Corruption (Grumpy Old Wizards Book 2) (16 page)

“But it’s a flawless gem. Just look at this gorgeous place! Where else can you buy a perfect home for less than thirty-three thousand?” Leslie asked.

“I definitely want to see more,” Josephine said.

Nathan and Alice threw her startled looks but Leslie led them to the kitchen and began reciting the positive features of the room. Josephine pretended to listen while she left her psychic senses wide open. The mini vortex extended to just beyond the kitchen wall. The curse burrowed deep within the confines of this room as well. In fact, the dark magic inhabited every single room and Josephine could tell that there were at least three different curses spanning the entire dwelling. The second floor boasted an additional two bedrooms and a bathroom as well as an extra living room, dining room and kitchen with an extra flight of stairs that led to the outdoors with it’s own entrance at the side of the house. Josephine also detected a hidden room on the second floor behind one of the bedrooms but couldn’t determine how to enter it or what secrets it harbored. When Leslie finished the tour, she brought them back down to the living room on the first floor.

“So, what are your impressions of this wonderful home?” Leslie asked with a bright smile.

“I love it! This house is definitely for me,” Josephine said.

“What?!” Nathan and Alice exclaimed with flabbergasted expressions on their faces.

“Great! I’ll draw up the paperwork right away. Do you want to meet me at my office or would you like me to take you there?” Leslie asked.

“I’ve been there before. You’re in downtown Sarasota about a block from the movie theater,” Josephine said.

“Okay. I’ll meet you down there.”

Leslie drove away from the place with eager anticipation.

“Why are you buying this money pit?” Alice asked.

“Didn’t you feel what’s in there?” Josephine grinned at her friend with excitement. “It has a mini vortex! Dan mentioned them to us but I’d never imagined I would find one.”

“It must be tainted by black magic.” Alice grimaced with displeasure.

“Vortexes are power conduits. They reflect neither light nor dark,” Josephine said. She turned to cast a questioning look at Nathan. “Is there some way to make nice with the house?”

Nathan hesitated. “Yes, there’s a way. The best chance of succeeding is to go back inside the house now and to perform a bonding enchantment. Once we leave the property, it will be virtually impossible.”

“What difference does it make if we leave first?”

“Because this is the first time the house has met you. Once you’re gone and there’s no bond, it will have already established an opinion of you.”

“That’s bizarre but we’d better get this over with before I fork over good money,” Josephine said.

“The more people who work with you, the greater the chance the bonding will take. You’ll want them to be people you feel close to.”

“You and Alice are good. I wonder if I can talk Helen into coming over.”

“You do realize the realtor is drawing up the paperwork.”

“She’s young. She probably needs to learn patience. Besides, if I buy this place, I’m doing her a favor,” Josephine said.

“That’s true,” Alice agreed.

Josephine placed a call and spoke with Helen but she refused to come over and was horrified by the thought of Josephine living there. Josephine disconnected the call and frowned with bemusement.

“We may have to change our morning routine if I own this place because Helen probably won’t come over to visit,” Josephine said.

“She’ll come around,” Alice reassured her. She took stock of her surroundings. “You’ll have to excuse me for a moment.”

“That’s fine. I have some more people I want to talk to,” Josephine said.

Alice strolled down the street to the neighbor’s house and knocked on the door. Josephine placed a call to Mark as she watched a medium set man in his forties answer the door and talk with Alice. The man invited Alice into the house and closed the door. Josephine frowned with puzzlement but Mark answered which tore her attention back to the matter at hand.

“Hey, Mark. I hope I’m not catching you at a bad time,” Josephine said.

“That’s okay. I was just going to call YOU,” he said.

“I have a favor to ask. Do you think you could swing by and help me with a bonding enchantment? There’s a cursed house I want to buy and Nathan said there’s a fair chance I can have it accept me or whatever,” Josephine explained.

“I’ll be right over. Where are you?”

Josephine gave him the address and directions.

“Mark will be a tremendous help. Is there anyone else?” Nathan asked.

“I’m afraid that’s it. I don’t have very many people I feel close to.”

“No family nearby?”

“Nope.”

“The bonding spell is pretty simple. We can do it on the fly without a prepared enchantment. You’ll want to focus on happy thoughts and to direct feelings of goodwill at the house,” Nathan said.

“I can do that.”

Alice emerged from the neighbor’s house and strolled over to Josephine and Nathan with a satiated expression on her face.

