Magic Unleashed (Delphine Rising Book 2)

by Angela Sanders

  A green mist began to form around her and my magic exploded from my fingertips before she could disappear. She faltered, crying out in pain and I continued to advance. I extended my hands, blasting them both, but I was too late. She disappeared in the mist. I injured them, but somehow, she managed to escape me. Who was this woman? And why the hell did she keep appearing and stalking me? Dammit! We lost Marcus again.

  Everyone ran back into the room once the invisible barrier was lifted. I explained to Mom and Genevieve who the witch was, then fell into a chair with my head in my hands. At least I hadn’t killed her like I thought, but damn. Was I ever gonna catch a break? We now had a little more than two days to find that talisman or Harold was dead. It felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders.

  Chapter 10

  “Abby, it’s all right,” Danny said, pulling my hands from my face. “We’ll find the talisman. Catherine said she has a lead on Roger.”

  I glanced at him, glad he still held onto hope that I was slowly losing. “We need to call Catherine back, call off Jeffrey and tell her that we’ll be there in the morning to question Francesca and Franklin.”

  Genevieve placed her hand on my shoulder. “Abby, I know you wanted to wait, but I hope you know it’s all right with me if you go. My coven understands the situation your family is in.”

  I clasped her hand in my own. “Thank you, Genevieve. That means a lot to me. I wanted to be there to pay my last respects, but it seems we’re running out of time.”

  “I know, my dear,” she said and kissed my forehead.

  Mom went to call Catherine and told her what happened and that there had been a change of plans; we’d be there tomorrow at eight a.m. sharp. Once she was done, she sat beside me and asked if I was okay.

  “Mamma, this has been one rollercoaster after another. I’ll be fine once we get the talisman back and Harold’s safe,” I said. “I’m just gonna call it a night. Love you guys.”

  I told everyone goodnight and headed to my room. Danny followed. I felt like I had failed. That witch and Marcus escaped right in front of me, even with my magic. Maybe I wasn’t fast enough or I was in shock. I wasn’t sure, but now Marcus could be anywhere and the element of surprise was gone. My body and brain hurt.

  I closed the door behind me and went to take a shower. Danny followed me to the bathroom. “Abby, stop blaming yourself. There’s no way you could’ve known that witch would come. We all thought she was dead.”

  “It doesn’t matter, Danny. We’re back to square one with Marcus. Sure, Genevieve can track him, but we need to be better prepared next time. I’m fine. I just wanna shower and go to bed.” I folded my arms, looking toward the ceiling.

  “Look at me.” He clutched my face. “We will be. It’s just a setback, but we’ll know more tomorrow.” He pulled me close and kissed me gently. “I love you, Abby.”

  “I love you too, Danny. I’m taking a shower now, but you’re right. I’m just… I’ll be okay,” I said, smiling up at him. He was always so sweet and knew exactly what to say.

  Once I was showered and dressed, I opened the door to find that Danny had cleaned the entire room and put the bed back together while I was taking a shower. I walked around the bedroom placing protective wards along the windows, doors, and most importantly, my bedside table where I planned to keep Daddy’s book—no one but me, Danny or my family would be able to touch it.

  Danny was sitting up in the bed attempting to decipher some of the spells in the book. I climbed in next to him and laid my head on his shoulder. Now that we knew it was needed, the book could no longer be kept secret, at least to those close to us. My magic, at least teaching it to others, was still a no go. That, I understood.

  “Thank you for cleaning the room. You didn’t have to do it by yourself,” I said, then snuggled up closer to him, placing my hand on his bare chest.

  “But I wanted to. You’ve been through enough and I knew you just wanted to lie down and rest. It’s the least I could do,” he said, then placed a kiss on my forehead.

  “You’re the best.” I smiled up at him, then leaned over to see what page he was on. “Find anything interesting in there?” I asked.

  “Nothing yet, just some old spells about conjuring, opening the veil and more things that we already know.”

  “Why don’t we go over the book together tomorrow after we’ve rested? I know there’s more we need to know. We have to get up early anyway,” I said, then grabbed it from his hands and kissed him.

