Chapter 26: Dussell de Baltham
Dussell stared at the mounds of reports piled on his desk. His eyes ached for a single minute of sleep, but he held up his brow as he swallowed another mug of coffee. With a groan, he pushed the papers aside and walked out into the lobby.
Heste had set up a table, pushing aside a cluster of desks to set up a soup line. She poured cups of coffee and ladled bowls of soup for each officer in the station.
He walked up to the table and took the cup of coffee she held out. He drained it in one gulp and held his hand out for another.
"Heste, go home," he told her as she refilled his cup. "Just because I have to stay up doesn't mean you do."
"Someone has to keep you fed and on your feet. Have a bowl of soup. It's your favorite."
Dussell took a bowl and poured it into his mouth. Broth ran down the sides of his mouth, staining his uniform. Heste grabbed a napkin and wiped up the mess.
"Sir!" Kaska shouted. His jagged yellow tail knocked aside a few lamps as he jogged over to the chief. "We got something!"
Dussell dropped the bowl onto the table. "Is it Keith?"
"Uh, I think so, sir. Someone gave us an anonymous tip-off. She said he'd be at Lorie's and gave specific instructions to find his hiding spot. There's apparently a system of caverns running beneath the brothel."
"That has to be a trap," Fale said. He grabbed a bowl of soup and took a long, bubbling sip. "Why else would someone be calling about Keith when we have the media silent?"
"In any case, we can't ignore this," Dussell said. "Send ten officers there immediately."
"Sir! Sir!" Another officer sprinted towards the chief, knocking aside desks and shoving fellow officers. "Arkus was spotted south of City Council! He's standing on a roof, calling us out!"
"Everyone, grab your guns!" Dussell roared. "We're confronting Arkus immediately! Someone tell the Board where he is, and then follow after us."
"What about the hideout?" Fale asked.
"Leave it. We'll need every man we can get. Come on, let's move!"
"Come back in one piece," Heste said.
"Don't worry, I will. Promise."
The police cars raced towards the scene. Once they reached the old brick building, the cars screeched to a stop in a barricading semicircle. The officers raced out of their cars, ran behind the barricade, and pointed their guns at the human standing at the edge of the flat rooftop.
"Three minutes," he said, "I'm impressed. So, is this everyone, or are more going to show up?"
"Open fire!" Dussell shouted. The air rang with the retorts of dozens of guns, but all the bullets were deflected by a thin barrier of blue energy.
"Is that all you've got?" he asked. "It's a bit disappointing, really. I was hoping I'd get to fight some zoroark. Oh, like you down there! Hello!" The man leaned forward and waved at him. "Aren't you going to go after me?"
"What are you planning, Keith?"
"Now why would I tell you that? So, are you going to keep wasting my time, or are we going to fight?"
Fale walked towards Dussell and whispered, "Um, so what's the plan here?"
"We wait for the others to arrive. They'll be here in a few seconds."
"Ah, gotcha. Should I try to distract him?"
Dussell scanned the rooftops and saw a crowd of shadowy figures gathering on the higher rooftops. "Go ahead. They're here."
"Great. Let's hope this doesn't get me killed." Fale stood up and walked in front of the cars. "Hey Keith! Mind if I ask you something?"
"Go ahead, I have plenty of time."
"Were you always that ugly, or is that old age?"
The second after he finished his question a barrage of dark missiles rained down on the roof, smashing the building to rubble. The man stood on a broken piece of roof, surrounded by a protective blue aura.
"That wasn't very nice," he said. "But at least the fun's about to start. Catch me if you can!"
With an explosion of blue light, the human raced down an alley, spraying chunks of building behind him. The officers ducked behind their cars as they were pelted with stones. One unlucky officer's leg was crushed under a building corner.
"Get him to the hospital," Dussell said, pointing at two officers. "The rest of you, pursue him!"
"Yes sir!"
Dussell led the chase on the ground, while the other zoroark pursued him from the rooftops. The man ducked in and out of alleys, leapt onto buildings, and flung orbs of blue light at his pursuers. A few officers went down with bruised chests and broken ribs, but the rest kept up the chase. They wound through the city, sometimes doubling back to the broken building.
