The Hidden Paths to Power (4 page)

“Since he murdered his parents, not much could be learned. His grandparents, his one aunt and two cousins had all been interviewed, before they dropped out of sight for the shame they felt. They all said the same thing. His father had no family and, when he married Ryan’s mother, they disappeared from everyone’s life. They lived a very insular life in that house. Ryan’s aunt was upset because she and her sister were very close before she got married.”

“Then it’s possible the roots of Ryan’s evil started within that house. Would you like one night to think about it before you make your choice? We need to start as soon as possible but you shouldn’t rush this. You must look deep within and decide freely if you want access to the power.”

“As much as I’ve tried listening to people, when they tell me I’m not to blame, I can’t help feeling responsible for him to some degree. Even if the roots of his evil started early, it was my telling him, I wouldn’t go to the dance with him, that sparked the flame; turning him into what he is now. I have the heart to fight evil. If I’m doing it, from behind the desk of an FBI field office or doing what you do, it makes no difference.”

“There’s actually a big difference but I understand what you’re saying. Follow me.”

I was led to a blank wall and watched as Doriane spoke a word then passed her hand over one section. A door appeared then we were traveling down to a basement. We must have gone down fifty steps till we came to a beautifully ornate door.

I grew more at ease when I saw the patterning on the door. There were leaves, flowers, animals and other signs that showed Doriane followed the clean, natural world. When the beautiful woman, who would become my teacher, opened that door, I felt a clean breeze, like springtime, lift my blonde hair and give me good goose bumps.

I was amazed when we stepped through the doorway. Soft candlelight filled the room and many smells from the various types of incense she used. The tiled, mosaic floor was inlaid with many symbols, whorls and patterning from the natural world. The walls were decorated with fancy cupboards that housed all the tools of the trade.

Doriane went to a cupboard and pulled out two real, silk pillows. I watched as she carefully placed them, so they would be in contact with certain symbols, then she bade me to sit on the one, closest to the north side of the room, and she sat on the other facing me.

I jumped a bit, when she waved her hand, and the room went dark.

I watched as the symbol that looked like a weird tree, began to glow directly between us, then four other symbols began to shine as their power was activated.

Doriane said, “Speak your full name then swear, you’re doing this of your free will.”

“I, Deana Marie Boller, do swear that, of my own free will, I am requesting my power be activated.”

All five of the glowing symbols turned green for a second before going back to white.

Doriane smiled, “That meant the power gauged the truth of your words. I, Doriane Eloise Lavoie, swear to take you, Deana Marie Boller, on as student from this day forward. Close your eyes and clear your mind as best you can of all thought. You will know when the power activates.”

I saw the symbols turn green for a second again then shut my eyes and tried not to think of anything. It was hard but the moment I reached a point, when nothing was going through my mind, I felt it.

A beautifully warm sensation, started in my chest, and spread throughout my body. In a short time, it went back to residing in my chest but a small sensation stayed with me.

I heard, “You can open your eyes.”

When I did, I saw Doriane covered in sweat.

As easy as it seemed to me, it apparently took tremendous effort to unlock the power, “Was it really that hard?”

“I’ve only woken the power in two others before you. You’ll understand when you start using it. Feeling the power awaken takes no effort. Using it is a different matter.”

She waved her hands, said two unfamiliar words and the symbols on the floor went back to sleep and the candles lit again then she continued, “Now, I can share the details about the changes you’ll experience. I’ll get the most shocking one out of the way first. How old do I appear to you?”

“Late twenties or maybe earlier thirties.”

“I was born in France - April 30, 1642. I’m not immortal but I, and now you, age much slower than normal humans.”

I was flabbergasted then she pulled her next surprise.

Getting up, she went to another cupboard, pulled out a hand mirror and brought it to me.

When I looked at my face, I was stunned. I had always been fairly good looking but now, I was as stunning as Doriane. All my little imperfections were reduced significantly.

