Phoenix and the Dark Star

by Gerald Pruett

“Not everyone,” Harris, Sadie and Brad said.

  “Brad and Riley are simply human,” Ellen shared before glancing between Wesley and Melanie.

  “I might as well be a simple human,” Karla grumbled before anything else could be said.

  “Why?” Ellen and Jessica quickly asked.

  While speaking to Jessica, Karla said, “You, Ellen and Harris can shoot electricity. Blaire, Trevor, Devon and Galvin can shoot fireballs. I haven’t learned any of that, and I felt useless here tonight.”

  “Being only a witch, I can relate, Karla, but I assure you that our presence here were anything but useless,” Sadie assured Karla.

  “You’ll condition your body and learn one of them for the next time when a menacing witch or wizard threatens someone,” Blaire added.

  “She’ll condition her body?” Brad mumbled barely above a whisper. When he saw that he drew their attention with his mumble, he asked, “What does that mean—that Karla will condition her body?”

  “Shooting electrical bolts and fireballs are unnatural even for a witch or a wizard,” Blaire explained. “If the witch’s or the wizard’s body isn’t conditioned for either spell, then casting either spell will kill the witch or the wizard.”

  “So how would a witch or a wizard condition his or her body?” April was the one to ask.

  “For the electrical bolts, there is a one-time defensive incantation that has to be cast prior to shooting the electrical bolts,” Harris was the one to say. “I don’t know about the fireballs.”

  “Actually, the fireball incantation requires three one-time defensive incantations to be cast in the proper order prior to shooting the fireballs,” Blaire supplied. “However, two of those defensive incantations can’t be cast within forty-eight hours of each other without causing a heart attack… or at least major heart damage.”

  “That’s good to know,” Ellen said. “And I do want to learn that fireball spell.”

  “Since you know the spell to throw an electrical bolt at someone, Ellen, I recommend that you don’t learn the spell for the fireball,” Trevor advised.

  “Why?” Ellen quickly asked.

  “The words to both spells are very similar, and most wizards who had tried to learn both had mixed the two up, and mixing the two is a failed spell,” Trevor explained.

  “Which spell is the better one to know?” Karla asked.

  “They both have their advantages and disadvantages,” Trevor said while looking at Garrett, “and I’ll tell you what they are at a more appropriate time.”

  “Alright,” Ellen and Karla said as everyone heard Winona’s jogging footsteps.

  Everyone turned towards Winona, and within a short time, Winona was rejoining the group with two four-inch crystal balls.

  “Does anyone have a pocket knife?” Trevor asked as he looked around.

  “I have one,” Cory said while pulling out a long blade pocketknife. He then handed it to Trevor.

  Trevor opened it before instructing, “Except for Brad and Riley, everyone, back away ten feet from Garrett.”

  As everyone, except for Brad and Riley, was backing away from Garrett, Trevor proceeded to etch a circle into the ground that would encircle Riley, Brad and Trevor.

  “I recently sharpened that,” Cory grumbled.

  “I’ll give you the money for a new knife,” Trevor said as he continued to etch out the circle.

  “Fine,” Cory said unhappily.

  The Rottweilers had begun awakening one at a time within a short time of each other, and when Ellen sensed that, she mentally instructed each of them to stay back.

  It took Trevor a few minutes to etch out a slightly imperfect circle around Brad, Riley and Garrett. He then took a few more minutes to etch out a few symbols within the circle. Once Trevor was done, he stood upright, grabbed Garrett’s right hand and sliced his palm before Garrett could react.

  “Shit!” Garrett uttered while yanking his hand back. “Why don’t you just kill me and be done with it?!”

  “Death is too good for you,” Trevor retorted while grabbing his right hand again. Brad prevented Garrett from yanking his hand back.

  Trevor held Garrett’s hand over the etched circle and symbols while allowing Garrett’s blood to drip onto them.

  When Trevor was satisfied that enough blood had dripped down, he let go of Garrett’s hand and recited an incantation. Once the incantation had been said in its entirety, the blood spread and filled the etched circle and symbols. The circle and symbols glowed for a brief moment before returning to normal.

