Heartless (Blue Fire Saga) (16 page)

Dominic nodded. He sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“I understand. Do your best—that will have to be enough.”

“I’m missing something here, I think,” Rave said. “If you want to keep Leesa’s existence a secret, why is she here at all? I can have her far away in no time.”

“Jenna can explain it better than me.” Dominic turned to the witch. “From my limited knowledge of a focused forgetting spell, I understand that when you wish to wipe away the memory of a specific thing or person, it helps to have as detailed an image as possible to work with, right?”

Jenna nodded and turned her eyes to Leesa. “That’s right. Having Leesa here and being able to look at her while I cast the spell will make it easier for me to wash any memory of her from the black wizards’ minds.”

Leesa’s face showed her confusion. The idea of being present so someone could forget about her seemed almost contradictory, but then again, a lot of stuff about magic seemed that way to her. 

“It sounds kind of backwards,” she said, “but I guess I can see what you mean. I need to have really clear images in my head to make any of my spells work. I suppose this isn’t all that much different.”

“No, it’s not,” Jenna replied.

“One more very important thing,” Dominic said. “In a few minutes, a large amount of magic is going to pour through this place. In addition to mine and Jenna’s, the Necromancer will be projecting his power here and there will also be the magical essence of the four black waziri. There is a very good chance the xenorians will detect so much magic, even from a distance. I’m hoping the mixture of all these different sources will prove difficult for them to decipher, but to be safe, we must leave here as soon as I’m done. I do not want anyone heading directly back toward Middletown. Leesa, I will take your car and drive west with Jenna. Rave can carry you away to the north and then circle around to the volkaane village. I think it would be best if you remained there with him for a couple of days, just to be safe. Jenna can transform herself and fly home after I’ve driven her five or ten miles from here.”

“Okay,” Leesa said. “Tomorrow’s Sunday, and I suppose I can miss a day or two of classes after that.” She looked at Rave and smiled. “That is, if Rave doesn’t mind having me hang around.”

Rave grinned and took Leesa’s hand. “I think I can probably put up with you for a couple of days, at least.”

“Okay, that’s settled, then,” Dominic said. “Let’s get started. The sooner we get this done, the better.”

He strode toward the burial spot, stopping two paces away from a grave that was invisible to everyone but him. To the rest of them, the soil in front of him looked identical to the surrounding ground, but to the wizard there might as well have been a neon sign pointing to the grave, so foul were the magical vibrations he sensed beneath the dirt. Leesa, Rave and Jenna followed him, making sure to remain a few steps behind. Dral and Bain veered off to the left and right, respectively, moving farther into the trees to act as sentries against any unexpected guests.

“Jenna, move around to the other side, please,” Dominic instructed, “so no one is between you and the grave. We do not want your spell accidently affecting any of us.”

The wizard waited while Jenna made her way to the other side, giving the burial area a wide berth. When she stopped, Dominic motioned her forward.

“You can come a few steps closer,” he told her. “It’s safe.”

Obviously a bit apprehensive about what lay beneath the dirt, Jenna took two careful steps toward Dominic and then stopped.

“Perfect,” the wizard said, then turned to Leesa and Rave. “You two move back a few feet—I do not want Leesa too close to this. Position yourselves a bit to the side as well, so Jenna has a clear view of Leesa.”

Leesa and Rave did as they were asked. Leesa let go of Rave’s hand, linking her arm around his elbow instead.

Dominic took a moment to survey everyone’s position. Everything looked good. There was nothing to do now but proceed.

“Okay, I’m about to begin.” He looked at Rave one more time. “If anything goes wrong, get Leesa away from here as fast as you can. Do not worry about me.”

Rave nodded, but one look at Leesa’s expression told him she would not go easily. Abandoning Dominic was just not in her nature. Rave didn’t relish the thought of forcibly removing her and hoped it would not come to that. If it did, he would do what he had to, and suffer the consequences later.

“First,” Dominic explained so that everyone would understand what was about to happen, “I have to uncover the grave. The deeper I go, the more careful I need to be. Try not to be startled by anything that occurs.”

