Dread Night (The Legacy Series) (3 page)

“Which are?”

He held up a moist finger. “Number one: how does he contain all ‘em souls? The Soul is life – energy given by Mother Nature or whoever. It’s the culmination of every stage of evolution leading to this point in time. That ain’t no small portion of energy – even though he’s only stealing a part of it. But he’ll still need a container, and a powerful one.”

“If he’s only stealing magic from non-magical humans then the energy output will be small in and of itself,” I countered. “But you’re right
, he needs some high-grade storage for that type of power.”

I understood Amaymon’s point
− it wasn’t how much energy was being stolen. Rather, what type. That’s what made your potential magic so dangerous – it could be a  buzz, a nuclear explosion or anything in between.

That’s why it’s called Potential.

I looked at Francis, who sat quietly, altering his gaze from Amaymon to me.

“We need to speak to someone who saw Tobias’s power and can still talk,” I said. “The first victim.”

Francis nodded. “We have a gathering in two hours,” he said, checking his watch. “I’ll make sure Yasmine is there and ready to answer your questions.”

He stood up, bowed curtly and left.

“So,” I said. “Dreadnite, huh?”

Amaymon smirked. “Yeah. Someone is still a virgin.”

“Is that like ‘dread’ and ‘knight’?” I asked. “As in the medieval warrior?”

“Nah. It’s ‘
Dreadnite’. You know? With an ‘n’. Not ‘night’, but ‘n-i-t-e’. And it’s one word.”

I
rolled my eyes and shook my head disapprovingly. “I hate it when people play with words for commercial purposes.”

Amaymon slurped his milkshake and smacked his lips happily. “God bless America.”

I snorted cynically in response. “You said I was ignoring two important things,” I said, suddenly serious as we both got up to leave. “The first was how he is containing the Cores. What’s the other one?”

Amaymon gave me a mischievous look. “Finally caught up to that, eh? Well, Mr. Commercial Name is
collectin’ a crap load of Cores, right?”

“Right.”

His feline eyes narrowed. “But have you stopped to think exactly what he is going to do with all that power?”

*****

I was imagining a large, open area with trees or at least some plants.

There was none of that.

Well, sure, there was a row of potted plants, but as far as nature goes, the druid meeting place was quite scarce.

Francis told me that his group was registered as a nature, tree-hugging, bird-watching, something or other
, club at the school and that meant they had a room reversed for club meetings, even after school hours. It also helped that both his parents were on the PTA board and donated a fat check last Christmas.

For that amount of money I would have thought they
’d give him a proper room.

Instead
, he leads me to the music room, with instruments piled around a group of high-schoolers sitting in a circle. Oh, how the mighty druid has fallen.

“Attention everyone.” They all put away their phones and stopped chatting. Francis sat with them. “This is Erik Ashendale,” he said. “A proper wizard. He’s here to observe our practices and make sure we are on the right track.”

They all murmured in agreement.

“Wait,” said one of them. “How do we know he’s a real wizard? Show us something.”

I was expecting that. Everyone likes a show, especially when they don’t know what to expect. The closest these kids ever came to magic was a tingly feeling and maybe making a leaf green.

Francis looked at me apologetically. “Perhaps you could demonstrate that fire ability you showed me.” He tried to mask his enthusiasm but I could tell he was just as eager to see a display of magic.

“I can’t,” I replied. I pointed upwards. “Smoke detector. We’ll have the fire department here in ten minutes and your session would be ruined.”

Their looks of disappointment were one of the most heart-breaking things I’d ever seen.
“But I can show you something else.”

I whipped my coat away and reached behind me. Attached horizontally to the back of my belt was a sheath of black combat polymer. My fingers curled around the hilt of a short sword and pulled it out. This weapon was as much a part of me as was my arm. It is something of a family heirloom and the only reason I can do magic.  This weapon was the only thing on Earth that withstood my magic.

I slipped my index finger in the ring that served as the weapon’s crossguard and my magic coursed through it. It’s double-edged blade glowed blue and I felt its familiar power resonate with me.

Djinn
− that was its name. The sword with a Jinn’s Core inside it. Hence the name.

I tend not to get overly creative.

The azure light bathed the music room. Most of the kids’ faces lit up, expressing awe and wonder. The one who asked for a demonstration was still not convinced.

“
Hmpf. That could be battery operated,” he said in a small voice.

I pointed the sword at him and willed my intention into the sword.
Djinn’s blade shot forwards, elongating to ten times its length. The azure blade shot past the boy’s face and the tip hit a cymbal behind him. The room fell silent, save for the sharp ring of metal against metal.

“Can’t do that with batteries,” I said with a grin. I selected
Djinn’s magic and the short sword reverted to its original state.

“Don’t try this at home
, kids,” I said as I sheathed the weapon and covered the handle with my coat. No need to have weapons sticking out – the police tend to not like that.

The kids began applauding. I actually blushed.

Amaymon had gotten a triangle and kept flicking his claws against it – making a very annoying sound.

“Wow. Y
ou never got applauded before,” he remarked.

“And who are you?” asked a girl.

Amaymon’s yellow eyes met hers and she recoiled. He threw away the triangle over his shoulder and it landed with a loud clatter. He knelt in front of her and bared his teeth, inches away from her face.

“
I’m the type o’ guy your mamma warned you against.”

“Knock it off,” I said as I slapped the demon on the head.

“Just tryin’ to have some fun,” he moaned as he got up and rubbed the spot where I hit him.

