Jake's War, Book Two of Wizards
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Authors: John Booth
Jake’s War
Book Two of Wizards
By
John Booth
Jake is in solitary confinement, suspected of being involved in the disappearance of Bronwyn Matthews and the injuries to her parents. He's pretty happy to be there as his cheating on Jenny is preying on his mind and he's not sure how he can face her without telling her what happened.
But the multiverse waits for no man, not even a wizard. Bronwyn has been busy causing trouble in the Kingdom of Salice and her parents are not recovering from whatever she did to them.
When Jake discovers that the Matthews are expected to die, he knows he cannot continue to hide in prison. He must act and act quickly.
But is it already too late? Bronwyn has used his absence to steal the books of magic from the Salice Palace Library. She knows more about magic and is almost as powerful as Jake.
For Jake, it’s going to be nothing short of war.
JAKE’S WAR
Book Two of Wizards
Copyright ©2012 John Booth.
First electronic edition published by Pfoxmoor Publishing
Digital ISBN: 978-1-936827-80-0
Published in the United States of America with international distribution.
Cover Design by Sessha Batto
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the authors’ imaginations or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
CONTENTS
Chapter Fourteen: Home And Away
Chapter Twenty-Two: Revelations
Chapter Twenty-Three: Proposals
Chapter Twenty-Four: Anna’s Funeral
Chapter Twenty-Seven: Affairs Of State
Chapter Thirty-Three: Evolution
Chapter Thirty-Five: Decisions
Chapter Thirty-Seven: Wedding Eve
Chapter Thirty-Nine: Bronwyn’s War
Sergeant Brandon Jones escorted me into the interview room. I've been here so many times he didn't bother telling me what to do as I walked around the interview table and sat at the far end. My Brief gave me a wry smile from the chair alongside. I looked across the table at Inspector Thomas who glowered back.
The Inspector pressed the button on the recorder and announced our names into it, along with the date and time.
“I would like to protest that my client has been held for 20 days without charge in solitary confinement,” Mr. Carter, my Brief, pointed out. He'd been saying the same thing at the start of every session since I was arrested with only the count changing.
Inspector Thomas ignored him as usual and focused on me. No change there either. While Sergeant Jones was almost a friend, Inspector Ian Thomas was certainly an enemy out to get me. I found it all rather pathetic to tell you the truth.
“Where is Bronwyn Matthews? She's only eleven years old, Jake. For the love of God tell us where she is.”
Bronwyn Matthews was the reason I was in custody. As far as I knew she was safe in the Kingdom of Salice on another world, but that was hardly something I could tell the Inspector. That sort of thing doesn't happen, does it? And I didn't want him to use insanity as an excuse to keep me locked up forever. The Inspector and I have a bit of a history.
My name's Jake Morrissey. I'm eighteen years old and from the age of eight I knew I was a wizard. That's an unlikely name for someone who's only seen wands in the movies and certainly doesn't want to try riding a broomstick. But eight was when I discovered I could hopscotch to other worlds, and a Wise Man on one of them told me I was a wizard and I believed him.
Wizards are as rare as hen's teeth throughout the multiverse, so it was a bit of a shock to discover Bronwyn was a wizard in my own town. The first time she went missing I tracked her to another world. Her experiences over there were pretty bad and I've been trying to sort her out by showing her some good places along with a bit of friendship. We invited her to a party at the Palace over in Salice and when she arrived she said she was going to stay. What I didn't know at the time was that she had done something terrible to her parents when they tried to stop her.
“My client has answered that question a hundred times,” Mr. Carter put in while I was lost in memories. I added my standard response when he finished.
“I'm sure she's safe and will turn up when she chooses to.”
Inspector Thomas snarled and switched off the recorder. I switched it back on again with a flick of the mind. I'd been doing this for some time and when somebody bothers to listen to the recordings they were going to get a hell of a shock over the things the Inspector had committed to tape.
“This isn't just assault, Jake. Mr. and Mrs. Matthews are dying, so it's a double murder charge you'll be facing.”
It felt as if he had stabbed me. I liked Mr. Matthews. He was a strict father, assuming I believed Bronwyn, but he was a good man. I'd thought he and his wife were only injured. This was the first time anybody had told me they were dying. The Inspector must have noticed how shook up I was.
“I see that's shaken you. Take him back to the cells, Jones, and let him think on it.”
I don't remember walking back to the cell. The next thing I was aware of was sitting on my bunk staring at the whitewashed brick wall.
This may sound daft, but I'd been enjoying my stay in the cells. That may be the reason I was still there as Esmeralda reckons my magic affects the world around me. I hadn't been allowed visitors and that meant I didn't have to see Jenny. Jenny's my girlfriend and I love her with all my heart. However, on our last trip to Salice things got a little out of hand and I ended up having sex with Princess Esmeralda. She's the very determined heir to the throne of Salice and I've been a pawn in her game to keep her kingdom safe. Did I mention that my life is complicated?
Part of me wants to tell Jenny what happened that night and a bigger part of me is determined to keep it a deep dark secret. I can't lose Jenny and I won't control her mind. The very idea makes me cringe. But I could if I wanted to and I just might if she ever tried to leave me. That's why staying in jail wasn't bothering me; it was giving me time to think.