by D. J. Dalton
After strolling to the bookcase, he pulled out his father’s grimoire. He had committed the entire book to memory by the age of ten, but drew comfort reading from its pages. It contained years of detailed, resolute research. He turned to the section describing shifters.
‘Today, the human population far outnumbers the magical races. But only a small percentage are elevated by bloodline to sorcerers. Dirty shifters are feral, vile creatures looking to tear out humankind’s throat, sending us back into a time of fear and darkness. They are beyond redemption and undeserving of their magical gifts. Regrettably, they cannot be eliminated before sorcerers harness the power of elemental magic. We cannot risk the world losing this vital resource.’
After flipping a few pages, he read further.
‘We are seeing success with curses drawing elemental magic into creatures of the Earth. Unfortunately, the creatures cannot maintain life for very long. It is my belief an amplifier to strengthen the curse would help. The following pages contain detailed experiments I performed to determine how the foul beasts survive with elemental magic. I’m close to a breakthrough’
Unfortunately, Father died before realizing his dream. He closed the book, thoughtfully placing it back on the shelf. All his life, Quinlin had prepared to fulfill his destiny of finishing his father’s work and avenging his death. With notes and experiments of his own, he believed he had the solution to his father’s enigma. He ran his hand through his hair, pacing back to the window.
Last year, he had stolen the Amplification Disk from a sorcerer faction in Las Vegas. Elves had forged the unique artifact during the Dragon War using a secret alloy. To this day, the metal’s origin remained unknown, making the artifact irreplaceable and nonreproducible.
The Las Vegas faction’s inferior security made it effortless to replace the artifact with an inert replica. As far as he knew, the sorcerers still hadn’t realized it had been stolen.
The four-inch diameter, washer-shaped disk had a thin, claspless chain running through its center, which allowed him to wear it safely around his neck while he had traveled home to Orlando.
He had refrained from using the Amplification Disk since historical reference books state its magic was restricted to one-time use. After a sorcerer used the artifact for a spell, they could never use it again. However, the spell’s effect would last as long as the artifact existed, or the sorcerer ended the spell. If a sorcerer cast a spell upon a stone, making it hover in the air. The sorcerer could walk away from the stone, and it would remain in the air.
Quinlin had formulated a theory it would work the same way for curses. Only he couldn’t test his theory until he had his father’s Book of Shadows.
A beep drew his attention to the computer. The Eye of Discovery glowed a dark green color.
“Finally,” he said, snatching his car keys off the desk and sprinting to his car.
Quinlin parked across the street from a small, two-story house. The boring gray exterior with white trim looked similar to the neighbors’ houses. While looking around, he spotted a human couple walking hand-in-hand several yards down the street. Otherwise, the road was empty.
He picked up the drone remote controller. After working the levers, he made the drone hover just above the house. The Eye’s green glow intensified. Finally, he had found his father’s Book of Shadows. He took a full-faced mask from the glove box. For now, the Dark Guild’s success hinged on anonymity, at least until he completed the curses. He pulled the mask over his face.
As he got out of the car, a station wagon pulled into the driveway. A woman stepped out, balancing several books in her arms as she struggled to close the car door.
While trotting across the street, he formulated a plan to get inside the woman’s house. His heart beat faster as he considered she could be his father’s murderer.
She fumbled with her keys but finally slipped one into the lock. Once the door opened, Quinlin rushed into the house, knocking her forward. After closing the door, he pulled off his mask, tossing it on the floor.
She yelled, rolling over to face him. Blood dripped from a cut on her forehead. After looking at his face, her eyes widened.
“Marcus?”
At the mention of his father’s name, Quinlin hesitated.
While taking advantage of the moment, she jumped to her feet, racing across the living room. Quinlin chased after her.
She skidded into another room. Once inside, she tried slamming the door in his face. Quinlin threw his full weight against the door, causing her to crash onto the floor. No more games, he thought as he raised his palms toward her.
“Postestatenum,” he shouted.
An energy blast struck the woman’s side. She screamed, but somehow crawled on her hands and knees to a filing cabinet. Smoke came from where the blast struck her. She sat, pressing herself into the cabinet while extending her hands.
“Protegioum.”
A protection shield surrounded the woman and the cabinet. That must be where she hid the book. This shield shouldn’t be a challenge for him. He held out his hands.
“Potestatenum.”
Quinlin’s energy blast struck her shield. Her arms flexed, absorbing the hit. But she extended them again, sustaining the shield. She snarled at him while her shaking hands held the shield in place. Twice more he struck her shield.
“Potestatenum. Potestatenum.”
As the woman screamed, black specs appeared on her palms. She scooted away from the cabinet but held the shield over herself. Now free from the shield, Quinlin focused on the cabinet.
“Concitatusiumus.”
The cabinet flew across the room, striking the wall. Its contents spilled onto the floor upon impact. He rushed over, digging through papers until his fingers brushed against leather. He caught his breath. Could this be it? Had he found his father’s Book of Shadows?
After pulling the book from the heap, he held it up, admiring the gold-leaf lettering. He ran his fingers over the name Marcus Turner.
