by Ryan Sova
A few days after the preliminary hearing had ended, Garry’s public defender met with him a second time to tell him about a deal that the prosecution had just offered him, a deal where if he pleads guilty to eight counts of manslaughter and serves a sentence of only ten years in prison he could escape facing life in prison, or even the death penalty. Fran talked about this deal as if it were a miracle from heaven and was adamant with Garry that he needed to take this deal. When Garry refused, Fran reminded Garry that the state of Virginia carries the death penalty. Fran went on to assure Garry that if this case went to trial, he would be convicted and spend the rest of his life behind bars.
Garry, however, knew exactly what this deal was, a trick. A ploy to get him into prison quicker so that the Master could have him killed. Garry refused the prosecution’s offer more forcefully after Fran had insisted that he should take the deal, and then finally his frustrated attorney gave up.
After that meeting, Garry heard nothing about his criminal case for nearly a full month and a half. Then, Garry’s attorney, Fran, scheduled another meeting with him at the jail. This time, Fran came to inform Garry that the prosecution had presented his case to the Grand Jury and that the Grand Jury had issued an indictment for him. Garry now had an appointment to appear before the District Court in two weeks for his term day hearing. There, Garry’s case would be transferred from the District Court to the Circuit Court and a day would be scheduled for Garry to appear before a Circuit Court Judge and go through a second arraignment hearing.
This meeting today with his attorney actually gave Garry some good insight. Before today, Garry had not realized that there were different levels in the court system. Garry had been convinced that he would eventually have his trial in the same courtroom that he had been going to from the beginning, which is something that had confused him greatly. He still remembered Detective Klaben saying that we own the DA and the judge, which Garry had assumed meant that both of them were undead. Garry knew that this was at least true about the district attorney but was definitely not the case with the magistrate. Garry had met both of them when he appeared in court a month and a half ago for his preliminary hearing and, therefore, knew that the magistrate was still very much alive. This lead Garry to wonder, what did Detective Klaben mean when she said that we own the judge?
But now, Garry understood that there was a higher level of court that he would be going to for his trial, which also meant that there would be a new judge when he would eventually appear before this court. This is what she must have meant, Garry realized. The Circuit Court judge is the one who they own, not the magistrate, and this Circuit Court judge must also be undead!
Garry knew that his time was running short. They know now that I can’t be tricked into going to prison. But they will soon have a corrupt judge at their disposal to use against me. This judge will do everything in his power to get me into prison as soon as possible. He might not be able to convict me on his own, but he can still speed the process along. Any attempt that my attorney or I might make at stalling the proceedings, he will most certainly overrule.
Garry suddenly made another discovery. This is why that strange voice told me to run! It has only been just under two months since I first arrived at a Virginia county jail and already, I am about to face this corrupt judge. Once my case gets transferred to this Circuit Court judge, he will then clear his calendar and get my case pushed through the system as quickly as possible. Had I been arrested in Virginia right after the shootings, I would have then had three, maybe four months tops before I would have landed in the Red Onion State Prison. By then, Nephal hadn’t even managed to cast his first spell yet. I would have been totally screwed if I had been arrested right away. But thanks be it to whoever that voice belonged to. Who or whatever that voice was, it gave me one of the most precious gifts of all, time! Thanks to that voice, I am almost ready now to make my getaway.
CHAPTER 18
One-hundred and ninety-eight was a new record for Nephal. This was the number of consecutive spells that Nephal had been able to cast without a single failed attempt so far. He was still just under ninety spells short of his goal, though.
In order to reach the next rank as a sorcerer, Nephal was required to show that he had attained a mastery in the casting of simple spells. To do this, he was required to cast two-hundred and eighty-six consecutive spells in one continuous session without a single mistake. If he failed at any of his attempts, the counter would reset and he would then have to start back at one.
The number of spells that Nephal was required to consecutively cast was also the exact same number of magical symbols that exist in the world. This was done intentionally and was symbolic in nature. Once Nephal had finally attained this goal, he would then be promoted to the rank of Acolyte. Once Nephal had reached this rank, he would then be ready to start learning advanced magical spells. He would also be just one rank below Atonick.
There had recently been a great deal of discussion in the council about Nephal’s rapid progression during his magical studies. He had been progressing at a rate that exceeded anyone’s wildest expectations. It was suddenly becoming apparent that Atonick would no longer be a suitable teacher for Nephal in the very near future if he continued to progress at the rate that he had been learning thus far. After a great deal of discussion on the matter, King Noah at last decided that Heragald would take Atonick’s place as Nephal’s instructor once Nephal reached a point where he could learn nothing more from Atonick.
Eliak’s recent progress, on the other hand, had been frustrating to say the least. Eliak had expected that once he had managed to cast his first spell, he would follow in Nephal’s footsteps and become more and more consistent with his attempts over time. This had not been the case, though.
