3 Dark Energy (6 page)

“We have to help you,” Alex argued.

“You need to be ready to take off. This thing can move fast and it’s after me,” Josephine said.

The woman leapt at her and Josephine dodged the tackle. Jake and Alex still had their guns trained on the curse.

“Go!” Josephine screamed.

Jake nodded and yanked Alex backward to get his attention.

“We can’t leave her here to die!” Alex protested.

“Come on!” Jake dragged his partner towards the door.

Alex shrugged away from his partner as Josephine backed away from the curse. The woman rushed forward and slipped through Josephine’s shield which flared into visibility as a silvery light for an instant. The woman’s hand closed around Josephine’s throat in a vise-like grip and lifted her several feet into the air. Alex tackled the woman who released her victim as the two of them crashed to the floor. Josephine clutched her throat as she backed away from them. The woman pushed herself up into a crouching stance and grabbed Alex by the front of his shirt. Before he could react, she tossed him over her shoulder and into the wall. Alex crumpled to the floor in a daze. Josephine watched him with dismay then focused on the woman who stalked towards her.

Josephine activated another protection amulet that she and Mark had made together. Hopefully, the curse would need a few seconds to adapt to the new shield. Josephine dodged to the side as the woman’s hand thrust towards her with alarming speed. The shield flared into visibility as a bright white spherical-shaped glow and the hand was deflected to the side. Josephine darted past her and knelt over Alex. The woman marched over towards her with a malicious gleam in her eye. Josephine always wore two pendants around her neck containing teleportation enchantments in case of an emergency. She activated one of them which caused her and Alex to vanish in the blink of an eye. The curse halted and stared at the empty spot where her target had been.

Josephine and Alex materialized in the back seat of the police car. Luckily, Jake had realized his grandmother’s intentions and had the motor running. He immediately took off down the street. Josephine peered out the window and saw the woman walk across Lucius’s lawn. The curse exploded into a billowing cloud of black smoke for several seconds then collapsed and transformed into a crow which soared into the air in pursuit.

“It’s tailing us,” Josephine announced.

“I figured it would.” Jake glanced at her through the rearview mirror with a grim expression on his face.

He turned on the police siren and picked up speed. The crow continued to follow them but it trailed behind a bit. Alex pushed himself up into a sitting position.

Josephine glared at him. “The next time I give you an order, you’d better follow my instructions.”

“You’re not my boss.” Alex’s green eyes flashed with annoyance.

“I do outrank you as an enforcer.”

Alex regarded her with surprise then grudging respect. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Josephine realized she was partially to blame because she’d never issued any orders before and she’d worked for the police department as a consultant for many years until just recently.

“I’m glad I can count on your support.” Josephine flashed a warm smile at him then gazed out the window and was relieved that the crow wasn’t gaining ground on them. “Jake, take me to my house.”

“Shouldn’t we go to the police station?” he protested.

“The wards at my house are better but nothing can keep out a construo letalis except maybe white magic,” Josephine explained.

Jake’s eyes lit with understanding. “You’re thinking the garden might do the trick.”

“Exactly.”

“Why would your garden be safe?” Alex regarded her with confusion.

“The previous owner’s wife, Arabella, was a white magic practitioner and she has a special type of ward in the garden that keeps out black magic. Mark said that it prevents any dark energy from entering it.”

“Have you ever tested his theory?”

“Not yet.” Josephine knew she was taking a risk but it was the only possible solution that came to mind.

“There’s a panic room at the police station,” Alex reminded her.

“I know but I suspect the curse can force its way inside.”

“In that case, I hope Mark’s right about the garden.”

“Me, too.”

They were traveling south on Highway 41 now and approaching a crowded intersection with a red light. Jake was forced to slow down as he looked for the best way to weave between the parked cars because some of them had already stopped and were blocking his way. He had to pull almost onto the sidewalk as he approached the light. Josephine tensed up as the black crow gained on them. Once Jake passed the intersection, he speeded up again but the curse had closed the gap and was only twenty feet behind them now.

“How do we destroy that thing?” Alex asked.

