13. In the Dark
The three kids met at the entrance of the circus. Alegria smiled at them and got closer to have a good look of them. Roland's parents were picking Nano from the store so they had a lot of time to see the place and look for the phasm.
"Evening, little ones" the woman smiled. "If you are looking for Blue, he's still asleep"
"Is he all right?"
"A bit weak but Jack's got him covered. I'm Alegria, by the way. It's great to meet you three" she warmly smiled.
"You are Mirko's sister, right?" Drew remembered.
"Aye. Me and my sisters are very close to Blue. He's such a nice person and always making us smile"
"We're glad to meet you too. Do you know where Madame Tassel is?"
"Not really but, she's been acting real weird this afternoon"
"Meaning?"
"She's been roaming through the storing tent for a long while and I've heard her talking to someone. Taz is up to something" Alegria seemed concerned. "Is not that I don´t like her but, I've never seen her acting like this"
"We'll talk to her. When does the show start?"
"When my sister sings. You will hear it from all corners around"
"Great. Say, hu. Is your sister really Flabber's girlfriend?" Drew whispered.
"They felt in love at the first sight but you would be surprised. He has tried hitting me on a few times" that surely made the trio feel embarrassed. "He's a lady killer, he can't help it, but in a good sense. Flab just knows what women want but for him, Mirko's number one"
"Well, that's a relief"
"That explains why there are THREE Pippettes" Roland muttered.
"Beg your pardon?" Alegria rose an eyebrow.
"Uh, never mind. Where's Flabber's tent?"
"See that purple flag with the the F shining in the night?"
"Uh, yes" it actually could be seen from a far distance.
"That's his"
"Ok, thanks. Guess, we'll see you at the show"
"Be careful, ok?"
"We will" nodded Jo and they headed for the tent. However and much to their dismay, it was dark and empty. Where was Flabber?
"What happened here?"
"I dunno" they looked around but found nothing.
"Why is it that I get the feeling that we should find that storage top?" Roland watched as Jo grabbed the bed sheets with a frightened expression.
"Because that is our only clue" Drew sighed.
XXX
Flabber moaned and opened his eyes. He was taken aback by what he saw. He was in a cage in the storage top and someone was outside, with a smirk in his face. The phasm whimpered for he was still too weak.
"Oh, poor, poor Blue. Alone and trapped" cooed the mysterious figure. "You are so doomed. You have no idea of how long I've been waiting for this. Waiting for you to be out of that stupid organ and completely defenceless. And then, like a gift from heaven, someone puts you in here when you barely can stand up as if I had wished it" the smirk widened. "I must have some fairy godmother"
"Why you..." he tried to get up but the pain prevented him from doing so.
"Tonight, I shall do a favour to this world and to myself. I will finish something I started eons ago. I had my chance a hundred years ago but Jack had to ruined it, putting you in that pipe piano"
"I dunno what you're talkin'about"
"Hu! You don't remember, do you?"
"What? Your bad breath?"
"Do you remember your death? How did you became a phasm?" the figure kneeled next to him. "You can hide that scar all you want under the coat, shirt and belt but I bet it's still there" a hand was pressed in his middle and Flabber could only cry in pain. "You really live to the word, flabby" a white and almost hard to see line was drawn under his ribs. He winced. He did remembered that, too well. On the night he died, his murderer stabbed with a small dagger filled with runes. It's true that when he was alive, he had been drawn towards magic but it was blade which made his magic course through his veins with the yellow dust. Now it was obvious why did his body rejected the magic, it was digging up the pain of that night. "To make a phasm, you need to kill by magic and preserve your victim's soul at all costs. You also need someone good at heart, someone like you. And the second thing is to make sure that he reaches the phasm home"
"He! Sounds to me that you just did me a favour"
"Really? Well, do you recall what happened then?" a sharp pain went through Flabber's skull. "Of course, you do. I made sure of that"
"You, you..."
"I killed your dear little girl and used you as bait to lure the Wolf"
"..." the phasm went pale. He remembered then. It was on the first day he had been able to convince his beloved fiance to go for a walk when they saw a tent. It was a clairvoyant's and she told them their future. When Flabber did not seemed convinced, his dear love decided to wait outside. It was then when he heard about the Wolf for the first time and was invited to the quest of capturing the beast. Horrified, he left the tent but only to find his beloved lying in the grass with her heart stopped forever. Flavio, for that was his name, tried to talk again with the clairvoyant but got stabbed instead with the magic dagger. He didn't die right away. In fact, he stayed alive enough to see himself getting possessed by the Wolf and then... Flabber went pale. The clairvoyant cut off his head in order to get rid of the beast. That was why his head could be taken off his body. He was buried and send to the Seventh dimension. Due to the shock, he forgot all about it but now, he knew that his death had been just a ruse to trap the Wolf and now, his murderer was at it again. "I dunno why I just don't make you die like the dog you are"
"Cuz you are a phasm and phasms have to be kind spirits, unlike ghosts. Besides, you couldn't have hurt me even if you wanted it with all your heart"
"Hu! Sure"
"I killed you, remember? And using magic. It is thanks yo me that you are what you are, Blue boy. We are linked. I have you under a spell that makes you weak and complaint when I want"
"You send that letter and did the voodoo thing"
"It wasn't so hard to guess, was it? In case you didn't notice, I cut some of your hair while you were here in the circus. I put some in the letter and when you burnt it, that I knew you would, you hurted yourself. I used a few to keep you weak during this days and I got some when we met in the library" Flabber remembered then. "I have enough to make you suffer an eternity. All I need to do is burn it or drown it"
"You can do whatever you like with me but, YOU KILLED HER! You..."
