literature

AC IV Ch 3 Cantrips

Deviation Actions

jinx1764's avatar
By
Published:
419 Views

Literature Text

AMELIORATION CHRONICLES IV- IDES OF MARCH

CHAPTER 3- Cantrips

.

.

Nearly an hour later Doug arrived at Rafferty's home as he concluded his preparations for the two Revealing Spells. The spells were of a simple nature consisting of four white lighted candles at the cardinal points with the item to be revealed in the center with a long incantation to be spoken without error. Rafferty chose to reveal the man's glass first hoping to discover any bit of information regarding his identity or location. Doug stood back impatiently but silently watching his former compatriot begin the lengthy chant as it required no interruptions else the spell would need to be begun again. As Rafferty's chanting reached its closing line a bright yellow glow engulfed the glass and hovered for several seconds before expanding suddenly to the boundaries held by the candles.

"Rafe, get down!" Doug shouted and leapt forward grappling Rafferty to the floor as he recognized a malfunction in the spell. Moments later the glass exploded with a loud pop and the sound and feel of shattering glass rained over the two men. Rafferty pushed Doug away brushing small glass shards off.

"I don't understand. I did the spell perfectly!" Rafferty exclaimed standing up and examining the candles and scattered remains of the glass. "You heard me, my chant was perfect."

"Yes," Doug agreed double checking Rafferty's inspection. "And the candles are appropriate?"

"Of course, everything is exactly the way it's supposed to be. The spell should've worked." Rafferty slammed his palms flat against the table rattling the candles until one fell over and rolled to the floor with a thud. Fortunately the small explosion extinguished all the flames.

"I agree. Something else must be interfering." Doug postulated but without further evidence his assumption was just that, an assumption. A contaminate could have ruined the spell as well but without the extra display and, of course, Rafferty's casting was also known to be rather shaky. "Perhaps I should perform the second incantation on the woman's glass, just in case?" Doug carefully phrased his question in an attempt to soothe Rafe's ego and gain his agreement. He watched Rafe's jaw muscles bunch and his shoulders tense in silence before he spoke in an agitated tone.

"Fine." Rafferty blurted then hastily cleaned the area preparing for the second spell casting. Once prepared, they retrieved the second glass and Rafferty retreated while Doug initiated the spell, careful to achieve perfection in his chanting. A short time later a glow infused the glass similar to before but it stabilized at the glass's edges. Gradually above the glass a fuzzy outlined image emerged depicting a building...an apartment building. Doug heard Rafe's surprised gasp behind him and felt the other man's presence as he moved closer; he hoped Rafe's usual blunders spared this currently successful spell.

"It's working!" Rafferty whispered in an awed voice.

"Shh! I have to concentrate." He focused his thoughts on his request for location information regarding the imprints attached to the glass and the image shifted until it showed the name of the apartment complex and a number floated into his mind then after a bit more concentration her name and a beautiful face.

"Sarah Williams." Doug said aloud closing his eyes releasing the spell in relief. A starting point, at least they salvaged something. If Rafferty's suspicions proved correct then this man bore a connection to this Sarah Williams and they could use this to their advantage with the Elders.

.

.

jsjsjsjsjsjsj

.

.

(The next scene in italics would theoretically be remembered in German since the original Illuminati were Bavarian but my German is sorely lacking these days as my lessons are over 20yrs old and my Latin...never good...so instead of butchering the languages I'm going to ask you to imagine that all speaking is in German and/or Latin as described.)

Jareth heard chanting surrounding him. Numerous male voices combining in a strange harmonious cacophony as if the men were unused to singing but a thread of excitement wove their voices together making the dissonance a haunting melody. With a belated shock Jareth recognized the words as Latin and this particular combination an ancient incantation of Binding. Forcing his surprisingly heavy eyelids open Jareth found himself in a large darken room, possible subterranean, lighted by numerous candles and surrounded by dozens of robed, masked figures. He realized a second later that his body and limbs were restrained apart in a position reminiscent of Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man, however significantly less artistic as he felt extremely weakened and beaten and certain he appeared worse. He wore only his pants, damaged beyond repair.

'How the bloody hell?' He wondered to himself and quickly strove for his magic finding none. Well, that wasn't entirely true. He sensed his magic quite powerfully but something like an invisible curtain separated it from his mental grasp and he noticed simultaneously that his pendant was missing from his chest. He felt it nearby but could not see it.

