“I wouldn’t have burned her anyway. She deserves a slow death,” the Prince said ironically. “She’s a choice prey, and I like to play with my prey. I love to give them a good hunt. Especially the women. A dying doe suffering is lovelier than a calf simply snuffing it. But let’s get back to the basics. I’ll worry about Crystal ; you worry about the All Powerful, as we planned.”
“So be it. But it will take a long time. I’ll have to be cautious. And you must not be too impatient.”
“I really don’t see what you’re insinuating – I am patient,” grumbled the Prince, diverting his eyes.
“At least admit that you have been known to go off the rails,” the woman reminded him. “In China, for example….”
Irritated, Dimitri immediately cut her off.
“You’re not going to start with that old story again ! Instead, listen to my plan for the girl. I’m saving a spectacular ending for her. The cult will not recover from the death of little Crystal….”
3
The Island of the All Powerful
The Mediterranean Sea
Crystal opened her eyes.
The first thing she saw was the cream of a strange ceiling, and the details of the gilding that embellished it. And then pain overwhelmed her. She swallowed a gulp of air with difficulty, her ribs beyond sore. Her right eye was agonizing.
Touching her swollen eyelid, she became aware of her surroundings. The enormous satin bed that she was lying on, the lavish white and gold bedroom around her. All of a sudden her memory came rushing back to her. The chase, the terror, the two women who had saved her.
Crystal sat up straight with a bound and felt her head spin. She felt as if she had been drugged ; nausea rose in her throat. What had happened ?
Kidnapped.
Still stunned, feeling as though her head were stuffed with cotton, she got up as best she could. The ground rolled under her feet, and she had to close her eyes to regain her balance. The two women had seized her. Psychopaths, freaks. Supernatural beings. The leap from the top of the roof, the way the crazy woman had evaporated in a screen of black smoke. No, dematerialized, that was the word. Impossible. All that was probably a trick. A scene staged to make her join this cult of the Damned. She had to flee, and quickly. God only knew what these people were capable of. She had vaguely heard talk of stories concerning cults before. She immediately thought of young people who disappeared, of those who were never found again. Snuff films, Satanism…. She had fallen right into it. Oh, good Lord.
She absolutely had to escape.
Crystal looked around the bedroom and found nothing more than a bathroom and a luxurious dressing room, both with no way out. A cage. She opened the third door of the room and found herself in a small living room decorated in the same style as the bedroom. Empty. But finally there was a window. She rushed toward it and her eyes widened in horror. Before her, the sea stretched out like an insurmountable obstacle between her prison and the rest of the world. Intuitively she guessed that she was trapped on an island. A valley of greenery and trees ran from her window to the ocean. And it was a beautiful day. Nothing to do with the weather in Seattle.
Where the holy hell am I ?
Crystal tried not to lose hope. If there was a sea, there were boats. If she managed to get out, maybe she could find a way to free herself. Her heart sank. Apparently that would not be so easy.
She had just caught sight of a group of people who were walking along the coast. Followers of the cult, no doubt. They were all dressed in long white togas and their shaved skulls were decorated with a tattoo of a blue dragon. Tough luck, she was going to have to try just the same. She absolutely had to.
She wanted to open the window, but the handle refused to turn. She worked away at it, then gripped it with rage. A light sweat spattered her forehead as she grew warm from frustration. She uttered a groan of fury and continued to apply herself to the handle. The damn window wouldn’t open, and yet it seemed to be disconcertingly ordinary.
At the end of her strength, her nerves fraying, Crystal decided to make an all-out attempt. She hung from the heavy beige velvet drapes and unhooked them, wrapping them around her arm and hand. Taking a deep breath, she punched the window pane with her fist. The glass didn’t even budge.
“Ouch !” she yelled. Now not only was her eye messed up, but her fist was going to look like one giant bruise.
“Might I ask why you’re attacking the furniture ?”
Crystal spun around and nearly tangled her feet in the drapes. Extricating herself as best she could, her cheeks red with irritation and confusion, she raised her head.
Then she saw him.
A young man, casually leaning against the door frame at the entrance to the living room. Good looking, an oriental type. Matte skin, velvety eyes, silky black hair and an ironic smile on his lips.
