The Key (88 page)

Magic flows freely through the Circle, like a beating pulse. As if they shared the same blood circulation.

Now Vanessa experiences a bond that she hasn’t been aware of before. It connects her to the air element that permeates the whole world. This magic is so strong and pure that she realises it would have obliterated her if the Circle hadn’t been there. But together they can focus the power and direct it towards the portal to heal the wound.

The Circle is the answer. The Circle is the weapon
.

The portal has stopped widening.

It is shrinking.

Centimetre by centimetre, greyness oozes, covering the black void.

And Vanessa keeps an eye on Minoo, hoping that she, too, will win her battle. Otherwise, all their efforts have been in vain.

* * *

Minoo senses the fury of the demons when the portal gradually narrows. They are furious but impotent. They are losing and they know it.

Magic keeps flowing through the Circle.

The six elements. United. Strong. They strengthen Minoo as well.

She has turned the black smoke towards herself and tries to find her blessing.

The magic auras of the others glow brilliantly strong, clear, intense and beautiful. Rebecka’s ruby-red. Ida’s silver. Elias’s warmly golden. Linnéa’s sapphire blue, Vanessa’s aquamarine blue. Anna-Karin’s emerald green.

Suddenly, she sees her own aura. Like a dazzling black sheen surrounding her whole body.

Don’t do it
, the guardians’ voices urge her again.
You will lose everything! You will become powerless!

Yes
, Minoo thinks.
But I’m not powerless now
.

And she turns her power against herself.

The guardians can’t resist her. Minoo is their most powerful weapon and their most vulnerable point. They took a risk when they allowed her to hold all their magic. And now, they will regret that they did.

Behind her, the portal is shrinking, becoming smaller and smaller at an increasing speed.

And Minoo chokes the blessing, extinguishes it completely and breaks the bond with the guardians once and for all.

The black smoke flares up and is sucked into the dark void behind her, together with the guardians who have inhabited the Borderland. A piercing scream fills her head. A scream from innumerable voices that have fused into a single one.

And then it stops abruptly.

Silence.

Minoo can no longer make out the auras of the Chosen Ones.

She turns towards the portal. No darkness there. Only the grey nothingness.

‘We did it,’ Rebecka says next to her. ‘We closed the portal.’

But no one cheers. No one moves. Everyone is looking at Minoo.

‘Did you do it?’ Anna-Karin asks. ‘Did you break their blessing?’

‘Yes,’ Minoo replies. ‘They’re gone. All of them.’

She isn’t sure yet if she feels relieved or empty.

‘I can see it in your eyes,’ Rebecka says. ‘I recognise you now.’

‘And your thoughts seem like yours,’ Linnéa says. ‘Sorry, but I had to check.’

‘I understand,’ Minoo says.

The members of the Circle let go of each other’s hands.

‘Is what the guardians said true?’ Vanessa asks Minoo. ‘Will the whole world turn magic now?’

‘Yes, it will,’ Minoo says.

She knows it’s true. When she was with the guardians, she could see what they saw and she could understand it as they did. She was able to find coherence in the innumerable impressions, and possibilities. All that is far beyond her now. But she still knows what she knew then.

Minoo looks at Vanessa, Linnéa and Anna-Karin. Together, they found their way here.

She looks at Elias, Ida and Rebecka. Something seems to heal inside her when she sees them like this. Elias with his arm around Linnéa erases the image of the dead, bloody Elias. Ida, playing with the silver heart on her neck chain erases the image of the lifeless Ida in Gustaf’s arms.

And Rebecka. She is wearing what she wore on the day she died. Jeans. A pale blue, long-sleeved top. Minoo looks at the long reddish-blonde hair, the kind blue-grey eyes that gaze back at her. She is as beautiful as ever.

‘We won’t be able to stay for very much longer,’ Elias says. ‘I feel it.’

‘So do I,’ Ida says. She looks very scared.

Minoo looks at Rebecka, who nods.

‘Something is pulling at me,’ she says.

Tears well up in Minoo’s eyes. She wants to protest, hold on to Rebecka. But she knows that she can’t. What will happen must happen. And she has been given a chance that the rest of mankind can only dream of. To be able to say some of the many things that were not said in time.

‘I love you,’ Minoo says. ‘You were my first friend. My first true friend.’

Rebecka smiles through her tears.

