Crowned (31 page)

When the Puppetmaster told me that final story I felt something demanding my attention, but it was buried too far. I need to dig it up again. My gift works quickly, going back, and further back…and stopping. My eyes widen as the memory floats to the surface. Senzo. My pulse races with excitement. Senzo caused the disruption in the Loosening! The Loosening affected his energy threshold – and therefore Rakwena’s, too – and his gift tainted the marker!

I take a combi to Gabs North and head for Serame’s house. One of the younger drifters opens the door, a girl in a summer dress that’s completely inappropriate for the weather.

“I’ll get Serame,” she chirps.

“I’m looking for Senzo.”

She stares at me with a puzzled frown. I understand her confusion. No sane person goes looking for Senzo. Nevertheless she leaves me in the lounge and hurries off. A few minutes later the devil comes down the stairs. A little of his swagger is gone and his sneer has lost some of its fire.

“Are you here for another round?” he snaps. He’s not at all happy to see me, and it’s not just because I humiliated him in front of his clan. It’s because he knows I can read his mind and wishes I couldn’t.

“Hello, Mr Langa,” I reply sweetly.

His eyes narrow and he puts on a smile, playing the part. “Still wasting your youth on my son? Plenty of drifters in the sea, you know.”

“One is enough for me.”

He raises his eyebrows. “Well, if you’re here to ask for my blessing, it’s not up to me. I’d give him up if I were you. Monogamy isn’t in his genes.”

If he wasn’t twice my age and a telekinetic drifter I’d slap that smirk off his face. “Actually, I’m here to ask why you went to Durban.”

The smirk slides off his face all on its own. “That’s none of your business.”

“You’re right. It’s the Puppetmaster’s business. I just came from a meeting with him, and it seems one of his markers is acting up. It’s thrown the whole Loosening out of whack – you know about the Loosening, right? Well, the Puppetmaster can’t figure out what happened to that marker. Any ideas?”

He’s slipping. The last time we met, about a year ago, he was far better at keeping his cool. Now panic is written all over his face. My hunch was right – the thing he tampered with all those years ago
was
the Puppetmaster’s marker. His telekinesis is what caused the imbalance in the Loosening. I’m willing to bet my next pay cheque that Senzo knows this, and is scared to death that the Puppetmaster will figure it out and come after him.

“Nothing to say?” I shrug. “I’ll send him your regards. Thanks for your time.” I start towards the door.

“Wait.”

I turn back to him. He licks his lips nervously and lowers his voice to a whisper. “Don’t tell him.”

“That you were the one who tampered with his marker?”

“It was an accident! I was just a child. Don’t you dare say a word to him, do you understand me? Or to the council. If you do…”

I laugh. “You’re not half as scary as he is. Don’t worry, he might not do anything to you. He’s unpredictable like that.”

He grinds his teeth, eyes flashing blue. “What do you want?”

I blink, feigning innocence. “Oh, you mean in return for my silence? Gosh, I hadn’t even thought about that. Um, let’s see…”

He comes closer until I can feel his breath on my forehead. “Don’t play games with me, child. What do you want?”

I raise my gaze to his. “Nothing.”

His eyes widen as he realises that I mean it. There’s a flicker of surprise and then something softer. Gratitude. But he’s too proud to say it out loud.

“I won’t tell the Puppetmaster – not even you deserve to get on his bad side. But I will tell Rakwena. He can decide what to do with the information. You could consider making amends for being the world’s worst father. Not to pay me back, though. Rakwena’s the one you owe.” I leave him standing there, staring after me.

As I walk back to the bus stop my mind turns over this new discovery. There’s a sort of poetic justice to it, as though the Puppetmaster’s plan has come full circle. His Loosening, vast as it was, didn’t interest the Ultima until he lost control of it – thanks to Rakwena’s father. The very thing that drew him to Rakwena was a product of his own madness, and he didn’t even realise it. He still doesn’t. He has blind spots. There are things he doesn’t see because, in his arrogance, he simply can’t imagine them. And somehow I need to use that weakness to defeat him.

* * *

On my way home I pass by Lebz’s house. Wiki’s there, to my surprise, sitting on Lebz’s bed. He has the File with him. It’s closed, but I get the impression it was open before I rang the bell.

“You’re not sneaking around behind Kelly’s back, are you?” I tease. They respond with identical grimaces, as though the very thought is sacrilege.

