Book 2: Chapter 59 (1/2)

“You know,” Tafel said to Alice as she lowered her book, “this wasn’t what I had in mind when I set out on an adventure with Vur.”

“What makes you say that?” Alice asked. Her body flew into the air and crashed back against her leather seat as the leviathan skeleton they were riding ran over a tree. She grimaced as all kinds of animals shrieked, howled, and scattered as they were displaced. “Could it be the fact that none of this is normal?”

“Yeah, that could be it,” Tafel said and furrowed her brow while glancing behind herself. Hundreds of skeletons were dashing over the trees that had been toppled over by the leviathan skeleton. They were chattering and laughing amongst themselves while holding bound and gagged elves over their heads. A few of the elves met her gaze, glaring daggers at her. She turned her head back towards Alice. “Anyways, do you know where I can buy the joyful tears of a darkness elemental?”

“I don’t think elementals cry,” Alice said and glanced at Tafel’s book. “Where did you even find that tome?”

“It was in the ruins of the holy dragons’ church in Anfang,” Tafel said. “There was a whole section of the library devoted to forbidden and cursed books.” She patted the sword by her side. “And it seemed perfect to learn how to evolve Spitty.”

“You named your sword Spitty?” Alice asked, raising an eyebrow.

Tafel nodded. “It was that or Sharpy,” she said as a green liquid leaked out from her sword’s blade. It dripped onto the leviathan skeleton, causing vapor to appear as bits of the skeleton’s bones were dissolved. “The book said Spitty can grow wings after it evolves.”

Alice stared at Tafel, causing the demon to tilt her head. “Why the hell would a sword need wings?” Alice asked with a frown.

Tafel raised an eyebrow. “To fly? What else are wings used for?” she asked. “It’s not like—”

“Elves ahoy!” Mr. Skelly shouted from atop the leviathan’s skull. “There’s only seven of them; sweep them up!”

Tafel stood up and squinted at the woods ahead. A few elves were standing in the trees, staring at the approaching horde of undead with their mouths agape. Despair filled their eyes as the cackling of the undead filled the air. Tafel sighed and sat down again. “None of them are ginger.”

“I don’t think you’ll ever find a red-haired elf,” Alice said. “Are you sure that tome can be trusted? I don’t see how strands of hair can help evolve a cursed sword.”

“Something about devouring souls,” Tafel said with a shrug. The newest elves were bound and gagged, unable to resist the skeletons’ fierce onslaught. They had tried casting magic, but the fairies by Mr. Skelly had silenced them. “How come we haven’t come across a village yet?”

“Elves live in small colonies,” Alice said and shook her head. “Why would they form a village?”

Tafel scratched her head. “I don’t know,” she said. “That’s just how they worked on my continent. Wouldn’t it be safer for them to group up?”