“Yesterday.” Christos moved until he was standing directly in front of her, he crossed his arms over his chest. “I killed him myself.”
Gravia jumped to her feet. “You did not! I do not believe it! Julius was your friend!”
“Was, Gravia. He lied to me. He kidnapped Valerie and sought to harm her.”
“You call her by name as though she is my equal!” she turned and stalked to the balcony.
Christos leaned down and grabbed her arm. “Why did you help him?” He shook her. “Tell me now or I’ll see you dead as well.”
Gravia yanked her arm free. “I do not know you anymore. That slave must be truly a witch for she has tainted your brain and turned you against me.”
“No, Gravia, you did that all by yourself.” Christos shook his head. “I knew I couldn’t trust you, but it didn’t matter when all you did was play at your flirtatious games. How many men have you manipulated and bent to your will with your vile machinations? Julius, Felix, and countless others, I would venture.”
“What I do with my body is my business. If you cannot appreciate me, then perhaps we should not marry after all.” She studied her fingernails. “I have received countless love letters from heart-broken men who despair about our engagement.
“You should see the graffiti that covers the wall by my house.” Her eyes flashed. “There are many men who would die to have me, Christos. Does that not make you jealous?”
“No, Gravia. It makes me pity you.” He grabbed her stola from the floor and threw it at her. “If I find out you’ve been near anyone in this house, or harmed anyone in my care, I’ll kill you.” He shoved her out the door.
“You and that cripple deserve each other,” she spat as she pulled the garment over her head. “May the gods bring down the heavens on both of you!”
Gravia’s curses echoed throughout the house with each thumping of her sandals down the stairs, punctuated by the slamming of the front door.
Christos blew out a breath and ran his hands through his hair. From the washstand in the corner of his room, he splashed cold water on his face. “Venus Fisica, forgive me,” he sighed. “By the gods, I’ve made a mess of things.” He finished washing and went in search of Valerie.
The sun had long ago reached its apex in the sky and was now beginning its gradual descent. The last rays shone down through the atrium and into the garden. Valerie sat on a marble bench near Christos’s workshop, staring at the rendered scene on the wall before her. Diana, goddess of the hunt, appeared to be giving bow and arrow instructions to Minerva. Off to the side of the pastoral landscape, Jupiter aimed a thunderbolt at one of the women’s hearts.
“Strike me instead, dear Jupiter,” she murmured. “Take this pain from my breast.”
“I would not wish it to be so.” Christos said from the doorway. “I would that he take me instead, for I deserve the punishment.”
Valerie stayed with her back to him, afraid to look in his eyes, lest she crumble in a heap of tears.
His sandals made a soft slapping sound on the stone floor.
Don’t turn around, or you’ll lose yourself in his beautiful ebony eyes, and then what?
The heat from his body enveloped her. She ached to feel that heat on her skin once more…
“Please, turn around and face me,” he whispered.
Sadness and pain and anger filled her being. She’d been such a fool, believing that he could care for her. She was his slave, his property, after all. In this world, he had every right to use her as he deemed. She rested her forehead in her trembling hands.
Christos sat down next to her. He placed a hand on her shoulder. She pulled away.
“I have a gift for you. Won’t you accept it?”
She turned slightly and he held up a new cane for her to see. It was crafted of fine ebony—ebony as dark as Christos’s eyes. The handle was the same woman’s head she had seen him casting a few weeks ago, in the garden.
“It’s beautiful. Thank you,” she murmured as he placed the object in her hand. She rolled it between her fingers, and the wood was warm and smooth to the touch.
Christos let his hand fall to his lap. “I’ve been wrestling my demons for weeks now. That day out here, you stirred up a past I thought was long ago forgotten, long ago healed.” He sighed. “Little did I know it would take a woman such as yourself, a woman from another time, to make me see the truth.”
Valerie looked at him, her eyes wide. “What did you say?”
“I know the secret you keep close to your heart. I’m not certain I believe it, but how else can I explain your existence? Either that or I am in Elysium.”
He took her hand in his and dropped to his knee. “I lost my soul and you have restored it to me. For that I am ever grateful.”
Her breath caught as a flutter of hope began to unfurl in her chest.
He kissed her hand, looking up at her, his ebony eyes glimmering with tears. “For that, I give you your freedom.”
She pulled away and looked at him. “Do you know what you’re saying?”
He nodded. “I would let you go with the hope in my heart that you would choose to remain with me.”
She studied his face. “What of Gravia?” she asked, not sure she wanted to know, but unable to leave the question unspoken.
“She is a vile, cruel woman. I’ve banished her from my home and my life. She won’t disturb us ever again.”
Valerie caressed his cheek. A sadness lingered in his eyes that tugged at her heart. She ran her thumb over his brow, smoothing the deep furrows. He kissed her palm. She sighed as he took her into his arms once again. His lips met hers in a hesitant kiss.
“If it be God’s will, I will stay with you for always, my love,” she whispered against his mouth. “But I swear to you, Vesuvius will erupt. You must promise me we’ll leave the city.”
