Crystal Heart Page 10

  “How should I know? He talks a lot, and I only understand about a third of it.”

  “When I first met Mrs. Street”—Greg nodded at the twins—”your mother explained that your ancestor was the sister of Freya’s ice guardian. That’s why she tried to make you befriend Mellissa.”

  Victoria rolled her eyes. Mrs. Street had failed at pushing her daughter into being my friend. As interesting as it was that the Streets were decedents of one of Freya’s guardians, I didn’t see the correlation.

  “Why would that mean we needed to be friends?” I asked.

  “Matt has the same powers as his mum, but Victoria’s powers match those of her ancestor Ivan, Freya’s guardian.” He turned to Victoria. “She tried to push you into befriending Mellissa because she thought you would be her guardian one day. Little did she know, both her children would be guardians.”

  “She’s been manipulating us this whole time,” Matt said. “Our own mother, how could she do that?”

  “No, I didn’t mean it like that,” Greg said.

  “No, he’s right,” I said. “Why didn’t she just tell us the truth?”

  “Exactly.” Matt almost knocked his chair over as he stood. “All this time, she knew who Mellissa really was and left her out in the open, unprotected, completely oblivious to the danger she was in.”

  “You’re wrong,” said Victoria. “She was protecting us. All of us.”

  Matt crossed his arms. “How so?”

  “We never recognised Mellissa for what she was because she had no magic aura. Now, since she’s used her powers, look how easy she is to track.”

  “Fine, maybe Mellissa not knowing was safer, but why not tell us?”

  “The royals went into hiding for a reason. If someone came looking, we couldn’t tell what we didn’t know.”

  Matt huffed and sat back down in his chair. “Why do you know all this?”

  Victoria sat up straighter. “I’m not an idiot, and Mum told me last night before I came here.”

  Matt glared at his sister. I wasn’t sure what to make of what I’d just heard. The royals had gone into hiding. If someone came looking… Who else was looking for the royals? My chest tightened as I thought of the shadow creature that had attacked Greg and me. I could be tracked now that I had used my powers. Those things could find my house. Anyone around me could be put in danger.

  “How can I turn my aura off?” I asked.

  “You can’t turn it off,” replied Greg, “but you can dampen it.”

  “How?”

  “Training.”

  “Well, let’s start.”

  It was decided that it was best to start training at the Streets’ house. We would be away from my dad’s prying eyes, and apparently, the Streets had a special barrier around their house, so they could use magic freely at home. Matt led us down a staircase I’d never seen before. A simple glamour charm, he had called it, to stop people from noticing the extra level. He opened a door to a massive hall. I gasped. It was the length of the house with a high ceiling. Along the far wall were racks of weapons: daggers, swords, batons, and staffs—anything you could think of to cause harm. There was a punching bag, a fighting dummy, and training mats. Weird symbols I’d never seen lined the walls. How could a “simple” spell hide all of this?

  “I can’t believe all this is under your house,” I said.

  Matt shrugged. “Once we stopped attending boarding school, we had to train somewhere.”

  “I’m guessing your boarding school wasn’t really in London like you told me.”

  He shook his head. “It was in Magus, the warlock capital.”

  Victoria pulled a staff from the rack and spun it around in her hand. “What do you want to learn first?”

  Greg cleared his throat. “As impressive as all this stuff is, Mellissa needs to learn sealing magic and how to dampen her aura, not play with sticks.”

  “This is not a stick,” Victoria snarled, “but fine, you two practice boring magic.” She grabbed another staff and chucked it at Matt. “I’ll kick the crap out of my brother in the meantime.”

  I squealed as Victoria hurled herself at Matt. He only just managed to get his staff up in time to block her attack. She swished her staff through the air, bringing it down at Matt. He reacted quickly. There was a bang as the staffs collided. It was amazing watching them. I had never seen two people move so fast, but what really got me was the look on Victoria’s face. She was smiling. Whenever I saw her, she usually looked like she’d tasted something sour, but in that moment, sparring with Matt, she looked happy. She was having fun.

  “Mellissa,” Greg said, “you ready?”

  I turned to him. “Um, right, yeah.”

  “Okay, I guess we’ll start with dampening your aura. It’s a basic technique. You just need to focus on your power and pull it back into yourself.”

  “All right, I’ll give it a go.” I shut my eyes tight and tensed my body. I tried to focus, but I wasn’t entirely sure what my powers felt like. How were others aware of my magic when I wasn’t? They kept telling me I had this strong aura, but I sensed nothing. The banging of staffs in the background didn’t help my focus.

  “You are too tense,” Greg said. “Push your shoulders back and try to relax.” He put his hands on my shoulders. “Your magic is a part of you. You’ve been ignoring it for so long you probably can’t tell it’s there. It’s like a warm ball of energy inside you that you can release on demand. Take deep breaths and focus.”

  His words were weirdly comforting. I took deep breaths as suggested, tuning out the sounds of the twins fighting. I focused inside me. Matt was right; I had changed. I could feel something burning inside me, like a sun ablaze in my heart. I focused on it and tugged.

  “That’s it,” Greg said. “You’re doing it.”

