Dark Heart Rising (9 page)

‘Now.’ Soren was back at the front of the class. ‘Time is nearly running out for today. There is just time to remind all of you of your individual assignments for this term. This is a chance for you to discover your natural mediums.’ His eyes swept the room, alighting briefly on me, just as the bell rang.

‘Thank you for your hard work,’ he said solemnly. ‘Ms Jonas, could you stay behind, please?’

I sat putting my pencils back in my bag, pausing to check my phone. A message from my mother.

Snapping the phone shut, I picked up my bag and slung it over my shoulder, making my way slowly to Soren.

‘Do you have to be so critical?’ I said, crossing my arms over my chest. ‘It’s not good for my confidence.’

He flashed a handsome smile. ‘I’m sorry, Ms Jonas, I was trying to avoid preferential treatment. I wouldn’t want to embarrass you.’

I shrugged, though for some reason I could feel myself getting hot in the face. ‘There’s preferential treatment and there’s picking on a person,’ I said sniffily.

‘Oh, I’m sorry.’ Soren shoved a notebook into his bag and took off his glasses. ‘Perhaps I am overdoing it.’

‘Do you even need glasses?’ I asked, as he put them in an ancient-looking leather case.

‘Nope.’ Soren grinned. ‘But I look good in them, yes?’

I rolled my eyes, colour creeping back into my cheeks.

‘So.’ He put on his jacket, also ancient leather. ‘Now, you’ve done the hard part. Are you ready?’

‘I don’t know,’ I sighed. ‘It all seems too much. I mean, I don’t think I’m up to taking on the mighty Hunters. Henora is one scary lady.’ ‘A puppy.’ Soren slung his bag over his shoulder. ‘Vanya could eat her up for breakfast.’

‘I’m sure,’ I murmured. ‘But I’m not Vanya. It’s me who needs to convince Luca. And if he needs convincing then I don’t think it’s going to work.’

‘Where’s your fighting spirit?’ Soren eyed me sternly. ‘Think of what you have been through already. You simply need to hold your nerve.’

‘Game playing.’ I shook my head. ‘I’m not into that.’

‘Nonsense. Everyone plays a little game …’ He hesitated. ‘What’s courtship if isn’t a carefully balanced game of push and pull?’

‘I …’ I thought about it. ‘I suppose so. But it’s horrible.’

‘Exciting, though.’ Soren’s eyes flashed darkly. ‘Life is a dreary continuum, made bearable by those moments of excitement. It’s called feeling alive.’ He studied me. ‘And for you mortals, that life is so short … You owe it to yourselves to feel alive … at the very least.’

I laughed. ‘That’s one spin on it, I suppose. But what about safety, stability and all that?’

‘Pah. That is for when you are old.’ He grinned. ‘Youth should be full of adventure and experience.’

I thought about the months, years stretched ahead of me. I couldn’t imagine meeting another Luca. And I wanted that feeling back. The feeling I had when he put his arms around me and I felt his breathing as he pressed his face against mine. The tiny sparks that flew around inside me when he kissed me.

I stared at Soren. ‘You’re right,’ I said. ‘I wish I didn’t have to do this … It’s all so complicated. But I don’t want any regrets.’

‘That’s my girl.’ Soren held out his arm and, without thinking about it, I let him pull me towards him.

‘I have to tell you, Jane,’ he said, leading me through the Art room door. ‘I have had such a heavy heart since Lila has been promised to Luca, and have been so intent on getting her back’ – he paused, as though wondering whether to go on or not – ‘my intention was to use you. Convince you to help me, with no real thought of helping you in return. But meeting you … getting to know you, I find I care very much that you get what you want. It is no longer just about me now … It is about the two of us.’

He didn’t look at me and, though I had been on the verge of outrage, his honesty knocked the anger out of me.

‘Thanks for telling the truth,’ I told him.

Soren turned to me then, his black eyes sweeping my face. I couldn’t read his expression properly, but he looked sad.

It was dark outside college. Soren got out his car keys.

