Talisman (57 page)

She’s
definitely reveling about something
.

“If you
must
know…
” Chloe answered in a condescending tone, “
Mom
and
I
… are going to be
RICH!
”

Shocked by her announcement, Samuel and I both turned to each other wi
th the same look of disbelief.

“How’s that
exactly?” I asked skeptically.

“Daddy had a little
secret,
” Chloe revealed with a sneaky grin.

I shot to attention
after hearing the words “Daddy” and “secret” uttered in the same sentence.

“Daddy
owned
Shiloh Ridge!” Chloe squealed.  “Mom didn’t even know about it until Kyle Parsons from the County Clerk’s office called her this morning.  He told her that Daddy held the title, and someone wanted to purchase it.  She went to the bank and got into his safe-deposit box.  Low and behold, there was the deed!  Mr. Xcavare is going to pay her
fifteen million dollars
for it!  Isn’t that
GREAT NEWS?
  Well, for
me
and
Mom
, that is.”

Once my stomach had landed from its “flip”, panic swooped down on me like a flock of buzzards looking to pick me apart.  My body remained motionless as a
ll the color drained from my face, knowing full well I was probably as white as a sheet by now.

NO!  Lazarus will find the cave!
  He’ll punch holes in every inch of Shiloh Ridge!  Then that bastard will discover the wand has already been claimed!

“Oh, Shi…
You look a bit
peaked
,” Chloe remarked as she stepped closer. I was staring down at the porch, fixated on my thoughts of how to stop this from happening when Chloe lifted my head and interjected, “Don’t fret.  Mom’s already said you could live in the house…
and rent it
.”

My mouth dropped as I watched her trot off into the house triumphantly, whirling her shopping bags around with a
shit-eaten’ grin plastered on her face.

“They’re
NOT
going to do that…
I promise
,” Samuel vowed.  “Don’t let them see you all worked up, Shiloh.”  Samuel looked at his watch and grimaced.  “Honey, I have to leave for work, but if you want, you can stay at my house…till things settle down around here.  You’re more than welcome to.”

I was grateful for his offer, but I couldn’t help be a little confused by his lackadaisical attitude
regarding my dilemma.  I’d kind of expected my “surrogate father” to put forth more of a fuss than just, “I promise they won’t do that”?

He’s been ar
ound our family my entire life…Has he not “seen” what those two are capable of?

“That’s not going to solve
my problem
.”  I added nervously, “
Go on
.  I’ll be fine.  Bye, Samuel.”  I tried to act as calm as
he
seemed to be, but at that moment, I was ready to jump out of my skin.

Samuel gave me a couple of reassuring pats. 
“Bye, Shiloh. 
No worries now
.”  I watched him stroll casually over to his Jeep, and before I knew it, he was headed off to the mine.

I
turned and made a mad dash into the house.  I found Charlotte in her bedroom, dragging one of her suitcases out of the closet.

“You
can’t
do this!” I protested.  “You don’t
know
what you’re doing!”

Charlotte
threw the large bag on her bed and zoomed around the room, gathering up clothes to pack.  She finally paused to scowl at me.

“I can, and I will.  I know exactly what
I’m doing
, Shiloh.  I’m signing a piece of paper tomorrow afternoon that’s going to make me fifteen-million dollars richer, so I can
finally
get out of this hellhole.  That’s what
I’m
doing!”

“
No!  You just
CAN’T!”
I pleaded.

“Ugh!  You can live in the damn house!
  What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t allow you to do that?  You’ll have to pay some rent of course, but considering you’re eighteen now and legally an adult, I could throw you out on the street.  The only thing I’m guilty of here is being
too generous
.”

Clearly desperate, a thought rang out. 
I’ll compel her not to sell the land
.  I stood there quietly concentrating on Charlotte as she bounced around the room.  I thought,

Charlotte Wallace…

You WILL NOT sell Shiloh Ridge

to Lazarus Xcavare…

I repeated it over and over in my head.

“
Charlotte…What are you going to do?” I asked confidently.  She finished folding her red blouse and gazed at me with a strange look on her face.

“I’m going to
finish packing
.  ’Cause I’m catchin’ a flight to Europe,” my mother chortled.  “Right after I sell Shiloh Ridge!”

Damn!
It didn’t work!
  I tried for several more minutes.  Each failed attempt stirred up more feelings of disgust and panic-fueled anger.  After a good fifteen minutes of solid trying, my patience had run out.  I was on the verge of losing my temper and could feel my blood boiling with nervous rage.

“I hope we don’t keep you up tonight, what with all
of our packing.  I know you probably have loads of homework to do.  Oh, wait…
That’s right
…You skipped school today.  Mrs. Tuttle called to check on you and told me that you weren’t there.  She was going to write it off as an excused absence, but I insisted to her that you were such a stickler for rules.  I reasoned to her that Chloe was able to attend, so your absence should be marked as
unexcused.
  No exceptions.  You’ll have to report to morning detention when you go back.”