  “Sounds like a plan to me.” He kissed me back more aggressively, clutching the back of my head and running his fingers through my hair. I reluctantly pulled away after several long moments, feeling breathless, and placed the book back in the drawer, then set the alarm for six a.m.

  All of a sudden, a strange feeling came over me from out of nowhere. It wasn’t fear, but maybe that I might be missing something. I sat up and looked Danny in the eyes. “We’re getting your dad back tomorrow. Come hell or high water. I don’t care what we have to do,” I said, feeling determined and uneasy at the same time. The sensation in my gut kept getting stronger, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I just knew we had to do whatever it took to drag answers out of Francesca and Franklin. We were going to find Roger and that talisman.

  “I know, Abby. I have no doubt and we’ll find Marcus too. He needs to be put away before he can create demons from corrupted lost spirits if he hasn’t already.

  “Hey, did your mom ward the house again after that redheaded witch and Marcus broke in?” he asked, looking at me with a worried expression.

  “Crap. I don’t know and with all the commotion, I don’t think she thought about it. I mean, Genevieve almost died, then Marcus. I’ll run downstairs now and make sure.”

  “I’ll come too, just in case,” Danny said, throwing the covers back and standing from the bed. He put his T-shirt back on before heading out the door.

  I called for Mom from the top of the steps. “Mamma, is Genevieve still here?”

  Mom met me at the bottom landing. “Yes. What’s going on?” She seemed worried.

  “Did you reset the wards after Marcus escaped?” I asked, looking around. The front door was fixed, but something still felt off. What the hell was it? Danny stood next to me and I could feel his anxiety. He must have been feeling the same thing I was. I wondered what it could be. I was beginning to get a little creeped out, especially after the night we’d had. I didn’t want any more surprises.

  “I reset them in the greenhouse and near the front of the house. Why do you ask?”

  “Do you feel that, Mamma? Something’s not right. I can’t explain it and I’m not sure what it is, but I had to come down and check it out,” I said, looking at Liz and Danielle who had just walked into the foyer.

  Danielle interrupted. “I know what you’re saying. Something’s definitely not right. It’s not necessarily bad, but I can’t place it.”

  Mom and Genevieve glanced at one another, then went to the greenhouse without saying a word.

  Danny clutched my hand and Liz spoke up. “Do you think Marcus came back for Daddy’s book? Where did you put it?”

  “I put it back in my drawer, but my room is warded now. I made sure of it after Danny cleaned up the mess that asshole made.”

  “Abby, use your powers,” Danny said. “Is it a lost soul wandering around? The door and wards were wide open for a while.”

  “It doesn’t feel like that, but it’s worth a try,” I said, feeling my heart race in my chest. The thought of Marcus raising a demon from a corrupt spirit chilled me to the core. It was highly possible, especially with Roger working with him and we hadn’t set eyes on the man all night. There was no telling where he was.

  Danielle took my hand and we mentally searched the house for lost spirits, but neither of us felt anything lingering around.

  Mom and Genevieve returned from the greenhouse. I could smell the scent of burnt sage wafting through the air as I walked further into the
kitchen. It seemed they had the same idea as Danny—warding off lost spirits.

  “Did you find anything unusual?” I asked them.

  “Nothing but residual dark magic and we cleansed the space to be safe,” Genevieve answered.

  Then I felt it again, but much stronger this time. Our attic flashed before my eyes and I almost lost my balance. It was another vision, but I could only see bits and pieces. This was it—what someone or my gut was trying to tell me. Danny caught me when I swayed to the left.

  “Abby. Are you all right? What’s wrong?” he asked, leading me to the kitchen to table.

  “I saw the attic—our attic this time, but it was different somehow. Mom, did you reset the wards in the attic by chance?” I asked, looking up at her concerned face.

  “No, I didn’t check to see if it had been breached, but it’s best we do it now,” she said fervently, turning toward the stairs.

