by S. E. Akers
Definitely not this year, I brooded while I turned my spiritless gaze to the snow-covered spot under the oak tree where we had buried Gallia’s mane.
“What’s wrong, little girl,” a familiar voice called out. “Didn’t Santa bring you what you wanted this year?” I lifted my head in an instant, grinning from ear to ear.
Tanner Grey.
Overwhelmed from the surprise, I spun around swiftly, only to slip on a patch of ice. Down we both went, landing hard in one of Bea’s cushionless, wicker lounge chairs.
“It’s nice to see I was missed,” Tanner remarked with a grin, willingly pinned.
I pulled back, face fully-flushed. I didn’t think it was possible, but the rugged charmer looked even more handsome than the last time I’d seen him, riding off on his Harley. The enticing gleam in his hazel eyes was making it impossible for me to concentrate.
“Sorry about that,” I insisted, averting my stare. I lifted the bottom of my dress and extended my leg. “New shoes.”
“That’s not the only thing new,” Tanner said as he commenced with a long sweep of my dress.
I rose up and pulled him to his feet. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were coming?” I asked.
“Bea wanted it to be a surprise.” Tanner hinted a sly grin as he reached into the pocket of his leather coat. “And here’s another one I think you can use.” He handed me a cord-bound suede sack. “Don’t get your hopes up,” he advised regretfully. “It’s not a fire opal. I’m afraid the elves were all out of those.”
Disappointed but still curious, I untied the woven cord and opened the small mystery pouch.
“A watch,” I remarked as I pulled it out, somewhat stunned. “A Rolex.” It was quite striking, but a little too expensive for my taste, let alone my daily attire of jeans and sweats. I could just picture the looks on my customers’ faces at the Drive-In when they caught a glimpse of this while I handed them their four-dollar burgers and fries. There go my tips! All things considered, I supposed it wasn’t too flashy. It was a simple two-tone band with a shiny gold bezel, and its face was relatively plain with golden Roman numerals encircling a mother-of-pearl face. Very tasteful and classy.
“It’s beautiful.”
“The watch is only part of your present. I figured I would set your real gift in something other than a ring this time,” Tanner corrected as he pointed to the dial. “It’s a gemstone. An angelite. That’s what the face is crafted from.” Tanner unfastened my modest Timex and pitched it over his shoulder.
“Uh!” I protested as I watched it sink into the snow. Thank goodness it’s waterproof, I thought, knowing I would be retrieving it later.
“I hate that thing,” Tanner assured me with a disregarding grin as he slid my new watch on slowly. The caressing touch of his fingers made my pulse race as they grazed the inside of my wrist. “There,” he said as he locked the clasp and held onto my hand. “Much better. It suits you,” he added, eyeing me with an immersive stare from head to toe.
“Wh—What does an angelite do?” I asked, redirecting my wandering thoughts.
“It will glow whenever danger is present, like your own personal alarm. It only gives you a few seconds notice.” Tanner brushed my hair back and leaned closer to whisper, “But sometimes that’s all you need.”
I stared at the milky-white, opalescent face and thought about that night at the graveyard. This would have come in handy. Gallia might still be alive, and Katie would be one step closer to her one and only wish being fulfilled.
“Thank you, Tanner,” I replied as I gazed into his tantalizing hazel eyes, mesmerized by the flares of purple now swirling in them.
“Ah, Tanner. I thought I heard your voice out here,” Beatrix announced as she joined us. “Here, my dear. You can give Tanner his gift now. I never mailed it.” I passed the festive gift bag over to Tanner with a grin. I still didn’t know what Beatrix had picked up for him. My smile fell flat once I saw what he had pulled out of the bag. A belt — a tin belt to be exact.
“Thanks a lot, Bea!” I cracked to her telepathically. Beatrix let out a slight giggle as she watched Tanner weave it around his waist.
“I have a feeling this will come in handy,” Tanner assured with a cheeky smile. “How thoughtful, Shiloh… Truly.”
“Well, I know how fond you were of your last one,” I remarked dryly, playing along with Bea’s sneaky trick.
