Dominion of the Moon

by Kostas Krommydas

  Maybe the place helped; I recovered my sense of peace very quickly as I walked among the trees beside the streaming water. When I returned to the first water pool, the swimmers were gone. I removed my clothes and Iro’s scarf without too much thought, and slowly entered the water.

  Like a wave, the coldness spread over my body. Without hesitating, Destine jumped in after me, and we both found ourselves swimming in the Vathra tou Fonia. I plunged my head underwater and heard a sound like a beating heart, rising up from the bottom of the pool. Vasilis’s words came to my mind, and I rose to the surface …

  Iro had brought her horse close to Miltos. “I don’t like your manner. You were rude, and you almost got into a fight with a man who did nothing to you.”

  Miltos looked at her in disbelief. “How I behave is up to me, Iro. Didn’t your father tell you what that guy’s grandfather did?”

  “What’s his grandfather got to do with any of this? Since when do the sins of the father fall on the son?”

  “You obviously don’t know enough, then. I’m surprised you’re standing up for him, like you know him.”

  “I’m not standing up for him. I don’t care what he does. I don’t know the guy. That doesn’t stop me from being fair.”

  “Your scarf was tied around his arm. I’d say you care,” he said sarcastically, shifting in his saddle.

  Iro gave him an angry look and mounted her horse. “You really don’t know me,” she said coldly.

  He seemed unrepentant. “Shall we return? There are final preparations to be made. Tomorrow is your big day, remember?”

  Disappointed, Iro shook her head. “You go back; I’ll head the other way. I’ll see you back home.”

  Leaving him no time to react, she spurred her horse uphill. She only covered a few yards, and then abruptly turned around, as if suddenly remembering something. She trotted back to the astounded Miltos.

  “And if you must know,” she said pointedly, “my family never proved that the archaeologist actually took anything.”

  She touched the horse’s flank, and it galloped away at great speed. Her fiancé stood still, staring at her until she disappeared from view. He pursed his lips and turned in the opposite direction.

  Miltos returned to the tower and looked around anxiously for Alexandros. He asked a servant where he was, and she pointed in the direction of the back garden. He found Alexandros kneeling on the ground, planting seeds in the holes he poked with the flat end of a crowbar. He sensed Miltos’s presence and stood up.

  “Why are you back already?” He took in Miltos’s expression, and a look of worry came across his face. “What happened? Did anything happen to Iro?”

  “No, but it could have.” Miltos bowed his head.

  “Where is she? Why are you not together? What happened, son?”

  Miltos asked him to sit down, and then recounted everything that had happened by the waterfall. Troubled, Varvis spoke through gritted teeth: “No matter how many years pass, we’ll never be rid of them. They always turn up at the worst possible moment. I had a bad feeling about this, from the moment I saw him at the cemetery.”

  Alexandros pushed himself up and leaned hard against the table. “You should have buried them there on the spot, him and his dog.”

  Miltos’s eyes bulged at what he was hearing, trying to understand if the old man meant what he had just said.

  “You never should have left her there,” Alexandros continued. “You should have brought her back with you.”

  “What could I do? She galloped off. But I don’t think she’ll be long. She knows she needs to come back to prepare.”

  “Look,” Varvis said, regaining his composure, “if he bothers us again, we’ll have to take steps.”

  “What could he do? He just came for his grandmother’s funeral. I don’t think there will be anything else. He’ll have his holiday, and we’ll never see him again.”

  “Don’t you know he is a policeman? Not here in Greece; with Interpol.”

  Miltos looked confused. “So? Do we have anything to fear from an American policeman?”

  “Maybe nothing, but who knows what trouble he could cause if he starts digging around. His family comes from the island.” Alexandros huffed, and kicked at one of the holes in the soil. “Look how everything is being stirred up again.” He turned back to the puzzled Miltos. “Call Iro and tell her I need her here. Talk to her nicely, calm her down. When the preparations are over, it may be time for you to learn the rest.”

