“Myrdd isn’t himself. I was hoping that seeing you would help,” Alex said as he pushed Valeria in the wheelchair down the wooded trail.
They wove their way through the forest and came to a mass of vines and pine boughs that looked like some place a wild animal might inhabit. Alex stopped and called out, “Myrdd?” Valeria saw a sudden movement, like that of a frightened animal. “Myrdd, I’m going to bring Cassandra to see you. You remember Cassandra!” Alex spoke gently. He lifted Valeria from the wheelchair and moved to the front of the shelter, setting her on the ground. Alex sat protectively next to her, ready to move Valeria in an instant if necessary.
From the back of the shelter, she saw a flash of white, but her eyes had not yet adjusted.
“Don’t be frightened,” Alex said to her. Then he looked back at the shelter.
“Myrdd? Can you come out? See, it’s Cassandra.” Valeria saw movement and, after more encouragement, saw an old man with a long, dirty white beard and flowing hair. He checked her out as if suspicious, and then calmed and curled into a ball near her.
“Myrdd?
Do you remember me?” she said as she smiled softly. Myrdd didn’t move. She glanced at Alex. “I’m going to try something.”
Moving her body into as close of a ball as she could—considering her broken leg that was outstretched and her growing belly—she tried
to mimic Myrdd’s position. She sat there for nearly ten minutes. Then, Myrdd moved his head back and Valeria did the same. Myrdd looked at her suspiciously. She imitated his look. Myrdd looked up at her and leaned toward her. Valeria did the same. Finally, Myrdd seemed to relax a bit.
Valeria looked at Myrdd. “Can you do this?” She moved her hand in front of her, as if waving hello. Myrdd looked suspiciously at her and then duplicated her action. “Good!” she said.
“Can you do this?” She held up her hand and moved it in an arc and then turned it over. Myrdd thought for a moment and then duplicated the action quickly but without the grace that Valeria had demonstrated. Alex watched in astonishment. “Good.”
Valeria sat for an hour and now had Myrdd duplicating her actions almost as well as she did them. She placed her hand on his and said, “Myrdd, now I want you to say what I say: hello.”
Narrowing his eyes at her for a moment, he suddenly turned his head as if clearing the cobwebs. When he looked back at her, his eyes had cleared. He shook his head again and then smiled, his teeth covered in a dark film, and muttered, “Hello.” Myrdd seemed surprised to hear his own voice. “Hello, Cassandra.” He cleared his throat. “It has been some time.”
Valeria laughed softly. “Yes it has, Myrdd. Do you remember Alex?”
Myrdd looked at Alex and pulled back his head. “Has it been this long?” Then Myrdd dropped his head and shook it. “It must be longer than it...” He looked up at Alex and then back at Valeria. “Alexander has found you...then it has been a very long time.”
Alex smiled and spoke gently. “Yes, and we’re married now. It’s very good to see you again, Myrdd.”
Myrdd reached toward Valeria and she noticed Alex lean forward as a defensive move, but he restrained himself from stopping Myrdd’s actions. Valeria squeezed Alex’s hand. Myrdd pointed to Valeria’s stomach. “Are you…”
“Alex and I are having a baby.”
“She is a good baby,” Myrdd said, causing Alex and Valeria to exchange a curious glance.
“Myrdd, you need to clean up and get some food. And if you would like to, we would like for you to stay at the main house...I mean our home.”
“I don’t care to stay inside.” His face puckered. “Too drafty.”
“Well, let’s start with the food and shower and we can talk from there,” Valeria said.
Myrdd came out of the shelter. Alex picked up Valeria and, suddenly, Myrdd noticed that she was wearing pants. “You dress like a man now?” he asked Valeria.
Valeria and Alex laughed. “Yes. Yes, I guess I do.”
As Myrdd showered, Alex asked Valeria, “How did you know imitating Myrdd would help him?”
Valeria shrugged. “It’s not like I figured out brain surgery. It was just...simple observation. I stayed in a foster home and the grandmother lived there and suffered from dementia. I noticed that when the other kids imitated her she seemed to do better. I guess
I kind of thought that it was a way out of her fog. Eventually, she would actually talk to me.”
Alex raised an eyebrow. “Hmm—that doesn’t sound so simple to me!” Valeria smiled and leaned against Alex.
