4 Terramezic Energy (25 page)

They weren’t certain this would prevent burnout but they were in the earliest stages of degeneration so they could go back into stasis again if the plan failed. There were twenty more empty suspended animation containers in other rooms. Mark hadn’t yet reached that part of the facility to discover them. Because the hidden base lay underground with no possibility of plant life, no power center could be created down here unless a white knight with the ability to use stones as an anchor happened to come here. Someone like Helen. Mark certainly couldn’t achieve what she had. His gifts lay elsewhere with his teleportation, photographic memory spells, and manipulation of mainstream magic. Mark realized the time had come for these White Knights to awaken so they could form a magical network and reach their full potential. Because he already carried an active link with two others on this world, they would have seven. Mark knew it would be enough to prevent burnout because he was already safe from such a fate. He wished he could release them now but he must first locate the enchantment they had created for establishing a magical network.

Chapter 31

The immense meeting room located inside the Regulatory and Legislative Center offered dozens of rows of seating for over a thousand occupants. Representatives from every country on Adamas watched the proceedings with tense silence. Ludovic, Hermina, and half a dozen guards including Dorionus sat at a dark blue table constructed of wizard glass at the front of the room and off to the side. Hermina’s clasped hands rested in front of her as she empathized with the speaker who offered a lengthy presentation at the podium. Holographic, gold colored graphs, numbers and diagrams floated in the air near Kornel as he pointed at one of them to emphasize a certain set of stats from his country. Like everyone else in the room, except for the guards, he wore a dark purple uniform which identified him as a member of the leader caste. When he finished his speech, the holographic projects winked out of existence and he returned to his seat with the rest of the group, occasionally flitting nervous looks at the guards posted at the back of the room and at the sides.

Ludovic rose from his seat with a stoic expression on his face as he strode to the podium. Hermina forced herself to relax and regulated her autonomous nervous system to remain stable. She knew Ludovic performed continuous scans of the room during these deliberations and she definitely wished to hide her state of agitation. She kept her mastery of subtle magic a closely guarded secret from Ludovic. One day it would help her to rid this world of his despicable presence. She grew tired of waiting and feared that she couldn’t take much more of this.

Ludovic’s chilling gaze swept over the room then settled on Kornel. “That was a good presentation and your sector has performed admirably. Unfortunately, your case wasn’t good enough for me to pardon your country’s failure to meet its productivity goals. The standard penalty will apply. Ten of your citizens from the labor caste, two from the science caste, and one from the leader caste will be randomly selected and executed by lethal injection in four days.” Shocked gasps erupted through the room while others stared at Ludovic with horror. “We still have twelve more countries to review and deliberate on. I’m calling a one-hour recess for lunch.”

A series of chimes indicated they were temporarily adjourned. Hermina rose on shaky legs and her mind churned with the horror of another round of executions. The government officials in the room made their way towards the exits with obvious haste and eagerness. As Ludovic approached her, Hermina forced a polite smile on her face and strengthened her control over her body’s nervous system, decreasing stress hormone levels, adrenaline, heart rate and blood pressure.

“I have a new assignment for you,” he said. “Mark continues to evade my search parties. I need as many omnipotens on the hunt as possible to assist my guards in finding him. You will be joining team nineteen. I suspect you still harbor sympathy towards these cattle but they need a firm hand and decisive leadership in order to flourish.”

“I will do my best.” Hermina kept her expression neutral and sensed his attentive scan on her physiological response to his words.

“When I announced the executions a moment ago, it seemed there may have been an emotional response from you.”

“It must have been a random fluctuation. I feel no pity for the humans. As you have pointed out, they are flawed and small-minded creatures who would self-destruct without our guidance,” Hermina said.

Ludovic’s cerulean eyes reflected a chilly disdain. “I don’t believe you. I know how powerful you are as an omnipoten and I expect you to get results. If you fail to find Mark over the next twenty-four hours, I will be very disappointed.”

“You can count on me to perform my duties.”

“Let me remind you of what happened the last time you failed me,” Ludovic said.

Sharp, burning spears of agony stabbed into Hermina’s body. She cried out and her knees buckled. She collapsed to the floor as the unbearable pain tore through her. Ludovic kept her crystal skull inside his home with three of his avatars. One of them was firing a dissonant sonic wave directly into her crystal skull which caused severe pain. The last time Ludovic had tortured her in this manner for failing to succeed in her mission, the punishment had lasted for several days. The white-hot agony abruptly ceased and Hermina took several deep, shaky breaths before pushing herself up off the floor.

