Magic Unleashed (Delphine Rising Book 2)

by Angela Sanders

  Mom interjected, “I’m not sure Danielle should be in the same room with Franklin.” She looked across the table. “I’m sorry, dear, but we have to cast our emotions aside today, and it’s going to be hard, even for me.”

  Danielle nodded in affirmation. “No, I agree. You’re right, Mrs. B. I can’t say I wouldn’t blow him up.” She smiled and took a bite of her bacon.

  “I’d like to hear what Franklin knows about Roger,” I said to no one in particular. “I wonder if it was him or Marcus who helped that lunatic escape. Then again it could’ve been Francesca. I guess we’ll find out soon enough.”

  “I hope so,” Danny said. “My dad’s running out of time.”

  I placed my hand on his thigh. “Babe, we’ll find your dad even if I have to summon Delphine myself. Okay?” I reassured him, then kissed his cheek.

  He bowed his head, then took a bite of his eggs.

  “I hate to rush everyone, but we need to leave in fifteen minutes,” Mom said, standing from her chair.

  I got up from the table to make myself a to-go-cup of coffee to take with me, then sat back down to at least finish eating my eggs and toast. Everyone else was already up and cleaning their dishes.

  After I rushed through my breakfast, I ran upstairs to grab Daddy’s book. I didn’t want to leave the house again without it. I pulled my leather coat out of the closet and shucked it over my shoulders, placing the book in the inside pocket.

  I made my way back downstairs where Mom was passing out protection potions. “You think we’ll need those today?” I asked.

  “We’re not taking any chances, Abby,” she answered, handing me two vials. “Take one now and save the other for later if needed.”

  “All right then.” I downed my potion and put the other away in my coat pocket.

  “Are we ready to go?” Danielle asked when she walked into the foyer.

  “Yep,” Liz said, sheathing her sword to her back. I guessed we were going in guns blazing.

  “Let me grab a few knives real quick. I’ll meet you outside.” I threw Liz the keys to my Acadia and walked to the weapons closet. I already had my athame. I added a few throwing knives to my boots and called it good, then ran out the door.

  I should’ve rethought the jacket. So much for cooler weather. The humidity was already on the rise and I could feel sweat forming on my back. Great.

  Mom was on the phone with Allison sitting up front with Liz when I climbed in the middle seat next to Danny. Danielle was in the back-row seat with earbuds playing music loud enough that I could hear. I was more than ready to go. The coven’s headquarters was located about fifteen miles from our home, just on the outskirts of town.

  When we turned onto the long gravel road, I could barely see the building through the winding tree line. As we drove closer, it finally came into view

  — breathtaking as usual. The two-story mansion had been converted into our coven’s headquarters over fifty years ago. It spread over the expansive lawn, white with black shutters and a wrought iron balcony that covered the entire second floor. Green vines grew up the side of the house near a large trellis just above a rose garden. The sidewalk leading to the front porch steps was decorated with an immaculate landscape on either side.

  We parked in the circular driveway and filed out of the vehicle. I was thankful for the cool breeze blowing through the trees. At some point, my jacket was coming off. It was too damned hot.

  Danny laced his fingers in mine and we ascended the steps to the front door, following Mom, Liz and Danielle. I was feeling anxious and ready to get this over with.

  Catherine answered the door and welcomed us into the huge foyer where a crystal chandelier hung from a thirty-five-foot ceiling and a hardwood, spiral double staircase stood along the far wall of the room. There was a round cherry wood table situated in the center of the marble floor with a decorative vase and fresh flowers.

  “Thank you all for coming,” Catherine said, ushering us in, then closing the door behind us. “We’re holding the prisoners in a magical barrier and they’re restrained with binding cuffs to keep their magic dormant for added security precautions.”

  “Where are you keeping them?” Mom asked, looking around the room. “And where is everyone else?”

  “They’re locked in the cellar. The rest of the council is in a meeting right now, but should join us shortly. I’ll take you there now.”

