‘Miraculous recovery apparently.’ Will touched the bandage over his chest. ‘I couldn’t occupy a hospital bed when all I really need now is rest and my brother’s TLC.’
Xav bowed. ‘My specialty.’
‘I’m so glad to see you’re going to be fine.’ I patted his uninjured arm.
‘Hey, with you on my case, I know I’m going to be more than fine. Supremely happy was what I had in mind.’
Uriel appeared at the back of the settee. ‘He’s just worried you’re going to do me first and push him to the end of the line.’
‘No, you’re too nice.’ Will grinned. ‘It was Vick I was really concerned about, that he’d intimidate you into doing his soulfinder first. You know, one of his “I’m too scary for my shirt” looks.’
‘He does have those down to a fine art,’ I agreed.
Uriel bent closer. ‘That’s because they are real. I hope his partner is one unflappable lady.’
‘I’m guessing destiny will make her a complete marshmallow and he’ll have to get in touch with his softer side and save his steely looks for anyone who dares offend her.’ Xav rubbed his hands. ‘I’m gonna love it.’
I crossed the room to greet Steve and Lily.
‘Taking a break from filming?’ I asked Steve.
‘I did my shots yesterday. The stunt guys are doing the rest. Lily persuaded me we should be here in case you needed any more support.’
Lily tweaked his ear. ‘Liar. You ordered me to pack as soon as the camera stopped rolling.’ She smiled at me. ‘He is very loyal to his friends.’
I was so happy for her. ‘I can see that.’
Was cool-man Steve actually blushing at our praise? He cleared his throat. ‘I’m … er … sorry to report I’ve brought the press pack with me. They are presently paddling outside your gate. Do you know you’re under water out there?’
‘It happens.’ I shared a grin with Xav and then I hugged Lily, drawing her aside. ‘Everything, you know, all right?’
She smiled. ‘Funnily enough, yes. I understand it’s thanks to you that he plucked up the courage to ask me out.’
‘You’ve been circling it for years, admit it; I just brought the plane down to land.’
Steve rolled his eyes. ‘Thank you, Crystal. She really needed to know what a coward I’ve been.’
‘Enough socializing.’ Xav took me by the shoulders and sat me down in front of a plate of fresh pastries. ‘Eat.’
‘What’s this? Have you gone all masterful on me?’ I teased.
‘No, just fattening you up for the kill.’ He stole a bite of my croissant, the sure-fire way of getting me to snatch it from him and stuff it in my own mouth.
I lowered my voice. ‘It does feel a bit like that.’
‘You will be fine. You’re our soulseeker. Look what you did for Steve and Lily.’
‘Strange to think that my first success was with people outside the Savant world.’
‘I’m coming to realize we make way too much fuss about the difference.’
‘You told Lily that everyone has a gift.’
‘That’s right. Being an awesome craftswoman must be up there with Savant gifts—or starring in a box office hit. Maybe we should think about lowering some of our barriers?’
‘So I’ve hooked up with a true democrat, have I?’
‘I guess. But I do know that we are all special—and that’s not just hot air. Look at Lily: she’s Steve’s happiness, isn’t she?’
They were so sweet together; Steve had none of his brittle star aura when she was in his orbit. ‘Yes, she is.’
‘Just like you are mine.’
‘Aw, shucks.’ I made it into a joke but we knew it was true for both of us.
We were both aware of the sideways looks we were getting. I’d drunk my coffee, eaten my breakfast, debated philosophy, flirted, now I really had no more excuses.
‘OK, let’s do this.’ I brushed off the crumbs. ‘If you wouldn’t mind sitting in a circle. I’m going to start if that’s OK with everyone.’
‘What are you going to do, Crystal?’ Victor asked.
‘Last night I let the contessa attack me so that I could find out how her gift works.’ From Saul’s and Will’s grim expressions I could tell neither were fans of my go-it-alone daring. ‘Her power is the same as mine, except she reverses it, cutting off the links rather than following them. She then “tidies them away”—her words—which explains the unnatural neatness in her victims’ minds. It’s like she gets them muffled up from the real world.’
