Kelsey and the Abjad

The Nikolas ran nimbly across the stairs. A waterfall thundered to his left; ahead of him fled a Kelsey with his Abjad, scrabbling across mist-slicked marble tiles. To his right was only empty space, straight down for a mile.

The Nikolas stopped. Extending his arm, he aligned the rod he held with the fleeing Kelsey. Lightning crackled forward, missing and smashing the stairs above into rubble. The Kelsey stumbled backwards, then recovered himself and charged past the broken stone even as it crumbled. He looked behind. The Nikolas had gained ground.

Quickly the Kelsey ran; but the Nikolas ran faster. Soon the Kelsey was cornered. He turned, faced the Nikolas; inched backwards; stumbled. For a moment there was nothing but air beneath the Kelsey; but he reached, and grabbed, and held onto the edge.

The Nikolas stepped to the edge of the stairs. He looked at the Kelsey, holding on for dear life; then he raised his spellbinder and his rod.

"Wait!" the Kelsey cried. "Have you no heart?" This said, he reached up in one convulsive lunge, grabbing at the Nikolas's shirt. It tore; revealing metal beneath.

"I sold it," the Nikolas said. "For science." Then he intoned three words. With the first, the Kelsey's magic was bound away. With the second, the Kelsey was electrified, and was no more. With the third, he shot the Abjad.

There was a great thunder, and flashes of colour danced through the mists for long seconds. When the dust cleared, the Nikolas saw what he had wrought. There were amino acids, and bowels, and vowels (ironically perhaps!). The Nikolas worked his ways, and made bowls of vowel bowels. Then he consumed them, with poison sumac; and he wasse dead.