Valeria was about to add that Paolo was the one who put her in this danger in the first place, when Camille piped in, “Well, what am I? Chopped liver? And are you completely blind or did you not see Caleb and Tav?”
Paolo nodded, still looking at Valeria critically. “I believe your birthday is this week. We could join you in the celebration.”
“Another time,” Valeria said, as Daphne offered Camille a desperate glance behind Paolo’s back.
Paolo stared at Valeria’s body, evaluating, and Valeria continued to fidget nervously.
“For crying out loud, Paolo!” Camille said and glanced at Daphne.
Then Paolo turned his eyes to Tavish. “There is something…something is not right,” he announced.
Daphne jumped onto the boat and took Paolo’s hand. “Baby, I forgot to tell you that they were coming down here.” Paolo looked at Daphne as if he knew better. Daphne pulled on Paolo’s hand. “Come on. Let’s leave them alone. It’s clear we’re not wanted here.”
Paolo pulled away and began walking toward the pontoon. Suddenly, Camille spotted a long bone protruding from the mess and glared at Tavish who moved his foot in time to bury it while looking a little too innocent.
“What is that?” Paolo asked.
Tavish sneered at Paolo. “I’ve often suspected that you weren’t all that bright. What does it look like? It’s mud—as if it’s any of your business.”
Paolo walked back over to Valeria and took her hand, raising it from her stomach, and she sucked it in. She couldn’t see much weight on her—how could he? He stared at her belly, and Valeria quickly pulled her hands away from his and moved them back to her stomach. Paolo lifted his glasses and looked at her critically. “Bella?” he said slowly. “Either you have put on some weight on your honeymoon,” his eyes narrowed, “or you are…”
Camille stepped in. “Oh, my God Paolo, you are such a jerk! You don’t say that sort of thing to a woman! Daphne—get him out of here. Valeria might not slap him, but I’ll probably slug him if he doesn’t leave!”
Daphne was glancing quickly between Tavish and Camille. “Come on, Paolo! Let’s go. Tav is right; this is none of our business!”
Paolo ignored the insults and continued to speak to Valeria, “I am right, am I not, bella?” His confident glare suddenly transitioned to concern. “You are…” His eyebrows lowered and he put his hand on Valeria’s arm. “You are with child,” he said softly. “Despite the color of your eyes.” Paolo seemed upset. “Valeria, is Mani watching you carefully?”
Valeria gave Paolo a half-nod. She didn’t really want to acknowledge his comments. “I’m fine.”
Paolo looked over toward the cave and then at the mud and to Valeria again. “You will need to find Kristiana. I can help—perhaps more than this project.”
Tavish’s eyes narrowed with his face frozen in mock cordiality. “Well now, if we wanted your help, we would have certainly asked for it.”
Camille stepped forward. “Thank you, Paolo. Perhaps we can discuss that later, but right now, it would be best if you both left.”
“I will be in touch,” Paolo said, and then he brushed Valeria’s arm. “Please believe me that I only want to help you.” Valeria half acknowledged Paolo and went below.
Paolo and Daphne jumped back into their boat and untied it; before Paolo’s boat was beyond visual range, Tavish announced into the microphone, “Might as well re-start. He knows.”
Tavish paused as his finger was on the generator switch, and a communication came in. He glanced at Valeria who was coming back up from below. “She seems alright—starting up.”
The generator came back on and for the next hour, there was a brief break when mud stopped coming in.
“Let’s seal this up. Don’t want any bodies coming out of the mud while we’re on the highway!” He released a long, exuberant laugh. Caleb climbed up on the pontoon and helped tie the tarp around the mud. Valeria was getting tense about the time.
“Aren’t they about to run out of air?” she asked.
“No need to worry lass, they have back-ups. Ava’s done this many a time. She’s quite the expert!”
Then Tavish yelled into the mic, “Ready to go!”
Valeria was baking in the sun, feeling slightly nauseous and finally decided to go below to lie down. The cool air from the cabin felt good, but she wouldn’t be able to sleep or relax until she saw that Alex was safe again.