It had been two months now since Eliak had finally managed to cast his first spell and, in so doing, reached the rank of Apprentice. As time went by though, it started to become apparent that Eliak’s achievement was nothing more than a fluke. Over time, Eliak became very discouraged and started putting forth less effort into his magic. Atonick had encouraged Eliak to keep trying and not to give up. He had also reminded Eliak that when Atonick was a student himself, it had taken him almost a full year to cast his first spell. He went on to assure Eliak that there was nothing wrong with him and that he was, in fact, progressing in his magical studies just as quickly as any normal student usually does.
None of this encouragement seemed to be helping any, though. Finally, Atonick approached the council with his concerns about Elaik. After hearing Atonick’s concerns, King Noah granted Eliak a one week break from his studies to give him a chance to reflect. After his break, Eliak would be given a choice. He could re-devote himself to his magical studies, or he could go home and be expelled from the Council of the Magi.
During this week of reprieve for Eliak, Atonick had been focusing his attention exclusively on Nephal. Nephal had noticed an improvement during this week of training as a result. After a few days, Nephal raised this subject with Atonick, “You know, now that your attention is no longer divided between Eliak and I, there has been a noticeable improvement in my magical abilities. So much so, that I feel like I could learn magic much faster if I had an instructor who would work with me on a one on one basis.”
Atonick responded, “I have seen this change too. Perhaps after you earn the rank of Acolyte, we could bring this subject up to the council and see if Heragald could take over with your training early. After all, even if Eliak starts progressing again in his magical studies, it will probably be several years before he will be ready to start learning about advanced magic. Therefore, Eliak will not benefit at all from being present during your training and you won’t benefit from his training either.”
Nephal responded, “I guess that just leaves me with the task of passing this test and earning my next rank then.”
Atonick answered, “You are almost there. I would say that any day now and you will pass your test. It’s getting
late now and I know that you are already tired from all of your past attempts of the day, but do you feel like you have the strength for one more attempt at passing this test?”
Nephal thought about this for a moment. It was getting late and Nephal was already feeling very tired. But I am so close now! Do I have the strength to try again one last time?
After thinking about it a moment, Nephal decided to make one more attempt at passing this test. Nephal positioned himself in the red hallway. Atonick took his place behind him and then asked Nephal if he was ready to begin. Nephal nodded to Atonick that he was ready.
Atonick began calling out random spells, such as a fire spell, a lightning spell, a light spell, and so forth. Nephal would cast each spell as he received them. He had to be very careful as he did this, though, for each spell that he conjured took a great deal of willpower. To succeed at a task of casting two-hundred and eighty-six consecutive spells, Nephal needed to restrain himself a great deal and preserve his energy to the greatest degree possible.
If every fireball Nephal were to conjure had the strength of the one Atonick used against the undead, Nephal would be totally drained after only a couple of spells. This test, however, was not a test of how powerful your spells can be. This test only measured your ability to cast spells error-free, so the spells that Nephal would cast during this test would not be stunningly powerful bolts of lightning or fireballs that would make huge explosions at the end of the red hallway. On the contrary, they would be tiny and pathetic in nature, but successful spell castings all the same. This way, they would only require a small amount of willpower to cast. This was how Nephal was able to cast so many spells in a single session without fainting from exhaustion.
The test carried on. Nephal was now at seventy-seven. He still had a long way to go and already, he was feeling like he could do nothing more tonight. Nephal also knew, though, that in order to pass this test he needed to cast all two-hundred and eighty-six spells in a single session. If I stop now, in the morning I will have to start all over again and everything that I have just done will be for nothing. Nephal took a short break, sipped on a cup of water, and then continued on with his test.
At one-hundred and fifty-five, Nephal sat down and took another break. He drank some more water and then put his head down into his folded arms and started falling asleep. He was interrupted by the sound of Atonick’s voice, “Come on Nephal, you’re more than halfway there! Don’t give up now!”
Reluctantly, Nephal rose to his feet, approached the red hallway, and then continued with his test. Nephal was at two-hundred and twelve when he stopped for his next break. He sat quietly, sipping on his water and staring blankly at the chalkboard at the end of the room. He was now desperately fighting the urge of passing out in his seat. He was closer now than had ever made it before. Atonick was also there, telling him to keep his eyes open and not to give up until his test was over.
Nephal made it back to his feet and then continued with his test. Time seemed to drag on. Nephal was now at two-hundred and forty-eight, forty-nine, fifty. His throat was raw from all the speaking. He desperately wanted to take another break, but he knew that if he stopped now he was not going to be able to start again. Nephal pushed himself forward. The numbers dragged on so slowly. Every spell seemed like it was going to be his last, but then, somehow, he was on to the next one, and then the next, and so on. Nephal was not even paying attention to the numbers anymore. He knew that if he thought about that, he would most certainly stop. The only thing that he would think of is the phrase, one more. I just need to do one more.
Nephal hadn’t even realized how close he was when he had finally reached two-hundred and eighty-five. Suddenly he heard Atonick’s voice, “Nephal, you are almost there. There is just one final test that you are going to need to do. I need you to walk down the red hallway a few paces and then turn around to face me.”