“I have something for you, too,” Beatrix revealed to Tanner as she handed him a small wooden box. “It’s something of yours that you, eh hem…misplaced long ago.” Tanner looked at Bea with a hesitant glare, like he suspected what may be in there. When he finally opened it, he pulled out a silver and gold braided chain that held a misty, sea-blue stone. Its soothing blend of colors resembled those one would find if they stumbled upon a hidden tropical lagoon. Even the subtle streaks of white looked like foamy waves as they flowed through the tumbled stone, melding the varying blue-green hues.
“My larimar,” Tanner announced, taken aback. “I thought I’d lost it forever.” He stood there quietly, deep in thought as he stroked his finger over the face of the stone. “You know, I went back to look for it. I shouldn’t have…misplaced it,” he added, seeming thoughtful about his words.
“I figured you would. That’s partly why I took it,” Beatrix divulged.
“You’ve had it all these years,” Tanner questioned with a scolding laugh.
“Guilty,” Beatrix replied shamelessly. “I tucked it away for safe-keeping. I knew you would want it back, when the time was right.”
Tanner squinted his eyes and tilted his head back at her. “Thanks, Bea.”
That was the first time I’d ever heard Tanner extend a thank you. The euphoria was written all over his face, but I detected some reservation as he stared suspensefully at the long-lost stone.
“You’re welcome,” Beatrix cooed and planted a warm kiss on his cheek.
“Your present is on the table in the foyer,” Tanner announced to Beatrix. She smiled and raised her brow, seeming to want a hint.
“What is it?” Beatrix demanded. “You know how I hate surprises.”
Tanner shook his head. “Yes, I know… Hence the gift.” Tanner let out an appeasing sigh. “It’s a bottle of Emerald Eyes.”
Beatrix’s clapped her hands. “Perfect! I’ll save it for New Year’s Eve. I like to start the New Year with a leg up,” she beamed and then headed inside.
I approached Tanner as he placed the larimar around his neck. Intrigued, I lifted the stone from his chest and stroked it in the palm of my hand. Like lighting a candle, it started to flicker and then illuminated into a scintillating glow as the monochromatic, blue-green hues shifted around. Locked in a hypnotic state, my fingers circled its edges. It was as smooth as glass for the most part, but the left side yielded a subtle jag, almost like it had been nicked or possibly severed.
“It’s absolutely spellbinding,” I remarked, noting the way the colors magically blended and rolled throughout the stone.
“A larimar is a wondrous stone…but secretive,” Tanner revealed.
“What does it do?” I asked, still mesmerized.
The Amethyst Talisman grinned and slowly removed my hand. The larimar’s light dwindled gracefully and returned back to its original sheen. “It enlightens,” Tanner replied casually, and then with a nosey-nudge, he directed me into the house.
Typical.
With all of us back inside, Beatrix pushed open the pocket doors that led into her dining room with one grand, theatrical swoop. Several doves flew out and buzzed our heads. “Dinner is served,” she announced with a modest bow.
If everything else that our supernatural hostess had orchestrated wasn’t enough, the sight of her glitzy dining table and the gourmet feast lying before our eyes certainly put the topper on the cake. A lacey ecru runner served as a flawless backdrop for her tablescape of gold-banded china dishes, crystal goblets, and a multitude of sterling silver utensils that had been meticulously place
d around the table. A heavenly arrangement of lilies and sprigs of juniper encircled a centerpiece of tapered white candles. They flawlessly lent the room enough light to keep it intimate yet visually stimulating. I could feel myself gaining an easy five pounds as I scanned all the delectable entrees scattered around the table. A mouthwatering crown pork roast looked too impressive to even touch by the way it was presented on a sterling silver platter, surrounded by a garnish of herbs and each of its rib-bones topped with miniature white hats. Wild-rice pilaf… Sweet potato casserole, which she’d candied with brown sugar and cashews… Green bean bunches tied and grilled with juicy strips of bacon… Stuffed mushrooms… There was even a batch of homemade macaroni & cheese in one of the fanciest oval-shaped chaffing dishes I’d ever seen. That, she made especially for me. Leave it to Bea to glam-up a comfort-food to make it look as if it should be served in the finest five-star eatery.
