by S. E. Akers
Once I realized that the original Carnelian Talisman who’d been killed by Ferrol turned out to be Tanner’s sister, it took all of my strength to restrain him (and that was almost not enough). Tanner’s eyes blazed a dark shade of violet that at first glance, appeared almost black. I had to resort to pressing my fingernails into his skin for him to pull himself together. I accidentally used too much force and ripped some of the flesh on his arms — but it got his attention.
Lazarus cut in sharply, “I’m afraid this reunion is getting a little too personal for my taste. Can we get down to business? The wand?” Lazarus turned his stare towards me. “I bet all those millions you turned a deaf ear to are sounding very sweet right about now, aren’t they, Ms. Wallace?”
I remained silent, holding on to Tanner’s arms.
Dead-set on provoking me, Lazarus continued, “I would even be willing to bet that your own father wished he had taken his offer, too. But alas, he didn’t…and neither did you.” Lazarus seemed amused and shook his head. “Now there I go, making things personal. Excuse my infraction.” He tilted his head in a sinister manner. “Nothing left to do but hammer things out…the old fashion way,” and with that, the Talisman who reigned over the air waved his hand and threw a gust of wind towards us. The breezy blast sent Tanner and I sailing across the cave and hurled us into one of its hard, jagged walls.
As soon as we crashed onto the floor, Tanner grabbed me and whispered, “Shiloh, remember… Don’t let any of his poison inside your body, by any means.” Tanner removed both of his silver hilts from a holster on his back and handed one to me. “You’re far from ready for this, but what the Hell… Little girls have to grow up sometime.” He brandished the handle with a flick of his wrist to reveal the sword’s glowing and razor-sharp, six-sided amethyst blade.
I jumped to my feet, just in time to see Lazarus and Ferrol swiftly approaching us. My head became over run with Bea’s words of wisdom. I thought ironically, Where’s the decision? Don’t draw it unless you intend to use it, my ass! More like, draw it unless you have a death wish.
Both Ferrol and Lazarus had their sights set on me. Ferrol hurled one of his carnelians my way, but fortunately Tanner pushed me out its path. Lazarus became so enraged by the fact that his “partner-in-crime” would betray him so quickly that he sent a whirling funnel of air towards Ferrol. It wrapped around his body as it twisted him violently up to the ceiling of the cave. After Ferrol’s helpless frame had been thrust into one of the stalactites hard enough, Lazarus waved his hand, commanding the funnel cloud to vanish. Ferrol came crashing down fast and smacked the rocky floor with enough force to shake the entire cave.
While Ferrol struggled to get his bearings, Lazarus pointed his cane at him and growled, “SHE’S MINE, FERROL! Don’t you forget that!” He then lifted his cane in the air and removed the ornate wood sheathing to reveal its true nature. The exposed walking stick was actually a blade — a royal blue blade with random flecks of white and black, obviously carved from his origin stone, the lapis lazuli. Though his weapon wasn’t glowing, I had a sneaky suspicion it packed a good punch, just the same.
Tanner took full advantage of Ferrol’s disoriented state. He charged towards him, sword blazing. Quickly, Ferrol rolled out of his way and averted Tanner’s first strike. Violet sparks flew from the sword when it struck the ground. Clearly pissed and ready for battle, Ferrol took his carnelian staff and slammed it on the ground. Instantly, the staff became engulfed in flames. Aggressively, he started rotating the flaming stick in front of Tanner. Ferrol was hell-bent on protecting himself while he goaded Tanner with a ring of fire he’d created by twirling the staff in a circular motion.
Lazarus seemed pleased with the turn of events. Since Ferrol was now preoccupied with fending off Tanner, that was one less worry for him. He could now get back to the job at hand — killing me. Lazarus paused to rub his fingers along the wand’s shaft. Still, the wand lay lifeless as he touched it.
“Don’t worry. You’ll shine for me…soon,” Lazarus proclaimed boldly.
“Don’t get your hopes up,” I announced as I waved the mystical amethyst sword and took an offensive stance.
Lazarus let out a laugh as he gave his lapis lazuli blade a quick twirl. “I’ve got a lot more up my sleeve than just hope, dear child,” Lazarus vowed and then sent a quick blast of air directed towards my hand, attempting to knock the sword from my grip.
