OK. I’m going to follow your feelings for her—that’s the clearest thing for me to sense. I touched his mind with Xav’s help. And there it was: the stream of thoughts and emotions all focused on his soulfinder. I didn’t want to examine it too closely, a general sense of direction was all I needed, but I couldn’t help glimpsing little bits of their courting, jokes, private moments, concerns shared and carried together. I featured in that last bundle; Diamond has been talking about me to Trace a lot. Ooops. Don’t look too close: eavesdroppers always come to grief.
Crystal, you need to focus. You’re sliding off track. That was Zed who was keeping a watch on my progress as he held all the gifts together.
Sorry. Uriel, Trace, any advice how I do this?
Don’t think of the trail getting fainter as it gets further from you, said Uriel. That’s just your mind projecting an imagined weakness. For mental paths, distance is meaningless. The trail is there.
I find points of certainty, like supports of a bridge to make sure the trail doesn’t collapse on me, added Trace. Feel rather than try to see.
Good advice. I tried to follow it but it wasn’t as clear as it had been with Xav. I felt that the end of the thread was flapping about in the wind, like a loose kite. It doesn’t feel right.
Where are you, do you think?
I pulled back a little. Mountains. Cold. West-north-west. The effort was making my head spin; the trail was fading.
That’s enough, guys, announced Xav. She needs to rest.
Zed gently let the telepathic connection lapse. Last to leave my mind was Xav and I came to still wrapped in his arms.
‘I’m sorry. I’m not very good at this yet.’ I felt terrible that I hadn’t come up with a full answer, only fragments.
Trace had his head in his hands. ‘It’s not your fault, Crystal. I felt what you saw. There’s something seriously wrong with Diamond. She’s, well, she’s just not there.’
‘Oh my God, you don’t mean she’s dead, do you?’ I began to panic. I’d assumed this was a hostage situation, but what if the contessa was really insane and had killed them all?
Trace shook his head. ‘I think, no, I would know if that was so.’ He clenched his fists and flexed them, struggling to keep control of his feelings. ‘What I meant was that she was a blank. Switched off somehow.’
‘That’s not possible,’ stated Zed. ‘Nothing can override a soulfinder bond.’
‘Are you sure?’ Trace’s eyes were filled with pain.
An ugly idea came to me. ‘The contessa called herself the eraser. I thought she meant that she could wipe our memories, but what if she meant something more?’
Saul was trembling. He looked older than I’d ever seen him. ‘If she has done something to our soulfinders then we will find them even if they don’t know us. Once we get them back, I vow that I will find a way to reverse the damage. She is not stealing my soul from me.’
‘We’ll find a way, Dad,’ promised Will. ‘Mom won’t let an evil old bird like her wreck thirty plus years of marriage.’
Yves stood up and opened the curtains. ‘Thanks to Crystal, we’ve got a chance. Her directions were close enough to start a search. I’ll just call up a map of the area she located.’ He fired up his laptop and called up a satellite image of the area overlaid with names. ‘Crystal, here’s what I got from your mind. Can you narrow it down any?’
I knelt beside him and scanned the image of the Dolomites, the alpine range in the north of Italy. ‘I think I can.’ I tapped the area near Lake Garda. ‘And I don’t need mind power to work it out.’
Xav ruffled my hair. ‘Clever. Monte Baldo. Of course, she’s gone back to the area of her family’s ancestral lands. How else can she hide what she’s done unless she has some stronghold staffed by those loyal to her? We should’ve thought of that.’
‘You would’ve done eventually,’ I said. ‘It’s just all been too much of a shock.’
Victor was on his computer already, tapping into the international law enforcement databases. ‘The guy we arrested in London, the investigators listed a villa in the mountains among his assets.’ He pulled up an image. ‘Damn, it looks impregnable.’ It was not so much a villa as a castle built for defence high on a mountain crag, ramparts shaped with bladelike crenulations; picture postcard pretty if it hadn’t really been turned into a prison. ‘Suggestions?’
