Talisman (74 page)

One of the Onyx’s hands broke free from my hold.  The next thing I knew, the hand of “Coach Hayes” was driving his college football ring into the left side of my face.  The diamonds on the ring were able to penetrate my skin.  My face was
stinging from the brutal gash, and I felt blood flowing down my cheek. I clenched my teeth and let out a long grunt, in an attempt to muffle my screams from the searing slash.  I couldn’t let Ty hear me.  After all, there was nothing
he
could do to stop my supernatural attacker.

As my anger swelled, so did the
sky
.  Suddenly, thunder began to roar around us, and I sensed the clouds stirring with fury.  Just as Tanner had revealed the other day, my temperament could unexpectedly trigger a storm.  I focused vehemently on the swirling sky and felt the power of the lightning’s fierce current churning above me.  I used what strength I had to hone in on its energy and summoned a large bolt.  As it came barreling towards us, the Onyx abruptly released me and rolled away, safely out of the bolt’s path.  When the lightning struck, the explosive blow caused the roof to collapse, and I went crashing down into the press box.  Quickly, I brushed off the rubble as I rose to my feet and hurried out the door.  There were no signs of the Onyx.  I raced down the bleachers and looked all around.

Where is he?

With a vigilant eye, I hopped over the chain-link fence and headed towards the center of the field.  I spun around and scanned the entire stadium.  Though I felt undeniably exposed out there on the 50-yard line, I figured I could at the least
see
the Onyx’s next blitz coming and eliminate any unexpected surprises —
this time
.

I
summoned another bolt of lightning, which I caught and kept ready to cast if needed.  I continued to survey the field in all directions, confident that the Onyx had escaped unscathed, but still optimistic.

Could the lightning’
s force have made him retreat?  Maybe the Onyx felt threatened?
The mistake of underestimating my attacker could be disastrous, so I kept up my guard.

I heard a noise coming from the locker room.  I spun around to hear a pounding sound resonating from the door. 
Ty
.

“
Shi?  What the Hell’s going on out there?” Ty yelled as he banged on the door.  “THE DOOR’S
LOCKED!”

Without a doubt, he’d heard the ruckus going on outside.  I hesitated.  I had to get him out of there, but I wasn’t sure if it was safe, not to mention
, how the heck I was going to explain what had happened to the football field?

Cautiously, I headed towards the locker room.  I felt a slight vibration, which stop
ped me dead in my tracks.  From out of nowhere, a mound of earth appeared, humped up under the turf in the end zone that lay directly in my path.  It was horrifyingly clear what it was. 
The Onyx
.  Like Gallia, the Onyx was an earth stone.  He’d been under the ground waiting for me the entire time.

Confiden
tly, I hurled the bolt of lightning at the mound of earth.  I watched, now wretchedly disappointed, as the blast of electricity had no effect on him.  The mound of turf and dirt began to swiftly rise and was heading straight for me.  The Onyx was deep underground and obviously, well-protected.  I quickly turned to run in the opposite direction.  I rallied another bolt while I dashed down the field and then turned to sling it at the mound that was tunneling towards me like a high-speed train.

Shit!
NOTHING! 
I’d hit the spot on the ground directly, but the Onyx remained on course.

As I approached the end zone, I zeroed in on the standing goal in front of me.  The
aluminum goal post had to have been set several feet under the ground. 
I had a plan
.  Once I’d reached the end zone, I leapt up onto the cross bar and conjured up one more bolt.  This time, I aimed it at the goal post.  When the lightning struck, the metal carried the hazardous volts of electricity deep under the ground.  I held on and watched as the ground under me erupted into a large explosion.  A horrifying scream roared out as I witnessed the Onyx flying up from underneath the earth in a cloud of dirt, turf, and dust.  The very filthy body of “Coach Hayes” had been thrown backward, towards the middle of the field.  With the sounds of Ty trying to bust out of the locker room echoing in my ears, I hurried towards the other end of the field.  Coach Hayes’ body was lying face-down on the 50 yard-line — smack in the center of its painted Golden Knight emblem.  As I approached, the Onyx scrambled up off the ground.  I gasped when he turned around.  Coach Hayes’ body was badly battered, singed, and very bloody.  Immediately, I realized whatever force I used to attack the Onyx, it would inevitably
kill
Coach Hayes.

