Chapter Ten

Caleb woke up screaming as if his life was in danger. I sat up and grabbed him.

“Caleb! Hey! Caleb, it’s okay! Calm down!” I pulled him close to me, trying to stop his panic. Slowly, he calmed and rested his head on my chest as we laid back down. He was breathing heavily.

“What happened?” I asked, stroking his hair.

“I…” he stuttered, catching his breath. “I-I-I don’t know.”

“What made you scream?”

“I-I don’t know.”

“But why would you scream if you-“

“I said I don’t know, Jade!” He glared at me angrily.

“O-okay. I’m sorry.” I heard my voice shake as I spoke. I stayed quiet after that.

At some point, we fell asleep again. I woke up the following morning with Caleb holding his head in both hands, leaning forward on the edge of the bed.

“Stop it,” he said quietly. “Stop it, stop it. Stop! Stop it!” He started to rock. “STOP!”

I sat up, putting my arms around him. As I did, he jumped.

“Hey!” He shouted, then instantly calmed himself. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay,” I reassured him quietly. “What’s going on?”

He leaned into me, gripping my arms. “I can’t explain it.” He put his hands on his head again. “I’m seeing a shadow in my dreams, hearing a voice I just can’t place. But I know it. Somehow.” He looked at me, his eyes glowing red and the whites of his eyes red and bloodshot. “I don’t know what’s happening, Jade. I’m losing my mind. What’s going on?” He started to sound frantic. “What’s going on?!”

“Shh, shh,” I held him close. “I don’t know, but I’m here, my love. We’ll figure it out.”

“Figure it out?” He asked quietly. “Really?”

“Caleb, I didn’t mean it in a bad way.”

“I mean, you’re the one who cast the spell, didn’t you?” He barked. “How can you just not know?”

“Morgyn told you this-“

“Yeah!” He shouted. “He did, and I still don’t understand it! That shadowy figure. Who is that?”

“I don’t-“

“I know you don’t know!” He stood up, causing me to almost fall forward. I caught myself and moved back onto the bed.

“Taking it out on me isn’t going to change a damn thing, now is it?” I spoke calmly despite my anger, glaring at him.

His expression softened. “You’re right, I’m sorry.” He sighed and paced the room.

I stood up and walked out of the room, taking an outfit with me to change into in one of the bathrooms downstairs. I walked out onto the streets of San Myshuno and looked around. I needed to just go somewhere. For some reason, Caleb’s behavior really angered me, and I needed to get out for some air. I thought for a moment. I should have told Morgyn or Kris first, but instead, I just left. Sighing, I just walked to the food stalls, ordering some ramen and sitting at one of the picnic tables to eat it. I pulled out my phone and texted Morgyn.

“Watch out for Caleb,” I wrote, “he’s really on edge.”

“Where are you?” He replied.

“I’m just downstairs at the food stalls.”

“I’m coming down.”

“Wait, tell Kris.”

“I will.”

Within a few minutes, he was beside me. He took my hand. “I heard the argument.”

“There wasn’t much of one,” I said coarsely. “He snapped, I snapped back and left.” I shrugged.

Morgyn furrowed his brow. “I was hoping he’d be alright.”

I nodded. “Yeah, well now we need to figure out how to help him.”

We sat, deep in thought for a little while. Finally, I decided to go back up. As I stepped out of the elevator, Caleb immediately came up to me.

“I’m so sorry,” he said quietly, wrapping his arms around my waist.

“Yeah, me too.” I didn’t want to say anything else. I didn’t want to upset him again.

“I don’t blame you for this,” he said. “I know you didn’t mean for this to happen.”

I nodded solemnly.

We parted ways after a little while, with Morgyn and I going to the realm. The day passed quickly, though, and before I knew it, it was time to go. As Morgyn and I packed up for the day, I got a text.

“What the hell is up with Caleb today?”

I glanced at my phone and sighed. It was Lilith. She didn’t know what had happened.

“Where are you?” I replied.

“At your house. Caleb is just cranky over practically nothing.”

“I attempted to heal him.”

“From what?”

“An encounter with Vlad. But my magic mixed with Vlad’s dark magic and caused….that.” I glanced around. “Meet me at Stargazer in 5.”

“You got it.”

With teleportation, I could get to the lounge in no time. I walked up to Morgyn and kissed his cheek.

“I’m going to meet Lilith at Stargazer.” I gazed at him. “Please, be careful with Caleb. It’s my understanding that he’s particularly grumpy.”

Morgyn rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the heads up.”

I sighed and gave him a sympathetic gaze. “I’ll be home soon.”

He nodded. “See you then.”

And with that, we teleported away to go to our respective places.

I walked right up to the bar and ordered two drinks; a root beer float for me and a Plasma Jane for Lilith. Unlike her brother, Lilith couldn’t have regular food. She would get sick if she did. Plasma Janes were made specifically for vampires. Especially nice ones like the Vatores. Not only was it safe for those who couldn’t normally consume bar drinks, but it also helped quench their thirst.

