The All-Seeing Eye

by Rae Else

  El couldn’t understand it. Why was he so mad at Eirene for leaving, when it was her family’s safety she’d put in jeopardy? El had hoped that when they brought back proof of the Waseem’s corruption, all would be forgiven. But Eirene’s disappearance was another thing to put them in Yia Yia’s bad books. When she pictured her finding out that Eirene was missing too, El’s spirits quailed.

  As she stood fretting, Talus suddenly phased back into the present. ‘El,’ he snapped, ‘Discipline your mind. Practice centring your emotions like I showed you.’

  He faded away and El mumbled, ‘Aye, aye, Captain.’

  She pulled the leather cushion from one of the benches and laid it on the deck. Her graeae life-coach was probably right. She could do with centring her emotions again. Worry about Dan was gnawing at her. On top of that, dread about what Yia Yia would do to her when she returned set her nerves on edge. Throughout the afternoon, she practised the meditation and Tai Chi routine that Talus had prescribed.

  Eventually Talus phased back into the moment. ‘We’re still on time. We should intercept Dan at Kea.’

  Although relief fluttered through El, she tried to remain prepared for the worst. She knew that they weren’t out of the woods until Dan was with them. In the last few hours, she had managed to attain some semblance of peace. The flow of the breeze and movement of the water around the boat seemed to mirror the fluidity of her emotions and movements. Practicing had definitely helped her to stay calm. Reining in her emotions while a huge uncertainty loomed over her was challenging but definitely good training.

  ‘You know,’ Talus said, ‘In Chinese medicine, it is believed that one can become ill when the Chi is blocked - the Chi being what the Greeks would call “breath” or “spirit”.’

  A faint smile crossed El’s face. Did every practical lesson come with a lecture?

  Interpreting her expression, he said, ‘I’m sorry – I was under the impression that you were quite fond of my pearls of wisdom. So much so that you’d taken to quoting me of late.’

  El flushed, remembering what she’d said to Luke about chronos and kairos.

  ‘I may have to think about getting my material copyrighted,’ he said in a deadpan tone.

  El laughed. ‘You know, I think you’re onto something: A Graeae’s Guide to a Meaningful Life.’

  He smiled. ‘I’ll consider it a backup plan if things with the Triad don’t work out.’

  El’s thoughts clouded over as she wondered about the future: whether Yia Yia would still help her now that they’d left the island against her orders. Would they still get to go to the summit? She managed to push away the worries and still her mind.

  ‘I was thinking about Chi with regard to you and Janos,’ Talus explained. ‘I believe that’s what happened with him. When his eyes were taken, his Chi – his power – was blocked. With nowhere to go, you received his future vision of Dan.’

  El nodded. She’d known that what she saw was real. Even if it hadn’t happened yet. She wondered whether visions were always so intense for graeae. She wouldn’t wish that experience on anyone.

  ‘The connection between you and Janos is very strong. Yesterday, I noticed that your worry about Dan was transferred to him. He regained control quickly but his discomfort was apparent.’

  ‘But why did emotion make him uncomfortable?’ El asked.

  ‘Do you know much about Buddhism?’

  Another lecture. Really? She shook her head.

  ‘Emotions are very much to do with the physical: to being bound to this earthly world. We graeae are a bit like Buddhist teachers, like spiritualist gurus. We shake off our forms and natures and, by becoming part of time, achieve a transcendent state.’

  The words were out before she could stop them. ‘Sounds wild.’

  Talus laughed. ‘If Buddhists seek to achieve nirvana – eternal bliss – graeae get that every instance they become one with time – a taste of heaven.’

  ‘Hey, I saw the future. If you call waking up in a cold sweat, worried that your friend is going to die heaven, then you graeae are messed up.’

  ‘You misunderstand me. Sometimes, yes, we witness pain and suffering, but even then, if we are truly part of time, we do not feel. We see events objectively. It is only in returning to our physical forms that personal desires and fears take root, confusing what we’ve seen.’

