| That Comes In Handy |
| Evil Wizard Keenan Series - Eight |
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| Keenan smiled wanly at Rusty, as the conjuror pointed at the tall trees that surrounded them. �See,� he was saying. �Even the little birds are nested in them. There�s nothing to be afraid of.�
The wizard gave him an irritable glare. �Telling me that and getting it to be true are two different things,� he grumbled. �I�m dendrophobic, Rusty. That�s not going to go away just because there�s no actual reason to be afraid.� �You should face your fears, my pet,� Elayne said quietly from where she was sitting in the shadow of one of the trees. �Come, sit beside me,� she added, smiling and patting the ground beside her. Keenan snorted. �Fat chance,� he muttered, shaking his head. He turned around to look out over the cliff, seeking anything to take his mind off of the trees that writhed not far away. He smiled as a soft breeze blew over his face. �Beautiful view,� he sighed, smiling slightly. Rusty shook his head and stepped closer to the smaller man. �I�m of half a mind to let my trees grab hold of you just to see the reaction,� he teased. The wizard shot him a glare. �Would you like to know how I�d react?� he queried sharply. Without waiting for an answer, he stated, �I�d probably have a panic attack and kill it.� The conjuror blanched and said, �Well, I won�t be tempting you to try it then.� Shaking his head, he crossed back into the forest. Settling in the grass beside Elayne, he said, �He�d kill a tree that picked him up?� �Perhaps,� Elayne replied cryptically. �He is violently frightened of them after all.� She turned away from Rusty so that she could call Keenan once more. She made the move just in time to see Vince Kingsley, a rival wizard on the council, appear in the clearing just behind her consort. Kingsley paused for only a moment before acting; then he shoved Keenan off the precipice. Elayne gasped in shock as Meadows disappeared over the ledge with a yelp. �You!� she growled, striding up the slope towards him. Kingsley whirled to face the irate woman and scowled. �He was weak,� the man stated coldly. �Perhaps he�s not the only one, perhaps it�s time the Council received new leadership.� �Weak?� Elayne repeated. Her eyes narrowed dangerously and she took a step closer. �You think I�m too weak to lead this Council?� Her hands began to glow brightly as she gathered magic to perform a spell. �No!� a familiar voice shouted. Elayne froze and looked beyond Kingsley to the ledge Keenan had disappeared over moments before. Hovering just above the ground on wings of dark blue was her consort. �Elayne don�t,� he stated, wings flapping softly. �Keenan?� Rusty said incredulously. �Since when do you have wings?� Keenan smiled abashedly and rubbed his neck uncomfortably. �Well, I don�t,� he said, lighting gently on the ground. �They�re spectral wings that I made from my cape.� Elayne and Rusty watched in amazement as the wizard folded the blue wings across his back; then gestured with his arms. A moment later, the wings reverted back into Keenan�s simple blue cape. Rusty didn�t know much about wizardry, but he knew enough to realize that for Keenan to shift his cape into a pair of spectral wings while he was falling was no mean feat. Keenan glared at Kingsley and waved a scolding finger at him. �That was a very foolish mistake my friend,� he whispered. Turning to Elayne, he added, �Since it was me he was trying to kill, it�s only fair that I should be the one to punish him, correct?� �What did you have in mind?� Elayne asked, eyes narrowing suspiciously. Keenan�s eyes fairly twinkled with mischief and she couldn�t help but think that Kingsley may end up wish she�d been the one to punish his rash behavior. Whirling to face the cornered wizard, he said, �Clearly, if he has such trouble with authority, there must have been something wrong with his upbringing.� He smiled sweetly at the wizard and folded his hands together. �Maybe you should start over. You might get it right the second time around,� he told the rival wizard. After glancing at Elayne for her approval, he swung his hands out towards the surprised mage. A moment later, Kingsley seemed to shrink in on himself. Before Rusty�s astonished gaze, the man grew smaller and smaller; then younger and younger. Until, soon, he looked like no more than a helpless child. �I�m not weak,� Keenan whispered, as he lifted the child into his arms. �You � you�re weak.� He turned to face Elayne and gave her a mischievous wink. �Ain�t he cute?� �Now,� she replied, patting the boy on his head. Smiling fondly at her consort, she said, �I sometimes think that, with how your mind works, you are far more frightening than people give you credit for.� �What are we going to do with him?� Rusty asked. Keenan shrugged. �There�s always good parents looking for a small child to raise,� he said. �We�ll send him to an orphanage and he�ll be adopted. Problem solved.� �The other members of the Council are going to hear about this,� Rusty whispered. �They�ll think twice before they try anything like that.� �That was the idea,� Keenan replied, chuckling. Glancing down at the child, he said, �Come on, Vince. Let�s get you changed into something more in fitting with your new status.� Vince pouted and pushed against Keenan�s chest. �Put me down,� he demanded. Elayne shook her head. �That will never do,� she scolded. She touched Vince�s forehead and he suddenly fell into a deep sleep. �If he�s going to do this right the second time around, it might be easier if he didn�t remember the first one.� �Ah,� Keenan said softly. �You, my dear, can be just as scary as I can.� Elayne smiled. �Thank you, sweeting,� she answered, kissing him lightly on the forehead. As the wizard carried Kingsley back into the Dark Castle, Elayne turned back to Rusty. �Keenan did that well,� she whispered. �He doesn�t like it when you kill people,� Rusty agreed, nodding. �However, he also saw the wisdom behind taking care of a potential threat.� Elayne nodded and then frowned thoughtfully. �I does make me wonder though,� she mused, �just how evil Keenan really is.� �I�ll keep an eye on him,� Rusty promised. �Do that,� Elayne replied, eyes narrowing dangerously. The last thing she needed was for her consort to become a threat to her goals. End� |