  “You two can turn loose of him now and join the others on the outside of the circle,” Trevor told Brad and Riley. “Garrett won’t be able to leave the circle.”

  Brad and Riley let go of Garrett. As Trevor, Brad and Riley were stepping out of the circle, Blaire and Devon—while each having one of the crystal balls—were stepping up.

  Garrett attempted to step out of the circle as well, but was stopped by an invisible wall.

  “How is this possible?” Garrett demanded.

  “You are now in what is known as a blood-cage designed for you,” Trevor replied as Blaire and Devon were placing the crystal balls—one on each side of the circle. “A blood-cage will hold a person for only ten minutes, but that’s long enough to do what we have plan for you. And in case you’re planning on using witchcraft, don’t bother. A blood-cage also prevents you from casting spells of any kind.” Trevor then glanced between Blaire and Devon. “You two can proceed when ready.”

  Blaire (while standing behind the crystal ball that she had set in place and staring at the crystal ball on the opposite end) and Devon (while standing behind the crystal ball that he had set in place and staring at the crystal ball on the opposite end from him) began reciting the words to the incantation simultaneously.

  Garrett attempted to interrupt the ritual by loudly speaking out and adding false verses to the incantation.

  Blaire and Devon weren’t distracted though and continued as if Garrett wasn’t speaking.

  They recited eight verses before stopping. The color of both crystal balls changed from a clear glass appearance to a swirling rainbow color with a distinct pattern that repeated as the swirling continued.

  “Garrett Wilson, you have abducted, tormented, tortured and killed,” Trevor announced. Blaire and Devon chanted another verse. “From now to when the moment you die in no sooner than twenty years, you will chronologically relive those acts as each one of your victims.”

  Blaire and Devon chanted a few more verses. The swirling rainbow color of the two crystal balls shifted sequence followed by Garrett collapsing to the ground in a comatose condition with his eyes wide open.

  Trevor kneeled down and etched a break within the etched circle. When Trevor stood upright, he faced the group and announced, “Garrett is all yours, April. He won’t be terrorizing or killing anyone anymore.”

  “What you did to him had sounded more like a curse,” April pointed out as she walked towards Garrett.

  “Yes, this incantation would fall into the category of curses,” Trevor agreed.

  “Can it be ended?” April questioned before medically checking Garrett’s condition. “Without him dying I mean.”

  “Yes, but there are six known versions of this curse in existence and they each had been used throughout history as far back as 3000 B.C.,” Trevor began as the others gathered around the etched circle. “Garrett’s mind is locked up with one version and if anyone tries to end this curse with another version… well, that’s like turning a three digit combination lock into a four digit combination lock with the fourth digit being hidden.”

  “Okay… but you, Blaire and Devon can end it?” April questioned.

  “Of course we have the means and the knowledge to end his curse, but as his victims’ deaths are permanent, so is his punishment,” Trevor replied.

  “That’s cruel,” April pointed out. “Garrett will mentally die a thousand times.”

  “If not more,”
Trevor countered.

  “And you don’t think that’s a cruel and unusual punishment?” April questioned.

  “This punishment isn’t designed to rehabilitate criminals; it’s designed to send wizards and sorceresses who would kill freely without remorse into a virtual purgatory,” Trevor informed. “And any wizard or sorceress who would be released from a virtual purgatory would stop at nothing to get even with the wizard or wizards who had sent him or her there…”

  “With your cousin being on the top of his list,” Sadie added as she looked towards Ellen. Ellen just responded with a brave, yet slightly timid grin.

  “In short,” Trevor continued, “Garrett doesn’t get released.”

  April sighed before saying, “I’m a doctor and I became a doctor to help people and relieve suffering, and although I can’t see it, I know for a fact that he’s suffering.”

  “He has to be punished for his crimes,” Brad insisted.

  “I agree, but he wasn’t even given a trial,” April pointed out.

