by John O'Riley
Alex and Jake stepped closer to Josephine and took up positions on either side of her when the niveus imperium wore off. They watched Lucius with bated breaths as they wondered if Josephine’s plan had worked. Lucius took stock of his surroundings with confusion and Josephine heaved a sigh of disappointment as she took this to mean his amnesia was still in full force.
“Where am I?” Lucius asked.
“You’re in the Clearwater Corrections Facility.” Josephine could barely speak as her throat constricted tight with despondency.
“You did your best.” Alex leveled a sympathetic gaze at her.
Jake patted his grandmother on the back in a consoling gesture. “What about the servitude bond? Maybe that’s gone now.”
Josephine focused on Lucius and scanned him.
“Josephine, you did it.” Lucius grinned at her with elation. “I remember!”
“You do?” Josephine asked.
“Yes, my memories are returning.” His expression was awed as he stared off into space.
“Your servitude bond is gone so you no longer have to take orders from the Valituras,” Josephine informed him.
“Good work, Josephine!” Alex exclaimed.
Josephine grinned at him. “Thanks.”
“I knew you could do it,” Jake said.
Josephine patted her grandson on the shoulder then focused her attention on Lucius whose gaze snapped back to hers.
“I remember everything up to the point where the Valituras kidnapped me and cursed me. After that, it’s all a blank,” Lucius said.
Josephine wouldn’t give up hope. Her spell had removed the amnesia enchantment. She could sense its absence quite clearly so it must be damage to his subconscious mind that occurred as a result of the dark energy. Surely that could be fixed.
“He was being kept at the prison on a technicality,” Jake reminded them. “His servitude bond made him an unwilling enemy of the state. Now that it’s gone, he’s going to be released and taken to protective custody. The Valituras will find him and capture him.”
“You’re right.” Josephine was horrified at the idea that this poor man had been a prisoner of the Valituras with his identity stolen for so many years and now the same horrid fate would occur yet again.
“He’s very important to the Feds. Maybe they’ll have enforcers watch over him,” Alex suggested.
“They’ll probably assign two or three to him,” Josephine said. “But that won’t be enough. The Valituras are too powerful. I think he needs to stay with me.”
“Will the feds allow that?” Jake asked.
“Hopefully, they’ve got their hands full with their own leads and protecting the government from the Valituras,” Josephine said. Her gaze swung back to Lucius. “But really, it’s up to you.”
“You’re the one I trust. I will choose to stay with you. But why do you think you’ll be better at protecting me from the Valituras?”
“I have one of the most powerful wards on this planet. They’re much stronger than this correctional facility even.”
Alex shot Josephine a teasing look. “Since you’re letting everyone else stay at your place, do you think I can shack up with you, too?”
“Very funny.” Josephine cocked a bemused brow. “You’ve got a point though. I’m starting to feel like a hotel but I’m the one who’s inviting everyone over.”
She didn’t mind at all having Alice and Helen over but Lucius was a stranger. She hoped she could help him recover his memories sooner rather than later. Josephine planned on asking Alice to perform a claro mentis spell on Lucius and of course, she would freak out. She abhorred that kind of work now that she was retired.
“I know you don’t have your memory back but I want you to see if you recognize the code used on this journal you made while under Valituras control. I think you may have valuable information in here.” Josephine slid the book across the table towards him.
Lucius accepted the journal. “I’ll do what I can.”
Josephine felt a surge of hope as he scrutinized the first few pages. After a moment, he gazed up at her with an apologetic expression on his face.
“I’m sorry but I have no idea what this says,” he said.
“I should have known that would be too easy,” Josephine remarked.
Chapter 17
Maggie wore a sharp and expensive, navy-blue business suit as she sat at her desk clutching an enchanted, ornate hand-mirror programmed with a powerful seer enchantment. Her silky black hair was secured in a pony tail. The beautiful and striking features of her face including the long lashes and brown eyes made it glaringly obvious that she was related to Mark. The reflective surface of the mirror swirled with a kaleidoscope of colors as images of the future played clearly in her mind. She blinked and stopped the spell so she could type a series of notes on her computer. Cyril entered the room with a curious expression on his face.
“One of my employees told me you had a conversation with Mark this afternoon,” Cyril remarked.
“That’s true.” Maggie peered at her father with a bland sense of boredom. “He had a nightmare and wanted to know if I was all right.”
“It’s an important step in the right direction that he’s reaching out to our family instead of ignoring us.”
“He’s wasting his time and his life on Namby Pamby nonsense. We should discourage his practice of white magic,” Maggie said with disdain.
Cyril grinned at her with amusement. “It’s funny to hear you talk like that sometimes.”
“Why is that?” Maggie regarded him with confusion.
“You sound like your grandfather when you use expressions like ‘Namby Pamby.’ It just seems to slip out occasionally and I get a kick out of it.”
“We’re straying from the important issue of your son. You’ve coddled him for too long.”