Lilith approached me and greeted me with a hug. “Hey. What happened?”

We sat down with our drinks and I explained the altercation with Vlad.

“He’s…dead?” She asked, shocked.

I nodded. “Yes. And my healing spell clashed with this dark magic, causing this shift in Caleb. I know he doesn’t mean it, and he seems genuinely sad, but it’s beyond his control. I just don’t know what I can do to stop it, or help him.” I took a sip of my drink, gazing out past the pool to the sky. It was dusk, and the dark orange hues of the day were disappearing into an endless sea of dark blue. Slowly, the skyscrapers lit up, giving way to the city’s second wind. It was never truly dark here. The city lights kept even the darkest of nights bright, constantly ready for the night crowds to take over from the day crowds.

As I stared, I heard Lilith’s voice. “But isn’t there always a counteraction in magic?”

I nodded again. “Yes, but none has been found for this. Morgyn and I have been looking as well, but we have nothing to go on. It’s not in any book, and it’s hard to try to create without potentially dabbling in dark magic. It may go uncured.”

Lilith looked down and fidgeted with her hands. “I think you’re forgetting something, or someone who could help you.”

I looked at her, studying her face, confused.

She gazed back up at me. “Marco Lew.”

“Mar- but he’s dead, Lilith. I killed him.”

“You guys have spells to call on ghosts for help.”

She wasn’t wrong. But I wasn’t sure I wanted to find Marco to ask him anything. He was almost as cunning as Vlad was. He had ways to get what he wanted, no matter what the cost.

But, Lilith was right. If anyone could point us in the right direction, it would be one of the dark sages himself.

I sighed. “I guess I know what I need to do.”

She put her hand on my shoulder. “Remember, he’s even more powerless as a ghost. He won’t put you through the same stuff he did before.”

I shuddered, remembering the hell we went through under Marco’s reign. There had been so much sadness and frustration. He tried to kill Caleb and Lilith by locking them away without plasma packs. He had us all under mind control, making us forget our homes, our families, anything about the lives we lived outside of the realm. We couldn’t leave the realm or show affection around Marco. No matter where we were, he could hear everything. He even cast an alluring spell on me and appointed me as his “queen” for a couple weeks. Yeah, I didn’t like him. Killing him was my perfect closure.

But if this was what was necessary to counteract what I had done, then so be it.

After Lilith and I talked some more, we parted ways. I headed home and walked in to find Caleb walking out. He looked sad.

“Oh.” He stopped and looked at me. “I’m going to stay with my sister for awhile.”

“Wha- why?” I furrowed my brow.

“I hate being like this, and I can’t control it.” He sighed. “I don’t want to keep lashing out. Lilith has always known how to keep me grounded.”

I felt tears fill my eyes. “I understand.”

He pulled me into a hug. “It’s temporary, my love. Just until we find a way to fix this.” He pulled away and gazed at me. “And no matter what I say when I’m upset, I do not blame you.”

I nodded.

He hugged me again. “I love you.”

I buried my face in his shoulder and let my tears fall. “I love you too.”

He left and I went inside. I went straight into the bathroom to wash my face of the tears and blotches. I was nervous on top of being sad that Caleb felt the need to leave. Nervous to face Marco again. Alone.

As the next few days would show, this proved to be difficult. I returned to his grave several times. I sat and waited after casting Necrocall for a long time. Nothing.

“Maybe he crossed over,” I said with a sigh. “Back to square one.”

As I continued my sage duties that day, there were a few times something caught my eye, but when I looked, there was nothing there. Finally, as I started to head for Caster’s Alley, I was stopped by a ghost. It was Marco!

“Wait, what?” He said, looking me up and down. “You summoned me?” He crossed his arms. “This has to be a mistake.”

He turned to leave, but I stopped him. “No, wait. It wasn’t a mistake.”

He glared at me. “Then why? It wasn’t bad enough that you killed me, but now you can’t even let me rest in peace?”

“I need your help,” I admitted.

He scoffed. “Help. Why would I help you?”

“You have no reason to.” I shrugged.

“Damn right I don’t,” he growled.

“But if you do, you’d get the recognition you crave.”

His expression softened. “How?”

“Your name would be printed in books. You would be credited for the creation of a counteraction spell.”

He looked skeptical. “How can I trust you?”

“Would I have called on you if I didn’t actually need you?” I glared at him.

He stepped closer and grinned. “Perhaps you missed me.”

“I’m not playing your games, Marco.” I turned to walk back into HQ. “Come on..we have work to do.”

“I think you’re forgetting something.”

“What?”

He held out his hand. “Let me see your wand.”

I took out my wand and placed it in his hand. Only, it didn’t stay. It phased right through his hand and hit the grass at our feet.

“I’m not much help to you if I can’t hold anything.” He laughed softly. A genuine laugh. Not like his usual.

I actually laughed with him a little. “God, Morgyn is going to kill me.” I cast the dedeathify spell, and Marco was before me again, the way he was the day I killed him. My heart skipped a beat. I was nervous. What if he tried to do what he did before?