After Bea’s little schooling the other day, I was fully prepared for any underhanded tactics. I’d already tightened my grasp around the silver handle and held onto the sword without fail. Lazarus seemed vexed because his sneaky trick hadn’t worked.
“You might want to check your other one,” I announced and flashed a cheeky smile.
“Well, anything worth having doesn’t come easy,” Lazarus grumbled and then charged towards me.
Before I knew it, I was fully engaged in my first official sword fight. Unfortunately, he was quite skilled. Our blades clashed repeatedly, and I was able to block all of his strikes successfully, that is, until I lost my footing on some rocks. When I tried to regain my balance, I lost sight of his blade for just a split-second. I soon found it — slicing across my thigh. The harsh sting of the diamond-dust heightened my reflexes, so I was able to retaliate with a slice of my own to his forearm. As I staggered back, I realized Bea wasn’t exaggerating when she told me “expect to get cut.” Though the diamond-dust allowed the blade to sever my skin and stung like a mother, I could tell from the open rip in my jeans that the wound wasn’t that deep.
While Lazarus grappled with the pain from the lash I’d inflicted, I checked on Tanner, who was still locked in a heated battle with Ferrol. I realized I’d become too enthralled with their fight when I redirected my attention back to Lazarus, only to see his lapis lazuli blade about to strike my arm. I jerked it away quickly, but his sword knocked my blade right out of my hand. It ended up flying across the cave and landed in-between Tanner and Ferrol (almost nailing both of them). Unarmed and defenseless, I stepped backward, only to run into one of the cave’s walls. I was assuredly trapped. With an overconfident stride, Lazarus prowled towards me.
A vain smirk crept across his face. “You see, my dear…This is what happens when little girls think they can play with the big boys.” He cackled and added, “The diamond Wand of Adamas is too powerful and grand. It was never meant to be in the hands of someone so young and feeble.” Lazarus scoffed pompously, “Even the wand must think so, or else it would be in your hands right now…It must not like common trash either.”
From out of the corner of my glaring eyes, I caught a glimpse of Ferrol’s flaming staff, which triggered a hopeful thought. The carnelians that Tanner gave me at Bea’s…I still have them in my pocket.
Lazarus drew back his lapis lazuli blade. “Give my regards to your father for me,” he announced mercilessly.
With that, I quickly pulled one of the reddish-orange milky stones from my pocket and threw it at him as he lunged towards me.
Lazarus’ eyes lit up with fear when he spotted the stone and tried to jump out of its way. His success was limited. He’d managed to avoid the initial blow, but the force of the blast threw him back across the cavern. I watched jubilantly as his body smacked one of the walls and then dropped to the ground in a daze.
I allowed Lazarus’ words to roll around in my head while I watched him struggle to his get to his feet. It would be just a matter of seconds before he would be on me again.
The wand, I thought, That’s my only option. I climbed up the rocky base and looked down at the dormant wand. I took a controlled, deep breath. As I exhaled, I pictured every reservation I’d ever had about the nature of the wand and cast aside every one of my negative thoughts. Focusing on accepting my destiny and its will whole-heartedly, I wrapped my hands around the shaft, just as I had done when I’d arrived earlier. Instinctively, I checked on Lazarus, who was now rising to his feet.
With one swift yank, I pulled up on the wan
d. To my amazement, the diamond wand released itself to me. The coal encasing it crumbled away like brittle ash. The wand lay firmly in my hands, glowing vehemently with spectacular rays of white light that illuminated the entire cave. The wonderment of this miraculous feat halted everyone’s movements. Awestruck, their attention shifted to the magical spectacle that lay before their eyes.
The next thing I knew, Tanner cried out, “NO, SHILOH!”
I turned to him, confused by his reaction. Tanner had an alarmed look on his face. Ferrol’s expression was blank, but his eyes flared as his stare shifted towards his evil conspirator.
Curiously, I followed Ferrol’s gaze to Lazarus, who was unwrapping the leather strap that had been wound around the handle of his lapis lazuli cane. Once he’d finished removing the strip, Lazarus yanked the stone blade from its handle and cast it aside.