By Christmas Eve, Valeria was finally walking. They had stayed at the main house for far too long with everyone watching her as if she had the fragility of a robin’s egg...well, all except for Lita. With her gentle spirit and enthusiastic heart, Lita was a slave-driver and took charge of Valeria’s physical therapy.
Valeria was now walking nearly five miles a day along the snow-covered back trails of Morgana with Lita and a guard. As packages arrived for the family, and were gathered under the tree at the main house, Valeria couldn’t help but think how very different and thrilling the next year would be. She hoped that all was resolved and that they could live their lives as an ordinary family.
It was late afternoon and already, the sun was beginning to set. Valeria could smell the cinnamon, cloves and apple cider heating on the stove. It was typically spiced with rum, but this year, for Valeria, they made a virgin batch and the others added their own rum.
Although Tavish kept a bottle of rum and added a bit of spiced cider to his.
Alex arrived with a sparkle in his eye and wrapped his arms around her. “Would you like to get some of your Christmas presents now?”
She nodded excitedly and he grabbed her coat. She zipped her down vest and pulled on her hat and boots as they walked down the trail. She hadn’t been near the cottage since the night she had been carried to Mani’s. As they got closer, she could see that the cottage had been rebuilt and a thrill ran through her.
“We’ll replant the hydrangea next spring,” he said as they rounded the side of the house. From the front it looked almost exactly the same as it did before the fire. She turned her head to look at the roof-line. It had always been beautiful, but now it seemed much higher and with two wide dormer windows.
“I added a room upstairs. I hope that’s all right. Lita suggested we might want an extra room.” Alex said. Valeria smiled as she hurried up the three steps and admired the wide porch she had always loved. It looked just the same and ran along the entire front of the house, with several sitting areas and an assortment of rattan furniture, including a porch swing. Even the river stone beams looked the same. She had always loved the mix of stone, gray-blue siding and white trim.
“Ready?” he asked as he held the wrought-iron door handle of the arched double doors. She nodded.
As the door swung open, Valeria’s heart overflowed! It was their beautiful cottage but, somehow, it was even better. She looked to the right and there were a hundred classics—including a complete collection of the Bronte sisters and Jane Austin—all leather-bound with a red ribbon over them.
“That was one of your surprises,” Alex said as he pulled the ribbon off. She scanned the titles, unable to move on until she had taken in the whole of the beautiful gift of books. There was
Moby Dick, The Scarlet Letter
,
The Count of Monte Cristo
and a complete set of Charles Dickens. She stared in awe and then she saw
Walden
right next to
Sense and Sensibility—
their two favorite books. She brushed her fingers over all of them and then turned and embraced her husband.
“Oh, thank you!” She swallowed back her tears.
Then she took a few steps and noticed that something was very different—there was a door on the bedroom.
“I thought that might be more appropriate,” Alex said, and she smiled. In their bedroom, everything looked the same—except now, there was a rocking chair next to the bed. Again, her heart was filled with warmth and she swallowed back the tears. “Oh! Check in the
bathroom,” he said. Instead of the sunken tub from before, there was now a claw foot tub that humbled the one sent to Mani’s house for Lita.
Alex led her back into the kitchen and then stood by a new room that was off from the kitchen and next to theirs. She opened the door and it was a beautiful pink and blue nursery. “Camille helped me decorate it. I hope it’s all right,” he said, suddenly uncertain of himself.
“It’s gorgeous!” The first thing she saw was that it had a bay window, with seats that looked out on her ginkgo tree. There was a hand-carved crib and a mobile that hung over the crib with different types of planes. Valeria laughed as she saw a stuffed version of Alex’s Helio in the mix. There was a matching rocker and a changing table and a closet full of tiny dresses. Her heart was about to overflow!
“Did you see the stairs?” Alex asked. Valeria sighed heavily, not wanting to leave the nursery, but forced herself out. She glanced up the winding staircase outside of the nursery and then took the stairs two at a time.
It was a play room that seemed to capture the light perfectly. Along one wall, was a collection of children’s stories. She sighed at the complete
Anne of Green Gables
series,
Peter Pan
and then saw
The Secret Garden
—which held a special significance to her, as she had named her florist’s shop after the story. By then, she couldn’t withhold the tears if she tried. She hugged her husband and tried to get control of the sobs, when she saw something on a table in the corner covered with a white cloth.
