by Casey Herzog
Out of the crowd came the children, and Damien was not the only one leading. William was with them. Any feelings I had were superficial and buried deep down where they wouldn’t see the light of day. The man stepping out between them was more of a surprise. My father was alive.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
I couldn’t believe my eyes. His presence seemed more like a mirage than anything else. He stepped forward out of the crowd in Biblical fashion, like he was parting the red sea. I watched him skeptically, wondering if this was some sort of trick to lure me into submission.
“I know this is quite a shock, but I need you to listen to me, Gillian. I was foolish to think what I was doing was not going to be noticed by the Elders. Imagine my surprise when the hunter turned out to be Jasper of all people. I thought he came out of hiding to help me bring magic back to where it belongs.”
Everybody had stopped what they were doing, allowing my father and his daughter to have this reunion.
“You don’t know what losing you did to me. I thought, mistakenly, I was a disappointment to you. I had no idea what you were doing to secure our future, but it doesn’t matter now. The only thing I care about is power. You have no idea what this feels like; not even you are going to take it away for me.” The magic eyes were feeding off the darkness and it was surrounding me like a warm blanket on a winter’s night.
“I don’t know what you want me to say. The only way to figure out how to stop this was to make sure they weren’t able to come looking for me. It meant you had to believe I was dead. You have no idea how much that tore me up inside.” He looked like he had aged 20-years with a full grown of beard in black and white.
“Your message about equality was loud and clear. Everyone should have magic. I thought for a moment there was only one way, but I was out of my mind to think peace is possible. The only thing anybody understands is violence. They shy away from it and run like scalded dogs. There is no room for a peaceful reconciliation.” I was hearing the words, but they sounded foreign to my lips.
“You are better than this. You have always been the light to my darkness. There were times I felt like I was fighting a losing battle, but I only had to stop by your bedroom to see what I was fighting for.” I felt a momentary lapse when the power shifted for a brief second before I was able to grab onto it all over again.
“It’s been too much without you. I’m still not sure what I’m seeing is real. You haven’t even explained how it is you can be alive after the hunter came for you. By your own admission, you said you had no idea who the hunter was until he emerged. Just when I thought I was getting myself back together again, thoughts of you would creep in and make me see the daunting task in front of me.” I looked past him and I could see William with an impassioned plea in his eyes.
“He hurt me severely, and I was literally at death’s door. I thought I was done for, but I saw something inside myself. At the last possible second, I was able to make myself disappear within the phased existence. I learned that from watching Damien. It was the only way for me to have enough time to heal without the hunter coming to end me.”
I was grateful to see him alive, but I was also angry that he left me to fend for myself. “This world does not deserve any kind of compassion. They hide and instead of fighting. They let the Elders run roughshod over them. I am vastly disappointed resulting in a painful conclusion. The Elders were a scourge on society, but I can be more than that. With me in charge, I can bring back a sense of normalcy.” I was kidding myself into thinking power was the answer, but it was the only thing that made any sense.
“You need to know nothing comes close to the love a parent has for a child. Everything about you is unforgettable. You need to do the right thing and surrender the power to me. The darkness and the magic eyes are not able to coexist without one corrupting the other. The darkness is in all of us, but we need to find the light to step out into the open.” They were just platitudes. He was lucky I didn’t do more than stare him down with defiance.
“This world needs me to keep it on track. The one thing the Elders had right was that magic should never be given freely. Not everybody deserves to be treated equally. I had a grand plan, but it doesn’t seem necessary to even mention it. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad you’re alive, but maybe it would’ve been better for you to stay dead.” They were harsh words coming from a daughter who felt betrayed in the worst way possible.
“I know it’s only the magic talking and not my daughter. Let her go and I will gladly take her place. Sacrificing oneself for a child is the greatest gift any parent can give. I’ve hurt you and I want to make it up to you by giving you back your life.” I couldn’t believe he was trying to trick me into giving him the power. He wanted to wield it himself. That didn’t sound like my father; it felt like somebody was whispering words of dissension into my ears.
“I can see right through you. There’s no way I’m going to give you anything close to the power I have. Why would anybody give this up when it feels so good to be in control of everything? I’m in touch with nature itself; I can mold this world into an image of utopia or hell. It’s entirely up to me. You would be amazed at how easy it is to see the world as a thin thread, if pulled, ready to unravel.” The power of darkness and the magic eyes were showing me the way to salvation was dominance over an enemy.
“I’ve tried to play nice, but I’m through acting like a concerned parent. I’m telling you to give me the power and stop acting like a petulant child. You had some bad breaks, but who hasn’t? It’s what you do to stand up after being knocked down that gives you the character to continue. You can’t handle the power rising within you, and it’s only going to get worse over time. Right now you are at a crossroads and it’s up to you to make the right decision about which path to take.” I could feel he was trying to set me free, but I didn’t want to let it go. He would find out just what his daughter was made of.