Finally, the generator turned off. Valeria went back up top and held her breath watching for signs of the kayaks. Her breathing constricted as she stared at the entrance, unable to look anywhere else.
It was twenty minutes before she saw movement near the rocks and, a moment later, she saw Alex. Valeria tried to wait, but with her experience in the Caribbean, she surprised everyone by diving into the water and swimming after him. He pulled her onto his kayak and she discovered she couldn’t let him go. He laughed softly as he held her. Then he scooted her around to behind him and paddled the rest of the way to the boat.
Tavish cranked the hose back onto the pontoon and finally Lars and Ava appeared in the kayaks bringing up the rear.
Alex attached his kayak to the pontoon and then crawled up the ladder and lifted Valeria back onboard and into his arms.
He smiled and winked. “I told you I would be safe!”
She kissed him and ran her finger along the red marks around Alex’s eyes from the mask. They loaded the kayaks back onto the boat, secured the tarps, and headed back to Brindisi.
Alex removed the wet suit and sat in the back of the boat with his arms around Valeria. He was obviously exhausted, as was she. “We were going to wait to leave Brindisi until morning, but after seeing Paolo, I think it’s best that we leave tonight.”
Valeria nodded and fell asleep on the deck while wrapped in Alex’s arms.
CHAPTER 15
Valeria watched as Alex walked away from her, down a grassy knoll, arm in arm with a woman with long bronze hair. The woman began to sing a Greek lullaby and leaned her head against Alex’s shoulder as they walked; her voice, syrupy with a heavy Italian accent, said, “You won’t ever look back?”
Alex’s eyes lit with passion. “Never!”
Valeria saw the woman turn, and then the nearly angelic face glared at Valeria from just inches away. “See what happens when you steal my husband?”
The angelic face turned as she again snuggled into Alex’s arm. Behind them were two gravestones that read: “Valeria Morgan and baby, Died 2012.”
Valeria woke startled. The dream was so real that she could still see the face so closely to her own—the face that looked so pure one moment, and so menacing the next. She stared at her location, disoriented. Then she realized that she was still on the deck of the yacht, and the sun was setting on the Italian coast ahead of them. She saw Tavish at the helm and no one else. Alex’s sweatshirt had been under her head and she pulled it on. It fit like a short dress and she pushed up the sleeves. He had been wearing it and she could smell his wonderful scent all over it—a mix of soap with a hint of aftershave. She wandered to the cabin where she overheard conversation.
Alex said, “He knows. And if he knows, I believe Val is in danger. I just don’t see how I can bring her back to Morgana. I think we need to go back to Mani’s home in Puerto Rico.”
Lars replied, “No one would guess that we would bring her back to Morgana. I think that might just be the safest place for her.”
Alex stood, upset. “I don’t follow, Lars. After our wedding night, I don’t know how this can even be an option. I think we need to go back into hiding until we can question Myrdd.”
Lars shrugged. “Sun-Tzu said ‘Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.’”
Valeria interrupted, as she walked down the stairs. “You must be talking about Paolo.”
Alex sat down near the steps and pulled her onto his lap, snuggling into her.
“Sorry to have left you. You looked like you were down for the count.” Sh
e put her arms around him and kissed his neck, trying to absorb his warmth. He grabbed her hands and held them in his. “You’re cold!”
“So, what were you talking about?” she asked
“Val, you should know that Lars interrogated Paolo after the fire and it does not appear that he intended to purposely leak any information.”
“Despite that, you have your suspicions,” she said with a shiver.
“I do,” Alex said. “You and I have enemies. There is no question about that, and I believe that Aegemon leads the list. We have heard nothing of his death or even reports of the plague in this part of the world. So, I believe that he may still be out there.
“Then there is the Council of Delos. But an anonymous fire isn’t really their style. They like public executions. And then,” he hesitated, wishing he didn’t have to say it, “there is Kristiana. We don’t know where she is. But there is a suspicion due to the timing of her disappearance and her alliances, that she may have something to do with this. And lastly, Paolo does belong on the list of suspects. But my personal feeling is that Paolo is not directly involved. However, his communication with his sister may be a factor whether he realizes it or not.”