Bitch!
  The next thing I knew, I’d taken my fist and punched a hole in her bedroom wall.  To my shock, it drove straight through the sheetrock and pushed through the vinyl siding.  I felt the cool fall air blowing on my knuckles.  Mouth gaping and wide-eyed, I shamefully retracted my hand, which was visibly unscathed. 
Crap!

Charlotte had a peculiar look on her face.  She was startled, but she also appeared scared.  I ran out of
her bedroom and headed straight for my room.  I heard her scream, “And you’ll have to pay a security deposit to cover any
DAMAGES!”

I slammed the door shut and began pacing wildly around my bedroom. 
What am I going to do?  The compulsion trick didn’t even faze her.
  I remembered what Tanner had said about it being difficult to compel people who you have a strong emotional connection with. 
I guess even hatred counts as some kind of connection.  How can I stop her when she’s hell-bent on selling it?
  The fact that I was so upset about it was just gravy for her.  I had no idea what to do.  I couldn’t call Tanner.  I really didn’t know how to reach him. 
I know…I’ll call Bea!

I grabbed my cell and dialed Beatrix. 
Damn!
  I was prompted to a message informing me that her line had been disconnected. 
Probably because of her upcoming move
, I surmised.  Disappointed, I resigned myself to the fact that I would have to wait until morning to tell someone.  This was surely going to be a long and restless night.

I ran to my closet and pulled
out my new “security blanket”.  I cuddled with Daddy’s shirt as I lay on my bed, tapping the cell on my chin.  My mind was racing, but not one good idea had surfaced.  I just hoped Tanner or Beatrix could come up with one.

Needing to calm down, I
pulled the tumbled amethyst out of my pocket and held it tightly.  Instantly, all of my panic and anxiety vanished.  I knew trouble was still looming, but my mind, body, and soul had been set adrift on a sea of worry-free bliss.

I glanced at the display on my phone.  It read:

Missed Texts: 18

Eleven
were from Katie, three from Samuel, a couple from two of my classmates, one from Mrs. Tuttle, and one from
Ty
.  His message was simple and direct.  “I’m still waiting.  I’ll be waiting.” I stared at the words on the screen for a minute.

Why can’t I find the courage to call him?
 
Especially with everything I’ve been through over the past several days
.  From uncovering crazy supernatural beings, to stabbing a twelve-foot rattler with my shoe, I still found myself a
coward
when it came to Tyler Smith.  It really shouldn’t be such a surprise to me.  I’d had a crush on him for years without saying or doing anything about it. 
What’s a couple more days?

My phone
began to hum a little tune. 
Katie
.  I didn’t feel like answering it.  I knew she would bring up Daddy and want me to “talk it out” with her.  That was the last thing I needed or wanted right now.  The promise I’d made to Samuel earlier was going to be harder to keep than what I’d realized.

After I’d peeled myself out of my clothes, I took a quick shower, threw on my pajamas, dove into my bed, and yanked
the covers over my head.  Though I was still securely on my blissful “high”, thoughts of “what would come from Lazarus purchasing Shiloh Ridge” ran circles through my mind. 
Good thing I can’t feel the worry from them
.

I cuddled up with m
y new purple bauble in one hand and Daddy’s shirt in the other. 
I’ll call Katie tomorrow
.  I had way too much to filter out tonight.  After all, I didn’t need any additional chatter about Daddy upsetting me and causing the batteries to run down on my powerful little purple stone.

That would be
MY luck…

Chapter  17  —  What Will Be, Will Be

I was up and out of the house by a quarter to six.  The sun was barely beginning to rise as I w
eaved through the woods.  This morning, I arrived at the cave’s entrance in record time, and like a seasoned pro, waved my hand to unearth its secret portal.  As I bolted down the rugged stone staircase, I called out, “Tanner! We have a
problem!
”

To my surprise, Tanner wasn’t there.  Instead, waiting patiently was Beatrix Sutherland, dressed in a brown velour tracksuit.
  She was lying on the ground and stretching the muscles in her legs.

Clearly alarmed, Beatrix sprang up. 
“Where’s the fire?”

“I thought Tanner would be here
,” I replied, a bit winded and wound up, “but anyway, there’s a problem…A HUGE ONE!  Apparently, Daddy owned Shiloh Ridge, and now that he’s passed, Mom has the deed, and she’s selling it to Lazarus Xcavare
THIS AFTERNOON!
  I tried calling you last night to tell you, but your line has been disconnected.  Bea, I don’t know what to do!”

Beatrix’s tense stance started to relax.  She immediately went back to her stretches
.  “Is that
all?
” she asked casually.

