The Talisman War Box Set

Chapter 8

Dakota adjusted his weight in the dining room chair again. The fourteenth time in ten minutes. He pulled up the collar of his shirt and tried to hunch over enough to ensure that none of the women could see the talisman. It’d occurred to him at around three A.M. that while Terrell gave him the magic rock, his cousins might take issue with a random stranger suddenly possessing the thing. And he didn’t have a good explanation to give them, should they notice he was wearing it.

But he didn’t take it off, either. Not once since he put it on. Something about being entrusted with it made him want to keep it close. God forbid if he lost it, or broke it, or later on had it stolen. So, he wore the thing to bed and even showered with it on.

He arrived at breakfast sheepishly. He’d taken the time to run a comb through his hair, wash up, and generally make himself look presentable. It was in part so that they could see he cared what they thought of him—somewhat—and it also served as a thinly veiled diversion from the elephant in the room.

The childlike one, Emily, sat nearby, munching slowly on a burned piece of bacon. She barely glanced over at him, and when she did, it was to study his entire person out of curiosity. Dakota had nothing to say to her except a simple, “Hi.”

Eddie and Eleanor’s breakfasts were long gone, and now the two worked outside, preparing for war. The family kept plenty of real guns around. At minimum, anyone who tried to purloin their stash of magic jewels would end up eating buckshot. To that end, a loaded double-barrel shotgun rested on the far end of the table, and even Emily had a small revolver sitting next to her scrambled eggs. They hadn’t tried to arm him yet, but he figured it was only a matter of time.

The guns made him a little uncomfortable. They were an easy out from the pain and turmoil writhing beneath his skull. He could take one, find a quiet corner of the ranch, and end it all in an instant. Though he felt significantly better than he did on the bridge, his interest in dying hadn’t gone away. He had no idea what would happen if and when they gave him a gun to carry around.

He endeavored to finish his food quickly in order to make a speedy escape. The greasy country breakfast made him a little sick, but he shoveled it in, regardless. With his plate clean, he got up in a hurry and handed it off to Lorna, who was already doing the dishes by hand.

He found Terrell outside with his favorite cousin and her sister. The ranch felt serene and secluded—a far cry from the battlefield this family feared. It wasn’t like they advertised their ownership of the talismans. In the three years since their matriarch’s death, they hadn’t experienced even a single inquiry about them or the old woman’s estate. Why would anything be different now? Dakota didn’t see what all the rush was about. He was the strangest person they’d met in recent history, and though he currently wore one of their magic necklaces, he still didn’t quite believe they existed.

He found the three out by the barn. Eleanor was multitasking: she read from a list of possible vocal sounds while wearing not one but all three of the remaining discs. By the look of exhaustion on her face, they’d been at it for a while with no luck for any of them. “A’nock eta, A’nosh eta—”

Bingo. The grey opaque one with purple stripes lit up gradually.

Eleanor smiled. “A’nosh it is,” she laughed.

“Which one’s that?” he heard Terrell ask.

“Kenna’s.” Picking up the talisman, she looked it over before giving the staple command. “Ma,” she pronounced firmly.

It pulsed and glowed, but nothing else happened. They waited a few moments in silence just to make sure, but to no new result. “God dammit, not another one.” She sighed. Picking up a long piece of paper, she paced into the barn to get out of the bright morning sun. With the newly activated talisman still glowing, she resumed her chant-like checking.

Terrell looked over at him and smiled. “Good morning. How’d you sleep?”

It took a moment for it to register, but Dakota eventually noticed that his friend stood with the help of a simple black cane. He held it close to his left leg and leaned on it for support. “You hurting? More than usual, I mean.” When Terrell didn’t seem to understand, he pointed at the walking aid.

“Oh.” He laughed, but it was out of discomfort and embarrassment. “No, not really. It’s just—if I used this on campus, I’d get called an old man or worse, and I hate crutches. Lanie, Eddie, and everybody else—they’re used to it.”

“Does it help?”

“Yeah, especially with all the walking you gotta do around here.”

Dakota couldn’t help but feel a little sad for him. He would forgo help just for appearances? The college buildings were spread out, long walkways lying in between. “But our campus is pretty big, too. I mean—”

“It isn’t worth it,” he cut in.

Dakota opted for a safer approach. “Well, you don’t have to worry about that anymore, I don’t think.” Since they were both essentially dropping out. “If that thing helps you here, I think you should keep using it.”

Before Terrell could reply, the two heard cursing and shouting from inside the barn. “Son of a b***h! f**k, f**k, f**k, f**k—God f*****g dammit!” There was a loud creaking noise, and to everyone’s horror, the barn started to buckle and sway. Moments later, Eleanor came sprinting out of the structure as fast as humanly possible. She kicked up dirt and dust as her boots dug into the ground. She zigged and zagged toward them. Skidding to a stop, she began pushing them away from the structure. “Get back!” she ordered. “Hurry!”