  El nodded. She’d wondered how these graeae could witness mass murder and not feel. They didn’t exist: they were only observers. As she sat observing Talus dissolve again, his definition of bliss troubled her. His matter-of-fact tone had been restored after his lengthy disappearance. He hadn’t said anything about the future he’d seen, even though she was almost certain that he must have checked on what was happening back on Carras Island. It was almost as if time had diluted his emotion. But his distress earlier showed that he cared.

  Later, when Luke came back up on deck, he raided the fridge and made everyone a cold meal. As the evening drew in, they sailed through busier seas. Lots of fishing boats and other sailing yachts dotted the waters. As they drew close to Kea, low-slung villas appeared, nestled into the base of hills. Their rust-coloured roofs blended with the stone of the steep hillside. Groves of trees that El couldn’t name lined the hills and she thought of Tia and Adam, sure that they would recognise them. The only trees that looked familiar to her were the old oaks.

  Talus dispersed like a sea mist rolling through the bay.

  When he resolidified, he said, ‘Right everyone, as there’s little time before Dan and the others are due to set sail, I’ve seen the best future timeline and it works thus: Alex – you, Luke and Zoe will come with me. We’ll take the RIB into the marina. You’ll all stay in Kea. I’ll bring Dan and Uma back here, alone. Then the rest of us will head out to the Waseem Villa.’

  ‘Why can’t Alex and I—’ Luke started.

  ‘I have examined the timelines and this is the best one. If you want Dan to stay safe and for us to have the best chance of getting proof, you will do as I say.’

  Eirene spoke up, ‘You want me to come, Talus? I wasn’t even supposed to be here.’

  ‘As it turns out, you fit well into this plan. Part of the plan requires someone to stay on the boat with Uma who is due to be dropped off on the Waseem’s island. Dan was going to get the ladon Natasha, who he’s travelling with, to do this part. As a Carras, you, Eirene, will be a better fit to be seen on board.’

  ‘I’ll come too,’ Alex said.

  Talus shook his head, already lowering the RIB into the water. ‘As a human, your presence would make Uma and Eirene conspicuous. Let’s go.’

  El kissed Luke goodbye and hugged Alex. She and Eirene were left on board to watch the RIB draw away.

  ‘So,’ Eirene said as the boat disappeared into the marina. ‘You and Luke.’

  A smile swept across El’s face.

  ‘I’m happy for you,’ Eirene said. ‘God knows we need to make the most of the time we get.’

  El wondered if Eirene was talking about herself and Alex. Did she really like him or was she just looking for comfort with the uncertainty of the games hanging over her? If so, could El blame her? But El felt she had a responsibility to protect Alex. He’d suffered enough, without adding disappointment to everything.

  ‘I don’t know what you know about Alex,’ El ventured.

  ‘I know he lost your mum recently.’

  El nodded.

  ‘Yesterday, we talked so much through the day. I can’t remember the last time I talked to someone like I have with Alex. After that God-awful dinner last night, the only person I wanted to see was him.’ She paused. ‘We didn’t plan it but … one thing led to another and—’

  ‘Woah, woah,’ El said, ‘I get the idea, but Alex is the closest thing I’ve got to a dad so spare me the details.’

  Eirene laughed. ‘I really like him. He’s a good guy.’ Her expression became overcast. ‘I hope I get the chance to know him more.’

  The uncertainty of t
he future rested heavily on Eirene too. She must be thinking about Yia Yia’s retribution.

  ‘Let’s concentrate on getting proof,’ El said. ‘If we return with that I’m sure Yia Yia will be a lot more agreeable.’

  Eirene still looked solemn, but El’s attention was drawn by the sound of an engine and the splashing waves. A boat powered out of the marina. El strained her eyes to identify the people it carried. Her palms became clammy, her throat dry as she dreaded that Dan wouldn’t be on board. With each passing second her heart hastened. What if they’d come too late? Then she caught sight of Dan’s dark, shoulder-length hair and familiar profile.

  The boat halted at the back of the yacht. Her heart was in her throat as she watched him climb up on deck. He was here. He was okay.

  El practically tackled him. His arms closed around her and tears of relief pricked her eyes.

  ‘I was only gone two days,’ Dan said.

