Talisman of El

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN



The Looking Glass

LIFE SUCKS, AND THEN you die – or become King of Arcadia, Ruler of the earth kingdom. Charlie stared at the large floating globe in front of him. He and Avaran, who was once again in spirit form, had been in the square room for only a few minutes, but it felt like ages.

How could this be happening? Charlie wondered for the hundredth time. His mother had known. She had written in her letter that he was different. Different was a five-year-old child with an IQ of a hundred and fifty. Different was a chimp that did sign language, being fluent in twenty languages, a blind sculptor. An angel in human form was not what he considered as being different. What was more provoking was that he had no recollection of his life as an angel. How was he supposed to fulfil whatever covenant he had agreed to before he descended to Earth if he couldn’t even remember who he was?

He wished he could turn back time. Everything had seemed so simple before he had found out about Arcadia. Now, that life seemed so far away he couldn’t even picture it anymore.

George Odessa, Avaran said, ending Charlie’s thoughts. A collage of holographic images shot out of the globe and hovered in front of them. They were images of George in different stages of his life. Each segment changed in quick flashes. As if he sensed what Charlie was going to ask, Avaran said, I told Derkein I would find out what happened to his father. He scanned the images and selected one. The attack scene Charlie had dreamt about replayed inside the globe. He saw a semiconscious George lying amid a pile of books and broken wood of a damaged bookcase. George mumbled something Charlie couldn’t decipher, then a groan escaped his mouth, and he disappeared into thin air.

Darkness swamped the globe.

‘What happened?’ Charlie asked.

He was teleported. To the globe, Avaran said, Present. Images flashed by so fast Charlie couldn’t tell what he was looking at. Then it stopped, and he saw a man sitting on the ground in the corner of a dark room with a low ceiling, no windows, and a metal door.

Charlie studied the man’s face and was shocked when he realised it was George Odessa. He had grown a scruffy beard that masked his gaunt cheeks.

He is alive, Avaran’s voice said inside Charlie’s head. Barely, Charlie thought. ‘Where is he?’

We can only observe what George sees. They would have shielded his eyes.

‘He doesn’t have the talisman, so why don’t they let him go?’

Avaran looked at Charlie. Realising George was not in possession of the talisman, they would have returned to the house, noting Derkein’s disappearance. They know he has the talisman, so they intend to use George as a bargain.

‘They need him so they won’t kill him, right?’

Avaran looked back at the globe. Yes, as long as they need him.

Charlie didn’t like the sound of that. If Derkein left Arcadia before he had the chance to revert to his old – young – self, he would have a life expectancy of a mere few weeks, if that. So would George. Even if he did somehow find a miracle cure, knowing now the importance of the talisman, could Derkein trade it for his father? he wondered.

End, Avaran said, and the image in the globe disappeared. We need to find out the purpose of your return. Your Majesty, may I ask your mother’s name?

Charlie frowned. ‘We don’t have to go over this again, do we?’

Forgive me.

‘Why don’t you just use my name?’

That would not be possible.

‘Why not?’

Charlie Blake, Avaran said to the globe. Nothing happened. You are flesh and blood, but you are not fully human. You see, I am an angel in a spiritual body. I can appear human, but I am not. You are an angel in a physical body. The Akashic Records contains only the history of humans. You are both human and angel.

‘Doesn’t that make me a nephilim?’

No. After what happened with the Watchers, angels could no longer procreate with humans. That was thousands of years ago. You are only fourteen.

‘If you knew this was going to be pointless, why bring me here?’ Frustration welled inside Charlie. He had hoped the Akashic Records would have provided him with answers.

Avaran edged closer to the globe. Gaia, he said. Images of the earth hovered in front of them. Charlie noticed a recurrent theme: death. The greatest difference between mortals and us is that we are fully conscious. Armageddon to a human means ‘The End Times’. One of the segments collapsed down into the globe, showing the surface world. In truth, Armageddon is a cleansing process. Mortals are not aware that civilizations come and go.

Charlie saw catastrophes – earthquakes, floods, raging fires …

What you are looking at here is the fifth root race of mankind – the present race, Avaran went on. Gaia reacts to the energies that flow through her. Her vibration is out of alignment, which is the cause of natural disasters. Like the previous Atlantian and Lemurian civilizations, mankind is heading towards the brink of destruction. Every twenty-six thousand years, the earth goes through a cycle whereby it eradicates all impurities. We call this the ‘Annus Magnus’ – Latin for the ‘Great Year’. The higher vibrational frequencies will not only destroy demons ...

