Talisman of El (24 page)

Lost in thought, it took Charlie a moment to realise Derkein was talking.

‘Maybe you should sit down.’ Derkein’s gentle voice was almost hesitant. It reminded Charlie of the time he had woken up in hospital after the tornado attack. The doctor had the same sullen look before she told him his dad had ‘gone with the angels’. Then there was the guilt, the ‘I’m so sorry’ look, as if she had been the angel of death who had taken his dad away. But what did Derkein have to be sorry about?

‘What’s going on?’ Charlie demanded.

‘I made a promise to myself that I would get you back safe,’ Derkein said.

Charlie’s stomach churned with anxiety as he realised the reason behind Derkein’s serenity. ‘You knew, didn’t you? Avaran told you about the gateway. That’s why you were acting weird before. I knew something was up.’

‘Charlie, you have to understand. I didn’t want to do this.’

Charlie blinked, confused. ‘Do what?’ His eyes drifted over to the pen and paper. ‘Do what?’ he repeated, his voice shaking with anger.

‘Let’s be realistic. If Avaran can’t find the garden, we have no chance. Eden is swarming with demons, and I won’t risk taking you there.’

‘So we just give up? You said there was a reason why we’re here.’

‘It’s not the first time I’ve been wrong. I thought there was a chance of us finding the garden, but I realise that I’ve been selfish. It was wrong of me to take you. I see that now.’

‘No it wasn’t. You promised.’

‘Since we don’t know where the gateways are going to open,’ Derkein said, as if Charlie hadn’t spoken, ‘Avaran has agreed to teleport the three of you back to the surface.’

The floor under Charlie seemed to collapse, and he felt as if he was falling through endless emptiness.

Derkein continued, ‘It turns out the longest we can stay in Arcadia is three days, after which we’ll automatically return to the surface. I have to find out what happened to my father before I leave.’

‘Then take us with you.’

‘I can’t –’

The door opened, and music poured into the room. Charlie turned round and saw Alex and Richmond standing in the doorway.

‘What’s going on?’ Alex asked.

Charlie said, ‘Derkein’s leaving us.’

Richmond and Alex looked shocked.

‘I’m not leaving you,’ said Derkein. ‘It’s not safe for you to be here.’

Alex closed the door.

‘But what about Eden?’ Richmond asked. ‘You said we could come.’

Derkein looked up at the ceiling, as if he wished he could fly off into the mirage. He looked back at them, raking a hand through his grey hair. In those few seconds, he seemed to age a few years. ‘Look, I’m no guardian. I can’t even take care of myself –’

‘We don’t need a babysitter,’ Charlie retorted.

‘What would you have me do? Get you killed?’

‘What’s the point in worrying about something that hasn’t happened? Think about right now and not what if. Isn’t that what you said?’

Derkein sighed. He could not argue.

‘What if something happens to you?’ Alex cried. ‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine,’ Derkein assured her. ‘But you said –’ Charlie began.

‘I know what I said.’ Derkein’s voice was calm.

‘Then why are you quitting?’

‘I’m not quitting, Charlie. Things have changed.’ ‘No, you’ve changed. You lied.’

The last words hovered in the silence. The door opened again.

‘It’s already been arranged,’ Derkein said.

‘Fine,’ Charlie said through gritted teeth. ‘Go. We don’t need you.’ He whirled round and stormed out of the room, passing Avaran and Isis, who were standing in the doorway. He stomped across the platform, his feet making a clack-clack noise against the wooden surface.

‘Charlie,’ Derkein called after him, but he didn’t stop.

Soon, he was out of the clearing and heading through the forest in the opposite direction of the tree houses following a trail of glow rocks. The gang had been in Arcadia a mere few hours, and so much had gone wrong already: two attacks, Alex’s tantrum, and now Derkein abandoning them. Charlie was so full of anger he was shaking.

The music had become fainter, and an eerie silence was creeping up on him. His mind was so far away that he only realised how far he had wandered when he found himself at the edge of the forest staring at the dark waters of a lake. He turned to go back but stopped when a shimmer of colours caught his eye.

He saw a square cabin sitting on the water, a dozen pillars raising it five feet above the surface. Draped over the oriental roof was an array of sparkling material that looked like a cluster of gemstones. A wooden bridge stretched from the bank to the cabin, a dinghy boat stationed beside it.

Charlie hesitated before continuing towards it. As he approached the cabin, a sudden shaft of light burst through the windows, and he stopped.

Then the door creaked open.

A Little Prying Goes a Long Way

PEEKING THROUGH THE GAP between the door and the frame, Charlie saw a small room with mismatched furnishings. ‘Hello,’ he called, as he entered the cabin, but no one answered. The room was a mix between a library, a gift shop and a fortune teller’s abode, lined with display units that were loaded with books and ornaments. A circular table sat in the corner covered with a turquoise cloth and a globe in the centre. The only sound came from the light breeze wafting through the door that brought with it the fresh smell of the lake.

A shadow flickered inside the globe, and he walked over to it. He looked into the smoky ball, and as he reached his hand out towards it, a loud bang startled him, and he jumped.

Charlie whirled around. When he saw the closed door, panic struck him. He tried to convince himself that it had been the wind, for there was no one in the room but him.

As he headed for the door, he heard a soft voice behind him and stopped. Turning round, he saw Terra and breathed a sigh of relief. ‘Sorry. The door was open.’

‘You need not apologise, Charlie,’ Terra said. ‘I’ve been meaning to have a moment alone with you. I want you to know how sorry I am about your parents. It must have been hard dealing with such tragedy.’

