Talisman of El (14 page)

Jacob and the trio froze. The latter knew what was happening, but it was the first time they were witnessing Derkein ageing. It was horrifying. The veins thickened beneath his skin. His hands became noticeably thinner and more wrinkled; his bones bubbled and boiled as they became more visible, and the last strands of black hair on his head turned grey.

‘Derkein,’ Alex cried. She made a move towards him, but Charlie grabbed her. Derkein’s uncontrollable twitching would surely have harmed her.

At last, the cries stopped. Derkein was lying on his back, his chest rising and falling rapidly as the rain beat against his face.

Charlie spotted the shotgun a few feet away from Derkein. He and Jacob locked eyes, and they both made a go for the gun.

Charlie was in the lead, but Jacob grabbed a lock of his hair, pulled him back, and tossed him head first onto the ground. Pushing himself up, Charlie stuck his leg out, tripping Jacob, who went down, landing with a loud thud as his stomach made contact with the ground. Getting onto his hands and knees, Charlie began to crawl towards the gun when he felt a pressure around his ankles. Jacob flipped him onto his back and pounced on top of him, his hands locked around his throat.

Charlie tried to push Jacob off him, but the weight of his guardian was too much for him. He couldn’t breathe. He heard muffled screams and felt his consciousness slipping away. Then a sound reached him through the silence: a thunderclap. The pressure loosened around his throat, and the earthy, moist scent of damp mud rushed into his nostrils and mouth as he gasped it in.

As Charlie’s breathing went back to normal, he sat up and saw Alex holding the shotgun, pointing it at Jacob, who had his head clasped in his hands, groaning in pain.

Richmond helped Charlie up.

‘We better go before someone comes,’ Alex said. She handed Richmond the shotgun, and then she and Charlie helped Derkein to his feet.

The four of them made their way around the side of the house, Richmond in the lead.

When they reached the front of the house, Richmond halted. ‘That’s it,’ he exclaimed. ‘It was at the library ….’ He spun around, the shotgun held loosely in one hand, the barrel pointing at the others.

With caution, Charlie moved towards him and took the shotgun out of his hand.

‘I remember where I saw the logo,’ Richmond went on. ‘It was at the library in Street.’

‘Good job, Rich,’ Alex said. ‘All we have to do now is figure out how to get there. Do buses run this early?’

Glancing over Richmond’s shoulder, Charlie’s gaze fixed on the Morris Minor, and a thought came to him. He looked up at the two-storey red brick cottage, dual pitch, tiled canopies shading the windows and the front door. His eyes trailed the red rose vines that ran along the front wall. The cottage looked like something out of a fairy tale. Charlie couldn’t help but wonder how something so beautiful could house such evil. His hands throbbed as his grip tightened around the shotgun.

‘Charlie,’ Alex said, reclaiming his attention. ‘What do we do now?’

‘Wait here,’ Charlie said, and he hurried back the way they had come.

‘Where are you going?’ Alex called after him.

‘I’ll be back in a sec,’ he yelled to her before disappearing around the side of the house. When he got to the back garden, he saw Jacob still on the ground, his body hunched over as he cradled his head. Charlie entered the kitchen and headed straight for the hallway. He went over to the coat hook and rested the shotgun beneath it. Rifling through Jacob’s coat, he pulled out a set of keys, and then made his way out the front door.

‘Is someone going to clue me in?’ Derkein asked, as Charlie approached them.

‘We’ll tell you on the way,’ Charlie said. He held the keys up. ‘You’re old enough to drive, right?’

Black Hole 

THE MORRIS MINOR SPED through empty streets, Georgian architecture crafted from limestone flashing by. Street was an old market town situated in a valley eleven miles from Capeton, though Derkein made it seem nearer. Charlie had no idea the car could move so fast.

The rain had stopped, but the sky remained shrouded in dark clouds. They had just driven through the main square where the town clock displayed 7:10 a.m. The two times Charlie had visited Street it had been a vibrant place. Now the deserted silence had that eerie feeling, like walking through a graveyard, which brought back memories of the dream he’d had a few hours ago.

