by John O'Riley
“You know that I’m not a cautious person,” Alice said carefully. “But I’ve seen firsthand what horrific things can happen to people when things like this go wrong. You could end up in a coma or go crazy or you could even die. Especially when Gary’s subconscious has a tendency to lash out.”
“He lashed out once. I’m a familiar face and his subconscious has been calling to me for help. I don’t think that will be a problem,” Josephine said.
“There’s no point in arguing with you about this,” Alice said.
“You’ve known me for years. I’m surprised you’ve tried talking me out of it for this long,” Josephine teased.
“I surrender.” Alice held her hands up in a placating gesture. “I’ll help you make the damned claro mentis enchantments. We can work on it tomorrow afternoon.”
“Good. Thank you.”
“You’re not welcome.” Alice strode for the front door and threw her an irritated look before leaving the condo.
Josephine locked the door and reactivated the security enchantments. She was certain that everything would turn out for the best.
Chapter 13
Josephine’s gaze dragged down to the copper bracelet on her left wrist once again as she tried to pay attention to the news on television. Alice had finished making the claro mentis enchantment early this morning right after their habitual coffee drinking. Josephine’s stomach tightened and restless energy made her unable to concentrate. Alice had warned her yet again that this was a dangerous procedure because she wasn’t trained in psychiatry. Alice was seldom cautious so her warning was unsettling. Josephine wanted to help Gary catch the serial killer who would strike again soon. Gary’s unconscious was warning him that his life was in danger. It stood to reason that Josephine would be the next target. She turned off the television and paced the room for a moment. She flinched when the telephone rang.
“Hello?” Josephine said.
“Hi, it’s Vickie. I was wondering if you would be willing to help me.”
“Help you?” Josephine said dully.
“Yes, I’m having a terrible time with my powers. I can’t do anything anymore.” Frustration tinged her words as she spoke in a rush.
“I’m not sure I’m qualified to train you on the use of magic,” Josephine said warily.
“No one’s willing to train me because I’m a category six now!” Vickie said. “I’ll pay you.”
“I’m not looking for money,” Josephine said.
“Can’t you help me? I’ve always been a category two but I’ve always been proficient with restoration spells. My career is in general repair work and I just can’t do it anymore. They’ve made me take two weeks off to rest. If I don’t find a way to get back to the way I was, I’ll lose my job. My life will be ruined,” Vickie said desperately.
“If you’re a category six, you may never regain your proficiency at restoration enchantments. I can certainly try to help but I can’t make any promises. You’re the first person that’s become a category six that wasn’t born that way except of course, for those who were hit by the shock wave during the Disaster,” Josephine said.
“Are you willing to help me regain control of my ability again?” Vickie asked.
“Okay. I’ll drive down to your house some time.”
“Could you come over tomorrow afternoon?” Vickie said.
“Okay,” Josephine said reluctantly. “How did you find out my phone number? I’m surprised the police would tell you.”
“I went down to the station and begged them for help. One of them finally gave it to me if I promised I wouldn’t tell who it was,” Vickie said sheepishly.
“I’ll bet it was Howie. He’s such a softie,” Josephine said. “Okay. I’ll stop by your house around one tomorrow.”
Vickie gave her directions to her house and thanked her profusely.
“Don’t thank me yet. I’m not sure I can help,” Josephine said.
“At least you’re trying. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
She waited anxiously for the evening when Gary would come. Alice’s dire warnings had made her edgy and she wanted to get the session with Gary finished. Josephine tensed when it finally came time for him to arrive. The doorbell rang and she went over to invite him inside. Gary walked stiffly into her living room and smiled nervously at her.
“We need to relax if this is going to have any chance of working,” Josephine said.
“I know,” Gary said.
“We’ll try to duplicate the relaxation process that Alice did yesterday,” Josephine said.
“That sounds like a plan.”
“Have a seat.” Josephine motioned to the couch.
