by Rain Oxford
I doubt it, she thought, nodding anyway. I didn’t need to wonder what would get better; I knew that promise well.
* * *
The vision changed to Miranda hiding in her closet. The door opened to show her mother with a bloody lip. “Why did they hurt you?”
“Because they aren’t nice people. Don’t worry, baby, they don’t know about you. Come on out now.”
Miranda shook her head. “They always come back.”
“I know what can help. I told you my brother is a priest, right?” she asked, sitting down in the closet doorway.
I saw the efficiency apartment past her mother. There were two mattresses on the floor, a chipped coffee table, and a kitchenette to the right. I assumed the bathroom was on the same wall as the closet, so I didn’t see it.
Miranda nodded. “Well, right before we were separated as kids, he gave me this ball.” She pulled the familiar red foam ball out of her pocket. “This ball led me back to him when I was eighteen.”
“I thought you found him because of me,” Miranda said.
“I needed his help to take care of you, but I used this ball to find him.”
“How?”
“It’s magic. Whenever the strangers come over, hold this ball and pray, just like you’re making a wish. An angel will protect you.”
“Why doesn’t it protect you?”
“Angels don’t like me anymore, baby. You know I have to do some bad things so that we can have a home and food.” She ran her fingers through Miranda’s hair. “That’s why the strangers come over. Someday, we’ll have a huge house with a big backyard and a dog. Don’t worry about me.”
Miranda took the ball.
* * *
The scene changed. Once again, Miranda was hiding in the closet. I heard her mother being slapped and hitting the ground. Miranda wanted to scream and cry, but instead she closed her eyes, cupped her hands around the ball, and prayed. When she opened her eyes, she was in a dark alleyway, and the only other person was Langril.
Of course, she didn’t know who he was or where she was, only that her mother said the ball would draw angels to help her. This is what she told herself. Her mother said the ball would save her, and now she wasn’t hiding in that closet.
She ducked behind a bush when she saw shadows move on the ground around him. She didn’t know what it was, but it made her skin crawl. Part of the alley was becoming overgrown, which Miranda didn’t consider odd.
I did. There was no sunlight, so why were plants growing so well?
After a few moments, Miranda’s curiosity overcame her fear and she took a step forward. Langril turned to her and grinned. “Come on out, Miranda.”
She did, hesitantly, and whispered, “How do you know my name?”
I knew there was no reason for my instincts to warn me of danger since this was someone else’s memory, but I was still surprised to feel no sense of danger at all, as if he would never hurt Miranda.
“Oh, you are so far from home, Miranda Anne. You must have accidentally followed me back here. Would you like me to take you home?” She really didn’t want to go, but she was afraid of getting in trouble if her mother found her missing. She nodded hesitantly and he reached for her hand.
* * *
I felt that a few years had passed. Miranda was still a little girl, not yet in her teens, and hiding in the closet again. This time, she pressed the ball to her chest and wished for it to stop. She didn’t care if it meant she would never see her mother again, as long as she didn’t have to hear her mother screaming every other night.
But this night was different, and when it fell silent, she didn’t feel relief. The door was thrown open and a large man stood over her. He grabbed her by the hair and pulled her up. She started screaming, so he smacked her across the face. Burning pain stunned her, as she had never been struck like that before.
“Shut up, you little shit!” he demanded. Miranda didn’t get a good look at the man before he turned her to face her mother, who was lying on the floor with a busted lip. “If you ever want to see your kid again, you’ll bring the money tomorrow night.”
Miranda’s mother cried and reached for her daughter, but the man threw Miranda over his shoulder and stomped out of the house. After throwing her harshly into his pickup, he blindfolded her. The trip was rough as every bump tossed her around. My first instinct was to map out left and right turns, road conditions, and stops. My second instinct was to use my magic to control the man’s mind. Then I remembered that this was a memory and the man was probably long-since dead.
She was dragged out of the truck and into the basement, where she was left alone in the dark. At some point, she had sprained her ankle, so walking was agony. Miranda cried for hours before there was nothing left in her. She had cried so much in fear for her mother because her mother never cried for herself.
Miranda pulled the red ball out of her pocket, pressed it to her chest, and prayed. When she felt a presence in the room, she cried again, both in pain and relief. A ball of fire appeared in the middle of the basement, illuminating Langril’s confused face.
“This is not where I meant to end up. What did you do?”
“I need help,” Miranda whimpered.
The confusion vanished so fast I almost doubted it was ever there. “I see. Your mother is involved with some bad people, and now they’ve got you. I can help you. I can make sure you and your mother live a very happy life.”
“How?”
“Magic. But I will warn you that all magic comes at a price.”
“I’ll pay it, whatever it is. Please help me.”
“What are you offering?” he asked.
She held up the red foam ball. “You can have this.”
He smirked as if amused. “That’s just a ball.”
“This is the most important ball in the world. It keeps me safe. Mom said that every time someone wanted to hurt me, I just had to hold this and make a wish. She said an angel would hear my wish and protect me. I’ve seen it work.”
