The Corpus Grimoire Part 4

The Corpus Grimoire had nearly fallen into legend. Often associated with the affluent Rusnak family, stories of the spell book were passed on over the centuries as a supremely powerful weapon that eventually claimed the lives of all who used it. The Rusnak family had long-ago converted to Christianity and renounced witchcraft and it was believed the book was sold or possibly stolen. Whatever the case was, tales of the book did not reemerge until stories of an old witch attacking cathedrals and monasteries were reported. According to one account, an old woman wearing a gown made of leaves held a large, leather-bound book and when she read from it, the words on the pages shifted and moved across the page. With a single gesture, a monastery crumbled to pieces and the ground swallowed what was left.

Transylvania had been Christian for some time and in those days, was under the control of the Hungarians. The practice of witch-hunting was still in effect but Empress Maria Teresea would soon outlaw it. A cardinal made a request for a team of witch hunters to find the Transylvanian witch and, after months of searching, they found her. In a remote forest, she rested on a stump, almost camouflaged among the trees due to the dress made of leaves and her long, scraggly hair covering most of her dirty face. The small amount of flesh that was visible was wrinkled and stretched tightly across bone; as she was sitting still, the witch hunters believed she was already dead. The Grimoire laid on her lap and slender, dirty fingers slowly opened it. “Halt,” the head witch-hunter shouted and, if she was physically capable of hearing him, she ignored the order. The open pages began to ripple as the words shifted, almost as if searching on its own for the correct spell to use. Once a particular spell reveled itself, she opened her mouth and began to speak.

Whatever the spell was meant to do, she wasn’t able to complete it. The old woman’s face became even more withered and her croaky voice was lost in her throat. Her papery skin dried up even more and began to flake off her face. Dust poured out of her mouth like weakened plaster. Her lower jaw dropped in a literal fashion as it broke off and fell among the dry, brittle leaves. Soon, the rest of her body began to crumble and break apart as well. There was more dust than blood by that point and what was left resembled mulch more than a human body. The witch hunters carefully approached the book resting on the pile of leaves. It was soon delivered to the Church and, for the next several decades, changed hands until it eventually found its way to a coven near Winghaven.

****

Helen Smith found herself talking to the bedroom door again. It was past midnight and she had woken up to hear her daughter coming home; despite her daughter trying her best to keep quiet, she clumsily made a lot of noise.

“I’m just trying to figure out what’s wrong,” Helen said through the locked door.

“Nothing’s wrong, Mom,” Grace’s voice bounced back from inside the bedroom.

“Did you go to work… like this?”

“I didn’t work today!”

“Were you… hanging out with Alysa?”

“Have you seen Alysa lately? `Cause I haven’t,” she lowered her voice bitterly, “Probably off in space or some shit.”

Helen was concerned, although in retrospect, she would understand that she came off more aggressive than she meant, “Okay, then where the hell were you?”

“I’m nineteen, Mom. I don’t gotta tell you shit!”

“You’re still living under this roof, so…”

The door flew open and Grace stormed past her, “Then maybe I’ll just move out!”

Helen raced after her as Grace stomped down the stairs, “Gracie, wait!” Grace grabbed a coat from the closet while Helen stood at the landing, “Gracie, please!” There was no response aside from the sound of the front door slamming.

In New Orleans, Adina Rusnak stood in a library, leafing through a book on magic. Most of the books were between 60 and 20 years old with a large assortment of modern literature. A few books from the 19th century or earlier were on display behind glass cases. That particular coven boasted one of the most comprehensive libraries in the US, but Adina was no closer to finding what she was looking for. The Lady of the Coven crossed her arms and leaned in the doorframe. Other witches were stationed throughout the library, displaying varying degrees of annoyance.

“Now do you believe us?” the Lady of the Coven asked Adina, “We don’t have the Corpus Grimoire.”

“Your library is said to be the most extensive in the US.”

“It is.”

“And the Grimoire is rumored to have been sent to the Americas some time after the Christians took it.”

“That’s the story, but if it’s in the US, it’s not here.”

“Unless you’re hiding it,” Adina replaced a book on the shelf, “The Corpus Grimoire belongs to my family. If you’re keeping it from me-”

The Lady of the Coven straightened up in defiance, “Are you seriously threatening us inside our own coven?”

The other witches came closer and Adina knew she was outnumbered inside a coven that wasn’t her own, so any further aggression would be unwise. She backed down, “I apologize for my rudeness. It’s been a long journey for me.” The Lady of the Coven stepped aside and motioned toward the door, “Apology accepted. You can leave now.” Adina quickly did as instructed. She was sure that she was close to finding the Grimoire, but needed to talk to the right people in order to find what she was looking for.

Weeks later, Mano received a strange visitor in the small cabin he had been residing in. He had previously allied himself with Queen Faith and others as a means to return to Costa Triste. The Commission put an end to that plan, so he opted to find other avenues and offered services to anyone willing to pay his price. His name was passed around various circles along with a means of communication so he expected to be contacted. He didn’t expect to wake up and see a strange woman standing at the foot of his bed, however. The gun slipped out from under his pillow and was immediately trained on her forehead.