“You may leave. Be sure to find Mark. I want him dead.” Ludovic’s chilling gaze bore into hers for several seconds before he turned and strode away.

Hermina exited the room with a sense of relief mingled with horror over her predicament. She would not allow Mark to die yet she couldn’t stand the thought of several more days of torture. There were too many cameras in this building to teleport out without detection. She knew a few blind spots but Ludovic was monitoring her and he was bound to notice her disappearance from one camera to the next. She waited until she left the massive, gold pyramid before she activated her enchantment and transported directly to one of the White Knight storage rooms in the underground base. She had time before she would be missed even if Ludovic was keeping an eye on her progress because it was necessary to walk about twenty minutes from that building to the nearest city transit. Once there, the portal would open to another city transit close to search team nineteen which was outside the city and would be about an hour walk to catch up with them. That gave her about two hours before she was missed.

Hermina reached out with her mind past the walls of this room and farther into the compound until she found Mark who was nearby working in another room. She reached him in just a few moments. His right hand rested on a large brass scepter with a large clear quartz crystal point secured to the end.

Mark swiveled in the chair to face her. “I’ve been gathering information about this place and the White Knights. Most of these enchantments were made before their disappearance. There is some very advanced magic here.”

“I’m glad you’re taking inventory.” Hermina’s thoughts whirled with chaos and panic. “I have a favor to ask you.”

“You want me to use white magic to kill you.” Mark’s brown eyes reflected his compassion for her. “I’ve seen the pain and misery you’ve suffered at the hands of Ludovic. I understand your predicament.”

Hermina reeled with shock. “None of the White Knights I saved ever realized how trapped I am here.”

“Ludovic has obscured the surroundings of the skull so that you can’t tell where you are in his home. That way there is no risk that you can teleport inside and take your skull back,” Mark said.

“You’ve always been full of surprises since the moment you arrived on this world,” Hermina observed.

“I’m afraid white magic can’t kill a person.” Mark’s lips formed a wry smile. “That sounds odd, doesn’t it? But I do have a possible way to help you.”

A sliver of hope awakened in Hermina. “What do you have in mind?”

“This is an enchantment made before the invasion.” Mark picked up a wooden wand and showed her the etching in gold letters on the handle.

“Praesentia libero.” Hermina’s eyes welled with tears. “My dear friend, Cassius, was working on a way to completely remove my consciousness from the crystal skull and into this body. He was a White Knight before they all vanished.”

“The enchantment is complete and ready to use. He was just waiting for it to charge up. He was going to tell you as a surprise but he never got the chance,” Mark said.

“Thank you for finding this. Even if it doesn’t work, I’m grateful I have a fighting chance against Ludovic now.” Hermina’s lips curved in a smile of gratitude. “But this still doesn’t change the fact that I need to somehow rescue my crystal skull so that you can perform the spell.”

“We don’t need to access that at all. The only thing I need is this wand and the body you’re currently occupying. It will be like a consciousness transfer. You’ve already established a connection.” Mark took the wand back and his eyes twinkled with anticipation. “Are you ready?”

Hermina braced herself as she had no idea what to expect. “Yes, I am.”

When Mark activated the spell, the tip of the wand lit up for several seconds before a stream of mist-like gold energy gushed out from it and entered Hermina’s body through her forehead. White magic permeated every cell of her body. An instant later, dizziness slammed into her like a heavy weight and her knees crashed to the floor accompanied by a sense of fast movement and being in many places at the same time. Her eyes squeezed shut and after several seconds, all of those mysterious sensations were gone. She opened her eyes and carefully rose to her feet. The enchantment had completed and the wand no longer glowed in Mark’s loose grip.

He scrutinized her with hopeful expectation. “How do you feel?”

“I feel…” Hermina hesitated as she felt a curious sensation. “It’s as though something is missing.” Her brows furrowed with concentration as she activated her psychic receptors and performed a scan on herself as best she could. Reading your own body was extremely limited. Relief poured through her mind and she beamed at Mark with excitement. “You did it! I’m no longer residing in my skull at all! I’m completely submerged in this body! I’m free!”

She reached out and gave him an effusive hug and kiss on the cheek.

“I never imagined this could ever be possible! Thank you so much!” Hermina beamed at him.

Mark grinned back. “I’m glad I could help.”