What is that?” she asked as she brushed away a tear.
“It’s...well, it’s actually my Christmas present to you,” he said as she approached it. It was about eighteen inches high, sitting in a lit alcove. She pulled on the cloth and there was a sculpture in white, Carrara marble of her, laughing as she joyously held a beautiful, baby girl in the air. At that point Valeria was lost in so much joy that she clung to Alex and sobbed.
Although it was a frequent occurrence, Alex still wasn’t sure whether to smile or comfort her.
“Is it all right? Do you like it?” he asked, suddenly nervous.
“It’s...I’ve never...Oh...” was the most she could seem to say.
Alex led her back down the stairs and into the bedroom. “I thought we might...” Before he could say another word, Valeria put her arms around him and kissed him with a passion that had been put on hold for far too long.
∞
That night they walked back up to the main house hand in hand along the magical trail lit by lanterns. Homer had been busy and, despite all the snow, the trails were shoveled. Christmas music was playing and they opened gifts of love with their family.
Time seemed to pass quickly and it was already mid-January. Since they had been at Morgana for months without incident, Alex worked in his office where his studio used to be. There was still a studio, but it was now detached from the house.
The oracles were settling in to their new lives. Max was the first to leave Morgana to explore the new world. He was given a cell phone, a
Europass for the trains, some cash, credit cards and a fake passport. He had even learned to text and considered it ideal. When Elliot would call, Max would push the call to voicemail. Then, after listening to Elliot’s long voice mail messages, Max found it extremely satisfying to respond with a short, glib text.
One afternoon, while Valeria was reading in the cottage, Olivia entered, her eyes lit with excitement and a pretty package wrapped in ancient papyrus in her hands—a gift for Valeria. Valeria smiled hesitantly at Olivia, who sat in front of her, poised with her arms wrapped around her knees. Valeria carefully
unwrapped it; inside was what appeared to be ancient, painted pot with a lid.
“Pretty!” Valeria said, looking at the pot in general. When she turned the it so that she could see the artwork in more detail, she noticed that there were four
paintings, each was a scene of someone being brutally slain. Valeria lowered her eyebrows, smiling again at Olivia, this time with a hint of discomfort.
As she turned the pot to see the final painting, she felt something roll inside the vessel. Olivia’s eyes widened and she giggled with excitement, as if some special treat were hidden within. Valeria pulled off the lid and, suddenly, the smell of death filled the room and she saw the bloody remains of a mutilated rat. She screamed instinctively and pushed the lid back on the pot as she fought the bile rising in her throat.
In an instant, Alex was by her side. Seeing Valeria’s eyes on the pot, he picked it up and lifted the lid. Just as quickly, he shut it. Then he wrapped his arms around his very pregnant wife and held her for several minutes.
“She knows,” he said.
∞
The family gathered at the main house—minus Daphne. They had called Elliot to come and comfort Olivia, as she was completely distraught. She had found the gift on the porch and expected it to be a late Christmas gift.
The remaining new oracles became guards, led by Tavish. It was decided that Myrdd’s input was vital, so Alex and Valeria coaxed him to the main house where the rest of the family was gathered.
Myrdd sat on the floor in front of the fireplace in his dark brown robe, his arms wrapped around his legs. He rocked back and forth and refused to acknowledge anyone in the room.
Over the past few months, Camille had grown increasingly distant. Valeria was certain that it was difficult for her to be at Morgana with all of the joyful reunions among the oracles. Elliot and Olivia were engaged now, and Mani had Melitta back. Lars and Ava were living together for the first time in decades. And now, Alex and Valeria were there, not only happy, but expecting a baby. Tavish spent most of his time in Glasgow, and so Caleb was the only remaining unpaired mortal—who was merely twelve and was constantly beta testing his video game, rarely lifting his head from his computer screen. Despite Camille’s recent despondency, when she entered the family room, her eyes widened as she stared at Valeria’s expanded belly and exclaimed, “Good, God! I thought you were only a few months along!” Camille looked at Mani. “Doesn’t it take, like...a year?” Valeria was pleased to see Camille so animated and interested.