Gary obediently sat down with his back straight and looking vigilant. Josephine instructed him to lean back and close his eyes, then she guided him through the relaxation exercise that Alice had given him last night. She knew she wasn’t doing as good a job but she didn’t have the experience that her friend had. Josephine was seated in the armchair facing Gary. She nervously eyed the copper bracelet secured to her wrist and hesitated before activating the claro mentis enchantment. Josephine took a deep breath and cast the spell. The bracelet immediately began radiating a soft golden luminescence and she felt herself connecting with Gary’s subconscious. It was a strange experience. She felt a smooth, glassy barricade and realized it was some sort of protection that his subconscious had erected to protect itself. Alice had warned her about this.
“Gary, you’re keeping me out,” Josephine said softly. “You have to relax and lower your guard.”
“I don’t feel anything,” he said.
“But you’re still keeping me out,” she said. “You need to lower your guard.”
“I’ll try.”
Josephine waited patiently but nothing happened. She could feel a weak connection but it was only on the surface. As long as the barricade remained, a stable link couldn’t be established. Josephine didn’t have the skill to ease her way past the unconscious barriers that the mind created. It was a shame that Alice had refused to help with this process. The lights flickered for a second and a hot breeze rushed over them. Magic flared into existence all around them.
“You may enter, Josephine,” Gary’s voice materialized from three different points in the room but his lips remained closed.
Josephine shivered in spite of the heat and felt the barrier protecting his subconscious fall away. She was immediately assaulted by a myriad of jumbled memories. There were so many fragmented images, sounds, and thoughts that nothing made sense. Anger burned through his subconscious. It was suppressed from his conscious mind but barely contained. Josephine’s body tightened and she tried to sort out the impressions that raced through her mind. The hot wind continued to sweep over the two of them.
“Gary, I can’t make sense of this,” Josephine said anxiously.
“I have been betrayed,” Gary’s voice rang out from all around her.
“What do you mean?” Josephine asked.
He didn’t respond and she couldn’t make sense of the barrage of psychic impressions that continued to pound at her mind. A throbbing began to pound at her temples as the connection between her and Gary’s subconscious held. Josephine tried to focus on single impressions to gain some useful information but they slipped from her grasp every time. It was chaos. Josephine’s surroundings faded into blackness and she realized she’d passed out. Rage, desperation, and a sense of betrayal tore at her as she swirled blindly through the disordered memories. Josephine realized she should end the spell and leave his subconscious but couldn’t summon enough strength to do so. Her identity felt as though it was being consumed by another. She could barely think straight.
“Gary! Stop what you’re doing!” Josephine shouted.
“We need to stop him. We’re the only ones who can,” Gary said desperately.
“I intend on finding the serial killer but you need to let me go!” Josephine shouted anxiously. “Please! Stop this!”
“I’m not trapping yo
u here.”
“Why can’t I leave then?” Josephine demanded.
“We’re the only ones who can stop him. He wants to kill us both.”
“Let me go!” Josephine screamed.
“I’ll help you to leave,” Gary said.
A powerful bright, gold light flared around her and Josephine opened her eyes. She could no longer feel any connection with him. She was staring up at her living room ceiling. Josephine sat up and realized she was lying on the floor. Gary was lying on his side on the couch. The hot wind was no longer whipping through the room. Josephine slowly rose to her feet and gazed down at Gary. She held her wrist up and inspected the copper bracelet. The enchantment had been depleted completely. She would need Alice to create another one before she could perform another claro mentis spell. Of course, after this experience, Josephine wasn’t sure she ever wanted to perform this type of magic ever again.
“Gary,” Josephine said tentatively.
His eyes snapped open and he abruptly sat up with a start. He quickly took stock of his surroundings before his gaze locked onto hers.
“Did it work?” he asked.
“The spell worked but I didn’t accomplish anything, I’m afraid,” Josephine said sadly. “Everything was so chaotic that I couldn’t make sense of anything. There was just too much psychic input for me to process.”
