Ralph and the Pixie

‘I think,’ Doc told him, thinking of psychopaths, serial-killers, and sociopaths, ‘that you may be right, but on both counts.’

‘Intangibles!’ muttered the Elf, tasting the bitter gall of old suspicions, doubts, and fears. ‘A soldier lives in the world of the concrete. I fear that the aim of the Prince is to carry the battle to ground that more suits him; an arena where the traditional skills of warfare will be rendered useless; or worse, will work against us. He is perhaps more skilled and resourceful than any would previously have deemed worthy of credit.’

‘Even so, I just don’t get it,’ Ralph said. ‘Why is he doing this? I can understand someone wanting to kill for the enjoyment of killing, and worse. We have that sort of people, too, back where Doc and I come from. But this thing of razing everything to the ground, and killing everyone; it just doesn’t make sense.

‘I mean, let me put it to you this way: when I was a kid in school, we had our share of bullies. I suppose, if they were allowed to go far enough, that they might actually have killed someone, but from what I’ve seen, it never goes that far, because they like to torment people, and you can’t torment someone who’s dead.