by S. E. Akers
With my once-over officially complete, I returned my attention to Tanner, who was vehemently inspecting a sleek and slender silver rapier. In this room and the way he was admiring his choice of swords, the Amethyst Talisman looked just as heavenly-eyed as a kid locked in a candy store. Of course I knew he was a fierce and exceptionally skilled warrior, but his demeanor was radiating something else. Something much different and more intense. He truly LOVED this stuff — capital L, starry-eyes, and little thumping hearts. And not like any ole avid collector would an autographed homerun baseball signed by Babe Ruth or an irreplaceable pile of sought-after coins. I could literally feel his arousal coming at me in walloping waves from his body language alone. The care he took with the fancy-handled blade was painstaking, sliding it delicately across his sleeve to polish the metal impeccably. Electricity flared in his eyes as he watched the metal liven in the light. He couldn’t have stamped out their fire if he tried. And his hands… His hands exuded an exorbitant amount of expertise with every guided sweep of his blade, and the strength behind all those penetrating thrusts felt as pulse pounding as an earthquake, sure to drop you to your knees. There wasn’t a shadow of doubt in my mind: he knew his victim’s exact button to push and found a vast amount of pleasure in doing so. I’d wanted to discover something personal, something tick-worthy about the tight-lipped Amethyst Talisman, and his conduct had unknowingly shown one of his cards. So, seeing how enraptured he was about weapons and warfare, I knew every single one my physical efforts had to shine — and then outshine the ones from the day before. Not that I hadn’t given him or Beatrix my all (far from it), but this was valuable intel. It just took me stepping into a supernatural warrior’s wet dream to realize this was something I could really use. Seriously? I doubted anyone had ever called Kamya, “little girl”.
A smile washed over my mind. Or lived to tell it…
“So? What do you think?” Tanner broached, his aura shining brighter than the glints dancing on the surface of a sun-kissed, babbling brook.
Despite the buoyancy of his tone (and the mental image of a cupid’s arrow piercing his rear), curiosity inevitably got the best of me. “Have all these been . . . used?”
A quizzical crook bounced his brow. “Of course,” Tanner insisted. “That’s why the Guardians made them — to be used when needed.” The Amethyst Talisman picked up a small dagger and gave it a spirited flip. “But not all by me. I was simply charged with serving as their curator,” he clarified. “There are still a good many on my bucket-list.”
An amused grin guided my nods. “Of course,” I repeated. How silly of me.
I approached a crooked blade resting horizontally on a mount, cradled like a newborn baby. Though the sword was a good bit shorter than most of the others, I was betting it packed just as much of a punch as any of its longer counterparts. The peculiar bend of its hooked shaft called to mind a boomerang. However, this little guy would be a major bitch to catch in the wrong spot when it rounded back.
“That’s a kukri,” Tanner announced. “It’ll serve to slice into any immortal creature quite easily.” Since I hadn’t spied any sparkly diamond-dust coating the golden blade, I started to run my finger along its edge. My mentor sprang forward and grabbed my hand. “Careful,” he warned. “It was forged with Veil magic, Shiloh. Only a trace is all that’s needed to sever your flesh. No diamonds necessary.”
“Oh,” I mumbled. I didn’t like the sound of that reality-check.
“I’m not so much concerned about you getting cut as I am this particular kukri’s other effects,” he continued. “It’s infused with a venom that can melt away several layers of any creature’s flesh.” He eyed the length of my mane. “And cause more than a few hairs to fall out in its wake.”
I took a respectful step back and pulled my hair safely away and to the left. “Is that a valuable benefit?” As far as I was concerned, “stuck”, “down on the ground”, and “gushing blood” was my go-to plan.
“You’d be surprised how handy it can be, given the right creature,” he assured.
My hands remained firmly behind my back. Usefulness considered, I still wasn’t running to the front of the line for a crack at that thing anytime soon — not with my run of crappy luck.