Christos stood and scooped her into his arms. Gently, he placed her on a thick cushion behind the curtain where the musicians had played during the banquet. “Soon,” he repeated, running his hand over her bare arm. Carefully, he unwound the fabric from her body and lowered himself to her open embrace. “Soon.”
Chapter 31
A low rumble followed by an ear-shattering blast tore through the tranquility of the new day. Jolted awake, Valerie and Christos were still abed when a second blast shredded the air.
Christos yanked back the curtain. Though it was now morning, the sky was as dark as the sea at midnight. Another explosive roar and the earth rolled beneath their feet. Valerie was tossed against the garden wall. Dust and dirt sifted down over her head as she struggled to maintain her footing. Beyond the curtain, ash and pumice began to rain down on the city at an alarming rate.
“My God.” Valerie choked back a cry. “How could I have miscalculated? I swear I thought we still had a few days.” She turned to Christos. “It’s Vesuvius.”
Christos took her by the hand. “Come. I’ve been through an eruption before, when I was young. If we can reach the sea, we should be safe.”
Valerie shook her head. The ash was already close to a foot deep and still falling. Visions of plaster cast bodies and excavated buildings ran through her mind. “I’m so sorry. It’s too late. If we were to survive, we should have left days ago.”
Christos picked up Valerie’s cane and robe and handed them to her. “Take these. I won’t sit here and wait to die.”
He held Valerie close to his side as they dodged the falling debris and hurried into the house. While they rushed down the long corridor past the kitchen, several of the slaves appeared and ran to Christos.
“Come. We need to head for the sea,” he called out as he and Valerie approached the front door.
“It is only another mild eruption,” Stella observed as she walked into the vestibule. “It will do us no good to panic.”
Clarus tugged at Christos’s
toga. “Take me with you. Please.”
Christos smiled at the child as he patted her head. “Of course, little one. We would not have left without you.”
Valerie took hold of Clarus’s hand and offered the child a smile of comfort.
The staff looked to Stella. She crossed her arms over her full bosom. “I’m staying,” she stated flatly.
“How about the rest of you?” Christos asked. “We have to leave now if we’re to have any chance of escaping the volcano.”
A few hedged toward Christos, but most of the servants chose to stay with the cook. After all, she was the one whose direction they trusted above all others, even their master. “We will stay and prepare dinner for your return.”
“You’ll die here,” Valerie warned. “Please listen to Christos and save yourselves.”
Stella glared at Valerie, then turned to the servants. “You’re being ridiculous. All of you.”
Christos released the latch on the front door and tried to push it open, but the door stuck. He shoved his body against it and the force opened it just enough for them to pass.
Hot ash had fused to the wood. A thick layer of the cooling material, now at least knee deep, had fallen over the city and into the street. And still it continued to come down. He motioned for Valerie and Clarus to follow.
Once outside, Valerie looked off in the distance, in the direction of Vesuvius. A bright red-orange glow illuminated the black sky as sparks flew through the air. Half of the volcano had blown away. A heavy cloud the shape of an umbrella pine suspended upside down hung in the air. Fiery lava ran along the mountain’s side and off in the direction opposite of Pompeii. Heavy wet pumice still fell through the air, coupled with noxious sulfuric fumes.
People were running to and fro—screaming or shouting through the streets.
Others sat, huddled together, in doorways and under eaves, praying to the gods.
“Christos!” Valerie screamed over the din as she tripped and fell to her knees in the muck. “I’m sorry, I cannot run.”
“Hush, my love.” he kissed her forehead. “You are as light as a feather.”
He picked her up and, with Clarus firmly gripping his toga, headed for the gates. Fires were sparking up in homes and buildings, debris was falling all around them.
It seemed the farther they walked the more dead bodies littered the streets. There was nothing they could do. Who could stop the march of history? But I am here and that makes it different. At least for Christos and Clarus.
She began to pray. Please let us find the right path out of here.
Trudging slowly, Christos’s foot hit an object in the ash and he stumbled. He put Valerie down, when he saw a familiar form buried in the ash. Bending over, he turned the body over. It was Gravia, still clutching a purse full of gold tokens and jewels.
“It would seem Zeus has brought the heavens down on your head as well, Gravia,” he whispered.
Valerie swallowed back the bile that rose in her throat. Gravia’s mouth, nose, and eyes were caked with the wet ash. “I’m so sorry.” She squeezed his shoulder.
“So am I.”
Another violent quake shook the ground. Christos looked up and shouted a warning, pushing Valerie and Clarus out of the way, just as huge stone slab of rock from a building tumbled down where they were standing.
“Christos, are you all right?” Valerie called over the thunderous din of the volcano.
He raised his head and shook the ash from his hair. “Don’t worry about me.” He yanked off his belt and tied it tightly above his knee. A deep gash beneath it bled profusely.
“You’re hurt!”
“I’ll be fine. Let’s go.”
The trio trudged onward as fast as they could get through the ash, crumbling buildings, and panicked crowds. Those still able to move seemed to be heading in the same direction, to the sea.
Lightning lit the sky and Valerie saw the gate where she had first entered the city. They ventured past the tall columns that lined the passage and hastened into the Necropolis. Again, the ground shifted and rolled beneath their feet. Unable to see clearly now as the ash continued to pelt them, they walked close to the tombs, feeling their way along.
