by John O'Riley
“Okay.” The young woman adopted a guarded look and shifted her position as she continued to lean against her car.
“What is your name?” Josephine asked.
“I’m Yvonne.”
“Last name?” Josephine tensed and prepared to activate her protection.
“Boggs.”
“I need to see your license and registration, please.”
Yvonne’s eyes widened with apprehension but she composed herself.
“All right. I have my driver’s license in my wallet.” Yvonne pulled it out and handed it over then fetched her registration from the glove compartment.
“Thanks.” Josephine recorded the information in her notebook then handed them back. “What were you doing on the road?”
“Driving around.”
“Where were you going to?” Josephine asked.
“I was heading down to Circinus. I work there part-time,” Yvonne explained.
“It’s a very nice bookstore. Why don’t you work there full-time?”
“I’m a college student. I attend classes on the Venice campus for the Florida State College.”
“How long have you been a category six?” Josephine inquired.
Yvonne flinched. “I’m a five.”
“I’ve scanned your car. You don’t leave enough trace energy in your car to be read and you don’t have a privacy field. You’re a six.”
“I’m probably a latent six. Most of them can’t be read,” Yvonne said.
“That’s true but I’m going to have to insist that you be tested immediately. We’re taking you to the station,” Josephine said.
“Wait!” Yvonne’s face clouded with panic. “Please don’t do that. I guess I am a six. It happened yesterday.”
“You were with your sister.”
Yvonne’s brown eyes registered surprise. “How did you know that?”
“It was an educated guess. Now tell me why you’re being so cagey about your abilities.”
“It’s complicated.” Yvonne hesitated for several seconds. “Practically everyone in my family are category fives. We have an enchantment that filters our abilities and prevents us from becoming a six. Everyone in the family is given a pendant to wear when we turn twelve and we must leave it on until our powers activate and we’re tested for our magical strength. If we’re a five, we must be careful to always wear the pendant. If it turns out we’re a four or below, we give the pendant back to the family to be used on someone else when the time comes.”
“What happens if you’re a six?” Josephine asked.
“The pendant prevents that from happening except in just a few cases.”
“And what happens then?” Josephine regarded her with trepidation as her intuition warned her this could be bad.
“We die.” Yvonne’s face reflected stark terror. “No one who becomes a six in our family survives.”
“What?!” Josephine, Alex, and Jake exclaimed with horrified disbelief.
“We’re too strong and our abilities eventually kill us. I only have about three weeks to live,” Yvonne said.
“It’s procedure that new category six wizards are to be assigned an enforcer to mentor them and teach them to control their abilities. I’m going to make sure you learn to master your talent,” Josephine said.
“It won’t work,” Yvonne said in a defeated voice.
“I happen to be a six and I’ve helped a lot of my peers come to grips with their power.” Josephine pinned the young woman with a confident look.
“My family is different.”
“How so?” Josephine asked.
Yvonne hesitated as her face contorted with terror. “Can we talk about it later?”
“Tell me.” Josephine offered a reassuring smile but she tensed with anticipation.
“I’m related to Brenda Kirkland. She’s a distant cousin.”
Alex gasped with horror and even Jake looked shaken over this revelation. Brenda Kirkland had been the category six who’d caused the Disaster of 2029 that had killed millions and converted most of the world into wizards. She was the reason the laws had been so stringent on limiting what sixes were allowed to do for so many years. Recently the laws had changed, giving the same liberties to these powerful wizards as the rest of the world. It had never occurred to Josephine that Brenda Kirkland had been a different sort of talent altogether. It made sense when she thought about it.
“You’re still just a six. I can help you. The first thing you need to do is get some rest. I’m going to stop by your apartment in a few hours after I finish up here and we’ll start our first lesson,” Josephine said.
“I have to work,” Yvonne protested.
“You think you’re going to die in less than three weeks which means you should be okay with one less day on your pay check. I’ll call your supervisor so you don’t lose your job.” Josephine fixed a stern gaze on the young woman.