  “About the American?”

  “About the grandfather. You need to know; it seems like you are the only one I can count on.”

  Miltos dialed Iro’s number. “She’s either switched it off, or there’s no signal where she is.”

  “Keep trying to reach her until you get hold of her.” Alexandros returned to his gardening, plunging the crowbar into the soil.

  I felt better after the swim. I sat on a rock standing in a gap between the trees where the sun shone through to dry. Thankfully, no one turned up as I lay naked on the rock.

  I did not take any of Miltos’s threats seriously, but I nonetheless wondered whether it wouldn’t be best to return to Maronia. Have a holiday away from tensions and worry, at my grandmother’s sanctuary of a home. Even though Samothrace was friendly, some of its residents were less welcoming. But the eyes of that woman …

  I kept trying to remember, but I could not determine whether I had actually seen her before, or if she just reminded me of someone. I picked up her scarf and brought it to my face, inhaling her distinctive perfume, before placing it inside my pocket. My arm had stopped bleeding, but it needed to be tended to. I would have to get to a pharmacy soon. Luckily, my tattoo had escaped unscathed. Poor Destine tried to lick my arm, wanting to care for me too.

  We resumed our return trip to the car. I had to scold Destine for shaking her fur and covering me in water droplets.

  We passed a couple of Greek tourists making their way up the slope. In the quiet of the woods, I could hear them talking about Pyrgos tou Fonia, the Murderer’s Tower, close to the torrent’s estuary. I greeted them once they were in sight, and asked them about the famous tower with the unusual name. They laughed and explained that it was named after the torrent, Fonias. The peaceful stream I had been following would turn into a dangerous, sweeping torrent in the winter, which carved up the land as it gushed down to the sea, reshaping the landscape every year. The tower was a medieval building, worth the visit.

  Having parked near the foothills, I had not seen the tower. As it wasn’t too far, I decided to keep walking downstream all the way to the sea. A few minutes later, following the course of the river, I spotted the stone tower, standing proudly on the edge of a small peninsula, surrounded by admiring tourists.

  Just then, I spotted the familiar shape of a black horse walking in the sea, the water reaching the line of its belly. I recognized Iro on its back. A dark silhouette, framed against the bright blue expanse behind her. She was too far away to call out to her or wave. I did want to see her again, but made no move in her direction, realizing how inappropriate that might be, for the both of us. It was the first time I’d felt attracted to someone after the death of Eva.

  A wave of guilt washed over me. I felt as if the mere act of admiring someone from afar was a betrayal of everything Eva and I had shared.

  Destine followed my gaze, and together we watched Iro as she rode away. As always, Destine let a low growl at the sight of the horse, and suddenly I felt it was time to leave, forgetting all about the tower.

  We reached the car, and all I wanted was to eat something and find myself back in the garden, stretched out on the hammock. I was fit, but the hike and the intensity of the altercation by the waterfall were taking their toll.

  I did not even bother trying to get Destine to sit in the back seat. Driving side by side, I turned the radio on. A cover version of Summertime I had never heard before blared out. I loved that song! I turned the volume up and started to sin
g along in my tone-deaf voice. Destine lowered her snout and covered her ears with her paws. I laughed, heartily, for the first time in days.

  The sea breeze wafting in through the open car windows carried all my worries away, leaving me only with the memory of a pair of dark, captivating eyes. All of a sudden, Destine pushed herself up and began to bark in the direction of the sea. I turned to see what had caught her attention.

  Iro, close to the shore, had heard Destine’s barks and stopped in the water, looking in our direction. I pulled over and hushed Destine, turning the radio off. Without even realizing it, I stepped out of the car and slowly walked around to the other side.

  We looked at each other, neither moving, under the bright sunlight. The horse, as if of its own volition, stepped out onto the beach and moved in our direction. Our gazes still locked, Iro passed in front of me and, without stopping, crossed the street and disappeared into the woods.

