3 Dark Energy

by John O'Riley

  “It’s about time you two got up,” Alice teased. “It’s getting late.”

  “It’s not even seven yet,” Mark said.

  “I can’t believe I slept in like that. I’m such an early bird,” Helen fretted.

  “Your body has already gone through a major conversion from mainstream magic to white magic,” Mark explained. “You’ve progressed very quickly to the later stages of development.”

  “At least my allergies aren’t bothering me anymore,” Helen said.

  Alice turned her head away as she sneezed then faced the group with a frown.

  “I wish I could say the same,” she grumbled.

  “Does white magic cure allergies?” Helen asked.

  “No,” Mark replied.

  “I didn’t think so.” Helen’s expression was contemplative. “I must have been coming down with something. I know that light energy will prevent and cure most diseases.”

  “That’s true.” Mark sipped some of his coffee then grinned with amusement. “I guess you can say white magic comes with perks instead of a cost.”

  Josephine’s eyes twinkled with mirth. “I like that.”

  “I don’t feel so hot,” Alice said.

  She took several deep breaths and shook her head as if to clear it.

  “Are you all right?” Josephine regarded her friend with concern.

  “I’m fine.” Alice’s lips curved in a reassuring smile. “I was just out of breath. These allergies are really bothering me. I can’t wait for the winter for some relief.” She leveled a sardonic look at Helen. “How did you like sleeping in the backyard?”

  “I don’t like it but I’m hoping we can extend the power center into the house soon so it won’t be necessary.”

  “Perry seems pretty optimistic that it won’t take too long,” Josephine said.

  “He told Helen and I we should go shopping today for plants,” Mark said.

  “I don’t like the sound of that. Just to be safe, why don’t you wait for me to return from work and then we’ll go out together.”

  “I thought you had the day off today?” Mark leveled a questioning look at her.

  Josephine scowled. “Ben called me an hour ago and told me I had to come in. He didn’t have any choice in the matter. The mayor is breathing down his neck and micromanaging like crazy. He wants some kind of breakthrough with the Valituras threat and he wants it yesterday.”

  “I thought the entire government is in hiding with extremely limited communication to the outside world,” Alice said.

  “That’s true but the mayors don’t make the cut. They have to stay out in the open and continue their daily duties,” Helen informed her.

  “I had the most disturbing dream about my sister,” Mark said. “She was trapped in a large glass box. It was tall enough that she could stand up and she was surrounded by a huge fire in the forest. When I woke up, I could hear her asking for my help. It felt so real.”

  “I wonder if it’s a new ability that comes with white magic. We have enhanced intuition. Maggie might be in danger,” Helen hypothesized.

  Alice regarded Mark with a contemplative gaze. “Isn’t she the tattle tail who spied on you and found out you were a white magic practitioner then told your father?”

  “Yes, that’s her.”

  “I don’t think this is any kind of warning. I think it’s a manifestation of your unresolved feelings about this betrayal,” Alice advised. “You told me that the two of you used to be close but that as teens, you drifted apart because she took on the role of the Freeman legacy like most of your family. You may not be aware of it but your subconscious probably wants to make sense of it and would like to have that relationship back again.”

  “That may have been true when we were younger and her attitudes changed but I came to terms with that a long time ago. I don’t have any expectations that Maggie and I will ever be friends again.”

  “You’d be surprised what secrets we don’t know about our unconscious mind. I’ve seen it all. Or at least, it seems that way with all the patients I helped over the years,” Alice remarked.

  “Maybe you should talk to your son,” Helen suggested.

  Alice’s expression became stern as she focused on Mark. “I strongly suggest you get out of the habit of thinking of Perry that way and to break him out of the habit of calling you ‘Dad.’ It’s very unhealthy and will lead to trouble.”

  “I think it’s sweet,” Helen argued.

  “I don’t care. It’s bad news. As a professional in the psychological field, I know what I’m talking about,” Alice said.

  “I really don’t see how it’s hurting anything.”

  “For one thing, it might give both Perry and Mark an over-inflated sense of confidence in Mark’s abilities which can be fatal in a confrontation with dark wizards or other life threatening circumstances.”

