Talisman (84 page)

“Aw, crap! 
Come on
.”  Katie pulled me to my feet.  She carried her grocery bags in one arm, and wrapped her other around me, guiding my frail frame down the street.

“What happened to you?”
Katie asked, still stunned.

“I sort of got
…
shot
,” I answered frankly.

Katie
stopped in a jerk and whipped her head around.  “
You got SHOT?
  How the Hell did
that happen?”

“With a gun, Katie.” 
My pain didn’t seem to hinder a bit of the amusement I’d found in her question.

Katie continued, “Well, I figured
that much
, smartass…But where were you?”

If Katie was going to help me,
I at least owed her the truth.

“I was at
the Riversides’
, I confessed.

Katie stopped abruptly again and cried, “
Mike Riverside SHOT YOU?
”

“NO
,” I snapped.  “One of Lazarus Xcavare’s guys, Karl, did.”

Katie didn’t move. 
“Why in the heck did he do
that?
” she asked, clearly dumbfounded.

“
Because…
I have something Lazarus wants,” I admitted reluctantly.

“What?  You mean
Shiloh Ridge?
  I heard your daddy left it to you, and that you weren’t selling it.  Ace Barlow’s been runnin’ his mouth all over town.  Hell, the whole town thinks you’re nuts for turning down the money.  You mean they
SHOT YOU
over a
PIECE OF LAND?
”

I had to tell her. 
We were almost at her parent’s shop, but Katie wasn’t taking another step — not without a
good
reason.  And unfortunately, the only thing that would satisfy her was “the truth”.

“
No
.  Not for the land, but for what’s buried underneath it,” I confessed.

Katie rolled her eyes and resumed pulling me down the street.  “What? 
COAL?
 
Ughhh
…I think there’s more than enough to go around.  No one needs to go all ‘gangster’ over it.”

“No, Katie…n
ot coal.  A
diamond
.  A very powerful diamond…that’s in the shape of a long wand. 
That’s
what they want.  That’s what they came to Welch for in the first place.  Not to purchase a mine, but to locate a stone…a
magical
stone.”

Standing in front of the
store, Katie inserted her key into the lock and paused long enough to shoot me a “you’re flippin’ crazy” look.

“A
diamond?
  A ‘magical’ diamond?  That’s
powerful?
” Katie questioned cynically.  “I thought you proved in class the other day that there aren’t any diamonds around here, Shi.  Isn’t that
right?
”

I took a deep breath t
o rally what energy I had left.  “Katie, I don’t have time for this,” I snapped.  “It’s your choice to believe me or not.  I’m not asking you to.  All I need is for you to find something to pick this bullet out of my shoulder, round up some sea-salt, dump it in some water, and pour it in the freaking wound!”

Katie unlocked the
door and shook her head at me.  “What you
need
is a surgeon…and probably
a shrink!
”  She pushed open the door and helped me inside.  I hobbled over to a nearby jewelry case.  Katie turned around to lock the door and quipped, “So, tell me…What kind of
magic tricks
does this
‘diamond’
actually do?”  Her giggles continued as she turned back around.

Immediately, Katie stopped laughing.  Bright lights
began to radiate from
all
the diamond gemstones — in every jewelry case, throughout the store.  The sparkling spectacle soon dwindled down to a soft, steady glow.  Katie stood there, mouth gaped and virtually frozen, while her eyes scanned around the room.  I called over to her several times, but she remained firmly locked in a stupefied trance.

Katie muttered, “
What the
f
—”

“
KATIE
,” I yelled.  She snapped to attention and stepped towards me, looking almost too scared to even touch me.  “I think I’m about to pass out…”

Katie quickly grabbed me
before I hit the floor.  She helped me to the backroom and laid me down on the couch.

“Shiloh,
I
—
I still think you need
an ambulance
,” Katie insisted in a low voice, looking nervously at my wounded shoulder.

I reached out for her and accidently grabbed her diamond pendant.  I use
d it to pull her closer.

“
No
,
Katie
…I told you what I needed.”  My eyes were starting to become heavy.  “
PLEASE, TRUST ME
,” I begged.

H
er diamond cast an intense shine while I held it in my hand.  Katie noticed it too.  Clearly alarmed, she quickly jerked away from me and grabbed the store phone off a nearby desk.

I struggled to pull the amethyst from my pocket.  I didn’t know what Katie was going to do, so I gave the stone a tight squeeze and with my last ounce of strength, directed my thoughts to Tanner.  The next thing I knew, I felt the tumbled stone release from my hand
, and I watched it hit the floor as I helplessly lost all consciousness.

My mind drifted into darkness.  Soon, I sensed a soft glow
ing light through my closed lids, though nothing more notable than a flame from a lonely candle.  Someone then swept their hand up and down my face, caressing it gently.  I opened my eyes, struggling to adjust them to the dimness of my surroundings.  I was lying down on some sort of soft cushion while sheer panels of cloth draped down from the ceiling all around me.

A voice calle
d out to me, “Shiloh…”

M
y head turned to follow the sound of the voice.  To my surprise, I spotted Adamas sitting beside me.  He’d called me by
my name
.  I wasn’t a bystander,
not this time
.  The wand’s former owner continued to stroke my face while he directed his words to me.  His touch was comforting, and it warmed my soul.  It reminded me of Daddy.  Somehow he must have sensed I needed it.

