by John O'Riley
“Let’s go to the back door,” Josephine instructed.
They gathered at the back of the house and kept their senses open so they’d know the instant the wards collapsed or the curses breeched it. They waited with tense anticipation as time dragged by and finally Josephine started to wonder if her wards were impenetrable. The old owner of this home really knew how to safeguard his place. Josephine flinched when she sensed the three creatures finally slip through the wards. An instant later, they tore the front door off its hinges. Josephine whipped open the back door and retreated with her friends deep into the enchanted garden. Perry was in the form of a white dove sleeping on a weeping willow tree branch. He stirred and awakened at the commotion.
“Perry, is there any way you can help us?” Helen asked the bird.
The white dove leapt off the branch and exploded in a white, sparkling mist as he changed into his human form.
“I’m not sure.” He swept a concerned gave over them. “White magic isn’t for combat.”
“We know that but can you cast a containment spell or something?” Josephine asked.
Perry cocked a brow in bemusement at her then shifted his attention between her and Mark.
“You and dad have linked,” Perry said with amazement.
“Did you just call me dad?” Mark asked.
“Yeah.” Perry offered a sheepish grin. “I kind of think of you that way.”
“Do you know how this connection happened?” Mark inquired.
“Yes, I can tell that it was done with white magic.”
“I had just as much to do with this as he did,” Josephine argued.
“You were able to help him with the spell but it’s definitely white magic. Light energy is very connective and intuitive.”
“Guys, we have more pressing matters to attend to.” Alice motioned to the house where the creatures were lurking.
“You’re right. Sorry.” Josephine focused her attention on the back door and aimed both her wands at it.
Josephine flinched when three men with shaved heads burst out the back door. Gold energy spilled from Josephine’s, Helen’s, and Alice’s wands while white energy cascaded from Mark’s wands. The three creatures froze as the niveus imperium enchantments gripped them tight and immobilized them. When their wands went dark, Mark and Helen pulled out their spares and cast the spells. They waited with breathless anticipation as the gold and white energy continued to swirl around the three construo letalis curses. One of the curses exploded into a black gritty substance as it was vanquished. The other two curses remained intact as the enchantments wore off. The two creatures lunged toward the group with alarming speed but were thrown backward as they hit a large white energy field that flared into existence around Josephine, Mark, Perry, Helen and Alice. Josephine threw Mark a grateful look before returning her focus back on the remaining two curses who now had their hands pressed against the white magic protection.
“Can they get through?” Helen asked.
“I don’t think so,” Mark said.
“Thank God for white magic or we’d all be dead,” Helen said.
Alice and Josephine shot her surprised looks. The two creatures screeched with frustration and began pounding their fists against the white energy shield.
“It looks like you were right. White magic appears to be impervious to curses,” Alice said.
“Dad’s a very smart man,” Perry remarked.
Mark blushed with discomfort. “Please don’t call me that.”
“I guess I could call you Creator.” Perry watched him with a contemplative expression on his face.
“Dad is fine.”
Alice pinned Perry with a combative gaze. “Don’t you think it’s ridiculous to refer to a man that you tower over as your father? Just look at you! You’re seven feet tall and you’re solid muscle.”
“Many children grow up to be taller than their parents,” Perry argued.
“You’re a real piece of work, kid,” Alice said.
Josephine leveled a teasing look at Perry. “I guess that makes me your stepmother.”
Perry’s eyes widened with surprise and a mixture of conflicting emotions danced fleetingly across his face before she could identify them.
“I hadn’t thought of that,” he said.
“We still need to go shopping for plants to place in the front yard,” Josephine said.
“That could be a real bonding experience for the two of you,” Helen remarked. “Stepparents and stepchildren often find themselves at odds with each other.”
Josephine wondered if her friend was serious or just playing along.
Alice’s eyes gleaned with mischief. “As a retired psychologist, I’ve observed many of these types of situations. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least to discover that the animosity you feel towards Perry stems from jealousy over Mark.”
“Shut up.” Josephine threw her a disgruntled look and out of the corner of her eye she noticed Perry nodding with agreement.
“That may explain why you were so hostile towards me at first,” Perry said.
Josephine laughed in spite of herself and Perry’s expression became puzzled. The two creatures pounded the white energy field with a flurry of punches and kicks. Even though the protection showed no signs of waning, Josephine tensed and renewed anxiety pumped through her veins. After another moment, the two shaved men exploded into black smoke as they transformed into crows and flew away. Mark kept the shield active until he was certain the curses had really left.
“I wonder where they went. I thought they don’t give up unless they have a secondary target,” Alice said.
“The longer they’re active, the more self-aware and intelligent they become,” Josephine said.
“In other words, we don’t have any idea what to expect from them anymore.” Alice leveled a dour frown at her.
Josephine’s concerned gaze swept over both Alice and Helen. “With the Valituras so determined to kill me and everyone I care about, I would like to keep you both safe. The wards at my house are far stronger than the ones at your condos. Would you stay with me until this war is over?”
“It’s going to be a very long war,” Alice said.
“All right. I’ll do it,” Helen said.
“I’ll stay here, too,” Alice agreed.
