Valeria was suddenly thrown into a nightmare she never even imagined. She couldn’t catch her breath. She and Alex would die tonight. Alex pulled her into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he whispered in her ear.
Four dribs approached and pulled them apart. The man with the double-sided axe gave her a frightening smile. It was happening now! These were her last minutes on earth. At least she was going first. She couldn’t bear it if it was the other way around. Valeria was dragged by her arm and hair to a stone block and forced onto her knees as her head was pressed onto the cold stone. The room went gray as she struggled to maintain consciousness in the face of the threat. She heard Erebos’s rough, low breathing and then a terrifying sound that resembled a laugh.
Her eyes met Alex’s and she saw his pain. She tried to focus on him. The room was in absolute silence.
“Alex, I love you,” she choked. “I will always love you!”
Suddenly, a familiar and joyful laughter echoed off the walls of the cave. The guards released Alex and Valeria as they went back to investigate. Alex pulled Valeria from the ground and into his arms, brushing the side of her face. He whispered in her ear, “I’m so sorry for all of this, Val,” he said, his voice filled with remorse.
“Wow! Hey, this is cooool!”
Valeria looked to Alex. “Caleb? How did he…” Valeria remembered that Caleb had been kayaking. He must have followed them in.
Alex continued to hold her, not responding to her question, but intensely watching the scene. “Oh, Alex! I don’t want him to see what’s going to happen!” She pushed her face into his chest and he ran his fingers along the back of her neck.
One of the council members yelled, “Who is that? Isn’t that the boy who lives with the Trento Family?”
“Yes,” Paolo responded.
Two dribs moved toward Caleb who was wearing cargo shorts and a T-shirt. One of them tried to grab Caleb. “Oh, dude, I wouldn’t!” Caleb said sympathetically. But the guard reached for him anyway and was instantly shocked. Caleb looked at him apologetically. “Sorry.” But then Caleb’s laughter escaped. This caused the guard to try it again. And, again, the guard was shocked. Caleb apologized once more, but continued to laugh heartily.
Valeria could do nothing but try to grasp what was going on. She started shaking and Alex rubbed his hands along her arms. She hated that because it made her feel weak. She didn’t want to be weak. She wanted to have the words to end this. Somewhere, there were words that would end this!
Lars approached Caleb, concerned and totally baffled by the boy’s appearance in Delos. “Caleb? How did you find this place? What are you doing here?”
Caleb shrugged. “I just wanted to see where you guys were going. I followed in my kayak.” He looked around wide-eyed. “And this is so cool!”
Jeremiah and the council members shook their heads. Shinsu spoke up, “The boy is not an immortal.”
Lars responded, “We aren’t certain if Caleb is an immortal. He’s lived over 2,000 years. But I can assure you that Caleb would not divulge this location or this council.”
Jeremiah said, “We do not have the luxury of allowing foolish children into our sacred grounds. I’m afraid that the boy must join Alexander and Valeria.”
“No!” Valeria screamed. “Caleb is immortal! He has simply not been recognized!”
Alex raised a hand. “Please, council! I’m certain that satisfactory evidence of Caleb’s immortality could be presented by Mani within days.” Jeremiah’s eyes became wary.
Shaking her head, Shinsu added, “Jeremiah, you know full well that we cannot punish the boy without a hearing.”
Paolo spoke up for the first time since Alex had struck him. “I would be willing to fund the expenses incurred for a delay in the proceedings in order to ensure justice for the boy.”
“Lars, can you provide evidence in two days time that the boy is immortal?”
“I’m certain I can provide adequate evidence,” Lars breathed, in a sigh.
“We obviously cannot punish these two,” Shinsu pointed to Alex and Valeria, “with the boy here.”
“What do you suggest, my dear,” Jeremiah asked.
Shinsu placed her hand on her neck and stretched it, to relieve the tension. “Jeremiah, I suggest we hold off until we can make a determination on the boy. After all, what does it matter if we wait a day or so? I am certain that Erebos will be all too pleased to oblige at any time.” She sighed. “Besides, there has been enough business tonight and the council is getting impatient—particularly me!”
