“Anything for a good cause!” Camille winked.
Knowing that this was going to be a difficult day, Alex was glad that they had taken the few sips of pleasure earlier. Lars stood by the fireplace and Ava perched on the edge of the sofa near Camille.
After kissing her forehead, Alex began. “I think it would be easiest if we do this the old fashioned way with verbal discussion so that everyone can contribute.”
Daphne shook her head. “If we are going to be talking about Aegemon, I have my own opinion about the whole situation.” She looked at Alex and Valeria and her face revealed her animosity. “I have no idea why we are tiptoeing around this. But let’s just be honest about this—it is her problem! She started it, so let her solve it…or not! Why are we even involved?”
Valeria didn’t know what this was about. She thought that they had buried the hatchet. Although, she was certain that her updated status with Alex was a source of displeasure for Daphne.
Turning toward Daphne, Tavish said, “Face it! Aegemon would have eventually found you, even without the girl! And if it wasn’t for Cassandra, you might have ended up a virgin priestess!” Then, Tavish mumbled to himself and laughed sarcastically. “That would have been something to see!” Tavish said with a laugh and then pointed an accusatory finger at Alex. “It was Alex who caused the problem. Aegemon would not have known about us if he hadn’t gone back for the girl.”
Lifting his hand to silence the debate, Lars offered, “Alex, and our absent friend, did what they thought was right. Myrdd isn’t here to defend his decision. But any of you might have done the same.”
Alex snapped, exasperation overriding his typically calm demeanor. “You know, we just keep going over old ground. But Lars is right—you would have done the same!”
“What happened?” Valeria asked.
“Oh, for God’s sake—doesn’t she recall anything?” Daphne said as she rolled her eyes and then facing Valeria, Daphne narrowed her eyes in antagonism. “You are the reason Aegemon even knows about us! He watches you. Do you think he doesn’t know that you are with Alex? Do you think Aegemon doesn’t know that we want to destroy him, before he destroys us?”
Alex’s voice sharpened in almost anger, “That’s enough, Daph!”
Tavish crossed his arms and turned to Lars, “Don’t blame the girl. As I said, it’s Alex—”
“Aww, put a sock in it, you two!” Ava said casually to Daphne and Tavish.
“That’s my girl!” Lars said as Ava winked at him. Lars continued, “Valeria, Alex told me about your discussion...” Valeria noticed the playful smiles on almost everyone’s face as Alex rolled his eyes.
“Not, the bit of ‘discussion’ that you had this morning?” Tavish said, as his earlier mood suddenly shifted. Valeria felt the blood flowing to her cheeks.
With a laugh, Ava said, “All I heard was what sounded like—”
Alex’s face reddened as he said, “All right everyone—mind out of the gutter please!”
“Oh!” Valeria said with an embarrassed laugh.
Alex whispered in her ear. “Sorry again,” he said as he playfully offered Valeria a sensual smile. Then he cleared his throat and turning back to the family his face became serious. “Val, Lars means the discussion we had after the tour last night.”
“Right,” Lars said. “And there are a few critical pieces that we all felt were better to discuss after you both had some sleep.”
Valeria sensed the weight in Lars words.
“Alex?” she asked, feeling his body tense.
Although Alex knew that Valeria had a right to know, he desperately wanted her to be free of the fear that had occupied most of his existence. But with this plan, she would need to know. Lars was right; he had to handle it now. Alex was also anxious to hear the rest of the details.
Taking a deep breath, Alex said, “Val, before we get into any of the specific details, I want you to know that we believe we have a viable solution, alright?”
Valeria nodded casually. Inside she felt her stomach tighten in a growing nervous desperation. Before she met Alex there wasn’t much that troubled her. Even, in the early days of her florist shop she knew that one bad decision and she would be back on the streets. But it never really concerned her. She had grown a business before—she could do it again.
But now, having met and fallen in love with this extraordinary man and this beautiful home with friends—she finally had something that would be devastating to lose.
“Beautiful, last night we talked about your…well, your previous deaths.” Valeria noticed that Alex’s jaw tensed. “There is something I need to tell you about them.” He pulled his arm out from behind her and took both of her hands in his.
