Bloodstone (Talisman)

by S. E. Akers

  “Lorelei didn’t kill her mother, but she wouldn’t let her go either. She claimed, ‘that wasn’t the deal’. She tried to kill Arica too, but she managed to escape by the skin of her neck. To make matters worse, Lorelei turned her vengeance on Arica’s father. She hunted him down and drove Arica’s own trident through his chest,” Beatrix sighed. “Nerina punished them both for the bargain they struck. She ordered Seraphinia to bind both of their souls to the moon. Arica may not enter the sea until a full moon, and it is also the only time Lorelei may walk on dry land. That is why Lorelei is so desperate for a moonstone. It would break her curse,” Beatrix revealed as she rose to her feet. “The one you were granted that night was supposed to go to Benicio. Lorelei knew this and was keeping him close. She would have killed him herself that evening if he had received the stone. She spent the entire next month searching for the moonstone’s recipient, and that’s how she ended up at the cemetery…and why Gallia protected you.” Beatrix paused and took a deep breath. “Claiming the aquamarine did something else to Lorelei. Its power released a part of her that even she didn’t know existed, something her own mother had kept secret from her for many years.” Beatrix whirled around. “Lorelei was born a monster, Shiloh. A monster that must be put in its rightful place…or die alongside all the others.”

  “And Damiec?” I posed. “He wasn’t born that way.”

  “No. His was an unfortunate result…and by that I mean he should have died in that cave,” Beatrix added with a stout nod. My mentor sharpened her suspicious gaze. “I’m detecting something in your tone, but I’m not sure if it is curiosity or possibly concern. There isn’t anything I should be aware of, is there? Something Kamya possibly failed to mention?”

  I ushered away my vexing thoughts about the Bloodstone Talisman, from the dream I had about him over a month ago to his out of the blue turnabout and postponement of his vengeance when he’d found me on the beach. “Nothing,” I replied.

  Beatrix lowered herself back down in the chair. “He cannot roam this earth with his curse. He has no place here…not anymore. There is no other way.”

  I nodded, resigned to what I knew was an undeniable fact. My comfort-level started to drift into the red, what with Beatrix still eyeing me curiously. I quickly pointed to another symbol, the same one etched on the discus.

  “That one is Helio’s mark, isn’t it?”

  Beatrix flashed a grin and continued her story, though I felt the weight of her judgment by the crookedness of her grin.

  “Yes,” Beatrix confirmed. “He infused the ruby, the garnet, and the citrine with his most sacred powers.” She extended one of her fingers, the one that donned her marquee-shaped ruby ring. “They’re all spitfires…literally, but I felt Kamya was the savoriest for your needs.”

  “That she is,” I affirmed with a smile. “Savory.”

  “She’s very fond of you,” Beatrix revealed. “It usually takes old hard-hearted Hannah awhile to warm up to someone new. You should be flattered.”

  “I can understand why. She told me about when her stone first called to her,” I acknowledged with a slight wince.

  “Yes, well…knowing Kamya, I’m sure she gave you the watered-down version.” Beatrix leaned closer. “From what my sources tell me, the nightmarish acts she committed in that palace would scare anyone off.” Beatrix shook her head. “Ninety-four souls in all.”

  I can see that.

  “She’ll be taking over for me while you’re at Yardley,” Beatrix revealed.

  A rush of air shot into my mouth. Umm… Newsflash. “Aren’t you coming?”

  “No, dear. I’m staying here. I must.”

  That was a shocker. In Welch? “What about Tanner?”

  “He will be there, of course, but he can’t train you all the time. He must maintain his cover at Xcavare. Especially now that Malachi knows his son was searching for the wand.”

  I cringed. “I feel bad about that.” Really bad.

  “Not anymore than I do. I should have insisted you use your lapis lazuli.” Beatrix tilted her head and gave herself a few chastising shakes. “Or at the very least, instructed you on spelling locks with your stones.”

  “No, Bea. I shouldn’t have been afraid of it…of Lazarus, and the things I knew he would make me see. I know you didn’t want to push me.”

