Talisman of El

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO



A Visitor Calls

THE FRIES ON CHARLIE’S plate had gone cold by the time he remembered them. His housemates and the head of Alpha Children’s Home, Marz Gabler, had returned to the bowling lanes for round two of their match. All eight kids from Alpha were present. Five boys teamed up against three girls (Gabler on the girl’s team).

‘I could reheat those for you,’ a familiar voice said, startling Charlie. He looked at Candra, who was sitting on the stool to his right.

‘Will you quit doing that,’ he snapped. ‘You can’t keep popping up all over the place.’

‘Need I apologise for the bathroom incident again?’

Charlie cringed and glanced around him. ‘Don’t say that out loud.’

‘No one can see me.’

‘So, I look like I’m talking to myself. Yeah, that makes me feel so much better.’

Candra leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. ‘Are you going to sit here all day while everyone celebrates your birthday?’

Charlie sighed. He hadn’t been looking forward to this day: his fifteenth birthday, the fifteenth anniversary of his mother’s death and the fifth anniversary of his father’s death. All in one day. To change the subject, he asked, ‘Aren’t you boiling in that thing?’ He indicated at her crimson cloak. ‘Why don’t you try something more summery?’

‘I’m a Guardian. This is our dress code. And no, I’m not boiling. I can alternate my body temperature.’

‘Lucky for some.’ Charlie wiped a bead of sweat from his forehead. Although he was only wearing jeans and a vest top, it was still too much for the heat wave. ‘I hate hot climates.’

‘Of course you do, you’re from the earth kingdom. We prefer colder climates.’

‘Wait a minute. You’re from the earth kingdom, too, so how comes you can control the wind and turn into a flying horse? Beings from the earth kingdom don’t have those abilities.’

‘You’re finally starting to ask the right questions.’ Candra started to trace a symbol on the table with her index finger. When she finished, he saw a five-pointed star engraved in the wood, smoke rising from it. ‘Do you know what this is?’

He had seen the same symbol inside the Tower of Pir. ‘It’s a pentagram,’ he replied. ‘It represents unity of the four elements.’

‘Correct. All members of the Legion have the symbol of their element imprinted on the back of their necks – like a birthmark.’ She turned her back to him and parted her auburn hair with her fingers, revealing a pentagram symbol on the back of her neck.

Charlie thought about the birthmark on his neck. ‘Kinda looks like a star,’ Richmond had said. Now that he thought about it, it looked like a pentagram. ‘Are you saying my birthmark is a symbol of my element?’

‘You catch on quickly,’ said Candra, a small smile on her lips.

‘But that’s the symbol of all the elements.’

‘Exactly. You can control all four elements, and as your Guardian, I, too, share the same abilities.’

‘Are we the only ones who can control all the elements?’

‘Yes. As a human, you are more liable to damage, so you needed to survive long enough to fulfil your covenant. With the powers of the four elements, you can fend off any attack. But, of course, you would first have to know how to control the elements, which requires training.’

‘Hey, you’re the one who kept this a secret for fourteen years,’ Charlie retorted. ‘Maybe I wouldn’t be so useless if you’d told me the truth a long time ago.’

‘You know that wasn’t my decision.’

‘Yeah, but it wasn’t an oath. You didn’t have to do it, so why did you?’

‘Because …’ Candra trailed off, her green eyes clouded with unexpected melancholy. ‘Your mother trusted me. And she was right. If I had told you the truth years ago, you would have been different. Angels and humans aren’t the same. We don’t think the same. Your mother wanted to separate the human from the angel, to make sure your past self didn’t cloud your judgement. I did what she asked. Now we have to do what we must to stop Gaddis.’

Charlie turned away from her. ‘And what if I can’t? What if I lose and he gets the talisman? I can’t save billions of people.’ His voice lowered. ‘I can’t even save one. I have no living relatives, Candra. Either I have bad luck or I’m an angel of death. Either way, people drop like flies around me.’

‘I hate to say it, Charlie, but people die every day, and it has nothing to do with you. Your mother, she had a terminal illness. She lived longer because of you. You didn’t cause the tornado, and you didn’t attack Derkein.’

‘Can we not talk about this?’ Charlie’s body was shaking. Ever since he returned to Alpha eight weeks ago, he hadn’t been able to get the image of Derkein out of his head. Every day he wished it had all been a dream, that he had never went to live with Jacob. Life would have been easier that way. Losing Derkein had been like losing his parents all over again.