Derkein turned on to Orange Row, a narrow cobbled street behind the square – made for walking, not for driving – lined with shops and medieval style buildings, four, five storeys high that overhung the street so much one could barely see the sky.

‘We’re here,’ Richmond announced from the passenger seat.

The car tires squealed against the wet ground as it veered to the right, back on to the main street, and stopped in front of a two-storey, brown brick building, asymmetrical design with a dome topped with bronze statuette. The library façade had attractive bay windows on the right and a triple-arched porch in front of the main entrance on the left.

They exited the car and headed for the porch.

‘It just
had
to rain today, didn’t it,’ Alex complained through trembling lips. ‘One little cough and I’ll be on house arrest.’

A sharp gust of wind, blowing the smell of wet earth and sea air – a reminder the beach was close by – brushed against Charlie’s skin, and he shivered. He dipped his hand inside his bag and withdrew the compass. The others leaned in for a peek. They saw what they had hoped they would: the compass needle spinning like crazy.

‘How do we get in?’ Alex asked.

They had expected to see the closed sign on the stained glass door panel, and much to Charlie’s dismay, he knew he would have to use the breaking and entering skills Jacob had taught him. Fortunately, when he proceeded towards the door, he realised he didn’t need the assistance of his alter ego, the Artful Dodger, for the door was open.

It was as if the library had been waiting for them. The first thought that came to Charlie’s mind was that Candra had opened it, just as she had led him to the letter. All this time when he’d thought she wanted to harm him, she had in fact been helping him. He just didn’t know why. His second thought was that if the gateway did happen to be inside the library, something could have wandered out.

‘A letter, a map, an open door,’ Derkein mused. ‘I feel like I’m playing Cluedo.’ He pushed the door wide open.

‘Here.’ Charlie handed him a head torch.

Derkein eyed Charlie’s bag. ‘You don’t happen to have an age reversal potion in there, do you?’ he said with a smile. Charlie appreciated that neither Derkein nor the others had treated him any differently since it had come to realisation that he may
or may not
be psychic. ‘Maybe you three should wait in the car.’

Richmond said, ‘But I want to see the gateway.’

‘Me, too,’ Charlie and Alex said together.

Derkein glanced back inside the dark building, deliberating. He looked down at the trio, his expression anxious. ‘It is probably for the best we stick together. Once we’re inside I need you to listen to me, okay. If I tell you to do something, you do it.’

The trio nodded.

Heading to the right of the building, Derkein led the way past the reception desk and down the central aisle, parted by bookshelves with a row of table and chairs in the middle.

It was silent except for the squishing sound of wet shoes. Everyone was quiet and alone in their thoughts. Charlie scanned the side aisles and the upper balcony, his head torch illuminating anything within a six-metre range. All was clear, but he sensed that his visitor was there, hiding in the shadows, and for the first time, he didn’t feel afraid.

They came to double doors, which opened up to a large space at the rear of the building where they spotted a computer area to the right.

‘It’s down there,’ Richmond said, pointing to the left, down a narrow corridor parted by a staircase leading to the first floor and a reading area bordered by bookshelves.

Derkein drew in a deep breath and took the lead, Alex behind him, followed by Richmond.

Charlie was about to pursue them but paused when he felt a tingling sensation course through his body, sending goose bumps along his arms. ‘Whoa!’

The others stopped and turned to him.

‘What –?’ Derkein began.

The lights above them started blinking.

The gang exchanged nervous glances.

‘Someone’s here,’ Alex hissed, alarmed.

Charlie looked back towards the direction they had come and saw the main area still shrouded in darkness.

‘I thought the library didn’t open till nine,’ Alex went on. ‘Charlie, what time is it?’

Charlie looked at his watch and frowned. The minute and the hour hands were spinning in opposite directions. He tapped the screen twice then paused as the realisation sank in. Dipping his hand inside his pocket, he pulled out the compass and opened it. His eyes shifted from the compass to the watch, and his heart skipped a beat.

The lights stopped flickering.

‘That was weird,’ Alex remarked.

