"Early ... about eight." I turned to Dad. "But it"s OK. Mr Balzac is picking me up at the bottom of the track."
Mum flapped out a drying-up cloth. "Well one of us will walk down with you. I want to make sure this Mr Balzac actually exists."
"Mum," I laughed, "why would I lie?"
She narrowed her eyes. "Why indeed?"
It was my turn to shake my head. "It"s a History of Art field trip-"
"Of course it is." Dad whipped the cloth from my mother and pushed her towards the doorway. "You and your sister can do the dishes while I pour your mother a nice calming gla.s.s of wine."
"Jack ... I"m perfectly calm," said Mum. "But I"ll take the gla.s.s of wine. You" she pointed at me "make sure you get enough sleep before tomorrow."
"I will," I said, knowing I would need more than a good night"s sleep to get me through the next couple of days.
"It"s freezing," I said, walking up to Soren. "Where"s your car?"
"I hate to break it to you, but we can"t actually get to Nissilum by car," he said, zipping up his leather jacket.
"I know that," I said annoyed. "It"s just that it"s hardly even light yet. We have to go, now. My mother wanted to walk me down here ... She doesn"t believe I"m meeting my teacher."
"Intelligent woman." Soren put both hands on my arms. Strangely, I felt a few degrees warmer.
"Yeah, and she hasn"t forgotten what happened six months ago," I told him, "with Luca. She"s terrified I"ll get myself caught up in the whole thing again."
"Ah." Soren pulled a face. "Well, let"s hope all ends well, then."
I could hardly believe it would end well. I blinked at Soren, diverting my inevitable train of thought.
"Be strong. I will protect you," Soren told me softly. He held out his arms.
I moved towards him, smelling the leather from his coat. He held on to me, firmly, and I willed myself not to compare his touch to Luca"s. I emptied my mind of everything but the thought of Nissilum.
As a cuckoo called its early morning greeting, Soren pulled me closer to him and I let myself drift away.
Daylight hit me as I opened my eyes. I was lying on a bed, on the softest velvet bedspread, facing a large sash window, framed by dark brocade curtains. The floor was polished wood. On the wall either side of the window were two ancient-looking paintings: portraits of a man and a woman, both of whom looked familiar.
I turned over to stare up at the ceiling, remembering the sound of water, which had always been the first sound I heard in this place.
The door to the room opened and I jerked to face it.
"Good morning, my dear!" Vanya stood holding a cup of something steaming. "I have brought you some of my special birch tea."
She ignored my dazed expression and placed the cup on a small wooden table at the side of the bed.
"It"s not poisonous, if that"s what you"re worried about," she told me, and I could see she looked mildly offended.
"No ... I"m just a bit sleepy is all." I sat up and yawned, realising I was, actually, still sleepy.
Vanya pushed the curtains back and tied them.
"I hope you"ll be comfortable with us. Feel free to come and go whenever you like." She c.o.c.ked her head and a slow, vaguely sinister smile crept across her face. "Of course, Valdar and I are not out and about during the daytime so much ..."
"Vanya," I said, hugging my knees, "what am I doing here?"
"Oh now, dear, don"t be anxious," she cooed. "I"d forgotten how mortal women make themselves ... such victims."
"Harsh," I said, raising an eyebrow.
"I tell it as I see it." She perched on the side of the bed. "Don"t be so sensitive." "So, what would you do?"
Vanya drew a swathe of black hair away from her face.
"I would not let another woman have my man," she said imperiously. "No way."
"At any cost?" I asked her, plucking at the bedspread.
There was a short pause, then Vanya sighed lavishly.
"Believe it or not, child, I am a romantic. A pa.s.sionate woman. If anybody tried to take Valdar from me ... well ... let"s just say there would be bloodshed. I believe you should fight for what you want. To the death."
I started. "Well, I"m not planning on killing anybody, Vanya-"
"No ... of course you"re not. You have the mortal code. The sanct.i.ty of life. The mortals are the originators of that theory, and occasionally I curse it." She sighed, then leaned forward. "I mean, it would be so much simpler if I made you ... you know. Then that dreary spiel about committing murder you mortals crow on about would become meaningless."
I leaned backwards, away from her.
"No chance," I said. "If Luca won"t come to me through his free will, then that"s it. I will forget him."
She stared at me. "Sweetness, you will never forget. He will sink to the bottom of your heart perhaps ... like a forgotten shipwreck. But he will never go away."
Her words sent a shiver down my spine. A cold, sad shiver. I knew she was right. I would never forget.
"As it happens, I have chosen to live on Nissilum because it offers respite from the scavenging vampires experience, which I never cared for. Too messy ..." She tried to smile rea.s.suringly at me, something that obviously didn"t come easily to her. But the thought was there.
"Where"s Soren?" I picked up the cup on the table beside me and peered into it.
"Sleeping ... I think." Vanya moved gracefully up off the bed. She took the cup out of my hands. "Don"t force yourself." She smiled widely, her teeth, perfect like Soren"s, seemed almost to blind me.
I suddenly noticed what I was wearing. An old-fashioned white nightdress. It was a little big for me and it looked really old. The delicate lace at the neck was on its last legs.
