A prompt a week - 53. Jamie is Found - Prompt 733

The cat sat grooming itself as the puddle of blood slowly spread behind it on the old oak floor. Daniel watched as his familiar continued to ignore the dying creature sprawled out behind it and chose to clean her paws instead. The eight-foot-tall behemoth had been trying to shatter the protection circle he was carefully hiding in. Instead, Elly had transformed into a giant panther, slaughtering the ogre before pausing to clean up.

“Fuck!” He collapsed in terror on the floor. “Where are you, Jamie?”

The cat finished cleaning her claws and jumped into the circle, rubbing her feline body against Daniel until he calmed down.

“Elly, how does this shit keep happening to me?” He gathered the silky black cat onto his shoulder and stretched his hands out gathering his magic to him, slowly undoing the circle. He muttered a spell and moments later a bright blue ball blossomed before him before it streaked away leaving a sparkling trail that would only be seen by those who could control the eldritch powers.

The faint blue sparkles led him across the abandoned factory floor and to a staircase that went up to the second floor.

“The trail is faint, but Jamie was here.”

Elly leapt from Daniel’s shoulder and transformed into a beautiful woman dressed in a skin-tight black outfit. She turned and flashed her green eyes before winking at him. “Stay close,” she purred as she nearly flew up the stairs following the sparkles. Elly was halfway down the hall when she froze. Her long black hair seemed to rise above her shoulders before she crashed to the floor, unconscious and in her cat form. The air seemed to take on a charge.

“Darkness cannot hide the light, all dangers come into my sight,” Daniel repeated the incantation and spread his hands. Two small beams shot from his hands and split at two inches into four beans and in two more inches into eight and so forth. The beams not only kept splitting they changed direction, moving up and down as well as left and right. In less than a minute three figures were illuminated by the magic. Their unfinished shapes made it clear that they were magical creations and not real people, though that didn’t make them any less dangerous.

Daniel took a deep breath. “This is beginning to really piss me off,” he muttered as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small sapphire ring. He slipped it on and the stone began to glow.

“You will die!” The three golems spoke with one voice and began to shuffle toward him.

“That’s what you think.”

One of the golems lifted a huge cabinet off the floor and flung it at him. Daniel dove to the side, but it shattered as it smashed into the wall where he had been standing and one the drawers exploded launching what had been a beautiful lead glass paperweight into a heavy projectile that slammed into his side shattering his ribs.

Daniel forced himself to his feet tasting his own blood. He couldn’t afford to die or give up. Daniel hated to use a power stone. It took so long to fill one, but he had a feeling someone was using Jamie as bait. If he depleted his own reserve he would be an easy target to kill and now he was hurt. Luckily, he was stronger than most new witches and was able to use spells that nearly everyone wouldn’t even attempt until their mid-forties, if ever, due to their demand for enormous amounts of power. He wasn’t stupid, but he was confident. The stone held over a year’s worth of power. Wearing it now gave him access, immediately recharging himself and giving him the ability to cast major spells alone.

“From the seas to mountains, from east to the west, let the winds and rain gather round, let nature protect me best.” The spell began as a soft misty breeze from an ocean but grew quickly like an arctic storm ripping through the hills and valleys. Lightening, wind, and hail the size of grapefruit tore through the hallway destroying the furniture, rugs, and the golems that lay just beyond Elly. It was as if someone had set a level four hurricane into the hallway, and nothing would survive its wrath.

Daniel stomped over the flooding and carefully lifted Elly into his arms. Without a moment’s hesitation, he sent a healing spell into his familiar. He arranged her body around his neck and marched down the hallway.

Every door had been blown open. The storm had washed trap spells and protection spells away. It also destroyed an illusion spell that had hidden a small doorway with a narrow staircase. At the base of the stairs lay the sputtering remains of the blue finder spell he’d released earlier.

“Don’t come any closer or I’ll kill you both.” The voice rasped from the darkest shadows.

Daniel had had enough. He gathered his power and sent a pulse into the roof.

Daniel knew he had finally reached the end of his search. He was tired, drained, and most of all he was pissed off. He was furious at being hurt, seeing Elly hurt, and having Jamie taken from him. Someone would pay dearly for it all.

Suddenly, the spell he’d sent into the ceiling took hold and space exploded into light, exposing everything.

Sprawled across the room was Jamie. It was clear he’d been caught by the storm spell as he was soaked and bruised from the hail. A quick look around showed that he was the only one there, but as Daniel looked at the man he had fallen for he could also see another person whom he didn’t know occupying the same physical space.

“Jamie?” Daniel stared unable to comprehend what he was witnessing.

“Yes and no.” The figure cackled. “We knew you would be a great force of good if you were allowed to continue.” The figure coughed and spit up blood. It smiled, its teeth now red and the green eyes that Daniel felt he should know were filled with contempt.

“Who are you?”

“We were meant to be your executioner. We knew you were strong, but you just kept fighting to get to your precious Jamie. Wherever you found such power, We know not. We tried to weaken you, corrupt you, and even kill you. Instead, when we bonded with our golems you destroyed them, which should be impossible.”

Daniel shook as he slowly approached Jamie. He could use his eldritch powers and see a dark figure wearing Jamie like a coat. Jamie was becoming clearer and clearer, like a drawing that was slowly losing its color. The figure within was dark and seemed to shift like smoke caught in a draft.

“We bought his soul and kept him. He actually liked you, but the more he fought to protect you the faster it burned him out. Now he is almost gone and We barely got to taste him.”

Daniel realized that Jamie had been a lost soul or a demon’s plaything. He’d been a figure that was beautiful and seemed innocent but was controlled totally by another for evil intentions. Something inside Daniel broke. He’d found Jamie, but he’d lost him as well and the only way to release him was to end him.

Daniel raised the hand with his ring on and pointed at Jamie. Tears streamed down his face and his voice cracked. “Goodbye Jamie.”

Flames engulfed the area as Daniel made his way out of the abandoned factory. As explosions roared behind him, Daniel stumbled forward, almost unconsciously stroking Elly as he made his way toward home.