The Last Oracle

by Colvin, Delia

  The creature felt so delicate and was so beautiful that Valeria immediately fell in love with it—and diving. Alex returned the creature to the coral and they swam for another twenty minutes before Alex signaled that it was time to return. Valeria was surprised that she was disappointed.

  As they crawled up onto the beach, the weight of the tank and belt made it so that she didn’t have the strength to get out of the water. The mild tide pulled her back in, and then the next wave brought her back onto the sand and she began crawling again, only to be washed back out a few feet. Alex was quick to pull her to the sand and remove the near-empty tank from her back. She stood, with her legs feeling like rubber, and stepped through the sand like a drunk.

  The experience hadn’t felt tiring, but now she was exhausted. Alex went to the sailboat and pulled out a beach chair and a towel, and then built a fire to warm her.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said, as he took a spear gun and went back into the surf. Within five minutes, he returned with a large purple fish. They sat by the fire and roasted fish on skewers and drank cold beer.

  That night, back at their cabin, they lay on the hammock under the stars. The nerves, and the exertion of the day, had caused her to sleep several hours when they returned. Now, she felt the enormous joy of being exactly where she wanted to be, with exactly whom she wanted to be with.

  “Alex, Mani said something when you were—well, out of it after the fire.” Valeria glanced at Alex. “He talked about how difficult it was for you to live with my deaths so often.”

  He nodded, quickly pushing those images away. “It was the dream of this life that made it possible for me to survive.” He kissed her hair and said softly, “Still, the reality is far more fulfilling than I ever dreamed it could be.”

  “I can’t imagine what you must have gone through.” She swallowed. “But I guess I’m wondering about something else Mani said. He said that he couldn’t imagine you were so patient with me when all the time you felt the pressure of my impending mortality.” Alex didn’t respond. “I wouldn’t want you worrying about me, if there was something that we needed to do so that you could feel the same way I do.”

  He turned and kissed her. “And how do you feel here?”

  She leaned into Alex’s shoulder. “I feel safe…and loved.”

  He stroked her hair. “That’s my intention.” He smiled, pleased. “Really, I don’t think we have anything to worry about. I mean, even with the fire, all indications are that you are immortal. Your recovery from the plague and pneumonia—and hypothermia—were all extraordinary, indicating the type of recovery we would expect from an immortal.” He sighed lightly. “Not to mention your eye color and, if that isn’t enough, you’ve swam in the River Styx without even a heel exposed—Achilles has nothing on you!”

  Valeria thought for a moment. “Then why were you so concerned about me at the wedding?”

  It was Alex’s turn to think. “I guess you are a new genus of us, and we aren’t quite certain how your body will respond to health challenges.” They watched as a shooting star moved across the sky. “I’m confident that you can survive anything.”

  Valeria secretly made a wish on the star that everything would stay as beautiful and safe with Alex as it was now. “Tell me about your family.”

  “The family?”

  “No. Your family. I’ll never get to meet them, but I want to feel like I know them,” she said.

  He pulled her in closer and they stared at the stars.

  “My father was an adventurer. He was an extraordinary worker and a dreamer. Mother was his perfect mate—his symbolon. Mother had the most beautiful auburn hair. Father said she had the face of an angel. Certainly to me she did,” he paused in his reverie.

  “Antonia was two years younger than me. We never seemed to have the sibling rivalry that most children have.”

  “Did she look like you?” Valeria asked in a sleepy voice.

  “No. At least, I don’t think so. She was a tiny thing with a face that could be one minute filled with mischievousness, and the next completely angelic.” He sighed. “She was a feisty thing...always wanting to wrestle—which I did inform her was completely inappropriate for a girl,” he said in a teasing tone that made Valeria giggle. He sighed. “She was my closest friend…until Mani.”

  “What happened to them?” she asked, unsure if she wanted to ruin the mood, but needing to know.

