Talisman of El

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE



The Land of Dreams

CHARLIE STOOD AT THE bottom of the stone steps that led up to the arch. He saw no angel and no flaming sword. His cautious eyes surveyed the surroundings. After going through so much to find this place, it seemed too easy just to walk through the entrance with nothing to stop him.

He placed one foot on the first step and paused. Nothing happened. He got to the fourth step, and still nothing happened. ‘Hello,’ he called out, but no one answered. Climbing the last two steps, he stood on the platform, eight feet away from the arch. He spotted a bright yellow light at the other end of the arch. He took two steps forward when a wheel of fire erupted before him, and he jumped, falling onto his butt.

The rotating fire wheel gushed heat at him on every spin. It looked like a windmill without a tower, just the flaming blades. Rising to his feet, he wiped sweat off his forehead with his hand and turned his back to the wheel.

‘Surely you are not going to give up after just one try,’ a voice behind him said.

Charlie spun around. The flaming sword had vanished, and a tall woman dressed in a white trouser suit stood before him, her thick brown hair encircled by a ring of glossy laurel leaves with light radiating off her.

‘Welcome back,’ the woman said in a soft singsong voice.

It took Charlie a moment to realise he was gawking at her, not merely because she was so beautiful, but because she was, well, a woman. ‘You’re Uriel?’ he asked in disbelief. ‘The archangel Uriel?’

The woman smiled. ‘Indeed, I am.’

‘But you’re a woman.’

‘And you are human,’ Uriel mocked.

‘Aren’t you supposed to be a guy?’

‘You would be surprised how often I get that. But, as you can see, I am not a guy.’ Charlie wanted to look away but found himself mesmerised by the sparkle of her hazel eyes. ‘Be not alarmed, for I am not easily offended. That would be Gabriel. She has a little temper on her.’

Charlie studied Uriel a moment. ‘Don’t angels come with wings anymore?’

Uriel’s smile vanished. Then a pair of crimson and gold wings appeared behind her.

Charlie inched back. ‘Nice … colours.’ He gulped. ‘How comes you knew who I was and the others didn’t?’ His words came out breathless and with more tremor than he had intended.

Uriel laughed, as if he had told a joke, but when he frowned, she stopped. ‘Oh, you’re serious. I am the archangel Uriel.’ She said it as if it should have been obvious. ‘Do mortals not read these days? The archangels stand before the throne of God. We see all, hear all, and know all. We govern large groups of lesser angels –’

‘Wait,’ Charlie interjected. ‘You can see the future.’

‘And here I thought you had forgotten me.’ Uriel smiled.

Of course, Charlie wasn’t going to tell her he had acquired that information from Avaran. ‘So why not make it easy and tell me what I’m supposed to do.’

Uriel’s lips pursed. ‘It is forbidden. I have my orders ... No interfering. What’s more, the future is never fixed. It can always change.’

A thought occurred to Charlie. ‘You know why I’m here, don’t you?’

‘I do,’ Uriel confirmed. Charlie might have been imagining it, but he could have sworn she smiled, if only for a split second.

‘Aren’t you going to stop me?’

‘I cannot, for that would be interfering.’ Uriel half smiled and stepped aside.

Charlie had only taken a few steps towards the tunnel when she called to him. He stopped and turned to her.

‘You may not be able to die inside the garden,’ she said, ‘but they can expel you to another realm where you might find yourself entrapped.’

Charlie hadn’t known he couldn’t die inside the garden, but he did know who they were: the angels of death. Candra had informed him about the thirteen angels that serviced the garden and protected the way to the Tree of Life. He didn’t want to think about how he was going to get past them. His main priority was to find Derkein. He looked down the bright tunnel and took a deep breath. When he looked back at Uriel, she was gone.

As the gondola boat drifted down the narrow, clear river, parted by trees, Charlie scanned the mobile walkway on either side of him. It was made of pure gold upon which strolled the souls of mortals, heading towards the bright light at the other end of the river.

He saw no sign of Derkein, and it occurred to him then that it was possible he was still alive. If that was the case, the only thing he could think to do to help him was to restore the talisman. But how was he to do that when he didn’t know where to find the diamonds?

His focus drifted, and he observed the flower-strewn meadows and mountains all around him. They were a thing of exquisite beauty. There were even buildings in the distance. He couldn’t believe a place like this actually existed, much less right here on Earth.

