Bloodstone (Talisman)

by S. E. Akers

  “Whatever,” I grumbled, shaking my head.

  “He likes you,” Kara interjected. “He’s always watching you.”

  “He has to. He’s sort of my sponsor,” I phrased strategically.

  “Trust me. I’ve got more experience in this department, and I wish Mike would look at me like that.” I looked away as I dwelled on Kara’s bold observation. I could feel my eyes sharpening as I took several slow, heavy-chested breaths. “And I know that look, too,” Kara contended with a sly grin.

  With my minute counted-off, Tanner announced, “Look, I don’t care that you lied about Lorelei and Padimae…and who knows what else. I don’t know what mess you’ve gotten yourself into…but I know you’re safe, for now.”

  How does he know that?

  “Get back here as soon as you can… Please,” Tanner added in a whisper. I still felt his presence connected to my mind, but he remained silent. “Good-night, Shiloh. I’d better see you first thing in the morning.” My heart swelled thinking about his last few words as our magical bond subsided.

  That wasn’t just an order.

  “Is there anybody you can call?” Kara asked. If I were answering the Kara from yesterday, I’d pop off a curt, “I’m not AT & T”, but not this one, surprisingly. I reached for my purse. Bea was off limits. One — I didn’t want her to worry. Two — I didn’t have a clue where she was. And three — I had a feeling she was up to her high-tea drinking rear in a supernatural family feud. With only one other option, I pulled out the blood-stained voodoo doll and gave it a firm squeeze.

  I hope this works.

  “Padimae,” I called out mentally. To my shock and delight, she answered immediately.

  “Shiloh?”

  “Yes. It’s me,” I replied, still not knowing exactly what to say. “I’m in a slight jam.” Padimae was thoughtfully quiet, or possibly distracted. “Padimae?”

  “I’m sorry. I need to retrieve my deck,” she answered. “One moment please.”

  Great. I called the Psychic Hotline. That’s just what I need… More bad news.

  “I see you fulfilled your duty. Your curse is gone. But—” Padimae’s voice trailed off into silence. “You are in some trouble. Serious trouble,” she added gravely.

  All things considered, I couldn’t help but laugh. “Now? Then? Or when?” I inquired.

  “All the above,” Padimae answered.

  Damn! “Please, thank your granddaughter for me,” I said in a courteous growl.

  “I cannot,” Padimae replied.

  “Can’t or won’t?” I asked.

  “Shiloh, she is dead,” the voodoo queen revealed in a haunting whisper. I sprang to my feet so quick, Kara about jumped out of her skin.

  “What?” I gasped. “How? When?”

  “A couple of hours after you left. She went to get Tiny out of his cage for a good stretch. I was in the back. When I came out, the snake was coiled all around her. She was on the floor gasping for air. I could barely see the top of her head.”

  I shuddered as I thought about the ghastly python. “That’s horrible. I’m truly sorry,” I said with a sincere air. “She just got you back.”

  “Thank you, Shiloh. That’s very kind of you to say in light of my granddaughter’s trickery. I tried to free her. I used the serpentine she bargained from Lorelei.”

  I about gasped. I remembered seeing her around Tiny’s cage and was pretty sure she had dropped something inside it.

  “What happened?” I inquired, almost afraid to.

  “Tiny snapped her neck on the spot,” Padimae revealed. “Lá Léo would have never used her magic against that creature. She loved Tiny more than anything.”

  “I’m sorry,” I repeated. “I feel sort of responsible.”

  “Why is that?” Padimae questioned.

  “I thought I saw Lorelei drop something into the cage when she was there.” A pang of guilt hit me like a brick. “I should have said something, but I honestly didn’t give it a second thought.”

  “You’re no more at fault than I am, child. She dropped her wards for me the other night, so you could remove my curse. If Lorelei put something in there, that act allowed its magic to be released. And, the stone she traded was marked with death. I used it too quickly trying to save her to even notice. Just like people, stones can be rotten to the core. That serpentine would have turned a garter snake into a ravenous, blood-thirty animal with only the intent to kill. This was all Lorelei’s doing. I’m afraid that one is a wicked soul.”