With barely a nod of his head, Dominic caused a huge chunk of dirt to rise up into the air and float off to the side. Leesa was pretty sure he was using telekinesis to dig, but it was possible he was employing a spell or a power unfamiliar to her. She would have loved to help him unearth the grave, but this was definitely not the place for a beginner to practice magic.

As Dominic continued removing the dirt layer by layer, the chunks of soil he deposited onto the pile beside the hole became smaller and smaller. Leesa began to hear a faint buzzing emanating from the ground, almost as if a hive of angry bees had been disturbed. The buzzing grew steadily louder as Dominic dug deeper.

“This is it,” the wizard said finally. “One more layer will break the seal. Be prepared for what is about to take place.”

Jenna gathered her spell around her and nodded to Dominic that she was ready. Rave surprised Leesa by lifting her into his arms—if he needed to rush her away from here, he was not going to waste even a few precious seconds picking her up. She was about to voice a protest when Dominic raised the last chunk of dirt.

The buzzing sound immediately grew louder. Four writhing, snake-like columns of black energy twisted slowly up from the hole in front of the wizard. Each was as thick as a man, though there was nothing remotely human about the shape of the rising energy. A foul stench and taste filled the air, as if something had lain rotting in the earth for months, not just weeks. This was more than the decaying bodies of the black waziri, Leesa knew. She was breathing in their evil magic, freed from the containment of human form. Fighting the urge to turn away, she placed her hand over her face and breathed in through her nose, but it barely helped.

Dominic raised his palms toward the curling strands of dark energy and began chanting. Beams of yellow-white magic shot from his hands, striking one of the black columns with a loud hiss, like water splashing over hot coals. The black energy began to bend and twist more violently as Dominic’s magic poured into it, slowly burning it away. As soon as it vanished, he immediately turned his aim onto a second black strand, which disintegrated in the same manner as the first.

Leesa watched, fascinated, as Dominic’s magic destroyed the magical essence of the black wizards once and for all. When he focused his power on one of the two remaining columns, however, something changed. The hissing grew louder and the dark energy seemed to become even blacker, if that was possible. Somehow, the essence of this black wizard seemed to be fighting back, whether of its own accord or strengthened by the Necromancer’s power Leesa did not know. Dominic raised the volume of his chant until he was almost shouting. His yellow-white beam glowed increasingly bright as he channeled more and more of his power into it, until at last this third column of evil energy finally melted away like the first two.

Before he could turn his power onto the fourth essence, the dark energy suddenly shot up into the sky like a bolt of black lightning, too fast for Dominic to counter. A shadow seemed to streak across the darkening sky to the east, disappearing beyond the horizon.

Dominic turned away from the hole in the ground, his shoulders slumped in exhaustion. He took a moment to gather his breath.

“That was even more difficult than I expected,” he said. “Three of our foes are gone forever, but the Necromancer has managed to claim Andre’s essence for himself. Whether he will be able to bring Andre back to life or simply add his power to that which he has already collected, I cannot say.”

He looked toward Jenna. “Was your spell successful?”

Jenna nodded. “I believe so. Andre will have no recollection of Leesa, of that I am certain. I do not believe he will recall your part in the earlier battle either. As for the vampires, I cannot be sure whether Andre will remember them or not.”

Dominic allowed himself a tired smile. “That will have to be good enough. Thank you. Now, I have one last spell to cast and then we must be off. First, we need to move back a ways from the grave.”

He led them back toward the road, stopping when they were about fifty feet from the empty hole.

“What kind of spell are you going to cast?” Leesa asked.

“Something that will provide me a bit of information about anyone who visits this place in the next few days—meaning the xenorians, in all likelihood. As a bonus, it will focus their attention even more upon me, rather than on the rest of you.”

Dominic closed his eyes and began chanting in his wizard’s tongue. He waved his hands in a slow circular motion and then opened his eyes.

