Free Dread Night (The Legacy Series) by Ryan Attard Page B

school. Tobias was no different. He joined nearly a year ago and we welcomed him with open arms. At first , he was happy to participate in our rituals, but after a while he got bored. Slowly, he began experimenting with darker aspects of the sacred art, nurturing both the positive and negative. He was also one of the two who could use the art freely, without rituals or gatherings.”
    “Who is the other one?”
    Francis smiled. “You are looking at him. Although, it would be unfathomable for me to conjure a flame like you did earlier. Recently, Tobias’s actions have been roguish at best. He would encourage others to follow his example, although none would. He got darker and darker until he was no longer a positive force. He had become driven by his lust for power, as well as his lust for another member of our group. She rejected him, and he assaulted her with power.
    Luckily, my best friend and second in command, Jeremy Irwing, intervened and managed to drive Tobias away. I, myself, confronted him later and ordered him to apologize and leave our group. He refused, and I thought the matter ended there.”
    “I still don’t see how this involves me,” I said.
    “Mr. Ashendale, attacking using the sacred art is forbidden. Not only that, but he used fear as his weapon, delving into the minds of his opponents. By the time I confronted him, he had become delusional and egotistical.”
    I held my hand up. “Sounds to me like you want me to stop this Tobias guy for you.”
    “Yes,” he replied eagerly.
    “I’m not.”
    “Why not?”
    I sighed. “Kid, I handle monsters, not some rejected kid with a maniacal streak. Call his parents or the cops if he’s bothering you. This is a problem within your circle.”
    Francis’s eyes hardened. Clearly he wasn’t giving up yet. He reached inside his pocket and pulled out a smartphone.
    “Maybe this will change your mind,” he said as he handed me the phone.
    It was a news article: a fifteen year old, Jeremy Irwing, was found comatose in the park together with his two cousins, Stephen and Marie-Lou, aged nine and seven. They were immediately hospitalized.
    Cause unknown.
    I looked up and met Francis’s eyes. There was nothing weak about them. For a second I was looking at a potential wizard, a mass of yet untapped power reined in by sheer principle and control.
    “Jeremy loved his little cousins. He would babysit every Saturday and take them to the park. Sometimes I went along , too. They were great kids and Jeremy is the best friend one could hope for. Tobias is ruthless – he sent Yasmine, the girl who rejected him, a threatening email. He comes after you and your loved ones. So, please, Mr. Ashendale. This monster put my best friend in the hospital and is this close to destroying all I have built and hold dear. I am powerless to stop him unless I give in to the dark side myself. Please, Mr. Ashendale.”
    He was nearly in tears now.
    He bowed deeply. “Please, help me.”
     
    *****
     
    Once the begging and waterworks had stopped and I realized that Tobias Fartham was a volatile bomb ready to go off, I took the case.
    Doing the right thing for the sake of doing the right thing − that was my mentor’s mantra. That was his last order as he died in my arms.
    Oh, believe me, I know all about homicidal psych opaths killing your loved ones.
    “Did you get all that?” I asked the empty room, once the kid had left.
    “Every juicy detail,” came a voice from behind me.
    A black American shorthair cat padded from the kitchen. Enter Amaymon, demon, earth elemental, and currently my familiar in the shape of a cat.
    “Looks like these kids stumbled on to some real power,” he said. “Especially that Tobias guy.”
    “I need you to go check him out,” I said.
    “I’m not sure he’s my type, Erik. I prefer them with breasts and indoor plumbing. You remember females don’t you, Erik?”
    “Oh , shut up.”
    “I’m just saying. I t’s been quite a long time since you