‘You saw that?’ Charlie asked.

Terra nodded.

For a moment, Charlie was lost for words. He didn’t know how to take the news. On the one hand, he didn’t like that a stranger had delved into his private life, but on the other hand, he couldn’t blame her for having her abilities. He realised he was staring at her and looked away, his face heating up. He walked over to the display unit in the corner, browsing the items on the shelves. ‘What else did you see?’

‘Not a great deal. The connection was not long enough. To see someone’s past, I must have physical contact with the person. Though, it appears I am not the only time traveller here.’

Charlie looked at her in bewilderment. ‘What are you talking about?’

‘I saw your dreams.’

Charlie’s shoulders stiffened. ‘I thought you didn’t see much.’

‘I saw enough.’

‘Yeah, well, I don’t know what you’re on about.’ He shot her a look, as if he knew exactly what she was talking about but didn’t appreciate the intrusion.

‘It bothers you that you are different.’

Charlie turned back to the shelf.

‘It should not,’ Terra went on. ‘I have never known a human to have such a gift without delving into some form of magic. It is extraordinary.’

‘Maybe you don’t get out enough. You should try the circus.’

‘Perhaps I will.’ He sensed rather than saw Terra smile. ‘Do you wish to talk about your dreams?’

‘No. It was one dream. I don’t see what the big deal is. I wish everyone would stop going on about it.’ He headed for the door.

‘You’re wondering why this is happening to you.’ Terra’s tone was matter-of-fact. Charlie stopped, his hand gripping the doorknob. ‘You feel as though you no longer recognise the person you are. Will you not join me?’ He glanced back at her. ‘Perhaps I can be of some help.’

‘Thanks, but I’ll pass.’ Charlie hurried out of the cabin. Halfway across the bridge, he stopped. His legs felt like lead, but he knew the feeling was all in his mind. What if Terra could somehow explain what was happening to him and why?

When he re-entered the cabin, he saw her sitting at the table.

‘I knew you would change your mind,’ she said.

‘Let me guess,’ Charlie said, not attempting to mask his sarcasm. ‘You saw me coming.’

‘I can only see the past, Charlie, not the future.’ She fixed him with a direct and intense gaze, full of interest. ‘Shall we start with the dreams?’

Charlie closed the door, lingering beside it. ‘This is just between us.’ He needed confirmation that whatever he said wouldn’t get back to the others. Although Derkein had claimed that going to Eden was too dangerous, he couldn’t help but wonder if his change of mind hadn’t been more a change of heart. Perhaps he was starting to distrust the kid who could see so much, yet claimed to know so little.

Terra cast her gaze around the room then back at Charlie. ‘We are the only ones here. Please, sit.’

Charlie hesitated a moment then went and sat in the chair opposite her.

‘Joseph and Eleanor Blake,’ Terra said. ‘Those were the two headstones I saw. Let us proceed from there.’ She placed one hand on the crystal ball and extended the other to Charlie. ‘I need your hand.’

‘Why?’

‘We are going to do some scrying.’ She must have read the confusion on his face, because she said, ‘Crystals have the capacity to draw and emit energy. Whatever we project into it will appear inside the ball. I can show you what I see, but first I need you to take my hand.’

Charlie placed his hand in hers.

‘Relax,’ Terra whispered.

The mist in the globe started to fade and images appeared. Charlie leaned forward. He caught his breath when he spotted a man with a small boy wearing matching black suit and tie standing in a graveyard.
Dad!
His eyes started to burn, but he had taught himself not to cry a long time ago; he wasn’t about to start now.

As Terra had said, there were two gravestones: his and hers. The headstone with his father’s name on it had an open grave. Charlie heard no sound, but he preferred it that way.

The boy in the crystal ball looked up at his dad longingly, eyes squinting under the blazing sun. The man stooped down beside the child, kissed, and hugged him. After a short moment, he released the boy, smiled, and stood up. The man then jumped into the open grave, and the earth closed up.

Charlie snatched his hand out of Terra’s, and the scene in the crystal ball faded. He didn’t look up at the Elder but could feel her eyes on him. ‘I didn’t know what it meant,’ he said, his tone defensive. ‘If I’d known, then maybe …’

‘Then maybe he would still be alive,’ Terra finished.

Charlie’s jaw tightened. He hadn’t contemplated how much his past would and still affected him.

‘Do you remember how much you liked to draw?’ Terra asked.

‘No. What does that have to do with anything?’

Terra held her hand out to him. ‘A lot.’

Charlie took her hand, and a series of images flashed inside the globe like a show reel: he and his father at a science museum, he and Alex sitting on the floor in the boys’ toilet at school ...

When the images finally stopped flashing, Charlie saw his father sitting in the living room in their house in Palmers Green. He was sorting through a bunch of papers on the coffee table in front of him when a young boy around three years old walked in.

Charlie shifted uncomfortably in his seat. It was strange seeing himself, especially since he didn’t recall the memory. The boy in the globe handed his father a collection of drawings. His father scooped him up onto his lap and studied his son’s artwork.

The first was a helicopter carrying a car above a house halfswamped in water, the second, two tall buildings on fire and the third, a huge wave towering over a group of houses.

Charlie felt something churn inside his stomach. These drawings all depicted death. The distressed look on his dad’s face made him look away. He glanced at Terra, who looked as if she was in a trance. He wanted to know why she was showing him this memory and what it had to do with what happened to his dad.