The Last Oracle (35 page)

“Myrdd, Alex is concerned because of the baby,” she said.

“Yes,” he said without looking up. Valeria took Myrdd’s hand and pressed it to her belly. “See? There’s a baby in here.” The baby kicked against Myrdd’s hand and he jumped as though surprised, and then the clouds cleared from his eyes.

Suddenly, he spoke with clarity—as if the dead had been awakened. “Now is a tenuous time! There are things that must be done. Unless they are completed before the birth…” Myrdd lifted his hands and shook his head conveying the hopelessness of the situation.

Lars approached and knelt beside Valeria. “Tell us
exactly
what that means, Myrdd. What will happen if she doesn’t go to Cuma?”

Sensing the tension in the room, Myrdd began to curl up in a ball. Valeria put her hand on his shoulder.

“Myrdd, do you know what will happen if I don’t go to Cuma?” she asked.

The old man’s faded eyes narrowed, and again the clouds cleared, but she sensed his reluctance to tell her and smiled to encourage him.

Finally he said, “Neither you nor the child will survive.”

A shocking chill ran over Valeria, and she felt the effect it had on the rest of the family. She took a deep breath and let it out. “You’re certain?”

“Alexander does not wait long before he succumbs—”

“Stop!” she said, wrapping her hands protectively around her belly as a sick wave of nausea crept over her. Immediately, Myrdd curled back into a ball.

Calming herself, Valeria ran her hand over her mouth. “Well, that isn’t an option.” Then she gave a side-glance toward her family. “Alex doesn’t need to hear any of that.” Then she drew another calming breath. “Myrdd, are we going there to see the sibyl?”

“She is waiting for you.”

“Myrdd, can you show us where?”

Myrdd thought for a moment. “Yes. We will need the boy.”

“Do you mean Caleb?” Valeria asked.

“Cool! Can I go?” Caleb asked, his eyes never leaving his computer screen.

“Not
that
boy,” Myrdd said lifting a long thin finger toward Caleb. She saw the fog move back into Myrdd’s eyes.

“Who then?
Elliot?” When Myrdd didn’t respond, Valeria stood and glanced toward Lars. “I guess we’re going to Cuma.”

∞

An hour later, Lita, Mani, and Valeria stepped into the brusque cold of winter in the mountains. In an otherwise colorless afternoon, Valeria could see a golden glow through the trees beyond the field covered with intermittent patches of snow.

As she opened the door to their cottage, she saw Alex on the couch staring blankly at the fire. She went to him and brushed her hand along the side of his face. He rapidly turned and pulled her into his arms as if he had already lost her again. She held him for a few minutes and then
stood; taking his hand, she led him into their bedroom. There would be no more discussion of this tonight.

Because of the progression of the pregnancy, Mani and Lita joined Alex, Valeria, and Myrdd on the private jet that headed to Naples.

Valeria had packed knowing that she would probably not return to her beautiful cottage in the woods. She hoped that someday her child might know it...if they survived. The plan was that after going to Cuma—provided that Myrdd had no further requirements of them—they would go to Mani’s home in Puerto Rico and stay there, at least until the baby was born. She would again miss springtime at Morgana. But if that meant that they all lived, well, she could live with that.

Mountains surrounded Cuma, but as they neared the coast, it flattened to the sea. The crescent shaped coast of white sand and the deep blue Mediterranean led to the famous Mt. Vesuvius a few miles south. Alex, Valeria, and Myrdd drove to the Temple of the Cumaen Sibyl. Surrounding the area were olive orchards and bland, modern buildings that didn’t fit with the ancient ruins. Alex had been unusually tense during the flight. And, although Valeria had not shared Myrdd’s ominous words with Alex, he too seemed to feel the weight of hopelessness.

It was late afternoon when they arrived; due to the chill in the air, thankfully, tourists were absent. Valeria pulled her down jacket around her and realized that it could no longer zip up. Oh well, she thought, the
baby was keeping her plenty warm. It was the uncertainty of these events that gave her a chill.

“Where do we go Myrdd?” Alex asked as he glanced around the park. They had convinced Myrdd to dress in slacks and a shirt but he pulled at the unwanted restraint of them, longing for his robe. When he refused to respond, Alex grabbed the flashlights that they had purchased and handed one to Valeria. “Here, take this, and let’s get going so that we can be done with this before sunset.”

They passed a dual arch made of brick and spoke of a better time for this temple. Finally, they saw the triangular entrance to the cave that bore into the mountainside; its granite slabs smoothed by time. They passed orange plastic barriers where excavation was still continuing, and then several marble slabs carved with quotations from Virgil’s
Aeneid
that expressed what, according to the epic, Aeneas and the men accompanying him felt as they approached the cave of the prophetess.