  “We knew there were troops coming for me, so we hid in the forest. I was terrified for my family’s safety and determined that I would give myself up to Aegemon’s troops to save them. Father insisted that if one of us left, it would be the end of our family forever. Finally, I lied to him. I told him that I had seen a vision, and that I would go and we would all be reunited. When the troops came, I left. Father came out, ready to fight, but mother convinced him that I would be back. As fate would have it, father was right—I never saw them again.”

  “I’m sorry,” she said.

  “It was a long time ago,” he said casually. “Father was quite an amazing man. He was passionate about what he was passionate about…and that was his family, especially my mother. She was most definitely his symbolon.”

  “You had visions of the troops? I thought—”

  He stopped and pulled back in surprise. “No, it wasn't my vision.”

  She brushed her hand lovingly over his chest. “Whose vision was it then?”

  “I actually don’t recall. It could have been any of them—maybe even all of them.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  “Mother, Father, and Antonia were all oracles.”

  Valeria rolled up on an elbow, her eyes growing wide. “You were a family of oracles?” She pulled her brows down in confusion.

  “Yes. Didn’t I tell you that?”

  She shook her head. “No. Never.”

  “Well, it doesn’t really matter anymore because they’re all gone.”

  “Alex, I remember you told me that your family feared for your sanity, due to your visions.” She glanced up at him. “I guess that made me believe that they were mortal.”

  “Their visions were more like,” he pursed his lips in thought, “intuition. They didn’t think of it as odd. Whereas, my visions gave me a violent physical response. Also, my visions were,” he shrugged, “much more...precise and vivid.”

  He hadn’t been completely honest. It was only his visions of her in danger that gave him the violent reactions. And the other concern was that, since she had been with him during this lifetime and she had survived her twenty-seventh birthday, he had not had another vision. Most of the time, he allowed himself to believe that it was because she was no longer in danger. But after the very real danger with Aegemon almost a year before, then with her collapse in New York, and even their threat in Delos—not to mention the incident with the fire at the cottage—Alex was concerned that he would no longer have visions of her safety. Perhaps he was too distracted. Or, perhaps, none of those events would have been fatal.

  “So, what happened to your family?” She turned to face him. “Do you know?”

  He shook his head. “No. I assume that Aegemon’s troops came back for them eventually. I heard that Father took an arrow to the heart on Morgana. I also assume that he had been trying to defend Mother and Antonia. But everything was so grown over by the time I returned, that I’ve never discovered where he was buried.” Alex looked into the distance attempting to disguise an old ache with a casual tone.

  Valeria brushed the side of his face. “I’m sorry, Alex.” She changed the subject. “You said there were some things that needed to be done so that we can live without hiding. Can I ask what they are?”

  “We need to discover who is responsible for the fire. And there’s an old friend who can help us. The only problem is we will need to…bring him back into the picture.”

  “Myrdd?” she asked.

  This time, it was Alex’s eyes that widened in surprise. “Yes, exactly!”

&nb
sp; CHAPTER 10

  For the first time since their arrival, they took the red Jeep down the steep, deeply-rutted road to the hidden air strip and Alex’s beloved Helio. Valeria discovered that departing in the Helio was more frightening than landing, but within seconds, they were airborne and just brushing some of the treetops.

  As they flew over the chain of islands across the Caribbean, and toward their destination, Valeria realized that being inside the sun-baked cabin of the Helio all day was getting to her. She quickly hopped out at the fuel stops, but the strong smell of gasoline made it worse. She tried drinking more water, determined to enjoy this trip. Finally, she decided that it must’ve been from all of the exertion and nerves from the previous day while scuba diving.

  The Pitons loomed high on the horizon of St. Lucia, grand and beckoning. Alex circled the volcanoes to give Valeria a better view. As they pulled out of the second circle, Valeria looked at Alex in near terror.

  “I’m going to be sick!”

  Grabbing a bag stashed in the dash, Alex handed it to her, and Valeria spent the next five minutes vomiting in the bag—and to her relief, not all over the plane. They landed and Valeria got sick again. This time, she ran to the bathroom and was grateful for the privacy.

  They arrived early and so she had a few minutes. In the lobby of the open building, a small television left over from the ’70s blared.

