Inheritance

by Clyde Andrews

Table of Contents
Part 1 and part 2
appear in this issue.

conclusion

* * *

L.J.P. coughed up fine dust from the destruction and removed shards of concrete and brick from himself. He had been knocked from his feet by the blast and landed, thankfully, behind a table, which protected him from any further debris.

He got up, dusted himself off and noticed that Shane was still standing where he was before he lost control in that small instant. He, however, was cradling Hannah in his arms: She had been injured in the explosion.

L.J.P. stumbled over to Shane, looking directly into his eyes when he managed to get to him. He noticed straight away clean trails down his cheeks were he had been crying.

“What have I done?” Shane whispered.

L.J.P. said in reply: “I would like to have a look at, Hannah. She looks a little worse for wear, dear fellow,” L.J.P. coughed.

Hannah glanced up to L.J.P. through glassy eyes. She had numerous cuts all over her and some were quite deep.

“Shane... I don’t want you to ever do... anything... like that again,” she said wearily.

“What do you mean, Hannah?” Shane said, gently caressing her on the forehead. Tears welling in his eyes again. He already had a feeling — no, an inkling of what she was going to say.

“I love... you, Shane. But I just don’t want you... I... I want you to be normal. I don’t want you to be a magician any more. Just look at what you did because of me.”

He kissed her on her cheek. “It wasn’t because of you — it was because of Damian.”

“It doesn’t matter who it was that made you do what you did — in the end you did it because of what you are, and because of that I was taken from you.”

Shane fell silent.

“I’m sure when, S.U. has learned to control his power all will be fine, my dear,” L.J.P. interrupted, sensing where this conversation was going.

“I’m not a child, L.J.P.,” Shane burst out. “I’m just — I, oh, Hannah you are right. I wish I wasn’t a magician. I wish we could just be a normal couple, live normal lives without fear,” Shane smiled. “I love you, Hannah.”

“Then why don’t you give up your powers for her?” Damian said clambering over a pile of bricks.

All turned to see him. He was smiling triumphantly as he stood proudly on the rubble.

“S.U. be careful what you wish for,” L.J.P. said with more than a touch of strain in his voice. “You will have to live as a normal mortal for the rest of your life. There is no turning back once that step has been taken.”

Shane glanced daggers at L.J.P. “I am able to make up my own mind. I want Hannah.” He then looked down to her as he said those words. “Hannah, I want you to be with me forever.” And then, with all his heart and soul he hugged her tight adding: “Damian, if you claim to be my brother, help me: take away my power.”

“With pleasure,” he smiled evilly. “The ceremony is simple.”

“There’s always a ceremony,” L.J.P. grumbled under his breath, fumbling in his pocket for his chalk.

As Shane held his girl he observed that she again seemed somehow distant.

“Hannah, what’s wrong?”

Hannah looked at him, smiling sweetly. “Nothing, Shane darling. Let’s just get on with the ceremony. Then we can go home.”

“She’s still POSSESSED!” L.J.P. screamed. “It’s all a trick.”

In the moments that followed Damian had commanded Hannah to push Shane to the floor. L.J.P., unable to produce his chalk on time, felt the brunt of Damian’s power. He had written a formula on his hand; with that hand he touched L.J.P. on the shoulder. Instantly he was projected into the bushland, far away from what remained of the house.

* * *

“Darn,” L.J.P. cursed to himself. He knew that Damian only wanted a moment or two with Shane and Hannah; otherwise he would have done a lot worse than just a simple transport.

L.J.P. surveyed his surrounding. On the distant horizon a whiff of cloud marked an otherwise perfect blue sky.

“No prizes for guessing where Damian’s house was,” L.J.P. chuckled to himself.

He crouched down, at his feet a bare patch of dirt. On it he scribbled a circle and a formula. When he materialised, Damian turned to him, but he was not surprised by his re-appearance, only troubled by it.

“I presume that I am expected,” L.J.P. said, chalk at the ready this time.

Damian did not answer him, he had a pained look upon his face, as though he were straining. Just then L.J.P. noticed that Shane was still holding Hannah. L.J.P. could not tell whether the ceremony had been completed,

“S.U. are you all right?”

Shane did not answer. ‘This is weird’, L.J.P. thought.

Eventually Damian spoke: “I can’t... hold the tide... back much l-longer...”

“I beg your pardon, dear fellow,” L.J.P. said stepping closer to Damian, who was sweating.

“What happened here while I was away?”

Damian looked at L.J.P., the fear, the strain in his eyes shocking L.J.P. to the core of his being. “I can’t... hold him in my... power much longer...”

L.J.P. suddenly had a sinking feeling overcome him as he looked once more at Shane and Hannah. Hannah, he noticed with dread, had passed away; he could see it even without an examination — her body limp in Shane’s arms. He now knew the reason for Damian’s terror.

“You are a stupid, pathetic man,” L.J.P. snapped. “I assume from this that you have not taken away his power.”

“No,” Damian whimpered, falling to the floor on his knees.

“How are you going to explain all this to Shane when your hold over him is weakened to such an extent that he will be able to regain control of himself?” L.J.P. said, worry also creeping into his voice.

