2 Corruption

by John O'Riley

  “Do you have any idea if the laws restricting the sixes will be overturned?” Josephine asked.

  “There’s a good chance but I’ve learned never to try to predict what the government will do,” Ben said.

  “I suppose that keeps you from being disappointed by bad decisions.”

  “Exactly.” Ben’s expression was dour. “I feel like we may not have much time to interrogate the prisoners.”

  “Why is that?”

  “The Valituras have ancient and potent magic. I’m sure they have some tricks up their sleeves. Spells we haven’t even heard about. I’m worried they will break the prisoners out of jail.”

  “That’s risky. Besides, they have nothing to gain,” Josephine said.

  “Memory suppression spells can always be reversed. Depending on how well they’re constructed, they may wear off after time or it could take very powerful magic to undo.”

  “I suspect the latter.” Josephine shot him a sardonic look.

  “I agree. Especially after so many experts have failed.”

  “I want to make it clear I have no experience whatsoever with breaking or constructing memory suppression spells.”

  “I know but we have to try everything in our power to break these prisoners,” Ben said.

  Josephine’s thoughts went to Mark who she knew was talented with memory spells. Maybe he could offer some expertise in this matter. She decided to speak with him in private later.

  “So how do you like your new home?” Ben asked.

  “I love it.”

  “That’s great. I was a little concerned for you at first but if you were vulnerable to the curses, you would have suffered at least a couple of accidents by now.”

  “You know about that?”

  “That house has quite a history.”

  “The previous owner must have been powerful to create so many curses on the dwelling,” Josephine observed.

  “He was a five. His name was Duncan Fleming and his wife was Arabella. She practiced advanced white magic. She created an enchanted garden that had the most exotic flowers and plants that would thrive even if they didn’t do so well in the tropics.”

  “Was Arabella a five or a six then?”

  “No, she was a four.”

  “I see. It was the only way she could do advanced magic then.”

  “It’s a shame white magic is limited to healing and protection. Otherwise, a lot more people would devote their time into becoming experts in the craft.” Ben remarked.

  “The little white magic I’ve learned is complicated and difficult. I wonder how a category one could do it,” Josephine said.

  “From what I hear, once you’ve mastered the basics, it’s a completely different approach to creating enchantments. They can tap into what is termed source energy that lays the foundation for their spells that you or I couldn’t do. Luckily, you’re a six so you don’t have to be a white magic practitioner.”

  “I’m curious about Duncan and Arabella. If Duncan was an expert in the dark arts, why would Arabella have anything to do with him?” Josephine asked.

  “Duncan didn’t turn to black magic until after his family died in a tragic accident. They were on a cruise and a hurricane struck. Duncan was the only survivor and he said a secret group had murdered his family because he had refused to join them. He said the mysterious group was powerful with vast resources and planned to take over the world. Of course, only conspiracy theory nuts believed him. Everyone thought he was mad with grief. He practiced black magic in secret to protect himself and to plot revenge against these people who I believe are the Valituras.”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking. What a tragedy.”

  “Unfortunately, the time came when one of his curses backfired and he was killed,” Ben explained.

  “The house and I have an understanding. It’s not going to hurt me,” Josephine advised.

  “I’m glad to hear that.”

  “How do you know so much about the house anyway?”

  “I’ve lived in this area most of my life and it was major news for quite awhile.”

  Josephine’s thoughts went back to the secret room. Maybe the reason she couldn’t break through the ward stemmed from the fact that it was comprised of white magic. She suspected Mark was a practitioner but he’d never mentioned this to her. It made her wonder.

  “Is it possible to use white magic and not know it?” Josephine asked.

  “I wouldn’t think so. Why?”

  “I had a friend once and our conversation about Arabella made me think of him,” she fibbed.

  “That’s interesting. What’s your friend’s name?”

  Alarm flooded through Josephine. She should have known better than to talk about her personal life with her boss.

  “His name was Tim. I haven’t spoken to him in years,” Josephine lied smoothly. Her heart raced wildly and she hoped he wouldn’t dig further. Revealing Mark’s ability if he was indeed gifted in this area seemed like a betrayal. “Do we have much information about the amnesia spell? Any theories on how it can be countered?”

  “There are some detailed reports on site. You can take a look at them once we arrive. There are a lot of theories but you have to be an expert in mental healing magic to understand them.”

  “That means it will all be Greek to me,” Josephine said. “What else do we know in general about the Valituras? Why haven’t we captured more of them?”

  “Because of the way they’re split up into teams. Each team has between five and twelve members. Only the representative of each group knows who members are outside of their unit and even then their knowledge is extremely limited. They have areas split up into what they call territories that comprise one to three states where there is an administrator in charge. No one knows for sure how many teams there are in each of these territories but I’m guessing a lot. Lorcan knew some of the other representatives and his territory administrator but not where they live and they usually don’t even tell each other their real names.”

  “This guys are paranoid,” Josephine remarked.

  “It’s really smart, too. It prevented us from uncovering the identity of most of the Valituras agents that Lorcan could contact.”

  “How do they communicate?” Josephine asked.

