Bloodstone (Talisman)

by S. E. Akers

  Only two of my acquired gemstones were not in attendance. My moonstone, which was granted to me by a Seraphina, a Talisman I’d never seen or met. She had played an instrumental role in saving my butt when she purged my body of some wickedly lethal poison, courtesy of one magical healing moonbeam, and left me one of her own stones. Beatrix instructed me to hand the mysterious little opalescent beauty over to her for safekeeping. I’d only had it for a few days before she asked. Though I knew a moonstone quickened a Talisman’s own healing abilities and helped their other gemstones maintain their optimum charge, I was still trying to figure out its powers. So naturally, I was disappointed when she asked for it (demanded it really). I agreed without too much of a fuss. However, I found myself missing the little rare stone and wanted it back desperately.

  The only other stone missing was my damn lapis lazuli. That haunting memento would always be last on the list. I hadn’t officially worn it since I’d yanked it off and sent it sailing across my bedroom. I kept it hidden underneath my bed and couldn’t care less if I ever laid eyes on it again. I felt sick enough knowing I now claimed its power — the very same power that its recently departed and previous owner, Lazarus Xcavare, had used to poison my father and ultimately drove him to his death. I didn’t want to add insult to injury by having to see the damn thing all the time!

  Total count… Four stones, I noted as I tucked the amethyst and serpentine inside my pocket. Once I’d stashed my purse under the passenger-seat, I grabbed a special bouquet of flowers I’d brought along to decorate my father’s grave, slammed my car door, and headed for the base of the sprawling maple tree. Instead of hopping right down off her branch, Beatrix threw me a sly wink and then hurled herself out of the tree. She landed gracefully on the other side, safe from the energy-draining iron.

  “Come on, dear. We haven’t got all night,” Beatrix insisted with a few quick claps and then held out her arms, waving for me to pitch over my flowers.

  “Oh, I’ve got them,” I remarked in a wry tone, and like a child, secured a few stems from the bouquet’s base in my mouth. Though a boost of air whipped up by my mentor would’ve been helpful, I swiftly put on my black gloves to shield my hands and scaled the massive wrought-iron gate without a hitch.

  “You know, if you were going for the whole ‘cat-burglar’ thing, you overshot it. What on earth is a Mad Dawg?” she asked as I hopped down and landed on the ground. “Don’t tell me that this Mad Dawg is helping to mend your broken heart?”

  “No. It’s still shattered in a million pieces. But thanks for your concern,” I said drolly as I jerked off my gloves and shoved them into the pocket of the jacket.

  “Ah well, that’s good to know,” Beatrix replied with a teasing sigh of relief.

  “Go find Gallia and let’s get this show on the road!” Katie ordered anxiously. I concluded another diligent search of my surroundings only to realize again that the pint-sized, pig-tailed Talisman still wasn’t here.

  “Shouldn’t Gallia be here by now?” I posed to Bea.

  “Don’t fret, dear,” Beatrix insisted. “I’m sure she’s wrapping up things in Jolo. It is a Sunday. There’s no telling how many snakebites she’s had to heal this evening, and don’t forget about that full moon hanging in the sky. She’ll have to take extra precautions when traveling on a night like tonight.”

  I’d met Gallia, the Serpentine Talisman, for the first time over a month ago outside a snake-handling church in Jolo. Later that same evening, she reappeared in the nick of time to heal Tanner Grey from a lethal dose of supernatural snake venom. That meeting really threw me for a loop, though not so much from the whole “Tanner-knocking-on-death’s-door” thing, but because of her startling appearance. Gallia, Tanner, and Beatrix were chums from way, way back. They were all members of The Guild, a band of Talismans who kept a secretive watch on all the supernaturals who roamed the earth. Beatrix looked like a refined lady in her sixties, Tanner appeared to be in his late twenties, slightly weathered in a rugged, steamy sort of way, but Gallia looked like a child — a precious doll-faced, blond-haired little girl who anyone would guess to be no more than ten years-old (eleven tops). I wasn’t exactly sure how the “aging thing” worked with Talismans. I hadn’t asked, but I assumed it must have something to do with their stones. I remembered Gallia had mentioned that she had to be careful whenever there was a full moon, but I didn’t understand precisely “why”?