‘Let me drive you home,’ he said, pointing his keys at a beaten-up-looking vehicle in the car park.

‘I’ve got my bike,’ I said, remembering I had no helmet today. I’d been in such a rush to get to college that morning, I’d left it hanging on its hook in the hall at home.

‘No helmet.’ He raised an eyebrow. ‘And so too dangerous.’

‘I’ll call my dad,’ I said, flustered. ‘It’s fine.’

‘Jane.’ Soren’s tone was exasperated. ‘Stop being so … proud.’

I stood, tensely for a few seconds.

‘OK, then.’ But just to the mountain road.’ I thought of bringing yet another strange boy back home to meet my parents.

‘Fine.’ He nodded. ‘Get in.’

As he drove through the dark, Soren stared straight ahead of him, while I concentrated on not remembering another car, another boy. A boy who’d wanted to kill me.

‘It must have been frightening for you,’ Soren said after a while.

‘What?’ I turned to him. It was as though he’d been reading my mind.

‘Raphael.’ He was still looking straight ahead.

I tucked my hands between my knees. ‘I don’t really want to talk about it.’

‘OK.’ He returned to looking out at the road.

‘I mean … It just reminds me of that time …’ I shut my eyes. ‘I thought it was all over. I thought everything was going to be OK.’

‘It will be.’

‘How do you know that?’ I looked defiantly at the side of his head. ‘Everything has gone wrong.’

‘I just have a feeling.’ With a swift movement his hand closed over mine. ‘And I am here to help you.’

I pushed his hand away. ‘Not you too,’ I said, contemptuously. ‘All these boys tripping over themselves to help me.’

Soren laughed then, tilting his head back. I saw the flash of his perfect teeth, his perfect cheekbones.

‘I can see what it looks like,’ he said, smiling. ‘But I really am here to help you.’ He tapped the steering wheel. ‘And you will help me.’

This did make us more even, I had to admit. I sighed heavily.

‘It’s just up here,’ I said, as we came up to the bottom of the hill. Soren pulled up against the verge and stopped the engine.

‘We don’t have too much time,’ he said gently. ‘If you want a future with Luca, we have to go back …’

‘I know.’ I clasped my hands together. ‘When?’

‘It’s the weekend tomorrow …’ He studied my face. ‘You need to tell your parents something … anything.’

‘I can’t.’ I shook my head. ‘It’s impossible, Soren … What am I going to say?’

Soren shrugged. ‘A college field trip … I don’t know.’

I opened the car door, hesitating.

‘Jane …’ Soren’s voice was serious now. ‘This is our chance … It could be our last chance.’

‘I know.’ I hugged my bag to me, my hand hovering on the door-handle. ‘I’ll be here.’

‘L
uca is riding with us tomorrow.’ Lowe eyed Raphael. ‘He is keen to make amends with you.’

‘Is he?’ Raphael’s expression was impassive.

‘You don’t seem enthusiastic.’ Lowe slumped against the stable door.

Raphael plucked a blade of grass and ran his finger down the stem.

‘Clearly it is not ever going to be a straightforward relationship.’ He dropped the grass on to the ground. ‘But he’ll be a strong and reliable influence here one day.’

‘Hmm.’ Lowe narrowed his eyes. ‘Apparently he is.’

‘It makes my great-mother happy to see us at peace with one another. If I am to ascend to the throne I need people like Luca around me. Supporting me.’

‘That’s a nice speech.’

‘It is, isn’t it?’

‘But you don’t want strong and reliable people in your life …’ Lowe stared hard at him. ‘Isn’t that the truth?’

‘Not strictly.’ Raphael got to his feet. ‘I certainly need strength. And reliability, come to that.’

‘I don’t understand. What else would you require?’

‘I require some backbone. Bravery.’

‘Yes …’ Lowe said nervously. ‘Raphael … are you completely cured?’

‘Indeed I am.’ Raphael began pacing, lightly kicking the brick of the stable wall. ‘But not exactly as was before.’

‘Meaning … ?’

