Absent Shadows: Destiny Part 13

'Well,' said Michael slowly, 'we've established a few more things. Firstly, as we really already suspected, I think we can now be certain that it was Zunios, Anubinse and Mardukian. And secondly, they either haven't secured the fourth point of the diamond, or they don't have the crystals.'

Tom had been listening intently, growing more and more fidgety as the conversation went on. Finally he spoke, 'So, are we allowed to jump them at the train station, and rip their heads off?'

'Patience, Tom. You're well aware that the answer is no. Zunios is no fool-he knows we wouldn't do anything in broad daylight ... particularly in such a busy place. Erranase will meet them and hear what they have to say. And you and Crystal will keep your distance. Understood?'

Tom nodded, and smirked. Sam was right-Tom clearly enjoyed this more than any of the others.

By two o'clock Tom was pacing back and forth across the dining room. Erranase was simply leaning against the wall as he'd been all along. Crystal was standing next to Michael, looking relaxed and confident. I wondered if anything could actually rattle her. She seemed, somehow, above all of this.

Sam and I just stood there. I felt anxious, wondering what more I could do to help.

Finally Michael broke the silence in the room. 'Tom, Crystal, it might pay for you to get there early, and position yourselves so that you are not so confrontational. They will know you're there, but it will look less obvious to bystanders if you aren't standing at guard behind Erranase.'

'Sounds good to me. Let's go, Crystal, my truck's right out front,' said Tom, sounding pleased to be making a move.

As soon as they left, Sam turned to Michael, 'I didn't want to say anything in front of Crystal, but do you two want to stay at my place, for a few days anyway, just to be on the safe side? It might be risky, you staying here. I mean, if they get the diamond formed, you could be trapped here.'

Michael put his hand on Sam's shoulder, and the bond between them was clear to me as he spoke.

'And you could be too, if you're anywhere inside. No, thank you Sam, but the best course of action for all of us is to remain calm, not act any differently. We need to stop them. And to do so, we need them to continue thinking they're in a position of power. We can't let on that we know anything just yet.' Michael then turned to me, 'There is one more thing that you could do. Do you have a camera?'

I hesitated, thinking about the old camera that I'd brought with me from home-tucked away in a drawer in my bedroom at the apartment.

'There's one in her phone,' Sam answered for me. 'What do you want photos of?'

'The houses, or properties-the other two that could make a diamond. I'll give you the addresses. It might pay to have a look at them. I don't know exactly what I'd be looking for so just take a few photos of each one I suppose. We can pull them up on the computer later and study them.'

'Thank you, for giving me something to do. I feel like I need to keep busy,' I said.

Michael just looked at me and nodded. 'We're in a strong position of knowledge now. It was arrogant of them to send that message and I dare say that Zunios will soon regret giving their hand away. Sam, you'll go with Lili, obviously. They will be on the steps of the train station at three, so you should safely have at least half an hour where we know where they'll be. But be careful. And don't step onto private property.'

Sam was back with his car in no time, and at quarter to three we drove to the first address. It was just an old warehouse with no sign of any current activity. The paint was peeling off the timber doors and window frames, and there was graffiti on the brickwork. There was no for sale sign or advertising of any description, and from what we could see from the street, the place appeared to be empty. We took several photos and then drove to the next address.

This building looked to be a thriving business of some sort, and even though it was a Sunday afternoon there were people going in and out of what appeared to be a cafe. Then I noticed the 'A' in the address on Michael's paper, and realised it was actually the building next door that we were after. This one was a small shoe repair shop. We took a few photos of this building, and jumped back in the car.

It was now quarter past three so we headed straight back to see Michael.

We were the first ones back so we parked the car and sat for a few minutes, waiting for the others to return. After a few minutes I asked Sam if we should go over to see if Elizabeth was still there.

We walked across to the gardens and stood next to Sam's tree for a few minutes, and then went over and sat on the bench where Elizabeth and I had seen the first three victims. There was no-one around this time.

Elizabeth appeared within a few minutes and advised that indeed the fourth victim had turned up. It was another young man.

