Dark Visions

by L. J. Smith

  The mental shout was like a physical blow. Literally. It threw Rob backward, body spasming in total reflex as the signals from his own brain scrambled. He fell with every muscle contracted, his face twisted, his fingers clawed. Kaitlyn felt a spasm of sheer terror on his behalf. She wanted to run to him, but she couldn't. Gabriel was between them and her legs wouldn't move. Anna and Lewis stood frozen as well.

  I don't need any of you, Gabriel said, still with enough force to numb Kaitlyn's mind. You're wrong about me. I'm no part of you. You can't even imagine what I am, what I've become.

  "I can," Kaitlyn gasped. She was thinking of what Mr. Zetes's crystal had done to him, what it had made him. A psychic vampire, who needed to drain life energy from others to live himself. She could feel the ghost of teeth in her spine, just at the base of the neck. As if a single sharp tooth were piercing the skin there.

  The memory brought a certain fear, but no revulsion. And anxious as she was to get to Rob and help him, she wanted to help Gabriel, too.

  "It's not your fault, Gabriel," she whispered. "You think you're evil because of what you can do with your mind, because of what the crystal made you do. But it's not your fault. You didn't ask for it. And you're not evil."

  "That's where you're wrong." Gabriel had turned to face her, and she saw that he was calmer. But the ice was back in his eyes, the cold, lucid madness that was more terrifying than any rage. When he smiled, goose-flesh broke out on Kait's arms.

  "I've known what I am for a long time," he said conversationally. "The crystal didn't change me, it just enhanced my abilities. And it made me accept myself." His smile widened, and Kaitlyn had a primal instinct to run. "If you've got the darkness in your nature, you might as well enjoy it. Might as well go where you belong."

  "To Mr. Zetes," Anna whispered, her lovely, high-cheekboned face drawn with disgust.

  Gabriel shrugged. "He has a vision. He thinks psychics like me have a place in the world-on top. I'm superior to the rest of the lousy race, I'm smarter, stronger, better. I deserve to rule. And I'm not going to let any of you stop me."

  Kaitlyn shook her head, struggling with words. "Gabriel-I don't believe that. You're not- "

  "I am. And if you try to keep me from getting that shard, I'm going to prove it to you."

  He was looking at the desk again. Kaitlyn drew herself up a little. Rob was still lying helpless on the floor; Lewis and Anna seemed frozen. There was nobody but her to stop him.

  "You can't have it," she said.

  "Get out of the way."

  "I said, you can't have it." To her amazement, her voice was fairly steady.

  He moved closer to her, his gray eyes filling her field of vision, filling the world. Don't make me do it, Kaitlyn. I'm not your friend anymore. I'm your hunter. Go home and stay away from Mr. Z and you won't get hurt.

  Kaitlyn looked into his handsome pale face. If you want the shard, you'll have to take it by force.

  "Whatever you say," Gabriel murmured. His eyes were the color of a spiderweb. Kaitlyn felt the touch of his mind like a searing caress and then the world exploded in pain.

  CHAPTER 2

  "Kaitlyn!"

  Dimly Kait heard Rob's shout, felt him struggling to get to his feet. Then, when he couldn't, beginning to crawl. She could barely sense him for the overwhelming pain in her head.

  Anna and Lewis were closer and she could hear them shouting, too.

  "Let go of her!"

  "What are you doing to her?"

  Gabriel brushed them away and kept on doing it. The pain increased-like fire. Kaitlyn had only one memory that would compare to it: being connected to the crystal. The big crystal, the impure one, the one Mr. Zetes used for enhancing psychic powers-and for torture.

  Waves of red-streaked agony that peaked very quickly and died away just as another wave was coming.

  Kaitlyn's own muscle tension held her rigid, standing motionless under it. Kept her from getting away, kept her from screaming. It wasn't heroism. She didn't have the air.

  Stop it, damn you! Stop it!

  Rob had gotten to her, somehow. His hands were on her, and golden healing energy flooded up to combat the red-streaked anguish. His powers were protecting her.

  "Leave her alone," Rob said hoarsely, and pulled Kaitlyn away from Gabriel, toward the bed.

  Gabriel regarded the cleared path in front of him thoughtfully. "That was all I wanted," he murmured.

  He opened the middle drawer of the mahogany desk and took out the crystal shard.

