“She is fine. You can go,” Miltos said, pointing to the path behind me and pushing me with his injured hand.
“I want to hear it from her. Don’t you dare touch me!” I planted my feet firmly on the ground.
Varvis and Miltos looked at each other. The old man turned toward me. “Listen, stranger. You invaded our land, interrupting something you can’t even begin to understand. If they weren’t such cowards, you’d already be in the ground like a black ram. Leave, and don’t try my patience any further.”
“I know you slaughter animals without a thought,” I sneered. “I’m not going anywhere until she says she is okay.”
The small crowd parted, and I saw Iro approach. “I’m fine. Go,” she said, and turned away.
It was the last thing I’d expected to hear. Anger swelled up inside me at her coldness. Miltos sneered, and pointed to the path once again. I looked at them all in disgust, and turned to go. Varvis’s voice followed me. “I won’t think twice before gutting your animal, either, if I find her.”
Luckily, I kept my cool and walked away. A few minutes later, I was crawling through the tunnel to the small plateau where I first saw Destine that evening. I felt crushed with disappointment, and annoyed with myself for feeling that way. What did I expect from a woman I barely knew? Obviously, it was all part of their sick ritual. A wave of nausea swept through me at the thought they would now pick up from where I had interrupted them.
I took out the phone. No red dot. I called Jill, who told me they had lost Destine’s signal too, suddenly. I could not bear it, knowing she was injured and alone.
I called Vasilis and simply told him I hadn’t found her, and was on my way back. He said he had gotten so worried he was about to call the police. An hour later, I reached the car and found him snoozing in the passenger seat.
Vasilis woke with a start when I turned on the engine, and asked me what had happened. He stared at me open-mouthed for the rest of the journey back, as I recounted the evening’s events. Occasionally, he would put his head in his hands, but made no comment. I told him the story dispassionately, briefing him coldly, still seething inside.
He only spoke when we pulled up outside his house. “I’ll come stay with you tonight.”
Despite my fatigue, I laughed at the way he said it, as if he wanted to stand guard. “Thank you, Vasilis, I’ll be fine. I don’t think I’ll be getting much sleep. I will keep looking for Destine. She is injured and needs help. Go get some rest. We’ll speak in the morning.”
He sighed. “I don’t know what to say. Be on your guard until sunrise, and then leave. Please. Leave, and never come back. They …”
“I’m not going anywhere until I find Destine,” I interrupted.
His eyes welled up. “That’s what Zoe said when she was looking for Andreas.”
I reassured him I would be careful, and watched him as he walked inside his house. I was sure he would be spending the night awake, too.
The moon was about to dip down below the horizon, taking the secrets of the night with it. Both the good and the bad …
Miltos and Alexandros entered the tower’s courtyard, closely followed by Iro. Near the staircase leading to the upper floor, Alexandros, still holding the sword, turned to Iro and spoke in a harsh voice, “Go wash. Tomorrow morning, we need to talk.”
“We need to talk. Right now,” Iro replied.
Alexandros’s face turned crimson. “I said go,” he hollered.
She did not seem startled or afraid. Even though she was determined to confront her father, she chose to wait. Not out of fear, but out of the need to think seriously about her next move. She knew that her life would never be the same again. She looked at Miltos with contempt, and walked under the passageway, her bloodstained dress sweeping the flagstones.
The sound of the door closing echoed through the courtyard. Alexandros pulled Miltos by the hand and, looking at the bite, said, “He must not go unpunished. He offended us and everything we represent.”
Miltos spoke in a lower voice. “Father, we must be careful now. He knows a lot about us. I fear someone has been feeding him information.”
“Then we should find the traitor and bury them both. Bury what they know for good,” Varvis hissed.
Low on the wall behind them, a small basement window soundlessly opened, just a crack. Two eyes shone in the dark behind them, going unnoticed. Whoever was standing there could hear every word clearly.
Miltos tried to calm his future father-in-law down. “I think it’s best to leave him alone and just keep an eye on him, see what he does in the following days. He will most likely leave and we will never see him again. Don’t forget, he is a policeman. If anything happens to him …”
Varvis grabbed his shoulders and shook him. “He insulted us, don’t you understand? He defiled our rites. Everything you see around you is drenched in the blood of our ancestors and those who stood in their way. We must obliterate him, like the archaeologist and his mother.”
Miltos seemed perplexed, looking at Alexandros as if he had suddenly lost his mind. “When you say obliterate, what do you mean? What has this got to do with his grandfather running away?”
“You young people think that everything will be taken care of as if by magic, without you getting your hands dirty.” Alexandros puffed his chest out proudly as he lowered his voice. “I’m the only one alive who knows what I’m about to tell you. When the archaeologist threatened to search our land, my father ordered Simon to burn down their house to scare him off. His mother did not make it out in time, and burned like a rat.”
Miltos could not believe his ears. He was not so immoral as to accept murder.
“That scum still did not give up,” Alexandros continued. “He was spying on us. A few nights later, he showed up in a field where my father and Simon were digging up gold artifacts to sell. He threatened to turn us in.” Alexandros chuckled at the memory.
