by John O'Riley
“Would you like some coffee?” Josephine asked.
“That would be nice,” Morgan said.
“No, thanks. I’ve got to run. I just came with Morgan to make sure you were properly introduced. We’ve already verified his identity so you don’t have to worry about him being the killer,” Howie said.
“Okay,” Josephine said.
She poured herself a cup of coffee in addition to her uninvited guest.
“Would you like cream or sugar with your coffee?” Josephine asked.
“Both, please,” Morgan said.
Josephine prepared both coffees then returned to the living room and handed him his mug.
“I suppose you have a lot planned on the agenda,” Josephine said.
“Yes, I do,” Morgan said. “We’ll be going to the beach to patrol.”
“But that’s too dangerous. The serial killer is too powerful.”
“I’m a lot stronger than he is. I’ve had years of training and experience working with vortexes,” Morgan said confidently. “Gary has an enforcer assigned who will also be doing patrols. Our times are coordinated to provide the maximum coverage for keeping Siesta Key under surveillance.”
“All right.”
The two of them went to the beach a short while later in Morgan’s black sedan. Josephine knew that enforcers carried power wands and various enchantments in hidden compartments in their vehicles so she supposed she was as safe as she could be from any attacks the serial killer may attempt on her. Morgan and Josephine stayed in the car to wait for anything to happen. Morgan sat and watched while Josephine read her novel. Even though Morgan didn’t complain, she had the distinct impression that he didn’t approve of her not keeping her undivided attention on the beach. It wasn’t until late in the afternoon that she sensed a disturbance. Josephine opened her second sight and gazed at the vortex which was beginning to show signs of distress.
“It’s happening,” Josephine said.
“I suspected he wouldn’t stay away,” Morgan said. “Track the connection to the killer.”
“Okay.”
Josephine began creating a dampening field around herself as she followed the path toward the killer. She sensed Morgan connecting to the vortex and creating his own protection. He got out a cell phone and dialed one of his colleagues.
“It’s Morgan. The target is tapping into the vortex.” Morgan listened to whatever his colleague was saying. “Okay. Bye.”
“Who were you talking to?” Josephine asked.
“That’s none of your concern,” he said tersely.
Josephine rolled her eyes with exasperation but continued following the energy path. She wished she wasn’t assigned to an enforcer because then she could connect to the vortex and protect herself better. Unfortunately, Morgan had better psychometry than the average wizard and the risk was greater that he would sense her connection. Josephine could sense an enchantment forming in the vortex.
“He’s doing something to the vortex. He might be getting ready to hit everyone with a knockout enchantment like yesterday,” Josephine said.
“Don’t worry. I can protect us,” Morgan said. “You must hurry. We can’t let the killer get away this time.”
Josephine walked briskly but couldn’t concentrate on tracking the link if she went any faster. A moment later, a wave of energy exploded from the vortex behind them. As promised, Morgan protected them from the enchantment. Josephine watched the enchantment rush past her and down the street. It was much stronger this time and may actually reach the city before it dissipated. There were shouts and screams from many who didn’t pass out right away but after a moment, only she and Morgan were conscious at the beach.
“A lot of people are going to get hurt if the spell reaches Sarasota,” she said.
“There’s nothing we can do about that,” Morgan said.
This statement confirmed the rumors that Josephine heard about enforcers being cold-hearted bastards. She felt magical power gathering around her and Morgan and knew an enchantment was being cast. She abruptly slammed into something solid and was knocked backward. Morgan caught her before she could fall and frowned at the space ahead of them.
“We’re surrounded by a psychokinetic field,” Morgan said. “It’ll take me a minute to break it.”
He stared off into space and Josephine waited patiently. Soon, a strange silver ripple danced in the air around them and she could feel the psychokinetic field torn away with violent force. Morgan had tapped into some serious energy to make that happen. It made Josephine a little nervous. She continued following the path. The killer tried creating a psychokinetic field around them a short while later but Morgan was ready this time and prevented it from forming.
“I’m starting to sense the killer,” Morgan said.
“You are?” Josephine asked.
“Yes,” Morgan said. “When I tap into a vortex, my mind expands and I become aware of the thoughts and emotions of those around me. People are like sheep; spewing energy mindlessly that can be picked up and read like a book. There are no secrets.”