“When... he sees... his Hannah dead... I-I...” Damian trailed off, for his power had weakened even more. Damian held onto Shane with only the tiniest magical thread now.

“Tell me what happened, quickly!” L.J.P. commanded.

“When y-you had... vanished... I- I released him,” Damian stuttered. “He almost destroyed me before I- I had a chance... to, to... re-establish the link... Hannah died in the resulting conflict... His... power... is awesome.”

Just then Damian’s hold over Shane crumbled. L.J.P. did not see it happen, he only heard the cry of deep sorrow that pierced the air as Shane realised that his Hannah was dead in his arms.

A force, like a great tidal battered L.J.P. and Damian against a large pile of rubble.

Shane placed his Hannah gently on the ground and screamed at Damian, “I will... demolish... everything!”

L.J.P. knew that Shane could not yet control his power and that he was right in the firing line. “Damian, we must work together to subdue Shane so I can calm him down,” L.J.P. said, trying to scramble up from the debris as fast as he could.

Damian, weak and still reeling from the blast gasped: “What do you want me to do?”

“Here, take my hand,” L.J.P. said. “We must be one, otherwise Shane’s sorrow will consume him.”

Damian obeyed.

“S.U. I need you to hear me. Hear me, S.U.”

Shane’s eyes looked past L.J.P., concentrating only on Damian. He then closed his eyes.

“Now, Damian!” L.J.P. shouted. “Possess him again now, but don’t let go of me, we must remain as one!”

Damian took control of Shane again, and immediately Shane’s arms fell to his sides.

“Now what? I can’t hold on much longer. I am getting weaker by the minute.”

“Just stay with it. Concentrate,” L.J.P. said. “I will assist you. I just need to buy a few moments so I can walk in S.U.’s mind. I must save him from himself.”

L.J.P. closed his eyes. Concentrating on Shane. The situation was so extreme that he had to perform magic without the aid of a material object.

* * *

He reached out with his mind, imagining Shane standing before him. He moved closer and closer and looked into him.

He saw Shane crying, huddled in a foetal position on a cold, bare floor. The image was dark, like a storm had passed over him and had settled in.

He stepped up to Shane and touched him on a shoulder. “I am here to help you, S.U.” “L.J.P.!” Shane said looking up to his mentor. “Help me.”

“I am here, S.U.”

Shane’s expression changed slightly. For a second he showed anger. L.J.P. frowned: Damian must be losing control. L.J.P. dreaded the consequences if he were still inside Shane’s mind when Damian’s hold failed.

“S.U., we must hurry. Take my hand. Let me lead you to a better place. It still exists. You have to go there.”

“How can it exist without my Hannah?” Shane spat. “Tell me!”

“I can’t bring her back,” L.J.P. sighed. “But you must save yourself, or else you will become a dark magician.”

“What’s the use? I have lost her. You were right, L.J.P.: never get involved with another.”

“Learn from this, S.U.”

“Why?” Shane began to cry again, holding his head.

“Because I need you.”

Just then Shane’s expression flashed anger again; this time, however, the anger remained for a lot longer than before. He stood up and looked intently at L.J.P.

L.J.P. stepped back from Shane, fearing what might happen to him inside Shane’s mind.

“S.U., I need you to take over from me. I need you to be the white magician that follows in my footsteps.”

Shane stopped. Damian’s hold had faltered once more, but the words L.J.P. spoke seemed to resonate with Shane.

“You think of me like that?”

“Of course I do,” L.J.P. said without hesitation.

Shane’s face than darkened again. “But what about my Hannah?”

“You can care for everyone — why do you think I became a doctor?”

“What?”

“Yes, that’s right. S.U. you are going to be a teacher. Teach people to be human. Teach them to care... Son!”

“Son?”

“Yes, S.U. You are the only son I ever could have had.”

In Shane’s mind the image of cold, storm-washed desolation remained, but it was now lit by rays of sunlight.

L.J.P. took Shane’s hand. “It’s time for me to go, S.U. I will meet you on the other side.”

* * *

When L.J.P. opened his eyes, Shane was smiling gently at him: “Thank the Lord above that you are all right, S.U.”

“You have a habit of helping me, don’t you?” said Shane with a wry grin.

“That’s what fathers do.”

Shane then turned to Damian. “Are you really my brother?”

Damian, exhausted, was lying on the rubble and gasping for air. “No... I- I... just said that... to-”

“You are now, Damian. But I suggest you leave before I regret my words and become angry again.”

Damian did so, humbly and painfully.

“Hannah should be remembered in the best way possible, S.U.” L.J.P. said solemnly.

“Hannah always loved children. She wanted to have six,” Shane smiled sadly. “I will establish a foundation in her honour for homeless children. The Hannah Smithson Foundation.”

L.J.P. waited a second and realized that Shane would no longer ask his approval or permission; Shane had henceforth passed over to another side. “That sounds perfect, dear fel... No. Nothing can be perfect, my dear son, but you will fill darkness with light, and I will go with you. They will be your children. And hers.”