Ellen, Harris and Jessica stepped up to the door. Harris was the one to open it further to reveal a storage room.
From within the storage room, a small ceiling light had automatically come on once the door was fully open. From the door to the wall across from the door was three feet. The storage room’s east wall was immediately to the right from the door, and the west wall was eight feet away. At the west wall was a built-in table that was three feet by one-and-half feet, and on top of the table were fifty Legacy volumes.
Harris was the one to step into the storage room with Ellen and Jessica peeking in to see.
When Jessica saw what were on the table, she mentally thought, “My family’s Legacy volumes!”
As Harris stepped forward towards the table, Jessica entered the storage room followed by Ellen.
Harris stepped up to the table, picked up one of the volumes and opened it before saying, “Unread copies of the Legacy volumes.”
“How do you know that they’re unread?” Jessica asked.
“No wrinkles in the pages where the books have been opened,” Harris began. “And you can feel how stiff the covers are if you open one of the books.”
“Your mom had secretly copied them and hid them,” Ellen suggested as Harris noticed a rolled up parchment and reached for it. “Your mom knew not to trust your grandfather.”
“My grandfather was out of the country when…” Jessica was only able to get out.
“Good Lord!” Harris’s words rang in Ellen’s and Jessica’s heads.
“What is it?” Ellen mentally asked.
“It’s the Dark Ritual,” Harris mentally answered.
“The incantation to steal powers from other wizards?” Jessica mentally wondered.
“Yes,” Harris said barely above a whisper as he read the parchment.
Ellen concentrated to see what Karla/Leon was doing through the gerbils’ and the finches’ eyes before mentally saying, “The incantation that Karla is preparing for is the Dark Ritual incantation.”
Harris mentally looked at what Ellen was seeing before saying, “No. The layout—with the altar, the pentagram, the symbols, the candles… and other magical props—is the same if the wizard is stealing health or magical powers. It’s only the recited words… and maybe a few additional magical props that are different.”
“Why would…?” Jessica got out before having a thought. “Oh my God! I think my mom might’ve been planning to use that Dark Ritual incantation on my grandfather.”
“Where’s the last volume?” Ellen asked while trying to see.
“What do you want with the last volume?” Harris asked.
“The last volume might’ve been written by Jess’s mom, and if it was I want to see what her latest entries were,” Ellen explained.
Harris searched the pile for the last numeric volume. He found it fairly quickly, and when he went to pick it up, he said, “Here.”
Ellen took the volume and flipped through it until she found the last page that was written on. Jessica read the volume through Ellen’s eyes as Ellen silently read it.
Leon was hurting and killing people to obtain riches, power and health, and Sally’s plan to stop him—along with the plan to come clean with Peter Berkeley—was confirmed in Sally’s handwriting.
“As Ellen had said, my mom was used as an unwilling puppet to kill Peter Berkeley,” Jessica’s words sullenly rang in Ellen’s and Harris’s heads.
“Jessica, I believe we can end this and save Karla at the same time,” Harris said before indicating to the Dark Ritual parchment.
Ellen and Jessica read Harris’s thoughts before Jessica halfheartedly said, “Trap Karla somehow and perform the Dark Ritual on my grandfather’s comatose body.”
Ellen caught Jessica’s lack of enthusiasm and pointed out, “At this point, Jess, it’s either your grandfather or us. And I choose us.”
Jessica hesitated before saying sullenly, “As far back as I can remember, my grandfather had been nothing but loving towards Karla and me. And a big part of me can’t believe even now that his loving feelings towards us were fake. Damn it! How can he be such a two-face without us seeing it before now?!”
“I assure you that you’re not the first one who has gotten duped by a sinister family member, and Merlin’s descendents seem to have an extremely greater chance at having a sinister family member than most,” Harris told Jessica.
“Or becoming sinister him or herself,” Jessica added.
“Regrettably the chance of that is great as well,” Harris confirmed. “Anyway, Jess, we can end this, but any hesitation on your part could get us all killed.”