The chase went on for two hours, long past the point the men ran out of bullets and energy, yet they never lost sight of their target. Then suddenly, the man leapt into the rubble and faced them. He was immediately surrounded by the zoroark, who flung spears of jagged darkness at him. His shield remained unscathed by their attack.
Once Dussell caught up and joined the others, he asked, "Weren't you going to start killing us today?"
"Oh yes," he answered, "But not yet. I thought about killing you now, but I want you to know true despair first." He looked down at a watch on his wrist and said, "Oh my, look at the time. I better not keep the Father waiting."
And in a flash, he vanished. The zoroark attacked him, but their energies crackled on nothing but stone and empty air.
"Damn it! Fan out and find him!"
"Slippery bastard, isn't he?" Fale asked. He panted as his hands fumbled to reload his gun. "Makes me wonder how we got that first witness."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, he fires from rooftops, right? You'd have to be up there with him to see his face clearly. What did you say his name was again?"
"Alex Bayson."
"Alex? You mean that radio reporter? I heard she was in the hospital."
Then it dawned on Dussell. Their target said "the Father" when Keith would say "Ath." He sat down and flipped through his notebook.
"Chief, you got something?"
"That wasn't Keith," he muttered, tearing pages out and arranging them on the ground in front of him. "We've been tricked."
"Wait, if that's not Keith, then who is?"
"That's what I need to figure out now, and the key to that is the last mystery I have. Nazrick. Why did Keith go there? What was he after?"
"Maybe Keith's into jewelry?" Fale asked with a weak grin.
"Fale, please, this isn't the time for — holy fuck. Jewelry. That's it. The only way he'd get to our Father alone is…"
Dussell rolled forward and sprinted towards the cars. Fale ran after him, shouting "What is it Chief?"
"No time! Get in the damn car right now!"
Dussell floored the accelerator before Fale could buckle his seat. A sudden swerve slammed against the wigglytuff.
"Ow," he moaned, rubbing his head. "Sir, would you please tell me what's going on?"
"Keith's been disguising himself. He played the witness, and he's marrying a zoroark to confront our Father alone."
"And Nazrick?"
"Jewelry for the engagement band. Alicia's was custom made by a jewelsmith who was thought to be retired. It all makes sense."
"But why go through the trouble of stealing diamonds? He could've just bought them, or bought an engagement band."
Dussell didn't answer as they drove up to the City Council.
"So this is where they hold the weddings? Go figure. Wait, what are you doing? No, stop!"
Dussell drove the car up the stairs and through the main doors. The car's front crumpled up, and the engine shuddered to a stop as the car coasted into the room. Dussell unbuckled his seatbelt and flung himself through the broken windshield, while Fale yanked the dented door open and sprinted after him. They went down into the meeting hall and opened a hidden door at the far end of the room. At the end of the hall was a small wooden door. Dussell kicked it down and raised his gun as he stormed into the room.
"Hands up Keith! I know all about your plans."
Chapter 27: Alicia de Renera
Alicia pulled down the blinds and opened the window. Thick grey clouds blanketed the sky, and the air was warm and heavy with the rain that refused to fall.
"Why couldn't we have a little sunshine?" Alicia asked. "This is no weather for a wedding."
"What does the weather matter? The wedding's inside anyways."
"Yes, I suppose." She made a comb between her fingers and ran it through her hair. "Mother isn't coming. That invitation you sent her really pissed her off."
Arkus smiled and put on his tuxedo. "Good. I wouldn't want her there even if I wasn't going to kill Ath."
Alicia snapped the engagement band onto her wrist. She held the diamonds under the lamplight, watching them sparkle. "You went through a lot of trouble to make this, didn't you?"
"I did." Arkus took her wrist and ran his fingers along the metal. "There's a little bit of me in each of those diamonds. Silver's also a great conductor, it lets the Aura flow in. Here, let's get your dress on."
Arkus took her wedding dress out of the closet. He had it tailored the day before. He tied the sleek silk fabric together on the back while she slid her arms through the airy sleeves. The silk felt like a lake against her skin, cool and serene.
"You look beautiful," Arkus said. He ran his hand through her hair, straightening out loose ends.
