Talisman of El (20 page)

Derkein uttered something behind Charlie, but he wasn’t paying attention. He had known the talisman held some kind of magical quality, but the most powerful device on Earth ….

Charlie’s mind started to fill with thoughts he had no control over.
The Talisman of El
, the voice inside his head said.
The Almighty, the Great One – the creator of all things
. His gaze drifted over the Arcadians.
‘The sons and daughters of El …’

How do you know of such things?
asked the light being, her tone shocked.

Charlie didn’t know how to respond. He had no idea how he had gained that knowledge.

Who are you?
The light being’s soft voice hardened.

Charlie realised after a short pause that everyone was waiting for him to say something. ‘I’ll tell you whatever you want to know, if you do something for us –’

We do not negotiate with mortals.

‘What is she saying?’ Derkein asked.

Charlie turned to him. ‘They’re not going to help us.’ He started to walk away from the Arcadians when the light being called to him. Charlie turned back around and froze. A blondhaired woman was standing inches in front of him.

For a moment, nobody said a word.

Alex broke the silence. ‘What’s happening?’ she screeched.

It was only when he started to feel dizzy that Charlie realised he was holding his breath and exhaled hard. The woman was beautiful. He wanted to appear confident, but the amusement on her face confirmed that he looked anything but. She looked in her late thirties and stood a full head taller than him, wearing a sleeveless tunic dress, slit at the sides, knee-length black pants underneath, and her hair tied in a bun with two strands hanging on either side of her face. Her bright blue eyes were calm, but he wouldn’t dare challenge her, especially after spotting the daggers hooked in the sheaths dangling from the sides of her waist cincher.

Charlie glanced at Derkein and Richmond and saw them staring at the woman with a mesmerised look on their faces. ‘Do you see her now?’

The gang headed through the forest, escorted by their Arcadian guides, whose eyes never left them. They reached the summit of a hill at the edge of the forest that looked over a valley parted by jagged hills. Down below, lights twinkled in a little village hidden deep within the valley.

As they headed down a winding footpath, green grass, and trees on either side, Charlie gazed in fascination at the dark sky decorated by tiny orbs that resembled stars. The sun was now a wonderful silver moon with a sparkling silver halo around it.

A few minutes later, they reached the end of the winding path, coming to a towering metal wall nestled between two hills. Standing on either side of an arched doorway, they saw two giant swordsmen. They must have been over seven feet tall, equipped with heavy armour, swords and shields.

Charlie and Alex exchanged nervous glances.

‘You need not fear them,’ the blond-haired woman said, referring to the guards, ‘for they will not harm you.’

The gang continued towards the double gates, their eyes averted from the armed guards, who watched them with apprehension, and through a short tunnel that led to a dense oak forest.

‘Welcome to Tohu,’ the woman said.

‘Tofu? Isn’t that a food?’ asked Richmond, who was on Derkein’s back.

The woman smiled. ‘Yes, Tofu is a known food of the mortal kingdom. We are in the village of Tohu.’

‘Is it an invisible village?’ Alex asked.

The woman smiled again. ‘No. You will see it shortly.’ She led the way as they meandered through the dark forest.

Charlie had no problem keeping in step with the Arcadians, but the others were having a much more difficult time that they almost had to trot to keep up.

Alex stuck to Charlie like glue. She was so close he could feel her heart beating against his shoulder. She slipped her hand in his. Under different circumstances, he might have been embarrassed, but cradling her hand, feeling her breath against his neck calmed his own beating heart.

‘So this guy we’re going to meet,’ Charlie said to the woman. ‘He wouldn’t zap us or anything, would he?’

The woman looked at him, her blue eyes bright with confusion. ‘Zap you?’

‘Yeah, like, electrocute us.’

‘You know a great deal about us,’ the woman observed. ‘Not many mortals do.’

‘A friend told us about you … people. He said you had powers.’

‘Yeah, and he said you were evil,’ Richmond blurted out.

‘Well, you best not challenge our hospitality, then,’ the woman said.

Although Charlie detected a hint of humour in her tone, he still felt uncomfortable about entering a village filled with powerful beings. Not to mention the woman hadn’t given him an answer as to whether they should prepare for the electric chair. He began to wonder about human rights laws before remembering where he was.

