The Key (94 page)

Gustaf bursts into tears. Minoo holds him and cries with him.

* * *

It is a perfect summer evening and the sky is clear. The sun still warms Linnéa’s face. She left her fake fur coat at Vanessa’s and is wearing only T-shirt and jeans. Vanessa has changed to a tank top and shorts. Linnéa reckons she has never before had such pale legs in June.

They walk through the deserted industrial plots in Engelsfors. Linnéa catches sight of the grim old community hall where they had their spring dance in the last year of junior school. She had been outside with Elias and Olivia, checking people out. She must have seen Vanessa that night. Linnéa doesn’t even want to think about the comments she would have made back then. She used to be so judgemental. Working on the assumption that absolutely everyone else was stupid. It had taken mind-reading and threats of apocalyptic doom to make her realise that people were a bit more complicated than that.

‘I always wanted to get out of Engelsfors as soon as possible,’ Vanessa says suddenly. ‘But, just now, it seems all right to hang on here for a while. And there’s a chance that I’ll be travelling with Adriana to look for witches.’

She smiles and Linnéa smiles back at her.

Elias was right, Linnéa thinks. I must be there for Vanessa and let her be there for me. Ida was right. I need to get my act together and sort this out. Matilda was right. We have got a free will. We aren’t pawns.

‘Do you remember when you said that you wanted to understand what it’s like to feel the way I do?’ Linnéa asks. ‘It was before we … before I broke up with you.’

‘Yes,’ Vanessa says.

‘I’m not sure how to explain it,’ Linnéa says. ‘But it’s kind of like this. It’s like being wrongly … wired, as if all the leads are all over the place … Sometimes I don’t even know why I react the way I do.’

She’s talking quickly without daring to look at Vanessa.

‘I think I get it,’ Vanessa says.

They have reached the old steel plant now and are walking along the overgrown rail tracks. They pass an abandoned freight wagon.

‘I used to think that, you know … that it was just who I was,’ Linnéa says. ‘I figured there was nothing I could do about it. And perhaps some things can’t be fixed. But I think I can learn to understand them better. That I can learn to understand
me
better.’

She balances on the rails that have been worn shiny. Vanessa is silent. Paranoia is rushing into Linnéa’s mind. Maybe she won’t fix anything by speaking like this; maybe she is ruining their relationship even more.

‘Remember when Mona said that people do change sometimes?’ she says. ‘At first, I didn’t believe it. Then I thought she was talking about my Dad. And then I thought she was talking about you. But now I think she was talking about me.’

‘Do you think she’s right?’ Vanessa asks.

‘I know that I want to change. And yes, I think I can. But it’s not going to be easy. And I’m not saying this to get you back. I mean, I want to … I want to change for my own sake. So I can handle being me.’

She stops. Glances at Vanessa, who is looking straight at her with her large brown eyes. What do these eyes see when they are looking at her?

‘But I’d like to change for your sake, too,’ Linnéa continues. ‘I know very well that I’ve got no right to ask you for anything. I just want you to know that if you ever … If you should want to …’

She takes a deep breath. A chorus of her internal voices screams that this is going straight to hell. She asks
them
to go to hell.

‘If you ever want me back, I’m here,’ says Linnéa. ‘This time I won’t be such a fucking coward. But if you don’t want to … and, believe me, I’d understand only too easily … I’ll be happy anyway that you’re in my life.’

She forces herself to look at Vanessa. Their eyes meet.

She knows at once that Vanessa gets it. She got it from the start.

* * *

Vanessa can find no words to express what she feels. Instead she takes Linnéa’s hand. She lets her feelings flow into her. She lets her know.

And she feels that Linnéa receives her love.

Vanessa takes a step closer and puts her arms around Linnéa, touches her lips with her own. Little stars begin to burn in Vanessa’s body. Whole galaxies of them. She feels them light up in Linnéa, too.

They kiss.

Vanessa wraps them in invisibility. Air magic flutters across her skin and she feels it caress Linnéa. Then they both levitate a few centimetres above the ground.

‘I’ve never done this with anyone else before,’ Vanessa says. ‘Do you dare to do this?’

‘I do,’ Linnéa says.

They take off together. Invisible to the world. Barely a part of it any more. Linnéa holds on to Vanessa’s waist. Vanessa senses both her fear and her fascination. Above all, she feels her trust.