‘There’s only one real option for us,’ said Saul. ‘We drive up to the main gate and ask for them back. It may look medieval, but this is modern Italy. She can’t get away with keeping them from us if they are there.’
‘I’m pretty sure that’s the place I felt.’ I could feel shivers running down my spine—the castle looked beautifully cruel, like an eagle perched on a rock.
‘Then what are we waiting for?’ asked Zed, halfway to the door. ‘Let’s go rescue our girls.’
Of course it wasn’t as easy as that. Trace and Victor immediately set about hiring a couple of four-wheel drives to take us to the mountains. Not knowing what condition the girls would be in once we found them, we decided we would need our own base rather than hope that they would be up to the long drive back to Venice. Searching online, Zed and Yves found one near to the contessa’s villa. Fortunately, out of season and before the skiing got into full swing, they were able to track down the owner of a large house in a town on the eastern shore of the lake not far from Monte Baldo. The plan was to fetch the girls and take them there for the night so they could recover.
Victor and Uriel offered to drive. Everyone saw the sense in this as, not having their soulfinders in immediate danger, they were expected to be the calmest in this situation. Will was nominated the navigator with me as his GPS signal to home in on the destination. We had assumed we were right about the contessa’s villa but it was always possible I had leapt to a conclusion and missed the girls’ true position. My job was to sit in the back of the lead car, with Xav to help, keeping a fix on Trace’s connection as far as it went. Uriel followed with Yves, Zed, and their father as his passengers.
Once we had picked up the cars and crossed to the mainland on the long link of the road bridge, Xav and I were left pretty much on our own. Trace was occupied with phone calls to his police contacts. I could hear him pulling in every favour, tugging on every string he had in international law enforcement. I had offered to deal with the Italians but he said that could wait until we got to Lake Garda. Will and Victor had the roads to negotiate.
I leant my head back on Xav’s shoulder, his arm around me, savouring this little moment of calm. ‘You OK? You must be worried for your mum.’
He played with a curl that had come loose from the quick ponytail I had made of my hair. ‘I feel pretty mixed up. I’m worried for Mom and the others, especially now you say something’s wrong with them, but I’m also doing a little Happy Feet dance inside to have found you. It makes me feel really conflicted—I don’t know what to feel first.’
I smiled at the image of hundreds of penguins jiving through his brain. Yes, that was how it felt. ‘You make a good team, you and your brothers, and your dad too. I don’t think the contessa will know what’s hit her once you arrive on her doorstep.’
He kissed my hand then rubbed it against his cheek. ‘Thanks. It helps that you believe in us. And don’t forget who is our secret weapon.’
I turned in towards him so I could see his face. ‘Do you think your dad is right—about me, I mean?’
‘Do you?’
‘I suppose … well, maybe. I’m just worried I’ll be a dud one of these soulseeker things like I am at everything else.’
‘Cupcake, I’m warning you.’ He wriggled his fingers in the air.
‘What?’ I squeaked, trying to get away from the threatened tickle.
‘I’ll take drastic action if you run yourself down again in my hearing. You’ve just been told that you are the once-in-a-generation gift to Savant-kind and now you’re saying you think you won’t be good enough.’
‘But … �
�
‘No buts. When are you going to wake up to the fact you are not the Ugly Duckling but the swan?’
‘Aw.’
Before I could get soppy over his lovely compliment, he went for my midriff with his fingers.
‘No!’ I yelped, curling up and batting his hands away.
Trace frowned and tried to shield his call from my shrieks.
‘Admit it: say,“I am a swan”.’
‘You are a swan!’ I gasped, falling into giggles again.
‘Urg! Confess!’
‘OK, OK, I am a swan. We both are. Everyone is. There: we are a whole flock of swans.’
‘You make enough noise to be one, that’s for sure,’ grumbled Trace, though I could tell he was not too upset. He probably welcomed the distraction, which, I guess, was exactly why Xav had done it.
It was late afternoon by the time we reached the mountain road to the castle. For what was a route leading only to a national park, the track up Monte Baldo showed signs of many vehicles having passed recently: the verge churned up, mud mixed with the snow lying at these high altitudes.