‘Go on.’ Victor chose a seat opposite me. The soulfinders were sitting together on the floor or sharing armchairs.
‘I’m guessing here but I think I have to unravel the ends. It will be the job of the soulfinder to reconnect with his partner so you’ll all have to be there with me. Trace, I’m going to attempt this with Diamond first. You have to be ready.’
My brother-in-law-to-be nodded.
‘And Xav, I’ll need you too because it might be a bit chaotic. I’m not sure, but I might do more damage.’ Bearing in mind the contessa’s warnings about the adverse outcomes my gift could bring, I was worried I wasn’t able to get fully informed consent with the girls this way. ‘Di, do you understand? Do you still want me to go ahead?’
My sister met my eyes. ‘Yes, I do. I’m not going to stay this way. I can’t bear it.’
That would have to do.
‘Zed, can you bring us together like you did before?’
‘Sure.’ It was going to be an immense strain, supporting his entire family, but I was hoping for a domino effect, once one started to unravel, that I could quickly follow with the others.
‘Xav, you’re going to have to let me fly solo once we’re in. I can’t be protected.’
He took my hand. ‘It’ll hurt you.’
Yeah, that was the part I hadn’t quite admitted to myself. I shrugged. ‘Life hurts. That’s what the contessa doesn’t get.’
‘What do you guys want us to do?’ asked Lily.
‘Stand by just in case. Intercept any disturbances.’ I curved my lips in what I hoped looked like a smile. We’d already unplugged the phone and disconnected the door bell thanks to media city outside. ‘Make tea.’
‘I’m great at tea,’ volunteered Steve. ‘Lily, let’s go to the kitchen and leave the floor clear for our friends.’
‘Over to you, Zed.’
I sat back in Xav’s arms, my favourite place in the whole world. He dropped a kiss on the top of my head.
‘It’s going to be OK,’ he whispered, more an order to me to make it so than a conviction.
‘Piece of cake,’ I muttered, borrowing his words from two days ago.
Going into the family bond was easier this time as I knew what to expect. Xav’s protection allowed me to see and hear what was going on without being knocked about by their telepathic communication. It struck me that, potentially, with Xav’s help, I would be able to take part in normal Savant telepathy if he was there to shield me. But that wasn’t something to experiment with now.
OK, I’m going to step outside when I’m close enough to Diamond.
Xav rubbed my upper arm to show he’d understood.
Here goes.
The familiar sickening sensation of being assailed by mind-junk struck me as soon as I let go of Xav’s shelter. I tried to jump on the carousel whirling in her mind but was pushed back, sent spinning away. Dizzy—sick—this wasn’t working. Xav had to catch me and put me back within his walls.
OK. That went well.
Uriel touched my mind. Remember, your mind is as powerful, more powerful, than what you are imagining. You have created an illusion of a carousel to understand what’s happening but it doesn’t really exist.
Trace was at my side. You have to believe you are big enough to stop that merry-go-round.
That went to the heart of it, didn’t it? I had always struggled to think of myself as having any worth. The last few days that had set my world up in
its end couldn’t change that so quickly. The idea that I could undo damage done by a much older, much more experienced Savant was laughable. Yet I couldn’t cling on to the second-hand belief others had in me for this; I had to have faith in myself.
Xav sensed my determination. Ready?
I nodded and let go. The carousel was my image and I was free to change it. OK, so I’d shift it to something familiar. Space junk—that was how I had thought of it for years—and this time I was like a rocket sent up to intercept. I entered Diamond’s slipstream, feeling the barrage of her concerns striking against me.
It hurt. Like flying through razor-edged debris. The pain didn’t stay outside; it zinged through my body, nerves on fire.
You’ll have to stop. That was Xav.
No, I can do this.
I felt as if I was burning up on re-entry to her atmosphere. He put his hand on my neck, trying to cool me down with his powers. It helped a little, just enough for me to clear a space in my mind to get on with my task.
Crystal, are you sure you know what you’re doing? asked Saul. He had been trying to keep out of the way but I sensed he was having as hard a time as Xav in letting me put myself in danger.
