Wielders of Magic, Book 2: The Trinity

His eyes were blood red and curious as he walked the streets, jumping from one shadow to the next as he searched for his strange little girl - the one who had visited him a few nights ago. She had been terrified, but after a few hours of consideration, he decided to go find her and see what she was doing in his mind palace.

"She walked on a moon beam, and her hair was as red as the great planet Mars . . ." He whispered, letting his dark voice echo through the barren streets as guards passed every now and than.

He had passed through a camp outside, one where a golden haired woman was savagely screaming at her comrades. She was dressed in ragged armor, and her hair was piled on top of her head like some kind of war queen.

He didn't stay long, they weren't very pleasant company.

"I smell you." He said under his breath, floating up the wooden stairs with his red eyes glowing. "I can hear the blood pumping through your veins."

"Oh isn't that interesting." A sword met his throat and he froze, his eyes flitting over to its wielder. "Who are you and what do you want?"

"I would ask the same for you. I am just going to my room." He smiled a little, staring down at the sword in fascination.

"No your not. You said that you could hear the blood pump through someones veins. Who are you talking about?" The assassin arched his brow, his teeth showing as his lips curled up in a sneer.

"Go to sleep." He stretched his hand out to touch the persons forehead, but suddenly it stopped. He couldn't move it, he couldn't do anything with it, it just floated there. "Wait . . . what did you do to me? What is going on!?"

"Your not touching her." He growled, standing up and looking the man in the eye as he put his sword on his back. "Drusilla is not someone you can just walk in on and see whenever you want."

"Who are you!? How dare you stop me!"

"Well, it seems you are not used to this kind of treatment. Must usually be very powerful." The assassin reached out and grabbed him by the throat. "Tell me who you are, or I'll break you."

"I am the Darkness." He replied in a whisper. "Who are you? The new Light?"

"No, I am not the light." The assassin withdrew his hand. "But we have been searching for him, and you as well."

"Why?" He asked, taking a few steps back as he noticed the assassins eyes morph from a light platinum to an aqua blue.

"We want to make magic users accepted again."

He laughed a little and leaned against the railing, looking down at the stairs for a second while his smooth voice replied. "You ever talked to a normal being who doesn't use any form of magic?" He asked.

"Yes, once."

"How did they talk to you?"

"Normally."

"Did they know you use magic?"

"No."

"Ever talked to one who knows?"

"Yes . . ."

"How did they respond?"

". . . They were frightened."

"How do you get rid of fear?"

". . . Why are you asking me these questions?" The assassin leaned back and tapped three times on a door, his eyes still on the man.

"Just answer the question."

"You . . . you prove that there is nothing to worry about, you get them to trust you."

"Precisely. And how do you do that?"

"You show them."

"Quite right. How do you plan to show them that?"

He didn't respond. He didn't know how to respond. Everything that they had just said made complete and utter sense.

"By killing those who oppose you?" The Darkness laughed, shaking his head as his red eyes entranced him. "Good plan, make them even more horrified at your existence as you drive a knife through what they believe is their salvation! Watch them cringe before you as the blood of their leader trickles out and onto the battle ground you created! You just wait and see what happens. You can not kill the evil, you have to prove that you are not part of it."

Another door slammed open, a tall person with ebony skin and hair prancing out of it like an elf. "We can't do that when we are hunted at every turn!"

"Who are you?" The Darkness asked, staring with despise as the new stranger walked over to him.

"I am Rentham-"

"Lord of Shadows, yes." He laughed a little, running a hand through his dark hair.

"And who are you?" The assassin asked. "Name please, I have asked three times already."

"Blagdon." He answered with a slight sigh, raising his eye brows at him.

Rentham stepped forward. "What do you want with us?"

"I made contact with one of your party, who has made me curious as to why she was in my sisters home. Why were you in my sisters home? Hoping to recruit her for your little fantasy?"

"None of your business."

