by John O'Riley
“I told you I’m different than other sixes,” Yvonne said.
“Yes, you did.” Josephine held out her hand to help the young woman rise to her feet. “I noticed that you aren’t wearing the enchantment that your family made that filters your powers. Is it because you’ve already changed and it’s useless now?”
“You’re wrong. I’m still wearing it.” Yvonne pulled out a large smoky quartz pendant from beneath her shirt which was suspended on a silk, black cord.
Josephine frowned as she focused her psychic awareness on the jewelry.
“There’s not a trace of magic on it,” Josephine announced.
“What?!” Yvonne regarded her with incredulous disbelief. “I can feel it right now.”
Josephine scanned her mind which was extremely difficult to do. Category sixes were notoriously difficult to obtain a read on. After several long moments, she detected a compact yet powerful mind control spell.
“Someone has programmed you to detect a spell that doesn’t exist. It’s an advanced spell so I can’t just remove it. It will take an expert who will need to work with you over a number of sessions. I’m not sure what else it does but I think it was making you cast an enchantment on the vortex. Do you remember what was happening while you were keyed in?” Josephine said.
“As soon as I tapped into the vortex, I was in so much pain I could barely think. I blacked out almost right away.”
“So do you remember being tied into the vortex for just a few seconds? Or was it longer than that?” Josephine asked.
“It was just a few seconds.”
“That means the mind control spell took complete control of you. I was afraid of that.” Josephine regarded her with compassion. “Someone set you up.”
“Who would do such a thing?”
“I’m going to find out. In the meantime, I’m assigning you to protective custody,” Josephine said.
Josephine explained what had occurred while driving to the police station. Yvonne was stunned to learn that a mind control spell had caused her to create some sort of mysterious enchantment using the vortex. Luckily, Josephine had stopped her in time but she didn’t intend on letting it happen again. A police officer kept watch on Yvonne in one of the interrogation rooms while Josephine typed up a preliminary report then met with the chief of police in his office. Josephine closed the door behind her and sank into the chair facing Ben who sat behind a massive desk. Ben was a bulky man with close-cropped blond hair and piercing blue eyes. Rather than wearing a suit, he wore a police uniform brimming with medals. His desk also boasted a myriad of awards and there were a variety of plaques nailed to the wall.
“The feds will want this one for sure,” Ben said in his typical, booming voice.
“I was thinking the same thing.”
Ben’s concerned gaze bore into Josephine’s. “You won’t have much time to work with her. Probably a day or two at the most.”
“Maybe I should join the Feds so they’ll stop stealing my cases,” Josephine grumbled.
“I don’t think you would enjoy the work.” Ben’s blue eyes twinkled with amusement.
“Probably not.”
“Looking over your report, I can’t help but think that APU 81 is probably involved.”
“You believe it’s planning on using Yvonne as some sort of weapon of mass destruction, don’t you?” Josephine asked.
“The thought crossed my mind. And it will definitely be a prevailing theory with the FBI.”
They discussed more details of the case then Josephine brought up a burning question that loomed in her mind.
“Will I have a budget for hiring consultants on this case? I would like to ask Alice for help with removing the mind control spell,” she said.
“Because this might involve APU 81 or the Valituras and affects national security, you may access your OC Enforcer funding,” Ben advised.
“Great!” Josephine beamed at him. “I should be able to make fast progress.”
“You always do.”
Josephine made her way to one of the vacant interrogation rooms to place a quick call to Alice.
“Hey, Josephine,” Alice said. “I’m sorry about this morning. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“That’s okay. I’m actually calling you because I have a case that may involve national security and – ”
“This is not happening to me!” Alice wailed with anguish. “You’re going to ask me to do another claro mentis enchantment, aren’t you?”
“I’m afraid so. I discovered the identity of the woman who’s causing the magical disturbances. She’s a new category six, just like a thought.”
“I don’t care! I hate, hate, hate, hate, hate those damn spells! I’m retired!”
Josephine couldn’t help but grin with amusement. Her friend always whined like crazy but in the end, she always came through.
“I’m authorized to pay a consultation fee of $300 per session and three per day,” Josephine advised.
There was a short pause. “You realize that’s almost a thousand bucks per day, right?”
“I did the math.”
“All right. I’ll do it. But I’m not happy about it.”
“Thank you, Alice. This means the world to me,” Josephine said.
“You’re not welcome. When do you want me to try the first spell?”
“Sometime early this evening would be nice.”
“All right.”
Josephine was about to say something else but she realized her friend had already ended the call.
Chapter 7
The mouth-watering aroma of fresh baked cookies infused the air in Josephine’s kitchen as she continued rolling small one-inch balls of dough in her hand then rolling them in a small plate layered with granulated sugar before placing them on one of three ungreased cookie sheets situated on top of her stove. She’d already baked several dozen peanut butter blossom cookies. Yvonne and Mark were situated at the kitchen table across the room with a small plate of the delectable goodies. Yvonne was savoring a bite of the peanut butter and chocolate morsel with a wide grin on her face.