  “Why is that?” I asked Bea, psychically. Though I didn’t know the reason, I had a hunch it was of the supernatural-nature and required discretion.

  “I’m afraid that’s not for me to disclose. Gallia would have already told you if she wanted you to know. Secrets are usually kept for a reason. Maybe she thinks she’s protecting you? Anyway, it’s been my experience that the messenger tends to live longer if they keep their trap shut,” Beatrix advised, locking her lips with a gesture. “Come, dear,” she insisted, eyeing my flowers. “I would lead, but I’m pretty sure you know the way by heart.”

  Arm in arm, we walked about a hundred yards, up and over several small hills until we reached my father’s grave. The flowers I’d placed here last week had already wilted and served as a brutal reminder of what lay just six-feet below. I instantly fell to my knees when I noticed the freshly etched letters that had been engraved onto the cold, stark stone.

  Caiden Wallace

  Loving husband and father

  Like every other time I had been here to visit, my blue eyes lightened a few shades — their hue watered down from welling, soon-to-fall tears. This time seemed different, more real I supposed. After several weeks of complaining, the cemetery had finally gotten around to engraving his name on the headstone. Actually seeing it felt like an ironic slap in the face. I thought I wouldn’t feel as sad if his name was there, visible, even if he wasn’t. But I was wrong, way wrong. The sickening swell in my stomach felt fresh, so fresh that I might as well have been back in the bed of his truck on that fateful night when he lay convulsing and gasping for air, dying in my arms.

  That vision also served as a painful reminder. Fate chose me for this life, and I’d accepted its blessings wholeheartedly, along with all of its blight. But the sad, tormenting reoccurrence kept surfacing — any human loved one around me could become an innocent victim while I traveled down my destined path. Daddy’s death… Samuel’s accident in the mine… Ty’s poisoning… Katie’s carnal death and her soul getting trapped in her diamond… Even people on my shit-list were prime for the picking… Mike Riverside… Coach Hayes…

  My burden is not just “my burden”…it’s everyone’s, I brooded quietly while I wallowed in my despair. Just look at Katie’s situation. She’ll have not only died as a result of “who I am” and “what I possess”, but if I can’t come up with a plan to somehow reunite her with her family HERE, where she belongs, then she’ll have to live out her life elsewhere…far, far away as an “outcast”… Punished again! What kind of person allows that to happen to their best-bosom friend? Who can live with that?

  Beatrix knelt beside me. Like the thoughtful soul she was, the kind and caring woman whom I had grown extremely fond of removed the wilted flowers from their well and relieved me of the ones still clutched in my hand. I watched her take great pains to arrange them perfectly in their new home, just as I would. As we knelt on the ground side by side, she tenderly placed her arm around me as I stared longingly at Daddy’s grave. My head started to swirl, letting me know a telepathic message was about to unfold.

  “A raven. I chose a raven tonight for you, dear,” Beatrix asserted solemnly. “Aren’t you curious why?” I only tilted my head slightly towards her while my stare remained fixed on my father’s patch of hallowed earth. “I think you’re the one feeling ‘Poe-ish’ this evening. It’s only natural. I’ve seen the conflict that’s been tugging at your heartstrings all month. My dear, no matter what possible outcome you may wish for tonight, no matter what question you ask, or what answer you seek…one thing is certain. Wh
at is familiar and treasured is lost. In the end, Katie’s gaze will never be returned by those she loves… Nevermore,” Beatrix whispered somberly as she placed her delicate fingers on my chin and turned my stare to hers. “You must make peace with that, Shiloh…and so must Katie. It’s time to stop tormenting yourself. There is only one path, one avenue as to ‘what will be’.”

  One lonely tear coursed its way down my cheek, past my quivering lips, and landed perfectly on my diamond-fitted class ring. It added an extra gleam to the white-glowing energy radiating from the stone’s core. Knowing Katie’s world was about to go dark again (if it hadn’t already), I took a deep breath and shot her a telepathic message of my own, letting her think my emotions had gotten the best of me while visiting my father’s grave. With that taken care of, I redirected my attention to Bea.

  “She’s stronger than what you give her credit for…you both are,” Beatrix remarked with an air of certainty.

  “I know, Bea. I know,” I muttered, struggling to form the words amid my doubt.