  I looked down at my hand, which was gripping her scarf. I had taken it out of my pocket, intending to return it, and then changed my mind. I just fell silent and watched her ride by. I could not explain what was happening. I could only feel myself helplessly being pulled into her magnetic field, the moon to her sun.

  Destine nudged me with her snout as I stared at the forest in a trance, hoping Iro would reappear. I snapped back to the present and patted her head, reassuring her we would be on our way. I drove on, in a daze, and somehow found myself before our front door.

  I was woken up by my ringtone, the phone vibrating in my pocket. I flung off the thin blanket and sat up in the hammock with great difficulty. I realized the sun was setting. I had slept through the entire afternoon; an unusual occurrence for me.

  The caller was Vasilis. He asked me to dinner, and I suggested we meet at the nice taverna I had visited on my own. We hung up, and I leaned back in the hammock. The song of the crickets, right above me, began to lull me back to sleep. Reluctantly, I got up and went to sit at the long table. Luckily, the house had a well-stocked first aid kit, and I had been able to tend to my wound. I stretched, Destine at my feet, trying to blow away a web cobwebs hanging from the table’s underside.

  I scrolled through my email and noticed that the German Nazi saga was still playing out in the news, but the tide was turning in my favor. Jill was fielding interview requests, something that the agency did not permit in any case. Nor did I wish to be the face of a crusade against war criminals.

  I then searched information on Samothrace: local news, or other events happening on the island. The first item on the search results was a video of a large symposium that had taken place a few days ago. I could not believe my eyes when I saw a familiar woman walk up to the podium and give a speech. I thought it might be someone who looked like her, but no. It was definitely Iro.

  I turned up the volume and understood that she was, in fact, the host. I saw her take her seat between her fiancé and an elderly man. Based on what she had said, it seemed to be her father. I was burning with curiosity. I entered her name in the search box, and was flooded with a long list of results. President of the Axieros Foundation … aiming to promote Samothrace … most significant sacred site of the cult of Cabeiri … ancient rites... rituals …

  Alkistis’s number flashed up on the screen, interrupting my search. She asked me how my day was, and if I wanted to join her for a drink at a nice bar near the port. I explained I was having dinner with Vasilis, and I’d give her a call to meet later. She asked me if I enjoyed praousti. I had no idea what she meant, but before I could reply, I heard her voice outside the garden gates. I turned and saw her enthusiastically wave a shopping bag. I liked her, but was not exactly thrilled by the unannounced visit.

  Destine ran down the garden path, and a few minutes later we were back at the table, a box filled with local sweets called praousti spread out between us.

  Alkistis looked at my hand and asked me what happened.

  “It’s nothing serious,” I said. “Just a small scratch, down by the sea.” I took a bite. “It’s very kind of you, although I’m not really a sweets person. It’s very tasty. I hope you don’t mind that I won’t be eating much.”

  “Never mind,” she said, smiling. “It’s the local specialty. I thought you knew. You can’t find it anywhere else in the world.” Suddenly, she became serious. “Please don’t force yourself; I did not mean to impose.”

  “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, but is something bothering you?”

  “I’m sorry. Something is bothering me, but … I don’t want to burden you with my own worries.”

  “Please tell me.”

  “I just found out they are not renewing my contract. I’m very upset about it.”

  “I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what this means,” I said, puzzled.

  “It means I have to leave at the end of the month. I won’t even get to see the full moon. I have to be in Alexandroupolis tomorrow afternoon for an event, and return the following day. I was going to ask you if you wanted to join me at an open air concert on the night of the full moon, but that won’t happen now.”

  “Why did they not renew it? Did you want to leave?” I asked, ignoring the part about going to a concert.

  “No, Andreas. I would stay here forever if I could, but unfortunately …”

  “So what happened, all of a sudden? Why are they firing you?”

