by John O'Riley
The next morning, Josephine wore her inner wand belt and equipped it with six telekinetic wands. She had to wear running pants instead of shorts but it was better to be safe than cursed. Josephine met Helen at the beach and the two went jogging. Even though she now had access to a vortex in her own home, the one here at the beach was definitely a more potent experience.
“I think you should have asked Ben for the week off,” Helen said.
“It won’t help my magical ability and having all that free time on my hands will just make me dwell on Jake’s condition. It’ll drive me crazy,” Josephine replied.
“I can see your point.”
Josephine wrinkled her nose in disgust as they passed the portion of the beach where the red tide gathered. The pungent smell invaded her nostrils as she forced herself to take more shallow breaths. The sand was more firm here as well. It only took a couple moments to make it past the red zone which was Josephine’s nick name for it.
“Lorcan is here,” Josephine announced as she became aware of his loathsome energy signature.
“Yes, I can feel him.”
The two women slowed their pace to a leisure walk in order to delay the encounter. Josephine forced her anger down and tried to maintain calm. She would need all of her wits about her to handle Lorcan safely. She probed the immediate vicinity for psychometric energy to see if she could glean any new information about him. Josephine and Helen halted as Lorcan reached them. He wore loose, black running pants and a black tee shirt which hid a myriad of enchantments including the magical battery tool Josephine had made for him.
“What do you want?” Josephine’s hands clenched into tight fists at her sides as she struggled against the urge to punch Lorcan in the face.
“I came to make an offer.”
“You have an interesting way of doing business. You cursed my grandson with a slow but certain death and now you want to make an offer.” Josephine glared at him with open hostility.
“The Valituras extend you an invitation. If you accept, we will cure Jake and give you vast resources to expand your power,” Lorcan said.
Josephine detected four people approaching them from two different directions. She could sense powerful enchantments emanating from them.
“You’ve brought your friends.” Josephine began gathering power so she could strike without using any of her wands right away. “Why is that?”
“You finally get to meet the four other members of this county.”
“Things are starting to fall into place,” Josephine said. “You got my neighbors at the condo association riled up and turned against me because you were alienating me. You wanted me to feel hostile towards non-sixes so I would join you. Cursing me with immortality would isolate me even more. Did you really think I would become dark so easily?”
“Not all powerful magic is dark,” Lorcan informed her. “Just like most spells are neutral, advanced spells fall into that category as well.”
“From what I’ve seen, you’re deep into black magic.”
The four Valituras agents were much closer and walking at a brisk pace. It wouldn’t be long now. Josephine suspected her membership was mandatory or they would attack. She could sense Helen gathering power in preparation for the confrontation. Lorcan didn’t continue the conversation and the only sound that could be heard were the waves lapping against the shore. All too soon, the four newcomers arrived and their privacy fields prevented Josephine from obtaining information about them. The formed a row and stood a short distance off to the side from Josephine, Helen, and Lorcan. They all wore running pants to hide their enchantments and tee shirts.
“Meet your new associates. This is Tanner.” Lorcan motioned to the blond on the left who nodded at Josephine in acknowledgment. “This is Zack.” Zack didn’t acknowledge the introduction except to stare at Josephine. His features were average and he was in his early thirties with thinning brown hair and green eyes. Lorcan continued the rounds by gesturing to the third newcomer whose name was Kristopher. He looked to be in his late thirties and had a stronger presence than the others. He was tall with a shaved head and green eyes. He reminded Josephine of her former personal trainer at the gym who she’d fired after a couple of weeks. The man had been intense, humorless, and without any hint of patience. It probably matched Kristopher’s personality exactly if appearances were any indication. The last Valituras member was Melodie who was in her early thirties, average height, and slender. Her blond hair was brittle and had red roots indicating she was a natural redhead. Her gaze bore into Josephine’s with a predatory intensity as though she expected a fight.
“I am honored by your invitation,” Josephine said. “As you know, I’m feeling a bit overwhelmed and will need some time to think this over. How about we meet tomorrow?”
The Valituras agents were taken aback by this proposal. Their attention drew to Lorcan who was obviously the leader of the group.
“You must decide now,” Lorcan said.
“I hate to rush into things but I don’t want to lose this opportunity either so I accept.” Josephine figured she could back out of this later. She would continue her undercover work until they slipped up and she could arrest one or more of them.
“Excellent.” Lorcan pulled out a thin, silver-colored cord which radiated with power.
“What is that?” Josephine asked.
“It’s a bonding enchantment. I will wrap one of your wrists to mine and you will make your vows to the Valituras.”
“I see.” Josephine held her arm out as her thoughts raced.
She cast a furtive glance at the four members standing off to the side. They had relaxed their stances and looked almost bored now. They must have seen this ceremony performed countless times before. Lorcan approached her. Josephine used the power she’d gathered to summon a telekinetic blast that hit Lorcan’s shields. He halted and blinked at her with surprise. Josephine pulled out two of her wands so she had one in each hand.
