Victor paced anxiously back and forth amongst the tall shrubbery in his garden, rubbing his hands through his hair so many times he wouldn't have been surprised if it all fell out the next morning. Periodically, he would peek from behind the shrubbery to gaze at his enormous house, searching for any kind of sign that Victoria might need him.
"Victor, please sit down. You're going to wear a track into your garden," Emily reasoned with him in a soft tone. Victor absent-mindedly squatted down for a second or two, but sighed for what had to have been the millionth time that day and resumed his nervous pace.
"My boy, do try to calm down. Victoria is a strong, brave woman. She can handle herself," Elder Gutknecht said in an attempt to comfort him, but Victor would hear none of it.
"We should never have done this," he muttered to himself. "To put her in danger like that was just wrong."
"She'll be alright," Emily assured him. "Any minute now she'll give us a signal and we will go in there and capture Barkis."
"But what if she can't find a way to call out to us," Victor asked, sounded like a lost little boy. Emily smiled pitifully at him and got up to put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Victoria's smart," she answered. "She'll find a way."
As if on cue, the trio heard a large crash come from the direction of the house. They all shot out from behind the bushes just in time to see a vase sail through the air before it crashed into tiny fragments on the ground. Emily looked over at Victor a smiled.
"I told you," she said to him. Victor offered her a short fleeting smile before bolting into the house without another word. Emily and Elder Gutknecht followed quickly behind him.
"Victoria," Victor called out, his voice echoing through the empty mansion. His brain went blank for a second as he tried to recall which room they had originally agreed to meet in, but he just as quickly recalled and sprinted up the stairs to the guest bedroom, all the while praying that he wouldn't be too late.
"That was a funny trick you played on me, Victoria," Barkis snarled at her as he pulled her closer to him. "Under different circumstances, that fall might have even killed me. I commend you for your bravery."
"So you're going to let me go," Victoria asked feebly, causing him to cackle in her face.
"No, no, I'm afraid you're still needed," he explained to her as he casually tossed the Dark Magic book he had been holding in his arm on the bed nearby. He used his now free arm to take complete hold of Victoria and throw her against a wall. Victoria winced as her backside made a painful contact with it, but that pain was soon forgotten as Barkis positioned himself directly in front of her, trapping her between him and a hard place.
"I never did explain my plans, did I, my dear," he asked her casually, causing a knot to form in Victoria's stomach. "You see, in that pretty little book over there," he vaguely gestured to the book lying on the bed, "there is this very powerful spell. And this spell, to put it simply, can make it to where I live again at the expense of your life."
"What," Victoria exclaimed, thoroughly shocked beyond belief. "B-but, but that is impossible!"
"Quite the contrary, love, it is possible. Granted it was banned a long time ago, but I was never one to play by the rules."
"You cannot do that! You simply can't!"
"Oh but I can, Victoria. A life for a life, it's only fair," Barkis explained, a sickening, Cheshire cat-like smile spreading across his face. "Now, shall we begin?"
Victoria's eyes grew wide with panic as she watched him reach into his coat pocket to pull out what she assumed was the vile that would complete the dire spell. Where is Victor, she wondered, seriously considering yelling out "hopscotch" to transport herself to the safety of the underworld. But just as she was about to open her mouth, the bedroom door burst open and Victor barged in wielding a large sword in his hand. Emily and Elder Gutknecht entered a few steps after him.
"Victor," she called out, her heart soaring with relief. Barkis turned around to confront him, but instead came face to face with the pointy end of the sword. He met Victor's eyes and scoffed.
"I'm dead, you fool! Your weapon is useless!" Barkis swung his arm to shoo the sword away, but Victor moved quicker, and with one fluid motion he managed to slice off Barkis' right hand. The appendage flew to the floor and lay listless, causing its owner to let out a yelp in response. He looked over at Victor once more, shock written all over his face.
"But I have no problem slicing you into a million pieces and burying them where they would never be found again," Victor heard himself say. He was somewhat shocked that those uncharacteristically brave words were coming from him, but he kept a straight face on. Barkis genuinely seemed threatened as he picked up his detached appendage and attempted to reattach it again.
"Now let's not be hasty here," he replied somewhat sheepishly. "I'm sure we can come to…some sort of civil arrangement."
"What arrangement," Victor asked suspiciously.
"Let's say…." Barkis thought for a second before his eyes came to rest on the book that was lying over on the bed. He quickly ran over to it and gathered it in his arms again before anyone else had a chance to snatch it away, "the Dark Magic book in exchange for my freedom."
