3 Dark Energy (4 page)

Chapter 4

Mark and Nathan were seated at a table next to a window and near the corner of the room at Triple Play Burgers which was where they usually met for lunch during the week. Nathan was an incubus in his eighties and his appearance was that of a young man in his early twenties so even though he was Mark’s great uncle, he only looked a few years older. Nathan and Mark looked remarkably similar and sometimes people mistook them for brothers. Nathan had a distracted look in his eyes as he took another bite of his burger.

“I think Josephine’s the one. I’d like to take things to the next level and for us to move in together but because of our family secrets and the Freeman secrecy enchantment, I don’t know how that can ever happen until we are married,” Mark said.

Nathan made a sympathetic noise as he continuing staring at something past his great nephew’s shoulder. Curious, Mark glanced behind him but didn’t see anything unusual.

“What in the world are you looking at, Uncle Nathan?” he asked.

Nathan flashed a sheepish smile. “Sorry, I was checking out a guy over there. He’s just gorgeous. I can’t seem to take my eyes off him.”

“Sometimes I wonder how you can still be a virgin. Especially when you’re an incubus.”

“You can enjoy beautiful artwork without taking it home with you.”

“Okay.” Mark cocked a bemused brow at his uncle. “Are you ever going to start dating so you can meet someone?”

“As you know, I spent decades going to the bars and dating but I’ve reached a point in my old age where I decided if I have a soul mate somewhere, destiny will find a way for us to meet,” Nathan said. “But enough about me. It sounds like you’re very concerned with our family’s legacy and the secrecy enchantment we’re all forced to take which keeps us from revealing all of our grandiose family spells and other odds and ends.”

“How do any Freemans get married when they can’t move in together until after they’re married?” Mark asked. “There’s no way to get really close to someone.”

“You don’t need to live with someone to be intimate with them. You and Josephine have already attested to that fact.”

Mark’s face flushed with embarrassment. “What I mean is how do we really get to know each other and take our relationship to the next level?”

“You and Josephine are getting closer and closer all the time. I can tell you’re both very much in love. There will come a point where you’ll just know the time is right. That’s when you propose to her. For now, I think you should just let things develop naturally.”

“You make it sound so easy.”

“I’ve observed over the years that relationships are rarely ever easy. And I just want to point out that if you really feel it’s important that the two of you live together, there’s always the option of putting the Freeman legacy enchantments in storage. That would satisfy the terms of our secrecy spell that binds our actions,” Nathan advised.

“I hadn’t thought of that.” Mark leveled a relieved smile at his uncle. “Thanks for the tip.”

“You’re welcome.” Nathan hesitated as he was about to broach another uncomfortable topic. “I hate to mention this but your father called and said he needs to speak to you as soon as possible. He wouldn’t leave a message except that it’s important family business. I think he discovered that you withdrew from college a few weeks ago.”

“I’m sure he has. I just don’t want to listen to him lecture me again. My business is doing very well and it’s allowing me to fully explore my abilities with white magic. I’ve reached the point where I can scan psychometric energy like a category five or six without using any enchantments.”

“That’s great! I didn’t realize that was even possible.”

“I really dread talking to Dad about this.”

“You should accept the inevitable and that this will probably be the last straw for him.”

“What do you mean?” Mark asked.

“He may have decided to cut you off from the Freeman legacy.”

“He can’t do that!” Mark’s expression was outraged.

“He’s the clan leader. He has complete control over the family estates and magic. But you have to ask yourself if it really matters. Sure, you can get to Seattle in the blink of an eye to visit the relatives but is that really important? They’re a bunch of stuck-up hypocrites and I always dread the holiday visits. Besides, how often have you really wanted to access our family’s library?” Nathan asked.

“Our family is often approached by the Phoenix Community and offered membership.”

The Phoenix Community was a centuries-old organization comprised of only category six wizards. There were many individuals who were latent sixes and their abilities could be awakened with a spell that only members of this agency possessed. The downside was that the Phoenix Community lived in hiding and complete seclusion from outsiders.

“Now that you’re with Josephine, would you really want to join them?” Nathan leveled a pointed look at his nephew.

“You’re right. I wouldn’t. I just don’t want to be completely cut off from the family.”

Nathan’s lips twitched in a sardonic grin. “I wouldn’t worry about that. They’ll still want to meet for the holidays twice a year in the hopes that you can be convinced to straighten up and fly right.”

“I guess.” Mark heaved a weary sigh. “I should probably just call Dad and get it over with.”

“I think you’ll feel better once you don’t have that unpleasant conversation looming over your head anymore.”

Mark’s phone chimed which indicated he’d received a message from a customer. He pulled it out to check the message and he stared at it with astonishment.

“What is it?” Nathan peered at him with curiosity.

“I’ve got someone who wants me to do a restoration and they’re offering fifty thousand,” Mark said.

“What on earth do they want you to restore?” Nathan asked.

“She doesn’t say. It involves travel to New Hampshire and she’ll pay all expenses if I accept the job.”

“It sounds like a fantastic opportunity.”

“I can’t wait to find out what this is about.” Mark’s eyes danced with anticipation.

As soon as they finished their meal and Mark was back in his car getting ready to drive back to his house, he dialed the phone number that was left in the message.

“This is Director Virginia Hamilton.”

“It’s Mark. You left a message for me about a restoration job that involves travel to New Hampshire?”

“Yes, I’m in charge of a project for MADA. We’re trying to develop new and advanced applications for magical technology. Is there somewhere we can meet in person right now?” Virginia said.