I have a hunch. Time to act on it. The contessa had been all about tidying raw ends away; I was going to be the one to mess it up again. I took hold of Diamond’s streams of consciousness and pulled, heading in the direction of Trace. It was like trying to hold on to a meteor shower.
That’s it! urged Trace.
Your temperature’s way too high! warned Xav.
I kicked the connection as hard as I could out of the fake, tight orbit woven by the contessa, trusting Trace to catch it, and headed straight for Karla. No hesitation this time; I dived right in, grabbed a handful of the stuff that was her and hurled it to Saul.
Your nose is bleeding. Xav’s tone was urgent. You’ve got to stop.
Not now.
Phoenix next. She was trying to help me. I could sense her seeking memories of Yves for me to latch on to, the recent moments when he had calmed and comforted her after the trauma. She used her power to time-freeze them so they bobbed out of the whirl of stuff in her mind.
Yes, that helps! I encouraged. It was easier this time to catch a thread and pull it with me. Yves was shadowing me every step of the way, waiting to grab.
Crystal, you’ve got to stop! Come back and finish later. Xav was really really shaken. I could feel him put a tissue to my nose, then dab the corners of my eyes.
Please. Zed’s plea cut across Xav’s appeal. He had been so patient, helping the others, holding the bond together. I couldn’t back out now.
Sky next.
She had picked up the hint from Phoenix to use her gift and was putting the brakes on her orbiting material as much as she could manage. I saw the faint connection to Zed fluttering, end already loose for me to catch, the colour flaring out to attract my attention. I skimmed away, feeling the strength of my imagined rocket boosters flagging. I wasn’t sure I’d done enough. If the link fell and got tangled up again, I worried that I’d do more harm to her.
I’m here. I’ve got it. Zed somehow managed to fly alongside and take it from my grasp. I sensed rather than saw the pulse of power that travelled down the connection. The circuit had been repaired; the electricity of their relationship now flowed at high voltage once more.
I’m coming in, I told Xav. But I wasn’t. I couldn’t stop my drift outwards, away from the consciousnesses I had visited. Without power, I was in space freefall, momentum carrying me into blackness.
Xav!
Got you. Not letting you go.
I realized I wasn’t alone in mental deep space; he had always been there and could pilot me home.
What was that phrase they use on TV? Don’t try this at home. That was playing in my head as I came back to my senses. I was lying in my bed. From the long low shafts of light outside, it appeared that I’d missed quite a few hours.
‘Xav?’
‘He’s … er … gone out.’ Diamond sat at my side; she brushed the hair off my face. ‘Here.’
She passed me a damp flannel.
‘What? Why?’
‘You overdid it. Had a bit of a bleed from your nose and your eyes.’
‘Gross.’ I cleaned off the last signs.
‘Xav says you’re fine otherwise. Ordered you to rest.’
‘But didn’t stay?’ I found it hard to believe he was doing the sights while I lay unconscious.
‘He said he needed to unwind. He was furious we all let you go so far. That boy would stop you so much as breaking a nail if he could.’
‘My choice—totally my choice.’
Diamond bent over me and whispered. ‘Between you and me, I’d let him take his mad out on his brothers.’
I smiled. ‘You might be on to something.’ I suddenly realized the thing that I should have gathered immediately on waking. ‘Hey, you’re you again!’
‘Yes, I’m back.’
‘Really back? The link—your memories?’
Diamond sighed happily. ‘Yes, really. So are the others. I had a crushing headache for a time but Xav and some tablets sorted that out. Fortunately, the contessa hadn’t taken anything away, just buried it so deep that I thought I’d never get it back.’ She squeezed my hand. ‘But thanks to you, we did. I don’t know how we can … ’
‘Stop right there,’ I said firmly. ‘I don’t want thanks. I want you to be happy. Have a great wedding.’
‘We will. I know it’s kind of late notice—not to say unconventional—but I was wondering: would you be our best woman?’
‘Really, me? Do I get to lose the rings?’
She laughed. ‘Absolutely, because I know you of all people will be able to find them again.’
There was a knock at the door. Diamond looked up. ‘Yes?’
‘Is she awake?’ Karla poked her head around the frame.