“I guess you’re right.” Yvonne’s expression was weary. “Thanks.”
Josephine felt bad for Yvonne. She knew exactly what it felt like to possess a talent that burned bright and out of control. By the time Josephine returned to the police station with Alex and Jake, she was exhausted. The disturbance had been a mess and she had reports to fill out. Alex had a cup of coffee on his desk as he worked. Josephine decided to pour herself a mug as well. She took a sip of the hot brew as she perched on the chair in front of her computer and continued her work.
“It’s been more than three hours since you promised Yvonne you’d start working with her,” Alex announced.
Josephine cocked a brow in bemusement. “I was giving her an estimate. I need to wrap this up before I go.”
“Do you think her talent is really different than a normal six?” Jake asked.
“I have to admit that the damage caused is not typical,” Josephine said.
“Maybe she’s just a bit stronger,” Alex interjected.
“It looks like she’s a lot more powerful than the average six,” Jake commented.
“I tend to agree.” Josephine’s heart went out to the poor young woman who’d been afflicted with this condition. “But I know I can help her. I’ve been through it.”
Alex leveled an assessing gaze at her. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
“You seem really tired.”
“It’s been a long day.”
“I guess we were doing a lot of running around in Venice for the last couple of hours,” Alex said.
“You can say that again.” Josephine shot him a grim smile.
Josephine didn’t arrive at Yvonne’s apartment until late in the afternoon. Yvonne had a small studio with a bare minimum of furnishings that were a bit shabby and mismatched. The two of them gathered in the living room area where there were just two plastic patio chairs for seating. Josephine had brought a novel she’d purchased at a thrift store and set it down on the floor about a dozen feet to the side.
“I’m going to have you practice telekinesis.” Josephine shifted in her seat to try and get more comfortable. “Use as little energy as possible. Think of the book as nothing heavier than a feather and try just to lift it a few inches.”
“Are you sure I should be doing this?” Yvonne regarded her warily.
“I’m positive. Just take your time and remember to use the bare minimum of effort. That’s the key.”
Yvonne fixed an intent gaze on the book. Josephine took a quick scan of the room and discovered very little psychometric energy. Yvonne had obviously cast an ignotus enchantment to eradicate the trace energies of the previous tenants of the studio. Josephine flinched when the book burst into flames without warning. Yvonne shrieked with terror.
“It’s all right,” Josephine reassured her.
She pointed the palm of her hand toward the book and issued a brief mist-like spray of water to douse the flames. The stench of smoke lingered in the air and Yvonne eyed the blackened book as if it were a poisonous snake.
&nbs
p; “Everything will be fine. You’re a lot stronger than you’re used to. Remember to use just the slightest bit of energy,” Josephine said.
“I did!” Yvonne exclaimed.
“The thing about becoming a six when you’re used to being a five is that you’re exponentially stronger.”
“I know.” Yvonne regarded her with dismay. “It’s hopeless. It’s like a curse or something. Once someone in my family becomes a six, our fate is sealed. I called Circinus and let my manager know I’m not coming in again. What’s the point when I’ll be dead?”
Josephine’s heart went out to the young woman. “We’re going to skip the rest of the preliminary training and proceed to the next step.”
“What’s that?” Yvonne asked.
“We’re going to the Siesta Key beach.”
Yvonne’s expression became panicked. “We can’t do that! People will die!”
Josephine knew this was utter nonsense. When a six with out of control powers tapped into a vortex, their talent always stabilized. It was the fastest way of helping Yvonne to master her abilities. The look of utter terror on the young woman’s face made Josephine hesitate. She hid her reaction by adopting a calm demeanor.
“I’ve done this countless times. There’s nothing to worry about,” Josephine said.
“People in the family have tried this before. It accelerates the deterioration,” Yvonne said.
“Do you know anyone personally who tried tapping into a vortex?” Josephine asked.
“No,” Yvonne admitted.
