Chapter 27

Magic thief



He laughed, then parked his car on some obscure dark street. We were still in a good location, somewhere in Southeast London. And he still didn’t answer my questions. I gathered he wasn’t planning to. Knowing Jasper, he had someone watching me which was creepy, but I didn’t want to think about that—I needed his help.
"You need to come with me, I want to see if I have what I need in my lab," he told me opening my door. I was pushing my limits. Didn't I remember that Jasper was unstable, a complete psycho, and now I was going with him to his illegal lab practising dark magic? My own self talk made me want to slap myself silly, but what other choice did I have?
The street didn't look different from any other street. A few cars were parked outside alongside a round of terrace houses. The sky was completely covered with clouds. Jasper approached the door to number twenty-seven and we went inside.
What hit me at first was the smell of fresh antiseptic; it reminded me of being back in the hospital. Jasper turned on all the lights and I found myself in a completely bare home. There was a living room on our right, with only an old dirty green sofa.
"This is your lab? Are you kidding me?" I looked around in disbelief.
"Easy to hide, plus no one disturbs me here. Come on," he said, encouraging me to follow him to what was supposed to be a dining room. I was taken aback straight away by the large table situated in the middle of the room; there were various flasks, jars and the scent had changed. The air was soaked with magic and my energy started whipping through me again, lifting up my hair.
"What exactly do you do here? I can't see you using dark magic in this place."
Jasper was sifting through a few books that were on the shelves. He wasn’t listening to me muttering to himself. Tron and Alex, well, they seemed like powerful paranormals and they hadn’t found a cure for me yet.
"I always knew what you were capable of, but you dismissed it. You have darkness inside of you, and I want to see if I can get it out."
"Woah, hold on. What do you want to get out of me?"
He stopped reading and looked at me, his eyes were shimmering with challenge and mischief.
"The darkness controls you when you blackout and I need it for my research. There’s a spell we could perform that will split your magic in pieces."
My mouth went dry and in in a flash, I saw myself again, out of control, burning my mother alive.
"Okay, do whatever you can. When can we start?" I rubbed my sweaty palms together. This honestly scared the shit out of me.
"We need someone—a magic stealer. The best would be an unstable magic stealer."
"Jasper, sorry, I hate when you’re making fun of me like that," I said laughing trying to ease my crazed thoughts. My ex-boyfriend narrowed his eyes putting on a pair of black gloves. His magic wand was next to him.
"This is dark, lethal magic that you’re carrying, and we need a person who’s lost control of his or her mind to split the pieces. Magic stealers are more powerful than you can imagine; they feed on emotions and fear, some of them to the point where they go crazy. We need this person to touch your soul. I can only do so much."
I didn't like the sound of that at all, especially the part where we had to use another paranormal to prevent bloodshed. Magic stealers had enough on their plate already. They were outcasts of magical society. Most of them lived on the streets selling whatever they could to get a magical fix.
Every part of me told me not to trust Jasper, but then there was my mother. Dad would probably have me locked up if I told him that Mum was going to die. My visions were powerful and when it came to magic, I had to expect the worst.
Jasper was still looking through his books as I ran my fingers over flasks inhaling herbs and some kind of metal smell in the air. There were stains of blood on the table and I wondered just how long Jasper had been doing this sort of thing. Some wizards were obsessed with the darkest, most forbidden magic. In modern times, no one paid much attention to ancient spells.
Jasper worked for himself. I always thought he had enough money, but it was his ambition of becoming the greatest that had always pushed him. His spells were more advanced than that of any other wizard. He travelled a lot, making connections with all sorts of creatures. I’d never discovered the purpose of all this, but I was worried.
"Let me ask you something," I started, "Why do you do this? Why do you want my darkness so much? And all this here?" I swept my arm to the side towards the long table in the middle of the dining room.
"Julia, stop asking questions now. You need to concentrate on your magic. Does it feel different?"
For some reason the tingling had stopped, and I felt empty again. I had no idea what just happened to me. It felt as if I’d just cast a spell and my excess magic was gone.
"Fine, great, the excess magic has disappeared. Did you do something?" I asked, curious. He pinched his brows together and walked over to me, touching my forehead.
