Crystal Heart Read online

  “Mathew,” Mr. Hail yelled up the stairs. “Your sister is here.”

  The door flew open. Mellissa waved her arms at Greg. There wasn’t time for him to transform. In walked a tall blonde girl. Another warlock. She looked just like Matt.

  “Victoria, what are you doing here?” Matt asked, jumping in front of the girl.

  Victoria slammed the door shut. She shoved Matt out of the way and marched over to Mellissa. Mellissa tensed as Victoria grabbed her and eyed the crystal. Her eyes flickered bright.

  “You activated it?”

  Mellissa leant back. “Um, yeah.”

  Victoria threw an icy stare at Greg. “I take it you’re the changeling the council sent.”

  “I am.” Greg met her stare. Her powers were different than her brother’s and stronger. She was definitely deadlier than she seemed.

  “Don’t tell me you’re her other guardian,” Victoria whined.

  Why would it be so terrible if he was? So both of these warlocks were her guardians. The fates really must have been in play.

  Greg nodded at Matt. “No, your brother.”

  “That’s just as bad.”

  “Hey!” yelled Matt.

  “Wait,” Mellissa interjected, “you’re telling me you two are both my guardians?”

  Victoria folded her arms, sitting on the end of the bed. “Looks that way. Changeling boy, go get my bag from downstairs so I can get changed.”

  “I will not,” Greg snapped. Who did she think she was? He was not here to run after the keeper’s guardians.

  “What’s the point of having you then?”

  “He is meant to teach me sealing magic,” Mellissa answered. “Wait, why are you getting changed?”

  “Well, I’m not going to sleep in my clothes.”

  “You want to stay here?”

  “Whether I like it or not, it’s my duty to protect you. You may have a lot of raw power, which I’m surprised I never noticed before, and it seems to have grown since this afternoon, but you are not experienced in using it. Also, until you learn to dampen your magical aura, you can be tracked for miles. How do you think I knew when you crossed back to this side of the veil?”

  Greg was impressed. Victoria seemed a lot more practical than her brother. He was hot-headed whereas she was calm and collected, if not a bit bossy.

  “She has a point,” he said. “Ever since you teleported us, your aura has been off the charts, and it has gotten even stronger since you activated the crystal.”

  Mellissa looked at them, mouth open. The day’s events must have finally been getting to her. Victoria patted Mellissa’s shoulder. “Trust me, we may not be friends, but I will keep you safe.” She turned, clicking her fingers at her brother. “Matt, get my bag. Then, you two guys vacate the area.”

  “Get your own bag,” Matt snapped. “And if you’re staying, so am I.”

  “Do I not get a say in this?” Mellissa asked. “And Greg can’t leave the room, at least not looking like that.”

  “Why not?” barked Matt.

  “Because my dad thinks he’s a lost rabbit I took in called Flopsey.”

  “Seriously, Mellissa, that talk about your safety is happening now.”

  Greg’s pocket vibrated. It was his communis. “I need to take this. You guys argue about sleeping arrangements without me.”

  Before anyone could respond, Greg had shifted and was out the window. Once comfortably sat on the roof, he returned the call he’d missed. “What’s up, Samson?”

  “I looked into reports of the darkness spreading. You can’t tell anyone about this, as I’m not actually authorised to look at these reports.”

  “You know I wouldn’t drop you in it.”

  “Well, the shadow has picked up its speed of contamination. It has now spread as far as Novosvillas. However, there are new reports just in that a burst of light has stopped the shadow spreading to Novos Forest.”

  “That was Mellissa. Even untrained, she has already halted the shadow’s progress.”

  “You mean you got her to cross the veil?”

  “Better—she activated the crystal.”

  “Praise the gods. What did your father say?”

  “I haven’t told him yet.”

  “Why not? This is big news.”

  “I’ve been busy. Mellissa’s newly appointed guardians don’t like me.”

  “Her guardians have already found her? That was fast.”