I was dumbfounded by her nonchalant respo
nse to such a serious dilemma.

“What do you mean
‘
is that all’?
” I countered, only to watch Beatrix shrug her shoulders.  “She’s also kicking me out if I don’t pay her rent, but I couldn’t care less about that!  Bea, Lazarus will find out the wand’s powers are missing.  He’ll realize someone’s already claimed it…Someone like
ME!
”  Still, Beatrix looked unfazed by my predicament.  I continued ranting, “I thought I was supposed to ‘keep my identity
a secret
from him’, for as long as possible?  You said ‘he woud try to
kill me
’ if he found out that I’ve claimed the wand’s power.  Don’t you care?”

“It’s not t
hat I don’t care, Shiloh… It’s just that I’m not worried.  You shouldn’t be either.”  Beatrix simply smiled and
again
, carried on with her yoga.  I was starting to lose my patience with the
“compassionate”
elderly lady I’d known for years.

“
Bea
, I even tried to make her not do it.  You know, by ‘compelling her not to’, and it didn’t work.  I about busted a gut trying and
nothing!
”

“That usually happens when you’re connected t
o the person, dear,” Beatrix acknowledged with a slight frown.  “It takes awhile to master filtering out the guilt you feel when compelling someone you share a lot of memories with.  Whether they are good ones…or
bad
,” she added and then lowered herself into a downward dog pose.

“Maybe you need to open up
all of your eyes
to see how sticky this situation truly is!” I scoffed.

She did just that. 
Straightway, Beatrix revealed her “third eye” as she rose back up and then walked over beside me.

“Don’t worry about it, Shiloh,” she said soothingly.
  “Trust me on this.  Your mother will not sell Shiloh Ridge to Lazarus. 
I promise
.”  Beatrix hugged me in an attempt to seal the oath she’d just pledged.

I tried to allow her words to put me at ease, but it seemed impossible, what with the thoughts of
“Lazarus trying to ring my neck with his lethal blue hands” running through my head.  I walked over to the rock formation and climbed up to where the dormant wand lay.  I roused it from its placid state by running my fingers along its shaft.

“Can’t we just
move it?
  Hide it somewhere else?” I asked as I found myself hypnotized by the magnificent swirling energy that followed my slightest touch.

Beatrix clapped her hands. 
“That sounds like a
fantastic idea!
  Why don’t you
try
that?”

I placed both my hands on the diamond wand and attempted to pull it from its rocky coal base with all
of my strength.  It wouldn’t budge, no matter how many times or how hard I tried.

“
I can’t!
”

“Tsk, t
sk, tsk…
Pity
,” Beatrix remarked as she twisted up the rocks.  “So much for that plan.  Do you have any others?”

I whipped around and sho
t her my steeliest “are-you-crazy” look. 
She’s got to be kiddin’?

“I’m new to all this, Bea.
 
You
should be the one shoutin’ out the ideas.”  I turned to stare at the mysterious wand again.  It had me totally flummoxed.  The process of claiming its powers was easy —
somewhat painful, but easy
. 
If I could possess its powers in such a simple way, then why can’t I yank it out with the same amount of effort?
  Frustrated, I clinched my fists as I looked up to the cosmos.

“Why won’t this thing budge?” I demanded.

Beatrix placed her hand on my shoulder, tenderly.

“Because ‘this thing’ knows you’re not ready, Shiloh.  It won’t release itself until
you are
.  Your powers are growing stronger everyday.  You’re just not there yet.  Your body has to be strong enough, your mind clear enough, and your soul has to be willing for the wand to be lifted from the sanctuary of its rocky bastion.  I promise you, these rocks that cradle this wand and keep it shackled will break…
when you’re ready
.  That’s part of Tanner’s and my job…to help get you ready. 
So
, let’s not waste a minute.  Okay, dear?”

I nodded my head as
I looked at her through the eyes of a naïve child.  I had no idea the wand was hesitant about
trusting me
.  I’d only been concerned with
me
trying to trust
it
and dealing with all the responsibilities that came with the Wand of Adamas. 
Hopefully
,
this won’t be a test I’ll fail…That is, if my heart truly doesn’t want me to.  After all, this thing was partly responsible for my father’s death
.

As we
maneuvered down the rock formation, I found myself amused by the word, “JUICY” stamped across the tush of her tracksuit. 
Cute
, I thought, as I giggled to myself.  Beatrix caught me admiring her ensemble.

“Do you like my outfit?”
she inquired.

“Oh, yes. 
Um…
It looks very
comfortable
,” I insisted, slightly embarrassed.

“Good.  I’m glad you think so, because I’ve got one for you too…right over there
,” Beatrix revealed as she pointed her finger over to a folded up red velour tracksuit lying beside her yoga mat.  “Well, hurry up and get changed.  We don’t have time to waste.”

