2 Corruption

by John O'Riley

  “I can buy it with the money in my savings account,” Josephine said. “It’s worth taking a look at.”

  “I would suggest you reconsider,” Nathan cautioned. “Cursed houses are rare but if this one is truly cursed, it’s virtually impossible to break it.”

  “Would you mind coming with me?” Josephine asked. “I have an appointment with a real estate agent to meet me there in a couple of hours.”

  “I’m not going anywhere near that death trap,” Helen said.

  “I’ll meet you there but I may not go inside,” Nathan said.

  “You can count me in,” Alice advised. “Why do you want to move?”

  “This place doesn’t feel like home anymore. People are always pestering me that I don’t belong. And this house is less than two miles from the Siesta Key beach. It’s difficult but I can access the vortex from that distance,” Josephine explained. “I would feel more secure being able to reach that kind of power whenever it’s needed.”

  “That makes sense,” Helen agreed.

  “You won’t be safe if the house wants to kill you though,” Nathan pointed out.

  “That’s true but only if the house really does harbor dark magic,” Josephine argued.

  They finished their card game and Josephine took Nathan and Alice to the house in question. It was a massive pink, two-story dwelling with a dead lawn but a lush garden that started on the right-hand side of the yard which extended to the back. A red sports car pulled up and parked in the driveway beside Josephine’s and the real estate agent climbed out. She was a blond woman in her late twenties wearing a blue, two-piece business suit that was skin tight against her skeletal frame.

  “Hi, I’m Leslie,” she greeted them with a phony smile.

  Josephine introduced herself, Alice, and Nathan who all shook hands.

  “Do you know about the history of this house?” Leslie asked.

  “Helen told me about it,” Josephine advised.

  “Personally, I think people are just scaredy cats. This house is gorgeous,” Leslie said.

  “Who takes care of the yard?” Josephine inquired.

  “We have someone mow the lawn and tend the garden once every two weeks.”

  “The lawn is dead,” Alice said.

  Leslie ignored that comment. She unlocked the front door and they stepped inside to a spacious living room. There were six large stained-glass windows overlooking the front yard.

  “We have white terrazzo floors throughout the home and of course cathedral ceilings.” Leslie gestured above them.

  “This room is beautiful. I love it!” Josephine exclaimed.

  Her body thrummed with pleasure and power which meant she was very close to a vortex. Josephine frowned with puzzlement because the Siesta Key beach was too far for her to feel it like this. She opened her second sight and made herself receptive to the subtle energies of the dwelling. She gasped with surprise when a power vortex came into focus from beneath the floor and spanned about three feet into the air. It was one of those mini vortexes that Dan had told her about. She had wondered if they really existed and now she had her answer. If she purchased this home, a vortex would always be instantly available. She could also sense the larger one at the beach within the periphery of her grasp. If the house was truly cursed perhaps there was some way to overcome that obstacle.

  Josephine scanned the dwelling and could feel Nathan doing the same. Alice wasn’t used to this ability so she relied on her mundane senses which told her this home was beautiful and spacious. Leslie fidgeted when Josephine and Nathan remained rooted near the center of the room unmoving.

  “Let’s check out the rest of the house,” Leslie said.

  She walked toward the doorway to the kitchen then turned and threw them a questioning look. Josephine heaved a disgusted sigh when she detected the curses inhabiting the structure of the house.

  “Damn. I was hoping it wasn’t true,” Josephine muttered.

  “What are you talking about?” Leslie asked.

  “I’m a category six. I was checking out the energy here. This house is definitely cursed,” Josephine said.

  Leslie blinked with surprise but recovered an instant later with a bright smile.

  “But it has great potential and curb appeal. Plus, it’s move-in ready,” she said.

  “And it will cause harm to anyone who lives here,” Nathan advised.

  “But it’s a flawless gem. Just look at this gorgeous place! Where else can you buy a perfect home for less than thirty-three thousand?” Leslie asked.

  “I definitely want to see more,” Josephine said.

  Nathan and Alice threw her startled looks but Leslie led them to the kitchen and began reciting the positive features of the room. Josephine pretended to listen while she left her psychic senses wide open. The mini vortex extended to just beyond the kitchen wall. The curse burrowed deep within the confines of this room as well. In fact, the dark magic inhabited every single room and Josephine could tell that there were at least three different curses spanning the entire dwelling. The second floor boasted an additional two bedrooms and a bathroom as well as an extra living room, dining room, and kitchen with an extra flight of stairs that led to the outdoors with it’s own entrance at the side of the house. Josephine also detected a hidden room on the second floor behind one of the bedrooms but couldn’t determine how to enter it or what secrets it harbored. When Leslie finished the tour, she brought them back down to the living room on the first floor.

  “So, what are your impressions of this wonderful home?” Leslie asked with a bright smile.

  “I love it! This house is definitely for me,” Josephine said.

  “What?!” Nathan and Alice exclaimed with flabbergasted expressions on their faces.

  “Great! I’ll draw up the paperwork right away. Do you want to meet me at my office or would you like me to take you there?” Leslie asked.

