Bound by Magic

by Nicole Coverdale

  “Did you see that?”

  “How did she do that?”

  “Get her!”

  “I don’t think so, boys,” Jorja said, as she tossed the potion their way, a cloud of smoke blocking their vision as the doors behind her opened. “And there’s no more teleporting for you,” she said, laughing as the doors to the lift opened, and she ascended upward. “And up I go.”

  “Okay, Jasmine. Focus. You have to focus.”

  Jasmine sat down on the floor of the secret hideaway, behind the waterfall in Duluth, Minnesota. She cleared her mind, trying to erase all the thoughts from her head.

  An image of Sky appeared before her, and she sniffed. “Where are you?” she whispered, lifting her head, feeling a pain deep in her chest. “What has Liam done to you? Are you okay?”

  “Jasmine.”

  The voice rippled through the air, and she stopped. She glanced over her shoulder. “Sky?”

  “Yes. It’s me,” Sky’s voice rippled through the air, his body transforming before her, transparent. “Jasmine, you need to focus. You need to get to the sapphire. If Liam gets his hands on it, he’ll bring damage to the whole magical community. Gods will be gone. You will be gone. He’ll be more powerful than ever. He’ll be able to do whatever he deems fit.”

  “I know this, but I can’t do this without you. Where are you?”

  “Yes, Jasmine, you can,” Sky said, striding forward and hunching in front of her. He laid his hand over hers, and even though she couldn’t physically feel it, she could still feel his touch. “You’re strong, Jasmine. A strong woman. A strong witch, and you can do this. You just have to believe in yourself. You need to get to the sapphire and keep it from Liam. Then you need to come save me and the girls.”

  “But the girls are in the hidden city!”

  “No, Jasmine. Cyrus doesn’t have them, Liam does.”

  “What?” Jasmine’s eyes snapped open, and she stared at the empty spot in front of her. Liam had the girls? But why?

  “You need to find the sapphire, Jasmine.”

  Sky’s voice echoed in her head, and she closed her eyes again. This time, her astral self appearing in Rome.

  “Nice!” she cried, turning to stare at the museums standing next to her, and further out to where the Coliseum lay in the distance.

  “You know, I wasn’t the biggest fan of history, but this is still pretty cool!” she cried, snapping a photo of the scene in front of her and walking forward. She grazed her hand along the metal railing, as she walked across the cobblestone toward the entrance. It’s so quiet, she thought, reaching for the door.

  Locked.

  She sighed, glancing to her left, then to her right to make sure no one was lurking around the building, then flicked her fingers, the door flying open. “Man, I love this power!”

  She walked through the doorway, staring at the ruins of the building, from centuries worth of earthquake damage, walking through another doorway into the coliseum. Imagining what it would have looked like, with thousands of people sitting, and watching the spectacle. It would have been interesting to see.

  “Quite the sight, isn’t it?”

  Jasmine turned, glancing over her shoulder as the black angels appeared before her. “I was wondering when you would show up.”

  “Aww. You were waiting for us?” the black angel asked, laughing. “I’m touched, Jasmine.”

  “Don’t be,” Jasmine told him. “I hate you, and I hate the man you’re working for. What is his plan anyways?”

  “You’ll find out soon,” the black angel told her. “But right now, we need the stone.”

  “It’s just too bad you’ll never get it,” Jasmine said. “Not while I’m alive.”

  “Well, that can definitely be arranged,” the black angel said, waving his hand, the concrete in the middle of the coliseum disappearing. He then linked hands with the other angels. Their bodies blended together, and Jasmine’s jaw dropped open.

  You have got to be kidding me! she thought, as the creature rose high in the air, its large hooves hitting the pavement with a loud thunk, green smoke oozing from its nostrils. I have to fight a freaking monster?

  Good ole India, Jade thought as she appeared in a ray of electricity on the bright, green lawn in front of the ancient tomb. She stared across the water; it was only three am here in India, but even in the darkness she could make out the massive tomb. The bright white-colored building, shining brightly underneath the dark sky.

