Talisman (44 page)

“
A
sardonyx
,” Tanner replied.  “It’s a black onyx that’s been spelled.  The white hatches marked on its surface will tell you how strong the curse is.  A black sardonyx grants the Onyx some control over the person who carries it.  That’s the real reason why you could never get your locket to open.  You were never meant to discover what lay inside it.”

Stunned, I placed my hand over the spot wher
e the oval locket had once rested.  “But my mother gave me that locket years ago.  It couldn’t have been
cursed
.  Chloe’s got one just like it.  Would hers be cursed as well?”

“
Not likely
.  As far as your mother being the one who gave it to you…that really doesn’t matter.  Shiloh, a sardonyx could’ve been placed inside it at
anytime
.  Most likely right before she gave it to you.  The Onyx only needed to kill you out of necessity — to keep you from finding the cave and claiming the wand as your own.”

Flabbergasted, I re
flected aloud, “All these years…I never
wanted
to take it off.  I just thought I didn’t because it was the last thing my mother had given me…
out of love
.  I had no idea I couldn’t remove it because of some
evil spell
.”

Tanner interjected,
“The necklace didn’t remain around your neck because of the curse.  Shiloh, being a Talisman is in your blood.  Even though you hadn’t claimed your stone, some of its abilities were locked away in the deep recesses of your mind.  The diamond is a very
psychic
stone.  It allows your mind not to be influenced by others through thought, like the suggestive chants of a spell.  Your love for your mother did keep it there.  That’s what the Onyx was counting on…
your emotions
.  Only you could remove it willingly.  Time was running out, so that’s why
other means
were necessary.”

“By what ‘other means’ are you talking about?”
I inquired.

“The
cologne
, of course,” Tanner Grey proclaimed vainly.  “I have to admit, that was
my
ingenious idea…though I did have some help planting it there.”

I remembered seeing my feathery
little friend perched outside the open window.

“The
bird
put it there?” I inquired, struggling to believe it.  Tanner flashed a cocky smile, clearly gloating.  “But how did you know Katie would pick
that
particular fragrance?
  Charlotte had about twenty bottles on her dresser.”

“Well,” he started to reveal, “Most women find its scent enticing, and men find it absolutely
irresistible
.  You have to be careful with it.  Its magic is rather potent.  The first guy to catch a whiff of its scent will find himself obsessed with its female wearer.  I know the Talisman who whips up the little concoction of pheromones, flowers, and…
rubies
.  She’s made a fortune on that cologne over the years.”

“What are the
rubies
for?” I asked.

“For dispelling love.  In fact, I would be willing to bet that
the only other thing that rivals its ability to rip love apart at its seams, is tattooing someone’s name on your body,” he stated with a confident snicker.

“Don’t get too cocky,” I rebuked.  “I was pretty mad at her last night.  I don’t think I needed any
ruby’s help
.”

Tanner Grey frowned.  “Not to worry. 
The effects of the ruby have already worn off.  How do you feel about her now?”

I didn’t have to contempl
ate that question for very long.  “She’s pretty much a
bitch
,” I replied with a vigorous nod while I reflected upon every horrible thing she’d ever said or done.  Something still left me puzzled.  “I’m curious… If men find it so
‘irresistible’
, then how does it dispel love?”

“
Lust
isn’t the same as love, Shiloh,” Tanner Grey acknowledged with certainty.

True
, I thought as I was reminded of Mike’s strange behavior at the dance.

“But the necklace was burning the skin around my neck last night
…like it was on fire.”

“Yes, that’s an unfortunate side e
ffect of rubies,” Tanner replied.  “They’re very protective and a bit volatile, like the Talisman who claims the stone.  The ruby potion sensed the sardonyx around your neck and well, it
forced you
to remove it.  However, they do come in handy if someone attempts you any harm.  The slightest touch of the cologne will engulf your attacker in flames.”

My mouth dropped open. 
“That’s how Mike’s…
um
,
the Onyx’s
hands caught on fire?”

Tann
er Grey’s cocky smile returned.  “
See
…It did come in handy after all.”  He nudged my shoulder and added, “Like I said…
ingenious
.”

I couldn’t help but be amused by his cheeky self-promotion.  Even though Professor Tanner Grey was quite the charmer, a part of me still wanted to smack him.
  Now that one of my
burning
questions had been answered, I figured I would hunt for a few more.

“Do rubies make you have visions?  Like
premonitions?
”

Tanner let out a playful grunt and rolled his eyes.  “
Ugh
…You ask more questions than any of my students. 
No
.  Rubies don’t…but
emeralds
do.  Emeralds allow you to see random, future events.”

“The
whisky?
” I quizzed, wide-eyed.  “So, I
wasn’t
drunk.  I was actually seeing things that were going to happen.”

“
Exactly
.  Once I’d counteracted the whisky’s intoxicating influence, you were left with its
other
effects.  That’s another talent of mine.  I can detoxify most anything.  It especially comes in handy when dealing with poisons, but unfortunately not all of them.  Definitely not ones that are supernatural in nature.”  He laughed, “After all, I couldn’t bear the thought of contributing to the
delinquency of a minor
.”

“But wh
at if Mike hadn’t brought it?” I countered.

“Let’s see… A guy stops by a
teenage boy’s house on the night of a dance with a very rare and expensive bottle of whiskey…
that his father knows nothing about? 
Are you kidding me?” he asked doubtlessly.

He had me on that one. 
“I suppose.”