For a moment, she felt the same fear mixed with respect as they stepped into the triangle-shaped entrance of the sanctuary. Inside the narrow space, she noticed how the hundred-yard cave seemed like a long birth canal.

Alongside the corridor, smaller triangular booths could be seen where it was assumed that people of antiquity waited behind brass rails, hoping for the Sibyl to prophesize for them. 

At the end, where the slot widened, there was a tall, rotund rock cave with two alcoves alongside.

“Alex?” Valeria stepped into the sibyl’s alcove and noticed that the echo was significantly increased within this location. She could imagine the sibyl sitting here—her voice sounding as if it came from God. “I pronounce this sibylline oracle in session,” she said with a laugh that seemed to echo, and she giggled again. Hearing it echo, she began to laugh and had to get out of the echo chamber. Jeesh, she thought, she was getting giddy from all of the tension.

Myrdd furrowed his eyebrows as he walked from wall to wall looking confused. Sensing that he was getting upset, Valeria brushed her hand over his shoulder. Myrdd turned, his eyes wide with surprise as if he had woken from a deep sleep. He calmed and said, “This is not the place.”

Then he walked out of the cave.

“Wonderful,” Alex sighed with sarcasm.

The tension was definitely getting to him. When Valeria and Alex stepped outside, Myrdd was nowhere to be found. Valeria looked around and saw an ancient stone staircase that rose to the top of the hill above the cave. She scanned along the top of the hill until she spotted Myrdd walking rapidly.

“Alex,” she said, pointing to Myrdd.

At the top of the stairs, they found Myrdd staring off toward the sea, his eyes searching intently over the numerous olive groves and vineyards.

“No, this isn’t...no...
no...” Myrdd said, lowering his brow as he shook his head.

“What are we looking for Myrdd? Perhaps Alex and I can help,” Valeria said.

Myrdd continued to mumble.

“I think this trip was probably—” Alex began, sounding a bit relieved.

Myrdd looked up and said, “It was near water.”

“The sea?”

“Not the sea,” Myrdd mumbled. “It was round...from the fire...and a mountain.”

Glancing along the horizon, she saw Mt. Vesuvius. “Do you mean a volcano?” Myrdd didn’t answer and then she spotted a circular body of water that looked like it could be a crater. “Is that what you were looking for?” she asked.

Myrdd scratched his beard as he stared at the lake through his aged eyes and then nodded, as his breathing slowed. He climbed over the orange barricade and slowly scrambled down through the scrub brush and over the large boulders. Valeria turned to look at Alex and shrugged.

“Val, you’re in no condition to be climbing down that,” Alex said.

By then, Myrdd had already reached the bottom of the rocky hill.

“We can’t leave him alone,” she said sympathetically. “You can help me and we’ll take it slow. It’ll be all right.”

Alex took a deep breath and glanced out at the miles to the sea where the sun was still a few inches off the horizon. “Val, I don’t want to be that far away from the car.”

By then, Myrdd’s rapid pace was about to put him out of view. She could see that he was talking to himself and wondered what she had gotten herself—and her baby—into. She remembered the momentary glow on Alex’s face when he saw the baby’s heartbeat, and she was determined to make that dream a reality.

Pushing back her doubts, she climbed over the barricade. If she wasn’t certain, how could she expect Alex to be all right with this?

“I’ll be careful. We have to go!”

Alex reluctantly followed her and she was surprised how difficult it was climbing with her balance diminished by the pregnancy. At the bottom of the hill, she felt the angry kicks and ran her hand over her stomach as she looked down. “Sorry!”

They moved quickly through the olive grove. The cool air was a relief from the heat of their rapid pace, and the light clouds turned pink—an indicator that sunset was approaching.

Walking through a vineyard and a park, they caught up with Myrdd who kept pointing toward the lake. When the surrounding grounds turned to forest, they saw some signs, and indeed, the lake was from a crater. Myrdd followed a bike path, irritated with the modernization that had changed the forest he once knew. His feet began moving faster, and with more certainty. Finally, a cave opening appeared. Myrdd glanced at the entrance and then ignored it and began studying boulders in the vicinity.

As the sun began to sink behind a hill, they heard a noise from inside the cave. Alex grabbed Valeria and pulled her down behind him as they hid, while Myrdd continued to explore up the hill. Alex felt his heart rate climbing and prayed that it wasn’t an enemy exiting the cave.

With her eyes widened in fear, Valeria heard footsteps as they exited the cave and turned toward their location. She gasped as the figure stood before them, completely shadowed by the remainder of the glow of gold behind him.

“Alex?”
Came the familiar voice.

“Max?”
Alex returned, incredulously. “What are you doing here?”

“Forgive me for frightening you.”

“How did you know that we would be here?” Valeria asked, still winded from nerves.

“I had no idea that you would be here,” he said.

Alex brushed his fingers through his hair trying to determine if this was another trap. “Then why are you here, Max?”