  She walked along the pool of water, and above her a loud rumble sounded. She raised her head, a silver, circular ship sailing out from the skies, and landing behind her. Scriver demons pooling out of the ship and racing across the lawn.

  “Crap!” Jade turned, racing across the lawn, and an arm wrapped around her waist, dragging her back.

  “You think you can beat us to the jewel?” The Scriver demon asked, raising his blade. “It belongs to us!”

  He struck the sword forward, and Jade narrowed her eyes. Electricity rose up along the blade, and the demon stared at it, letting out a yell, as it singed up his hands and burnt him into a pile of ash.

  “Sucker,” Jade said, laughing. Her eyes widening as she stumbled back. Her foot slipping on the lawn and falling backward toward the pool. “Aah!”

  “What would you do without me?”

  Strong arms wrapped around her waist, and she startled. Her eyes locking with dark, brown eyes that reminded her of the color of chocolate. “Ashwin?” she uttered in disbelief; her eyes wide as she stared at the vampire. The brother, to Elijah.

  “Hi Jade,” Ashwin drawled, grinning down at her, a lock of his dark hair falling across his forehead as he stared at her. “Long time no see.”

  “I’d say,” Jade said, shoving him away. “What are you doing here, Ashwin?”

  “You mean other than saving you from falling into the pool?” Ashwin asked, wagging his eyebrows at her. “We’ve gotta stop meeting like this, Jade.”

  “You are not flirting with me!” Jade cried, rolling her eyes and spinning on her heel. “Of all the things! I’m in a time crunch here, Ashwin!” she shouted, as she strode across the lawn toward the tomb. “I need to find…”

  “The stone. I know.”

  “How do you know about the stone?”

  “Sky.”

  “You’ve seen him?”

  “No, but I got a message from him. It seems, that if anything ever happened to him, he had a failsafe in place. An alert that went out to all those he trusted. It seems he trusts me after what went down with Elijah.”

  “Oh. About that.” Jade glanced at him over her shoulder. He’s not going to like this. “Elijah’s still alive, Ashwin.”

  “What?” Ashwin hurried up next to her, spinning her around “How?” he asked, his eyes flashing dark. “How is he still alive? I saw him die!”

  “Julie said a spell before she tossed the potion at him,” Jade said, jerking her arm free from his grip. “A spell which sent him to the wasteland. You know about the wasteland?”

  “Of course.”

  “Well, when the Scriver demons took Satan, the evil witch, and Tony out of the wasteland, Elijah was able to escape.”

  “Great. I guess I know where I’m going next.”

  “With the help of your minions?”

  “Not Minions, Jade. The circle.”

  “Whatever you want to call yourselves,” Jade said, her eyes trailing toward the building as the Scriver demons climbed up the sides of the ancient tomb. “Sure. That’s how you want to treat history. Are you coming, Ashwin?” She asked, sprinting off toward the building.

  “And have a chance to find an ancient treasure? Absolutely!”

  They raced off across the lawn, and Jade threw an energy ball to her right, smoldering one of the Scriver demons. He screeched, disappearing into a pile of dust and she slid to a stop in front of the building. She wrapped her hand around the handle, pulling. “It’s locked.”

  “Here. Let me.”

&nbs
p; “I told you. It’s locked.”

  “And I told you to let me try,” Ashwin said, rolling his eyes. “Must you be so difficult?” He wrapped his hand around the handle, tugging, the door pulling open.

  Jade’s mouth dropped open. “How did you do that?”

  “Superhuman strength comes with being a vampire,” Ashwin informed her, as they walked into the dark building. “Stay behind me. I hear something.”

  “I will do no such thing,” Jade said, brushing past him. She held her hand out, electricity flickering from her fingers and lighting up the room. The tombs on the sides of the room flying open, mummies walking out from the tombs and surrounding them.

  “Oh, New York. How I do love you,” Josslyn said, as she walked the streets of New York City, remembering years ago when she and a group of friends had come for the weekend. They’d partied, shopped, and had so much fun. It was definitely the city that never sleeps.