“Thank you.” Josephine was relieved her friends had went along with her suggestion so easily.
She dialed Ben’s number to let him know what happened. Ben surprised her by ordering her to stay home for a few more days and to create as many niveus imperium enchantments as possible. After the call ended, she let the others know.
“Of course he wants to give you more time. If you went back to work without an arsenal of weapons, you’d be a sitting duck for those curses.” Alice’s expression was grim. “And it’s a good thing Helen and I are staying with you. We’ve survived a lot together and we’re all strong talents now.”
Josephine fixed her attention on Mark. “You’re vulnerable sleeping in the backyard.”
“I need to be in the power center.”
“It won’t do you any good if you’re dead,” Josephine fretted.
“I’ll watch over him. I don’t need much sleep and I take enough naps during the day that I can stay awake just fine all night,” Perry interjected.
“All right. I’ll start working on creating wards for the garden but it will take at least a week before they become active,” Josephine said.
The group started creating niveus imperium enchantments. Mark took turns working with Josephine, Helen, and Alice because they could make more of the spells with the aid of source energy and the magic was stronger. Josephine’s, Helen’s, and Alice’s teleportation mirrors were delivered to their homes as well.
Chapter 12
Mark was pulled from a deep sleep as white magic blossomed around him. He opened his eyes to see a sphere of sparkling white luminescence protecting him. The unmistakable presence of dark energy sent adrenaline coursin
g through his veins. Mark vacated his tent with haste and found Perry standing just outside facing an intruder. The plants in the garden radiated a soft glow which lit up the face of Frederic, the leader of the Valituras team in Sarasota who had eluded capture from the authorities. Frederic towered over Mark by at least a couple of feet, had piercing blue eyes, short blond hair, wore black clothing and he had a couple of cloth satchels in his left hand. One of the bags was small and the other very large. He had a protective shield active as well. Out of the corner of his eye, Mark noticed several lights had turned on in Josephine’s house so he knew he had some help coming.
Frederic pulled out a wand and pointed it at a nearby palm tree. Flames erupted from the tip of the wand and struck several of the fronds. Mark’s stomach clenched as he watched the display with horror. After several seconds, Frederic stopped the assault and the flames immediately died away on the tree, leaving it completely undamaged and healthy. Mark and Frederic regarded the palm tree with astonishment.
“This garden is protected with white magic,” Perry said. “There’s nothing you can do to harm it.”
“I’ll be the judge of that.” Frederic’s lips curled in a malicious smile.
He pointed his wand at a lavender bush and issued a stream of flames at it. Mark tensed with anticipation as he waited to see what would happen and wondered what he could do to stop Frederic. His niveus imperium enchantments wouldn’t do any good because Frederic was an actual person rather than a curse and they were designed to heal. Mark certainly didn’t want to heal the dark wizard. The back door to Josephine’s house burst open. Josephine, Helen, and Alice emerged in the garden with a wand in each hand. Frederic stopped attacking the lavender bush which was completely unharmed.
He turned to face the newcomers. “I’ve brought something special for you.”
Frederic activated something powerful in his large cloth bag before he opened it. Over a dozen enchanted daggers shot out and lunged at Josephine, Helen, and Alice. The three women had wisely activated their protection before venturing outside so the weapons were deflected. The daggers landed on the ground in front of them but Frederic had only unleashed half of his arsenal. The other half of the daggers remaining in his possession burst out of the cloth bag and hurtled at the three women. Mark opened his psychic receptors and scanned Frederic. With the inability to use magic offensively, the only edge he could think of was to gather valuable information from the enemy. Frederic had a privacy field but small wisps of readable energy escaped him. Mark stiffened with surprise as he discovered that he and Perry were somehow a threat to the Valituras and that one of Frederic’s main goals was to kill them.
Without warning, Frederic aimed and issued a stream of fire directly at Perry. Mark picked up on the intention a split second before the attack and managed to extend his shield to include Perry. The flames gushed ineffectually over the white energy protection for several seconds before Frederic stopped the assault.
He leveled a cold smirk at Mark. “You think you’re safe inside your thin little bubble but what you don’t realize is that white magic always comes at a cost.”
“I think you’re getting dark and white magic confused.” Mark regarded the dark wizard with a sardonic expression on his face.
“Everything has its vulnerability, my naïve young man.”
Frederic pulled out two black, polished stones from his small satchel and activated the enchantment in them. Dark energy gushed from them in the form of black smoke. Frederic dropped the stones on the ground and the black smoke continued to billow from them and spread across the ground of the garden. The light from the plants dimmed noticeably as the dark energy spread between the plants. Mark’s body began to ache and his temples pounded with the start of a headache.
“Enchantments powered by white magic need light energy to work properly – including your shield.” Frederic’s piercing blue eyes glinted with triumph.
“You’re wrong. This shield has withstood every single attack without showing any signs of weakening.” Mark forced a look of confidence on his face even as doubt crept into the back of his mind.
“That’s because you always had plenty of light energy from your surroundings to keep it fueled. Now that there’s a bunch of concentrated dark energy around you, you’re cut off from that.” Frederic’s gleeful gaze bore into Mark’s.