  “Well, that’s part of the reason for this talk, so you’ll be better prepared.” Beatrix motioned towards the only symbol that remained. “This last one symbolizes the earth. Many supernaturals call upon Gaia’s abilities…Those with the purest intentions and those whose are equally as dark. She chose to place the concentration of her powers in the emerald, the tiger’s eye, and the turquoise.” Beatrix waved her hand around the medallion. “These twelve stones embody the four elements and their greatest powers. They, along with yours, are the thirteen needed to restore balance to this world and rid it from evil.”

  I knelt down and ran my fingers over the one that represented the turquoise. “So that’s why Federo killed himself? So I couldn’t claim the turquoise’s power?”

  “Yes,” Beatrix sighed. “By taking his own life in that fiery pit, Federo forced the stone’s power back into the hands of fate.”

  “And I needed it. That’s what Kamya said. She said that’s why I’m the only one who can claim a stone’s full power…because they were only meant for the one who claims the diamond.”

  “Apparently loose lips burn ships too,” Beatrix remarked. “Yes. She is correct. The only reason Federo was able to override the will of the Guardians was because of the red chalcedony, a stone which governs fate.”

  “But, Bea,” I began, “if fate knew what he was going to use it for, then why was he even granted the stone in the first place?”

  “That answer rests in you, dear. Fate knew what would eventually come to pass with Federo. It was allowed because it intertwined with your destiny…just as Tanner was able to claim the one he used to save you from Lorelei.” Beatrix chuckled. “Despite his intentions for the stone. It was meant to be. Fate sees all. There is no changing it or successful attempts to alter its plans.”

  “I guess you know he got the fire opal back for Kat…for me,” I corrected.

  “It was a good thing too. It’s magic is guaranteed to work, unlike a wish from fate that obviously would not have been granted. And, if I were a betting gal, I would wager on the notion that your friend’s fate rested on finding Lorelei. That was the only way to get Gallia’s bracelet back, along with the stone she needed. Again, fate sees all, my dear.”

  I’d never thought to look at it like that. All I saw was my royal screw-up, causing me to almost get myself killed and Katie out another extremely rare stone. I guess things truly aren’t always what they seem.

  “What about these down here?” I asked as I pointed to three separate circular markings that lay outside the medallion at the bottom.

  “Yes…those stones,” Beatrix hummed ominously. “They represent all beings, both human and supernatural, and their destiny. The onyx for the past, the bloodstone for the present, and the chalcedony for the future. They were necessary to help purge the wickedness from one’s soul. Gaia suggested them. She felt if a being were to be truly absolved of the evil inside them that they must offer a sacrifice. It was to be their pledge. Anything that ailed them was drawn out in their blood with the aid of the bloodstone and then placed inside a white onyx. That’s what makes the stone change its hue, the hate that is trapped inside it. The more evil and vile the soul, the darker the onyx turned. To bind the ritual, the onyx was placed in a box where their past could no longer haunt them. The chalcedony’s powers gave them a hopeful outlook on their future. A fresh start. Gaia’s intentions were noble when she insisted upon these three special stones, but no one could have foreseen what it would do to Dunamis. Over time, all the evil he helped to extract and stow away slowly began to manifest itself inside him. Pieces of those he had helped heal from their demons and the all the fiendish creatures he had wi
ped off the face of the earth managed to attach a part of themselves to his soul. I think he fought it for years, not wanting to surrender to the evil’s sinister pleas, until one day something happened that turned Dunamis’ own heart as black as night. He finally stopped fighting its vile urges and surrendered to it. That upset Adamas most of all.”

  “What happened to him?” I asked, oddly feeling sorry for him. Not that much, but a little. It seemed even my humane-side shared a twisted bed with my guilt.