  Now that I had hold of this burning light, I couldn’t believe I hadn’t noticed it before. How had I managed to ignore this power inside me for so long? I opened my eyes, not sure if I’d succeeded in my task.

  “Well?” I asked.

  “Your aura is still a lot stronger than anyone in this room, but it’s a start.”

  I wanted to jump and hug him but thought better of it. “What now?”

  “Now I teach you the basics of sealing magic.”

  After hours of going over the basics of sealing magic—only stopping for lunch—I understood why Victoria referred to it as boring magic. I could see the benefits of sealing magic, but it was so involved. There were so many different parts to even the most basic sealing spell. I had to be able to form a barrier to trap the item and then latch on to the item’s essence. Next I had to break through the object I was sealing the item into and stitch the object once the item was inside. The last step involved creating a different type of barrier, and lock said barrier. I wasn’t sure what half of the instructions meant, just that it was hard. After spending all day on it, I hadn’t managed to cast any sort of magic. I’d come close to forming a basic barrier, but then the magic fizzled away. I had started off hopeful, but now I was starting to think this was all pointless. The Heart Crystal had made a bad choice selecting me. Surely there was someone better trained for this, someone who hadn’t spent their whole life without knowing they had powers. When everyone finally decided to call it a day, I was more than ready to go home.

  As I went to leave, I realised I had three people trailing me. “Why are you guys following me?” I asked.

  Matt and Victoria shared a look, as if speaking to each other without words. “To protect you,” they said in unison. It was rare for them to do things like this, but it always freaked me out when they did.

  “I will be fine. Greg taught me to dampen my aura, so I’m not as easy to track anymore, and I would really like to have my bed to myself tonight.”

  The twins’ eyes narrowed on me, and they both frowned. I put my hand on my forehead. They obviously didn’t think my request was as fair as I did.

  “How are we meant to protect you if we’
re not with you?” Victoria asked.

  “We live like ten minutes apart,” I replied.

  “Ten minutes is all a crazed murderer needs.”

  “If someone attacks me, I will teleport straight to your house.”

  “Of course, your unreliable ability to teleport will definitely save you. I think Matt needs to have the personal safety talk with you again.”

  My face warmed. She was treating me like a child. “That talk last night was not appreciated. I can take care of myself.”

  Victoria rolled her eyes. “Of course you can. You should at least keep the changeling.”

  “What? Can’t he stay with you guys? You’re a family of warlocks. He doesn’t have to hide around your parents.”

  “I agree with Mellissa,” Matt said. “He can’t stay with her.”

  Victoria punched Matt’s arm. “Your father already knows him as the stray rabbit you took in. All he has to do is transform back into said rabbit.”

  “Vicky, are you crazy?” Matt asked.

  “No, but you are stupid,” Victoria snapped. “The council wants her alive just as much as we do. He can be trusted for now.”

  “Look, I don’t mind finding somewhere else,” Greg said.

  “No, you’re going with Mellissa.” Victoria put her hand up to stop him from moving. “You are the only one that can go in unnoticed.”

  “Do I not get a say in this?” I asked.

  “No, as you don’t fully understand the importance of your position.” Victoria stepped in front of me with a menacing look on her face. “Either the changeling goes with you or we all do.”

  “I’m convinced. Come on, Greg.” I grabbed his arm and tugged him out of the house. “See you two later.”

  “Mel, you don’t have to listen to her!” Matt shouted.

  I looked back as Victoria punched Matt again. She dragged him into the house, slamming the door.

  “Your friends are rather strange,” Greg said.

  That was rich coming from the guy I had met twice, once as a rabbit and then as a person. They were all strange. We walked back to mine in silence. I was filled with dread. I couldn’t explain why, but I had a bad feeling about everything.

  Gregory

  Greg rummaged through the kitchen cupboards in search of something to eat. Mellissa was at school, so he had the house to himself. All this free time baffled him. He had a very strict schedule back home. He would either be working at the infirmary or furthering his studies. These were things he could not do here. It had been three weeks since he’d started training Mellissa. He was very proud of the progress she had made in such a short time, but he had become very reliant on her company and was always extremely bored when she wasn’t around. He had taken up watching the projection machine in the living room and eating out of boredom.

  Greg pulled out a big bag of crisps and went and sat in the living room. He looked up at the clock. It was nearly time to check in with his father. Since finding out about Mellissa, he had insisted on daily updates on her progress and kept moaning that her abilities weren’t developing quickly enough. Greg had managed to find Freya’s heir when so many before had failed. She had no knowledge of magic when they met, but she now knew the basic techniques needed to cast the sealing spell. She could also teleport on demand and create a barrier within seconds. The only thing he had left to teach her was how to put all the parts of the spell together. She was almost ready, but this was still not enough for his father. He was starting to think he had been wasting his life trying to gain his father’s approval. He would never be happy.

  Greg clicked his fingers and summoned his communis device. He may as well get this conversation over with. He could then waste his afternoon watching the projection device. Greg waved his hand over the device, and it began to glow.

  “Hello, Gregory,” said Lady Gabrielle.

