The Talisman of Odan
By Vic James
Copyright 2013 by Vic James
All Rights Reserved
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Erella flew to Erin and his father's farm with the talisman.
Triesse was in the kitchen. She had taken on her human appearance, although she looked younger than she had in the barn when she first spoke to Tig.
"Hello, Erella. Sani, the siren has eaten most of Elgath's men. Sani is already sniffing for her next meal."
"Are you positive she won't prey on the wrong people?"
"Yes. If she does, she will feel like she is burning alive. And she is repellent to those who are not completely evil."
Erella nodded.
"Elgath owned this talisman. It is very powerful."
"Ah. I wondered why my vision was clouded."
"I thought to give it to Erin as a wedding gift. It can only be worn by a human. But I am not certain what all it does. I did not recognize some of the symbols."
Erella handed to talisman to Triesse.
"Oh, I see what you mean. My stomach just turned."
Triesse closed her eyes as she clutched the talisman. Yes, it was very powerful with white magic. It was the Talisman of Odan. She saw that Elgath had been protected from her sight by the talisman. It was simply protecting its wearer. Triesse did in fact mean Elgath harm, although only because he was planning to kill Erin. She felt something living stir when she examined it. She shifted to her natural form. She wanted all her powers available. She went into a trance. She appeared in a room with four doors. One door on the center of each wall. She walked to one of the doors and opened it. A man of middle years sat on a chair in an empty room.
"Yes? Who are you?"
"I am Triesse. And you?"
"I am Odan."
"You placed part of yourself in the talisman?"
"I placed all of me in the talisman."
"You were taken from Elgath."
"I am delighted. And grateful. Being possessed by him made me regret ever transferring my consciousness into this talisman. I was protecting him and extending his life. It was intolerable. But you cannot possess me. Only another human."
"Yes. I am considering giving it to a young human with a pure heart. I protect him. I wished to make sure you would not harm him."
"Harm him? I gladly go to him. It has been centuries since I have been possessed by someone I did not despise. Elgath was the worst, however."
"I can believe that. Why did you transfer yourself?" Triesse asked.
"I discovered that I could remain alive indefinitely inside a diamond of sufficient size. I had managed to keep myself alive twenty-two hundred years, but it grew more difficult with each passing year. It was the body that was the problem. In my studies, I discovered minor intelligences in small diamonds I had acquired over the centuries. They somehow existed as electrical impulses in the crystal. They had no physical bodies at all. They weren't the diamond. The diamond was their home. I began to acquire larger diamonds. I found some of these were inhabited. The inhabitants in these were more intelligent than the ones I had found in smaller diamonds. I acquired a diamond almost as large as this one. It held a sentient being. The being was in a sort of dream state, but I came to realize it had once been a being with a physical body. From what I was able to determine, this individual had no idea how it ended up in the crystal. I was able to observe some of its dreams and it seemed to come from some underwater realm. In its dreams, I saw images of creatures that looked like humans crossed with fish, or perhaps birds. Their arms were some sort of fins or wings which they used to swim. Over decades, I began to discover how it existed in the crystal. My own body was wearing out and I had done all I could to keep it going. I decided to attempt a transfer. I spent my entire fortune on this diamond. I spent several years trying to transfer myself into the diamond. I eventually accomplished it with a simple relocation spell. I left my body and took up residence here."
"You trapped yourself for all eternity?"
"I don't know about that. I imagine eventually, even diamonds will be destroyed."
"Have you sat in this room alone for centuries?"
"Heavens, no! I can go through any of the four doors. This is home. What do you see?"
"An empty room with one chair."
"I see my castle. It looks exactly like the original."
"What are through the other doors?"
"Other planes of existence. One of those is what we called the Afterlife. I have spoken to old lovers and friends there. Old enemies, as well. Another is a weird world full of humans and machines. Mechanical things that do everything for people. There is no magic in that world, but it is interesting. They fly across the world in machines. They have even sent men to the moon in machines."
"Did they communicate with Luna? I can't imagine she was happy. I can only imagine how Terra would react to Luna's subjects, where they to come here."
"No. Either the lunar queen does not exist in that realm or she chose not to communicate with them."
"Is there an advantage to not being on the Afterlife plane?"