'But he had no recollection of anything that would be of any a.s.sistance,' she told us. 'He'd been walking on his own after seeing a movie, heading back to his hotel. He didn't see or feel anything, until he spotted me on the bench, and came over to talk to me. He must have been attacked from behind, and it must have been swift.'

Sam and I looked at each other, and I simply said one word: 'diamond'.

A concerned look came over Elizabeth's face as she worked through our thoughts, and then a transformation that I wouldn't have thought possible occurred. This sweet little girl suddenly looked like the epitome of determination.

'We can't let this happen. There are hundreds of ghosts here, each with their own agenda and time frame. We can't risk being trapped here. They must be stopped.'

'I agree, Elizabeth. That's what we're working toward,' said Sam, looking serious again.

'I'll help,' she said, the determination that I'd seen on her face now clearly identifiable in her voice as well. 'I must speak to Henry about this. He'll know what to do.'

'Great idea. I should have thought of that myself,' Sam replied, and then looking at me he explained. 'Henry was in the British Military. He deserted because he hated the military-he felt what they were doing to the Aboriginals here in Australia was wrong. He may very well have some tactical skills that could prove very helpful.'

'Oh ... I forgot to mention it, but Elizabeth said Henry wants to meet me,' I told him. 'Perhaps we can meet with him tomorrow. I was a bit reluctant about going down into his tunnel, but if you'll go with me, Sam, I'll do it.'

'Perfect,' Sam replied, 'let's go back and talk to Michael and the others, and find out what's happened. Elizabeth, we'll come back tomorrow afternoon. Tread gently when you speak to Henry-don't alarm him too much just yet.'

Elizabeth's determination remained strong as she answered, 'Right. I'll speak to Henry and tell him what's happening, and I'll simply say that there is a chance that this might cause us problems. He can start to think about how to help. I'll see you tomorrow.'

With that, she was gone.

We walked back across to the house, and when we got there we found everyone else had only just returned. As we entered the dining room, Michael was asking Erranase how his meeting had gone.

'They were, as always, extraordinarily polite,' Erranase began, in a slow, deliberate voice. 'They spoke of their recent acquisitions, and how their much sought after diamond was nearly complete. They did not, however, speak of the message that was left in the gardens. They once again expressed their sadness at the breaking up of our group, and said that they would deeply treasure my return, without holding any grudges whatsoever. They do not consider my departure anything more than a brief sojourn, and would look upon my re-joining them as simply a return to what was. My stature in the group, they a.s.sured me, would be reinstated without any sort of retribution. It all sounded rather, shall I say, tempting, the way they put it. And of course, Zunios spoke for the most part, and as you know his voice has a hypnotic influence on all who hear it.'

Tom let out a bit of a laugh. 'Well, I b.l.o.o.d.y well wasn't hypnotized by him. It was all just a rehash of the same stuff he's been saying to you all along.'

'He wasn't focused on you, Tom, or you'd have been quite easily hypnotised, have no doubt about that,' said Erranase in a tone that sounded as though he was chastising a child.

'And Crystal, what did you make of it all?' asked Michael.

'Well, Erranase puts it so eloquently,' she replied, softly at first, then more firmly, 'however, I tend to agree more with Tom I'm afraid.'

'Hmmm...' said Michael, rubbing his chin as he spoke, 'I think this confirms that they don't have a fourth member of their group yet. Zunios was obviously still hoping that Erranase would come to his senses and re-join them.'

'Come to my senses, yes, I think Zunios may have said exactly that,' said Erranase, to himself as much as to the rest of us.

Michael continued, 'And of course, as we discussed, you would have led Zunios to believe that you will give this further consideration? And that you will contact him, to arrange another meeting in a few days?'

'Yes, we agreed that I should contact him later this week, for another meeting. I believe his patience with me is beginning to wane, however I know he would prefer me to return rather than have to take someone new into the group.'

'But you would never go back to them, would you?' Crystal asked softly, raising an eyebrow.