Mani smiled calmly and affectionately patted Lita’s leg. “Evidently, this is normal development.”
“She’s just moved into a more visible location,” Valeria said as she gently rubbed her belly.
“She?
It’s a girl?”
Camille asked with more excitement than Valeria had seen in some time. “We should have a party for the baby...an early party. Oh, yeah, a baby shower!”
“If it involves food and good wine, I’m in!”Ava said.
Lars raised a hand. “After today’s surprise, I don’t believe we’ll be doing any celebrating at Morgana. We need to get Val out of here. Myrdd, would you like to join the discussion?”
Staring blankly down at the ground, Myrdd shook his head. “No.
No, I...” he mumbled in a near-whisper, as though speaking to himself.
Valeria walked over to Myrdd and placed her hand on his shoulder.
“Myrdd?”
Feeling her touch, he glanced suspiciously at the hand on his shoulder and then up the arm. Abruptly, his eyes brightened. Alex noticed the change in Myrdd after Valeria’s touch, and he glanced to Mani in question. Mani shook his head and shrugged.
“Cassandra! How are you child?” Myrdd asked.
“Not so much a child anymore,” she said with a smile.
“No...” Myrdd drew his brows in and shook his head. “I knew child was the wrong word...what is the right word?”
“Cassandra is a woman now,” Alex said gently.
“Yes...yes, that’s it. She is a
woman,
” he said, as if it was a new word for him. Then he glanced at Alex and batted his eyes as if stunned to see him. “Hello, Alexander!”
“Hello, Myrdd, it’s good to see you!” Alex stared at Myrdd for a moment and then said, “Myrdd, what is it in Cassandra’s touch that helps you?”
Myrdd lowered his brow and then said, “It’s because it is the touch of the last oracle.”
Lita’s eyes lit.
“Of course! The great healer!”
Valeria arched her brows.
“
The great healer?
”
Lita continued, “We all have our gifts. You—well, actually, Cassandra—was known as the one who would reunite the oracles. It was said that the oracles were drawn to you and you were known as the great healer—greater than even Apollo’s son, Asclepius!”
Lars leaned forward, taking charge. “Myrdd, someone sent Cassandra a warning message today. Do you know what actions we need to take?”
Myrdd pointed to Valeria and said, “Cassandra, the time has come.”
“Yes, I know,” Valeria responded.
Alex looked back and forth between the two.
“Time for what?”
“There’s something I must do,” she said.
Then Myrdd narrowed his eyes at her. “Do you remember where you must go?”
Valeria thought for a moment, and then she widened her eyes. “I believe I am to seek out the Cumaen Sibyl.”
Myrdd nodded.
“The Cumaen Sibyl?”
Alex brushed his fingers through his hair, rose to stand, and then began to pace. “I’m sorry, love, but none of the temples are safe for you right now! A dead rat in a pot may mean that we need to go someplace else, but with the baby—and especially with how far along you are—I really think we need to lay low,” Alex said. He didn’t want to hear talk about fate or destiny. Right now, he believed that his destiny was with her, and any risk to that outcome was terrifying. “I believe the safest thing is to take Val to Puerto Rico with Mani and Melitta.”
As Alex passed Valeria, she reached out and took his hand, pulling him down next to her. She brushed her hand along his face, attempting to remove some of his anxiety. “You’re right,” she said softly. Alex closed his eyes and sighed in relief as she turned to face the old man. “Myrdd, I have to think about the baby. I can’t do anything right now that will endanger her.”
Myrdd nodded without looking up.
“Myrdd?” she said, but he didn’t respond. Valeria lowered her brows—something wasn’t right. This was the first time that she had recalled any of the original plan and to change that felt wrong. She
drew a deep breath and glanced nervously at Alex. “I’m sorry, but I think that we
have
to go to Cuma. After that, we can go on to Puerto Rico or anyplace else that seems safe,” she said.
Alex’s throat tightened as he gripped her hand. “Val, as you said earlier, we need to think of our child, and someone is determined to harm you.” His mind frantically searched for solutions. “Perhaps Lars and I could go.”
Her heart sank into the pit of her stomach. “No!” she said, fighting the memory of her life without him and the emptiness she had felt. “Alex, you promised you would never leave me again!”