“It is done. Now let’s make haste. Leesa, call me if you need me. Otherwise, it might be a little while before you see me again.” He nodded to Rave. “Go now. Get her away from here.”

Rave did not hesitate. In a flash, he was racing through the trees with Leesa in his arms and Dral and Bain on his heels.

21. ON THE TRAIL

B
SI agents Smith, Jones and Rome gathered around a marble headstone in one of the Middletown’s cemeteries, the one closest to the Weston College campus. Beneath the marker, the sod had not yet completely grown back over the recently resealed grave, leaving narrow seams of dark brown dirt visible in the otherwise green grass.

After returning from their drive across the river, they had decided to renew their investigation in the place where they had started it—at the graves of the three bodies that had been reanimated into the zombies who had attacked the girls dormitory. They hoped the dissipation of the strange spell that had been blanketing the entire area would allow Rome to sense traces of magic she might have missed the first time around.

The afternoon shadows cast by the still mostly bare branches of the few trees scattered around the graveyard were beginning to lengthen as the sun began its slow descent in the western sky. The nearest tree spread a dark design across the grass and up the headstone that was almost skeletal in appearance, but if Rome noticed, she gave no sign. She squatted close beside the grave, slowly running her palms above the new sod, keeping them less than twelve inches off the ground.

After a few moments, she twisted her neck around and looked up at her two comrades.

“I still can’t tell much about the magic used here,” she said. “It’s been too long. Whatever might have been hidden from me by the interfering spell is gone now.”

Straightening up, she glanced toward the next of the graves that had been violated, this one a few markers away from where they stood.

“I doubt the other graves will be any different, but I’ll check them nonetheless.”

She began heading for the second grave, then suddenly froze in mid-step. Her foot hung in the air for several seconds before she allowed it to fall back onto the ground. Behind her, Smith and Jones quickly scanned the surrounding terrain for any sign of danger, but saw nothing. They turned their attention back to Rome, whose gaze was directed to the west. Her features were drawn even more tightly than usual and a faraway look filled her eyes.

Accustomed to the peculiarities of Rome’s gift and her behavior, neither agent said anything. They simply watched and waited. Finally, Rome’s eyes snapped back into focus and she looked at her companions.

“Magic,” she said. “Lots of it. Very powerful, too.” She pointed in the direction she had been looking. “That way, and not too far. No more than a few miles. ”

“Let’s go,” Smith said, already turning back toward the road and their parked car.

His companions followed him hurriedly out of the cemetery and climbed into their SUV. Smith got behind the wheel, while Rome broke with custom and took the seat beside him to direct him. In a few moments, they were speeding west on Route 66.

“Slow down,” Rome said after they had driven just two or three miles. “We’re getting close.”

Smith eased off on the accelerator and allowed the car to slow to about thirty miles per hour. Rome’s eyes were fixed out the driver’s side window, peering past Smith and scanning the woods along the opposite side the road. She put her hand on his arm.

“Over there,” she said. “Not too far back into the trees, I don’t think. Pull over onto the shoulder.”

Smith swung the vehicle into a quick U-turn and guided it to a stop on the side of the road. All three agents scrambled from the car.

Rome led the way into the trees, moving more cautiously the farther they got from the road, her eyes focused on the ground in front of her. Barely a hundred feet into the woods, she stopped abruptly. Jones and Smith halted behind her.

Rome stood silently for a few seconds before turning and walking slowly ten paces to her left and then proceeding the same distance to her right. When she returned to the spot where she had originally stopped, she spoke.

“A very clever wizard was here,” she told her comrades. “He has enclosed the area where the magic took place in a spell that will alert him to anyone who enters this part of the woods. Even if we disable the spell, doing so will tell him we were here.”

“Do you think he knows about us?” Smith asked.

Rome shrugged. “I cannot say. The spell does not seem to be directed at our kind, though. It will be activated by anyone with any kind of magic who crosses this way.”

“We need to know what happened here,” Jones said. “Does the spell present any danger?”

Rome closed her eyes. “None that I can detect,” she said when she opened them again.