"That's not what-"

"I know, you didn't mean it like that. You are trying to round up all the magic users, but you can not have me, if you have them." Her calm exterior faded away, and lines of anger were now written all over her face. "I will help you, but not with them present."

"Yes, fair lady, we understand." Jaden said, standing up and placing a hand on his knife hilt, wondering if she would try anything.

"You think a simple knife would hurt me?" She hissed, squinting her eyes at them. "I am fully at peace with my magic, little one, I know how to work it. I would not simply explode as you mortals do!"

"I am sorry." He replied, his voice a little shaky. Her eyes were so demanding, so frightening at the power that lay behind them. She was so terrifying, to horribly terrifying when she was angry. Neither him nor Rentham ever wanted to see her like that again, except on the battle field of course. Than it would be most useful.

"Its alright." She replied, the ice in her eyes starting to disappear and become warm again. "You can stay the night here if you wish, I would be very glad at another human beings presents in this humble abode."

"We would be glad to." Rentham smiled and than turned the conversation a different route as Jaden looked behind him, hearing the slight breaths of Kekinda's servant.

The girl had long dark hair that flowed around her shoulders in elegant curls. Kekinda was defiantly taking care of her, but she had to be something strange to be able to hurt her dragon so much. Who was this person?

The girl set her eyes on the assassin. The place where color was supposed to be was pure, stark white, and the rest of her eye was black. Whatever she was, she was not human, that was for sure.

"Who are you?" He whispered, their eyes locked.

"Jaden do not speak to her." The witch said from across the room, making him flip around in surprise. He was like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "She has done me a great, great wrong, and I will not permit her to speak to anyone. She is silenced forever, and she will die here when I permit that as well."

"Doesn't that seem a little harsh though?" He replied, which made Rentham gasp. Everything the neutral lady ever did he had counted wise, it was even in her name! To say that she had made a wrong decision was unspoken of . . . it was just ludicrous to him. "The wise forgive, if the offender is apologetic for the action."

"Not this action, my dear friend." She replied, the warmth in her eyes staying just as fervent. "Nobody touches those I love without their consent."

"Yes, but what if the dragon attacked her?"

"He didn't. She sneaked up on him in the middle of the night like a garden louse!" Kekinda stood up and started to walk towards the girl, making the woman cringe and flatten against the wall, turning her head away and making small whimpering sounds. "She is a fiend, a child of the Abyss, and I would not permit her to do anything so luxurious as die!"

Both of their eyes widened at the words she had spoken. Don't mess with Kekinda, and she won't mess with you. Simple as that.

A dark figure loomed in the tunnel behind the two woman. It sucked in its breath and than sort of fell against the wall. "Name of the gods!"

"Oh, your friend is awake." Kekinda said and left the girl alone, going to her previous position as Rey stumbled into the room.

"Who are these people? How did we escape the dragon? Did we kill it?" He asked, resting a hand on his head. His eyes were red and he seemed rather feverish, though the spell of healing the wise lady had cast should of taken away all illness as well as open wounds.

"We have found the first of the trinity." Rentham said with a calm smile. "We are safe here, go have some rest."

"Oh." Rey turned back around and walked a few steps before stopping in his tracks. "Wait . . . Kekinda the wise?" He asked, turning once again and looking at the magnifisent lady.

"Yes, it is I, dear stranger." She said, standing up and walking over to him. She was more than a foot taller than him, which reminded him of his sister a little. Ah, Lilith. I wonder how you are doing in the Place of the Edoheths . . .

"You are safe in my humble abode, kind warlock. Magic users are welcome here." She took his hand and held it for a moment, staring into his eyes. She was like a comforting friend, someone old who has known you for a long time. Kekinda let his hand drop and than walked back over to her seat, continuing her talk with the fallen king as Rey - now dazed - turned and went back to his little room to sleep.

His steps were slow and thoughtful, and his eyes were a deep green. He was something she had never seen before, something different and strange. He wasn't like Tiranous, he wasn't just raw evil, he wasn't a powerful fist in your face.

No, he was the poison in your drink. He was the dark in the corner of your house, he was the assassin that lurked in your shadows; the monster under your bed.

He was the real Dark Warlock.

"Ah." He said, turning his slender form to stair at her with his awful green eyes. "I see you have come to visit me. You must be close to me, other wise we would of never met." He smirked, looking at her feet and than slowly climbing to the top of her head, examining her like a moth in a jar. She guessed this look was normal for him, the eye of a scientist on a specimen.

"Who . . . who are you?" She shuddered, choking on her words.

