FIERY ILLUSIONS (Keeper of the Emerald Book 2)

by B. C. Harris

  Jasmin looks at me and lowers her gaze. “Emily, I’m so sorry. You’ve got to understand that being kidnapped was a horrible experience. My mind began to play tricks on me. I was frantic to escape. After you rescued me, the police kept pushing over and over for me to say it was your mother. Under the pressure, I finally broke. I wanted them to stop interrogating me. The only way to do this was to tell them what they wanted to hear. Being with the police was as terrifying as being kidnapped.”

  I push Michael aside to reach Jasmin.

  I hug her.

  “Let me show you something else as well,” Radwin says as he turns to the TV.

  I wonder what Radwin wants to show us.

  On the TV is a replay of the blonde female interviewing the older woman who was healed.

  “Drew, pause the picture the next time the interviewer touches her hair with her hand.”

  We watch for only a few seconds before Drew pauses the picture.

  “Oh my God,” I say when I realize what Radwin wanted us to see. The interviewer has a tattoo on her ring finger. It’s a circle with a dot in the middle.”

  “What does it mean?” Jasmin asks.

  Michael replies, “The tattoo on her finger is very significant. Jamie and I have been researching information about the worship of sun gods. The design of the tattoo on the woman’s finger is the Egyptian hieroglyphic symbol for the sun god. I’d be willing to bet that the followers of Santtonnice are getting this tattoo on their ring fingers, denoting their symbolic marriage to him and recognizing that he is the sun god.”

  “Which means,” says Jamie, “that the TV interviewer is a follower of Santtonnice. Because of this, she’s likely presenting a one-sided view of what he’s doing.”

  “It also means,” I begin, “that this connects the Stalker to Santtonnice. They must be working together.”

  “Why?” Jasmin asks.

  “My mother is in jail. It’s possible that Santtonnice has proof that she’s innocent of the crimes she was charged with. Without this proof, she will spend the rest of her life in prison. I’d be willing to bet my life that he’s going to offer to save my mother if I give him my emerald.”

  - 41 -

  FOUR DAYS

  After spending more than an hour talking about Santtonnice, we’re not any closer to understanding what he’s planning to do.

  Jamie and Michael are convinced that Santtonnice is planning something huge for December 25th which is only four days from now.

  “It seems like an impossible task to stop him, especially when we don’t know what he’s planning to do,” I say.

  “Can’t you just kill him with the emerald?” Jasmin suggests.

  I must admit I have already thought of this possibility.

  “No,” I say.

  “Why not?” Jasmin persists.

  I pause before continuing. I recall my mother telling me that killing Santtonnice would kill her. What did she really mean when she said this?

  “If I kill Santtonnice, my mother will never get out of prison,” I say as I try to come up with an excuse for not killing him.

  “I don’t understand,” Jasmin says.

  “As I said before, I think that Santtonnice has proof that my mother didn’t commit any crimes. If I kill Santtonnice, there might be no way of ever proving my mother’s innocence. My mother could spend the rest of her life in a prison.”

  “I could tell the police that I made a mistake in identifying her,” Jasmin says.

  “I don’t think they are going to believe you,” I reply. “Besides the crimes she has been accused of go beyond just kidnapping you.”

  Drew unexpectedly says, “Sometimes in a war, sacrifices need to be made. If killing Santtonnice would stop the suffering of millions of people, then would it be such a bad thing to sacrifice the life of your mother?”

  No one responds to Drew’s suggestion. I know he’s right. I’m being selfish. Saving the life of my mother is not worth the deaths of millions of other people. Although we don’t know Santtonnice’s specific plans, there is no doubt in my mind that millions of people are going to die. The riots in Rome have already killed thousands of people. If Santtonnice gains possession of my emerald, he could destroy our planet.

  “Actually,” Jamie says,” before we ask Emily to make such a difficult decision, I think we need to figure out what Santtonnice is planning to do. We need to go to Rome.”

  - 42 -

  PANIC GRIPS THE CITY

  It’s Thursday night, December 22nd. School has now ended for the winter break. There are three days left until Christmas. I spent today at Drew’s house, watching the news on TV and chatting with Jamie and Michael, even though they were at school. Our S O S chat room is proving to be a great way for us to communicate with each other.

  Staying at Drew’s house was easy because I never had to worry about his parents coming home. His family is a mystery. He never talks about his mother; I think she left him and his father somewhere in the past. His father drives a large truck and is rarely home. In many ways Drew lives completely on his own most of the time.

  Tomorrow evening we’re leaving for Rome. Although we still don’t have a plan for what we’re going to do there, Michael assures us that he has some ideas to help us discover Santtonnice’s plans.

  We’re all back at Drew’s house. School has finished for the winter vacation.

  My friends are excited about going to Rome. I’m surprised how quickly they have forgotten the dangers we faced on our mission into the Land of Shade a year ago. My guess is that our mission to Rome will be just as life-threatening.

  “Look at the TV,” Michael shouts. “I think it’s something about Emily’s mother.”

  There’s a picture of an explosion. In the corner of the screen is a picture of my mother.

  “Drew, turn up the volume,” I say.

