Fire, page 34
‘We’ve all got the message by now, I think,’ Linnéa says.
‘A few years ago, I went to the Norwegian headquarters of the Council. In Trondheim. I was looking for an eighteenth-century text that was said to contain prophecies about harvest failures. The Council libraries are astonishingly poorly organised, mainly because of internal power struggles over many centuries. Some manuscripts would be banned from time to time. It took me weeks to find what I had been looking for. I skimmed the book and happened to find a reference to “the Chosen One in Engelsfors” and certain events in this part of the world that took place around the end of the seventeenth century. It caught my interest. The myth of the Chosen One has fascinated me ever since I was little. And now it seemed I had found indications that the myth was in fact a true historical account.’
‘How do you mean? A myth?’ Minoo says.
True, Matilda had said that the Council seemed to have forgotten most circumstances of its origin and most of its goals. But all the time, Adriana has spoken about the Chosen Ones as if she totally accepted them.
‘Yes, what’s that about being in a myth? Like, Santa Claus?’ Vanessa asks.
Adriana smiles sadly.
‘Council members regard the accounts of the Chosen One in ways similar to how many religions regard their ancient texts. As symbolic narratives or mythologised versions of historical events.’
Minoo tries to digest what Adriana has told them so far, but it’s hard to take on board that people see you as a kind of fairy-tale creature.
‘I became curious and started digging deeper in the Trondheim archives,’ Adriana says. ‘Traces of the idea turned up here and there, but as little more than cautious hints. And then, finally, I located a badly worn copy of a prophecy from the thirteenth century and found that I could begin to work with it and the other sources to piece together a more complete picture. Everything pointed to a large explosion of magic in Engelsfors and the area around it, sometime between 1650 and 1700. A witch with special powers had lived here. A girl, said to be the only one who could stop the demons. She was the Chosen One. It was unclear what happened to her, but the prophecy foretold that a new Chosen One would be awakened in order to stop the apocalypse. It would happen here in Engelsfors, under a blood-red moon. Having been interested in the myth before, I now became obsessed with it. Especially when my research demonstrated that the next blood-red moon would soon rise over Engelsfors.
‘Certain groups in the Council became very interested in my account, but others dismissed it as sheer superstition. The sceptics didn’t care to believe in any of it, invading demons or an impending apocalypse or specially “chosen” witches. But I was permitted to make some preliminary measurements and soon showed that Engelsfors was an exceptionally magical place. Even the sceptics became interested then. They ordered me to come here and install myself as senior school principal, since my findings indicated that the Chosen One would be in your age group. And that’s how I found Elias.’
Her voice trembles and she has to pull herself together before she continues.
‘As soon as we realised that there were seven of you, not just one, the debate in the Council flared up again. From the beginning, you were exceptions to the rule, as it were.’
Adriana smiles faintly.
‘I had to fight to make them recognise you as the Chosen Ones and allow me to tell you about your situation. The analyses of hairs from your heads, which proved a never-before-observed magic potential, finally persuaded them. Although there were still those who didn’t believe that you were the Chosen Ones, the consensus was that you could be very useful.’
Her eyes move to each one of them in turn.
‘But you made me wake up. Especially you, Linnéa. And I would like to thank you.’
‘Umm, okay,’ Linnéa says uncertainly.
‘It was you who all the time pointed out that your lives were at risk from the inhuman bureaucracy of the Council,’ Adriana says. ‘It reminded me of everything that Simon and I had been talking about. And made me realise that if I wanted to honour his memory I had to act. Or rather, not act, when it became clear that you were going behind my back.’
Minoo remembers the notes she had taken last year. She suddenly sees them in a new light. So much is explained by now. So many question marks have been straightened out.
‘What do they think about us now?’ Anna-Karin asks. ‘Do they believe we are the Chosen Ones?’
‘Officially, yes, that is the premise,’ Adriana says. ‘But the groups of sceptics are gaining influence. And Alexander definitely counts among them.’
Minoo recalls Alexander’s sneering smile when she referred to the demons during the interrogation. His contemptuous tone when he came to the fairground and Linnéa mentioned the apocalypse. It seems quite logical now.
‘But what if they are right?’ Ida says. ‘Perhaps we’re not the Chosen Ones. Imagine, it might just be a misunderstanding …’
‘Do you believe that?’ Linnéa asks.
Ida shakes her head.
‘Not really, no,’ she says wearily. ‘But admit it, it would be a relief.’
‘But if you couldn’t tell us all this before, how can you do it now?’ Vanessa asks Adriana.
‘Thanks to the exceptionally expensive magic I bought with Mona Moonbeam’s help. I paid for it with information. Of course I couldn’t tell her straight out that Alexander was about to arrive in town, but I put her on the right track. In return, she gave me this.’
Adriana tugs at the leather strap around her neck and Minoo sees the piece of bone. By now it looks more red than white. The process is taking place in front of their eyes, slowly but relentlessly.
‘It has taken the best part of nine months to create an amulet that can block my connection to the Council for a few hours.’
‘I’m guessing,’ Vanessa says. ‘When it’s red all over, your time is up.’