  “You don’t have to worry. I don’t think I’m a superhero or anything. I’m very aware of my limitations,” Mark said.

  Alice regarded him with a stern look. “Over time, those feelings can change if you unconsciously assume the role of parenthood. It’s an easy thing for it to sneak up on you over time. The change is so gradual you don’t even know it’s happening. You need to put an end to Perry’s misguided perceptions of you as his father.”

  “For heavens sakes, leave Mark alone,” Josephine interjected.

  “It’s for his own good. I’m a doctor.”

  Josephine’s lips twitched in a teasing smile. “You’re retired now, remember?”

  “Whatever,” Alice grumbled. “No one ever listens to me.”

  “If it makes you feel better, you can be his aunt.” Helen’s eyes twinkled with mirth.

  “For heavens sakes.” Alice scowled with annoyance then sipped some of her coffee. Josephine, Mark, and Helen chuckled with amusement. Alice focused on Mark again. “I’m sorry if I come on too strong sometimes but I just want what’s best for you. I would suggest you start writing down your dreams in a journal. You should keep the book where you sleep so you can write them down right away while they’re still fresh in your mind. The details of our dreams fade away quickly when we wake up.”

  “I don’t usually remember my dreams,” Mark said.

  “Most of us don’t. You’ll discover that just the act of keeping a journal by your bed will program your unconscious to recall more of them,” Alice lectured.

  “I’ll do it,” he acknowledged.

  “Great. We can do that when we go shopping for plants,” Alice remarked.

  Josephine regarded her with trepidation. “If you go without me, just be sure to bring plenty of niveus imperium enchantments. Those two construo letalis curses are still out there and you may be secondary targets. And then there’s Frederic.”

  “We’ll be careful,” Mark said.

  As soon as Josephine left for work, Helen and Mark ate breakfast, took showers and left with Alice to visit Palm Grove Nursery to check out their plants. Perry refused to leave the enchanted garden and remained in the form of a white dove. He’d suffered a couple of relapses during the day yesterday with his energy matrix destabilizing.

  “Poor Perry. I feel so bad for him,” Helen said as she, Mark, and Alice stood in front of a bunch of large, five-foot-tall ferns.

  “Why are you so fixated on him?” Alice threw her a curious look.

  “If you were made of just energy and you felt like your very essence was going to evaporate into nothingness, wouldn’t you be worried?” Helen retorted.

  “It’s like you’re obsessed or something.”

  “I am not.” Helen’s vibrant green eyes flashed with irritation and her face flushed with embarrassment.

  “You’ve got a crush on him!” Alice exclaimed.

  “That’s rubbish! You call yourself a psychiatrist?”

  “He does have a very nice figure if you’re into the muscular type,” Alice observed.

  “I hadn’t noticed.” Helen turned away from her to grab one
of the potted ferns and placed it in her cart.

  Alice watched her friend with undisguised amusement.

  “I think we should get about six of these ferns. They’re capable of holding a good deal of light energy and are easy to care for,” Mark said.

  “That’s right. Josephine isn’t good with house plants.”

  “She and I agreed that I’ll take care of them,” Mark explained.

  They loaded their flat, green cart with six pots then got some margarita trees since they were relatively simple and trouble-free. They purchased the plants and brought them home, placing half of them in the living room and half in the dining room.

  “They go well with the décor,” Helen commented.

  “That’s true. I love the splash of red on the margarita trees,” Alice said in reference to the red tinged leaves.

  “I suppose we should get started,” Mark said.

  He, Helen, and Alice went out in the backyard to find Perry who was perched in one of his favorite spots, on a branch of the weeping willow tree closest to the house.

  “You’re going to have to leave the enchanted garden so we can extend the power center,” Mark told him.

  “All right.” Perry remained standing on the branch for several seconds as if gathering his courage to leave. He jumped into the air then exploded into a white sparkling cloud as he transformed into his human self. Helen walked over to him and patted his arm in reassurance.

  “You’ll be okay,” she said.