“Is that why those creatures were able to hack into me?” I guessed. “Because of Veil magic?”
“Yes,” Tanner confirmed. “They have traces of it, just like we do . . . but the black magic that created them is tainted with the darkest of human deeds and more concentrated I’m afraid. That’s the source of their immortality. Our earth magic is more present, even in the gemstone weapons we wield. Granted our powers afford us long lives, but we can still be killed. Your diamond contains the most Veil magic found in any of the stones. That’s why earthly threats have a rough go at severing your flesh, like Lorelei and Damiec. They may have these other-worldly beast’s blood running in their veins, but their human-side and earthly ties limits the scope of their existence and keeps them just as vulnerable as us.”
Nothing like following up some bad news with a balancing win-win (if you could call it that). “So is everything in here forged with Veil magic?” I asked.
“Yes,” he confirmed with a solitary nod. “When the Guardians created Talismans, the act of dividing their powers forced them to link with The Veil, binding them to it forever for their survival. That’s what solely charges their powers now, but not ours. Talismans’ are rooted in the earth’s elements, the way they intended. That’s why salt and the moon can recharge our abilities and heal our bodies. It’s also what allows us to tap into the energies of other stones. They sacrificed a part of themselves so we could have that advantage. All the weapons in this room are directly tied to the Guardians and the magical energy flowing within The Veil. Every one of these was crafted from pure Veil magic and then infused humanity’s righteousness. That’s what makes them such a threat to the blackness shrouding these creature’s souls. Each of these devices still possess a great deal of power, but every mark they leave on an evil being causes some of their strength to wane, and they will continue to do so until The Veil is reunited with all four of the Guardians’ stones. So for now, they’re only handed out on an extremity basis. When another Talisman is in need of something, they have to go through me — and only me,” he stressed, sounding rather prideful. Tanner shook his head. “You wouldn’t believe the unnecessary requests I receive . . . and the one thing I can’t stand is choosing to be lazy and wasteful over actually exerting some effort and skill when dealing with a creature. I honestly haven’t let anything out of here in well over a hundred years.”
And there was another priceless piece of info. I knew he wasn’t known for playing well with others, but I had no idea how rigid his stance was when it came to sharing his toys. The corners of my mouth lifted slightly. Maybe because he’s never shown that side to me?
“And for the record, Kamya is the absolute worst,” he groused and followed it up with a curt laugh. “She thinks this vault is her personal mail-order catalog.”
I can see that, I mused with a smile. “Will I be using any of these . . . or are they strictly for show and tell?”
“You and I will be training with each and every one of these while you’re here. That won’t affect a shred of their power. Only the touch of an evil being drains their Veil energy.” Tanner threw me a wink. “Conservation is key.”
“So just not on any monsters?” I posed.
My mentor’s eyes crinkled like the sheets of a messy bed. I suspected its source was stemming from the mental mattress of doubt flipping over and over in his head. Soon the two hazel pools flickered with violet streaks, signaling that he was ready to render his final answer like a lighted-buzzer flashing on a game show.
“When you’re ready,” he began, locking his arms into a tight fold, “I might be persuaded into giving you full access to anything you need — but not until,” Tanner stated firmly. “When I see you can handle these creatures with your own earth
ly powers, then I’ll let you have your run of this chamber . . . but only then.”
A round of nods sealed our agreement. It sounded fair, not stingy in the least. He was only being cautious, protecting the weapons’ Veil energy like he’d been ordered (even if he did come across like a dictator running a supernatural chapter of Greenpeace). But who was I to judge? In the grand scheme of things, their conservation ultimately meant our world’s preservation, and I was totally on-board with that — blue skies, rainbows, and the whole nine yards.
“And there is one more thing . . .” Tanner picked up a small chest from off a nearby stand. He propped up its hinged lid and held it in front of me. “You need to put your ruby cuff in here.”
