Seeking Crystal (30 page)

Enough. I had my answer.

Xav, I need you.

Crystal, what the hell is going on?
He could feel the attack I was under but I had no space to show him the source as any relaxation of control might let her in.

Thank God you’re still there.

Always, you infuriating … 
he rejected a lot of unflattering words and settled on my own favourite insult
… muppet.

I had known in my heart of hearts that he wouldn’t really leave me as he threatened; that had been temper talking and I now owed him big time.
I need you to help me. The contessa is trying to get our link.

Dammit, Crystal!

I’m going to drop my shield and reverse the attack but I want you to hit back with me so she can’t reel in our connection.

I don’t understand.

No time to explain—it’s a soulseeker thing. You’ve got to shock her so she lets go. Do something unexpected.

You mean use force.
I caught a glimpse of him thinking of the final combat in the movies, Harry versus Voldemort, Spider-Man versus the Green Goblin.

No. She’s far too powerful. I can’t win a duel of strength.

So, what?

I could feel my shields beginning to shudder. My head was splitting.
Can I leave that for you to decide, Xav?

Crystal, you’re in pain.

I’ll let you sort that out too later. Let’s do this. On the count of three.

Don’t give me much time, do you?

One … 

Crystal!

Two … three!

I dropped my shield, trusting that Xav would do his part and yank our connection out of her claws. I went straight to her mind. She had no shields to speak of; so concentrated was she on attack, she forgot about defence. With part of my consciousness, I saw Xav doing a slalom down our connection wearing a Kermit costume, me as Miss Piggy. Unexpected but effective if the contessa’s astounded expression was anything to go by. I got inside her barriers and found that her mind was a confused mess, like a circuit board where the wiring had been bodged by amateurs. Grief had ruined her. But this was no time for pity; I had to protect me and mine.

Sleep,
I ordered her, recalling how Victor had exerted this power. She resisted but she was slipping. He’d also said touch reinforced the mental command. I crossed the gap between us and put my hand on her forehead.
Sleep.

Her eyes closed and her chin fell on her chest. Her mental presence vanished from the room, leaving just Xav and me.

Hey, Kermit, come in.

You really OK? Cupcake, you scared me to death—I think I could hate you for that.

No, you don’t.
I felt exhausted but relieved.
You can tell me off when I see you. And yes, I’m fine. I’m getting out of here but I’ll need a lift.

Not another rescue? I charge a lot for rescues.

I smiled, remembering our first flirting conversation.
I’ll pay up, I promise
.
Can you get me a ride from the contessa’s island?

I’ll see what I can do.

Meet you at the water-steps. There’s something I’ve got to check out first before I leave.

I hope it’s not dangerous?

No, I don’t think so. See you in quarter of an hour?

I’ll be there.

I stood up. The contessa was asleep, her breathing shallow. She looked so small and frail; I couldn’t find it in myself to hate her any more. What would I have been like if I had lived through what she had done? I could only hope I wouldn’t be so unbalanced in my thirst for revenge but I could see her now as human rather than as a monster. I’d probably even forgive her if I could undo some of the damage she had inflicted, for after all, it was her ill-intentioned actions that had forced me to find Xav.

I rang the bell. Alberto arrived swiftly.

‘Signorina?’ He glanced at his mistress in consternation. ‘Is something the matter?’

‘No, your mistress is just sleeping.’ I studied him. He had the same almost-but-not-quite-there expression as I had seen on Diamond’s face. I had thought it his natural butler school manner, but now I knew it was foisted on him. The poor man had been a victim for so long, would trying to reverse that be worse than leaving him as he was? The contessa had warned that these were the kind of decisions I would have to face if I used my powers but I refused to chicken out just because I was scared of making a mistake. I asked myself, instead, if I were in his shoes, what would I want someone to do?

I’d want someone to free me.

‘Excuse me for a moment, Alberto.’ I closed my eyes and reached out to his mind. I was faced with that carousel of tidy emotions, raw ends snipped off and woven in an enclosed circuit that went nowhere. I could now see what she had done: she had created a pattern that was like life but not life. But in doing that she had got it wrong: pain and suffering, longing and sadness could not be avoided as they were the flip side to all the best things. I couldn’t help him just yet—I could possibly do more damage by attempting a fix without more understanding of my own abilities—but I could at least offer him some help.

‘Signorina?’ Alberto was unnerved by my silent study of him.

‘Alberto, are you a Savant?’

‘Signorina?’

‘And there are other Savants on the staff—your relatives perhaps?’

He arched a brow. I took that as an affirmative.

‘I would be very grateful if you could arrange for me to meet them the day after tomorrow.’

‘Whatever for?’

‘I have something for … for the emptiness you know is inside you.’

‘Emptiness?’ The butler was rightly bemused by my abrupt drive off the track of normal conversation into the personal.

‘You’ve been, um, manipulated. By the contessa. If you really think about it, you might realize that you know this somewhere inside you.’ He frowned, like a child facing a maths problem beyond his level of understanding. ‘I am not asking you to believe me, just give me a chance to help. You see, I’m a soulseeker. Oh, and don’t tell your mistress that I’m coming back.’