"Never," Victor replied, knowing perfectly well that he would be getting the short end of the stick. Barkis snarled at him.
"Oh come now, Van Dort boy, I am powerless without that book! You let me go free without it and you might as well be letting a kitten lose onto the street!"
"No," Victor replied firmly, his sword still pointed squarely at Barkis.
"Very well then," Barkis replied. He casually strolled over to Victor's side, pretending to begin to leave, but instead in one swift motion, snatched the sword away from Victor, ran over to Victoria, wrapped his arms around her and brought the sword's point up to her throat, mirroring the position they had been in that at the church. An awful dark spot spread across Victor again as flashbacks of his nightmare popped into his head.
"New deal. The book and your wife's life in exchange for my freedom. Agreed," Barkis asked with an air of superiority, knowing he found the incentive Victor couldn't refuse. Victor, meanwhile, frantically searched his brain for a plan to save his wife without granting Barkis his freedom, but after looking into Victoria's pleading eyes, he realized he couldn't do so without putting her into further jeopardy, something he just couldn't do again. He sighed relentlessly.
"Agreed," he said, his eyes downcast in shame. Barkis smiled another serpent-like smile at him as he shoved the Dark Magic book in Victoria's arms.
"Excellent choice," were his last words to them before he proceeded to push Victoria roughly in the direction of Victor and stole away into the night. Victoria stumbled forward, but Victor caught her in his arms before she could fall completely. He held her close for a little longer before pulling back to examine her.
"Are you alright," he asked her, his voice full of concern. Victoria offered him a shaky smile and nodded.
"All things considering, yes," she told him. He pulled her into a tight embrace once more as Elder Gutknecht slipped between them and took the book from Victoria's arms.
"Well…." the Elder began, clutching the book in his feeble arms, "I guess it's over."
"You mean, we won," Emily asked, her voice mirroring the uncertainty in the older skeleton's voice.
"Well, Barkis cannot commit anymore heinous acts without this book, so, yes, I believe we did," he replied. A rather awkward silence followed, none of them knowing what to do next. Finally, Victor cleared his throat.
"Well, thank you, the both of you, for all that you did to help us," he said in a somewhat lackluster tone. "We really appreciate it."
"It was our pleasure, Victor," Emily assured him. She enveloped the couple in a hug as the elder did the same. Another awkward moment passed.
"Well, I guess we better let you two get some rest," Emily spoke up. "It's been a long, trying week for the two of you."
"Y-yes," Elder Gutknecht agreed. "And feel free to come visit us anytime. The spell is an open invitation."
"We will," Victoria replied with a courteous smile. The two returned the smile, and with one last farewell, they muttered hopscotch simultaneously and disappeared in a crowd of crows, leaving the Van Dorts standing alone in the guest bedroom.
"Well, I think it would be best if we retire," Victor said after a moment. Victoria nodded in response.
"I am rather spent," she agreed. Victor took hold of her hand and together they headed off to prepare for bed, each lost in their own thought.
A little while later, both climbed and wrapped their arms around each other. Victoria yawned and kissed Victor tenderly on the lips.
"Good night, darling."
"Good night, dear," Victor replied, returning the favor with another kiss. "I love you."
"I love you too," Victoria replied in a sleepy voice. Within a matter of minutes, Victor heard his wife's breath begin to steady and she fell fast asleep.
Victor knew, however, that sleep wasn't going to come that easy for him. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He knew he should feel ecstatic that the conflict with Barkis was finally over, but something inside him kept nagging away at him. Something about what had taken place that day felt unresolved.
That victory was too easy, Victor realized as he unconsciously pulled Victoria closer to him. Something felt sort open, and Victor knew he wouldn't be able to rest easy until whatever that was was closed once and for all.
That ending felt a little open, don't you think? Anyway, I am terribly sorry for the flagrant delay. College has been keeping me busier than I thought and with the combination of late nights and early mornings, I haven't been able to get around to updating any of my stories! I'm really sorry! But I hope you all liked this chapter anyway, and I'll try to make the next one sooner! I promise! Reviews are greatly appreciated!
P.S. It is very late right now and I can barely see straight, let alone read, so please excuse the fact that I'm going to skip proofreading this chapter. There shouldn't be too many mistakes, but please forgive me for any dumb ones that are left in there! Oh! And if the writing's poor, you can blame that on fatigue as well! Good night : )