by S. E. Akers
My heart skipped a beat. “What do you mean by ‘other supernaturals’?”
Tanner Grey laughed as he rose to his feet. “For someone who’s having a hard enough time struggling with the fact they possess an ability that’s contrary to the course of how they perceive nature, you sure seem quite interested in the subject all of a sudden.” He smiled and walked over to the rock formation where the wand rested. His tone turned serious. “In good time, you’ll be faced with having all of your wits and wisdom tested on what truly lies out there, Shiloh. Trust me on this. You need to take things slow and allow this new world’s mysteries to be revealed to you, one at a time. You’ve already been through a lot…in such a short amount of time.”
Crap…That sounds ominous.
Tanner Grey obviously wasn’t going to delve into the subject haphazardly, but I didn’t see the harm in asking him a few questions about things that I’d already witnessed. I decided to kick off my interrogation with question that had nagged me since I was five.
“What was that black—”
Tanner spun around and interrupted me. “Fog? The thing you were running away from when you crashed into me on the ridge the other day? The shadowy being that possessed your friend last night and tried to finish you off for good?”
I confirmed his questions with a shaky nod. His open and unnerving admission that there was something lurking out there — determined to kill me — frightened me to my core. Hell, even Charlotte had never said she wanted me dead. At least I didn’t think so…
“That was Dunamis,” Tanner Grey revealed, “the betrayer who Adamas could not see. The Guild hasn’t referred to him by his real name for many years. He’s known now only by his origin stone, the Onyx. The Onyx has known for a while that the diamond wand was placed somewhere around here, but a spell was put on this cave many years ago to prevent him from entering it — if he were to ever discover its exact location.” Tanner pointed to my neck. “The Onyx is also responsible for placing a sardonyx in the locket of your necklace. He did so to warn him if you stepped one foot on this ridge. Kind of like a his own ‘supernatural radar’.”
A feeling of uneasiness shot through my body, forcing me to stiffen up. “WHAT is in my necklace?” I asked, now full-on alarmed.
“A sardonyx,” Tanner replied. “It’s a black onyx that’s been spelled. The white hatches marked on its surface will tell you how strong the curse is. A black sardonyx grants the Onyx some control over the person who carries it. That’s the real reason why you could never get your locket to open. You were never meant to discover what lay inside it.”
Stunned, I placed my hand over the spot where the oval locket had once rested. “But my mother gave me that locket years ago. It couldn’t have been cursed. Chloe’s got one just like it. Would hers be cursed as well?”
“Not likely. As far as your mother being the one who gave it to you…that really doesn’t matter. Shiloh, a sardonyx could’ve been placed inside it at anytime. Most likely right before she gave it to you. The Onyx only needed to kill you out of necessity — to keep you from finding the cave and claiming the wand as your own.”
Flabbergasted, I reflected aloud, “All these years…I never wanted to take it off. I just thought I didn’t because it was the last thing my mother had given me…out of love. I had no idea I couldn’t remove it because of some evil spell.”
Tanner interjected, “The necklace didn’t remain around your neck because of the curse. Shiloh, being a Talisman is in your blood. Even though you hadn’t claimed your stone, some of its abilities were locked away in the deep recesses of your mind. The diamond is a very psychic stone. It allows your mind not to be influenced by others through thought, like the suggestive chants of a spell. Your love for your mother did keep it there. That’s what the Onyx was counting on…your emotions. Only you could remove it willingly. Time was running out, so that’s why other means were necessary.”
“By what ‘other means’ are you talking about?” I inquired.
“The cologne, of course,” Tanner Grey proclaimed vainly. “I have to admit, that was my ingenious idea…though I did have some help planting it there.”
I remembered seeing my feathery little friend perched outside the open window.
“The bird put it there?” I inquired, struggling to believe it. Tanner flashed a cocky smile, clearly gloating. “But how did you know Katie would pick that particular fragrance? Charlotte had about twenty bottles on her dresser.”