  Instantly a reporter’s voice fills Drew’s bedroom.

  “To repeat, an explosion has occurred at the DC Jail. This is the facility where Tanya Sylvester, the Black Widow, was being kept following her recent arrest.”

  Flames are shooting everywhere. This is no minor explosion. My heart is in my throat. After all I’ve been through, have I lost my mother in an explosion in a jail?

  “A major part of the building has been completely levelled,” the announcer continues. “The police and fire department are requesting that everyone in the vicinity of the jail should evacuate the area. There is a concern that there might be additional explosives. Unidentified sources are now telling us that this is not an accident; it could be the act of terrorists.”

  As the pictures continue, flames are rocketing into the sky.

  Jamie is the first of my friends to put his arms around me. “I’m so sorry,” he says.

  The impact of what has happened hits me like I’m standing in front of a train.

  Is my mother dead? I gasp, trying to fight for air. My whole body is trembling. Tears are flowing freely from my eyes.

  I collapse into Jamie, unable to control my flood of emotions any longer.

  “Listen to the TV,” Michael says.

  I manage to contain my crying.

  The TV announcer says, “We have just heard from a person who lives in the area of the DC Jail that a few minutes before the first explosion occurred, there was the sound of gun fire. It would appear that there was a battle inside the prison before the explosions began.”

  I wonder if the explosions are a smoke screen for something else that happened within the prison?

  As pictures of the raging fire continue to fill the TV screen, the announcer states, “We now have an unconfirmed report that dozens of prisoners escaped from the jail before the first explosion.”

  - 43 -

  HOSTAGES

  At first I think I hear a gentle tapping, sort of like rain falling against a window. Then I realize someone is actually knocking against the window.

  I sit upright like I’ve had a bad nightmare. I’m at Drew’s house.
I’ve been sleeping on his couch.

  Then I remember. We watched the news last night on TV. All my friends were here. We were spellbound by the DC Jail riot. Finally, after watching a constant repetition of what had happened, I used my emerald to take each of my friends back to their houses.

  The knocking at the window continues, this time a little stronger.

  Squirt is sleeping beside me. Radwin is on the floor. I guess that Drew is in his bedroom.

  Should I wake Drew?

  I tiptoe to the window, dreading what I might discover.

  I clutch the emerald in my hand, ready to use it if necessary.

  Cautiously, I lift a corner of the curtains.

  It’s Jamie.

  I breathe a sigh of relief, although I can see that he’s looking frazzled.

  I rush to open the front door.

  As Jamie enters the house, he says, “We have another problem.”

  Another problem? I haven’t even been awake for five minutes and I’m facing another problem. When will this ever end?

  “Turn on the TV,” Jamie says.

  “What is it?” I ask.

  Jamie ignores my question as he frantically looks for the remote.

  The room is a mess.

  As Jamie tosses blankets and pillows in all directions, the room becomes even messier.

  “You don’t need the remote,” Drew mutters, standing at the door in a pair of boxer shorts. I try not to look at him, but even in the midst of the current drama, he looks appealing.

  Drew saunters to the TV and punches a button on the front.

  As the screen comes alive, it doesn’t take very long to understand what I’m seeing.

  Various angles of an older style white clapboard house are being shown. Judging by the number of police officers and other forms of militia surrounding the house, it’s obvious that someone dangerous is trapped inside it.

  I see the word “hostages” scrolling across the bottom of the screen followed a few sentences later by “Black Widow.”

  Even before Drew turns up the volume, I guess what is happening – my mother is being accused of holding some hostages in a house.

  A TV announcer quickly confirms my thoughts.

  “The Black Widow, having escaped from the DC Jail last night, is now trapped in a house a few blocks away from the jail. Although the police have the house surrounded, the fugitive is holding a family of four as hostages.”

  Fugitive? Holding a family of four as hostages?

  Impossible. If my mother was an innocent victim in jail, why would she escape and then take a family as her hostages?

  “Earlier,” Jamie says, “the TV station showed a picture of a woman at the window of the house. She looked exactly like your mother. As well, the police have been in contact with the woman. She’s claiming to be Tanya Sylvester.”

  “My mother’s being framed,” I say. “She would never do this. It must be the Stalker pretending to be her.”

  The TV broadcaster continues, “The Black Widow is armed and dangerous. She has already shot and killed two police officers.”

  “I must get into that house,” I say with urgency.

  I take my emerald and hold it in front of me. Looking at the house on the TV screen, I focus on where I want to to.

  Suddenly, I’m tackled and driven to the floor.

  It’s Drew. He has me pinned.”

  “What are you doing?” I gasp, thinking that he has gone crazy.

  “You can’t go there,” Drew says.

  “Drew’s right,” Jamie adds. “This could be a trap. Maybe Santtonnice wants to get you into that house.”

  At the moment that these words leave my mouth, a SWAT team charges at the house along with a tank-like truck that rams into the house, instantly causing a gaping hole in the wall.

  “This is a shocking development,” the announcer says. “A SWAT team has stormed the house. We have no idea why they would do this with four innocent hostages being held as captives inside the house.”

  Suddenly an explosion rips the house apart.