'No, my dear, I certainly would not. I have come to cherish my freedom, and the finer things that come with it. I never want to succ.u.mb to Zunios' control again. I have more than enough power as it is. I do not wish to have so much power that others feel the need to try to overthrow it. I had hoped that Zunios would come to understand this, and perhaps even envy me to the point that he too might wish for the same. Alas, that does not seem to be the case. He remains rather determined in his desire to achieve the power that the diamond will bring.'

'So be it,' said Michael, 'he leaves us no choice but to do what we must to prevent this from happening. It is, as you have suggested in a roundabout way, our duty to overthrow them.'

'And you, Michael, what did you find over at The Cauldron?' asked Sam.

'Not a thing. And what about you two-did you come across anything interesting?'

'No, not really. No for sale signs ... and neither property looked terribly interesting. But we did stop in to see Elizabeth again. She met up with the fourth victim however he had nothing to add. He didn't remember anything. But there was something else that Elizabeth suggested, and this could prove rather interesting. Elizabeth knows of at least one ghost who was in the military. She'll tell him what's happening. You never know-he may come up with some ideas. As Elizabeth rightly put it, the ghosts have much at stake here. Some of them may be willing to a.s.sist, if our military friend can think of some way to utilize them.'

'Well done, Sam. I hadn't thought to seek their help. But they do, potentially, have a lot at stake. Elizabeth is dead right-no pun intended,' said Michael, grinning.

'I don't think there is anything more we can do here tonight, is there?' asked Sam.

'No, I think we're done for now. But how much money can you get your hands on, quickly, if I'm successful at gazumping any deal that these mates of ours might have on the table?' asked Michael.

I thought about what Sam had said about the safe full of gold in his bas.e.m.e.nt.

'That won't be a problem Michael, trust me.'

'Okay then, I guess we're done. I'll make a few phone calls in the morning and I'll speak to you afterwards, Sam. Oh, Lili, the photos you took? May I see them?'

'Sure, here's my phone,' I said, handing it to Michael.

'I'll see if I can download them to my computer. Can I keep this tonight?'

'Of course.'

'Thank you, Lili, and thanks everyone for your help today. Of course I'm not trying to throw any of you out, you are welcome to stay as long as you like.'

Tom replied first. 'Nah, I'm heading to the mountains-hunting tonight, but thanks for the offer.'

I hoped he'd meant animal hunting, but of course I would never ask the question.

'Perhaps I shall join you, Tom, if that is agreeable to you?' said Erranase, his voice as smooth as honey.

'Well, we'll be off then as well,' said Sam, taking my hand and leading me out the door. 'Goodnight all.'

I waved to them, and said goodbye, suddenly exhausted from the emotional stress of the day but still trying to put on a brave face.

Crystal followed us out the door, and watched while Sam helped me into the car. Then she came over and tapped on the gla.s.s, gesturing for me to roll down the window.

'Sleep well tonight, Lili. Don't let anything you've seen or heard here today distress you in any way. Everything is going to be fine. These boys like to make things out to be worse than they are, perhaps to lessen their boredom. Tom is itching for a fight, and Michael, in case you've not noticed, is a control freak. Whereas Sam,' she smiled at him as she said this, 'dear Sam tends to take things so seriously. He's improved you know, since he met you, but he still ... well, let's just say he makes things sound worse than they are. Things are not nearly as grim as what you might think. Sleep well. Everything will be fine tomorrow.'

'Thank you Crystal,' I said, smiling.

She waved goodnight as she walked back to the door and then closed it behind her.

Sam looked at me and winked, 'She's got a point you know. But only in that the timing probably isn't really all that urgent.'

'I'm glad you've said that. I've been feeling quite anxious all day.'

'I'm sorry if I scared you ... I didn't mean to,' he grinned, and I relaxed a bit more. 'It's just the thought of losing contact with Elizabeth, well, that hadn't occurred to me before. But I think it will be okay. We'll stop them.'

'You don't have to be sorry, Sam. It seems there's a lot at stake here-for all of you.'