Lazarus cackled and announced, “FINALLY,” as he lifted what was now a gleaming metal handle in the air and extended it towards me.
I looked at it closely. My face froze once I’d realized what he was holding in his hands. The HILT! The wand’s platinum hilt! Despite the fact that the ancient and elusive handle was missing its horizontal cross-guard, it was the same size, had the same markings, was cast in the same metal, and held the same cut diamond stone fastened to the pommel of its base, just like in my dream. It had been hidden on the end of his cane this entire time. The next thing I knew, the absent cross-guard magically stretched out of the hilt’s sides like the wings of a bird, and then straightaway, the diamond wand I was clutching began to vibrate violently in my hand. I felt it slipping from my grasp, so I tried desperately to hold on to it with all of my strength.
Just as Tanner screamed out for me to “drop it”, the wand flew out of my tightly locked grip. I SCREAMED! Both of my hands had been sliced open and blood was shooting out from them. The sting from the diamond’s slash forced me down to my knees, and I watched virtually paralyzed from the agonizing pain as the wand sailed across the cave and thrust itself straight into the platinum hilt. The two pieces were reunited once again and regrettably, it now rested in Lazarus Xcavare’s evil hands.
Tanner rushed over to my side. The look on his face shifted into a horrible grimace as he checked the gashes on my hands.
“Shiloh, all you did was charge the wand, you still have its powers. Even though it’s in his possession, its power is not his. The wand is feeding off your energy because it’s near you. It will be useless to him the farther you’re away from it. We need to get out of here. NOW!”
Lazarus seemed too engrossed with the power the Wand of Adamas was exuding to notice that Tanner had helped me to my feet.
“GO!” Tanner urged. “Head for the stairs! I’ll be right behind you.”
Still struggling to shake off an agonizing amount of pain, I rushed over to the bottom of the winding rock staircase and started to make my assent. I looked back to see the light starting to dwindle from the wand. Its energy was fading with every step I took away from it. Unfortunately Lazarus and Ferrol noticed it too.
Ferrol was the first to spot me, but Tanner was on him before he knew it. Lazarus breezed past them both, with his eyes transfixed on me. I raced up the stone staircase. Halfway up, I grabbed the last carnelian from my pocket and hurled it down at Lazarus. I watched as he used the diamond wand to bat the fiery stone away from him effortlessly like a major league hitter. The carnelian didn’t explode upon impact with the diamond blade but instead, it was redirected towards Tanner, who had barely gotten out of its way before it struck the ground in front of him. Crap, I grumbled as I hurried on up the staircase.
Lazarus had made it over to the bottom of the stairs and was now starting to climb up after me. The diamond wand’s energy intensified with every step he took. Anxiously, I charged towards the mouth of the cave. Within a second, I was there and quickly waved my hand to reveal the cave’s earthy portal. I held on to the sides of the opening and paused to see how close Lazarus was trailing. He was already halfway up the stairway. Even though he was nowhere near as fast as I was, the Talisman was making pretty good time. I immediately turned to exit the cave, but before my foot even crossed its threshold, I jumped back in terror. Unluckily, waiting outside the mouth of the cave was none other than the fiendish, billowy-black form of the Onyx, hovering fiercely and adversely blocking my escape!
Chapter 26 — Seraphina
Once the initial shock had subsided, I shifted my stare back and forth between my two would-be assassins. Lazarus was charging up the stairs after me, wielding a diamond sword and ready to drive it straight through me. The Onyx was waiting patiently outside to claim my powers as his own, as well as seek his revenge for our run-in last night. I let out a frustrated grunt as I slammed my foot down on the rocks.
Can’t I catch a freakin’ BREAK?!?
Lazarus was getting closer. My mind scrambled for a plan while I stared at the sinister black haze, whose form tonight actually resembled more of a ghostly-looking man. I knew the enchantment Adamas had put on the cave kept the Onyx from entering, but I really needed to “get out”. Gallia had claimed that the blue chalcedony would bind a Talisman’s powers for a while. Surely he was still without them or weak at the very least.
Hopefully, I thought.