Like a gentleman, Tanner assisted our hostess with her chair and then made his way over to me. “You’d better take your seat,” Tanner urged as he slid mine back and nodded to a bird that had landed on the chandelier. “You might get mistaken for a tree.”
Beatrix reached for a nearby wine bottle and poured an extra large glass. “I can tell I’m going to need a few of these,” she grumbled. I lowered my head to hide my smile. It wasn’t a secret that Tanner and Bea had this love-hate thing going. Beatrix was old-fashioned, opinionated, and assuredly set in her ways, while Tanner was more laid back, gung-ho, and cocky. They clashed like a mismatched pair of socks. The only thing they ever really agreed upon was Talisman secrets that I shouldn’t be privy to and sneaky tricks when it came to fight-training me.
“I seriously hope those glorified pigeons are trained,” Tanner advised with a testy second-look directed at the bird roosting above the table.
Beatrix placed her napkin in her lap and shot him a cunning glare. “Tanner, darling, if anything touches down on your plate, I wouldn’t be so quick to think it landed there accidently.”
“It better not,” Tanner warned with a contrite grin. Once Beatrix and Tanner had gotten all of their jabs out of the way (for now), I decided to broach the subject of Katie’s body and the fire opal. That backfired. They quit pressing each other’s buttons and swiftly ganged up on me.
“We will find her body, Shiloh…eventually,” Beatrix added. “If the Onyx attempts to contact you, I trust you will tell me before you do anything rash,” she advised.
Tanner let out a boisterous laugh. “Do you honestly think a lecture is going to keep her from going rogue on you?”
“I won’t, Bea. You have my word.” I may have vowed it to her, but I aimed it sternly at the party sitting across from me.
Tanner leaned back in his chair and scrutinized me with a raise of his brow. “I don’t know, Bea. She’s gotten pretty good at lying.”
My mouth fell open. “Evading,” I corrected him with a flinty glare. I didn’t need his cracks making me feel any worse.
“Call it whatever you want, Shiloh,” Tanner chuckled. “It still washes out to a lie in the end.”
A loud “clang” rang out when I deliberately dropped my fork on my plate. “Why are you being such an ASS?” I demanded. Not the most lady-like word to use at such a fancy gathering, but hey — if the shoe fits…
“Don’t get so worked up,” Tanner advised. “I never said I thought you weren’t doing the prudent thing. There’s no right or wrong in this situation. It is, what it is. I just want to make sure you don’t ever think about doing it to Bea…or me. It’s just as easy to justify lying to us when your only concern is locating Katie’s body in the end.” Before I could raise any objections, he cut me off. “Save it,” Tanner shot out flatly. “I can feel the guilt tugging at your heartstrings. That’s what the Onyx is counting on. He’ll wear you down emotionally, so you’ll jump at the chance to find her. He’ll make sure you’re alone. Divide and conquer, one of the oldest strategies.” The hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I thought about the incident in the locker room. “So? Do we have an understanding?”
“Settle down, Tanner. She’s already promised,” Beatrix assured him as she rose from the table.
“I want her to promise me,” Tanner demanded, his stare fixated solely on me. “There needs to be more than one set of eyes on her right now. She’s still basically new to all this. She needs to understand that her crash-course seven weeks ago was by no means a fast-track.”
“Now wait one second. Shiloh has been training very hard. I think you’ll be surprised at how well she’s caught on and how her skills have improved,” Beatrix defended.
“We’ll see,” Tanner pondered as he rubbed his chin. “Since I’ll be taking over your lessons this week,” he revealed.
The part of me that missed seeing him was secretly thrilled he would be around for a seven-day stretch. However, the Talisman-in-Training half knew that at the end of each day, my butt would be lucky if it was the only thing dragging the ground. He could tell from my teetering emotions, exactly what I was thinking. The words “elation” and “dread” may as well have been written in black marker across my forehead.
“I’m waiting, Shiloh. It’s a simple yes or no answer. Use your big-girl words,” Tanner goaded. “Are you going to let us handle the situation with your friend or not?”