The glow of the water provided great illumination as the boat drifted through a narrow tunnel. The ceiling was low, the walls close enough he could reach out and touch it. He glanced back at his escort, who was standing up, rowing them down the river, wearing a long black robe with the hood covering his head. The only time he had made eye contact with Charlie was when he had first entered the boat. Since then the angel had neither looked at nor said a single word to him.

After what felt like minutes, the boat emerged out of the tunnel, coming to the end of the river where the walkway continued on either side of him, which Charlie noticed was no longer mobile.

The boat stopped in front of a set of steps that rose out of the water. Charlie didn’t wait for his cue – his escort wasn’t much of a socialite. He got up and climbed the steps onto a platform at least ten feet away from the walkway. He turned round to thank the boatman, but he and the boat had vanished.

Turning back around, he started down the platform towards the line of souls, who were heading away from him. He caught sight of a building ahead that looked like an arena of some sort, made of limestone with a concrete footpath leading up to it. Surrounding the octagon-shaped arena were six towers with a green and purple fabric attached to each one, linking at the centre to form a roof.

Following the crowd, Charlie scanned the faces around him. ‘Derkein,’ he called out, but he received no reply. Strangely, he didn’t have to meander through the crowd, as it seemed whichever way he turned, the sea of souls parted to let him pass. He arrived at a set of steps leading up to the footpath. Making his way through the crowd, he came to the front of the queue and saw two shimmering beings dressed in white cloaks, a four-foot wooden stand with a book on top opened in front of them.

These angels of death were different from the image Charlie had formed in his head, which was a relief. First, he had always thought there was only one angel of death. Second, the angel he had seen in the hospital on that fateful night of August 12, 2008 looked nothing like the ones that stood before him now. The moment the man with three eyes and giant black wings had walked past him in the hospital, he had felt the presence of death. He had known before the doctor had told him: his dad had gone with the angel.

Charlie watched as two souls placed their hands on the open book. When they removed their hands, writings appeared where there had been none before. The souls then walked past the angels and up a flight of steps where two other angels awaited them. Arches surrounded the entire arena, and at the sides were two square, domed pavilions. Escorted by the two angels, the souls entered the pavilions. A bright white light filled the pavilions, and when the light vanished, Charlie saw that the souls had disappeared.

‘Once a soul is assigned to a realm, they cannot leave,’ he remembered Candra saying. Panicking, he retreated through the crowd. He rushed over to the railing and climbed onto it, his eyes drifting over the many souls.

‘Derkein,’ he called out. No reply. No one seemed to notice him. It was as if he didn’t exist. ‘Derkein.’

Finally, Charlie spotted a familiar young face looking towards the front of the arena and smiled. ‘Derkein!’ He wasn’t too late. He was about to make a move when he noticed the souls shifting around him, and a sudden feeling of dread took hold of him. Only one thing could part the sea of souls like that: angels.

Jumping off the railing, he dashed across the platform. ‘Derkein,’ said Charlie, as he approached him.

Derkein didn’t respond. He kept his gaze focused ahead of him, his expression neutral. It was as if he was in a trance.

‘Hey.’ Charlie reached out to touch him, but his hand went right through Derkein, and a warm tingle ran up his arm.

Derkein’s body shuddered, and he shook his head, as if snapping out of his reverie. He glanced at Charlie and smiled. ‘Charlie. What are you doing here?’ He scanned the surroundings, a bewildered expression on his face. ‘Where is here, exactly?’

Charlie’s gaze shifted to the crowd who were parting from both the front and the back of the queue. Go east, through the woods and over the bridge, the voice in his head said. Once again, it was as though his mind wasn’t under his control. Every so often, Sol managed to escape the pits of darkness, filling his mind with memories he had long forgotten.

Glancing towards the east, Charlie saw the woods. ‘I’ll explain later,’ he said to Derkein. ‘Follow me.’ He ran over to the railing, climbed onto it, and jumped onto the low-cut grass three feet below. Derkein appeared beside him, and they ran off towards the woods.

‘Come on,’ Charlie urged Derkein, who had stopped to admire the view.

‘This place is amazing,’ Derkein said in a dreamy voice.

‘Yeah, yeah, it’s beautiful, let’s go.’ The two of them bolted through the woods, passing a great waterfall. Left, the voice in Charlie’s head said, and he did as instructed. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that they were still alone.

‘How did we get here?’ Derkein asked.

Charlie was about to respond when he looked ahead and came to a sudden halt, Derkein mimicking him.

Two angels were standing before them. Charlie could just about make out a bridge some way behind them. He turned round and saw two more angels approaching.

‘This can’t be good,’ Derkein muttered.

