Philippa was apologetic. “I know it’s early, but I didn’t want to get you even more upset last night. We can’t act like this is over. We may have very little time before there’s another attack. I’ve decided we need to leave today. Andromeda is on alert and is already watching the condo. Beck, I believe you probably need to make your own arrangements. Avery and I will leave for Turks and Caicos as soon as possible.”
Avery turned on Philippa. “Why can’t he come with us?”
Beck put his arm around her. “Philippa’s correct. I have my own arrangements to make. I’ll follow as soon as I can. Trust me. I’ll be careful.”
Tears ran down her cheeks and Avery hugged him close.
Beck drew her into him. “I know you’re afraid. Me too. