by John O'Riley
“Tell me about it,” Josephine said.
“There was a man who had tough-looking gray skin. He was bald with a weird shaped head and large shiny black eyes. I had a feeling he broke into my house and he said he was my gray angel. He did some kind of spell on me.” Yvonne issued a nervous laugh. “It’s crazy, isn’t it?”
“Gray angel.” Josephine peered at her with rumination. “That sounds so familiar.”
“I used to have dreams just like that,” Jake announced.
A cold dread permeated Josephine as she stared at her grandson and wondered how they could share the same dream. After several seconds, her thoughts fogged over and she had difficulty thinking about it.
“That’s really weird,” Alice remarked.
Josephine lifted her shoulders in a casual shrug. “It’s just a coincidence. No need to dwell on the past.”
Everyone watched her with curiosity.
“Don’t you think it’s strange that we would have the exact dream?” Jake asked.
“What are you talking about, sweetheart?” Josephine asked with bafflement.
“The gray angels,” Jake said.
“Gray angels?” Josephine murmured. “That sounds familiar.” Everyone exchanged troubled looks and their concern caught her attention. “Would you care to clue me in?”
“You just said that less than a minute ago,” Helen said.
Josephine furrowed her brows with concentration. “What did I say?”
“Gray angels,” Helen said.
“That sounds familiar,” Josephine remarked.
Alice groaned with exasperation. “All right, it’s time for a claro mentis enchantment.”
“Yvonne and Charlotte are completely cured. Why would you want to go at it again?” Josephine asked.
“Someone cast a mind control or memory suppression spell on you,” Alice informed her.
“I don’t think that’s possible. I’m not susceptible to that kind of manipulation,” Josephine protested. “Besides, I still have dishes to wash and leftovers to put away.”
“I’ll take care of that.” Helen rose to her feet and picked up her empty plate.
She swooped up several more empty plates before leaving the room. Josephine, Alice, and Mark went to the living room while the others remained in the dining room.
“I really don’t think this is necessary.” Josephine perched on the edge of the couch as Alice sat down on the other one facing her.
“Lie down, Josephine. This could be serious,” Alice instructed.
“All right.” Josephine trusted her friend and knew she wouldn’t insist on a claro mentis spell unless she had a very good reason.
Josephine closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She followed Alice’s instructions and reached a relaxed state of mind. She sensed the thread of energy from the claro mentis probe at her mind, seeking to link with her subconscious. She reflexively resisted the invasion but sensed Alice’s signature and after a moment, allowed the spell to continue. Josephine found herself walking down a dark, quiet neighborhood with a thick fog that hovered close to the ground. She wasn’t sure how she’d reached this place but then remembered she was under the influence of a claro mentis with Alice. A complete and heavy darkness set in and veiled her surroundings so she couldn’t tell if she was standing or floating. There was no sensation of pressure beneath her feet. She stilled and waited for something to happen. Memories danced across the fringes of her mind just out of reach. She focused on them and tried to draw them in. Unfortunately, it was like trying to grab water. The memories just slipped from her grasp, shattered remnants from years ago crumbling apart as time passed. Josephine flinched as she awakened from the spell and sat bolt-upright.
Alice scrutinized her with a baffled frown. “I couldn’t recover any memories. Someone did cast a mind control spell on you using subtle magic. You were very young when it happened. It was the exact same person who cast the spell on Yvonne and Charlotte. It’s been many years since you were visited by this individual and the same is true for Yvonne and Charlotte.”
“Are you sure?” Josephine loathed the idea of someone invading her thoughts.
Mark sat down beside her as he leveled a questioning gaze at Alice. “Were you able to remove it?”
“No, but the reason I couldn’t is because it’s broken up in pieces. Josephine’s mind adapted and disintegrated the mind control enchantment. The memory suppression spell is still functioning but it’s already shifted the actual memory so that when it’s gone, it will be virtually impossible to remember what was lost,” Alice explained.
