A Boy, a Dog Girl and the Weight of Years: Part Two

“The thief from the forest…” Chistos said, his eyes narrowing at Skabbart. “I see you actually managed to get into Bell’s South. Though you have upgraded from burglary to killing and kidnapping.”

“Upgrade? Please, old man. This was always my plan,” Skabbart sneered. “I’ve never been a thief. I used them. I worked with them. But I was never one of them.”

Chistos turned his attention to Honey, standing shakily from the splintered box she had crashed into, then to Chista, still clutching her stomach while on her knees.

“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t pop your head like a tick,” Chistos growled.

“I’ve got two. One, you know you don’t do those types of things…anymore.”

Madam VanVeer saw Chistos react to those words, his face subtly crumbling.

“Two…I have this.”

Skabbart pulled out a small totem, looking nearly exactly like the one Zack had in his pocket. The only difference was the left arm was raised.

“The trio of children who owe Chistos breath, strike them down with the cursed totem’s death!”

Zack, Honey and Chista cried out simultaneously, dropping to the ground and clutching their heads. Chistos and Madam Vanveer leapt from the carpet, he going to his daughter and her cradling Zack and Honey.

“WHAT DID YOU DO?!” Chistos roared.

“Nothing permanent, I assure you. Simply a measure to assure your compliance. Zack held onto my totem as I knew he would, linking any people it was around for an extended period of time to my totem. A fun little artifact, must say.”

“WHY?!”

“Does it hurt? The thought of losing your family…it is tearing at your soul, isn’t it? I know the feeling. My father was Harvan Goodwyn.”

Chistos went white. Through her pain filled eyes, Chista saw the look on her father’s face.

“Father?”

“I see you remember the name. Good. He was your friend, Chistos. I met you once as a young boy. My father was a hero. He fought in the last magic war under your guidance. Yet you believed a lie so easily you hunted him down and killed him! YOU KILLED ALL OF THEM LIKE DOGS!”

Silence reigned in the warehouse. Nobody could speak. The children were too weak. The adults were consumed with the hatred the man before them had held for years.

“I learned the power of a lie then, Chistos. A lie can take over entire lives, reshape them, destroy them. I dedicated my life to a lie. I became Skabbart, criminal and evil doer, for one simple reason. To end wizard kind.”

“Need I remind you your father was a wizard?” Madam VanVeer said coldly.

“Yes, and he died, and my mother followed him out of grief. And soon all of you will. I assume you two are familiar with the legend of the Fallen Doctor? This living wall decoration is the man himself. He is the source of the rather unfortunate wizard flu spreading around the city. Oh, if only there were a vaccine!”

Skabbart posed dramatically, his grin wide.

“Why, there is! One made from components provided by Petro P. Perrimann! Who is, of course, NOT Petro P. Perrimann.”

“You killed him as well?” Chistos asked.

“When he came for the judging. I replaced him with my accomplice, a man who was mostly in this for the profit. How do you think I pulled off this kidnapping? And he was integral to my overall plan. You see, I don’t plan on killing YOU, Chistos. I plan on genocide. All wizards wiped out by the Fallen Doctor! Those vaccines were tainted by his blood. As he awakens, the populace of Bell’s South should be going mad.”

An explosion in the distance echoed out, as if to emphasize his point.

“Its starting. Concentrated madmess is going to rip through the wizards of Bell’s South. By my estimates, at least a third of the wizard population here have been tainted. And once the Doctor is awakened, he will go to the great bell and ring it. The enchanted sound waves will carry his curse, delivering his madness to all wizards who hear the bells ring in the other cities! And you, Chistos, will wake the Doctor.”

“Otherwise you will kill my daughter and the others,” Chistos said gravely.

“Correct.” Skabbart dangled the totem in his hand. The kids groaned in pain, clutching their heads.

“You think this is justice? Will this make you happy?” Chistos stood, slowly letting go of Chista, beginning to walk towards him.

“It isn’t about justice. It is about logic. I know in a way you are a victim, as I am. A victim of wizardry. People like you abuse nature, waving your hands and causing wonders to appear. You even convinced a dog she was human. It is cruelty disguised as miracles.”

Honey shuddered in Madam VanVeer’s arms, a small cry escaping her. Zack’s hand closed on hers.

“I don’t hate you, Chistos. I want this to end. No more wars. No more wizard tragedies. Only humans and other physics bound creatures.”

“You have enough magic in you to suffer from this yourself,” Chistos said, pointing at Skabbart’s artifact.

“I believe you understand the feeling of looking forward to the end of your life,” Skabbart said. Then he gestured to the Fallen Doctor hanging behind him. “It is time to save your daughter. I guarantee, she will be spared here. Her survival without you is, in a way, part of your poetic punishment.”

Chistos walked slowly towards the Doctor, his steps like lead. Chista wept, murmuring only one word.

“Father…”

“I know I have failed you in many ways, Chista. But I always tried. Please believe this, if nothing else. I love you.”

Chistos hand reached towards the pale flesh of the ancient man.

Skabbart leaned forward, his eyes wide in victory.

Then he screamed in pain, falling to his knees as his leg gave out.

The totem was snatched from his hand. Chistos turned, arms crossed, smiling as his secret accomplice took his place beside him while Honey and Chista stood, completely recovered.

“Let me tell you where you went wrong,” Zack said, holding his totem.