Fire, page 45
She turns to Ida.
‘Diana’s amulet bore the sign of metal,’ she continues. ‘Electricity and metal magic belong together, right?’
‘Thanks for the info,’ Ida says sarcastically.
‘So it seems reasonable to assume that the demons’ Blessed One is a metal witch who has been controlling Diana and has brought about the deaths of at least three people during the last year. Question – why those particular three?’
Linnéa finds it hard to take in what Minoo is saying.
A psychologist.
She thinks about Jakob and how depressed he has seemed all autumn. And recalls what went on in his mind the day she read it …
… she is dead … she truly is dead …
‘You know CAMH? The Child and Adolescent Mental Health clinic?’ she asks. ‘My psychologist there was totally heartbroken last autumn. His colleague had died, you see …’
She suspects that she knows what the three dead people have in common. But doesn’t want to say anything before she is certain.
‘If it’s her, the one Nicke was talking about, her name began with an R. Regina, I think.’
Minoo switches her computer on and opens up a website page.
‘Look, you can search the classified death ads here, all of which have been published in the papers anywhere in the country.’
‘So that’s the kind of thing you home in on when you’re surfing?’ Ida says.
‘Regina is quite unusual,’ Minoo says. ‘Vanessa, can you remember roughly when Nicke mentioned that death?’
‘We had dug up that grave the same evening.’
‘August, then,’ Minoo says. ‘Here. I’ve found her. The date fits. And the ad was published in the Engelsfors Herald. She was only thirty years old. Could it be her?’
Linnéa swallows. It is so absolutely incredible. And yet so logical.
‘It’s her. And I know what links the three dead people,’ she says. ‘Elias.’
She looks at Ida.
‘You started bullying him in primary school,’ Linnéa says.
Ida blinks. But she does not object.
‘Helena and Krister clearly didn’t want to admit that their son was hounded by their friends’ children. But they couldn’t get away from the fact that Elias had a hard time in school. Instead, they blamed the teacher. Leila. I know that they even tried to have her sacked. Later on, his problems grew really bad. By then, there was no point in trying to have all the teachers sacked, so they targeted Svensson instead. Elias told me about all this.’
‘How does the psychologist fit in?’ Vanessa asks.
‘Elias used to see her. He liked her. She helped him … But Helena hated his going to see her. She hates all psychologists and thinks it’s somehow damaging to “root around in all these negative things”. Besides, I think she was afraid that Regina would turn Elias against her. Despite her being such a fantastic, perfect mum.’
Fury makes her eyes fill with burning tears and she falls silent. Another word and she will start crying. She doesn’t want the others to see that.
‘The demons’ Blessed One must be Helena,’ Ida says. ‘All the pieces are slotting into place. We were right all along.’
‘She wants to revenge herself on everyone who, in her mind, has hurt Elias,’ Vanessa says to Linnéa. ‘Do you think it was her plan for Erik and Robin to kill you as well? Did she control them the same way that she did with Diana?’
‘Have you ever seen Erik wear a necklace?’ Minoo asks Ida.
‘No, I haven’t. And he’d never accept one,’ Ida says. ‘He thinks jewellery on men is strictly for queers.’
Ida glances at Linnéa, who realises that they are both thinking about the same events.
Like all the times when Erik shouted ‘Fairy’ at Elias. When he ripped off Elias’s necklaces and bracelets. The time he tore off an earring.
And Ida would always be around somewhere, laughing or just letting it happen.
But Linnéa can’t muster any hatred now. That time has passed, though she will never forget it.
‘I don’t believe that they were meant to kill me,’ she says. ‘They must have been sent out by Helena to make sure I was thrown out of the flat. Erik and Robin went as far as they did on their own initiative. Though Helena clearly had no problems with lying and providing alibis for them when the police asked questions.’
‘Perhaps she doesn’t dare attack you directly,’ Minoo suggests. ‘If she’s communicating with the demons they will surely have told her who we are. The same goes for Adriana. The demons must know that she’s a witch too and they must also be aware that the Council exists. Perhaps they don’t want Helena to attract attention from other witches.’