“Do you know that man?” Josephine regarded her friend with curiosity.

“Oh, no. I was just kind of hungry and decided to have a quick drink.”

“I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t feed off my neighbors.”

“He won’t remember a thing,” Alice reassured her.

“I hope not.”

When Mark arrived, they went into the cursed house and gathered on the living room floor to form a circle. They joined hands to create a conduit of energy for the bonding spell. Josephine sensed the currents of energy that Nathan wove around them. A hushed quiet dominated the room as they waited for Nathan to indicate the next step.

“All right. The spell is active. We have to direct happy thoughts at the house and hope it accepts us,” Nathan instructed.

They all closed their eyes and set to work. Josephine sensed the active spell swirling around all of them as she did her best to broadcast positive and cheery thoughts to the dwelling. She started to become concerned as time dragged by and nothing changed. The spell began to slow and would soon dissipate.

“Can you charge things up again?” Josephine asked.

“It’s a one shot deal. We have to do one session at a time for each visit,” Nathan explained.

“I see.” Josephine swallowed as disappointment welled within her.

She had been hoping this home would become her sanctuary; a place where she could feel safe and just be herself. She was tired of dealing with neighbors who didn’t accept her and the unexpected acts of vandalism. Without warning, Josephine felt a presence in her mind as though someone had just taken notice of her. A connection between her, Mark and the house snapped into place. Josephine flinched with surprise as a brief surge of power passed through her. The spell dissipated but they had succeeded.

“The house accepted you and Mark,” Nathan advised.

“Why didn’t it take the entire group?” Josephine asked.

“One can never completely predict how a sentient being will respond.”

“It’s not going to attack my friends when they visit, is it?” she asked.

“Oh, no. It just recognizes you and Mark as its new owners. It must have sensed the connection between the two of you and wanted to limit ownership,” Nathan explained. “Any guests that you invite are completely safe.”

“That’s fine with me. Time to go sign the paperwork and purchase my new home.” Josephine’s lips curved in a pleased smile.

Chapter 14

Josephine stood in the center of the living room of her new house which had her furniture already arranged and stacks of boxes were placed against the far wall and in a couple of clusters in the center of the room. Mark and Alice stood beside her with relieved expressions on their faces. They’d spent all day helping her pack yesterday after the sale and several hours this morning unpacking the essentials. Josephine had been fortunate to find a company that would move everything on such short notice but their rates were so high she could see why they weren’t already booked.

“I can’t believe we got all my stuff here already,” Josephine said. She turned and shot an appreciative look at both Mark and Alice. “I’m so grateful for your help. I couldn’t have finished everything this weekend without you.”

“You’re still not done,” Alice pointed out. “It’ll take you all week to unpack this stuff.”

“I’ll just work on it a little bit at a time. No big deal. Too bad Helen won’t come here.” Josephine’s gaze swept over the room and the stained glass windows. “It’s so beautiful.”

“You’ve got yourself a winner here,” Mark said.

“Except for the curses. There’s always a cost to dark magic,” Alice said.

“I’m not the one who’s cursed – it’s the house,” Josephine argued. She threw Mark a questioning look. “I don’t have anything to worry about, do I?”

“I wish I knew. We’ve got to identify the curse before we would know the side effects,” he replied.

“I like the sound of that better.”

“What do you mean?” Mark asked.

Josephine grinned. “Side effects. It doesn’t sound so dire.”

“I have more good news. The curse is probably anchored to the vortex residing in this house. If that’s the case, you shouldn’t have to deal with any problems.”

“What difference would that make?” Josephine asked.

“Dark magic creates abnormalities which constantly strains the curse. In order to maintain equilibrium, the side effect is something that always fuels the magic. It’s a matter of physics,” Mark explained.

“I see.” Josephine mulled this over. There was something niggling in the back of her mind but she couldn’t quite figure out what it was. She brushed her distracting thoughts aside to focus on a more pleasant matter. “I’m going to have a house warming party tonight. You’re both invited. It starts around 5. I’ll let Jake and Nathan both know. It’ll just be a small get-together.”

“Aren’t you exhausted?” Alice asked.

“Not at all. I’ll go to the store for some supplies in a little bit. It’s no big deal,” Josephine said.

“It’s because you’re connected to the house vortex. It’s keeping your body charged up like a battery,” Mark said.

