The Scarlet Dagger

by J. E. Cluney

  How on earth was I supposed to find an object I knew very little about and no one had seen in forever? Clearly, Joseph was the last known being with it.

  “Could it have been on his person when they put him down? Maybe the Council recovered it but are keeping it under wraps?” Marcus suggested.

  “How would we even find that out?” I hissed, but Marcus’ pointed look had me scolding myself.

  We’d ask Mr Brady what he knew. Surely he could speak with the Council and find out if it was located. Would they just hand it over though?

  And when my mother had said I had to use it, did that mean on Joseph himself?

  A surge of panic in Skip had me looking around, and I spied a confused couple exiting another room with an officer.

  A peek into Skip’s mind informed me these were Selena and Claire’s parents.

  The officer spoke in a hushed tone with them, and the blonde-haired woman sobbed softly as she nodded.

  “Guess they’re just as confused,” Marcus murmured as the father pulled his wife into a reassuring hug and kissed her head tenderly. She just clung to him, looking so lost and fraught as she sobbed softly.

  The officer moved to a desk to fill out some forms, and the man spied Skip, causing a spike of worry in my mate.

  He murmured something to his distraught wife, and she turned to gaze at Skip with a confused, shocked expression.

  I inwardly groaned on his behalf, and anxiety set in as they began heading our way.

  I shot a glance at Skip, noting how he was averting his eyes like they were coming to scream at him, something he was assuming was going to be the outcome of this. I could feel his desire to hide, to bail on this situation, but there was no way out now.

  “Skip,” the woman whispered as she came to a standstill before him. I gazed over at her, ready to leap to my feet if she tried to rip into him. None of this was his fault.

  “Hey, Mrs Ryan,” Skip mumbled, finally forcing himself to look at the woman and her husband. His jaw set, and his eyes were masked as he glanced between the pair.

  I flinched as she lurched forward, but relaxed when she just wrapped her arms around him.

  “It’s good to see you, son,” her husband said as he glanced at the rest of us with tired, weary eyes. He had dark hair that was tinged with grey, and he looked like he’d had a hard life. His wife was blonde, but she looked just as weathered from life as he did.

  “I’m so sorry, Skip. This isn’t something Claire would’ve done,” the woman gushed as she cried softly and finally pulled back to stare at him with a wavering smile and glistening eyes.

  “They’re trying to help her, but Claire had found some kind of peace and was no longer blaming you for everything, as had we. What happened to Selena was a freak accident, and no one is to blame,” Mr Ryan said with firm belief.

  I felt the pang of relief ripple through Skip at his sincere words as Mrs Ryan nodded in agreement.

  “I just don’t understand why this has happened. Mr Brady said some magic was used on her. Why would someone do that to our Claire?” Mrs Ryan sobbed as she looked to her husband for answers, her expression desperate.

  Guilt hit me at their despair. She was merely a pawn against us. This had nothing to do with her, and I knew Ollie and Skip felt that guilt even more so than I did.

  ‘They’re right though. The Claire I knew would never have done this. Why was she influenced though?’ Skip asked mentally.

  I wished I knew.

  A muffled scream pierced the air, and our gazes shot to the hall, where Lucas appeared a few seconds later from a doorway, his expression hard and frustrated.

  “Oh, Claire!” Mrs Ryan gasped as she clutched Mr Ryan’s arm in a deathly grip.

  Lucas hurried our way, looking quite perplexed and agitated.

  “What happened?” Mr Ryan demanded as Lucas joined us.

  “The magic on Claire is powerful and is causing her pain when we try to lift it. She’s accepted our help, but we need to lift it in stages to avoid causing her too much pain and distress. It may take some time,” Lucas informed them, and I could feel his frustration with it all.

  He and his father had managed to remove only a small amount of magic from her, but it had caused her to scream in agony.

  “No, we can’t hurt her,” Mrs Ryan shook her head harshly.

