Blue Moon (Book One in The Blue Crystal Trilogy) (21 page)

He went to push Theo out of the
way and I shrank as far back into the corner of the sofa as I
could, feeling suddenly very afraid. Fortunately, salvation was at
hand, as Viyesha burst into the room, the double doors crashing
with the impact of her entrance.

“Enough,” she said in an icy
cold voice. “You have both said too much.” She addressed me, her
voice quivering with urgency. “Emily, leave. Leave now, while you
can. Run and don’t look back.” She held the door open for me and I
needed no further bidding, I ran for the door. As I passed her,
Viyesha put her hand on my arm, stopping me momentarily, as if
suddenly realising the need to defuse the situation. “We can trust
you not to say anything, can’t we, Emily?”

As her hand touched my arm, my
fear left me and feelings of calmness and serenity flooded my
being. I looked into her beautiful face and big blue eyes,
radiating kindness and concern.

“Of course, Viyesha,” I found
myself saying. “My first loyalty is to you. It always has
been.”

“Good. Tell no one what has
occurred here this afternoon. Neither friends nor family. If you
remain loyal to us, I can protect you. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I whispered, “I’ll tell
no-one.”

She smiled at me, and as she
did, I noticed tiny wrinkles at the corners of her eyes that I
hadn’t seen before, and furrows in her brow that had once been
smooth.

“Now go,” she said, taking her
hand off my arm. I glanced down and was surprised to see her hand
looking claw-like and frail, the veins lifted, the skin puckered
and dry. She quickly crossed her arms, placing each hand within the
wide sleeves of her gown, nun-like, so I was unable to see anything
more. “Go,” she repeated and I needed no further bidding.

I ran through the reception
area, nearly tripping over something that darted from an open
doorway. Stepping wide in an effort not to stand on it, I looked
down to see what I had so nearly trodden on. There was no mistaking
the fluffy grey bundle that sat on the black and white tiles
looking up at me. It was the kitten, as alive and playful as it had
ever been.

“Grey Boy,” called Violet’s
voice from the open door. “Come here, you naughty thing.”

I didn't look back. Reaching
for the latch of the oak door, I lifted it quickly, opened it and
ran as fast as I could through the courtyard and down the gravelled
driveway. I didn’t stop. I ran until I had no breath left. One
thing I knew above all else, I had to get away from that house of
horrors while I still could.

19. Family Pow-wow

The family gathered once again
in the library. Theo and Violet sat on one Chesterfield, Joseph on
another. Pantera and Aquila stood behind, and facing them all were
Viyesha and Leon. They all looked ill at ease and nervous.

Viyesha began by addressing
them all.

“As you now know, a situation
has arisen which is extremely worrying. And it is all the more
urgent, given its timing. We have just two days until the Blue Moon
Ball, and just a day until our guests start arriving. Nothing can
be compromised at this late stage. As you are only too well aware,
our existence depends on the Blue Moon Ball taking place.”

She paused for breath, looking
stooped and tired, her usually luminous skin heavy and pale. Taking
advantage of the break in her words, Aquila spoke in rasping,
venomous tones. “You should have let me take care of the girl while
I could. That would have guaranteed our safety, now we have a loose
cannon out there. What if she brings others here? What happens
then?” His dark skin creased into lines of worry, like deeply
engraved grooves etched across his sour features.

“She won’t,” said Viyesha, “I
am confident that we have her loyalty.”

“I’m sorry, Viyesha,” said
Joseph, his usually curly hair flat and straight, streaks of grey
intermingled with the lustreless blond tresses. “This is all my
fault. If only I hadn’t mentioned the Blue Moon Ball, none of this
would have arisen.”

“That was bad enough, idiot,”
exploded Aquila, “but it was this moron who did all the damage.” He
poked his bony finger into Theo’s back as he spoke. “You had to
tell her, didn't you?”

Theo turned as if touched by an
electric cattle prodder.

“Don’t touch me, you filthy
scavenger,” he said through clenched teeth. His face looked haggard
and tired, jowls beginning to appear at either side of his mouth.
“If you lay a finger on her, I swear I’ll kill you.”

“You’ll have to get past me
first,” hissed Pantera, still tall and majestic, but now looking
thin and careworn.

