by John O'Riley
“I see.” Josephine was still reeling over the marriage remark. She decided to let that subject go.
“Dad, I think you should reconsider. This is white magic we’re talking about! Mark’s forsaken our family name! Virtually all of our spells are beyond his ability now!” Maggie said with passionate fervor.
“He’s only a category four. He would never be able to master our advanced spells. I should have realized something was wrong when he was able to make those antidotes for Nathan so well. Those enchantments were far beyond his ability without years of practice first. I’m partly to blame for not recognizing this weakness and stamping it out when I could,” Cyril said.
“There are plenty of fours in our family,” Maggie argued. “You don’t see THEM wasting their lives.”
“But they’re limited with only a handful of advanced enchantments anyway. There’s not much of a difference.”
“But it’s against the rules!” Maggie’s eyes blazed with fury and indignation. “I can’t allow this!”
“I’m the clan leader – not you,” Cyril said.
“Do you think you might change that rule about white magic?” Mark asked hopefully.
“I wouldn’t hold my breath.” Cyril cast another disappointed look at his son.
“Don’t you think the ability to create antidotes for curses is valuable?” Josephine chimed in as she wanted to emphasize that Mark’s contributions were worthwhile and important.
“Not particularly since there is only a slight chance that any curse is reversed no matter how strong the antidote is,” Cyril replied.
“The praesentia infinitus is extremely effective,” Josephine argued.
Cyril’s expression turned scandalous. “That’s not a cure. It’s a death sentence.”
“I disagree.” Josephine felt shaken by his words as they closely mirrored her own fears. She could see why Mark and Nathan avoided their family. “And I was wondering how Maggie found out Mark was a white magic practitioner. She must have been spying on him. Is this the type of behavior you encourage, Cyril?”
“She was just protecting our legacy. I commend her for her diligence in this matter,” he said.
Josephine was nauseated by Cyril’s attitude. She opened her mouth to argue but her phone chimed which indicated a text message. Josephine frowned with puzzlement as she pulled her cell out to read it. Adrenaline pumped through her body as the message came up from the Florida state AMDS advising her that one or more dark energy devices had been detected near the Siesta Key beach.
“It looks like Lorcan’s making his move.” Josephine tucked the phone back into her pants pocket. She rushed to the foyer and halted when she realized Mark and Jake had followed her. “I’m going alone. This is OC enforcer business.”
“It’s also a police matter,” Jake said with the utmost conviction.
Josephine glared at Mark. “YOU are staying.”
“I love you, Josephine. I’m going.”
“It’s too dangerous.”
“I’m practically invincible when my protection is active.” Mark activated one of the protection pendants and a radiant bubble of white light flared into existence around him.
“All right! I don’t have time to argue! Lorcan could be ending the world or something for all we know,” Josephine said with exasperation.
She threw open the door just as Maggie and Cyril emerged in the foyer.
“We will accompany you,” Cyril said imperiously.
Josephine rolled her eyes with exasperation and they rushed outside in the dark. It was well after nightfall but still humid and hot. They boarded Josephine’s car and she drove them over to the beach. She tapped into the power vortex and stretched her awareness over the area. She located Lorcan almost immediately. As the group left the car behind, they activated their protection enchantments. It took a few minutes for them to run over to the spot where the dark wizard waited. Josephine was far ahead of the rest of the group by the time Lorcan was in sight. Lorcan held a large stone tablet with engraved runes that glowed an eerie crimson.
“Stop right there or I’ll kill everyone in Florida,” Lorcan snarled.
Josephine halted but couldn’t believe such a devastating weapon existed. She decided it would be prudent to error on the side of caution in this instance considering the crazed expression on Lorcan’s face.
“You don’t have to do this,” Josephine said.
“Are you willing to sacrifice yourself to me?”
“Yes.” Josephine took a step closer and deactivated her protective pendants.
Lorcan laughed boisterously and the runes on the tablet shone brighter, casting a disturbing shade of red over his face.
“What’s so funny?” Josephine asked.
“You’re going to die anyway. This curse is unstoppable and will send a shockwave that will stop the hearts of everyone here as well as a quarter of the country.” Lorcan tossed the stone tablet which floated languidly towards the edge of the vortex which became visible as an enormous swirling matrix of blue and green. Josephine brought her protection back up as she aimed her wand at the tablet and tried to pull it away from the vortex. Unfortunately, her wand had absolutely no effect on the device. It continued to drift closer to its target. Angry swirls of red began to appear within the vortex.
“It’s programmed to withstand any attack once it’s activated,” Lorcan said.
