Magical Legacy

by Pamela M. Richter

  Michelle practiced the magical spells whenever she had the time, and she was gaining more control. She found if she held the diamond, Abigail, any spell was more likely to work. She could lift things up on her desk at work. No hands! And at home she lit candles from across the room.

  Alice, her teacher, had given her lots of confidence. In the past, she had always compared her limited paranormal abilities to the amazing things Omar was capable of doing. Now she knew she had the right stuff inside her. But ability didn’t come free. She had to practice each spell over and over again. If she ever confronted Omar again, she couldn’t rely on a stressful situation to bring out her gifts, like it had in the past. She’d been lucky. She and her friends could easily have died. Michelle needed to be prepared.

  Thirty days went by.

  Then thirty two, thirty three.

  Two whole months went by.

  Maybe a baby!

  Then on the sixty-fourth day, cramps and blood. Lots of blood; too much blood This was not just a little spotting that might happen, as she had been told by her doctor, with a baby still growing happily inside. No, this was definitely the real loss of the baby.

  It happened in the morning, right after Rod had left for the day. She called in sick at work. Right now she couldn’t face anyone.

  There was lots of sobbing alone in her bathroom. Lucifer, hearing Michelle cry, gave his own sad yowls outside the door. She cried for at least an hour, sitting on the closed toilet lid and using most of a roll of toilet paper to blot her eyes and nose. She cried until her throat was raw and there were only hiccups left.

  Michelle dreaded most telling Rod that the implant failed. They wouldn’t be having a baby for a while. Maybe never. She was so depressed.

  She didn’t know if she could go through the whole process again, with the thought of repeating this kind of grief. The success rate per implantation was quite low, only about fifty-seven percent.

  There was the expense to think about, as well. They’d spent over ten thousand dollars already. A single cycle in vetro cost eight thousand dollars. The embryo storage was seven hundred fifty dollars a year. Monitoring, if the pregnancy occurred, would be another few thousand dollars. Freezing and storing Rod’s sperm, now embryos, cost a hundred fifty dollars a month.

  Luckily, Rod was wealthy because of his former prestigious work in Japan as CEO of the whole International Heroshi Corporation. She didn’t do badly either, with a nice salary. Still, it was quite a chunk of change to have a baby.

  Chapter 8

  When he visited one of his covens, it was a genuinely big deal. Omar was a legend in the Wiccan world. An announcement that he would make a stop in person spread like wildfire.

  Omar came home to France from the town of Es Grau, in Menorca, Spain, with a spring in his step. His visit there was a smashing success. He’d initiated several new witches in the coven there and predicted many lifelong addicts for his special products.

  He’d taken several witches from other covens with him to Spain to help set everything up. They did the grunt, organizational work. Putting up the tent, arranging all the items for sale out on tables. They set up the lanterns and burning stakes around the witches’ circle because he always held his ceremonies at night, by the light of moon and fire.

  He had a big bubbling caldron over a blazing fire pit. If anyone asked, they could have a cup of the hot brew. It was spiked with alcohol and some addictive tree leaves that would render the drinker into a deliriously happy and drunken state.

  One of the most handsome of the male witches, Marcel, was with Omar on the trip. He initiated the novitiate witches, since Samson was still in Switzerland, undergoing plastic surgery.

  Omar brought Marcel because he didn’t want to do this initiation chore himself unless the new witch was a breathtaking beauty. In this case, there were no gorgeous women, so he trusted Marcel to do that job.

  Word circulated quickly in the town of Es Grau that the Wiccan ceremony would be held in a secluded area of the beach on the Mediterranean Sea. Dozens of curious citizens and tourists in the town came out to watch at the ‘witching hour’ of midnight.

  Omar made a killing that night, selling trinkets, oils, and lotions; his own special spiked snake oil. And the viewers of the ceremony got their money’s worth.