  “I ran into her today when we toured a cenote. Half of her, at least,” I remarked. “I don’t know what the other part was.”

  “Cenotes are dangerous. Stay away from them, child…and rivers too. Anything that leads to the sea. That is her domain. Do not underestimate the length of Lorelei’s reach. She can sense a supernatural’s energy thousands of miles away if they enter the sea. If you want to take a swim, I suggest you stick to a pool.” Suddenly all of Bea’s little fat jabs made sense. She knew who had left the seaweed at the cemetery. That was her crafty way to keep me out of the water. Slick… Hurtful, but slick.

  “My cards tell me that you are being hunted,” Padimae revealed.

  “You can say that.”

  “I feel their energy. Some want your blood and others seek something that burns inside of you. Four? Maybe five Talismans? For some reason, the cards are fuzzy.”

  Son-of-a-bitch! I didn’t now how to respond to that.

  “A—Are you sure? I ran into Lorelei today. That’s one.”

  “What about Damiec?”

  “What about him?” I shrieked.

  “He came to the store on the night you left, as soon as the sun went down. He was looking for you, child.”

  I remembered seeing him in one of my visions from last night. At least I hoped it was just a vision. I ran my hands through my hair. “Could he have been in Veracruz…last night?”

  “It is possible, even with the boundaries of his curse. I did not disclose your location, but he’s very cunning. You would not be hard to track.”

  “Two,” I counted off like I was tallying zits.

  “Have you run into any others along your journey that wish you harm?”

  “That’s why I’m calling. I think so. The one that lives at the house where I delivered the pouch. The one with eyes that shine a blue-green light.”

  “Benicio?” Padimae asked, stunned. “The Turquoise Talisman?”

  That explained a heck of a lot. “I don’t know his name, but if he can turn into a jaguar, then that’s who I’m talking about.”

  “Benicio is a member of your sect’s Guild. He was given the task of guarding the sunstone. I was to deliver it to him all those years ago. When Dunamis tried to steal it from me, I hid from him and stowed the stone away to keep it safe. When I didn’t show up to deliver it to Benicio, Adamas’ curse took over my mind. I couldn’t retrieve it until the other day, when you lifted the spell. That is why my granddaughter tricked you into taking the sunstone to him. So my duty would be fulfilled without putting me at any more risk along the way. But child, Benicio would never harm you.”

  I looked around the walls of our rough safe-haven. “I beg to differ.”

  “What happened when you gave him the pouch?” Padimae questioned.

  “I gave the stone to the housekeeper,” I said candidly. “Why didn’t you tell me what was in there in the first place?”

  “I thought I was protecting you, but it seems I was mistaken. You are in a serious amount of danger.”

  No shit.

  “I still do not understand why Benicio would want to kill you. Did he not receive the stone?” Padimae asked.

  “No. He got it all right,” I confirmed. “But I don’t think their ceremony was a success.”

  “Ceremony?” Padimae gasped. “He was only supposed to guard the sunstone, not claim its powers. How do you know this?”

  “I remembered the stone from my dream, so I turned invisible and snuck in. All th
is mystical energy started floating out of the stone and then it sort of…disappeared. The next thing I knew, all these men in cloaks were chasing me. They couldn’t see me, but their arrows didn’t miss. I thought this gris-gris would keep anyone from sensing me.”

  “Anyone, yes…but not anything. Benicio’s turquoise can lock onto anything he commands, even if he can’t sense what he’s after. The stone stays true to its target. All its owner has to do is express their desire. Invisibility from a golden topaz or even a gris-gris from me could not counter that.”

  “I thought I’d gotten away, until he changed into a jaguar and chased me down.”

  “He couldn’t have caught your scent…the freesias,” Padimae clarified.

  Again with the freesias?

  “The gris-gris would have protected you from that,” the voodoo queen insisted.

  “It wasn’t my scent. I was wearing someone else’s jacket. I think that’s what he smelled, and what he tracked today. He thought a friend of mine was me. Now we’re stuck here at El Tajín in a chamber until dawn. But he knows we’re in here. I don’t know what’s going to happen when the spell breaks in the morning.”