  Beatrix looked away pointedly, but acknowledged, “He realized he could not have what he longed for most. It was just the push his soul needed and the evil he tried to keep suppressed took full advantage of his plight. It swelled inside him until no traces of his former self was left.” Beatrix shifted her stare back my way, honing in on my curiosity. “This is important for you to know. So you understand he is no longer human, in any sense. All of his compassion is gone. It died right alongside his earthly vessel when he surrendered it back to the earth. And for this reason, there is absolutely no place for him in this world anymore. He belongs with the other sinister beings that roamed long ago…and the ones who still lurk in the shadows, eagerly waiting to fulfill his heinous wishes upon all who seek to thwart his plans. The wand would allow him to call upon the fallen creatures once again, increasing his forces, and we would be unable to stop him. He wishes to usher in a darkness over the earth, where these monsters would reek their havoc once again and allow him to reign supreme.”

  “Monsters?” I posed. “Like Lorelei and Damiec?”

  “They are half-human, Shiloh. The monsters which I speak of are far, far worse…and their lust for bloodshed is much stronger.”

  “Where are these ‘monsters’ now?”

  “Most of them are locked away, but many still roam the earth.” Beatrix focused her stare as she took a hold of my hands. “Their wrath can be cleverly disguised to humans in the form of tragedies or violent natural acts. They only make their presence known when forced. They simply lay in wait. They know what Dunamis is planning and under his watch, they will all surface…even the ones who remain imprisoned, once and for all.”

  “So he wants the wand to let the others out?” I guessed.

  “Yes,” Beatrix replied. “But the doorway must be revealed before he can even think of using the diamond wand to break its seal. He needs the four sacred stones to accomplish that.”

  “Like the sunstone? The same sunstone Federo wanted to claim?”

  “He too wanted to reign over the world with an army of darkness at his command,” Beatrix declared.

  Now I truly realized why he had wanted it so badly — not simply for its powers, but it was one small component of one seriously messed-up master plan.

  “Your fate led you to the sunstone. Its discovery marks the beginning of destiny’s wish for you to unearth the remaining three stones.”

  I was afraid that was coming. “W—Where are they?” I stammered.

  “That we don’t know. The only thing beyond question is that you must finish what Adamas was bound to do.”

  “And…what is that?”

  “No more looking over your shoulder. Your eyes must remain ahead and their focus clear. You must be the one who tracks down the last of the creatures and rid them from this realm, once and for all…including Dunamis. He must be locked away for all eternity…with the rest of the immortal souls.”

  Talk about a bomb. My eyes exploded. Immortal? I struggled to form my words. “Immortal ones?” I questioned, only to watch Beatrix respond with a matter-of-fact nod. “How am I supposed to kill something that can’t die?”

  “Those creatures you must ferry somewhere else, to the place that binds their powers and keeps them locked away for eternity.”

  I bit my lip at first, but the skeptical smartass in me couldn’t resist. “A supernatural prison?”

  “It’s something along those lines. But there are no bars, only a lock. A lock that unfortunately was broken long ago and allowed many of them to go free. We have rounded up some of them over time, but too many still remain.”

  “How did they escape?”

  “The act of a desperate fool…a human fool, who committed his misdeed with the purest of intentions. The details are irrelevant, but the clean-up from this calamity has taken thousands of years and it won’t be finished until every last one of the malevolent beasts have been dealt with…one way or another.”

  “That’s why I’m constantly training?” I posed. “Because I’m to hunt them down?”

  “Not by yourself, dear. The members of the Guild swore an oath centuries ago to accompany and protect the owner of the wand. It is of no consequence who claims it now. It is a vow they will not disobey…nor any other Talisman who still wields their stone with its original intent. They’re not all bad. You’ve simply been exposed to a grand share of the rotten ones. There are still plenty of fresh ones left in the barrel. Blame it on fate…or as I like to tease, your ever so bad luck,” Beatrix added with a grunt-like chuckle.

  My thoughts turned selfishly to Katie. “There’s no way to kill the Onyx, is there?”

  “Not now…and not here,” Beatrix revealed. “All the powers of the stones granted to the Guild must be used collectively to defeat Dunamis. However, that should not serve to deter you or hamper your desire.”

  “But, what about the turquoise?”

  “What about it?” Beatrix countered.

  “Won’t I need it…eventually?” I asked. If I’m not already dead. “It’s one of the three earth stones.”