‘I don’t know what you mean.’

Poor man. ‘I know. Can you at least let me in when I return? I won’t do anything you don’t want and I’ll only come if I think I know how to … to unravel this problem.’

He gave a cautious nod.

‘OK. Can I have my coat then?’

This time his face brightened. Back on the normal script of butler duties, he felt much happier. He handed over my jacket. ‘Goodnight, signorina.’

‘Goodnight, Alberto. See you again soon—I hope.’

Xav must have paid the driver of the water taxi handsomely to come and fetch me at this late hour. My soulfinder said very little as I emerged from the garden gate, just scooped me off the steps and dumped me next to him on the padded bench.

‘To the Zattere,’ he ordered the driver.

Catching his urgency, the pilot revved the engine and pulled away, prow of the boat slapping against the little waves on the lagoon.

‘Are you still mad at me?’ I huddled against him.

‘Yes.’

‘I’m a bit impulsive.’

‘I’m getting that picture.’

‘So are you.’

‘Er … excuse me, but I didn’t go shooting off alone to face down our enemy.’

‘Jumping out of a helicopter and skiing through a garden, anyone?’

‘Humph!’ He put his arm around my shoulders. ‘At least you knew what I had in mind.’

I bumped my head against his chest. ‘Yes, I know. And that’s what I’m sorry for—that I didn’t tell you. I had this pressure building inside me and when I saw everyone suffering I just had to do something about it.’ I wrinkled my brow. ‘I don’t think I was being totally rational, more like following an instinct.’

He sighed. ‘And was the instinct right?’

A huge white cruise ship came into view, having cast off from the moorings at the far end of the Dorsoduro. It sliced through the waters of the canal, strings of lights like Christmas decorations, tiny faces at the windows staring back at the city they had so briefly visited. The vessel felt far too big for the medieval landscape it sailed past.

‘I think my instinct was right. I now know what I’m up against and why.’ I filled him in on the background to the contessa’s particular gift.

‘Another soulseeker?’ Xav asked as our boat bucked in the wake of the cruise liner. The contessa had been like that, throwing our world at sixes and sevens.

‘I don’t think she’s been doing any seeking, more like hiding.’

‘And she’s done this to others, not just our girls—to her family and the staff?’

‘Yes. She’s one mixed-up lady. She’s been out of control for years, spreading her poison secretly to the Savants she knows, even her own blood. She says that, on the one hand, she’s doing it to keep her son safe, avoid the pain of loss, and yet, on the other, she clearly uses her powers as a kind of punishment. It’s not some well thought through master plan, more the erratic reactions of someone who is hurting.’

‘You’re being very generous.’

‘Yeah, well, I took a peek inside. Her mind is all scrambled, love connecting to hate, kindness to cruelty.’

Xav smiled down at me, a lock of his hair falling forward to brush my cheek. ‘You are a very sweet girl—when you’re not being totally infuriating and impossible.’

‘And you are one infuriating boy—when you’re not being totally sweet to me.’

‘Then I’d say we were well matched.’

The water taxi drew up at the landing place. The pilot lassoed a line around a post to pull us alongside. ‘Here we are, ladies and gentlemen: the Zattere.’

I hopped ashore. ‘Do the others know I was gone?’

‘Of course.’ Xav got out his wallet and counted out the fare. ‘You can’t expect me to shoot off after our soulseeker without Will and Dad knowing something was up and Zed foreseeing scary snatches of you sitting with the contessa.’

‘Oops.’

‘You’re part of the Benedict family now, like it or not. Get ready for a lifetime of all my brothers, my dad, and my mom when she’s back to her old self, telling you off when they think you’ve put yourself in danger.’ He passed the driver his tip and rejoined me on the jetty.

‘Aw, but I’ve got this big brave soulfinder to protect me now.’

‘Darlin’, you can’t hide behind me—you’re too tall.’

‘Leave this girl some illusions.’

‘C’mon. Let’s face the music.’

When we reported our safe return at the hotel, Xav did actually protect me from the worst of the roasting Victor and Saul had planned, arguing it was too late to scold me properly. He promised to tell them what had happened if they would let me get some sleep.

‘Tomorrow’s going to be another big day. She’s gone through enough tonight.’

‘You will promise not to leave the house alone again?’ asked Saul, hands on my shoulders to make his point.

It felt so great to be told off by a father again; I really wanted to hug him but instead I tried to look repentant. ‘I give my word.’

‘Then get some rest.’

I couldn’t quite meet his eyes, feeling a bit shy. ‘I’m going to try to reverse what was done. I think I might know how.’

‘You do?’ He couldn’t hide his flash of hope.

‘Well, maybe. I can’t promise that I’ll succeed.’

‘Of course you can’t, sweetheart. Until the morning then.’

Xav walked me the few yards home from the hotel foyer and gave me a goodnight kiss by the gate. Funny, it was the first time our relationship had fallen into anything like a traditional dating pattern, what with having started with the passionate kissing
before
we got to go out.