Alicia took his hand and asked, "Are you ready?"
Arkus opened his tuxedo, revealing the sniper rifle tucked inside. "Are you?" he asked.
Alicia held up her engagement band. "I'm ready." Then she felt a spasm of pain from her belly and doubled over onto the bed.
"Are you alright?"
"I'm just nauseous, that's all," Alicia said through gritted teeth. "It must be nerves." She stood up and leaned on the bedpost. "See? I'm fine. We should get going."
One of Alicia's cousins picked them up in a long black car and drove them to the City Hall. A dozen zoroark escorted them down into the meeting room, to a hidden door at the room's end. Two more zoroark waited at the end of a long hallway, guarding a small, plain wooden door. They pressed themselves against the stone walls to make room for Alicia and Arkus.
Beyond the door was a small chapel. A silver chandelier, dripping with the wax of its candles, lit the room. Four wooden benches formed a square in front of a large stone platform. The Father sat in a smooth stone chair. The arms and back were carved with circular symbols and held The Father's medical equipment. A stone basin sat in front of him, in it swirled a viscous dark liquid. A knife was perched on the basin's rim, its stone handle carved with flowing esoteric symbols. Two more chairs faced the Father. Arkus took the seat on the left. Alicia took the right.
"Welcome," the Father said. "How are the two of you today?"
Alicia grabbed her stomach. "I don't know why, but my stomach's in knots."
The Father smiled and said "Congratulations." Then he turned towards the door and told the guards to leave. Their footsteps echoed down the stone hall into silence.
"Now we may begin. Though the family is under attack once again, I feel nothing but joy. To think I lived to see the day that such a lovely great-granddaughter of mine will marry such a fine young man. Yes, I haven't been this happy in some time."
The Father leaned over the basin and touched Alicia's hand. The scars on his face bled and mixed with the tears in his eyes. "Truth be told, I don't have much time left, a few weeks at most. It's why I insisted on having the marriage done now. I hope you can forgive my haste."
Alicia took his hand and said, "Of course. But shouldn't you be in bed?"
"I haven't missed a single marriage in six hundred years. I won't be starting now." The Father leaned back and cleared his throat. "Now that you are before me, ready to make your wedding vows, there are questions I must ask. You must answer them truthfully and to the fullest extent of your knowledge. Now, what do you desire most?"
"Peace," Arkus answered immediately. Alicia pondered a while longer and said, "To not be alone."
"What are you willing to give to achieve that desire?"
"Anything," Arkus said. Alicia mirrored his response.
"Are you willing to help each other achieve their desires?"
"Yes," they answered together.
"And will you remain with each other, in sickness and in health, in triumph and failure, in life and death, through all obstacles in your path, until the day you die?"
"Yes," Alicia answered first. Arkus said "yes" after a moment.
"Then take the knife and prick a finger. Add your blood to the blood of our family and become one with us."
Alicia made the first cut. Her blood ran along the length of the blade as she held it over the basin and flicked off a crimson drop. Arkus took the knife and made a long cut in his left hand. Blood welled up on his palm, and he squeezed a drop into the basin.
"It is done. You shall remain husband and wife until your deaths." The Father smiled and said, "I'm honestly surprised, Keith, that you went through the whole ceremony."
The illusion around Arkus melted. "You knew."
"Yes, since you walked into this room, I knew it was you. I also didn't expect you to get one of my children pregnant. That was quite a shock."
"Wait, I'm pregnant?" Alicia asked, grabbing her belly. "How?"
"Our powers were never much good against his. But that's beside the point. I trust you came here for a different reason, right Keith?"
Arkus took the sniper rifle out of his tuxedo and pointed it at him. "Right. I came to accept that offer you gave me six hundred years ago."
"The one demanding my life in exchange for my family's safety? Yes, I accept. However, I must ask you to leave this city as well. Some of my children are already falling ill because of your presence."
"I understand. We have a deal."
Arkus raised the rifle. "You've been in a lot of pain since that day, haven't you?"
"I have."
"I'll make this quick then. But before that, do you have anything else to say?" Arkus took his hand off his gun and wiped it on his pants. "Funny, I didn't think my hands would be sweating this much."