“I’m glad you’re here,” says Lebz, sinking into the chair at her desk.

Uh-oh. I sit beside Wiki. “Am I in trouble?” They exchange a cryptic look. “OK, at least let me tell you my news first.”

Lebz rolls her eyes. “Spit it out. What happened?”

I tell them. They’re not surprised. In fact I can tell from the way Wiki raises his eyebrows at Lebz that what I’ve said only confirms their suspicions. Lebz exhales and slumps in her chair. Wiki taps the File. No one says a word.

I look from one to the other, indignant and a little hurt. “I’ve finally found out why the Puppetmaster’s been after me and Rakwena, and you have nothing to say?”

“Oh, we have a lot to say,” says Lebz, bristling suddenly. “But what’s the point? It’s not like you ever listen.”

I stare at her. “Where’s that coming from?”

“Am I lying?” She turns to Wiki. “Wiki, am I lying?”

He sighs, the voice of reason, the long-time mediator. “What Lebz is trying to say is we’re worried about you.”

“I’m worried about me, too. You think I’m enjoying this?”

Lebz snorts. “The Puppetmaster is about to give you a kingdom. Why wouldn’t you enjoy it?” She’s never been subtle, but today her sarcasm bites.

I shouldn’t be surprised – this isn’t the first time she has turned on me for no apparent reason. There was a time in primary school when she stopped talking to me for a week because she thought I liked the guy she had a crush on. All I did was lend him a blue crayon. More recently she got miffed because I didn’t tell her I was a telepath – at the time
I
didn’t even know I was a telepath!

I turn to Wiki, pleading silently with him to intervene. Is Lebz jealous? No, that can’t be it – she seemed upset before I mentioned my final meeting with the Puppetmaster. Besides, no sane person would envy me my situation. Not that Lebz is entirely sane.

“To tell you the truth, Connie, we’ve had our suspicions that the Puppetmaster was planning to make you his successor in some way,” says Wiki. “It was obvious that he was grooming you for something, and once the truth about the Ultima came out…”

I’m floored. I can’t believe they kept something like that from me. “Why didn’t you say anything?”

“Every time we tried to warn you not to get too friendly with him you didn’t listen. And as far as we were concerned you were incorruptible, so…”

My eyes narrow. “Why are you speaking in the past tense?”

“Because you’re not incorruptible any more,” mutters Lebz.

I swallow. Ouch.

“I didn’t mean…” She mumbles something that sounds suspiciously like a string of swear words, then sits up straight. “You’re too close to him. We’ve been trying to tell you that. He’s hooked you.”

“He has
not
!”

“He has,” says Wiki softly. “You went from hating him to building a dysfunctional friendship with him. OK, maybe you’re not friends, but you’re
something
. You have a connection, and every time you speak to him it deepens.”

I can’t believe this. First my grandfather, now my friends. A flame of rebellion rises inside me. “Maybe I’m just tired of hating him. It doesn’t help anyone. It’s far more useful for me to try to understand him so I can make him see things differently.”

Lebz’s jaw drops.

Wiki shakes his head. “You think you can make him change his mind? You can’t! He has to be destroyed.” He pushes his glasses up on his nose, all earnest common sense. “He can’t be converted, Connie. He has to die, and you’re the one who has to do it.”

“What?” I can’t believe what I’m hearing. The thought of taking a life, even the Puppetmaster’s… Impossible. “I’m not walking out of this with blood on my hands!”

“You don’t have a choice!” he says. “He’s taken someone else, you know, another woman. That makes eight people now. You have a responsibility! You’re the Ultima!”

“I’m
not
the Ultima.” My voice is shaky. Eight people. Eight lives. “I’m just her vessel. She’s the one who has to–”

“She’s not the one in danger! You can’t wait for her to save you and you can’t make a potion that turns the bad guy good.” He flings the File onto the bed. “You have to fight!”

“I’m fighting!” I yell back.

“No, you’re sitting around hoping for a miracle so you don’t have to pick a side.”

What the hell…? “I’ve picked a side!”

“You say you want to stop the Puppetmaster but you’re bonding with him instead of coming up with a way to destroy him. Which side have you picked?”