‘I didn’t mean to upset you,’ Candra said, ‘but time is running out. We have little over two years to put things right. We made a covenant –’

‘Since God decided to take my memories away, you’re going to have to remind me what that is.’

‘To restore the talisman before Gaddis does. If we fail, it will be the end of human civilisation, as we know it.’

‘What do you mean, “As we know it”? I thought when one civilisation ended another one began. That’s what Avaran said.’

‘That has been the case in the past, but not anymore. This is the last straw.’ After a short pause, Candra said, ‘You need to learn to use your abilities, because if you die, Charlie ... the world dies with you.’

Charlie glanced away from her and sat back, deep in thought. Some birthday it was turning out to be. Not only did he have to think about the losses the day carried with it, he now had to add to that in the region of billions. The world truly was on the brink of extinction.

‘Hey,’ Gabler said, as he sat in the seat to Charlie’s left. ‘You seem as if you’re miles away.’

Charlie turned to him and noticed Gabler looking past him. For a second, he thought he could see Candra, until he turned round and saw that she had vanished. What Gabler was looking at was the small, metal treasure chest on the table. Charlie spotted a card beneath it, picked it up, and read it:

I thought this would be a better storage place than in the floor.

He pocketed the note and the treasure chest.

‘From an admirer?’ asked Gabler, a grin on his face. ‘Far from it.’ Charlie didn’t know what Candra was. A friend, his Guardian, his enemy … Avaran had warned him against her, but he still didn’t know how he felt about her.

Gabler leaned forward. Taking a handkerchief from the pocket of his Burberry t-shirt, he dabbed at the sweat beading from his clean white scalp. ‘I know this day brings back horrible memories for you, but it wouldn’t be wrong if you wanted to enjoy yourself. You needn’t feel guilty.’

‘I’m fine. It’s just one day. No big deal.’

Sadness swept over Gabler’s gaunt face. ‘You know you can talk to me, don’t you?’

Charlie nodded.

‘Good.’ Gabler pulled something out of his pocket. It was a small, black leather case. ‘Happy Birthday.’

‘Thanks.’ Charlie opened the case and pulled out a brass spotting scope, corroded in places but in otherwise good condition.

‘When I first moved in with my adoptive parents, I used to have nightmares,’ Gabler said. ‘It was always the same one. I was stuck in an empty house in the middle of nowhere. Every time I tried to run away I’d end up back at that same empty house.’ He looked off into the distance, as if lost in his past. ‘It happened night after night, until it came to a point where I’d go days without sleeping. After moving from foster home to foster home, I didn’t think there would come a time when I’d have a stable family, so when it did happen, I was afraid they’d disappear. My father gave me that scope and told me that if ever I got lost all I had to do was look through it and it would guide me home. He said it was a magic map.’ He smiled.

‘Did it work?’ Charlie asked.

‘It did. Of course, it had nothing to do with magic. The scope belonged to my father’s granddad. It meant a lot to him, and that he gave it to me made me feel as if I was part of the family. No matter what happens, I want you to remember that you’ll always be part of this family.’

‘I can’t take this.’ Charlie put the scope back inside the case and pushed it towards Gabler. ‘It means a lot to you.’

‘So do you. Look, we may not be the most conventional group, but we are a family. I’m sorry it didn’t work out with Jacob.’ Of course, Charlie could not share his grief on that matter. ‘I don’t want you to give up hope.’ Gabler pushed the scope back to him. ‘I found my perfect family. You will, too. Besides, you don’t want to stick around here and turn out like me, do you?’

Charlie half smiled. It was the first smile he had managed in weeks. ‘You’re not that bad.’

Gabler returned the smile. ‘Thanks. You aren’t too bad yourself. So, how about we finish this game? The girls are killing you.’

‘That is embarrassing. I’ll be there in a sec.’

Gabler got up and started to head back towards the group when Charlie called to him. Holding up the scope, Charlie said, ‘Thanks.’

‘You’re welcome, kiddo,’ Gabler said, and he walked off.