  As El looked at him and smiled, his out-of-character grin told her that he was far from displeased at her display of affection. She wiped her eyes and felt momentarily guilty that she was giving him the wrong idea but swept the thought aside.

  ‘I’m really glad you’re okay.’

  His eyes softened. ‘Alex told me what you saw. Thank you for doing what you did. For coming for me.’

  El tried to be nonchalant. ‘Of course. You’d have done the same.’

  ‘For you, no question.’

  She flushed. It had only been two days that they’d been apart, but in that time she’d forgotten how intense his tone and expression could be. How could one look and phrase be loaded with so much meaning?

  With everyone else back on board, their reunion was cut short. She was relieved that she’d asked Luke and Alex to keep quiet about her relationship with Luke. She wanted to tell Dan herself, but now definitely wasn’t the time.

  Dan introduced Uma. She had long plaited hair which El couldn’t help eyeing enviously.

  Soon everyone’s attention was occupied by the tasks Talus set them. Eirene and Uma took to coordinating the boat’s course. Meanwhile, Talus and Dan briefed El on the plan.

  ‘Uma and Eirene will stay on the yacht,’ Talus explained. ‘As one of the Waseem line, Uma is going to lift the veiling that conceals the island. Before the Waseem arete come to meet the boat, the rest of us will descend to the base of the island using scuba tanks. There’s an entry into the villa down there through a cavern system. The passageway is thousands of years old. We should go unnoticed.’

  ‘Sound okay?’ Dan asked, eyeing El.

  Her heart thudded at the thought of swimming through a sunken corridor. ‘I’ve never dived before.’

  ‘You’ll be fine,’ Talus said. ‘You’ll be sharing my tank. I’ll keep you right. I dive a lot.’

  El was surprised by this aside. El hadn’t thought Talus had any other hobbies than time travelling.

  ‘The cavern system,’ Dan explained, pointing to a map he’d sketched out, ‘brings us up in the lower rooms of the villa. This is where Janos believes we will find vast amounts of empousa blood being stored. He’s instructed me to get pictures of this and samples to take back for analysis.’ He paused and hesitated. ‘There’s something else that I need to prepare you both for…’

  His gaze darkened as he looked between them. El’s expression grew serious.

  Dan continued solemnly. ‘It’s not just photos of the blood I’m to get. Janos has foreseen that in the villa there’ll be an empousa … chained-up—’

  Talus scoffed. ‘Impossible. Graeae can’t foresee empousa power, any more than they can see another graeae.’

  ‘I understand your scepticism, but I’ve got my orders from Janos. She’s going to be chained-up and weak. I’ll get pictures of the rooms, the amount of blood they are taking from her and, finally, of her.’

  Talus didn’t try to hide his disbelief but El was struck by the magnitude of the situation they were entering. If Janos’ information was correct, not only were they breaking into a powerful arete family’s villa, but they were going to photograph a vampire.

  ‘You said she’ll be chained-up?’ El asked.

  ‘Yes,’ Dan agreed. ‘Janos says she’s in a cell. The chains are likely coated with empousa blood, meaning they’ll be indestructible.’

  El thought of the arenas in the Olympia and how they’d been coated with empousa blood: impervious to damage. Nevertheless, a sense of foreboding took hold of her at the word “likely”, but she tried to keep her cool.

  Soon Dan and Talus set up the scuba-diving equipment that they’d brought back from the marina.

  ‘You’ll use my alternate regulator,’ Talus said, showing El a yellow mouthpiece attached to his tank. ‘That way you won’t need to control a buoyancy jacket – I’ll hold you as we descend and go through the cavern.’

  El still didn’t feel sure about the whole thing but took the wetsuit Dan gave her and hurried to the bathroom to change. When she came out, Dan had his back to her. He was naked from the waist up and pulling on his wetsuit. At first all she noticed were his strong muscular shoulder blades and the black and white tattoo between them. It was of the shuttered eye, the symbol of the Opposition, wreathed in inky flames. But then she caught sight of the multitude of white scars across the rest of his back. Both the upper and lower regions of his golden skin were covered in them. He turned around and caught her eye, before pulling the wetsuit up and over his shoulders. El hurried past, kicking herself for staring.

