Talisman of El

CHAPTER SEVEN



The Hidden Draw

HEARING FOOTSTEPS ON THE stairs, Charlie lay still in bed, his face turned to the wall. It had just gone ten, and he and Richmond had only made it home an hour ago. His bedroom door squeaked as it opened and then closed again. He listened as Jacob’s footsteps retreated down the hallway and then turned over onto his back. Rolling onto his stomach, he hung over the side of the bed and peeked under it. He just about made out Richmond’s form in the darkness.

‘You okay?’ he whispered.

‘Yeah,’ Richmond whispered back. ‘I can’t wait to search for the gateway tomorrow. I think we’ll find it.’

‘I hope so.’

‘Maybe you can use your psychic powers.’

Charlie smiled. ‘I’ll work on it. Night.’

‘Night.’

Lying on his back, Charlie stared into the darkness, his mind wandering. He still could not fathom the fact that Thomas Wakeman was Jacob’s father-in-law. It was strange enough that he had dreamt about Derkein, but now this. He didn’t know what to think anymore. All he knew was that if they didn’t find the gateway before it closed, at the rate Derkein was aging, he wouldn’t be around much longer. His eyelids started to flutter, and sleep eventually overcame him.

That night, Charlie had a dream.

He was standing in a misty forest, and all he could hear was his own breathing. Feeling a small pressure on his right shoulder, as if someone had touched him, he looked around but saw no one. The sound of footsteps disrupted the silence, and he jumped when a shadow ran past him.

‘Charlie.’ He recognised Derkein’s voice but couldn’t see him.

Another shadow ran past him whispering, ‘It’s coming.’

Charlie followed its direction, the sweet smell of nature familiar and welcoming. Soon, he came to an open glade. Although mist swamped the area, he could still see what was before him. It was a graveyard.

As he sauntered through the graveyard, his eyes sweeping over the surrounding gravestones, he felt as if there was an unseen presence with him, guiding him. He finally halted in front of a black granite gravestone with no inscriptions.

Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck prickle, he quivered and spun around.

‘Charlie,’ someone whispered behind him.

He turned back around and gasped. It was Derkein, but younger – the face from the passport – standing inches in front of him.

‘What, no flowers?’ Derkein said with a smile.

Charlie glanced around the graveyard, his grey eyes growing speculative. ‘What are we doing here?’

‘You can’t save everyone, Charlie.’

‘What are you talking about?’

Suddenly, familiar faces appeared around him: Richmond, Alex, Jacob, Ms. Trent, Josh, Damzel, Carla, Rebecca, Mrs. Dench ... There were other faces, too. Charlie spun in a circle.

‘It’s coming,’ Derkein said. ‘You can’t stop it.’

Charlie looked at him. ‘What’s coming?’

‘The end.’ At that moment, the earth opened and swallowed Derkein.

‘No!’ Charlie dropped onto his hands and knees and started digging. ‘Someone help –’

The people had disappeared, replaced by gravestones.

The graveyard seemed endless.

A low, rumbling growl reverberated in Charlie’s ears. Looking down, he saw two glowing red eyes staring at him through the dirt. Then two human-like furry hands with sharp claws burst out of the ground, grabbed his arms, and pulled him in –

Charlie jerked upright in bed. His eyes were wet with tears. It was still dark outside, and from the sound of the rolling thunder, a storm was brewing. He tried to make sense of his dream, but as his eyes adjusted to the dark, he became aware of a figure in his room, standing by the dresser.

Assuming it was Jacob, he sighed. ‘What now?’ When he got no reply, a sense of dread came over him, and in a quick flash, he switched his bedside lamp on.

A strong wind whipped around the room, and Charlie sheltered his eyes with his hands, his hair blowing wildly about his head. Once the wind eased, he opened his eyes and saw that the figure had vanished. He would have thought he had imagined it, but the evidence lay in the pieces of papers flying around the room.

‘Candra,’ he breathed. With all that had happened lately, he had about forgotten her until now. He found, to his surprise, that he was more curious than fearful. He was certain she had controlled the wind, just as she had done the night he had tried to escape. Knowing now that she wasn’t the product of his imagination, there could only be one other explanation: she’s Arcadian!

A clicking sound distracted him from the paper storm, and he looked at the door. Jacob was standing in the doorway, that disdainful look on his face. ‘Get dressed,’ he demanded.

