Diamond Sky (Love Lines Series)

by Diana Nixon

  Amanda chuckled behind me. “We can give you some space, if you need it.”

  Eileen rolled her eyes. “I think I’ll be fine without any role-playing games.”

  Evan burst out laughing. “And I was such a fool to ask what the two of you were doing to miss the medallion burning on Eileen’s neck. Now I know.”

  “Shut up, Evan,” Eileen snapped. “I need to concentrate.”

  She sat at the edge of her bed and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath. “What do I do now?”

  “Think about the medallion,” Tara said. “Try to imagine it, holding it in your hands.”

  I didn’t know if Eileen could see anything, but I noticed that she was trembling.

  “What’s going on?” I asked quietly.

  “She’s scared,” Evan said. He came closer and kneeled in front of Eileen. He didn’t touch her, but he could feel the cold, coming from her body.

  “The leader must be hiding somewhere in the mountains,” he said. “It’s freezing there.”

  “Eileen, do you hear me?” Marion asked. But no answer followed.

  “No, she doesn’t,” Tara replied. “She won’t say anything until she sees the whole picture of the place where the medallion is. It’s like the visions of the future I see in my head. When I concentrate on someone or something, I can’t talk until I’m sure that what I see is real.”

  A few more minutes passed, but Eileen never talked.

  “I can feel the water,” Darcy said, kneeling next to Evan.

  “What does it mean?” I asked her.

  “There must be a lake, or a river near the medallion.”

  “And rocks,” Evan said. He could feel everything that was connected to the earth. “Many rocks. Like ruins.”

  Suddenly, Eileen gasped and opened her eyes, staring blankly at the opposed wall of the room. “It’s in a black, satin box.”

  “The medallion?” Evan asked.

  “Yes. The box is sitting on a wooden stand. And it’s covered with something crystal. Like a showpiece in a museum. But there’s no one near it. The room is dark and cold.”

  “Try to see where this room is,” I said. “Is there a window to look outside?”

  “Yes. The window opens to the mountains. And I hear the footsteps.”

  “Kevin, come here,” Marion commanded. “Take Eileen’s hand. As soon as she sees the leader, she will pronounce the message that you need to pass to that person. Don’t worry, I will help you.”

  “What if it’s not the Dragons’ leader?” Kevin asked.

  “It’s our only chance to send the message. If the location of the medallion doesn’t change, Eileen won’t be able to see the same place twice.”

  “He’s here,” Eileen said. “He’s opening the door.”

  “Tell him what you want him to hear before he blocks you.”

  “We need to talk,” Eileen said to the man in her imagination. “Meet me at the main gates of Dever in two days, at midnight.” Then she blinked and looked at Marion. “He got the message.”

  “How do you know this?” Evan asked.

  Slowly Eileen moved her eyes to Evan, as if she was afraid of looking at him. Evan frowned, and so did I. Because her face was deadly pale.

  “Hey, you okay?” he asked, touching her hand.

  “Yes, I’m fine.” She gave Evan one last look and added, “He smiled when he heard the message. He knew it was sent by me.”

  “Good,” Marion said. “Now he knows that you are waiting for him.”

  “What if he’s not coming?” Tara asked.

  “Trust me, Dear, he will come.”

  “Okay, but how will he get into the illusion.”

  “The gates will be his portal. We will charm them. And my daughter, Elena will help us. We will change her appearance to make her look like Eileen. As soon as the two of them go through the gates, the man will disappear and get into the illusion, and Elena will go to the Great Hall to join us there.”

  Chapter 24. Things to Remember

  I didn’t like Eileen’s plan. Everything about it seemed too unclear. And I wasn’t sure if she could handle being locked in the illusion that we didn’t know anything about.

  Surprisingly enough, she was sure she would be fine. Maybe she knew something none of us did? Anyway, I wasn’t going to waste what felt like our last chance to be together, and I prepared a surprise for her.

  “Where are we going?” Eileen asked, holding me by the hand. Her eyes were blindfolded.

  “You will see in a minute.”

  “I hope you are not going to lock me in the dungeon to keep me away from the Dragons.”

  “Trust me, that thought crossed my mind many times. But no, I’ve got something special for you.”

  I led her to the gazebo that we liked a lot. There were many good memories connected to that place. And I wanted to create one more beautiful memory that would show Eileen how much I loved her, and how much I wanted her to be safe.

  “Now, you can open your eyes,” I said, taking off the blindfold.

  Eileen blinked and came closer to the gazebo. “Wow, it’s … so beautiful here.”

  I put my arm around her waist, saying, “I thought we needed a distraction.” I decorated the small place with flowers and candles that thanks to my gift warmed the surroundings making the snow melt.

  Eileen turned around so that now we were facing each other. “You are not going to make it easier, are you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You still hope that I will change my mind and stay here instead of piercing into that illusion?”

  I took a deep breath, shaking my head. “No, Baby. I know you won’t change your mind. But I want you to have something worth coming back to.”