  “There’s no established law and order to handle menacing witches or wizards,” Blaire began. “In fact, in most cases, the battle ends with one side killing the other. And when the good side does happen to capture the menacing side, the punishment has to be immediate. If it’s not immediate then that’s just an open invitation for the menacing side to escape and kill the good side.”

  “Okay, fine, I understand the need to do away with the trials,” April accepted. “But there must be an alternative punishment than life in a virtual purgatory.”

  “If you can think of one that fits his crime and it doesn’t involve him seeking revenge on us or continuing his menacing ways at any point, I’ll hear you out, but until then, his punishment in a virtual purgatory stands,” Trevor said.

  “Fine, I’ll think of one,” April assured him.

  “Meanwhile, he needs to be placed in a nursing home,” Trevor informed.

  “I can’t exactly call for an ambulance,” April said. “There would be too many questions; questions that shouldn’t be answered.”

  “I’ll call Lance,” Harris said as he pulled out his phone.

  April just made an indifferent gesture for him to proceed.

  As Harris was making his call, Ellen shared, “I’m kind of glad that we’re not doing the Dark Ritual on him.”

  “It would be a waste of time to perform the Dark Ritual on him,” Blaire informed.

  “Why’s that?” Ellen quickly asked.

  “Garrett doesn’t possess enough Mortal Magic to even bother,” Blaire replied.

  “He’s a wizard though,” Ellen pointed out.

  “Anyone… and everyone who practices Immortal Magic is considered to be a wizard or a sorceress,” Blaire informed. “And as you know, anyone who practices Immortal Magic is only borrowing the magic from the spiritual world; therefore it can’t be taken or kept.”

  “Okay,” Ellen said in an uncertain tone. “Anyway, what are the pros and cons of the electrical bolts and fireballs?”

  Blaire amusingly grinned before saying, “To create an electrical bolt, it requires a source… such as pulling it from a surrounding electrical outlet or light fixture. A fireball’s source is from one’s own body heat, so it can be performed anywhere and at any time. When creating an electrical bolt, it doesn’t do anything adverse to the body; however, when creating a fireball, the body temperature momentarily rises to self-cremating temperatures, and once the fireball is released, the body temperature instantly and momentarily drops below a normal body temperature…”

  “Self-cremating temperatures?” Karla interrupted. “Could that cause someone to spontaneously combust?”

  “It can, and it has in the past,” Blaire said. “Although there are other reasons why one might spontaneously combust. Anyway, when attempting to throw fireballs, witches and warlocks have a much higher chance of spontaneously combust than wizards and sorceresses.”

  “How can someone withstand such high body temperatures?” April asked.

  “The body has to be conditioned beforehand by casting three one-time defensive incantations on him or herself,” Blaire repeated.

  “Witchcraft or not, I’m having a hard time believing that anyone can survive extremely high body temperatures, even for a moment,” April said.

  “It can be a hard concept to grasp,” Blaire agreed.

  “Alright,” Harris announced as he was putting his cell phone away. “Lance had told me five street locations that are nowhere near cameras of any type and have very light foot and/or vehicle traffic.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?” April asked.

  “Lance told me that we should drive Garrett to the closest emergency ward ourselves and say that we had found him collapsed at one of those locations,” Harris informed. “If the cops would investigate as to how Garrett had ended up in an unexplained coma, there would be no visual evidence to dispute our claim.”

  “Sounds like a plan,” Riley said as he moved towards Garrett. “Let’s carry him to the van.”

  “You can put him in my car,” April told them as Riley and Brad were pulling Garrett up by his arms.

  “Should we get his feet?” Galvin questioned.

  “To a passing motorist, it would look suspicious for us being seen carrying Garrett out by his feet and arms,” Brad said as he put Garrett’s left arm over his shoulder. Riley did the same with Garrett’s right arm. “But if a motorist sees us carrying him out like this it won’t look as suspicious.”

  “You don’t think a motorist will notice that you are dragging his feet?” Devon questioned.

  “As Brad and I carry Garrett to April’s car the rest of you will cluster around us,” Riley informed.