"Certainly. They cannot leave. I can join them and leave at will. The dead have very limited interaction with the world of the living. I certainly interact with it, although recently I have not been a force for good."
"No. You have assisted a monster."
The man sighed. "Not by choice."
"Why do you grant powers?"
"I used up most all my aura getting in here. I am the talisman and my magic powers it. The actual powers, such as protection, life extension, relocation, fertility, and so on, are areas where my magic is strongest. The talisman has every ability I possess. It has all my strengths and weaknesses. I had hoped the magic of the talisman, being used for good, would rebuild my aura. That would make the talisman much more powerful, too. But very little actual good has been done with it during the last couple of millennia."
Triesse nodded.
"Sadly, good people have seldom possessed the talisman. My history in the talisman has been unpleasant for the most part. My time with Elgath destroyed much of the aura which had slightly been rebuilt."
"Do you prefer to be worn?"
"No. I prefer not being stolen again, which will surely happen if I am worn. I would like nothing more than to accompany and perhaps help this good man of yours. My lack of aura is limiting my travel through the other realms. I would very much like to rebuild it, if I can. It would be to his benefit, as well. Were my aura stronger, I could keep him alive for two thousand years, at the very least. Possibly longer. I have learned much from Radnish. He is quite bored in the Afterlife and it amuses him to share his magical knowledge with me. Delagor, also has shared some secrets with me. Secrets he took to the grave. He has come to realize his selfishness did nothing at all to improve his lot in the Afterlife."
"Lot? Are they not all equal there?"
"Oh, heavens, no! The Afterlife contains spheres. They are like worlds, and in fact, are visible in the sky. There are five. The conditions on each sphere range from horrid to wonderful, spheres one through five. Sphere three is the most heavily populated, as most people are of average goodness. From each sphere, you can see the other four worlds in the blue sky."
"Is travel between spheres allowed?"
"You can go down. You cannot go up. If you live on sphere five, you can visit any of them. As I said, most people are on sphere three. They can visit spheres one and two only. It enables some to communicate with friends and even spouses who were less enlightened than them while alive."
"Can you travel freely there, Odan?"
"My aura places me in sphere three, which depresses me. Not that it is an unpleasant place. It isn't. Sphere three is very much like Earth, only perhaps a little nicer. Sphere two reminds me of the countryside after a war. Things are a little dreary. Only sphere one is truly unpleasant. It is hot and dry. There is a great deal of violence, including murder. Despite the fact that murder is pointless. They just pop back up seconds later. But what can you expect of the people who end up there? And of course, its residents can't travel. Even sphere two residents can travel to sphere one and be pleased they aren't stuck there. I just hoped I had done better than average while I lived. I can visit spheres one and two only.
"But you aren't dead. You still live. If your aura was now strengthened?"
"That is a question always on my mind. With a stronger aura, would I suddenly be able to visit sphere four? Perhaps I could even reach sphere five, some day."
Triesse was delighted to learn all this. Knowledge of the Afterlife was hard to come by and one could never be sure of its accuracy. What Odan described made a great deal of sense. The strength of a person's aura determined their destination in the Afterlife. She knew which sphere Elgath would occupy!
She thought about how she could keep the talisman unknown. Erin couldn't carry a diamond of this size around with him.
"Could you be—never mind."
"What, Triesse?"
"I was thinking that perhaps the talisman could be placed inside Erin's body."
The man looked thoughtful.
"That is an interesting idea. It would certainly be better than being locked in a jewelry case. Another burglar would soon possess me."
"Perhaps in his buttock. No offense!"
The man laughed. "None taken." He thought for a moment. "Even if I was buried with him, if through him I had rebuilt my aura, being in a grave would not be a bad thing. I could travel through the various planes to my heart's content." He paused for a while. "I think it is a good plan. Being inside his body should increase the talisman's powers for him. I should think his lifespan would be considerably more than doubled, especially if my aura is enhanced. All the powers would affect him more strongly. With physical contact, I can read his thoughts. He may not like that, but I cannot avoid it. It is true of any holder of the talisman. It is to both of our benefits that my aura is strengthened. It can keep your young man alive longer. What are your feelings?"
"If he does good, it improves his aura, as well," Triesse remarked.
"True."
"We can hardly insist he do good."
"No. But you could tell him he will live longer, if he does. He can make the choice."