‘It’s here,’ Charlie said under his breath. He looked at the others. ‘The gateway is here.’ He started down the corridor, moving around Alex and Richmond, and stopped in front of Derkein. Glancing at the door behind the staircase, he caught sight of the logo above it. ‘I want to come.’

Derkein sighed. ‘We’re not having this discussion again.’

‘But the letter –’

‘I know what the letter said, Charlie,’ Derkein interrupted, ‘but we don’t know anything about Arcadia. I know you want answers, but this is not the way.’

‘But you can’t go alone,’ Richmond said, appearing beside Charlie.

‘This is not a negotiation,’ Derkein said, his voice firm.

‘But she led me here for a reason,’ Charlie interjected.

Derkein paused, a strange expression, half-apprehensive, half-curious, gracing his features. ‘She?’

Charlie gulped. ‘I meant the, um – the logo.’ He walked around Derkein, clenching his jaw. He could feel their stares boring into the back of his head. It took much willpower for him to turn back to them. ‘Okay, just don’t freak out.’

Derkein lifted his head back. ‘Oh Lord help us.’ He placed his hands on his head as he regarded Charlie. ‘You had another dream.’ His voice wavered on the edge of panic.

‘No,’ Charlie said.

Derkein lowered his hands, relaxing his shoulders.

Charlie went on, ‘Someone’s following me.’

‘What!’ Alex exclaimed, and then she slapped her hand over her mouth as her voice echoed around them. Lowering her hands, she whispered, ‘Sorry.’

‘Who’s following you?’ Derkein asked Charlie.

‘I don’t know,’ he replied, ‘but she knew who I was.’

Alex rolled her eyes. ‘It’s not Carla, is it?’

‘No. She’s not even human.’

Silence.

For a moment, Derkein, Alex and Richmond seemed frozen.

‘Not that I know for sure,’ Charlie resumed. ‘I’m just guessing since she can control the wind and teleport. You should have seen it. One minute she was there and the next, poof! You see what I’m saying, don’t you?’

They knew exactly what he was saying. Their stunned expression and silence said it all.

‘Would someone say something?’ said Charlie.

‘This isn’t good,’ Alex said.

‘Would someone else say something?’

‘Thomas said they were evil. They kidnap people …’ Alex stopped, her eyes widening. She glanced around the surrounding, and her voice dropped to a whisper. ‘What if this is a trap? She could have lured us in here to kill us.’

‘She’s not evil,’ Charlie said, and then he thought back to the time in the woods, how she had attacked him and knocked him unconscious. He shook his head, as if to shake off the negative thought. ‘If she wanted to kill us she would have done it already.’ He looked at Derkein. ‘Right?’

‘He does have a point,’ Derkein agreed.

‘Then what does she want?’ Alex asked.

‘I don’t know,’ Charlie cried. ‘She said …’ He paused and looked away, deliberating. He heard footsteps approaching.

‘Go on,’ Derkein said.

Charlie looked up at him. ‘She said she’s known me my whole life – but I swear I’ve never seen her before. She knew about my dream … and the talisman.’

Alex huffed. ‘See. She wants the talisman.’

‘You don’t know that. Besides, it doesn’t have the black diamond, so it’s probably broken.’

‘What black diamond?’ Derkein asked.

Charlie lowered his head, wishing he had never opened his mouth. ‘I saw it when I touched the talisman.’

‘You liar!’ Alex exclaimed. Charlie looked up as she advanced on him. ‘You said you didn’t see anything.’ She smacked him across the arm.

‘I didn’t know how to explain it,’ Charlie said. Alex crossed her arms and turned her back to him. He glanced at Derkein, who was staring at him, dumbfounded. ‘You think I’m a freak, don’t you?’

Derkein and Alex exchanged a long glance, perhaps trying to read each other’s minds. Charlie felt a sense of despair expanding inside him as he watched them.

‘I think it’s awesome,’ Richmond interjected. ‘I’d love to be psychic. It’d be so cool to read people’s minds and see things before it happens.’ He gasped with excitement. ‘I’d never have to miss another episode of The Simpsons.’