Talisman of El (34 page)

‘He’s not just anyone,’ Charlie retorted. ‘You go around preaching about protecting mankind, yet you’re telling me to let him die. Isn’t it your duty to save him?’ Avaran didn’t get the chance to respond as Charlie’s gaze averted from him. The sparkle of something in the corner near the entrance doorway had caught his eye.

Ten seconds …

It was the talisman.
Nine ...
Charlie raced over to it.
Eight …
He crouched down and grabbed it by its chain.
Seven …

‘Charlie,’ he heard Alex yell.

Six …

‘Got it!’ He jumped up and bounded towards the hall.

Five …

Alex was now on her feet.

Four …

She was glowing, as were Derkein and Richmond.

Three …
Alex started to run towards him.

Two …

‘Catch.’ Charlie’s arm went up, and the talisman flew out of his hand, bounding towards Alex, whose eyes were on the object, her hands outstretched.

One …

Alex dissolved into nothing.

Charlie came to an abrupt halt, panting as he watched the talisman fall to the ground. He dropped onto his knees, his head bowed.

In the few seconds since Derkein vanished, he could already be dead. It would take more than half an hour for Charlie to get back to Natvia where Avaran would teleport him to the surface, and even then, it may be too late. Half an hour in Arcadia was over nine hours on the surface, and a lot could happen in nine hours.

Charlie got to his feet and strolled over to the talisman. The Arcadians seemed hesitant to approach him (though it could have been for their fear of the talisman). Whispering voices still issued from the object. Looking at the gloomy faces around him, he assumed he was the only one who could hear the voices. He bent down, and as soon as he touched the talisman, the voices faded, and the visions began.

It was a clear day with not a single cloud in the sky. The central sun told him he was somewhere in Arcadia, and he was right in the heart of a battlefield.

Arcadians were fighting all around him. His heart broke as he watched his – as he watched these people tear one another apart.

Two beings grabbed his primary focus: the white-haired being with giant golden wings whose tips extended high as if reaching for the heavens, and the golden-eyed, dark-haired being with large black wings whose tips almost touched the ground.

Sol and Gaddis cast deadly glares at each other.

Charlie spotted the talisman around Sol’s neck. The two Rulers hurled energy balls at each other, which collided with a mixture of yellow and green sparks. Then the energy bolts started, blasting out of their palms, clashing halfway. A white charge of energy blasted from Sol’s chest, crashing into Gaddis, knocking him off his feet.

The power of the talisman,
Charlie thought.

‘Last chance.’ Sol’s voice was deep and authoritative – the voice of a king. Gaddis was back on his feet, a mocking smile on his long, hairless face. Sol removed the talisman from around his neck, and for a moment, as he held the object in his hand, Charlie saw him smile. Avaran was right. This was revenge. Sol held the talisman out before him, directing it at Gaddis, whose smile faded, his hands clenched into fists.

There was a moment’s pause, and then a white light ejected from the talisman and charged at Gaddis, who put up his shield of energy.

Again, the powerful forces clashed, but Gaddis was no match for the talisman. Sol’s grey eyes now looked silver under the white light. Gaddis’ hands shook as the talisman repelled his energy shield, his eyes wide with fear. Finally, the light consumed him.

‘Stop!’ Charlie yelled, but no one heard him. This was the past; and some things just couldn’t change. Sol screamed, and Charlie shrieked, a wretched pain searing through his right hand. Looking down, he saw the circular mark of the talisman imprinted in his palm. He looked back at the battle and saw the talisman hovering before Sol, and then it slammed into his chest.

Like Gaddis, the bright light engulfed him. Charlie watched, horrified as he realised this was the moment of his death.

Sol and Gaddis seemed frozen in time, nothing but fear– and pain, Charlie recalled momentarily – flowing through them. The light brightened, and a shadow stepped into it, halfway between Sol and Gaddis.
Candra!
Charlie couldn’t see the person, but he knew it was her.

Finally, the light exploded and dispersed, leaving only sparkles of dust behind.

The vision shifted …

Charlie found himself staring across a body of water at immaculate trees and flowers. He was in a forest. Or was it a garden? He gasped. ‘The Garden of Eden,’ he muttered. He glanced up at the sky, but what he saw were sparkling silver branches and leaves, thousands upon thousands. As his eyes trailed the enormous tree, he spun around slowly, until he found its thick, luminous silver trunk that seemed to go on forever.

It was breathtaking.

He was standing on an island surrounded by a forest. A bright light appeared to the right of him, and he headed towards it, climbing over a large tree root. The light came from a doorway in the trunk. He spotted the silhouette of a tall figure standing at the foot of the tree, immersed in the light. As soon as the figure disappeared, the ground suddenly started to move, pulling Charlie towards the doorway.

The next thing he knew, he was looking at a stretch of water that seemed never-ending. He turned round, and a warm wave of energy rushed through him.
Wow!

It was paradise.

Somewhere deep inside his mind, he knew he had been here before. The wonderful blend of trees, flowers, hedges, and crystal palaces were a world away from anything he had ever seen, yet it felt so much like home. Then Sol came into view, and he remembered that this was a memory,
his
memory. He stood still as Sol approached him. Charlie wondered for a moment if he could see him, but Sol walked right through him, as if he didn’t exist.

Charlie turned round and watched him enter the water and disappear beneath it. When Sol didn’t resurface, he wondered,
Do angels commit suicide? Is that even possible?