Adriana nods.
‘As you can all see, we must hurry,’ she says and lets go of the strap. ‘You’d better ask your questions now.’
‘What do we need to know about Alexander and Viktor?’ Minoo says.
‘Like me, Alexander is a fire witch. He is as strong as a trained witch can be.’
‘But we’re natural witches, as well as the Chosen Ones and all that,’ Anna-Karin says. ‘Then we must surely be stronger than him.’
‘You are potentially much stronger,’ Adriana replies. ‘But your powers are not yet fully engaged. Alexander has had many years of experience. He is utterly loyal to the Council. And utterly ruthless.’
She seems unaware that her fingers are moving up to touch her collarbone again. Minoo remembers what Adriana had said the first time she told them about Alexander.
He is willing to sacrifice even his family, his friends. The people he claims to love.
And her stomach churns when she suddenly understands the significance of what Alexander said in Nicolaus’s flat.
Will you never forgive me?
Your suffering would have been even greater if it had been someone else who—
‘Did he do it?’ she asks. ‘Did he execute your punishment?’
Adriana nods.
‘He volunteered, to show where his loyalties lay. My parents were present throughout. It was too much for my mother and she died soon afterwards. That was when I changed my surname to hers.’
Alexander had terrified Minoo from when she first saw him. By now, he seems almost worse than the demons. And at least as inhuman.
‘As for Viktor, I don’t know all that much,’ Adriana continues. ‘Alexander adopted him. It is quite common for the Council to undertake adoptions when especially talented children are discovered growing up in non-magical families. Viktor’s biological mother was a drug addict. He has a twin sister, but I have never met her. Both she and Viktor were educated in the boarding schools run by the Council.’
‘Viktor has told us that he’s a natural witch, and that water is his element,’ Minoo says. ‘Can he mind-read, like Linnéa?’
‘No, he can’t,’ Adriana says. ‘His talent is related to that, though. He can discern when people are lying.’
Minoo looks around the circle of Chosen Ones. Knows that they are all thinking the same thing. We’re done for.
Suddenly, their attempts to prepare for the trial seem so obviously pathetic. Fancy them imagining that they could outwit the Council.
‘So that’s what Alexander meant when he said the interrogation was also a test,’ she manages to say. ‘We failed and are seen as disloyal. Because they know we’ve been lying.’
‘Yes,’ Adriana says.
‘Can Viktor see through us and find out the truth as well?’ Ida says.
‘No. Thankfully. He functions more like a magical lie detector. Very reliable. And, as far as I know, you have all been lying under interrogation. Despite my warning to you,’ Adriana says and looks at Minoo.
‘We had no choice,’ she says.
‘I understand that you believe that,’ Adriana says. ‘But, if you had been honest when you answered the questions, they might have decided to treat you more considerately. Because during the trial, they will extract the truth from you, whether you like it or not. And tomorrow, reinforcements from the Council are due. On Saturday, you will confront them all, not only Alexander and Viktor.’
Minoo wants to clamp her hands over her ears to keep out any more bad news. But if they’re to have any chance at all, she must ask about the procedure.
‘The trial itself … how is it organised?’ she asks.
‘Alexander and Viktor have spent months preparing the courtroom. They’ve been thorough to say the least. No magic at all can be practised in that room. For instance, Anna-Karin won’t be able to influence anyone and Linnéa won’t be able to read anyone’s thoughts. Not that I would have recommended you to try anything of the sort. But it might have been a straw to cling to.’
‘Who’s the judge?’ Linnéa asks.
‘The bench will consist of five judges, all drawn from among the Council’s oldest, most trusted members. Establishment figures, who are the least likely to show mercy. Alexander and I will question you.’
‘But if no one can use magic in court, then Viktor won’t be able to know if we’re lying, right?’ Vanessa asks.
‘No, he will not. But that would have been preferable compared to the Council’s standard practices in cases like this. They have very effective means to prevent lies being told.’
‘Oh, can’t you get to the point!’ Ida shouts. ‘What will they do to us?’
‘Alexander and Viktor have collaborated on setting up very powerful circles in the courtroom,’ Adriana says. ‘Alexander is an expert on a technique that reflects witches’ powers back on themselves. Linnéa, you’ll remember what happened when you tried to read Alexander’s mind?’
Linnéa makes a face.
‘Yes.’
‘That’s what will happen to any one of you if you lie during your witness statements. Your powers will be turned towards yourself. But the pain will be a thousand times worse than what you felt, Linnéa.’
Total silence in the dance pavilion.
It means that only two alternatives are left. To reveal all immediately, or to endure torture until they break down and then reveal all. That is, they will be convicted regardless.
‘What kind of punishment should we expect?’ Linnéa asks.
Naturally, she is the one who asks the straight question, the one Minoo hardly has dared to formulate even to herself.
‘Let’s not speculate about it,’ Adriana says gravely.
‘But there must be something we can do!’ Ida says.
‘Turn to the Book of Patterns for advice,’ Adriana says. ‘That’s your only hope.’
Minoo swallows.
‘Some kind of power fluctuation makes it not work the way it’s supposed to,’ she says.
