Talisman (54 page)

“You’re
welcome
,” I said purposely.

Tanner acknowledged my gift with
a mere hint of a grin as he placed the stone in his pocket and gave it a little tap.  That was it.  Not even a formal “thank you”.  None whatsoever.

“You’re not going to string it around your neck with a gold ch
ain?  Like your tiger’s-eye?” I asked curiously.

Tanner’s mouth stretched into that
wide crafty grin I’d come to know all too well.  “No.  I have
other plans
for this one…but a diamond shouldn’t be set into gold or silver.  It can be of course, but it’s more powerful set in platinum.”

“Noted,” I replied heedfully.  His admission of the importance of the what metal the stone should be placed in prompted another question, which I was sure he was going to
love
coming out of my mouth.

“I take it m
etals have some kind of energy…if it effects the stone’s strength.  Do they have any powers?”

“They
do
…but there are no Talismans who can reign over any metal or their man-made alloys.  Metals naturally emit their energy to all supernaturals.  Some are beneficial, while others aren’t.  Silver is extremely harmful to a lot of them, but not to us.  The only thing that bears an adverse ill effect on certain Talismans is
iron
.  It won’t kill us, but it severely weakens our bodies and drains our powers if it comes in direct contact with our skin.  The only Talismans who aren’t affected by it are those who reign over an Earth stone —
like the Onyx
, for example.  Iron is so abundant in the earth that they’re immune to it.  Don’t be surprised if you feel a little queasy and extremely weak when you touch it. 
Try to avoid it if possible
.  There are small traces of iron in lots of things, just stay away from the objects that have a high concentration of it.  Stainless steel isn’t a problem, because it contains chromium.  Chromium actually shields us from the iron’s effects.  You’ll figure out what to avoid soon enough.  Fortunately for us
,
gloves work a pinch.  Not a bad idea to keep a pair handy.”

I thought about when I
’d hurled the plant stand through the window the other day.  I felt weak as soon as I touched it, and quite nauseous too.  Once I’d let it go, the feeling subsided instantly.

“Like
wrought iron
,” I stated doubtlessly.  Tanner confirmed my assessment with a nod of his head.

“
As far as some of the other metals go…A lot of supernaturals use copper to cast their spells, because it only directs energy and can’t be permeated.  Since brass is one of its metal alloys, you can hone in on the copper’s energy and manipulate its structure easily.  Most locks are cast from it, so opening a door is a breeze.  That might have been helpful for you to know the other day.  You wouldn’t have had to break your window,” Tanner laughed.  “You could have discovered that for yourself, if
you would have been more
patient
.”

I threw him a cold glare.

“Lithium’s a fun one,” Tanner added.  “Since cell phones and laptops use it in their batteries, you can listen in on people’s conversations, as well as get a mental picture of what they’re looking at on their computers.”

“Isn’t that
eavesdropping
…and a bit
nosey?
”

“And listening in on people’s thoughts through telepathy
isn’t?
” Tanner quickly rebutted.

I smiled mischievously. 
Well, he’s got me on that one
.

“You’re right,
” I conceded.

“Okay,” Tanner
announced as he pointed up to the mouth of the cave.  “Let’s go.”  Obediently, I followed him up the winding rock staircase.

“Tanner, can I charge any diamo
nd or does it have to come from
me?
” I asked as I thought about how painful the whole experience had been last tonight.

“You should
ONLY
charge your
own
stones. 
NEVER
any other!  No Talisman should!”  Tanner continued up the stairs and then stopped.  His tone softened as he added, “
You can
…but it’s difficult to do so, and they’re notoriously
unpredictable
.  Not a wise thing, so get that thought out of your head.”

I nodded back at him. 
You know, they really ought to print a daggone guidebook to go by
.  There were so many rules to learn.  I pondered,
They could call it, The Do’s and Don’ts of Stones, or possibly, A Beginner’s Guide for Talismans, or even better, Talismans for Dummies
.

“Are you ready?” Tanner asked eagerly
once we’d reached the top.

“Yeah,” I announced, echoing his enthusiasm.
  “
So
…What’s the game-plan?”

“We’re going to
stretch our legs a bit.”  Tanner motioned back to the entrance of the cave.  “Close the door, would you?”

I turned and waved my hands over the opening.  Fascinated, I watched the rocks and earth
shift around, connecting like pieces of a puzzle and sealing the mouth of the cave.  I turned back towards Tanner, but all I could see was a trail of purple mist hurtling off into the woods.  I shook my head.

Ugh!  I guess the “gentleman” has never heard of “ladies first”
…

Quickly, I followed behind him.  I noticed
I was running even faster today.  Only a few yards separated us, though I’ll admit he was a lot more agile.  While Tanner Grey could dodge trees and leap over bushes with such accuracy, I bounced around behind him like a daggone pinball.  I hit pretty much
everything
in my path.  I had no idea where we were going, but I knew it was definitely much further than we had traveled yesterday.

After running
for about forty minutes, we came to an almost synchronized stop.  Well, at least I didn’t trip this time.  My eyes widened as they panned around to take in the breathtaking view — colorfully-kissed rolling mountains that stretched throughout the countryside, peaking and dipping gracefully for as far as the eye could see.

“Do you know where you are now?” Tanner asked confidently.