Josephine nodded in agreement as she’d maintained an almost constant link with the vortex. There was no way the Valituras would sneak up on her while she was living here.

“Are you sure there’s a vortex in there? I don’t feel a thing,” Alice said.

“Only a category six can detect them,” Mark explained.

“You’re not a six though.” Alice frowned at him with puzzlement.

“I’m just taking Josephine’s word for it. Helen’s a six so she’ll be able to sense it as well.”

Alice left so she could get some rest at her condo while Mark remained behind to keep Josephine company.

“You don’t mind if I tag along while you go shopping, do you?” he asked.

“Be my guest. I don’t want you to feel obligated though. You’ve helped me tremendously today and I know how important it is for you to work on your memorization and restoration enchantments,” Josephine said.

“You’re probably right but I don’t feel like working.”

“I’m going to take a look at that garden later. I wonder if it’s cursed.”

Josephine placed a call to Nathan and invited him to the party then dialed Jake’s number.

“Hey, Grandma. What’s up?” Jake said.

“Hey, sweetie. I’m having a house warming party,” she said.

Jake laughed with amusement. “That’s a good one.”

“I’m serious. I’ve bought a new house and I’ve invited a few of my closest friends for dinner.”

“When did you buy the house?” Jake asked with bewilderment.

“I purchased it yesterday.”

“How is that possible? It takes a month or more for the paperwork to be processed and everything.”

“I didn’t have to take out a loan. I had enough money to pay for it so they let me move in right away,” Josephine explained. “There’s still a lot of unpacking to do but the essentials in the kitchen are taken care of.”

“How did you get the inspection done on such short notice?” Jake asked.

“I didn’t see the need for one.”

Jake chuckled. “You’re truly one of a kind.”

“Thank you, sweetie. It would mean a lot to me if you could come over for dinner tonight.”

“I’ll be there.”

Josephine gave him the address and disconnected the call. She sensed Lorcan’s presence in her front yard and strode over to the door. Josephine threw it open just before Lorcan could push the doorbell. He regarded her with startlement but quickly composed himself. She peered at him with her second sight and noticed that his shields were active.

“What brings you here, Toadstool?” Josephine asked in a chilling tone.

“I heard about your new home and wanted to see it for myself,” Lorcan said.

“Your spies must be keeping a close eye on me.”

“You’ve already bought the house and moved in. You’re remarkably fast.”

“I pride myself on my efficiency.” Josephine flashed a sarcastic smile at him.

“Aren’t you going to invite me inside?”

“Of course not.”

Anger darted across Lorcan’s face for a split second before he donned a look of indifference.

“If you’re going to be rude, I suppose our conversation is over. I hope you enjoy your new home,” Lorcan sneered.

“Goodbye, Toadstool.” Josephine closed the door before he could taunt her further.

Mark walked over to her with a curious expression on his face.

“Who was that?” he asked.

“Toadstool is just a jerk who won’t leave me alone.” Josephine didn’t want to involve Mark in the dangers of the Valituras so she kept her tone light.

“He’s dark. I can feel it.” His brows furrowed with contemplation for several seconds then his eyes widened with shock. “He’s a member of the Valituras!”

“You know about them?” Josephine asked.

“Of course. They’re sworn enemies of the Phoenix Community.”

“For heaven’s sakes! How many secret organizations are skulking around out there?” Josephine asked with exasperation.

“There’s quite a few actually. There are the Puritans, the Ebullio –”

“Wait a minute! Did you say the Puritans?”

“Yeah, they’re a pretty small group. They used to be members of the Phoenix Community and are extremists that wanted to change the mandate of the organization from that of living in seclusion to transforming the world into a utopia instead,” Mark explained.

“How do all these people keep themselves secret?”

“Mainstream society isn’t aware of them but they’re known to some people and families like mine. If you look online, you might find them mentioned but they’re discounted as conspiracy theories. Except for the Valituras and the Phoenix Community, the other organizations are so small that they’re not significant. Some of them may not be around anymore.”

“I wonder what would happen if the Valituras were exposed,” Josephine said.

“That’s not likely to happen. They’re ruthless and will kill to maintain their anonymity,” Mark advised. “It’s best to steer clear of them.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t.” Josephine took a deep breath then filled Mark in on Lorcan and how he had coerced her into making some kind of magical batteries for him.

“I’ll help you shake loose of them,” Mark vowed. “The Phoenix Community won’t step in but I’m sure there’s something we can do.”