“Who are you ? Are you one of the Damned, is that it ? Are you going to kill me ? Torture me ? Rape me ?”
The man burst out laughing and Crystal felt inexplicably reassured. His laugh was warm and amused.
“Never on the first date, out of principle.”
“Listen, I don’t want to be part of a cult. I’m a student, you got that ? Besides, you’re going to have problems. Someone is waiting for me at home, and I’m sure he’ll call the police. The cops are going to show up, and you’re all going to wind up in the joint !”
“That could be a blast ! I already have the handcuffs,” the man teased her, coming closer to her. “I know that you’re afraid,” he said then, staring at her seriously, gently. “You were attacked, you saw people die, and now you are imprisoned in an unknown place with people who terrify you. But somewhere within yourself you’ll have to find the strength to trust us.”
Crystal shook hysterically.
“Bite me ! I don’t give a shit about what you think ; I want to get away from here ! The cops are going to find me, you know. And I hope that you get twenty years, you bastard ! Did you hear me ? Let me leave !”
“Ugh ! Well you’re a real charmer, aren’t you ?” the man scoffed. “And really classy, too. Before you continue the hostilities, allow me to introduce myself. I am Falada, a Paladin. Their leader, in fact. You know at least what a Paladin is ? The masculine equivalent of a Paladine. I’m at the same level as Glory, but without the… yeow !!!”
Falada doubled over under the impact of the girl’s well-placed knee.
Seeing that she was about to take advantage of this to flee, he stood up and hurled himself after her before she could reach the door. Crystal started hitting him again but the Paladin was already pulling back, his hands raised in a sign of peace.
“Calm down ! I don’t want to hurt you. I’m here to protect you. You are a complete savage, I swear ! Luckily you hit like a human because you really could have….”
The door to the living room opened abruptly, once again cutting off his words. Glory and Cornelia burst in, followed by three other women.
“Falada ! I see that you’re already all buddy-buddy with our future All Powerful, that’s brilliant,” exclaimed the fashion doll. “I’m sure that you and your famous charm have already tamed her, isn’t that right, tall, dark, and handsome ?”
The Paladin frowned.
“Not really. And now that you’re here, I’m going to leave sweet little Crystal to you. I’m not exactly eager to become impotent. Later,” he grumbled before turning around and walking away.
The door closed behind him, leaving the girl alone facing the five women. The silence stretched on, unpleasant. Glory exchanged a look with Cornelia. The latter ended up taking the floor with a grouchy look.
“Fine, we already know you. The slut next to me, who thinks she’s the leader, is our leader, Glory, the superstar of the Paladines. I’m Cornelia, I’m a warrior, and I have a great deal of respect for my grandmother. And then the others, well, they’re Paladines too. They’re pretty nice when you see them all the time, although I guess that depends on your point of vi
ew. Since you were at school and you look like kind of a nerd, you’ll probably get along super well with Helen. You might be losers, but at least you can read books.”
“Zip it, please,” Glory reprimanded her kindly, lighting up a Vogue cigarette. “Crystal, let me introduce Helen, a specialist in history and decoding,” the Paladine started again, indicating a tall black woman stuffed into a hideous brown checked suit. “Miranda, our sorceress, an expert in white magic, healing and defensive sorcery,” she continued, taking a round little redhead with creamy skin by the hand. “And Sybil, who focuses on the evil spells and tricks used by the enemies of the All Powerful,” she finished, pointing a tapered fingernail at a frighteningly thin brunette.
The girl tried to remain calm. She had no defenses, but she understood that, for the immediate future at least, no one was going to hurt her. This creepy sicko blonde and her buddies really believed that she was the daughter of their All Powerful. Obviously this guru must be dangerous, but he wasn’t there. She saw an opportunity in that.
“Glory, is it ?”
Glory nodded in agreement.
“I don’t believe you. But, if I understand correctly, my mother is in the loop, so I would like to phone her, is that okay ?”
Glory’s turquoise eyes found her own. A cold, intense, intelligent look. A look that made Crystal feel like she was being pinned on a board like a butterfly specimen. She felt the blood pumping in her arteries, her heart pounding. If she played their game, and if these nuts really believed what they were telling her, they would let her call her mother. She would be saved. Someone would know that she had been abducted, where she was. Her mother would notify the police, would have them search for her. She would get out of this hell.