  Perry smiled at her then the group made their way to the front yard. Because Alice couldn’t work with white magic, she stood off to the side and watched in silence as Helen, Mark, and Perry joined hands in the front yard and began weaving threads of light energy between them. Every once in awhile, the energy gathered would manifest in the visible spectrum as silver white streams of luminescence that flickered in and out of sight. They lost track of time as they worked and finally managed to weave a large self-sustaining energy sphere roughly eight feet in diameter. They directed currents of energy to flow between the nearby trees, bushes and the sphere. Mark’s cell phone chimed in his jeans pocket, indicating he had an appointment.

  “I’ve got a client. Sorry guys.” Mark swept an apologetic gaze at Perry and Helen.

  “That’s all right,” Helen said. She looked around with puzzlement. “Where did Alice go?”

  “She must have gone inside,” Perry said.

  Mark’s appointment arrived fifteen minutes late with a couple of family heirlooms that had been damaged. Mark restored them in brand-new condition which impressed his client. Afterwards, Mark remained outside in the front yard to call his sister. He was pretty sure his father would let him know if something was wrong but the Freemans were a strange group.

  “Hello, Mark,” Maggie said in a crisp, businesslike tone.

  “Hi, Maggie.”

  There was a short pause and Maggie heaved an impatient sigh. “What do you want?”

  “I had a dream that you were in danger. I wanted to be sure you were okay.”

  “So you’re telling me that you interrupted my important work because of some stupid dream?” Maggie said in a condescending tone. “You would do better to consult with a dream therapist or a psychiatrist.”

  “I just had a bad feeling that I couldn’t shake and I had to know for sure that you’re all right.”

  “Rest assured I’m fine. You can continue making friendship bracelets, singing to your plants, and dancing naked under the full moon or whatever it is you’re doing these days.”

  “We used to be close. What happened that made us drift apart so much?” Mark asked, thinking about his discussion with Alice this morning.

  “I grew up.”

  Mark opened his mouth to speak but realized his sister had already disconnected the call. He shoved the phone in his pocket feeling more out of balance than ever before. It appeared that Alice was right. A sense of unease took hold of him as he thought about his family. His parents had always been so serious about the Freeman Legacy and driven to grow the family business while Mark and Maggie had been kids. Maggie had changed very suddenly and completely when she turned twelve. She’d developed a keen interest in the family business and devoted all of her spare time to learning the many aspects of its operations. Mark had a couple more clients but spent the rest of the day with Perry and Helen to continue laying the foundation for a new power center in the front yard.

  Chapter 16

  As Josephine approached her desk, Alex was munching on a Long John with maple frosting. He grinned when he saw her and hastily finished chewing his mouthful of food.

  “Hey, Josephine. Good to see you this morning,” he greeted her.

  “Good morning.” Josephine smiled back and took her seat. “Where’s Jake?”

  “He’s in the evidence locker getting the journal we got from Lucius’s safety deposit box from Regatta Bank.”

  Josephine was astounded by this news. “You found his journal? Why didn’t you call me?”

  “We didn’t want to bother you.”

  “I’m surprised it wasn’t confiscated by the Feds,” Josephine remarked.

  “They don’t know about it. We haven’t reported our findings yet.”

  “That’s kind of risky.”

  “We can always use the excuse that the paperwork was misfiled and we thought we’d already reported it.”

  “I doubt they would buy it.”

  Alex shrugged. “It happens all the time. There’s nothing they can do about it.”

  “All right. So what does it say?”

  “I have no idea.”

  “You waited to read it until I came back to work?” Josephine eyed him with incredulous disbelief.

  “Of course not. The book is written entirely in code. We have a couple of people here at the station trying to decipher it but we haven’t had any luck yet. We’re hoping you’ll figure it out with you’re psychometry,” Alex explained.

  “I’ll do my best.”

  Jake stepped into the room with the journal in his right hand. “Hey, Grandma. I’m glad you’re back. I wish you could have had more time to make niveus imperium spells though.”

  “I had enough time to whip up some more,” Josephine said. “Hopefully, four will be enough.”

