A Boy, a Dog Girl and a Beginning: Part Four

Honey watched the sword swing down as if time had broken, the blade moving with agonizing slowness. She lunged so hard she thought her arms would break, but the large man held her tight.

Her boy was dying again.

She was a bad girl.

She couldn’t help the person she loved most.

The cruel glint in Skabbart’s eyes mocked them both as he waited for the satisfying slice. It was his favorite part, the feeling of ultimate power over life and death.

When his blade hit a glowing blue barrier surrounding Zack’s neck, the feeling was denied him.

“What?” Skabbart muttered, looking at the barrier. His eyes flicked between his two captives. “Which of you is a wizard?”

“Neither.”

All eyes turned upward. From the direction of the rising sun came two people floating over the treetops on a flying carpet. An older looking man in his late 40s stood behind a young girl.

“Holy crap…” Zack’s words died in his throat as he gazed up.

It was her.

The blue haired girl.

“Thanks for sending up your flare! We’ve been looking for these two for days!” the girl said, hopping off the carpet, her robe fluttering around her.

“Men! Quick, before they…” Skabbart began to yell as the older man gestured at him. A glowing blue energy field surrounded the bandit, slamming him into a tree and freeing Zack.

“More thieves in the woods. Let me guess, you have a whole mess of friends out there hoping to sneak into Bell’s South and slit our throats as we sleep, yes?” The old man laughed softly to himself. The man holding Honey shoved her away as he drew his sword, joining the other bandit in charging the man.

“Forget me?” the girl asked, conjuring vines from the ground to wrap their legs. They fell into a tangled, swearing heap on the ground.

“Excuse me! Young children! I know you must be incredibly overwhelmed, but would you mind climbing aboard the carpet before these greasy men get reinforcements?”

The older man gestured with his hands, beckoning Zack and Honey up. It only took Zack a moment to leap up and grab Honey’s hand. The carpet lowered its front like a ramp for them.

“Up we go! And if you still want to try robbing Bell’s South, I look forward to seeing you jackasses again!” the blue haired girl called out as she jumped onto the carpet as it rose into the sky.

“Dumb bitch! Get back here and fight like a real human!” Skabbart screamed back as he struggled against the blue force field surrounding him.

Zack caught the look in the blue haired girl’s eyes. A dark, angry look as she heard the words “real human.” She took a step forward on the carpet, arm raising.

“Chista.”

She turned her head to the older man, lowering her hand.

“I know. Don’t let the words of pigs bother me. Sorry, father.”

Within seconds they were up into the clear blue sky.

*

“I didn’t like it! I didn’t like it at all!’

Honey cried, fat tears running down her cheeks as she clung desperately to Zack. He in turn held her close while still trying to pull his hand away.

“It’s okay, Honey, it…could I have my hand back…think it’s turning purple…”

She let go of his hand, only to immediately grab him around the waist and bury her face in his chest.

“Please never put yourself in danger needlessly again! I don’t want to ever be alone!”

He stroked her hair, struggling to breathe in her grip, his hands remembering how he did this when she was a simple animal.

“Um…excuse me, could I ask…”

Zack held his hand up towards the blue haired girl.

“Nope. No way. Not right now. I’ve got…there’s loads of questions I have, but I have to take care of Honey. Give me…give us a minute, okay?”

The girl nodded, looking to her father. He stood at the back of the carpet, arms behind his back, staring straight ahead.

“Chista…I’m proud of you for saving their lives,” her father said. Zack looked up at him, a small smile tugging his lips.

“Okay, fine, I’ll bite. Clever, by the way, talking to each other instead of me,” Zack said. This time it was the man’s turn to smile. “Chista, right? I’m Zack. This is Honey. So…explain.”

“My father and I are wizards. This is…well, it’s not your world.” Chista gestured to the wide forest beneath them.

“You don’t say. I’m shocked.”

The man laughed. “Sarcasm. I like him. Reminds me of you, which reminds me of me.”

“So, we wizards can travel to your world. We’re fascinated by a world ruled more by technology than magic. I was visiting when…well…” Chista looked away, shame on her face.

“Hey, it wasn’t your fault. Junkie creeps do bad things.” Zack tried to comfort the girl, but she shook her head.

“It was still my fault. We don’t have magic in your world. It was my first solo trip. I thought I was ready, but…”

“But walking around without magic for us is like you going blind,” her father said.

“Why am I like this, though?” Honey finally looked up, more composed, still shaking a bit.

“Your bodies died. Technically, mine did too. Bodies don’t cross dimensions. Souls do. We create new disposable bodies in your world. I used a similar principle to save you.”

“She created new bodies for your souls. However, the dog complicated things. She had to…improvise,” her father said. “And unfortunately, she dumped you in the woods by mistake.”

Zack’s eyes kept moving between the two wizards, the apologetic girl and the stern father. His grip on Honey tightened.

“We can’t go back.”

It wasn’t a question.

“No.”

The man didn’t look away.

“But…you can go forward.”

The man’s hand extended towards Zack.

“Chistos. Professor of Combat Magic, Bell’s South University.”

Zack took the hand.

“Zack Hartwell. Hockey player. Moron.”

“Honey! Dog!”

It was decided.

Forward.