“Maybe Lars and Ava could investigate this,” Alex suggested, instead.
“Of course,” Lars added.
“Sure, I’m up for a trip to Cuma!” Ava said as she took a chug of her water.
“So...the famous Cumaen Sibyl?” Ava narrowed her eyes in skepticism. “Hasn’t she been gone since before the time of Christ? My guess is that we can probably pay a few euros and get a nice tour.”
“It must be Cassandra!” Myrdd’s voice resonated throughout the room. Alex breathed out heavily and shook his head.
Valeria drew a deep breath in an effort to remain calm so that Alex might see that this was not necessarily a death sentence—although the whole thing felt ominous to her as well. “Like Ava said, she’s probably not even there anymore. Maybe there’s just some kind of clue at the temple.” She released the breath and whispered, “Who was she anyway?”
Alex squeezed her hand and sighed. “The Sibyl of Cuma is arguably the most famous of the sibyls. According to Virgil, she had access to the underworld from her cave and guided
Aeneid in and out—a feat that rarely occurred in all of history. In
The Divine Comedy
, Dante chose Virgil as a guide to the underworld because Virgil had been there. And I will not agree to take my pregnant wife to the very door to hell!” Alex said, determinedly.
Lars said, “Myrdd, why must Cassandra go to the temple in Cuma? Who is she supposed to meet there?”
Myrdd sat silently, refusing to speak.
Valeria lifted Alex’s hand to her mouth and kissed it. She said, “Do you remember on my birthday—do you remember what you said?”
He shook his head. This was not a discussion he could even contemplate.
“You said
, you dared to dream of more. Well, so do I. And
this
is our chance. I have to believe that we were meant for more than this blink of an eye that has been our lives together—that we were meant to live an extraordinary life.”
Alex pulled back as if he had been punched.
“You don’t think that our life together is...extraordinary?”
Seeing that she had hurt the man she adored—the man who had spent eternities creating a perfect life for her—she took his face in her hands as tears formed in her eyes.
“
Yes!
Yes, my love, it is the most extraordinary life I ever could have imagined! And it would be so easy to forget everyone and everything else and just get lost in the extraordinary pleasure of you and I. But when you think about the gifts we’ve been given—all of us,” she said, as she glanced around to the other oracles in the room. “Don’t you have to ask yourself:
Why did Apollo choose us?”
She leaned forward. “He gave us the gifts of time and money...and love. And I don’t believe that it was so that we could simply hide here in our beautiful woods, living
careful
lives. I think that there is more for us to do—more for us to give—and a world full of pleasure if we refuse to allow others to determine our future.”
Alex’s face steeled itself against what he now knew was inevitable; after an eternity of waiting for the opportunity to protect her, she was insisting on placing herself at risk. He rose, narrowing his eyes and he asked, “
How can you even think of placing yourself at risk?”
She turned on her knees and took his hand in hers. “We deserve more and I’m willing to fight for it!”
He took a deep breath, as he battled the pain of her words. He knew she was right, but how could he agree? “Beautiful, for me, the dream has always been about you—and now our child—and I just can’t agree to this.”
“She must,” Myrdd said.
“Myrdd, I hope you understand, but under the circumstances, I can’t accept your judgment of this situation.” He took a deep breath and walked toward the door. “I’m going to...I’m going for a walk.”
“Wait, I’ll get my coat and go with you.”
Valeria rose, but Alex was halfway out the door and avoided eye contact with her. “No. Stay here. I need some time to clear my head.” As he stepped out the door, he gave a side-glance toward his family. “Mani, will you keep an eye on her?”
“Of course.”
“We all will,” Lita added.
Valeria stood at the window and watched as Alex moved rapidly down the stairs and over the colorless field on the bleak winter day, disappearing into the forest. His words had stung. It was the first time he had ever been angry with her.
A tear rolled down her cheek. She desperately wanted to run after him, but there were answers that she needed. Lita walked over and patted her on the back.
“Alex knows things are changing and he’s scared. But he also knows that you’re right. Give him some time to cool off and then we’ll walk you down.”
The room was silent as Valeria wiped her cheeks and turned toward Myrdd, who was again curled into a ball. She walked over and knelt in front of him, placing her hand on his shoulder.