  The announcer of the talk show sat with his two guests on cheap folding chairs.

  He looked at the notes in his lap and then into the camera. “We would like to thank you for your responses to last week’s topic, ‘The harmful effects of alien blue rays on humans.’

  “This week, we have Melanie Martin with us, author of Just Call Me Cassandra: The Reincarnation of Cassandra of Troy. Also with us, is Professor Tracy Lowe, Ancient History expert from Duke University in North Carolina.”

  “Reincarnation—oh, please!” Valeria quipped as she rolled her eyes and smiled at Alex.

  “Farfetched to say the least.” Alex winked.

  The camera panned their faces, and Alex narrowed his eyes as he leaned forward.

  “Professor Lowe, you have some questions for Melanie?” A neat woman, with her hair tightly bound in a bun, brushed an imagined stray hair back into place before nodding and leaning slightly forward.

  “Yes, thank you for inviting me, Mr. Devries.” The professor turned to the woman sitting next to her. “Ms. Martin, I’ve read your account of events in Cassandra’s life. And it reads like a modernized Epic poem. But were you aware that there was extensive editing of the Epic poems, from approximately 560 to 528 BC? It’s believed that the story that you share—that Apollo cursed you by spitting into your mouth—was added by Aeschylus, who was sending a message to the colonies of the Empire that to move against Athens—and by association, Apollo—would incur the wrath of the god, just as Cassandra suffered the wrath of Apollo when she deceived him.”

  Valeria lowered her eyebrows and smiled at Alex who was watching intently with a smirk on his face.

  Professor Lowe tilted her head to the side and asked, “Are you familiar with historical methods of investigation?” Ms. Martin shook her head as if disinterested. “It does apply here.”

  Alex’s smile widened. “Oh, Ms. Lowe, you learned well!”

  “You know her?”

  A loud voice boomed in the lobby of the airport, “Mr. and Mrs. Morgan?” They both turned to the door where a black man in a white shirt and blue slacks stood.

  “Yes, that’s us,” Alex said, standing. They both walked toward the man and then Alex turned back toward Valeria. “Miss Lowe was a student of mine. She was originally interested in law.”

  “Hmm…and I’ll bet Ms. Lowe was quite fascinated by her ancient history professor as well.”

  “Hmm?” Alex asked, pretending not to understand Valeria’s insinuation. But Valeria saw the slight smirk of his upturned mouth and couldn’t help but giggle herself.

  “Oh, nothing,” she said.

  They went to lunch and toured several artists’ studios. They fit in quite well with the other wealthy tourists, as they wandered through the streets, taking in the local shops, and purchasing gifts for Weege and the family. They came upon an elegant jewelry store. Alex was looking at a gold ankle bracelet for Valeria when, suddenly, a ring caught her eye.

  “Alex, look!”

  In the case was a man’s ring with a large stone that resembled the Cassandra Crystal. Gold and platinum surrounded the stone in an artistic rendition of the triquetra.

  “What is that stone?” Valeria asked.

  “That is a three carat tanzanite. Your missus has excellent taste, sir.”

  “Yes, she does,” Alex responded.

  “Do you like it?” Valeria asked.

  The clerk held the box toward Alex and he removed the ring, placing it onto his left hand.

  “I think we just found my wedding band!” He smiled at the band on his left ring finger and kissed Valeria.

  The limo wound through the tropical rain forest en route to their hotel. Valeria was exhausted, but relieved that her stomach handled it well. In the lobby, there were a myriad of stairways.

  “Each room has its own unique bridge. Of course, you don’t have a room—we have you in an infinity pool sanctuary,” the woman said, as she checked them in.

  Valeria turned to Alex and her eyes got big as she said, “Sanctuary? Sounds like we’re a near-extinct breed.”

  “We are,” he whispered in her ear.