Triesse thought of Tig. He would watch Erin grow old and die. As a goblin, Tig could easily live two thousand years.
"I will try to encourage him to improve his own aura. It is best for Erin, Tig, his mate, and you."
Odan nodded.
Triesse sighed. In her long, long life, this was a completely new experience. She thought it was a good decision, that Odan was a good person. But was it? "I would like to know why you did not do more to stop Elgath. The things he did..."
Odan looked sad. "I did my best to avoid helping Elgath. I burned him, I punctured his skin, and I kept him from getting erections. He found a way to circumvent that, unfortunately. Just as he found a way to circumvent the death curse. In that respect, I suppose I am glad Elgath didn't die, for the elf's sake, as the elf did not become a demon. When he wore me, I could read his thoughts. It was horrific. Such memories." Odan shook his head. Triesse watched a tear drip down his face. "And he was proud of what he'd done. He thought himself clever for draining the blood and raping virgins. Children, mostly. I could do nothing to him when I was not in contact with his body. He kept me locked up most of the time. I refused to kill him magically, although I longed to do it. I can't do what that elf tried to do."
"Very well. Does Erin need to know any spells to invoke the talisman's magic?"
"He just has to say my name. I have always couched it in a ceremony; made up spells, but it is not essential."
"Erin saying `Odan' all the time will draw attention to you."
"Yes. It will." Odan gave it some thought. "He could say it in reverse."
Triesse smiled. "Excellent."
"Thank you."
"Farewell," Triesse said, as she left him.
Triesse thought for a moment what to tell Erella. She decided not to tell anyone of Odan, the wizard.
She looked at Erella.
"Protection, longevity, fertility, sex, and travel, Erella."
"Tig should like the sex part!"
"I think they both will!"
They both chuckled.
Triesse had a great deal to think about. Odan also reminded her that she needed to rebuild her own aura.
"The talisman only does good; there is no dark magic in it, but it attracts evil because of its power and abilities. Do you still wish to give it to Erin?"
"Will he be safe?"
"I have an idea. The talisman could be placed inside one of his buttocks."
Erella laughed. "Well, it would certainly be well hidden!"
Triesse smiled. "No one would ever see it. No one but the two of us would know."
"Well, Erin and Tig would."
"No. They wouldn't," Triesse said.
"Oh! I see! No one can get information out of them that they don't have. Yet it will protect Erin," Erella said.
"Yes. I think it will be even stronger since it will be inside him."
"Will it be painful?"
"No. I don't believe so. I will do it, if you don't mind, Erella."
"No. Not at all. You are protecting Erin. I am only assisting as a favor to Trellig and Tig. It is a very good plan."
"I must thank you for it, Erella. It is a powerful, valuable object."
"It is of no use to either of us. This is much better than having someone like Elgath acquire it."
"Truer words have never been spoken!"
Erella noticed Erin's father watching Triesse.
"Is Lars infatuated with you, Triesse?"
"There is mutual attraction. I already feel like a member of the family."
"Oh! How wonderful! He knows?"
"Yes. I told him I am a fairy. I think it made him more interested."
"Well, it will make your job of protection easier."
"Definitely. The willow tree is hundreds of yards away. And with Erin's protection provided by the talisman, I can relax and enjoy being in what could soon be love."
"I am happy for you! Truly! I suppose he has gotten over the death of his wife."
"I assisted that a little. He had somehow come to believe she was completely different than she actually was. He spoke to me of her devotion to him. I almost laughed. I have been watching Lars all his life and I know exactly how un-devoted she was. I didn't make him forget her, I just made the memories a little less distinct. They seemed to be false, anyway."
"You're sneaky!"
Triesse laughed. "Didn't you know that all is fair in love and war?"
"No. And it doesn't sound right. Especially the war part. Did you just make that up?"
Triesse chuckled. "No, I did not make it up. I heard it somewhere. Will you stay here and keep an eye on things while I, um, install, the talisman?"
Erella laughed. "Yes. Please install it.
"Triesse, how did your life come to be in danger? You told me one of Erin's relatives saved your life. I don't wish to pry, but if there is a danger, I would like to know of it. You are clearly more powerful than me. If you were in danger, there would be little hope for me."