  “El Tajín, you say? This is it not a problem. When the spell breaks, you will have a safe escape,” Padimae vowed.

  “How?” I questioned skeptically.

  “Those are sacred grounds. I’ll call upon the spirits to protect you and your friend.”

  “Can they call us a cab?”

  Padimae laughed. “Do not worry, child. Get some rest.”

  “Thank you, Padimae. I owe you for this.”

  “No, Shiloh. I fear I still owe you. Be very wary. I still see others along this journey that wish to harm you, so at least for tonight, sleep tight.”

  That was like telling some standing on a narrow box with a noose tied around their neck to “watch where they stepped”. I sighed, “I’ll try.”

  “Shiloh?” Padimae called out.

  “Yes?” I answered.

  “What happened to the stone?”

  “I guess Benicio still has it.”

  “And Helio?” Padimae inquired. “You said he separated from it, am I correct?”

  “Yes. He did.”

  “Then where did he go?” she asked, confused.

  “He’s close,” I confirmed.

  “Tell me he is not—”

  “I’m guessing that he is,” I confirmed.

  Our connection faded, leaving me with more troubles to ponder. Lorelei, Damiec, Benicio… Who else? My stomach flipped at the thought of the Onyx turning up, despite Beatrix’s assurances.

  As I tucked the voodoo doll back in my purse, Kara asked, “What did they say? Are they going to send help?”

  “Yeah,” I answered, foggy about the specifics. “She said we would have safe passage when we wake.” Kara seemed a little less worried. “I think we should get some rest.”

  Kara laid down beside me not a second later and tried her best to find a comfortable spot. There was certainly nothing “five-star” about our accommodations tonight.

  Kara grabbed my wrist. “Could you leave your ring on? Please?”

  I gave her hand a soothing rub. “One night-light, coming up.”

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  I’ve always had this kind of “internal” alarm clock, so rising at a precise time had never been a “big thing”. Waking before the spell broke at sunrise went as smooth as I’d predicted, however, what was waiting for me when I opened my eyes had me pinching myself to make sure I wasn’t still dreaming. A translucent apparition of a woman was hovering on the ground in front of me — watching me. I wanted to flinch, but I couldn’t. Layers of beads draped down from the woman’s neck, all the way to her long belted skirt. She extended her hand, but didn’t say a word (I wasn’t even sure if she could).

  I nudged Kara with my foot. “Get up,” I urged.

  “Is it time?” Kara asked, her anxiety fueling her groggy state.

  “Just about,” I replied. I studied my buddy’s reaction as she rose from the ground. She looked around the chamber, oblivious to the other party in our midst.

  “Can you see anything?” I asked.

  Kara yawned. “What are you talking about? See what?”

  “Nothing,” I affirmed with a smile.

  Kara walked over to the door and pointed. “Do you think they’re still out there?”

  The ghostly presence nodded. “Yeah,” I confirmed.

  The spirit glided past me and started moving her hands over several stones arranged on the rear wall. Her fingers traced around the seam of one rock in particular. With a firm push, the stone slid back into the wall.

  Kara jumped at the grating sound. “What was THAT?” she shrieked nervously. Suddenly, a secret door hidden in the stone-clad wall opened up a few feet away and revealed a crumbly stairway that led straight down. Not a minute too soon either. The containment spell’s subtle shimmer had already begun to fade.

  I grabbed her arm. “Our exit,” I said without batting an eye and pulled her frozen frame out of the room. I muzzled my mouth when we reached the bottom. Hordes of weapon-clad ghostly warriors were standing in the hall. Half of them flooded up the stairs and into the room. The others remained by our sides. Hopefully they would help hold off our supernatural hunters so we could escape.

  “Why did we stop?” Kara asked. “Do you know where to go?” Even with the echoing sounds of Benicio and his thugs pummeling the slab and trying to bust into the chamber, I couldn’t take my eyes off the image of the spectral figure that Kara was practically standing on top of.

  “Never mind,” I said, shaking off the image. A warrior wearing a feathery crown-like headpiece took my hand and started leading me down the hall. “This way,” I instructed.