  Greg quickly sat up in his seat. “Lady Gabrielle, I didn’t—I mean, I thought,” he started but found himself tongue-tied. He had been expecting to speak to his father, not Lady Gabrielle.

  “I realise you thought you would be talking with your father, but from now on, you will be dealing with me,” she said.

  “My father is all right, isn’t he?” he asked. Why had this change taken place?

  “Yes, he is fine. Nothing bad has occurred. There have just been a few concerns from other council members that the changelings are dominating the contact we have with the new keeper. There are fears you may be controlling her in some way.”

  If any of them had met Mellissa, they wouldn’t be concerning themselves with such nonsense. He had absolutely no control over her. Mellissa was extremely stubborn. She had a tendency not to listen to him. The only person she listened to was Victoria. “I can assure you that is not the case.”

  “I realise this is nonsense, but it is simpler for me to talk to you than have tension among the council members. So, how is the girl progressing?” She was straight to the point, just like his father always was.

  “She is doing well. We had a shaky start, but once she began picking up the techniques, her ability has progressed rapidly. I believe she could be ready in a matter of days. It is just a case of getting her to agree to a date to travel to the capital, which is proving difficult. She seems reluctant.”

  “I can understand her hesitancy. This must all be very daunting.”

  Greg was left temporarily speechless. If this had been his father, he would have found a way to make Mellissa’s reluctance his fault. This switch to reporting to Lady Gabrielle could be very beneficial.

  “Magic is still very new to her. I remember you weren’t very confident when you started out, but look at you now. Although, you were three at the time.” Lady Gabrielle chuckled.

  This was a way more pleasant conversation than usual. Greg relaxed back onto the sofa. “I can’t imagine what she would be capable of if she had learned at three years old. She’s a fast learner and powerful.”

  “Or, maybe she just has a good teacher,” Lady Gabrielle said. Greg couldn’t help but smile. “Well, I look forward to meeting her. It is good to hear your voice. You sound well. Your father never tells us how you are. He just gives us updates on the girl.”

  That was because his father never asked how he was. At least someone cared about him. He had known Lady Gabrielle his whole life. She and his father had been on the council for years and worked closely together. She was always very nice, but she had an authority about her that made the rest of the council listen.

  Just as he was about to respond to Lady Gabrielle, Mellissa appeared out of nowhere. He almost slid off the sofa. “W-Why would you do that?” he yelled.

  “Geez, Greg. Why do you keep acting like that when I teleport in?” She sat down next to him. “You should be happy that I’m improving. I didn’t even fall over this time.”

  “Because you startle me when you appear out of nowhere without warning.”

  “What, like when you transform from a cute little rabbit into that”—she gestured to his whole body— “with no warning?”

  “Gregory, is everything all right?” asked Lady Gabrielle. She sounded like she was trying not to laugh.

  The colour drained from Mellissa’s face as her eyes widened. She looked around the room and then dove behind the sofa. Greg put his hand over his face. “Yes, it’s fine. Mellissa just came back early.”

  “I didn’t realise you were talking on your glowing disc thing,” Mellissa whispered from behind the sofa.

  “Can I speak to her?” Lady Gabrielle asked.

  Mellissa stood up, shaking her head. She made some wild arm movements and pointed at the door before running out.

  Greg shook his head. “Unfortunately, she just left.”

  “That was quick.”

  “Yes, Mellissa’s teleporting has gotten really good. She pops in and out in seconds.” He left out the part about her powers occasionally not working under stress and her rarely sticking the landing. He really should have congratulated her on
her earlier teleport, especially as she managed to stay standing.

  “It’s good she is getting the hang of her powers. You two are on a first-name basis without titles?”

  Greg ran his hand through his hair. Of course she would notice the informality in the way he had spoken to Mellissa. He knew it wasn’t proper protocol, but he had given up, as Mellissa didn’t respond to it. She hated it when he referred to her formally. However, to Lady Gabrielle, proper etiquette was still important. “They are not very formal in this world.”

  “Oh, I thought you might have become friends with the keeper. You are of similar age, after all.”

  Was he friends with Mellissa? He didn’t dislike her, but could he really go so far as to say they were friends? Most of the time, it just felt like she put up with him. She was constantly going on about how annoying he was, and he found most of her behaviour odd.

  “I don’t know about that. She never listens to me and questions everything I do. She tries to outsmart me and calls me weird all the time.”

  “Sounds like she is just the sort of friend you need. Not a lot of people want to question an elder’s son.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “You will. I will talk to you again tomorrow.”

  “Yes. Goodbye, Lady Gabrielle.”

  “Goodbye, Gregory.”

  His communis stopped glowing as it deactivated. Greg leant back in the chair. What had Lady Gabrielle meant by her last statement? He was not here to make friends. She knew that. He was dedicated to his job. He also didn’t want the world to fall into chaos and neither did Mellissa. That was the only reason they were able to get along—they had a common goal. There was nothing else to it.

  “Who was the woman?” Mellissa asked.

  Greg jumped up. Mellissa sat on the sofa next to where he’d just been. He pointed at the door. “Why couldn’t you just use the door?”

  “That would involve walking from the kitchen to the hall and then here. I skipped all that, and you’re always telling me to practice. So, who were you talking to?”