  No one has to tell me that it would be impossible for anyone to escape the flaming inferno.

  The TV screen cuts to a close-up studio shot of the announcer. He looks ashen. He’s at a loss for words.

  The carnage of police officers who were surrounding the house must be so horrific that they can’t show it on TV.

  If my mother was in the house, she couldn’t possibly have survived.

  - 44 -

  AN INCREDIBLE SURPRISE

  It’s Friday afternoon, two days before Christmas.

  For the past hour, or so, we’ve been planning our trip to Rome for later today. Michael and Jamie want to find a way to discover Santtonnice’s plan, while Drew insists I should use my emerald to kill him. After all, if my mother is already dead, why not just kill Santtonnice?

  If only I knew whether my mother was alive or dead; this would help me. I’ve tried using my emerald to locate her, but so far I’ve been unsuccessful in doing so.

  After much discussion, we still don’t have a plan that we all agree on. It looks like we’re going to use my emerald to travel to Rome without knowing exactly what we’re going to do there.

  Radwin, who is soaking up everything on the TV like a sponge, said we should let him and Squirt infiltrate the Colosseum and attempt to discover what Santtonnice is planning to do. In many ways, this is our best option, but I’m not convinced that a two-headed doadling and a purple zakabibble could ever escape being detected. Both of these creatures from Tamor are too unusual not to be noticed. Then again, amidst the confusion running rampant in Rome, maybe nobody would pay any attention to them.

  So here we are, once again crammed into Drew’s living room.

  The TV, playing in the background, is showing clips from this morning’s hostage situation over and over again. The only new thing we have learned is that the remains of only four bodies were found inside what was left of the house. The authorities now believe that the Black Widow might have escaped before the explosion occurred. Reports have also suggested that the hostages were already dead before the police stormed the house.

  The words “Breaking News” flash across the TV screen. What else could possibly be worthy of bulletin status after everything else that has happened within the past twenty-four hours?

  An attractive newswoman appears. Long blonde hair. Stunning looks. Heavy make-up around her eyes. This is the face that is going to bring us our next crisis. I suppress a laugh. I doubt that she’s ever broken a fingernail in her life, let alone qualify in some way to be reporting to the world about its horrors.

  “In a few minutes,” she begins in her husky professional voice, “Santtonnice, the purported New Messiah, will be making a major announcement. Joining me in the studio is Dr. Ted Ronsen, a renowned expert in world affairs, from Harvard University.

  Dr. Rosen is wearing a bow tie. A suit that is a little too small. And a moustache that curls a little at each end.

  Expert in world affairs? Who are they kidding? No one on the face of this planet would share their thoughts with this man. This isn’t credible world news; this is a group of entertainers who have never got their hands dirty.

  “Dr. Rosen, Ted if I might call you by your first name…”

  He smiles as though he thinks that this beautiful woman might be flirting with him.

  Give us the news, I want to shout.

  “Ted, any thoughts on what Santtonnice is going to announce? Do you think that whatever he’s going to say is somehow connected to what has been happening in Washington over the past twenty-four hours?”

  “Julie,” Dr. Ronsen begins, “men, like Santtonnice, are opportunists. They crave to be on the world stage. No, I don’t think Santtonnice has had anything to do with what has been happening here in Washington. The fact that this announcement of his came out of nowhere is an indication that he knows the world is paying attention to what has been happening in Washington, so he’s going
to use this opportunity to bring attention back to himself.”

  “So you’re saying,” the newscaster says, a radiant smile on her face that would do justice to a toothpaste commercial, “that what has been happening in Washington has nothing to do with what is happening in Rome.”

  “Yes Julie, that’s exactly what I’m saying. In a minute or two I think we are going to see that he’s going to use a horrible incident here in the United States to promote himself. I can even see him moralizing about what has happened in Washington and promising the world that by turning to him, such tragedies will be prevented in the future.”

  Before the news anchor responds, the shot on the TV screen jumps to Rome.

  There’s a picture of the Colosseum. It’s bathed in lights. The ancient structure looks magnificent. Its walls are covered in white marble. It’s difficult to believe that what once took hundreds of years to build has now been reconstructed in less than a few weeks.

  The camera settles on a large embellished platform and podium at an entrance to the Colosseum. The light envelopes the platform and radiates a powerful presence on the podium itself.

  With no warning, a figure in flowing white robes struts proudly to the stage. His whole being is immersed in the light as though he was standing directly in front of the sun. I know it’s Santtonnice.

  There’s a collective gasp of reverence throughout the crowd in front of the Colosseum. Even the TV announcers are silent as though they are in awe of his presence.

  Suddenly another person appears beside Santtonnice.

  I cry out, “No!”

  This can’t possibly be happening. I burst into tears. My body shakes with convulsions.

  “It’s your mother,” Jasmin whispers as though she has just seen the devil.

  - 45 -

  A STAGGERING ANNOUNCEMENT

  Santtonnice begins to speak.

  I stop breathing.

  The sinister alien, the evil creature that once tried to kill me, is now standing beside my mother. This time, there’s no doubt in my mind that this is actually my mother. This is not the tall woman we call the Stalker pretending to be her. I’m sure of this.