  They watched the ceremony from outside the witches circle. Inside, in the center of the circle, new witches were initiated into the coven. Sexual intercourse was part of that ritual. All watched with bated breath.

  The potential new witches didn’t have to remove all their clothing, but some of them did, so the viewers outside the circle got a revealing peepshow with live sex. Which put everyone in a splendid mood. A splendid mood for parting with lots of cash.

  Omar knew once they tried his intoxicating and addicting liquids, lotions and potions, they’d be back for more. He made sure there would be an adequate supply for more sales after he left, and that his witches in Spain would make a bonus for selling the addictive items in the future.

  With a feeling of accomplishment from the last few days, Omar entered his home in France. It was late and he was tired as he climbed the stairs to the bedroom he shared with Leilanie.

  Hummm? Where is the girl, Omar wondered as he looked around. He expected she would be in bed already, but the bed was empty.

  Omar had installed an intercom system because the home was so large, and locating people could be a problem. He pressed a button on the wall by the door, saying, “Leilanie, I’m home.”

  He started undressing, knowing she’d be thrilled to see him. Maybe he’d give her a little thrill, he thought. They hadn’t had sex in a while, which was strange. Leilanie usually initiated it. Lately she hadn’t, but that was fine with him. He thought briefly of the lovely Francine, the red-haired French girl in the town below. He realized he was horny from the witch initiation in Spain.

  He was ready to get into bed when he realized something was wrong. Leilanie hadn’t responded to the announcement that he was back.

  Closing his eyes, using psychic powers to find Leilanie, he searched, concentrating hard. To his surprise the quest came up empty. Leilanie was definitely not on the premises. Omar widened his search. He did so over and over again, until he located her essence far, far away.

  Totally infuriated, Omar rushed down the hallway, into the girl’s room.

  The bed was empty!

  That bitch Leilanie had left him…and stolen his children!

  Omar used the intercom for the servant’s quarters, shouting orders for them all to meet him in his library on the first floor.

  He stalked into the library, folded his arms, and with a tapping foot, waited for everyone to arrive.

  Omar had a full crew taking care of this property. There were three maids, a chef, a grounds keeper, a general handyman, and a mechanic for the garage of vintage cars.

  Only one maid showed up.

  “Where’s everyone else?” Omar asked.

  The woman, seeing his expression, was immediately terrified. “Ah…Ms. Leilanie…she sent everyone home. She said while you were away our services wouldn’t be necessary.”

  “Did she say where she was going?”

  The maid shook her head, too scared to speak.

  “Go back to bed. I’ll question everyone tomorrow,” Omar said. “Quick, leave now.”

  Omar knew if he let out even a trickle of the wrath he felt, the woman would be dead. He watched her scamper quickly out of the room.

  Infuriated, but with no outlet for an angry explosion, Omar contemplated doing a martial arts workout. But he was physically exhausted, so he called Francine.

  She agreed to come visit him even at this late hour, because she’d never been to Omar’s castle high on the top of the mountain. Omar knew she was curious and wanted to see the inside of the place.

  Omar waited at the front door sadistically, impatiently. Francine would feel real physical pain tonight, but she’d never remember. All she would recall was plea
sure.

  When Omar woke the next morning he was a little disoriented and thought the female body in the bed next to him was Leilanie. Then he saw the long red tendril of hair on the side of his pillow.

  Everything came back, but with the new day he was in a much more positive mood. He knew Leilanie would be in Hawaii. She had nowhere else to go. He wasn’t worried about the girls. She would take good care of them.

  Soon he would have the children back. As for Leilanie, he could conjure up many lovely little painful surprises for her future.

  “What happened last night?” Francine said, awakening and looking around. She turned her head and gazed at Omar.

  “What do you mean?” Omar said.

  “I’m sore. Every part of my body feels like it’s been beaten.” She threw off the silk sheet and frowned. “Look at this. Red marks all over my legs and arms and stomach.”