“This is getting us nowhere,”
thundered Leon in a loud, commanding voice that shook them all. “We
have no time for recriminations or threats. The question is what do
we do now? We have such little time.” He paused, the exertion
causing him to stop and catch his breath, his film star looks
appearing tired and worn.

“He’s right, mother,” said
Violet, looking small and hunched. “I’m frightened. What if we
don’t make it this time? What if Emily brings people here?”

“D’you really think she would,
Violet?” asked Theo. “You’re forgetting one very important factor.
Her feelings for me. If she tells anyone or brings anybody here,
she jeopardises her relationship with me. Do you really think she’d
do that?”

“Can we risk it?” rasped
Aquila. “You should have let me take care of things while I could.
Before you gave her the necklace.”

“I gave her the necklace to
protect her from creatures like you,” said Theo in disgust. “How do
you know about it, anyway? Nobody else did.”

“You forget I have eagle eyes,”
said Aquila triumphantly. “You can hide nothing from me.”

“Please, everyone, be quiet,”
said Viyesha, sounding tired and old. “Theo, what is this necklace
of which Aquila speaks?”

“I gave Emily my Celestite
crystal necklace,” said Theo. “It was the only thing I could think
of to keep her safe.”

“I see,” said Viyesha slowly,
“I suppose we gave you no choice, but you should have consulted me
first. I need to know what you’re doing.”

She addressed the rest of the
assembled family. “Listen closely. We cannot waste what remaining
strength we have on argument and dissent. This is what I propose.
We must carry on preparing for the ball. We have only two days, and
limited resources left within us. I am confident Emily will not
compromise our safety. If, as Theo believes, she is one of us, we
truly have nothing to fear. If we find out otherwise, we may have
no choice but to eliminate her. And Pantera, that task will fall to
you. Not you, Aquila. I find your propensity towards violence
disturbing and abhorrent. We are peaceful, we do not seek to
destroy. That comes as a last resort only when all other avenues
are closed to us and we are faced with a kill or be killed
situation. Do I make myself clear?”

She looked from one to the
other, all around the group.

“Yes, Viyesha,” said
Joseph.

“Yes, mother,” said Theo,
sounding weary and hollow.

“Yes, mother,” echoed
Violet.

“Pantera and Aquila, do I have
your agreement?” asked Viyesha, looking at them with tired, watery
eyes.

“Yes, Viyesha,” said Pantera,
quietly, not meeting her gaze.

“As you wish,” said Aquila
arrogantly, tossing his head back. “But I hope you’re not making a
huge mistake. For all our sakes.”

Viyesha looked at Theo.

“There is one more thing to
discuss. Theo, if you truly believe Emily is who you think she is,
if you are convinced she is ‘the one’, she has no other choice but
to join us.”

“But, mother, it’s too
dangerous,” said Theo, looking anguished. “I can’t put her through
that.”

“You must, Theo, surely you see
that?” said Viyesha quietly.

“No!” he exclaimed. “I cannot
inflict that upon her. It must be her choice. If she joins us it’s
because she wants to, because she understands the risks. She may
not survive. She has to understand the dangers involved and that
the odds are against her.”

He sat back, looking hunched
and old, his brow creased, his problems weighing heavily on his
shoulders.

“Theo,” said his mother,
kindly, “for now we must concentrate on the Blue Moon Ball. There
is time enough to consider Emily’s fate after that.”

Slowly, they filed out of the
library, seven world-weary figures, their posture stooped, their
faces tired and drawn, their energy levels all but
extinguished.

20
. Arrivals

Once more, the mist had
descended on Hartswell-on-the-Hill, its tendrils curling around
vegetation and trees alike, clothing them in a dark grey mantle. It
was 2am and the mist combined with a cloudy night to reduce
visibility to almost zero. The cloying heaviness pressed against
windowpanes and doors and, had the sleeping residents attempted to
look out, they would have seen nothing more than a thick grey wall
encompassing and entombing them.

