Carefully, he opened the heavily carved and gilded doors of the tall wooden cabinet, exposing the small altar contained therein. A servant appeared and offered a tray containing bits of grain, cinnamon, and salt. Christos lit the sacramental oil lamp and adjusted the flame until it glowed with a yellow heart. He took the cloth the servant carried as well and positioned it over his head, covering the curly black locks. His lips began to move in a silent prayer as he sprinkled bits of the offerings into the flames. The pungent aroma of cinnamon filled the room and wafted out into the night air.
Valerie wished she could just as easily float away, over the roof, past the rows of houses, and into the dark August night. She hugged her arms around her, watching in fascination as Christos concluded the ceremony.
As he finished, another servant led the guests to their assigned seats. She knew Stella had taken great care in making certain the most influential and important people were at Christos’s table. The least important ones were scattered in less conspicuous places about the garden. Valerie watched with amusement as the Pompeiians reclined on the couches, shoulder to breast against the person next to them. How in the world they could maintain any level of comfort eating this way was beyond her. Of course, they’d probably think the same of her dining habits.
“I would make a toast to our esteemed host.” One of the guests, a patrician-looking, fair-haired man, raised a goblet of wine that had just been poured. “May this evening be free of lustful glances, coarse conversation, and foul language.”
“Felix, you take all the fun out of having a party.” Everyone turned in the direction of the voice. Making her entrance into the garden was Gravia, her bright red stola billowing behind her. Her blonde hair was piled high on her head, gold thread and jewels strung through the curls.
Valerie started to step away, but Gravia spotted her before she could escape. “Is it not your duty to wash my feet before dinner?” she asked, her eyebrows raised.
Valerie considered the woman. Gravia was much too smug to suit her. “You mean to say you haven’t bathed properly today?” Valerie asked, arching a fine brow. Those nearby gasped and leaned forward, eagerly awaiting Gravia’s reaction to the insult.
“Of course, I have!” Gravia stomped her foot on the mosaic tile floor. She plopped herself down on the stool. “You will do me this courtesy,” she said, her eyes narrowing, “or else.”
“Valerie.”
Valerie turned toward the voice. Christos was standing near the entry. “You will please honor my guest.” He looked directly into her eyes and she noted the exasperation in his gaze, and something else—remorse.
She didn’t want his remorse. She wanted…
What do I want?
“You plead with a servant? What has become of you, Christos?” Gravia asked, her voice high. “Are you growing soft in the head?”
“Perhaps.” He laughed and it broke the tension in the room as everyone joined in.
Valerie couldn’t help but smile herself. What did it matter? She would be gone from this place soon enough. Carefully, she lowered herself to her knees and washed Gravia’s feet. When she was finished, Christos took Gravia by the hand and led her to his table. She pushed another blonde-haired woman out of the way so she could be the one to lie next to Christos. Valerie rolled her eyes. The woman was so obvious, it positively turned one’s stomach.
As Valerie stood to the side with the other servants, a drum began to beat behind her. Several slaves marched past, playing instruments the likes of which Valerie had only seen in history books. The musicians situated themselves behind a sheer pink curtain at the opposite end of the garden, the melody from their playing lulling and ethereal.
“What do you think you’re about?”
Startled, Valerie jumped and turned toward the woman. “You told me to stay out of the way, Stella, and that’s exactly what I’m doing.” She smiled. “Is that all right with you?”
“Of course, it’s not all right.” Stella puffed herself up and thrust her ample chest out even farther. “One of the slaves has turned up ill and I’ll need you to clean away the dirty plates and goblets. Drop even one and I’ll ship you to the fields for the rest of your life. Is that understood?”
“How could I help but understand, dear Stella, when you ask so nicely?” Valerie offered a stiff curtsy, then turned and walked through the peristyle and into the garden, her cane tapping out a steady beat against the tiled floor.
Chapter 25
Clarus motioned to Valerie as she entered the garden. She stepped carefully over a row of low growing shrubs dividing the sitting area from the rest of the house and took her place at the girl’s side.
“Now what?” Valerie whispered.
“We wait until they have finished each course, then we will remove the soiled dishes to the kitchen,” Clarus whispered back. The music grew louder. “Look.” She motioned with a nod of her head. “The first course is arriving.”
Valerie watched as several slaves carried in large bronze and silver platters piled high with appetizers. Sardines, sea urchins, and lobster claws adorned one tray, while another held nightingale tongues and the mice rolled in honey and poppy seeds. She covered her mouth and looked the other way as a guest downed one of the poor creatures in a single bite.
She grimaced. “I still can’t believe people actually eat those things.”
“Did you try one?”
“Of course not.” Valerie pulled at her short stola, straightening it.
“Then I do not think you should be criticizing.” Clarus’ eyes met hers. “If we are lucky, there will be food left over and we will dine as well as the guests tonight.”
Valerie glanced down, her cheeks growing red. “You speak with a wisdom beyond your years, Clarus. I’m sorry. I’ve never been very good at keeping my opinions to myself.”
“Yes, I have noticed. It is hard for me to believe slaves in your country are allowed to speak so freely.”