Adriana suddenly turns very pale. She checks the amulet. The redness covers almost all of it now. Only a few white spots left.
Everyone who could help us seems to be prevented from doing anything, Minoo thinks. And everyone is short of time.
‘I must leave now,’ Adriana says, as she stands and brushes down her coat. ‘But before I go, I want to ask you all to forgive me. If I had in any way been able to foresee all this … I wouldn’t have started looking into the stories about Engelsfors. Much better if the Council had never heard of this town.’
‘Surely it would’ve been worse if you had just ignored a prophecy that had predicted the apocalypse,’ Vanessa says.
‘And you really tried to help us, after all,’ Anna-Karin says.
Adriana looks seriously at her.
‘I will do everything in my power to help you during the trial. I’ll do my best for all of you. But I can truly think of only one possible action you could take.’
‘And what’s that?’ Ida says, feebly.
‘Run away,’ Adriana replies.
48
The blue fire has died down slowly. Minoo is the only one left in the dance pavilion. She keeps the torch on. The dark is solid beyond the cone of light.
After Adriana’s departure, they talked about what could be done, but it was no more than fumbling about blindly.
Of course, the others had wondered why Minoo wanted to stay, on her own and in the middle of the night. By now, she has begun to wonder too.
Her heart almost stops when she hears soft thumps somewhere in the forest outside the fence. She swings the torch that way and catches a brief glimpse of a deer before it vanishes into the mist.
Run away.
So, this was all Adriana could think of advising them to do. But they can’t run away and just let the world end.
Minoo takes the Book of Patterns and the Pattern Finder from her rucksack, puts them down in front of her and lets the beam of light play over them. She opens the book and places the Pattern Finder in front of her eyes. Twists it as she leafs through the pages, tries to concentrate on just one of the many questions whirling around in her head.
But the signs stay still. The book does not speak.
Nothing, nothing. As usual.
‘Help us, please!’ Minoo says aloud and stares into the dark. ‘Matilda said that you would help us to get through the trial!’
No one replies.
‘We haven’t got a hope on our own!’
She is speaking even louder now.
‘If you are our guardians, protect us now.’
All Minoo hears is the wind rustling in the treetops. She slams the book shut. Throws the Pattern Finder into the darkness. A gleam, and it is gone. She is so frustrated she nearly bursts into tears.
‘You have blessed me with your magic. Allow me to use it.’
She is going to pieces. Everything is breaking apart. Can’t the guardians see it?
‘If you exist, if you are on our side – show yourselves. Now!’
And something stirs inside her. Her pleas have triggered a response. Something flows through her. Spreads throughout her body, fills her.
It wants out.
And Minoo releases it. Lets the black smoke pour out. Dense, silky, it swiftly streams towards the Book of Patterns.
A sharp snap, when the book opens where it lies on the floor. The pages start turning on their own, faster and faster. Finally, they settle and stay still.
The black smoke swirls above the book. Hangs there, waiting.
And Minoo asks her question.
How are we to deal with the trial?
Suddenly Minoo sees the patterns form among the elementary signs.
She can see the signs, she can see beyond them.
When the answer emerges, she does not quite understand.
But she knows what they must do.
49
‘You know, I really hate this place,’ Anna-Karin’s mum says when she and Anna-Karin walk into the hall at Sunny Side.
And Anna-Karin agrees. She always looks forward to seeing Grandpa but, even so, the actual care home is hopelessly depressing. The smells, the sounds, the bleak atmosphere. It all adds up to the message that Sunny Side is nothing more than a lock-up at the end of the road. The terminus.
When they step into the lift, Mum is fiddling nervously with her rings.
‘I’d rather die than end up in a home like this,’ she mutters and pushes the Up button.
‘Why do you make Grandpa stay here then?’ Anna-Karin says. ‘We do have a spare room, after all.’
Mum blinks. Quite a long time has passed since their last discussion about this.
‘Our flat isn’t suitable for a handicapped person,’ she says.
As the lift rocks a little and stops, she moves ahead of Anna-Karin into the corridor.
‘I’ve checked,’ Anna-Karin says and follows on her heels. ‘The doors are wide enough. All we need to do is remove the thresholds and—’
Mum interrupts her.
‘Anna-Karin …’ She stops. Sighs. Twists her rings some more. ‘I can’t.’
‘But I—’
‘You have your school,’ Mum interrupts. ‘And I … I can’t cope.’
She looks up, meets Anna-Karin’s eyes.
‘I can’t cope,’ she repeats.
Anna-Karin doesn’t know how to answer her. Because she knows it’s the truth. Mum can’t cope. However much Anna-Karin would like her to, she simply can’t.
‘I know,’ Anna-Karin says.
Mum nods. In one of the nearby rooms, an old woman is speaking loudly into a phone.
‘But, please, Mum,’ Anna-Karin says, feeling that her voice is about to crack. ‘Please. Can’t you find someone who will help you? You don’t have to go on like this.’
Mum shakes her head.
‘This is me, the person I am. How I’ve always been. I can’t help it. Just try to do my best.’