“Yes.  US-19, standing on the New River Gorge Bridge.”  It was the largest and highest steel expansion-bridge in the country, and not to mention, equally as impressive as the view. Once a year, daredevils would flock here for “Bridge Day”, the only
legal
day of the year when you could bungee or BASE jump from its top.  It was the perfect place for such an event.  Though I didn’t consider myself a “chicken” by any means, I’d never attempted it (nor gave it a
crazy
second-thought).  You could even go white-water rafting in the New River below, but
only
when they opened up the dam this time of the year.

Tanner fearlessly sat down on the bridge’s narrow
concrete guardrail.  It made me nervous just watching him.  He noted my uneasiness.

“It’s totally
safe
…Well, I mean it’s not
iron
, that is.  That’s the only thing one-hundred-percent safe about it.  Though I can’t say the same about all those
iron-rich
steel girders underneath us,” he replied with a wink.  Tanner paused to take in the view.  “Do you remember when you asked me
why
was the wand hidden here, of all places?”

“Yes,” I replied.

“I ask you…
Why not?
” Tanner posed as he released his arms from the security of the railing and pointed them out towards the majestic panorama surrounding us.  “The wand needed a source of carbon to maintain its energy, but this area has been relatively
untouched
by time.  Could there have been a more secluded or serene place?  These lands are not only filled with earthly treasures, but raw beauty as well.  It was the perfect place — right down to its
people
.”  He took a deep breath as he drank in the delights of the awe-inspiring scenery.

I had
lived in West Virginia all of my life.  It was a very rural environment, where nature’s bounty was plentiful, but it lacked the availability of jobs for its residents.  If you lived here, for the most part, you were either a coalminer, married to a coalminer, or your job catered to the livelihoods of coalminers.  I’d always wanted more for myself.  Though I desperately longed to escape this area one day, it was refreshing to see West Virginia through the eyes of an outsider.  It warmed my soul that someone could see the beauty in the state that we complained about and tended to take for granted.

Carefully, I climbed
up and sat beside him, positioning myself securely on the bridge’s narrow concrete railing.

“
So why are we here?” I asked.

“For your next lesson, of course.”  Tanner flashed a sly grin, just a
s he swiftly pushed me backward —
off the daggone bridge!

I screamed all 876 feet down the gorge.  All I could think was,
Why the Hell can’t I fly!?!
  Unbreakable bones or not, this landing was certainly going to hurt —
like a mother!

I crashed into the chilly waters below.  The force of the fall
drove me down to the riverbed, where my body scraped its bottom.  The walloping impact hurt of course, but nowhere near how I thought it would.  Without a doubt, any normal person wouldn’t have been able to survive such a fall.  They certainly couldn’t walk away without numerous broken bones from smacking the water.  Fortunately for me, I was no longer a “normal” person.

I maneuvered my feet and forcefully pushed agains
t the river bottom, reaching the surface in less than a second.  Furiously, my eyes scanned the riverbank for Tanner Grey.  I finally spotted him strolling casually downstream, heading towards me.

“
Why
did you do
THAT!?!”
I screamed.

Tanner appeared to be offended, which only added to my confusion. 
“I don’t know what you’re complaining about?  I had to take the long way down,” he scoffed and pointed over to the winding mountainside trail that led to the bottom of the gorge.

“I was
hoping
I wouldn’t be so
WET
today!” I snapped.

“Oh, we wouldn’t want
that
,” Tanner stated with a laugh and flashed me his signature cheeky grin.

That’s n
ot good
.

Tanner stood on the riverbank and turned upstream.  Oddly
enough, he raised his arms while he stared vehemently at the water.

What’s he doing?

I waded in the river and turned to follow his focused gaze upstream.  Suddenly the river began to swell and surge.  I looked over at Tanner.  This was all
his
doing.  A huge wall of water was now rushing towards me.  Not a second later, I was being swept up and carried off in a violent flashflood.  The river’s turbulent waters were tossing me around tirelessly, and I felt its grip desperately trying to tug me under.

I struggled to keep my head above the water for several minutes, but it kept pulling me below
the surface as the current brutally tossed me downstream.  I couldn’t fight its fury.  A large wave finally forced me down.  Swimming up to the surface was impossible, no matter how hard I tired.  The water seemed to be holding me there.  I didn’t even get a chance to take a deep breath before it had dragged me under.  It seemed like I was below the water’s surface for an eternity.  My body twisted and turned strenuously, dying to escape.  I assumed it was only a matter of time before I would run out of air but surprisingly,
I didn’t
.  After a while, I felt the water’s grip loosen, and I was finally able to drift to the surface.

Overwrought with anxiety and physical exhau
stion, I paddled towards the riverbank.  As soon as I’d reached it, I flipped myself over and flopped onto my back.  A shadow fell over my body as I lay there, trying to catch my breath.  I looked up to see Tanner standing above me.

“Why are you so out of breath?
” Tanner questioned.  “You shouldn’t have had a problem with air down there.  After all, you’ve been under for about a half-hour.”

I made an attempt to splash him with some of the chilly water that had imprisoned me fo
r the past thirty minutes.  “How did you do
THAT?
”

“
My amethyst reigns as a
water element
. I thought this way of revealing it would serve two purposes.  You could grasp the serious nature of Talismans who claim a water stone, and you could see that a small part of you can manipulate the elements of water and air, to keep you safe from the brutal water’s
fateful
outcome.”