  She picked up a sweet and put it in her mouth, then licked the sticky syrup on her index finger. “I guess it’s because I asked too many questions.”

  “Questions? I’m not following.”

  “Remember how I told you that I am doing some research on ancient cults and secret religious rites …?”

  “That rings a bell,” I said uncertainly.

  “It seems some people did not like my looking into this. But I don’t want to talk about it. What matters is I’m leaving.”

  “I don’t want to push you if you don’t want to go into the details. It’s strange all the same.”

  “If you knew the Varvis family, you wouldn’t find it strange at all.”

  I felt as if I had been jolted by a live wire. Varvis—the same last name as Iro.

  “Who?” I asked, with feigned nonchalance.

  “I’ll tell you, but I don’t want to get into any more trouble. I made the mistake of speaking to them, and you saw what happened.”

  “You can trust me. If you are not comfortable discussing this, though …”

  “Varvis. Alexandros Varvis and his daughter, Iro. And you, indirectly,” she whispered, looking around her suspiciously, as if anyone could overhear us in this secluded garden.

  I was dying to find out more without revealing that I had become acquainted with one member of that family. “What do you mean, me? How?”

  She looked me in the eyes. “I discovered that Alexandros Varvis’s father had accused your grandfather of stealing, of antiquities smuggling. There is nothing in the police files, but you grandfather disappeared at the exact same time.”

  “I don’t understand what you are implying, but it all happened a long time ago anyway. They are both dead; it doesn’t matter now,” I said, knowing that was the way to get her to open up.

  “Not quite. Alexandros Varvis was alive back then. According to my information, he must have been around nine years old. I don’t know if Vasilis told you anything, but he must know most of what happened back then. I guess he won’t.” She grimaced, showing her dislike. She turned to look at the house. “What a beautiful house. The American archaeologists used to stay here …”

  “You can visit; it’s open,” I said, picking up my phone.

  She did not need to be told twice. She disappeared inside the house and came out ten minutes later. “What an amazing house! Fantastic bedroom! What a shame I didn’t know it was being rented out to tourists; I would have liked to have spent a couple of nights here.” She picked up another sweet and looked at me closely. “You seem like you have a lot on your mind too, Andreas. I could
tell from the first time I met you, in Athens. I don’t mean to pry …”

  I took a deep breath, and decided to return the confidence. “No, I appreciate your concern. I lost my partner a few months ago, and I am still not over it. Then my grandmother died, and … it was all too much.” I wondered as I spoke to her whether I was really telling the truth. At present, I had been thinking about everything other than what I had just told her.

  “I’m sorry for your loss,” she whispered. “Had I known, I wouldn’t have brought it up. I appreciate your honesty. These days, dishonesty is all I seem to encounter.”

  As if my confiding in her had opened up the floodgates, she confessed how hard it was for her to meet someone open to a long-term relationship. I listened attentively, giving her what advice I could. I laughed as she comically shared her stories, mimicking the voices of men and her disastrous dates. I noticed with a start it had gotten dark, and I had to get ready to go meet Vasilis. I escorted her to the garden gate.

  “We’ll talk again when I’m back … if you are still here,” she said. “About what I told you before, well, maybe you are right. Maybe it is best to let go of the past and move on. It’s what I should do too, right? Forget all the men that hurt my feelings.”

  We laughed at her brief synopsis of all the advice I had given her. She kissed my cheek and thanked me for everything. “You are a good person, Andreas.”

  I smiled as I watched her disappear down the narrow alley. I had wanted to find out more about the past, but had chosen not to press her any further. In any case, I was about to see the man who, according to Alkistis, knew much more than he had so far revealed.

  A large group of people had gathered on the tower ramparts facing northeast, where the moon would soon be rising. This time, no torches broke the thick darkness that had descended over the tower. Patiently, everyone waited for the moon to cast its silver light. Only the shadow of their silhouettes occasionally stood out against the twinkling lights of the distant houses.