‘You think she’s preparing for a siege?’ asked Xav, only half-joking.
I spotted a sign tacked to one of the trees at a junction, one spur leading to the villa the other up to the snowfields. ‘Actually, I don’t think it has anything to do with her. I reckon Hollywood has come to town. Remember what they said on set, this week they were shooting in the Italian Alps? Well, that’s where we are. They’ve got here before us.’
‘From the looks of it, they didn’t head our way.’ Victor signalled to turn down the narrow road that snaked around the crag; the tyre marks of the heavy vehicles had carried on up the mountain.
‘No, they must be further up. If I remember right, it was some shot to do with skiing and helicopters.’ But I was comforted to know we had possible allies not so far from here who might be counted on to take our part if we had to go head-to-head with the Italian authorities to get access. Lily could vouch that I wasn’t a nutcase when we approached the local police with this kidnapping story.
Darkness had fallen by the time we reached the gates. As our vehicles got within range, security lights went on. There was no visible guard, just an intercom.
Victor drummed his fingers on the wheel. ‘So, we just go up and knock?’ He would have preferred a person on whom he could use his mind powers.
‘I guess so.’ Trace got out. ‘Stay in the car, guys.’ He held up his hand to the passengers of the other vehicle. ‘I’ll do this. Let’s not give them too many targets, hey?’
‘Does he really expect someone to take a pot shot at him?’ I whispered to Xav.
Xav shrugged, tension running through his body like a low voltage current.
‘Is it OK, Will?’ I asked.
‘Not OK—but the threat is general. Not aimed at Trace.’
We watched in silence as Trace pressed the intercom.
‘Si?’ crackled a voice at the other end.
‘My name is Trace Benedict. Do you speak English?’
‘No.’
Trace swore under his breath. ‘OK. Moment. Crystal?’
I was already on my way out of the car, Xav shadowing me. I pressed the ‘speak’ button.
‘Hello,’ I began in Italian, ‘I’d like to speak to the contessa, please.’
‘She is not receiving visitors. Please go away: this is a private residence.’
‘I’m afraid I can’t do that; you see, you have my sister there and … and I need to speak to her urgently—a family emergency.’ Well, it was, wasn’t it?
There was a pause. The camera on top of a nearby pole swivelled to take a good look at us. ‘I will send a snowmobile to fetch you. You may come in.’
‘Tell them you’re not going in alone!’ hissed Xav.
‘My friends won’t let me come without someone else.’
‘You and one other. The older man—not the young ones.’ The channel switched off.
‘I’m not liking this one bit,’ Trace said as his father jumped out of the other car. ‘We can’t send her two more hostages.’
‘She already had her chance to take me. I doubt it’s hostages she is after but messengers.’
Saul put his hand on my shoulder. ‘Are you all right with this, Crystal?’
‘Of course, she’s not all right with it.’ Xav was working himself up to an eruption of temper. He hadn’t anticipated this twist and couldn’t accept that I’d head into danger without him. ‘You expect me to let her walk right into the lion’s den?’
‘Xav!’ I warned in a low voice.
‘What?’ He turned his anger-filled eyes on me.
‘I’m not of interest because I’m not a soulfinder, remember?’
Even when furious, he put my safety first. Moving away from me, he tried to look as if he wasn’t about to strangle us all. ‘Yeah, cupcake, it’s not as if you are our crown jewels or anything, is it? Jeez, I want to kick something.’
The buzz of snowmobile engines was heard before we saw the vehicles gliding down the driveway towards us.
Saul began firing orders to his sons. ‘Stay with the cars. I’ll keep in touch if I can but I wouldn’t be surprised if she has some kind of telepathic dampener around her.’
‘My kind of telepathy might get through that if it is unique as Xav claims.’ I gazed worriedly at his back. He was currently stomping on a rut of snow.
He wheeled round. ‘Not if it gives you away.’
‘Of course not. I’ll be careful.’
‘I don’t call heading in there being careful!’
‘Xav!’ Saul was losing his temper now, something that rarely happened in this family.