“I won’t hesitate,” Jessica said with conviction in her voice. “I want this over, and I want my sister back. So I’m in on this plan. We’ll use the Dark Ritual on my grandfather.”
“Okay,” Harris said before glancing towards the Legacy volumes. “Each acorn coven has incantations that other acorn covens don’t have. So I suggest that we look through the books on incantations to find useful ones.”
“Our minds are still linked and will be for a few more hours, so only one of us really needs to search through the books,” Ellen pointed out.
Harris grinned before suggesting, “Seeing firsthand at what Jessica can remember, I think she has the better memory between the three of us, so she should be the one to read the books.”
“Okay,” Jessica agreed. “I’ll read while you two secure the room against my grand… against my sinister grandfather.”
“Okay,” Ellen agreed before stepping out of the storage room.
Harris—while carrying the Dark Ritual incantation—and Jessica squeezed past each other, and as Jessica picked through the books for the books on incantations, Harris left the storage room.
Jessica did her best to ignore what she was mentally receiving from Ellen, Harris, the gerbils and the finches as she read through the incantations; however, Ellen and Harris would split their focus on what Jessica was reading and what Karla/Leon was doing as they moved the stuff animals to block the entrance to the room.
At Everett’s house, Everett and Megan sat on the couch while Kristen sat on the armchair as they watched a rented movie.
As Lance stepped into the room, Kristen asked, “Who was on the phone, hon?”
Lance glanced towards Everett before saying, “It was Allyson. She asked me for a favor… a detective type favor, so I’m going to check something out for her.”
“Is Ellen involved with something?” Everett quickly asked.
“Why would you assume that Ellen is involved?” Lance asked.
“I’m not assuming, I’m asking,” Everett clarified. “Anyway, is she?”
Lance sighed before saying, “Okay, well, it’s most likely nothing to worry about. Allyson said that as well when I spoke with her, but a short time ago, Ellen, Harris and Jessica went to Jessica’s house. With what we suspect is happening with Leon Stone, Allyson just wants me to drive by Jessica’s house and check things out.”
“Can I come?” Everett asked.
“No!” Lance quickly and sternly said. “On the off chance that something is going on, I don’t want you there.”
“Fine,” Everett grumbled.
“Lance,” Kristen called in a concerned tone. Lance turned to look. “Be careful.”
Lance nodded with a grin before stepping up to Kristen and giving her a kiss. The kiss was short and once it ended, he told her, “I’ll be back.”
When Kristen nodded with a grin, Lance turned and walked away.
At the mansion, Ellen and Harris had the entrance to the room barricaded with the large stuff animals within a short time. Jessica had found a few helpful incantations among her family’s volumes.
When Harris and Ellen had mentally seen that Karla/Leon was finished with the incantation’s layout, Harris announced, “Time’s up. Karla’s coming.”
“Alright,” Jessica said before putting the volume down on the table.
Jessica le
ft the storage room and shut the door. Another click was heard once the door was shut, and as before, the door blended in with the wall as if there was no door.
“To keep from damaging the volumes, we’ll bust through the south wall,” Harris made the random thought, which rang in Ellen’s and Jessica’s heads.
“So how do we do it?” Jessica asked.
“Verbally recite the following four-line incantation as I think it, and then at the end of the recited words make a pushing motion with your hands towards the south wall,”
Harris instructed.
“I’m ready,” Jessica said mentally.
“Okay,” Harris mentally said before mentally reciting the words to the incantation.
Jessica recited the words aloud, and once she recited the last word of the incantation she made a pushing motion with her hands towards the south wall. A visible wave of distorted air emanated from Jessica’s hands and impacted the south wall. A huge chunk of the wall and the glass china cabinet on the dining room side of the wall had exploded into small pieces and splattered across the dining room.
While mentally seeing through the gerbils’ and the finches’ eyes, Ellen, Harris and Jessica saw that Karla/Leon was rushing to see what the commotion was about.
The three were hiding in the dining room, and when Karla/Leon rushed in without caution, Jessica rattled off an incapacitating incantation that she had just learned from her family’s volumes. Karla/Leon moved to counter the incantation, but was too slow to react.