"Oh, but its true. You thought you could get her on your side, but that is the beauty of her wisdom! She doesn't choose sides, she doesn't even bother in thinking about them. You see, Kekinda never was on my side, nor anyone's. She lives for herself, and herself only."

"That is a terrible way to live." The assassin stated.

"Yes, and empty. I may be the Darkness in this world, but I know how to be happy, and yes, even love something. Strange isn't it?" Blagdon laughed a little, his head falling back and glancing up at the ceiling for a moment. "You all think I am evil, and yet I am just the Darkness. I house evil, I don't create it."

Another door creaked open behind them. "I don't really think there is a difference."

"Drusilla, you should be resting." The assassin walked to her and tried to put her back in her room.

"I have rested enough, thank you Jaden." She snapped, throwing his arms off as she stepped out to meet her tormentor. "You haven't left me alone since you made contact you fiend! Why can't you leave me alone!? I should kill you were you stand!"

"You couldn't even if you wanted to, pretty pet." He hissed back, a wry smile on his face as Rentham started to pull him back into his room. They all followed, wondering if Rey would soon follow after.

Edowain sat on the border of the City of Snow, fuming in her unnatural anger. A storm was brewing. She wasn't herself, she hadn't been herself for a long time now, ever since Rentham left her side. He was protected, sheltered from the dark forces of the world that had once captured the heart of all magic users alike. Now it was moving to the sword wielders, the farmers, the townsfolk, trying to wipe out the good in everything else.

It was the Evil. Not the Darkness, that is a completely different story. Evil is what lurks in the dark corners, in the shadows that waits for pray to come crawling into its clutches and then chokes the life out of them. It lusts for blood. New blood. Young blood. Fresh blood.

"I swore I would not kill you, my husband." Edowain mumbled as her men slept around her. "I asked Tiranous not to touch you either. But after today, I realize that that is still not an option."

She stood up, looking down at the dandelion growing in the grass and picked it, her lips coming together to blow the seeds into the sky. "No, my love, it was never an option. You are to precious to me, to innocent to just kill in cold blood. You are my passion, my world, and I will put that love into what I plan to do to you, once we are together again. Once you are beneath my boot.

"After all, love of my life, the best kind of torture requires passion, and love. You wouldn't understand, none of your little friends would either, but it is part of me now, and it is never going away. I understand now, I know what true love is! I can finally see good and evil!" She turned her arms up to the sky as thunder started to crack and lightning flashed above in an array of blue streaks.

Her party sat up, startled like cattle in a field as she slowly put her arms back down at her sides. "It is time, my brethren. We must capture the king."

"Rey . . ."

Go away, you filthy woman!

"Rey wake up!"

I said go away!

"REY!"

"What do you want!?" The dark warlock sat up with a start, their eyes locking. He still looked sickly, like the fever was still with him, and slowly she placed a hand over his cold, clammy forehead.

"How are you feeling?" Drusilla asked.

"You woke me up . . . just to ask that?" He blinked a couple of times.

"No, we have to go." She stood up and shook her head. "Get your traveling clothes on and we will go down and have some breakfast." The Red Witch turned and left the room, Rey spotting a twisted metal band around her left upper arm, resembling elven runes.

"Where did she get that . . ." He had never noticed it before, and he found it somewhat strange. "I'll be sure to ask about that later."

The companions got their supplies once again and made sure to put their low cowls over their heads. They didn't want any of Edowain's men to recognize them, they already had two of the Trinity found, they couldn't give up now.

They were so close.

"You know, I could just change our appearances once again." Drusilla suggested, walking beside the assassin as his dark hood shaded their faces.

"No, you need to keep your strength up."

"What are you talking about?" She stopped him in the middle of the street, tilting her head and staring at him with questioning eyes. "I am not a frail woman, you know that."

"You just seemed . . . out of sorts." He shrugged.

She snorted, shaking her head. "How do you know that? What am I doing differently?"

"DRUSILLA LOOK OUT!" Jaden flung her to the ground as a rather large horse galloped straight over them, a thick man cursing as he rode away.