Triesse nodded. "A witch by the name of Kiska trapped me and was draining my aura. She had left to gather food when Lars' great-grandfather saw me. He released me from her cage."
"Is she still a danger?"
"No. My aura was restored when he freed me. I went looking for her. The return of my aura aged her greatly. I found her lying in a bed of mushrooms in the forest. She was clawing weakly at the dirt. I approached her and she could not even lift her head. She breathed her last breath and went still as I watched her. She died, but I did not kill her."
Erella nodded. "Thank you."
After Erella left, Tig pulled Erin into his arms.
"I love you, Erin."
"I am falling in love with you, Tig."
Tig waved his big, enchanted cock.
"Do you like this?"
Erin laughed. "I love it! It is the most wonderful cock I can imagine!"
"I think it's pretty wonderful, too!"
They both laughed.
"I want it inside me, Tig."
Tig smiled. "I wish I had oil. It's too big for spit to help much."
"It doesn't need oil to go in my mouth."
"Oh, Erin! I've never done that!"
"Really?"
"No. Goblins don't do that."
"Lean back," Erin said. "I've never done it. As we all know, I was a virgin until fairly recently—"
"When a horrible goblin—"
"You are not horrible! If you say that again, I will not suck on that big, beautiful thing between your legs."
"Erin, I know you thought I was horrible. It showed on your face. I haven't followed you around for a whole year without learning to read your expressions."
"Well, what does a virgin know about anything?"
Tig started to chuckle and then laughed.
"I will tell you the truth. From the start, I thought you had beautiful eyes and a beautiful prick. I would have stayed with you looking as you did. I mean that. If my first thought was that you looked horrible, my second thought was gratitude. And my third or fourth thought was lust."
Tig smiled at his love. He could read the truth of it in Erin's eyes. He needed to remember that Erin was young. He knew nothing about goblins, personally. Who knew what he had been told about them? There were good and bad goblins, just as there were good and bad humans.
Erin got between Tig's legs and pulled that pretty cock up. He took it in his mouth. Erin remembered what his friends had said about cock-sucking. He was careful with his teeth.
Tig moaned when he was inside his love's warm, wet mouth. It was incredible!
Erin sucked and stroked the shaft with his hands. The cock was too big to fit in his mouth. He wished he had thought of that before he imagined it! But Tig was moaning; he obviously enjoyed it. That was the important thing. Erin planned to practice this several times a day. He wanted Tig to be able to fuck his throat. That had been one of his fantasies ever since one of his friends told him of a whore who would let you do it. He planned to practice taking more and more of it until he could.
He pulled off it. "Do you mind if we do this all the time, Tig?"
"Oh, my love!"
Erin laughed. "Is that a yes or a no?"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
Erin swallowed the end of his cock again and resumed sucking.
"Erin!" Tig cried, as the most intense orgasm of his life struck him.
Erin swallowed the spunk that kept squirting into his mouth. Tig moaned continuously while he ejaculated.
"My love! My love! My love!"
Erin loved doing it. Tig's spunk tasted strange, but he planned to suck his mate often! After all, he had designed his mate's cock and lovely, low-hanging balls.
Tig pulled him up. Erin grinned at him. Then he lay on top of Erin and kissed him. He was covering Erin the way he had always imagined. Tig could taste his spunk in Erin's mouth. It was an odd taste, but not unpleasant. Certainly Erin seemed happy, and Tig was sure he had shot a lot of it into him.
Tig had Erin lie there on the pile of leaves as he began licking and kissing his body. It was what he had always wanted to do. Erin tasted wonderful. Each time Tig looked at Erin's face, he could see how happy he was making him. Finally, he took Erin's erection into his mouth. Tig did to Erin what was done to him. A minute later, Erin groaned as he came in Tig's mouth. Tig didn't particularly like the taste of his love's spunk, but he loved making Erin happy. He didn't mind it a bit.
Tig lay down grinning and pulled Erin into his arms.
"Happy, my love?"
"I am, Tig. It's strange, but this has been both the happiest day, and the worst day of my life."
Tig nodded. It was true. He was pleased and proud that he was responsible for making it the best day of his life.
Erin laughed.
"What is it?"
"I was just thinking that I am going to miss your little penis-well, smaller, anyway—when you fuck me."
Tig laughed. "You did imagine a very big cock for me."
"I know! I clearly wasn't planning properly!"