  Kaitlyn was gasping for breath. Rob put her down on the bed, one arm still around her protectively. Kait could sense his trembling anger, and the shocked fury of Lewis and Anna-and she was surprised to find that she herself felt very little resentment toward Gabriel. There had been a look in his eyes just before he blasted her-as if he'd had to turn himself off to do it. To squelch his own emotions.

  Now he turned to face them, and the shard flashed in the bright light of Marisol's halogen lamp. It was the size and shape of a small unicorn's horn, a foot Jong, multifaceted. It glittered not like crystal, but like diamond.

  "It's not yours," Anna said in a low voice. She and Lewis had flanked Rob and Kaitlyn, the four of them presenting a united front to Gabriel. "The Fellowship gave it to Kait."

  "The Fellowship," Gabriel sneered. "Those gutless do-gooders. If I'd lived in the old days, I'd have joined a Dark Lodge and hunted them out of existence." Not gutless, Kaitlyn thought. Gabriel's words brought the faces of the Fellowship to her mind: Timon, frail but wise; Mereniang, cool and discerning; LeShan, lynx-eyed and impatient. They were the last survivors of an ancient race, the race that had used the crystals. They didn't interfere with the affairs of humanity-but they'd made an exception for Kaitlyn's group. They'd given up their own power to give Kaitlyn a weapon against Mr. Zetes.

  "And now Mr. Z is forming a Dark Lodge of his own," she said, looking at Gabriel steadily.

  "You could call it that. A psychic strike team. And I'm going to lead it," Gabriel said negligently, stroking the crystal. That was dangerous, as Kait could have told him. One of the facets cut his finger and he frowned at the drop of blood absently. He seemed to feel no danger from the others; he didn't even bother to look at them.

  "This would have been useless to you anyway," he said. "You were planning to take it to the crystal, right? Put them together and set up a resonance that would shatter both."

  Kaitlyn didn't know what the scientific theory was. LeShan had told them that this shard would destroy Mr. Z's crystal, that was all. She watched a drop of Gabriel's blood fall onto the hardwood floor.

  "But to do that, you'd have to get to the crystal," Gabriel continued. "And you can't. The old man has it under a combination lock-and PK won't help with that, will it, Lewis? Eight random numbers to guess?"

  He sounded almost jolly-and he was right, Kaitlyn knew. Lewis could move objects with his mind using psychokinesis, but that wouldn't help him figure out a combination.

  Lewis had flushed slightly, but he didn't answer

  Gabriel's question. Instead he said, "Is Lydia still in this with you?"

  "Your little sweetheart?" Gabriel grinned nastily. "Better give up on her, too. She's back under her father's thumb. She never liked you, anyway."

  Pity, Kaitlyn thought. Lydia Zetes was a spy and a traitor, sent by her father to snoop on them as they traveled to Canada to find the Fellowship-but Kaitlyn felt vaguely sorry for her. Being under Mr. Z's thumb was a fate she wouldn't wish on anybody.

  "It's like I told Kaitlyn," Gabriel said calmly. "You might as well all go home. You can't get at the crystal.

  The police wouldn't believe you-the old man has them taken care of. He's taking care of the ones Anna's parents contacted, too, by the way. And the Fellowship can't even help themselves. So there's really no point in you staying. Why don't you go home before I have to hurt you again?"

  Rob had been silent so far-too angry with Gabriel to find words. Now he found them, standing
up to face Gabriel directly once again. Kaitlyn didn't need the web to sense his rage-it was written in every line of his body, in the burning of his golden eyes.

  "You're a traitor," he told Gabriel simply. "And if you won't join us, we'll fight you. With everything we've got."

  His voice was quiet, but it shook. Not just rage, Kaitlyn thought suddenly. Rob was hurt-he felt personally betrayed. He hadn't believed Gabriel would hurt Kait-and Gabriel had proved him wrong. It had become a battle between them, Rob and Gabriel, the two in the group who had always fought most fiercely together, felt the most antagonism for each other, taken the positions farthest apart.

  And who knew how to push each other's buttons. Rob was going on, his voice not quiet now but rushed and reckless.

  "You know what I think? I think Kait was wrong- it's not the web you can't stand. It's not the intimacy.

  It's the freedom. Having to make your own choices, be responsible for yourself. That's what you can't take. You'd rather be a slave to the crystal than deal with freedom."