Charlie looked up at the clock; it was nearing midnight. ‘What for?’ he asked, but he knew well what the man was talking about.

‘You bloody well know what for.’

‘No.’ Charlie’s voice was low, his eyes cast towards the floor, but he spoke with firm conviction. ‘I’m not doing it.’

Jacob stepped into the room and flicked the light switch on. Charlie blinked, momentarily blind. ‘You’ll do as I say.’

‘My dad didn’t bring me up to be a thief.’

‘Your dad stopped bringing you up when he decided to drop dead.’

Charlie fixed him with an angry glare. ‘I won’t do it.’

As if he had lost twenty pounds off his frame, Jacob dashed across the room and lunged at him, pinning him to the bed with his thick arms. ‘You listen to me,’ he spat. ‘You will do as I tell you, do I make myself –?’ He broke off in a cry of pain and backed away from Charlie, hopping on one foot.

‘Leave him alone.’ Richmond emerged from under the bed.

Jacob stared at him in stunned disbelief. ‘What the ...?’ He rubbed the part of his foot where Richmond had kicked him. ‘You have a stray sleeping under my roof.’

‘He’s not a stray,’ Charlie retorted.

‘I see what’s going on here. Think I’m dumb, do you? You brought him here so you two can steal my riches. Oh, I see what’s going on all right.’ Jacob’s face turned purple with fury.

Charlie stood up. ‘We don’t want your stupid money.’

Jacob glared at Richmond. ‘Get out of my house.’ He lunged at Richmond, grabbed his arm, and pulled him towards the door. Charlie wrenched himself between them, and Jacob released Richmond and grabbed hold of him instead, pushing him up against the door.

‘You ungrateful brat,’ Jacob spat.

‘Rich, run!’ Charlie yelled.

Jacob made a grab for Richmond as he dashed past him, but he missed, and Richmond disappeared down the stairs.

‘Charlie, come on,’ Richmond called.

‘Go,’ Charlie urged. He heard the door open, Richmond’s footsteps fading as he ran off.

Jacob shoved him inside the room and slammed the door shut, bolting it with a key. ‘You’ve brought me nothing but trouble,’ he yelled. ‘I’ll deal with you soon, boy. Nobody makes a fool of me.’

Charlie heard him stomp downstairs and leaned his back against the door. He thought about picking the lock but decided against it. If Jacob caught him, he’d be in more trouble.

As he stared at the papers scattered around his room, he noticed that the black box on top of the dresser was open. It was then he realised the papers were his mother’s letters.

Gathering all the letters, he started to place them back inside the box. As he was about to close the lid, he saw it: the hidden draw. He gazed at it with an odd combination of suspicion and curiosity. For four years, he’d been in and out of the box, but he had never seen the front draw.

Slowly, he pulled it open. Inside was an envelope. He saw his name written on the cover and recognised his mum’s handwriting. He took the envelope out and opened it.

My dearest Charlie,

I’m afraid this will be my last letter to you. First, let me say, I have never been more elated in my life than the day I found out I was pregnant with you. After learning that I could never have children, it was more than a miracle when I found out about you.

I don’t believe in many things, but for the last three months, I have seen things that are beyond anything I could ever have imagined. I have had dreams … about you. It scared me at first, but when I found out what was happening, I stopped being afraid for I realised the dreams were a gift. They were my gift for carrying you.

You are, as you by now might have suspected, different. The more you become aware of the world around you, the more you will start to see and feel things you won’t understand at first. Be not afraid, my child. Trust your heart. Remember, we all have a purpose on this earth – a destiny to fulfil. It is up to us to make the right choices.

You are a precious soul, my son. I have seen all that you were, and it is up to you to be all that you can be. Know that you are not alone. Don’t be afraid to follow your heart.

I love you. Till the day I die. And forever.

Mum

P.S. Arcadia awaits your return.

A loud bang echoed up to Charlie’s bedroom and startled him. His eyes darted to the clock; it was five a.m. He had been sitting on the floor for the past five hours re-reading the last letter his mother had written to him. He tried to make sense of it, but the more he thought about it, the more it unnerved him. I have seen all that you were, she had written. And how did she know about Arcadia? He wondered if he and his mum shared more than just DNA. Perhaps her dreams came true just as his did. It sure would explain the other two items that accompanied the letter.