‘And you were mine,’ she says. ‘And I wish so much that … It could have continued.’

‘So do I.’ Minoo can hardly get the words out.

‘Minoo,’ Rebecka says. ‘About Gustaf and you …’

It is a shock to hear her say this. At first, Minoo can’t think how Rebecka knows. And then she remembers.

She gave Rebecka her memories. How could she do that? Expose her to such a wrench?

‘I’m so sorry,’ Minoo says. ‘I—’

‘I was glad to know,’ Rebecka tells her. ‘It’s fine.’

She sobs.

‘Rather, I mean … it’s not fine. Of course not. I don’t want to be dead. I don’t want to …’

She sobs again. Minoo puts her arms round her and holds her tight, feeling Rebecka’s tears against her neck.

‘I don’t want to be dead,’ Rebecka whispers. ‘But I am. And I know you love him.’

Minoo can’t answer her because she is crying too much. She can smell Rebecka’s scent. Feels the bond between them. It is still there. It will always be there.

‘When the whole world becomes magic, you must tell my family what really happened,’ Rebecka whispers. ‘And tell Gustaf … tell him that I love him. And that I want him to be happy.’

‘I will,’ Minoo whispers back. ‘I promise.’

* * *

Linnéa looks at Elias. She cannot move, cannot speak. She knows this is their last moment together and she can’t think what to do with it, because all she can think of is that it will end.

‘Linnéa,’ Elias says softly.

She realises that he understands and her paralysis disappears. She bursts into tears.

Elias slips his hands in under her fake fur coat and pulls her to him. She feels his arms around her and clings to him. She doesn’t want to let go. She can’t. Not again.

‘You must stay,’ she says. ‘You must.’

‘I can’t.’ He too is crying.

‘I should have told you,’ he says. ‘Those last few days … I thought I was going mad. But now I know that it was my powers, that they were awakening. If only I had spoken out … then I would never have bought that stuff from Jonte. And you and I would never have had that fight …’

‘I was also getting my powers at that time and thought
I
was going mad,’ Linnéa says. ‘I should have told you too. But we can’t stand here regretting stuff we can’t change.’

She feels so hypocritical because now she regrets not accepting the guardians’ offer. How could they say no? Elias could have lived. They could have been together again. Who cares if it hadn’t been for real.

‘I can hear your thoughts,’ Elias says. ‘You know it’s not true.’

‘I know,’ Linnéa says. ‘It’s just … I can’t think how I’ll survive without you. I don’t know if I can go on.’

Elias grabs her by the shoulders and looks at her. His eyes are red-rimmed and the kohl has smeared.

‘You have to go on,’ he says. ‘For my sake.’

He smiles. She knows what an effort he is making, even though he is being torn apart.

‘Do all the things I never got to do,’ he says. ‘Go to Japan. Make out with some blondes for me too.’

She laughs and he caresses her hair.

‘You’re not alone, Linnéa,’ he says quietly. ‘You have friends. And you have Vanessa. They will be there for you. Let them be there for you. Promise me that.’

‘Yes.’ Linnéa clings to him again.

* * *

Ida closes her eyes. She hears the others crying. Linnéa and Elias. Rebecka and Minoo.

She tries to concentrate. Tries to resists what is pulling at her. It is hard. Almost impossible. As hard as it is to resist sleep when you fall into the softest, nicest bed after having been up all night.

But Ida is a strong person. Plenty of self-discipline. Mum always said so. She can resist. She must. She doesn’t want to disappear. If only she can fight back for long enough, maybe whatever it is will give up pulling.

Don’t want, don’t want to, don’t want to
.

‘Ida?’ Anna-Karin’s voice says near her.

She opens her eyes. Anna-Karin and Vanessa stand in front of her.

‘I just wanted to tell you that I went down to the stables to check on Troja,’ Anna-Karin says. ‘He is fine. Really well looked after by a girl there. She’s called Lisa.’

Lisa. Ida remembers Lisa. One of those annoying younger girls who used to swarm around Troja. But at least she was a good rider.

She looks at Anna-Karin. She had promised to make sure that Troja was looked after. She remembered. She cared.

‘Thank you,’ Ida says.

‘Is there something else we can do for you?’ Vanessa asks. ‘Do you want us to talk to your family? Would you like them to know?’