“I’ll take you to a telephone,” her jailer consented.
Crystal nearly jumped for joy, but held herself back. She hadn’t won yet. In silence, she followed Glory out of the living room while the other Paladines watched. They did not move.
In the corridor, Dollface took her by the arm. She stiffened, and the Paladine immediately released her to show her that she wasn’t restraining her.
“I’m not your enemy. I’d like us to become friends, you and I.”
“Really ?” the girl scoffed, inspecting the magnificent corridor. “Then why don’t you start by telling me where we are ?”
“We are on the island of the All Powerful. A private island in the Mediterranean that has belonged to your bloodline for centuries. This is where your father and the Empress – the All Powerful’s wife, your stepmother – live and have their headquarters. This is also where the Paladines and the Paladins are trained, as well as certain highly placed Damned Ones. The All Powerful never leaves the island ; all the councils and all the decisions concerning the cult are handled here. The rest of the Damned are scattered around the world. They live like human beings, or almost. In general the Paladins stay here, except Falada, who sometimes travels with the girls and me. The Paladines basically work in the field. We maintain the power of the All Powerful in the day-to-day fight with his enemies, the rebel Damned.”
“Like the ones who attacked me last night,” Crystal remarked.
Glory nodded in agreement and opened a door for her. While talking, they had followed a maze of corridors, each more grandiose than the last. Apparently the All Powerful had chosen to live in a fairy-tale palace. Glory stepped aside, letting Crystal walk into a small anteroom in the center of which was a telephone, and closed the door again, leaving her alone. She leaped at the receiver. A dial tone. Thank God. She dialed her mother’s number.
Half an hour later Crystal emerged from the room in tears. Her mother had confirmed the story. All of it. It was true, nightmarish and true.
Glory and Cornelia were waiting for her in the corridor. Her back leaning against the marble wall, the warrior woman was contemplating the multicolored shoelaces of her Doc Martens. Dollface, who was filing her fingernails, looked at the young woman with an apologetic expression.
“Poor thing, my heart aches for you. But I don’t understand why you’re taking this so hard.”
“Whereas I,” Cornelia protested, “don’t understand why you’re getting all worked up about it. Baby talked to Mommy, baby is going to talk to Daddy, she’ll throw another tantrum, and then she’ll be Damned and we won’t talk about it anymore.”
Crystal stood in front of the two Paladines, swallowed her sobs and took their measure with a murderous look.
“You are monsters. My father as well. Magic or not, it’s a cult. I don’t want to be part of it. I want my life and freedom back. I want to see normal human beings, good people. My mother may have fallen under the yoke of a Damned One, but I am not like her. I will never belong to you.”
“Come on, this way, darling,” Cornelia pushed her forward with an embittered voice, grabbing her by the wrist. “You’re going to tell all that to Daddy.”
Crystal tried to free herself but Cornelia tightened her grip, and, with Glory, dragged her into the Throne Room.
A gothic hall, enormous, blinding and empty. A high vaulted ceiling, white everywhere. White marble, white drapes, white gold.
At the end of the hall were two elevated seats of solid gold. In the one on the left an old man was waiting. In the one on the right, a woman – the Empress, Crystal’s stepmother – held herself as still as a statue.
Each of them taking the girl by an arm, Glory and Cornelia dragged her toward the couple.
The old man stood up. An aura of saintliness emanated from his whole being. He, too, was white. His clothing, his skin, his hair, and even his eyes. His irises seemed almost translucent. He was benevolence and greatness. But Crystal saw nothing. She was crying, desperate and filled with hatred.
The All Powerful reached out a hand to her.
“My child. My little girl. Why so much suffering, when we’re finally together again ? So many years and so many enemies have separated us. When I tore you away from myself to ensure you had a free and untroubled childhood, I ripped out my own soul. Don’t cry anymore, my treasure. Today is a day for happiness.”
“Save it. I don’t want anything from you, I don’t want this cult. You left my mother in the lurch and you abandoned me. I hate you. You will never be my father,” Crystal yelled, as the two Paladines held her by force.
The Empress patted her husband’s knee with compassion before addressing the girl :
“Come, come, my dear little girl. Don’t....”