“So, what’s the plan?” Marco crossed his arms in front of him. “Had to have been something real big for you to summon the man you hate so much.”

I shrugged. “Consider this as a chance to redeem yourself.”

“Redeem myself?” He glared at me. “That’s what this is about?”

“No, that’s not what this is about.” I stepped toward him. “I already told you I need your help.”

“With what?” He demanded. “What are we doing here?”

“We need to create a counteract spell.” I laughed.

Marco glanced around nervously. I decided to extend an olive branch to him to see his reaction.

“Don’t be nervous,” I reassured him. “I’ll make sure no one hurts you.”

“You’re granting me immunity, eh?” He grinned.

I glared at him. “Don’t push your luck.” I started walking. “Let’s do this.”

As we stepped into HQ, Morgyn was walking out. He froze when he saw Marco.

“Jade,” he said quietly.

I froze as well. “Morgyn, I know why he’s here.”

Morgyn glared at Marco. “You died. I saw it. How are you here right now?”

“That’s not important. I’m here to help,” Marco spoke up. He held out his palms. “Remember, I have no power here. And this time, I don’t plan to gain any power.”

Morgyn furrowed his brow and glared at Marco. “How can I trust you?”

Marco stepped toward Morgyn. He held out his hand. “I guess you can’t trust me. But I’m giving you my word.”

Morgyn shook his hand. “I still don’t like you.”

Marco nodded. “I don’t expect you to.”

I watched this interaction. Marco was a master manipulator. There was no way any of this was genuine.

“Alright, so let’s get to work,” I said quietly.

Marco turned to me. “What exactly is this counter spell for?”

“The effect on a host when light and dark magic are combined.” I gazed up at him.

He nodded, looking off in the distance. “I see. So that’s why you need me.” He turned to Morgyn. “In order to create this spell, you need to allow black magic here.”

Morgyn glared at him. “I know where this is going. I won’t let you manipulate us.”

“Morgyn,” Marco shook his head. “Even if you allow black magic, I still have no power.”

Morgyn sighed and looked at the floor. “I don’t like this.”

I looked around and saw people beginning to stare. “Let’s go somewhere else.”

I led them all to the buildings in Caster’s Alley. We walked up into the building I had lived in with Caleb and Morgyn and sat on the couch.

“Marco, do you have any idea what we can do?”

He sat beside me as Morgyn sat on my other side. “To be honest, no, but I think if we all put our heads together, we can create something.”

“How can you help with no power?”

He sighed. “I can help guide you.” He lowered his voice as if he were afraid others could hear. “I can teach you black magic.”

“With no power?”

He shrugged. “I can teach it to you without using magic. It just might take a bit longer.”

I nodded.

“What if I allowed it on a trial basis?” Morgyn spoke quietly.

Marco gazed at the floor, in thought. “I don’t know if I want that.”

“Wait, what?” Morgyn’s glance shot up to Marco. “You don’t want…power?”

“No,” Marco closed his eyes and shook his head. “I want trust. Magic will not give me that.”

I grinned. “Jeez, you must have really hit your head when you died.”

He laughed softly. “Nah. Perhaps I just learned that being hateful and vengeful gives you absolutely nothing. Maybe I’m taking your ‘second chance’ comment seriously.” He gazed at me. “Why do you need this spell anyway?”

I explained what happened with Caleb, Kris and Vlad.

“Oh,” he replied with a shocked expression.

“Yeah. I tried to use magic to heal Caleb and ended up making him angry and aggressive.”

Marco shuddered. “Angry and aggressive Caleb is something I never want to encounter.” He cleared his throat. “Um, again.”

I nodded. “I’ll do my best to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“So will I,” he smiled slightly.

“So I think we should use one of these buildings as our practice area,” Morgyn said. “The last thing I want is people knowing Marco is alive. People will come for you with pitchforks and torches.” He glanced at Marco.

“Couldn’t he teach us at home?” I asked.

“You want him to know where we live?”

I sighed and saw Marco hang his head.

“I trust him,” I said finally.

Morgyn stood up and paced. Marco watched him.

“I get it,” he said quietly. “I was a dick, but honestly, it was all jealousy.”

Morgyn stopped and glared at him. “You held us all captive and literally became a tyrant over jealousy?”

I held my hand up. “Morgyn…”

“No! Is that really what you’re saying?” He eyed Marco angrily, waiting for a response.

“Morgyn, I wasn’t the one that cast that memory loss spell. That was Damien.” Marco stood up. “He placed me in that position because I was more powerful than he was.”

Morgyn scoffed. “So you’re saying that you were totally innocent in that whole charade?”

“No!” Marco growled. “I’m not saying that. I wasn’t innocent by any means. My intent when returning to the realm was to be accepted again. When that didn’t happen, Damien sought revenge, and I certainly didn’t stop him. It was power I wanted, and I would stop at nothing to get it.” He narrowed his eyes. “But now, I don’t want that power. Jade requested my help, and that’s what I’m trying to do.”