  The woman escorted them into their room. “They say that the cleanest air in the world is here on St. Lucia,” she said. “Each infinity pool sanctuary at Jade Mountain is a carefully designed, individual work of art and architecture. All of the sanctuaries celebrate an unparalleled view of the Pitons and the Caribbean Sea. In all of our sanctuaries, the fourth wall is open to the views while, at the same time, allowing for complete privacy.”

  Their sanctuary was exactly that, offering a view of the lushly covered Pitons and calm inlet of the Caribbean. They had an infinity pool in their room. It was the most extraordinary hotel room she had ever seen, let alone stayed in.

  As exquisite as the view was, Valeria had gotten used to their afternoon naps during their honeymoon. So she rolled into bed while Alex worked. That evening, they sat in the infinity pool with glasses of champagne and watched the sun set behind the Pitons. Then they dressed for dinner at a five-star restaurant. Fortunately, Valeria still had a dress she hadn’t worn. She had gotten used to casual skirts and swimsuits. It was fun to see Alex in his dress slacks and white linen shirt; he looked so incredibly handsome, especially with his deep tan that made his eyes significantly brighter than they already were.

  As they sat at dinner, Alex said, “The first time I saw St. Lucia, I thought I would build a home for us between the Pitons, but they’re volcanoes. Also, I thought there might be too much shade there. So I built our home on St. John, instead.”

  “I love our home there. Not quite as much as…” She stopped speaking, unwilling to spoil the mood. “Actually, I guess St. John’s is your getaway,” she said nervously.

  “You were right the first time—it is our home now. Everything I have is yours—including my heart.” Alex kissed her hand. “But you’ve had that for a very long time.”

  ∞

  They woke the next morning in their king-sized bed, to the luxury of room service. Alex took the tray from the server and tipped him well. Then he set it down on the bed and poured Valeria a cup of coffee with the perfect amount of cream.

  “Just the way you like it,” he said, stirring in the cream.

  As she sipped it, she thought it wasn’t the coffee she liked. It tasted off—maybe the cream was bad. Still, she didn’t want to say anything to Alex. Then she smelled the eggs and bacon and, suddenly, she worried that she was going to be sick again. She set her coffee down and took a few deep breaths, trying to control the nausea. It was disappointing to have the flu when they were reall
y on their last days of their honeymoon.

  What a great memory for Alex, she thought. She glanced out at the view of the Pitons with the rising sun shining on them, and then at the tiny sailboats below. She wished she could appreciate it more. Then, suddenly, the nausea swept over her and she bolted for the bathroom—not even taking the time to close the door all the way.

  Alex paced back and forth a few times, feeling awkward and helpless; then he went to the door that was slightly ajar. He pushed it open as she vomited in the toilet again and he went to pull her hair back.

  “Don’t watch me! Please, Alex! Please, just leave!” she said between violent, empty heaves.

  He tried to argue, but then acquiesced for her sense of dignity and backed out, reluctantly sitting on the bed.

  A few minutes later, Valeria came out of the bathroom, having brushed her teeth. She glanced at Alex who was looking down at the tile floor.

  “I’m sorry, Alex. I haven’t had the flu since I was a kid,” she said, as she curled onto his lap. Seeing his hurt feelings, she brushed his face with her hand. “I feel better now. I’m sorry for yelling at you and pushing you away. I’m just so embarrassed.”

  He wrapped his arms around her but he couldn’t look her in the face. Finally, he glanced up and tried to smile.

  “Val...” he began, tentatively.

  “Alex, I’m sorry that I’ve ruined the end of our honeymoon,” she blurted, as her eyes filled with tears. Then she realized how ridiculous that statement was and that she had just told the love of her life that all of his efforts had been ruined. “I don’t know what I’m saying—our honeymoon wasn’t ruined! And it still isn’t over...maybe this is just a twenty-four hour bug or something.” Still, he didn’t say a word. He just sat with his face locked in some expression that she couldn’t quite grasp. She drew a deep breath in an attempt to withhold the tears that rimmed her eyes. He patted her leg without looking at her, obviously deep in thought. “What’s the matter, Alex? I’m sorry…it’s just that we’re on our honeymoon and no woman wants her husband to see her like that.”