Blue Moon (Book One in The Blue Crystal Trilogy) (26 page)

“The same sign on the back of
the cloaks and on the Clock Tower,” I declared, “and I saw it again
on the shoulder of one of your guests.”

“We all bear the mark of the
crystal,” said Theo. “I, too, have such a symbol on my shoulder. It
glows brightly or grows dim, depending on the lunar cycle. But let
me finish my story, Emily. I don’t have much time. Two years after
Viyesha had discovered the crystal’s power, the king died under
mysterious circumstances and was succeeded by Tutankhamun, who
proceeded to reinstate the cult of Amun-Ra.”

“D’you mean the famous
Tutankhamun? The one whose tomb was found by Howard Carter in
1922?” I asked, remembering amazing pictures of the golden and blue
death mask.

“The same,” replied Theo.
“Viyesha shared her knowledge of the crystal’s power with
Tutankhamun. He told her he would start using the crystal’s power
in his eighteenth year, but before he could do so, he fell ill and
died, some say murdered. Fearing for her life once again, Viyesha
took the crystal and disappeared.”

At this point, I interrupted.
“It’s a brilliant story, Theo, but do you really expect me to
believe Viyesha is over three thousand years old? Even ‘vampires’
is a more believable story than that. And if she’s three thousand,
how old are you?”

“My story is for another time,”
he said, hurriedly. “I must get back, but there are things I still
need to say.”

“Go on, then,” I said, my mind
reeling. I still thought it was some kind of elaborate joke.

“To maintain our youth,” he
continued, “we must bathe in the light that emanates from the blue
crystal when it is at its most powerful, at the time of the Blue
Moon….” he paused, “…an event that happens once every three years
or so, in a year which has thirteen full moons.”

“And if you don’t, you age
rapidly and die,” I said, thinking of the unfortunate guest.

“Exactly,” said Theo. “Ageing
and death occurs within minutes.”

“So your guests…” I said
slowly, “all those famous people that I recognised last
night….those distinguished men and women…”

He finished my sentence, “….
have all been rejuvenated using the blue crystal. Each one of them
enjoys eternal youth… more accomplished, more beautiful and more
charismatic than ever before, all blemishes, imperfections and
irregularities removed.”

“But why them?” I had to ask.
“Why were they selected?”

Theo smiled ruefully. “Some
because we chose them, others because they can afford it. Eternal
youth doesn’t come cheap, Emily. Privilege and opportunity has
always been the domain of the super-rich.”

“And you can trust them to keep
the secret?” I asked. “Surely they could sell the information and
make millions?”

He laughed. “Money has no
meaning to them. They have all the wealth they need. They count
currency in something far more valuable: longevity. Besides, each
one has sworn never to reveal the secret of the crystal, or be cast
out and face annihilation.”

“Cast out by whom?”

He looked down and considered
his words before replying. “The Lunari,” he replied, “the order
that was formed many years ago to protect the crystal.”

“Lunari?” I echoed, remembering
the strange chanting from the previous night.

“You must understand,” said
Theo, “this is a secret that can never get out. If it fell into the
wrong hands, its power could be abused and employed as a
destructive force. Nations have fought wars for less. The Lunari
exists to ensure this never happens. And if they find that anyone
has gained knowledge of the crystal whom they have not initiated,
they take immediate steps to eradicate the threat.”

“Eradicate is a strong word,” I
said. “These Lunari people… do they know about me? Were they at the
Blue Moon Ball?”

“No, they weren’t at the Ball.
They have their own means of ensuring their immortality and have no
need of a blue moon. For the moment, I believe they don’t know of
your existence. We have contained the information, but the
Guardians are unhappy.”

“And they are?” I asked,
although I suspected I already knew the answer.

“Aquila and Pantera,” he
answered. “You may not know it but you have been under surveillance
for some time. They are shape shifters appointed by The Lunari to
safeguard the crystal and advise of any threat they detect. The
Lunari have given them absolute power to destroy where
necessary.”

“Shape shifters,” I repeated.
“You mean people who can assume other forms?”