“Shut up, you old bag. I wasn’t talking to you.”
“Crystal,” Glory growled. Cornelia was on the point of silencing her by force, but with a tranquil glance, the All Powerful ordered them to hold back. He returned his attention to his only daughter.
“I understand your sadness and your anger. I forgive your insults, and I hope that one day you will forgive me for having failed you. I was unable to be a human father, to play with you, build sand castles, encourage you in your successes and support you in your defeats. I would so much like to have been nothing but a father to you ; however, our rank, our destiny decided otherwise. But I love you, Crystal. One day, you will feel that, and then we will be happy.”
She looked him right in the eyes, trembling, foaming at the mouth. She spit in his face.
The Empress tensed up, but the All Powerful did not so much as move a muscle. Pain showed on his venerable face, highlighting how old he really was.
Violently Cornelia drew the profaner back and slapped her face. Glory stood between them and took Crystal by the collar.
“You are less than nothing. But we’ll manage. Tomorrow at dawn you will be Damned, willingly or by force. You will submit to a ritual during which you will drink your father’s blood. You will be ours and I hope you’ll be ashamed of yourself. Tomorrow, everything will change.”
4
Gazes
Three years later New York
Park Avenue was quiet for a Thursday evening ; as the street emptied of people, only the int
ermittent, monotonous passing of cars produced a muffled drone.
On the top floor of a handsome building, a wide window opened soundlessly. A young woman appeared, agilely climbed onto the sill and stood up straight, balanced on the narrow guardrail. She stayed still for a few moments, contemplating the abyss of emptiness. Her eyelids closed, she breathed deeply. A breath of wind caressed her face. She threw herself into the void.
And dropped several floors, landing on her feet with a muffled sound.
She heaved a sigh of relief, checked that the heels of her ankle boots weren’t ruined, and surveyed the surrounding area to be sure that she had not been seen. Convinced that everything had gone swimmingly, the young woman quickly distanced herself from the building she had just escaped.
Crystal walked away with a lively, light step. She was no longer the defenseless little girl that she had been ; now she was one of the Damned. Three years. She had counted the days since her transformation. Damned. Even though she knew it would always hurt, things were starting to get better. She had learned to accept her father as he was. She did not love him, but she put up with him ; she had no choice. After all, she had found herself a family : the Paladines and Falada. Shit, it was so hard in the beginning. Crystal sometimes had trouble believing it herself that she could be so fond of them. With them, she felt loved. Naturally she had her favorites. Cornelia, because she was the cool and rebellious girlfriend she had always dreamed about as a teenager. Glory, who was her role model. And finally, Falada, the guy that all the girls in high school dreamed about. The hunk who made you wet your panties and reassured you at the same time, the ideal boyfriend. The one you never had and that you remember all your life. Crystal had fallen in love with him. Madly, crazily in love. And even though she was not sure that he loved her in return, she didn’t give a damn because he was magnificent. Three years earlier, when she was made one of the Damned by force, when her deadbeat father had forced her to drink his blood, her whole body had fought Damnation. For weeks she had stayed in bed, sweating, so sick she vomited three times a day, feeling like she was going to die. And Falada had stayed there, the whole time, near her. He had comforted her, helped her. Then, through love, she had accepted her condition and had survived. The Paladines had trained her. For nearly two years Crystal remained on the island in order to learn to control her new powers, with the help of the girls. To be completely honest, she was utterly useless. She managed combat techniques so poorly that Miranda refused to even teach her magic. And yet Miranda was the most adorable person she had ever met. A pearl. Nothing like Helen, a real hung-up pretentious bitch, or Sybil, with her gloomy, distant attitude. But in spite of all those problems, Crystal was happy this evening. She had more or less succeeded in remaking her life, in getting to know her new world. Although tonight she had escaped from the apartment that she shared with the Paladines and Falada, she was not running away. She just wanted to have a little fun. It had been nearly six months since she and the girls had moved to New York and about a month since she had discovered the trick with the window, which she used when she needed some freedom. A few days before she had met a human guy who was kind of cute. This evening she was going to his place. Just a one-night stand but it would do her good.
Crystal and the Damned - Possession Page 3