  “Yeah, her meathead, warlock friend and his sister are her guardians. Two warlocks, Samson.”

  “Don’t let prejudice get in the way. The Heart Crystal wouldn’t have chosen them if they weren’t up to the job. You should be happy you’re one step closer to returning home as the hero that found the keeper.”

  The girl seemed capable. She was a bit forceful, but she didn’t seem like she would explode in anger and set the place on fire. She seemed the sort to be calm in the face of danger, making her deadlier. His problem was with Matt. It was possible they’d just gotten off on the wrong foot. At the end of the day, they both wanted what was best for Mellissa, didn’t they?

  “You’re right. Well, I should probably inform the council.”

  “Good. I will call if I hear anything else of importance.”

  The communis deactivated. Greg waved his hand over the device, reactivating it. He may as well get the call to his father over with. He was calling with good news. His father should be happy—maybe even proud of him for once. There wasn’t anything for him to be disappointed in Greg for. Except the fact that Mellissa was an untrained magic newbie.

  “You have reached the orb of Lord Steffen Ainsworth Elder Knight. His assistant will filter these messages, and if she deems it important, he may get back to you. Beeeep.”

  Greg rolled his eyes. Of course he wouldn’t answer. “Hey, Anna, it’s Greg. Tell my father I have succeeded in my task.”

  Greg deactivated the device. He wanted to add, “And tell my father he should really answer his son’s phone calls instead of making him go through his assistant,” but, of course, he didn’t. There was no point. His father wouldn’t change. Greg lay out on the roof. It was chilly, but the sky was clear. The rain seemed to have taken a break for a while. It was nice and quiet up here, better than arguing and being ridiculed by two warlocks and a human elf.

  Mellissa

  Faster, Freya,” he yells, throwing shards of ice my way. I throw balls of energy, shattering the shards midair, but he is too fast. I dive to the side, dodging narrowly.

  “Ivan, you’re too fast!” I yell. “This isn’t fair. You’re a way more experienced fighter than me.”

  Ivan walks over and helps me up. “Your enemies won’t go easy on you, so neither will I.”

  “What enemies? The kingdom is at peace.”

  “A wise ruler is always ready for battle. It is at times like these, when your guard is down, that your enemies will strike.”

  I rub the side of my head. “How did I end up with such an insane guardian? I don’t recall my father’s guardians making him train like this.”

  “I’m pretty sure you weren’t born when your father became the keeper of the Heart. Now, let’s go again.”

  He darts across the field and throws ice at me again. I release a ray of light, covering a wider area, taking out all Ivan’s ice. I blast light at him, but none of my attacks hit. He’s too fast and agile. No wonder the Heart chose him to protect me. I blink, and he’s gone. I’m grabbed from behind, and ice is pressed into my neck. “You got distracted. It may have only been a few seconds, but it was all that was needed.”

  I push away from him. “You are just mean.”

  “You are not trying hard enough.”

  “Ivan,” shouts a woman walking up to us, “you mustn’t be so hard on the queen. She is not a fighter like us. She was raised as a healer.”

  “Oh, Tasha, you’ve come to save me from this brute’s training.”

  She pats my shoulder. “Oh dear, no. I’ve come to hel
p him.” A ball of fire appears in her hand.

  I woke up choking on Victoria’s hair. She tied it up before bed, but with all her fidgeting, it must have come undone. I never realised that Victoria knew nothing about personal space. She walked in on me in the bathroom more than once without a care in the world. She also stripped off in front of me and proceeded to take over most of my bed during the night. Matt had sulked off to the guest room when Victoria started painting my nails last night. Even if she had just been making the best of an awful situation, as she claimed, I had actually had fun hanging out with her.