‘Ruining our lives has to be satisfaction enough,’ Linnéa says.
‘But it doesn’t have to be Helena, does it?’ Anna-Karin points out. ‘Couldn’t it be Krister?’
‘Regardless of which one of them it is, they work together in any case,’ Linnéa says.
‘But we’ve never noticed either of them using magic,’ Anna-Karin says.
‘That’s not so strange, though. The demons are bound to have told them to be cautious,’ Vanessa says. ‘And remember, Ida sensed the magic in the centre.’
Anna-Karin nods slowly.
Minoo’s father calls to them to say that dessert is waiting.
‘We’ll be down soon!’ Ida shouts back.
‘We’ll talk more about all these things after the trial,’ Minoo says. ‘We’d better stay well away from Helena and Krister now that we have no powers.’
They get up and everyone leaves the room. All except Vanessa who lingers. She has turned towards the window and seems to be staring out into the night.
‘What’s the matter?’ Linnéa asks.
‘I’m just thinking about Svensson. Mona said it was inevitable. But if only we had worked all this out a little earlier …’
‘If Svensson hadn’t died we wouldn’t have figured it out at all,’ Linnéa says and hears how cold she sounds. ‘I didn’t mean it like that.’
‘I know,’ Vanessa says.
She looks wonderingly at Linnéa.
‘What’s the matter?’ Linnéa asks once more.
‘It’s so strange to see my own face like this.’
It’s even stranger to see Anna-Karin’s face and still be this much in love, Linnéa thinks.
‘I want to know what it’s like to touch me,’ Vanessa says.
She holds out her hand. Linnéa shuts her eyes and feels Vanessa’s hand gently stroke her cheek.
She doesn’t dare to say anything.
When Vanessa’s hand leaves her Linnéa reluctantly opens her eyes.
‘Strange …’ Vanessa says.
They look at each other.
So close together.
But Wille stands between them.
Can’t stop remembering that kiss. I want more.
‘We’d better join the others, I guess,’ Linnéa says and walks away.
62
It is a chilly, misty Sunday morning, but when Anna-Karin cycles through Engelsfors she senses something new in the air. A promise of spring.
She skids on the gravel, puts Ida’s bicycle on its stand and hurries into the dully lit manor house.
She pushes past all the people standing around in the lobby and enters the library. The other Chosen Ones are standing together by one of the windows. Adriana has joined them but otherwise they are alone in the room.
‘Hello, Ida,’ she says when she catches sight of Anna-Karin. ‘The judges are deliberating. They’ll call us in when they are ready.’
‘How long will it take?’
‘Impossible to say. Anything from a few minutes to several hours.’
Anna-Karin can’t think how she can bear waiting. She looks at the armchairs, but doesn’t feel like settling down in one of them. They remind her too strongly of the interrogation. Presumably, the others feel the same, since they are both unoccupied.
She has hardly slept a wink all night. She doesn’t dare believe that they’ve got away with it. The verdict has not yet been announced. And then there is all this about Helena and Krister Malmgren, and the murders …
‘What are they doing in there?’ Ida says.
‘You mustn’t worry,’ Adriana says gently. ‘The proceedings are as per usual.’
Ida sighs loudly. Anna-Karin watches her.
In the early hours of the morning, just when Anna-Karin had managed to fall asleep, Ida’s mobile had woken her. Julia was on the line. Drunk. Blurred speech. But sounding happy. Wanted Ida to guess who she had just been snogging. And then Julia handed the phone over to Erik.
‘We wanted you to know that we’re having a fucking great time without you. That’s all,’ he said. ‘Like, fucking great.’
Julia was giggling in the background. Anna-Karin cut the call. Turned the mobile off.
‘They’re probably just trying to wind us up,’ Linnéa says and tips her head towards the closed door of the courtroom.
‘In that case they’re doing fine,’ Ida says.
An hour passes. Then two. For Minoo, time is crawling.
