Free Talisman of El by Alecia Stone Page B

it?’
    ‘I think I’m crazy,’ he confessed. He stood up and ambled across the room. After a few deep breaths, he turned round and looked at Derkein. ‘This can’t be happening.’
    ‘I’ve told myself that every day for the last month,’ Derkein said. ‘It’s hard to accept something so … bizarre. If it wasn’t happening to me, I wouldn’t believe it, either.’
    ‘No, you don’t get it. You can’t be here …’ Charlie paused. ‘Why are you here?’
    ‘I’m looking for someone.’
    Charlie thought back to the dream, trying to remember what Derkein’s father had said. Then it came to him. ‘Thomas,’ he muttered.
    A tentative look crossed Derkein’s face as he weighed up what Charlie had said. He got to his feet and shot a nervous glance out the window. Charlie noticed him clutching something inside his coat, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it was the talisman.
    ‘What’s going on?’ Alex asked.
    ‘How do you know about Thomas?’ Derkein growled.
    Alarmed, Alex and Richmond jumped up and scuttled over to Charlie.
    ‘Who are you?’ Derkein’s suspicious eyes flickered between the window and Charlie. ‘You’re one of them, aren’t you?’ He put his hand inside his trouser pocket and pulled out a twoblade pocketknife.
    The trio pulled back, their frightened eyes fixed on the sharp blades.
    ‘Charlie.’ Alex grabbed his arm. Charlie didn’t shift his gaze from Derkein. He saw something in the man’s eyes that made him look less threatening. He realised it was fear.
    ‘How do you know about Thomas?’ Derkein demanded, the hand with the pocketknife trembling.
    ‘You wouldn’t believe me,’ Charlie said.
    Derkein studied him, his expression curious. ‘Try me.’
    Charlie gulped. ‘Okay. This is going to sound strange, but just don’t freak out. A few weeks ago, I had a dream … about you.’
    Derkein’s brow wrinkled in confusion. ‘I don’t know what game you’re playing here –’
    ‘It’s the truth. I saw you die.’
    Alex tightened her grip on Charlie’s arm. ‘What are you doing?’
    ‘I know it sounds crazy,’ Charlie said, ‘but it is the truth.’ Alex gave him a sympathetic look. ‘You have to believe me.’
    ‘Charlie.’ It was Derkein. Charlie turned to him and saw that he looked less tense. The hand with the pocketknife had lowered. ‘This dream …. What was it about?’
    Charlie paused as he tried to remember the details, and then he said, ‘You were in an office with your dad. He gave you some sort of talisman and told you to find Thomas. Then something attacked you, and he … vanished.’
    Derkein looked horror-stricken. ‘That’s not possible. There’s no way you can know that.’
    Charlie didn’t know what to say. It made no sense to him, either.
    ‘Maybe you’re psychic,’ said Richmond, who was standing by the door, holding it open.
    ‘I’m not psychic,’ Charlie disagreed; but a small part of him did wonder.
    It was nearing six in the evening, and darkness had fallen over the forest. The trio were sitting on the floor with Derkein, who had told them about his arrival in West Sussex a week ago in search of a man named Thomas Wakeman.
    ‘My father met him thirty years ago,’ Derkein was saying. ‘He’d lodged with him for a while as he helped renovate his house. Dad always said it was his first step towards becoming an architect.’
    Charlie saw a glimmer in Derkein’s eyes at the mention of his dad, who had been missing since the day of the attack back in January. ‘We’ll find your dad,’ he assured Derkein. ‘He’ll be fine. He always is, remember.’
    Derkein stared at him, half surprised, half amazed. ‘Have you had any other dreams about me?’
    Charlie shook his head.
    ‘Have you had dreams like this before?’ Derkein enquired.
    All eyes fixed on Charlie. As his temperature rose, his palms started to sweat. ‘No,’ he finally said, rubbing his hands on his trousers. He looked away. ‘So how’s this Wakeman