  She weaved through the masses of people lining the sidewalk. She dodged around a group of teenagers as they took a picture together, laughed at the two women as the gushed over a diamond ring on their friend’s finger, ignored the drunken fools as they stumbled out from the bar, and turned the corner. Liberty Island came into view, and she stared ahead at the Statue of Liberty in front of her.

  “Hey, can I borrow this?” Josslyn asked, racing up to an older man, wearing a New York Yankee ball cap as he anchored the boat into place. “I need to get to the statue!”

  “No! Private boats aren’t allowed to go to the statue. Why do you need to go there?”

  “To find my daughters.”

  “Your daughters are missing?”

  “Yes, all three of them,” Josslyn said, swallowing the lump in her throat. Not wanting to think about where the girls were and what was being done to them. She’d only known them a short time, but they meant everything to her. “And the only clue I have to getting them back is over there.” She jabbed a finger across the water, toward the Statue of Liberty.

  The man stared across at the Statue of Liberty, then at her. “Well, I suppose I could let you borrow the boat, but don’t let anyone know about this.” He wagged a finger at her. “I don’t want no trouble.”

  “I promise. You’ll have no trouble from me.”

  “But you do know it’s closed, don’t you?”

  “That’s the least of my worries,” Josslyn said, handing him a hundred dollar bill. “For your kindness. Thank you!” She took the paddles from him, completely aware that she was about to break the law… again. What was wrong with her? It was like she took two steps forward, and three steps back. Would she never move past her crimes of the past?

  She jumped into the boat, nodding to the man as he pulled the anchor out of the water and gave the boat a shove. She placed the paddle in the water, paddling the boat forward. She winced, her arms aching as she rowed, suddenly wishing she could use her power, but knew that if she did, the demons would find her. The last thing she wanted, was for them to know where she was. She needed to get to the sapphire first.

  She paddled out into the middle of the river and stopped. She lifted her binoculars, staring at the Statue of Liberty. The green copper of the statue seeming to glow underneath the night sky, and the torch, glowing a bright gold from where it was lit.

  Silence surrounded her, and a splash sounded nearby. She lowered the binoculars, cocking her head, listening to something in the water. She narrowed her eyes, catching a glimpse of something swimming near the boat, and sharp teeth suddenly clamped down on the paddle, dragging it into the ocean.

  “Jesus!” She jumped back, gripping the sides of the boat as it rocked back and forth. The boat tipping over and dumping her into the water.

  “Oh! That is so cold!” she cried, shivering, as she dove downward. She snapped her eyes open, coming nose to nose with a Great White Shark.

  So, that’s what they look like up close in person, she thought, as it inched its large nose toward her. It opened its mouth, its large teeth chomping forward, and she struck her hand out. The shark freezing before it could chomp her to bits.

  She drew in a breath of relief, a crack sounding above her, and she raised her head as the water above her started to ice over. Oh crap!

  She dove upward, swimming as fast as she could, grabbing a hold of the ice, and pulling herself up just before it closed.

  Whew! That was a close one! She thought, just as bright lights swung toward her.

  “Hey! You!” One of the cops who had been circling around the statue shouted, swinging his light toward her. “I see you! Stay where you are. You’re trespassing!”

  “Sorry, buddy, no can do,” Josslyn said, flicking her fingers as he scrambled out of his boat and raced toward her on the ice. “I have a family to save.” Guilt washing over her as he turned to ice. Josslyn, you’re not supposed to use your powers on humans, remember?

  She shoved the thought aside, turning and racing toward the Statue of Liberty. Above her, a loud rumble sounded, and she lifted her head, as a silver, circular spaceship flung through the sky. Must be the Scriver demons, she thought, sighing.

  “Ah, screw it.”

  She disappeared in a reign of icicles, reappearing inside the statue of liberty just as a slew of black angels appeared next to her.

  Well. Looks like it’s a race to the top, she thought, turning, and sprinting up the steps.

  “What is that?” Julie asked, as they climbed up the stairs, glancing over her shoulder at Micah, as she pointed to the room next to her. “Is that…”

  “A cell? Yup,” Micah said, opening the door, and peering inside. “Looks nice and cozy, doesn’t it?” he asked, winking at her. “Wanna go in?”