With her expanded awareness, Josephine perceived a connection of power between the weapon and the vortex. She tried to sever the link but it was secure. The stone tablet was only seconds away from its target now. More of the angry crimson energy erupted from the vortex, swiftly becoming the dominant color. Maggie, Mark, Jake, and Cyril struggled with telekinetic spells to yank the stone tablet towards them but nothing made a difference. The vortex was comprised entirely of volatile red energy now that churned restlessly as a dark spell began to coalesce. A short distance behind Lorcan, Ellasbeth and Samantha materialized as their invisibility spell dropped away. They both wore elegant white dresses. Ellasbeth brandished a large white wand with a large crystal on the end while Samantha wielded a large gold chalice with intricate designs woven into the handles and across the surface. Ellasbeth pointed her wand and a ball of sparkling white light gathered at the tip and launched itself into the air. It reminded Josephine of a shooting star as it soared past Lorcan and struck the tablet, engulfing it in a tight cocoon of sparkling white light. The vortex began to revert back to its normal state and the runes in the stone device went dark.
Lorcan shouted with rage and ran toward his weapon. He reached out to grab it but his hand was repelled by the white energy.
“We always come prepared with containment fields,” Ellasbeth announced.
“You must be Puritans,” Cyril said.
“Indeed,” Ellasbeth acknowledged as the stone tablet drifted over to her. The containment field winked out of existence as her fingers closed over the weapon. Lorcan opened one of the satchels tied to his belt and four daggers lifted into the air. Ellasbeth shot four more white energy spheres at Lorcan but his shield repelled them. Lorcan moved closer to the vortex as he pulled out another stone tablet.
“You’re not going to stop me this time,” he vowed.
The daggers hurtled from him in four different directions. Two of them rammed into Ellasbeth’s and Samantha’s shields. As the daggers fell against the white sandy ground, Ellasbeth deactivated them with her wand and confiscated them for safekeeping. The other two daggers rammed into Josephine’s shield. She shot an envious look at Ellasbeth’s wand and wished she had one of those enchantments. Josephine ran towards Lorcan as she ignored the fallen knives completely. There was no way to stop them without wasting too much valuable time. Hopefully, the others would work on that problem. Josephine ran into the vortex as Lorcan activated his stone tablet. Seething red energy blossomed throughout the huge vortex. Josephine walked farther into the shallow water so she was deeper inside it and directed calm soothing energy int
o its depths. The runes flared a bright crimson as Lorcan and the tablet were both inside the vortex as well as Josephine.
“You can’t stop this,” Lorcan raged.
“Keep telling yourself that, Toadstool,” Josephine taunted.
The two active daggers hurtled past Lorcan and stabbed at her shield. They bounced away and dropped into the lapping shallow water near her feet. Lorcan glared at her as his grip on the stone tablet tightened. Josephine realized she was actually winning this struggle with the weapon. The vortex contained flecks of crimson energy but the various shades of blue and green comprised the majority of it. Lorcan narrowed his eyes vengefully at her then his gaze dropped down to the tablet and he concentrated on amplifying its connection to the vortex. Josephine and Lorcan continued their struggle but she still had the upper hand. Lorcan’s shield flared into visibility as the others blasted him with various spells. Josephine’s head and body began to ache with the strain of energy that she continued to channel. As her strength waned, more of the red blobs of destructive energy materialized within the vortex. Lorcan’s shield wavered and he immediately activated his backup. Cyril, Mark, Maggie, and Jake continued to pummel him with lightning and telekinetic waves. Mark had been forced to revert to conventional protection so he could help with the attack. Ellasbeth and Samantha watched the fight with reserved expressions on their faces.
Josephine struggled to maintain control but most of the vortex was dominated by the destructive red energy again. Lorcan’s shield failed and he was knocked unconscious. He fell facedown in the water while the tablet remained suspended in the air. Josephine ran over to it and grabbed the loathsome device. She deactivated the enchantment and the runes darkened. The vortex calmed down and Josephine’s shoulders sagged with relief. She was tempted to ignore Lorcan and let him drown but in the end, she just couldn’t do it. Josephine hauled him over to the sand and lay him on his back. She placed a call to the police and briefly outlined what had just occurred. Josephine slipped the phone back into her pocket as Ellasbeth and Samantha approached the vortex.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Josephine snapped.
The two Puritans halted and turned to face her.
“We’ve been preparing this enchantment for many years. It’s finally ready.” Samantha held the chalice out to show them as it began to radiate with a gold, shimmering luminescence.
“Put that thing away or I’ll destroy it,” Josephine said.
“We’re stronger than Lorcan. You won’t stand a chance,” Ellasbeth said. “But I don’t want to fight you, Josephine. This is white magic.”
“No, it’s not. I can sense its magical composition very clearly. If it was made of source energy, I wouldn’t be able to see any details,” Josephine said.
“It’s not pure white energy but it’s very advanced and it’s going to make this world a utopia. Puritans have always striven to use magic to eradicate all darkness from this world and to create ultimate bliss and harmony for everyone,” Ellasbeth said.
“I’m not letting anything that powerful anywhere near a vortex.” Josephine pinned them with a no-nonsense look of resolve and authority. “If you try to activate it, I’ll have to arrest you.”
“Arrest us?” Ellasbeth eyed her with outrage and indignation. “We’re trying to HELP you!”
“The description you’re giving me about that enchantment is like a curse. It will be used as a tool to control everyone even if that’s not your intention.”
Ellasbeth and Samantha exchanged concerned looks then directed their attention back to her.