I stood up. “Guys, stop, please. Morgyn, leave him be. Let his actions speak louder, right?”

Marco stepped back, his expression softening. He didn’t say a word.

Morgyn continued to glare at him. “What, nothing to say?”

“Morgyn!” I snapped. “Drop it, okay?”

Morgyn narrowed his eyes, and Marco sighed. “No, I have nothing to say. I deserved that.”

“Okay, great,” I let out an exasperated sigh. “Can we get to work now?” I felt a wave of nausea and took a pill to ease it.

“What’s that?” Marco asked.

“Anti nausea.” I looked at him. As he continued to look at me, I continued, “I have, uh, a condition that causes nausea.”

“You’re pregnant,” he said bluntly.

I nodded.

He shifted his weight as if he were uncomfortable. “Well, uh, congrats.”

I smiled warmly. “Thank you.”

“We can’t do this at HQ,” Morgyn said. “If people see Marco, they’ll freak out.”

I thought for a moment. “We could just explain-“

“We aren’t supposed to dabble in black magic at all,” Marco reminded me.

Morgyn’s eyes darted over to him. “Yes, Marco’s right. And if we were ever caught, we would all be banished.”

Marco grinned a little. “At least I wouldn’t be lonely over there.”

Morgyn glared at him, but I stifled a giggle. Marco smiled at me, as if he was truly happy someone was getting his humor. Common ground? With Marco? It was hard to believe.

“My offer still stands to practice at our house.” I shrugged, glancing at Morgyn.

“But if Caleb sees…”

“I’ll handle it.” I looked at Marco, who seemed genuinely worried when Caleb was mentioned. He didn’t seem intimidated by Caleb when he had power over us, and would sometimes even antagonize him, but now that he was powerless again, Caleb was a real threat. Just the mention of Caleb made Marco nervous.

Morgyn sighed. “Let’s go.”

We teleported back to the apartment. Morgyn immediately stormed inside, and as Marco started to follow, I grabbed him.

“Listen,” I said, looking straight into his eyes. “I can see you’re trying to make a change. But if you do anything suspicious…” I summoned a small bit of magic between my fingertips. “I won’t hesitate.”

He nodded. “I understand.”

I also nodded. “Alright, now that we’ve got that out of the way-“

“Wait,” he stopped me. As I looked at him, he pulled me into a hug.

“Ah!” I exclaimed, not expecting it.

He pulled away. “I suppose that was out of character.” He smiled warmly. “I just wanted to say thank you, and….well….I’m sorry.”

“Come on,” I said, leading him in. “I think there’s someone else who’d like to hear that as well.”

As we stepped in, Marco cleared his throat. “Uh, Morgyn?”

Morgyn turned around.

“I want to apologize for everything I put all of you through.” He sighed and hung his head, closing his eyes. “There’s absolutely no excuse or justification for what I did. I was stupid, and selfish, and downright childish. No matter what I say, it won’t change the past. But I wanted to say I’m sorry. I will do everything I can to ease your mind that this will never happen again.”

Morgyn nodded, gazing at Marco with a curious expression. None of us expected that. “Well, I can’t say I forgive you, but I do believe you’re trying to make a change.” He smiled slightly. “And that’s a great start.”

Marco’s eyes brightened.

“Alright, so,” Morgyn rubbed his hands together. He grabbed the book from the shelf and led us to the cauldron. “I’m not sure if we should try to create a potion or a spell. I don’t know what would work the best for this situation.”

Marco looked up as he thought about it. “Well, black magic can be difficult to get into a potion,” he admitted. “And you run the risk of the target potentially being too defiant to drink it. Being able to cast a spell would be the best option.”

Morgyn nodded. “Good point.” He mumbled a few spells to himself, holding out his hand and practicing them as he spoke. “No,” he said quietly. “Those wouldn’t work.”

“I, uh,” Marco suddenly seemed nervous again. “I think it’s best that the groundwork of the spell be black magic, or we would run the risk of the light magic further mixing with the black. If it masks itself as a black magic spell, then the existing problematic magic wouldn’t have a problem letting it in.”

I listened to this, surprised that Marco knew exactly what he was doing. I already knew he was a sage, but only by means of being in a realm all his own. The way he seemed to me was just a big baby who cast magic when he didn’t get his way. But right now, he seemed to be on the same level as Morgyn and I, sharing his knowledge and making very valid points.

“You’re right,” Morgyn agreed. “This whole thing started because of light magic trying to cure black magic. This passage does mention death being a potential side effects, and we don’t want to cause more harm than good here.”

Marco smiled, proud of himself.

We continued, trying and failing for hours, until Morgyn said we should take a break. He glanced out the window. “It’s getting late. I was hoping we would have something by now.”

Marco shook his head. “I think even the greatest spellcasters struggled to create a spell like this. It’s so…” he stopped and yawned. “Complex, and draining.”

“And Marco is still the only one who knows black magic here,” I added.

Morgyn sighed. “Alright, so tomorrow’s plan is we take the day off from the realm and learn black magic from Marco.” He looked at me, then at Marco. “And we keep it completely secret from everyone else.”