  No sooner than Kara had asked if I thought they would have any luck getting through the door, we heard the jolting sound of a loud explosion. Our ghostly leader picked up his pace, so I, along with Kara started racing down the ancient narrow halls. The rest of the spectral warriors remained behind while we ran on ahead. More cover. Soon, the sound of our assailants’ screams echoed down the hall.

  “Why are they screaming?” Kara yelled, panicked and confused.

  “You don’t want to know,” I assured her. The jaguar’s aggressive growl was just the fuel Kara needed to get the lead out of her butt. She even tried to push past me.

  Daylight was flooding into the tight corridor from an opening up ahead. We paused to survey the scene. People were already outside gathering for one of the site’s early morning festivals.

  No goons, I noted. That’s good. Another horrific roar from Benicio blared down the underground passageway. Our warrior guide tapped his hand on my forehead and gave me a slight bow. I bowed back humbly.

  “What are you doing? Let’s go!” Kara whined.

  “Thanking our guide,” I insisted.

  Kara shook her head. “WHAT?”

  The ghostly warrior raised his spear and charged back down the hall. I peeked out and scanned the grounds. Surely we wouldn’t have a hard time finding a car to hijack with all of these people loitering around. But after completing a vigilant sweep, another route caught my eye. My mouth stretched into a smile. I pointed to a colorful cluster about three hundred yards to our left.

  “Are you afraid of heights?” I asked and ran towards the crowd.

  “You’re not serious?!?” Kara whined. She followed, but I wasn’t sure how thrilled she was about the idea. “Can’t you hotwire a car or something?”

  “Not fast enough,” I assured her. As soon as we hit the small crowd of festivalgoers, we ducked our heads to blend in. This wasn’t the time to be picky. Upright, fully inflated, and a pilot ready for lift-off would certainly do.

  “That one,” I said to Kara with a tilt of my head. I threw my legs over and into the thick woven basket. The surprised pilot’s eyes glazed into submission within a second of my mental request. I turned to her. “We’re good to go. Get in!”


  “Are you sure we can’t drive?” Kara pleaded.

  “I’m pretty sure a supernatural cat can outrun whatever jalopy we’ll find… And, I don’t know the way back to Veracruz, do you?”

  Kara looked fraught with fright. I finally had to grab my petrified buddy with a swift grunt and yank her inside the basket. Once we had crouched down and were out of sight, I shot the pilot a curt, “Vamonos!”

  With one fiery tug, we started our gradual ascent into the sky. A small hole in one of the sidewalls allowed me to scope out the dwindling scene below. Benicio was out of the tunnel and had already turned back into his human form. He and his crew were heading straight for the crowd of people launching their hot air balloons. Thankfully, most of them had already lifted off or weren’t even close to being inflated. Now that we were airborne and safe, I informed our pilot of our destination. Another quick tug and a lucky stream of southern bound wind helped get us on our way. I stood up once we were well out of sight.

  Nothing like a breathtaking view to calm a person down after a run-for-your-life morning jog. The sunlight streaming through the clouds was nothing less than heavenly. Lush clumps of green and sporadic patches of brown carpeted the earth beneath us, while a commanding line of azure blue to the east stretched across the horizon, guiding us towards the coastline. If the possibility of an untimely end didn’t make you feel like an insignificant speck on the planet, this sight sure would.

  I waved Kara up. “Look at this incredible view!”

  “I’m good here,” Kara insisted with her head between her knees. “You may be used to this, but I’m not.”

  I sat down beside her. “Are you okay?”

  “I am now. Thank you, Shiloh.”

  “You’re welcome,” I said with a light laugh. That was probably the last phrase I ever thought I would be aiming at Kara Leighton.

  Kara looked thoughtfully up at the pilot. “So? Are you going to do it now?”

  “Do what?”

  “Zap my brain too?” Kara asked.

  I leaned my head back and sighed. “Am I going to fix it to where a lying, thieving, food-spitting, boot-legging, rumor-starting, little witch can’t ever tell on me? Is that what you’re asking?” I posed with a stifled smile.