Charlie slouched back in his seat, thinking about what Gabler had said about not giving up, and he wondered what his parents would have thought had they been there –

With a jolt, he sat up. He realised that he hadn’t thought about his parents for some weeks – eight to be exact. All that had been on his mind were Derkein, Alex and Richmond. At that moment, a strange feeling overcame him that caught him by surprise. It wasn’t guilt. It was relief. He felt as if a long weight had suddenly lifted off his shoulders. All he had ever wanted was to be with his parents, yet the only people he wanted to see at that precise moment were his friends, and he felt his heart leap with joy.

‘Hey, Space Cadet,’ his housemate, Peter, said. ‘What’d you get?’ He sat down. Charlie looked at his trademark toothcomb wedged in his afro, and a horrible thought struck him: What would happen if he fell on his head?

‘Yeah, Chaz, what’d you get?’ Jeff asked, planting his thick arms on the table as he sat in Gabler’s seat. His round face was ghastly pale, and his spiky, red hair only made him stand out more. Wherever Peter was, Jeff would also appear. They were like inseparable twins, except they weren’t brothers, just best friends. They were both sixteen, born in the same month, and had parents who had an insatiable addiction to recreational drugs. Both were also completely head over heels in love with themselves.

Charlie took the scope out and showed it to them.

Peter grabbed it out of his hand. ‘Captain Jack Sparrow, at your service.’ Charlie and Jeff laughed. Extending the scope, Peter held it up to his eye and scanned the surroundings. After a few seconds, his head stopped moving, and he grinned. ‘Hello, pretty ladies,’ he said in what sounded like a Russian accent.

Charlie and Jeff followed his gaze and spotted four girls in a lane not far from them.

‘You’re such a perv,’ Charlie acknowledged.

‘A man’s got needs,’ said Peter, a smug grin on his face.

‘Ain’t that the truth.’ Jeff snatched the scope from Peter and spied on the girls. ‘The brunette’s mine.’

Charlie and Peter locked eyes and snickered.

Jeff lowered the scope and looked at them. ‘What? Brunette’s and redhead’s complement each other. Look, she’s hot, I’m hot, the end.’

‘Which one you talking about?’ Peter asked. There were two brunettes, one with black hair, and another who had dyed her hair every colour of the rainbow.

Jeff turned his attention back to the girls. ‘The one with the straight hair.’ The girls noticed the boys watching them and started whispering to one another.

Charlie locked eyes with the girl Jeff was talking about. Her loose hair, parted in the middle, fell down to her shoulders, covering most of her face. She reminded him of Alex. Averting his eyes from the girls, he grabbed the scope from Jeff and put it back inside its case.

‘I fancy me some Skittles,’ Peter said, licking his lips as he stared at the rainbow girl. ‘Oh, yeah, she wants me.’ He nudged Charlie as he got up. ‘Let’s go.’

Charlie glanced at Alex’s look-alike, who was staring at him. ‘I’ll pass.’

‘Oh come on, mate,’ Peter pleaded, ‘team work.’

Charlie shook his head.

Jeff stood up. ‘We don’t need the chick magnet. The ladies love us.’

‘Yeah, the ladies love us,’ Peter mimicked. ‘Watch and learn.’ He and Jeff headed off towards the girls.

Charlie watched, though he knew what the outcome would be, for he had seen it many times before. Despite their cockiness, the boys were entertaining. They went and sat beside the girls, who, from Charlie’s viewpoint, looked both wary and unimpressed.

After a few minutes, the boys headed back over to Charlie, a defeated look on their faces.

‘Too frigid,’ Jeff said.

‘She looked different up close,’ was Peter’s excuse.

Feeling a great desire to laugh, Charlie bit his lip. ‘Their loss,’ he said. ‘Come on, we’re losing, big time.’ Pocketing the scope, he got up, and the three of them rejoined their group.

Situated in the quiet Thameside suburb of Brentford, Alpha Children’s Home (aka Never Land) was a home for kids aged between ten and eighteen who had suffered great losses or whose parents had neglected them. The house was large, and for the most part, noisy. There were fourteen rooms and a huge back garden.

Charlie was sitting on his bed, holding the treasure chest Candra had given him four days ago. ‘Goal,’ someone shouted from outside. He placed the chest down on the bed, got up, and walked over to the double casement window, which overlooked the front of the house. Some of the Alpha kids were playing football with the neighbourhood kids in the small quad area across the street.