“At least I don’t have to worry about anyone controlling me,” Josephine said.
“There’s no chance of that happening,” Alice said.
“I don’t remember the gray angel but I remember our conversation at the table about gray angels,” Josephine remarked.
“I did see some fragments of your memories during the claro mentis. Even as a child, your psychometry was extremely advanced. The man used a glamour to disguise his appearance so that you would see the gray angel persona. You picked up on his first name which is Callum and he’s part of a secret group called…” Alice’s voice trailed off and she frowned with bemusement. Josephine didn’t dare break her concentration. She didn’t want to risk causing her friend to forget any details no matter how small or insignificant they may seem. Alice’s face lit up and she snapped her fingers. “I remember now! The secret group is called the Ebullio.”
Mark regarded her with surprise. “Are you sure about that?”
“Of course, I’m sure. I’m old but I’m not senile,” Alice said.
“The Ebullio is the name of a group that escaped from the Phoenix Community,” Mark explained. “They were tired of living in secret and felt that humankind was destined for greatness.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad,” Josephine remarked.
“They want to force a kind of evolution on humankind.”
Josephine gasped with astonishment as a horrible thought occurred to her. “So APU 81 isn’t the one who experimented on Yvonne and Charlotte at all. Based on this family’s afflictions, I suspect that the Ebullio has been tweaking their DNA for generations. They’re descendants of Brenda Kirkland who caused the Disaster of 2029 and transformed almost everyone into a wizard. She must have been just one step of many in their plan to jumpstart an evolutionary process. I think their ultimate goal is make everyone a category six.”
“Why would they want to do that?” Alice asked.
“If everyone shares the same ability, they would no longer need to hide,” Mark pointed out.
“That’s true except for the fact that they’ve broken the law and killed millions of innocent lives by causing the Disaster of 2029,” Alice said.
“They’re category sixes so they don’t give off much psychometric energy. They probably think no one would find out who they are.” Josephine mulled over what she’d learned and how the Ebullio’s last major enchantment had caused the dormant vortices to awaken again. This would give them easier access to unlimited power. She fixed an inquisitive gaze on Mark. “Do you know how we can track these guys down?”
“The Phoenix Community has been searching for them for centuries,” he said.
“I’m going to make sure they answer for their crimes,” Josephine vowed. “Is there anything else you can tell me about the Ebullio?”
“That’s all I know but I’ll check the family library to see if there’s anything else,” Mark said.
Josephine abruptly remembered her guests she’d abandoned. “I need to check in on everyone.”
“Charlotte and Yvonne already left,” Mark said. “They tried to wait for you but it’s getting late.”
“What time is it?” Josephine had taken her watch off earlier.
“It’s after midnight,” Alice said.
“What?!” Josephine exclaimed with outrage. “You kept me under for over four hours?!”
“As you know, the cla
ro mentis can’t be rushed. I had to be sure that there weren’t any other mind control spells lurking around in your head.” Alice stood up and smiled. “And I can say that I’m one hundred percent sure that you aren’t under the influence. It took longer to analyze it completely because it’s subtle magic. You know how they blend in.”
“Yes, I do.” Josephine was grateful for her friend’s expertise in this matter.
“Jake, Helen, Maggie and Perry are still here,” Mark said.
“They are?” Josephine felt a stab of guilt but also very lucky to have friends who cared for her so much.
She went to the living room and gave Jake a warm hug. “Thank you for waiting up for me. You didn’t have to do that. I know you’re working tomorrow.”
“I had to be sure my favorite grandmother wasn’t possessed by any dark wizards.” Jake’s eyes danced with amusement.
“We were actually discussing the possibility of tracking down APU 81 as soon as tomorrow morning,” Maggie said.
“Do you have a plan in the works?” Josephine inquired.
Helen smiled as she shifted in her seat to get more comfortable. “I believe I can use my portal to take us directly to the crystal skull.”