“Your instincts are sharp,” Adina told him, “Good.”

He cocked the hammer back, “Who are you?”

“Adina Rusnak. I heard that you were looking for work.”

“Who told you that?”

Adina ignored his question, “There’s a book I need. It’s guarded in a coven so discretion is needed.”

“What does that have to do with me?”

“I’m willing to pay you 30,000 American dollars, plus any additional fees as needed. Would that suffice?”

Mano silently lowered his weapon.

Not long after that, Mano found himself standing outside a Winghaven tattoo parlor as the night quickly approached. No one was attempting to enter the parlor, so he currently had no opportunity to earn the extra cash he had received. He was paid by Adina to steal a book and deliver it at a certain place and time, which he did without question. Once he met up with her, he was disturbed to see a young woman trailing behind, very clearly on a bender (among other potential horrors that unsettled him to think about). He took the job only because the money could help him return to his country. He kept telling himself that. And yet, the screams he heard inside the tattoo parlor were hard to ignore and once those screams stopped, he found himself even more disturbed.

Inside, Adina stood over Grace as she writhed on the floor with the Corpus Grimoire next to her. She was was satisfied with her handiwork. Grace Smith’s prone form was littered with black writing on every inch of her body, almost giving her the appearance of stripes unless one looked closer. Adina hefted the Grimoire in her hands and began flipping through the old, brown pages. Where there were once multiple blocks of text, the pages were now blank, the words having been transcribed to Grace’s body. She now had a book of flesh and any spells that might be too taxing for Adina would now be unwillingly paid by Grace. Adina only had to keep her in a dependent and sedated state which would be easy as the young woman was already a drug addict.

Adina took a barber’s gown hanging up on the wall and draped it over Grace to cover her nakedness. Grace stirred awake, surprised that she was more lucid than she had been in the past few days and, best of all, was no longer wracked with pain, not that her emotional state had improved at all.

“What did you do me?” she asked quietly.

“I gave you an excuse to live,” was the answer.

Then they heard the door opening behind them. Mano stepped inside, gun in hand. “What are you doing?” Adina tilted her head in confusion. Mano raised the gun, inches away from her face. Grace froze, not knowing what to do next.

“The girl comes with me,” he warned Adina.

“I was told you were loyal,” Adina sneered.

“I am. I gave you the the book, I took the money, and now our business is done. I never promised anything else.”

“I see.”

Adina casually turned to Grace. The gown was held over her torso to hide her modesty but much of the writing across her body was visible. As Adina gazed at her, the writing shifted across a shoulder, with letters rearranging in accordance to a silent command. Adina spoke out loud, in a language no one else in the room understood. Both Grace and Mano stood silent, unsure of what to make of it. Once Adina spoke, the gun in Mano’s hand shifted as well. In an instant, he found himself holding a cluster of tangled snakes. Alarmed, he dropped the vipers and they slithered away in different directions. Satisfied with the small demonstration of power, Adina raised a dismissing hand and Mano found himself thrown through the glass door behind him and when he hit the sidewalk, he fell unconscious.

Adina placed a caring arm around Grace and began leading her out the shattered door. She was scared and confused, still not knowing what to do. When they exited the parlor, Grace noticed four more people approaching, one of whom, was very familiar. Alysa was there alongside a person she recognized as Farrell Creed. The two women in black were strangers, however.

“Gracie!” Alysa shouted once she saw the tattoos running across her face and limbs, “The hell did she do to you?” “What’re you doing here, Alysa?” Grace asked. A part of her was somewhat relieved to see her friend, or any friend for that matter. Another part was reminded of their last conversation – Grace had been resentful of Alysa for some time due to what she felt was abandonment. Alysa always seemed to be too busy for her, often going on adventures with either Creed or the Commission. After high school, Grace found work in a Wal-Mart and had few aspirations. Meanwhile, everyone else she was close to had left for university or gotten a job out of town. That frustration and the depression that followed led to her experimenting with drugs. She knew Alysa wasn’t to blame deep down, but the anger was still there.

“Where’s the Corpus Grimoire?” Creed asked Adina.

“We’re looking at her,” one of the women in black indicated Grace.

Alysa studied Grace’s new features. She hated that it had gotten as far as it had. She knew Grace was likely still mad at her, but it didn’t matter. She wanted her friend to be safe. The zonbi attack on Winghaven was still at the back of her mind; she failed to “protect the village” and as a result, she lost her role as a priestess. And while she was still trying to find herself spiritually and was making peace with that, she had yet to forgive herself for what happened to the town and the lives lost. She hoped that saving Grace would provide some vindication.

“We’re gonna get you outta here, Gracie,” she told her.

“I think not,” Adina retorted, “The book belongs to me!”