The Onyx let out a menacing laugh.  I watched as the ailing body of Coach Hayes st
aggered around me in a circle.

“You know what I want,” the Onyx bellowed and continued to cackle.  “I’ll give you one chance to save this man’s life.  I can feel his heartbeat slowing.  Surrender the powers of the wand to me, and I’ll let him live.  You don’t want his death
to mar your soul? 
Do you?
”

The Onyx’s proposal was out of the question.  I couldn’t just hand over
what I’d been told was “the most powerful weapon on earth” to him, but I couldn’t let Coach Hayes die either.  Hell, my conscience was reeling with enough guilt about the injuries I’d inflicted on Mike Riverside.  I couldn’t imagine how horrid I would feel living with the fact that I’d been indirectly responsible for an innocent man’s death.  Granted he was a prick, and he’d been screwing around with Charlotte behind Daddy’s back, but even with all that, I found myself faced with a terrible dilemma.  Instantly, I thought about Daddy, and how he had died trying to protect me, and the wand from being discovered.  Even he knew how important it was for the diamond wand not to fall into the wrong hands.  My head lowered as I resigned myself to the fact that I would go to my grave with Coach Hayes’ possible death weighing on my soul.

Hell, I guess there’s always therapy
, I pondered with a twinge of skepticism.

I lifted my head.  “Not possible,
” I replied firmly.

The Onyx’
s laugh intensified.  The sound of Ty’s persistent bangs on the metal door rang out.  The Onyx looked towards the locker room and then redirected his stare back at me.  The cold, black eyes of “Coach Hayes” rolled around as he sneered.

“Fine by me…
but maybe after I discard this body, I’ll occupy one you
do
care about.”

My eyes widened in
a panic. 
Ty
…
The Onyx would surely possess Ty to get to me.  Shit!  Where the Hell is Tanner?  Or even Bea?

I let out a sigh, making t
he Onyx well aware that he’d hit the right button. There wasn’t a foreseeable option. I shifted restlessly while I pondered the ramifications of what I was about to do.  There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that whatever evil and mayhem ensued from surrendering the wand’s powers, it would be irreversibly horrific and Daddy’s death would have been in vain.  While my eyes roamed around the stadium, I spotted my things still lying on the bleachers where I’d left them.

My jacket
.

Hasti
ly, I turned back to the Onyx.  “You’ll let Coach Hayes live…and you
won’t
harm Ty?”

“But of course,” the Onyx assured me in a
soothing yet wicked voice.

“What about
me?
” I queried skeptically.

The Onyx’s brow furrowed.  “That my dear, I simply cannot do.  I think you know why. 
Once a Talisman, always a Talisman
.  It’s in your blood.  I can’t have you trying to steal the wand’s powers back from me…
Now can I?
”

That’s what I figured
.  While the sounds of the thunder rumbled above us, I took a deep breath and stepped towards the Onyx.

“How does this work?” I muttered.

“Take my hand in yours and tell the wand to release you from your bond,” the Onyx replied eagerly.  “Then the diamond’s power will pass to me.”

T
he Onyx extended his hand in a fluent, yet sinister fashion.  Slowly, I attempted to take a hold of it, but I quickly jerked back from the agonizing pain of his touch.  Every single time, it felt like a thousand knives stabbing my skin.

“Sorry about
that
,” the Onyx laughed.  “I’m afraid you’ll just have to fight through the pain.”  The Onyx continued to cackle and added, “But I promise you, it doesn’t sting nearly as bad as your hands being set on fire from the touch of a
ruby
.”  The Onyx held up Coach Hayes’ hands and scowled.  “What is it you teenagers say…Oh, yes…
That hurts like a bitch.
”

I
glared back at him as I took a deep breath to prepare myself for the painful jolt.  I clutched the Onyx’s hand firmly.  Not only did it hurt like Hell, but I could feel every ounce of evil the supernatural being was radiating.  It was hard to stomach.