  “For the most part, they use prepaid phones. If we could get our hands on an administrator, we would have access to so much more information. The Valituras would be completely exposed to us. Unfortunately, it’s next to impossible. Only a few select representatives can contact their administrator and that’s with a specialized messaging stone that signals they’re requesting a face to face meeting.”

  “They’ve really got a complicated system for eluding exposure,” she observed.

  “We’ve never known this much about the Valituras before. I want to destroy that organization and place all of their members behind bars before they can go deeper into hiding,” Ben said.

  When they arrived at the maximum security corrections facility, Josephine’s anxiety mounted once again. She wasn’t sure she was cut out for this kind of work. A dark, malevolent energy permeated the prison walls and emanated in the atmosphere in a constant choking wave. Of course, Josephine knew the sensation wasn’t real but it felt like her lungs were struggling for air. As she and Ben walked deeper through the corridors, he threw an assessing glance at her.

  “Are you okay?” his voice rumbled with concern.

  Josephine’s lips twitched in a nervous smile. “This place feels evil. It’s all the residue that’s collected over the years from the prisoners.”

  “Will you be able to work effectively?” Ben asked.

  “I’m not sure. It’s very distracting,” Josephine admitted. “And it might inhibit my ability.”

  The two of them were escorted by a corrections officer named Andrew. He was average height with a short-cropped brown hair and green eyes. A no-nonsense expression dominated his face at all times and he never attempted to engage in idle c
hit chat. The entire walk through the facility was marked by a tense silence. When they reached a third security checkpoint with another guard ensconced in a small but secure room, Josephine wondered how much farther their trek would take them into this prison. The new guard checked their visitor badges with care then buzzed them in. Andrew stepped through the door first. Ben opened the door for Josephine and she smiled her thanks. They took a couple more turns until Andrew stopped in front of a metal door with a sturdy window like most of the other cells.

  “This is where we’re keeping Lorcan.” Andrew checked the window to make sure the room was still secure.

  Lorcan was sitting on a cot with his back leaning against the wall. He stared off into space with an almost palpable misery. He wore an orange jumpsuit as well as an enchanted bracelet that suppressed all magical ability. A toilet and a small sink were positioned in the far corner of the small room offering no privacy whatsoever. Josephine felt a spark of satisfaction that the man who’d caused her so much grief was suffering for a change. Andrew withdrew a stun gun and kept it ready as he unlocked the door. He positioned himself near the doorway as Ben and Josephine entered the room. Lorcan’s gaze flitted between the two of them without recognition. Josephine and Ben sat beside each other on the other cot facing Lorcan.

  “What do you want?” Lorcan watched them with wary anticipation.

  “We’re here to reverse the amnesia spell,” Ben replied.

  Lorcan snorted with derision. “Good luck with that.”

  Josephine didn’t bother to retort as verbal sparring wouldn’t do an ounce of good. She began the scan on him to detect any enchantments. After awhile, she found it embedded deep in his mind. It was complex and powerful and began to shift and change its outer appearance so it would fade into the background as soon as it realized it was being studied. Josephine withdrew her mind just a bit and made her scan less invasive. Immediately, the enchantment relaxed as it was under the impression she’d left. It would take longer for her to examine the spell this way but at least it wouldn’t slither out of sight.

  Josephine sensed the attention of both Ben and Lorcan combined with the loathsome slimy dark psychometric energy of the prison weighing against her. She ignored the intrusion as best she could but it really did hinder her performance. Time dragged by as Josephine continued to study the components of the amnesia spell. She’d never seen anything like it and couldn’t begin to guess how it operated. She had techniques that she used on other types of enchantments such as wards but suspected they wouldn’t be effective here. Josephine was just about to try her first attempt at weakening it when the alarms blared shrilly, snapping her attention to her immediate surroundings and away from Lorcan.

  Ben stood up and pulled out a mini wand. His gaze flitted through the room then landed on Andrew who looked confused by the alarms. Josephine rose to her feet and pulled out one of her uber telekinetic wands.

  “What’s going on?” Ben asked.

  “I don’t know.” Andrew’s alert gaze took stock of his surroundings as he pulled out his cell phone and sent a text inquiry. His attention swung back to Ben. “There’s some kind of mass knockout spell taking over the entire facility. It’s like red smoke.”

  “It’s the Valituras,” Josephine said with panic. “They’re freeing the prisoners.”

  “Not if I can help it,” Ben rumbled.

  Josephine could detect a powerful spell on the fringe of her awareness. It was about forty feet away. An instant later, she could sense it surrounding them from all sides. It had to be an unknown Valituras weapon which meant she was probably their only hope of neutralizing the threat. Josephine reached out with her mind and began to scan its energy composition. It was approaching fast so there wasn’t much time. Through the small window at the door, the enchantment came into view. Its physical appearance resembled a thick red smoke lit with occasional sparks of angry red luminescence. The red smoke covered the floor as it rushed down the hall then began to rise to fill up the space. Ben and Andrew stared at the window with horrified expressions on their faces while holding their wands out as well as the stun gun as if that would do any good.

  Red smoke seeped through the microscopic cracks at the edge of the door. Ben and Andrew retreated to the center of the room as they watched the enchantment force its way inside. The smoke drifted down to the floor and formed a thin layer as it slowly spread out towards them.