“I have a niveus imperium enchantment with me but I’m not sure if it would do any good against that kind of curse,” Josephine advised

“It’s the most effective general antidote against curses,” Jake said. “I think it’s worth a try.”

“Just in case that doesn’t work, do you have any other ideas?” Alex asked.

“The only thing we can do is wait for it to run out of juice unless we have other curse antidotes we can use. I do have a few odds and ends for emergencies I keep in the house but I don’t think I’ll be able to reach them,” Josephine said.

“If it ignores Alex and I, we might be able to get them for you,” Jake suggested.

“It’s too risky. You’ll need to stick with me.”

When they reached Josephine’s neighborhood on Siesta Key, Jake didn’t slow down until he was directly in front of her house and then he stomped on the brakes. Josephine grunted as the seat belt dug into her for a split second and then she freed herself with haste. She glanced back at the crow which dove at the car with breakneck speed. Josephine, Alex, and Jake emerged from the vehicle just as the crow smashed into the pavement nearby, exploding into a writhing cloud of black smoke. Josephine didn’t stop to stare. She raced across the lawn with the two detectives towards the side of her house where the enchanted garden began. The curse solidified into the form of the woman it had assumed earlier and sprinted towards its target.

“No matter what happens to me, you two need to keep moving and stay in the garden!” Josephine ordered.

The curse was running too fast and they weren’t going to make it. Josephine opened her satchel and pulled out the wand containing the niveus imperium. The curse caught up with her and grabbed her right arm, tossing her away from the garden and into the next-door neighbor’s front yard. Josephine gasped with pain as she hit the ground. Her assailant stalked towards her. Josephine still had the wand clutched in her hand and pointed it at the curse as she activated the enchantment. The tip of the wand flared with a bright gold light and a stream of gold energy in the form of a mist swirled around the woman who stopped moving. The curse seemed to be contained by the spell – at least temporarily. Josephine kept the enchantment active as she walked past the woman toward her garden. She was forced to walk backwards so she could continue to direct the potent magic at her assailant. When the energy drained out of the wand completely, the gold sparkling mist of energy continued to swirl around the curse.

Josephine continued retreating and several seconds later, the woman smashed her fist through the barricade surrounding her. The gold mist abruptly dissipated and the woman sprinted towards her target once again. The entire garden was surrounded by a row of large, half-buried rocks. It was massive and beautifully landscaped with a myriad of herbs, fruit trees, bushes, palm trees and flowers that were sectioned off by bark chips bordered by large half-buried quartz crystal clusters. Octagon-shaped, polished stepping stones formed a variety of trails. The garden spanned the entire backyard which measured about half an acre. Josephine felt the shift in energy as she crossed the stone border. Under normal circumstances, she would take a leisure stroll and enjoy the ambience. Alex and Jake continued running as she had almost caught up with them. When Josephine glanced back, she saw her assailant run past the stone border without showing any signs of weakening. It was going to catch up with her in mere seconds. Josephine turned to face the creature and dodged to the side as it leapt to tackle her.

The woman rolled in an energetic somersault that carried her back to her feet. Josephine linked with the vortex inside her home and power flooded into her. She pointed the palm of her hand towards the creature and unleashed a tremendous force of wind. The creature was thrown off her feet and tossed into the air like a rag doll. The woman managed to land on her feet and sprinted towards Josephine with superhuman speed. Josephine repeated the wind spell but this time it had no effect except that a few wisps of black smoke appeared over the creature for a couple of seconds. Jake and Alex drew closer and had their wands ready. Josephine didn’t react to them as she didn’t want the creature to notice. She created a large fireball several feet above the palm of her right hand and launched it at the woman. The flames engulfed her for several seconds then died out and the curse didn’t slow down at all. Alex and Jake shot telekinetic waves at the creature to no avail. Josephine activated her other backup shield but her assailant passed right through it and tackled her.

