Love lines (30 page)

The next moment, the stars began to fade, one by one,
disappearing in a stream of blue water. Where the water had already vanished,
they lit up again, flashing like the lights of red flame. When all the stars
lit up the sky again they froze just for a moment and began to crumble to the
ground, as if someone was pulling strings from below. Once every star was on
the floor of the arena, they soared upward again, but this time no one pulled
them up - they were flowing with the wind, each in its own direction. Only
later I realized that their direction wasn’t accidental - all the stars lined
up in a pattern to form a beautiful flower sage - a symbol of wisdom. In an
instant, the flower was gone, and the spotlights lighten the arena.

The magic was over.

In the center of the arena was a man in a black cloak.
Only when he took his hood off, we recognized Evan there. We couldn’t hide our
joy, admiration and finally coming relief. We all applauded loudly, jumping up
from our seats. Tears were glistening in Eileen and Amanda’s eyes. Feeling all
the emotions that Eileen was filled with at that moment, I realized how much
she worried because of Evan’s absence, and now simply couldn’t hide her joy at
the sight of him, safe and sound.

“Let's go down to him,” I said. Even Anna and Lucas
followed us, impressed by the beauty of Evan’s performance.

“He wasn’t kidding when he said that it would be a
surprise,” Eileen admired.

“That's Evan for you,” I said.

As soon as we get down to the exit, my friend was
running to meet us. Without saying a word, he embraced every one of us, and
even our new friends.

“Never thought I'd be so glad to see you guys!” he said,
trying to catch his breath after running.

“It was just awesome!” without hiding her delight,
Amanda said.

“Ah, even just for the sake of hearing those words from
you, it was worth racing back to do it!” laughing, replied Evan, locking his
arms around her.

“You were lighting the stars,” quietly said Eileen. We
didn’t immediately realize what she was talking about, but Evan seemed to be
well aware of what that meant.

“It's not just magic, right? This is
her
magic,”
she added.

Evan nodded silently.

“And you can rule it... just like me,” she said, taking
a deep breath.

It seemed that no one but me and Evan were paying
attention to Eileen’s words. Just as she wasn’t paying attention to the present
strangers, still being in utter shock from the newly revealed power.

“Oh, God! You did just what was written in the legend!”
I said when I finally got the meaning of Evan's performance. It wasn’t
just
a show. He repeated all of what was stated in the legend of the Black Lake. And
not
just
repeated - he gave Eileen an opportunity to feel his magical
power, so that she could feel her own as well...

“I thought it would be better if you knew about that
from the very beginning,” said Evan. “I have suspected long ago that you can
possess magic as well. I just didn’t know how to confirm it. But then I decided
that, having shown all my power, I could transmit this knowledge to you.
However, I’m not sure you'll be able to fully replicate all the things I’ve
just shown,” he added with a self-satisfied smile on his face.

“But  after  her  eighteenth  birthday  she  will,  right?”
 I guessed.

“I think so,” he nodded.

“But you also said that very few people are able to
possess all the elements. Then how did you do that?” Eileen wondered.

“I didn’t. It was just magic. I can light a candle, but
can’t create the fire without some help. I can create the illusion of water,
and make it move in a certain direction, but I can’t fill any lake or river
with it. I can create the illusion of the wind, but in reality you won’t feel a
breeze. My previous faculty was Vero, so I possess in reality only one element
- the earth. Earth as something constant and steady as the truth itself - is
Vero’s power,” Evan explained.

“What are you guys doing over there?” Amanda finally
asked, noticing that the three of us weren’t participating in their rapid
exchange filled with excitement over the show.

“I’ll tell you later,” Eileen said dryly. “Is Darcy also
back?” she asked Evan.

“Yes, she is already being prepared for her show. And
yours is just around the corner too, Christian. So you should go now, I'll look
after everything here.”

I had no choice but to follow his advice, since I didn’t
have much time left.

“Will you stay here or go back to your seats?” I asked.

“It’s better to stay here,” said Eileen still nervous.
Evan nodded and patted me on the shoulder, wishing good luck.

I returned backstage. My brain still couldn’t get used
to the idea that Evan was right about Eileen. Now I was even more afraid of her
birthday coming.

“Christian, get ready, your performance is next,” said
Alexis.

I couldn’t believe I was presenting next, I was so hyped
up.

“Concentrate!” I ordered myself. With motionless hands,
I managed to put on my coat and go to the exit of the arena. In order not to
attract the attention of others to myself, I chose a red coat, since it blended
that of the arena’s floor.

The applause started, signifying the end of the previous
show.

“Christian James Patrick Fairey!” Alexis announced
solemnly. I went into the center of the arena, thinking only about how to get
away from here as soon as possible, and be next to Eileen. 

The show began.

I felt my palms burning with coming fire. It was always
so good to feel my power. It couldn’t be compared with anything else. It was
something very special and magical. The energy filled my body, running through
my veins and taking me to the heavens where there was nothing but endless
freedom and happiness.

With closed eyes I was drawing the already so familiar
fiery image. I felt golden threads, weaving and becoming one, creating a thin
wall of lacy pattern. There was no need to open my eyes to see the glow of my
creation. It was an essential part of me, just like Eileen was a part of my
soul and my heart. She was everything for me and I had to do all my best to
make her happy. I couldn’t fail. Not now not ever. I had to make my performance
perfect and it seemed like nothing could stop me, when suddenly, I felt it - my
power was falling away... My weakness was overwhelming, my energy was melting
in a sea of powerlessness and the fire in me froze. Terrified, I opened my
eyes. To my surprise, the figure still remained the way it should be, without a
single hint of pallor. It was beaming with a bright flame, lighting up all the
space around me
.