“You used to be able to make decisions,” adds Lebz. “Even if they were stupid. You weren’t afraid to take a risk. Remember how you went after the bewitched necklaces? Your grandfather told you to back off, but you refused. You took a stand.”

“He’s messed with your head,” says Wiki. “He’s been doing it from the beginning, and now the Ultima’s doing it, too. It doesn’t matter how good her intentions are – she’s a force, not a god. You have to take back control of your life!”

I try to push aside the fierce emotions that come swimming to the surface, but they’re too strong for me. Like the Puppetmaster, and the Ultima, and, apparently, everything else in the world. My friends are right. I am sitting on the fence. Of course I am; I’m terrified. The stakes are higher than ever, and if I screw up I could wreck countless lives. We’re talking about powers so great that nobody should possess them, least of all a teenager with an impulsive streak. My friends have no idea what it’s like to know that so much depends on you making the right choice.

“You don’t understand,” I whisper. “If I unleash her completely, the Puppetmaster’s crazy plan might work. He might have found a way to control her.”

“I don’t think that’s it,” Wiki murmurs. “You’re not scared of him. You’re far more scared of
her
.”

“But that’s not even the real issue,” says Lebz. Geez, it’s like they rehearsed this. “The real issue is you don’t trust your own judgement.”

Wow. Now everyone’s a psychologist. I sniff back angry tears and get up. “I appreciate the pep talk.”

“Connie, come on,” says Lebz, rising as well.

“No, you’ve given me a lot to think about.” I shrug. “You’re right. I need to take action.” I march out of the house.

Lebz follows. “Don’t be pissed off,
choma
.”

I throw her a bitter smile as I hurry to the gate. “You should probably start calling me Your Highness.” I turn away, but I can imagine the scowl on her face. Let her scowl all she wants. She wants action? Fine. I’ll give her action.

* * *

The drifters are living in the same house they inhabited last year. Nothing has changed – if anything the foliage hiding the house from the street has only grown denser. Rakwena’s car, parked alongside the hedge-covered fence, is the only indication that there’s someone beyond the overgrown bush. I have to push aside a thick veil of bougainvillea before I can reach the latch on the gate.

I walk up the driveway and around the MPV. The house is quiet, as always. I walk round the back to the kitchen and knock. No one answers. I pull open the screen door, and next thing I know Elias is standing in front of me, blocking the doorway. His stealth still throws me off, even though I know to expect it.

“Have you found him?” His eyes are bright with hope. He steps aside to let me in.

I bite my lip, hating to disappoint him. “No. Not yet.”

His face falls. He leaves me, no longer interested in my visit.

I continue into the living room. Temper, Mandla and Rakwena sit huddled around the dining table, speaking in hushed tones. They look up as I enter, and as one their faces light up.

I gulp. “Hi, guys. I just came to see how you’re holding up.”

Everyone’s shoulders slump. Elias pulls up a chair and stares sullenly at the floor. It’s then that I note that the two drifters missing from the group also happen to be the most volatile. Spencer and Reetsang were the first to snap the last time their cell was incomplete.

“Where are the others?”

“They’re fine,” mutters Elias, guessing the reason for my question.

I exhale, relieved. “Temper, I’m sorry. I hear you’re in trouble with the council again.”

He reaches up to rub the back of his neck. “When you have the second most troublesome cell in the clan, it comes with the territory.” His tone isn’t bitter. In his shoes I’d be pissed off and looking for someone to blame.

“Only the second?” I sink into the chair beside Rakwena. “You must be slipping.”

Rakwena smiles and takes my hand. I clear my throat and wait a moment, allowing his power to ease my anxiety. “I just came from a meeting with the Puppetmaster.” They all turn to face me, alert. “He wouldn’t tell me anything, but I think he doesn’t have a lot of energy to spare and can’t leave the Loosening.” I glance at Rakwena. “You told them all about the Loosening, right?” He nods, and I face the two elder drifters once more. “Well, I know a little more about it now. He started it so he could find the Ultima. But something went wrong – one of his markers started giving off too much energy.”

They look at me blankly. “You’ll have to explain that,” says Temper.

I nod. “The Loosening requires objects to be placed in a particular sequence to serve as conductors for psychic energy. The Puppetmaster knew that he’d have to do something big to get the Ultima’s attention, so he set up the biggest, most complex Loosening ever. He placed markers in different places around the world. That’s what’s been causing the energy surges.