As he watched the kids playing, he thought back to the first day he arrived at Alpha – how they had to restrain him to get him out of the car. For days, he had refused to talk, eat, or sleep. Day and night, he would stand at the window, watching and waiting for the day his dad would come for him. Now, five years on, he neither watched nor waited.

Turning his back to the window, he surveyed the room. The wardrobe on the left, the desk and chair beside the window, the wall shelf above his bed, even the 1955, silver Porche Spyder poster on the door next to his bed was just how he had left it. The blue wall held no photos. They never had in the two years he had been living at Alpha.

He walked back over to the bed and knelt down beside it. Ducking under the bed, he opened a floorboard and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He unfolded the paper and took out the talisman. Opening the treasure chest with the key he had found inside it, he placed the talisman inside the box, locked it, walked over to the desk, and placed it inside the draw. Dangling the key by its shoelace chain, he placed it around his neck and tucked it inside his shirt.

He stood by the desk for a moment, thinking about the conversation he’d had with Candra. He hadn’t spoken to her in a few days, but he hadn’t stopped thinking about the fact that the fate of the world rested in his hands. Just a few months ago, he was a semi ordinary boy starting a new life, and now, he was an avatar with a mission he didn’t want but knew he couldn’t walk away from.

Heading back to the bed, he plopped down onto it, gazing up at the ceiling. His parents were gone. Derkein was gone. His mind ran on Alex, who was back in West Sussex, and Richmond, who … well, he didn’t know where he was. His bedroom door burst open, interrupting his train of thought, and Peter and Jeff entered.

‘Hey, Chaz,’ Jeff said, ‘you gotta see this. It’s sick.’ He and Peter dashed over to the window. Charlie rolled his eyes. He didn’t have enough fingers to count the amount of times they rushed into his room insisting he had to see something. Most of the time they swore they spotted a UFO, though it always disappeared in the few seconds it took Charlie to look out the window.

‘You should put up a welcome sign so they know you’re friendly,’ Charlie teased.

‘Fine, don’t look,’ Peter said. ‘But if he gives us a ride, you’re not invited.’

Charlie jumped up and hurried over to the window. Looking over Jeff ’s shoulder – for Peter was too tall – he spotted a grey Aston Martin SUV Lagonda outside the house. ‘Whoa!’ he said.

‘Double whoa,’ said Peter.

Gabler hadn’t mentioned anything about visitors, so Charlie was curious as to what a car like that was doing in a place like this. ‘Relative?’

‘In our dreams,’ Jeff said.

The kids that were playing in the quad had now surrounded the car.

Charlie heard footsteps on the stairs, and within seconds, his bedroom door opened. Turning around, he saw Kylie standing in the doorway. She and her twin sister, Kayla, shared the room opposite his. They were the only other orphans in the home, twelve years old, and only the parting in their blond hair differentiating them.

Charlie caught a glimpse of his housemates in the hallway before Kylie shut the door.

‘You have to be the luckiest person I know,’ she said, her blue eyes sparkling. ‘Gabler wants to see you.’

‘Why?’ Charlie asked.

Shock crossed Kylie’s face. ‘Parked outside is thee best car I have ever seen, which means the owner’s loaded, and you want to know why Gabler wants to see you. I wish he wanted to see me.’

Peter cocked an eyebrow at Charlie. ‘You got some rich uncle you ain’t told us about?’

Charlie sneered. ‘Yeah. I also have an aunt who rides a flying carpet.’

‘He’s probably just a counsellor,’ Peter said.

‘Or maybe he’s an undercover reporter who wants to see if you’re real,’ Jeff teased. ‘You know, the boy who vanished.’

‘And still won’t tell his friends the truth,’ Peter interjected.

‘Who are you to say he’s not telling the truth?’ Kylie said in Charlie’s defence.

‘Are you still here?’ Peter said. Kylie narrowed her eyes at him then turned round and stormed out of the room, closing the door behind her. Peter returned his attention to Charlie. ‘Well?’

Charlie headed towards the door. ‘I told you, I don’t remember.’

‘Oh come off it. You disappeared for three months and then turned up out of nowhere. You must remember something. I thought we were mates.’

Charlie stopped, his hand gripping the doorknob. He let it go and turned to them. ‘You won’t believe me.’

Peter and Jeff exchanged curious glances. ‘The aliens took you, didn’t they?’ Peter asked.