Valeria breathed for the first time since she had received the death sentence.
Caleb’s eyes grew wide, and then he broke out into his full, joyful laughter. “Do you have like a dungeon? That would be too cool!” He glanced toward Valeria and saw Erebos and the double-sided axe. “Sweet! Don’t you call that a labrys? Is it sharp?” He started to walk over to check it out, but then glanced at Alex, who closed his eyes and subtly shook his head telling Caleb that it was not a good idea.
One of the other council members spoke, “Jeremiah, Shinsu is right! This has dragged on long enough. What is the harm in delaying everything a day or two?” The guards attempted to grab Caleb again, but failed, and by this time, Caleb wasn’t paying attention to them. “Perhaps with a little investigation, the boy could be declared an immortal. But it is late and there is no evidence to make that decision now.”
Jeremiah thought, and then declared, “We will delay the decision.” The council members nodded. “The council will reconvene in two nights. At that time, if the boy is found to be an immortal, Lars will escort him home and we will proceed with the business that was at hand. If the boy is not found to be an immortal, he will join Alexander and Cassandra.”
A guard grabbed Valeria’s arm and wrapped it around her back. She was stunned by the deathly cold feel of his hands on her and he didn’t seem to be aware that he had her arm twisted further back than necessary to control her. He forced her to walk toward the place where she and Alex had stood less than an hour before…before it was decided that they would be beheaded. She glanced briefly at Alex as another guard grabbed him and cinched his arm behind his back, walking him in the same direction.
Caleb asked, “Can I go with Alex?” Jeremiah nodded, irritated with the situation.
Valeria was hauled down a narrow path that wove along the River Styx. The guard grabbed a lit torch and continued down the trail with Alex and Caleb being escorted behind her. They were moving fast enough that she worried about tripping in her heels, which would easily dislocate her arm or, even worse, make her fall into the river and be carried to hell. As the cave narrowed, they passed a large dug-out in the cave with steel bars in front of it that served as a cell. One of the dribs opened it but she was forced to continue.
“Hey wait!” Alex shouted to the drib that held Valeria as he pushed out of his cell. “Wait! Can’t we all be in the same cell?” Neither guard responded as Alex was thrown into the dug-out. Valeria almost cried out to Alex and instead risked a backward glance to him and thought that she saw something in his eyes…something he wanted to say to her.
Caleb smiled. “Can I go with Val?” The drib pointed to the cell with Alex and Caleb happily obliged.
She was dragged past a bend in the river where the cave narrowed even more. The guard opened the door to another cage and she stepped in. The cell was at least seven feet high, but only four feet deep. There was a bit of a ledge built into the limestone and she sat down. She was shaking already and the coolness in this part of the cave was making it worse. Then the drib sealed her door and left, taking the only light source with it. Valeria realized she would be left in the cold until they came for her. And then it was dark and she was alone with her nightmares.
CHAPTER 19
In the total absence of light, Valeria began to imagine faces and shapes. For a moment, she was certain she could see the boney face of a drib in her cell—his face inches from her own and she let out a smal
l scream. Alex, instantly alarmed, called to her through the depths of the darkness, “Val?” She heard clanking as if he was struggling to get to her and then silence.
She waved her hands in front of her to fight off the face that she knew was only in her over-active imagination. Now her imagination had placed him in the corner, mocking her.
“I’m sorry. I’m okay.” And then she added quietly to herself, “I guess.” She gulped. “Are you okay?” she shouted…hoping the drib really was her imagination, though she could see him smiling at her, if she focused.
There was a hesitation and then she heard the quality of Alex’s voice and volume changing as if he were turning away from her and then turning back. “Yes…don’t worry. Okay?” His voice sounded like he was busy…not like he was sitting in a cave, like she was. Perhaps Caleb was scared and he was trying to handle it.
