Paolo’s face was unusually pale as he wiped a trembling hand across his brow. He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Time is different in the underworld,” he said, nearly breathless as he stared at the ground. His voice gained strength, and when he looked back up, his color had returned and he seemed nearly recovered. “If Kristiana believes that she is in danger, she will bring an army—certainly an army of dribs, but perhaps even Erebos.” He pursed his lips for a moment and said, “I do not believe she will harm me. I will go for her.”
Suddenly, they heard the screech of metal and noticed the same eerie breeze move through the room. All eyes turned toward the door to the underworld, as Max stood at its entrance.
Alex lowered his brow. “Max, if you step through there, you may never return.”
Max smiled wistfully at Valeria. “For once in this cursed life, I dare to dream for more...and I’m willing to fight for it. I’ll spend the rest of my days convincing her of that, whether in this world—or that one.”
Alex shook Max’s hand and Valeria hugged him. Rubbing his arm she said, “Take care of yourself, Max! You’ve been a good friend in the little time I’ve known you.” Then she kissed his cheek and Alex and Valeria stepped away from the door.
“Wait,” Paolo said. “I need to know...are you...?”
Max narrowed his eyes and shrugged casually. “So she says…” Then as Max began to walk through the entrance to the underworld, he stopped and turned back to Paolo. “But if that were true, that would make me...a very happy man.” Max almost smiled and then he stepped into the other world and was gone.
“We must leave this place at once!” Myrdd said, having appeared out of nowhere and now standing in the hallway in front of Aegemon’s room.
Aegemon sneered at Myrdd from his bed. “I should have known that
you
would come back!”
As Alex and Valeria passed his room, Aegemon lifted an arm. “Cassandra, please...one moment of your time.”
“What is it Aegemon?” Stopping in the hallway, Valeria eyed him cynically. The fact was, she felt weak from everything that had just occurred and had no patience for Aegemon or his tricks.
“Please...please come,” he pleaded. She glanced at Alex and then shrugged as they stepped into his room. As they neared his bed, Aegemon grasped her hand. She felt his pasty grip and jerked her hand back, fighting to keep the revulsion from her face.
“I know that you have a good heart—not like the rest of them. And I know that you will understand. One...very small favor?”
“Not likely,” she said and then had a moment of conscience for the dying man. “What is it that you want?”
“Will you leave me a coin...for Charon?”
“You are headed to Tartarus!” Paolo huffed. “What difference will a coin make?”
A drib returned with a tray of tea and startled by the newcomers, he dropped the tray and ran from the room. Aegemon eyes widened as he whispered, “Please don’t let me end up like him!”
Valeria glanced at Alex who reached into his pocket and flipped a coin that landed on Aegemon’s bedding. Aegemon greedily grasped it and held it as the greatest of gifts. He closed his eyes. “Thank you, Alexander! Thank you! I shall never forget your kindness!”
Alex and Valeria exited the cave without another word.
In the small jet, Mani and Lita immediately examined Valeria and confirmed that both she and the baby were fine. Still Alex insisted that Valeria rest during the flight and she had no problem agreeing. She was exhausted.
As Alex pulled Valeria into the bedroom, Lita approached with a blush in her cheeks.
“Alex, Mani, and I were thinking that instead of heading right to Puerto Rico...Valeria’s favorite place,” she teased, “we might stop in Sao Miguel.”
“Sao Miguel?”
Valeria asked.
“Of course!”
Alex smiled and then turned to Valeria. “The Azores—it’s where Lita and Mani were married.” Lita’s blush widened and Mani came back and wrapped his arms around Lita.
“Sao Miguel is small enough that we would know if there was any danger. It would give us a chance to ensure Valeria’s recovery from the stress over the past few days,” Mani said.
“And, it would be a second honeymoon for the two of you!” Valeria gushed, causing even Mani to blush.
∞
It was a magical holiday for the two couples in Sao Miguel. They stayed several days in an elegant B&B on the coast.
During the day, they strolled like tourists without a care, down ancient streets and long rocky beaches, eating the most incredible seafood and shopping. On the tiny island, they felt free from concern—certain that Kristiana would be gone for some time; and with Max in the underworld searching for her, perhaps there was hope that she was out of their lives forever.
Lita suggested that Valeria might want to purchase some things for the baby, as well as new maternity clothes. It was the first time Valeria had shopped for anything for the baby and it somehow made their future seem more likely.
While Alex and Mani perused an aviation store, Lita and Valeria sat outside, enjoying the warmth from the sun.
“I’m glad to see your ankle has recovered so well,” Lita said.
“Thanks to your magical touch and hellacious physical therapy!”
Valeria laughed as she brushed her hair back from her face.
Lita raised her brow.
“
My
magical touch? Well, that’s awfully funny coming from you!”
