Chapter 12
Niall sobbed and screamed abuse at the elves for a full ten minutes until Harry, who had immediately knelt down and wrapped his arms around Niall, holding the older boy protectively, had calmed him down.
Harry shot a look of intense anger at the two silent superheroes and then turned back to Niall.
" Are you okay now, Nialler?" He asked, ruffling his friend's damp hair.
Niall sniffled, then wiped his nose.
" Is it true?" he asked. " About my dad?"
He did not look to the two silent elves but rather at Harry, his bright blue eyes begging him for denial.
Alas, Harry had nothing but foul play to tell him, and as they sat together, he told Niall the whole story.
About how when he had been born, his perfect hair, skin, and eyes had excited his dad, and how he named him Niall in the hopes that someday his son would everything he had ever dreamed of- that is, complete and final destruction to his competitors and absolute power in the scientific world.
About how when his mother found out, she was furious, and tried to get her ex-husband arrested, but he threatened her with Niall's life, and she left him alone.
About how his dad would treat him the way Niall liked so that the boy would stay with him, and he could see how he was developing.
About his father's plan to capture Sportacus and inject more DNA into his youngest son to speed up his hoped-for transformation.
About how he was so angry when Niall wound up with Harry and the rest, and vowed to kill him if Niall found out about his mixed DNA.
And about how so many had given their lives to protect Niall since many in the other realms realized just how valuable he was, and tried to capture him.
Harry even explained why he called him self his first guardian bond, " For," he said, " If it was not for me and many, many others, you would be dead meat by now."
The silver cross on the chain around his neck was, in fact, a powerful charm that protected him from other worldly creatures.
If he touched or rubbed it, it would work magic in the area to inflict pain upon any magical or mythical beings in the area.
"Rubbing was better, and reached farther", he told his astonished friend.
After Harry had finished, Niall sat there silently with his eyes on the ground.
Then he looked up and finally acknowledged the two elves, who were both fidgeting like crazy, since they really could not be still for long periods of time.
" So how elfin am I?" Niall asked them, his eyes resigned to his fate, but his voice tremulous.
" We don't know for sure yet, as you have never been tested." Sportsicus said, finally speaking up.
" How do you, test for it?" Niall asked hesitantly.
Sportacus looked at Sportsicus, and she slipped from his arms and walked carefully to Niall.
She knelt by his side and looked deep into his eyes.
" We have to test every one of our powers, on you. Some will hurt, but we must know what you can and can't do. Some have died protecting you, and if you can do more then we expect, we must double security."
She leaned in closer and whispered, " By the way, I'm claustrophobic too."
Niall stared at her, then scratched his head. " I though you guys would be like, invincible and have no fear." He said, confusion deep in his voice.
Everyone but Niall laughed at that.
He frowned, then laughed too.
" Okay, I like know, zippo about this, and I am already making stuff up. Start your tests on me, I'm ready."
" Wait." Harry said. " There is one more thing you should know. The real Zayn died fighting for you. He was one in a handful, a rager, and one night, the night he told us he was leaving, he went down there and died fighting for your life. He cracked at about 300 to one, and he died as the last one, a Red's Muskony, tore his throat out as he stabbed it's heart out. So you must take this seriously, and not freak out, okay Nial?" Harry spoke forcefully, and Niall scrambled backwards away form him and stood up, his face pale.
" Don't-don't tell me about it now, can we just get it over with?" Niall asked, his voice trembling. " Tell me later, okay? I don't think I can take much more then what is going to happen to me next."
" I had to tell you, Niall, because without him it has been a struggle keeping you alive, and now that you know the truth, you may be captured." Harry said, inching up to Niall and laying his arm around his neck.
" Okay, well, just test me and lets get this girl rescued first. And I am not going without Louis and Liam." He said, on the spur of the moment.
The elves and Harry looked at each other.
" Okay." Harry said, then moved away from Niall and nodded to the elves, who approached Niall.
Sportacus drew a circle and blew on it, creating a mirror.
Both elves took off their caps and stood next to Niall, and showed him his reflection in the mirror.
He blinked in surprise at how they did look similar, but when Sportacus waved his hand in front of him and all his clothing fell off, he screamed.
As the sunlight hit his body, the elves touched his sides, and his skin glowed with a blue tint for an instant, then he had his clothes back.
He glared at them, but said nothing as they looked at each other.
Then Niall noticed Harry shaking and sweating, on his knees nearby.
His eyes widened in alarm, and Sportacus said in a low voice, " Breath on his face."
He rushed over to his friend and did as the elf asked.
Harry was immediately calm, but both elves shivered at the half-human and half-elfin magic floated in the air.
Next, they made him run in circles for what seemed like ages, and to his surprise, he never really got tired.
Sportacus made him do countless pushups, and his body never gave out on him, though he was begging for a break after a short while.
The Harry rubbed Niall finger tips as hard as he could until they bled, then breathed a sigh of relief when Niall cried out in pain and pulled away from him, then froze as they healed up.
Niall looked embarrassed. " I know, I try not to let that happen." He said.
" It's okay." They reassured him, and then Harry flicked out a knife, and sliced across his own palms.
He held out his hands to Niall, and the elves instructed him to spit in his friends wounds.
They healed, and then the Irish lad had to run his fingers over the healed cuts.
The pain left.
" It is faster to lick your fingers and rub wounds." They informed him. " We just wanted to se it work first."
They then stared at him, and repeatedly tried to telecommunicate with him, but to no avail.
They tried to get Niall to appear and disappear things, but he was useless at that to.
He could not go invisible, nor did he have superfine hearing either.
Harry pulled his ears, and all he got was a punch form Niall, no real pain.
" What was that for?" Niall wanted to know.
Harry twisted Sportacus's ear, and got a high shriek of pain.
Niall gulped. " Okay, sorry."
He was able to throw a blue light from his fingers, but it faded fast.
" That is a protective ring." he was told. " You are very weak with it."
Then the elves announced: " Niall, you are nearly half and half, which is more then we wished for and at the same time too little to protect yourself. We are assigning you a guardian. A warrior guardian."
A huge black canine with a red underbelly and red marks up every rib and along his face like a mask, just not over his eyes, stepped into their protective circle.
" I be he who is called Flamelicker." he growled, looking at Niall with is black and red eyes. " I am no rager, but I am a Musokony, a King's Muskony, and I will protect you till the end."
" N-nice to meet you." Niall said shakily as the beast sat nearby.
" Get your friends, and we will discuss rescue plans another time." Sportacus said, his ears flicking back nervously before he put his cap back on.
"We will meet again." Harry said, and then they parted ways.