Charlie’s heart rate quickened when he saw the lifeless bodies scattered across the ground. It reminded him of the graveyard dream he’d had. There had been so many gravestones; it was as if the whole world –

It will also destroy humans, Avaran finished.

Charlie held his breath.

The Annus Magnus caused the great flood that destroyed the Adamites, Avaran went on. Fire destroyed the civilization before that. This cleansing process will continue until Earth’s inhabitants restore its balance. People are eager to live in paradise, but that starts from within. The earth is a living, breathing organism. It picks up on what we feel, the energies we emit.

‘But we can stop this Magnus thing, right? If we got rid of Archons –’

Getting rid of demons will not restore the earth’s balance. There is too much corruption within mankind. They are lost. Sure, we could save a few souls, but … Avaran paused.

‘But what?’

It makes no sense. You know, or at least you knew, killing Gaddis would not stop the Annus Magnus from occurring. He was silent for a moment. What is your mother’s name?

‘Eleanor Blake.’ As soon as the words flew out of his mouth, Charlie caught his breath. The segments hovering before him flicked with images of his mother, of a life he had only ever heard of, perhaps a life his father hadn’t even known. He had been so preoccupied with trying to grasp the reality of being a reincarnated angel that he hadn’t given thought to the fact that he could look up anyone – given they were fully human.

Avaran played a few of the clips. Charlie saw his mum and dad at the beach, his mum lying on a hospital bed, sitting in a library writing a letter, staring out a window at night –

Pause, Avaran said.

Charlie stepped closer to the globe. For a moment, his heart stopped, and then it thundered a mile a minute. The clip started, and he watched as his heavily pregnant mum sat on a cushioned window seat with a pen and paper in her hand.

‘You’re cutting it a little short,’ his mum said. ‘You forget my due date is August 12.’ After a pause, she sighed. ‘Have you decided?’

Charlie glanced at Avaran. ‘Who’s she talking to?’ The Akashic Records only contained human history, so nothing apart from humans would have shown up in the clips, but Charlie had no doubt she was talking to someone.

Candra, I presume, Avaran replied.

Charlie looked back at the globe. His mum was so close he could reach out and touch her. A figure moved beneath the bed covers. Dad! He wondered if his dad had also known about Candra.

It seems your mother knew a lot more than she ought to have, Avaran observed. Charlie thought he sensed a note of accusation in his voice. Though he didn’t look at Avaran, he could feel the Guardian’s gaze on the side of his face. It is fascinating, considering not even angels can see the future – unless you are an archangel, that is.

Charlie looked at him and was glad to see his eyes were gentle. He suspected Terra had told him about his occasional glimpses into future events. Ever since he had read his mother’s last letter, he had often wondered about her psychic ability. He had gone from thinking he was like her, to realising that what she had experienced had been because of him. What he could not understand was that if angels couldn’t see the future, then how and why could he?

‘No,’ his mum was saying. The two of them glanced back at the globe and saw her looking down at her stomach, rubbing it. She looked up again and said, ‘I wasn’t lying to you before. I have seen what was and what will be. He cannot know the truth. Not yet.’

Charlie wrinkled his brow. The reason he had known nothing about Arcadia had been down to his mum. But why hadn’t she wanted him to know?

‘It’s not an issue,’ his mum said, ‘it’s who he is. And don’t you forget it. If you plan to protect him, you must first accept him.’ Resting one hand on the seat, she pushed herself up, caressing her stomach as she did so. She walked to the middle of the room and stopped. ‘I know I’m just a vessel to you, but he is my son, and I care for nothing more than his safety.’

Charlie’s eyes stung; he blinked hard. He didn’t know how much more of the clip he could watch. His mum died a few days after that, and he didn’t want that image imprinted on his memory.

‘He believes in you,’ his mum said. ‘That’s why he chose you. Don’t let him regret it.’

There was a beat of silence.

‘Then put it right,’ his mum went on. ‘Trust me. If he wishes to have any chance at saving mankind, he must first understand what it means to be human. I don’t want him making the same mistake twice.’

‘What does she mean about making the same mistake twice?’ Charlie asked.

Avaran didn’t respond.

Charlie glanced at him. ‘What does she mean?’ he repeated.

His mum’s voice drew his attention back to the globe. ‘Not many people get second chances.’ She looked directly at Charlie, and his heart skipped several beats. ‘You want to change the world. Start with you. You have one shot at this. There’s no room for mistakes.’

