4 Terramezic Energy by John O'Riley Read Free Book Online Page A

misconstrued though.”
    “That’s true but the answers are readily apparent to me. I’ve got a knack for it. Even if people misinterpret the big picture by looking at one set of numbers or percentages and ignoring others, when you’re looking at raw data, the numbers don’t lie. It’s the people.”
    “That’s an interesting way of looking at it.”
    Yvonne shrugged. “It’s the truth.”
    They lapsed into silence for a bit then Josephine decided to get started. The two women turned to face the ocean as they came to a halt. Yvonne’s jaw clenched with anxiety.
    “There’s nothing to worry about. Just make a connection with the vortex,” Josephine instructed.
    The vortex at Siesta Key was massive and spanned the entire length of the beach and rose high into the air. Most of it lay in the water and above it with very little spanning the land. Josephine was already tied to its power and had checked all of the spells that Yvonne currently had in her possession which was only a few protection enchantments and a couple of telekinetic enchantments. Yvonne hesitated for several long moments before tapping into the vortex. Josephine could sense the raw power and knew right away that something was different. She could detect multiple connections as though there were hidden vortexes that Yvonne was tied in to. All of the fluffy white birds frolicking in the sand and the sea gulls cried out in fear and took flight in the air to escape. Panic gripped Josephine as she realized this young woman was much stronger than anything she’d ever encountered.
    Josephine adopted a look of calm authority. “You’ve done well, Yvonne. It’s time to break your connection now.”
    Yvonne’s breathing was labored and her face contorted with pain and fear.
    “I can’t,” she said.
    Adrenaline surged through Josephine as she regarded the young woman and her out of control power. The vortex became visible as a swirling mass of sickly green and crimson energy. Josephine hated to do it but she cast a knockout spell on Yvonne. If she was unconscious, her connection with the vortex would dissolve on its own. Unfortunately, the spell that Josephine cast bounced off an invisible barrier of energy that chaotically swirled around Yvonne. It wasn’t something that the young woman had erected intentionally but was a side-effect of the overwhelming volume of energy that cascaded through her. The beachgoers stared at the angry mass of energy in the ocean until they snapped out of their stupor and hastily left behind their towels and lawn chairs to flee to safety. Only Josephine and Yvonne remained on the dangerous beach. Red discharges of lightning shot out randomly from the vortex to strike the white sand, causing small plumes to fly into the air.
    Josephine wanted to grasp Yvonne’s arms to gain her attention and to cast a calming spell but knew better than to try. If she so much as brushed against the wild field of energy that encircled Yvonne, she’d be thrown across the beach like a rag doll and the jolt of power may even kill her. Yvonne stared at the vortex as though entranced and the strange connections of power grew stronger. As Josephine continued her scans, she could detect a potent enchantment being created. Blood trickled down Yvonne’s nose as the strain of the intense magic tore through her body. This shouldn’t be happening. The power from the vortex should have stabilized her condition and caused her body to regenerate from any injuries. It shouldn’t be damaging at all. Josephine gathered as much power as she could from her connection to the vortex then created a dampening field around herself and Yvonne. She knew it wouldn’t take but for several seconds, the connection between Yvonne and the vortex weakened just a little and destabilized. This caused the protective field to waver. Josephine didn’t have time to gather more energy from the vortex, she had to act immediately. She cast another knockout spell with as much