At first, Charlie wasn’t sure what to make of them. The first was a logo depicting a tree growing out of an open book with the words

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

written below it. The second was an old map, which he didn’t think much of at first, until he saw one word: Eden.

He tried to convince himself there was no possible way he was in possession of a map of Arcadia, but no matter how many times he blinked or pinched himself, he was not dreaming.

Another bang distracted him, and he got off the floor and looked out the window. Through the pouring rain, he spotted Jacob hauling junk out of the garden shed. He ducked when Jacob looked up at his window. Looking out again, Charlie saw him with a shovel in his hand, and his pulse quickened. To his relief, Jacob threw the shovel down among the heap of junk.

Another hour flew by, and the banging had finally subsided. Charlie looked out the window. The rain was lighter now and had settled into a fine mist. He saw the pile of junk on the ground but no Jacob in sight. Then he heard banging downstairs. Jacob’s silence was worse than his threats.

Tap.

A sound at the window startled him, and he looked out. He saw nothing. It couldn’t have been Jacob, as he heard him downstairs. Besides, his custom was more bursting through doors than tapping on windows.

There was another tap, and Charlie saw something bounce off the window. When he looked out again, he saw two figures below and smiled.

It was Alex and Richmond. He had never been happier to see anyone. Now all he had to do was get out of the house unscathed.

On two occasions, he heard Jacob open the front door and curse before slamming it shut. Alex and Richmond were giving him a right work out. Charlie sniggered as he kneeled in front of his bedroom door, picking the lock.

At last, the door opened. With his bag on his back, he tiptoed out of the room.

The doorbell rang again.

‘Right. Let’s see you make fun of me now,’ he heard Jacob say.

Charlie listened to the man’s heavy feet stomping towards the front door. Looking down the stairs, he saw the door wide open, and he made his way down, heading towards the kitchen to make an exit out the back.

To Charlie’s relief, the kitchen door was unlocked. Slowly, he pulled it open and stepped outside.

‘Hey,’ Alex whispered behind him, frightening him half to death.

Charlie breathed a faint sigh and closed the kitchen door. The three of them turned to leave but froze as a bright light blinded their eyes.

When the light lowered from their faces, they saw Jacob holding a torch and a double barrel shotgun, pointing it directly at them. ‘Thought you’d be showing your face again,’ he said to Richmond.

‘You can’t do anything to us,’ Alex said.

‘No? You’re trespassing on private property. I’ll have you know I can do whatever the hell I want,’ Jacob said with a grim smile.

‘Let them go,’ Charlie pleaded.

‘Shut it, boy. Move,’ Jacob demanded.

Walking backwards, the trio moved towards the shed.

‘You can’t do this,’ Alex cried.

‘Get in,’ Jacob said.

Alex and Richmond entered the shed, while Charlie lingered in the doorway, his eyes on the shotgun grasped in Jacob’s hands as if it were his life savings.

‘Why are you doing this?’ Charlie asked.

‘I wasn’t expecting this much company,’ Jacob said, as if he hadn’t spoken. ‘It’s a good thing I cleared up. Get in.’

Charlie remained where he was, his body tensed, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. Jacob inched closer to him. Feeling a pressure on his arm, Charlie glanced behind him at Alex, whose anxious expression was pleading. He relaxed his shoulders, glanced back at Jacob, and took a few steps back, moving farther inside the shed.

‘You’ll be sorry,’ Richmond warned.

Jacob laughed. ‘What can a little runt like you do to me?’ He locked the shed door with a padlock, gazed at them through the rain-drenched window with a sinister smile, and then walked away.

‘You shouldn’t have come here,’ Charlie said.

‘As if we were going to leave you,’ Alex said with a tremble in her voice.

Charlie started pacing between the door and the back wall of the shed. ‘You don’t know what he’s like. He’s not just evil, he’s also crazy.’

Alex grabbed his hand, forcing him to stop. She tilted her head, studying him. ‘You’re hiding something.’

‘No I’m not.’ Charlie’s voice squeaked. He had decided not to tell them about Candra, his mother’s letter, or the map, as he thought it would have been a sure-fire way to send them running – away from him, not towards him.

‘You have that look,’ Alex observed. ‘It’s as if you’re here but not really here.’

Charlie sighed. ‘If I tell you, you’ll think it’s weird.’