'Well, time has a very different meaning to them than it does to you, or even me. If Zunios misses out on The Cauldron, then he'll no doubt simply shift the diamond. Mind you, I'd say he wants this area for the same reasons we're trying to protect it.'

I thought hard about all I'd heard them talking about today, but I was still confused. 'And why's that again?'

'Because of all the backpackers that come here ... and it also happens to be one of the highest points in the city. I think that if they put their diamond here it could be stronger than most other places they could put it.'

'And why does ownership of property come into it? Couldn't they just set up their diamond anyway?'

'I'm sure they could. Ownership, per se, doesn't really matter. It's just that owning the properties gives them permanency. In order for the diamond to be powerful, what they do is set up very large generator crystals, aimed at each other. Obviously, if they own the properties, once this diamond is set up, it won't be disturbed.'

'Crystals? What sort of crystals?'

'Generator crystals. They're large crystals with six identical faces coming to a point. The most powerful of them are colourless quartz. They're naturally occurring, and that's how their power was discovered, but they can also be created-cut from other large crystals. They create a great deal of energy, and if aimed at each other, their energy grows exponentially. My guess is that Zunios will have them cut from the largest crystals he can source, once he knows the exact location of the four properties. And I would also guess he will engage a master diamond cutter to cut them so that they'll be perfect. Does that make sense?'

'Sort of, but I don't quite get it. How do they point in two different directions at once?' I tried to make the shape with my hands, but it was lopsided. 'Are the crystals V shaped or something?'

'Yes, they are cut with double heads in a V shape, such that their points will aim directly to the crystals making up the adjoining points on the diamond. The more precise the cut, the more energy they will create, and the stronger the power of the diamond. Having been this patient, I'm pretty certain he'll do it right, and have the crystals cut so that the aim is spot on.'

'Ah,' I replied, nodding, but still not fully comprehending what he'd just said. I was pretty sure Debs had a book on crystals-maybe I'd seen it in the study. Perhaps I would have a look through that. 'Can I ask one more question?'

'Of course-I'm sure I'm not explaining this that well.'

'You are, but it's just that, if the diamond is made from these crystals, then why does Zunios need Erranase to come back? Why does that matter? Can't they just work as a threesome, rather than having a fourth member?'

'Well, the way Erranase explained it to me, they need four vampires because each one sort of bonds to one of the crystals. They draw their energy from the same crystal each day-and somehow, they give back energy to it as well. I don't know if it matters what time of day, or whether it even has to be every day, but when they all touch their crystal at the same time it increases the energy flow until it builds up what I can only describe as a force field. But if one of the crystals doesn't have someone touching it, then the energy escapes from that point, and it doesn't work.'

'You know, it all sounds a bit like something from a sci-fi movie to me. So, how does Erranase know all this? Is it possible that's it's all just a theory ... and that it mightn't actually work at all?'

'It works. Erranase knows because they had a diamond set up when they were in East Prussia. And it worked very well. They became untouchable. Zunios was incredibly powerful, and he wants that power back.'

I gave up asking questions. This was simply one of those things I'd have to accept. Besides, if I could believe in vampires and ghosts, then why wasn't this possible too?

Sam started the car, and we were at the apartment in no time. He pulled up in front, leaned over and gave me a very gentle kiss goodnight. As soon as I got out of the car, he drove off without waiting to see me inside. He obviously had a lot on his mind.

As I made my way through the foyer, I was so tired that my legs felt heavy and I realised I'd have no trouble looking as though I'd been hiking all day. I hated to lie to Debs, and hoped that she wouldn't ask any specific questions about the weekend.

I was in luck. I walked in to find the apartment empty except for a note in the kitchen saying they were out for the night.

* CHAPTER FIFTEEN *.

I woke to the sound of rain drops. .h.i.tting the window. Wandering into the kitchen I found Debs finishing her coffee.

'How was the weekend? Did you kids have fun?' she asked.

'Yeah, it was fun ... the weather wasn't great so we didn't get to do much hiking though,' I answered, figuring that was pretty close to the truth. After all, I did hike a little ... up to the bathroom block, back to the cabin ...