Once Karla/Leon dropped to the floor unconscious, Jessica said, “We may have ten minutes before she comes to.”
“Let’s go,” Harris urged before the three rushed out of the room. Harris had the Dark Ritual incantation in his left hand.
They made their way up the steps and into Leon’s room as quickly as they could. Harris had expected Leon’s spirit to be back into his own body after that incapacitating incantation, but Leon was still comatose once the three entered the room.
A wheelchair was folded and was leaning against the far wall. Jessica quickly grabbed it, unfolded it and wheeled it over to Harris.
Harris picked up Leon and placed him into the wheelchair. He then noticed the squeamish and timid expression on Jessica’s face.
“If you’re uncertain about this…” Harris was only able to get out.
“I’m certain,” Jessica quickly said. “If we don’t do this, my grandfather will keep hurting and killing people, and I have no doubt that we would be his next victims. And I want my sister back!”
Harris stared skeptically at Jessica for a brief moment before nodding and saying, “Okay. Let’s do this.”
Harris pushed the wheelchair as he followed behind Ellen and Jessica out of the room, down the hall and into the room where Karla/Leon had the incantation’s layout set up.
Harris immediately placed Leon on the altar and then went to adjust the incantation’s layout for the Dark Ritual. It took him several minutes to do, and once it was done, Jessica took the Dark Ritual parchment and began reciting the words while ignoring the mental thoughts and images that she was getting from Ellen, Harris, the gerbils and the finches.
The Dark Ritual was a ten-verse incantation, and Jessica had begun reading the fourth verse when Ellen and Harris saw through the finches’ eyes that Karla/Leon was entering the room. Karla/Leon was rattling off an incantation when she/he stepped in.
“Fire an electrical bolt at her,” Harris mentally ordered as he and Ellen swung around to defend themselves.
Before Ellen or Harris could recite the incantation, Karla/Leon hit Ellen, Harris and Jessica with an incantation that sent each of them flying across the room.
“You three think that you can defeat me?!” Karla/Leon hissed as the three were hitting the floor. Jessica had hung onto the Dark Ritual parchment.
“Keep reading, Jess,” Harris mentally told her while getting back on his feet as quickly as he could. Once on his feet, he recited the incantation that drew electricity into his body.
Ellen followed suit as Jessica began reciting the ritual again.
Karla/Leon rattled off another incantation and fired it at Jessica as Harris fired a powerful electrical bolt at her/him. Ellen fired a powerful electrical bolt just after Harris had released his.
Jessica was able to recite the sixth verse before she was hit and sent flying into the nearby wall by Karla/Leon’s incantation.
Harris’s bolt struck Karla/Leon at the chest as Ellen’s bolt hit her/him in the abdomen. The combined bolts were powerful enough to send Karla/Leon flying back.
Jessica was knocked unconscious when she hit the wall and fell lifeless to the floor. The Dark Ritual parchment lay at her side.
Before Karla/Leon had time to get up again, Harris recited the incantation again to draw more electricity into his body.
Ellen saw Jessica’s lifeless body and went to her aid. Ellen checked Jessica’s vitals first and when she saw that Jessica was breathing and had a normal heartbeat, she attempted to revive her.
When Karla/Leon was back on her/his feet, Harris fired another electrical bolt at her/him; however, this time Karla/ Leon evaded the bolt.
“You and Ellen were holding out on how powerful of a bolt you two could throw at me,” Karla/Leon praised. “I didn’t think warlocks and witches could gather that much electrical power without killing themselves, so I’m impressed. Unfortunately though it won’t be enough to save yourselves.”
When Karla/Leon began another incantation, Ellen stopped trying to revive Jessica and grabbed the Dark Ritual parchment.
When Karla/Leon fired her/his next magical volley at Harris, Ellen began reading the Dark Ritual at the point where Jessica had left off. Harris was hit and was sent flying across the room. After Harris hit the floor hard, he rolled to get up again as quickly as his pain would allow.