Marco and I nodded in unison.

“I’ll head out then,” Marco said. “Going to explore the city. I’ve actually never been here before. I’m itching to check it out.”

“Oooh!” I exclaimed, my love for the city taking over. “Want company?”

“I…” Marco stopped. “Wait, really?”

“Yeah, really?” Morgyn looked at me, surprised.

“Sure! It’s easy to get lost here, and I think I’d make a pretty good tour guide.”

“I’ll tag along too,” Morgyn agreed. I didn’t know if he was doing it to protect me, make amends with Marco or because he truly wanted to. “But before we go…” he stepped closer to Marco. “There’s something I need to do.” He took out his wand, casting a spell to replenish Marco’s power and reinstate his magic. “Please don’t make me regret that.”

Marco looked at his hands as magic crackled through them and down his fingertips, a mixture of red, black and white bringing his magic to life again. “Thank you, ” he said. “I promise you won’t regret it.”

“Well,” Morgyn smiled. “I guess the first step is showing you around the city, eh?” He started to walk, and Marco and I followed. As we did, Marco’s hand brushed mine and there was a shock.

Marco quickly moved away. “Whoa.” He looked at his hand. “I’m sorry, I have no idea what that was. I must have-“

I started laughing. “Marco, that wasn’t you.” I held out my hand, and he touched his fingertips to mine. “It was our magic.” I smiled warmly as there was another shock.

He pulled his hand back and waved it back and forth. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Morgyn cross his arms in front of him, glancing between us. Was he jealous?

Marco still looked confused. “But, how?”

I smiled and started walking. “Morgyn and I can explain that on the fly, right?” I nudged Morgyn’s arm with my elbow.

“Mhm,” Morgyn agreed quietly. Truth be told, I knew why he was acting like this. When we first discovered the shocks happened between us as well, we realized it could also cause attraction. It was one of the reasons we ended up in a relationship. Though, based on the fact that I wasn’t attracted to Marco like that, I knew that Morgyn and I just had a little thing for each other from the start anyway. The magic just intensified it.

But Morgyn was apparently not sold on the idea.

We wandered around the city, talking about magic, combined power and the shocks it created, all while giving Marco the grand tour.

“This place is gorgeous,” he said. “I see why you love it so much.” He smiled at me.

I smiled back happily. “Yes, aside from the realm, I have to say my favorite places are San Myshuno and Sulani.”

“Ah,” Marco nodded. “I vacationed in Sulani once. Never wanted to leave.”

I laughed quietly. “I don’t blame you there.”

“But I don’t want to leave here either,” he mused. “I think I might just have to buy a place here.”

“If you find one, snatch it quick,” I advised. “Places here, especially on this side of the river go quickly.”

Marco nodded, gazing up at the buildings around us, taking in the sights, sounds and smells as well as the advice I was giving him. We continued walking until we got too tired. We parted ways as Marco said he would check into a hotel, and Morgyn and I headed home.

“I didn’t realize his power matched yours,” Morgyn said, staring straight ahead, annoyed.

I quickened my pace and stood in front of him, stopping him. “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying it looks like Marco is smitten by you.”

“He’s not,” I reassured him. “He’s trying to make things right. He may be overcompensating a bit, but do you blame him? He put us through hell.”

“Do you really believe he’s changed?”

“I believe he’s really trying to,” I said. “He wasn’t very patient before. If he wanted to do something to us, he would have by now.”

Morgyn sighed. “And what happens if we create this counter action spell and he is recognized? Will he go back to the way he was?”

“No,” I shook my head. “Because he would have realized that working on the side of good with others is what gives you the most power and recognition.”

“Yeah, I guess.” He closed his eyes.

“Don’t overthink it,” I reassured him. “I’ve already threatened him. Twice.”

He laughed softly. “I suppose you made your point with him then.”

I put my arm around his waist and rested my head on his shoulder as we continued walking. “Yes. Yes I did.”

Once we got home, we immediately went upstairs. Working on magic all evening had really taken its toll on us, and we needed sleep.

As we laid down, I started to get emotional. Caleb’s absence was apparent, and while we could block it out while working on the spell, we couldn’t now.

He gazed at me. “Why does something always need to overshadow the good things that happen in our lives?”

I sighed. “Jewel.”

“Yes,” he stroked my hair.

I smiled a little. “Thinking about it makes all of this at least a little better. I’m excited to tell her.”

“Me too,” he smiled as well. “I was trying to plan a party for her, and allow her to invite some friends here to celebrate.”

“That would be great for her,” I nodded.

He gazed at me for a moment. “Yes.”

I pulled myself up a little, and he faced me, kissing me softly. I wrapped my arms around him.

“Make me forget all of this,” I whispered.

He looked at me, tilting his head. “Are you sure?”

I felt a slight shock as he lowered his shield. I nodded. “Yes.”

He kissed me again, pulling me closer to him. There was another shock that tingled through my whole body.