  I looked to Liz and Danielle and they shrugged. I honestly didn’t know the coven had a cellar where they kept prisoners. I thought we just sent them to the council’s prison for magical felons. It was set up to look like a federal prison, but run by witches from all around the southern part of the United States. It was cloaked by magic to keep humans away. It struck me as odd, but I just went with it and followed them to the cellar.

  We traveled down a long winding staircase just past the kitchen. It was dark and dank and smelled of mold. The only lighting came from wall sconces bolted to the concrete wall every few feet.

  We reached the cellar, or what Catherine called a cellar; it looked more like a jail to me. There were rows of cells on either side with only small cots and toilets inside. It was gross, to be honest. But these assholes didn’t deserve anything better. They were murderers and we needed answers.

  Catherine checked in with a guard named, Stephen, just as we approached the first row of cells. He glanced up at us, then wrote something in his logbook. After giving us clearance to proceed, he handed Catherine a set of keys.

  The first person we came to was Francesca and Mom took a deep breath. “Oh, how nice of you to visit, Jaqueline. Your daughters are still alive. Pity,” she said with a fake pout, looking down at her nails.

  “Catherine, open the door,” Mom said through clenched teeth, and Francesca scooted back on her cot with her back to the wall.

  “Not so brave without your powers, are you?” Mom said in a mocking tone when she walked into the cell. “Now, we can play this the easy way or the hard way. Whichever you prefer. No one can save you now, except yourself.”

  Francesca’s eyes widened, but only for a moment, then she smiled contemptuously, letting her legs fall to the side of the bed. “You don’t scare me, Jaqueline. You’ve always been weak-willed. That’s why you were such an easy target.”

  Mom didn’t show any sign of emotion—nothing. I held my breath waiting for the worst, but Mom only smiled back in return.

  “Oh, Francesca. You have no idea what I’m capable of. What you see as weak is nothing more than compassion for others. However, that well ran dry for you years ago.” She took a step forward with her hands clasped in front of her, then leaned down to where they were eye level. “I will not kill you, but I will get the answers I came for.”

  Bright orange light emanated from Mom’s hands and she placed them on Francesca’s head. She attempted to thrash and break away from Mom’s grip, but it was no use.

  Everyone gasped when Mom’s eyes rolled back into her head and her lids fluttered. Strong unnatural wind gusted throughout the cell and the dim lighting flickered. Francesca screamed, then fell back on to the bed, her body limp and eyes wide open in what looked like fear.

  When Mom pulled her hands away, everything went very still. “I knew you were the one who activated the talisman all those years ago, but I couldn’t prove it. Now, I know where Roger is as well.” She took a deep breath, swiping an errant tear from her face. “You killed my brother and locked my husband away in his own personal hell. Now, I will bind you from ever harming another.”

  Danielle, Liz and Danny stood watching Mom in awe. We knew Mom was powerful, but we’d never witnessed this much power, except when she freed Danny from the dream world. This was something else entirely.

  “Abby, Elizabeth, I need your power to help me bind her powers.” She looked to Catherine. “Please unlock the door.”

  Catherine unlocked the cell door once more. I continued to watch an awake but unmoving Francesca. She had tears slipping down her cheeks
and what looked to be a silent scream. Mom had immobilized her.

  “Girls, hold my hands. We must bind her powers for all eternity. Abby, focus on the power of God’s light within your soul. Elizabeth, you do the same. It’s much different than using your sword, but it will come forth at your call.”

  I looked to Liz and I knew she understood. It was how she was able to rid the darkness from her soul.

  Danny, Catherine and Danielle waited outside the cell. “Is there anything we can do?” Danielle asked, looking toward Mom.

  “Danielle, dear. I want you to pray to the ancestors for protection and strength. Danny, Catherine, if you will join hands with her, creating a circle, it will strengthen the spell.” They did as Mom asked and closed their eyes. Green, gold, purple and pink hues radiated around them as they began to pray.

  “Are you ready, girls?” Mom asked, clasping our hands.

  “Yes, Mamma,” we answered in unison and closed our eyes.

  I felt my power rising from the tips of my toes to the top of my head, along with Mom’s and Liz’s powers linking with my own—we were one.