The two women crashed to the ground with the curse on top. The assailant’s eyes turned black as it placed both of its hands on either side of Josephine’s head with the intent to break her neck. The curse exploded into course black sand. Josephine froze with shock then sat up and brushed off the disgusting substance from her body. A flash of white light swept over the course black grains and they vanished. Alex and Jake rushed over to Josephine and helped her to stand up.

“Are you all right?” Jake asked.

“I’m fine.” Josephine took a deep breath as relief washed through her body. “It looks like Mark was right but I guess it takes awhile before a curse is destroyed in here.”

“Far too long if you ask me,” Alex said.

Chapter 6

Mark was in his office filling out the paperwork for the restoration he’d just completed when his cell phone rang. A cold dread washed over him when he saw it was his father calling. He’d been evading him for almost an entire week. Mark let out a sharp sigh of resignation before he answered the call.

“Hi, Dad,” he said.

“So you finally deign to speak with me,” Cyril snarled. “You will meet me in my study now or there will be dire consequences.”

The line went dead before Mark could respond. Mark saved the file on his computer before he crossed the room to stand in front of a massive, round antique mirror with large blue opals embedded in the silver trim. Mark waved his hand over one of the opals which was infused with potent magic and activated the enchantment. A bright golden luminescence flared into existence, obscuring the reflective glass. Mark stepped inside the mirror and into the swirling gold energy. He pictured his father’s study and an opening to the room appeared directly in front of Mark. Cyril was seated behind his large, polished oak desk pretending to work on his computer. His jaw was clenched and his brows furrowed with anger. As soon as Mark entered the room, Cyril pinned him with a look of reprisal. An exact replica of Mark’s mirror was suspended on the wall behind Mark glowing with a bright gold light that winked out of existence now that the spell was dormant again. The Freeman’s had over a dozen of these mirrors which were linked magically and allowed instant transportation between them.

Cyril’s study was opulent like all rooms in the mansion. The floor was comprised of gleaming marble, the walls contained built-in polished redwood bookshelves filled with an assortment of ancient spell books, and a large glass case was positioned beside Cyril’s desk containing a myriad of enchanted antique jewelry and weaponry. A gold scepter topped with a fist-sized ruby was propped against the desk within easy reach. Cyril was in his forties with black hair and hazel eyes and wore a sharp business suit that made Mark feel distinctly underdressed in his jeans, forest-green polo shirt, and white running shoes.

“I’m your clan leader. When I call or leave a message, I expect an immediate response,” Cyril said.

“I’m sorry.”

“When were you going to tell me you withdrew from college?” Cyril demanded.

“I was going to tell you soon.”

“I was extremely lenient when I allowed you to practice white magic but you’ve gone too far. It’s time for you to set that aside and return to mainstream magic like everyone else in the world. You must do so immediately.”

Mark’s expression was apologetic. “I’m sorry this upsets you but I’ve chosen to pursue my career in white magic. This is very important to me.”

“The Freeman legacy is of the utmost priority. You’ve neglected your duties for too long. It’s time for you to work for Freeman Enterprises,” Cyril said.

“My own business is doing very well.”

“I don’t care about your amateur hobbies. It’s time for you to embrace the family legacy.”

“Not everyone in the family works for you,” Mark pointed out.

“There are a few of us who have careers in the workplace but they don’t drop out of college to practice white magic. I have given you an order and you will comply,” Cyril said.

“I’m sorry but I’ve made my decision.”

Cyril’s face transformed with fury. “How dare you disobey your clan leader! If you want to play with your useless magic like a spoiled child, you can do it without the support of the family. I’m cutting you off from the Freeman legacy. Furthermore, I’m ordering the family to shun you until you decide to straight up.”

Cyril reached for his scepter and the ruby blazed with a bright red glow for several seconds. A brief wave of disorientation and a sense of loss took hold of Mark. He could no longer utilize any of the Freeman enchantments as they were all magically linked within a network that allowed the clan leader to give or deny permissions for individual use. For a brief moment, grief and despair threatened to overwhelm him as he knew that his entire family would shun him or risk being cut off as well. Mark forced his thoughts to something more positive like his first kiss with Josephine and his love for her. Joy and happiness flooded through him and he reached out with his mind to tap into the source energy that flowed around him. If the family turned their backs on him, he could start his own.