“Behave yourself,” I berated. He extended his tongue and went to look for his triangle.

“Sorry about him,” I said to the kids. “Please, carry on.”

*****

Two hours.

That’s how long I stood in that damn music room watching twelve high
schoolers each chanting in front of a plant, trying to make it blossom or in front of a candle, trying to manipulate the flame. There were one or two that had the tiniest shred of power but for most of the time, it was like watching paint dry.

Two hours of my life – gone.

I was ready to leave an hour and fifty-nine minutes ago but the prospect of solving a case kept me there.

Finally
, they all packed up and left, leaving only Francis and a very pretty girl standing there with us.

“Mr.
Ashendale, this is Yasmine,” introduced Francis. “You said you wished to speak with the first victim.”

“I do,” I replied. “I’m going to need you to tell me exactly what happened with Tobias,” I said to the girl.

It was hard to believe she was a high schooler. With that flowing light-brown hair, pixelated face and a figure that I’m pretty sure was designed by Victoria’s Secret, no wonder the psycho kid was after her.

Heck
, I was questioning some laws at the moment, too. That is, until I heard her talk.

She gave me a look and turned to Francis. “So
, what is he, like a cop? He’s creeping me out.”

Teenagers – nature’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Francis seemed to be expecting her attitude. “He’s the only one who can stop Tobias.”

She crossed her arms. “I don’t want him stopped. I want
him to pay.”

“And that’s exactly what we
’re gonna do,” said Amaymon. He flashed her a toothy smile. “But we gotta figure out how he does it. Once we figure out a weakness, that jackass is toast.”

She eyed him wearily.

“OK, fine,” she said finally. “The freak came up to me after we were done and put his icky hands on me. I pushed him away and he got angry. It was scary and creepy – the way he kept saying he could have whatever he wanted. When I told him to shove off he said something weird and . . .”

She touched her hair and rubbed her forehead.

“And what?” I asked gently.

Her eyes flashed in fear. “He did something to me, something to my head. I felt afraid of everything and I kept seeing the worst memories of my life replaying over and over again. Then
, I saw it − it was like a ghost or something. It was stuck to me.”

She paused, trying to repress those memories.

“Anyway, that’s when Jeremy stepped in. Once he talked to Tobias, the ghost and mental stuff disappeared. Tobias got even creepier and he threatened to make Jeremy suffer. He said he’ll take what is most precious to him, to all of us. That we would all bow down to him.”

Amaymon leaned in. “He must have meant the Cores.”

“Don’t forget the two kids,” I added. “They were Jeremy’s family.” I turned to the girl. “Did he say how he meant to make you bow to him?”

She crossed her arms. “I don’t know. I was too busy trying not to pass out from creepiness. Anyway isn’t it like your job to figure it out?”

“Kids these days,” remarked Amaymon. He eyed Yasmine like a cat eyes a mouse.

“But I
can see why you attract freaks − pretty lil’ piece of jail bait like you. How old are you?”

Her expression twisted into one of utter disgust. “I’m sixteen.”

The demon turned to me. “Is that underage law thing still on?”

“Yes!”

“Damn.” He shot Yasmine a toothy smile and she visibly recoiled. I slapped his head again.

“Thank
you for your help, Yasmine,” I said.

“Can I leave now?” she replied.

“Yes.”

I had barely finished the sentence
and she was already slamming the door behind her.

“Was it
somethin’ I said?” asked Amaymon.

“Why do I keep you around again?” I asked.

He shrugged. “I kick ass and have more than ten thousand years’ worth of knowledge in here,” he said, pointing at his head.

I rolled my eyes. “So
, use that head of yours and tell me why she’s still walking.”

“
I dunno – maybe cause she got a great ass.”

“Amaymon!”

He held his hands up. “Relax. Oh, here’s what I think. When he attacked cutie back there, he didn’t have the storage for the Core. Maybe the idea of stealing magic ain’t even occurred to ‘im yet.”

“So
, what the hell is he planning?” I asked. Frustration was steadily building up.

“He’s collecting all those Cores, but why?”

Think, Erik, think
.

He began druid practices, then moved onto the mental stuff. Somehow
, he found a way to shut down souls and steal Cores using phantoms.

Phantoms. Ghosts.

“Oh, fuck.”

Apparently I said that
aloud because both kid and demon stared at me.

“He’s planning a Hallow spell,” I said with sudden realization. “Think about it. He started off as a druid. You guys take the movement of the sun and equinoxes and all those dates seriously
, right?”

Francis nodded. “Yes. Those events are all part of nature’s cycle.”

“And what important event is coming up?” I continued.

“Halloween,” groaned Amaymon. “That would explain a lot. It’s th
e perfect condition for someone with ‘is powers.”

“Excuse me,” interjected Francis “but what happens during Halloween? As I understand, it’s a made-up holiday.”

“No way, man,” I said. “The holiday is a cover-up for the real thing. It’s a period where the spirit or ethereal dimensions resonate with this plane. For a short amount of time, their frequencies match up, making it easier to cross that border.”

“Oh,” he said.

“And that’s not the best part,” I continued. “All ethereal spells, like the ones Tobias uses – they all multiply in power.”

“Which explains why a kid like ‘
im can access the soul when even the highest level wizards are hard pressed for something like that,” added Amaymon.

“A Hallow spell is any ethereal spell powered by the forces of . . . well . . . Halloween,” I said.