'Come on, old boy, what's the last thing you remember?' He asked himself. Well, there was traveling through Europe after answering a wish for someone's child to be taken. He didn't always bother to respond to Goblin King wishes as no requirement existed—it was, after all, his own invention to alleviate the ennui of immortality. The wisher accepted her dreams so no stimulating run through his Labyrinth, pity as it left him to his continued boredom and he chose to wander the countryside of Bavaria. Hang it all, Bavaria, months ago...he met a man, Adam...Adam Weishaupt that's it!

Memories inundated Jareth's exhausted mind as he recalled his rapid friendship with the well educated man. He so rarely ascertained much of lasting importance from mortals that he valued the unexpected friendship, until the betrayal months later. Somehow Adam hide his practice of sorcery and by the time Jareth comprehended the danger his friend and his secret group, the Illuminati conjured a temporary Binding spell upon him using personal physical artifacts causing his unconsciousness and capture. A deeper, more permanent Binding would take many more sorcerers and a great deal of time but the initial proved enough to keep him tethered to the mortal realm and powerless for days as the Illuminati attempted numerous, rather vicious spells upon him. They never answered his questions nor responded to his threats nor did they feed him causing him to weaken further.

"What do you want?" He screamed at the robed, chanting men who continued to refuse to answer. Did they experiment with magic? Possible...as the spells cast upon him seemed haphazard leaving him damaged physically and mentally. His head hung in exhaustion and pain, his long hair curtaining his face so that he did not see a lone figure approach.

"I am sorry, Jareth." A soft voice proclaimed and Jareth swung his head upright to meet the eyes of Adam Weishaupt, his former friend and leader of these mortal sorcerers. "If there were another way, if I could spare you this I would." Jareth discerned his pendant resting upon Adam's robed chest and a rage burned within him. So close!

"Why? Why are you doing this?" Jareth asked barely keeping the plea from his tone. He refused to cower before these humans, however powerful.

"Do you not understand? Even now?" Adam asked his middle-aged eyes gazing into Jareth's furious mismatched ones.

"I understand I am betrayed." Jareth snarled straining at his restraints, feeling the Binding magic being chanted settle on him further. Soon now and even his free will would be restrained. He must escape! Jareth mentally strained with all he possessed...he nearly touched his power! He felt it tingle at the edges of his mind, always a part of him yet an entity in and of itself.

"You are the Source!" Even in the dim lighting Jareth saw the madness for power infect Adam's eyes, heard it in his voice.

"Source? The source of what?" Jareth's question went ignored as Adam waxed on in glorious expectation.

"You will be my greatest gift to humanity!"

"Sorry, not big on being presented to the world before Christmas proper." He sniped in full sarcasm mode hoping to startle Adam. It apparently worked as Adam's temper snapped and slapped Jareth's face. The violent and unusual display from Adam caught the attention of several of the robed chanters causing them to falter breaking the perfect rhythm echoing in Jareth's ears and he seized the moment as he felt his power separated from him surge forward. Without hesitation he conjured his desires and the restraints dissolved dropping his body to his wobbly legs; he stumbled into Adam knocking him down.

"Wh- no! The Binding!" Adam entreated his followers to strengthen the chant but the damage already done Jareth's power rushed through the breach in the Binding spell and Jareth poured his intention through his magic. Every sorcerer exploded in fire until only he and Adam stood encircled by small bonfires of running, shrieking humans. Having used an immense amount of magic in one go while his body remained so fatigued, Jareth collapsed to his knees then prone wavering on the edge of unconsciousness but aware that Adam loomed over him.

"Everything I planned everything I worked for...ruined!" Adam kicked Jareth while he lie weakened before him, Jareth groaned rolling away from the crazed man and looked upwards. "You could have been reborn as a deity with me!"Adam declared frenzied aiming another kick.

"To be chained to your biding, I think not." Jareth raised a hand drawing on his power to quash this mortal betrayer but the shaking hand illustrated his extreme weakness. Instead he called his pendant to him and it leapt from Adam's chest to Jareth's hand. Coming to his senses Adam glanced around at the smoldering, crackling bodies littering the room, coughed once in the thickening smoke then turned and ran leaving Jareth to struggle alone.