* * *

Anna-Karin sits on the steps leading up to the dance pavilion. There are a couple of empty beer cans on the ground next to her. The townspeople have obviously remembered Kärrgruvan again.

Gustaf’s car stops just outside the gates. He and Minoo climb out and walk into the park hand in hand.

The fox rubs itself against Anna-Karin’s legs when she gets up. He has refused to leave her side since she met him in the forest.

She walks along to the place she has marked beforehand by kicking the gravel away to expose the soil underneath. Minoo and Gustaf come along and then stop at the bare ground in front of their feet.

‘Is this where she is?’ Gustaf asks.

Anna-Karin nods. It had been so easy to find her; she just asked the earth and it answered.

‘This is the exact spot where we all met on the night of the blood-red moon,’ Minoo says. Anna-Karin nods again.

‘We would never have had a chance without her,’ she adds.

‘But we wouldn’t without you either,’ Minoo says. ‘It was you who took my hand in the Borderland. You told me what I had to do. If you hadn’t …’

‘We did it together,’ Anna-Karin says.

‘That’s true,’ Minoo says. ‘But that’s not everything. There is so much I couldn’t have done without you.’

‘I feel the same,’ Anna-Karin mumbles.

She doesn’t know what more she can say. But when she looks at Minoo, she knows that she has said enough.

Suddenly, she senses Vanessa’s and Linnéa’s energies approaching. But from the wrong direction. They’re coming … from above.

Vanessa and Linnéa become visible the moment they hit the ground, spraying gravel and dust into a cloud around them. The wind has made a mess of their hair.

‘So sorry!’ Vanessa says and laughs. ‘Must improve my landing technique.’

‘Yes, please.’ Linnéa gives her a kiss.

Anna-Karin feels warmth spread in her chest. At least one thing in this world is as it should be.

‘Well, here we are again,’ Linnéa says.

‘We are,’ Minoo says.

Gustaf puts his arm around her and she leans against his shoulder.

They stay silent for a while. The park is so beautiful. Anna-Karin is pleased that people in Engelsfors have found their way here again.

They hear another car coming closer on the gravelled road.

Anna-Karin looks towards the gates to Kärrgruvan, where the dark blue Mercedes stops. Rickard and Evelina come in first. Behind them come Mona, Felix and Adriana. Adriana carries an urn in her arms. Mona chews gum so vigorously she could dislocate her jaw at any minute.

They join the others. Anna-Karin bends down and places her hand on the ground. Releases her power and feels it flow through the soil. She can shape it according to her will. It obeys her, and a round pit with firm walls is formed.

She can’t see anything at the bottom of the pit, but knows that this is the place where Nicolaus buried Matilda. This is where he will be laid to rest.

Adriana hands the stone urn to Anna-Karin. It is cold against her hands. She wishes she could think of something to say, something beautiful and suitably solemn.

‘Such a bloody shame,’ Mona says. ‘Fair enough, it was high time for him to pack up, but he was one handsome bloke despite his age.’

‘Are you sure you have no idea where they end up?’ Anna-Karin says. ‘The ones who die for real?’

Mona stops chewing and her features seem to soften a little. ‘No, sweetheart. I don’t think we’re meant to know.’

Anna-Karin nods. Maybe it’s such an amazing place that people would refuse to live on if they knew where they would end up. She hopes that’s how it is.

She takes the lid off the urn and gently scatters the ashes into the pit. Then makes the ground heal itself.

She puts the urn down and straightens up.

And faces Minoo, Vanessa and Linnéa.

Grandpa was right. She has a family. They have been through so much together. The magical bond between the Chosen Ones is thicker than blood. But that’s not the only thing that connects them now.

It’s who they are.

And it’s not only the Chosen Ones any more, Anna-Karin thinks.

She looks in turn at Adriana. Evelina. Rickard. Felix. Mona. There will be more of them. And what’s to come will be harder than anything Anna-Karin can imagine.

She is afraid. But she is ready. And she is not alone.

‘What shall we do next?’ Minoo asks.

‘Keep on saving the world,’ Anna-Karin says.

As we write this, we are listening to the playlist from the release party for
The Circle
. It feels like yesterday. It feels like a whole lifetime ago. Engelsfors has changed everything for us and we have so many people to thank, more than we can fit here.