"I needed you to grief"
"All this because of your hunt! You're freaking mad!"
"I got good advice, trust me. I mean no harm to those kids but if there's a way to trap the Wolf again inside you is through them"
"It ain't coming and you know it!"
"It WILL come. If you want those darlings to be safe, then it better work or else" the murderer walked back into the dark.
"LET ME OUT! NOW!" he cried and tried his magic but it was pointless. What could he do? Hu? He had to get to Jack somehow. Yes! He would know what to do! If only he could do it before the guys...
"Flabber?" Jo's voice rang in his ears. "Flabber!" the kids had found him.
"What happened? How did you...?" Roland kneeled near him.
"That's not important, you must get out of here and find Jack NOW!"
"But, Jack..."
"We ain´t leaving you in there" Jo cracked her knuckles.
"Please, guys. If you don't do it, we..." another cage from the top and trapped the trio. "Kids!"
"HEY!" they tried to lift it.
"Let them out! Don't do this! Please!"
"Too late, Flavio dear. The stage is set and our beast will shortly be here" ringed the voice of their enemy.
"What's that guy talking about?"
"The Wolf. You kids are the bait and I'm... I'm" he held back the tears.
"The what?"
"..." the phasm shivered like mad. "I'm the carrion!"
"WHAT?" they were confused.
"I'm going to be used as the Wolf's night suit! As his body, his host!" the kids went white. "I will be turned into a real monster!" Flabber sighed. An uneasy feeling began to take over him.
"But, what about Taz? She said she was worried about you!"
"I guess. But the Wolf hardly accepts possession cuz only a few creatures, living and dead, can bear having him inside. And I'm of them. Still if I wanted to live in Hillhurst back then to get away from the Wolf. To be free!"
"I'm going to cram that thing!" Jo was mad with anger.
"You can´t"
"Then what can we do?" they went silent. "Hey, shouldn't the show have started by now?"
"Mi carro me lo robaron... Estando de romería" someone was singing. The kids looked up and saw the strange black cat lumbering on one op the support ropes. "You niños surely know how to get into the barro" he snickered with a heavy Spanish accent. "Flavio dear, ¿qué pasa, mi hijo?"
"Mad" the phasm smiled.
"I hope you gente don't mind if I had won a bit more time"
"Be my guest" Flabber was relieved. If the feline was there, then Jack did knew.
"And as for you, creepy persona, you better come out. I hate people who don't stay to clean their own mess" the cat snarled and a hooded figure stood before them. "You are bout to witness the best check mate ever done, lassie" Madsen also had traces of Scottish accent.
"And what will you do when the Wolf comes in?"
"What I do best. Patear culos. And for the record, that big bloody mutt ain't comin'this way"
"How do you know?"
"I just know. Ye are so busted, lass" Mad snarled and jumped on top of Flabber's cage.
"I got everything where I want. Jack's not here and all is set"
"Well, sorry to burst yer bubble but, no. Jack was the done to set this and guess what, hermana. Ye felt right for it!"
"He! Jack? Why would he help me? He was the whole time trying to keep Blue away from me and messing up my plans. That was why he put him in the organ and stole my chance"
"Says the woman who killed her own sister because she was jealous" those words made Flabber look up.
"Why should I have let her have everything while I was left alone to age and die?"
"I dunno. Cuz she was yer hermana, yer sis, perhaps?" Madsen moved his tail in an irritated way. "Family is bout takin' care of each other" Drew held his sister tight.
"... That doesn't matter anymore. I'm about to save the world from a bloody monster"
"At the cost of havin'more on the louse? No, thanks, lassie" the cat frowned.
"And what are you going to do about it? The phasm's down and those kids too"
"Tú observa y aprende" Mad smiled and turned to Flabber. "Say, Azul. Mind if I, ye know?"
"I dunno why you bother to ask" he held back the pain.
"Call it cortesía" the cat let out a Cheshire smile. "Ye know how Jack keeps all his performers in check, right?"
"Should I?"
"After all these years, deberías yes" Mad held up his front paws. "He does it through the names" the kids looked at each other and then to Flabber. "No performer uses his real name save for me. I just like been called Madsen but I do know that's not me own"
"So..."
"Yer real name isn't what ye think. Nor is Flavio's" the cat grinned. "But am I different story, lass. I was once and still am, a very popular being of the Highlands"
"A fairy? I don't see you using pixie dust"
"Caliente, caliente but no. It is a feared creature around those parts but because people don't understand that me job's important"
"And what was that?"
"Yer about to find out" the feline's eyes opened wide.
Over the fires, lads.
What does Mad mean and who's this hooded enemy?