The Red Witch hit the ground with a thud, her hood flying from her head and letting her long strawberry locks flow out like an ocean onto the road side.

"I see them!"

"Oh name of the Abyss!" Rentham cursed, throwing Blagdon to the side and diving after Drusilla. He and the assassin got her to her feet as Rey watched the Darkness, shouting at them to hurry as three of Edowain's men ran down the path at them, trying with all their might to dodge the many carts and people in the streets.

"We can kill these bastards!" Rey said, huffing terribly as he ran along side Jaden. "Come brother, let us take care of them!"

"Rentham didn't tell us to do so!" He replied, glancing over a little at the sound of the word "brother".

"He is trying to get those two out of here, we can ketch up later, come now!" Rey skidded to a stop and waved his hands around in the air, a strange red, filmy material dancing between his fingers like a liquid. "Brother please! I can not do this alone!"

Jaden groaned and turned, drawing his twin Katanas and diving into battle as the first man ran straight for Ray, spotting the sickly man as a possible weak link.

The Dark Warlock flicked his hands elegantly, the red film flowing out and down the mans throat, throwing him to the ground as he choked. The other two rammed straight into Jaden, which flung his swords out wide. He sat there for a moment before Rey gasped, seeing red blood trickle down his half brothers shirt and drip onto the road way. "BROTHER!"

"I got him!" A man flew out of the crowd, wielding two short swords. He stabbed one of the witch hunters in the gut, and threw the other off, a woman coming out of the shadows and snapping the neck. The two men fell to the ground as the strangers hovered over them, taking whatever tokens the bodies were wearing and stuffing them in their pockets.

"Jaden!" Rey cried and dove for his brother as the assassin fell, catching him in his arms and sucking in his breath, seeing a dagger lodged cleanly into his side. "Oh name of the Abyss! DRUSILLA!"

"No need, fellow warlock." The woman who snapped the mans neck walked up to him and yanked the dagger out of Jaden's body, watching as blood trickled out of the side of his mouth with calm interest. "I will heal him for you."

"Rey that was the most idiotic thing you could of done!" Drusilla screamed as she ran over to them, Rentham following close behind as the Darkness lurked like a shadow. "Why did you attack them! Why-"

"Calm down lady, he will be alright." The strange man put his two short swords away and held his hand out in front of her. "Over reacting will only make her loose concentration."

"Who are you?" Rentham asked, his hand floating over to his sword.

"I am Abhay, and this is my comrade Ray DragonWing. We are staying in this city for the time being, since it protects us from the Witch hunters on the outside. You did know that we were on the side of magic right?"

"No, I had no idea." Drusilla gasped, looking from his smiling face to the magic user. She wore a long gray robe, decorated with red and purple patterns. Her hood was brought down low over her eyes, and her mouth was wrapped in a fine scarf. "Wait . . . your the two people from the tavern!"

"Yes, we are." The witch answered, extending her gloved hand. "Pleased to meet a fellow in magic. I have to deal with this guy all day, and let me tell you, he is no picnic."

Rentham took the hand and shook it warmly before she crouched down beside the assassin, who was now paler than a ghost. Her fine fingers spread out over the wound and she uttered soft words, her magic digging deep into his veins as it started to react.

"The knife wound is deep, but it will heal. I need to go . . . back to my room Abhay, make sure you don't stop anywhere." She said and than completed the spell, sitting back as her companion laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Your friend should be all right now, her magic is very strong." Abhay said, shaking Rentham's hand as well. "Is this your party?"

"Yes, we have been together for quite some time now." He nodded his head. "And we have lost some on the way."

"Oh, tell me about it! Why don't you guys come back to the tavern, and we will discuss this shall we? Maybe we can help in your quest."

"Abhay!" Ray shouted, grasping his hand as she started to go limp.

"Oh yes, sorry." He hoised her up into his arms and the companions followed as they returned to Spencers Tavern.