“I never pictured you doing this,” Yvonne finally said.
Josephine paused with a small ball of dough in her hands. “Doing what?”
“Baking cookies. I’ve seen you on television. You’re one of the most powerful wizards on the planet and a hero. I hadn’t considered that you would be doing something like this.” The young woman gestured at the cooling trays resting on the black granite top of the center island where there were dozens of baked peanut butter blossom cookies.
“I enjoy it.” Josephine turned back to the tray and placed the last ball of dough on it.
She had a plate of Hershey’s kisses on a small plate. She took one of them and placed it gently but firmly on one of the balls of dough which flattened it. The end result was a peanut butter cookie with a chocolate kiss at the center. Perry White, their resident light being, perched on top of the curtain rod in the form of a white dove as he watched Josephine work. Mark had created him by accident with white magic several months ago. Josephine had grown quite fond of Perry who reminded her of a cross between a toddler and a loving family pet. On the one hand, he had advanced knowledge of the properties of light energy since he was a magical being composed of that substance. He didn’t require physical nourishment but instead soaked up light energy to keep himself fortified. He didn’t shed hair or dander but when he was in the form of a dove, he occasionally left a white feather. When Josephine thought about it, he made the perfect pet because there was no cleanup or feeding required. Of course, he was more like a youngster in a grown man’s body but he seemed to prefer hanging around in the guise of a white dove.
Yvonne threw Josephine a concerned look. “Are you absolutely sure that APU 81 can’t take control of me somehow?”
“Believe me, you’re safe. Mark cast a niveus imperium spell on you with white magic so there’s no way that can happen,” Josephine assured her.
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br /> “Unless APU 81 gets its hands on me later,” Yvonne pointed out.
“That’s true but for now, you’re safe.”
Josephine finished topping off the peanut butter balls of dough with chocolate kisses then shoved the trays in the oven. She had seven Tupperware containers on her granite counter that she would fill up with cookies and give to friends and colleagues at work. She loved to see the expressions of delight when she gave people fresh baked cookies. She was hoping Alice would come over while the aroma of peanut butter and chocolate still wafted in the air.
“We don’t know for sure that APU 81 had anything to do with your new powers or deactivating the enchantment in your pendant,” Mark said.
“That’s a comfort,” Yvonne said wryly. “I may have other enemies out there I have no idea about.”
“We can drive ourselves crazy speculating. I’ve learned through my work as an enforcer that it’s best not to jump to conclusions.” Josephine leveled a confident look at the young woman. “I’m certain that you’re safe here and that we’ll resolve the situation.”
Yvonne took another bite of a cookie on her plate and beamed with pleasure. “How long have you been baking?”
“I’ve been doing this for many years.” Josephine’s expression turned wistful as she sat down at the table with Yvonne and Mark. “I love baking on the holidays – especially for Christmas. I used to make my grandson candy cane shortbread cookies when he was growing up. They were his favorite.”
“What’s his name?” Yvonne regarded her with curiosity.
“His name is Jake. You’ve actually met him. I introduced him to you as Detective Dietrich,” Josephine explained.
Yvonne blinked with surprise. “That’s your grandson?! He looks the same age as YOU!” A split second later, comprehension dawned on her face. “Oh! Of course! You’re a category six so your age doesn’t show.” Her face flamed with embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I wasn’t thinking. It’s just that you look my age so it’s hard to picture you as a grandmother.”
“You flatterer you.” Josephine’s brown eyes danced with amusement.
“Wait a minute.” Yvonne fixed a musing frown at Mark. “Didn’t you say earlier that Jake is a friend of yours?”
“He’s one of my best friends,” Mark confirmed.
“And did that happen before or after you started dating Josephine?”
“That’s actually how I met her.”
Yvonne’s expression was stunned as she whirled back to Josephine. “Your grandson set you up on a blind date with one of his friends?”
Mark shifted in his seat as he was starting to become uncomfortable with the topic of conversation. Josephine knew that he was sensitive about his age and didn’t like for people to point out the age disparity between the two of them.
“It’s a long story.” Josephine reached across the table to grasp her lover’s hand with affection. “I’m so lucky to have Mark in my life.” She withdrew her hand as her expression turned businesslike. “Your sister thinks she may have a way of setting your powers back to a category five?”
“Yes, our family has a backup spell that sometimes works. Charlotte would have cast the spell on me after my first episode except that it requires two category fives or sixes to do it. Mom and Dad have a plane ticket to arrive here tomorrow,” Yvonne explained.
“I want to take a look at the spell before your parents arrive. Charlotte is definitely coming over here tonight with a copy of the enchantment, right? When I talked to her over the phone, she sounded hesitant.”