“What happened next?” Miltos asked, now reeling from the discovery that the family of his future wife were not only arsonists, but antiquities smugglers as well.
“He is still lying in the pit,” he replied with evident glee. “I still remember his smile when I stabbed him with the twin of this sword. As if he enjoyed getting knifed …” Alexandros turned the handle of his sword and pointed to the carving. “See what it says here? Axieros. Worthy. What my daughter should have become tonight. That’s why I’m telling you this. That man must die. If you are too scared, I’ll do it with my own hands …”
The window behind them closed softly at these last words. Whoever had been standing there did not want to hear the rest.
Miltos stepped back in horror. He was silent for a while, as he tried to come to terms with what he had just heard. “Alexandros, this is the first time I’ve heard any of this. I don’t think anyone in my family knew about this. I followed you because that’s what was preordained. That’s what I was brought up to believe. You led us all these years. However, there is a world of difference between standing up for your beliefs, and murdering people. And you just said you sold antiquities, too …”
Varvis’s breathing became heavier while Miltos spoke. Paying no heed, the younger man continued. “I am leaving as of this moment. I will not reveal your guilty secrets, but I will not collude to any crimes. I need to speak to Iro and see what will happen between us, although I don’t think there is any reason to continue with this engagement. She seems to be doing everything out of a sense of duty, not because she loves me.”
Varvis’s breathing became increasingly labored, as he tried to control his mounting rage. Miltos was undeterred. “Allow me to give you a word of advice,” Miltos added, “because you seem so blinded by hatred. Forget what happened tonight, and do nothing that might embarrass you or Iro. No one knows about what happened in the past; you are safe from it. If anything happens to the archaeologist’s grandson, however, all will be revealed. Did Iro know any of this?”
Varvis gave him a look of pure hatred.
“She is not worthy of knowing any of this. Nor are you! I was going to accept you as a son, but you are not worthy of even standing in the same room as me. Get out of my house!”
Miltos looked cautiously at the sword the old man was gripping hard, and carefully stepped away. He walked to the passageway when Varvis called out again, “That’s not the way out. You are no longer worthy of passing under those arches!”
That was when Miltos realized he was being kicked out of the house permanently. He did not want to push the old man any further, so he quickly walked away. He would talk to Iro the following morning, get his things then.
Once the wooden door closed behind him, Alexandros let out a scream of white-hot rage. He flung everything to the ground, slashed at the potted flowers and the bushes with his sword, kicking and flailing about like a madman.
The servant appeared at the top of the landing in her bathrobe and ran down the stairs. “What’s the matter? What’s happened to you?” she asked, trying to calm him down.
Alexandros leaned against the table, panting with exertion. “Nothing happened. Go back to bed and, no matter what you hear, do not leave your room,” he said, weighing the sword in his hand.
Frightened, she scurried upstairs as Varvis disappeared under the passageway. He entered the house and stopped outside the door of Iro’s bedroom. He opened the door softly, slowly, trying not to make any noise. He could not see clearly in the dark. Keeping the point of his sword turned to the ground, he fumbled for the light switch.
His eyes bulged when he realized the room was empty. Only the crimson garment lay in a pile on the bed. He called out his daughter’s name, but received no reply. Enraged, he flung the door open, smashing it against the wall. The curtains fluttered in the sudden current. The bedroom window was wide open …
I spent a couple of hours driving around, looking for any sign of Destine, but my search proved fruitless. I spotted one dog in the distance, and for a moment hope surged inside me, only to be extinguished as quickly as it had appeared.
I wondered how Destine had ended up on the mountain where the ceremony was taking place. The only link was Iro. She was the one Destine had tried to save when she sensed she was in danger.
I decided to return to the house before dawn, just in case Destine did the same, following a scent trail back home. I would catch a couple of hours’ sleep, and then keep looking. I now feared that the others might get to her first, and finding her became all the more urgent.
I parked, and immediately noticed the garden gates were closed. I had left them open in case Destine came back. I exited the car cautiously, on the alert for anything unusual. Quiet as a cat, I walked into the garden. A shadow fell on one of the garden chairs, and I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up. I took out my flashlight and shone it in that direction.
Iro stood in the garden, staring into the light, unblinking. There was no end to the evening’s surprises. I switched it off and hesitatingly approached. After everything that had happened, I expected the worst.
“I’m alone,” she said.
“Why are you here?” I asked coldly, keeping a tight rein on my emotions. I would not allow my feelings to rule my head this time.
“I don’t know. All I can tell you is that I’m alone.” She sat on a chair and pushed her hair back.
I sat down on the chair furthest from her, trying to understand what was going on.
“I’m worried about Destine. Did you find her?” she asked anxiously.
“No, she is still out there.” I sighed, and turned to look at the gates.
“She is injured. Surely she’ll be back soon so you can take care of her. Those dogs are very smart. Poor thing tried to protect me.”
“I might have found her if your father hadn’t stabbed her. Tell me, why are you here?” I asked again, hoping to understand the real reason for her visit.
She looked down at her hands, struggling to reply.
“The things that happened during the ceremony … Did they happen with your consent?” I asked, trying to make some sense of the evening.