"You look so sweet, dear." Vanya craned to look. "Irresistible."
I tugged the nightdress further up my neck in a protective, chaste gesture.
"Don"t even think about it," I told her.
She smiled, amused. "If I were that boy of yours I wouldn"t think twice," she said. "You really must realise your power."
I stared open-mouthed at her graceful figure as she moved towards the door.
"Bedtime for me," she said softly. "I will see you at dinner."
"First we will take a walk into the town," said Soren, pushing up the arms of his white T-shirt. "I can show you around."
"What about Luca?" I hissed. "What if he sees us?"
"That"s the point, isn"t it?" He took a gulp of water.
"But not yet," I said. "Don"t we have to formulate a plan first?"
Soren"s black eyes slid over to mine. "Formulate a plan?" he repeated. "Well ... no, I don"t think so. No plan. Just act natural."
"But-"
"You want Luca to want you again? You want him to look at you and feel an ache inside. Longing. Regret?"
I shifted uncomfortably. "I guess, but-"
"So, you behave as though everything is normal."
"Luca will know I am just trying to make him jealous. He"ll see right through it."
"You underestimate the allure of Soren Balzac," he said seriously. Lifting his head, he gave me a long, undeniably alluring look.
I shook my head, embarra.s.sed, trying to stop the now familiar colour creeping into my face.
"Besides, we won"t see him." Soren stood and stretched. "He"ll be busy helping his mother with the ch.o.r.es ... or something like that. Not idling around the local shops."
"You make him sound like such a square," I said crossly. "He"s just good."
"I know," Soren said more gently, putting his hand on my back. "I was simply trying to rea.s.sure you."
Vanya"s house was at a small distance from the main town. Strangely she lived in what Soren called the Celestial village a cl.u.s.ter of grand houses where the leaders of various dynasties lived. A wide cobbled road ran down a slope to the main town, where more lowly families resided. It was the first time I had seen this side of Nissilum properly and the sight of people going about their daily business.
"It"s like a posh village," I said to Soren. "A traditional country village."
"Twee." Soren sniffed. "Not really my style. I would go insane cooped up in a place like this for ever."
I glanced at him. I knew I would too. I felt a ripple of disloyalty to Luca.
"It is where they come to ... retire," he said.
"Who?"
"Vampires ... werewolves ..." He shrugged. "It is where they have given up."
I stared at him, seeing the faint tic in his cheek.
"You think of it as giving up?"
His mouth split into a broad smile then. "It"s a theory ... And well, it"s true. It doesn"t mean I think it"s wrong."
"Everybody here is so ... repressed." I said. "I mean ... like they"re acting unnaturally."
Soren stopped. "That"s exactly what it is," he said quietly. "Unnatural ... But they have made a choice not to be "natural" not to exercise their powers. Just like we all do ... We choose to love, we choose not to."
"I don"t think you can choose." I shook my head. "I think it takes you over."
"Nonsense." Soren started walking again. "We do what we want, we make choices ... Sometimes, knowing they"re wrong. We could stop. But we don"t. We just forge on ahead because desire takes over."
"Hmm." I sniffed. "I"m not so sure about that."
Soren took my arm, but I was arrested by someone unpleasantly familiar.
"Luca"s brother," I whispered. "See ... over by that store?"
We squinted at a cl.u.s.ter of boys standing outside a shop front. One of them detached from the group. Dark-haired, lanky.
"Lowe," I said, trying to stop Soren from moving forward. "He can"t see me ... We have to go back."
"Just let me do the talking," Soren said, squeezing my arm. "Trust me. And perhaps it will do no harm for Luca to learn that you are back here ... with a handsome stranger like myself."
"Not a good time for jokes," I said, glowering at him.
"But seriously. This is fortuitous when you think of it," he said thoughtfully.
I knew it would be seconds before Lowe saw me, and my insides tensed. I wanted to run away, to forget the whole thing. But it was too late he had seen me. I could see him, staring up at us as we approached.
Soren was half dragging me down the cobbled hill. I could feel my heart beginning to speed up.
Lowe was regarding Soren with deep suspicion. He stepped forwards, and I could see he had grown in the months since I"d seen him last. He looked just like Henora; haughty, authorat.i.tive. Outraged "You don"t belong here," he said angrily. "I don"t know who this is-" He pointed at Soren. "But you need to go back there is nothing for you here."
I opened my mouth to speak but I couldn"t find the right explanation.
Soren"s hand tightened on mine.
"I would watch what you say," he told Lowe, his voice suddenly like ice, "if you have any sense."
Lowe"s expression was of familiar disdain. "Really?" he drawled. "I"ve never seen you before in my life. But her" he glared at me "she has caused enough trouble for my family as it is. Yet here she is again ... it"s pathetic."
"I am staying with some good friends of mine," said Soren. "And Jane is here as my guest."
A flicker of confusion pa.s.sed over Lowe"s face. He was clearly trying to work out what the h.e.l.l was going on. But he composed himself, always fearful of not having the upper hand.
"You do know she is mortal?" he told Soren.
Soren simply smiled, making a bit of a show of keeping hold of my hand. I remained silent, not daring to show my fear. Or my unhappiness that it had come to this.