The rest of the clip lasted a few more minutes, ending with his mum placing the letter inside the secret draw of the black box he had left on the dresser back at Jacob’s house.

End, Avaran said, and the globe went black. He and Charlie stood in silence for a few seconds.

‘Why did I die?’ Charlie asked.

For a moment, it seemed as if Avaran wasn’t going to respond, but then the words flew out. When one of our own dies, we feel a great loss, he said in a calm voice. When Michael fought Lucifer, it pained him to see his brother suffer. To this day, it pains us all whenever a righteous falls from the Legion. It is a natural instinct for us to want to save people, especially our own. When we pledge an oath to God, we are not to break it. When we break our oath, we break our connection with the Creator.

‘So I broke an oath? That’s why the talisman destroyed me?’

When we descended to Earth, we swore to protect mankind. That was our main priority. You broke that oath when you decided to save Gaddis.

‘What! I was killed because I wanted to save someone?’

You were so preoccupied with saving Gaddis that you turned your back on mankind.Avaran’s eyes flared, which was either a sign of excitement or anger.

As if it rose from the depths of darkness, an unbidden memory fluttered inside Charlie’s mind, and he knew to tread carefully, for Aeons of the fire kingdom had raging tempers, which sometimes caused them to spontaneously combust – literally.

Stunned, Charlie’s body went rigid. Whenever Avaran came within close range of him, he inched back ever so slightly, though he couldn’t tell if the Guardian noticed as his spirit form bore no expressions, just an outline of his body and those vigilant eyes.

The archangels coined the talisman, Avaran went on, so you could destroy Gaddis and set mankind back on the right path. We warned you not to go against the Creator’s wishes, but you believed you could save Gaddis. We fought Archons for thousands of years. Each time we lost a member of the Legion, you lost an inch of your faith. When Candra finally succumbed to Gaddis’ influence, you, too, started to wonder if humans were worth fighting for.

Charlie clenched his fists. The person Avaran was talking about wasn’t him. He wouldn’t have turned against mortals for a fallen angel.

After your attempts proved fruitless, it came to a point where you decided that the only thing left to do was to punish Gaddis, Avaran said. It was no longer about saving him. It was about making him suffer. Vengeance is not an angelic quality.

‘What are you saying?’ There was no mistaking the anger in Charlie’s voice. ‘Are you telling me that I became an Archon?’

We all have choices to make. Sometimes, we don’t always choose the right path. You lost your halo. You lost hope. It is as I said before. It is easy to forget what we are fighting for in a world filled with darkness –

‘No.’ Charlie’s voice trembled. He shook his head in disbelief. ‘No. I’m not one of them. There’s no way I’d turn into one of them. I’m nothing like Gaddis.’

You are right, Avaran agreed. You came back to save mankind.

Charlie unclenched his fists and relaxed his shoulders. ‘And how am I supposed to do that?’

We start with the one thing Gaddis needs.

Charlie sighed. ‘You’re going to tell me I have to restore the talisman, aren’t you?’

The four elements must unite, Avaran said.

‘Okay, we can do that. All we have to do is find the black diamond.’

We are not searching for a black diamond. The black diamond is a formation of four diamonds, which is exactly how many we have to find.

It was as if Avaran had punched him in the stomach, for Charlie felt as though he couldn’t breathe. ‘How am I supposed to find four diamonds when I can’t even find one?’

They will call to you, Avaran said. Any Ruler in possession of the talisman will hear its calling.

Charlie paused to catch his breath. ‘So all I need to do is restore the talisman before Gaddis gets his hands on it.’

Yes. You must become Keeper of the talisman to gain its control. The four diamonds must become one in order to ignite the fifth element, which is the only source of power strong enough to defeat the Annus Magnus.

‘What’s the fifth element?’

It is the beginning.

‘The beginning of what?’ asked Charlie.

The beginning of the end. Avaran must have read the confusion on Charlie’s face, because he added, The fifth element is Ether, the essence of life. Out of Ether came the other four elements. It is the Creator and the creation.

‘How long do we have before the Magnus hits?’

December 22, 2015.

‘Two years?’ Charlie choked. He looked up at the stars and started laughing. When his laughter died down, an overwhelming feeling of despair took over him. ‘I came here to find a garden,’ he said in a distant voice. ‘I just wanted to fix things.’ His mind wandered, and he thought about Derkein. And suddenly it hit him.