I was wearing a long sleeve blouse, so pulled up the sleeve on my right arm, where I had a small scar, from when the officer tackled me off my bike.

It was gone and my skin was radiant just like the raven-haired beauty.

Once she gave me, what she considered, the appropriate amount of time to indulge a little vanity, Doriane returned the mirror to its place then sat across from me again, “You will heal quicker and it would take something very strong to make you sick. Again, I emphasize you’re not immortal or invulnerable. It just takes more to damage you. Now, I must share one of the negative effects. Because we live so long, a balance must be struck and therefore, you cannot have children. I do apologize that I could not share this with you beforehand but it is part of the rules. You must make this choice without the knowledge of the benefits and the penalties. You’ve now joined the ranks of the world’s guardians. It’s our job to ensure the natural balance of the world is maintained. Part of our job is to oppose those who use the darker magic. The darker aspects are necessary to the balance but those who practice them, do not usually have the restraint to stop committing foul deeds, before the balance tips too much and puts the world at risk.”

I was a little bothered by the knowledge, I couldn’t have kids anymore, but not as much as I thought I might. The idea, of being able to fight for the good side for so long, held more appeal to me, “I saw Ryan after he gained access to the power. He looked better than he did in school but not gorgeous. Why didn’t he gain this?”

“He probably did but the darker powers take a heavier toll. They also require doing some foul things to keep their power. We are the natural guardians but their power requires brute force and compelling things to act the way they want. We use the natural flow of the energies just present in the world around us and guide them but never force. The best way to describe it is, they make demands on the energies and have to fight resistance to force it to act as they desire. We ask permission so the energies are more willing to respond to us. You must never use your power to cause harm, except if you’re fighting a dark user. Our purpose is to watch the world’s balance and correct it when we see the need. Those don’t come up very often. Most of the time if we’re needed, it’s to combat someone who has gained access to the darker magic, and show signs of going out of control. That’s why we must search out Ryan’s teacher. We may not have to fight him or her but we must be aware of who it is.”

“How do I fight Ryan if I can only respond if it looks like he’s out of control?”

“It’s a tricky problem but based on what we know of his personality, and his obsession for you, he’s likely to go out of control soon. As bad as his actions have been, and how much they’ve impacted your life personally, he hasn’t done anything to tilt the balance dangerously. Death and torment are as much a part of the balance as life and harmony. You can’t stop death just as the darker users can’t stop life from occurring. Our primary task, after we see you trained a little, is to find Ryan and make sure we’re aware of what he’s doing; plus we must find out who trained him.”

“Can I defend people from him?”

“You can use all the defensive measures you want. You’re simply not allowed to cause harm unless the need is there. Part of your training will be to gauge the situation so you can determine if it’s necessary. Plus you’ll have spells that’ll allow you to sense if the balance is tilting dangerously out of control. After you’ve been doing this for a while, you’ll sometimes be able to sense it, even without casting the spells. I know it doesn’t sound like much right now but trust me, when you have several spells under your control, you’ll find we can be very effective in containing the damage those like Ryan can do. Eventually, he’ll reach a point, where you’ll have to do something more permanent about him.”

My training began the next night after Doriane came home from the shop. I slept for the first time in a long while without the fear of Ryan.

I trusted my teacher’s assessment of her power and knew, Ryan couldn’t find me.

I worried a little, about how he would react, when he discovered he couldn’t, but Doriane could sense her little pet and knew, it was keeping Ryan busy.

I won’t go into a long dissertation about the countless hours of study. Every day, she would give me a few spells to work on; first with her present then to practice during the day when she was at her shop.

I read the newspaper in the morning and watched the news on TV, for any sign Ryan would make the mistake my father hoped for, but nothing.

I did get teary-eyed, when I saw my family on TV, after my car was found abandoned in the movie theatre parking lot. The words my father used, let me know, he and the others knew I was hiding, without saying it publically. I even had to hide in the basement, the day officers were canvasing the neighborhood, with missing flyers of me.