  “Remember, Shiloh, our choices serve to guide us along density’s path. What comes to pass has already been written. No matter what we choose or how many attempts we make to change our course, we end up exactly where we are meant to be. Fate has the ultimate say in the end. You, of all people, should be well aware of that.”

  My head dropped towards my chest while the harsh reality of Beatrix’s words resonated within me. My mentor was right. I’d been trying to form a foolproof plan for an unwinnable fight. The battle’s outcome rested not in my hands, but fate’s. The only thing that remained was dealing with the aftermath, the resulting consequences to our life-long friendship.

  Will it endure this tribulation…or be doomed?

  We were just about to rise when from out of nowhere, the ground beneath us began to vibrate. Alarmed by its increasing fervor, we sprang to our feet and scanned the misty fog-bed for any signs of movement. A sudden quake charged past us, right underneath our feet. Our eyes shot down to the cloudy, camouflaged ground while our senses directed them towards a massive slab of granite that read, “Goner”. Not knowing what was causing the seismic disturbance that was hovering there and growing in intensity, Beatrix and I stood on high-alert. She whipped up a churning tornado-like funnel of air in the palm of her hand, and I threw my hand up towards the sky, summoning a bolt with breakneck speed — both of us now armed and ready.

  Not a second later, a mound of earth lying in front of the headstone humped up above the fog and then exploded before our eyes. Amidst the dusty barrage of debris flying all around us, a shadowy figure popped out of the ground and landed on top of the tombstone.

  “Ta-Daaa!” Gallia sang proudly.

  “GALLIA!” Beatrix and I screamed at the pint-sized Talisman.

  “What?” Gallia objected.

  I waved the flashing bolt in my hand. “I was about to light you up like a Christmas tree!” I scolded.

  “I was just having a little fun,” Gallia insisted as she twisted back and forth innocently, twirling one of her pigtails. “I’ve always wanted to do that!” she added with a spirited shout.

  “That’s a bit disrespectful. Don’t you think?” Beatrix chastised as she used the gust of air she had conjured to cover the dirt back over the disturbed grave. Gallia hopped straight down and glanced back at the tombstone.

  “Well, I think Ms. ‘Ima Goner’ would have found its humor,” the pint-sized Talisman stated with a cutesy wink, ignoring our rolling eyes in response to her corny crack.

  “What am I supposed to do with this?” I posed as I waved the jagged rod of electricity around like I was in search of a trashcan.

  “Wait! Give it to me!” the little Serpentine Talisman implored. Somewhat confused, I reared back my hand to hurl it, when Gallia threw her arms over her head and ducked for cover.

  “Not literally!!! Hang on a second,” Gallia ordered as she jingled her charm bracelet in the air and then plucked the rough diamond I’d given her off her bracelet. Gallia stomped her foot on the ground. “Shoot! I broke my clasp! Oh, well… I’ll fix it later,” she huffed. “Hasn’t Beatrix or Tanner ever shown you how to hide things inside stones?”

  “No,” I remarked flatly as I glanced back at Beatrix and let out a laugh. “They haven’t.” Gallia turned to Beatrix respectfully, waiting for my mentor’s seal of approval.

  “Go ahead,” Beatrix sighed. Gallia beamed, and just like a typical little girl who’d gotten a new toy, clapped her hands in delight.

  “And for my next trick,” she announced theatrically as she waved the rough diamond stone in the air, “With the help of my assistant, I’m going to make a billon volts…disappear!” Gallia placed the diamond in the palm of my left hand and then guided my right one, which still held the dangerous bolt, slowly together. Like a magnet, the stone began drawing the lightning inside it, inch by inch, until all that remained was a diamond flickering with white-hot, electric light.

  “That’s so cool,” I raved as I watched the bolt flare inside the stone. “Does the lightning just stay in there?”

  “Yes, until you use it,” Gallia replied. “Just like the blue chalcedony I gave you, it has to be broken. That’s the only downside. I get the bolt, but I destroy the rest of the stone. No more psychic protection. No more enhancing my own powers. I wouldn’t even be able to talk to you,” she added dismally. “But I promise… I’ll only use it in a ‘break-in-case-of-emergency’ situation.”

