SO SWEET AS MAGIC, PART TWENTY-FOUR

"I think you were right about David," Amanda told her mother, as soon as she got home, "Behind that smile, he's got an agenda."

"Why? What happened?"

"David came on to me! All of the sudden, I was in his arms, and he was trying to undress me! It gave me the creeps. I wish we could get him OUT of Cory Publishing."

"Maybe we can." Rachel crossed to the telephone and dialed. "Cass, it's Rachel. Can you come over to the house? I want you to draw up papers to buy out David Halliday's investment in Cory."

"Can we afford to do that?" said Amanda.

"We'll manage." said Rachel, "I'm going to the hospital with Matthew. Lila is coming home today."

"I didn't realise she was well enough for that."

"Lila has made a remarkable recovery, thanks to Wizard Wallace." said Rachel, "The doctors think she will recover faster at home, with her baby."

"It's funny how Lila, of all people, turned out to be a devoted mother!" said Amanda.

"People aren't all black or all white, Amanda. Usually, they come in shades of grey."

Left alone, Amanda suddenly thought of the locket she was still wearing. She didn't want any present from David Halliday! She'd send it back to him, today, she decided, undoing the clasp. Suddenly the hair on the back of her neck prickled. She turned, and there stood David!

"Oh!" The locket fell from her hand, forgotten, "How did you get in?"

"It's no use having your housekeeper guard the front door if you are going to leave the French windows unlocked." he replied, advancing towards her.

****

"Welcome home, Lila." said Rachel, as Lila, leaning on Matthew's arm, walked slowly into the house. Her face was still bruised and swollen, but Wizard Wallace had promised that, once the swelling went down, her beauty would be restored.

"I think you should go straight to bed." said Matthew.

"Jist as soon as Ah see Jasmine." said Lila, sinking onto the couch.

"I'll go get her." Matthew hurried upstairs.

Rachel noticed the locket on the floor, and picked it up. Matthew came back downstairs.

"Jasmine's not in her room." he said.

"Whut?" Lila's face went pale, under the bruises.

"Maybe she's with Debra and the twins." said Rachel.

"They're not here, either."

"Then they probably went for a walk."

"Mommy!" Cory and Elizabeth burst in through the French windows, and ran to their mother's arms. Their nanny followed more slowly.

"Where's Jasmine?" Matthew demanded, seeing that Debra's arms were empty.

"She was asleep when I took the twins out, Mr Cory." she said.

"Wheah's mah baby?" Lila was clearly on the verge of panic.

Just then, the housekeeper entered.

"Claudia, do you know where Jasmine is?" said Rachel.

"Ms Cory took the baby with her when she went out, Mrs Hutchins."

"Why would Amanda take Jasmine out of the house?" said Matthew.

"Let's ask her. "Rachel picked up the telephone and dialed Amanda's cell-phone. A moment later, they heard it ringing - in Amanda's purse, which was on a chair in the foyer.

"Something's wrong. No woman leaves the house without her purse." said Rachel.

"I'm calling the police!" said Matthew. Just then, the doorbell rang. Matthew ran to open it.

"Oh. It's you."

"Have I come at a bad time?" said Cass. "What's going on?"

"We don't exactly know." said Matthew, "Amanda's gone out, taking Jasmine with her. We don't know why, or where she took her."

"I think I know." said Rachel, grimly, dialling the phone. "It's me. Amanda's disappeared, with Jasmine - but her purse is still here, and so is that locket. - I'll meet you there."

"What's going on, Mom?" said Matthew, "Who were you talking to?"

"Mr Akageno." said Rachel, "He agrees with me that Amanda has probably gone to the Lumina Foundation."

"Why would-?"

"I don't have time to explain!" Rachel headed for the door.

"I'm going with you!" said Matthew.

"Matt?" cried Lila.

"I'll bring Jasmine home, Lila."

"Wait for me!" said Cass.