  I opened my eyes just as Mom shouted, “Ligate illis potestatem in aeternum.” It was the Latin spell to bind one’s powers for eternity. White light burst from our hands surrounding Francesca completely. We watched as tendrils of dark magic escaped from her body and dissipated into the air around us. Once the spell was complete, the majestic light dimmed and she closed her eyes, falling into a deep sleep.

  Binding of a witch’s powers was generally frowned upon by the coven, but in this case, it was necessary. It left Francesca basically a human shell of her former self. She would no longer be a danger to anyone. I felt relieved and we finally had answers as to who activated the talisman and essentially killed Daddy eighteen years ago. It was bitter sweet.

  We walked out of the cell and Danny gripped me in a tight hug. “Are you all right?” he asked looking deep into my eyes. His blue eyes reflected the green from my own.

  “Yes, but now for the hard part. Franklin. Mom knows where Roger is after sifting through Francesca’s mind, but he may know more about Marcus and Daphne,” I said leaning into him.

  “Come now,” Mom said and walked the length of the cells. “We don’t have much time. “Catherine, where is Franklin?”

  “He’s just at the end on your left.”

  What I saw made my stomach turn. He was lying on a dirty cot, talking to himself and seemed to be chanting spells. The man was crazy as a loon and I doubted we would get anything out of him. I sighed in frustration.

  Danielle stood off to the side, no doubt to keep away from the man who was ultimately responsible for her death. I asked Danny to keep her company while Mom, Liz and I attempted to gather information. If anything, Mom could sort through his memories and hopefully find something useful.

  “Catherine, are you sure he will be of any use to us?” Mom asked as she approached the cell listening to Franklin’s incoherent rant.

  “He was fine earlier when Gregory and Jeffrey spoke with him, but I don’t know.” She looked to Mom and shrugged.

  “Very well. We’ll go in together,” Mom said.

  Catherine unlocked the door and Franklin sat straight up in the bed. “Abby. You’re supposed to be dead. Marcus said he was going to kill you.”

  “Well, he didn’t. Why don’t you tell us how you escaped and why Roger and Marcus are trying to create demons?” I asked, taking a step closer to him.

  A maniacal laughter escaped him. Great. Still a lunatic.

  “Roger wants power, you see. The talisman will give him power. Marcus promised it to him if he helped find spirits to possess vampires to kill you.” He looked to Liz. “Hey, you’re supposed to be dead too.

  “They said if I helped lure Abby out, I would be free.”

  “They lied,” I said. “Where’s Roger been hiding?”

  Franklin clutched his head and started rocking. “No, no, no! They said I would be free. That I could start over. I could have the coven back. That’s what they promised!”

  Damn. He was freakin’ bat-shit and this conversation was going nowhere fast.

  Mom stepped in. “Franklin, you remember me, right? It’s Jaqueline. I won’t hurt you.” She took a step forward and he stopped rocking, then looked up at her.

  “Yes. You’re nice.” He smiled and some of his teeth were missing. Damn and he smelled like urine.

  “All right. I’m going to try to help you, but I need you to lie down for a minute, okay?” she asked in a calm tone.

  Franklin happily agreed and laid down on the bed and folded his arms across his chest.

  “I’m just going to take a peek into your mind to see what they promised you and what we can do about it.” He was still smiling. Mom was good. I had to give her that.

  Mom placed her hands on his head, performing the same spell she did on Francesca, but much less invasive because Franklin didn’t fight back.

  I looked to Liz and we just stared back at Mom with a dumbfounded expression. This was not what we were expecting at all. Someone had muddled in his brain or maybe he’d lost his mind from the dark magic. Who knows? But this was not the same man. It was eerie.

  When Mom was done, she stood and Franklin opened his eyes. “You stupid woman!” he shouted, then thrust his hands around her throat, choking her.

  Liz and I pounced on him, fire raging in our hands. I went for his face first, melting his hair and the left side of his cheek. He screamed out in pain and released Mom from his grip. Liz sent out a roundhouse kick to his head, knocking him out cold. Mom was lying on the floor, gasping for air. This whole damn thing had been an act. Bastard!