“Shiloh,”
Adamas spoke, “the time has come for your journey to begin.”

Awestruck by his presence, I didn’t, nor couldn’t speak.

Adamas continued, “This wand and all of its powers, Shiloh, is your destiny.  You must protect it the way I have done throughout the centuries.  I know this gift will bring forth many challenges, so be wary little one.  The diamond’s powers will keep your body strong and your mind clear.  Let your soul guide your decisions, for it will never lead you astray.  Many of them will be difficult, for this path you are taking is not a straight one.  Every bend will force you to question yourself along the way.”

Adamas then took my hand and squeezed it passionately.  The tone in his voice became somewhat grave as he added, “Guard your heart, Shiloh, an
d be vigilant with it.  One day, it will
deceive you
…and you will be forced to pay a
harsh price
.”

Adamas leaned over and kissed my
forehead,
tenderly
.

“For now, I leave you with this.  Keep the wand safe, and it will do the same for you.  Those who seek to claim it will be watching your every move.  Know
that the painful decisions you will be forced to make are not selfish ones. 
They never are
.  You must never think you are making these burdensome choices out of greed, but to protect it…as well as those you love.  There
is
a difference.  Far more wonders await you, but understand that the wand itself can only divulge these secrets, when
it
feels you are prepared and worthy of its trust.  Share your thoughts with it and hear its pleas.  Never fear them, for they will guide and comfort you along your way.  Know that even in your darkest hour, when you feel all hope is lost, it will
always
seek a way to protect you…The wand will
always
be watching out for you.”

And with that, he was gone.  I may have been alone in the room, but for some strange reason I could still feel his presence within my heart.

Gradually, I roused from my comatose state.  My eyes fluttered and finally opened to find Katie hovering over me.  She was sitting there, attentively rubbing a rag drenched in salt water over my shoulder.  I didn’t even sense the slightest twinge of pain anymore.  I looked over to see that not only had she cleansed my wound, but taken out the iron bullet as well.  I closed my eyes and smiled.  My best friend had trusted me.  She had believed me — beyond the realm of reality — and for that I was truly grateful.

Katie
tapped my shoulder.  “I think it’s all healed.  Are you feeling better?”

My eyes panned down my arm.  Katie had even wiped
the sea-salt & water elixir over the spot where I’d carved out the diamond for Samuel earlier.

“
Yeah
, it is.  Thank you, Katie…Not just for pulling out the bullet and cleansing it…but for
believing me
.”

“Your welcome,” Katie replied
with a heartfelt grin.  “You owe me one for digging that thing out,” she added as her body did a quick shake.  “That was gross…
Seriously!”

I couldn’t help but laugh.  She’d always been easily nauseated
by the sight of blood.  Asking her to remove a bullet must have been more than a stretch.  I was strangely curious about what had changed her mind.

“Why did you believe me?”

Katie smiled and stroked a few lingering strands of hair from my face.  “I saw it in your eyes,” she replied honestly.

“
What?
  The truth?” I asked as I pushed myself up to a sitting position.

“
No
.  I mean, I saw it for
real!
  These bizarre white streaks started swirling in your eyes…and I
freaked
.  At first, I thought you were having a seizure or something, but then they
glowed
…like my diamond when you grabbed it, right before you passed out and then well…
I just knew
,” she announced, beaming the most sincere smile I’d ever seen.

Katie tossed me a shirt.  “Here.  You can change into this and get rid of that bloody one.  You’re lucky I
had to pick up my dry cleaning before I came into the shop today.”

“Thanks,” I replied
as I whipped off my blood-soaked tee and put on her navy blue button-up shirt.

Katie plopped down on the sofa beside me. 
“
Okay…
Now that you’re healed and all cleaned up…
Spill it!
”  She pointed to me and demanded eagerly, “And
don’t
leave out
A THING!
”

Just as I’d told Samuel, I revealed every crazy thing tha
t had happened over the past week.  Katie was floored.  I was actually surprised by how she took it.  As chatty as what my BFF normally was, all she could say whenever I’d stop to take a breath was, “
Damn
”.

When I
’d finished, she threw herself back against the sofa and announced, “I’m
soooo
jealous.”

I let out a laugh.  “
Jealous?
  Because I’m a supernatural with powers, or the fact that I’m on two Talisman’s Most-Wanted list?”

“
Hell no!
  I’m jealous because you’ve been gettin’ to run around with that hottie Professor Grey all this week,” she sighed and added, “
Damn…
”

I sho
ok my head.  “Yeah, well…I think there’s more to Professor Grey’s charm than meets the eye.  I’ve noticed too many females are quick to fall under his spell.”

Speaking of Tanner Grey
…

I searched my pocket for the amethyst, but it wasn’t there.  I dug my hands down into the sofa c
ushions looking for it.

“Katie, have you seen a
tumbled purple stone?  I think I had it in my hand earlier.”

Katie pointed over to the desk.  “It’s over there.  You dropped it right before you passed out.  It was glowing a couple of times while you were out.”

I cringed at the thought of Tanner receiving the image I’d sent him of me lying on Katie’s parents couch all
bloody
.  I felt even worse knowing I hadn’t returned any of his mental messages because I’d passed out.  There wasn’t a doubt in my mind — he was
livid
.  I grabbed it without hesitating. 
Might as well get this over with.