My parents were putting up just enough of a show, I hoped Ryan would believe they had no clue where I was. They didn’t but I was hoping, Ryan would get the message, and leave them alone, when he discovered I couldn’t be found.

I’d been with Doriane for two months, when the events began that led to where I was currently, staring at Ryan waiting to see how he would start our war.

I was in Doriane’s guestroom, which had become my room, when the raven-haired woman arrived home and came straight to my doorway.

I saw the look of concern on her face, “My clay doll has been destroyed. Ryan, and possibly his mentor, are now aware, they’ve been played for fools for the last two months. We need to be more vigilant for their response, and it also means, Ryan’s mentor will be aware you found magical help.”

“Should I go out and try to find him?”

“You aren’t going anywhere near him without me, unless you have no choice. Since we don’t know when he started to learn magic, we don’t know how much more time he’s had to learn than you have. You don’t need to worry about me. You know how long I’ve been around. There are only five who are older than I and they all live in Europe and Asia. Ryan won’t have the knowledge or skill to challenge me. It’s his mentor that concerns me. I currently have knowledge of five dark users beyond Ryan. Three are watched over by the others I mentioned in Europe and one is currently floating without supervision. The one that I keep an eye on lives in Kansas and he hasn’t been in Colorado in over thirty years. Unless he’s found a way to keep me from sensing his presence, there’s an unknown practitioner of the dark arts living here in Colorado.”

With this unsettling thought swimming around my head, we headed down to the basement. I did most of my learning in here, as this was where the symbols were, and the various devices used in magic.

When we got down there, Doriane went to a locked cupboard and after speaking the keyword, opened it and brought out a polished box of black lacquer. She brought out the pillows we used to protect our butts from the hard tiles and had us sit in the middle of the floor.

Opening the box, she pulled out a foot-and-a-half long, piece of cherry, polished to a mirror finish.

Doriane began, “I think you know what this is. This is my wand. Hold it for a second.”

It was passed to me and I felt my power respond and could sense the power in it.

I handed it back and she continued, “The most important thing you must remember about wands is, they have no inherent power themselves. Without my skills, this would be nothing more than a stick. You could use a staff or even a golf club. The reason wands are made from wood is, it’s the best medium for containing prepared spells. Sometimes, when you’re fighting a dark user, or come across a situation when the balance is out of whack, you don’t have time for the long, complicated rituals. So we prepare spells that can be placed within the wand, waiting for either a keyword or gesture to activate them. When you’re ready, you need to find what fits for you because you must make your wand or staff on your own. I like the wand, and most of the others do as well, because it’s easier to hide. I don’t have to make up excuses, for why I’m carrying a simple length of cherry. The reason I don’t carry it with me all the time is, I’ve gained the skill, to place the spell on it that allows me, to call it to me when I need it. I’ve had this one for sixty years now. I’ve discovered, the hardwoods have the ability to hold more spells. Balsawood is good for containing a single spell then discarding it. Pine can withstand four or five spells and be reused a few times before a new one needs to be made. I’ll show you how to setup the spells within the wand once you’ve chosen what works for you.

“Tomorrow, we’re going to leave the house. I got a notice today at the store that some urgent electrical repairs need to be done, at the shopping strip where my shop resides. They’ll be turning off the power to the whole strip to get the repairs done. Tonight’s lesson is, the spell to shield your essence, so other magic users can’t sense your presence. This will allow you to walk around out there, without Ryan feeling your power. We’ll have to disguise your appearance though because, the moment you’re seen, someone may recognize you. Your picture isn’t on the news much anymore but it still shows up, when they do updates on missing people. I’ve also checked on your family. Your parents have left the state and your two friends, Tina and Debra, have about five people watching them at all times. I can tell, they’re getting annoyed with it but they don’t throw a huge fuss. They know it’s being done for a good reason.”