  I know all about those, I reminded myself as I tossed the strengthened stone back to its eager owner. Understanding the ramifications, I smiled at her, thinking about when I had to break open the blue chalcedony she had given me. Its magic drove away the Onyx, allowing me to escape, but it was a one-time deal. It disintegrated within a flash.

  “Hey? I don’t mean to be ‘Katie-Killjoy’, but since everyone’s here…can we get back to the job at hand? PLEASE?” Katie urged.

  I didn’t have to repeat Katie’s message. Both Beatrix and Gallia caught the gist of what she’d said by the antsy look on my face. As soon as I pointed towards a nearby hill, we began marching through the cemetery like we were on a treasure hunt, in search of Katie’s grave.

  “Finally,” Katie sighed.

  While we made our jaunt across sacred ground, I watched my two partners in crime thinking, “what a motley crew of grave robbers we must look like” — An old “blind” woman roaming a dark cemetery without any visible help and whose bearings would put a Garmin to shame… A playful “little-girl”, skipping clownishly for the most part, when she wasn’t hopping from each headstone… And then there was me, the woeful eighteen year-old who walked like she had the weight of the world at her feet — literally — death and despair. What a sight we must be. Thankfully, we were alone.

  Gallia was the first to officially arrive at Katie’s grave.

  “Step right up! Step right up! Ladies…Older ladies…and ladies who lay in wait. Come and feast your eyes on Katherine Julia Stowell. Soon to be her former, final resting place.”

  “Has that little twit lost her mind?” Katie snapped.

  “Gallia’s just having a little fun,” I assured her.

  “She’s always having fun at my expense,” Katie growled. Katie’s statement wasn’t entirely untrue. I’d gotten to know Gallia a lot better over the past month. It turned out the little Talisman was a big kidder who loved playing tricks. But she teased everyone — me, Bea, and even Tanner (they had a long-standing prank-pact) — not just Katie. She was merely an easy target because she was trapped in a rock and couldn’t retaliate.

  “Don’t pay any attention to Gallia. She doesn’t mean anything by it. Honestly,” I stressed.

  “Do you remember when you three met up to train last week? In the woods outside Logan?”

  “Yeah. I remember. She did a really sweet thing and brought her iPod along for you, so you wouldn’t get bored. She laid her ear buds against your diamond and let you listen to one of her audio books,” I re
flected.

  “She sure did… Pet Sematary, Shi. She dialed up Pet ‘freakin’ Sematary!” Katie fumed.

  “Gallia!” I shrieked, stunned by Katie’s bombshell. The little Talisman lowered her head coyly when she noticed my appalled glare. She tilted her head slightly and brandished a hint of a smile.

  “She finally told you about the book…didn’t she?” Gallia guessed.

  “What book?” Beatrix quizzed.

  “Just a Stephen King classic,” Gallia insisted nonchalantly to Beatrix. “I’m sorry, Katie. It was a joke. I figured you would’ve ratted me out before now,” Gallia confessed.

  “Ahhh… Pet Sematary,” Beatrix mused aloud with a chuckle. “Aren’t you the slick one?”

  “I try,” Gallia responded with a curtsey.

  “Now there’s a kid I’d like to kick in the gut! Just let me out of here!” Katie raged.

  Before Gallia or Beatrix could say another word, I quickly cut them off with a firm, silent sweep of my arms and mouthed, “Enough!”

  “Katie, she’s just trying to lighten the mood. Nothing more. She’s very fond of you…just not the situation. But that all changes tonight. Remember?” I reminded her.

  “Well, I’ll let it slide…THIS TIME, as long as she remembered the stone you need to help bring me back. What kind is it exactly?” Katie inquired skeptically.

  “Bea didn’t go into too much detail about it. All I know is they’re extremely rare, and Gallia happens to have one she’s willing to give me. Bea said it’s the only stone that can loosen death’s grasp and bring you back. Then it opens a pathway and allows your body to reunite with your soul.”

  “So it’s like a magical crash-cart,” Katie assessed.

  “Exactly,” I laughed. “So, will you forgive Gallia?”

  “All right,” Katie conceded. “I’ll accept her apology, but only for tonight.” Once I’d flashed Gallia a “thumbs-up” sign, she hopped down from Katie’s headstone and smiled, genuinely this time.