“I think it’s time we considered awakening our sleeping White Knights from their timeless slumber,” Hermina said.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Mark advised. “This staff has the spell that will allow us to form a magical network. Because I’m already linked with Josephine and Alice, they will automatically be a part of it. Of course, I’m assuming that the enchantment works.” He picked up the staff he’d been holding earlier. “This is programmed to carry out the function and it was made by one of the original White Knights. Unfortunately, it will still take great concentration for everyone using it. The best chance of it working is to have everyone who will become part of the network perform the spell at the same time instead of doing it one member at a time.”

“In that case, we should awaken all four of the White Knights and cast the spell right away. I assume I am unable to be part of this network since I’m a mainstream practitioner?” Hermina asked.

“That’s correct.” Mark cocked a bemused brow at her. “Unless you developed a very close and powerful friendship with one of them or you’re in love with one of them?”

“Jarlath is a childhood friend. He’s like family to me.”

Mark regarded her with puzzlement. “How is that possible when you’re centuries old and he’s in his thirties? Is he a category six?”

“No, he’s not an omnipoten. I was friends with his mother as he was growing up. At first, he viewed me like a favorite aunt but we developed a very close friendship over the years. I had no idea he was a potential White Knight. When his white magic became active, I was terrified Ludovic would find and kill him. I explained to him what happened to White Knights and hid him in this base. We tried to find a way to keep him from burning out but when the process started, he asked me to put him in stasis,” Hermina said.

“It just might be possible for you to become part of the magical network through him.” Mark wondered how likely that the enchantment would work. “I’m concerned about waking up the White Knights. If the enchantment doesn’t work and we don’t form links with each other, they will suffer burnout. In fact, since their condition had already begun to deteriorate, their abilities will be hampered.”

“You’re right. It’s a great risk. I would much prefer to have three or more White Knights in their prime to help us but I don’t see that happening.” Hermina’s expression was troubled.

Chapter 31

Josephine turned her head to gaze at Alice when her friend began to stir in the confines of her chair. She had no way to measure the passage of time but it felt like she’d been trapped here for about a day. Her body was stiff and sore from immobility. She struggled against the straps that held her down until she was forced to stop and rest. She breathed heavily with exertion. She checked on Alice who finally began to stir from her deep slumber.

“How much sleep do you need, anyway?” Josephine scowled at her with annoyance. “I woke up almost a day ago.”

Alice groaned and flinched as she tried to move. “What’s going on?”

“Ludovic captured us.” Josephine was glad to see her friend had revived. “We need to think of a way to break out of here.”

Alice opened her eyes and looked down at her restrained body. She took stock of her surroundings then met Josephine’s gaze with a moody frown.

“Could this get any worse?” Alice asked.

“I wouldn’t tempt fate.” Josephine shot her a sardonic look.

“I’m trying to think of situations that were more dire,” Alice said. “There was the Lorcan debacle but we were never captured.”

“What about the time you were a vampire possessed by a curse?” Josephine said.

“Point taken,” Alice acknowledged. “Although if I were a vampire, I bet I could break out of this stupid chair.”

“That would be the perfect solution. Becoming a being of pure darkness is such a small price to pay if it means defeating the likes of me.” Ludovic strolled inside the room followed by five guards. He took up a position in front of Josephine. “I just learned something very important about you.”

Josephine watched him with wariness and a sense of dread. “What would that be?”

“You’re linked with Mark.” Ludovic’s face shone with triumph. “You and Alice are both part of a magical network that includes him so he will definitely attempt a rescue no matter what the cost to himself. It also means that you can track him down no matter where he’s hidden.”

“I would never help you kill him,” Josephine said.

Ludovic’s cerulean eyes glinted with malevolent glee. “You will have no choice in the matter. It’s time for you to become a loyal subject.”

“What are you doing?” Josephine asked as her body chilled with fear.

“Proceed with the mind control enchantment.” Ludovic swept his gaze over the guards and took a step back.

The guards pulled out wooden wands and lined up on either side of Josephine. She knew had no chance of preventing them from casting the mind spell on her but she would do everything in her power to make them exert as much time and effort as possible. She relaxed as best as she could under the circumstances which helped to increase her natural resistance to mental invasion. The guards pointed their wands at her and she closed her eyes to shut out the sight of them. She could see the glow from the tips of their wands against the back of her closed eyelids. A powerful presence shoved forcefully against her mind and in spite of her best efforts, the spell seeped in through the cracks of her defenses. Flashes of memories sparked inside her which indicated the mind control enchantment was working its way deeper into her thoughts and emotions. Josephine’s heart pounded as terror flooded through her. She hadn’t even slowed them down.