‘Yes, I am.’
Xav’s mother bustled in, Saul on her heels as if he daren’t let her out of his sight for a second. Gone was that terrible vacancy; back was the little ball of fire that was the Benedict boys’ mother.
‘You wonderful, fabulous girl!’ Karla kissed my forehead. ‘We are so, so grateful—words cannot begin to describe. But … ’ she frowned and put her hands on her hips ‘ … if you ever risk yourself like that again, Crystal, I will be very angry indeed. Xav is not the only one to be annoyed with the boys for letting you do that for us.’
I smiled, quite enjoying my ticking off. She was trying very hard not to be too pleased with me. ‘Yes, Karla.’
‘Humph! This silly man here should have known better.’ She looked up at Saul, the decades of love for him shining in her eyes.
Saul took her hand. ‘We’re sorry, my dear. None of us wanted to put Crystal in danger.’
‘So, are you really back to normal?’ I asked.
‘Not quite.’
‘Oh?’ I began to worry that I’d got something wrong.
Saul flashed me a devilish smile. ‘We are better than normal. After nearly losing our bond, we realize how incredibly lucky we are to have each other. So I’ve decided it is time to take our second honeymoon. When the wedding is done, we’re staying on. I’m not saying which hotel we are checking in to either—total privacy,’ he kissed his wife’s knuckles, ‘us old sweethearts, alone at last.’
Karla wrinkled her nose. ‘I am not going on a gondola, Saul Benedict.’ This was obviously an already running discussion. ‘The prices are outrageous.’
Saul tapped his wife’s obstinate chin. ‘Mrs Benedict, you certainly are. You promised to obey.’
‘That was thirty years ago! Before the wedding ceremony caught up with the modern age.’
‘Well, I for one am holding you to that. Gondola for two, in the moonlight, with champagne and roses.’
As the vow to obey went, that didn’t sound too bad.
‘Oh well. If you are going to make such a fuss about it. I suppose I could. Ju
st this once.’
My sleep had restored me to something like my ordinary self, so when Saul and Karla left, I got up. The flat was emptier than the morning: Steve and Lily had gone back to their hotel, taking most of the press pack with them. Yves, Phoenix, Saul, and Karla had returned to the Calcina. Zed and Sky had stayed behind and were chatting with Will, Sky sitting on Zed’s knee as if nothing was going to get them apart again in a hurry. Victor and Uriel were playing cards at the kitchen table. Trace looked cute in an apron, chopping vegetables with a surgeon’s precision.
‘You know, the restaurant across the way does great take-out lasagne,’ I mentioned as I came out of the bedroom.
‘Now she tells me!’ sighed Trace.
Diamond pushed past. ‘Ignore her. We are doing Nonna’s recipe. Nothing tastes better than real home cooking.’
I popped up behind her, mouthing ‘liar!’
Trace swallowed his laugh. ‘You bet, darling.’
Diamond kissed him on the cheek.
As I turned to the others, I could feel that they were about to embark on a round of thankyous so I cut them off at the pass. ‘Anyone know where Xav’s gone?’
Uriel picked up the trick he had just won. ‘He wanted some quiet time, he said. Shall I ask him?’
I pulled on my jacket and boots. ‘No need.’ I tapped my forehead. ‘Homing pigeon in here.’
‘You OK to go out?’ asked Will. ‘You looked really rough when you passed out.’
I guess I had looked like something out of a horror movie. ‘I’m fine.’
‘You pushed it too far. You shouldn’t take the same risk again.’
‘Says the guy who got shot.’
Will laughed. ‘I now know why fate linked you with Xav. You are going to tease each other unmercifully.’
Victor threw down a card. ‘Might make the world a little safer for the rest of us then.’
‘Unless they turn their powers jointly on us,’ suggested Sky, her old sparkle back in her eyes.
The Benedict brothers groaned in unison.
‘OK, I’m outta here.’
‘Dinner at seven. Mama arrives tomorrow, don’t forget,’ called Diamond.
It looked as if this was the last free time I would have for many days to sort things out with Xav. ‘I’ll be back, but in the non-Terminator sense, of course.’
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