  “I have you,” she said, caressing my cheek with her palm. I smiled and kissed her lips, drinking in every second of it. As always, the feeling of her lips moving slowly against mine, made every inch of my body tremble. It felt like a fire set inside me. And when it came to Eileen and me being in each other’s embrace, fire burned everything on its way, leaving only pure love and golden radiance around us.

  “You always know how to distract me,” she said, breaking the kiss. “But if you keep doing this, someone may think that the spring came sooner than we expected.” Eileen giggled, and I looked at the ground under my feet and saw the flowers, appear from under the melting snow.

  “How did we do that?”

  “I guess it was our kiss, making the temperature rise.”

  “To the degree that makes the flowers grow?”

  “Well, if you were not hiding in that hut and spent more time with me, I wouldn’t be so … excited now.” Eileen’s cheeks flushed, and I felt my heart warming from everything I felt for her at that moment. “Maybe we should move our small party somewhere else?”

  “We don’t want to burn the dorms, do we?”

  “I don’t really care about that,” I said, as I leaned towards her lips again.

  “I don’t think Amanda and Evan will like sleeping on the street.”

  I laughed, imagining my sister and my best friend calling us every name in the book. “True.”

  “It’s safer to stay here,” Eileen said, heading for one of the benches inside the gazebo.

  “Do you remember the day when we came here, and I couldn’t remember anything about you?”

  “Oh, God, it was one of the hardest days ever! You asked me to tell you something about our past, and I didn’t know what to say, as most of my memories about us included something intimate, and I didn’t know how to make myself say a word.”

  Eileen leaned on my shoulder and closed her eyes.

  “And I remember those bright purple and pink colors, radiating all over you. You can’t even imagine how much I wanted to kiss you, to feel the warmth of your body pressed against mine. But you seemed to be so ashamed of your own feelings, and I hesitated. I let you finish the story about our first meeting in Dever and never told you about my own feeling
s for you. It was strange. I couldn’t remember you, but everything inside me was screaming about my love for you. I don’t want to lose you, Eileen,” I whispered. “Ever again.”

  “You won’t,” she whispered back. “I swear.”

  We spent a few more hours in the gazebo, talking about our present and future. And it was actually the first time we talked about the future. It felt so natural to be together; neither she nor I ever considered any other option. But right then and there, we realized that our life and our future were at stake, and everything depended on the outcome of the upcoming battle between good and evil.

  I looked at the flowers, growing outside the gazebo, and flinched from fear. It wasn’t just an accident. I was sure it was Eileen who made the flowers grow. And I didn’t like it.

  Maybe she didn’t realize that, but she actually made the temperature of the earth rise. And she needed one hell of a power to do that. I knew she did that unintentionally. Which meant what she did, wasn’t actually her action.

  Someone was controlling her powers. Again.

  When it was time to go back to reality, we left the gazebo, and went to the dorms. I said I needed to do something, so I kissed Eileen’s palm good-bye, and went to my father’s apartment, where I hoped to find Marion. Only she could give the answers to my questions.

  “Looks like someone has turned the page of the calendar,” she said, seeing me at the threshold. “I can feel the scent of spring flowers.”

  “That’s exactly what I wanted to talk to you about,” I said. I stopped in front of the burning fireplace and stared at the flames, thinking about Marion’s words. There were only two of us in the room, but I could hear my father, talking to someone on the phone in his office. “What do you think about Eileen’s powers getting stronger?”

  “I think someone’s using her powers for his or her own benefit.”

  “Do you think it can be the girl, who possesses the same powers as Eileen?”

  “Actually, I don’t think so,” Marion said. “The existence of doubles is a very rare thing. And as far as I know they can’t abuse each other’s powers, because it won’t do any good to either of them.”

  “But we know that the other girl is a dark magic user, and she’s using Eileen to recharge her own energy. Don’t you think it is abuse?”

  “The double will never actually hurt Eileen, because she knows that if something happens to Eileen, the same thing will happen to her too. Even if she’s a dark magic user, the only person she will never do anything bad to, is Eileen. As I have already said, the double is like a waste product. On the one hand she has all the powers of Eileen’s, but on the other hand she will never be able to control them, as well as Eileen does. Which means she can’t make her do anything against Eileen’s will.”

  “So who do you think is controlling her powers?”

  “I don’t know. But the only thing I can say for sure, it that the person we are talking about is here, in Dever.”

  “Why do you think so?’

  “Because to control someone you need to be as close to that person as possible. Unlike the Dragons, Eileen has never been bound by any blood promises, so no one can control her remotely.”

  “It can’t be possible.” I sighed. “We know everyone who’s here now, and I don’t think any of those people would try to hurt Eileen. Except for….”

  “William?” I should have been used to Marion’s ability to foresee everyone’s questions, but now I was really surprised to hear the name she pronounced. “Don’t look at me like this, Christian,” she said, smiling. “I can’t read your mind.” Thank God, I thought to myself. “But I can see how tensed you become every time the guy is near Eileen. Trust me, it’s not him.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Just trust me, Christian. He’s probably the last person who would ever harm any of you.”

  “What do you know about him?” I still didn’t trust the guy.