The boat rocked gently with the passing of a larger ship.
Lars said, “No one has seen Kristiana in over a thousand years—not even Paolo. But Kristiana was known to dabble in sorcery. We don’t know how she developed these skills but we believe that she may have somehow infiltrated Paolo’s mind. But that is all purely supposition.”
“Hecate,” Valeria said.
“What?” Camille asked.
“Oh, nothing. I don’t know why I said that. I don’t even know who that is,” Valeria said.
Camille narrowed her eyes. “Hecate is written as both a mortal and a goddess—as if no one were really sure. She was a master of witchcraft. You would have known of her when you were in Troy.”
Valeria shook her head embarrassed. “I don’t know, Camille. I don’t remember anything about her and I’m not really sure why I said her name.” Lowering her brow Valeria asked, “Did I ever meet Kristiana?”
Alex shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t think so.”
Valeria hesitated. “Did she…Alex, did she have bronze hair and well…was she much more…voluptuous than me?”
“Why? Did you see her?” he asked with concern.
“No. I just…” She shook it off. “It was nothing, I’m sure.”
“Beautiful, you must tell me if you have seen her, do you understand?” Valeria nodded. Alex continued, “Did you have a vision?”
“No…but I did have a…a very strange dream.”
“Tell me about it.”
She thought for a moment. There was no way that she could tell Alex the full content of the dream. It would be too upsetting to him—and perhaps for nothing. “I think the hormones are probably affecting my dreams.” She tried to smile as she rubbed her belly subconsciously.
Mani offered, “Yes, odd dreams can be the result of hormones. However, if you saw Kristiana in those dreams, it is possible that she is communicating with you. It is important that you try to recall every detail.”
Valeria looked away. She hated to lie to him, but she couldn’t tell Alex the contents. “I don’t know. There was a grassy knoll. I don’t remember seeing any trees. There were outcroppings of rocks.” She hesitated and then said, “She seemed to know…about the baby.”
Alex’s face darkened and he looked at her. “Let’s do this the easy way.” He turned her to face him and reached for her hands for a transference.
“No!” she said as she pulled her hands away. “Really, let’s just drop it. I’m sure it was nothing.”
Alex’s face became more concerned and he was about to force the issue when Camille put her hand on Alex’s arm. “Alex, it’s obvious that Val doesn’t want to share the dream with you.” Valeria let out a soft sigh of relief and glanced her thanks to Camille.
“I understand that, Camille, but I need to know if—”
“If Kristiana is involved?” Camille interrupted. “We all know that it’s a safe bet that she is—and that Paolo is an unwilling participant in her games.” She looked at Lars and Ava. “I think Alex is right—they should go back to where Val was safe, in Puerto Rico. There were no attacks there, and Mani can keep a close eye on her.”
Mani lifted a hand. “I believe that may be the best plan. We can drive to Rome and fly out tonight.”
“But that isn’t fair to you, Doc! Melitta needs to see you as soon as she’s revived,” Valeria argued.
“If...” Mani said under his breath. And then his voice gained strength. “Right now, we must protect you and the fetus. All else must wait.”
“Did everyone forget what all of this risk was about? Val’s birthday is only a few days away. Myrdd is supposed to have answers that we need to save Val and her kid,” Ava said. At this, Alex’s eyes widened and his arms moved around Valeria protectively. “I’m sorry, Alex. I don’t want to hurt you, but come on!” Ava added.
“Alex,” Lars began calmly. “Due to Myrdd’s known lack of mental clarity, we need to orient him as quickly as possible. He knew Val and you best. If Myrdd returns and is disoriented, it will cost us valuable time if you’re not there. We can’t revive these oracles without the protection of Morgana. We’ve already used Shinsu’s home and I think we need to stay clear of it for a while. But the fact is, you and Val need to be wherever Myrdd is when he revives.”