“I see,” Josephine said. “So you’re picking things up from me?”
“No, category six wizards don’t give off junk energy. It’s a shame that there aren’t more of them. They make useful tools,” Morgan said.
“Thanks,” Josephine said sarcastically.
“I was just stating a fact. It’s a matter of genetics, I suppose. Something you were born with,” Morgan said.
“Vickie wasn’t a category six until she was attacked by the serial killer. The Disaster turned a lot of people into category sixes,” Josephine pointed out.
“We don’t have time to talk about this. The energy from the disaster merely awakened a dormant potential that already existed. People can’t become what they’re not. You need to hurry,” Morgan said.
Josephine sensed a buildup within the vortex once again. An energy matrix was forming within the disturbing red mass of energy. Josephine warned Morgan of the new threat.
“I can sense it. You don’t have to worry. I’ll protect us.”
Josephine sensed they were drawing closer to the killer. It wouldn’t take much longer. Suddenly, the enchantment in the vortex was released. A wave of sickly green energy tore through the air. It passed harmlessly over Morgan and Josephine. Josephine sensed a different type of enchantment had been used. Many unconscious beachgoers stirred and awakened. Josephine didn’t pay attention to them until they turned to face her and Morgan and walked purposefully toward them.
“What’s going on?” Josephine warily eyed a group of people who were steadily drawing closer.
One of the closest, a man in his early forties, suddenly leapt for Morgan. He bounced off Morgan’s protection and was thrown backward several feet. The rest of the group shouted and dashed toward Morgan and Josephine. Morgan pulled out a wand and cast a wide-range knockout spell which took care of the attackers. Unfortunately, more of the unconscious beachgoers were awakening and sharing similar violent tendencies aimed at Morgan and Josephine. It took quite awhile for Morgan to take care of all the humans and wizards that mindlessly attacked in a rage. By that time, the killer was no longer linked to the vortex and Josephine had lost the trail.
“This is going to be a lot more difficult than I anticipated,” Morgan said stonily. “I wonder how a category six can cast so many spells like that. His control is remarkable and stronger than anything I’ve encountered before.”
“Stronger than an enforcer?” Josephine asked.
“Of course not. I would say he was just as good as I was but his psychometry allows him to attack from a distance.”
“I see,” Josephine said.
“I know about the connection between your subconscious and Gary’s. I’m going to remove that connection tonight,” Morgan said.
“I don’t think that’s possible,” Josephine said.
“Yes, it is. I’ve mastered the claro mentis enchantment.”
“Alice use
d to be a psychiatrist and she says it would take numerous sessions to remove the link.”
“She doesn’t have the resources that I do,” Morgan said.
“It doesn’t seem like a good idea to me,” Josephine said.
Morgan cocked a brow at her. “Are you refusing to cooperate?”
“Of course not.” Josephine forced a tight smile on her face. She couldn’t believe the misfortune she’d received in being assigned an enforcer. Of course, she should have expected it after what had happened at the beach with the serial killer. The police just weren’t equipped to deal with the kind of power that was being wielded. Morgan drove them back to her condo then instructed her to have a seat and relax.
“I will begin the claro mentis soon,” Morgan said. “But I must prepare first.”
“You’re going to prepare?” Josephine asked.
“I’m going to perform a meditation that will temporarily enhance my abilities,” Morgan explained.
“How long will this take?”
Morgan merely closed his eyes as he sat down in her armchair without responding. Josephine frowned at him then leaned back in the sofa. She didn’t know what to expect but she wasn’t looking forward to it. She shifted impatiently as time dragged on and Morgan remained motionless and silent.
“What on earth is taking you so long?” Josephine asked irritably. “Did you fall asleep or what?”
Morgan’s breathing was slow and deep but not heavy as one would expect from an individual who’d fallen asleep. Josephine frowned at him with annoyance and stood up.
“Sit down,” Morgan said in a chilling tone.
Josephine abruptly sat down and regarded him nervously. She flinched when his eyes opened and radiated with a powerful, golden glow. Dizziness abruptly assaulted her senses and she clutched the side of the couch for support as the room seemed to rock violently beneath her and threatened to toss her body.
