Awakened Spells Box Set

by Logan Byrne

  “Actually, yes, there is,” I said, coming inside and closing his door. “Charlie and I went back to the club today, to search for more evidence, and we found something strange that has been sitting poorly with me all day.”

  “I’m all ears,” he said, putting a bookmark in his book and sitting back in his chair.

  “When we kept thinking about how the vampires got away from us, we thought maybe there was a basement, or even secret tunnels and passages that they could’ve employed to not be seen. After all, they definitely didn’t go out the doors or windows without our people noticing,” I said.

  “I agree with you there. We had the entire place covered from top to bottom,” he said.

  “When we searched, Charlie found a hidden hallway within a wall on the first floor. It looked like it hadn’t been opened in a while, dust fell from above as we opened the door and we were sure it would’ve fallen already had the vampires used it for their escape, but we searched it anyway. It led us underground, maybe a story, maybe a little bit more, with a long hallway that ended at a room with a wooden door. The wood looked like it was at least a century old. There were rivets and metal bands on the door,” I said, hoping to describe everything to jog my memory and give him more details to go by.

  “Go on,” he said, his fingers interlaced in his lap.

  “When we went inside, I felt weird, like I’d been there before. It didn’t feel particularly pleasant, either, like I’d felt pain or misery there,” I said.

  “Was there anything in the room? Could you describe it?” he asked.

  “Well, there were torches aligned on the walls, which I lit. They hadn’t been lit in a long time, with a lot of dust and cobwebs littered across them. The room itself wasn’t huge, maybe a couple times larger than your office here, but there was what I believe to be an altar in the middle of the room. It had runes on it,” I said.

  “Was it like a shrine? Sometimes in the ancient world they used to pray to different spirits or gods to help them,” he said. “It was especially common within the magical realm, even though it was quite young back then.”

  “No, it didn’t seem like a shrine to a god or anything like that. It seemed, I don’t know how to say it, sacrificial in a way,” I said.

  “There were human sacrifices, unfortunately, back in the days of the rune mages and magic. They believed that if they sacrificed a magical creature with magical blood to the gods, they would then be imbued with the magical powers of said sacrificed person,” he said.

  “Is that why, you know who, is that why he wants somebody with that special gift?” I asked.

  “That’s likely one of the reasons, yes. Maybe he believes that he can receive the special powers himself, or maybe he just wants to use the person. I don’t think I will ever know the reasoning unless I asked, but unfortunately for us I don’t see that happening anytime soon. Do you believe you were sacrificed there before?” he asked.

  “How could that have happened?” I asked, confused.

  “Did you not say you felt a spirit inside you? Maybe what you felt wasn’t you feeling that pain or discomfort, but one of them, or several of them, pushing their feelings and past experiences through onto you when you were in the space. Maybe it was simply their anxiety, or maybe they were warning you in some way,” he said.

  “Do you think that’s possible? Do you think it’s possible for them to do that? To directly contact me like that?” I asked.

  “I think anything is possible, Lexa. I didn’t think it was possible for this to be a spirit, but it seems like it is. And if it is, then it could easily try to communicate with you in one way or another. Take this,” he said, walking to his bookshelf. He opened an old and slightly weathered oak box, taking out something before walking over and handing it to me.

  “What is it?” I asked, taking hold of a small brown piece of wood.

  “It’s a type of drug,” he said.

  “Mirian!” I said, shocked he would have something like this.

  “Relax, it’s not that kind of drug. I thought you knew me better than that. It’s been used in tribes across the world to take them on spirit paths and trips. If what is inside you is a spirit, then I think this can help you communicate with it or experience and see what it has experienced and seen. Who knows, maybe you’ll be able to talk to whoever was pushing through to you earlier today,” he said, his arms crossed.

  “Thank you, again, for helping me through this. You’re always a lifesaver,” I said, putting the wood in my pocket.

  “It’s my pleasure, Lexa. Please, report to me once you take it. I want to know how it went,” he said.

  “Of course, I definitely will,” I said. I walked out of his room and back towards mine, both excited and nervous to experience my first, well, drug. I was just hoping it wouldn’t make me go absolutely bonkers and tear the place apart. I’d seen some weird things since I started working here, and they all involved drugs.

  I sat in my room later that night, in the chair at my desk, as Britta slept peacefully, letting out little sputters of snores like she did every night. The piece of wood sat on my desk, a small desktop lamp heating the immediate area, the metal back hot to the touch. I looked back at Britta, making sure she was still asleep, before settling in my chair and picking up the item Mirian gave me.

  “It’ll be okay,” I said to myself, as I put it up to my lips. I inhaled deeply, letting it all out, unaware of what was going to happen to me once I put the drug in my mouth. I was afraid the worst would happen, but it would be okay. Mirian wouldn’t give this to me if it would harm me.

  I put it in my mouth, the bitter taste of the wood and the sap inside flooding my taste buds before I started to gently chew. It became softer, not fully malleable, but the fibers expanded and a surge of sap, or whatever was inside, hit my taste buds and I felt it take effect immediately. I closed my eyes, starting my meditation, the piece of wood sitting on my tongue while I felt my consciousness transcend the room and enter a forest.