  “You know… maybe I will,” Julie said, taking a step forward, then spinning around. She grabbed him by the arm, shoving him inside, and slamming the door shut.

  “Hey!” Micah lunged forward, wrapping his hands around the cell bars, and shaking the door as she locked it. “What did you do that for?”

  “Sorry, Micah, but I don’t trust you,” Julie said, as she turned away from him. “I don’t trust anyone. Not anymore.” She turned and continued up the steps. Below her, she heard the black angels racing after her. Why don’t they just use their magic? Get to the top? She wondered, but then again, magic didn’t last forever. Maybe they didn’t have enough of it?

  She shrugged, wrapping her hand around the banister, and pulling herself up more flight of steps. Sweat beaded across her forehead, her arms and eggs aching as if they were on fire, and she lifted her head, watching as the arms of the clock moved. It was only a couple minutes before midnight! What had the clue said?

  “When the clock strikes midnight, a secret will be revealed, but only the one with darkness inside of her will truly see it.”

  She stopped, dragging in deep breaths, as she panted. Staring back below her, gulping. Now that’s a long way down.

  “Julie!”

  Micah’s scream sounded far below, but she ignored it, instead focusing on the clue. A secret? The stone, maybe?

  Ding!

  The loud bell rang through the silence, and she raced up the steps. She stumbled up the last step, lifting her head, to stare at the hands of the clock as they struck midnight. A golden hue washing through the clock tower and highlighting the handprint on the wall.

  “The sapphire isn’t yours, witch,” one of the black angels said, appearing in a reign of black smoke next to her. “It’s ours! For Liam.”

  “Liam. Liam. Liam.” Julie rolled her eyes. “Is that all you guys ever do? Do his dirty work? He’s a God! I thought you guys hated the Gods!”

  “We do, but Liam’s a different type of God,” another one of the black angels said, appearing on the other side of her. “He’s going to change the world as we know it, but first, we need the sapphire!”

  “Not if I have anything to say about it,” Julie said, as more black angels appeared around her. She lifted her hand, a ball of fire appearing in the palm of her
hand, and tossed it to her left, to the right, in front of her, smoldering black angels as she raced forward. She lunged forward, placing her hand in the handprint lying on the wall. The tower shook, and she gasped. She clutched the railing next to her, glancing over her shoulder at her shadow, as it grew a life of its own, growing larger, and appearing next to her just as real as her.

  “The shadow!” one of the black angels shouted.

  “It’s her! She’s true darkness!”

  “Indeed, I am,” Shadow Julie said, glancing toward the black angels. “Be gone!” she shouted, fire spewing from her lips and burning the black angels to the ground. “For Julie and I have some unfinished business to attend to.”

  “You’re… me?” Julie asked, her eyes widening, as she stumbled backward. She stared at the shadow, fear rising inside of her and suddenly very confused. “But why? How?”

  “Because I’m the part of you that you refuse to let loose. The one with evil inside of you,” Shadow Julie said, as she stepped forward. “Poor, poor Julie. Nothing does ever seem to go your way, does it? You didn’t have a mother, you didn’t have a father, you nearly died in that accident of yours and now, your sister is ruining your chance at a future. Are you really just going to pretend like none of it matters?”

  “Of course it matters!” Julie shouted. “All of it matters!”

  “Then prove it! Kill her.”

  “You want me to kill my sister?” Julie asked, her mouth dropping open. She shook her head. “No! I will not kill my sister.”

  “Then you are weak, and you must be dealt with!” Shadow Julie said, lifting her hand. Fire blasted from the center of her palm, and Julie screeched as she ducked. She rolled across the platform, jumping to her feet, and flung her hand out. Fire flung from her fingers, striking toward the shadow.

  “Oh, you’re going to have to do much more than that to defeat me,” Shadow Julie said, appearing behind her in a cloud of smoke and grabbing her by the back of the neck. She pulled her to her feet, holding her over the platform.