Every minute ticking past is valuable time lost. They must stop Helena and Krister. Prevent them from killing anyone else. Prevent them from setting off the apocalypse.
But for as long as they are sitting around here, they can do nothing. Not even talk freely with each other.
And still not the slightest sign of life from the judges.
Minoo stops in front of the fireplace and drums with her fingertips on the mantelpiece.
She is thinking about the amulet that Diana had worn on the chain. Adriana also had an amulet. She had bought hers from Mona Moonbeam. Could Mona also have been the one who sold the metal sign amulet to Helena and Krister?
Minoo looks at Vanessa, who sits next to Linnéa on a windowsill. They must confront Mona, all of them together. Try to persuade her to tell them all she knows. According to Vanessa, Mona always refuses to reveal anything about her customers. But maybe she hasn’t realised that she has been trading with the demons’ Blessed One?
If the worst comes to the worst, Anna-Karin must force her to tell, Minoo thinks.
She doesn’t like the idea, but people’s lives are at stake.
She needs a smoke.
‘Is it all right if I go outside, just for a short while?’ she asks Adriana. ‘I really want … a little fresh air.’
Adriana looks troubled.
‘The judges might rise any minute now.’
‘I’ll be quick,’ Minoo says.
‘I’ll come with you,’ Linnéa says and gets up at once.
As soon as they are in the driveway, Minoo pulls the packet of cigarettes from the top of Linnéa’s boot and lights up.
‘I’ve been thinking about something,’ Linnéa says in a low voice. ‘To do with what we were talking about yesterday.’
‘Not here,’ Minoo says and glances over her shoulder while she sucks on the cigarette.
She inhales the smoke so eagerly she feels nauseous.
‘I know,’ Linnéa says. ‘But there’s just one thing that’s important. I’ve thought of two people we must warn.’
Minoo only has time to nod before the front door opens. When she turns to face it, Adriana stands in the doorway and waves impatiently at them to come back in.
‘They’re about to announce the verdict now,’ she says.
Everyone stands when the five judges enter the courtroom and process to their seats. Today, the senior judge is wearing a black suit and a black blouse. This outfit makes Anna-Karin think of death.
‘We have just had an appeal from the prosecution. They are asking to conduct one last witness hearing,’ the judge says, having indicated that the audience may sit. ‘And we have decided to allow it.’
Anna-Karin checks the prosecutor’s table. Alexander is alone. Viktor is nowhere to be seen. Adriana stands.
‘Your Honour,’ she says. ‘The defence has not been informed …’
But the old woman silences her with one glance.
‘The case before us is of such a serious nature that we are unwilling to convict and sentence before every item of evidence has been thoroughly investigated,’ she says and then addresses Alexander. ‘Chief Prosecutor, you may begin.’
Alexander rises.
‘Thank you, Your Honour,’ he says. ‘We call Adriana Lopez to the witness chair.’
The Chosen Ones exchange glances. But Adriana shows no sign of unease when she gets up and walks to the witness chair.
‘Adriana Lopez,’ Alexander says, but he isn’t looking at her.
He turns towards the audience instead. And now Anna-Karin begins to feel fearful. Alexander’s self-confidence has returned.
‘You stated yesterday that you are loyal to the Council. Do you stand by that statement?’
‘Of course I do,’ Adriana says.
‘You also swore that you would tell the truth. But did you keep to that commitment?’
‘Yes.’
Alexander nods to the guards at the entrance. They open both doors.
Viktor enters the courtroom. He is carrying a birdcage. Black wings beat against the bars of the cage which is far too small and Anna-Karin feels every blow. She too wants to escape.
As if hypnotised, Adriana stares fixedly at Viktor and the bird.
‘You have stored any compromising memories in your familiar,’ Alexander says. ‘This enabled you to lie to the court yesterday, is that not so?’
‘I have no intention of replying to that question.’
‘There is no need,’ Alexander says.
He now nods to Viktor, who places the birdcage on the table and opens its door.
