Blue Moon (Book One in The Blue Crystal Trilogy) (39 page)

Both scowled, but remained
silent.

‘Theo and Violet, stay close to
her at college,’ said Viyesha. ‘Aquila, watch over her at night.
Ensure she remains safe. Joseph, stay vigilant in the grounds. If
you see anything suspicious, alert Leon or me. There are enemies
everywhere. Secondly, we must find Mr Nelson. If he is prepared to
sell his knowledge of the crystal to any who will pay, he has to be
stopped. Leon, do you agree?’

‘I do. We must find him before
he inflicts further damage. He has to break cover at some point.
Aquila, search for him in daylight hours. Pantera, scour the city
streets at night when your senses are strongest. Follow your
instincts and track him down. If you find him, strike quickly and
remove him once and for all. If the Lunari believe we are unable to
protect the crystal, they will install sentinels of their own. This
beautiful house will become a prison and our family life changed
forever.’

‘That will not happen,’ said
Viyesha decisively. ‘We can protect the crystal without the Lunari
dictating our every move. She addressed her daughter, ‘Violet,
you’re quiet. Do you agree?’

Violet looked at her mother, a
troubled expression on her face.

‘I’m worried about my friends,’
she said.

‘You mean Seth and Tash?’ asked
Theo. He laughed scornfully. ‘You don’t even like them. And there’s
certainly no love lost between you and Tash.’

Violet ignored him. ‘Badru said
he’d be watching them. And you know how ruthless he can be. How did
he know they were here yesterday?’

Pantera snorted. ‘Someone has
to have ears and eyes and report back to our brothers. I saw them
leave. I simply relayed the fact.’

‘How stupid was that?’
exclaimed Violet. ‘You know what the Lunari are like. The very fact
you mentioned them makes them a threat. Oh, well done,
Pantera.’

‘Enough,’ said Viyesha, holding
up her hands. ‘If they know nothing, they are safe. Emily assures
me they have no knowledge of the crystal. We have more important
issues to attend to and I must prepare the Clock Tower Room for
Emily’s initiation. Now, is there anything else?’

She looked around, receiving
headshakes from her family members and scowling acknowledgements
from Aquila and Pantera. Crossing her thumbs in front of her cupped
hands, she said quietly, ‘We hold eternity in the palm of our
hands.’

The others followed suit,
echoing her words. Then silently, they stood and filed from the
library. Theo and Violet were last to leave.

‘What was all that about, Vi?’
Theo asked, ‘Why are you looking out for Seth and Tash? I don’t get
it.’

She looked at him coldly. ‘You
wouldn’t. You have eyes only for Emily. Why should you worry about
her friends being in danger?’

Theo looked at her strangely,
and then smiled.

‘Oh, I get it. This isn’t about
Tash, is it? It’s Seth. You have feelings for Seth. Well, well,
little sister. You are a dark horse.’

She looked at him coldly. ‘I
don’t know what you’re talking about. We’re not all as weak as you
when it comes to controlling our feelings.’

She turned, and with a toss of
her long, golden hair, walked quickly across the reception area
towards the central stairway without looking back.