“Well,” he started to reveal, “Most women find its scent enticing, and men find it absolutely irresistible. You have to be careful with it. Its magic is rather potent. The first guy to catch a whiff of its scent will find himself obsessed with its female wearer. I know the Talisman who whips up the little concoction of pheromones, flowers, and…rubies. She’s made a fortune on that cologne over the years.”
“What are the rubies for?” I asked.
“For dispelling love. In fact, I would be willing to bet that the only other thing that rivals its ability to rip love apart at its seams, is tattooing someone’s name on your body,” he stated with a confident snicker.
“Don’t get too cocky,” I rebuked. “I was pretty mad at her last night. I don’t think I needed any ruby’s help.”
Tanner Grey frowned. “Not to worry. The effects of the ruby have already worn off. How do you feel about her now?”
I didn’t have to contemplate that question for very long. “She’s pretty much a bitch,” I replied with a vigorous nod while I reflected upon every horrible thing she’d ever said or done. Something still left me puzzled. “I’m curious… If men find it so ‘irresistible’, then how does it dispel love?”
“Lust isn’t the same as love, Shiloh,” Tanner Grey acknowledged with certainty.
True, I thought as I was reminded of Mike’s strange behavior at the dance.
“But the necklace was burning the skin around my neck last night…like it was on fire.”
“Yes, that’s an unfortunate side effect of rubies,” Tanner replied. “They’re very protective and a bit volatile, like the Talisman who claims the stone. The ruby potion sensed the sardonyx around your neck and well, it forced you to remove it. However, they do come in handy if someone attempts you any harm. The slightest touch of the cologne will engulf your attacker in flames.”
My mouth dropped open. “That’s how Mike’s…um, the Onyx’s hands caught on fire?”
Tanner Grey’s cocky smile returned. “See…It did come in handy after all.” He nudged my shoulder and added, “Like I said…ingenious.”
I couldn’t help but be amused by his cheeky self-promotion. Even though Professor Tanner Grey was quite the charmer, a part of me still wanted to smack him. Now that one of my burning questions had been answered, I figured I would hunt for a few more.
“Do rubies make you have visions? Like premonitions?”
Tanner let out a playful grunt and rolled his eyes. “Ugh…You ask more questions than any of my students. No. Rubies don’t…but emeralds do. Emeralds allow you to see random, future events.”
“The whisky?” I quizzed, wide-eyed. “So, I wasn’t drunk. I was actually seeing things that were going to happen.”
“Exactly. Once I’d counteracted the whisky’s intoxicating influence, you were left with its other effects. That’s another talent of mine. I can detoxify most anything. It especially comes in handy when dealing with poisons, but unfortunately not all of them. Definitely not ones that are supernatural in nature.” He laughed, “After all, I couldn’t bear the thought of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.”
“But what if Mike hadn’t brought it?” I countered.
“Let’s see… A guy stops by a teenage boy’s house on the night of a dance with a very rare and expensive bottle of whiskey…that his father knows nothing about? Are you kidding me?” he asked doubtlessly.
He had me on that one. “I suppose.”
“But to air on the side of caution…I may have taken
a sip of ‘ole Emerald Eyes…to see if he would take the bait, and if you would end up drinking it… Just in case. You needed to have your guard up last night and that was the most practical, yet I’ll admit, unorthodox way to go about it.”
“But I didn’t see my father dying, or Mike attacking me! I could’ve used a little heads-up on those!” I snapped in a sudden burst of anger.
“I said the visions were ‘random’,” Tanner Grey replied defensively. “And let me correct you. You didn’t see the Onyx attack you. Adamas didn’t either… Remember? For some reason, the emerald’s powers can’t predict the Onyx’s actions.”
I sulked for a moment. I truly wished I could have seen a vision of my father dying. Maybe I could have prevented it somehow? That was my only regret.
I raised my hand and stared at my little golden topaz ring. Tanner walked over and gave the stone a flick with his fingers as he examined it closely.
“That little thing won’t be of much use to you until it’s recharged, preferably with something stronger than sea-salt,” he commented. “I’m afraid you drained most all of its power last night. I suggest bathing it in the light of the next full moon. Moonbeams are your only option when you use too much of a stone’s power in a short amount of time. That’s this Friday night, and it’s supposed to be a blue moon as well. Moonbeams from a true blue moon are extremely effective.”