  “Ma’am, despite being under the influence of magic, Claire has agreed to our assistance, and she is old enough to make that choice for herself. She understands it will hurt, but it’s also clear her memory is on the fritz and she’s deeply distressed internally about something. We’re hoping we can uncover what that it is,” Lucas explained, although I doubted it did anything to alleviate Mrs Ryan’s concern for her daughter’s welfare.

  “How can she agree to it if she’s under the influence of magic?” Mr Ryan asked, his voice strained.

  “She’s capable of speaking and says her memory is hazy. She can’t remember the past few days, and she feels like there’s something inside her own mind,” Lucas said, trying to explain.

  Mr Brady finally appeared, and he came over to speak with her parents as Lucas stepped aside.

  “Mr and Mrs Ryan, I know this must be deeply distressing for you, but I assure you Claire is under the best care here. We are carefully removing the magic from her in stages and will space it out to reduce the amount of stress she’s put under. Sadly, there does not appear to be any way to lift the magic without causing her some pain, although it is nothing permanent and the pain vanishes once we stop. It will also cease once we fully lift the magic. I believe the magic laid on her was also meant to prevent her from telling us why this was done to her and by whom. Some kind of resentment towards Skip may have resided in her, which made it easier for the magic to be laid and influence her actions. She will not be charged for any crimes at this stage, as we believe she was not acting of her own accord. But lifting the magic to get answers is our main priority, as the safety of our community could depend on it. Now, if you’d please accompany me, I’d like to discuss this more with you in private,” Mr Brady said as he straightened his suit and indicated for the couple to follow him.

  They shot Skip one last, pained look before Mrs Ryan turned to me.

  “I’m so sorry, sweetie,” she said after a moment of deliberation, as if she was struggling to figure out what to say.

  “It’s okay. I don’t blame Claire, I just hope they can lift this magic on her soon,” I said, shifting awkwardly. I had no idea what else to say as she just nodded.

  “Dad, can I ask something?” Lucas asked, jumping in just as Mr Brady began leading the couple away.

  He paused, turning back to his son as he murmured for the parents to continue on into his office across the room.

  “We need to ask you quickly. The scarlet dagger, was there any chance the Council recovered it when they put Joseph Murphy down? Is there any way to find that out?” Lucas asked.

  Mr Brady frowned and nodded after a moment.

  “It’s possible they did and kept it under wraps. I’ll make some calls shortly. Do you mind staying with me? We need to get to the bottom of this. Your friends are welcome to head off if they need to.” Mr Brady nodded at the rest of us.

  Lucas turned to me questioningly, and I shrugged.

  What use were we right now? Mr Brady had the contacts, and all we could do was sit back and wait. We might as well do that at home.

  “We’ll take her home,” Marcus said as he listened in.

  “I’ll let you know as soon as I know anything or if anything changes,” Lucas stated. “But first, I’ll portal you all home, then I’ll portal the cruiser home.”

  Right, I’d completely forgotten about leaving the cruiser.

  Apparently, Mr Brady had already portaled the officers who’d been gathering evidence home, so we could take the vehicle now. He’d informed Lucas of this while in with Claire.

  I rose with the other three guys, and Lucas stepped forward, wrapping his warm arms ar
ound me as I nuzzled into his chest. I drew in his delectable cologne but was unable to enjoy it as much as I normally would have.

  We were quiet as Lucas portaled us back home, and I stepped through the magical doorway that swirled with galaxy-like energy, grateful to be in the living room once more.

  I collapsed on the nearest lounge as Ollie moved to sit beside me, and Marcus headed off to the kitchen while Skip sat down on the other lounge heavily, like the whole world was weighing him down.

  Honestly, that was how it felt for all of us right now.

  “I swear, ever since coming here, my life has been insane,” I mumbled as I sprawled on my stomach and jammed my face into a pillow in an effort to hide from the world. I relaxed slightly when Ollie began tracing patterns on my back softly.