  “Wait. I need to tell you something first before we do. I wanted to earlier, but there was never a good time. You guys might want to sit down.”

  Mom gave me a puzzled expression, along with everyone else, but they took their seats at the table while Liz passed around the carafe of coffee.

  “First, it’s where Daddy led me to find the book, but that’s not all. It might be hard for you to hear, but understand, it’s not the end.”

  “Abby, you’re not making sense. Please explain,” Mom said, her emotions written all over her face. This happened every time I mentioned Daddy.

  I cleared my throat, knowing this would probably be painful for Mom to hear, but I couldn’t keep it to myself any longer.

  “When I was trapped in the memory spell, I blacked out. Daddy came to me and told me I had to wake up, that you and Liz were in trouble and needed my help.” I took a deep breath, then continued, “I didn’t know how to wake up and he told me that I was the chosen one, that the power lies within me. He also said to tell you and Liz how much he loved you and he would see you when this was all over.

  “Mamma, I think that means we’re gonna get him outta that talisman and have a chance to say goodbye.”

  Mom and Liz gasped, but there were no tears this time. Mom stood from her chair and wrapped her arms around me. “Abby, you’ve been blessed beyond measure and for Paul to come to you in your time of need is something special. He knows. The ancestors are speaking to him, even within the talisman. Oh, my dear girl. You’ve given us hope and such a precious gift. Thank you.” She pulled back and kissed my cheek, smiling.

  That was not the reaction I expected, but I felt peace inside my soul. Apparently, Mom knew something I didn’t and that was fine by me.

  “So, you see, this could be Daddy reaching out to me again and I didn’t want you to be shocked if he sent something else to help us,” I said, feeling much better now that it was finally out in the open.

  The vision in the attic wasn’t clear: a white light, a strange symbol and wind. I had no idea what it meant, but I knew we needed to hurry and investigate. It was already far too late and we needed to sleep if we planned on questioning Francesca and Franklin at eight a.m. tomorrow.

  “All right, let’s go,” Mom said, leading the way to the attic. She wasn’t wasting any time.

  We followed behind and the closer we got, the more intense that odd sensation became. Danielle was behind me feeling it too. I wondered why it was only the two of us who felt it so strongly.

  Once we entered the attic, Mom switched on the light. Nothing seemed out of place that I could see until a bright white light flashed from the far-right corner of the room, blinding us for several moments. An unnatural wind gusted throughout, just like in my vision, and papers flew around the room. Old black-and-white photographs landed in front of my feet, along with nineteenth century newspaper clippings.

  When I looked up to see who and where the light had come from, there was no one there. Everyone stood in stunned silence, but I was drawn to it. I had to know.

  A booming male voice echoed throughout the room. “The answers you seek are in the photos. Use them wisely. Find the Red Witch before it is too late. She will be your undoing if you do not act quickly.”

  Then the light disappeared and the wind died down. I rushed back to the photographs and newspaper clippings to find the same redheaded witch who had helped Marcus escape earlier. The same one I thought I had killed, but these pictures were from the eighteen hundreds. “Impossible,” I gasped, picking them up from the floor.

  Mom and Liz hovered over my shoulder having the same reaction. “This says her name is Daphne Carter and she had two sons: John and Wayne Carter. If you look at this one”—I held another newspaper clipping in my hand—“it’s dated forty years before her sons were born. That would mean she’s immortal, right?” I looked to Mom, then to Genevieve.

  “It would seem so,” Genevieve answered. “An immortal witch… Daphne Carter—the Red Witch. I remember her now. Her sons were accused of vampirism or murder in the early nineteen hundreds and were executed, but years later their vaults were found empty.” She looked to Mom. “This means they could be hybrids too.”

  Genevieve began pacing the attic seemingly lost in thought.

  “What do you mean, hybrids? Were they members of your coven before the attack?” Liz asked.