Josephine felt a tear slide down her right cheek as despair and anguish dominated her thoughts. She’d come here to save Mark but instead she would be the weapon that would kill him. She couldn’t stand it. The memory of her first day with Mark at the Italian restaurant solidified in her mind. She remembered that evening with vivid detail. She hadn’t expected to fall for him but he’d surprised her. Mark had recognized the special connection between them from the very start. She wondered why it had taken her so long. Mark sat at the table facing her and she caught herself staring at his beautiful brown eyes. After losing herself in the moment, her attention shifted to the tall man standing behind him. He was completely bald with an elongated head and his gray skin looked smooth and tough as if made of plastic. His black eyes reflected the flickering flame from the candles resting on the tables in the restaurant.

Josephine stilled and the memories flowing in the back of her mind dissolved. She couldn’t move as if there was some mysterious supernatural power that absorbed all of her thoughts and emotions and focused them on this stranger. She flinched when the man unfurled large, white wings from his back and stretched them out at his sides as if ready to take flight.

“I am the gray angel. I’m here to protect you against all harm. You’re perfectly safe with me, little Josephine,” the man said in a soothing tone that was layered as if several people spoke at the same time.

Josephine found herself instantly believing the stranger. Everyone in the restaurant disappeared except for her and the gray angel but for some reason, this didn’t bother her. After a moment, she became aware of a vibration that quickly grew, jostling the candles and rattling odds and ends throughout the restaurant. The haze of calm that had settle over her mind lifted and renewed fear took hold as she became aware of the mind control enchantment surrounding her and ensnaring her will.

“You must surrender yourself to me so I can protect you.” The gray angel held out his hand for her to take.

Josephine rose from her chair with an expression of obstinance. “I surrender to no one. If you want to control me, I’ll make this as difficult as possible.”

“I serve the greater good,” the gray angel said.

The invasive enchantment weighed heavily against the restaurant and Josephine abruptly realized this stranger had given her a short reprieve. She wasn’t sure where he’d come from but he wasn’t part of the mental invasion. Josephine didn’t entirely trust him but she reached out and grasped his hand which was cool and smooth to the touch. His energy flowed through her mind in a type of spell that mimicked her own thoughts and emotions like a chameleon. This memory vanished as streams of various energy flowed through her mind, scattering and confusing the mind control enchantment. In the blink of an eye, Josephine found herself standing beside her grandson Jake when he was just four years old. Jake held a bag containing a partial loaf of bread. About a dozen ducks swam with languid grace close by with their eyes glued to Josephine and Jake with eager anticipation for more food. A thick forest of trees surrounded them. Josephine remembered taking her grandson to the park when they visited Seattle to escape the summer heat of Florida.

Josephine ruffled Jake’s hair with her left hand and rested her fond gaze on him. She savored the peaceful, tranquil feeling of this memory. She laughed when her grandson threw more breadcrumbs into the water and the ducks swam with incredible speed to gobble up their treats. A few of the ducks flapped their wings with outrage when they missed their opportunity to eat anything. Josephine watched the ripples flow across the surface of the water as the birds swam farther away but kept a close eye on Jake to prepare to pounce on any additional offerings. A reflection of the stranger with the bald head and gray skin made Josephine gasp with startlement and broke her out of her daze. She abruptly realized this was just a memory and spun around to confront the man.

“Who are you?” Josephine demanded.

The gray man’s large, black eyes glinted in the sun. “I serve the greater good. You don’t have much time, little Josephine. If you surrender to me, I can save you from the mind control enchantments.”

“Who exactly are you?” Josephine scrutinized him with suspicion. Memories she’d long forgotten floated to the surface in wisps and disjointed images. Her eyes widened with sudden recognition. “You used to come into my house at night! You put a glamour on yourself so I wouldn’t be able to identify you if your amnesia spell wore off.”

“That isn’t important. We must act quickly in order to save Mark.”

“What?” Josephine couldn’t endanger Mark’s life.

“Once Ludovic has seized control of you, he’ll make you kill Mark.” The man slowly brought his right hand out towards her. “Take my hand. Let me save everyone you care about before it’s too late.”