He smiled than, pure white teeth shinning back at her with the fangs of a vampire. "Your naughty thoughts inside your head. Your urge to kill, your thirst for blood. I am the lies you tell, the awful acts you commit, and the biting tongue you speak with when the anger rises in you and threatens to burst out of your soul. I am your dark side, darling, and if you really want to meet me . . ." He took a few steps near her, the cold wall meeting her back. "Why don't you just . . . see me some time?" His hand stroked her face as she whimpered, feeling the evil beneath his skin start to snake inside her.

"AH!" Drusilla screamed, flying out from under her covers and grasping at the unfamiliar air. "RENTHAM!"

"What?" A startled voice answered a little ways away. She looked around the room and noticed it was not where they were before, this was not the cave of the dragon. This was someplace else, and she didn't even know how long she had been asleep.

But that was not a dream. That was defiantly not a dream. She had to tell Rentham, she had to tell him about what she had seen.

Soon the fallen king came running in the room, gently setting a hand on her shoulder. "What is it?"

"I saw something. A vision. It was not a dream, it was a sign, and I . . . I connected with him." She gasped, looking around in confusion.

"Connected? Connected with who?" Jaden asked, hovering over their leaders shoulder to listen as Rey sat in the other bed, wondering what was going on.

"Evil." Was all she could say before bursting into tears. Rentham sat down beside her and tried to comfort her, but they still didn't know what in the Abyss was going on.

"Evil?" Kekinda asked warily. "Was it a . . . a person? A man?"

"With green eyes!"

"Ah yes." She nodded her head and closed her eyes. "You saw . . . you saw Rajnish. My brother."

"Your what?" They all asked in unison.

"My brother." She repeated, leaning against the wall as Rentham tried his best to calm the Red Witch down. "He is the Dark Warlock, the evil of the trinity. I didn't want to mention that, because even though he is related to me, that does not change the fact that I will NOT align with them. I ended our ties long ago, and he made it perfectly clear that we were not to act like family." She turned and walked out of the room, apparently not wanting to discuss the matter further.

"Here." Rentham said, handing the sad Drusilla to Jaden while he ran after the wise witch. "Kekinda, you must not be so hasty. This is for all the magic users, not just us!"

"I know Rentham, darling, but I can't have myself work beside those two people." She sat down once again. "I would lose my concentration all in one sweep."

The fallen king sighed and returned to his seat as well. "Tell me this, dear lady, why did Drusilla connect with him? That has never happened before, not since I have known her, and believe me, its been a while."

"His telepathic spirit likes to hang around here, hoping to snag a bit of mine and communicate. He misses me, but I will have not part with him. After what he did, I will never forgive him."

"You don't forgive a lot of people do you Kekinda?" Jaden asked, exiting the tunnel and joining in on the conversation.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She asked, her eyes squinting at him and her soft flowing robes around her starting to curl defensively. They were obviously some kind of magical induced clothing; like the fur of a cat, they pricked up at the sight of a threat.

"You don't forgive the girl that attacked your dragon who knows how long ago, and you can't forgive your own brother who is sorry as well! What is wrong with you!? Why can't you except what they have done and forgive them for once!? Why can't you understand that people are fallible and need forgiveness sometimes!?"

She shot from her seat and grabbed him by the throat, her clothing now hard, metal-like spikes all around her. "Frankly, Jaden, if I was all good I would of been on the Lord of Light's side, but guess what? I am neutral. I am right in the middle, which means I could kill you and leave you without a second thought, and help a child with as much compassion as a mother tomorrow. Do not provoke me, I do what I wish and that means I can shut people out whenever I wish! That means I can torture whoever I want and get away with it! I am the most powerful being on this entire planet, except for the other parts of the Trinity, and you can't do anything about it. You challenge me, you challenge the gods!"

Rentham and the assassin had turned pail with fear, both hoping her devastating magic wouldn't rip him in two.

"I thought . . . I thought wisdom meant you listened to reason." Jaden hissed back between clenched teeth. The fallen king saw at that very moment, his eyes change to a platinum color, washing over his aqua blue eyes and enveloping them. Even though Jaden used magic all the time with his swords, his eyes never changed color, and this shade Rentham had never seen before. Never, in all of his three hundred and fifty five years.

Kekinda suddenly dropped him to the ground, backing away with tears in her eyes. "Your the one." She gasped. "I am sorry, I am so sorry!"

"What?" Rentham asked quietly, watching as she acted like she had hurt a precious lamb.

"Your the . . ." She put a hand over her mouth and stumbled back, the fallen king running to catch her before she hit the floor.

"What are you talking about?" Jaden asked, his eyes returning to their normal aqua color.

Kekinda straightened up and pushed Rentham away, locking eyes with the assassin before taking his hand as if he was a dear friend. She spoke, her voice barely a whisper.

"Your the Unity."