  Talus and Dan started to get their scuba kit on. El put her mask and fins on too. They were nearing the island. Dan passed around a vial of empousa blood. Imbibing it would incorporate them into the veiling.

  Talus waited until the last possible moment to consume the blood, explaining, ‘Empousa blood prevents a graeae from phasing out of time. I’ll be as blind as you two in there.’

  Uma then took a vial that contained a sample of each of their blood. She slit open her palm and sent droplets of her blood, along with everyone else’s, soaring through the air. Rocks appeared as if out of thin air, a whole island springing up, with prickly palms predominant on its slopes.

  The boat continued moving on, but Dan and Talus strode off the back. El followed. She plunged into the water and was soon back on the surface with them. She watched the boat: just like at Carras Island, an archway appeared in the rock as the yacht approached it. When the vessel passed through it, the archway sealed itself shut.

  Dan had brought an extra weight belt and clasped it around El’s waist. She held onto Talus as Dan clipped it on. Her body was weighed down, wanting to slip below the surface. The weight would be necessary to get down, but she had to trust that Talus would ensure that she didn’t keep sinking. She clung to him. He clipped on a line between them.

  ‘Now, as we go down,’ Talus said, ‘You’re going to feel a build-up of pressure in your head. I want you to pinch your nose and blow through it so your ears pop. The same as you might feel them do on a plane. Keep doing it as we go down or your ears are going to hurt, okay? If it gets painful at any point, tell me to stop with this hand signal.’ He held up his palm.

  She nodded but felt even more unsure about whether this was a good idea.

  ‘In the tunnel,’ Talus added, ‘it will be tight, hold onto me and try not to move too much. I’ll fin us through. Understand?’

  She nodded, her heart picking up as her anxiety grew. She’d found it hard enough over the last month to combat her fear of swimming. Now she was diving!

  Dan signalled downwards and, with mouthpieces in, they started to descend. As the air from Talus’ jacket was released, El felt herself sinking alongside him, holding onto the side of his jacket as he hugged her to him. The sound of her breathing was even louder in her ears beneath the surface. As she thought about the sound, she remembered Talus’ warning about the pressure and pinched her nose with her free hand, blowing through it. Every now and then, she kept doing it. As she swallowed, she felt her ears pop and the rhythmic
inhalation and expulsion of her breath sounded louder. The sound became hypnotic. From behind the plastic window of her mask, she watched bubbles rise around her and the others. The underwater world opened up around them.

  They descended vertically. She watched Dan pressing buttons on a hose attached to his jacket. She looked around; the bright blue landscape was illuminated in the sunlight. They must be about ten metres down she reckoned. Dan gestured to Talus: his palm flat and horizontal. He pointed behind him and started to swim, leading the way. The cavern entrance was at twelve metres, she remembered from the diagram.

  El spotted a shoal of fish in the distance, their glittering blue and silver scales catching the light. In a graceful arc, they swam away, engulfed by the blue. The start of white rock was visible on the seabed as they followed Dan. They swam on, Talus keeping a tight hold on El. The white walls enclosed them on either side and then … overhead.

  Her heart thumped in her chest and her breath quickened. Talus slowed and, keeping a firm grip on her, gestured for her to stop. He indicated his mouthpiece and mimed with his other hand the steady inhalation and exhalation. She concentrated on that alone, her breathing slowing, the rhythm becoming reassuring. She pretended that it was an ordinary meditation lesson with her graeae guru, trying to ignore that they were in the deep, blue sea.

  Talus reached into his jacket pocket and flicked on a torch. El noticed that ahead, Dan had done the same. They followed the illuminated underwater corridor. Now and then, she felt the tips of her fins touch the floor. Each time, a slight cloud of rubble upset the water’s clarity. She tried not to move her feet, remembering Talus’ instruction to let him propel them through the tunnel.

  The cavern wasn’t very long and soon El could see the rock sloping up and meeting more sculpted walls: an arete-made tunnel. Finally, they surfaced, swimming to the end of the cavern and removing their equipment. Through a small arched tunnel, steps began. They were in.