“We don’t have slaves in my country, only paid servants,” Valerie explained.
“You mean you were given money for your services?”
Valerie shook her head. The past few weeks had taken their toll and, as she thought of home, a great melancholy overcame her. “Dear Clarus, I wasn’t a servant. I’m the daughter of a knight of the realm. A banker by profession who employs his own servants.”
Clarus silently considered her companion for a moment. “I do not understand what it is you say. You speak so strangely.”
“I know.” She patted the girl on the shoulder. “Tell me, can you keep a secret?”
Clarus squeezed her hands together. “I am the best! Please tell me one!” She leaned forward, eager to listen.
“Well, I know of someone who lives in Pompeii. She’s not certain how she came to be in this place. She misses her family very much. But, somehow, she traveled here from the future and doesn’t know how to return. She just wants to go home.”
Home.
The word tugged at Valerie’s heart and she swallowed the lump in her throat.
“You are telling me a story, not a secret!” Clarus exclaimed, stomping her foot. She stuck her bottom lip out. “I thought you trusted me.”
“I do trust you. This is a secret and it happens to be true. She honestly doesn’t know how she got here.”
Clarus looked at Valerie closely, as if judging her and the content of the secret. “You are this person, are you not?”
Valerie nodded slightly. “I am. Do you believe me?”
Clarus stared at her and then nodded back. “I do.”
The music grew to a frenzied pitch, the rhythm of the beating drums reverberated through Valerie. Two slaves arrived in the midst of the sound, carrying a roasted wild boar. The animal was adorned complete with a shield and helmet of some foreign army. Another slave ran after them, brandishing a Roman sword. As the tray was
placed in the center of Christos’s table, everyone clapped. The servant with the sword attacked the meat, slicing it into huge chunks for the guests to enjoy.
Gravia passed her plate to Christos, nudging him gently with her shoulder. Her lips brushed against his jaw as she requested a piece of the thigh. “Just a small one, dearest Christos. I cannot risk too much as I fear I would grow too fat and lazy here on your couch.”
A man named Felix laughed from his position across the table from the pair. “Since when, Gravia, do you worry about such matters? Why, at my party, you consumed more food and drink than any man there.”
Gravia drew herself up. Her eyes spat venom at the man. “I cannot believe you would say such a thing about a lady.”
“I wouldn’t say it about a lady, but I would certainly say it about you.”
Valerie giggled from where she stood near the table and a few nearby guests turned to look at her. Quickly, she covered her mouth and dissolved into a coughing fit. Once composed, she went to Felix’s side. She felt an immediate kinship with this fair-haired man and his honesty where Gravia was concerned. “May I remove this plate for you, sir?”
Felix smiled and nodded. His blue eyes swept over her figure as she leaned across the table. “Where did you find her, Christos?”
“At auction.” Christos answered easily enough, but the cold stare of his eyes betrayed a deeper emotion.
“Of course. I remember now. She’s the one the townsfolk were calling a witch. I would guess she could cast a spell on any man, with those green eyes of hers.”
“I do not see where the attraction lies,” Gravia said with a pout of her lips. “She is a cripple, after all. How can any man find her attractive?”
Valerie stepped forward, her eyes blazing. She opened her mouth to reply but stopped short when Christos’s eyes locked with hers.
“It makes no difference what form the body may take, Gravia,” he stated quietly, his eyes never leaving Valerie’s. “What is important is the heart that beats within. If it be a strong and true heart, one of courage and unyielding love, then it is attractive no matter the outside.” He smiled and Valerie’s resolve to be angry with him began to slip away. “Of course, a pleasant face and well-rounded shape doesn’t hurt.”
“A toast to that, dear friend!” Felix raised his goblet high and tipped it slightly to Valerie. “To the witch in our midst. Though a slave in body, may her soul travel to the heights of ecstasy and freedom in a man’s embrace.” He leaned toward her and whispered, “I could be that man.”
Valerie’s cheeks heated in a blush and she hastily retreated to the kitchen with Clarus. So many flowery words she had never heard before, even from Thomas who considered himself an expert in the art of seduction. She would do well to keep her distance from this Felix.
“Careful, Felix,” Christos admonished, his voice low. “I would remind you she is mine.”
“And you would not allow her to offer comfort to your oldest and dearest friend?” He motioned with his hand toward Gravia. “Why, even Gravia here has deemed me worthy of such compassion as you would not allow a slave to give.”
Christos’s eyes met Felix’s. He regarded the man coolly. “Gravia is a free woman and can do as she pleases. There are no words between us that would bind her fidelity to me.”
Gravia pushed her plate away and rested her breasts on the table. She ran a finger over Christos’s cheek. “You do not really believe Felix, do you, my love? You know how he likes to carry on.”
“Do you think me the fool, Gravia?” He shook his head and chuckled. “I know you too well.”
“But I love only you,” Gravia purred.
As Gravia spoke, a bright flash of lightning streaked against the moonless sky. On its heels was another, followed by the low rumble of thunder.