He was King Sol, Ruler of the earth kingdom. ‘I can enter the garden.’ He looked at Avaran. ‘If I can locate the entrance then I can reverse Derkein’s aging.’ A wave of energy, like the kind he had felt when he’d stood on the protection symbol inside the temple, rippled through him. The sensation overwhelmed him. ‘Is it true that the Tree of Life can grant someone their heart’s desire?’

Avaran moved closer to him. The fate of the world – he began, but Charlie cut him off.

‘I just want to know.’ Charlie’s words came out harsher than he had intended. ‘Please,’ he pleaded. ‘Is it true?’

Avaran hesitated before answering. Sephirah acts as a bridge to other realms. There is a place called the Etheric Plane, what you may refer to as ‘The Dream Realm’ because it can manifest one’s thoughts. It is a place where you can have anything your heart desires.

Charlie’s heart sank, and he lowered his head.

I know it is not what you wanted to hear, Avaran said, but there are some things we just cannot change.

If there were ever a moment in Charlie’s life where he wished he were invisible, that moment would be now.

The reality of being a reincarnated angel had not yet sunk in, but as he stood in the great hall of the Temple of El surrounded by ten Arcadians, who were all down on one knee, it suddenly became real.

‘Does this mean we have to bow, too?’ Richmond asked. He, Alex and Derkein were the only ones who were still standing.

‘No,’ Charlie said. ‘I don’t want anyone to bow.’ He looked down at Avaran, who was in physical form. ‘This is ridiculous.’

Avaran stood up. ‘Forgive me. It is a force of habit. You would think after all these years we would have grown out of it. It will take some getting used to.’ He gestured for the others to stand.

Charlie addressed the crowd. ‘Look, nothing’s changed – at least, not for me. I don’t want you to bow or call me Your Majesty, King Sol, or any other name that isn’t Charlie.’ Hearing someone cough, his gaze shifted to Ash, and he rolled his eyes and said, ‘Or Dolittle.’

Ash smiled and nodded his head in appreciation.

‘Does that mean I can call you Dolittle?’ Richmond asked.

Charlie looked at him, and it was then he realised something. When he had left with Avaran, there had only been five people inside the temple. Now there were twelve, excluding Avaran and himself. He noticed some of the new arrivals were looking the worse for wear, as if they had been fighting.

‘I thought you said three hours,’ Charlie said to Derkein.

‘We had to bring them here for their safety,’ Gemini interjected. ‘We came under attack.’

Charlie gave Derkein, Alex and Richmond the once over. It appeared that they were the only ones without a single hair out of place.

‘We’ve been waiting for ages,’ Richmond complained. ‘What took you so long?’

‘I was only gone for, like, half an hour,’ Charlie said.

‘Make that almost two days,’ Derkein corrected.

Charlie looked at his watch and was shocked to see it was 12:50 p.m.

‘I should have informed you before,’ Avaran said. ‘Time in the Akashic Plane is different than it is on this plane.’

Charlie glanced at Derkein, who, along with Alex and Richmond, had only ten minutes remaining in Arcadia before their automatic expulsion. He studied Derkein’s distant expression and wondered if he was thinking about his father, who was still alive but whom Derkein might never get the chance to see again. Feeling hopeless, Charlie looked away. It reminded him that while the others regarded him as a powerful being, he was more than anything just human. ‘What do we do now?’ he asked Avaran.

‘We wait,’ Avaran replied. ‘When the three hours are up the others will return to the surface, which will make it easier for us to get back to Natvia.’

‘I thought no one could teleport here.’

‘We cannot, but humans do not belong in this realm, so it matters not where they are in Arcadia. When their time is up, they will teleport.’ Avaran looked towards the group of Arcadians, who Charlie noticed were gazing at him with curiosity.

‘Can we talk?’ Derkein asked Charlie.

‘Go ahead,’ Avaran said. ‘I have some explaining to do.’ He walked off towards the group, while Derkein and Charlie headed towards the atrium.

‘Well, things are starting to make sense now,’ Derkein said, as they stepped through the double doors.

‘Nothing makes sense to me,’ Charlie said. ‘Avaran figures we should talk to Candra as she seems to be the only one who knows what’s going on – her and my mum, that is.’

‘What did you find out?’

‘Turns out I came back to save mankind.’

Derkein raised his eyebrows. ‘Saving mankind. That’s … big.’

Charlie wasn’t buying into his bravado. ‘You’re totally freaked out, aren’t you?’