Instinct took over, and Charlie slipped his hand inside the front of his shirt, took out the talisman, and removed it from around his neck. The angels eyed the object and inched back. ‘I don’t want to hurt anyone,’ Charlie said. ‘Just let us through.’

‘You may pass,’ one of the angels in front said, ‘but he stays.’ She directed her attention at Derkein.

Charlie clenched his jaw then turned to Derkein and whispered, ‘Follow me.’ He moved towards the angels in front, who, to his relief, backed off. ‘Come near us and you’ll get hurt.’ He sounded braver than he felt. With the angels obeying his orders, he and Derkein took off.

Shortly after, they came to the steps of the arched bridge that had a stream running beneath it. Halfway across the bridge, Charlie realised Derkein had stopped and turned to him. He watched as Derkein gazed at his reflection in the water, running a hand over his face with a look of shock and bewilderment gracing his features.

‘I don’t understand,’ Derkein said in a low voice. ‘How is this possible?’

Charlie glanced over his shoulder at the hill then looked back at Derkein, catching sight of the six glowing shapes in the distance. ‘I promise I’ll tell you everything, but we have to go.’

Derkein hesitated, and then he followed Charlie up the hill. When they reached the peak, they froze.

Standing on an island surrounded by water and woodland was the tree Charlie had seen in his vision. It was even bigger than he remembered, its silver branches extending to great lengths.

Wasting no time, they hurried down the hill, through the woodland, and stopped on the bank of the water.

The island was a good fifty feet away, but there was no way across the water. Charlie looked back at the woods. ‘I can do with a little help here, Sol,’ he muttered. He could feel Derkein’s gaze on him, but he kept his eyes on the woods. Any moment now, the angels would surround them. Though he had seen what the talisman could do without the black diamond, he wasn’t confident he could fight them off and protect Derkein at the same time.

He glanced at Derkein, who was still staring at him. It seemed Derkein had figured out what he was thinking, for he said, ‘I’ll go first.’ Before Charlie could protest, he plunged feet first into the dark water, disappearing beneath it.

When he didn’t resurface, Charlie panicked. ‘Derkein.’ He waited. ‘Derkein!’

‘Why are you yelling?’

Charlie jumped and looked at Derkein, who was standing beside him. ‘What did you see?’

Derkein furrowed his brow. ‘What did I see when?’

‘When you jumped in the water.’ Seeing the perplexed look on Derkein’s face, Charlie realised he had no recollection of what had just happened.

Derkein glanced down at the water then back at Charlie. ‘Do you want me to go first?’

Charlie didn’t get to respond as a noise behind him made him turn around, and he saw a glowing figure approaching. One by one, eight angels emerged from the woods.

Tightening his grip around the talisman, Charlie inched back.

‘Charlie!’ Derkein’s voice held shock.

Charlie glanced at him, but Derkein was looking at the ground. Following his gaze, he looked down and blinked, astonished.

He was standing on the surface of the water.

It made sense now why there wasn’t a bridge. Looking up, he saw the angels hurrying towards them. ‘Grab onto me,’ he demanded.

Derkein reached out, placing his hand on his shoulder, and they started across the water. Though he couldn’t feel Derkein’s hand, he felt a tingle of warmth in his shoulder. He looked back and saw the angels lining the bank, their expressions both eager and frustrated, and he realised then that they couldn’t cross. Only Rulers had access to the tree, and for the first time, he was thankful for being who he was.

Standing on the island, he and Derkein craned their necks as they gazed up at the silver trunk of Sephirah.

‘Wow,’ Derkein breathed. Charlie headed around the tree, and he pursued him. ‘I think now is about the time you tell me what’s going on. What is this place?’

Charlie climbed over a tree root. ‘It’s a garden.’

‘Hold on,’ Derkein demanded. ‘Are we talking about the Garden of Eden?’

Charlie stopped and turned to him. ‘Yes. We’re in the Garden of Eden.’ He continued around the tree. ‘We have to find a doorway.’ Realising Derkein wasn’t following him, he stopped, but he didn’t turn around.

‘Only Rulers can enter the garden,’ Derkein said in a faraway voice.

Charlie didn’t know how to respond. He had hoped to find the Etheric Plane before Derkein figured out the truth.

‘We were in the library storage room,’ Derkein said. ‘There was so much noise. And the light –’

Charlie interrupted him: ‘I’m going to fix everything, I promise.’ He turned round, and his legs almost buckled beneath him. The man with the giant black wings he had seen in the hospital on the day of his father’s death was standing behind Derkein, his eyes – all three of them – fixed on him.