What is this all about, Nephal’s exhausted mind wondered? He slowly stumbled down the red hallway and then turned to face Atonick.
Atonick then continued, “For your final test, I am going to cast a spell at you and you are going to block it.”
Nephal wanted to protest, but he didn’t feel like using the energy needed to speak right now. Just as the thought occurred to him of how crazy this test was in his present state, he heard the sound of Atonick chanting.
Nephal knew that he didn’t have much time to react. He recognized the spell that Atonick was casting. It was a lightning spell and, therefore, he knew that if the spell didn’t kill him, it would at the very least knock him on his ass. Getting hit by a bolt of lightning was not the way that Nephal wanted his day to end.
Nephal quickly conjured his spell and poured as much willpower as he could into it. Then the dreaded moment at last came. A bolt of lightning sprang forth from Atonick’s fingertips and struck Nephal in the chest. Nephal’s shield was barely strong enough to contain the impact, but the impact was contained nonetheless.
In the moments following the impact, Nephal realized that the lightning bolt was not strong enough to have killed him. However, it would have been strong enough to at least knock him on his ass, which was something that Nephal had suspected from the beginning. He was grateful that this had not happened, though.
Nephal suddenly started losing his balance. The room was spinning now. Nephal tried to reach for the wall, but it was too far away. He started falling to the floor when someone grabbed him.
Nephal looked up at Atonick and said, “Thank…..you……Aton….”
Atonick held Nephal firmly in his arms and said, “Nephal, you did it!”
****
Garry spent the coming days working out an escape plan. He reasoned that the simplest way to escape would be to just teleport out of his cell. Unfortunately, teleportation was not a power that was available to Garry as of yet. He had hoped that such a power would be available to him in the near future, but he had no way of knowing if this would be the case or not.
The thought of using the magic that Garry already knew was also certainly an option, albeit a messy one. Garry had pictured himself running down the many hallways inside of the jail using fireballs to punch holes in any obstruction that stood in his way until he, at last, reached the outside of the building. Garry knew that there would obviously be several guards that would try and stop him the moment that he blasted a hole in his cell. The noise of the explosion would also attract the attention of the entire jail. This all meant that Garry would also have to fight off all of the prison guards if he wanted to make good on his escape. While he knew that doing so would certainly be possible, he also didn’t want to hurt or kill innocent guards during his escape.
Garry pondered this dilemma a moment, then he remembered something from his dream. When Atonick gave Nephal his final test, it was a bolt of lightning to the chest. Garry instantly realized that a lightning bolt could be used as a form of non-lethal weaponry during his escape attempt. The lightning spell will be my form of taser gun, Garry reasoned to himself.
So I have the power right now to escape from my cell and make it outside of the jail, but then what? I would then be on foot in jailhouse clothing with the police and community all on the lookout for me. I could, of course, use my magical powers to detonate any police car that dares to come near me, but again, innocent people would die. Also, what would then happen to me when I need to rest at night?
The thought of Garry’s initial arrest back in Texas came back to his mind. If I wake up to find handcuffs being placed on me again, I will be just as powerless now as I was back in Texas. I will also not be able to cast any of my spells while my hands are still cuffed behind my back. And once they have me back in their custody, they won’t take any chances with me a second time. I will most likely be held in a straight jacket for the remainder of my time in jail until they finally deliver me to be murdered at the Red Onion State prison. Garry thought about this some more and then had a realization. Even with the powers that I now have, I can’t just d
eclare war against society and hope to win. There has to be another way out of this mess.
Garry then spoke out loud to the emptiness of his room, “Ok strange voice inside my head, I need your help now! Tell me what it is that I need to do to get out of this mess?”
There was no answer.
Garry addressed the emptiness of his room a second time, “You have saved my ass twice now! So who the hell are you and why won’t you help me now? Are you just going to save me so that I can then die in prison?”
There was still no answer.
“God damn it!” Garry swore to himself and then threw himself back into his bed.
While lying in bed, Garry continued to think about his situation. I still have some time left, Garry reasoned. In two weeks, I will have a term day hearing and then I will be scheduled for my second arraignment hearing. After the second arraignment hearing, the Circuit Court judge will schedule me in for a trial. Even if this corrupt judge from the Circuit Court clears his schedule and rushes me in for the earliest possible trial date, they are still going to need to select a jury before they can just start with my trial. So my trial probably won’t be taking place for at least a month or two. I should use this time to my advantage in preparing for my escape. I will also keep an open mind for any alternative solutions that I may stumble across, but if it comes down to it right now my best escape plan is to just blast my way out of here.
Once Garry was confident in the plan that he had just formulated, he went to work at preparing for his escape. Garry reasoned that the first thing he would need to do is strengthen his willpower. He knew that making an escape using the magic that he already knows would take multiple spells ranging from lightning spells, fireball spells, and shield spells. To make good on his escape, he would have to punch through several sets of doors and or walls. He would also need to immobilize all of the guards as well. All in all, Garry predicted that he would be using a lot of magic during this escape.