“You did your best. That’s all I can ask,” Gary said with a faint smile. His eyes reflected his disappointed though.
“We’ll do this again in a couple of days. Don’t worry. We’ll get rid of that enchantment that’s lodged in your unconscious,” Josephine said.
“I really appreciate your help,” Gary said.
“You’re welcome.”
He left her condo and Josephine locked the door behind him. She wished she could have solved his problem but she’d failed. Alice had warned her that the claro mentis spell was tricky and would need many sessions before any progress could be made. Josephine should have listened to her. She went to bed feeling discouraged and awakened early the next morning feeling unbalanced and off-center. Josephine started the pot of coffee and showered. She decided to wear jeans and a pink tee shirt today. She gazed in the full-length mirror secured to the closet door and frowned speculatively. She couldn’t shake the suspicion that something was seriously wrong with her body. She opened her second sight and immediately all of the subtle energies in the room became visible.
She gasped in horror at the bright red string of energy that emerged somewhere from above which was lodged securely in her head. She was connected to something powerful. The bright red strand pulsed with a strong magic that rivaled her own. It had to be Gary. Somehow, she’d formed a connection with him last night when she’d cast the claro mentis. The doorbell rang and she went over to answer it. Alice stood with a guarded look.
“What happened?” she said anxiously. “Did everything go all right?”
“I just discovered something very disturbing,” Josephine said.
“Okay,” Alice said slowly.
“Come inside and have a cup of coffee,” Josephine said.
Helen appeared down the hallway and hurried when she saw that the door was already open.
“Hey! How did things go last night?”
“Not good,” Josephine said.
“I was afraid of that,” Alice said dourly.
“Yes, you were,” Josephine said irritably. “You warned me like crazy not to try it.”
Alice cocked a brow but didn’t take the bait. Helen breezed in through the open door and Josephine closed it behind her. They gathered in the dining room with mugs of coffee and Josephine informed them of the night’s events and her discovery that morning.
“This isn’t good,” Alice said dourly.
“I know,” Josephine said despairingly.
“I suspect that your subconscious mind is connected to his which means he can draw on your power,” Alice said.
“Can’t you help me to sever the connection?”
“It’s not that simple. I can do a claro mentis enchantment but your mind needs to settle for at least a couple of days before I try. It will probably take numerous sessions for me to remove the link,” Alice said.
“How many times would you say? Just give me an estimate.”
“There’s no way to tell until I can examine the connection with the claro mentis. Anywhere from three sessions to a dozen.”
Josephine choked on her coffee because she hadn’t been expecting this kind of news.
“A dozen? If you have to wait two days in between each session, that could take over two weeks,” Josephine said.
“Yes.”
“Isn’t there some way you can rush this process?” Josephine said hopefully.
“I wish.” Alice grimaced and shook her head sadly. “The mind is a complex thing and I tried to warn you that there could be problems that would develop if you tried this procedure with Gary.”
“I needed to help him,” Josephine said.
“You need to learn to set limits for yourself.”
“Whatever,” Josephine said dismissively.
She frowned at her friend with annoyance before gulping some more coffee. Alice was usually carefree and supportive. It really irked Josephine to be put on the defensive like this. One would think she made a habit of making irresponsible decisions with the way Alice was treating her.
“Everything will be okay,” Helen said reassuringly. “I’m sure the connection between you and Gary can’t be too strong when you two haven’t even interacted very much.”
“That’s not true. The connection may be very strong,” Alice contradicted her.
“You’re just full of good news today,” Josephine said sardonically.
Alice shrugged helplessly. “Sometimes the truth hurts.”
Chapter 14
Josephine stepped up to Vickie Richardson’s massive, two-story white house. She had a spacious, well-maintained yard with a rose garden positioned near the front door and miniature palm trees dotting the landscape. Pineapple bushes lined the driveway with several growing fruit. Vickie lived on Siesta Key about a mile from the beach. Josephine knocked on the door and Vickie answered almost immediately. She wore a pink blouse and jeans. Her eyes reflected fear and despair but a touch of hope. She wanted to believe that Josephine could teach her to use her ability again.