Yes. Ida would like them to know the truth about everything. There is so much she has understood herself and she would like them to understand too. She finds it hard to believe that they ever would. But they should have the opportunity to. Lotta and Rasmus perhaps don’t have to grow up to be like she was, before she changed.

‘Tell them everything,’ she says.

There it is again. The tug. It is stronger now. So strong that she realises that she will not be able to resist it.

Terror flares up inside her again.

What if she ends up in hell and is tortured for all eternity? Does she really deserve that? Surely it will count for something that she helped save the world?

What if she ends up in an über-boring heaven. What is she supposed to do for an eternity there?

What if she is reborn as some disgusting little animal?

What if everything just ends?

‘Is there anything more we can do?’ Anna-Karin asks.

‘I think I need a hug,’ Ida says.

Anna-Karin puts her arms around Ida.

She is so soft, so warm. Ida feels herself relaxing a little. Just a little.

‘I’m sorry,’ she says. ‘For everything.’

‘It’s okay, Ida,’ Anna-Karin says.

‘Okay,’ Ida says.

And then she doesn’t think any more.

Vanessa has no time to react.

Suddenly, she is in the school dining room. She and the other Chosen Ones. The ones who are alive.

The chairs are upside-down on the tables. Daylight filters in through the plastic sheeting that is used to cover the windows. Vanessa picks up the sounds of people moving around outside. Voices. Life.

And for a moment all she can feel is a huge relief.

The world is still there. They saved it.

She turns to Anna-Karin, Minoo and Linnéa.

‘We did it,’ she says. ‘It’s over.’

The others nod and look at each other. And suddenly it’s so obvious that they are incomplete.

A moment ago they were seven.

A moment ago they were all together.

One single time they got to experience the Circle as it was meant to be.

Vanessa sees that Linnéa has cried so much her make-up has turned to mush. She has lost Elias again. One day, Vanessa will tell her how glad she is to have met him. During the moments it took them to close the portal, she knew Elias. She understood who he was and why Linnéa loves him.

She touches Linnéa’s hand lightly and receives a faint smile in return.

Vanessa thinks back on how the guardians tried to lure her with the vision of a harmonious Linnéa and love without any obstacles.

It hadn’t been hard to say no, because the price was too high. But can they make that vision come true anyway, on their own?

Now they have saved the world, Vanessa knows what she wants. She wants to be with Linnéa. She loves her. But that isn’t enough. Linnéa must also decide what she wants. Show that she trusts Vanessa. That she dares to be loved by her.

Minoo staggers and Anna-Karin takes hold of her. Vanessa pulls one of the chairs from a table so that Minoo can sit down.

‘Deep breaths,’ Linnéa says, and Minoo lets her head droop between her knees.

Vanessa places her hand on Minoo’s back and exchanges worried glances with the others. When Minoo broke Max’s demonic blessing, he ended up in a coma. What actually happened to her when she broke her own?

‘Thanks,’ Minoo says after a while. She straightens up.

‘How are you?’ Anna-Karin asks.

* * *

Minoo can’t think how to answer Anna-Karin’s question.

She looks around the dining room. It smells faintly of old cooking, cleaning materials and stale air. The dust is dancing in the light from the windows.

It is almost
too
real. And at the same time, nothing feels real at all.

Rebecka is gone again.

Ida and Elias, too.

And Minoo was about to help the guardians enslave mankind.

Fragments of memories from the last three weeks surface in her mind. Then, everything felt clear and logical. But, looking back, it is as if she is watching someone else do what she did and think what she thought. Perhaps this is what it feels like after a psychotic episode.

She feels the others gazing at her and knows she must say something.

‘I feel fine,’ she lies.

She had never realised how deeply ingrained the guardians’ magic was in her. But, how could she, because it is only now that she can compare before and after. Now that the magic is gone, it is as if a white noise has been silenced.

She will never again be able to lose herself in the black smoke. Without it, she is weak. Vulnerable. Emotions can get at her at any time.

And they will. Sooner or later.

She allowed Nicolaus to take his own life, actively helped him to do it. She killed Walter, obliterated him and wiped out his soul. She abandoned Sigrid and Viktor to their killer. She can still hear in the echoes of Walter’s memories, the last gurgling breath Sigrid took when he stopped her heart. The sharp crack when Viktor’s neck broke.