“It seems the gods would argue with you.” Christos picked up his goblet to take a sip but stopped when the mixture began to shake of its own volition. On the table, the plates jumped and rattled as the ground moved. Several platters slipped and crashed to the ground. One of the small wine warmers toppled over. The clay amphora split in half as it hit the hard tile. The blood red wine soaked into the crevices between the stones, staining the mortar.
From the other side of the garden, a woman screamed. Her cry was followed by another. The guests clutched the edges of their couches, their faces stark with terror.
Then, just as quickly as it had begun, the quake subsided.
“This does not bode well,” one of the diners commented. “The gods are angry.”
“We have done nothing to anger them,” another reasoned.
“I would guess it is just a tantrum,” Felix observed. “You saw the lightning. Perhaps Zeus himself is having a fight with his lady love.” He looked pointedly at Christos. “The same as our dear host.”
Christos signaled the musicians and they began to play again. Slowly, the tension in the room began to ease as the debris from the earthquake was cleared away. He grinned as another course was brought into the room. Dear Stella, she wouldn’t let anyone, even the gods, interfere with her dinner.
Another low rumble filled the air as Valerie was making her way back to the garden to continue her duties. She had been in the kitchen with Clarus when the earthquake had hit. She calmed the girl and hugged her tight as they huddled in a safe corner as every dish and clay pot rattled.
Like an army general, Stella ordered everyone to get back to work as soon as the shaking had passed. Valerie had whispered to Clarus to sit while she went back to clear the dishes.
Along the darkened path to the garden, Valerie kept working Hekate’s riddle about finding her path, over and over in her mind.
I don’t have much time left. Oh, Hekate, why did you have to be so mysterious? Why couldn’t you just tell me the truth of all this?
A strong hand from a shadowy alcove, halted her.
“Come with me,” a deep voice ordered.
She turned toward the voice, her eyes narrowed. “No, Julius. Leave me to my work.” She pulled her arm free and started back in the direction of the garden.
“They are foolish! The house will collapse on all of their heads.” He gestured to the side door. “Come, or you will die with these people.”
Valerie hesitated. Were her calculations wrong? Would Vesuvius destroy Pompeii tonight? “I need to find Christos.”
He grabbed her arm again. “Christos sent me after you. He said he’d meet us outside.”
The sky gave an ominous rumble. “All right,” Valerie relented. “I’ll come with you.”
As Valerie and Julius stumbled out into the street, another figure stepped forward and ran after them.
“Valerie! Wait!” Clarus yelled. “Don’t go with him!”
Valerie turned her head to Clarus, but Julius pulled her along.
“What about Clarus?”
“Christos will bring her.”
“Why are you being so nice to me?” She tried to discern his expression, but it was too dark.
“I’m following Christos’s orders. Now come along.”
Her thoughts were all muddled as Julius dragged her deeper into the dark night. She had to trust that Christos wouldn’t allow any harm to come to her…So why did she feel a sense of trepidation that had nothing to do with the earthquake?
Chapter 26
“Where’s Christos? You said he was meeting us, didn’t you?”
Julius glanced around. “Just a bit farther…”
Valerie tried to pull away. A shiver of fear scurried up her spine. “We should go back, maybe something happened to keep Christos from meeting us.”
Julius didn’t answer but urged her along.
“Julius?” She ground her heels and cane into the dirt, pulling herself and the man to a halt. “Did you hear me? I said we should go home.”
“Of course
, I heard you.” He yanked on her arm and she tripped over a raised stone in the road. He steadied her. “It won’t be necessary.”
“Why is that?” she asked. Apprehension twisted in her gut. She glanced over her shoulder. The streets were deserted. There was no one around who might help.
He patted the center of his chest. “Because I’ve decided to give you your freedom.”
“I–I thought only Christos could do that.” Valerie looked around again, trying to memorize the path they were taking. They hadn’t been walking that long, they shouldn’t be too far from the house. She could get back on her own if she had to.
“Christos is a fool.” He stopped and shoved her against a doorway. “He doesn’t understand your spirit, like I do. You shouldn’t be a slave.” Julius ran a callused hand down her cheek. His fingertips were icy cold. “I offer you freedom. Will you turn it down?” With a quick motion, he gripped her neck and squeezed ever so gently. “Will you?”
Valerie dropped her cane as she tried to shove him away from her. “Stop it!” She choked out the words.
He leaned forward, and she could see clearly every pore and scar that covered his face. His tepid breath reeked of wine. “Beg me to set you free,” he rasped.
“Julius,” she whimpered as he squeezed her throat tighter.
“Say it!”
“I–I want you to set me free.”
“Say, please.”
“Please. Please.” Valerie watched as the crazed glow in his eyes mellowed into a smile. What demon has possessed the man? How was she going to get away from him?
“Good.” He loosened his grip on her. “Let’s go.” Julius bent down and easily scooped Valerie up into his arms.
“I can walk.” She pushed against him, but he held her firmly. “Just let me get my cane.”
“You won’t need it where I’m taking you.” Julius stepped from the shadows and into the street again. As he hurried down the road, a laugh erupted from him, echoing along the empty street.
ThroughTheMistsOfTime_TBarnett-eBook Page 16