A lump formed in Charlie’s throat. He was not so much afraid of the third eye on the angel’s forehead but more of the fierce look in his pupil-less, black eyes.

‘Who dares defy me?’ the angel said in a deep, cold voice.

Hearing the voice, Derkein turned around. Charlie wasn’t certain if the dead required oxygen, but Derkein’s face was turning from pale white to pale blue.

‘You must be Azrael, the archangel of death.’ Charlie’s voice shook. According to Candra, Azrael was the governor of the garden.

‘Death?’ said Derkein. ‘As in the Grim Reaper?’

Charlie noticed the scowl on the archangel’s face. ‘I don’t think he likes that name.’ Addressing Azrael, he said, ‘Look, I’m not trying to defy you or anything –’

‘What is your rank?’ Azrael demanded.

‘My rank?’ Charlie exchanged a glance with Derkein.

‘He wants to know your position,’ Derkein said. ‘To establish your authority, perhaps. Tell him you’re Sol.’

‘Oh, er, I’m Sol.’

‘You could try sounding a little more assertive,’ Derkein suggested.

Charlie tried again. ‘I’m King Sol, Ruler of the air –’

‘Earth,’ Derkein interjected.

‘Earth,’ Charlie corrected, ‘Ruler of the earth kingdom. Who knows, we could have even been friends in the past.’ Seeing the hard look on Azrael’s face, he added, ‘Or not.’

‘The mortal stays,’ Azrael ordered.

At that moment, Charlie felt a cool air on the back on his neck, and then a bright light engulfed him. He heard Derkein gasp, but he didn’t shift his gaze from Azrael. Lowering his voice so only Derkein could hear him, he whispered, ‘On three.’

Azrael’s eyes narrowed.

‘One,’ Charlie began.

The archangel clenched and unclenched his fists.

‘Two.’ Charlie gripped the talisman as a glow of white light formed in Azrael’s palms. ‘Three!’

Azrael fired two energy balls at Charlie, who held the talisman out before him. The first ball came within three inches of the talisman and deflected off into the distance, but the second ball deflected back at Azrael, hitting him in the chest, knocking him off his feet and sending him into the woods on the other side of the water.

‘Go!’ Charlie yelled, and he and Derkein jumped through the doorway. The image of the garden disappeared, as did all sounds. Charlie felt himself falling, but all he could see was a bright white light around him. He could neither hear nor see Derkein, but he felt his presence.

The next thing he knew, he was lying on soft grass, staring up at a blue sky. Sitting up, he saw that he was beside a pond, surrounded by trees. The colours around him were so bright and vibrant it was as if a watercolour painting had come to life. Floral smells assailed his nostrils, and he felt as if he could lie in the grass forever. But even in a place as beautiful as this, the real world never wandered far from his mind. Realising Derkein was nowhere in sight, he jumped up and scanned the surroundings. ‘Derkein,’ he called out.

‘Over here,’ Derkein called.

Slipping the talisman around his neck, Charlie followed his voice out of the forest and found him standing in a tulip meadow.

For a moment, he wondered if they had entered the right realm, but when he saw what Derkein was staring at, he was certain they were in the Etheric Plane.

The beam of light shining out of the never-ending sea was just how he had seen it in his vision. Two crystal palaces sat near the bank of the water, other crystal structures scattered around them. He could see why they call it ‘The Land of Dreams’.

Derkein turned to him. ‘You came to the garden for me, didn’t you?’ He gave Charlie a pained look. ‘Why?’

‘I’m just keeping a promise.’ Seeing the puzzled looked on Derkein’s face, Charlie said, ‘I’m writing my own destiny, just as you said I should.’ He paused for a moment. ‘My dad once said that destiny is something we choose to go after, and fate is something that happens to us. Fate might have brought us together, but destiny is what keeps us together.’

Derkein averted his gaze. ‘I’m going to get you killed.’

‘No you’re not. Look, all we have to do is enter the water. The light will take us back to the surface. You’ll be back to your old self –’ Charlie broke off at the sound of a voice behind him. He knew to whom it belonged. The same voice had lured him away from the maze. He spun around, and she was standing before him – the woman in the white gown. ‘Mum,’ he choked.

His mum smiled. ‘Yes, dear, it’s me.’ Her musical voice echoed all around him.

Charlie blinked. She’s not real, he told himself.

‘Don’t be afraid,’ his mum said.

He blinked again, but her ghostly figure remained.