I’ll just go with it
, I thought as I scooped up the equally flashy outfit and hurried behind a large boulder to change.  I really didn’t see what was wrong with the Golden Knights sweatshirt and jeans I had on.  I didn’t have a clue as to what we were going to be doing down here today that dictated a wardrobe change was necessary. 
I’m just glad it’s not a bathing suit!
  It’s not that I hated the water, but I’d had enough of it over the past few days, what with the rainstorm (that I’d caused), Tanner’s flash flood, and being knocked into the waterfall yesterday afternoon. 
I prefer to bathe on my own time
.

“There is
one thing
that would release the wand sooner,” Beatrix announced.  “In fact, if we had it right now, we could pull the wand free and call it a day.  I could even take you bird-watching.  Wouldn’t that be more fun than training?”

“Don’t you mean bird
-
listening?
” I teased as I emerged from my dressing area.

“Now you didn’t really believe that crap
,
did you?
” Beatrix posed and gave my butt a light smack.

I grinned and s
hook my head.

“That looks good on you, Shiloh,” Beatrix raved and gave the eye that rested in the center of her forehead a quick wink.
  “You should wear more red.”

I watched as she closed her eyes and made her
“third eye” suddenly disappear.  She informed me that it was always there, she just kept it concealed with an invisibility spell. 
Convenient
, I thought.

My curiosity was rou
sed by something she had said.  “Bea, what exactly is the ‘one thing’ that would allow me remove the wand…without
technically
being ready.”

“Why the ‘thing’ that Adamas hid many years ago of course, besides the wand.  He did so right after he surrendered his powers.  He knew if anyone ever found it, they could use it to lay claim to the wand instantly.  Adamas couldn’t just hide them both down here
together
.  That would’ve made it too easy for some rogue Talisman who might stumble upon it to claim its powers before you,
its rightful owner
could find it.”

“Okay, but what is
it?
  Another stone?”

“No, dear.  It
s hilt,” she replied matter-of-factly.

“Its
what?
” I asked cluelessly.

“Its
hilt
, you know —
its handle
.  I mean the wand is a
sword
for goodness’ sake.  It has to have a
proper
handle.”

Stunned by her confession, I pointed over to the wand.  “That’s a
sword?
You mean,
like a weapon?
” I blurted.

“What other kind is there, dear?  And it’s not just
a
sword, or just
a
weapon.  It’s the most powerful sword and weapon of its kind.”

Dazed, I
returned to the rock formation and climbed back up to gaze at the wand.  Awkwardly, I stood over it, inhibited by the revelation that what I thought was just a freak-of-nature, magical diamond with the ability to grant powers was actually much more than that. 
It was a weapon
— a weapon that’s soul purpose was to take an enemy down with one
fatal
blow.

“What am I supposed to do with it?”
I asked in a low mumble.  Beatrix climbed up the rocks. Standing beside me, she gently brushed some lingering strands of hair away from my forehead and lifted my chin.

“
Kill your enemies, dear
,” Beatrix revealed as she looked profoundly into my eyes.

The words that rolled off her tongue were delivered just as honeyed as if she’d asked, “Would you like another cup of cider, dear”. 
“
Kill your enemies, dear”
, echoed in my mind while my heart skipped several beats.  Everything Tanner and Bea had revealed to me culminated at that moment standing over the Wand of Adamas
—
my weapon
.  I’d known the dangers and now, the reality of the price I must pay for this gift was presented to me.  Soon, I would be
a killer
.  That prompted me to truly look into my heart and ask myself if even vengeance could actually allow my soul to take another person’s life.  Sure, my mind had been churning with thoughts of killing Lazarus over the past few days.  I had justified it as
fitting
revenge. 
But was that reason enough?
  This was
a life,
even if he was an evil bastard.  The diamond gave me the awesome power of healing people and restoring life.  It seemed a bit of a contradiction for me to be quick to take someone’s —
not without a really good reason
.  Tanner had even warned me about the toll that vengeance can take on one’s soul.  When it came down to it —
Could I actually “do it”?
  Undoubtedly, I had a lot of painstaking soul-searching to do.

Beatrix sensed my apprehension.  She hugged me and then guided
my frame down from the rock formation.

“Shiloh,” she began, “I know what you’re thinking.  We’ve
all been there and had those same thoughts.  Taking another’s life is an enormous burden to bear, even when you have to because it means saving your own.  I have faith in you.  You’ll work it out.  We’re here to help you, dear.  You’re strong enough.  I know you are, with every fiber of my being.  After all, it’s in
your blood
.”

At least someone has faith in me
, I thought as I found myself trying to clear my guilty conscience of things I hadn’t done —
yet
.