“Yes,” I affirmed with a curt nod and straightened myself up in my seat, attempting to show some compliance.
“Good,” Tanner replied. “Now I won’t have to use my new belt on you.” Straightaway, I squinted my eyes and threw him a cheeky smile.
“What about the fire opal?” I inquired. A hush fell over the table. That only reraised my suspicions about who “really” had taken it. “I don’t think the Onyx killed Gallia,” I dropped like a bomb and then took a deliberate bite of my pork. It was too obvious from their abrupt, long pause that they were mentally getting their stories straight. Their movements were subtle, but they were still squirming.
“No more shop-talk during dinner. It’s Christmas,” Tanner advised.
“Why won’t you tell me?” I asked them. I turned to my gaze to Tanner. “You can do it,” I urged. “Use your big-boy words.” Judging by the way his head tilted sharply, I knew I’d hit my mark.
“Shiloh, we don’t know for sure who actually killed Gallia. We were down in that cave. The Onyx could still be a possibility,” Beatrix replied.
“But—”
“I’m working on locating the stone,” Tanner interrupted. “Drop it and leave it to me.”
“Why does everything have to be such a secret?” I asked.
Beatrix leaned over and squeezed my hand. “For your protection, dear.”
“But shouldn’t I be learning everything? Like that drawing I showed you. I don’t understand why I have to wait for a glowing stick to tell me all the important things?” I charged.
“Because that ‘glowing stick’ is directly connected to your destiny,” Tanner scolded. “It knows you’re not ready. You would never have to ask us for any answers if you were.”
Ugghhh, I vented quietly to myself. I knew exactly where one of his “glowing sticks” was firmly lodged tonight. Sit around and do nothing… Like a child! They may as well bar me up in a damn crib!
After dinner, Beatrix insisted we ditch our formal attire for something more comfortable and have our dessert in the living room. Just what the doctor ordered — comfortable clothes and a sinful slice of an eight-layer chocolate torte to ease my pissy mood. It helped — as much as it could.
We spent the rest of the evening lounging by the fire. The witchcraft books may have tickled Beatrix, however Tanner rattled off a few choice words. He certainly didn’t share her fascination with the craft or its practitioners. “Deceitful, conniving charlatans who pray upon desperate fools” — that’s what he thought of the phonies. Though his opinion of real witches wasn’t much better. Despite their nature-blessed powers, which he readily acknowledged and respected to a minimal degree, he claimed
they were the “bottom-feeding crystal-meth cookers of the supernatural world”.
“Come now, Tanner,” Beatrix giggled, “Tell us what you really think.”
“Stay away from them,” Tanner warned me, over and over.
“He’s a little sensitive, dear. His charged stones are a prized commodity within their circles,” Beatrix revealed. She shot me a covert mental warning, urging me not to mention Katie’s cousin, Bethesda. “Lock that one in the vault” were her exact words. After witnessing the fiery look in his eyes at the mere mention of the supernatural clique, I decided to heed her advice.
“I think it’s time I turned in,” Beatrix remarked as she clutched the lapis lazuli ring, seeming anxious to head off to bed.
Tanner looked at the royal blue stone, mindful of its original owner and his relationship with Bea. “Pleasant dreams,” he remarked with a grin.
“Yes. There will be,” Beatrix assured him with a wink before she disappeared around the corner.
“She’s been itching to be alone with that stone all evening,” Tanner commented as he threw another log on the fire. “Regardless of how you feel about that lapis lazuli, bringing it here means a lot to Bea.”
“What exactly is she going to do with it?”
“His love for her remains locked in there. She’ll use the diamond you gave her to communicate with his soul. That’s the best present you could have given her.”
“Doesn’t she run the risk of Lazarus popping up in a vision unexpectedly?” I posed.
“No. She’s a lot more skilled at controlling what comes out of a stone.” Tanner sensed my reservation. “You’ll learn to control them too, in time. Then maybe you’ll start wearing it, like you should be,” he lectured. Knowing he sounded too cavalier, Tanner softened his tone. “That’s one way to confront your fears.”