‘Will you quit with the alien stuff,’ Charlie snapped. He hesitated a moment and then inched away from the door. ‘I wasn’t abducted.’

‘It was that Willoughby bloke,’ said Jeff, his eyes wild with anticipation. ‘He kidnapped you, didn’t he? That’s why the police are after him.’

‘No, I ...’ Charlie glanced over his shoulder at the door and then advanced farther into the room. He lowered his voice. ‘I went to the centre of the earth. There’s another world there. Guys, angels live below us.’

A short silence followed. Then Peter and Jeff doubled over in laughter. Charlie rolled his eyes, turned round, and headed for the door.

‘Stick with the amnesia, Space Cadet,’ Peter called after him.

When Charlie stepped into the hallway, there was a sudden hush, and then everyone started talking at once. He got to the bottom of the stairs and paused outside Gabler’s office. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door.

‘Come in,’ Gabler called.

Charlie went inside. He saw Gabler at his desk and the visitor standing by the window with his back to him, dressed in black trousers and a white shirt.

‘Don’t look so worried,’ Gabler said. ‘You’re not in any trouble.’

Charlie closed the door, but he didn’t sit down. The office was the warmest room in the building with antique oak furniture. He inhaled the aroma of lavender-scented candles. The large bay window to the right of Gabler’s desk overlooked the front garden. Apart from the stuffed stag head that hung on the wall behind the desk, it was a hospitable room.

‘As you can see,’ Gabler went on, ‘we have a visitor.’ He gestured at the man by the window. ‘You might be wondering why I called you. This gentleman contacted me a few weeks ago enquiring about you. I believe you know him.’

Charlie stole a glance at the man out of the corner of his eye. He was tall, medium built, with shoulder-length black hair.

‘Your father and I were old friends.’ The man’s voice was low. ‘I hadn’t seen him in a few years, and I only recently found out about his passing. I’m very sorry for your loss.’ Something stirred inside Charlie at the sound of the man’s voice. Less recognition than a fleeting sensation of acquaintance, he told himself. ‘It’s been a while since I last saw you, so you might not remember me.’ The man turned round, and Charlie gasped.

Derkein? he thought, and then he said it aloud. The shock came out in his voice.

Derkein smiled. ‘Yes, Charlie. It’s me.’

Charlie stared at Derkein, the young man from his dream, with probing intensity. Derkein started to walk towards him, but he stepped back, and Derkein stopped.

Derkein’s expression was unreadable but for the flicker of hope in his olive eyes. ‘I know it’s a shock,’ he said in a soft voice. ‘But I’m all right now.’

Charlie clenched his jaw, his conflicting emotions making it hard for him to think straight. His heart said one thing; his head said another. He didn’t know what had happened to Derkein in the Etheric Plane. All he remembered was hitting the water then waking up in a hospital. For a moment, he considered ignoring his doubts. He was in shock, not thinking rationally. Then he snapped out of it, reminding himself that fallen angels could appear as anyone. Candra had said there was a difference between humans and Arcadians, and that he could tell them apart if only he knew how to tap into his abilities. Nevertheless, there was one other way he could think of to discover the truth.

‘Wait here,’ he said and dashed out of the room. His housemates, who had been eavesdropping, parted an aisle for him as he ran upstairs. He entered his bedroom, dashed over to the desk, opened the draw, and took out the treasure chest.

When he returned to the office, he found Derkein and Gabler in the same position he had left them. He went over to Derkein and held his hand out. ‘You gave me this.’

Derkein looked down at the talisman. ‘You kept it.’

Charlie smiled. ‘It helped me a lot. But, since you’re here now, I don’t need it anymore. So I want you to have it.’

Derkein hesitated. ‘No, you keep it. It belongs to you.’

‘I just want you to hold onto it for me. Just for a little while.’

Derkein inched closer to him, his intense gaze burning into Charlie. Resting a hand on Charlie’s shoulder, he whispered, ‘You’re always so thoughtful.’ Had it not been for the twinkle of amusement in his eyes, Charlie might have felt intimidated.

‘Of course I’ll hold onto it.’ He took the talisman from Charlie and placed it around his neck.

Charlie’s heart leaped. ‘I knew it!’ He threw his arms around Derkein. ‘It worked. It really worked.’