“It’s time to take a trip to the beach.”
Chapter 6
Josephine parked her car in the main parking lot for the Siesta Key beach which was half full. Yvonne sat in stiff silence beside her gazing out at the beachgoers. A lot of people strolled across the shoreline or power walked for exercise while groups of friends and family stretched out on beach towels or lawn chairs to soak in the sun. Several people were playing Frisbee nearby. Josephine took in the peaceful setting for a moment before turning off the engine. As soon as the air-conditioning shut down, the interior began to heat up rapidly.
“Let’s go for a walk,” Josephine said.
She opened her car door and noticed Yvonne continued to sit as still as a statue. She pretended not to notice as she emerged from her vehicle and closed the door. It was obvious that Yvonne harbored a deep-seated fear of her condition and Josephine was starting to worry that there may be some truth to it. Josephine took up a position about a dozen feet from her parked car and began stretching rather than coaxing the young woman from her car. Finally, Yvonne joined her with obvious reluctance.
“I can feel its pull.” Yvonne’s expression conveyed terror mingled with longing.
“A category six always feels drawn to vortexes. The urge to connect with them is overwhelming at first. And there’s a very good reason for it,” Josephine advised. “It’s therapeutic and has a very stabilizing effect.”
“For me, that’s the farthest thing from the truth.”
“We’ll see. Let’s go ahead and take a walk first before we tap into the vortex,” Josephine said.
Yvonne regarded her with surprise. “You’re going to connect with the vortex, too?”
“Of course. It will help me balance your energy. Right now, I can’t get a read on you because you’re a six. My power has to be heightened before I can really help you,” Josephine said.
“You never said you were going to use magic on me,” Yvonne said.
“It will be fine,” Josephine said in a reassuring tone. “I’ve done a lot of advanced magic over the years.”
“I don’t want to see anyone else get hurt because of me,” Yvonne said.
The two of them made their way onto the soft, white sand and started walking along the beach. Josephine chose a path farther away from the water so that other walkers and joggers wouldn’t be as frequent. A flock of small, fluffy white birds were gathered in front of Josephine and Yvonne but moved out of the way as they approached.
“I’ve never been here before,” Yvonne remarked.
“Why is that?” Josephine shot her a questioning look.
“It’s too risky. Vortexes are known to activate our power.”
Josephine set a brisk pace and they lapsed into silence. The sound of seagulls and the chatter of beachgoers along with the gently lapping ocean water against the shore soothed the senses. It was all so normal. No one would suspect that a relative of the infamous Brenda Kirkland with newly awakened abilities had joined them here. The powerful energy of the large vortex at the Siesta Key beach was a lure that pulled at Josephine’s awareness. She tapped into it and her body thrummed with pleasure and energy. Her magical senses heightened and she was finally able to begin scanning Yvonne although she still couldn’t read many details. Psychic impressions from most of the other beachgoers flooded her mind. Josephine knew that she had to get Yvonne to relax and feel at ease in order to make the transition easier.
She threw her a friendly smile. “I’m curious. What is your major?”
“Business management.”
That surprised Josephine. “So you want to run a company or a corporation?”
“Not especially. I’d like to be a business analyst or a similar position. I like to crunch numbers. I’m good at it, too,” Yvonne said.
“What do you enjoy about it?” Josephine regarded her with curiosity as they continued their brisk walk.
“I like the comfort of knowing that they’re static. You can rely on them. Once you’ve calculated something, that’s it. You’ve got the answer. There is no second guessing unless you made a mistake in your math,” Yvonne explained.
“There are so many ways that numbers can be misconstrued though.”
“That’s true but the answers are readily apparent to me. I’ve got a knack for it. Even if people misinterpret the big picture by looking at one set of numbers or percentages and ignoring others, when you’re looking at raw data, the numbers don’t lie. It’s the people.”
“That’s an interesting way of looking at it.”
Yvonne shrugged. “It’s the truth.”