Remembering where he was, he turned back to the woman, but she was gone. His heart pounded as he ran out of the room. While looking around, he couldn’t find her anywhere, but then he noticed the front door stood ajar. After snatching the mask from the floor and tugging it on, he dashed outside. He saw her staggering down the street, clutching at her side. Only one more shot needed to finish her.
“Potestatenum.”
At the last minute, the woman turned, holding up her hands. He couldn’t hear her, but he saw his attack strike her shield just before she collapsed on the street.
Another woman’s scream drew his attention. The couple he saw earlier stood across the street, staring in terror. Several other people, after hearing the commotion outside, walked into their yards, gaping at the spectacle.
Quinlin ran to his car, jumped in, then threw it into drive. While stomping on the gas, the BMW responded with a burst of speed. He looked in the rear-view mirror. A crowd had gathered around the woman. The strength it took to hold those shields would have killed the average sorcerer. He scowled. She must have been Father’s murderer. Why else would she be protecting the book? He’d check the news stories tomorrow to verify he had finished the job.
While pulling back to a normal speed, he realized he clutched the Book of Shadows to his chest. After releasing his hold, he set the book on the passenger’s seat. Once again, he ran his fingers over his father’s name while ignoring the pain radiating through his black-stained hands.
“I’ve avenged your death, Father. Now, I will complete your work.”
Chapter Five
Keren
The cattery housed twenty-five cats. A cat concierge kept the cats and the cattery clean. They watched the guests’ interactions, ensuring everyone, both human and furry friends, stayed respectful. The goal was to place cats in their forever homes. But customers just wanting to enjoy time with the cats kept the room booked.
“Thank goodness you’re here,” said John. A sour expression crossed his
face. “It’s all yours. I’m heading back to the café.” He marched out of the room. Keren watched him retreat, focusing on his backside, which was by far his best quality.
After making the rounds and answering a couple of customers’ questions, Keren sat at the concierge’s desk. She pulled out her sketchbook and some colored pencils from her backpack.
One day, she planned to enroll in animation college. She dreamed of getting a job at Disney Studios, earning money, doing something she loved. But animation college was expensive. Working at the Kitty Café wasn’t getting her any closer to that dream.
Sighing, she started a new drawing. Mom encouraged her from a young age to draw her imaginary friends. She wanted to see everything Keren saw. So that’s what she did, day after day. She drew all the creatures. How they moved and how they pretended to interact with the actual world. Drawing became a part of her. She couldn’t imagine life without a sketchbook.
It was Mom’s idea to name her imaginary friends, make them less mysterious. The most inventive names she could come up with as a small child was numbering them in the order she first saw them.
“What’s that?” A young girl pointed at Keren’s drawing.
“It’s those cats in the corner.” She motioned with her pencil to three cats sitting in a circle.
“But what’s that?” The girl’s pudgy finger pointed to Four.
The creature’s white upper body resembled a fox. Royal blue covered the tips of its ears, around its eyes, and the underbelly. It tapered down to an elongated, narrow body. Like an eel, the lower body had no scales. The navy blue faded to light blue as color cascaded down the tail. She glanced over at Four. It hovered over the cats, seeming to entertain them by spinning in a circle, causing a corkscrew effect with its tail.
“It’s a bird.” Keren slid the sketchbook under the desk. She wished Nadria would hurry with her tea. This was the first time she’d seen her imaginary friends at the Kitty Café, and she didn’t want them to interfere with her job.
“I like to pretend I know what they’re staring at.” Keren walked around the desk, squatting next to the girl. “It looks like Ginger likes you.”
A fat orange tabby rubbed against the girl’s legs. The girl bent down, fawning over the cat. Maybe Ginger will get a forever home today. She’d give the girl a few minutes to bond with the cat, then have a chat with her parents.
She felt a paw touch her knee. Looking down, she saw a black cat with emerald-green eyes. “Hi, Ordell.” He purred and kneaded his front paws as she scratched his head. She picked him up, putting him on the desk. To her, it seemed a strange coincidence the cats stared at the same place she saw Four.
“Do me a favor.” She pointed at the cats in the corner looking at Four. “Can you tell me what those cats are looking at?”
Ordell’s eyes trailed from the cats up to Four. While arching his back, he hissed, jumping behind the desk, and changing into his human form. Eyes wide and dilated, he motioned for her to join him.
Sitting on the floor next to him, she rubbed his back. “What’s wrong?”
He peeked over her shoulder at the cats. “There’s a monster hovering in the corner of the room.” He stood, pulling her up with him. “I’ve never seen anything like it before.”
She turned, staring at Four. “Do you still see it?”
“No, only when I was in my cat form.”
“What does it look like?”
“It’s like a fox with a snake or eel's tail.”
Her body shivered. How could that be? Four was just her imagination. Ordell had to be playing a trick on her. He had seen several of her imaginary friend drawings.
“Keren.” Nadria’s voice drew her attention. “Keren, come over here.”
She turned toward Nadria’s voice, thinking she had her tea ready. Instead, she saw Briggs in his inquisitor’s uniform, standing next to her.
When she met Briggs in sixth grade, they immediately clicked and had been close friends ever since. As a bear shifter, middle school kids stayed away from him, intimidated by his size. But everything changed in high school.