  I didn’t seem to be anywhere near New York City, and not even in a forest or garden that I’d been in before for my missions. There were pink cherry blossom trees and ponds with koi fish and lotus flowers slowly drifting about. The grass was manicured, and a small breeze pushed through the trees, brushing against my cheek. I smiled, the aura feeling peaceful and serene, before I saw a woman. She was Japanese, her hair as dark as the night, with fair skin and red lips.

  “Welcome, Lexa,” she said, floating over to me.

  “Where am I?” I asked, looking around. “Am I dead?”

  “No,” she said, chuckling a little. “You are not dead, you are just in a place where the dead reside. Well, some of the dead, mainly those who have possessed what it is you hold deep within yourself.”

  “You’re talking about the mark, aren’t you?” I asked.

  “I am, my dear. Come, let’s talk,” she said. “I’m sure you have many questions regarding what it means to bear the mark.”

  “I do. I don’t feel like I know much about it, and nobody in my life can really tell me much besides what’s in history books. That information, though, is little as well as few and far between,” I said.

  “The mark is neither a man nor a woman, but it is a spirit. It is a spirit that picks a new host once the current one dies, which is how you were blessed with it,” she said.

  “I sure don’t feel blessed. It has seemed to cause me a lot of problems,” I said bluntly.

  “That’s because you haven’t experienced what it means to bear the mark, as well as what its power can do for you,” she said.

  “Well, did you have a sociopathic dictator trying to take the mark from you in order to enslave the magical and mortal realms?” I asked.

  “No, I cannot say that I personally had that happen, but everybody who bears the mark faces some kind of obstacle along their journey through the mortal plane. Mine was a secret society of nobility who wanted to use my blood to live forever because they believed my magic
would allow them to do so,” she said, as we walked over a curved bridge.

  “I’m sorry, that sounds rough. I’m just at a loss about what I should be doing. I don’t get why I of all people even have this thing,” I said.

  “You have the mark because it chose you,” she said, smiling.

  “But why? Why would it choose me out of everybody in the world it could’ve chosen? It has to be random, doesn’t it?” I asked. To me, that was the only way to make sense of this thing. If she told me yes, the mark was random, and when a person died it found a newborn baby or something, I would believe it. It was hard for me to believe it chose somebody based on other acts or merits.

  “I’m afraid not. The mark chooses only that person it finds worthy and pure of heart. That’s why you were chosen, because you were a pure-of-heart witch who it knew it could trust to do right by the common person and help preserve humanity,” she said.

  “That’s kind of a tall order, don’t you think? To be bestowed that kind of immense pressure without ever even asking me if I wanted to have it. Maybe I was happy before all this happened,” I said.

  “Oh Lexa, I know you weren’t, though,” she said, putting her hand on my shoulder. “For as long as you have been on this Earth, I have been with you as well, the same as with all the other mark-bearers. I’ve felt your pain, your heartache, as well as your passion and determination to change your world for the better. That’s the reason why you were chosen.”

  “Damn me for caring,” I said, shaking my head.

  “Your caring is your best quality, I do believe. I must go now, but I believe there is another here who wishes to speak with you,” she said.

  “But wait, can’t we talk longer? There’s a lot you could teach me. What if I don’t see you again?” I asked hurriedly, my pulse picking up.

  “Whenever you need me, all you must do is look deep within yourself, and I will be there, waiting,” she said, before fading away.

  “No! Wait!” I shouted as the garden started to fall in on itself.

  I ducked, guarding my head and neck, as reality itself collapsed and shifted around me. A new scene unfolded, with a man this time, standing on top of a hill as blue magic swirled around his hands while he incanted. He was an older man of about seventy, with a long white beard, and his robes reminded me of Mirian.

  Below there was destruction everywhere, the ground tilled up as flaming carcasses and carts lay strewn about. There was a war being fought, and it looked like the man’s side was winning, but nobody seemed bothered by me being there. It was almost as if I weren’t there. I walked towards him. “What are you doing?” I asked, as I joined him atop the hill.

  “Winning a war, young one,” he said, before firing off blasts of blue energy from his hands while whispering under his breath.

  “But why?” I asked.

  “Because a bad woman needs to be stopped, that’s why. My mark, our mark, means that I am the bearer of these lands and must do whatever it takes to stop the darkness and evil that seeks to unhinge it,” he said.

  “Is that why you called me here? To show me this?” I asked.

  “You need to understand what will happen to you and your time if you do not act swiftly. Evil cannot be allowed to have power, or justice and truth will fall,” he said.

  “What do you know of my time?” I asked.

  “I know there have been countless people like Kiren before, just like there will be countless people like him after. Evil stays in the shadows, but sometimes spreads out to soak up the light. I know that you need to take care of him before he turns into her,” he said, his gaze directed off in the distance.

  I looked where he looked, seeing a woman in gold a couple hundred feet away. She stared at him, maybe at us, if I were visible, and laughed while she commanded her forces to keep pushing forward with their attack. Was this what my battle would be like? This was a little medieval, but what if Kiren took us back to a darker time? What if this was a metaphor for things to come?

  “Did you allow her to gain too much traction?” I asked.

