The Key (59 page)

‘I’ve fixed what you wanted,’ Viktor says. ‘A copy of the key to Adriana’s room.’

Minoo is surprised.

‘It wasn’t easy,’ he continues. ‘She’s there practically all the time. I had to ask Clara to help me.’

‘Right.’ She tries to keep her voice neutral. She doesn’t want him to notice her panic at the thought of Clara being dragged into this pointless mission.

‘If you trust me, you must trust Clara,’ he says, completely misunderstanding her.

Minoo isn’t entirely convinced that she trusts Clara. But that’s not what worries her. What does worry her is that Clara might get into trouble because Minoo can’t say no to the Chosen Ones.

Viktor pulls the key from the inside pocket of his jacket. The metal is still warm from his body.

‘Thank you …’ Minoo is almost suffocated by guilt.

‘I know that attending the court case matters a lot to you,’ Viktor says. ‘But as it happens, tomorrow Adriana is due to assist Walter with the personal evaluations he spoke about, so she’ll be busy all day.’

She looks at the key. It gleams in the streetlight.

Linnéa would accept that Minoo rated getting into Adriana’s room to investigate the box higher than turning up in court. She wouldn’t just accept it, she would want it.

‘I’ll think about it.’ She puts the key in her pocket.

‘If they catch you and suspect that someone must have helped you, don’t say anything about Clara,’ Viktor says. ‘Just blame everything on me. Promise me that.’

‘I promise. But I won’t say anything about you either.’

He glances at her as he pulls up at a stop sign.

‘And you still won’t tell me what you’re planning to do?’

She shakes her head. After all, she can hardly explain to herself why she should do this. The key almost burns a hole in her pocket.

They drive into the residential area. A familiar figure is jogging along the roadside. Gustaf. Minoo’s heart beats faster.

‘Stop!’ she says. Viktor stamps on the brake.

‘What’s up?’

‘Sorry.’ Minoo’s ears are burning. ‘I … I’d just like to walk the last bit. Thank you for driving me. And for the other thing.’

She hasn’t told anyone in the Council’s circle that she and Gustaf are together. She is afraid that they will start asking questions about how much he knows.

‘No problem,’ Viktor says. ‘Give me a call when you want me to pick you up.’ He drives off as soon as she has climbed out of the car.

She calls to Gustaf. He turns round and comes running towards her. She might be the most powerful witch in the world, but no magic power can match being the one who is able to make Gustaf smile like that. There is no magic like being this much in love.

They have been a couple ever since they kissed in Kärrgruvan. Even the impending apocalypse has a silver lining. If she had had time to think, she might well have ruined everything with her usual overanalysing.

She had never grasped how easy it can be to love someone. She had believed that she was in love with Max, before she realised that he was blessed by the demons. But she confused love with obsession; what she feels now is completely different.

With Gustaf, everything is so easy, the only easy thing in a difficult world.

He reaches her now and she feels his body against her own. Feels his lips against her temple and turns her face up to his. Kisses him, then leans her head against his shoulder and holds him tightly so she can reassure herself that he is really here.

‘I’m so happy to see you,’ he says, caressing her hair.

‘And I’m happy to see you.’

‘How are you?’

‘Tired, as usual. And you?’

‘Same. I’m so sick of those caves. Once you’re out of them, all you want to do is sleep. But at least it’s all over now. We explored the last two tunnels today and they were both dead ends,’ Gustaf tells her.

Minoo feels sorry for Anna-Karin. She had been so convinced she was on to something.

‘What a shame.’

‘It is,’ Gustaf agrees. ‘I mean, what do we do now? Wait for more portents?’

She realises that he is wondering about the box but doesn’t want to press her.

‘I’ve got hold of a key to Adriana’s room,’ Minoo says. ‘And she’s busy tomorrow and won’t be in her room. Trouble is, I’ll miss the court hearing.’

‘Linnéa won’t mind,’ Gustaf assures her. ‘She, more than anyone, wants you to look for the box.’

Just looking at him makes her calmer.

She always thought the cliché ‘drowning in each other’s eyes’ was silly, but now she knows better. She is the most enthusiastic deep-sea diver in the world.

‘My parents have left now,’ Gustaf says.

Minoo is about to ask where they’ve gone, but knows that she should know because she has asked before. Gustaf would hardly get cross that she forgot, given how intense these last few weeks have been, but she still feels bad about having such a poor grip on what is going on in his life. Her thoughts are dominated by her everyday routine at the manor house.