*******************

I awoke the next morning ready to start the day. I was excited, but nervous. For starters, black magic. I was nervous about learning it because we were forbidden to practice it. Morgyn and I were taking a huge risk by dabbling in black magic, but we didn’t have a choice. Then of course, Marco. All of the spellcasters would be so angry if they knew I had revived him, but if they knew why, I hoped they would understand. But of course, working with Marco had it’s complications as well. We all had to have a certain level of trust in each other, and I was nervous to trust him at all. He really did seem like he wanted to make things right, but just the thought of trusting him after all he had done didn’t sit right with me.

I took a deep breath. Now wasn’t the time for second guessing. We needed to get Caleb back. I headed downstairs and made breakfast. Just as I finished, there was a knock at the door. I answered and saw Lilith.

“Hey, may I come in?”

“Of course!” I stepped aside to let her in. “What’s going on?”

“I think I know what’s going on with Caleb,” she said. “Aside from this spell thing, he’s being haunted by Vlad. He’s starting to blur the lines between reality and fantasy, causing Caleb to think that Vlad is still alive. Taunting him.”

I furrowed my brow. “How is he acting?”

“Definitely not like himself.” She sighed. “He’s so angry. I haven’t seen him this angry since Ruby died. Of course, then he had someone to calm him-” she stopped and looked at me, eyes wide. “Erm, well, anyway, I just wanted to tell you.”

I looked at her, confused. “Okay? Well, Marco, Morgyn and I are working toward something to help Caleb. I can only hope it will rid him of Vlad as well.”

“Marco actually agreed to help?” She seemed surprised.

“Yes, I did,” Marco said from behind her. “You left the door open, Jade.” He laughed quietly as he shut the door.

Lilith glared at him, and he looked away, avoiding eye contact.

“Uh, I’ll go find Morgyn.” He walked away.

“That was odd,” Lilith said, watching him leave. “No confrontation, no snarky comment.”

I smiled. “Yesterday, he apologized to Morgyn and I. Said he was going to use his revival as a second chance and make things right.”

“Whoa.” She seemed impressed. “You’ve trained him well.”

I giggled. “Trained. Sure.” I motioned to Marco and Morygn. “I think maybe we should share your findings with them. See if they know anything about hauntings.”

We walked over to them, and Lilith stood tall, as if she was waiting for a confrontation. Marco glanced at her, then back at me. Once again, he was avoiding eye contact.

“Caleb is staying with Lilith and she has found that he is being haunted by Vlad. Like, in his mind.” I shrugged. “Would this have to do with that mixture?” I looked at Marco as I spoke, because I was pretty sure Morgyn wouldn’t know the answer.

“Hmm,” Marco looked as if he was thinking back to something. He closed his eyes. “I mean, it’s possible, but unlikely. Are we talking about Vladislaus Straud?”

“You know of him?”

Marco laughed. “Who doesn’t? Big bad vampire. Rude ass guy. I personally was never scared of the scrawny man, but I know he’s a real dick. Not to compare, but I’d say he was even worse than I am…erm…was when it came to getting his way.”

He continued to rant, and I grew more and more amused as he did. Lilith and Morgyn seemed to as well, just listening to Marco go on and on about how horrible Vlad was. He realized he was ranting and looked at all of us staring at him with small, cheeky grins on our lips.

“Done now?” I asked with a chuckle.

“Uh, yeah.” He laughed quietly. “I was going to say that I’m not sure about vampire magic vs spellcaster magic. While they’re both build on the same foundation, vampire magic can be expanded and manipulated to suit the vampire. Black spellcaster magic tends to pretty much be all very similar, only really differentiating based on what type of magic the spellcaster practices; practical, untamed or mischief.” He paused for a moment. “And alchemy, if they make black potions.” He gave me a slight smile.

I nodded and looked at Lilith, who seemed fascinated with Marco’s knowledge.

Marco grinned. “See, Lilith, I’m not just a pretty face.” He walked past her, prompting a slap in the face.

My eyes widened. I had no idea how Marco would react to that, but to my surprise, he started laughing. He held his face and looked at Lilith. “Okay, you got me. I deserved that.”

“Damn right you did.” She glared at him.

I also glared at him. “Marco, you’re not really earning any brownie points with remarks like that.”

He waved his hand, revealing a bright red mark on his face. “I think Lilith just needs a better sense of humor.”

I jumped between them before Lilith could hit him again. “Okay! Alright! So clearly Lilith and Marco need to be separated.” I pushed Marco to Morgyn, adding to the distance between him and the angry vampire.

“Here I was thinking you were making an effort to be better,” Lilith mumbled.

“I am!” He growled back. “I guess certain people just set me off better than others.”

“I literally didn’t even do anything.” Lilith threw her arms up in frustration.

Marco opened his mouth to fight back, but stopped himself, heading out to the terrace instead. I sighed and followed him.

“What do you want?” He asked. “For someone who wanted so much distance between us in the past, you sure do like to follow me a lot.”

I stood in front of him, staring up at him with an empathetic expression. “Marco.”