Can somebody shoot me a freakin’ Q-Tip, please? That was my one and only thought for what seemed like a small eternity. “Why?” I finally asked. “You said I could use my powers.” I even threw in some heated air-quotes.
“Yes,” he acknowledged. “But it’s not really your power, now is it?”
I scrambled for a rebuttal. “Well, not technically, but—”
“Then it goes into the box,” he insisted. “You have full access to your diamond, the golden topaz, and the lapis lazuli. They’re a part of you. The ruby’s not.”
Shit. I still didn’t know what it could do, but I felt pretty confident that the Ruby Talisman wouldn’t have given me something that didn’t kick a little ass.
“But what if Kamya calls?” I protested.
“You can still hear her,” Tanner countered. “And you can use her totem to talk back.”
Having run out of valid gripes, I yanked off my cuff and dropped it into the box — but I was far from happy about it. BELIEVE ME. My eyes traveled from my now bare wrist to my fingers. I stopped on one in particular. In the world of piggies, it would be the little guy that had NONE. An awful feeling pricked the skin under my moonstone ring like the spines of a cactus, and I sure caught its hint: that classic & cherished nursery rhyme was about to come back around with a good whack of slap-in-the-face truth.
I swallowed a tight lump in my throat. “What about my moonstone?”
Tanner tapped his finger on his chin pensively. “Well, it’s not a part of you either,” he remarked.
I could tell by the wavering flicker in his stare that even he didn’t seem too keen on the idea. He had to be revisiting my injuries from last night. “Have you ever been separated from it?”
My head turned away in a pointed grumble, knowing the Onyx had used a horde of vicious bats to snatch it away from me before. Damn.
“YES,” I groaned.
“In the box,” he ordered, despite the clear evidence of regret in his voice. “But don’t worry. You can have it back at the end of every day, when you’re healing. All you have to do is ask.”
My entire body started to ache automatically. Apparently the foreboding feeling in my bones had prompted a few premature sympathy wounds. At the end of EVERY DAY, I mulled over and over while a multitude of random scenarios played in my head like a draggy three-hour movie. The intensity didn’t bother me as much as the implication of a grueling seven-day workweek. I knew my stay here wasn’t a vacation by any means, but it was still summer for goodness’ sake.
Why is there never a daggone Union when you need one?
Silas strolled into the room abruptly. “You called, Professor?” he posed, his voice booming throughout the voluminous room. Since I hadn’t heard an actual verbal shout-out from Tanner summoning the house steward, I made a quick mental note of my first Silas-stumper clue.
He’s able to receive telepathic messages. Then I was reminded about his “good guesser” comeback when we’d first met. And I’m pretty sure he can read minds too. I took advantage of his attentive frame. No matter how hard I focused, I still couldn’t pick up on the slightest supernatural vibe. And he can possibly block them like Tanner or maybe mask them, I theorized with a sly, far-off glare straining the whites of my eyes.
Tanner handed the house steward the box. “Silas, these are in your charge for the duration of our guest’s stay, but make sure the moonstone is available when needed.”
Silas opened the lid for a peek. Between the glaring smirk on his face, him being the one holding my goodie-box, and the way Tanner had called me out as a “guest” so impersonally, I was left feeling more than a little sour.
“Hmmmm. I see we’re plucking off all the flower’s petals before it fully blooms?” Silas questioned, his brow arched and doubts blazing.
“No,” Tanner assured stringently. “We’re simply allowing room for her existing powers to blossom. She needs to master those.”
“Whatever you say, Professor,” he replied robotically, looking between the two of us. And I honestly couldn’t say who was the target of his unconvinced glare more.
An acidic mixture of desperation and denial began eating away at my insides. I still couldn’t believe Tanner was having my things carted away so cavalierly, by an arrant jackass to boot. Silas started to close the lid when a familiar voice sitting on my shoulder whispered a little something in my ear.