Tavish stepped downstairs. “We’ve docked—no thanks to any of yous. I’ve listened to you all blabber on and I have some thoughts meself.”
Everyone nodded.
“We came up with a plan and regardless of that nyaf, we need to follow it,” Tavish said
“What’s a nyaf?” Valeria asked.
“Paolo,” Camille said.
“Yeah—what a worthless piece of shit, that one is!” Tavish’s laughter filled the room.
Lars raised a hand. “Our only hope to save Val, and this child—if the curse is still a factor—is to have the people Myrdd knew best there with him. That is you and Val,” Lars said to Alex.
“As much as I agree with all of you, I simply cannot agree to bring Val back to Morgana right now. It is just too risky. I’m taking her back to Puerto Rico. Val? Are you okay with that?”
Valeria sighed. “I appreciate what all of you have done here. Alex, I will do whatever you believe is best.”
“In that case, we’ll leave tonight with the remains, as planned, and head to Morgana. Alex—you, Doc, and Val should wait a few hours at least, and then head for Rome,” Lars said.
∞
The two giant bags of mud were loaded into the back of a commercial dump truck while everyone showered and changed. As they loaded up the two cars, Tavish peered up the coast.
“What is it?” Alex asked.
Tavish handed Alex the binoculars and pointed. To the north, the shoreline curved, and as Alex tried to focus the lenses, he suddenly saw binoculars staring back at him—Paolo! Alex waved and Paolo waved back. A moment later, Paolo was in his boat heading toward them.
“I guess he really does know,” Alex said.
“I’ll beat him to a pulp if you’ll allow me,” Tavish said, gnashing his teeth together.
“No. I’ll handle this. Make sure Val doesn’t come out, all right? No need to upset her,” Alex added.
A few minutes later, Paolo had parked on the dock and was walking up toward the house when Alex stopped him.
“What do you need, pal?” Alex said coolly.
Paolo lifted a finger. “She is with child,” he said, almost as an accusation.
“Stay out of it!” Alex warned.
Biting his lip, Paolo scanned the windows of the house searching for Valeria.
“Have you considered, even for an instant, how your most obvious interest in my wife may affect Daph?”
Paolo narrowed his eyes. “She knows how I feel.”
With a cyni
cal chuckle, Alex said, “Yes, I believe we all do. That’s not really fair to either Val or Daph.”
“You wish to lecture me on this? For thousands of years you have permitted Daphne to stay by your side like a little puppy dog. And then you impregnate Valeria. Do you not recall what happened the last time? Or must I remind you?” Paolo said, stepping toward Alex aggressively.
“I allowed you to beat me once. I won’t permit it again.”
“You won’t permit it?” Paolo sneered.
“No, I won’t.” Alex stood his ground.
Paolo crossed his arms and then shook his head at Alex in a mix of anger and disgust. He huffed, releasing his tension and stared at the sinking sun as it moved behind a palm tree, as he tried to calm himself. “I would not hit you again.”
“I know,” Alex said. Paolo knew that if he attacked Alex, Valeria would never speak to him again.
“Is she...all right?” Paolo asked, still peering at the windows. “What did Mani say?”
Alex shrugged.
“I hope you have a better plan than attempting to revive that crazy old man.”
Alex pressed his lips together and drew a deep breath. “I think it would be best for everyone if you pretended that you didn’t see anything here and just left.”
Gulping, Paolo nodded. “Yes, I am certain that is true.” They were silent for a moment. “May I see her?”
“She’s had enough drama today. Sorry.”
Paolo nodded again, and then added, “Will you…promise to keep her safe?”
“I promise I will do everything in my power,” Alex said, softening.
Through the darkness, they could see Tavish’s large frame step outside. “Need any help, Alex? You know I’d be glad to get rid of any trash that’s hanging around the place.”
“Thanks, Tav. Paolo was just leaving.”
“I hope I will see you both again soon,” Paolo said as he headed down to his boat. The house he was staying in was four homes down and it took him only minutes to reach his dock. Valeria came outside as soon as he was gone.
The Last Oracle Page 23