“Don’t stand in my way or that will be the final thing you do before I finally hammer the last nail into your coffin. I don’t need your help; you never loved me. It was only after you were gone that I finally learned why you were distancing yourself from me. It didn’t feel good, and I deeply resent the way you treated me after mother died. You made me think it was something I did to turn you away from me.” The power was still there, but it was waning with my words of anguish over my mother’s death.
“I never wanted to make you feel like your mother was the only thing keeping us together. After she was gone, I found myself on a crusade to make those responsible pay. My grief blinded me to your pleas of help. I will never forgive myself for pushing you to embrace dark magic. Come back to me before it’s too late. I don’t want to lose a daughter after everything I have been through.” He sounded sincere and I reached out until I saw something that changed everything.
“I know what you’re trying to do, and it’s not going to work. Take the love you claim to have for me and give it to somebody else. I’m not buying this act for one minute. You’ve been talking to me as a stall tactic to let them get past my defenses. Let me show you what happens when you mess with the natural order of things.” I reached out with my mind, and made those against me scream with pain.
Those uniting in a cerebral tactical advantage fell to their knees with their heads on fire. I’d never been this nasty, but I could tell this was all just a contest of wills. I meant to do them harm, and their pain solidified what I considered to be my greatest achievement.
“Stop this or there won’t be anything left of you to save. They were following my orders. If you need to hurt somebody, then hurt me.”
I felt the best way to hurt him was to make others pay for his actions against me. I could keep this up forever, and their eternal pain would drive them to the brink of insanity. It was never ending, and the only relief was going to be a swift and meaningless death.
“If I wanted you dead, you already would be, but this is so much better. You can watch my victims screaming in te
rror and wonder how long they’re going to have to endure it. Don’t you see how foolish it was for you to think you had a chance against me? I will gladly send you to your own personal hell, knowing these people suffer because of you. They will never know a moment of peace. You will have to carry that on your heart.” His misery was my company and the sensation was indescribable. I had nothing to compare it to, but it certainly gave me a rush of euphoria from the top of my head all the way down to my toes.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“I’m through trying to reason with you. I’ve been ready to fight fire with fire, but I was hoping it wasn’t going to come to that. Let this be a lesson that sometimes it’s better to bow down to wisdom.”
I had no idea what he was getting at until he produced a strong force that knocked me back a couple of feet. It burned like somebody was sticking my hand into a boiling pot of water.
“If that is all you have, then you have already lost before you even lifted a finger. What I did to the others will feel like the prick of a pin. If you don’t believe me, then let me show you how things could be far worse.” He grabbed his head and fell to the ground, screaming in the very same way the others were.
I reveled in their misery, hearing their cries for help and knowing nobody was going to be able to come to their rescue. They tried to sneak past my defenses while my father kept me busy. It almost worked, but I was able to detect what they were up to before they were able to do any real damage.
William and Professor Bethesda stepped forward and raised their hands for me to listen. I thought it was amusing and decided to give them enough rope to hang themselves with.
“This isn’t who you are, Gillian. You don’t have to walk down this lonely path. You know how I feel about you, and that’s never going to change. I don’t care how destructive you can be. I know what is simmering underneath, waiting for someone to come along and remind you. I was wrong to think I could play both sides, and you were the one who taught me to love something more than my own life.”
I listened, and something was getting through to me, but it wasn’t enough to let go of the power. The power’s grip on me was strong.
“I’m going to give you a gift. The illness the Elders gave you is no longer going to hold you hostage.” I was able to reform his molecules and adjust his DNA to expel the sickness from his body. I knew there was no cure. The Elders were masking his symptoms by the drugs they were giving him. This was a solution, not some band aid to keep him compliant.
“I don’t know why you would even consider giving me this gift after everything I put you through. I wasn’t lying when I told you I love you. You gave me the strength to stand up against the Elders. I am grateful for what you’re doing, but it comes at too high a price. You’re only doing it to appease me.”
I was listening intently, but he was a tiny insect with no real power to speak of.
“Gillian, you spoke to me in private about what you were going to do. I thought you were taking a huge risk, but now I understand with great risk comes great reward. It’s something we stress in the students, and I want to make it clear we’ve always been on your side. There is a way out, and you know what it is. Don’t let what is happening to you make you forget who you are deep down inside.”
They were ganging up on me, but it didn’t feel like they were fighting because they were afraid of me. They cared for me in their own misguided way.
There was nothing there for the darkness to enhance into something ugly. The only thing that came to mind was William’s willingness to be used as a patsy. I didn’t blame him for wanting to live and deciding to do whatever it took to make him well again. Fortunately, he didn’t have to worry about that anymore.