  “It’s definitely been a rollercoaster ride for sure,” Ollie agreed as I turned my face to the side, smiling softly at Skip.

  He was perched on the lounge, his arms folded as he stared hard at the floor.

  I sighed as I dragged myself off the lounge and away from those much loved back tickles, then plopped myself down beside Skip.

  “Hey, everything’s okay. Lucas and Mr Brady will help Claire get back to normal,” I assured him as I gave his arm a slight squeeze.

  He turned to me, smiling sadly before he moved his position.

  I smiled softly as he laid down on my lap, and I began playing with his hair as I caught Ollie’s worried gaze.

  “So many times, I wished I could go back and stop myself from going on that hiking trip. Sabotage my car or something,” Skip murmured as I massaged his head gently and ran my fingers through his soft, short hair.

  “You can’t change the past, and it was a freak accident. It wasn’t your fault,” I reminded him, hating how much he was loathing himself inside.

  Perhaps counseling would be a good idea for him if he continued to struggle with it.

  “I know. I still wish I could change it though. But I guess I wouldn’t have met you and found my true mate. Everything happens for a reason,” he said, letting out a soft sigh. I knew he was doing his best to believe his own words, but this self-hate, I could feel it festering inside him and I hated knowing he was hurting so badly. I tried to push my feelings of love onto him, to make him feel how special and loved he was and how it wasn’t his fault.

  He relaxed a little under my fingers and let out a heavy sigh.

  I sat quietly as I played with his hair, glad that he was finding it soothing.

  Marcus returned and tossed us all some leftover Easter eggs, which I happily stuffed into my face while unwrapping some for Skip and dropping them into his mouth.

  “So, crazy warlock, somehow Ollie is involved, and he knows about us if he’s the one who magicked Claire. I’d be deeply worried if it wasn’t him.” Marcus sighed as he sat down, carefully flattening the foil from his eggs as he went over everything. His methodical need to flatten and fold the foil made my lip quirk up slightly. It was his own way of having some control and being able to put it into order.

  Because right now, this was out of our hands.

  “Lucas and Mr Brady think it’s him. But the question is why? What’s he want with us? What’s Ollie got to do with him?” I mused in annoyance.

  “Questions we can’t possibly know the answers too.” Skip groaned. “Claire might know something. She must’ve seen him if he laid the magic on her. To actually make someone do something, that’s strong stuff,” he murmured as I continued toying with his hair after finishing my last egg.

  He was right. As much as we wanted answers, there was no way we could learn anything.

  I paused, pulling out my phone and shooting a text to Emma. If she could come over, perhaps we could learn more. Either that, or I’d go visit her.

  I needed to do something.

  My phone pinged almost immediately with a response.

  ‘Of course! I’ll pop over, although I did tell you everything. Besides, you must be so freaked out over Claire! I hope you’re okay x.’

  ‘You’re not busy with George?’ I sent back.

  ‘No, we had dinner out last night and stayed in the city to grab pancakes at the Pancake Manor, but we came home this morning.’

  Well, as long as I wasn’t intruding on her Easter plans.

  “Has Walter mentioned anything else?” Skip asked as those gorgeous blue eyes gazed up at me. The utter love and gratitude in them made my heart melt. I could feel how thankful he was to have me right now, to know he was loved and not alone.

  I shook my head as I ran my finger down the side of his face, loving how he quivered at my touch.

  “I’ll check in with him,” I said softly.

  I hoped he had found out more.

  Only one way to find out.

  2

  I slipped into my void, reaching out and calling to Walter when I couldn’t sense his presence.

  I felt him enter my void before he materialized before me in the darkness.

  “Allison, how are you?” Walter asked as he bowed, looking ever so unique in his blood-red suit and matching small top hat.

  Those golden-brown eyes looked bright and alert, but with a haze of worry.

  “As good as I can be with everything that’s going on. Mr Brady is going to see if the scarlet dagger was recovered when Joseph was put down,” I said as he straightened himself.