They both laughed.
"Did it feel as good as your original prick?"
"I think it felt better. Or maybe it was just because I love you so much, Erin."
Erin smiled at him. They kissed for a while.
"If you ever feel like you want to go back to your original appearance, tell me, will you? I would much rather you went back to your old appearance and were happy than to look this way and be unhappy. I swear on my life that I will not leave you."
Tig sighed, happily. "I will, Erin. I promise. Now, please stop worrying about the way I look. If you didn't keep reminding me, I would not even notice the difference most of the time."
Erin chuckled. "I will try not to bring it up, again."
"Shall we get started? I want to get you into a bed," Tig said.
"I want to get you into pants. I don't want everyone seeing my mate's wonderful cock."
Tig grinned at him.
"Let me test my concealment magic. Hopefully this change has not affected my magic. If the spell works, they won't see me. Look away from me and do not concentrate on seeing me. The magic is not that strong. Imagine I have left."
Erin nodded.
Tig concentrated as he spoke the spell. Tig walked to the entrance of the cave. Then he waved his arms and walked to the other side of Erin. Erin did not turn his head to follow him. Tig ended the spell.
"It seemed to work, Erin. Could you see anything?"
"I saw a faint shadow on the ground, rippling. It was odd, but I didn't see you at all."
"That is fine. We will head to town. You can buy me a pair of pants."
"And a shirt. I don't want them seeing your chest, either."
Tig chuckled. He had a jealous mate. He didn't mind a bit. It meant Erin really wanted him.
Tig held out his hand to his mate and they left the cave. They crawled under the bushes and vines that concealed the entrance and headed for the road to town. Tig was familiar with the area, so he knew the direction to take.
"Tell me about goblins, Tig. The two I saw had greyish-brown skin the color of tree bark. Yours is green."
"There are different types of goblins. Skin color can vary as much as with humans. I am a green goblin. We live in grasslands, mostly. Those two you saw were tree goblins. They live in forests. All of us are related, you know. Even humans. That is why we can have children together. We all have the same hearts, lungs, livers, and kidneys. The difference is the amount of magic each race possesses. Most humans have the least, although there have been human wizards who had the most magic of all. I expect you have more magic than most humans because of your elf ancestry. Elves have a lot of magic. They are the third most powerful magical race. Fairies usually have the most. I was told they acquire magic as they age, so the older they are, the more powerful they are. Then there are sprites, which have almost as much magic as fairies. But sprites don't acquire more power as they age. An old fairy is a lot more powerful than a sprite. Elves are next in power. All three of those races have enough magic to change their shapes. Goblins and gnomes don't have as much. If goblins had more magic, I could have changed my own shape to be pleasing to you. Trolls don't have any that they can control, but magic controls their lives."
"What about wood-nymphs?"
"They have a little more than goblins. Their magic keeps the tree they inhabit healthy and protects it. I am really surprised you have one for an ancestor. They don't like to travel more than a few yards from their tree."
"I don't know anything about him or her. It was very long ago."
When Triesse located Erin and Tig, they were walking alongside a road. She transformed just ahead of them and waited for them to reach her.
"Hello, Triesse! Thank you for your help getting away from Elgath."
"You are quite welcome, Erin."
"Is he dead?"
"Almost. Several parts of his body are gone, including his prick and both hands. He won't be having sex again. Almost all of his men except Sanit are dead."
"Oh. Did he get away?"
"No. I transformed him into a siren. She ate the others and she is slowly eating Elgath. From now on, she will hunt down men with pure evil in their hearts."
"Like himself!"
"Yes. Except now Sanit is a female. She is Sani. Her siren's song only attracts evil men. She can smell them from great distances and will spend the rest of her existence hunting them down."
"I am sure you saved many, many lives. Elgath was a monster! You should have heard him bragging about torturing and killing children. Disgusting! He sometimes kept their faces! When he told me that, I really wished I was already dead."
Triesse shook her head. Tig stared at Erin. They were both so lucky. The thought of that monster carrying around Erin's face. He shook his head and forced himself not to think of it.
Triesse paused. "Your father has asked me to move into the house. Into his bed. I am considering it, but only if you approve."
Erin smiled. "I think that will be wonderful, Triesse! But you don't need my approval. My father can marry whoever he wishes. Does he know you are a fairy?"