“Yes, Aquila becomes a black
Eastern eagle who sees everything, and Pantera a black panther,
with exceptional speed and strength…”

“And large yellow eyes?” I
asked.

“Why yes,” said Theo, puzzled.
“You’ve seen her?”

“I think so,” I swallowed. “I
think she may have seen me entering the church last night, although
the hood was pulled around my face, so she may not have identified
me. There again, if they have the authority to kill and I’m such a
threat, why am I still here?”

“Because you have protection,”
said Theo, reaching over and hooking the silver chain that hung
around my neck with his finger. The blue crystal shone in the
candlelight, its many facets sparkling and twinkling.

“Is that…?” I started to say
and Theo smiled.

“Yes, it’s a tiny fragment of
the big crystal. We all wear them. They give us protection. As long
as you wear this, Aquila and Pantera cannot touch you.”

“And you wear one as well,” I
said, “but yours has a white cameo placed at its centre… bearing
the picture of the girl who looks like me…”

Theo looked into my eyes.
“Emily, the girl doesn’t just look like you. I believe it is
you.”

“What do you mean?” I cried,
“I’ve never met you before.”

“It’s a long story and one I
don’t have time to tell now,” he said. “But many, many years ago, I
met a girl who was the very image of you. I loved her more than
life itself, but something happened and I lost her. I thought I
would never see her again, until the day I went to Hartsdown
College and there you were. We shook hands and the connection was
there, do you remember?”

“How could I forget?” I
murmured. “You gave me an electric shock.”

“The energy is there between
us, the same energy that existed before. Believe me, I fought
against it. I didn’t want to endanger you and risk losing you
again. But the pull was too great. I had to be with you.”

“How did you lose this girl?
What happened?”

“That is something I will tell
you another time. I cannot speak of it now.”

This was all getting too much
to take in. I needed time and space to digest what he was saying.
But there was more…

“Emily, you’re not just at risk
from The Lunari.”

“Great, this gets better and
better. Who else wants to get rid of me?”

“We have enemies,” he said
flatly. “There are those that know of the crystal’s existence and
would steal it from us. We call them the Dark Ones, shadow beings
who live by dark means, who crave the crystal’s light to assume
human form. Some, known as The Reptilia, have achieved a low
evolutionary form; others remain dark creatures of anti-matter,
parasites who leach the life-force out of living beings to stay
alive. We call them Feeders. All are malignant and deadly, and
would stop at nothing to possess the crystal.”

“But how are they a danger to
me?” I asked. “They know nothing about me.”

“These creatures are waiting
and watching all the time. They are constantly looking for the
crystal. That’s why we had to leave Egypt. It was getting too
risky. They will search for any way to gain leverage over us and
compel us to hand it over.” He dropped his voice, “Emily, they will
exploit any weak link in our armour.”

“And that weak link is me,” I
said faintly. “I’m not just in danger from The Lunari and the
Guardians, but some kind of weird reptilian shadow creatures who
drink human energy and crave human form, who would use me as
leverage to get to you.”

I looked into his eyes.

“Theo, please tell me this is
some kind of elaborate wind up.”

“I can’t, Emily. I’m sorry.
These threats exist. And there may be more: scientists searching
for the elixir of life; powerful individuals looking to cheat
death; others who would stop at nothing to possess the crystal.
That’s why we must protect it at any cost.”

“At any cost,” I repeated after
him. “That doesn’t sound good for me. According to what you’ve just
said, you'd be better off getting rid of me.”

I looked at him wide-eyed, the
enormity of the threat facing me just beginning to dawn. “It would
appear I don’t stand a chance. Especially not now you’ve told me
everything. At least an hour ago I still had ignorance protecting
me.” I glared at him angrily. “Why have you told me all this? Now I
have this knowledge, my life really could be in danger.”

He looked at me sadly. “Your
life was in danger the first time I brought you back to Hartswell
Hall. I should never have done it. But don’t you see? You’ve come
back to me. I thought we could be together again.”

I took a deep breath and
exhaled slowly. “For a start, I’m still having difficulty in
believing all this. But just supposing it’s true…. I can see only
one solution to the problem.”