“He’s your brother, too.”
“That’s irrelevant. He needs to revert to mainstream magic and straighten up. It’s time for him to join the family business,” Maggie said.
“I’m hoping that will happen. I’ve taken steps to guide him to us.”
“Is dangling an offer of employment to Josephine and giving her and her friends teleportation mirrors part of your grand plan?”
“Yes, it is. Your mother has convinced me that we need to stop trying to bully him and start taking a more subtle approach,” Cyril said.
“Mom has always been a master manipulator but it’s not going to work with Mark.”
“Did you see the results in the Seer Mirror?”
“No, I haven’t. It’s common sense.”
“Mark has done some impressive things with the use of white magic. It might be an asset to the company.”
“I seriously doubt it.”
“Our family needs to be more cohesive. Maybe it’s time to patch things up with Mark,” Cyril suggested.
Maggie gazed at her father for several long seconds. “I don’t think so.”
“I’m asking you to do this as a father and as your employer.”
“All right. I’ll try.”
“Thank you.” Cyril turned to leave then threw his daughter a concerned look. “You’re working too many late nights. Why don’t you call it a day and head on home?”
Maggie regarded him for several seconds with a contemplative expression on her face. She picked up her Seer Mirror and locked it in the top drawer of her desk.
“You’ve convinced me. Good night, Dad,” she said.
“Good night, Maggie.”
Maggie turned off her computer and drove down to her mansion in Seattle. She grabbed a large, heavy satchel containing a variety of dark enchantments from her guestroom which she kept protected by separate wards from the rest of her home. She used the teleportation mirror in her living room to venture to her modest vacation home in Saint Petersburg, Florida. She loaded the satchel into her silver sedan parked in the garage then drove down to a quiet, middle-class neighborhood in Sarasota. She parked in front of a brow
n, one-story house with a modest but well-maintained yard. The humid Florida heat felt almost like a tangible, heavy weight as she emerged from her car. Maggie opened the trunk of her vehicle and pulled out the large satchel containing potent dark magic. She used telekinesis to carry the load to the front door and rang the bell. Frederic answered the door almost immediately.
“Administrator Freeman.” He stepped aside with great haste to allow her entry. “Please, come in.”
Maggie’s lips curved in a chilling smile as she breezed past him. They gathered in the living room and she set the bag in front of him. They were both seated in blue sofas facing each other in a spacious living room.
“I’ve brought you more weapons to use and a change of instructions,” Maggie said.
“What are my orders?” Frederic asked.
“Halt your efforts against Josephine. Avoid contact with her at all cost. Her psychometry is so finely tuned that any interaction you have with her reveals information we don’t want her to know. Mark Freeman is your main target at this point. The Valituras feel he’s a greater threat and must be killed as soon as possible.”
“I don’t understand why they’re so upset about white magic. Everyone burns out from that stuff.”
“He has the potential to be an exception. Light energy is stronger than dark. We can’t allow white magic to gain a foothold,” Maggie explained.
“It’s hard to imagine such a thing.”
“Are you still in contact with the two construo letalis curses?”
“No, they’ve gone rogue. Josephine’s still their target as far as I know but their programming will probably change now that they’re on their own.”
Maggie rose to her feet. “You must kill Mark quickly. The Valituras is counting on you to succeed in your mission.”
“I won’t fail.”
“I certainly hope not.”
Chapter 18
Josephine took another sip of her coffee as Alice scowled at her with exasperation. Unfortunately, Alice seemed to be the first to awaken in the morning now that Helen was practicing white magic and she wasn’t in a good mood. This was the first opportunity that had presented itself for the two wizards to speak alone since last night when Josephine had arrived with Lucius.
“I’m concerned about Lucius,” Alice said. “He sensed the mini vortex in your house right away and we don’t know him very well. He’s liable to spill the beans and you’ll be caught by the authorities.”
“Actually, I reported that to Ben a couple of mornings ago. I decided it was too big a secret to keep.”
“How much trouble are you in?” Alice asked.
“None at all. I made it sound like it was a recent discovery and that I learned there are mini vortexes scattered throughout the world. I explained only category six wizards can sense them.”
“And he bought it?”
“Yes, he did.”
“The Feds may want to investigate this phenomenon,” Alice warned. “You’ll probably have enforcers coming here to study it.”
“I know.” Josephine’s brown-eyed gaze conveyed reluctant acceptance. “I had to do it. If the authorities had discovered the mini vortexes on their own somehow, I would have been in big trouble. I just got tired of waiting for disaster to strike.”
“There’s always something hanging over our heads.” Alice sneezed then took another sip of her coffee.
“Have you been to the doctor? I’m concerned about your sneezes and the strange fainting spell you had yesterday.” Josephine regarded her friend with concern.
“I don’t plan on going to a doctor about my allergies and I didn’t faint. It was just a bit of lightheadedness.”