  “I’ve been there before. You’re in downtown Sarasota about a block from the movie theater,” Josephine said.

  “Okay. I’ll meet you down there.”

  Leslie drove away from the place with eager anticipation.

  “Why are you buying this money pit?” Alice asked.

  “Didn’t you feel what’s in there?” Josephine grinned at her friend with excitement. “It has a mini vortex! Dan mentioned them to us but I’d never imagined I would find one.”

  “It must be tainted by black magic.” Alice grimaced with displeasure.

  “Vortexes are power conduits. They reflect neither light nor dark,” Josephine said. She turned to cast a questioning look at Nathan. “Is there some way to make nice with the house?”

  Nathan hesitated. “Yes, there’s a way. The best chance of succeeding is to go back inside the house now and to perform a bonding enchantment. Once we leave the property, it will be virtually impossible.”

  “What difference does it make if we leave first?”

  “Because this is the first time the house has met you. Once you’re gone and there’s no bond, it will have already established an opinion of you.”

  “That’s bizarre but we’d better get this over with before I fork over good money,” Josephine said.

  “The more people who work with you, the greater the chance the bonding will take. You’ll want them to be people you feel close to.”

  “You and Alice are good. I wonder if I can talk Helen into coming over.”

  “You do realize the realtor is drawing up the paperwork.”

  “She’s young. She probably needs to learn patience. Besides, if I buy this place, I’m doing her a favor,” Josephine said.

  “That’s true,” Alice agreed.

  Josephine placed a call and spoke with Helen but she refused to come over and was horrified by the thought of Josephine living there. Josephine disconnected the call and frowned with bemusement.

  “We may have to change our morning routine if I own this place because Helen probably won’t come over to visit,” Josephine said.<
br />
  “She’ll come around,” Alice reassured her. She took stock of her surroundings. “You’ll have to excuse me for a moment.”

  “That’s fine. I have some more people I want to talk to,” Josephine said.

  Alice strolled down the street to the neighbor’s house and knocked on the door. Josephine placed a call to Mark as she watched a medium set man in his forties answer the door and talk with Alice. The man invited Alice into the house and closed the door. Josephine frowned with puzzlement but Mark answered which tore her attention back to the matter at hand.

  “Hey, Mark. I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time,” Josephine said.

  “That’s okay. I was just going to call YOU,” he said.

  “I have a favor to ask. Do you think you could swing by and help me with a bonding enchantment? There’s a cursed house I want to buy and Nathan said there’s a fair chance I can have it accept me or whatever,” Josephine explained.

  “I’ll be right over. Where are you?”

  Josephine gave him the address and directions.

  “Mark will be a tremendous help. Is there anyone else?” Nathan asked.

  “I’m afraid that’s it. I don’t have very many people I feel close to.”

  “No family nearby?”

  “Nope.”

  “The bonding spell is pretty simple. We can do it on the fly without a prepared enchantment. You’ll want to focus on happy thoughts and to direct feelings of goodwill at the house,” Nathan said.

  “I can do that.”

  Alice emerged from the neighbor’s house and strolled over to Josephine and Nathan with a satiated expression on her face.

  “Do you know that man?” Josephine regarded her friend with curiosity.

  “Oh, no. I was just kind of hungry and decided to have a quick drink.”

  “I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t feed off my neighbors.”

  “He won’t remember a thing,” Alice reassured her.

  “I hope not.”

  When Mark arrived, they went into the cursed house and gathered on the living room floor to form a circle. They joined hands to create a conduit of energy for the bonding spell. Josephine sensed the currents of energy that Nathan wove around them. A hushed quiet dominated the room as they waited for Nathan to indicate the next step.

  “All right. The spell is active. We have to direct happy thoughts at the house and hope it accepts us,” Nathan instructed.

  They all closed their eyes and set to work. Josephine sensed the active spell swirling around all of them as she did her best to broadcast positive and cheery thoughts to the dwelling. She started to become concerned as time dragged by and nothing changed. The spell began to slow and would soon dissipate.

  “Can you charge things up again?” Josephine asked.

  “It’s a one shot deal. We have to do one session at a time for each visit,” Nathan explained.

  “I see.” Josephine swallowed as disappointment welled within her.

  She had been hoping this home would become her sanctuary. A place where she could feel safe and just be herself. She was tired of dealing with neighbors who didn’t accept her and the unexpected acts of vandalism. Without warning, Josephine felt a presence in her mind as though someone had just taken notice of her. A connection between her, Mark, and the house snapped into place. Josephine flinched with surprise as a brief surge of power passed through her. The spell dissipated but they had succeeded.

  “The house accepted you and Mark,” Nathan advised.

  “Why didn’t it take the entire group?” Josephine asked.

  “One can never completely predict how a sentient being will respond.”

  “It’s not going to attack my friends when they visit, is it?” she asked.

  “Oh, no. It just recognizes you and Mark as its new owners. It must have sensed the connection between the two of you and wanted to limit ownership,” Nathan explained. “Any guests that you invite are completely safe.”

  “That’s fine with me. Time to go sign the paperwork and purchase my new home.” Josephine’s lips curved in a pleased smile.