“In all of those pictures of your…deaths, did you notice that you looked about the same age?”
“I don’t know…I guess.” Suddenly the realization hit her with dread. She wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what she suspected was coming.
Lars broke in, “Valeria, all of us here, including you, are true oracles. We were all given immortality. But for some reason, it hasn’t seemed to…occur with you.”
With her heart pounding nervously, Valeria spoke up. “Do you know when I’m going to die?” Tears formed in her eyes and she could see Alex was just as upset. Before last night, it hadn’t mattered if she’d had a short life. Now, all she wanted was to have forever with him.
Stroking the top of her hands with his thumb, Alex continued. “Val, the reason we are all here, the reason I didn’t give you a chance to adapt to me in New York, is because I discovered long ago that if you live long enough…you die on your twenty-seventh birthday.”
The blood drained from Valeria’s face as shock moved in. She dropped Alex’s hands and walked to the window. “That’s tomorrow,” she whispered.
How could that be? She had finally found happiness and now it would be ripped from her in a day? What kind of God would permit that?
Alex rose and went to stand behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. “I won’t let him take you this time.”
Lars gave her a moment to let everything sink in. “Hon, that’s what this is about. The good news is that we have you with us before the…event—which is rare! We also have our collective brainpower, and we’ve finally figured out how to make technology work in our favor. We believe we have a chance to break this curse!”
Staring out the window, Valeria spoke softly, “And to think, I usually just celebrate with champagne and strawberries. I guess this year I should add chocolate.”
Alex turned Valeria around and hugged her, knowing that nothing could take the shock and fear away. He led her back to the couch, and added, “I’m certain we’ve figured this out. And Tavish is right, it is my fault. Aegemon wouldn’t have caused a problem if he had never seen me. But he has seen me enough to know that I will always be there for you, even if it puts you in more danger. In other words, beyond the curse, we still have a personal battle with Aegemon to contend with.”
“Is that all of the bad news, or is there more?” No one responded so Valeria continued, “So, what I'm hearing is that something mysterious will kill me tomorrow. And to top that off, if this mysterious curse doesn’t kill me, Aegemon will?”
The room was silent. Finally Lars spoke, “I would say that about sums it up. But remember, we also have solutions!” Lars began to pace. “Here’s our angle—first, we see if Mani can give us some answers from your blood work to stop this medically. Second, we locate the source of what’s causing the curse to continue, probably Aegemon, and we stop him. And third, find a way to break the curse for good.”
Valeria leaned her body into Alex’s as he tightened his arms around her and kissed the side of her neck. “Which one are we going to try?” she asked.
“All three,” Lars answered.
“How do you go about breaking a curse?” Valeria asked woodenly.
The front door opened and Mani entered. “Just in time,” Lars said, nodding to
ward Mani.
Crossing the room, Mani went to stand by Valeria and Alex. “Valeria, when you analyze what we call a curse, we have to ask, is this psychosomatic? Is it physiological? In other words, perhaps your body is only designed to live so long. Or is there an unknown virus, bacteria, or autoimmune response? I am analyzing the physiological aspects now. But if this is some kind of curse, I believe Alex and I have located a possible resolution in the laws of Statics and Motions.”
Alex cleared his throat, adding, “The simplest way to explain it is that if the moment when something occurred is repeated precisely, it ceases to be.”
Everyone else in the room still looked confused. Alex began pacing. “Valeria, you...well, Cassandra actually...drowned. If you go back to the place where it occurred, your Prima Mortis, and—”
Daphne interrupted sarcastically, “Absolutely brilliant, Alex! We are going to drown her again? Why wait for Aegemon?”
“Beautiful, I wouldn’t hurt you. Okay?” Alex reassured Valeria. She tried her best to smile, but it faltered under the weight of her nausea. Alex pushed on, “Our plan is to get you in the water at the same location. I know it’s changed some, but I’m certain we’ve located the exact spot. By Mani’s estimation you don’t have to drown, you simply need to be in the same place at the same time.”
