“Paolo?” she said in surprise. “I don’t understand how this all came about! If you planned this, how could you testify?”
“A transference—which is what we use in testimony—doesn’t show what you thought, only what you sensed externally.” Alex brushed his hair back and rubbed his thumb over her hand and then laced their fingers together.
“I don’t understand how you came up with all of this and were able to tell Paolo?”
“Let me show you.” Alex took Valeria’s other hand in his and she felt the rush of energy.
Valeria saw Alex approaching Paolo in an Italian restaurant. She could see Alex’s mark and his white knuckles on his clenched fists. She immediately knew that Alex wanted to hit Paolo.
“You know you may have just signed her death warrant. Is that what you wanted?” She heard Alex say angrily.
“What is done, is done.” Paolo’s eyes were wary.
“Why did you do it?”
Paolo shrugged, unwilling to answer him.
“If we don’t work together to fix this, we will be burying her again.”
Glancing off into the distance, Paolo shook off his thoughts and without looking at Alex said, “I have always intended to withdraw the petition at the next council meeting.”
“That’s just not good enough. Do you have any concept of the pain you have caused her?”
“She will recover.”
“I have always believed, deep inside, that you truly loved her.” Valeria sensed that Alex was working to curb his rare temper. “If you did, you never could have done this to her. She’s alone now. Ask Shinsu how well she’s recovering—she nearly drowned herself in Paxos!”
Paolo flinched. “She needs time to…recover from your influence.”
Alex nearly exploded in rage. “Well, she may never recover! Are you willing to win even if she dies? Even if you’re causing her pain? Are you willing to win at the cost of her life?” He took a deep breath, attempting to regain his composure. “Were you aware that Mani and I were working on ensuring that the curse is resolved? But it takes testing.”
“The curse is gone! Her eyes have changed back.”
Alex looked up in frustration and then glared coldly at Paolo. “You’re willing to take that chance?” He shook his head. “If you would have believed me last time, you might still be married to her.”
“I read Mani’s report, she’s immortal!”
“My reports are that she has stopped eating. She won’t leave her flat. I am going to need to contact someone to break into her apartment.” Alex’s voice was almost a cry. “I don’t even know if she is still alive.”
Placing his face in his hand, Paolo’s voice softened. “There are no other options.”
“There is another option.”
Reaching into a pouch, Alex pulled out a notebook of drawings and slid it over to Paolo. “This is…an idea. Take a look. I’m certain it will be acceptable to you.”
Alex pulled his hands from Valeria’s, effectively ending the transference.
“What was in the book?” she asked.
“I had to find a way to communicate to Paolo without having a discussion. I couldn’t see any details, or discuss it, so I typed it out on a keyboard and printed without permitting myself to look at it. That way there was no recorded memory.
“Paolo was aware of Caleb’s rare gift. So when Caleb returned from his wayward adventure to New York, I had Paolo pick him up so that they could begin planning.
“I typed out my concept of the propeller that had to be invented by Tavish for Caleb. It had to be waterproof, work off of Caleb’s power, and we had to be able to completely break it down so that Caleb could wear it into the Council Room. Paolo and Caleb both already knew how to dive, but Caleb needed a brief lesson in snorkeling and kayaking—especially in that treacherous cave!
“Actually, the St. Croix trip was planned to get you into the water,” Alex said.
“You planned that trip?” Valeria asked, startled.
“It was the only way I could think of to move things along.”
“Move things along? Alex, that kiss...on St. Croix...with Paolo. Please tell me that wasn’t—”
“No!” Alex’s eyes got wide. “No, Val!” He shuddered. “I would never plan something like that! As a matter of fact, Paolo and I had quite the discussion on appropriate behavior. He knew better than that. His hormones just got out of control, with a little help from the rum.”
She pressed her hands into his. “Alex, I am so sorry about that and I hope you know—”
He smiled softly. “I know.” But she could still see the pain in his eyes.
“Alex? That wasn’t all of your conversation with Paolo, was it?”
“You really don’t need to see the rest.”
“Is it something about you and Kristiana?”
“No! No, Val.” Alex swallowed and then nodded as he took her hands in his and looked into her eyes and she again felt the rush of energy.
Paolo smiled slyly. “I agree to this on one condition,” Paolo said. “On plan A, if the council approves the marriage, Valeria must tell me she doesn’t love me and wants to marry you. I will not end the engagement unless she tells me so.”
“Pal, she will never want you. She loves me.”
Smiling smugly, Paolo said, “Without you in her life, she will need someone who knows her past. She will be angry with me at first. That’s to be expected. But then she will realize that I am a link to you.” Paolo sipped his wine before continuing. “Then one day, she will realize she enjoys my company. Soon, she will become afraid of her feelings for me and realize my…skills. She will insist on seeing you. You will come…I think with that redhead, Daphne? Yes, I think she would be suitable.”
Valeria’s face turned flaming red. “That bastard!”
“Well, that bastard saved our lives. So in the end, I’m grateful for him. To be honest, I did want to kill him but I needed him in order to resolve this. Fortunately, he loves you enough to repeatedly risk his life to set things right.”