“What do you mean?” Valeria asked, as she wrapped a rubber band around her ponytail a third time and then released it.
Lita stared out to sea and shrugged. “The legend of the last oracle.”
Valeria’s eyes grew wide and then she laughed. “Yes, well I’m afraid
that
is all it is—a legend!”
Lita smiled. “You know, you have always been humble; even when you were one of the most powerful and respected women in the world. Of course, I never had the opportunity to meet you as Cassandra...but I wish I had.”
Valeria blushed and looked down. Biting her lip, she said, “Lita? I’ve noticed things...changing.” Lita glanced at Valeria’s belly in concern. “No...nothing like that. More like...I seem to know things now, like the names of oracles whom I’ve never met. Names that Alex says I probably never even knew as Cassandra. And then there was the vision of the crash.” Valeria stared out to the sea. “I did have something like that happen before when I had the plague, except it seemed more like a memory then. I guess I assumed that it was from the fever. But when Myrdd said that we needed to go to Cuma to the temple...well, I already knew that.”
Brushing Valeria’s shoulder, Lita smiled softly. “I don’t know. It does seem as though you were able to heal Myrdd’s memory by your touch alone. Perhaps you are healing yourself as well?” Lita suggested. “Or perhaps it’s from the love of Alex and your new family.”
Valeria wanted to tell Lita of her increasing concern that they had more threats to face. But the conversation ended abruptly when they saw the men returning.
As they window shopped, Alex’s face lit up. He guided her into a small store that smelled of freshly cut wood and featured hand-made furniture. They headed toward the window where Valeria saw a hand-carved cradle. The wood work was breathtaking. All Valeria could do was cry—she did a lot of that lately—as Alex insisted that it be sent to their cottage. Seeing Alex so animated and enthusiastic, she could actually envision their life together without the dark cloud that constantly seemed to haunt them.
Later, they stopped at an outdoor café and had lunch. Valeria watched as Mani laughed joyfully at something Lita said. The glow in his eyes and his laughter made Valeria realize that love had transformed Mani. When she thought of Camille, she suddenly understood why her moods had shifted. How difficult it must be for her to see so many reminders of a happiness that she would never again know. Valeria pushed that thought away as she quietly ached for her best friend.
She wondered what would happen after she had the baby. Would they go to St. John? Somehow, she couldn’t envision a life with a baby in their open-walled, Caribbean love nest. In fact, she couldn’t see that life at Mani’s in Puerto Rico either, or even here in the Azores. She loved Manhattan and missed her brownstone. But the only place that felt like
home
was their cottage! She tried not to think about it and convinced herself that it would all sort itself out.
As they walked along the rocky beach, they passed a house. It was a beautiful two story beach house with sand-worn shingles and a steep roof-line. The base was mostly windows and a wrap-around porch. Valeria was instantly attracted to it. Then she saw a picture in her mind of what it would be like to stay there.
She saw Alex and a two-year-old little girl playing on the beach, while Charlie, the dog, rolled in the sand. There was Lita and Mani holding hands and relaxing on lounge chairs with Lars and Ava. She saw Camille with an attractive black man—who looked exactly as she had imagined Jonah to look. The man was tall and slim with oracle blue eyes that were enhanced by his dark skin and charismatic smile. Camille was wearing a white, blue, and green sarong when Jonah pulled her onto his lap and they laughed joyfully. Then Camille wrapped her arms around his neck and Valeria saw something she had never seen in Camille’s eyes...the true happiness that could only be found between symbolons!
On the drive back to the airport, Valeria couldn’t get the picture of Camille and Jonah out of her head. There was something so real about it.
They climbed the stairs to the plane when Alex noticed that Valeria stopped and clung to the rails. “Val, are you all right?”
“No...I just—” Suddenly, the kaleidoscope effect started and she felt nauseous and dizzy. Luckily, she fell right into Alex’s arms and he carried her onto the jet. She lay down on the bed and Mani came back to examine her; but by then, she was fine—and she had a purpose.
“Camille needs to meet us here,” Valeria said.
“Sure, maybe next year, after the baby,” Alex said.
“No, I think she needs to meet us now. Can you call her?”
“What’s going on?” Alex asked, lowering his brows with concern.
“I know this sounds ridiculous, but I think....” She took a deep breath, feeling foolish. “Jonah is here.”
Alex’s eyes widened. “
Here?
Why would Jonah be on Sao Miguel?”
Valeria pushed herself up on her elbows. “I can’t tell you why...I just...I just know it.” She blushed, thinking how awful she would feel if she was wrong and how disappointed Camille would be. But she had such certainty that she had to try.
Lita sat down on the bed behind Alex and brushed her hand over Valeria’s ankle that was swollen from overuse and pregnancy.
“Valeria, perhaps we should see if we can find him before telling Camille?”
“Probably—but I think she has to be here,” Valeria said.