  “I know enough to be sure about my words.” For God’s sake, I hated answers like that!

  I rolled my eyes. “Fine. It’s not him. Then who?”

  “Look around you. Maybe you will see something you have never noticed before.”

  Well, that was exactly what I had been doing for a long time already. And I didn’t notice anything unusual.

  “Is there any way to help Eileen stop these outbursts of energy?”

  “She needs to learn how to block the person manipulating her powers. Just the way she did with Amanda’s gift.”

  “Okay, I think it’s time to tell her the truth. She feels that something’s wrong with her, but she doesn’t understand how big the problem is.”

  “This is the right thing to do, Christian. She needs to be ready for everything. And you are the one who needs to talk to her about that.”

  “This is not going to be easy.”

  “It’s never easy with her,” Marion said, smiling. “But you keep the key to her heart, and no one will ever be able to get to her as close as you can.”

  “Sounds encouraging.” I smiled back and left, trying to come up with the right words for my conversation with Eileen.

  I knew she would try to deny her inability to control her powers. But she needed to face the truth — she couldn’t handle the amount of energy living inside her.

  Eileen liked orchids. And I thought that I could start the conversation with a bouquet of her favorite flowers. So I went to one of the Dever’s greenhouses to get it.

  When I came to my room, Eileen was reading a book, curled up on my bed. She smiled the moment I entered, but her smile vanished when she saw my face. Apparently I wasn’t good at trying to seem calm.

  “You okay?” she asked, jumping from the bed. I gave her the flowers and kissed her forehead wordlessly. “Thanks,” she said, confused. “They are beautiful.”

  She took a vase and put the flowers into the water. I sat on a couch, and mentally prayed for this talk not to end up with another uncontrollable burst of energy or fight.

  Eileen took a seat next to me and put her arm around my neck. “I guess something very bad is coming.”

  “Why would you think so?”

  “Because you are very quiet, and you have brought me flowers.”

  “It’s not the first time you got flowers from me.”

  “It’s not. But I can feel that something’s wrong, and you don’t know how to tell me about it.”

  “Come here.” Eileen leaned against my chest, and I immediately felt the sensations, indicating her magical attempts to comfort me. “Do you know how much I love you?”

  “I do,” she said, and the sensations intensified.

  “You don’t have to do this. I’m not going to flare up or anything.”

  “I know. But I think I’m doing it for myself as well. Sometimes I feel the need for something relaxing.”

  “I talked to Marion.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She said that you need to learn how to control your powers.”

  “Why? She thinks I can’t control them?”

  “How do you feel about them? Are there moments when you feel like they are getting … stronger?”

  Eileen looked at me, frowning. “I think there are moments when I don’t know what's going on with me. Do you know what it means?”

  “Yes. It means that there’s someone trying to control you. And you need to learn how to block these influences.”

  Part 7

  Eileen

  Chapter 25. The Lord of Mind

  I knew that Christian was right. I have already talked about that to Evan. But now I found out that the person, who was trying to manipulate me, was here, in Dever. And it scared me.

  “Do you really think it can be someone we know?” I asked Christian.

  “I wish Marion was wrong, but I don’t know what else to think.”

  I sighed. I had a lot of other problems to worry about, and I didn’t know how to cope with this particular one.

  Every ti
me I felt another burst of energy inside me, I froze, being afraid to move and break something. But there were times like today, near the gazebo, when I welcomed the powers rising inside me. They intensified everything I felt, and when it came to my feelings for Christian, I enjoyed every second of the flutter I felt under my skin.

  My cell rang, and I saw Patrick’s number flashing on the screen.

  “Hello?”

  “Eileen, could you come to my office, please? I’ve got something for you.”

  “Sure, I’ll be there in five.”

  “What happened?” Christian asked.

  “Your father wants to see me.”

  “Do you want me to go with you?”

  “No, I’ll be fine,” I said, kissing his lips softly.

  Something told me that Patrick finally got the answer to the question that had been torturing me for nights.

  A few days ago I gave him a note, written by William. Patrick could recognize the supernatural gifts by the handwriting. And I was wondering if there was anything I didn’t know about Will.

  “Come in, Eileen,” I heard the voice from behind the closed door. Of course, Christian’s father was good at feeling and reading auras. “Please, take a seat.” He nodded to a chair in front of him. “I think you know why you are here.”

  “It’s about the note I gave you, right?”

  “Yes.” Patrick looked puzzled.

  “So what can you say about its author?”

  “Hmm, I wish I could tell you more, but … I didn’t feel anything.”

  “How’s that?”

  “Usually, when people possess some extraordinary powers, we can feel them in everything they do. But in this case, I didn’t feel the presence of any known gift. Though I’m sure there’s something special about this person. Can you tell me who the author of this note is?”

  “Um … I must have taken him for another Wizardy. But since you don’t feel any magic, I think I have jumped to conclusions.” I didn’t want Patrick to know that we were talking about Will. “Thanks anyway.” I rose to my feet and was about to leave the office, when Patrick’s voice stopped me.