  Greg never returned after taking his call. Maybe Matt had driven him away. Although, I doubted he would give up that easily. He probably slept on the roof again. He was weird like that. I slid out of bed and opened the window. It was light out. The sky was a pinkish colour, with dark clouds drifting this way. We had been lucky to go so long without rain. I leant out the window as far as I dared go and whispered Greg’s name. No response. I said his name again, as loud as I was willing, not wanting to disturb anyone else. He might not even be up there.

  “Mellissa, is that you?” came Greg’s voice from above.

  “You seriously slept up there again?” How on earth did he find the roof more comfortable than the box I made him? I had no idea how he didn’t fall off.

  “Wait a sec,” he said. “I can’t hear you properly.”

  I fell backward as a humming bird flew past my head. When I got up, Greg was standing behind me, looking slightly ruffled but pretty good for someone who’d slept on a roof. “I didn’t wake you?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “I was watching the sunrise. I thought you would still be asleep.”

  “Well, Victoria has made that a little difficult.” I pointed at the mass of blonde hair in my bed.

  “I see you lost the argument over sleeping arrangements.”

  “Maybe I should have slept on the roof. Although, isn’t it cold out there?”

  “The weather is pretty mild here. It will be snowing soon where I’m from. We get a good three months of snow in winter.”

  “Really?” I said. “That sounds amazing.” He flashed a smile that made my stomach flutter. I was suddenly very aware that I was wearing cat pyjamas. I bit my bottom lip. “Do you want to go somewhere for a bit?”

  “Sure.”

  “I’ll meet you outside. Just give a minute to get changed.”

  I grabbed some clothes from the wardrobe and went into the bathroom. I was changed in seconds but spent at least ten minutes messing with my hair, trying to tame my curls. In the end, I gave up. It was a hopeless cause. I tiptoed down the stairs, slipped on my boots, and grabbed my coat. Greg was sat on the wall at the end of our drive. He was talking into a small, circular disc.

  “I already told you she is new to magic, so she doesn’t know any of that stuff.” He was talking about me.

  “This isn’t good enough,” came a stern male voice from the disc. “Trust you to mess up and find a keeper that doesn’t know any magic.”

  “Don’t worry. I will teach her everything she needs to know before you meet her.”

  “What?” I blurted out before I could stop myself.

  “Who’s that?” the voice asked.

  “No one. I have to go. Goodbye, Father.” Greg waved his hand over the device, and it stopped glowing. He sighed, putting his head in his hand. Did he say Father? That was how his dad talked to him? It was such a cold and emotionless conversation. How on earth was my lack of magical knowledge Greg’s fault?

  “Sorry about that, but I do believe you took longer than you said.”

  “Why were you talking to your dad about me?”

  “How about we walk as I explain?” He gestured to the path in front of us.

  “Fine.”

  I led the way. We walked in silence. Greg had his hands shoved in his pockets and was looking at the pavement. Other than a man walking his dog, the street was empty. The sun hadn’t fully risen, so the sky was still a pink colour. There was no wind, and the air was stagnant. I was about to give up on getting an explanation when Greg started talking.

  “My father is the one who put me forward for the task of searching for the new keeper, searching for you. You see, he is an elder knight and a member of the council.”

  “That’s how you got the job?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Okay, but why does that mean I have to meet him?”

  “You will have to travel to the Tree of Time in order to seal Kadon. The council had it moved from the ruins of Freya’s castle to the capital city where they meet. They all want to meet you, not just my father.”

  “Can’t I just do the spell from the comfort of my own home? Then, everyone will be happy, and I can stop having unexpected house guests.”

  “I’m afraid not. You have to make contact with the tree to cast the spell.”

  “Is it really necessary to meet the council?” I asked. “Can’t you just show me to the tree, and I can cast the spell? Of course, you will have to show me how to do that. We can high five once we know the seal has been applied correctly, then part ways as unexpected acquaintances that exchange Christmas cards every year.” I spoke as fast as I could manage without slurring my words.

  Greg chuckled. “I don’t blame you for being hesitant. I wouldn’t want to meet the council if I were you.” He looked up at the sky and frowned. “What is Christmas?”