"Yes, I told him. I will be delighted to be a member of your family, Erin." Triesse hugged Erin and pressed the talisman against his right buttock. She used magic to implant it inside him and hopefully to keep him from feeling it. She stepped back and he was still smiling. He seemed to be unaware of it, which was exactly the way she wanted it.
"Your father wants children, Erin. I am considering it."
"Really? They will be half-fairy. Will they have magic?"
"Yes, because the mother does. Magic is inherited through the maternal line."
"Triesse, I trust you completely. I know my father wants grandchildren, and I won't be giving him any. If you love him, you should marry him. If you want children, have them. I am sure we will love them. Who knows? Maybe my brother or sister can teach me to fly!"
Triesse smiled.
"Do you ever wish you could have children, Erin?"
"I gave up on the idea. It will never happen, so why worry about it."
"There is always magic, Erin."
"We could have children magically?"
"Yes."
"They would be Tig's and mine?"
"Yes. It is possible."
Erin looked at Tig. Tig smiled.
"We need to talk about it, first," Erin said.
"Of course! Where are you headed?"
"The Four Trees Inn."
"You are a long way from there."
"I know. I really wish we could get there faster."
Triesse wondered how to let Erin invoke the talisman's travel powers without knowing he had it. She smiled when she thought of a way.
"Erin, since I may soon be your stepmother, I want to grant you some powers."
"Really?"
Tig did not know that was possible. Maybe it was just a spell.
"The word you use to invoke them is `Nado'. To travel to the inn instantly, draw a simple picture of the inn in your mind. You can simply draw a square, but think of it as the inn. Then tap your finger three times inside the square while you think the word `Nado', and wish you and Tig to the inn. You will be there in an instant."
Erin looked at Tig and grinned.
"Thank you!"
"That will work with any destination. When you wish to go home, do the same thing. If you can, do it so that no one sees you, and it would be best if you never speak the word `Nado'. I don't want anyone else to know about this. Just think it. I will give you a few other powers, too. You might try thinking the word `Nado' while you are having sex. If you decide you want to have children, say the word when Tig finds his release. If you are in danger, the word can help."
"Wow! I love having a fairy stepmother!"
Triesse chuckled. "I am glad. Have either of you ever wished to travel?"
"I have," Erin said.
"I have been thinking. I can use my magic to help your father with the farm. I think the two of you should go on an adventure. Travel for a while. You have been breaking your back while I watched from the willow tree. There is so much need in the world, Erin. While you travel, try to do good. Help people. You can use the magic I have granted you to help them."
Erin grinned. He looked at Tig.
"Tig?"
"I go where you go, Erin. Wherever we are is home to me."
Erin hugged him.
"Do you know what an aura is, Erin?"
"Your soul?"
"Well, that is one way to view it. It is energy which exists in each person. People like Elgath have no aura at all. Doing good strengthens your aura, or soul."
"That is good to know!"
"I thought the aura only existed in magic folk," Tig said.
"No. Everyone has one. It can be destroyed, as Elgath did. In magical folk, like fairies, the strength of one's aura determines the strength of their magic. Were I to lose my aura, I would lose my magic. When my aura is strengthened, so is my magic."
"Yes. That is how I always heard the term used," Tig said.
"You are using my magic. You use up some of my aura when you use it. When you do good, however, you strengthen it. That is why I said that when you travel, help people. You will strengthen not only your own aura, but mine, as well."
"Oh! So if I kept using your magic selfishly, I could use it up, but if I help others, I strengthen it!"
"Exactly. Now I am not telling you that you should spend all your time helping others, but if you can, do so. I have plenty of magic to send you travelling, so do not worry about that."
Erin and Tig nodded.
"And don't forget on your adventure, that home is only a word away. You can even sleep in your own bed at night and resume your adventure each morning."
Erin grinned. "We can travel and still be able to get home!"
"It's wonderful!" Tig said, excited. "Thank you, Triesse!"
"Well, I will be your stepmother-in-law, Tig."
Erin started chuckling and Triesse and Tig joined in.
"Good! I will see when you visit home. Like I said, I have plenty of magic for travelling."
Triesse
shifted into her natural shape and flew away. She was pleased she no longer had
to pretend around Erin or his father."