A new panic set in when he saw lights ahead. Alex held a firm grip on his hand, but he didn’t complain; the feeling was a reminder that he wasn’t alone.

As they got closer, they saw glowing rocks of different shapes and sizes scattered over the ground, giving off an ultraviolet light.

‘Glow in the dark rocks,’ Richmond whispered. ‘Wicked.’

They saw more lights higher up, hanging from the trees. Then they saw a wooden house suspended twenty feet off the ground, circling a tree, which had a spiral stairs wrapped around the trunk, trailing down to the ground. Standing on the deck, they spotted a man staring down at them.

More tree houses appeared as they continued through the forest. Linked by rope bridges, some trees held more than one house, assembled one on top of the other.

All eyes were on them. Arcadians had gathered around to see the humans. As they made their way past the network of tree houses, they came to a clearing. In the centre was a campfire (minus the campers), a line of cabins at the sides and straight ahead of them was a semicircular platform lined with tented cabins with grey, pyramid-shaped tarpaulin roofs.

Charlie’s eyes fell on the square, stone, temple-like building that stood halfway between the tents, and a strange feeling washed over him – a mixture of fear and curiosity. Something was inside the building; he could feel its presence, overwhelming and powerful.

The woman led them over to the tented cabins. Charlie noticed the other guides were no longer following them, and he suddenly felt exposed. His gaze fell on the campfire, and a terrible thought entered his mind:
What if that’s for us?
He gulped and looked away.

Walking along the platform, he observed the open front tents supported by wooden columns, white, silk drapes tied to each column. A brick wall lined the back of the tents and inside each section were all types of objects from swords to household gears. The place resembled something between a charming old-fashioned resort and a summer camp.

The woman stopped in front of the three-tier roof, templelike building. She opened the double oak doors, and the first thing to hit Charlie was a blinding red light. He covered his eyes with his hand. The light dimmed, and he lowered his hand. Looking inside the luxurious living space, he saw a long, red flame in the centre of the room.

Intriguing,
a deep male voice said, sending a shiver through Charlie.
Be not afraid, Surface Dweller. I only appear this way so I may see ‘The Perceiver’. That would be you.
It didn’t sound like a question, so Charlie didn’t respond.
Please, enter.

Charlie looked at the others, who were gazing around the room in amazement. Of course,
they
couldn’t see the being. He rolled his eyes in frustration, wondering why this was happening to him.

The woman gestured for the four of them to enter. They exchanged nervous glances before Derkein took the lead, Alex and Charlie behind him.

The room, like the climate outside, was lukewarm and smelled of cinnamon, perhaps from the candles in the bronze lanterns lining the gold-painted walls.

‘Floating lights,’ Richmond observed. Derkein set him on his feet, and he hopped over to one of the lanterns, examining it.

‘This is amazing,’ Alex said. She let go of Charlie’s hand, and her eyes fixed on the ceiling, her expression dreamy. Charlie looked up and saw what had her so mesmerised.

Three-dimensional clouds painted against a blue background gave the illusion that they were looking at the sky. A flock of birds emerged from behind the clouds and disappeared again. Charlie’s jaw dropped when he saw a crystal palace opening in the sky. He knew it wasn’t real for it was dark outside, but he couldn’t help wondering if such a place did exist.

The good ol’ days,
Charlie heard the light being mutter. He took his eyes off the ceiling and looked at the being.
In times like these, it is good to remind ourselves what it is we are fighting for. One can easily lose faith in a world filled with so much darkness.

Derkein moved around the room in stealth mode, turning slowly as if giving the room a once over, but Charlie could tell he was really admiring the décor: the hardwood floor, the rugs, plush chairs, antiques and fine art. Charlie noticed him advancing towards the light being and opened his mouth to say something, but Derkein just walked right through him.

‘It seems the Prince of Persia’s running late,’ Derkein said, looking awestruck.

I resent that,
the light being hissed beside Charlie, who jumped.
The Prince of Persia was a fallen. I will not be associated with that imp. Besides, this is Italian, or is it French? I forget. They all look the same.