"No, I haven't done anything," he said. "We need to leave. I just wanted to refresh my memory, this spell is complicated and dangerous. Are you sure that you’re ready for this?"
"Yes, I'm ready," I said trying to sound more confident than I actually was. Jasper smiled and ran his hand across my cheek. I caught his hand before he could go any further.
"Jasper…I”
"Julia, it’s all right. I know you’re in love with the leech, but don’t you see? We make a great team."
"No, we’re incompatible and the sooner you understand that, the better."
He shrugged and took my hand. We left his lab shortly after. I wasn’t thinking straight anymore. Jasper’s attitude confused me. Okay, maybe he was trying hard, but it was difficult to rebuild trust that was lost long ago.
When he was driving again, I tried to call Quentin, but his phone kept ringing. I just wanted to make sure he was all right and find out when he was coming home. Our conversation needed to happen sooner rather than later. When I looked at my hands the flames were back yet again. Jasper was artfully quiet, and I didn't know if this was a good sign or not.
Jasper was speeding through busy London traffic; he was breaking the speed limit and whenever I asked him why he was rushing, he replied with silence. I was certain he still had feelings for me, but I chose to ignore it. People were being murdered and it was time to put a stop to it.
Soon I realised we were in one of the roughest parts of London, my stomach churned loudly and out of nowhere, new fear jolted through me. Jasper parked the car and then asked me to walk with him. The streets seemed darker, and tension in the air was apparent. Wind blew and although it was the end of April, I felt shivering cold. I tried to imagine that we were on a tropical Island, but Jasper could see the image in my head, so I squashed it. I just couldn't stop thinking about magic stealers. I’d never seen them in public places.
"You have to stay quiet, and do what I asked you, all right?” Jasper asked as we approached a narrow lane between two tall buildings. Memories from the night when I was chased by a group of trolls rolled through my mind, but I had to brace myself. I was doing this to protect my loved ones.
"Should I be worried?"
"No, they want magic and they’ll do anything to get it. Just follow me and don’t speak to anyone."
That’s easy enough, I thought.
The alley narrowed even further and as soon as we took another step all my senses sharpened, my neck felt sore as energy brushed over me gently. A woman stepped out of the shadows. She was dressed in a low-cut top and very tight shorts. She was underweight, with long dirty blond hair. Her eyes were too large for her face. She appeared hungry with hollow cheeks and dark circles under her eyes.
"Hello, stranger. I need a full flask of your power for half an hour," she whispered leaning toward Jasper running her hand across his chest. He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards him.
"Do not disturb us," he hissed and pushed her away. She laughed retracting her hands. I saw a few more people watching us from the shadows of the buildings.
Jasper grabbed my hand as we entered through a small half broken door. The smell inside was unbearable but somehow, I held back my gag reflex. Jasper used his magic wand to lead the way, but I was ready to get out of there. People who were insane were kept in institutions, not in abandoned buildings like that.
Then we heard a scream and I jumped, grabbing his hand. He turned his magic wand toward the opposite wall and then I saw a woman. She was a magic stealer; they all had tattoos that marked them somehow. Jasper approached as she scurried away from us pushing her hands to her ears. She was talking to herself pulling her knees to her chin. Terror passed through my body and every muscle strained with tension and fear. Was I ready to use this ill creature to get rid of my own darkness? Jasper might have a plan, but magic stealers were still living, breathing creatures. They didn't deserve to live like this.
"Hey, come here. We need your help. We can feed you with our energy," Jasper said calmly, moving towards the woman.
I wanted to help him move forward but then an odd, unfamiliar scent embraced me. My body screamed as power rushed throughout my entire being, paralysing me. Then blue light—spells—stirred in the darkness. Jasper and I heard loud voices and then I was pushed to the ground, hitting the floor hard.
Jasper held his magic wand in his hand, but he wasn’t quick enough and what came next took him by surprise. Energy was flowing, roaring in my ears; my head felt as if it was splitting in half when I heard Jasper’s screams. All of the sudden I saw a few people around me—wizards.