‘Charlie. We’re searching for a world at the centre of the earth.’

Charlie paused, realising she had a point. He took his bag off his shoulder, knelt down, and opened it. ‘My dad used to give me a letter and a gift from my mum every year, right up to my tenth birthday.’ He laid the bag’s contents out on the ground. There were two head torches, a golden compass, a coil of rope, and a handful of glow sticks.

‘I thought your mum died in childbirth,’ Alex said, puzzled.

‘She did.’ He looked up at them. ‘It gets stranger. I found this in a box she left me for my tenth birthday.’ He handed Alex the letter. ‘It was in a hidden draw.’

Alex read the letter aloud. When she finished, she looked at Charlie. ‘Your mum wrote this before you were born?’

Charlie nodded. ‘She even left me these gifts.’ He looked at the objects on the floor; some of them he had never had use for … until now. She knew, he thought. She knew we’d be searching for the gateway. Maybe that’s what she meant –

‘She said she had dreams about you.’ Alex took the thought right out of his head. ‘You had a dream about Derkein before you even met him. Maybe whatever happened to your mum is happening to you. It could be genetic. Richmond could have been right. Maybe you are psychic.’

‘I knew it,’ Richmond said triumphantly.

Alex read from the letter. ‘“Arcadia awaits your return”. What’s that supposed to mean? You’ve never been to Arcadia. Have you?’

‘Of course not,’ Charlie replied. ‘I never even heard of the place until I had that dream about Derkein.’ He reached into the bag, pulled out the two parchments he had found with the letter and handed Alex the map. She and Richmond studied it.

‘Eden,’ Alex whispered. Then she gasped. ‘This is a map of Arcadia!’

‘How’d you get it?’ Richmond asked.

‘It was with the letter,’ Charlie answered. ‘So was this.’ He showed them the logo of the tree growing out of the open book. ‘The map I understand, but this … I have no clue.’

Richmond took the paper from him and gazed at the logo.

‘Maybe it’s a sign,’ Alex said. ‘Okay, so knowledge is about learning, right? So, maybe it has something to do with school.’ She chewed on her bottom lip, a constipated look on her face.

Charlie tried to hold back laughter as he watched her. ‘Don’t hurt yourself.’

Alex gave him a hard look. ‘Okay, Genius, you tell us what it means.’

‘Look,’ Charlie said, ‘for all we know it could mean we should climb a tree –’

‘I’ve seen this before,’ Richmond interrupted.

Alex and Charlie exchanged stunned glances.

‘You have?’ Alex asked. ‘Where?’

Richmond paused to think, and then he frowned. ‘I can’t remember.’

‘Rich,’ Alex said in a calm tone, ‘this could be a clue to the gateway.’

‘I’m thinking. I can’t remember where I saw it.’

‘Think harder.’

Charlie knelt down and started packing the contents back inside his bag. ‘We have to go.’

‘Go where?’ Alex asked.

‘We have the compass. We’ll just stick with the plan.’ Alex didn’t look convinced. Glancing up at Richmond, Charlie said, ‘Think faster.’

‘Hey, no one told me I had to remember stuff,’ Richmond complained.

Slipping his arms through the bag straps, Charlie heaved it onto his back and stood up. ‘On three, we kick the door down.’

‘He’s got a gun,’ Alex reminded him. ‘Let’s try not to get ourselves killed –’

A piercing screech, which shook the shed, put an end to their conversation. The trio covered their ears. When the screeching stopped, they looked out the window and could just about make out Derkein standing in the garden by the kitchen window. To get his attention, they started banging on the door.

When Jacob came bursting out of the house, they fell silent.

Jacob, oblivious to Derkein’s presence, rushed over to the shed and peered through the window at them. He yelled something, but they couldn’t hear him through the shed walls and the rain.

The trio’s gaze shifted to Derkein, who had just sneaked into the house.

‘What is he doing?’ Alex asked.

Seconds later, Derkein came back out of the house. When he approached the shed, they saw that he was holding the shotgun, pointing it at Jacob, who was still shouting at the kids and had no idea what was happening behind him.

Derkein stopped. He must have said something because Jacob’s mouth closed, and his eyes widened. For the first time, a spasm of fear flashed across his face. He turned his back to the trio.