  “Alright,” they each said in an uneven chorus.

  After everyone clustered around Brad and Riley, Brad and Riley began carrying Garrett towards the entrance.

  Once they had left the salvage yard, April walked ahead of the group to her car. She opened her back door before gesturing and instructing, “Lay Garrett in the backseat.”

  Brad and Riley carried Garrett to April’s car without saying a word and laid Garrett in the backseat.

  Harris was the last one to leave the salvage yard, and once the double gates were closed he wrapped the thick chain around the gates and pad-locked it.

  Ellen stood next to Harris, and before they could walk towards the others, the Rottweilers came into view. Harris had started to face the street and stopped when he saw that the dogs were aimlessly walking around the yard.

  “I was thinking that the dogs could now go about their nightly routine as if we weren’t here,” Ellen shared. “I guess they sensed my desire for them to do so.”

  Harris grinned. As he pulled out his cell phone and a piece of paper with Quentin’s number on it, he said, “I’ll call Quentin and let him know that we’re through and that his yard is still in one piece—mainly.”

  Ellen nodded with a grin. Her attention was then drawn to April as April—while standing near the driver’s door—announced, “I’m gone with Garrett. Ellen, I will definitely call you later.”

  “You don’t need any of us to come with you?” Trevor asked.

  “I’ll be fine alone,” April said while glancing in Garrett’s direction. “Bringing someone in who had collapsed on the street would be something I would do.”

  “April, hold up. I haven’t told you the street locations,” Harris informed as he walked towards her. He then suddenly turned his attention to his phone call. “Quentin, hi. It’s Harris. I’m calling to let you know that we’re through here. What we had to do was successful, so once again, thanks for the use of your salvage yard and dogs… The condition of your yard is about the same as you left it. The only real difference is a pothole—a small one—in the clearing section of the yard. I’ll even pay to have it filled. Okay. Yes. I had just locked the gates just before I called. Okay. Bye.”

  When Harris hung up, he told April the street names a
nd locations that weren’t being monitored by cameras of any type.

  “Okay, I’m off,” April announced. “Bye, everyone.”

  “Bye, April,” everyone echoed before April could climb into her car and shut the door.

  “Ellen, I haven’t spoken to Mandy yet, and when I do, I’ll get Wanda’s contact information for you,” Wesley said as April was starting her car.

  “Thanks,” Ellen said.

  Wesley nodded before continuing, “Until then, if you need assistance with anything, don’t hesitate to call.”

  “Don’t hesitate to call me either if you need anything,” Winona announced as April was driving away. “And I’m speaking to all of you.”

  “The Raven Coven will be at your disposal as well, Winnie,” Blaire informed.

  “And so will the Clover Coven,” Devon added.

  “Just consider that the Tri-Star Coven will be there to back you up wherever you need us,” Trevor informed.

  Winona nodded before saying, “Thanks. Anyway, I guess we’re done here.”

  “We are,” Harris, Blaire and Trevor agreed.

  Everyone then said his or her ‘goodbyes’, went to his or her vehicle and drove away.

  Ellen, Devon and Galvin were in the same car with Harris, and before Harris got too far down the road, Ellen announced, “I need to talk to my dad; in person and not over the phone. I need to talk to him about what I had learned about him and Mom.”

  “Okay,” Harris said in a tone as if he didn’t know how else to respond.

  “It doesn’t have to be soon,” Ellen added. “I can wait until Thanksgiving. I have a strong feeling that he’ll want to see me then anyway.”

  “Okay,” Harris said in an agreeing tone. “I’ll invite him over for Thanksgiving. And if he can’t come, then I guess we can go there, to Kansas City.”

  “Thanks,” Ellen said.

  “No problem,” Harris said.

  “Anyway, I’m starving,” Ellen said.

  Harris grinned before pulling out his cell phone and holding it out for Ellen to take. “Call Allyson and have her order pizzas for us.”

  “Okay,” Ellen agreed while taking the phone.

  ~ The End? ~