I checked on Lazarus one more time and then redirected my gaze to the Onyx. The situation had exasperated me to the point where I screamed out combatively. I threw my hand up towards the night sky and speedily summoned a bolt of lightning. The Onyx had anticipated my move and saw the lightning streaming towards him. He moved out of its path, leaving the doorway wide-open. But what he hadn’t realized was that the bolt wasn’t meant to hit him. As soon as the lightning came streaking into the cave, my awaiting hands caught it on the spot. With the Onyx now back in front of the cave’s opening, and Lazarus approaching, I split the scorching bolt in two. I threw half of it at the Onyx, knocking him from my path. The other half I hurled towards Lazarus, who was now just a few feet from me. He used the wand to protect himself, for the most part. The bolt only grazed him, but it did send him tumbling halfway back down the spiral stone stairs. With a much clearer path, I made a mad dash out of the cave and headed into the woods as fast as I could.
I shot through the forest knowing I couldn’t slow down, not yet. I didn’t have a clue as to which one of them would catch up to me first. Lazarus? The Onyx? I hoped Tanner was having better luck back in the cave with Ferrol. My situation had gone from bad to worse, pretty daggone quick!
I spotted a cluster of trees that would provide some decent cover up ahead. After I had camouflaged myself behind one of the larger pines, I peered out from behind it and began to survey the woods.
The scene was lifeless. There was no movement whatsoever. It was like even the animals knew something was amiss and had cautiously sought refuge elsewhere. There was an eerie hush throughout the air that chilled the core of my bones. You could even hear the faint rustling of leaves in the wind. And it was dark. Only the stars in the sky and the muted light reflecting from the moon that lay behind a mass of clouds illuminated my way.
My hands rested on the tree as I continued to search the woods. Suddenly, they felt cold. I took a curious, closer look at the tree. Unexpectedly, its thick bark started to ice over. Several snowflakes hit my cheek as I stepped away from it. When I turned around, a turbulent stream of bitter cold air slapped my face. A thick coat of snow was blanketing the forest at an uncanny rate, right before of my eyes. This was no freak blizzard. It was Lazarus.
He had to be close. I clambered up the side of the pine tree to keep an eye out for his exact location. I scanned the forest in a diligent manner. The snow was now falling violently, and a steady blast of chilly air was whipping through the woods. Its force was so powerful that even the massive pine I was hiding in started to sway. Soon, I spotted a glowing light approaching on the horizon. The wand. A menacing roar of laughter echoed through the trees as he drew closer. The intensifying energy from the wand
was leading him straight to me like supernatural GPS.
From behind the veil of a snow-covered tree limb, I watched Lazarus prowling the ground below me. Thankfully, the thick snow had started falling after I’d stopped, so I hadn’t left any tracks. Lazarus passed by the tree I was hiding in and headed off in the distance. He looked down at the wand and stopped. Its light was beginning to fade. Lazarus then dug his foot down into the snowy ground on the spot, pivoted around with the tenacity of a soldier on a life or death mission, and started marching back my way. My heart pounded as I braced myself for his next move.
Lazarus stopped beside the tree. He turned around in all directions, scanning for any signs of me. “There’s nowhere for you to hide. The wand will seek you out, my dear,” he called out, never looking up.
I wanted to hurl a bolt of lightning down on his arrogant ass so bad, but I knew he would just use the wand to drive it away. Even though that “big head” of his provided an excellent target. Then there I’d be, vulnerable and my cover regrettably blown.
“There’s no one to come to your rescue. Tanner could be dead by now, and as for the other one… Well, I’m afraid that little old birdie won’t be up to flying…anytime soon.”
Instantly, I held my breath to keep from gasping. Apparently Lazarus knew about Beatrix, and by the wicked tone in his voice, a horrible feeling came over me that he’d done something heinous to her.
I just left her almost an hour ago, and she was fine, I reflected nervously. What is he talking about? The only way I could look into his mind was by touching him, and that was simply out of the question. His ambiguous declaration was driving me crazy with worry. I could only hope that the self-righteous bastard would end up gloating about it.
“We followed you to her house. Personally, I knew there was something about her that I didn’t like when we met last week.” Lazarus laughed. “I just thought it was because she was a bitter old hag. But then I discovered today that she is also a Talisman. But not just any Talisman. No, no. She’s possesses the golden topaz and reigns over the air, as do I.”