Once Ellen had read the seventh verse, Karla/Leon turned towards Ellen before saying, “You’re not powerful enough to make that ritual work, Ellen. Only a wizard or a sorceress is powerful enough.” Ellen ignored Karla/Leon and continued onto the next verse. “Just to prove to you that you’re wasting your time, Ellen, I’m going to allow you to finish.”
Harris was on his knees and saw that Karla/Leon was cocky enough to allow Ellen to finish reciting the Dark Ritual incantation. Harris closed his eyes to see through Ellen’s eyes. As Ellen reached the ninth verse, Harris spoke the words in cadence with Ellen.
Karla/Leon shot Harris an annoyed look before rattling off an incantation, but before she/he could release it on Harris, Jessica woke and spoke the final verse with Ellen and Harris. Karla/Leon heard Jessica and shot Jessica a fearful look.
Immediately following the final verse, Karla dropped to the ground unconscious as Leon’s astral projecting spirit was jerked out of Karla’s body and back into his. Leon opened his eyes. The tormented expression on his face and the scream that he let out told as to how much torturous pain that he was in.
Lance was walking up to the front door and heard the scream of someone being tortured, and without hesitation, he went to break through the door.
Hardly any time had lapsed from when Leon had screamed out to when his skin changed to a red ash-like substance that held its shape. A white body-shaped cloud rose quickly from the ash, and once the cloud was at eye level it immediately exploded while engulfing the room in a blinding light and a gentle gust of wind. Leon’s ash remains crumbled into a silhouette pile.
Once the wave hit Ellen, Harris and Jessica, their chests— at the location where the birthmark would be—burned as if someone had pressed a branding iron to them and they too hollered out in pain.
Ellen—the only one who was standing at the time— dropped to her knees as she clutched her chest and cried out.
The blinding light lasted for only a second, and once the light within the room returned to normal, their burning pain turned into a dull painful throb.
Ellen and Harris pulled open their shirts to see what had burned t
hem. Jessica had moved quickly to her knees before looking to see what had burned her.
Ellen and Harris now carried the mark of Merlin. Ellen’s moon-shaped birthmark was of a third-quarter moon while Harris’s moon-shaped birthmark appeared to be one day closer from a third-quarter moon to a new moon. Jessica’s moon-shaped birthmark appeared to be the second day after a full moon.
“I have the birthmark!” Ellen uttered in a fearful tone.
“So do I,” Harris announced.
“But I expected Jessica to receive the powers and not you and me,” Ellen said.
“I did,” Jessica said as she gazed at her birthmark. “My moon-shaped birthmark had moved… or changed. It now looks as if it’s closer to a full moon.”
Harris thought for a moment before guessing, “We’re linked. We all spoke the final verse. So we all shared the powers equally.”
Jessica went to stand up, and when she looked towards her sister she uttered, “Karla!” Jessica rushed to Karla’s side and gently patted her face. Ellen and Harris went to stand up. “Wake up! Wake up!”—With his pistol in the ready position, Lance stealthily peeked into the room—“Wake up, Karla! Wake up!”
Lance holstered his pistol, and as he walked in, he said, “Harris! Ellen! What went down here?!”
Ellen and Harris glanced towards the pajamas and the pile of dust that were on the altar, but before anyone could respond, Karla shot up into a sitting position while uttering, “No! Don’t!”
“You’re safe, Karla,” Jessica assured her with a pleasant grin across her face.
“I dreamed that I…” Karla got out before seeing where she was. “Oh God! Please tell me that it was only a dream… a nightmare that I had attacked you three.”
“It wasn’t you,” Jessica assured her. “It was Grandfather. He knew how to astral project and take over people’s bodies at will. He was hurting people and he was also the one who had killed Peter Berkeley.”
As Jessica and Karla went to stand up, Ellen asked Karla, “You remember it though… what your grandfather did here tonight?”
Karla thought for a second before saying, “It’s vague… like a dream that I dreamt a long time ago.”
Legacy Page 43