The football team begged him to join. Girls pretended to be Keren’s friend to get close to him. She couldn’t blame them. His chiseled jaw and fire red hair showed off his lavender eyes. But Briggs preferred a quiet life with a small circle of friends. She felt honored to be in that circle.
Nadria motioned with her hand for Keren to come over.
While holding up a finger to let Nadria know she saw her, she turned to Ordell.
“We’re not done with this conversation.” She wanted to know exactly what Ordell saw in the cattery. Keren made her way over to Nadria and Briggs.
“Hey, Briggs. What brings you here?”
His thick arms crushed her in a hug, squeezing so tight she could hardly breathe.
“Air,” she grunted, tapping his back.
He released her, letting her gasp in a breath of air.
His eyebrows knitted together as he opened his mouth to speak, but he closed it again as if collecting his thoughts.
This can’t be good. Did Ms. Oakdove report her for knocking her to the ground?
Briggs put his burly hand on her shoulder. “Can we step outside?”
She fought to swallow the lump in her throat. “Am I in trouble?”
He scrubbed his fingers through his hair. “Can we step outside, please?”
“Sure, this way.” Nadria led them out the back door. “I’ll leave you alone.” She turned to go.
“No,” Keren reached out for Nadria’s hand, “please, stay.” She looked at Briggs. “Can she stay?”
“Yes, of course.”
Nadria took her hand. The warmth comforted her nerves.
“Your mom,” his voice cracked, “someone attacked her.”
Nadria’s grip tightened on Keren’s hand. “Oh, no.”
Keren’s muscles went numb, and she struggled to breathe. “Is she alright? Where was she attacked?” Could this have something to do with the re-protect spell? She should have stayed home and let Ms. Oakdove finish her work.
“It happened at your house. They transported her to Orlando Regional.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s in critical condition.”
She struggling to focus. The thought of losing Mom ripped her apart. After Dad, Grandma, and Grandpa died in the car accident, Mom was all she had.
“I can drive you to the hospital.” Briggs glanced at Nadria. ”Can you follow behind? I’m on duty and I won’t be able to stay with her.”
“Of course. Let me tell my manager there’s an emergency and we have to leave.” Nadria wrapped her arms around Keren, giving her a tight squeeze.
“Thanks. I’ll pull my car around.” He disappeared around the corner.
“I’m right here for you.” Nadria released Keren, then lifted her chin. “Look at me.”
Keren locked onto Nadria’s pale blue eyes, using them like an anchor, keeping her grounded and able to function.
“I’m here for you, whatever you need. Your mom will pull through this, she’s strong.” Nadria used her apron to dry Keren’s face. She hadn’t realized she was crying. “I’ll meet you at the hospital.” Nadria gave her one last squeeze before Briggs pulled up.
After hopping out, he hurried around to open the passenger door. Keren got in, twisting her body to face Briggs. One’s misty image appeared in the backseat.
Chapter Six
Quinlin
Quinlin turned down International Drive, becoming ensnared in the usual traffic nightmare. I-drive’s variety of restaurants and entertainment drew massive crowds of tourists searching for an amusing evening after their ‘magical’ day with the mouse. On any other day, watching the horde move through their rituals of social normalcy entertained Quinlin. But tonight, he concentrated on getting to the lab. He used the car’s Bluetooth connection to call Dan.
“Hello?” Dan shouted into the phone. The bar noise in the background made it difficult to hear him.
“Dan, I need you and the elites to meet me in the lab.” Quinlin had hand-picked twenty arcanum who showed the most promise in spell casting. He called them the elites, and they were being trained for his mission. They drilled and studied eight to ten hours a day, honing their spell casting skills and growing stronger each day.
“Tonight? It’s kinda late.”
Quinlin clenched his teeth, letting out a long breath. “Yes, tonight. I’ll be there in a few minutes. Make sure you’re there when I arrive.” When he ended the call, he let out a series of swear words, wondering how that simpleton survived.
After waiting through a third light rotation on the same signal, he laid on his horn, speeding through the intersection. A shifter jumped to the side to avoid being run down in the street. Quinlin smirked. He might have escaped his fate today, but soon all shifters would be wiped from the face of the Earth.
The BMW’s tires screeched as he turned into ICON Park.
With the Book of Shadows held close to his chest, he walked into Madam Murphy’s Wax Museum.
Quinlin had chosen the wax museum as his base of operations because of its proximity to Sunset Suites, a hotel owned by the Dark Guild. Years ago, Uncle Rob had invested Dark Guild funds in hotels around Florida, including Orlando, Daytona, and Tampa. Gambling the coveted Book of Shadows remained somewhere in the state. Once the Eye of Discovery confirmed Uncle Rob’s gamble had paid off, Quinlin wasted no time setting up the lab and moving the elites into the Sunset Suites hotel, all expenses paid.
The museum’s owner fully cooperated with stepping down and allowing the arcanum to run the business. He preferred his wife and children alive. The first order of business had been shipping the stored wax figures to a nearby climate-controlled warehouse, leaving the warehouse space for the lab.