“On second thought, this device could use some more work. There are a few possible bugs in the composition of this enchantment that I’d like to examine more closely and fix before we proceed with our plans,” Ellasbeth said.
The two women turned and walked away from Josephine and the vortex. A moment later, they became transparent for several seconds before vanishing from sight as they cloaked themselves with invisibility. Josephine continued to scan the area and monitor their departure. When Ellasbeth and Samantha boarded their car and drove away, she allowed herself to relax just a bit.
“Puritans are such pond scum,” Cyril said with disgust.
Josephine shot him a questioning look. “Do you think they could really cast an enchantment over the entire world?”
“Of course not. It probably would have just knocked out a few hundred people in the area,” Cyril said.
Chapter 24
Josephine returned to the dining room with her second mug of coffee and sat down at the table beside Mark. Nathan, Alice, and Helen lounged with their own steaming cups of java. Josephine was relieved that her life had finally settled down with the capture of Lorcan. Once again, the dark wizard had developed amnesia. The prison was equipped with greater security and magic than ever before. The Valituras must realize it wouldn’t be so easy to spring Lorcan out of jail because they hadn’t even made an attempt in over a week. Many experts in psychiatric enchantments speculated that it probably wasn’t possible to fully reverse the amnesia spell a second time so the Valituras most likely felt Lorcan was no longer a threat to their security. A couple days ago, the old laws restricting the magic that category six wizards could perform was overturned which gave them the same rights as everyone else.
Josephine was overjoyed because she no longer had to worry about Helen getting caught tapping into a vortex. It also meant that if Josephine ever retired again, she could legally do the same. She was absolutely ecstatic over this recent turn of events. Josephine found herself the recipient of good wishes, unwanted conversations with strangers, and requests for her autograph as the news had made it sound as though she’d single-handedly defeated Lorcan. Josephine realized she should bask in the glory of this celebrity status but suspected it would be short-lived. Besides, she was entirely too old for all this excitement. Josephine abruptly realized everyone was staring at her. She set her mug of coffee down then her eyes rested on the cards she placed face down on the table before she left for a refill on her drink.
“It’s my turn isn’t it?” Josephine asked.
“Yes!” Alice said.
“Sorry.” Josephine picked a card from the deck and frowned at her hand. Unfortunately, she still had two aces and the deck had dwindled down to almost nothing which meant someone else had her other two. “All right, who has the damned aces?”
“Aha! You’re hoarding two of them! I knew it!” Alice crowed.
Mark and Nathan exchanged amused looks. Josephine chose a card to get rid of and slapped it down on the table with disgust. Mark took his turn next without playing anything. Alice hesitated as she reached for the discards. Josephine’s eyes widened with panic.
“Don’t you dare!” she exclaimed.
Alice picked up the entire row of discards starting with the king of spades.
“Damn!” Josephine slammed the palm of her hand against the table. “I knew I should have held onto that king awhile longer.”
Alice played four kings as her lips twitched to form a smile of satisfaction. Josephine’s cell rang and she gazed at the screen to see it was from the Seattle police department. She cocked a brow in bemusement then pressed the phone against her ear as she answered.
“Josephine O’Connor,” she said in a crisp, business-like voice.
“Ms. O’Connor, this is Captain Patrick Finnigan with the Seattle police department. I would like to offer you a job as an enforcer here. I could start you at one hundred eighty-thousand and we would provide you with a company car plus quarterly bonuses.”
“That’s an enticing offer, Captain,” Josephine said. “Why would you give me a position there when we haven’t even met?”
“Your reputation precedes you. You’re already working for the government so I’ve read all your files and reports. You’d be a great asset here. I can give you a couple of days to think it over,” he said.
“I don’t need that much time. I’m sorry but the answer is no.”
“I’ve visited friends in Seattle and even spent a month there once. It’s always gloomy and rainy. And whenever you guys get more than a couple of days of sun, everyone gets cranky and starts whining about the heat. It would just be too depressing. I could never do it,” Josephine explained.
“If you ever change your mind and another opening comes up, don’t hesitate to give me a call,” Patrick said.
“I’ll do that.”
Josephine ended the call then realized she may have offended Mark and Nathan who were former Seattlelites.
“Sorry about that. You two have never complained about the heat,” she said.
“That’s okay. It’s pretty much true what you said,” Mark replied.
“I’m glad I don’t have to worry about you taking off,” Helen said.
“I consider you all to be very close friends and I’ve always said that friends are the family we choose. I’m not about to leave my family behind for some stupid job,” Josephine said.
“I’ll drink to that.” Alice raised her mug and everyone took her lead. They tapped their mugs together and took another gulp of their coffee.
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Author’s Note
I hope you had as much fun reading the adventures of Josephine and her friends as I did writing about them. I have more plot twists and surprises up my sleeve for the upcoming books. Readers have the power to keep a series going by making their voices heard. If you liked the story, I hope you will take just a brief moment to leave a review – even just a short one or a rating. It really does help to let other readers know that you liked the book.
The following pages are a preview of the next installment of the Grumpy Old Wizard series,
Dark Energy.