The witch turned to Grace once again and the text across her clavicle shifted into a new set of words. Janey and Valencia had accompanied Alysa and Creed as the protectors of the Corpus Grimoire. While they had never seen the book being used, they were still very aware of its power. The two women drew the wands from their pouches and muttered a single word in unison. Shadows flew at Adina but once they got close, they appeared to be deflected back at them. A second later, their wands exploded in their hands and the two witches were pushed to the ground. Grace felt a strange burning sensation and a small amount of pain once the counter-spell was completed. Adina smiled a bit, satisfied that Grace felt the consequences and not her.

More words shifted around Grace’s bare legs and feet. This particular spell seemed to be a more powerful one as indicated by the fiery cloud emerging above them – as well as Grace doubling over in pain. Once Grace dropped, Alysa ran toward her in concern, but before she took more than two steps, Creed pulled her away, “Get back!” Burning rocks fell from the sky and Creed threw himself and Alysa out of their paths. The streets erupted upon impact and the two were thrown to the sidewalk by the force.

Their ears rang while smoke and flames surrounded them. Adina had cast a spell to block anyone outside the immediate radius from hearing or seeing anything in order to deter any more interlopers. With each spell, Grace seemed to be in more and more pain but there was no physical damage to be seen.

“You’re very strong,” Adina told her, “I knew a power transfer would give you strength, but I didn’t know how powerful you’d become.”

“Please,” Grace looked up at her with teary eyes, “I just wanna go home.”

Janey and Valencia emerged through a pillar of smoke, hands clasped. They focused together and Adina felt a sickness coming on. She knew the curse they were placing on her, but upon reading an enchantment from Grace’s back, she sent the curse right back at them. They both doubled over with an intense bout of nausea and coughed violently. Creed rushed to their side to help while Alysa threw a fireball. “Nature-based magic,” Adina released a globe of water that blocked the flame, putting it out immediately, “There’s not a spell you know that I don’t have a counter for.” Satisfied with the display of power thus far, Adina realized she needed to kill her foes soon and leave the area. She turned back to Grace one last time and once again noticed the text shifting. What was peculiar was that she wasn’t yet searching for a spell. Grace raised her arms in defense and the black ink raced to her fingertips before exploding outward.

The eldritch power shot straight through Adina, leaving a hole the size of a bowling ball. Everyone froze, including Grace. Adina fell onto the cracked pavement and Grace stared at her palms where the text swirled around, creating dark vortexes. “Gracie?” Alysa approached cautiously. Not far away, Janey and Valencia rose to their feet as they recovered from Adina’s spell. “She’s channeling the dark energy on her own,” Janey explained. Alysa came in closer as Grace stared at the dead body in front of her.

“Gracie, you okay?”

“Shit, Alysa! Did you see that?”

“Y-yeah, I saw that. Listen, we gotta-”

“I just killed her.”

“I know, but that’s okay. We gotta get all that shit off you. Just come with us.”

Grace seemed almost excited, “I can… do anything!”

“Are you hearing me? This shit’s dangerous.”

Grace turned to Alysa angrily, “It’s magic! Isn’t that what you do?”

“It ain’t the same,” she turned to Janey and Valencia in a near-panic, “What the hell is happening to her?”

“The Corpus Grimoire was transferred to her directly,” Valencia explained, “It made her powerful enough to take the toll when Adina used its spells. It seems there were… side effects.”

“That’s a primordial powersource she’s tapping into,” Janey added as she studied the ink moving in and around Grace’s body, “She’s not using any spells. It’s energy manipulation.”

Grace dropped the dark gown from around her midsection as the dark ink covered most of her body like a cloak. “I feel a lot better now,” she said happily, “You can stop worrying about me.”

“Grace, we’re here to help,” Creed told her, “Your mom’s been worried and she wants us to take you back home. Let’s slow down before you do anything else.”

“Everyone needs to stop telling me what to do!” she shouted, “I’m real sick of that shit.”

“They’re jealous.”

They turned in the direction of the voice as Mano approached. Alysa recognized him instantly. He likewise recognized her and wrinkled his brow in confusion before continuing toward Grace, “You have a lot of power and people like them are always going to try to take it.”

“Creed…,” Alysa began.

“That the guy?” he asked.

“Yeah.”

Grace shook her head at Mano, “You worked for that dead bitch over there,” she pointed to Adina’s body, “I don’t trust you.”

“I stole a book for her,” he said apologetically, “I had nothing to do with anything else. If you remember, I just tried to save you a few minutes ago.”

“What do you want with me?”

“I need to go back to my country,” he raised his hands in surrender, “Now that you have powers, maybe you can help me with that. I can help hide you in the meantime. If you say no, I’ll leave right now.”

“Gracie, don’t listen to that asshole!” Alysa shouted.

“I said don’t tell me what to do!” Grace swung her arm and a wave of dark energy followed.

At once, they all dropped to the broken pavement and a black crescent passed over them. With everyone distracted, Grace rushed to Mano’s side, “Just get me outta here”. He nodded and took her hand before leading her down the street. “Grace, stop,” Alysa was the first on her feet and ran after them. Creed and the two witches followed.

Continued…