‘Perhaps you’d like to stay over?’ he asks.

They both know perfectly well what his real question is. And, even though she finds the prospect unnerving, there is nothing she wants more.

Reluctantly, she shakes her head.

‘I’m just going home to pick up a few things and then I have to get back to the manor house.’

Gustaf pulls her close again.

‘I had been looking forward to going to Västerås with you tomorrow morning,’ he says. ‘A road trip. You and me.’

‘Together with Rickard and Anna-Karin. On the road to the magistrates’ court,’ Minoo says with a smile. ‘Not exactly the most romantic set-up.’

‘Yeah, I know,’ Gustaf agrees. ‘But at least I would be with you. I’m so jealous of the people who get to spend all day, every day, with you.’

Minoo clings tighter to him. She knows that it isn’t what he intended at all, but it frightens her to hear him say things like that. She fears losing him. And that makes her think of Vanessa and Linnéa. If bonds of love as strong as theirs can tear …

‘I miss you too,’ she tells him.

He strokes her cheek. Sometimes she worries that her uneven, blemished skin will disgust him. But all she feels now are the tingles that his hands trigger throughout her body. His hands wander now, down her arms to her waist.

‘I love you,’ Gustaf says.

It is the first time he has said these words.

And Minoo doesn’t hesitate at all before she utters them, too.

When Minoo comes home, Dad has just stopped in front of the house. The lights on the back of the car turn dark and the muffled newsreader’s voice is silenced. All her thoughts about Gustaf end just as abruptly.

She stops by the car. Dad climbs out and she is struck again by how much healthier he looks. And how wonderful it is not to have to worry about him any longer.

‘Hello, darling,’ he says. ‘Did I drive past you just now?’

‘I don’t think so.’

Or, if he did, she had been far too absorbed in Gustaf to notice.

She is glad that Dad didn’t see them. Her parents know by now that she is going out with Gustaf, but she would rather not snog him in front of them.

‘How did you get on at work today?’ Dad asks.

‘Fine.’ Minoo avoids his eyes.

It has been amazingly easy to get her parents to accept her taking a year out. The ‘job’ she told them about made them rather more doubtful.
It’s a kind of intern placement. With Alexander Ehrenskiöld. Yes, that’s right, him. The day trader from Stockholm who moved into the manor house. His son, Viktor, joined my class for a while. No, mostly as an assistant. Well, yes, I’ve always been interested in economics and share dealing and all that because it’s … there’s a lot of maths in it … and of course there aren’t that many job opportunities here …

‘I don’t like how hard he works you. He should at least pay you a wage. Which he can well afford, I hear,’ Dad says. ‘Well, at least he hasn’t kept you late again tonight – that’s something, I suppose.’

‘Yeah,’ Minoo agrees, staring at the car, which glistens in the outdoor light. ‘But I must leave in a while. I’m sleeping over at Gustaf’s place.’

Her face immediately goes bright red because Dad must assume that she is going to sleep with Gustaf, and she doesn’t want to think about him thinking that, but what else could he think? Especially when she is blushing like this.

‘Okay,’ is his only response. ‘But could you hang on and not disappear until I’m back from my evening walk?’

‘Sure.’

She smiles quickly at him and hurries into the house. The first thing she sees is Linnéa’s fake fur coat hanging among the other clothes in the hall. Her boots are standing below. Minoo hasn’t seen her since their confrontation in Kärrgruvan. And now she’s here. In Minoo’s home.

She listens hard. The house is silent. Light from upstairs slightly illuminates the staircase. She hangs her jacket up, glancing at the fake leopard fur. Then she goes to the kitchen.

She pours herself a glass of juice. It’s too cold. Or is it that her mouth is still too warm?

She can still feel Gustaf’s kisses. It’s as if he has become part of her. She suffers phantom pains the moment they are separated.

She wishes she could just put off going upstairs and seeing Linnéa, put off finding the box, put off
thinking
. All she wants is to be with Gustaf, close to him in every way.

But, my life right now isn’t like that, she thinks, putting her glass down on the sink.

Minoo knocks lightly on the door to Anna-Karin’s room.

Anna-Karin opens the door. She is wrapped in a blanket. The only light comes from the reading lamp next to the small armchair. A chemistry textbook is on the floor and Peppar is sniffing it thoughtfully.