I looked at Tanner curiously as I held up the ring. “Was this part of your ‘ingenious plan’, or is Ms. Sutherland a—”
“Yes,” he interrupted. “She’s a Talisman. Giving the topaz to you was her idea. She thought its protection might come in handy. Actually, Beatrix has been watching out for you since you were born. She was with me last night when I carried you out of here and took you home.”
“That’s how I got home?” I blurted. I started thinking back to how I’d woken up without any memories of what had happened last night — how I got home or even getting into bed. My eyes popped open. “HOW did I get into my pajamas?” I snapped, tugging my shirt closer to my chest.
Tanner caught the gist of my question. He jumped back and raised his arms in the air to halt my misguided thoughts.
“That was Beatrix!” he insisted with a laugh. “But don’t worry. I don’t think she was looking.”
Feeling a little more at ease after that disclosure, I began to quietly reflect on the vision I’d seen of Ms. Sutherland last night. That functioning third eye in the middle of her forehead had been etched into my mind. I was planning to have a chat with the sweet & innocent elderly “blind” lady about that particular image.
“Only golden topazes can protect you from death,” Tanner Grey revealed. “That’s why your fall and all the injuries you sustained from it didn’t kill you last night. Once you had claimed the diamond wand and its powers, you could heal yourself. The golden topaz also granted you its power of invisibility last night.”
I gazed intensely at the sparkling golden stone. “Is that why Mike…I mean, the Onyx, couldn’t see me?”
Tanner nodded his head and smiled. “But I saw you,” he revealed. “Just remember you have to be specific when you call on the stone’s power of invisibility.”
I remembered cowering down, focusing on the black fog that was trailing away from Mike. I was praying that “he” wouldn’t be able to see me. My thought prompted a question.
“I asked not to be seen by him as I thought about the black fog…What if I’d asked specifically not to be seen by Mike?” I inquired to Tanner Grey.
“We probably wouldn’t be having this conversation right now,” Tanner Grey replied bluntly. “Remember…be specific,” he warned critically.
“So, the Onyx can just pop in and out of people, no matter who they are, or where they’re at?” I asked nervously.
“For some reason, only at night,” Tanner Grey revealed. “He usually chooses a man. I’ve never known the Onyx seizing the body of a woman, but it’s possible.”
“Will Mike remember anything?”
“No. There’s no chance of that. From the moment he was taken and up until his release, his mind is no longer his. Even his soul will feel like it’s been ripped out and returned it to him in shambles. His body will ache for several days as well. Oh, and by the way…He’s okay, just so you know,” Tanner Grey replied with a hint of sarcasm.
Shamefully, I acknowledged Tanner with a low nod. Honestly, Mike’s safety was the last thing on my mind. After the way “he” or “the Onyx” went after me last night and kept me from saving Daddy, I wouldn’t have cared if Tanner Grey had dropped kicked his ass clear off the mountain. Though now knowing Mike had been “occupied”, my feelings about him were in the middle of having a change of heart, but they weren’t quite there yet — not by a long shot! I was still pretty pissed.
Tanner Grey began to elaborate more on my assailant. “Dunamis is a very powerful Talisman. He rivaled Adamas in many ways. No one ever knew he could transport his soul into the earthly body of another. When Dunam—the Onyx, inhabits a human’s body, he replaces their soul with his. He can’t do it with the body of a Talisman or any other supernatural. The person is under his complete influence, and the host’s soul ceases to exist. It’s trapped in a state of torturous purgatory until it’s released. The Onyx’s dark power feeds off his victim’s souls. It’s not a natural occurrence, even among our kind. The only time a Talisman’s soul can leave their body is when they die. The Talisman’s powers, along with their soul and all of their memories, surrender themselves back to their stone of origin, their fated birth-stone. Somehow Dunamis figured out how to do it and has used it as one of his most powerful weapons against The Guild for all these years — the element of surprise and secrecy. One of my duties has been to keep track of him and find a way to kill him. It would be detrimental for everything in existence if the wand were to ever fall into the Onyx’s hands.”