Mani strolled back and pressed his lips together. “Valeria may be right. Jonah was here.”
All three heads spun to Mani.
Mani continued. “Jonah had seen a vision of other oracles here in Sao Miguel. That’s how I met him.” Lita raised her brows in surprise, and Mani looked away for a moment before he drew in a deep breath. Releasing it, he said, “It was during a council meeting...one I should have been at.” Lita squeezed his hand and he continued, “Until then, Camille and Jonah did not know any other oracles.”
“How long ago was that?” Valeria asked.
“At least two hundred years before Jonah disappeared.
The other oracles seemed certain that he had been off the Caribbean and I had no reason to doubt it—until you just mentioned it,” Mani said.
This time, they rented a beach house and, the next day, Camille arrived.
“Let me guess, it’s a surprise baby shower and I’m the one surprised!” Camille said as she hugged Valeria and Lita at the airport.
They went down to the beach and Valeria suggested that she and Camille walk while Mani, Lita, and Alex relax on a bench on a small bluff above the beach. The sky was a misty blue as the white-capped waves rolled in, crashing on the sand.
“Camille, I know that this sounds absurd—”
“Absurd? You? Never!” Camille interrupted. “What’s going on?”
“We were walking here yesterday and I saw a vision of you and Jonah...I’ve never met Jonah, have I?”
“No,” Camille said and Valeria could see her pushing back her hope.
“Let me try to give you
a transference. I want you to tell me if this is Jonah. If not, then please, let’s just have a wonderful holiday and you can stay with us in Puerto Rico until the baby comes,” Valeria said, suddenly feeling apprehensive.
“Okay,” Camille said with
a hesitancy in her voice that Valeria had never heard.
They sat on a large piece of driftwood with the cool breeze coming off the sea and the soft white sand at their ankles.
“Now remember—I’m not very good at this,” Valeria said, offering her hands to Camille.
“I’ve got time,” Camille said. They looked into each other’s eyes and felt the affinity of their wonderful friendship, when suddenly Camille’s eyes grew wide in amazement. She jumped to her feet with tears in her eyes.
“That’s...him!” Camille choked. “Where is that house?” she said searching up and down the beach as Alex, Mani, and Lita joined them.
“It’s down here a ways,” Valeria said.
They walked with purpose a half mile down the beach and then stared at the house.
“He was here?” Camille said and Valeria nodded.
They walked up the wooden stairs that lay in the sandy dunes, and then stepped onto the porch of the wind and sand-weathered home. Camille rapped on the glass pane of the front door. Finally, an older woman answered.
Mani asked the woman in Portuguese about the history of the property but, evidently, the woman was new to the island and had no idea. Mani explained that they believed that their ancestors had owned the land. She suggested a neighbor whose family had been with the original Spaniards who had occupied the islands. As they left, Camille saw an ancient sign near a barn that read, “Kali House.” Camille raised her hand to her chest as tears filled her eyes.
“What’s the matter, Camille?” Valeria asked. “Are you all right?”
Camille just nodded and then took Valeria’s hands in hers. “Jonah was here!”
“Why do you say that?”
“Kali House! He called it Kali House!”
she said, talking so fast that Valeria could barely follow. “That was his nickname for me—well, it was to poke fun at me.”
“Kali?”
“We were in South Africa when a group of women began calling me Kali. Jonah thought it was hysterical. It’s Swahili for ‘fierce.’ He saw it as kind of a badge of honor. I saw it as an insult. Still, it stuck.” Camille drew a deep breath. “He’s near here! We’re going to find him!”
“Yes we are!” Valeria said, relieved that her intuition had paid off.
The elderly neighbor invited them in, speaking Oxford English. He offered them tea, and they sat politely while he described the entire history of the island.
After nearly twenty minutes, Camille interrupted the old man. “I’m sorry, but we’re wondering specifically about the history of the blue house down the road.”
The old man thought and said, “Yes, they used to call it Kali House when I was young—but not so much anymore. It has quite a history. Of course, it has been restored many times. I recall it being restored twice in my lifetime; once in my youth and then just a few years ago.”
“Could there have ever been a black man who owned it?” Valeria asked.
“Oh, yes! A Negro man most certainly lived there! You do know that we are not a racist country as other European cities and the world at large are. Is he related to you?” the old man asked.
“When?
I’m sorry, when did the man live there?” Camille asked, almost interrupting the man.
“I would have to say, around the 1960s. He was an older gentleman, perhaps in his fifties. He and his wife moved here. Let’s see, I believe that the man was transferred to the orient. He was a mathematician as I recall. Was he your grandfather?”
Valeria bit her lip and squeezed Camille’s arm. She could see that Camille was losing patience with this discussion.
“Senor Batista, we’re wondering more about the history from the 1700-1800s,” Alex said.