“
But to air on the side of caution…I may have taken a sip of ‘ole Emerald Eyes…to see if he would take the bait, and if you would end up drinking it…
Just in case
.  You needed to have your guard up last night and that was the most practical, yet I’ll admit, unorthodox way to go about it.”

“But I didn’t see my father dying, or Mike attacking me!  I could’ve used a little heads-up on those!” I snapped in a sudden burst of anger.

“I said the visions were
‘random’
,” Tanner Grey replied defensively.  “And let me correct you.  You didn’t see
the Onyx
attack you.  Adamas didn’t either…
Remember?
  For some reason, the emerald’s powers can’t predict the Onyx’s actions.”

I sulked f
or a moment.  I truly wished I could have seen a vision of my father dying. 
Maybe I could have prevented it somehow?
  That was my only regret.

I raised my hand and stared at my little golden topaz ring.  Tanner walked over and gave the stone a flick with his finge
rs as he examined it closely.

“That little thing won’t be of much use to you until
it’s recharged, preferably with something stronger than sea-salt,” he commented.  “I’m afraid you drained most all of its power last night.  I suggest bathing it in the light of the next full moon.  Moonbeams are your only option when you use too much of a stone’s power in a short amount of time.  That’s this Friday night, and it’s supposed to be a blue moon as well.  Moonbeams from a
true
blue moon are extremely effective.”

I looked at Tanner cu
riously as I held up the ring.  “Was this part of your ‘ingenious plan’, or is Ms. Sutherland a—”

“Yes,” he interrupted.  “She’s a Talisman.  Giving the topaz to you was
her
idea.  She thought its protection might come in handy.  Actually, Beatrix has been watching out for you since you were born.  She was with me last night when I carried you out of here and took you home.”

“
That’s
how I got home?” I blurted.  I started thinking back to how I’d woken up without any memories of what had happened last night — how I got home or even getting into bed.  My eyes popped open.  “
HOW
did I get into
my pajamas?
” I snapped, tugging my shirt closer to my chest.

Tanner caught the gist of my question.  He jumped back and raised his arms in the air
to halt my misguided thoughts.

“That was Beatrix!” he insisted with a laugh.  “
But don’t worry
.  I don’t think she was
looking
.”

Feeling a little more at ease after that disclosure, I began to quietly reflect on the vision I’d seen of Ms. Sutherland last night.  That functioning third eye in the middle of her forehead ha
d been etched into my mind.  I was planning to have a chat with the sweet & innocent elderly “blind” lady about
that
particular image.

“Only gold
en topazes can protect you from
death
,” Tanner Grey revealed.  “That’s why your fall and all the injuries you sustained from it didn’t kill you last night.  Once you had claimed the diamond wand and its powers, you could heal yourself.  The golden topaz also granted you its power of
invisibility
last night.”

I gazed intensely a
t the sparkling golden stone.  “Is that why Mike…I mean,
the Onyx
, couldn’t see me?”

Tann
er nodded his head and smiled.  “But I saw you,” he revealed.  “Just remember you have to be
specific
when you call on the stone’s power of invisibility.”

I remembered cowering down, focusing on the black fog that was trailing away from Mike.  I was praying that “he” wouldn’t be able to see me.  M
y thought prompted a question.

“I asked not to be seen by
him
as I thought about the black fog…What if I’d asked specifically not to be seen by
Mike?
” I inquired to Tanner Grey.

“We probably wouldn’t be having this conversation right now,” Tanner Gr
ey replied bluntly.  “Remember…
be specific
,” he warned critically.

“
So
, the Onyx can just pop in and out of people, no matter who they are, or where they’re at?” I asked nervously.

“For some reason, only at night,” Tanner Grey revealed.
  “He usually chooses a man.  I’ve never known the Onyx seizing the body of a woman, but it’s possible.”

“Will Mike remember anything?”

“
No
.  There’s no chance of that.  From the moment he was taken and up until his release, his mind is no longer his.  Even his soul will feel like it’s been ripped out and returned it to him in shambles. His body will ache for several days as well.  Oh, and by the way…
He’s okay
, just so you know,” Tanner Grey replied with a hint of sarcasm.

Shamefully, I acknowledged Tanner with a low nod.  Honestly, Mike’s safety was the last thing on my mind.  After the way “he” or “the Onyx” went after me last night and kept me from saving Daddy, I wouldn’t have cared if Tanner Grey had dropped kicked his ass clear off the mountain.  Though now knowing Mike had been “
occupied”, my feelings about him were in the middle of having a change of heart, but they weren’t quite there yet — not by a long shot! I was still pretty
pissed
.

Tanner Grey began to elaborate more on my assailant.  “Dunamis is a very powerful Talisman.  He rivaled Adamas in many ways.  No one ever knew he could transport his soul into the earth
ly body of another.  When Dunam—
the Onyx
, inhabits a human’s body, he replaces their soul with his.  He can’t do it with the body of a Talisman or any other supernatural.  The person is under his complete influence, and the host’s soul ceases to exist.  It’s trapped in a state of torturous purgatory until it’s released.  The Onyx’s dark power feeds off his victim’s souls.  It’s not a natural occurrence, even among our kind.  The only time a Talisman’s soul can leave their body is when they die.  The Talisman’s powers, along with their soul and all of their memories, surrender themselves back to their stone of origin, their fated
birth-stone
. Somehow Dunamis figured out
how
to do it and has used it as one of his most powerful weapons against The Guild for all these years — the element of
surprise
and
secrecy
.  One of my duties has been to keep track of him and find a way to kill him.  It would be detrimental for everything in existence if the wand were to ever fall into the Onyx’s hands.”