While the village slept,
tormented by wild dreams and fevered imaginings, strange things
were occurring at Hartswell Hall. Aquila drove the sleek black
Jaguar up the driveway, seemingly oblivious to the fog. The wheels
crunched on the pebbled courtyard as he parked the car, then opened
the doors for the occupants to disembark,

A slim leg in a silk stocking
appeared first, the sheer denier failing to hide the varicose
veins, and an elderly, veined hand grasped the rear doorframe.
Slowly, the old woman pulled herself out of the car, standing
precariously for a moment. She was followed by an elderly gentleman
with silver white hair and deep jowls, who slowly got out of the
front passenger seat, leaning heavily on a silver-topped cane. Two
further old ladies eased themselves out of the rear seat, one with
the bobbed hairstyle of a much younger woman, contrasting
incongruously with her heavily lined face; the other with
grey-streaked auburn tresses and a tight red dress revealing a once
stunning physique that was now hunched and stooped. Both wore large
framed sunglasses, concealing most of their faces.

A welcoming committee stood on
the front step.

“Viyesha,” said the woman with
auburn hair, slowly walking towards her. “My dear, so pleased to
see you again.”

She went forward and they
embraced with an air kiss.

“Chevron, as always, you are
most welcome,” murmured Viyesha.

One by one, the guests climbed
the front steps, each embracing Viyesha and shaking hands with
Leon.

“Rachael, lovely to see you.
Sugar, welcome…. Roberto… do come in.”

Viyesha indicated for Pantera
and Aquila to collect the guests’ luggage and carry it into the
house. Then she ushered her guests into the main entrance hall and
reception area.

“You are the first to arrive,
which means you have plenty of time to make yourself at home. Your
bedrooms are all prepared and may I suggest you rest as much as
possible for the next two days, conserving your energy for what
lies ahead. And on that score, please be assured everything is in
place and all will happen as it should.” She cupped her hands in a
circle in front of her solar plexus and crossed her thumbs, saying
softly,
“We hold eternity in our hands
.”

On cue, her guests each gave
the well-practiced signal, cupping their hands and crossing their
thumbs in a similar fashion, and echoing her words. “
We hold
eternity in our hands
.”

“Please,” instructed Leon,
“follow Pantera up the main stairs and she will show you to your
rooms.”

The party began to ascend the
huge, carved central stairway, each holding on to the polished
mahogany bannister and moving slowly, pulling up their old bones
step by step.

Viyesha watched them go,
murmuring to herself, “Perhaps an elevator for future years…?” She
turned to Leon and smiled. “It’s begun, my love. We’ve made it and
this time nothing can go wrong.”

He put his arm round her
shoulders and holding her close, said into her hair, “As always,
you have led us to safety, Viyesha. We owe our existence to you,
not one of us is in doubt of that.”

She turned up to him, her eyes
shining amidst her tired, lined face. “Soon we will party again
with the vigour of youth, Leon. Not long now.”

* * *

Outside, in the fields beyond
Hartswell-on-the-Hill, where the mist petered out and the world was
near normal, strange amorphous shapes moved through the grass.
Black shadowy nostrils inhaled the breeze, searching for familiar
scents.

Finding none, they dropped back
to the earth, hissing and clicking in their frustration.

Time and again, they approached
the outer boundaries of the mist, trying to penetrate its wall-like
intensity.

Time and again, they were
beaten back, unable to get any closer to the object they sought,
unable to glean even the faintest whiff of its existence.

21
. The Blue Moon Ball

I crouched in the undergrowth
alongside the main driveway of Hartswell Hall, feeling rather than
seeing a vehicle cruise slowly by on its way up to the house.
Everywhere around me the mist clung, heavy and oppressive,
swallowing any light, and preventing me from seeing even a few
inches ahead. High up, above the mist, the moon shone brightly, but
had no impact on the ground below.

It had taken me a long time to
get here, walking as if I were a blind person, feeling the way,
running my fingers along neighbours’ front walls, carefully putting
one foot in front of the other, stumbling as the pavement gave way
to the road. Luckily, I had a good sense of direction and knew
exactly where I was headed, but the lack of vision disorientated
me.

I was sure I had plenty of
time. I’d left the house just before 10.30pm. Mum and Granddad had
each gone to bed, both complaining of a headache, which I
attributed to the unusual weather and abnormal air pressure. Ever
since I’d been wearing the blue crystal necklace, I’d felt
amazingly vibrant and energetic. Some nights I’d needed only a few
hours’ sleep, arising in the early hours to do my homework and
excelling at college to the amazement of my tutors.