Elf Assassins

• Alexa Sheppard, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2009

Alectra landed catlike on the cobbled pathway, feet touching lightly on the dampened ground. Her eyes searched left and right for any signs of life. She ran along the path with inhuman speed.
Out of the gloom a tiny figure appeared from behind a tree, it beckoned to Alectra. Unseen, Alectra ran across the road.
“Have you found it?” Alectra whispered.
“He’s over in the clearing.”
Alectra’s companion was her identical twin sister, Jazz. Their hair was long and black, blending in with the shadows, their eyes shone like the brightest emeralds, they were small and their ears were pointed.
Alectra and Jazz were elves, who worked as assassins for The Council of Elders who controlled a small group of magical beings that lived outside the Realm, the magical space between spaces. Should anyone risk exposing the secret, they would be killed.
“How do we stop him?” Jazz whispered.
“Stop a demon from summoning dark spirits? No clue.”
“You’re helpful aren’t you?”
“I don’t know. What do we usually do?”
“Storm in with weapons drawn, hope they aren’t prepared?”
“Ok then.”
Jazz drew a deadly looking weapon out of her belt.
“Ready?”
“No.” Alectra replied.
“Let’s go.”
Both elves tiptoed silently through the trees to the clearing. A tall man in a long black cloak stood in the centre, holding a long wooden staff with a sapphire on the end. He was muttering an incantation in another language.
Alectra looked at Jazz, gave one sharp nod before running into the clearing.
The demon was surprised, but continued the incantation.
“Stop!” Alectra shouted.
The demon ignored her.
“I said STOP!”
No response.
“I gave you a fair warning,” Alectra shouted, drawing her weapon.
The demon’s mouth opened and he roared. An invisible force hit Alectra square in the chest. There was a crack as she was thrown up against a tree.
Jazz cried out running to her sister’s side. Alectra’s leg was sticking out at an odd angle and her ribs were broken. Jazz dragged her behind the tree before aiming her weapon at the demon and fired.
Just as she did the demon grabbed his staff and plunged it into the ground.
Thousands of dark shadows came streaming out of the gem, shrieking. The bullet was lost inside the cloud as it rose off the ground. Before Jazz could scream she was plunged into a swirling mass of darkness.
Jazz screamed. Some of the shadows pushed their way into her mouth and into her body and soul. She felt them streaming through her memories and thoughts.
Struggling to get out of the terror Jazz thrashed around, trying to break free.
Through the shrieks Jazz heard a bang. The shrieks grew louder and louder before they disappeared. The shadows inside her were ripped out through her chest and they were all sucked back into the gem until it the only thing left was a burnt patch of ground.
Jazz fell to the ground gasping for breath as the world around her faded into darkness.

Jazz woke to find Alectra looking over her, face contorted with pain.
“Are you ok?” Alectra asked.
Jazz nodded. “What about you?”
“Never better.”
“You shot him?”
Alectra nodded.
Jazz paused for a moment. “We have to go.”
Jazz got to her feet, helping her sister up they disappeared through the trees, into the darkness.