"Just get on with it," the Father said. "Do what must be done."
"Yes, it must. Say hello to Verra for me."
The Father opened his mouth, but the sound of footsteps stopped him. A second later, the door flew apart, and a zoroark stormed into the room.
"Hands up Keith!" he shouted. "I know all about your plans."
"Stand down Dussell, that's an order," the Father croaked. "You must not fight him."
More footsteps echoed down the hall. "Dussell, what is the meaning of this?" Two more zoroark and a wigglytuff entered the room and stared in shock at Arkus. "How is he here? Kill him now!"
"Silence!" the Father shouted. He coughed up a spray of blood. "Leave him. This is how it has to be."
"Don't say that Father!" Dussell pointed his gun at Arkus and said, "We cannot allow you to die. We would be lost without your wisdom."
"I already gave you a successor! Now let me die in peace!"
"No," Arkus said. He tossed his gun aside. It clattered along the stone floor and came to a stop at Dussell's feet. Dussell backed away from the rifle and pointed his pistol at it. "I know you want death, Ath, but I cannot be the one to give it to you. Not now. They would try to kill me if I did."
The Father reached towards him and said, "You don't trust them, do you?"
"I did the same thing myself."
"So, that's it then?" a voice asked from an empty corner. "You're not going to keep your promise?"
"Eck, is that you?" Arkus asked. "Why are you here, and why can't I see you?"
"You were meant to restore humanity to its rightful place. I feared your new body would weaken your resolve, and I was right. Never fear, I will carry out your mission in your place."
Eck appeared behind the Father and placed his gauntleted hand over the Father's brow. He squeezed, and the Father's head burst into a fountain of blood, spraying the chapel with bits of bone and brain. The Father's body slumped forward and hit the floor.
"Bastard!" Dussell shouted. He fired three times, and Eck blocked the bullets with a wave of his hand.
"I had hoped you would see the rise of humanity before your death, but I suppose I should kill you now."
Eck held out his hand, palm forward, and a ball of blue light gathered. Arkus dashed in front of the attack and blocked it.
"Stop this!" Arkus shouted. "You'll kill everyone if you keep this up!"
"Silence! I will not allow you to interfere with humanity's destiny! Now stand aside!"
"Never!"
Eck chuckled and ran a hand over his face. "Then I suppose I'll have to make you."
His hand poured out a beam of Aura. Arkus blocked with a thin blue barrier, and their Aura crackled as it clashed, spraying blue sparks across the room. The stone hissed and popped from the energy. The basin cracked, and blood leaked onto the floor. Alicia's engagement band glowed, and it grew hot to the touch. She could smell her fur being singed, but she was too stunned to move.
She heard a grunt of pain behind her. She turned to see Dussell collapsed on a bench, breathing spastically as he grabbed his chest. The other two zoroark sagged against the wall, gasping for breath. She felt her heart pounding in her chest, and her vision blurred, smearing the chapel into a red grey haze. She sagged onto a bench and pressed her cheek against the cool, damp stone.
"Hey, chief!" the wigglytuff shouted, shaking Dussell. "Stay with me! Come on, wake up!" The wigglytuff took a radio out of his pocket and said, "This is Officer Fale! We need back-up, now! Get all the police and an ambulance – no, three - over to City Hall now!"
Dussell screamed. Blood poured from his eyes and nose, and his chest heaved. He vomited soup on the floor, mixing the smell of bile with blood. Fale rushed to his side and dragged him out of the room.
Arkus looked back at the mess behind him, closed his eyes, and let go. Eck's Aura slammed into his chest, and he flew into a bench, smashing it to pieces. Arkus' arms shook as he stood.
"Why did you stop?" Eck asked.
"Look around," Arkus answered. "This is what Aura does. I can't allow everyone to die."
"Don't worry about that. It's all taken care of."
"What do you mean?"
Eck crushed a stone beneath his foot and held a hand towards Arkus. "Come with me. If you don't, I'll kill everyone here."
Arkus took his hand and stood. Alicia reached towards them, but they vanished just before they reached the door. Then she passed out, toppling forward into a puddle of blood.