“Thank you for helping me with my problem,” Vickie said. “Of course, I’ll be happy to pay you.”
“I can’t accept payment. I’m not a certified trainer and I don’t know if I can help you or not,” Josephine said bluntly.
“I appreciate whatever you can do,” Vickie said. “Please, come in.”
The two of them gathered in the living room and Vickie offered her a seat on one of the large, red sofas. The living room was large with a huge entertainment center, massive television, surround sound speakers, plush gray carpeting, a crystal chandelier, and gold painted walls.
“Would you like a drink or anything?” Vickie asked. “I have tea, coffee, soda, and red wine.”
“I’ll have some red wine and I think you should too,” Josephine said.
“Why is that?” Vickie asked with a perplexed frown.
“You’ll need to relax if you want to control your new power.”
Vickie nodded and wordlessly left the room. She returned with two glasses of wine.
“I have a video which shows how I do my work. The company uses it to show potential clients,” Vickie said.
“Okay. That may be helpful.”
Vickie played the video tape which showed her standing in a shop in front of a red, antique mustang with a smashed hood and broken windshield. Vickie had on a blue business suit and her curly brown hair was pinned in a bun that gave her a more powerful look. She clutched a wand in her right hand and held it out toward the severely damaged car. Josephine glanced at Vickie whose curly hair was draped loosely down her neck to her shoulders. She looked a lot different in the video.
“What kind of wand are you using?” Josephine asked.
“It’s programmed with a restoration enchantment. I was never able to generate much power so I had to have that work done for me,” Vickie explained.
Josephine nodded and returned her attention to the television screen. A green shimmering light radiated from the car. The damaged hood rippled as though it had become very flexible and soft. As the ripples continued to flow over the hood and windshield, it slowly reshaped itself until it was restored completely. The ripples dissipated and the green shimmering faded away into nothingness. The mustang was now in pristine condition and the camera zoomed in for a closer look. Josephine was impressed. This was category five work. Vickie was definitely talented and lucky to possess such a gift when she was merely a category two. Of course, that was not the case now. The next clip showed Vickie restoring a large, antique vase which had been shattered.
“Okay. I’ve seen enough,” Josephine said.
Vickie turned off the television and nervously gulped the rest of her wine.
“I need to see you cast a restoration spell,” Josephine said.
“Okay.”
Vickie left the room and returned with a wand and a tray containing a blue mug that had broken into three pieces.
“I broke some cups I bought at garage sales to practice on,” Vickie explained.
Josephine opened her second sight so she could see the energy flow as Vickie set down the tray on her coffee table and stepped back.
“Do you want me to go ahead and cast the spell?” Vickie said.
“Yes,” Josephine said.
Vickie aimed the wand and took a moment before casting the spell. Power exploded from both her hands and distorted the enchantment in the wand as it was activated. The tray and mug were tossed up like leaves and hurtled across the room. Josephine flinched at the unexpected burst of power. Unfortunately, magic continued to explode from Vickie’s hand chakras and twist around the room.
“You need to concentrate on stopping the flow of power,” Josephine said.
Josephine created a dampening field around her body to protect herself from the unpredictable tendrils of power flapping wildly around the room. One of the couches abruptly lifted a foot from the floor and slammed back down violently. The topaz ring on Vickie’s finger had turned green in warning. She didn’t have much time before the aequitas enchantment knocked her out. Untamed magic continue to spill from her hand chakras as Vickie closed her eyes and concentrated on turning off the power. The chandelier jangled as it was struck by an unseen force. Vickie flinched at the noise but kept her eyes closed. One of the couches toppled forward and over. Something pounded against one of the walls. Josephine knew that more than a moment had passed since the topaz had turned green yet Vickie was still conscious.