****

"That's a crazy story, Mom." said Matthew, as Rachel pulled into the Lumina Building parking lot.

"I agree." said Rachel, "But it's the truth."

Akageno was waiting; Rachel threw herself into his arms.

"You actually expect us to believe that the head of the Lumina Foundation is a 200-year-old wizard?" said Cass.

"I don't expect you to do anything but stay out of my way." said Akageno.

"I still say we should call the police!" said Matthew.

"The police are not equipped to deal with a Black Magician." said Akageno.

"The Bureau of Wizardry, then!"

"The BOW will do nothing without authorization. By the time they have obtained the necessary warrants, it will be too late - if, indeed, it is not too late already."

"But - assuming you're right, and Jordan Stark wants to turn Amanda into some reincarnation of his dead wife - why would he want Lila's baby?" said Cass.

"Because the sacrifice of a virgin child will raise an enormous amount of magical energy."

"Ohmigawd!"

"It would be best if all of you simply went home and let me handle things." said Akageno.

"No way!" said Matthew, "That's my baby in there! And my sister!"

"I'm not leaving." said Cass.

"What's going on?" said a familiar voice.

"Felicia? What are you doing here?"

"I was just passing, and I saw you all here. You look awfully intense."

"Well, you see -" began Cass.

"ENOUGH!" said Akageno, "I am going inside now. Anyone who insists on tagging along may do so !"

He headed for the entrance, with everyone trotting along in his wake. Cass filled Felicia in as they hurried to catch up.

In the lobby, they found white-clad Luminoids sprawled in a heap.

"They're - dead!" said Cass.

"Yes. Stark collected as many lost and lonely followers as he could, simply to have sacrifices on hand, for when he needed the power their deaths would generate."

"So - it's really true, then?"said Felicia.

"As you see. Stark probably has Amanda and the child in the penthouse. I, for one, do not trust the elevators in this building."

He found the door marked STAIRS and started to climb. Rachel and Matthew were right behind him. Cass and Felicia hesitated.

"How many stories to the penthouse?" she asked.

"About twenty, I think."

"I'm game if you are!"

By now, the others were out of sight. "Hey, wait for us!"

****

Rachel waved her hand in front of her face. "The air feels - sticky." she said, "Like I'm walking through spiderwebs."

"Stark has put up magical wards to keep intruders out." said Akageno, "They'll become stronger, the closer we get to his inner sanctum."

"Can you break though them?"

"I believe so."

****

"Stop a minute! I've got to catch my breath!" panted Cass, sinking down onto the landing.

"You really ought to get more exercise." said Felicia.

"I start jogging - tomorrow."

****

As they reached the top floor, Matthew pushed ahead of Rachel and Akageno. No one was in sight as he stepped out of the stairwell, but right in the middle of the corridor was a table upon which was a cube about the size of his fist. He picked it up; each side of the cube was divided into nine squares of different colours - red, blue, green, yellow, orange, white. The squares could be moved around, he discovered. Six sides to the cube, six colors - it ought to be possible to get all of the squares on one side to be the same colour -

"Matthew?" Rachel reached out towards her son. What was that strange object he was fiddling with?

"Don't touch that!" cried Akageno, "That's a Rubik's Obsession Spell! Once you touch it, you can't put it down until you've gotten all of the sides to be of one colour only! Most people collapse from hunger and exhaustion before they solve it!"

"It's got Matthew entranced!" said Rachel, "Can you set him free?"

"I can't spare the time, or the energy, right now. Leave him. He's quite happy. We can collect him on the way out."

"If you say so."

"Trust me, Rachel."

"Always!"

As they proceeded down the hallway towards Stark's office, the air seemed to thicken, until every step was like walking through sticky mud.

****

Felicia and Cass had finally reached the top of the stairs. Suddenly, the lights went out.

"Cass! Where are you?"

"Felicia?" Suddenly there was enough light to show her a man lying on the floor.

"Cass?" She turned him over, "Alexander!"