Charlie stared at the being, perplexed. Based on first impressions,
cool
would not have been the right choice of word to describe this mysterious person. Perhaps, odd. Passionate. Extreme. All better than terrifying, he reckoned.

At the sound of a click, Charlie turned round and saw the blond-haired woman, who had just closed the doors. She caught his eyes and gave him an alluring smile that made him feel giddy. He looked away quickly. The light being was now standing a few feet away from him.

The room had no windows, but even with the doors closed, the golden walls provided great illumination. A flicker of movement in the corner caught Charlie’s eyes, and he looked over and saw the candles lighting on their own. Soon the room was as bright as a summer’s day, giving off an almost dreamlike illusion.

‘Looks like this guy stood us up,’ Derkein whispered to the trio.

Charlie was about to say something when the light being diminished. In its place, stood a small, dark-skinned, baldheaded man in a red, silk robe, his scruffy beard and eyes as red as blood.

Richmond beamed. ‘That was a neat trick. Are you magicians?’

The man tossed his head back and let out a laugh that echoed around the room. When he finally composed himself, he said, ‘Surface Dwellers are so amusing.’ His voice was hoarse, unlike the voice Charlie had heard a moment ago. ‘What we do, young man, is no trick. Now, let us sit and discuss these matters at hand.’ At the wave of his hand, the chairs around the room shifted and grouped in the centre.

The gang advanced towards the chairs and sat down. The man and the woman sat in the seats in front of them.

‘Welcome to Ardenen,’ the man said. ‘I am Avaran, Guardian of the fire kingdom.’ He twisted his head to the right and smiled at the woman beside him. ‘You have already had the pleasure of meeting Isis, Elder of the water kingdom.’ Isis smiled at them. ‘It is most fascinating to have you with us. Mortals entering our land are a rarity, yet here we have four.’ Although Avaran’s expression was blank, his eyes were glowing; it seemed, according to his excitement.

Derkein asked, ‘When you say fire and water, are you referring to the four elements?’

‘Indeed, I am,’ Avaran said.

‘Does that mean you can control fire?’ Alex asked.

Avaran’s gaze shifted to Alex, as if alerted. ‘Among other things, yes. I suppose you are wondering what form of beings we are.’

‘We know you’re not magicians,’ Richmond said, ‘’cause they do all sorts of neat tricks, and you said you don’t do tricks.’

‘Fairies?’ Alex guessed. ‘I like fairies – except for the ones that attacked Derkein.’

Avaran’s amiable expression turned to concern. ‘You were attacked?’

‘Yes,’ Derkein answered. ‘My father and I were attacked in our home.’

‘And yet you still live!’

‘Don’t sound so surprised. We
mortals
can put up a good fight.’

Charlie glanced at Derkein.
What story are you talking about?
he wondered.

‘We have no doubt regarding the courage of mortals,’ Avaran said. ‘Our presence was always on the battlefront of many great wars, though of course you were none the wiser of our existence. Mortals fighting mortals is one thing. Mortals fighting Arcadians … That is another matter entirely.’

‘So what exactly are you?’ Derkein enquired.

‘For countless millennia, mortals have referred to us by many titles, the most common being angels.’

Derkein and the trio exchanged shocked glances.

‘As in angels of God?’ Derkein asked.

‘Are there any other kind?’ Avaran smiled. ‘The Angelic Empire is one of three primary empires on Earth in conjunction with the Elemental and the Mortal Empire. Rulers, Guardians, and Elders collectively are Aeons. We are an order of angels. Twenty-four Aeons descended to Earth. Four Rulers each govern a kingdom. Four Guardians assist the Rulers. Sixteen Elders – four in each kingdom – oversee Elementals, training them to become Lightworkers, the protectors of mankind. Together we make up the Legion of Light.’

If that’s true then why turn on us?
Charlie hadn’t realised he’d spoken aloud until Avaran looked directly into his eyes for the first time since he had transformed into his physical form. ‘The Perceiver,’ Avaran said.

Charlie clenched his jaw. ‘Will you quit calling me that? It’s Charlie, okay, just Charlie, not ‘The Perceiver’ or ‘The Physic’, so quit with the name calling.’

It was silent for a moment.