Lorcan’s thin lips curved in a sneer. “You’ll regret that.”
Josephine activated the wands which hurled telekinetic waves against Lorcan’s shields. Lorcan and the four other Valituras agents pulled out the magic batteries Josephine had made from their pants pockets. Josephine frowned at them with puzzlement and wondered what on earth they were doing. She fired both her wands at Lorcan which made his shields waver. In turn, he brought up his backup shields. Usually, people saved half of their protection so they’d know how much time they had left. This indicated she could finish him off pretty fast if she focused exclusively on him. Each of the crystal clusters in the Valituras agents’ hands hummed with power and lit up with an intense gold luminescence as the batteries activated. Josephine gasped with shock as streams of energy flowed between the crystals and the power vortex. She whirled to face Lorcan again.
“You lied to me! Those aren’t batteries at all! They allow you to connect to the vortex like a category six,” Josephine exclaimed.
“And they work very well. We’ve been testing them. They’re stronger than any of the connection devices we’ve devised so far,” Lorcan said.
A cold dread settled in the pit of Josephine’s stomach as she realized she’d helped the Valituras to achieve this dangerous ability. Helen unleashed the power she’d been holding and it smashed against his protection. The spherical field of energy flickered erratically for several seconds before stabilizing. Josephine could tell it was very weak and wouldn’t withstand much more.
“Helen, I order you to fight Josephine and knock her out,” Lorcan said.
Josephine turned to face her friend but Helen’s expression didn’t change. Helen didn’t have the time to collect as much power for her next attack but she unleashed another volley of telekinetic blasts which collapsed Lorcan’s protection. He used the energy from the vortex to create a new shield around himself. The other four Valituras unleashed lethal bolts of red lightning from their quartz crystals which raked over Josephine’s shields which threatened to buc
kle. She activated her backup, knowing it would only take another attack from them to render her defenseless. Lorcan ran over to join his other four colleagues and positioned himself behind them. Josephine unleashed the remaining energy from the wands in her hands in a volley that struck against Zack’s shield. When the Valituras returned fire, Josephine’s shields collapsed. She pulled out two more wands and handed them to Helen.
Helen bombarded Zack’s shield and it wavered under the assault. She stepped in front of Josephine just as the Valituras struck with more red lightning. Josephine heaved a sigh of relief as she hadn’t expected to survive this round. She unsheathed her two uber wands from her inner belt and handed them to Helen who cocked a bemused brow at her.
“Saving the best for last?” Helen asked.
“You bet,” Josephine said.
Helen remained in front of Josephine as the Valituras continued to gather power from the vortex so they could fire again. Helen hesitated and Josephine peered over her shoulder to see the Valituras exchange surprised looks.
“What’s happening?” Melodie asked in a sharp tone.
“Something’s wrong.” Kristopher’s expression was baffled. “I’m kind of stuck.”
Josephine allowed herself to feel a small twinge of hope at this development. Because the Valituras were using the devices against her, the directive she’d programmed using wild magic may be kicking in. The crystals continue to glow with bright, gold energy. Thick tendrils of gold snaked up Zack’s arms as his eyes widened with horror.
“I can’t let go of it!” he cried out in desperation.
Fear registered in the eyes of the remaining Valituras as they struggled to shut off their connection devices. Thick gold tendrils of energy continued to spread over Zack, writhing over his body like hyperactive snakes. Several seconds later, he screamed in agony and collapsed onto the beach. The light from his crystal winked out of existence. The other four Valituras stared at his body for several seconds before they renewed their desperate efforts to free themselves of their own enchantments. Gold tendrils were spreading over the bodies of all the Valituras now. Melodie was the next to pass out. It didn’t take long for the others to collapse onto the beach. Josephine wasn’t sure if they were unconscious or dead except for Melodie and she didn’t care. As long as she had just one, that’s all she needed.
“Lorcan’s still alive. I can feel the bond,” Helen advised her.
“Damn! I was hoping my crystal killed him.” Josephine leveled a venomous look at his unconscious body.
She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Ben Nutter directly. She explained what had occurred and he told her he’d be right over. Josephine called Alice and gave her a brief report and warned her the police would be stopping by shortly. Josephine knelt over Kristopher and checked for a pulse but he was dead. She checked the others and discovered Melodie and Lorcan were the only survivors. It didn’t take long for the police to arrive. Ben had Jennifer, an OC enforcer, and two police officers with him as escorts. Time was of the essence so the dead bodies were left while Lorcan and Melodie were handcuffed and loaded into one of the two police cars. All of Lorcan’s and Melodie’s possessions they carried were confiscated. Their next stop was to pick up Alice who was waiting for them outside the condo building in the parking lot. Josephine placed a temporary block on Alice’s psychic link with Lorcan so he couldn’t compel her to keep her silence. Alice and Helen were seated in the first police car while Josephine was herded into the second. Josephine was seated in the backseat on one side of Melodie and Lorcan while Jennifer was on the other side of the two prisoners. Ben was driving with one of the police officers in the passenger seat beside him.