‘Linnéa is here,’ Anna-Karin whispers, and points at the bed. All Minoo can see is a black mane of hair spread out over the pillow. Linnéa has pulled the duvet up over most of her face and is lying turned to the wall. Minoo hears her calm, regular breathing.

It’s rare to see her so vulnerable.

‘What happened?’ Minoo whispers.

Anna-Karin goes out into the passage and closes the door behind her. Then she quietly tells the story of how they met Julia and Felicia. It’s a nightmare. If Robin retracts, then … what? Will he and Erik walk free? Return to school as if nothing happened? Declared innocent by society?

With her insight into Erik’s consciousness, Minoo doubts that he will be content with that. He will plot his revenge.

‘She fell asleep as soon as we came home,’ Anna-Karin whispers. ‘It was so scary to see her like that.’

Minoo nods. She had a taste of Linnéa’s panic attacks when the Chosen Ones exchanged bodies.

‘Have you talked to Vanessa?’ she asks.

‘No, Linnéa didn’t want me to. But Minoo, what should we do?’

Minoo remembers when Walter said that Alexander was far too fixated on obeying rules. Could she talk to Walter about this? Explain the situation? Apply for dispensation for using magic in court?

Yesterday, she might have, but after their last talk today she no longer feels so positive.

She has deliberately not thought about the fact that Walter must know that Alexander plans to oversee what they do during the court proceedings. But now it’s so obvious that she can’t ignore it. Alexander would never dare do anything that Walter hadn’t sanctioned.

‘Hello?’ calls a sleepy voice.

Anna-Karin and Minoo exchange a quick glance and go back into the bedroom.

Linnéa is sitting up in bed. Her eye make-up is smeared over her face and she has red pillow-marks on her cheek.

‘Hi,’ Minoo says. She stays near the door in case she isn’t wanted.

‘Hi,’ Linnéa responds dully. She wraps her arms around her knees. ‘I’ve slept for fucking ages.’

‘You needed it,’ Anna-Karin says, sitting down in the armchair. ‘Is there anything you’d like? Are you hungry?’

Linnéa shakes her head, then drinks the whole glass of water on the bedside table. ‘I must go home soon. I’ll just wake up properly first.’

‘Stay here,’ Minoo suggests. ‘I don’t think you should be alone tonight.’

Linnéa looks at her with eyes as lifeless as her voice.

‘Fine.’

Peppar stretches and prances away.

‘I’ve talked to Ludvig, my solicitor,’ Linnéa says. ‘Obviously I couldn’t say that I’d been reading Felicia’s mind. But I told him that those two are mates again and that they wouldn’t be unless Robin and Erik were on good terms again. He tried to hide it, but I could tell he was worried.’

She stares at the glass in her hand.

‘Later on, the prosecutor phoned me to ask, had Julia and Felicia threatened me in any way. If they had, it would’ve been victim intimidation and he might even have got them arrested. But they didn’t threaten me … And then he said not to think about it any more. That I mustn’t worry.’

She looks at Minoo.

‘He clearly thinks it’s hopeless.’

She sounds desolate. Minoo doesn’t know what to say to make her feel better. The only comforting words she can think of would be an insult to Linnéa’s intelligence.

Too much depends on Robin’s statement. They are all aware of that. The only corroboration is Viktor’s statement that he saw ‘two guys with balaclavas on’ whose voices he ‘recognised from school’. At a distance. In thick fog.

Linnéa puts the glass down.

‘I will make Robin confess,’ Anna-Karin says.

Minoo wants to protest that Anna-Karin mustn’t put her life on the line. But the idea that Erik and Robin might walk out free men is too much to bear. If she had had Anna-Karin’s power she would’ve used it too, regardless of the risk.

‘Why should Alexander even notice that I’ve done something?’ Anna-Karin goes on stubbornly. ‘He’ll expect Robin to confess anyway.’

‘Maybe he’ll sense the magic,’ Minoo says.

Anna-Karin looks annoyed.

‘Hang on a minute,’ Linnéa looks up. ‘We need to get things in perspective. Alexander has threatened to kill anyone who uses magic to affect the hearing. You’re needed to save the world, Anna-Karin. That’s much more important than what happens to Erik and Robin. Besides, I don’t want to have to worry about you tomorrow. Promise that you won’t do anything.’