Her anger with Paolo was on several levels; the fact that she had responded exactly as he had told Alex was upsetting.
“Alex, if you had come to St. Croix with Daph…” Valeria knew that she would have believed that Alex had moved on. She would have given up and probably run straight to Paolo’s waiting arms. That thought gave her a shudder!
“Yes.” He looked down. “That’s why I refused that one request.” He looked her in the eyes. “Still, I hated what I did in St. Croix, giving you the additional vision of Paolo lying to you. I did that because I was feeling insecure. But it was wrong. We might have been able to proceed with plan A, with no need to place your life at risk, if I had just kept my agreement with Paolo. And I am so sorry about that!”
She pulled his face to hers and kissed him. “Hey!” He looked up. “You know that I would never choose anyone but you!”
He offered her a weak smile. “I will admit that I had my doubts in St. Croix.”
She ran her hand over his cheek. “I’m so sorry.”
“I understood the situation. I didn’t like it, but I understood. And, beautiful, I never blamed you. It was a situation that I created. Actually, it was the result that we needed. Val, you went through so much over the past few months. I only regretted that I couldn’t be there and that Paolo could, and that you were forced to turn to him.”
She kissed Alex, again.
“The night after the council meeting has haunted me through this whole ordeal. Having to plant the seed for a relationship with Paolo was bad enough.” Alex shook his head. “I didn’t know if I could do it. I didn’t know if I could make it believable. But if I didn’t, I knew there was a chance I’d never see you again.”
Alex cleared his throat. “But there is something…there was a lie that I cannot live with another minute.”
Valeria suddenly wondered if Alex had fallen into someone’s arms…Daphne’s? Kristiana’s?
She st
roked his face. “Just tell me.” He looked away, ashamed; it must be bad, she thought.
He gulped. “The night that I left…” He drew a deep breath and looked out at the horizon. “I told you…” Tears came to his eyes and he closed them.
“What? Just tell me!” He had an affair, she concluded.
“When Paolo submitted the petition, all I could think of was…how can I solve this?”
“Of course!” Oh, her poor, sweet Alex!
“That last night on Paxos, I laid there with you in my arms…” He bit his lip and pulled her into his chest. “I couldn’t imagine what life might be like for you. I was haunted by it. Tormented.”
“Yes.” She let out a cry.
“And finally, I knew that Paolo had to resolve it. I knew he would and the only way that would work is if…” He broke into a silent sob.
“What?” She clung to him.
“Beautiful, you have to know that leaving you was the hardest thing I have ever done.”
“Just tell me…you found someone else?”
Alex looked at her for a minute stunned. “No!” He let out a small laugh and raised his eyebrows. “No, Val! There is no one else for me.”
“What has you so upset, Alex?”
He closed his eyes and clenched his jaw. “It was the last things that I told you before I left. You asked me and I looked you straight in the eyes and lied to you.” Tears flooded her eyes. “I told you that I had given up and that we both needed to move on. I said that there was no hope of us ever seeing each other again and it nearly killed me!
“But, Val, you must know—you need to know,” he shook his head in agony, “I would never give up on you! EVER!”
“Yes, somehow, I knew that.” She held him, while she brushed his hair back. “Alex, I love you and you love me. And no one is ever going to force us apart again!”
He looked relieved.
“Alex, what were you doing at the edge of the river when I first found you?”
His mood suddenly lightened as he shook off the previous memories. “I almost forgot!” He reached in his pocket. “I needed something to signal Shinsu that we had left.” He brushed his hand across something in his hand. “I made this after we were forced apart to remind me of who we are.”
He took out a shiny metal triquetra that was mounted on a thin leather cord. “My plan was to give this to you until we discovered your mark.” She took it in her hands and kissed his cheek.
“It’s beautiful! I’ll wear it always!” She pulled up her hair and he hooked it around her neck.
“But then last night…”
“What?”
He shook his head and narrowed his eyes for a moment. “Come with me!” He took her hand and led her back to the bedroom. In front of the mirror, he pulled her hair back from her face.
“What is it? A gray hair?”
“Hardly!” he laughed.
She looked in the mirror as he kissed a spot behind her ear and looked at her knowingly. She leaned in even closer and then she saw it, on the edge of her hairline; the tiny mark that told them that they were meant to be—the triquetra, the mark that Apollo had given to them alone—as symbolons.
∞
Caleb, Valeria, and Alex stood at the Barcelona airport looking at the outbound flights with their sunglasses on. She was wearing a dress and heels that Paolo had bought her—and her new necklace from Alex—and looked quite the jet-setter. Alex wore slacks and a polo shirt. They all wore their brown contacts.
“So, where to?” Alex asked. “The only stipulations are that it has to be more than two thousand miles from Paxos, preferably a bit unpopulated, and probably nothing in Europe for a while; too many of us here.”
Caleb said, “Can we go to Disneyworld? Then we can go snorkeling and scuba diving and deep sea fishing!”
Valeria shook her head. “Can we delay that trip? I’ve had enough water for a while.”
“How about Africa? We could go on a safari!”
She shrugged. “I could do Africa.”