"Isn't Skathos beautiful?" gasped Alexander Nikos, "We can live here together - forever!"

"This can't be real!" said Felicia, "You're dead!"

Suddenly, she heard Cass' voice:'' Frankie! No!"

"Cass!"

****

Rachel stood in the doorway, looking into the living room. They were all there: Iris, Mac, Steve,Alice, Russ - When they saw Rachel, they all stopped talking, and stared at her. Rachel knew where she was; she had crashed Iris' party. In a moment, Mac would come towards her, smiling, and say: "Rachel! I'm so glad you could make it!"

Mac deliberately turned his back on her; everyone else followed suit. They began laughing and talking again, ignoring her existence.

"Mac!" Rachel stretched out her hand imploringly, "Look at me! Please!"

****

It was the moment that had haunted his dreams for years: his father sat behind his desk, with a pistol in his hand.

"Why have you come?" he said, "To tell me that you've betrayed me? I already know!" Then he raised the pistol to his head.

"No! Da! Don't do it!"

He reached out his hand towards his father -

****

Their two hands touched, and grasped each other like a lifeline.

"What was that?" gasped Rachel.

"An entrapment spell that makes you relive a particularly traumatic moment in your personal history."

"In my case, it was even more traumatic this time than it was in reality." said Rachel.

Ahead of them was a door marked PRIVATE. "Stark must be in there." Rachel tried to take a step forward, and found that she could not. Try as she might, she could not move past a certain point in the corridor.

"The final ward is the strongest." said Akageno, "You're going to have to help me raise more power."

"How?"

"Have you ever heard of tantric yoga?" he said, taking her in his arms.

"That works?"

"It should."

"This ought to be an interesting experience." said Rachel, as they sank to the floor.

****

"Felicia! Thank goodness!" Cass started towards her.

"Hold it right there!" said Felicia, "If you're Cass - prove it!"

"Prove it? How?"

"The real Cass would know how!"

"Oh, right! I was supposed to give you a signal! Uh, what was it, again?"

"Nice try!" said Felicia, slipping off her shoes and preparing to throw them at him.

"C'mon Felicia - it's me, Cass! Give me a hint!" He took a step towards her, and BAM! The first shoe hit him right in the eye. "Ow! That hurt!"

"I'm warning you, I've got another shoe - and I'm prepared to use it!"

****

Inside the Lumina Lab, Amanda stood, entranced, wearing Amalie's white gown, in front of her portrait. She could not hear Jasmine crying; she could hear nothing except Stark's voice.

"Amalie! Come forth! Enter this vessel!" cried Stark, "Live again!"

Amanda's lips moved. "Jordan?"

"Amalie!"

"This is wrong! Stop it! I don't want to live again if it means killing innocent people!"

"You will live again! You will be mine!"

"No, Jordan! Goodbye!"

"If you won't do it willingly, then I'll force you!"

Stark turned towards the crying baby, knife in hand.

"NO!" The white-clad woman grabbed Jasmine, and held her close. She backed away as Stark moved towards her.

"Cease and desist!" said Akageno, bursting through the door, with Rachel at his heels.

Stark was taken aback. "How did you break through the wards?"

"Love, sweet love." said Akageno, "So, your strong enchantments failing - it is time to depart. Begone, Foul Spirit!" He took out Rachel's sketch . "David Halliday!" he said, "You are David Halliday!"

There was so much power in the room that it was - almost - visible: a crackling web of magical energy. Akageno gathered it together into a bolt of force and hurled it at Stark. "Begone, I say!"

"No! Amalie! No!" There was a sort of silent explosion, and Stark fell down.

"Mother?" said Amanda.

The man on the floor sat up and moaned. "Oh, my head!" He looked around. "Where the heck am I?"

"Who are you?" said Akageno.

"David Halliday. Who are you?"

"Are you all right, Amanda?" said Rachel.

"Well, I'm all right, - but I'm not exactly Amanda."