“Our family has kept this secret for generations. Category six wizards have been persecuted and feared for so long that we still aren’t comfortable with sharing this information with strangers and especially the government. Even though the laws have changed and sixes are treated as free citizens now, it’s still been less than a year. Not only that, but we know people hold it against us when they find out we’re related to Brenda Kirkland.” Yvonne paused as fear clouded her face. “And this enchantment is a long shot. I don’t have a lot of hope that it will be effective.”
“I think the odds are more in your favor than you think. Between your parents, Charlotte, Alice, Nathan and I, we’ll pack quite a punch with that enchantment. In fact, I would be more surprised if it DOESN’T work,” Josephine said confidently.
Nathan was a category five and Mark’s great uncle. He had immediately offered to help out with Yvonne when he learned of her plight.
Yvonne’s face brightened with hope. “You’ve saved the world twice and have done some amazing things. Maybe there’s a chance you can get this spell to work.”
Charlotte arrived a short while later and they gathered in the living room so Josephine could look over the spell for reverting a six back to a five. Charlotte had shoulder-length brown hair, brown eyes, and an average build. She was pretty and it was obvious that she was Yvonne’s sister.
“You can keep it. It’s just a copy,” Charlotte said.
“Thanks.” Josephine flashed a pleasant smile at her before returning her attention to the pages in her hand.
“Wow! I didn’t realize you have a vortex right in your house! It’s really giving me a buzz,” Charlotte exclaimed.
Josephine lifted her troubled gaze from the complex enchantment. “It’s a mini vortex so you shouldn’t be able to detect it at all unless your filter enchantment isn’t working and you’ve become a six.”
“Are you sure a five can’t sense mini vortexes?” she asked.
“I’m positive. That’s why no one knew about them until recently.” Josephine scanned Charlotte for a moment and could only detect a few normal enchantments. She couldn’t sense any unknown type of spell at all. “Can you please show me your pendant?”
“Sure.” Charlotte removed the pendant from her neck and it was identical in appearance to her sister’s. She handed it over to Josephine who peered at it with concern. Josephine took her time scanning the pendant for any trace of magic.
“I’m afraid there’s no sign of the enchantment here,” Josephine advised.
“That’s impossible!” Charlotte exclaimed. “I can sense it right now.”
“Keep scanning it,” Josephine said.
“Why?” Charlotte regarded her with confusion and irritation.
“It will give your mind a moment to adapt to the mind control spell that is feeding you an illusion of the family enchantment. In reality, the magic was removed from this pendant.” Josephine offered a sympathetic gaze as she handed the jewelry back.
Charlotte held the pendant in her hand and stared at it for a long moment. Finally, her expression became horrified as she saw the truth for herself.
“You’re right! There’s nothing here at all.” Charlotte chewed nervously on her lower lip. “How could this happen?”
“Someone cast a mind control spell on both you and your sister so you’d think the family enchantment was still in place. It’s a powerful and complex enchantment. When Yvonne tapped into the vortex at Siesta Key beach, it triggered a complete takeover of her mind and caused her to create a dangerous enchantment. Luckily, I stopped her in time from finishing it,” Josephine said.
“How could this happen?” Charlotte said. “I have no memory of being kidnapped or anything.”
“You might not have been kidnapped,” Josephine explained. “Someone could have broken into your apartment and cast the mind control spell on you there.”
“This is very disturbing.” Charlotte’s expression was horrified. “Now that I’m a six, I can’t help with the spell on Yvonne. My powers will be too volatile.”
“Have you had any episodes?” Josephine asked.
“Not yet.”
“Maybe you’ll turn out to be a stable six.”
“I can’t take the chance that I have the K Syndrome. No one can take the risk of being a six in our family.” Charlotte’s voice conveyed stark terror.
“K Syndrome?” Josephine asked.
“That’s just what we call it. If you become a six, your powers become stronger and more volatile and then you die,” Charlotte said.
“I think it would be best if you stayed here overnight,” Josephine said.
“What do you mean?” Charlotte eyed her with puzzlement.
“Someone’s conducting an experiment on you and your sister. As of right now, you’re both in protective custody.”
“This can’t be happening,” Charlotte groaned. “Are you sure you have enough room for another guest?”
“I have four spare bedrooms. I think I can manage.” Josephine flashed a wry smile at her. “Would you like a peanut butter blossom cookie? I just made a fresh batch.”
“That sounds great. Thanks.”
Josephine went to the kitchen where Perry was still perched on the curtain rod. He cocked his head at her as she set two cookies on a small decorative turquoise plate with black trim.
“What are you doing in here all by yourself?” Josephine peered at the dove with fondness.
Perry tended to shy away from strangers. He flew across the room and landed on her shoulder.
“You’re such a good bird,” Josephine crooned.
“I’m not a bird,” Perry warbled in his strange bird voice.
He didn’t speak much when he was in this form. Josephine suspected that speech was difficult for the vocal chords of a white dove. She took the plate of cookies and returned to the living room.