Raphael seemed to be considering for a moment, pushing thoughts around his head. Eventually he turned to Lowe.

‘Do you … do you never resent being told what to do all the time?’ he asked. ‘Your destiny is boringly pre-determined by people who don’t really know you. And your innate power is tightly controlled. It’s not exactly natural, is it?’

Lowe frowned. ‘It is the best way.’

‘For whom?’

‘Well … for us all. We just follow tradition and we will be safe.’

Raphael laughed then. ‘Was I safe?’

Lowe looked startled. ‘I … I don’t know—’

‘I mean. I wasn’t safe. I was dangerous. To my family … to myself.’ He gave a short laugh. ‘To mortals.’

‘Yes, but—’

‘So none of us is ever safe, Lowe. Nobody can prevent “madness”.’

The way he pronounced the word ‘madness’ caused Lowe to step closer, intrigued.

‘But you are better now. The madness is gone.’

‘It wasn’t madness!’ Raphael almost spat the words out. ‘That is simply a convenient term for Celeste – and your parents – and every other automaton here to use. I simply had other ideas, that’s all.’

He held the boy’s gaze.

Lowe tried to look away but found himself transfixed. ‘They are not cowards,’ he managed to say. ‘They want the best for us all.’

‘They have built this world on a false notion. The notion that a life without risk is a better life. A safer life. When all it is is a life suppressed.’

‘Maybe it is. But people are happier here.’

‘My father wasn’t.’

‘Wait a moment!’ Lowe said angrily. ‘You were angry about your father. You tried to kill that mortal girl’s family.’

‘I know.’ Raphael dropped his eyes to the ground. ‘I was wrong. I was very angry. Angry that he had gone. I needed to blame someone. Jane’s mother seemed to be the one … that one I could pin all my anger on. But really … he is gone because of this world, all its suffocating expectations. Its refusal to allow any human weakness.’

‘But we are not human,’ Lowe said proudly. ‘We are better than that.’

‘Are you sure?’ Raphael kicked a stone at his feet. ‘I don’t know that we are. We just
think
we are superior.’

Lowe shook his head. ‘My mother says that sacrifice is the ultimate challenge.’

‘What does that mean?’

‘That by giving up indulgent pleasure we are made stronger.’

‘Or perhaps,’ Raphael replied, putting his hands in his pockets. ‘She is just afraid of feeling.’

The sound of horses’ hooves made the boys turn to see a black stallion cantering towards them.

‘Perhaps you should talk to my brother about sacrifice,’ Lowe said, recognising Luca astride the horse. ‘The two of you can compare notes.’

Raphael ignored him, straightening up and fixing a welcoming smile on his face. He held his hand up in greeting.

Luca drew in his reins and brought the horse to a halt. Dismounting, he nodded at his brother.

‘I didn’t expect you until tomorrow,’ said Raphael, running a hand through his blond curls.

‘Henora is driving me to distraction,’ replied Luca, catching his breath. ‘I had to get out.’

Raphael cast a quick pointed glance at Lowe, before patting Luca on the shoulder.

‘Your choice,’ he said, lightly. ‘You are not bound to this marriage … not yet, anyway.’

A flicker of annoyance passed over Luca’s face.

‘We are all bound to duty,’ he said impassively. ‘I don’t want to have another discussion on the subject.’

Raphael shrugged. ‘Fair enough. But you brought it up.’

Luca attempted a smile. ‘I was struggling with my mother’s determination … not the object of her determination.’

‘I see. Well, good.’ Raphael stretched and yawned. ‘And how is Lila?’

‘Good, as far as I know.’ Luca avoided eye contact. ‘I have not seen her for a while.’

‘Lila is wonderful,’ put in Lowe. ‘She will make a good wife.’

‘She will.’ Luca looked about him, taking hold of his horse’s rein. ‘Are we riding today?’

‘My horse is tired,’ said Raphael. ‘Lowe and I went for a long ride this morning – down to the Water Path. I had forgotten how peaceful it was there. I must spend more time by the river.’