Flipping over to his back, Jareth woke abruptly and kicked the bedclothes aggressively from overheated torso. His ragging panting filled his chambers as his eyes adjusted to the dark of his rooms and nightmare of that traumatic time slowly faded. How easily the memories surfaced after so long, over two hundred years and a single brush with an anonymous sorcerer dredged up this old nightmare. He scrubbed his face with his hands hoping to shrub his mind clean as well, no luck. The stench of burnt flesh lingered in his nostrils; the burning bodies of the chanting sorcerers fresh as a struck match. He knew he would never cleanse the smell from his mind and although he held no regrets for their deaths he hated remembering.

That night marked the end of the Illuminati and he never located Adam for further revenge, although he tried. The man's sorcery cloaked him well, hiding him from Jareth's scrying. Ever since that terrible time Jareth took care to cloak his own personal imprint upon the world and its objects around him. Never again would he knowingly allow mortals to use such things against him.

He checked his clock; the time quite late but a few hours remained before dawn and Jareth thought of Sarah whom he left yesterday evening. Sarah, his Sarah...so conflicted, always so confused in her emotions and the direction of their relationship; he resisted a strong urge to call on her. Required to be at her place of business today and still reeling from her admission he decided to avoid her for the present.

'That's a first, old boy, avoiding Sarah.' His inner voice commented amazed.

'Yes, well, I'm quite sure she feels the same for the present.' Jareth replied.

'Perhaps, perhaps not, you didn't exactly stay to chit-chat.'

'Can you blame me?' Jareth asked and refused to think of the beautiful brunette. Once she allowed the admission slip that his power concerned her his stomach and heart knotted. The very core of his being and she doubted it therefore she doubted him. How could she after all this time? Had he not proved himself worthy, more than worthy? The thought of facing her just yet twisted him.

'No, I suppose not.' His conscious reluctantly agreed.

'I just couldn't stand having her look at me like that; knowing that she prefers me without magic.'

'You know that's not true.' The voice admonished him. How could he disseminate it into such simple terms? Even as conflicted as she was she certainly didn't prefer that.

'True enough.' Jareth groused feeling quite sorry for himself.

'Jareth, that's not Sarah, not really. It's been a difficult year for both of you, give her time.'

'All I do is give her time.' He said more than a bit resentfully.

'Well, a bit more won't hurt then.' Jareth groaned and flopped back to his stomach to burrow his head under his pillow banishing thoughts of Sarah and Illuminati from his mind as best as possible. No more...no more...

.

.

jsjsjsjsjsjsj

.

.

Rafferty and Doug scouted the apartment complex revealed to be Sarah Williams's home early the next morning and observed her leave about thirty minutes after sunrise. Investigating further they quickly determined that powerful protection wards surrounded her home and no further in roads were to be made until she returned but this emboldened them, only someone with an immense amount of power and a longing to protect this woman would place such wards. So they left, prepared, and returned to her home early that afternoon to wait.

They watched her exit her vehicle a few hours later with a large purse and briefcase occupying her hands. Doug approached alone not wanting to frighten the woman if two men spoke to her. He fingered the cantrip in his jacket pocket; a prepared spell designed to disorient her, all he needed to do was touch it to her skin. He walked perpendicular to her path and he saw that she noticed his advance with no suspicion in her gaze yet.

"Ms. Williams?" He said causing her to stop and face him with several feet between them.

She cocked on eyebrow, "Do I know you?"

"We have a common friend." He said moving closer, she didn't move away.

"Excuse me? What friend?" She asked eyeing the stranger cautiously, just a few feet distanced them now and her eyes widened in alarm as Doug lunged and pulled something from his pocket which he smashed to the skin of her forearm.

"Jar—aahhhh..." Sarah swung her briefcase at the man striking his head and spinning away as she started to call for Jareth. The man struck her with something small and it caused her senses to muddle and fog making it impossible for her speak or even think coherently. She felt her knees give out but the man caught her before she landed on the sidewalk and swung her over his shoulders. Doug's head ached where her briefcase impacted his temple but no more than a bruise would result.

"Excellent, Ms. Williams, you're help will be invaluable." Doug spoke to her and while she heard him clearly her mind fumbled with the meaning of the words as whatever he exposed her to swamped her capabilities and she quickly lost consciousness.
Sarah runs afoul of bad guys and Jareth has to find her.
© 2012 - 2024 jinx1764
Comments0
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In