  Omar smiled at her brilliantly with his white wolfish teeth showing. “Darling, we were playing almost all night long. Don’t you remember? I guess we got a little out of control. But it was fun, wasn’t it?”

  “Oh, yes! Now I remember. It was wonderful.”

  Chapter 9

  Heather was in Kaneohe visiting one of the apartment buildings she had bought earlier in the year, overseeing the planting of several giant palms around the building.

  Satisfied after watching the trees being put in the ground, she thought the building looked terrific. She talked with some of the tenants and they all agreed; it was a big improvement. Attractive landscaping would bring up the value of the apartments. She had a management team that did all the leasing and maintenance work, but she liked to visit her properties each week.

  Flash was now Heather’s constant companion. The dog loved riding in the car. To keep her safe, Heather snapped Flash’s harness to the passenger seat-belt before she took off for home. Flash could stick her nose out the window, sniffing at interesting aromas, and have her soft brown fur tossed in the wind.

  As Heather drove through a quiet residential street in Kaneohe, she passed a little home and smiled at the sight of three young children in the front yard. The little girls, each with black hair, were playing, jumping in and out of a lawn sprinkler in the front yard with their mother.

  Heather looked closer, almost stomped on the brakes in shock, then abruptly stopped herself from slamming the pedal down. She had to appear cool, like a regular car, just driving past.

  She drifted slowly, peering intently at the woman, who picked up one of her daughters and ran, jumping high over the sprinkler. The little girl squealed in delight.

  Heather went around the block and passed by the home once more.

  It was Leilanie! Heather was sure of it.

  The little girls were beautiful, with long black curly hair and angel faces.

  They looked just like Michelle.

  Michelle, who was devastated, having just lost a child.

  Heather had little doubt these girls were Michelle’s own biological children. Leilanie looked like a true Hawaiian. She was beautiful in the traditional way, with darker skin than her children. She had wide, sensual lips, and large slanted eyes. The three girls had black hair like Leilanie, but there the resemblance ended.

  A scary thought occurred. If Leilanie was in Hawaii, Omar might be with her, lurking around, maybe a threat to Michelle.

  Truthfully though, Heather decided, looking around the street, Omar would be totally out of place in this quiet, slightly rundown neighborhood. Leilanie and the girls fit in the area perfectly, but Omar would stick out like a sore thumb. He dominated any space he lived in. He didn’t belong in the serene Hawaiian suburbs. He would never live in a little cottage like this one. No, he always lived in gorgeous and expensive luxury surroundings.

  Had Leilanie left Omar? Or was he here with her, back in Hawaii again?

  On her second drive-by, one of the little girls fell and started crying. Heather watched as Leilanie picked up the child, held her close, kissed her cheek, and rubbed the boo-boo.

  Heather kept checking in the rearview mirror as she went down the street. She saw that soon the child was smiling and wanted to play again.

  Damn, Heather thought. Leilanie loves those kids.

  All the way home, Heather wondered what to do. Should she tell Michelle about Leilanie and the three girls? She decided she couldn’t not tell.

  The children appeared to be about four years old. The exact age to be Michelle’s babies. They appeared happy and healthy.

  Leilanie had had three embryos implanted in her uterus at the fertility clinic in Guadalajara. The embryos consisted of Michelle’s eggs and Omar’s sperm. Now Heather knew she had seen the live results, several years later.

  Michelle opened the door to Heather’s usual knock.

  Lucifer hissed and spat at Flash. Flash let out a half-hearted, totally intimidated puppy growl. The two animals lived in a state of mutual dislike and distasteful détente. A troubled animal truce.

  Lucifer flicked up his tail and left the room.

  Flash moved closer to Heather for protection, leaning against her leg.

  Before Heather could say anything, Michelle, looking inordinately happy, said, “I got another embryo implanted today. For some reason I feel better about this one. Although the odds are still stacked against success. Still, Rod said the chances are better each time I get an implant. He was so good to me when I told him about the miscarriage.”