Valeria thought about his words, don’t worry. How could he say, “Don’t worry”? They were sitting in cold, dark cells waiting to be executed. She heard the clanking sound again and Valeria took a breath. Were they coming for them already? She had hoped to have time to think about this. Her heart rate increased in step with her rising panic.
How could she bear it if they took Alex and Caleb first? She simply couldn’t. To know that either of them had been harmed because of her was so much more than she ever thought she could take…a few tears broke free and she swiped at them.
She remembered the line in Wuthering Heights, “If all else perished, and he remained, I should still continue to be; and if all else remained, and he were annihilated, the universe would turn to a mighty stranger.” That line took on an entirely new meaning now and she prayed that the universe would not turn to a mighty stranger. If it did…she would throw herself into the river of death. Hell fire would be nothing compared to the pain that would remain in her heart for eternity.
If they took Alex and Caleb first…God, she couldn’t bear the thought! But if they did, she would run toward the water. That would be better than witnessing what they intended to do to them. Somehow, she would have to be able to tolerate the idea of being in the water…but, without Alex, nothing mattered.
Her ears perked up, she thought she heard movement along the narrow walkway. Valeria could hear her breath and feel the trembling in her gut. She wondered, if they came for her first could she throw herself in the river? What if the council had changed their mind? No, she would wait.
Then she was certain that she heard movement—was it an animal? She backed into the corner of the cell as her gut forced a labored breath, but she was determined not to scream again and frighten Caleb. Poor Caleb!
It wasn’t her imagination! There was definitely movement near her cell now. This time a small cry escaped her lips. Then she heard Alex’s calming voice, almost a whisper…was it her imagination? “It’s all right, Val. We’re here.”
His voice was right outside of her cell. She must be hallucinating! “Alex?” she said frightened.
“Yes, beautiful, we’re here.”
Then she heard Caleb giggle. Alex whispered, “Caleb remember—we must be very quiet.”
“Sorry,” Caleb whispered from outside Valeria’s cell. She still couldn’t see anything.
There was the clinking sound again and she drew a deep breath as the door squeaked open. A moment later she thought she saw a shape and then felt the warmth of his arms. She fell by memory into his chest, as he wrapped his arms around her and immediately noticed that he wasn’t wearing a shirt.
“Val, I’m sorry we don’t have much time to explain. You are going to need to change into this quickly.” He handed her some material that she realized was a bikini.
“But Tav said she was just going in her underwear!” Caleb whispered.
Alex’s voice was quiet, but commanding, “Caleb, you need to get busy.”
“How can you see?” she asked.
“Night vision goggles.”
She nodded; blind in a seeing world, she began to unzip her dress, when she heard Alex’s voice say sharply, “Caleb! Turn around.”
“Sorry,” Caleb snickered under his breath.
Valeria paused. “Alex, is,” she gulped, “is it okay to change now?”
“Yes, it’s fine, but hurry! We’re going to have to snorkel out of here.”
Feeling very self-conscious, Valeria pulled up the skirt of her dress to shed her underwear and then pulled up the swimsuit bottoms underneath her dress. Then, feeling shy, she turned toward the wall. Alex’s hands grasped the zipper and his fingers brushed along her skin as he unzipped her dress. They lingered at her waist for just a moment before his lips brushed across her shoulder. Then his attention was diverted again. “How’s it going, Caleb?”
“Almost done.”
Valeria pushed the dress off her shoulder and it dropped to the ground. Alex handed her the top. She pulled it over her neck and it caught on the hooks in her hair. He adjusted it and set it around her neck and then he reached around the front of her grasping the straps, pulling them around to her back as he hooked it. He whispered into her ear, “Sorry this suit was the most I could risk bringing in with the other required supplies.”
As Alex fastened the strap she asked, “I don’t understand, I thought the current would take us downstream.”
“It’s going to be a bit interesting. Caleb, is it together yet?”
“Almost have it,” Caleb answered, quietly serious.