  “Good. I know you wish I could provide some answers, but I haven’t got much more to share. I’ve located some spirits from around my father’s time that are somewhat talkative, including a woman, Cheryl, who seems to have been an experiment of my father’s. I feel she could give me the best knowledge and insight, as she took it upon herself to watch his continued work after her death. But being a fairly old spirit who underwent a vicious death, she can at times be unruly and difficult to understand. I’ve only gathered that my father did indeed orchestrate a plan long ago, having learned how to glimpse the future like a psychic. I do not know why he went after Claire, but it is his magic that has influenced her. I sensed it from within your void while you were at the station. She will hold more answers, as the magic used to compel her to act the way she did will have connected her with him on some level. She may have learned things through this connection that are pertinent,” Walter said, his brow deeply furrowed. The way his eyes wavered, it was clear that this revelation that his father was now alive once more scared him. I could feel it in my void too, the ripples of fear that snaked out, trying to coil around me and drag me down.

  But I forced my void to restrain it, not wanting the fear to leak into me. Sure, his father sounded like a crazed man, someone we needed to find and deal with, but we also had warlocks on our side.

  “I will come to you as soon as I learn anything useful,” Walter stated with a slight bow.

  I nodded, allowing myself to ease back out of my void and draw in a concerned breath.

  “Anything?” Skip asked as he stared up at me from my lap.

  “No, he hasn’t learned anything new that can help us. He’ll let me know as soon as he does.” I sighed in frustration.

  A wave of uncertainty coursed through me, but I pushed it away.

  I carefully rose from the lounge, murmuring that I wanted to head to my room to wait for Emma.

  I left the three men in silence as my head swam with worries, none of which I could hope to solve right now.

  I hated feeling helpless.

  I trudged upstairs and threw myself on the bed, wishing I could quiet my mind for a short while.

  Instead, I grabbed my headphones from the side table and popped on some music to drown out my worries.

  I chewed my cheek as I went over everything.

  What had Joseph done to this Cheryl that Walter had found? He’d said she’d been an experiment of his and died a vicious death. Poor thing. Just how many people had died at his hands?

  I’d read about the townsfolk, and the estimated number of folks experimented on had been around twenty, but they h
ad no way of knowing any of that, as only a few bodies had been recovered.

  Had Cheryl’s been one? Had he taken her soul magic to strengthen himself?

  I opened up the supernatural web, curiosity winning out. Just what would soul magic do for him?

  I searched for siphoning soul magic and learned it was considered worse than murder, due to the extreme pain it brought upon the victims, and was a crime punishable by death. It also was a difficult ability to achieve, a power only capable by warlocks and a few other rare supes.

  The stolen soul magic enhanced the taker’s own magic, making them even more powerful.

  I closed my eyes, not wanting to read any more.

  Joseph was a horrid man. I’d read the pain from having your soul magic stolen was excruciating and worse than anything else for a supe.

  Ollie slipped into my mind after a few songs to inform me that Emma had arrived and she was heading straight up to my room.

  I sat up on my bed, switching off the music as my bedroom door flung open.

  “Hey, are you okay?” Emma cried as she shot over and pulled me into a tight hug.

  “I’m okay. Just wish I knew why all this is going on.” I sighed, catching a hint of sweet perfume from her.

  “I can’t believe you got shot at! This is crazy,” she squeaked out as she pulled back to search my gaze.

  “Honestly, it’s only one of a few crazy things lately.” I sighed.

  “I wish I could give you more answers. I only know what your mom told me,” she said as she gave me a strained smile.

  “I still can’t believe you spoke to her. What was it like? Did you actually see her?”

  Emma pursed her lips as she shook her head.

  “I was in the car with George driving home when I felt a presence reaching out to me. It’s happened a few times, but it’s up to me whether I let them in or not. She told me who she was and gave me the message. I only heard her voice.” Emma gave me a strained smile as she sat down on the bed beside me.