He sighed and closed his eyes, his expression softening. “Pep talk time?”

I snorted, trying to hold back a laugh. “Sure.”

He smiled and opened his eyes, laughing with me. “See, you get my humor.”

I gripped his arms. “You can’t make sarcastic jokes to people you literally tormented before. Not everyone will be as willing to accept this change.” I narrowed my eyes. “You tried to kill Lilith. I don’t blame her for wanting to rip you limb from limb…”

He gazed at me, shocked. “Well, that got graphic quick.”

I grinned. “I could continue if you’d-“

“No, no! Really, it’s alright!” He shuddered. “I’d rather not think about what that vampire is capable of.”

“Don’t piss her off again.” I shrugged. “Next time I won’t stop her.”

He glared at me, but I knew he wasn’t serious. “Ouch.”

I laughed. “Well, since we’re alone out here, teach me your ways.”

“Huh?” He gazed at me, confused.

I narrowed my eyes. “You know, black magic? Teach me.”

He nodded. “Alright. But first, a few important bullet points. Number one, if you’re unsure of a spell, don’t cast it. Find a way to recall it correctly, be it reading from a spellbook or asking another spellcaster. Never try spells you’re unsure of. They can go bad very quickly. Number two, dark magic of any kind are just sort of mutated versions of spells you already know. They’re called different things, of course, and serve different purposes, but they’re all based on the same spells. For example, transportale paves the way for this one.” He picked me up using magic and pushed me away, then pulled me back toward him. Finally, he let me down to the ground gently. “Delicioso mutated into creating poisonous foods or drinks. Deliriate helps create…” he stopped. “Erm…” he looked away and muttered the rest, “mind control spells.”

I tried to ease his growing anxiety by ignoring that last part. “Okay, so what would be the closest spell to the vampire magic used on Caleb?”

He thought for a moment. “Well, I guess that depends on what Vlad used on Caleb.” He looked at me as if he was waiting for more information.

“I don’t know what he used,” I admitted. “He came after Caleb with a stake and partially punctured his skin. I used magic to stop him so Caleb wouldn’t die.”

Marco sat down at a patio table and rested his head on his hand. “I’m not sure what that would be,” he admitted. “How was Caleb acting after the struggle?”

“Uh, disoriented. Angry. He was mad at Kris for killing Vlad. Said there had to be another way.” I shook my head. “But that’s just how he is. He’s nonviolent and doesn’t like to harm others.” I looked up and saw Marco’s frustrated expression. “Well, usually.”

Marco rolled his eyes. “I mean, I get it. I did steal his girlfriend.”

I glared at him.

“What? Am I wrong?”

“Let’s not get into the semantics of it, but you didn’t steal me at all.”

“I could.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Remember how I said I wouldn’t hesitate to kill you?”

He put his hands up and laughed. “Alright, alright. It’s just a joke.”

I stood up. “So we’re back to square one.”

He followed me. “I mean, if I could see him, I might-“

“No.”

“But it might be-“

“I said no, Marco.”

“Do you want this solved?” He crossed his arms in front of him.

“I do, but I also don’t want anyone to die in the process.”

He shrugged. “If I died, it wouldn’t be much of a loss, and you guys would get the spells you need.”

I stopped. “Marco, no.” I gazed at him with sadness. “Don’t say that.”

“What other choices do we have?”

“I could go over there and record him. You could see his behavior for yourself.”

Marco turned and started to walk away from me. “Jade, I’m willing to take a chance.”

“Yeah, and I’m not.” I got in front of him again.

He sighed. “Then what should we do? A recording only does so much.”

I stood by the balcony and looked out over the city. “I don’t know. But I just can’t risk Caleb seeing you, especially in the state he’s in right now.”

We stayed silent, watching the city together.

“You know, I put a down payment on one of these apartments.”

I turned around and smiled excitedly. “You did?”

“Mhm,” he smiled. “I wasn’t lying when I said I loved it here.”

I turned around again and nodded. “It’s truly beautiful here.”

“Yes it is,” he agreed.

After a few moments, I spoke up. “What if you watch in secret?”

“What do you mean?”

I faced him again. “Like, go back to their house with Lilith, and I go in and interact while maybe you watch from the windows or something.”

“Jeez, you think I’m a creep like that?”

I narrowed my eyes. When he had complete control over the realm and the people in it, he could hear everything that took place there, using a special sound magnifying spell. The only way around it were bracelet devices that would counteract the spell within a certain radius from the person wearing it.

He shrugged. “Yeah, sure. That might work. Where do they live?”

“Forgotten Hollow.”

“Okay then no. No way.” He shook his head. “I hate that place.”

“Marco.” I glared at him. “We are spellcasters. We can’t be turned. And we are powerful ones that can use magic to stop anything in its tracks.”

He clenched his teeth. “God, I hate this.” He turned away. “Can I at least continue to teach you magic?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” I agreed and stepped toward him.

He continued teaching me outside for awhile before Lilith came out and said she was going home. I explained my idea to her. She glared at Marco, but then agreed. We told Morgyn and left.