As if someone desired to answer him, a beam of light rocketed out of the water into the pale blue sky. A figure had entered the light. It was Sol, rising into the sky …

The paradise around Charlie faded, and he found himself back inside the temple. ‘What just happened?’ he asked.

‘They were teleported,’ Avaran said behind him.

Charlie stared in amazement at the talisman in his hand. He looked at the people around him. They hadn’t moved since he had last seen them. Neither had he. He was surprised to find himself still crouched on the floor, and it dawned on him then that no time had passed. He stood up. ‘I was in the garden.’

I do not understand your words,
said Avaran.

‘Remember I told you I saw the black diamond when I touched the talisman? Well, just now when I touched it, I saw other things from the past.’

Oren appeared beside him. ‘You said you were in a garden,’ she recalled. ‘Are you referring to the Garden of Eden?’

‘I think so. There was this silver tree –’

Sephirah,
Avaran interjected. Something flickeredin his eyes, but it wasn’t surprise. Charlie wasn’t sure what it was, and due to him being in spirit form, he couldn’t read the expression on his face. Uneasiness rolled through Charlie’s stomach, but he couldn’t figure out why.

‘Where’s that place with the light in the water?’ Charlie asked.

Avaran didn’t answer. Isis, who was standing beside the Guardian, did. ‘It is the Etheric Plane,’ she said. ‘The Land of Dreams.’

Charlie remembered Avaran having mentioned the Etheric Plane when they were inside the Hall of Records. ‘Sol went into the light. Where did it take him?’

We should get back,
Avaran said.
Derkein is in need of our help.

Charlie paused. Only moments ago, Avaran had told him that Derkein had no chance of surviving, and now he wanted to save him. Something didn’t feel right. ‘What about the fate of the world?’ he asked.

We can start by saving one soul before we attempt to save all souls.

Yep. Something definitely wasn’t right. That feeling of uneasiness Charlie had felt was now starting to make sense. ‘What is it you don’t want me to know?’

Your friend is dying as we speak,
Avaran reminded him.
We must leave now.

Charlie clenched his fists and felt a pain in his right palm caused by the talisman. ‘You know we won’t make it back in time, so why don’t you just tell me what you’re hiding. If you want to help me save him, then tell me the truth.’

‘He is right, Avaran,’ Akana interjected. ‘It is our duty to save him.’

Not like this.
Avaran’s eyes flared with fire, but Charlie didn’t back down.

‘Not like what?’ Charlie asked. ‘What aren’t you telling me?’

‘That there is a way you can save Derkein.’

Everyone’s gaze shifted to the double doors, and a chorus of gasps erupted around the room.

Candra was standing in the doorway.

You are not welcome here,
Avaran hissed.
Leave.

Candra locked eyes with Charlie. ‘I will go if that is your wish.’

‘No,’ Charlie said. He could feel everyone’s gaze on him, but he didn’t care.

You cannot trust her,
Avaran said.

Charlie glared at him. ‘Right now, she’s about the only person I do trust.’ He turned back to Candra. ‘Is it true? Can I save him?’

‘Yes,’ she replied. ‘There is a way.’

Charlie’s heart fluttered with anticipation.

Candra entered the hall. ‘Mankind have long searched for the Garden of Eden. What they are not aware of is that they will return to it. The souls of all mortals must past through the garden after death before they reach their destination.’

Candra now stood inches in front of Charlie. ‘Once a soul is assigned to a realm,’ she went on, ‘they cannot leave. The one place they cannot go without a guide is the Etheric Plane, a place one can reach via a doorway that opens in Sephirah. If one heals the soul in the Etheric Plane, they also heal the physical body. The light in the water is a link back to the surface world. The water is the Pool of Bethesda – the miracle bath. It is the key to immortality.’ Candra’s expression changed, and she seemed almost hesitant to go on. Taking a deep breath, she said, ‘If you take Derkein’s soul to the Etheric Plane and have him enter the water, not only will it resurrect him … He will also receive perfect immortality.’

Charlie hadn’t realised he had been holding his breath until he released it. ‘You mean he’ll never die?’

‘Yes,’ Candra confirmed. ‘That is the gift the pool will grant you. But you should know that immortality isn’t always considered a blessing. To watch others die while you go on …’ Candra’s voice faded. Charlie detected sadness not only in her voice but also in her eyes. He understood what she meant. Immortality could also be a curse.

Avaran brought him out of his reflection.
You are forgetting how dangerous it is.
His gaze was on Charlie.
Your mortality makes you vulnerable. You could die.

What if I did die?
Charlie wondered. What would happen if Gaddis got hold of the talisman and restored it? Who would stop the Annus Magnus? All these thoughts, and more, ran through his mind, but the one thought that kept fighting through the cluster of questions was that Derkein needed him. He knew what he wanted to do but wasn’t sure it was what he should do. Immortality wasn’t always a blessing; but perhaps it wasn’t always a curse, either.

The Maze

THE COOL EAST WIND carried a scent of the sea and fresh cut lumber that stung Charlie’s nose as he soared through the sky on the white Pegasus. They had been flying for ten minutes, and apart from the Archons they had to overcome outside the temple, they hadn’t come across any other demons.

All together, out of the twelve Arcadians – including Charlie– that were inside the temple, nine of them were travelling by air: Candra, the white Pegasus, Avaran, the red Dragon with Oren on his back, Ash, the fire phoenix, Terra, the white dragon with Isis on her back, Akana and a Lightworker of the fire kingdom Charlie hadn’t caught the name of. The other three – Gemini, Demetrius, and a Lightworker of the earth kingdom – were on foot.