Daphne spoke up, “Alex, you know the dangers with any of us being there! And despite our discussions over the past few days, I don’t think it’s fair for you to ask us to risk our lives in this absurd venture!” Daphne paused and for a moment, anguish replaced her anger. “Alex, please don’t do this! If the water doesn’t kill you, Aegemon will.”
“Is that true?” Valeria asked, barely able to catch her breath.
Ignoring Valeria’s question, Alex addressed the group, “I agree that this is too dangerous for all of us. I wish I could, in good conscience, ask you all to take the gamble. But you have convinced me that it would be better to limit the risk.”
“Kill yourself. See if I care!” Daphne glared at Alex.
He went back to Valeria and looked deeply into her eyes. “I’ll be on the boat. Many people who can’t swim go boating. But I can swim! And I’ll be ready for Aegemon.”
Stepping to the couch by Daphne, Mani sat down and patted her knee gently knowing the stress that she was under now that Alex was with Valeria and risking his life the next day. “I believe that Valeria only needs to be in the same location. Of course, I’m not 100% confident that this will work. I believe we need a plan B and C as a backup. I just received the package today that will help us with that. We do still need to resolve the technicalities.”
Tavish snarled, saying sarcastically, “Some technicality!”
The tension in the room was building when Lars walked to the kitchen counter and refilled his coffee. “Tavish, let’s solve the problems not just find them. Camille, what did you discover about the temperature of the water?”
“I believe that Valeria will need a dry suit. How long does she need to be in the water?”
Valeria spoke up, “I should tell you that I’m not crazy about water.”
“Most of us agree with your sentiments,” Camille sympathized.
Mani continued, “Valeria, we don’t know exactly what time you drowned. Alex and I have worked it out to within a three-hour period.”
Turning from the coffee pot, Lars spoke up, “Yes. She will definitely need a dry suit.”
Mani shook his head. “No. There can be no rubber on her. That could kill her.”
“What are you saying?” Lars sat his cup back down with concern.
Now Mani leaned forward. “Lars, she cannot be in anything that would be electrical insulation. The two examinations I have conducted on Valeria’s past bodies indicated death was from an electrical charge. She cannot be insulated with rubber.”
“Mani, what are you talking about?” Valeria asked.
“Mani, hold on,” Alex said in order to address Valeria’s concern. “Val, as you saw from the transference last night, I found you...” Alex looked down, uneager to finish his thought. “I found you too late. Mani was able to examine you several times but only once with modern medical equipment.” Alex looked to Mani to continue. “Well, Doc, how are we going to handle this one?”
“I’ve been investigating other insulators,” Mani responded. “However, I do not believe that insulation will be as much of an issue as it currently seems to be. To answer your question on insulators, we believe that the best we can do is wool.”
“Mani,” Lars asked, “how long can she realistically survive? The Adriatic this time of year is about fifty degrees.”
“Valeria is in good health, so I believe she would be conscious for between thirty minutes to as long as an hour. As long as we can keep her breathing, I believe she could live from one to three hours…perhaps longer.”
Suddenly, Alex had backed out of the discussion, looking a bit pale. Lars jumped in, “We need three hours.” Then Lars noticed Alex’s expression. “Lexi?”
Alex’s head hung low and he was slowly shaking it, as if to ward off the nightmares. Valeria squeezed his hand.
“Go on Lars,” Valeria said. Lars evaluated them for a moment.
“Tell you what, let’s table that item and go to the next. Mani, any answers from Valeria’s blood work yet?”
“At this point, I have found nothing in her blood work that would precipitate any kind of illness that we have witnessed from past deaths. That eliminates physiological. We are left with psychosomatic or some kind of curse.” Mani looked at Alex. “I believe that the next discussion will help us handle the issue of the cold water.”
“All right, for now let’s move on to Aegemon. Ava?” Lars directed.
Everyone looked to Ava, who was busy sipping her coffee. “Oh, Aegemon will be there. I’ve seen it clearly in every vision.”
Lars said for Valeria’s sake, “We all have different gifts. For some reason Ava seems to see Aegemon and Aegemon watches you. So, you and Ava have a special kinship in that connection.”
