章節 36: Chapter 36
Under their menacing gaze, Elvira struggled to get words out of her mouth. "Um, what... I."
"Looks like we're going to be here for a while," said the shorter one, pushing a stool toward the other. "Let's take a seat, my friend." He then took a seat close to Elvira. His wide mouth stretched into the creepiest and most wicked smile she had ever seen. She instantly moved her stool away.
"Listen," he began. "I want no problem here. We're a bunch of pleasant fellows looking for some information. Although I am a bit offended you're friends with the wizards, I will let that slide and ask you to abide by my rules and tell me everything I need."
Elvira stared at him silently. "Look, I am just a cursed girl looking for a cure. I don't want to get in a fight between wizards and warlocks."
"Oh, I am sure that's true, and it's even better." He dragged his stool towards her until his ugly face was only a foot away from hers. His big protruding eyes, filled with madness, were staring at her.
Elvira moved her stool further back. His intimidating and deranged look was making her wildly uncomfortable. Witches and warlocks had no mercy when it came to tormenting people. She was well aware of that fact. Even as a child, it was forbidden to think much of the murderous screams that came from the dome of witchcraft. According to her mother, it was a good thing because people scream when in pain or fear. It was the best way to obtain something from them.
"You know who curses people, don't you?" he asked. He took out a knife and played it with a bit. Her eyes carefully watched his every movement. Like a madman, he threw the knife in the air, and the moment he caught it, he put a cut on her arm, causing blood to come out instantly.
"What is wrong with you!" she yelled, putting pressure on her wound. Her witch body was more resilient than a human, but she could still feel pain. The crowd's eyes were on her, but no one dared to say anything.
Maybe if she told him she was an undercover witch, he would stop tormenting her. However, she couldn't trust him with such a secret, especially when Quinn was nearby.
"Wrong with me!" he exclaimed, "I have cut out every part of a human body, filled buckets with their blood, and burned many alive. Now, if anything was wrong with me, I would have known by now. Don't you agree?
He got up from his stool, moved his face closer to Elvira, and pinched her wound badly. "Ouch!" she put her arm behind her back.
"Don't play smart with me, human. You speak when I want you to. And you stop when I tell you to. Do I look like someone who cares what you don't want?" he shouted.
The closeness of his ugly face and garlic breath was suffocating her! She stood up and began to walk away, but he grabbed her arm and pushed her roughly against the wall. His long fingers gripped her neck and gave it a hard, painful squeeze. Terror-filled feminine screams echoed in the tavern. She looked around and saw that many people were fleeing the area.
It was awful to be in the place of a human victim! All of a sudden, everything felt unfair to her. He was abusing his power against a weak human woman!
"You are sadistic!" Elvira cried.
"That's enough," said the other warlock. "Release her neck. Don't get over-excited."
"Why?" asked the mad one, turning around. "Usually, when I torture humans, they shriek, and this one just called me cruel!"
"Just ask her the questions!" yelled the other one.
"Sure," he released Elvira's neck, and she gasped for air.
She wanted to kill them right there and then! They were nothing but a bunch of bullies! Unfortunately, she needed to contain her anger. She had to play their game and let them win because she could neither reveal her identity to get on their side nor could she use her powers to defend herself. Her situation was helpless!
"Speak, girl," said her abuser. "Who are the wizards after us? Who hired them? And how many of them are there?"
"I asked them for help. That's it. We're only looking for a cure," Elvira answered.
"Hm." He smirked. "Liar!" he screamed and tightly pressed her wound. A dark smoke emerged from his fingers, and she let out a scream when her arm began to hurt like hell.
"I am not lying! I swear!" Elvira yelled. "Let me go, please!"
"Hey, let her go," an unknown voice came from behind. All eyes turned towards the source. Some human men were standing there armed with knives and half-broken bottles.
"Ooo scary! We must stop this instant now that you have said it!" the mad warlock rolled his eyes and shared a sneer with the other.
"You can't torment people here, warlock! We'll defend our town if we have to! Also, wizards are nearby, so leave her alone!" one human warned him.
"This has nothing to do with you or tormenting the townspeople," said the shorter warlock. "This is just how I ask questions. And please, do bring the wizards because they are the ones I am looking for."
He then turned to Elvira. "Now, where were we? I think you should start with the truth now!"
"I already told you, and I am not lying!" Elvira's tone was angrier than she intended, and the warlock's jaw dropped, "Did she just yell at me?"
"I didn't yell at you. I am just in pain, and I swear I am telling the truth." The last thing she wanted was to madden a deranged assassin, so she had to say something to diffuse the situation.
He pulled a dagger out of his right pocket, and his mad gaze fell upon her, ready to cut her body into small pieces.
As the warlock advanced towards her, he halted and groaned in pain. He turned his back towards Elvira, and there she saw an arrow plunged deep into him. Her eyes moved to the human men, and one of them was holding a bow. The man looked a lot less scared than he should be after firing an arrow at a murderer!