  My jaw dropped, and I must have blinked a few thousand times. Everyone knew about Christmas, even if they didn’t celebrate it. I loved Christmas, but Greg was from another world. “It’s a festive holiday, a celebration to spend with loved ones. There’s gifts, decorations, lots of food. Oh, it’s hard to explain.” I shook my head, throwing my arms out. “I don’t even know where we’re going now.”

  “Well, that’s great, because I’ve been following you.”

  “We should head back anyway, before Matt wakes up and thinks you’ve kidnapped me again.”

  Greg shook his head. “You have a right pair of guardians.”

  I linked arms with him, dragging him to the left. “Tell me about it. Come on, we need to go to the shop first.”

  “Mellissa.” My dad almost chocked on his coffee. “Did you get up before me and leave the house?”

  I shrugged. “We needed milk. I wanted to go to the shop before our house guests woke up.”

  My dad pointed at the fur ball in my arms. “And you took the rabbit with you?”

  “Of course not. I just picked him up on the way to the kitchen to get him a carrot.” I gave him a big, toothy grin as I placed the milk in the fridge and plucked a carrot out. I put Greg on the floor with the carrot. He glared at me.

  “Eat it,” I whispered through gritted teeth.

  “Since when are you and Victoria friends?” my dad asked. It had taken him long enough to ask. He’d almost fallen out of his chair last night when I told him both of the Street twins wanted to stay over.

  “It’s a fairly recent thing,” I said, pinching a slice of his toast and sitting at the table opposite him.

  He raised an eyebrow while tapping his fingers on the table. “You know, if something’s wrong, you can talk to me.”

  I looked down at Greg. He was nibbling on the carrot, looking like the perfect pet. How could I tell my dad that the rabbit wasn’t really a rabbit? He would freak out, unless he knew more about my mum than he had ever told me. He didn’t speak much about her except for the occasional remark about how I looked like her. I sucked my bottom lip in.

  “We are working on an art project, Victoria and I. It’s about family, and I guess I don’t really know how to represent Mum with my art.” This was partly true. We had an art project; we just weren’t working on it together. The topic of our piece was up to us. I had yet to decide. Victoria had picked family. Now that I knew the truth about the Streets, what she’d been working on made more sense.

  “I’m not sure what to tell you. You are very much like your mother.�
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  “I don’t know—something significant about her, something that made her different from everyone else. Something I can paint to represent her. Victoria has painted a fire and ice scene to show how her and Matt are opposites and a golden sun for her mum to show her passion.”

  “A garden,” my dad said. “Your mother loved her plants. She liked to make things grow.”

  Gardening? But that was so normal. How exactly did someone go about asking if their mum was an elf without actually asking?

  “Anything else? More magical maybe?”

  My dad’s brow creased. He looked like he was about to say something when Matt and Victoria burst into the kitchen.

  “There you are. I was so worried,” Matt said.

  “I told you she would be down here,” snapped Victoria.

  “And I told you she never gets up that early.”

  “Well, she did today.”

  The twins glared at each other.

  My dad got up. “I will leave you three to get on with whatever it is teenagers do these days.” He picked up his plate, placed it in the sink, and left.

  Matt put his hand on my forehead. “Are you feeling okay?”

  I pushed his hand away. “Stop it. Sharing with Victoria made it hard to sleep.”

  “At least you didn’t have to share a womb with her.”

  Victoria slammed her hand on the table. Ice spread from under her hand. “Don’t make me hurt you.”

  I jumped up. “Ice. You have ice powers.”

  Victoria slumped down into a chair. “Yeah, so what?”

  “It’s just—I thought—I don’t know.”

  “You thought we would have the same powers?” Victoria rolled her eyes. “Magic doesn’t always work like that.”

  Greg hopped onto the table. “That’s what your mother meant about trying to push you two together.”

  Victoria looked at me while pointing at Greg. “What is he talking about?”