  Chapter 14

  Josephine stood in the center of the living room of her new house which had her furniture already arranged and stacks of boxes were placed against the far wall and in a couple of clusters in the center of the room. Mark and Alice stood beside her with relieved expressions on their faces. They’d spent all day helping her pack yesterday after the sale and several hours this morning unpacking the essentials. Josephine had been fortunate to find a company that would move everything on such short notice but their rates were so high she could see why they weren’t already booked.

  “I can’t believe we got all my stuff here already,” Josephine said. She turned and shot an appreciative look at both Mark and Alice. “I’m so grateful for your help. I couldn’t have finished everything this weekend without you.”

  “You’re still not done,” Alice pointed out. “It’ll take you all week to unpack this stuff.”

  “I’ll just work on it a little bit at a time. No big deal. Too bad Helen won’t come here.” Josephine’s gaze swept over the room and the stained glass windows. “It’s so beautiful.”

  “You’ve got yourself a winner here,” Mark said.

  “Except for the curses. There’s always a cost to dark magic,” Alice said.

  “I’m not the one who’s cursed – it’s the house,” Josephine argued. She threw Mark a questioning look. “I don’t have anything to worry about, do I?”

  “I wish I knew. We’ve got to identify the curse before we would know the side effects,” he replied.

  “I like the sound of that better.”

  “What do you mean?” Mark asked.

  Josephine grinned. “Side effects. It doesn’t sound so dire.”

  “I have more good news. The curse is probably anchored to the vortex residing in this house. If that’s the case, you shouldn’t have to deal with any problems.”

  “What difference would that make?” Josephine asked.

  “Dark magic creates abnormalities which constantly strains the curse. In order to maintain equilibrium, the side effect is something that always fuels the magic. It’s a matter of physics,” Mark explained.

  “I see.” Josephine mulled this over. There was something niggling in the back of her mind but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was. She brushed her distracting thoughts aside to focus on a more pleasant matter. “I’m going to have a house warming party tonight. You’re both invited. It starts around 5. I’ll let Jake and Nathan both know. It’ll just be a small get-together.”

  “Aren’t you exhausted?” Alice asked.

  “Not at all. I’ll go to the store for some supplies in a little bit. It’s no big deal,” Josephine said.

  “It’s because you’re connected to the house vortex. It’s keeping your body charged up like a battery,” Mark said.

  Josephine nodded in agreement as she’d maintained an almost constant link with the vortex. There was no way the Valituras would sneak up on her while she was living here.

  “Are you sure there’s a vortex in there? I don’t feel a thing,” Alice said.

  “Only a category six can detect them,” Mark explained.

  “You’re not a six though.” Alice frowned at him with puzzlement.

  “I’m just taking Josephine’s word for it. Helen’s a six so she’ll be able to sense it as well.”

  Alice left so she could get some rest at her condo while Mark remained behind to keep Josephine company.

  “You don’t mind if I tag along while you go shopping, do you?” he asked.

  “Be my guest. I don’t want you to feel obligated though. You’ve helped me tremendously today and I know how important it is for you to work on your memorization and restoration enchantments,” Josephine said.

  “You’re probably right but I don’t feel like working.”

  “I’m going to take a look at that garden later. I wonder if it’s c
ursed.”

  Josephine placed a call to Nathan and invited him to the party then dialed Jake’s number.

  “Hey, Grandma. What’s up?” Jake said.

  “Hey, sweetie. I’m having a house warming party,” she said.

  Jake laughed with amusement. “That’s a good one.”

  “I’m serious. I’ve bought a new house and I’ve invited a few of my closest friends for dinner.”

  “When did you buy the house?” Jake asked with bewilderment.

  “I purchased it yesterday.”

  “How is that possible? It takes a month or more for the paperwork to be processed and everything.”

  “I didn’t have to take out a loan. I had enough money to pay for it so they let me move in right away,” Josephine explained. “There’s still a lot of unpacking to do but the essentials in the kitchen are taken care of.”

  “How did you get the inspection done on such short notice?” Jake asked.

  “I didn’t see the need for one.”

  Jake chuckled. “You’re truly one of a kind.”

  “Thank you, sweetie. It would mean a lot to me if you could come over for dinner tonight.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  Josephine gave him the address and disconnected the call. She sensed Lorcan’s presence in her front yard and strode over to the door. Josephine threw it open just before Lorcan could push the doorbell. He regarded her with startlement but quickly composed himself. She peered at him with her second sight and noticed that his shields were active.

  “What brings you here, Toadstool?” Josephine asked in a chilling tone.

  “I heard about your new home and wanted to see it for myself,” Lorcan said.

  “Your spies must be keeping a close eye on me.”

  “You’ve already bought the house and moved in. You’re remarkably fast.”

  “I pride myself on my efficiency.” Josephine flashed a sarcastic smile at him.

  “Aren’t you going to invite me inside?”

  “Of course not.”

  Anger darted across Lorcan’s face for a split second before he donned a look of indifference.

  “If you’re going to be rude, I suppose our conversation is over. I hope you enjoy your new home,” Lorcan sneered.