  They were going into the kitchen to get coffee like they always did.

  Michelle was still talking while she took the cups down and poured. “It’s like tossing a coin, with five chances of winning, the odds say I should get at least one successful outcome.”

  They sat down at the kitchen table.

  Michelle finally looked at Heather and noticed she seemed unusually serious. “Did you decide on the wedding gown?”

  They had been going to bridal shops all over Hawaii. The wedding was just a month away. Heather looked like a fairy princess in each one. She was so beautiful, with her long blond hair and big blue eye. But she hadn’t been able to decide on the perfect dress. Privately, Michelle thought Heather looked smashing in each one. It was hard to find a perfect fit though, because Heather was barely five feet tall and quite slim. They’d need time to do alterations.

  Heather shook her head.

  “What’s wrong?” Michelle asked, again observing Heather’s serious demeanor.

  “I’m glad you’re sitting down. Brace yourself, Michelle. Leilanie’s back in Hawaii. She has three little girls.”

  Heather watched as Michelle’s eyes rounded like saucers. She went very still as her mind absorbed the bombshell news, her white skin becoming much lighter, ghostlike.

  “Breathe” Heather said sharply after a few moments.

  Michelle finally took a big, deep breath, and let it out slowly to calm herself. “How old are they.”

  “They look to be about four years old. Almost could be triplets.”

  “Healthy and happy?” Michelle asked, feeling tears in her eyes and blinking hard.

  Heather nodded. “Each of them has black curly hair. One of the girls has light eyes, greenish/yellow like yours. The other two have very dark eyes.”

  “Like Omar,” Michelle said. “Where are they? I have to see them.”

  “A small house in Kaneohe. I was driving past and recognized Leilanie.”

  “Did you see Omar?”

  Heather shook her head. “Maybe Leilanie finally came to her senses and left the treacherous ass-hole.”

  Michelle got up swiftly and started pacing, randomly at first, then she gathered her purse, a dark jacket, and keys.

  “You know what’s so unfair?” Michelle said. “Leilanie had three embryos implanted. And they all survived. I had one and I lost it.”

  “That’s not your fault. Where are you going?” Heather asked, alarmed.

  “To see them.”

  “Wait,” Heather said, really worried. “We don’t
know if Omar’s there.”

  “If he is, I’ll call the police,” Michelle said forcefully. “Throw his putrid ass in jail.”

  “You’re not going alone! It’s too dangerous.”

  Michelle turned around and smiled at Heather.

  Heather knew that look. She shook her head and said, “No way. You need to take Rod if you go over there. It might be dangerous.”

  “Please, please, please. I need you to come with me. Navigate to the house. Rod would never let me.”

  Heather took a deep breath. “That’s exactly why we shouldn’t go. Rod would have a heart attack if he thought you were putting yourself in danger like that.”

  “He’ll be home soon. We have to leave right now,” Michelle said. “Besides, it’s just Leilanie and three little kids. What’s so dangerous about that?”

  Heather grumbled all the way down to the garage, complaining that this was fool-hardy and stupid. She ended with, “Besides, it’s late. It will be dark by the time we get there.”

  Michelle parked her car a few houses down, and across the street from the place where Heather had seen Leilanie and the three girls.

  Heather whispered, “What are you going to do? Just knock on the door?”

  No one could hear them but Michelle whispered back. “I’ll look around. Do reconnaissance.”

  “No way. You sneak around that house, get caught for trespassing, and you’ll probably land in jail.”

  “I’ll know if Omar’s around. If I hold Abigail, she’ll get hot if something’s wrong.”

  “You’re talking crazy,” Leilanie said. “Expecting that diamond to react to danger.”

  “She worked in Mexico,” Michelle said, pulling the chain out from under her blouse, revealing the diamond. It was dark outside now, but the diamond seemed to have a light from within, sparkling in the darkness of the car.