  “You know it’s not.” Jake regarded her with trepidation. “If you’re attacked, you’ll be able to take care of maybe one construo letalis curse but not the other.”

  “I’m not worried about it.” Josephine forced a nonchalant expression on her face.

  “We don’t have any teleportation enchantments to make a quick escape either,” Jake pointed out.

  “We’ll just have to drive to my house like we’ve done before. Alice, Helen, and Mark have some more niveus imperium spells.”

  “Couldn’t they have given you some?”

  “They did. I made three and Alice gave me one. She has just one with her.”

  Jake frowned with puzzlement. “So Helen wasn’t able to make any?”

  Josephine explained what had happened when she’d found Perry and Mark.

  “Wow! That’s amazing! You linked with Helen and Mark? That’s seriously advanced magic! Do you realize how difficult it is?” Alex asked.

  “Yes, I do. And to be honest, I’m not sure how we did it.”

  “I think it’s terrific. Congratulations,” Jake said.

  “Thanks, sweetie.” Josephine threw him an appreciative smile.

  Jake set the journal on her desk and took up a position beside her as he waited for her to take a crack at the book. Alex remained in his seat watching her with anticipation. Josephine opened her senses to the subtle energies and she stiffened with surprise as psychic impressions from all around her bombarded her mind like an avalanche. She instinctively closed herself off and took a deep cleansing breath as her mind raced over the possibilities. She quickly came to the conclusion that her receptors must be stronger along with her ability to produce magic. She hadn’t cast any s
pells yet but she’d created enchantments and it had been amazing. Josephine opened her herself up again more slowly and tuned out the background noise as she focused on the journal. It was obvious that Lucius had cast an ignotus enchantment on it as there was nothing there to receive.

  Josephine met Alex’s gaze. “It’s been wiped clean. There’s nothing left for me to receive.”

  “Damn,” Alex said fervently. “I thought if anyone could do it, it would be you.”

  “Thanks for the vote of confidence.” Josephine opened the journal and looked at the letters sprawled across the surface. It was a shame she couldn’t remove the bond that Lucius had with Frederic and restore his memory. He had never worked with the Valituras willingly and had been a slave to their demands for many years. Josephine wondered how many others this had happened to. The Valituras had attempted to curse her as well but had failed. Now they were trying to kill her. Too bad white magic couldn’t work at the police station or she’d ask Mark to try curing Lucius. Josephine’s eyes lit up with an idea and she dialed Mark’s number in her cell.

  “Hey, Josephine. What’s up?” Mark asked.

  “I was wondering about my link with light energy. Do I have enough access to it to activate white magic enchantments?” Josephine asked.

  “That’s a definite possibility. It would be a strain but I think you might be able to do it,” Mark said.

  “Could I have one of your niveus imperium spells? I want to use it to cure Lucius.”

  “Sure. I have plenty to spare.”

  Mark had eight of them and had reached the point where he could produce them almost as fast as restoration enchantments. Josephine brought Jake and Alex with her to pick up the niveus imperium spell then drove down the maximum security prison in Clearwater. She sat down at the table in the interrogation room across from Lucius dressed in his orange prison garb. His blue-eyed gaze conveyed a mixture of hope and fear. He ran a nervous hand through his short-cropped brown hair.

  “Are you ready?” Josephine regarded him with compassion.

  “Yes, let’s do this.”

  Josephine stood up and pointed Mark’s large, blue wand at Lucius. She tapped into the light energy and attempted to activate the spell. Nothing happened. Josephine sighed with exasperation but Mark had warned her it would be a challenge. She focused on the light energy and flowed as much as possible through her body. Her brows furrowed with concentration as the wand remained lifeless in her hand. After a long moment, the niveus enchantment lit up with a gold light and spilled from the tip of the wand into Lucius’s chest. His eyes widened with surprise and after several seconds his body was suffused with a soft, gold glow. Josephine willed the servitude bond and the amnesia spell to melt away. Unfortunately, it had taken all of her strength just to activate the enchantment so she couldn’t direct its actions at this point. Hopefully, the white magic would do as she wished.