“Eileen!” I realized. I felt the presence of her spirit,
as soon as I thought about her. She was helping me. I didn’t know whether
anyone had noticed my weakness, but judging by the reaction of the audience,
everyone was delighted with my performance. Flushing, finally, in a whole wall
of fire, my picture disappeared. And I knew that this final point was made not
by
me
…

 
She
had come up with that idea to finish my
performance. Hearing the applause and loud cheers of approval, I left the
arena. As soon as I stepped behind the scenes, I rushed to the spot where I had
left my friends previously. To my surprise, there was only Anna.

“Where did everyone go?” I asked approaching her.

“Oh, Christian! They took Eileen in her room. She felt
bad, and they asked me to stay and wait for you to tell about it.”

“What happened to her?” in horror I asked, although
already knowing the answer to my question.

            “I don’t know. We just were standing there and watching
your show, when she suddenly fell, and Evan immediately said that we should
take away from here.”

“Thanks, Anna!” I shouted as I ran, heading for the
dormitory.

Eileen’s room was overcrowded. There was everybody –
Amanda, Lucas, Evan and Darcy. Eileen was laying on her bed, eyes closed.
Amanda was applying a wet towel to her forehead.

“Christian! Finally!” Evan exclaimed. “I didn’t even
know that she was helping you! I stood and saw her lose consciousness.”

“Eileen, can you hear me?” I asked softly, sitting on
the edge of the bed. She didn’t answer. I ran a hand over her face and
forehead. She had a fever.

“Christian,” in a barely audible voice she called.

“I'm here, Eileen. Everything will be fine. You just
need to rest a bit.”

“Did you like the end of the show?” she whispered.

“You didn’t have to do that. Now you're lying here
instead of having fun at the Festival,” trying to force a smile, I replied.

“So you didn’t like it?” she asked once again.

“Of course, I
did
like it! You shouldn’t even
have to ask that. When did you feel that I was losing my energy?”

“I don’t know, I just was watching the show, and then I
closed my eyes and imagined that I was there with you, and then... I felt your
panic and I knew I had to do something. I didn’t even have to make any effort.
All happened by itself. And now, that you're near, I feel my power coming back.
I feel much better.”

“It’s just the way it should be,” I said, patting her
hand. “Go to sleep a little while. I won’t go anywhere, I'll stay with you. I
promise,” I said kissing her palm.

She closed her eyes again and turned her head to one
side. I sat there a little more, still holding her hand until I heard the
steady, calm breathing. She was asleep.

Evan was standing nearby, arms folded across his chest.
Amanda and Lucas were sitting on her bed, quietly discussing something. Darcy
was standing at the door, talking on the phone with someone.

“Sorry, but I need to go back to the arena. I am
involved in the latest performance,” she said apologetically.

“Of course. It’s all right. Everything will be fine with
Eileen,” I said. “Take Amanda and Lucas with you.”

 I remembered that my sister still had a date, so I
didn’t want to spoil it. Evan wouldn’t leave us alone anyway, so to him I said
nothing. Besides, I couldn’t wait to find out how everything went in Norfield.

As soon as everyone left, he sat on the sofa, and
wearily rubbed his temples.

“I haven’t slept for almost two days and the show was
the last straw. I’m just about to fall unconscious too,” he said. I sat in a
chair opposite him.

“The meeting was that awful?” I asked.

“Considering that Nora was several times stronger than
Frederic Fairey himself, then -
yes
. What is scarier is that if not for
his help, we wouldn’t be meeting now. Everything was really awful.”

“Stronger then Frederic? How is that even possible?”

“You will be even more surprised when your own
girlfriend becomes even stronger,” Evan smiled sadly.

“Actually, she is not my...”

“Yeah, yeah, I know that she didn’t answer you on your
proposal, but, in fact, it makes no difference. So as for the meeting… when we
surrounded Nora’s house, nobody would have thought that the radius of her
perceived supernatural power was so great. She knew from the very beginning
that we were there. And there were many of us. As expected, the spell Frederic
had imposed on the amulet saved Amelia. When she brought Nora out of her house,
the Keepers were immediately nearby. Really, no one expected that she would be
so strong. Unfortunately, we lost a few Keepers. Not all were well prepared for
such a rebuff. Frederic arrived just in time. Using all his power, he came to
Nora as close as possible. That was enough to break her resistance and allow
the rest to grab her. And when it seemed like it was over, she splashed a
potion into Frederic’s eyes in one fast and unnoticeable movement. The one that
killed Camilla as well. If one of its drops was enough to kill someone, can you
imagine how the whole bottle, though not ingested, effected Frederic. Thank
God, your mother was there too. She immediately realized what potion it was,
but seeing it for the first time in her life, couldn’t say with certainty.
That's what we needed Darcy for.”

“I don’t understand why Nora, knowing that the house was
surrounded, still came out.”

“She hoped that her own power would be enough to defeat
all of us, so that later she could get away and hide somewhere. However, she
didn’t know about Frederic’s presence.”

“How is he now?”

“As far as I know - much better. He’s in your parents'
house. With Rebecca.”

“What?! She was also mixed up in all this?”

“Well, that’s the thing she
wasn’t
. At least, no
one of Vero managed to find her guilty of lying. She said she knew Nora and had
been using her services for a long time, but had no idea who she really was.
Although Frederic and I believe she knows more. Anyway, we agreed not to share
with her any of our business.”

“What happened after Nora was caught?”

“She was sent to London. The Council must render its
decision about her next week. Until then, she will stay in the chamber under
the close supervision of guards. She has been forced to take a special elixir
that diminishes her powers, so she, God forbid, couldn’t use them any longer.
By the way, guess why her hair was silver?”