As usual, we want to start with Marie Augustsson, our publisher, who showed such an unconditional belief in us that we too dared to believe that we could pull off this huge project. Thanks also to our editor Ylva Blomqvist who fearlessly moved into Engelsfors, made herself at home and allowed herself to be held hostage during a crazy week of going through the proofs. Thank you to Anders Bergström who stepped in when time was running out. Thanks to Heléne Jensen and our proofreaders, also those who read
The Circle
and
Fire
. A big thank you to everyone else at Rabén & Sjögren Norstedts who worked so hard for the trilogy. Many thanks to Pocketförlaget who have made our books do so well in the smaller format.

A big thank you to the unparalleled team at Grand Agency – Lena Stjernström, Lotta Jämtsved Millberg, Peter Stjernström, Maria Enberg and Umberto Ghidoni. A special thanks to Lena, also called Lena – Warrior Princess. Your loyalty and integrity have been a huge support for us during both our ups and downs. You always have our back and we have yours.

Måns Elenius and Gitte Ekdahl: Words cannot express how reassuring it has been to have you reading through all the different versions of the book. Thank you for your comments, both big and small, and for taking our universe so deadly seriously.

A huge thank you to other beta readers, who all contributed unique perspectives and insights: Anna Andersson, Johan Ehn, Linnéa Lindsköld, Margareta Elfgren, Mathilda Elfgren Schwartz, Mikael Sveding, Minna Frydén Bonnier, Siska Humlesjö and Sofie Neckmar Arvidsson.

Three other readers are Karl Johnsson, Kim W. Andersson and Lina Neidestam, the brilliant people who created the comic book album
Tales from Engelsfors
with us. You have shared our world and inspired us more than you can imagine.

We have done a great deal of research for this book. Thanks to all who gave up their time to answer our questions, whether large or small. All errors are our own or Engelsfors’ (and that goes for
The Circle
and
Fire
too). Thanks to: Alexandra Nordlander (MSB), Anna Bonnier, Anton Bonnier, Björn Bergenholtz, Cecilia Brors (BOJ), Emil Larsson, Erik Petersson, Göran Parkrud, Hannes Salo, Johan Öhman, Katarina Scding, Kekke Stadin, Lars Rambe, Lina Ljung, Liza Hermeline Andersson, Maria Turtschaninoff, Margit Strandberg, Mats Jonsson, Micko Strandberg, Nene Ormes, Stian Raneke, Tara Johansson, Torgny Hedström and Ulf Karlsson. A special thanks to Patrik Engström who probably had to answer more dumb questions than anyone else.

We also want to give an extra special thanks to Christel Rockström, for help with research and huge support. Thank you for going beyond the call of duty, and doing it with such humour and warmth in a hard, cold world. A big thanks also to Hans-Jörgen Riis Jensen for all the good advice that came from your Danish head and for your big heart.

Thanks to Julia Dufvenius who gave Engelsfors a voice for the audio books.

Thanks Erika Stark for being awesome.

Thanks to Cecilia Norman Mardell and Johan Mardell.

Thanks Peter Danowsky.

And regarding the elves and orcs that Minoo and Linnéa speak of, there are two people whose goodness we don’t doubt for a and would rely on at every escape from Mordor. Their names are Benny Andersson and Ludvig Andersson. We very much look forward to our further adventures.

Levan Akin. There has never been anyone else but you. You are part of
The Circle
. Thank you for your friendship, your strength, your courage, your solidarity and your one liners. ‘
Can we get an Amen up in here?
’

Sara would like to thank Micke. This is the fourth book in which I have thanked you. The fourth book in three years, and I don’t know how I could have done it without you by my side. You are the most magical person in my life. I love you.

Sara would also like to say a special thanks to Mamma Margareta for her unfailing support and care. Thanks also to my beloved father Claes, and sister Sofia and everyone else in the family. Thanks Annika Berger, Alexander Rönnberg and Hélène Dahl for holding my hand and listening to my rants. Love to Lina and Kalle for being there and sharing in the tears and laughter. Thanks to the Malmö gang!

Mats would like to thank Johan, who was the voice of reason when my own reason was very silent indeed. You make me appreciate the good even more, and you give me perspective on the annoying stuff (sometimes including myself). I love you.

Thanks also to Mum and Dad, who always believed in me. How lucky that I ended up with you. Thanks also to Margareta Elfgren for providing a matriarchal utopia during the first round of edits. And for Sara, of course. Thank you Pär, Anna A and Anna TS, and thanks to Kulturkoftorna for good conversation and sacrifices of goats.