  “Yes, Daphne was, but we thought she and her sons were dead,” she replied. “A group of rogues must have turned them to their side. Daphne and her boys must have fled New Orleans, only recently returning to work with Marcus and the demon.” She took a deep breath and turned toward me. “Abby, that’s how she knows you and your family—through the connection she still has with other hybrids, including myself. Although, she would be cut off from ancestral magic, she might maintain her ability to track us. This is not good. We have to find her.”

  “But I don’t understand how she knew about Mom,” I said. “Wait. Francesca? This whole time, they’ve all worked together right under our noses and we had no idea? Unbelievable! So, they’ve just been recruiting more and more people to their cause, using Delphine as a carrot, so to speak?”

  Danny piped in. “It seems like they’re using her for more than that. If they feed her magic, they can essentially use the power of the talisman, but only in small doses.” He placed his arms around me. I was trembling with anger and frustration. We’d been played this whole time. Well, game on.

  “Genevieve, are her sons still alive then?” Liz asked, looking down at one of the old black-and-white pictures and a newspaper clipping.

  “I can’t be sure, but no one has seen or heard from them since the nineteen thirties,” she replied. “It is odd that Daphne reappeared without them, though. I’m only assuming that they’re with her because of the empty vaults, but we can’t be certain. This is only speculation.”

  “Well, this is just great,” Danielle said. “Add another crazy bitch to our list of people who want us dead.” Then she sat down on the green chaise lounge. I sat beside her.

  “She’s not exactly new. She just came back to life,” I snorted. I decided to laugh a little. Why the hell not? What else could go wrong at this point? At least we now had a name for her evil face.

  “Abby, you’re not seriously laughing right now?” Liz asked, looking down her nose at me.

  “Look, we were warned,” I said. “We’re taking the threat seriously and we’re gonna do what we can to find her and Marcus, but at this point what else can we do? Tomorrow we question Franklin and Francesca and hopefully find Roger. That’s it, Sis. Why not laugh? I’m done. I’m over it. We fight to the end. There’s nothing left to talk about.” I stood and walked to the attic door.

  “Abby,” Mom said. “Maybe you just need to rest, my dear. We’ll fight this together as a family, all right?” She placed her hand on my shoulder.

  “I know, Mamma.” I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. “I’ll see you guys in the morning. Goodnight.” Then I proceeded to walk down the stairs to my room with Danny following behind me.

 
; “Abby, what’s wrong? Why did you just blow Liz off like that?” he asked when we stepped into our bedroom.

  “I didn’t. I was just done talking. We know what we have to do now and there’s no use going over everything again and again,” I answered, closing the door behind me. “We’ve been led around by the nose this entire time, Danny, and I’m irritated. At least we know who the Red Witch is.” I plopped down on the bed.

  “All right. I get it, but what do you think about that white light and the presence upstairs? He gave us the information we needed.”

  “I have a feeling it was Daddy again,” I said. “The voice was different, but something tells me he sent us the warning. He’s trying to help.”

  “That makes sense. I’m surprised your mom didn’t talk about it or maybe she just knew.”

  “She probably felt him, to be honest. Let’s just get some sleep. It’s almost two a.m. and we have to get up in a little over four hours, babe.” I leaned over and switched off the lamp.

  “Goodnight, Abby.” He pulled me close and kissed my neck. “I love you.”

  “Night. Love you too.”

  I closed my eyes and prayed for a dreamless sleep.

  ***

  By seven a.m., Danny and I were up and ready to go. We headed downstairs to find Mom, Liz and Danielle already at the kitchen table.

  “Morning, Mamma,” I said, kissing her cheek, then slid into my seat at the table.

  “Morning, dear.” Mom set down her cup of tea. “Are you feeling better?” she asked.

  “Yes, I’m fine. Just ready to get this show on the road.” Liz and Danielle looked at me.

  “What?” I asked them.

  “Who’s gonna question who first?” Liz asked, sipping her coffee.

  “Doesn’t matter to me, but I assume Danielle wants Franklin and Mom will take Francesca. Am I right?” I asked looking between the two of them. Danny sat down beside me, bringing me a cup of coffee. “Thanks babe.” He was the absolute best and knew how to jumpstart my morning.