“I don't understand. If Aegemon watches me, how are we safe here?”
Ava responded, “I don’t know. But you are. I’ve never seen Aegemon here.”
Lars continued, “Valeria, Ava’s visions are good. That’s why she wasn't drowned. She saw his intentions. And that’s why we felt you were safe here at Morgana.” Lars smiled. “Of course, Alex isn’t going to rely on anyone else’s visions. That’s why he stays with you.”
“Beautiful, I finally have you safe. I’m not risking a change of venues to lose you.” Alex shifted in his seat, belaying his confidence. “I haven’t seen Aegemon’s involvement. Then again, I haven’t had a vision of this event, for some reason. Ava is our expert and she says Aegemon will be there. We need to figure out how we are going to handle him.”
Although Alex wouldn’t admit it, the fact that he hadn't seen any visions of this threat to Valeria’s life gave him both hope and concern. Hope that there was no more danger. But deep inside he knew that there would be enough real threats to her life the next day that he wouldn't rest until it was over.
Pacing the room, Lars stopped near Valeria. “So, the challenge has always been to discover Aegemon’s Achilles’ heel. Val, I believe that you gave us the answer last night—disease. Camille, Ava, and Mani attempted to locate his Prima Mortis, and I believe they found the answer.”
Lars smiled at Ava, indicating that she should share their findings. “There were a few plagues in Ancient Greece, including one near Aegemon’s location.”
“My research shows it to be the pneumonic plague,” Mani informed them. “That is the bubonic plague or black plague infected into the lungs. It also happens to be the most contagious.”
Valeria asked, “Isn’t that plague extinct?”
Daphne interrupted, “What? What are we going to do—put an infected flea on a rat and place it on Aegemon’s boat? What are you thinking? I thought you were supposed to be smart.”
> Ava rolled her eyes at Daphne, while Mani smiled kindly at her. “To answer Valeria’s question, the plague still shows up from time to time. And Daphne, I appreciate your question. We considered the point of infection and, unfortunately, it will be necessary to spread the germ to Aegemon directly.”
“A hypodermic?” Alex asked.
Mani shook his head. “No, the only way the germ will survive the cool conditions of the sea is if it has a human carrier.”
Finally, Alex spoke, “Do you mean for one of us to be infected? It wouldn’t be our Achilles’ heel, so we would survive. That makes sense. I’ll do it.”
“Aegemon would never permit you to get close enough,” Ava responded. “But Val could!”
Feeling his blood start to boil, Alex stood. His fists tightened in anger. “Whose idea was this?” He glared accusatorily at Daphne and then to Lars. “No! I won’t permit it!”
Placing a gentle hand on Alex’s shoulder, Camille attempted to calm him. “Alex, let’s think about this rationally; this is our opportunity to do whatever we can to save Val. But if you were infected, how would you help her? You need to have your wits about you—and your strength. Val needs that!”
Pacing the floor, Alex began to shake. “This is crazy! We are not going to sacrifice Val to get to Aegemon! I thought you all understood. We need to come up with another plan!”
With Alex approaching hysteria, Mani’s voice came through calmly and rationally. “Alex, my friend, sit down. You are upsetting Valeria.”
Hearing this, Alex looked at Valeria and noticed that the blood had drained from her face and her eyes were wide with fear. He sat down next to her feeling ashamed for his outburst, and pulled her into his arms feeling her shivering and he rubbed his hands up and down her arms. Then nuzzling into her neck he said, “I’m sorry love, I didn't mean to scare you.”
Speaking softly Lars said, “There’s no time for another plan, you know that, Alex.”
Mani continued, “I believe this is a solid plan. Alex, this isn’t the dark ages. We can cure pneumonic plague. Valeria would need an antibiotic injection within eight hours of the symptoms beginning. Further, she would not be contagious until she has symptoms. One of the primary symptoms is a high fever. The consideration is that this is actually a perfect blend of solutions! The fever would reduce or eliminate the threat of hypothermia, while the cold water would reduce the fever from the illness.”
The Sibylline Oracle (The Sibylline Trilogy) Page 18