“I feel so bad for Lucius. He was kidnapped and taken from his family and friends then forced to relocate and work for the Valituras. That’s what could have happened to me,” Josephine said.
“Thank heavens you were able to kick their sorry butts instead.”
Josephine made Belgian waffles with scrambled eggs and sausage crumbles on the side for breakfast. When everyone had settled at the dining room table with their breakfast, she served herself and joined them.
“These are excellent,” Mark complimented her.
“Thanks, sweetie,” Josephine said. She turned to focus on Lucius. “How did you sleep, last night?”
“Pretty good.” He offered a polite but tired smile. “A lot of nightmares though.”
“You poor dear. Was it the Valituras?” Helen asked.
“Yes, I kept reliving the moments when they captured me. I wonder why I can’t remember anything after that.”
“Your subconscious might be protecting you from painful memories,” Alice advised. “On the other hand, it could be damage from the amnesia spell. It’s hard to say at this point.”
Josephine hadn’t yet asked her to perform the claro mentis on Lucius. She was reluctant to do so because she knew how much Alice hated these spells and circumstances kept coming up that required it. Josephine hoped it wouldn’t be necessary. Ben had warned her that the Feds would likely take over Lucius’s protective custody detail in a few days. For now, they accepted Josephine’s decision but had voiced reservations.
Alice turned to address Mark. “What about your dreams? Did you write them down in your journal this morning?”
“I couldn’t remember any of them,” he said.
“Oh, well. Keep trying, young man. If you keep that book beside you with the intention of recording your dreams, you’ll start to remember.”
“Do you really think I have unresolved issues with my sister?” Mark asked.
Alice fixed a shrewd gaze at him. “Yes, I do.”
“Family is important,” Lucius interjected. “I’d like my phone returned to me.”
“I’ll get you a new phone. They won’t return your old one because you’re in protective custody,” Josephine explained.
“I want to let people know I’m okay.”
“You’ll want to be careful. The Valituras has spies everywhere. Your family and friends are probably being watched,” Josephine warned.
Lucius heaved a dismal sigh. “I know. I can’t tell them where I am or anything like that but I have a lot of catching up to do.”
“We need to decode your journal. As long as it’s a potential threat to the Valituras, you’ll be in danger.” Josephine pulled out a copy of the book which was stapled together and set it down on the table in front of Lucius. The original journal wouldn’t leave the station.
“I’ll definitely work on it,” Lucius promised.
Josephine turned to address Mark. “I was wondering if you could do a claro mentis with white magic?”
Mark was taken aback by the request and quickly chewed his mouthful of waffle so he could respond.
“I’m not sure. I’ll definitely give it a shot though. Helen, Perry and I can use a general healing spell to try and help Lucius get his memories back,” he offered.
“That would be great. Thank you.” Josephine reached across the table and held her lover’s hand for several seconds as she smiled fondly at him.
“For heavens sakes!” Alice threw her a disgusted look. “Not just anyone can do a claro mentis. It’s a complicated spell that takes years of training. Not only do you need to make the enchantment right but you have to execute it properly as well. I still have some left, of course. I’ll do it.”
“Thank you, Alice.”
“You’re not welcome.”
Josephine’s lips twitched in an amused smile and she turned away so her friend wouldn’t see it. Helen’s and Mark’s eyes danced with hilarity as they knew Alice hated doing this type of magic. Jake arrived shortly to take his watch of Lucius. The regulations for protective custody were quite clear and a law enforcement official must be on the premises at all times. Josephine went to the station to work with Alex. The two of them checked out Lucius’s journal from the evidence locker and took it to Josephine’s desk. Alex took a seat beside her and they looked over the words
, wishing that it would somehow just make sense.
“I don’t see any patterns,” Josephine said. “It’s like gibberish. I’ve never been gifted with foreign languages.”
“Me, neither.”
“Time for me to try a reading.” Josephine closed the book and gripped the edges of it lightly as she opened her senses fully to the subtle energies swirling around her.
The book contained mere fragments of its original psychometric energy. It was obvious Lucius had wanted to leave evidence to expose the Valituras but the servitude bond had prevented him from making it easy. Josephine’s head throbbed as she spent over an hour scanning the book.
“Josephine, I’ve got a case for you.” Ben’s booming voice startled her.
She’d tuned into the book so completely that she had lost track of what was happening around her. Not a good idea with the Valituras trying to assassinate her.
Josephine opened her eyes and focused on her boss. “What is it, Ben?”
“We’ve got a dumpster full of corpses.”
“Excuse me?” Josephine regarded him with disgust and shock.
“An employee of Yellow Tale’s Fish and Chips noticed a strong odor over the last couple of days and decided to check it out. It turned out their dumpster was filled with dead bodies,” Ben explained.
Alex wrinkled his nose with revulsion. “I’m not going to eat THERE anymore.”
“We’re on our way.” Josephine jumped to her feet.