2023

His arms still stung from the magic that had passed through his veins.

"I would think that, as Ryan’s self-proclaimed best friend, you would know a little more about him," Elijah stated calmly.

"What did you do to Bob?" Ryan asked, eyes darting toward the door.

"Bob? Was that his name?" Elijah returned. He wasn’t going to let the boy know the extents of his magic, especially not his dark magicks. The magicks capable of destroying something without direct contact.

"Was?" Brian said weakly. "What do you mean ‘was’?"

If you should fail or be caught, I will behead you myself. "How good is your memory?" the man asked suddenly.

Brian hesitated. What kind of question was that? What harm could come from telling the whole truth about that? Still, this man didn’t seem to ask idle questions. "Not too bad. Why?"

I will get nothing more from him. He is determined to protect his friend. And what of the boy who was this Brian’s protection? Nothing more than a tag-a-long, I’m sure. He can’t cause us any more grief; he’s either dead or dying. He can’t help this boy now. "Do you know what I look like?"

"What the-? Yes, I’m looking right at you."

Elijah looked at him for awhile, false sympathy in his eyes, before saying, "Oh, Brian. You just said all the wrong answers."

Adrenaline flooded Brian’s veins, washing away the traces of magic still in them. He tried to stand up, to run, anything, but found he couldn’t move at all. He glared at Elijah.

"Yes, I realize you can’t move. I admit that using blades is much more fun than magic, but how else am I going to get you to stay still?" Elijah said sinisterly into Brian’s ear. "I gave you adequate time to help me - thus helping yourself - but you refused."

Brian’s every muscle was frozen. He couldn’t blink; his eyes were watering. His vocal chords seemed in good condition, but he couldn’t do anything more that grunt; his lips, too, were locked.

Elijah continued, seemingly unaware of Brian’s predicament. "Don’t worry. I assure you; the pain will become so great that you will pass out before you die."

He chuckled quietly to himself and pressed the blade into Brian’s left arm. A trickle of blood followed the knife and Brian shouted something incoherent.

"What was that?" Elijah said snidely. He put the point of the knife onto Brian’s left thigh. Without warning, he shoved the blade through jean, skin, muscle. Brian screamed.

Elijah grinned. The tears that flowed from Brian’s eyes were not from the lack of blinking. He leaned close to the boy and looked right into his eyes. With mock sincerity, he said, "Since I am such a kind soul, I’ll give you another chance. Will you help me? I don’t know if you enjoy the alternative but if I had to guess, I would say you don’t."

Brian uttered a strangled sound of agreement. Elijah nodded, with a small smile replacing the grin. When Brian could move, he clamped a hand over the wound in his thing, gritting his teeth. "What do you want?"

Sitting down, Elijah spoke as if the boy weren’t bleeding all over the floor. "I’ll make this even easier. I’ll ask you one question. Tell me the truth and you can leave. To go to the hospital, to die, to bury ‘Bob’, I don’t care. But you must be honest."

Suspiciously, tears still streaming down his faces, he repeated the question. "What do you want?"

"Tell me where Ryan is."

"I…don’t…know," Brian gasped. His leg was bleeding profusely and the pain was incredible.

Elijah shook his head sadly. "I grow tired of this game. I don’t know whether you speak the truth or not, but either way, that is the wrong answer."

"But it is the truth!" Brian said desperately. He attempted to stand but his leg gave.