They lapsed into silence for a bit then Josephine decided to get started. The two women turned to face the ocean as they came to a halt. Yvonne’s jaw clenched with anxiety.
“There’s nothing to worry about. Just make a connection with the vortex,” Josephine instructed.
The vortex at Siesta Key was massive and spanned the entire length of the beach and rose high into the air. Most of it lay in the water and above it with very little spanning the land. Josephine was already tied to its power and had checked all of the spells that Yvonne currently had in her possession which was only a few protection enchantments and a couple of telekinetic enchantments. Yvonne hesitated for several long moments before tapping into the vortex. Josephine could sense the raw power and knew right away that something was different. She could detect multiple connections as though there were hidden vortexes that Yvonne was tied in to. All of the fluffy white birds frolicking in the sand and the sea gulls cried out in fear and took flight in the air to escape. Panic gripped Josephine as she realized this young woman was much stronger than anything she’d ever encountered.
Josephine adopted a look of calm authority. “You’ve done well, Yvonne. It’s time to break your connection now.”
Yvonne’s breathing was labored and her face contorted with pain and fear.
“I can’t,” she said.
Adrenaline surged through Josephine as she regarded the young woman and her out of control power. The vortex became visible as a swirling mass of sickly green and crimson energy. Josephine hated to do it but she cast a knockout spell on Yvonne. If she was unconscious, her connection with the vortex would dissolve on its own. Unfortunately, the spell that Josephine cast bounced off an invisible barrier of energy that chaotically swirled around Yvonne. It wasn’t something that the young woman had erected intentionally but was a side-effect of the overwhelming vol
ume of energy that cascaded through her. The beachgoers stared at the angry mass of energy in the ocean until they snapped out of their stupor and hastily left behind their towels and lawn chairs to flee to safety. Only Josephine and Yvonne remained on the dangerous beach. Red discharges of lightning shot out randomly from the vortex to strike the white sand, causing small plumes to fly into the air.
Josephine wanted to grasp Yvonne’s arms to gain her attention and to cast a calming spell but knew better than to try. If she so much as brushed against the wild field of energy that encircled Yvonne, she’d be thrown across the beach like a rag doll and the jolt of power may even kill her. Yvonne stared at the vortex as though entranced and the strange connections of power grew stronger. As Josephine continued her scans, she could detect a potent enchantment being created. Blood trickled down Yvonne’s nose as the strain of the intense magic tore through her body. This shouldn’t be happening. The power from the vortex should have stabilized her condition and caused her body to regenerate from any injuries. It shouldn’t be damaging at all. Josephine gathered as much power as she could from her connection to the vortex then created a dampening field around herself and Yvonne. She knew it wouldn’t take but for several seconds, the connection between Yvonne and the vortex weakened just a little and destabilized. This caused the protective field to waver. Josephine didn’t have time to gather more energy from the vortex, she had to act immediately. She cast another knockout spell with as much power as was readily available. The air crackled with so much chaotic energy that Josephine couldn’t tell if her spell had worked or had been deflected.
For several seconds, Josephine held her breath with anticipation as a sense of dread washed over her. The protective field was back and it was too strong for her to try weakening again. The enchantment within the vortex continued to build. Hot wind whipped through the air, tossing Josephine’s and Yvonne’s long hair. One of the random discharges of red lightning from the vortex struck the sand directly in front of Josephine, sending an explosive plume of sand in the air. Without warning, Yvonne crumpled to the ground in an unconscious heap. The vortex was still visible but the sickly green and crimson colors were changing back to their normal blue. Josephine took a moment to compose herself. She turned to face the vortex which faded from sight. She could only perceive it with her psychic senses which was at is should be. The explosive enchantment that Yvonne had been creating was completely dissipated now. Josephine’s troubled gaze rested on the young woman crumpled on the sand. There was definitely more going on than just a newly awakened category six. When Yvonne regained consciousness, she was in a state of panic. Josephine spoke reassuringly to her and explained what had happened.