“Caleb has a motorized propeller to give us a few knots to combat the River Styx and get past everyone who’s still here. He’s going to use it to push us. I’m sorry, beautiful, you are going to have to do this in the dark. But trust me, both Caleb and I will have you the whole way out. Okay?”
Her mouth instantly went dry; she was going to be underwater with a snorkel…not just any water, but the river to hell, and all in the blackest of black. Valeria didn’t know how she would control her fear.
In a loud whisper, Caleb said, “Okay. Ready to launch.” Valeria heard Caleb moving out of her cell. “Can I throw her dress in the river? That’d be cool to see.”
“Actually, that’s a good idea,” Alex said. Valeria felt the whir of material flying past her and heard it light on the water.
Then she heard a nervous hesitancy in Caleb’s voice. “Alex? You don’t really think it’s true about the monsters in the river, do you?”
Alex’s breath caught for a moment before he responded, “I’m certain that’s a myth.”
There was a whirring sound and then the sound was submerged and quieted. “All right, time to get into the water.”
While her heart pounded wildly, Alex brushed the curls from the edge of her face and then pulled a wide plastic band over her head. “This is the snorkel. Here, this goes in your mouth.” She felt his fingers moving the plastic around toward her mouth. “Good. Now practice breathing a few times.” Sensing her hesitancy, he added, “It’s all right love, I bought this snorkel for you and washed it myself.”
Thinking for a moment, she wondered how he knew about her aversion to publicly used snorkels. But then she realized that he just knew her better than anyone in the world.
She bit down on the plastic. “Breathe through your mouth,” he said. She tried but it felt like she couldn’t get enough air. She took it out of her mouth.
Alex spoke again, “You’re doing great. Just relax. Now, if you get any water in the top of the snorkel, just use a little breath to clear it, okay? Caleb, show her what it sounds like.”
She heard Caleb give a strong breath out from his snorkel. “Yes. But when we get into the Council room, it will need to be a bit softer than that, all right? We’ll be stopping there for just a moment and you’ll both need to be completely silent then.”
Spitting the snorkel out of her mouth, she reached for Alex and he pulled her into his arms. She could feel his quick breaths and she knew that he was nervous as well. She leaned her head against his bare chest…a rare treat! And, this time, she knew it was not de
sire, but fear that caused the thundering of her heart.
She wasn’t certain that she could do this at all. Alex continued to hold her close and she realized that he was wearing swim trunks. She clung to him and then he pushed her away. “We have to go, beautiful.” He took a few steps, but she didn’t move.
“Alex, where did all of this stuff come from?” She knew she was delaying the inevitable by asking about something she should ask later. But just a few more seconds could help her relax.
“We’ll talk about that later.” Grudgingly, she stepped out of her heels and with Alex carefully guiding her, inched her bare feet along the cold ground. She was terrified that at any step she might fall into the river. “There’s a bar you need to step over.” Oh, they weren’t even out of her cell yet. She drew a deep breath and let it out, feeling the bar with her foot. She remembered that there was at least three feet to the river from the edge of the cell. The ground seemed warmer as she inched her way to the edge. Her trembling was getting out of control. “Okay, love, you’re at the edge. Now sit down on the side and put your feet in the water.”
He helped her sit and as her feet touched the river, she shuddered and then pushed her legs into the water. She could feel Caleb floating next to her.
“All right. Now I’ve got this hand,” Alex said holding tightly onto her left arm. “Now, with your right hand grab onto Caleb’s arm and slide in.”
“Val, it’s fun in here!” Caleb added.
“Beautiful, we have you. Slide in. The water’s deep so you won’t be able to stand. I’ll hang on to you until you are secure.” She couldn’t bring herself to budge. She felt Alex begin to lift her toward the water and she wanted to beg him to give her a few more minutes. But this was about all of their lives. She had to be brave. Bringing his hand to her mouth, she kissed it and then blindly plunged into the black warmth of the river. Despite the warmth, her shivering worsened and she felt herself near terror. She clung fiercely to Alex’s and Caleb’s arms.
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