“I remember what I said to you, but I’m not sure it plays into this. These people look at me like I’m a thief, taking something more than any woman should have. Girls have not been given what they deserve, and I want to change that.” I was about to give every female a dose of what they were missing. It was only when William and Professor Bethesda joined forces with my father that I saw something missing from the way I was thinking.
“There’s a reason why women have not been given the same rights in magic. It’s not because they are weak, but because they might be too strong for their own good. Look at yourself and tell me we didn’t have the right idea. I can’t stop you, but it would be best for everybody for you to do your research before attempting such a thing.”
Professor Bethesda was making me realize the only way for all of us to live in harmony was through equality. My father’s legacy and his vision needed some fine-tuning, which could only come from my hand.
William came forward and stood in front of me, looking like he was about to turn evil into good. It was all falling apart. I wanted him to love me and to kiss me with the same passion he had the first time. He complied willingly, and I did not force him to do anything. It made me feel good that somebody cared enough to step into the face of danger.
“Who’s going to kiss you if I’m gone? I don’t want you to think about it. Do what you feel is right. Follow your heart and there will be nothing you can’t do.”
I looked at them all. I saw Damien smiling knowingly like he had a pretty good idea of what I was going to do.
I fought the darkness tooth and nail, but I finally let it go with a scream of release. It left me feeling like I had lost my best friend. A wave of energy spread across the community and out to the outlying areas. Everybody was given an equal dose of the magic eyes. The small bit I had left was not enough for the darkness to cling to. It faded into nothing more than indecision and regret. Just as it left, I felt the hunter watching. He had felt the power and knew fighting it would only get him killed.
My father came forward and put his hand on my shoulder. William was holding my hand and looking at me dreamily, letting me know our future was entwined. Damien was the one to finally voice concerns, but not with condemnation.
“I hope you know what you have done. I’m sure it felt like the right thing to do at the time. I don’t know and I wasn’t in your shoes. The Elders are no more. The Guardian Program will be disbanded, and the hunter is still out there. Giving power to those who have never had it before is going to take some time to get used to. It would be a good idea for you to be there for the girls. It’s not that they can’t handle it, but more like the power of magic and its influence can be overwhelming to females because of their DNA.” It was agreed that I would become a den mother to the females looking to gain control over what they were now a part of.
In the next few months, I had many students, and in my off time, I was spending most of it with William. My father and I still had a strained relationship, but we were making inroads one baby step at a time. There were some students who took a little more attention, and I had to be very careful not to send them into a tailspin.
I stood outside my classroom looking towards the horizon and I knew my happiness could be fleeting. I had the love of my life, a family back together and a new purpose to give magic to both genders. There were some gifted females and some that even scared me.
The knowledge Jasper was still out there still haunted us all. When he was ready, he would once again come for what he thought was his, but he would meet resistance.
The worlds were no longer separated by an unseen dividing line. There were still some wrinkles to work out, but I had a good support system, and we were all ready to roll up our sleeves to get dirty if necessary. It was a peaceful reconciliation with far reaching implications yet to be discovered. I found out Julian was otherwise detained by a student who needed his help in the outlying areas. It was just like him to sacrifice for someone he hardly knew. I was worried Jasper had gotten to him, but I was relieved to find out he was doing a selfless act.
William and I were to marry in the next few months and there was nothing we couldn’t do together.
Magic Alive
Bonus Book 2
Casey Herzog
Co-Author: C.J. Scarlett
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Chapter One
I stood looking at my students and feeling a sort of pride, knowing their success was on my shoulders. I wanted nothing to stop the growing potential in all of them. However, I knew my decision to give the magic eyes to everyone, including the women, did not make me any fast friends.
They were so young and impressionable, so like another certain warlock who was never far from my thoughts. Seeing him crumple and go into a catatonic state was not my proudest moment. I wanted him to be by my side, but whatever happened prevented him from becoming my greatest ally.
The strained relationship with my father had improved in the last five months. There were still some unnecessary arguments concerning women with magic. He expressed interest in tutoring some classes, but I was reluctant. He had said unequivocally the old generation was never going to accept women with magic. That had never been more apparent than when watching them walk around on eggshells with glaring eyes of disapproval.
There had been rumors of Guardians from the days of the Elders making waves, but.for the most part, I had integrated them into being more concerned with their continued existence than blind focus on revenge. There had been a lot of converts, but still, some continued their unresolved resentment.
The phased existence was still there, but was only used for special cases unable to adapt to the real world. My father and Professor Bethesda had taken an interest in rehabilitating those looking to become more powerful than they should be. I was interested in taking in one of the classes hoping I could parlay that into a temporary position.
I wore a white leather outfit that accentuated my womanly curves, which was always a good way to start something with William. We hadn’t done much more than make out, but the wedding was only a month away. We went through the necessary steps of talking to the religious sect of our community. It wasn’t an easy transition, but they had come to know us better than anybody.