  “I was too passive in allowing her to move forward, yes. I made mistakes and let my passiveness allow her to gain a foothold into taking over this land. Now I must pay the price, and I must do whatever it takes to stop her in her tracks,” he said.

  “I see,” I said, as he picked up his staff that sat upright in the dirt.

  He mumbled, holding the fattened tip of his staff outwards, before a rift in the sky opened and rocks, or meteors I thought, began to fly through. They weren’t huge, but they started to pummel the other side, as the woman in gold began to look angry. I guess that smile was wiped off her face.

  I couldn’t believe he possessed such raw power, to use magic like that, and I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because of the mark, or just the wizard he was. I looked down at my hands, trying my hardest to make them glow, but they wouldn’t. They were just my hands, and nothing more.

  “Your magic won’t work here,” he said.

  “Why not? I could help,” I said.

  “Because this isn’t real, Lexa. This did happen once before, but you are experiencing it only through me now. Go home, and remember what I said. You were given this mark for a reason, and that reason has made itself clear. Restore balance to your time. I believe in you,” he said.

  The reality that had created itself began to implode again, like it did in the gardens, before I spit out the wood against the wall, leaving a small mark, as I gasped for breath. I looked over and my eyes shot open wide, seeing Britta still fast asleep. I looked around for a clock, trying to see what time it was, but I had no idea what it was before I went in.

  It felt so real, all of it. I could’ve sworn my body and spirit had been transported to those moments. How could it all have been from this stupid piece of wood? What tree was this thing even from, anyway?

  I sat back in my chair, my sweat sticking my shirt to me, as I took deep breaths and tried to bring myself back down from what I’d just witnessed. One thing seemed apparent, and that was that the mark was trying to communicate with me, albeit through its past hosts, and it wanted me to take Kiren down. I hoped it wasn’t all in my head, though I guess ironically it was. But I knew I needed to heed their words and accept the responsibility that was bestowed upon me. Maybe I’d never know why I was chosen out of everybody, including the sleeping witch beside me, but the fact was that I was chosen, and I needed to accept it.

  15

  “Lexa, we found something,” Charlie said, as he and Xelia sat around her desk the next morning.

  “What’s up?” I asked, walking over. There were surveillance photographs on her desk showing some of the vampires we’d seen during the raid. One caught my eye immediately, the one who was packing up the babies in the room before Charlie and I were attacked and incapacitated.

  “How did you get these?” I asked.

  “I followed them last night, to this place,” she said, pointing to a junky-looking shack in the pictures.

  “Is it a club?” I asked.

  “A motorcycle club, yeah. I don’t know what ties they have to this place, but they’re definitely hiding up in here so that they aren’t caught. Maybe they don’t think we’ll find them there, or maybe this place is just another shell company they’re using to funnel money and bodies,” she said, before clearing her throat. “We need to hit it.”

  “What do we know about it? What kind of surveillance were you able to get?” I asked.

  “I know there’s that main entrance, guarded by two very large bouncers. I think they might be giant hybrids, maybe something else, but they look too Neanderthal to be just mortals. There’s a door around back, with one dim light above it. The back is guarded by a chain-link fence and barbed wire, though, and I think it just leads into the kitchen or some kind of back room. I think we need to go in through the front,” she said.

  “And are we just walking in like we own the joint, going in with a team, or asking nicely for them to l
et us in?” I asked.

  “I think we need to ask nicely, say that we’re there to talk to them about their crimes,” Charlie said.

  “No, we’re not doing that,” Xelia said, shaking her head. “I think we need to go in guns blazing, if I’m being honest.”

  “Just the three of us?” I asked, scratching the back of my head.

  “Unless you know some others who would want to help out,” she said, obviously hinting at Britta and Blake. “Shira might be able to help, she’s back from her fieldwork.”

  “What about Mirian?” I asked.

  “What about him? What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. Besides, it’s not like we’re going in to kill anybody. We can ask to come in, nicely, and if they say no, or if they try anything, then they’re getting their asses kicked,” she said.

  “I hope we aren’t playing with fire here,” I said, exasperated. “But I’m in.”

  “This will be fun. What’s the plan once we get inside?” Charlie asked.

  “Well, first we need to try to sniff out if any of the women or children are inside somewhere. They very well might be hiding them in a basement dwelling, though there’s no way to know without going in first. Incapacitating the people inside will be the next step, as well as arresting them,” she said.

  “Won’t we need more people then?” I asked.

  “Not with three witches there to immobilize them. If we arrest them, assuming they attack us and give us reason to, it will only cut the snake up a little more, causing a heavy blow to their organization. If they keep losing men and strength, they’ll come out of hiding eventually and give us what we want,” she said.

  “I hope you’re right, Xelia. I sure hope you’re right,” I said, looking down at the photographs.

  “You guys go find Britta and Blake, and I’ll take care of Shira. She owes me, anyway. The more people we have, the better.”

  “Do you think they’ll go for it? It seems like we ask them for an awful lot when it comes to risking themselves on missions that quite honestly seem a little suicidal for both our safety and our careers,” Charlie said, as we walked down the hall trying to find Britta and Blake.