Derkein threw something at his feet. Jacob glanced down but didn’t move, at which point Derkein pointed the shotgun to the side, positioned downwards, and fired.

The trio jumped.

Jacob bent down, and when he stood up again, he turned back to the shed, his expression mortified as he unlocked the door.

As the trio stepped out of the shed, Richmond sneered at Jacob. ‘Not so tough now.’

‘What took you so long?’ Alex asked Derkein.

‘Cut me some slack here,’ said Derkein. ‘I’m not as fast as I used to be.’

‘Who the hell are you?’ Jacob asked Derkein.

‘If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me.’ Derkein looked down at the shotgun then back at Jacob. ‘I don’t suppose a hot beverage would be on offer before we head off.’ Jacob’s eyes narrowed. ‘Guys, I believe we have overstayed our –’ Derkein bent forward, clutching his stomach. The gun lowered, and he sank to his knees, crying out in agony.

Jacob and the trio froze. The latter knew what was happening, but it was the first time they were witnessing Derkein ageing. It was horrifying. The veins thickened beneath his skin. His hands became noticeably thinner and more wrinkled; his bones bubbled and boiled as they became more visible, and the last strands of black hair on his head turned grey.

‘Derkein,’ Alex cried. She made a move towards him, but Charlie grabbed her. Derkein’s uncontrollable twitching would surely have harmed her.

At last, the cries stopped. Derkein was lying on his back, his chest rising and falling rapidly as the rain beat against his face.

Charlie spotted the shotgun a few feet away from Derkein. He and Jacob locked eyes, and they both made a go for the gun.

Charlie was in the lead, but Jacob grabbed a lock of his hair, pulled him back, and tossed him head first onto the ground. Pushing himself up, Charlie stuck his leg out, tripping Jacob, who went down, landing with a loud thud as his stomach made contact with the ground. Getting onto his hands and knees, Charlie began to crawl towards the gun when he felt a pressure around his ankles. Jacob flipped him onto his back and pounced on top of him, his hands locked around his throat.

Charlie tried to push Jacob off him, but the weight of his guardian was too much for him. He couldn’t breathe. He heard muffled screams and felt his consciousness slipping away. Then a sound reached him through the silence: a thunderclap. The pressure loosened around his throat, and the earthy, moist scent of damp mud rushed into his nostrils and mouth as he gasped it in.

As Charlie’s breathing went back to normal, he sat up and saw Alex holding the shotgun, pointing it at Jacob, who had his head clasped in his hands, groaning in pain.

Richmond helped Charlie up.

‘We better go before someone comes,’ Alex said. She handed Richmond the shotgun, and then she and Charlie helped Derkein to his feet.

The four of them made their way around the side of the house, Richmond in the lead.

When they reached the front of the house, Richmond halted. ‘That’s it,’ he exclaimed. ‘It was at the library ….’ He spun around, the shotgun held loosely in one hand, the barrel pointing at the others.

With caution, Charlie moved towards him and took the shotgun out of his hand.

‘I remember where I saw the logo,’ Richmond went on. ‘It was at the library in Street.’

‘Good job, Rich,’ Alex said. ‘All we have to do now is figure out how to get there. Do buses run this early?’

Glancing over Richmond’s shoulder, Charlie’s gaze fixed on the Morris Minor, and a thought came to him. He looked up at the two-storey red brick cottage, dual pitch, tiled canopies shading the windows and the front door. His eyes trailed the red rose vines that ran along the front wall. The cottage looked like something out of a fairy tale. Charlie couldn’t help but wonder how something so beautiful could house such evil. His hands throbbed as his grip tightened around the shotgun.

‘Charlie,’ Alex said, reclaiming his attention. ‘What do we do now?’

‘Wait here,’ Charlie said, and he hurried back the way they had come.

‘Where are you going?’ Alex called after him.

‘I’ll be back in a sec,’ he yelled to her before disappearing around the side of the house. When he got to the back garden, he saw Jacob still on the ground, his body hunched over as he cradled his head. Charlie entered the kitchen and headed straight for the hallway. He went over to the coat hook and rested the shotgun beneath it. Rifling through Jacob’s coat, he pulled out a set of keys, and then made his way out the front door.

‘Is someone going to clue me in?’ Derkein asked, as Charlie approached them.

‘We’ll tell you on the way,’ Charlie said. He held the keys up. ‘You’re old enough to drive, right?’