Free Talisman 01 - The Emerald Talisman by Brenda Pandos Page A

support, so I turned the rusty knob and opened the door. Bells rang out to alert the owner of our presence.
    “If she really could see the future, she wouldn’t need those,” I whispered.
    Sam wrinkled up her nose and smirked.
    The dimly lit room stunk of animal dander, patchouli oil and incense. Dusty plum colored scarves with gold fringes hung over the lampshades and tabletops. They matched the ugly gold and purple metallic paper on the walls. The only light in the room came from a few candles, which didn’t brighten the dismal appearance. I wondered if the décor scared off potential repeat customers.
    A black cat, with icy blue eyes, hissed at me from its perch on top of an armoire in the corner.
    “Shhh Enigma,” a voice said from the other room.
    A plump old woman full of distrust and pessimism entered the room through a doorway framed by a thick curtain held back with a beaded sash. She picked up the cat and shooed it into another room.
    “Come in, come in,” she said, while loosening the sash, letting the curtain fall.
    Her high pitched voice sounded out of breath, like she was going to croak at any minute.
    We looked at each other and stepped inside. The sound of the door slamming shut behind us signaled finality. I shivered, reminded of the children in Hansel and Gretel .
    “What can I do for you girls?” she said, her red lipstick not quite exactly on her lips.
    “We’d like our fortunes read,” Sam said sheepishly.
    The old woman smiled revealing crooked teeth aged from time. “Fine dears, lovely, come . . .sit down . . . sit down.”
    She motioned for us to sit in two chairs by a table adorned with more dark tapestries. Sam patiently waited as I hobbled over and leaned my crutches against the wall. I sat down, but kept a watchful eye as the woman waited for us to get comfortable. Her black taffeta dress swished as she moved to sit directly across from us.
    “That’ll be $10 each,” she said.
    “What a rip off,” I murmured.
    Sam jabbed me in the ribs, before she plunked down the money. The old woman pocketed it and snatched Sam’s hand, flipping it over. She paused, I’m sure for effect, before giving her answer. She told us Sam would have two children, marry the man of her dreams and live a long and prosperous life, but cautioned her to avoid making big decisions if the date happened to be the 16th and a Tuesday.
    Sam asked a few specific questions about her family and Todd. The woman wanted to know their birth dates and then made up some niceties about how Todd could be the one because their birth signs were compatible.
    I rolled my eyes. What a crock!
    But before I could stop her, Sam put down another $10 and plunged my hand into the old woman’s.
    She latched on like a crab and her distrust overwhelmed me. I recoiled, but she didn’t let go. Her feelings seemed ironic since she was the one who made a living deceiving others in the first place. I wanted to laugh, before running out of the place, but I was slightly curious at what she had to say.
    “Hmmm,” she said, as she studied the lines on my hand.
    Her long boney finger traced along the ridges of my palm then froze. Her dark empty eyes fell into slits. She was afraid.
    “You’ve got quite a life line here,” she said quietly.
    I tried to pull my hand away again, but she held on, her grip amazingly strong.
    “Danger surrounds you . . . danger unknown to you.” She paused and furrowed her brow. “Ah . . . and you bear the mark . . . the mark of the innocent one.”
    I started to feel unnerved because as far as I could tell, she told the truth.
    “The innocent human . . . the one to rid us of them .”
    Sam sat next to me with her mouth gaped open.
    “Them?” I asked.
    “You don’t know about them yet, do you?”
    The old woman looked deep into my eyes. I had no idea what she meant; her words gave me goose bumps.
    “But what about Nicholas?” Sam said.
    I kicked Sam under the table. The last thing I wanted was to reveal