“You have, have you? If it worked so well, why do you need my help?”
“It brought you to me. You’re the only one who can help me now.”
His expression honestly softened. He knelt to look her in the eyes and cupped his hand over hers with the ball between them. “You’re right. That is a pretty important and magical item. I’ll tell you what. Keep it. I will do this for you and protect you from every monster. In a few years, when you’re all grown up and you’ve forgotten this, you’ll look into a mirror, see me, and remember everything. And you’ll remember that you owe me something. The next day, I’ll return and ask you to do something for me. I’ll ask you, not demand it, but you’ll do it anyway no matter what it is. Right?”
She nodded. “I’ll do anything.”
He grinned cruelly, snapped his fingers, and vanished. Suddenly, she heard the sound of police sirens.
* * *
Many years passed. I didn’t see this progression myself, thankfully, because that would have been a really long vision. Instead, I saw the change in her thoughts. From that day, everything in her life turned around. She was rescued and returned to her mother, she got counseling, and her mother got a real job. Every time something horrible was about to happen, from car accidents to financial struggles, something else would prevent it. Her mother said she had a guardian angel looking after her. She believed it.
Miranda was twenty and living a happy life as a teacher in a very small Georgia town. She was getting ready for work one morning, shut the medicine cabinet, and saw Langril in the mirror. Instead of being surprised, she smiled. “I never forgot.” She turned, but he was gone.
All day long, Langril was the only thing she could think of. She was finally going to see her angel again. She really looked forward to giving him what he wanted. Whatever it was, she believed that it would be worth the life he gave her.
Then she woke in the morning filled with excitement… and waited all day. By the time she went t
o sleep, she had convinced herself she hadn’t seen him. She was miserable, but not for long. She woke in the middle of the night to his lips on hers. “I’m glad you never forgot me,” he said quietly.
“You were there for me every day of my life.”
“Then you are satisfied that I held up my end of the deal?”
“Yes. A thousand times over, yes. What is it you want from me?”
“I need something very special from you, something you can only give once, and it has to be of your own volition.”
There was hope in her eyes. “My… virginity? I thought it might be that, so I… you know… protected it.”
He grinned. “Oh, you are a sweet, innocent thing. I would love to take your virginity, but what I really need is your soul. You see, blood magic is amateur. I need a sacrifice much more powerful than just a mere body for what I have in mind. The only difficult part of this spell I’m doing is that the soul has to be willingly offered.”
“You want me to die?”
“Of course not,” he laughed. “I would never dream of that! You should have a long and lovely life. I would only get your soul when you die. Think of it like this; you continue living the dream until the rest of your time is up.” He stroked her hair back intimately. “Once your life is over, your soul comes to me. It would be like a second, eternal life for you. Your soul will become pure magic for me and only me to use. You would be making me stronger for the rest of eternity and you would never feel a difference.”
“So I would be with you for eternity?”
“With my heart, at least. I don’t fancy staying home all day.”
“Why do you need my soul?”
“Well, that’s actually not what I need. The act of offering your pure soul to me is what I need. The reason is that I am going to do a very powerful spell which will protect my heart against a very nasty threat.”
“So, basically… I’ll be saving you?” Miranda asked.
Langril smiled fondly. “Yes.”
“I’ll do it.”
* * *
Once again, I was pulled out of the vision almost violently. For a few minutes, I had no idea why I was on the floor in the infirmary with Vincent, Dr. Martin, Darwin, and Henry. “What happened?”
“Your vision was too long,” Darwin said.
Dr. Martin held up a thermometer and I realized I was covered in sweat again. Only then did I remember why I was there. I decided not to mention the momentary amnesia.
“Did you find out anything?” Vincent asked.
I shook my head. “I learned some stuff about Miranda, but nothing about where Langril’s heart is.”
Vincent cursed and vanished into the shadows.
Chapter 14
“Miranda is beginning to fade. Is there anything else you would like to ask her?” Dr. Martin asked.
“Ask her if she’s happy or if she regrets the deal.”
He paused to listen. “She says yes.”
“Yes, she’s happy, or yes, she regrets the deal?”
She vanished, the candles went out, and the room lit with light from an unseen source. The “blood” hardened and darkened into black wax. The ball seemed to float to the top as the substance solidified. I picked up the ball, which had no waxy residue on it.
“What did you learn about Miranda?” Darwin asked, handing me my ring.
“Let’s go see if Remy has found her attacker and I’ll explain on the way.”
“Remy’s attacker?” Dr. Martin asked. “The headmaster’s daughter was attacked?” He didn’t know the woman as well as the other professors because she was born during his thirty-year disappearance. His disappearance was caused by another professor’s plot to take over the school.
“Yes, one of the wizards attacked her.”
“In Logan Hunt’s school? I’m shocked anyone in the paranormal world is that foolish. Logan may not be the most powerful wizard in the world, but when angered, the man is like a Doberman.”
“He doesn’t seem the type,” Darwin said.