Glancing back up at the scheduled departures, Alex nodded. “We’ll need to stay put for at least a month or more. I’m fine with Africa as long as we can find a preacher or Justice of the Peace.” He winked at Valeria.
She nodded and hugged him.
“Africa it is!” As they started toward the counter, Caleb tapped Alex and Valeria, wearing his fully insulated body suit.
“Val, doesn’t anyone know who I really am?
“Sure they do!” She smiled and brushed her hand through his hair. “You’re Caleb, the superhero with the magic touch!”
His smile brightened, as he said to himself, “Cool!”
She walked ahead of them to the water fountain and suddenly began to wonder who Caleb really was, and if she was supposed to know. Behind her, Alex and Caleb watched her appreciatively.
Caleb bit his lip in thought and after a moment turned to Alex. “Hey…I know you were upset with me for going to New York and all to see your girl. But…um, well, I wouldn’t have really stolen Val from you. I guess I just figured she could be my girlfriend until you could have her back.” He glanced nervously at Alex. “I just wanted to make sure we’re cool on that!”
Just then, Valeria headed back toward them and Alex’s mouth turned up in an amused smile that brightened the room. Barely glancing at Caleb, Alex’s eyes locked on her…his symbolon.
“I appreciate that, buddy! Yeah, we’re cool.” Then his smile expanded into the one Valeria knew so well. She wondered for a moment what he had in mind and glanced around her, suddenly noticing an alcove by the water fountain. His smile continued to broaden, in their secret smile.
As she reached him, she took his hand, tracing the symbol on it without looking and then their fingers laced together as the three of them walked to the ticket counter
Epilogue
Known opportunities were running out. She sat on the step of her throne, her elbows perched anxiously on her knees with her hands balled into fists, as she clenched the dagger tightly. She had knowledge that all had not gone as planned. She could feel it—that gift had always been hers and she didn’t have to rely on anyone else for it!
Jeremiah’s footsteps were more hesitant than usual. She listened impatiently to the chink of his cane and then the slow clunk of his steps. His news was not good and she could not wait for him to make his way down the hallway.
“YOU FAILED!” she screeched as she ran her thumb across the crystal that was bound around her neck.
Waving an arm, Jeremiah continued toward her. “Now, now, my dear, calm down! All is not lost. There was no way for them to escape.” His eyes flinched as he glanced around the room avoiding her glare “They are most likely in Tartarus!” He offered a weak cackle—but he didn’t believe it either.
Her eyes became giant saucers, wild with rage. “They swam out, you fool—right in front of you and his wife!”
“His wife?” Jeremiah asked.
“Myrdd! Myrddins’s wife! That’s his name, you know—Myrddin.” She stood and began pacing as her arms flew about, occasionally catching on cobwebs—although she didn’t seem to notice and kept muttering to herself, barely coherently. “I told Myrdd that Alexander was mine. I wanted him and he must help me have him. The girl, she doesn’t love him! Myrddin said, people had to decide their own path and his path was already designed and he belonged with the girl! But I told him, I could change history. Myrdd told me he would give Alex to me and then he told me that I couldn’t have him because he could never love me. But I wanted him! And so Myrdd should go away and I said, I can arrange that.” She laughed, softly, like a child. “But he is already dead. Alex must die, too! But where has he been all these years? Why does Paolo love her, too? Alex used to call me...no...it was... Why does everyone I care about love her more? If she was gone, then they would all love me again. But Myrdd, he has to help me with the boy—I told him it was his responsibility…the boy. He must have told his wife…”
She glanced at Jeremiah. “Who are you?” she asked, her voice now confused. For once, Jeremiah was truly afraid. Typically, he was able to control her with rational conversation. Now, he doubted it.
He tried to find his voice, clearing it before he spoke. “I am Jeremiah. And Shinsu is my wife. Myrdd is dead, remember?”
“You aren’t Myrrdin!” she pronounced.
“Uh…no. No, my dear, I’m your friend, Jeremiah. I helped you and you helped me.” He tried to smile.
Kristiana sat back down. “Of course! But you have not…” She swallowed. “You permitted them to escape. Now what are we going to do?”
“Do?” Jeremiah asked.
She shook her head, weary of his portion of the conversation. “There are only a few more opportunities.”
Jeremiah’s eye twitched. “Then we will take advantage of those opportunities.”
“I do not require your assistance anymore. You have failed me time and time again. I asked only for a simple thing. Now, I must take matters into my own hands.”
“But, my dear, if they have both swam in the River Styx she should be immortal now. All of them would be. That means that there is only one way to rid ourselves of them.”
Pursing her lips, Kristiana thought for a moment and then said, “It doesn’t matter, I will find them…I have been shown how I will.” She sneered and swiped her knife at something imaginary as her expression turned into rage. “I will show him what it feels like to lose the only thing you love! And then I will take his heart…and keep it with me always!
Personal message from Delia Colvin
I hope you enjoyed The Symbolon! As much as I enjoy writing, I enjoy hearing from readers. If you enjoyed this or any of my other books, it would mean the world to me if you would send me a short email to introduce yourself and say hi. I always personally respond to my readers.
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