  Gabriel lowered the shard, his eyes darkening. Kaitlyn grabbed for Rob's arm, but he seemed oblivious to her.

  "I'm right, aren't I?" Rob said, with a short, strange laugh, as if delighted to have hurt Gabriel. It was so vicious and contemptuous it didn't sound like Rob. "Mr. Z tells you what to do-and you like that. It's what you're used to, after all those years locked up in CHAD. Hell, you probably miss being in jail-"

  Gabriel went white and hit him.

  Not mentally-Kaitlyn had the impression that he was too angry for that. He hit with his fist, catching Rob square in the mouth. Rob's head jerked back and he went down.

  With the fluid, easy movements of a predator, Gabriel reached for him again. Kaitlyn found herself on her feet and between them.

  "No!" She fumbled for Gabriel, meaning to restrain him or at least hinder him-and somehow found herself grabbing the crystal. It was cold and hard. She held onto it and Gabriel, still trying to get to Rob, let go.

  Lewis and Anna were around Gabriel now, seizing any part of him they could reach and clinging. Kaitlyn managed to detach herself from the group and back away, clutching the crystal to her chest. Gabriel didn't seem to care; his eyes were fixed on Rob.

  Who was scrambling up, wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his hand. He looked savagely triumphant at having gotten Gabriel to lose control. Kaitlyn realized he wasn't thinking anymore, just feeling. He was lost in his hurt and betrayal and anger, lashing out in a way she'd never seen before.

  God, we've changed, she thought, sick with dismay. We've all changed from being in such close contact with one another. Rob used to be so pure and now he's furious . . . just like a regular human being, her mind added, unasked.

  And he's wrong-and I've got to stop this. Before the two of them actually kill each other.

  "Come on," Rob was saying. "D'you have the guts to go one on one with me? No hocus-pocus, just our fists. You man enough for that, boy?"

  Gabriel pulled off his jacket, despite the efforts of Anna and Lewis to keep him still. Strapped to his forearm was a knife in some kind of spring-loaded mechanism.

  Oh, great, Kaitlyn thought. She held on to the crystal shard more tightly. She knew she should get it to safety-but where was safety? Gabriel could follow anywhere she went; could take the knowledge of where it was hidden out of her mind. And besides, she couldn't leave and let Gabriel and Rob fight.

  She decided to gamble.

  "Here's the crystal, Gabriel," she said. "I've got it-and the only way you're going to get it is the way you did before." But I'm hoping you won't, she added mentally. You said yourself that it's not going to do us any good. We can't get to Mr. Z's crystal-so what difference does it make? Why not just go back and tell him you couldn't find it?

  She was trying to give him a way out. If he didn't really want to hurt them . .

  Gabriel hesitated. His mouth was tight; his eyes hard. But she could see uncertainty in his face. He stood very still a moment, then, abruptly, he started toward her.

  Kaitlyn's mind blanked out in fear and surprise. Behind her, the door opened.

  "Hey, are you guys still up-?" The sleepy voice broke off.

  It was Tony, Marisol's brother, wearing cutoff shorts as pajama bottoms. He was rubbing his eyes and frowning. Clearly whatever Gabriel had done to keep the Diaz family asleep had worn off.

  "Who's that?" Tony demanded, staring at Gabriel. Then he blinked and the frown disappeared.

  "Hey, it's you. I remember you from last time. Come back to get the brujo, huh?"

  He seemed happier to see Gabriel than he had been to see the rest of them, Kait thought. Maybe because Gabriel was somebody he could relate to-another tough guy. Or maybe because he thought that of all of them, Gabriel was most likely to be able to get Mr. Zetes. Tony hated Mr. Z with a passion; called him "El Diablo" or "El Gato"-both names for the devil, and longed for him to be sent abajo-down below to hell-where he belonged.

  The five who shared the web were all frozen by the presence of a stranger, like figures in a tableau. Tony went on talking cheerfully; he didn't seem to feel the tension in the room or see the blood on Rob's chin.

  "I see you got the cuchillo-the magic knife for Marisol. I couldn't believe it when they told me. A real old-fashioned charm, right? After all those doctors said she'd never wake up-we'll show 'em!" He grinned, his usually sullen features almost glowing. He did everything but slap Gabriel on the back.