“Rosin is very careful to prevent Logan from reaching that point. The only one I know who can always get under Logan’s skin is Keigan.”
“He must be happy the professor is gone.”
“Quite the opposite. They hate each other, but they’re also friends. They’ll fight each other in times of peace, but when a common enemy arose, they have always put aside their differences and fought on the same side. That is, until Logan became obsessed with the key. Since the fourth key became available, they both changed. Then Rosin started dating Logan’s daughter, and the tension is palpable. Logan is a very difficult man to get along with and he needs a balance of friends, friends/enemies, and enemies. People like Logan want progress in the world, but don’t actually like change, and three very important people in his life have completely changed. I’m afraid that the university may not last that much longer.”
“What about the children’s school and orphanage?”
“They would be passed down to someone else and probably relocated to Europe. The university, however, has only lasted this long because of Logan.”
“But I like this school,” Darwin said. “What do we have to do to fix it?”
“I wish I knew,” Dr. Martin said before turning back to fiddle with some potions.
Darwin, Henry, and I left. Deep in thought, we reached the ground floor in silence before I realized I hadn’t told them about Miranda. On the way to Remy’s office, I told them everything that happened in the vision.
Just as we reached Remy’s office, my instincts warned me of danger and Henry growled. “Someone is in there who shouldn’t be,” Henry said.
Darwin sighed. I tried the knob, found it was locked, and sent a burst of energy through it. Unfortunately, the energy rebounded violently and zapped my hand. “Shit.”
“You didn’t think Remington Hunt’s office would have a ward in place against breaking and entering?” Darwin asked.
“Well, you could have given me a warning if you expected that.”
“I didn’t expect you to do something stupid like that.”
At that point, Henry kicked the door. Magic ward or not, the door broke right off its hinges. The man inside jumped in surprise, then pulled a sword from the belt harness at his side. Although he hid it in a scabbard, I recognized the sinister red glow of the shadow walkers’ weapon. He held up his hand as if about to strike me, so I reacted instinctively.
I reached out with my magic. “Stop!” I demanded. Henry and Darwin shuddered as some of the residual magic affected them, but the shadow walker froze. I could feel the shock in his mind.
“Devon, that’s not the one who attacked Remington,” Henry said quietly. “He is, however, the one who searched your apartment.”
When he said that, I realized where else I had seen him. “You were the one who picked up that woman on the street.”
His eyes widened. “You saw me?”
“What did you do to her?”
“Nothing.”
“Tell the truth,” I demanded. Even I felt the weight of my magic crushing his willpower. This was a feeling I’m sure John basked in all the time.
“She’s my wife!” he exclaimed in obvious pain. I instantly let up on my power, not enough to let him go but enough to where he wasn’t suffering. “I’m her soul guard. She only wanted someone to love her and give her a normal life, so we’re married and have two kids.”
“And you love her?”
“Of course! It was required in the contract.”
“Then what’s your name and what are you doing here?”
“I’m Cathus. I’m here to stop the Shadow Master from getting the keys of the tower.”
“What the hell does that have to do with why you’re in Remington’s office?”
He winced subtly, as if ashamed. “I am looking for a way out. I was able to get in, but the wards around the school and even the room trapped me.”
“Put the sword away.” He did, and then s
topped struggling against my power. “You shouldn’t have even been able to get in. Why should I believe you?”
“You shouldn’t. I’ve told my wife a thousand times that you humans are far too trusting. If I thought for a split second that it would get me even an inch closer to my goal, I would lie, manipulate, or kill you. I learned that one of the shadow walkers managed to get inside and tried to kidnap Remington Hunt in order to get the key from Logan Hunt for the Shadow Master. I came to intercept the shadow walker, but I got stuck in here instead. Did he get her?”
“No, but if he got in once, I’m sure this isn’t the end.” I turned to Darwin. “Warn Hunt and Remy that it’s not a wizard but a shadow walker who attacked her.”
“That explains why you two couldn’t find him. I’m on it.” He took off running out the door.
I turned back to the shadow walker. “Why are you trying to help Remington?”
“I’m not. I’m trying to stop the Shadow Master from taking over this world. I spent my entire life trying to get out of Dothra, and now that I’m here, I don’t want him infecting this world with that darkness.”
I didn’t know if my mind powers could be tricked, but I couldn’t detect any lie in his words. I was pretty good at identifying when people were lying even without my powers. Furthermore, my instincts were telling me I wasn’t in any danger, so I let his mind go and he sighed with relief.
“Why were you in my apartment and why did you attack Regina?”
“I was not the one who attacked your wife; I was the one who stopped her attacker from going after Darwin next. I searched your apartment to find out if you had anything he could get ahold of and use against you. I thought he was after a magic staff you have, but I’ve also heard it was a sword, so I assumed it was a rumor. I do know we’re on the same side.”
“You think you can stop the shadow man?” I asked.
“No. I’m nowhere near powerful enough. I’m only trying to stop him until the true master returns to save us. He is the only one who can stop the Shadow Master.”