‘Absolutely.’ Derkein studied him with concern. ‘How are you feeling?’

Charlie looked towards the hall, and his eyes locked on Alex, who was standing on one side of the room with Richmond, the Arcadians standing on the other side. Turning back to Derkein, he said, ‘I don’t know. I just … I feel so angry.’

‘That’s understandable. Your whole life has changed. If I were you, I’d probably be screaming at the top of my lungs right now.’

‘But it’s not just about me being different. It’s more than that.’ Charlie breathed a heavy sigh and turned his back to the hall, not wanting the others to see him in the state he was in. They expected him to be in control, to be a leader. ‘Something doesn’t feel right.’

‘This is a lot to take in, but try not to over think things. I know how you get when you’re worried.’ Derkein looked down at the talisman around his neck, removed it, and held it in his hand. ‘It wasn’t a coincidence we met.’ He offered Charlie the talisman. ‘Perhaps it was destiny.’

Charlie shook his head. ‘I don’t want it.’

‘It belongs to you. Please. Wear it, for my sake if not for yours.’

Charlie looked away. It was then he heard footsteps behind him and turned round. Alex was walking towards them.

‘I want to go home,’ she said to Derkein, her face expressionless, her body tense.

Charlie looked at his watch. ‘There’s only five more minutes to go before you teleport.’

Alex looked at him, folding her arms across her chest. ‘Don’t you mean before we teleport?’

‘Not me.’

‘You can’t seriously be thinking about staying here,’ she said. ‘You don’t even know these people. Derkein, tell him he can’t stay.’ She didn’t wait for Derkein’s response. ‘This is crazy. What are you thinking? What am I saying, of course you’re not thinking.’

‘I should give you two a moment,’ Derkein said, but they barely heard him.

‘That’s not what –’ Charlie began, but Alex interrupted him.

‘You know what, I hope you’re happy,’ she said.

‘What is your deal?’

‘What is mydeal? I’ll tell you what my deal is. You’re selfish.’ She turned to walk off, but Charlie grabbed her arm and spun her back around to face him.

‘How am I selfish?’

‘All you think about is yourself.’ Alex’s eyes glistened. ‘I’m sorry about your parents, Charlie, I couldn’t be more sorry, but you act as if you have nothing –’

‘That’s because I don’t,’ Charlie retorted. ‘You don’t know what it’s like. You have your parents. You have everything.’ ‘So do you.’

‘What do I have? Oh right, I forgot about Jacob – no, no, the guy just about wanted to shoot us to smithereens before we left.’

‘Forget it. If you can’t figure it out, then I guess it doesn’t matter. I guess it’s not important.’

Charlie opened his mouth to say something but paused when something cool brushed against his skin. Smelling charcoal in the air, his body tensed. He didn’t know when it had happened, but somehow he and Alex ended up outside the temple. He became aware of Derkein’s voice shouting in the background, but his gaze stayed on Alex, whose expression was one of shock. Then everything slowed down.

A noise reached Charlie through the silence: the soft whooshing of something moving fast, getting louder and louder. His gut churned, and his arm shot out before Alex, who, for a moment, froze, her eyes wide open.

When Charlie finally realised what had happened, he, too, froze, his arm still extended, fist clenched around an arrow whose tip was inches from Alex’s left eye.

The erratic thumping of his heart drummed in his ears. Not only had he heard the arrow’s flight, he had also caught it with his bare hand.

He turned his head and saw a group of armed demons at the bottom of the steps. As terrifying as the line of demons were, however, it was the figure on the roof of the derelict building across the road with the bow and arrow pointed at them that drew his attention.

Dropping the arrow he was holding, Charlie dived at Alex, knocking her to the ground, shielding her with his body.

Raising his head, Charlie saw the terrified expression on Alex’s face, and panic struck him. It took him mere seconds to realise the look in her eyes wasn’t that of a wounded person but rather the look of someone whose heart had shattered into a million pieces. Following her gaze, he spotted Derkein standing just outside the archway of the temple, a pained look on his face – the look of a wounded man.

The arrow had lodged in Derkein’s stomach. His gaze locked on Charlie, his unblinking eyes lost in the depths of his wandering mind.

In that instant, Charlie knew. The nightmare he had so long tried to forget was staring him in the face. There was no more denying it. Derkein’s death was finally upon him.

Derkein gasped as the second arrow tore through his chest. Charlie watched in horror as he stumbled back and crashed to the ground.