“But we’ve never actually seen it before.” Josephine frowned with confusion.
“We’ve met plenty of its hosts and they contained its personal energy signature. I believe I can do this,” Helen said.
“Are you sure about that?” Alice peered at her with obvious skepticism.
“No, but I’m pretty sure,” Helen replied.
“Since it’s most likely hidden in another state or even another country, we may have some walking to do. Luckily, we already have short-range terramezic detectors that will help us track it down,” Maggie said.
“It’s going to be difficult to get any sleep at all tonight,” Helen said.
“I know,” Josephine acknowledged.
“Why should we wait?” Alice demanded. “I want to get this APU 81 madness put to rest. Let’s go now.”
Everyone exchanged considering looks as they mulled this over.
“I’m game,” Jake announced.
“It might be better to wait until it’s light out. We don’t know for sure that APU 81 is dead,” Helen suggested.
“All the more reason to find the crystal skull before it recovers and attacks us,” Alice said.
Josephine swept her gaze over the group as she made her decision. “We wait until the daylight. I want to do this right. We’ll have guards from the Venice base escort us. I’m not going to rush into this without a plan.”
Chapter 37
Alice, Helen, Josephine, Mark, Maggie, and Perry were gathered in Helen’s dining room with mugs of coffee as they waited for sunrise. A tense anticipation charged the atmosphere and Josephine wondered if she should have gone last night to find APU 81’s skull considering the latest turn of events.
Alice took a drink and slammed her mug down on the table with an audible thunk. “I can’t believe we have to go with Arthur.”
“I probably should have waited on my report.” Josephine looked sheepish. “I didn’t think Colonel Pill would read Virginia’s report so quickly. I submitted it after midnight, for heaven’s sake.”
“Maybe it’s for the best that we bring a red shirt along,” Alice said.
“I didn’t sleep well at all.” Helen fidgeted with her mug absentmindedly. “I kept having nightmares that APU 81 was still alive and set a trap for us.”
“We should be careful,” Mark said. “It’s possible APU 81 didn’t die but was just temporarily stunned.”
“All of his hosts were released though. There was no sign of it inhabiting them anymore. Jennifer’s a six like me, she would have known if it was still lurking inside them,” Josephine said. “I was thinking about the Ebullio last night and what we learned about them. I can’t help but feel that the Ebullio have some sort of master plan for humanity. Earth is just one big petri dish for them.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Mark agreed. “And you’re also worried that you’re part of the plan.”
Josephine regarded him with surprise. “You’re right. And I wonder about Jake and my daughter and Jake’s brother, Bob. What if one of us is a ticking time bomb waiting to go off just like Brenda Kirkland?”
“You don’t have to worry.” Alice leveled an earnest look at her. “I checked you out thoroughly with the claro mentis. The mind control spell is disintegrated and I took care of the amnesia spell so that you won’t forget if you hear anything else about gray angels.”
“What about the rest of my family?” Josephine fretted.
“Rachel is so busy that I don’t think she would take the time to do a claro mentis and Bob isn’t much different.”
“I’ll have a talk with them once we’re back from our expedition to find APU 81. I’ll let them know the danger so they can act accordingly,” Josephine said.
“That’s a good plan,” Alice agreed.
Someone knocked at the door and Helen went to answer it. She returned with Arthur, Clarence, and three of Josephine’s guards from the Venice Interplanetary Transit Center.
“Is this how you prepare for battle? Drinking coffee and gossiping?” Arthur said in a snide tone.
“We’re more prepared than you will ever be, Gattager.” Josephine intentionally mispronounced his name. She knew it was childish but he was such an ass that she couldn’t help herself.
“My name is Gallagher.” Arthur narrowed his eyes slightly with annoyance.
“Whatever.” Josephine waved a hand dismissively.