She was expecting the warlock to unleash hell on him, but he glared at him for several moments in silence. He raised his hand towards the human. The man's neck twisted, and he fell to the ground.
"He killed Ethan!" The man next to him said at the top of his lungs. Horror and chaos spread in the room: murderous screams, the loud thudding of feet, and the sound of furniture getting knocked over. It was like ants scattered in a room, desperate to find an escape. Many even stepped on the deceased man's body, further damaging his body without care, before his friends picked him up and carried him outside.
Elvira tried to escape the mayhem, but the warlock grabbed her wrist tightly. The assassins watched the room clear like two wolves who had just scared a flock of sheep. Not a single person stayed behind to help her. She wasn't surprised because murder was where most people drew the line. No one cared about another more than their own life.
There was no way Quinn didn't hear all that. Elvira was sure that the wizardess might have escaped saving her own life because she was lying about teaching that warlock a lesson.
"You're crazy!" said the tall redhead warlock to his companion. "I think we talked about not murdering people in public!"
"It sends a good message," said his friend, releasing Elvira's arm. He had his claw plunged into her skin so tightly that it left a big red mark behind. "How else these so-called brave heroes will learn not to mess in our business?"
His arm moved around his back in search of the arrow, and once it landed on it, he pulled it out with his bare hand. His focus shifted towards the fresh blood on the arrow and around his stomach. Luckily, as a warlock, he was not going to bleed out. To kill a warlock without magic, one needs to chop off every part of his body and dispose of it by burning it.
"Look what they did to my beautiful body. Now, I need to heal to look perfect again. Although some ladies do like a little blood." He grinned like he was the most eligible bachelor in the world. Even as a witch, she found him revolting and couldn't imagine anyone ever wanting him!
A man of average height wearing a hooded clock entered the tavern and walked towards them. His gait gave off a dominating vibe, and she could have sensed his energy from even a mile away because it was purely warlock. He was one of the assassins, but she had failed to notice him in the wheat fields.
As he came closer, she noticed the anger on his face. Her kind certainly knew how to make their enemies shiver, but she had never been at the receiving end.
He stopped near the short warlock and smacked his head. "What do you think you're doing, Dagger? You killed a man of this town, and now there is chaos everywhere."
Dagger! She repeated in her mind. Such an unusual name must be an alias because everyone she knew had a regular name regardless of their dark nature or actions.
"Uh, A wizard, no, uh, a wizardess was following, Shadow, "said Dagger. The big bully's voice was now wavering like a little mouse. The man in front of them was in charge. "Reaper, I think they are protecting the professor."
He pushed Elvira forward towards the hooded man. His hawk eyes were now watching her. "Who is she?"
"This woman was with the wizards. She was only a distraction to make it look like they were helping a cursed human. So, I am holding her hostage to get the truth out of this fragile-looking woman," he answered.
"If that's the case, then you have done a terrible job," said Reaper. "Everyone here knows that we are warlocks thanks to you. A fight is inevitable now."
He moved closer to the warlocks, and they lowered their heads. "You know what they do to people like you. A mistake like this has harsh consequences." Fear was evident on their faces. "If our prey got away due to unnecessary distractions, you'll pay with your own lives. She only values good work, and because of you, we have nothing."
Who was he talking about? Lillith? Or another witch. Should Elvira ask?
"But the wizards," began Shadow. "That woman followed me..."
He raised his hand, telling him to stop. "Don't talk to me about one wizardess! How you two got hired for this mission is beyond me. What would you ever do when a real threat comes along? We need to leave this place right now."
"Fine, sir," said Dagger. "But what do we do with the woman?"
Her heart pounded. She knew very well what her kind did to useless people, especially humans. Bury or burn them alive.
"Let's take her with us," said Reaper. He didn't even spare her a look when he said that. "She has heard too much. If she is involved with anyone, she'll ruin our reputation. We can't be cowards who kill and then flee the area. It'll forever damage our image."
"No!" Elvira yelled when Dagger and Shadow grasped her arms. "Don't take me. I am not who you think I am, uh, I am a..."
A loud sound came from the direction of the tavern door. All eyes turned towards the source. Wivior was on the threshold with Quinn and Ezra on his side, and he looked furious. Elvira was touched to see that he had come to save her life!
She freed her hands from the assassin's grip and ran towards them. The warlocks put their palms forward, and a black force came pouring out of it, combining into one giant black tornado reaching the roof. The tornado spread like black smoke everywhere in seconds, and the warlocks were no longer visible.
She was starting to get worried about the situation, but then a bright red light spread across the room. She looked at Wivior, and he was holding the red staff. It was relieving to see the powerful weapon that she feared so much.
Wivior raised the staff, and a bright red force escaped its red jewel.
Something hard hit Elvira, and she flew across the room, making a rough landing. Her skin was burning, and the pain was excruciating. She was losing consciousness, and everything before her was getting hazy.
"Elvira!" She heard Wivior yell, and she passed out.
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