“Sure, I have about a couple hours before my next appointment. If you’re in Sarasota, I can give you my address and I could be there in about five or ten minutes,” Mark offered.

“That’ll be perfect. I’m ready for the address.”

Mark gave her directions and Virginia thanked him before disconnecting the call. Mark arrived at his house only a few moments before her. Virginia was in her forties, short and portly with her brown hair styled in a pageboy. She wore a brown pant suit, a suit jacket, a beige blouse, and brown shoes. Dustin, a combat enforcer in his thirties, accompanied her. He was average height with short-cropped black hair and a no-nonsense expression on his face. The three of them gathered in Mark’s living room to discuss the business arrangement.

“So what exactly is MADA?” Mark asked.

“It stands for Magical Applications and Development Administration. It was funded just over a month ago along with a few other programs in an effort to help the U.S. become better equipped to defend itself against the Valituras threat,” Virginia explained. “I’m in charge of a project that involves the research of ancient magical technology. I’ve recently uncovered evidence that leads me to believe that American Stonehenge was created by an advanced civilization of wizards. I would like for you to restore one of the main structures at this site. Are you familiar with it?”

“Yes, I read about it a few years ago. It’s located in Salem, New Hampshire. It’s a huge site that covers about thirty acres. I’ve always wanted to visit it. I’d also like to see Stonehenge in Ireland.”

“That’s fantastic! I’ve been there and it’s definitely worth seeing. Ireland is beautiful!” Virginia’s green eyes shone with enthusiasm. “I’ve closed down the site in New Hampshire for tomorrow so we won’t have anyone in the way. I have a private jet booked for tomorrow morning at seven. Will you accept this job?”

“I do accept the position. We’ll need to work out the terms of this arrangement. I want to assure you I have a very high success rate but in the event that the artifact can’t be restored, I do still charge a nominal fee of twenty percent which would be twelve thousand. I’ll draw up the paperwork for us to sign. It’ll just take a few moments.”

“Of course. Go right ahead.”

“Would you like something to drink? I have iced herbal tea and soda,” Mark offered.

“That’s all right. I’m fine,” Virginia responded.

Mark had a standard business form saved on his computer. He just had to fill in a few details and then print it out. Mark returned a few moments later with two copies of the contract. Virginia read through it briefly then signed and Mark did the same. He gave her one of the copies for her records.

“Can I ask how you heard of me?” Mark inquired.

Virginia leveled an excited smile at him. “I developed a strategy of finding a well qualified restorer. The first thing I did was compile a list of all restorers listed in the entire country. Next, I checked any references and feedback about the services that customers may have left online. That helped me to narrow down the list to about twenty. After that, I purchased twenty dishes from a thrift store and had a simple glamour enchantment made on them. Then I broke the dishes and hired someone to pretend to be a customer for each of the twenty restorers I was researching to see how well they did. You and one other person were the only ones that managed to restore the glamour back onto the broken dish.”

“It must have taken a lot of time to do all that,” Mark commented.

“No more than a few weeks. I needed to be sure I hired the very best candidate for the job.”

“What made me stand out over the other restorer you mentioned?”

“I used a scientific method to determine which one of you I’d hire first. If it turns out that you’re unsuccessful, then I’ll give the other guy a chance,” Virginia replied.

“What was the method you used?” Mark leveled a curious look at her.

Virginia’s lips twitched in a fleeting smile. “I assigned each of you three numbers between one and six and rolled a die which turned out to be a two.”

The next morning, Mark dressed in black pants and a cobalt-blue polo shirt. He was a bit groggy at first since he usually slept in until seven and the anticipation of his assignment in New Hampshire kept him from sleeping soundly. The caffeine from Mark’s morning coffee kicked in when he arrived at the private airport and renewed enthusiasm surged through him. He couldn’t believe how lucky he was to be discovered by someone with the kind of resources at Virginia’s fingertips. The inside of the jet was spacious and well-maintained without being luxurious. The seats were in rows of two with one at each window. Virginia and Mark positioned themselves near the front of the craft and Dustin perched on a chair nearby. Mark peered out the window as the jet took off. Once they were well on their way, Virginia shot him a questioning look.

“I noticed on your website that you perform all restorations yourself. Why is that?” she asked.

“It’s advanced magic and I use a personalized configuration that is different than the standard. It takes a practiced hand and a certain degree of finesse to get the spell to work to its true potential,” Mark explained.

He used this standard line on any of his clients who were curious about his abilities. Most people were satisfied with this response but there were some who pressed the issue.

“I understand that but I may want to purchase one of your enchantments if you manage to restore the artifact,” Virginia said.

Mark leveled an earnest and regretful gaze at her. “I’m afraid that just isn’t possible. I used to sell to individuals but people don’t get the same results as when I do the magic myself.”

“I understand but maybe you can make an exception for me.”

“I’m sorry. I insist that I personally perform all restorations,” Mark said.

“I would like to examine one of your wands before you use them then.”

Mark had brought four of his wands which were turquoise and considerably larger and thicker than average. The standard wand was more than sufficient for his purposes but he’d noticed through experience that a lot of potential clients were influenced by the size of his tools. Mark currently wore pants equipped with two wand pockets that allowed for three wands in each pocket. He pulled out one of his wands and Virginia blinked with surprise.

“I’m surprised airport security didn’t make you put that with the luggage,” she commented.

“You’re free to examine it, if you’d like.” Mark intentionally avoided answering her question as he didn’t want to reveal he was a white magic practitioner as they weren’t known for being skilled with restorations. He handed her the wand.