“I hope so because he’s already tried to curse me twice,” Josephine said.

Josephine felt a surge of affection towards Mark and gave him a kiss.

“What was that for?” Mark asked with puzzlement.

“For being you.” Josephine smiled at her lover and reveled at how lucky she’d been to find such a man. She wished she could tell him about her undercover work as an OC enforcer. She and Mark went down to the grocery store and bought some munchies for dinner. As Josephine pulled out of the parking lot, her cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen to see who was calling and normally while driving she wouldn’t answer but it was Jake.

“Hi, sweetie,” Josephine said.

“Grandma, help.” Jake’s voice sounded strained and weak.

An icy dread took hold of Josephine when her grandson failed to respond to her. She said his name with urgency several more times but there was only dead air even though the line was still active.

“I’m heading right over. Just hang on,” Josephine said. She handed the phone to Mark. “Something wrong. I don’t want to hang up on him.”

“I’ll keep listening just in case,” Mark said.

“Thanks.”

Josephine took a deep, steadying breath as dread clawed at her gut. She was afraid this would happen eventually but had assumed it would take years before Lorcan betrayed her. Of course, she was jumping to conclusions. Just because something was happening to her grandson, it didn’t necessarily mean the Valituras had a hand in it. Josephine’s thoughts churned with apprehension as she headed for Jake’s house. When she pulled into his driveway and parked beside his car, she could barely think straight. Josephine could see that Jake’s door was ajar. She rushed over to the threshold and burst into the living room. Jake was lying unconscious next to the couch with the phone resting several feet away from him. His skin was pale and his breathing strained. Josephine opened her psychic senses as Mark called an ambulance. An obvious lack of psychometric energy indicated an ignotus spell had been cast but Josephine could still sense Lorcan’s presence which confirmed her suspicion that he’d attacked her grandson.

Josephine’s gaze swept over the room again which showed no signs of a struggle. She scanned Jake and could detect a curse. Her anxiety mounted as she tried analyzing the energy structure to determine its purpose. Unfortunately, this wasn’t a simple or straightforward process. It involved painstaking analysis that could take days just to discover what it was designed for. To test for weaknesses could take weeks, months and even years. Josephine suspected Jake didn’t have that long.

“The ambulance will be here soon,” Mark said.

“Can you tell what type of curse this is?” Josephine asked.

“I can’t do scans on the fly like you. I do have a few black magic detection wands at home though.”

“I can’t leave Jake alone like this,” Josephine said.

“Of course.” Mark regarded her with sympathy and wrapped a comforting arm around her.

The two of them lapsed into a long silence until the ambulance arrived. Once Jake was taken away, Josephine and Mark stopped by his house so he could pick up a couple of his detection wands. After that, Josephine made a quick trip to her house so she could don a wand belt which fit underneath the clothing. It was made of elastic with one part that fit snug against her waist and another that hugged her thighs just above the knees which served to keep both ends of the wands pressed firmly against her body so bumps wouldn’t show through the clothing worn on top of it. Josephine had two more of her experimental uber telekinetic wands which she slid into her belt along with six others. She made a mental note to start producing more potent weapons now that she had unrestricted access to a vortex. She slipped on a pair of loose-fitting jeans which obscured the weapons but of course subtle bumps were revealed when walking. Josephine already had six protection amulets on the necklace that dangled around her neck underneath her turquoise shirt and she slipped on the remaining six backups she had in her possession. For good measure, she placed the extra niveus imperium in her purse since it was an antidote for many curses.

When Josephine and Mark arrived at the hospital, Jake’s condition was stabilized and he’d been assigned to ICU. Doctor Levy, a man in his early forties with thinning brown hair and average height, approached them in the waiting area. He wore blue hospital scrubs and his demeanor was businesslike and emotionally detached as was often the case with experienced veterans in the medical field and law enforcement.

“As you know, Jake’s condition is stabilized. We used a general healing enchantment to try to dispel the curse we detected but it didn’t work. It will take time to identify the specific curse used so we can locate or produce a cure,” Dr. Levy advised. “Jake’s trapped in a deep sleep and we’ve determined it would be unwise to take drastic measures to awaken him in his current state.”

“I understand,” Josephine said. “I want to see him.”

“Just for a few minutes and I need you to promise not to try and wake him up.”

“I promise,” Josephine said.

“All right. Follow me.”