“You need to lay down and close your eyes as I instructed you to do earlier,” Morgan said tersely.
Josephine leaned back and closed her eyes. A feeling of nausea gripped her as the dizziness continued to pour relentless into her.
“I’m not feeling so well,” she said.
“You’re subconscious mind is resisting me,” Morgan said with disapproval. “You can’t stop me.”
“Whatever,” Josephine said weakly.
A cold wind abruptly tore through the room. Uncontrolled power gathered around her and swirled throughout the room. Josephine’s head pounded and she felt something cold and wet brushing against her body. She opened her body to discover snow blowing through the room; however, there were no clouds anywhere. The snow was materializing from the middle of nowhere and whipping through the room.
“Stop resisting me,” Morgan said in a demanding tone.
“I’m not doing anything,” Josephine said.
She shivered as the small snow flakes continued to brush against her and gather in her hair and clothes. Morgan was having the same problem. She was surprised he could concentrate. He cast a knockout spell which somehow deflected away from her by a mysterious force. She couldn’t detect the source of magic within the room. Abruptly, everything went black as she passed out. When Josephine awakened, she felt exhausted but no longer cold. She sat up and took stock of her surroundings. The snow had long since evaporated and Morgan lay unconscious on the floor on the far side of the room. Josephine swallowed a lump of fear as she wondered if the serial killer had attacked.
She stood up on legs that threatened to collapse with fatigue. She felt so weak that she didn’t know how long she’d be able to stand. Josephine made her way over to Morgan and knelt down beside him. She checked the pulse at his neck to make sure he was alive. Josephine wondered if her subconscious had attacked Morgan while he’d performed the claro mentis enchantment on her. A cold lump of fear settled in the pit of her stomach as she gazed down at the living room phone with indecision. Morgan still lay unresponsive on the floor. She picked up the phone and dialed Riley’s cell number.
“Detective Riley,” Alex’s typical terse voice came over the line.
“It’s me,” Josephine said shakily. “Something happened to Morgan while he was performing the claro mentis enchantment on me. We may need a medic.”
“I can’t believe you took out an enforcer,” Alex said with a mixture of accusation and surprise.
“I did no such thing, Detective Whiney,” Josephine snapped. She sometimes referred to him as Detective Whiney when he was especially obnoxious. “You might want to quit wasting time and send some help.”
She slammed down the phone and turned to examine Morgan’s unconscious body once again. As far as she could determine, he hadn’t stirred since she’d awakened. Josephine gazed down at her topaz ring and realized it was extremely risky to allow her aequitas enchantment to remain dormant like this. She concentrated on summoning power and carefully charged the ring. Josephine paced the room as she waited for the police to arrive. She checked Morgan’s condition periodically to make sure he was still okay. She didn’t look forward to his reaction over this debacle. It didn’t take long for Alex to arrive with a medic. The medic wore the typical uniform consisting of a purple uniform with the wizard proficiency insignia emblazoned with gold on the right shoulder and upper-left hand corner of the chest. He was a young man in his late twenties with blue eyes and short-cropped brown hair. His name badge identified him as Dustin.
“The subject passed out while performing a claro mentis enchantment on you?” Dustin asked in an efficient, business-like tone.
“That’s right,” Josephine confirmed.
“Can you remember any details of this session leading up to his losing consciousness?” Dustin asked.
Josephine supplied the few details she could remember before passing out herself.
“Okay. Let me take a look at him,” Dustin said.
He knelt down and took out a short, thin fluorite wand which he held over Morgan. The fluorite wand shimmered with a soft, green glow for several seconds then went dark again. Dustin pocketed the wand and took out a clear quartz one that was the same size as the fluorite. A spark of white light materialized at the tip of the wand as Dustin pressed it against Morgan’s forehead. After a moment, the light winked out and Dustin pocketed his medical device. Morgan’s eyes opened and he abruptly sat up then jumped to his feet. Josephine felt a sudden surge of power from the enforcer before it went out. She assumed he was checking to make sure all of his magical tools were accounted for. His cold, disapproving eyes honed accusingly on Josephine.
“You knocked me out,” he said.