“How’s that workin’ for you?” I quipped.
Tanner Grey’s violet eyes darkened. “Cute,” he replied with a grin. He took my hand once more, in a soothing way. “Shiloh, I think you need to head home. That’s everything you need to know…for now. I can feel every emotion that’s churning inside you. Go home and face your grief today and surround yourself with your loved ones.”
Now that I knew about his influence over my emotional state, I quickly jerked my hand from his grasp.
“My ‘loved ones’?” I questioned. “I’m about to bury my loved one.”
I grabbed Ty’s tuxedo jacket and stormed off, headed for the intricate, winding stone stairs in a huff. I would rather be anywhere else than at home, facing my father’s death and having to deal with my so-called, “loved ones”. Still curious, I halted and spun around.
“Okay. Let’s say I totally believe everything you’ve just told me. What about the diamond’s powers? What are they exactly? I know I just ran 50 miles in about 15 minutes, and I waylaid two of Welch’s finest officers with no effort whatsoever.”
Tanner Grey approached me as I waited at the base of the cavern steps. “Don’t worry, little girl,” he assured me with a steely look. “You’ll soon have plenty of toys to play with. Now, go home — Straight home,” he ordered, pointing his finger up to the mouth of the cave.
“Ugh!” I grunted as I stomped up the steps in a pouty, child-like manner. I’d like to drop kick his ass into a curio cabinet when he calls me “little girl” like that.
“And Shiloh…” Tanner called up to me from below. I stopped just before I’d reached the top. Frustrated, I turned and looked back down at him.
“WHAT?” I hollered.
“One more thing…Stay away from Lazarus Xcavare. You’re not to go near him and don’t even think about touching him. No questions…just heed my warning.”
For some unknown reason, Tanner’s decree didn’t strike me as odd, but I was definitely intrigued.
“Why not?” I posed. Lazarus Xcavare was creepy for sure, and I was the unfortunate person who’d felt every raw and si
nister emotion he carried inside him, as well as listened in on his thoughts. His royal-blue stone ring came to mind. “Is he a Talisman, too?”
“Yes…He is,” Tanner Grey replied reluctantly. “But he’s not like us,” he added gruffly.
“What do you mean, ‘not like us’?”
“Not all Talismans are about peace, Shiloh,” Tanner Grey stressed. “Lazarus came here in search of the wand. I know for a fact that he’s been heightening his search for the stone over the past few months. Why or how he ended up here, in the very spot where it was hidden, I haven’t figured out yet. Lazarus can somehow sense the diamond’s presence through the earth’s soil…I think, but I’m not sure how he’s doing it. I’ve only known of one other Talisman who can sniff out a stone’s energy like that. Its more than just a coincidence.”
Tanner sighed and continued his lecture. “Your powers are evolving, even as I’m speaking to you. Lazarus Xcavare’s stone is the Lapis Lazuli, and it bears a tremendous amount of psychic abilities. The diamond wand that your strengths and abilities emanate from will also make other Talisman’s powers a hundred times stronger when they’re in your presence. That’s one of the things that make the wand so irresistible and turns wanting its powers into a maddening obsession. If Lazarus even suspects you now rule over the diamond, he’ll kill you without thinking twice about it. If your powers haven’t fully culminated, I’m afraid you won’t stand a chance. So, I’ll repeat…Stay away from him!” Tanner growled.
I studied both Tanner Grey’s words and the tone in his voice. If what he’d said was true, then staying away from Lazarus Xcavare was the prudent thing to do. But something inside me suspected that he wasn’t being entirely truthful. I couldn’t help but think about how the ring on his finger was similar in color to the handprints around my father’s neck. My suspicions were more than roused.
“Is that the only reason I should steer clear of him,” I probed, “or is there something else?”
Tanner said nothing. I lowered my eyes and let out a sharp grunt as I turned to walk out of the cavern. Suddenly, I was startled as my exit came to a halt. Tanner Grey had whisked up the winding rock stairway past me, in the form of a purple mist, and was now hindering my departure. His sultry, yet stern eyes stared into mine like a teacher would a disobedient student.