‘What?’ he snapped.
‘Look at me, Xav.’ My soulfinder raised his eyes to meet his father’s steady gaze. ‘You can trust me to look after her. I swear on my life I will make sure no harm comes to her—or your mother, or Diamond, Phoenix, and Sky for that matter.’
‘You can’t promise that,’ Xav said quietly, his anger stamped off into the snow.
‘What I can say is that if things go badly wrong, you have my permission, Yves, to blow the gates to kingdom come and all of you can charge in to the rescue. Just for now, let’s try talking our soulfinders out of there. It is the safest way.’
Zed swore while Yves gave a guarded nod. Trace hugged me tightly.
‘Take care, little sister,’ he murmured. ‘Diamond would not like me letting you do this if she knew.’
Two snowmobiles swept into view, turning so as to face back towards the house. The drivers did not get off, or even say anything to us, their faces obscured by their helmets. They could’ve been aliens under there for all I could see. With a little hum, the one half of the gate opened just wide enough for people to slip through in single file. The contessa wasn’t taking any chances, which was hardly surprising if she knew which gifts she was dealing with when it came to the Benedict family. Victor in particular was not going to be welcome at this particular party.
‘OK, guys, see you in a minute,’ I said with false cheerfulness. Following Saul, I squeezed through the gate. As soon as I was clear, it hummed closed. Xav was trying not to look at me but he did shoot me an agonized glance.
Saul was assessing the two men on the snowmobiles. ‘You go with that one, Crystal.’ He motioned me towards the bigger of the two drivers.
I was surprised. I would have guessed that he would steer me towards the other.
‘Brains not brawn is usually the threat,’ he whispered, helping me take my seat behind the silent man. ‘Your driver is reading as mostly harmless.’
Gingerly, I took hold of the driver’s waist. He didn’t wait for Saul to be seated, but set off at high speed back to the castle.
There was too much noise to ask questions so I did my best to note the way back in case I had to find it on my own. The drive was clearly marked by posts to show the track in the deep snow. On either side stretched fir plantations. Round the
turn and we came upon the gardens, mysterious in their winter covering but I could just make out some terraces, hedges, and statues. Above loomed the castle, now a dark silhouette against the sky, crenellations clawing at the stars as if envious of their freedom from an earth-bound existence. I had tumbled out of everyday life into a fairy tale; it was very easy to believe that a rational discussion about releasing the girls would seem foolishness here, like trying to reason a werewolf out of savaging you.
The motor died. I swung off, not able to bring myself to thank my escort. Again, without a word, he drove off, taking the vehicle round the side of the building to where I presume the contessa kept her transport. There was a big turning circle where I was standing but otherwise no sign of cars. A moment later, Saul arrived on the back of his ride, visibly relieved to see me waiting. He descended and hurried over, taking my arm before anyone could separate us.
‘What now?’ I asked.
There was no obvious door to the castle. A deep arched passage led through the wall but neither of us fancied going that way—with the portcullis suspended overhead it looked too much like heading into a dragon’s mouth.
Then a man appeared in the passage carrying a flashlight.
‘I suppose that’s our answer,’ sighed Saul. Taking a firm grip of my hand, he led the way across.
‘I recognize him—he’s the butler from the contessa’s house in Venice,’ I whispered.
‘If sir and madam would like to follow me,’ the butler intoned.
‘This is not a social call,’ Saul said briskly. ‘I think you know why we are here and you should consider your own risk of criminal charges if you prevent us from getting back our girls and my wife.’
‘Very well, sir. This way.’
Oh he was good, this butler. He must have studied hours of classic film footage to get the subservient but sneering tone down to a T.
Our footsteps echoed in the passage. He led us out into a courtyard and across to where a door stood open. I could hear laughter and voices from inside.
‘Looks like the contessa has company. What does that mean for us?’ I asked.
‘Possibly witnesses. If there’s anyone not in her pay, it would work in our favour.’ Saul stopped on the doorstep. ‘OK, Crystal, I’m going to try telepathy. I know it makes you queasy, so I’m sorry.’
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