“You performed a claro mentis enchantment under very unwise and inadvisable circumstances,” Dustin stepped in. “From the pattern of energy that encompassed your mind earlier, you had received a backlash of unfocused energy which was unintentional. You weren’t attacked.”
“Are you certain of that?” Morgan said sharply.
“I’m sure.”
“All right,” Morgan said coolly. “I suppose this lets Josephine off the hook.”
Alex regarded Josephine guardedly as if he wasn’t sure what to think of the situation. He probably suspected that Dustin had assessed the condition incorrectly and that Josephine had indeed attacked Morgan. Josephine supposed she should probably be more agreeable to Alex. It wasn’t wise to antagonize him like she did. Suddenly, Josephine sensed a massive amount of power building within the room.
“Something’s happening,” Josephine said.
“It’s the killer. He’s getting ready to cast a psychokinetic spell,” Morgan said. “Everyone needs to build up a dampening field for protection.”
Josephine instantly set to work on this but couldn’t create as much protection as she would have liked because of the aequitas enchantment. She silently chastised herself for activating the topaz ring. She could feel the power hovering over them, gathering like a storm and preparing to unleash itself. Alex wasn’t a wizard so he couldn’t protect
himself. Dustin must be a category three or less because his dampening field was weaker than Josephine’s. Morgan extended the dampening field to encompass the others in the room. They waited in tense silence for the serial killer to either strike or abandon his efforts. Josephine saw the power slowly leave the room and gather into the kitchen. She warned Morgan of what was going on.
“I can see what’s going on,” Morgan said coolly. “He’s probably going to try to use something as a weapon and toss it with enough force so that the object’s momentum will carry itself to its intended target.”
“And that intended target is probably me,” Josephine said shakily.
A dull pounding began at her temples and dizziness rocked her backward a couple of steps. She sensed the connection between her subconscious and Gary’s had become active again. It probably sensed the danger in the room and was preparing to do something. Unfortunately, Josephine couldn’t be sure if whatever course of action either hers or Gary’s subconscious chose to take would be productive. The buildup of magic continued at an alarming rate.
“There’s so much power in there,” Morgan said warily. “He must be tapped into the Siesta Key vortex.”
“Maybe you should call for backup,” Alex said nervously.
“I can’t afford to be distracted right now. Something could happen at any moment and I have to be ready.” Morgan’s eyes remained watchful and he held a wand in each hand.
There was a clattering sound in the kitchen and one of the drawers violently flew open and crashed onto the floor. Half a dozen knives floated into the air and two of them darted out with shocking speed and force. As soon as the knives passed through the dampening field, the psychokinetic spell was no longer active and the knives were being carried by mere momentum. One of the knives stabbed Dustin’s right foot and the other sliced Josephine’s right arm. Hot spears of pain shot up her body but luckily it was only a flesh wound. Josephine cried out and clamped her left hand over the wound. The dampening field that Dustin had manifested weakened considerably as he extracted the dagger from his foot. Two more knives hurtled into the living room. Dustin had raised a telekinetic shield that protected him from both attacks but the dampening field was severely hampered by his lack of concentration. Josephine activated the shield in her pendant and felt its protection snap into place around her body. The last two knives darted into the room like missiles. Their speed was so fast that they managed to penetrate Dustin’s shield. One of them stabbed Morgan in the chest and the other dug into his right thigh. The dampening field which was protecting them from psychokinetic attacks dissipated completely as Morgan passed out. The pounding in Josephine’s head sharpened intensely as magic poured from her and into the aequitas enchantment in the topaz ring. She sensed the enchantment neutralize which gave her the freedom to work the full extent of her abilities. Blackness crept along the edge of her vision as the pain in her temples continued relentlessly. The knives in the living room began to rise as psychokinetic force from the killer set to work unimpeded. Everything went black and abruptly Josephine awakened standing up and leaning against the couch. The pain in her head had decreased to a dull ache and the dizziness was gone. Dustin was kneeling beside Morgan with the two knives still embedded in his chest and thigh. Josephine opened her second sight and was relieved to find that the killer’s magic had fled the scene. She caught sight of Alex a short distance beside her as he warily eyed the room for any suspicious activity.