“Something that kid, Caleb, said a while back was troubling me.” Max tilted his head and narrowed his eyes. “Actually,
there’s been several things that have been rattling around in my head. Last night, I finally put it together and decided to investigate.”

“What?” Valeria asked.

“It has to do with that guy, Paolo, and his place in Carrara—Bella Vida.”

“Bella Vida? Why would that trouble you?” Alex asked. “Kristiana named it.”

“After you were married?” Max asked. Even in the twilight, Valeria noticed something in Max’s eyes that she couldn’t quite identify.

Alex nodded and then lowered his brows. They could hear Myrdd mumbling to himself as he fumbled around in the near-darkness.

“What is it Max?” Valeria asked.

“Valeria, you may not know this, but in our time, we were named for traits that our parents desired for us. Alexander, for instance means ‘defender.’ Your name, Cassandra, means ‘to shine upon man’—how appropriate.” He bit his lip. “My name, on the other hand, means, ‘great one.’ They certainly got that one wrong!”

“What does this have to do with the sibyl?”

“I’ll get to that—and I assure you, it is relevant.” Max pressed his lips together. “Circe’s name was given to her by Hecate, but her birth name was Vivianna—meaning ‘life.’”

“Okay,” Valeria said.

“Are you coming?” Myrdd shouted.

“In a moment, Myrdd,” Alex said.

“So Kristiana was named for...”

“The Greek derivation means ‘Christian,’” Alex said. “Of course, she was named before the Christian movement.”

“Right.
And if she were an oracle—or perhaps had a friend who was an oracle—she would have known the validity that name would provide later, especially as the anti-pagan movements began.” Max’s eyes narrowed at Alex. “I assume you never provided Kristiana with a vision of the future?”

Alex shook his head. “No.
Never.”

“I’m still not following you, Max,” Valeria said.

“Do you remember what Circe’s prized possession was from the Titan, Hecate?”

“What did you call it?
Some kind of dagger...oh, a kris?” Valeria said.

“Yes. A
kris...that later became the symbol of spiritual strength in the south pacific.”

Shaking her head as if trying to put it together, Valeria asked, “Are you saying that there is an association between Circe and Kristiana?”

“Circe’s birth name, Vivianna, means ‘life.’ While the derivation of the weapon, kris, means ‘beautiful.’”

“I’m sure there is a significance there that I’m just not seeing,” Alex said.

“What did Kristiana name her home?”

“Bella Vida.” Suddenly the color drained from Alex’s face. “That translates to ‘beautiful life.’ Kristiana named her home after herself!”

“But Circe had a son,” Valeria said.

“What’s a girl to do? Her kid ages...and she doesn’t.”

Alex’s eyes widened. “
Paolo!
” 

“Myrdd said that Circe made demands of him. I suspect she was blackmailing Myrdd with the fact that he had fathered her son. But she also came to me,” Max added. “So, Paolo may be my son, or Myrdd’s. Of course, with Circe, who knows what the truth actually is,” Max added.

“Except Kristiana is immortal and Circe was not?”

“That is true, and I haven’t pieced that together yet,” Max said.

Suddenly, Myrdd shouted down from the hill top, “The crystal.” He frantically pointed to his neck. “Around her neck...the crystal. She lives because of  the crystal!”

“The crystal?”
Suddenly Alex recalled how Kristiana always wore the crystal—and how nervous she would became if he touched it. “Of course, it’s the crystal!”

Rolling his eyes, Max said sarcastically, “Wonder what she exchanged for that piece of immortality?” Then he glanced up the hill and, again, Valeria could see his eyes tighten to mask his pain.

“Sorry, Max...I don’t mean to be indelicate, but I see no way around it. I just can’t believe that Myrdd would give Kristiana immortality in exchange for sex—especially when Apollo had promised the return of his symbolon.”

Max shrugged nonchalantly. “My guess is that she worked her way into his world with seduction. From there, immortality must have had a higher price. I believe she would have easily traded anything for immortality—including her prized possession, the
kris,” Max said. “Round one of her blackmail probably provided her visions of the future. If she had drugged and seduced Myrdd, I’m sure that Myrdd would have thought nothing of giving her a transference. If he were drugged during the transference, who knows how much data she might have seen.” Max’s eyes narrowed at Alex, “That’s probably how she first saw you, and where her obsession began—which I’m sure was long before you met her in Cararra.”

“Why me?”
Alex asked, as Valeria brushed his arm.

“Circe is a woman who needs to be loved completely. I believe that she dreamed of the kind of love that you have for your lovely wife. The kind of love she evidently found lacking in our relationship,” Max said, matter-of-factly, as if that statement didn’t just rip his heart out.

Valeria smiled sympathetically at Max. “I think you underestimate yourself, Max. You told me of her brush with Envy—followed by her constant exposure to hallucinogens.”