I paused and bit my lip, then
looked him straight in the eye and said, “I have to join you. I
have to bathe in the light of the crystal and become one of you.
That’s the only way we can be together.”

“No,” he cried, “it’s too
risky. The crystal is too powerful and not everyone survives. And
if they do, well…… It’s a blessing and a curse. Eternal youth,
beauty and special powers are yours, but your whole life is
governed by the crystal and the necessity to bathe in its light
every Blue Moon. Should you survive the initiation, and many people
don’t, how can I put that burden on you?” he broke off, looking
desolate.

“Is there any other way?” I
asked.

Just as I spoke, we heard the
distant chimes of the church clock striking midnight.

“I must go,” he declared
anxiously. Placing his hands around my face and looking deeply into
my eyes, he said in a broken voice, “Emily, forgive me. I love you.
I never wanted to do this to you. I only ever wanted to be with
you.”

My mind reeled and a thousand
thoughts crowded in at once.

“I need time to think, Theo.
This is all too much to take in.”

“I must go,” he said again,
“every second I spend here puts you at greater risk. If The Lunari
find out about you…”

I stopped him. “They may
already know,” I said. “I’ve lost my cell phone. I think I may have
dropped in at Hartswell Hall last night. I’ve looked everywhere,
but I can’t find it. ”

“You could have left it there
on an earlier occasion,” he said. “It doesn't prove you were at The
Blue Moon Ball.”

“I’m afraid it does,” I said
miserably. “I took photos of the beautiful people as they came out
of the light and walked down the corridor. It’s irrefutable proof I
was there and I know what is happening.”

I couldn’t mistake the panic in
Theo’s eyes.

After he’d left, I spent a
cold, sleepless night in the church for the second night running,
once again too afraid to leave. This time I understood the threat
that existed out there, and the four old stone walls of the church
seemed my only sanctuary.

24.
Under Threat

Kimberley Chartreuse drummed her
perfectly manicured fingers impatiently on the table. She wasn't
used to being kept waiting. She was the one who made people wait.
Now she was sitting here in this grotty little office in a back
street in Digbeth, in down town Birmingham, waiting for some slimy
little nobody, who had the temerity to be late. Didn’t he know who
she was? She had vaguely toyed with the idea of bringing the
cameras with her. It would have made a great storyline for her
reality show, but some things she knew had to remain private and,
given her reasons for employing this man, this was better handled
in the shadows. Pulling out her phone, she impatiently called her
agent.

“Danny,” she drawled, in her
flat, pseudo transatlantic tones, “I’m still waiting for this joker
to turn up. If you've made a mistake, you’re fired, d’you hear
me?”

He was prevented from answering
by a shuffling and snuffling outside the door. Kimberley clicked
off her phone and turned her head, a look of disgust flitting
across her features. A middle-aged man in a brown raincoat had
opened the door and was blowing his nose loudly on a handkerchief
that had clearly seen better days.

“Ms Chartreuse?” he asked, in a
down-at-heel, flat Brummie voice. He extended his hand. “I’m the
joker you’re waiting to see.”

She made a show of refusing his
hand, saying to him coldly, “Mr Nelson? You’re late. I’ve been
waiting for over five minutes.”

He grinned at her cheerfully,
revealing a row of black and yellow-stained teeth. “Sorry,” he
said, making it quite plain he wasn't. “Bit of business to attend
to.”

She noted the bottle that stuck
out of his pocket, the florid cheeks and the alcohol fumes that
wafted across the room. He leered at her appreciatively. “Won’t you
sit down? Ah, I see you’ve already made yourself at home.”

She regarded him disdainfully.
The man was a fool, a grubby, drunken idiot. She’d made a huge
mistake coming here. He sat at the desk opposite her and proceeded
to rummage around in a drawer.

“Mr Nelson, I really don’t…”
she began, but he interrupted her.

“Aha, here it is” and pulled
out a gnarled old pipe which he stuck between his teeth and
proceeded to suck on with great vigour. She shuddered and looked at
the wall over his head, where an old tattered picture of Columbo
was pasted. He saw her glance upwards and said, “Columbo, greatest
living detective. I model myself on him. Genius, pure genius.”