Once inside, I led Caleb to the kitchen where there was a clear view from outside. I hugged him, glancing out the window to see Marco in position.

“How are you?” I asked.

“I don’t know anymore.” Caleb shook his head. “I feel like I’m going insane.”

I sighed. “Just take it easy. Morgyn and I are working on making a spell to help you.”

“Wasn’t it a spell that got me into this?”

Uh oh.

“Yes, but this spell would remove the effects of this one.” I gazed into his eyes.

Caleb narrowed his eyes. “It’s always gotta be magic, huh?”

“Caleb, no! But because you’re under the effects of magic, then magic needs to cure it. Please calm down. Getting angry at me isn’t going to solve anything.”

“Argh!” He growled. “I can’t help it!”

I stepped back and slapped my head with my hand. “I’m trying to help you!”

I saw Marco move to the other side of the window frame. Apparently Caleb saw him too. His eyes darted to the window. “What was that?”

I started to panic as he saw Marco. Marco ran, but Caleb dashed out of the door using his supernatural speed. I quickly teleported out and Lilith followed Caleb.

I appeared between them, pressing my arms against Caleb’s chest to hold him back.

“You!” He snarled. “You’re dead! How are you here? WHY are you here?!”

“He’s helping us!” I shoved Caleb aside. “Stop it! Let me talk!”

Lilith grabbed him and pulled him back. “Jade is trying to talk to you!”

I stood in front of Marco, protecting him. “Look! Is Marco trying to hurt you?” I looked at Marco, who was terrified. “He’s scared of you.”

“He should be,” Caleb growled.

“STOP IT, CALEB!” I screamed. “Marco knows a lot about black magic. That’s something Morgyn and I know nothing about. But you’re being affected by black magic, and Marco is going to help us create something to help you!”

“If you hadn’t cast that healing spell, Jade!” He glared at me.

Marco stepped in front of me. “She tried to help you. Do you think she would have cast that spell if she knew it would hurt you?”

Caleb stopped struggling. He stared at Marco. “You’re protecting her,” he said quietly. His expression softened. “You’re protecting her…from me.”

Marco nodded. “Yes.”

“He’s trying to make amends,” Lilith said.

“She gave me a second chance,” Marco explained for probably the millionth time. “I’m not going to waste it by being a monster.

Caleb narrowed his eyes. “Prove it.”

“Haven’t I already?” Marco gestured toward me. The tables have turned. You’re yelling at her, creating a scene, and who stepped in?” He narrowed his eyes as well and stepped toward Caleb.

Caleb sighed and looked away. “I’m sorry.”

Marco turned a little and looked at me. “I have the info I need.” He walked away.

I hugged Caleb. “I have to go.”

He stopped me. “Wait. Is that how you guys see me? As a monster?”

I shook my head. “No.” I leaned in and kissed his forehead. “Never.” I moved away again. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” He smiled sadly and watched me walk away. I caught up to Marco, who was angry.

“Marco, I’m sorry.”

“You didn’t know.” He kept walking.

“Marco, please, stop.”

He stopped and glared at me. “What?”

“I’m sorry.” I gazed at him. “And thank you for defending me back there. I guess I didn’t think that through. I didn’t think he would-“

“I’m not mad about that, Jade.” His expression shifted to sadness.

“Then what is it?”

“I hurt all of you so badly.”

“And you’ve apologized. I see you’re changing.”

“I had to protect you against someone you love. Someone who protected you from me! I did that!” Marco put his hands on his head and turned away. “Like it was second nature!”

“Are you mad because you did something nice?”

“NO, Jade!” He faced me again. “I’m mad because I had to!” He stepped closer and lowered his voice. “What would he have done if I wasn’t there?”

I shook my head. “No, Marco. He wouldn’t have hurt me.”

Marco sighed. “Maybe so, but I was scared for you.”

“You…were?” I asked, shocked.

“Yes.” He nodded, holding my gaze.

“Oh.” I didn’t know what else to say.

He started to walk again and I followed him.

“Thank you for that, though.”

“You already said that. And, it’s nothing.”

“You know we can teleport, right?” I grinned.

He stopped. “Right. Let’s do that.”

I grabbed his shoulder and teleported us back to my house. Marco immediately found Morgyn. “Let’s put a rush on this thing.”

“I-uh, okay?” Morgyn looked at me.

“There was a situation,” I said quietly.

“Caleb snapped at her, I thought he was going to hurt her, I got between them.” Marco explained as he tried summoning a few different types of magic. I watched him multitask, impressed.

“Wait,” Morgyn stared at him. “You protected her?”

Marco stopped and shot him a glare. “Yes, Morgyn. Is it that hard to believe?”

I held up my hand. “Marco.”

He looked away. “Sorry.” He went back to practicing, quietly. After awhile, he stood up and joined Morgyn and I in brainstorming different spell combinations. We kept at it for hours. Finally, Marco walked away exasperated. “Let’s take a break.” He brushed past me and out the doors to the terrace.

Chapter Eleven (click here)