“You’re wrong.”
As if to prove the dark wizard’s point, Mark felt his protection weakening. It was the first time this had ever happened. The white energy surrounding him flickered erratically. Mark glanced at Josephine, Helen, and Alice. All three women had their hands full and couldn’t help him at the moment. Enchanted daggers continuously slammed against their shields. Mark could see that the two stones still continued to dump dark energy into the garden. He wondered how much of that loathsome stuff could possibly be left. Surely it had to stop soon. Unfortunately, he was running out of time and options. Mark racked his brain for a solution but nothing came to mind. A gleeful laugh escaped Frederic’s lips as he realized he’d won the confrontation. Mark reached up to grasp his pendant that operated the shield and poured light energy into it.
“You’re delaying the inevitable.” Frederic aimed his wand at Mark and waited for the shield to collapse.
Perry stepped closer to Mark. “Teleport us out of here.”
“I can’t. There isn’t enough light energy,” Mark said.
“Let me try,” Perry said.
Mark pulled one of his teleportation pendants from his pocket and handed it to Perry. Perry grasped Mark’s upper arm and closed his eyes to concentrate. Mark’s shield flickered for several more seconds then winked out of existence. Frederic immediately activated his wand and hungry flames gushed out of it. Mark felt the heat of the blast but was teleported to safety before the fire could reach him. He and Perry stood in the middle of the street about a block from his house.
“We need to go quickly.” Perry’s expression was grim as he pulled at Mark’s arm to force him into a brisk walk. “We don’t have much time.”
“I have to help Josephine!” Mark exclaimed and came to an abrupt halt.
“There’s nothing we can do. Besides, we don’t have the strength to teleport again. We’re both going to burn out very quickly and we need to have a temporary power center active before that happens.”
“I can’t leave Josephine alone to fight that dark wizard!” Mark pulled out of Perry’s grasp and took out another teleportation amulet from inside his pants pocket.
His thoughts were muddled and darkness crept along the edge of his vision. It didn’t help that it was so dark out. The occasional streetlamp did little to pierce the heavy gloom of the night.
“You’re going to pass out soon. If we don’t get you to a power center, you’ll fall into a coma for about a week or so while you transition back to mainstream magic and lose your ability to work with source energy.” Perry regarded him with urgency.
“Surely I can stay awake long enough to rescue Josephine and then I can charge up in her back yard,” Mark said.
“The enchanted garden isn’t safe with dark wizards trying to kill you.”
“You can go without me. I’m returning to Josephine’s house.”
Mark retreated from Perry as he summoned every last drop of light energy he could reach. Hot spears of pain blossomed over his legs and arms. Dizziness assailed his senses and darkness crept along the edges of his vision. He made an attempt to activate the teleportation enchantment but nothing happened. Mark shook his head to clear it.
“Why isn’t this working?” He asked.
“You’re burning out big time. You don’t have enough light energy to use magic right now. You’re going to black out any second.”
Mark shot Perry a questioning look. “What about you?”
“If we don’t make it in time, I’ll die.”
“What?!”
“I’m a light energy being. If I burn out, my body can’t hold itself together,” P
erry explained.
“That’s terrible!” A sense of horror washed over Mark. He hadn’t realized until precisely this moment that he’d developed a fondness towards Perry who’d started out sort of like a loyal pet but was now definitely a friend. Mark fervently hoped he could prevent Perry’s demise. Unfortunately, there was no more time left. Mark promptly lost consciousness and his body collapsed onto the street.
Chapter 13
The enchanted daggers consumed all of Josephine’s attention as she went through the painstaking process of disarming them one at a time in her back yard. She was confident that Mark’s shield would protect him but her own protection was another issue. She had recently learned a couple of different techniques to neutralize enchantments as part of her supplemental enforcer training with Jennifer. Of course, Helen and Alice didn’t share this knowledge so they had to rely on destroying the daggers with brute force. Alice used telekinesis to group three of the daggers together and blast them with a freezing enchantment. It took several moments to encapsulate them in a large block of ice. Alice smiled with triumph but then realized the energy expenditure had left her drained. She was still tapped into the vortex but her body ached with fatigue and she wouldn’t be able to do much more with her magic.
Helen used telekinesis to plunge the blades of the daggers into the ground in an attempt to trap them but this didn’t work out. The daggers slid out of the earth with ease and continued to pound against the three women’s shields. Her next idea was to try and twist the blades. She managed to break one of the blades but it took a lot of time. Josephine had just finished disarming her sixth dagger when she noticed Mark’s shield flickering erratically. Adrenaline shot through her body as she focused her attention completely on her boyfriend. A thick, black smoke obscured the ground beneath their feet and Frederick wore a triumph grin on his face. His wand was leveled at Mark as he waited for the shield to buckle. An instant later, Mark’s protection collapsed completely and a stream of fire gushed out from the dark wizard’s wand. Mark and Perry vanished just before the flames reached them. Josephine heaved a huge sigh of relief. Her own shields wavered and she switched to her backup protection. Alice and Helen followed her example. They were running out of time and the daggers continued to pummel their protection.