  “Danny!” I shouted, trying to scoop Mom up in my arms. She was pulling at her throat and barely breathing. I noticed bruises forming. It looked like he had crushed her windpipe.

  Without thinking, I reached into my soul for the same healing power I had used on Genevieve and placed my hands along Mom’s neck. White light exploded throughout the cell, engulfing her body in a majestic glow.

  Moments later, she took a long pull of air and clutched me tight. “Abby! You saved me. My sweet girl, you saved me.” She held my face and kissed my cheek.

  Danny, Liz, Danielle and Catherine ran into the cell as the light dissipated. “What the hell happened?” Danny shouted, running to my side.

  “That piece of shit was only acting crazy. Once Mom was done looking into his mind, he choked her, crushing her windpipe. I had to heal her,” I said, helping Mom to stand.

  “I’m fine now, Abby,” she said, dusting herself off. “We have all the information we need.” She looked to Catherine. “Franklin is too dangerous to be kept here at the coven. He needs to be moved back to prison immediately and stripped of his power,” she said definitively.

  “I’m so sorry, Jaqueline. I had no idea. We’ll bind him right away and get him out of here. Is there anything else I can do to help?”

  “Not at this time. I’ll call you or Allison once we pinpoint the locations of Roger and Marcus. I have an idea now, but I need Genevieve to help track Marcus and the witch.”

  “Okay, I’ll show you out and then let Gregory know immediately,” Catherine said, walking toward the cellar door leading to the stairs.

  Chapter 11

  The drive home seemed longer—everyone was lost in their own thoughts, including me. I wondered what Mom had seen in both Francesca’s and Franklin’s minds. I was also pissed that sorry SOB fooled us all with his slobbering idiot routine.

  Once we pulled in the driveway, Mom looked back and told us to meet her in the kitchen where she would brief us. She then turned and jumped out of the vehicle. It seemed I wasn’t the only one who was pissed and I didn’t blame her. The four of us looked to one another before exiting with the same expression: determination.

  When we arrived in the kitchen, Mom was putting on a kettle of tea and starting the coffee. We took our seats around the table and waited.

  She poured
herself a cup of jasmine tea, then sat at the head of table and sighed. “It seems Roger has taken up with rogue vampires, possessing them with dark spirits, but I can’t be sure as to how many. He’s located in the French Quarter and well protected.” She paused and sipped her tea.

  “He’s dangerous and still holds the talisman. I saw it in Francesca’s mind, but that’s not all. Daphne is with him, along with Marcus. It’s true; they’ve been feeding Delphine souls and skimming magic from the talisman and that’s why it has been so difficult to defeat them.”

  I pulled Daddy’s book from my coat hanging from the chair. “Mom, we can defeat them. There has to be a way in this book. We’re so close,” I said, opening it to the page Danny was reading last night.

  “I know, Abby,” Mom agreed. “But we have to be quick about it and prepare for the worst. I must contact Genevieve just in case Marcus and Daphne disappear again.”

  “What about a spell?” Danielle interrupted. “Can we ask the book to find a spell to help us? I know it sounds crazy, but why not? Look what happened in the attic last night.”

  “It might work,” Liz said.

  “I have to agree with Liz,” Danny chimed in. “What’s the worst that can happen?”

  Mom looked around the table and finally relented under one condition: we had to listen to what she saw in Franklin’s mind first.

  My heart thundered in my chest, but I said okay and everyone else approved.

  “What I saw was not his memories, but a premonition of sorts. All is not what it seems. I believe he pushed the vision somehow, even with his powers blocked.

  “It was of the Red Witch, but she was much more powerful than before. I’m not sure what to make of it and she was alone. Death surrounded her. It shook me to my very soul and that’s when Franklin saw an opportunity to attack me,” she said, taking a shuddery breath.

  “Mamma, he could’ve planted that in your mind to scare you,” Liz said, trying to reassure her.

  “No, Elizabeth. It was a premonition, but I am sure of one thing: the warning we received was loud and clear. The Red Witch will be our undoing if we do not stop her.” Mom looked to me. “Abby, I know that was your father in the attic. Don’t ask me how, I just know. He can only protect us so much. It’s up to each one of us now.”