“Christos! Look out!” Valerie called as a tomb collapsed, sending a column into their path.
Again, he shoved Valerie and Clarus out of the way. Only this time, he didn’t move fast enough through the disarray of stone and volcanic rock that littered the graveyard. The monument came crashing down, knocking him to the ground.
“No!” Valerie screamed. She stumbled through the now almost thigh deep ash as if she were wading through a vat of glue.
Damn this foot!
It took what seemed like an eternity to reach him.
Christos opened his eyes when she cupped his cheek. “Seek shelter, my love,” he rasped.
Valerie shook her head as Clarus whimpered, behind her. “I won’t leave you.”
“You have to,” he gasped.
She shook her head and coughed. The volcanic fumes were so dense, Valerie could barely breathe.
He reached for Clarus’s hand. “Take care of Valerie, little one. Take care of each other.”
Clarus nodded through her tears.
“Remember, Valerie, in you I will continue to live.” With a shudder, he closed his eyes.
Valerie grabbed his shoulders. “Christos!” she screamed. A sob escaped her when he didn’t respond. “Please! I love you! You can’t leave me!” Valerie cried.
She clutched his hand to her heart and brushed the ash away as it began to cover Christos’s body.
“Valerie.” Clarus touched her shoulder. “We can’t help the master now. You have to come with me so I can take care of you, just like he said.”
She looked up through her tears and gasped. A few feet away was the tomb she had hidden in during the previous quake when she was catapulted back in time. “Over there,” she motioned with a nod. “It has a roof. We can be close to Christos.”
Clarus helped her and together they made their way to the tomb. A sense of deja vu came over Valerie as she brushed the ash and pumice from the opening with her cane, clearing it for them to enter. Crawling on her hands and knees, Valerie climbed through the opening first. She turned and reached for Clarus but the child, succumbing to the fumes as well, had collapsed.
“Clarus!” Valerie screamed. The child didn’t stir, she just lay there as the ash continued to fall.
Valerie’s eyes burned as her lungs filled with the sulfuric gases unleashed from the volcano. She retreated into the recess of the niche. Coughing and choking, she stared off into the distance, toward where Christos had fallen. Was there someone near, standing over him? She squinted, but his still form had become lost to her in the downpour.
“Soon, I’ll be with you, my love,” she whispered.
Closing her eyes, Valerie gave herself over to the fumes. Even her foreknowledge couldn’t save them.
Vesuvius had won.
Chapter 32
“Valerie? Are you in there?”
Valerie raised her arm, shielding her eyes from the ray of sunlight streaming into the tomb.
“Papa?” she whispered. Was she really hearing his voice?
“Val?”
“Papa!” She shouted the word this time. “I’m in here!” But no sooner had Valerie spoken the words than panic gripped her. If he stayed, he would perish! “Get away from here, Papa! You’ll die if you stay!”
“She’s safe,” Valerie heard him call. “I’m not going to die today, daughter. And neither are you.”
“But the volcano! It’s erupting!” she cried out.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. There’s nothing dangerous out here, except of course for Lucy’s temper.” He chuckled and moved away from the opening.
One by on
e, the heavy stones covering the entry fell away as the men continued to dig. Dirt and dust sifted in and Valerie shut her eyes. A breeze blew in through the opening the workmen were creating. She took a deep breath of air. Fresh sea air! Where was the sulfur? The ash? The blackness?
Am I…home?
Finally, an opening large enough for her to slip through was made. Frederick’s strong hands reached in and pulled her out, carrying her to flat ground. Gently, he helped her sit. He squatted down beside her and took her hand in his. Then retrieving a handkerchief from his pocket, he lightly dabbed at the moisture gathering in his eyes.
“You had us terrified, young lady,” he admonished through his smile. “Goodness, it’s wonderful to see you.”
Valerie reached out and hugged her father. “It’s good to see you, too,” she whispered through her own tears.
When she released him, he stood and looked down at his daughter.
He whistled through his teeth as he removed his jacket. Placing it around her shoulders, he said, “Out and about without your undergarments again, eh? I’m sure your mother will have a conniption fit when she sees you dressed like this.” He winked. “That is, after she’s done crying a bucket of tears and holding you in her arms for at least two days.”
Valerie looked down at her clothing. Disappointment filled her. She was dressed in her long dark charcoal skirt and white blouse, exactly as she was when she left her own time.
Did any of it happen?
Or was it all a dream stirred up by her overactive imagination and being stuck inside the tomb? She glanced around her. The Necropolis was just as it had been when she first arrived with her family.
“We’d better get back to camp so you can clean up,” Frederick offered.
“Yes, Papa,” Valerie replied, her head bowed. It had all seemed so real. She touched a finger to her lips. Christos had seemed so real.
“Excuse me, sir.” One of the workmen motioned for Frederick. “Here. Your daughter forgot this.” He pulled his hand out of the opening and handed Valerie’s cane to her father.
Frederick raised his eyebrows as he handed the ebony walking stick to his daughter. “Say now, where did you come by this?”
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