The raven crows furiously at Viktor, who fumbles inside the cage until he manages to grab hold of the bird’s body. Using his other hand to hold its beak firmly closed, he hauls the bird out. He has to bend his neck to protect his face when the raven spreads its wings and flaps wildly in the air.
Alexander takes the raven from Viktor’s hands and grips its head hard.
‘Please, don’t …’ Adriana says in a strangled voice.
Anna-Karin looks down at the tabletop. She knows that Alexander will do it.
And then he does.
A hard, crunching sound. A moist thing ripping. For a short time afterwards, the wings keep beating. Then the room falls completely silent. Anna-Karin’s gorge is rising; she holds it back, swallows several times.
She looks up again just in time to see Alexander hand the dead bird to Viktor. Stony-faced, he places the body in the birdcage.
‘Let us begin again,’ Alexander says. ‘Adriana Lopez. Have you been loyal to the Council in everything you have done since you arrived in Engelsfors?’
Anna-Karin watches Adriana’s face. Observes one eyelid trembling, almost unnoticeably.
‘Yes,’ she replies.
Her head is thrown back. A faint moan, starting far down in her throat, finally reaches her mouth. Her jaws clench. She begins to hyperventilate.
It is all unbearable and yet Anna-Karin cannot take her eyes off Adriana. It feels as if it is her duty to watch. It is Anna-Karin’s fault that Adriana is being tortured.
‘No!’ Adriana finally screams. ‘No!’
And her body sags in the chair.
‘Can you clarify that answer?’ Alexander asks.
Adriana looks at him. A drop of blood from one of her nostrils trickles slowly down to her upper lip.
‘No, I have not been loyal to the Council.’
The judges sit up on their chairs.
‘Have you permitted the Chosen Ones to practise magic on their own?’ Alexander asks.
‘No.’
Adriana’s head is thrown backwards again. Her back twists spasmodically and the pain makes her scream loudly. Fire, her own element, is being used against her. It must feel like being set alight.
Anna-Karin cannot stand this any more. She must take responsibility. She must confess.
She tries to stand, but Linnéa immediately pulls her down.
‘We need you,’ Linnéa whispers. She seems to have understood exactly what Anna-Karin has in mind. ‘The world needs you. Adriana knows it, too. Do you think she would have run this risk if she hadn’t realised that?’
Anna-Karin starts to cry, then tries not to sob, afraid that she might irritate the judges and ruin things even more for Adriana.
Alexander gestures and Adriana’s body relaxes.
‘We can carry on like this for any length of time. Speak the truth now. For your own sake.’
He sounds almost saddened and this frightens Anna-Karin even more. How can he do this, if he has feelings at all?
‘I will never say anything that might harm the girls,’ Adriana says. Her breathing is heavy and laboured. ‘Never.’
‘In fact, you chose to take their side rather than the Council’s?’ Alexander says.
‘I was not aware that I had to take one side or the other. I believed that the Council should support the Chosen Ones. Apparently, I was wrong.’
The courtroom fills with excited whispers.
‘I will not answer any more questions,’ Adriana says.
The old woman in the middle of the row of judges looks unmoved.
‘No further questions are required. We are ready now to pass judgement on the defendant,’ the judge says. ‘Anna-Karin Nieminen. Please stand.’
Vanessa stands. Anna-Karin forces herself to look at her. Tears are running down her face, but she must be strong. Brave. Like Adriana.
The judge clasps her hands on the tabletop and leans forward.
‘The world is facing a new magic epoch,’ she says. ‘But with magic comes power and power can always be misused. Therefore, the ideals of the Council are more important than ever. Control. Honesty. Humility. Selflessness. The defendant has proved herself lacking in all these virtues. Indeed, she has acted in opposition to them. She has spat at everything the Council holds in high regard or believes to be sacred.’
Now Anna-Karin realises it is all over.
‘Anna-Karin Nieminen,’ the judge says. ‘This court has decided to ignore all the accusations against you and to free you.’
Anna-Karin can hardly grasp what is being said. She has to test the words repeatedly inside her head to make sure that they actually mean what they seem to.