  “Josephine?” Ben prompted.

  “I’m trying to find a weakness.” Josephine backed away to give herself more time.

  Andrew and Ben followed her lead. Lorcan stood up to join them but Andrew pointed his stun gun in warning. Lorcan remained at his current position in front of the cot as the red smoke reached farther into the room.

  “Don’t let it touch you. It will knock you out on contact. It will slip right through your shields so don’t think you can enter it for any length of time,” Josephine warned.

  Lorcan stepped away from the enchantment which had almost reached his feet. He backed towards them.

  “Stop where you are or I’ll stun you,” Andrew warned.

  “But it’s going to reach me!” Lorcan cried out.

  Lorcan stepped up onto his cot but the smoke slithered over it. Lorcan made a panicked sound as he planted himself against the wall to keep away from it. The smoke continued to push closer. A tendril of it reached out and slithered over his left ankle. An instant later, Lorcan collapsed onto the cot and rolled onto the floor in an unconscious heap. Soon, his body was obscured by the red smoke as it traveled closer to Josephine, Ben, and Andrew. It was only a couple feet away now and would reach them in less than a moment.

  “If you have a plan, now’s the time,” Ben warned.

  Josephine didn’t acknowledge him verbally as she reached out with her mind to a point in the matrix of the spell and twisted it in an attempt to make it fall apart. The patterns of the enchantment compensated by creating new threads of energy for support in case the one she attacked failed. Josephine heaved a frustrated sigh. The smoke continued to slither closer and was only a foot away now. She had seconds to figure this out. Josephine could sense that it wasn’t stable because it grew and mutated too quickly. It was designed to incapacitate its victims quickly but not necessarily remain active for long after that. Josephine put her wand away and created a thin and tight dampening field around the three of them. The red smoke reached the invisible barrier and began to rise in the room.

  “How long can you keep it out?” Ben asked.

  “Just a moment or two,” Josephine said. “If you and Andrew can reinforce the dampening field, it can help me with my plan.”

  “We’ll do our best,” Ben rumbled.

  Josephine felt their meager magic strengthening the protection she’d summoned that was swiftly failing. Her hunch about gaining just a little more time had been correct so hopefully her other idea would work as well. Josephine’s heart raced as adrenaline coursed through her body at the idea of becoming a Valituras prisoner. She knew they would capture her if she was knocked out and then it would be over for her. Josephine flooded the knockout enchantment with massive power that made it grow faster. The room filled up with the red smoke in seconds and billowed wildly against the dampening field which was threatening to collapse now.

  “Whatever you’re doing, it’s having the opposite effect,” Andrew warned.

  He didn’t realize what she was trying to do. Josephine couldn’t explain because she was out of time. Their dampening field waned and threatened to collapse at any second. Josephine continued to dump massive amounts of power into the enchantment, forcing it to expand. She knew it was probably growing outside of the prison now, hungrily reaching out to more victims. Hopefully, it was just knocking them out and not doing something worse. Josephine’s body trembled as she strained against the enchantment. The dampening field dissipated and the red smoke rushed over them. Josephine’s skin stung as red energy sparked over her but she remained conscious. She glanced
at Ben and Andrew who were barely discernable in the thick smoke and could see they remained awake and standing beside her. Josephine felt her mind become sluggish as the knockout spell pushed against her. She tried to summon a thin dampening field against her body but failed. She was just too exhausted. Josephine leaned against the wall for support.

  She wasn’t sure how long she stood here like this but after awhile, she realized the red smoke was thinning and she could start to make out details of the cell again. Her mind was becoming more alert and her body was regaining its strength. Ben and Andrew were doing better and had managed to keep awake as well. Lorcan was crumpled on the floor unconscious still.

  “Good work, Josephine,” Ben congratulated her.

  “Thank you, sir.”

  The red smoke dissipated completely and the three of them stood over the sleeping prisoner. Someone approached them from the hallway dressed in jeans and a black shirt. As he drew closer, they could see he had a wand clutched in each hand and a satchel clipped to his belt containing more. He was tall and muscular with black hair, blue eyes, and a thick beard.

  “Who are you?” Andrew demanded.

  “I’m here for the prisoner,” the man said.

  “I’m not letting you free him,” Ben said.

  “You don’t have a choice in the matter.” The man strode forward with determination.

  Ben and Andrew opened fire with powerful bursts of energy from their wands which raked over the attacker’s shields. He didn’t bother to fire back. Josephine unleashed a stream of telekinetic energy from her own wand but could sense the shields remained strong. It would take time to take it down. Ben, Andrew, and Josephine activated their own protection as he approached. They formed a blockade in front of the stranger but he continued walking as though he intended to walk right through them. The three of them continued blasting at his shields. He drew closer and was only seconds away. Even though there were three against one and he hadn’t even lifted a finger to strike out yet, Josephine’s anxiety mounted because his protection was still solid and unwavering. The stranger rammed right into them. Their shields flared into visibility as spheres of silvery light. Josephine, Ben, and Andrew were shoved to the side while the stranger managed to continue walking towards Lorcan.