‘You’re not dreaming, Charlie,’ Derkein said. ‘I see her, too.’

A glow of light materialised beside Charlie’s mum, and his heart stopped. He stared at his dad in shock. He blinked a third time to see if they would disappear like they usually did in his dreams, but they didn’t. ‘Dad!’ Tears filled his eyes.

‘Hoot,’ his dad said, smiling. ‘I’ve missed you, son.’

Charlie recalled what Avaran had said about the Etheric Plane: ‘It’s a place where you can have anything your heart desires.’ Ever since he found the entrance to the garden, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about his parents, but he still couldn’t fathom how they could be standing in front of him. Once assigned to a realm, a soul couldn’t leave it, so how did they?

As if reading his mind, his mum said, ‘We’re really here. We’ve been waiting for you. We knew you’d come.’

Charlie couldn’t help thinking about the memory Terra had shown him, the one with the drawings. ‘You knew, didn’t you?’ he said to his dad. ‘You knew about me.’

‘I knew you were different,’ his dad replied, ‘especially when you started talking to your invisible friend. I knew you were special, yes. I meant what I said that day.’ He glanced at Eleanor. ‘Your mum and I are proud of you.’

Charlie hung his head. ‘But I let you die.’ A warm tingling feeling tickled his chin, and he looked up. His mum wiped the tears from his eyes.

His dad rested a hand on his shoulder. ‘You have nothing to feel guilty about.’

‘You can’t come with me, can you?’ Charlie asked, but he already knew the answer.

‘No, dear,’ his mum said. She glanced at Derkein. ‘But you’ll be just fine.’

‘You can’t leave. I need you.’

‘We’ll always be with you, Hoot,’ his dad said. ‘Don’t you ever forget that.’

A noise like a mighty wind reached Charlie’s ears, and he stiffened. That niggling feeling he hated so much gripped him. The air was cold, and he smelled a musty scent that seemed out of place in this world.

‘We’re always here when you need us,’ his mum said, drawing his attention back to her. She held a hand over her heart. ‘Nothing will ever change that.’

The wind grew louder, and Charlie caught a movement in the forest behind his parents. The leaves were trembling, and the trees started to sway.

‘You have to go,’ his dad said, his voice urgent. ‘Now.’

Charlie didn’t move. Emerging out of the woods, uprooting the trees, was a giant whirlwind. He fixed his eyes on the dark figure standing in the centre of the tornado. Azrael!

‘Charlie, go,’ his mum demanded. ‘Now.’ His parents started to fade.

Charlie turned to Derkein. ‘Get in the water.’

‘Not without you,’ Derkein said.

Charlie looked back at his parents. He could barely make out their faces. ‘We love you,’ his mum’s distant voice said. ‘Always.’

‘Follow your heart, Hoot.’ His dad’s voice was like a whisper in the wind. ‘No matter the consequence.’

‘Mum, Dad,’ Charlie cried.

They were gone.

Charlie locked eyes with Azrael, and his nostrils flared. The angel had taken his parents away from him. He wasn’t about to let him take Derkein, too.

He and Derkein took off towards the sea. They were about twenty feet from the water when the wind picked up, dragging them back. They tumbled to the ground, crawling against the wind.

‘The mortal stays!’ Azrael’s deep voice boomed.

Seeing Derkein falling behind, Charlie pushed himself up, and the wind took hold of him, dragged him back, and slammed him against the ground. Flipping onto his stomach, he pushed himself up again, and the wind pulled him towards the tornado, which swallowed him.

He landed a few feet in front of the archangel. Charlie stood up, and despite being two heads shorter, he held his stance, his rage matching Azrael’s. ‘Let him go,’ he demanded.

‘All souls must arrive at their rightful destination.’ Azrael’s expression was unreadable, but when he glanced at the talisman, there was a small flicker of fear in his eyes. Then it was gone, and the coldness returned. ‘You will comply with my order.’

Charlie looked down at the talisman around his neck then back at Azrael, who seemed a little hesitant. Again, he found himself thinking over what Avaran had said about the Etheric Plane. There was only one thing left for him to do. ‘You can’t have him,’ he said. ‘Now leave.’

‘How easily you forget. This realm caters only for human desires.’

Charlie smiled. ‘I guess it’s my lucky day, then.’ The perplexed look on Azrael’s face was priceless. Charlie wished the moment could have lasted a little longer, but as the white spark burst out of the talisman and the tornado dispersed, he felt himself flying through the air, his heart jumping to his throat as he fell.

In a strange, semiconscious state, he hit the water.