“I’m sorry it’s come to this, Dad,” Mark finally said.

“You won’t be able to use the enchanted mirror to go home so you’re stranded here in Seattle. You’ll have to buy a plane ticket to Florida but that should be a peace of cake with how well your fly-by-night business is doing.” A faint gloating smile curved Cyril’s lips even as his eyes reflected his ire.

Mark knew his only chance of changing the way his family viewed white magic was to demonstrate its power. He pointed the palm of his left hand toward the scepter his father gripped and directed a stream of source energy at it. The ruby flared with a bright red luminescence as Mark accessed the enchantment and willed it to include him for access again. Cyril’s eyes widened with astonishment for a brief instant before he recovered and attempted to block Mark’s magic. The ruby went dark as Mark finished his spell and turned to approach the mirror.

“It won’t work. I’ve revoked your access,” Cyril said.

Mark held his breath and hesitated as he wondered if his efforts would prove successful. He reached out with his right hand and issued a pulse of energy to activate the mirror. An instant later, the reflective surface shimmered with gold light. Mark stepped through the portal and was surrounded by gold energy. He pictured his office and the opening materialized in front of him just as it was designed to. Mark returned to his home and the spell deactivated behind him. His father was livid right now but no one had ever been able to change permissions for access to the Freeman enchantments other than the clan leader so maybe he’ll recognize the importance of white magic when he cooled off. Mark had discovered by accident a couple of weeks ago that he could alter enchantments made with mainstream magic even if they were the type of spells he couldn’t create with white magic. The Freeman family possessed a huge inventory of ancient and advanced enchantments that were linked with the clan leader’s scepter in addition to the teleportation mirrors. It was the most crucial element of their success and the secrecy enchantment prevented them from divulging any of this information to anyone outside the family.

A loud crashing sound came from the living room and Mark went to investigate. He immediately noticed there was a hole in his door at about shoulder height. He frowned with puzzlement and stepped closer. Mark flinched as a fist came smashing through the door, creating another hole a couple of feet beside it and revealed a thick, muscular arm. An instant later, the arm withdrew out of sight. Adrenaline coursed through Mark’s body as he retreated to the opposite end of the room. He activated his shield which formed a sphere of shimmering white light around him. Mark kept about half of his enchantments stored in his office and the other half in his bedroom. He didn’t have time to go for either one of them because the front door toppled over and crashed to the floor. A tall, burly man with a shaved head clad in black clothing stormed into the room. His eyes were black which indicated he was either a vampire, incubus, or a curse. The intruder rushed over to Mark and punched the white magic protection. The intruder’s arm flickered with a black swirling smoke for several seconds then solidified again.

Mark wanted nothing more than to escape but he needed to find out more about his attacker. He opened his psychic senses and performed a scan. The attacker punched the shield again with the same lack of success. He altered his strategy by pressing his hand firmly against the surface of the white energy field. Mark recognized the dark energy configuration of the assailant as a construo letalis curse and realized it was trying to tune into the harmonics of his protection so it could slip through it. Mark hoped the white magic would prevent this from happening. He stared at his attacker as he struggled to come up with some plan of attack. He had three niveus imperium enchantments that he’d created with pure white magic but they were primarily used for cures. Unfortunately, Mark wouldn’t be able to grab them unless he dropped his shield and he wasn’t sure he’d have enough time to do that without getting himself killed.

The assailant bellowed with rage and smashed his fists against Mark’s shield over and over. Mark tensed up and renewed anxiety made all strategic thoughts evaporate from his mind. After a moment, the curse crossed the room and picked up one of the bookcases. The creature hurled it across the room and watched it break into pieces against the shield. Books and knickknacks that had previously occupied the case scattered across the Terrazzo floor amid the splintered wood. The white field of energy around Mark remained strong and steady. The curse ran over to Mark and smashed his fists repeatedly against the protection. After another long moment, the assailant stopped and left the house. Mark rushed over to the window and watched the assailant march down the driveway. The man exploded into a black cloud and an instant later transformed into a large black crow and soared into the air.