I was trained, and I could’ve gained control of my magic, but I couldn't move my limbs. The spells kept hitting Jasper until he stopped moving. Then there was silence for a few moments or so, before a loud laugh broke through. Someone was flashing light toward me and the pain in my skull eased. I was finally back to normal, feeling great, ready to strike someone with a powerful dose of magic.
"We were waiting for the right moment for you to show up and when Astor screamed, it was time to stop your silly date," an unfamiliar voice said. I was on my feet again; a burning smell hit me hard and I instantly knew Jasper was on the ground, defeated.
Slowly, and one-by-one, I saw paranormals approaching me. There was four of them: three were wizards. They kept their magic wands near their faces, so I could see them clearly. All colour drained from my face when I took a closer look at each of them. Their faces were well known to my father. Each of those wizards were highly dangerous and had been hunted by the Paranormal Department for the past ten years and there they were, standing in front of me.
Then I turned my head to the man who wasn't a wizard; the one who spoke. When he brought a flashlight to his face a gasp escaped me, and I thought I was falling. I needed a few seconds to consider my new escape plan.
"Sleep baby, it’s time for you to sleep."
Those were the last words that I fully understood. What came next was just a haze; my dream turned into reality.

***

I wanted to scream but the voice in my head ordered me to keep moving. My mind felt sluggish and foggy. We left Jasper behind, and I desperately wanted him to live. Those faces reminded me of a nightmare and now I was the part of that nightmare. Other hollow faces stepped out from the shadows watching me.
"Get rid of them, I don’t want any witness," the voice hissed, and the wizards obeyed. They went after the dark, scared creatures. I heard screams, but I wasn’t allowed to look, because I was pushed inside a car and blindfolded. I couldn’t remember what happened after that—I must have passed out.
I heard a loud sharp voice call my name a few times. I flicked my eyes open, but no pain came. My head felt dizzy and my body was a little cramped, feeling as if I’d been lying in an uncomfortable position too long.
My breaths were shallow and uneven as I lifted myself from the floor. My clothes were stuck to my body but then memories flashed before my eyes, and I instantly recognised my surroundings.
"Well, you’re awake. Glad to have you back," a voice snarled. I turned around and felt like someone was playing a cruel joke on me. I was staring at Craig. Kelsie’s ex-boyfriend was in my parents’ home, in their clean old-fashioned living room. I swallowed hard trying to count to ten in my head, but he didn't disappear, he was still there.
"What am I doing here? Where the hell is Jasper?" I asked and at the same time charging my body with magic. There was a tingly taste in my mouth; my magic came to me, but it was faint.
Craig was sitting in my father’s favourite chair with a knife in his hands. I ran through the facts in my memory and glanced at my hands. There was no blood, so maybe I hadn’t killed anyone yet. I anxiously looked around searching for Mum. It was dark outside and the clock on the wall showed nine o’clock in the evening. He took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, still ignoring me, lighting it with a match.
"Your wizard friend? Well, he might be dead. I don’t know and don’t really care," he said blowing circles of smoke straight to my face. My fingertips tingled, and I darted my eyes around searching for any sings that my mother was here. Waves of heat kept pushing through my skin, and I was finding it difficult to breathe, but I tried to mask my fear as best I could.
I thought about Jasper, but I didn’t want to believe he was dead. I needed to figure out what Craig wanted from me before it was too late.
"What the hell do you want from me? Is this about Kelsie?" I asked concentrating on my energy. For some reason my tingling didn't go anywhere. I felt so empty, as if my energy had just vanished.
“Don't stress yourself, sugar. You can’t do anything to me. My wizards fed you with a potion that strained your magic. Besides, from what I understand you aren’t very good, are you?"
When I didn't answer he took another drag of his cigarette watching me the entire time. "Well, first of all, I want Kelsie back, then we can talk about some serious business."
My hands were tied behind me, but I didn't feel a rope; it was magic. I didn't understand why he thought I would help him with Kelsie.
“You're insane, Kelsie doesn't want you anymore. Besides, my father will be home any minute, so I suggest you let me go if you don’t want to spend the rest of your life in prison," I said calmly. The smoke from his cigarette started dancing around me again but then Craig leaned towards me and whispered:
"Your daddy isn't even in London and you’re the one who made the phone call to Kelsie telling her to meet you here. Your mama is probably on her way as well."