“I don’t know when you started watching, but up to a certain point, yes. I knew what would happen. It was all arranged.”
“Which part did you not know?”
I did not expect her to answer, and I was surprised to see her reply so openly. “I knew everything up to the point where he put the ring on my finger. The ritual was supposed to end there.”
“So why did you refuse my help?” I asked angrily.
“If I took your side right then, we might not have gotten out alive. I did it to protect you …”
I was touched by her sincerity, but I tried not to show it. “So, after I left, did you carry on?”
“No, Andreas. Everything stopped. No ceremony had ever been interrupted before. Nobody knew how to proceed. It caused upheaval, turmoil.”
Our eyes locked across the table. The light was dim, just enough to see each other. It wasn’t a simple glance between people. Like the first time we met, I felt hypnotized by her eyes, unable to resist.
“I’d still like to hear why you are here,” I insisted.
“Would you believe me if I said I had nowhere else to go?”
“I don’t know what to believe anymore so just go ahead and talk. I will listen. That doesn’t mean I’ll believe you.”
She seemed hurt by my words, but nonetheless continued. “As I told you, everything stopped after you appeared. Thank you for trying to help me, both you and Destine. I don’t even want to contemplate what would have happened if you hadn’t been there.”
“Do you want to tell me what you were doing up there?”
She sighed. “It’s a long story.”
I leaned back in my chair and stretched out my legs. “Do I look like I’m in a hurry?”
“Very well. At this point, there is no need to keep any secrets. My family is supposed to be one of the oldest families on the island, its roots stretching all the way back to ancient times, when the Cabirian Mysteries were the main religion on Samothrace.” She paused for a moment, and then asked, “Do you know anything about them?”
“I know a little,” I said, nodding attentively.
“Last night’s full moon had been set as one of the most important of all time. It is said that a new era of great change for the planet and the lives of men begins today.”
“What was your part in all this?”
“If I had been born a boy, I would have become the next leader when my father passed away. Today, I was anointed Great Mother. The Axieros, she who is worthy … If I ever give birth to a son, he will become the next leader.” She turned around and pulled her shirt down over her shoulder, showing me her tattoo.
I remembered trying to read it by the waterfall. I now read it clearly: Axieros. She turned back to look at me. I could sense she wanted to say more, but hesitated. “Andreas, so much has happened these past couple of days, and especially tonight. I would like to know how you ended up there. Someone told you, didn’t they?”
“No. Like I told everyone else, I was looking for Destine. She led me to you. Nobody said a thing.”
“You knew something, though, when you asked me about the path of two shadows …”
I had forgotten all about Vasilis’s riddle. It was obviously linked to the site where the rituals took place. I did not want to give it away, so I changed the subject. “I still don’t think you’ve told me the real reason why you’re here. I would appreciate you telling me; otherwise, I will have to ask you to leave. If anyone finds out you’re here, it will stir up a world of trouble for us both.”
She seemed taken aback that I might ask her to leave. “I told you the truth. I have nowhere else to go …”
“That’s not the only reason, though.” I looked at her intently.
All the night sounds became amplified in the silence that followed, as if someone had turned up the volume. She shifted uncomfortably in her chair, and there was a catch in her voice when she spo
ke next. “No, that’s not the only reason. Please don’t press me for an answer. I don’t want to have to lie. Go to bed, if you want, and ignore me. I will sit here in the garden if you let me, and leave at dawn. I just want this night to be over. Please, it’s the only thing I ask of you.”
Conflicting emotions rising inside me prevented me from thinking clearly. I could not believe she had nowhere else to go, but I still could not fathom why she would be here. I got up without a word and walked inside. I needed the physical distance to decide what to do.
I walked to the bathroom and splashed cold water on my face, trying to clear my head and buy myself some time. I turned the bathroom light off and walked to the window as I dried my face. Iro had not moved.
I returned to the bedroom and picked up a blanket, then stepped back into the garden. She turned her head to look at me as I draped the blanket over her shoulders. She reached back to grip the edges of the blanket, and our fingers accidently touched.
I did not pull my hand away; nor did she. We gently stroked each other, my body giving in to the same sensations that had rippled through me as we sat by the water, fingers merged in a sensual dance.
Wordlessly, eyes locked in silent understanding, I found myself standing in front of her, unable to tell whether my own footsteps or Iro’s magnetic pull had brought me there. She rose slowly, letting the blanket fall from her shoulders, and leaned into me. She tilted her face as I lowered my head, our lips a breath apart.
In an enchanted trance, we stood there, as if we drew life from a shared breath. Our fingers entwined, caressing, pressing, preparing us for what we now both anticipated. All sense of reason was lost. I silenced a tiny voice of caution inside me. All I wanted was to abandon myself to the spell this woman had cast on me from the moment we first met.
Pulling one hand away, she fleetingly turned her eyes to the front door, issuing a seductive invitation. I felt her lead me there, and I followed unsteadily, drunk with delight at the way her touch made me feel. As soon as we were inside, we both hesitated, caught in a confused, intense awkwardness as the evening hung in the balance. One wrong move and the passion would be extinguished. One right move and the simmering fire that burned inside us would consume us.
Dominion of the Moon Page 27