Mark dropped his shield and went to his room to retrieve the three large quartz clusters containing claro mentis enchantments which he kept in a large, blue satchel. It was obvious that since the curse had left the house, it must have a secondary target. Mark placed a call to Josephine.

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

“I was just attacked by a construo letalis curse,” Mark said.

“Are you all right?” she asked.

“I’m fine. It couldn’t get past my shield but I’m worried you might be its secondary target.”

“You’re right. I fought one of them off already. I think it’s the Valituras.”

“Why would they want to kill us?” Mark asked.

“They’re after me. I think I’ve caused them too much trouble. The only reason you’re in danger is because they know you’re my boyfriend.”

“You need to get somewhere safe. Your garden is enchanted with white magic. That should disintegrate any curse.”

“That’s how I got rid of the first one,” Josephine said. “I’m with Alex and Jake. We’re on the way back to the police station.”

“Maybe you should get back to your garden,” Mark suggested.

“It took a few minutes for the curse to be destroyed. It almost killed me in there,” Josephine said. “My best bet is to retrieve some of the niveus imperiums at the police station.”

“White magic is the only thing strong enough to work,” Mark protested.

“I’m not willing to hang out in the garden. I’ve got to go. Talk to you later.”

“Josephine, the police station isn’t safe.”

Mark realized she’d already ended the call. He shoved his phone back into his pants pocket and activated one of the three teleportation pendants he always wore. He materialized in the parking lot of the police station. He took stock of his surroundings and saw no sign of the construo letalis curse. Mark tapped into the light energy streaming around him and scanned the perimeter. After a few moments, he sensed the dark energy of the attacker closing in and Josephine approaching. Mark turned to gaze in that direction. A black crow dove at the police car about a block away as it sped towards the station. The bird exploded into black smoke as it struck against the hood of the car and transformed back to its previous form of the tall muscular man with the shaved head. He clung to the vehicle with one hand while smashing his fist into the windshield with his other. A myriad of cracks exploded across the surface of the glass. Without hesitation, the curse pulled back and slammed his fist again. The car swerved back and forth but the driver, Jake, managed to stay on the road. When the creature hit the windshield yet again, the glass shattered.

The attacker jerked hard on the steering wheel and the car swerved to the side and into the parking lot of a hardware store. The police vehicle plowed into a blue truck which forced it to an abrupt halt and tossed the attacker like a rag doll. The assailant hurtled into a nearby parked car with such force that it shattered the windshield and landed across the front seats. Cars came to a screeching halt as drivers gaped at the scene. Groups of passersby walking down the sidewalk gathered to watch the grisly sight of the injured attacker climbing out of the car with black liquid dripping from his cuts. The man strode towards the crashed police vehicle. His body flickered with black smoke for several seconds. When he solidified again, his cuts had vanished. Josephine was the only one conscious in the car. She weakly shoved at the door and stumbled to her feet.

Mark activated his teleportation enchantment with the intention of transporting beside Josephine so he could use his last spell to take them to safety. A wave of dizziness and disorientation assailed his senses as he materialized about a dozen feet behind the curse instead. Mark gathered his bearings and wondered what had gone wrong. This had never happened before. He realized his connection to the source energy was weak and tried to strengthen it. Josephine activated her shield but Mark knew this would offer little if any protection.

“I’m your primary target, remember?” he shouted at the creature’s back.

The man completely ignored Mark as he approached Josephine. Mark took out one of his quartz clusters containing a niveus imperium enchantment and activated it. A flow of white and gold light energy streamed from the crystal and cascaded into the man who came to a sudden halt. Mark hoped the spell would work. He took out his second crystal when he sensed the first one petering out. He activated the new enchantment so there would be no pause in between the spells. When the second crystal fizzled out, the man continued to glow as the light energy suffused his body. Josephine stared at the man with terror even as she leveled a wand at him which would most likely prove useless. The onlookers gawked at the display with expressions of horror on their faces. Mark approached Josephine who snapped out of her dazed state when she saw him.