They did as she commanded, and not a moment too soon. Only a few seconds passed before the wood began to snap and tilt to one side before falling over completely in a pile of boards, farming equipment, and hay. The four stood in absolute shock for about a minute, unsure exactly what had happened to raze the family barn. With both hands in her hair, Eleanor slowly approached the mess to assess the damage. It seemed Terrell’s bike and the corn harvester had been spared, but they would have to pick through the pile of destruction to see what tools and materials could be saved.

“What happened?!” Terrell called to her. Eddie echoed his sentiment.

She didn’t answer right away, though they both heard her mutter the end command “ko” for a new talisman: “A’rook.” Eventually, she turned back to them with frustration and anger in her face. “I shouldn’t have been in the barn. Now what the hell are we gonna do? We don’t have s**t saved up since Daddy’s funeral, and half the steers are injured, so we can’t even sell ‘em at full price. f*****g hell.”

Dakota took a few steps toward the foundation of the building—and his heart skipped a beat. “All the stones are gone!” he reported. The foundation looked like Swiss cheese, with holes made of soft and fragrant black dirt. Not the dry, light brown stuff from the barn’s floor. This was more like potting soil. He grabbed a handful and brought it over to Terrell and Eleanor. “I think it turned them into dirt.” When she didn’t look down at his hand, he continued. “The kind of dirt that’s good for planting, right?”

“Oh, wow,” Terrell muttered, his mouth hanging open. “You wouldn’t even have to till the ground if you used it right. Get rid of all the rocks in a field. Turn them to good soil. Better harvest, less damage to machinery, more bang for your buck with the seeds.”

Dakota took Eleanor’s hand and poured the soil into it before wiping the stuff off on his jeans. “If you can manage without a barn for a season, or get something temporary for the year, maybe you can make the extra money you need next fall? I don’t know a whole lot about growing stuff, but I think this might actually be helpful if you wanna try and use it for that.”

She looked down at the dirt, over to the pile of wood, and then back at them. “I guess, maybe, yeah.” After a long pause to think it through, she sighed. “Momma’s still gonna be upset.”

Terrell threw his arm around her. “Hey, don’t be stupid. She’s just gonna be happy you didn’t end up buried.” Eddie agreed with a nod. They started toward the house. “We can test the last one later, okay? After we figure out how much damage there is.”

Following close behind them, Dakota couldn’t help but notice that Terrell seemed much more comfortable here than at college. This was, at least in part, his home. All at once, he felt a little honored to be invited into this part of his life.

* * * *

A surprising amount of the barn’s contents survived its collapse. All the major power tools—despite a few more dings and scratches—made it out, and some of the antiques were astonishingly unscathed. A few bags of animal feed ripped open, as were some containing the seed for spring, but the latter could be salvaged so long as the weather held out. They put Emily on that task. She sat with a new burlap sack and a colander, dumping dirt and seeds into it to separate the two. It would take a few hours, but most of their potential crops would likely still see the light of day.

Eddie and Dakota donned working gloves and set about breaking down all the debris. Most of it could be repurposed to mend the fences, and the interior stuff would make good firewood.

Eleanor collected the tools and small machines and brought them to various other sheds. When those were filled, she started stacking the items on the house’s front porch. She mumbled something about seeing if they could get “one of those ugly-ass premade tin sheds” for the harvester, hay, and other miscellaneous items once kept in their barn. Maybe they could use Eddie’s and Terrell’s college money, since they wouldn’t need it. Eleanor’s mood had soured considerably, but she mostly kept her frustrations to herself.

Though he wanted to help, there wasn’t much Terrell could do except bring the various workers some water with ice and ask if they wanted anything to eat, a message from Lorna, who by and large stood watch at the front window.

They cleared the wood faster than Dakota thought, and when there was just a small amount left, Eddie dismissed him. “Thanks for your help,” she said plainly, wiping sweat from her face. “Why don’t you go on inside and see how Terry’s holdin’ up? I think I can handle this.”

He hesitated. “I’m sure he’s fine.”

She stood up and straightened her back. It looked to be sore from all the bending and lifting. “Well, you just make sure. It’s all right. Don’t you get to thinkin’ a girl can’t do this kind of work on her own. I grew up doin’ stuff like this. It’s nothin’. You just go check on him and get yourself somethin’ to eat.”

Dakota stared at her for a moment. She seemed to think he’d be especially worried about Terrell’s wellbeing. More than even a close friend would. And the look on her face said she was trying not to say something. He turned away. Dammit. If this girl already thought there could be something going on between Terrell and Dakota, then what would the family think when they found out he was wearing the talisman? The truth wouldn’t matter.

He gave her a respectful nod and turned on one heel. As he started toward the house, he wondered if he should take the necklace off. He could keep it without actually wearing it, couldn’t he?

But Terrell was overjoyed when Dakota put it on. And for his part, he kind of liked wearing it. The weight, the aesthetics, and most importantly what it meant. A gift from a friend. Something that meant a lot to Terrell—Dakota had been entrusted with it. He was responsible for its protection.

So, the necklace would have to stay put. He just needed to keep it hidden for now.