  Kaitlyn looked at Gabriel sharply, saw what she'd suspected-that he hadn't known the shard could cure Marisol. Maybe she should have told him, but she hadn't liked the idea of giving Mr. Z any further information. He'd find a way of using it against them somehow.

  For now, though, it had given Gabriel pause. He seemed thrown off balance by Tony's gratitude and good humor. Embarrassed.

  "Well, Gabriel certainly helped us to get the shard," Kait said-and that was true enough. If Gabriel hadn't defected, the Fellowship's crystal wouldn't have been reduced to shards in the first place. "And he would want Marisol to get well."

  Rob was quietly wiping his bloody mouth again. He'd backed off when Tony came in, and Kaitlyn could feel through the web that he was calming down. Gabriel looked at him, then at Kaitlyn, and finally at Tony.

  "We'll have a big party when all this is over," Tony said. "A real blowout. I've got some friends in a garage band. As soon as Marisol is better." He ran a hand through his curly mahogany hair.

  Kaitlyn pressed the crystal to her chest and looked at Gabriel.

  He held her gaze a minute with eyes as dark and unfathomable as storm clouds. For the first time that night she consciously noticed the scar on his forehead-a crescent-shaped mark left by his encounter with Mr. Z's crystal. Right now it seemed to stand out against the pale skin.

  Then, looking suddenly tired, Gabriel shrugged. His eyelids drooped, hooding those depthless eyes.

  "I've got to go," he said.

  "You can stay," Tony offered immediately. "There's plenty of room."

  "No, I can't. But I'll be back." He said the last to Kaitlyn and Rob, with heavy emphasis. Kait couldn't mistake his meaning. "I'll be back-soon."

  He picked up his jacket and walked out the door. Kaitlyn felt her breath come out in a rush. She found she was holding the crystal so hard it hurt.

  Tony yawned. "So, are you guys coming to bed? I put sleeping bags on the floor."

  "Just give us a minute," Rob said. "We have to talk something over."

  Tony left. Rob shut the door after him, then turned to face the others.

  He isn't as calm as I thought, Kaitlyn realized. Rob's jaw was set, his skin pale under its tan.

  "Now," Rob said. "What to do."

  Kaitlyn shifted. "He did go away," she pointed out. "Without the crystal."

  Rob angled a sharp glance at her. "Are you defending him?"

  "No. But-"

  "Good. Because it doesn't matter if he went away. He'll be back. You heard him."

&nbs
p; Anna opened her mouth, then shut it and sighed. She put a hand to her forehead. Her usual serenity was in tatters, but she seemed to be regaining it, gathering it around her like a cloak. "Rob's right, Kaitlyn,"

  she said slowly. "Gabriel did say that-and he meant it."

  Kaitlyn lowered her arms and looked at the crystal.

  It was heavy and cold, and on one facet was a pinkish smear. Gabriel's blood. "But what can we do?" she said.

  "That's what I want to know." Lewis's round, open face was tense. "What can we do against him? He knows where we are-"

  "We'll have to get out," Rob said. "That's obvious. And another thing that's obvious-Gabriel's our enemy now. I meant it when I said we'd fight him. We've got to do whatever's necessary from now on."

  Kaitlyn felt very cold.

  Lewis was sober. "Geez," he breathed. Then he said, "I guess if we have to stop him, we will."

  "Not just that. If we have to hunt him, we will, too. We may have to destroy Mr. Zetes-and that may include Gabriel. If it does, it does. We'll do whatever it takes," Rob said. "We don't have any choice."

  Lewis looked even less happy, but he nodded slowly, scratching his nose. Frightened, Kaitlyn turned to Anna.

  Anna's lovely face was set. "I agree," she said quietly. "Although I hope he'll come to his senses and it won't be necessary-for now he's our enemy. We have to treat him that way." Her dark eyes were sad but stern. Kaitlyn understood-Anna's nature was peaceful, but she had the pragmatism of Nature itself.

  Sometimes hard choices had to be made, sometimes even sacrifices.

  They were all in agreement, all united against Gabriel. And they were looking at Kaitlyn.

  That was when Kaitlyn realized what she had to do.

  It came to her in a dazzling burst of inspiration, almost like one of her pictures. A crazy plan, completely insane-but she had to do something. She

  couldn't let Rob destroy Gabriel-not only for Gabriel's sake, but for Rob's. If he succeeded, he would be changed forever.

  The first item in her plan was not to let anyone know she was planning it.