“
Now
…
Do it!
 
SAY IT!
” the Onyx screamed.

I watched the Onyx bec
ome wrapped up in the delusion that the wand was now within his reach.  He’d taken the bait.  With all of my might, I quickly locked my other hand onto Coach Hayes’ wrist and forcefully whirled the Onyx’s “vessel” around, hurling him down the field, where he crashed into the scoreboard.  As I raced to the visitor stands, I sent a blast of lightning towards the scoreboard to keep him distracted.  Once I’d hopped over the fence, I sprawled up the bleachers and snatched my jacket within a second.  I reached inside the pocket and quickly felt around. 
The stones
.  I’d placed all three of them in there this morning. 
Now I just need to grab the right one
.

Just a
s I pulled out my hand, the Onyx grabbed my arm and effortlessly tossed me back onto the football field. No sooner than I’d landed, he began to charge towards me.  I felt one stone cupped in the palm of my hand.  There was no time to look at it.  I could only pray that I’d retrieved the
right one
.

Just as t
he Onyx lunged at me, I aimed the stone and pitched it directly at him.  As soon as it struck, a cloud of electrically charged, light-blue smoke swirled around the Onyx.  A blood-curdling scream erupted from out of the mouth of “Coach Hayes”.  His body began to convulse as he fell to the ground, and his hands muffled his ears as he lay there shrieking.  The next thing I knew, a cloud of billowy black smoke jutted out of the now limp coach’s body and took off like a whirlwind, howling as it disappeared into the night.  The Onyx finally was gone, at least for now.

Thank you, Gallia!
  The appreciation I felt for the blue chalcedony stone and the little Talisman who had given it to me was immeasurable.

How the heck do you send a supernatural a thank you note?

I rushed over to Coach Hayes’ lifeless body.  I could hear Ty (whose
“bangs”
were much louder) clearly using something with a little more substance to pound against the locker room door.  He could burst through it at any second.  Frantically, I shook Coach Hayes.  I grabbed his wrist and found a pulse.  I was instantly relieved,
however
, I needed him to be more alert, so he could let Ty out of the locker room if he wasn’t able to break down the door.

I can’t hang around here.  Coach Hayes won’t remember anything, thankfully, but
I can’t explain an injured coach and a destroyed stadium to Ty.

I hurried
over to the sidelines and grabbed the large orange cooler.  I couldn’t help but crack a smile as I shook it and thought,
What the Hell
.  I raced back over to Coach Hayes and dumped the icy-cold Gator-aide on him.  The semi-conscious coach shivered as he roused and was now trying to scramble to his feet. 
That’s a relief!

Just then, I heard a loud
“bang”
and saw the door to the locker room come flying open.  I grabbed my jacket off the ground, raced up the bleachers, and dashed into the woods above the stadium.  I wasn’t sure if Ty had caught a glimpse of me or not.  Surely he was probably wondering by now, “where I was”, and “what the heck happened to the stadium”?  I’d run off yet again, but with good reason this time.  As I barreled up and down the mountains it dawned on me,
Damn! I forgot my purse!
 
Talk about leaving evidence at the scene of the crime
.  I couldn’t go back for it.  My only hope was that it fell under the bleachers when The Onyx had grabbed me.

I headed for the only safe place I could think of —
the cave
.  Hopefully, Tanner would eventually turn up there, or maybe he was already there waiting for me?

As I dashed through the thick forest, I couldn’t stop thinking about how I’d just narrowly escaped with my life, not to mention Coach Hayes’ and
possibly Ty’s.  After last night’s adventure, I knew I would be faced with the reality of
my safety
being in question, without fail.  However, the thought that innocent people’s lives could randomly come into play, especially those I cared about, was a heart-wrenching predicament.  My own father’s death was a testament to that fact.  Everyone I cared about would ultimately become
my greatest personal liability
.  That was a cold slap of reality if there ever was one!