Josephine retreated a step. “You’re a mind control spell. You were planted in my subconscious when I was just a child. What do you want? What’s your purpose?”

“I serve the greater good.”

“That doesn’t tell me anything!” Josephine glared at him with frustration. “I’m not going to cooperate with you.”

“I can’t hold them off forever.”

“You told me that you have the power to stop them. So do it!” Josephine snapped.

“You misunderstand. I’m not the one who can defeat them – it’s you. But you don’t have the skill. I can control the talent that lays dormant inside you but only if you give me your consent.”

“I refuse!” Josephine wouldn’t trade one mind control spell for another. “I’ll find some other way out of this mess and then I’m going to get rid of you!”

“When you awaken, I won’t allow you to remember any of this.”

“I don’t think you can make me forget this again,” Josephine said.

Her surroundings darkened and she sensed the heavy weight of the mind control spells digging into her. The stranger faded then vanished as he blended into the background and went deep into hiding again. Josephine’s surroundings shredded into pieces to be replaced by jumbled memories that flashed in chaotic confusion. She pushed back against the invasive tendrils that burrowed deeper into her mind, powerless to stop them. Terror over losing control of herself and becoming a puppet for something evil made her wonder if she’d made a mistake in refusing to allow the gray angel to take over. She could still sense a hint of his afterimage that he’d intentionally left behind in case she changed her mind. She was running out of time. The tendrils of the invasive spells had almost reached the core of her being. Josephine shoved against the wizards with all of her strength in one last ditch attempt to keep them out. Surprisingly, she managed to push them back just a bit.

Elated by her small victory, she continued to beat against the tendrils of the mind control spell. A surge of power rushed through her and she could feel herself gaining the upper hand. Josephine couldn’t waste time figuring out where this extra boost had come from. After a long moment, she could see that she’d almost completely expunged the invasive magics. She opened her eyes as her mind cleared completely. The sight of the black-uniformed wizards surrounding her with the eerie green glows from the tips of their wands startled her. Josephine channeled a huge burst of telekinetic energy from all of her major chakras. The guards hurtled backward across the room like rag dolls and smashed into the walls. The strap around her right wrist tore loose. Josephine channeled an intense telekinetic wave to free herself of the other wrist then made short work of the other straps.

She jumped to her feet as the guards recovered. Ludovic had already activated his protection but Josephine’s scan showed most of his guards hadn’t. She kept her gaze centered on him as she tuned into the closest unshielded guard. Josephine knew she didn’t have much time. She located the protection enchantments and used telekinesis to yank them from his pockets. They fell into her outstretched hand and she immediately activated them, deflecting the telekinetic blast Ludovic fired at her. Josephine drew the protection of another unshielded guard as she rushed over to Alice. She extended her protection to cover her friend as she tore the straps loose.

“How did you do that?” Alice eyed her with awe.

“It’s a long story. I’ll have to tell you later.” Josephine grabbed her friend’s hand and pulled her toward the exit which Ludovic had planted himself in front of.

The remaining guards shuffled towards her with their shields raised. Josephine didn’t have any fire power except whatever she could summon and shoot at them. She knew she couldn’t possibly win in spite of the extra power. The element of surprise was over.

“You’re not leave this room until I have your mind secured.” Ludovic had two brass wands pointed at her.

An expansive, heart-warming sensation sparked to life in Josephine’s chest and she felt the energy currents of Mark’s presence. He must have teleported into the building. Her shield lit up with gold light as it deflected the attacks of Ludovic and the guards. The door to the room slid silently open to reveal Mark with his body encircled by a sphere of white luminescence. His gaze turned distant as he stepped into the room so that he ran into Ludovic and the three guards who flanked him. All four men were forced to the side but when the white energy field reached Josephine and Alice, it slid over them and offered protection. Josephine rushed over and embraced Mark.

She pulled back with an expression of urgency. “We need to leave now.”

“Agreed.” Mark held her hand as he turned and headed for the door.

Ludovic and the three guards now stood in front of the entrance.

“I’m so glad you could join us.” Ludovic leveled a triumphant smirk at Mark as he gripped a large black crystal in his hand which began spewing dark energy in the form of black smoke.

Josephine tried to stay calm, knowing her fear would weaken the light energy flow. She and Alice kept pace with Mark as he stepped slowly and deliberately toward Ludovic. The black smoke moved to escape the light energy shield but the shield began to shrink.

“Get closer,” Mark instructed in a quiet tone.