  “You will,” Beatrix replied. “But I don’t know when the issuing of a new heir will come to pass or even to whom. Only time will tell.”

  “That’s not very comforting,” I mumbled.

  “Reality rarely is,” Beatrix said, without even a tinge of honey in her tone (and I sure-fire could have used a dash right now). “You need to focus on your path…and it seems fate has charted your course. You must find those stones.”

  “And kill monsters,” I interjected, rather snarky.

  Beatrix brushed off my crack with a smile. “That goes without saying, dear. Chin up, please?”

  “Why am I even going to college then?” I mumbled. “What’s the point?”

  Beatrix gasped. “What’s the point?” she scoffed. “We were all born of flesh and blood unto this earth, my dear. We are all humans, first and foremost. We all have lives we enjoy living, though ours are much longer than most and our burdens carry more weight.”

  “Yeah and some of our lives might be a heck of a lot shorter,” I implied.

  Beatrix folded her arms, her scowl as sharp as a blade. “You talk as if you already have one foot in the grave.” She stepped closer. “Tell me I am wrong, because the girl I’ve watched grow-up all these years has always been strong-willed, clever, and above all…confident. Tell me where she stands now?”

  I purposely sprang out of my chair, practically like it was on fire — ignited by the heat I knew would’ve been blazing in my father’s ashamed eyes if he were here. With a resolute breath and an unfaltering gaze, I stared at the very spot on her forehead where she kept her mystical third-eye concealed.

  “She’s right here… And she’ll be right here, always.”

  “I expected no less,” Beatrix insisted.

  “Anything else?” I inquired, trying to prepare myself for any more unforeseeable bombs.

  “No. That should do it.”

  I picked up on some underlying reserve in her tone. “For now?” I countered.

  My mentor sat back down, her face painted with a cocked brow and a proud smile. “Touché,” Beatrix commended. “For now.”

  I excused myself and wound back up the stairs. My gait felt so sluggish, I thought I’d left part of my rear back in that chair and was bump-dragging it up the steps behind me. The cool air in her bedroom slapped my cheeks as soon as I exited the armoire. I turned to the mirror hanging over the dresser. As crazy as it sounded, I looked as if I’d aged t
en full years (I felt it at least), though the only difference was a much paler version of the girl who had gazed back at me every day for the past eighteen years. One thing was certain: It was one thing to know trouble followed me (I’d come to accept that as truth), but it was quite another story when someone decrees you have to go lookin’ for it.

  I gave my weary, worrisome lids a few rousing blinks. Definitely an eye-opener.

  Tanner shot to his feet when I entered the living room. His taut stance paralleled my apprehension like a matching pair of shoes.

  “Bea insisted she talk to you,” he announced. Tanner edged closer and like a much-needed reviving breeze, he swept a few strands of hair away from my burdened brow. “But I must admit, I didn’t want to be the one who caused those blue eyes of yours to lose their light.”

  I stared listlessly back at him, knowing he sensed every shred of my fear.

  Tanner took me into his arms, his touch scouring the recesses of my soul with its soothing bliss. “You won’t be alone in this. You know that don’t you?”

  “I know,” I replied. I hope I know.

  Beatrix glided into the living room and made a beeline for the fireplace. The awkward “thumps” of her tossing logs into the hearth made our unbroken embrace slightly awkward. We pulled away from each other with any further intentions now compromised (at least mine were).

  “Isn’t is kind of warm for a fire?” I posed.

  Beatrix crumpled up some old newspapers for tinder and arranged her sticks of kindling. “It’s never a bad time to stoke a few flames,” she lobbed back swiftly. “Don’t you agree, Tanner?”

  Tanner walked over to the hearth. “Completely,” he replied. Beatrix handed him the match, which he struck on the spot and ignited the papers. He rose up and redirected his stare back to me. “And with everything else now taken care of, it’s time for me to head off.”

  “You’re leaving now? So soon?” After bringing me all this way and in light of my recent revelation, I thought at the very least he would stay the night.