Everyone gathered in Helen’s room which was a tight fit considering that no one could stand in the circle of rocks before the enchantment was active. Helen stood directly in front of it and held her arms poised over them. She closed her eyes and stood still for a long moment. Arthur rolled his eyes with exasperation but refrained from breaking the silence. A flow of mist-like white energy spilled from Helen’s hands and circled the space above the circle of rocks. Soon, the portal became active and its large, silvery, transparent sphere of luminescence flashed into existence.
“I believe this will take you to the crystal skull,” Helen said.
Josephine’s gaze cut over to Arthur. “The plan is for Helen and Perry to stay behind. They will close the portal when we’re through and Mark can communicate telepathically to them when it’s time for us to return.”
“Or we can use what non-elderly folk refer to as a cell phone,” Arthur said in a sardonic tone.
“I have a cell phone.” Alice glared at him with irritation.
Arthur, Clarence, and the guards stepped into the portal first. Josephine and her friends entered the silver sphere and emerged in the middle of a huge cornfield. The portal closed behind them.
Maggie withdrew her wand that was programmed with the short-range terramezic detector.
The tip radiated a gentle green glow as she pointed it towards the source. “There’s terramezic energy that way.”
They marched along the massive cornfield and came to a gravel road which they crossed to enter another cornfield.
“I wonder where we are.” Alice scrutinized their surroundings with a critical eye.
“We’re in Mulvane, Kansas,” Josephine said.
Arthur’s gaze cut over to her with astonishment. “How do you know that?”
“That’s what I picked up from people who’ve tended to the field and driven down the gravel road,” she explained.
“I forget how well you can do that.” Arthur regarded her with grudging admiration. “It’s an impressive talent.”
“Thanks.” Josephine figured it didn’t hurt to be polite even though she couldn’t stand the man.
Maggie continued to lead the way as she held her wand pointed out in front of her. They trudged in silence for several long moments until she came to a stop in a small clearing and the wand went dim.
“It’s underground.” Maggie pointed to the g
round several feet away but nothing could be seen.
Josephine focused her psychic awareness on that spot and detected a complex ward boasting over a dozen layers of protection and a stealth field to hide the entrance.
She turned to address the group. “It’s going to take me some time to disable the ward.”
“Allow me.” Arthur pulled out a long wand and held it over the area.
Josephine felt a flare of envy over Arthur’s arsenal of magical tools. It must be nice to have so many state of the art gadgets to work with. Of course, now that she was a captain she would have access to similar devices. Josephine would make a point to ask Virginia how to requisition for these extra tools. Arthur’s wand emitted a faint electronic hum for a moment then it went silent as a wooden door appeared on the ground.
Arthur flashed her a triumphant smile. “We’re in.”
Arthur pulled up on the large metal ring attached to the side of the door to swing it open and let it fall to the ground, sending up a small cloud of dirt, and revealing a flight of stone steps. Josephine peered into the darkness but it was pitch black. Everyone pulled out their flashlights so they could see. Arthur, Brent, and the guards led the way with Josephine and the rest of the team trailing them. When they reached the last step, a long narrow dirt corridor stretched out before them. A computer panel of Ancient design was embedded in the dirt wall a few feet below eye level. It lit up as Arthur reached it. One line of the Ancient language appeared on the screen in yellow.
Maggie stepped forward to read it. “It’s asking for the password.”
Josephine fully tuned her psychic receptors to the passageway. There were no psychometric impressions which she expected if APU 81’s hosts were the only one to venture down here. She spotted a series of motion detectors which is what triggered the computer. She advised the group of her findings.
“I see them, too.” Arthur frowned at the seemingly empty passageway.
He pulled out a black obsidian mini wand and pointed it at the console. A barely discernable electronic hum drifted from the wand as it began to hack into the computer system.
Adrenaline surged through Josephine as the console’s words changed and the lettering lit up in crimson. “Are you sure we should do this? It doesn’t look like it’s working so well.”