Josephine’s thoughts churned with anticipation, hope, and fear as she wondered if the Valituras would find out what was happening and put a stop to this before the plan could be implemented. Melodie and Lorcan awakened as Ben pulled into the parking lot. He waited until the second police car parked beside him before he got out. The entire group made their way into the courthouse and into the courtroom where a criminal trial was already in session. Judge Watson was a distinguished man in his late 50’s wearing the typical black uniform as he listened the prosecuting attorney question a key witness. Judge Watson’s keen eyes took in the group of newcomers who’d barged into his courtroom and settled on the chief of police.
“What is the meaning of this?” Watson spoke with authority and a hint of severe reprisal if a good explanation wasn’t forthcoming.
“I am declaring a new trial effective immediately due to suspected terrorism under the purview of the Freedom and Liberty for America Act,” Ben said in a booming voice that carried throughout the spacious room.
“I knew that damned law would be used as an excuse to disrupt my courtroom,” Watson growled. He hammered the podium with his gavel. “Very well. Our current case is suspended until the conclusion of this new trial. Everyone gathered here must remain.”
Watson directed the lawyers, the plaintiff, and the defendant to sit with the audience. There were three major television networks recording the trial which was usually a tedious and boring affair but Ben had stirred up renewed interest among the cameramen and the reporters. Judge Watson activated the truth-speak enchantment at his podium and a bubble of energy surged out to encompass the entire room. Because this enchantment was so rare, only limited trials utilized this magic. Anxiety churned through Josephine because even though Lorcan and Melodie would be forced to answer all questions and incriminate themselves, they would be allowed to question those in the courtroom as well which may prove disastrous if Alice admitted she’d willingly accepted immortality.
“Proceed, Mr. Nutter,” Watson ordered.
“I call Lorcan to the stand as a suspect in terrorism,” Ben said.
Lorcan grimaced as he made his way to the witness stand while his wrists remained handcuffed. He sank into the chair with obvious reluctance.
“Proceed with your questioning,” Watson said.
“Lorcan, is it true that you cursed Helen against her will with immortality?” Ben asked.
“Yes, it’s true. And I object to the question as this has nothing to do with terrorism.”
“Objection denied.” Watson pounded his gavel and gestured for Ben to continue.
“Is it true that you attempted to curse Josephine a second time with immortality to coerce her into being a spy and to help cover up evidence that would threaten to expose a secret organization that you’re a member of called the Valituras?”
“Yes.”
Shocked gasps and excited whispers spread through the courtroom like wildfire but quickly died down as they wanted to hear what came next.
“Have you cursed immortality on others?” Ben asked.
“Yes, I have.”
“There’s always a price to dark magic. What is it for this particular curse?”
“They become a vampire or succubus and they must obey orders given to them by the one who gave them immortality.”
“Have you used mind control on individuals to leak information to the Valituras?” Ben asked.
“Yes.”
“Is it the ultimate goal for the Valituras to control our government and this nation?”
“Yes, it is but we have that right and we’d be doing you a favor. This country needs strong and effective leadership.”
This elicited further gasps and outraged whispers. Watson pounded his gavel and ordered silence. He gestured at Ben to continue. Josephine reached out with her mind and sensed that the reporters had switched their feeds to live even though they weren’t allowed to speak as this was a groundbreaking and unheard of development that would snatch record-breaking viewers.
“Have the Valituras infiltrated our government and who are the officials?” Ben asked.
Lorcan hesitated for a couple of seconds but the spell forced him to answer. The court recorder typed like crazy to document all the information provided. Ben asked a seemingly endless list of questions of Lorc
an then it was Lorcan’s turn. Watson ordered Lorcan to remain seated and to ask his questions but he was only allotted a limited number with a time constraint to avoid delaying the proceedings.
“I pose this question to Josephine O’Connor.” Lorcan directed an oily smile at her which now made her the center of attention for everyone in the room. “Isn’t it true that you’re a category six and knowingly breaking the law by tapping into the power vortex at the Siesta Key beach every single day?”
Despair and horror washed over Josephine and she almost blurted out all of her secrets but as a six she could quell the compulsion to speak for a short time although she couldn’t lie. She composed herself and adopted a look of confidence.
“I’m not breaking the law. I was promoted to OC enforcer which provided me a waiver to that particular regulation. I’ve been working undercover to expose the Valituras and protect this great nation from the biggest threat they’ve faced in years.”
Lorcan’s jaw went slack with shock as he hadn’t expected this response. Josephine chewed savagely on her lower lip to keep from gloating.
Ben rose from his seat. “I want to interject that category six wizards are law abiding citizens and that from the few of them who are made OC enforcers, none of them have displayed lack of control of their magical abilities or caused destabilizing of any vortexes. I strongly encourage legislation to remove the laws limiting sixes so they can reach their full potential and help to protect this country from hidden threats like the Valituras.”
“So noted.” Watson frowned with annoyance. “Lorcan, do you have further questions?”
“Yes, your honor. Once again, I ask Josephine this question.”