“Wait,” I blurted to the house steward, halting its drop. “As long as we’re clipping wings . . .” I grabbed hold of my amethyst pendant and lifted it over my head. “There,” I announced as I dropped it into the chest. Put that feather in your cap, Professor Grey. And I made sure to lower the lid extra-gentle too. I looked up at Tanner, who seemed clearly taken aback. “It’s not one of my powers either,” I insisted. “But don’t worry . . . If you call me, I know my way to the totem room.”
Yep. It turned out to be my little red-suited bitch who’d popped that squat and put that bug in my ear.
Tanner’s teeth skirted the top of his bottom lip, almost like they were fighting off a sinking urge. “You’re absolutely right,” he agreed, practically purring. “Thank you for pointing out my oversight.”
Standing here in this instant, I suddenly realized the well-practiced advantage of little boys’ nature-blessed “equipment” — quick-draw, good aim, and long-distance track.
Silas shifted his gaze between our passively frigid frames. “If there is nothing else you need, Professor, I would be most grateful for a dismissal.” He purposely eyed the hazardous contents littering the chamber. “Before someone gives me cause to clean up and patch another room.”
Tanner broke his stare first. “That’s all,” he remarked without a telling tale of emotion, not one way or the other.
I soon found myself standing alone in the middle of the room while Silas forged a path towards the door and Tanner plowed his own in the opposite direction, over to a case of shelves stocked with various containers. I maneuvered behind a tall rack that housed a collection of helmets and started praying my last snarky donation wouldn’t come back to haunt me. He hadn’t asked for the amethyst, specifically. He knew the daggone thing was there. I highly doubted that fact had slipped his mind. A sinking feeling fanned through my body, stemming straight from my gut.
Maybe he thinks I’ll need it more than an indispensable healing moonstone? Crap… Now that one had some bite. Does he think I’m some emotional mess who can’t control her feelings? Yeah, I’d used it from time to time, but not that much — mainly to contact him or just to feel his presence when he wasn’t around. But I didn’t think I would need a substitute, not when the real thing was here in the flesh. Or did I? Things had felt a little off since my arrival. I wasn’t overly worried, but they were askew enough for me to take notice. That non-kiss outside of Bea’s house still had me bound in a tight ball of confusion. Did he simply not want to? Crawling inside one of the armor suits to hide until my mental tennis match had played out sounded like heaven right now. What is the problem? Is it the whole “mentor” thing? Our ages? Or does he simply not see me that way? Is he trying his best not to hurt the “Diamond Talisman’s” feelings?
My head was swimming in a cesspool of doubt. I was so utterly inexperienced when it came to the opposite-sex, insecure too. E
ven worse, I had a feeling that with what all I would be doing this summer, my chances for girly best-friend advice from Katie was going to be limited at best. And besides, she had enough on her own plate. My lack-of-love-life seemed trivial compared to all the new changes my orphaned BFF was dealing with. Calling Charlotte or Chloe was simply out of the question. Why offer them the laugh? Bea wasn’t here, sadly. She would have been the ideal person to ask. Giving Naomi a shout crossed my mind for a brief second, but I was a little leery about what she might suggest. I’d seen enough of her man-snagging methods over the years. Tight tops, short skirts, and flirting weren’t my idea of a roadmap — just helpful tips, but in much more moderate doses. And I didn’t want to think about what Kamya’s strategy might entail. I didn’t know a thing about the Ruby Talisman’s social life, but she struck me as a “Go and Get HIM” kind of gal — cavewoman club included. I even considered texting Kara, but even that notion fleeted as swiftly as it had arrived. Bless her heart. I didn’t think I could stomach the dramatic games she would probably concoct. My anxiety was escalating at such a nauseating rate with my flip-flopping stomach leading its tireless charge. There had to be some way for me to get a good dose of mental resolve about the status of our relationship because my prideful ass had just sent my trusty little purple safety-net packing!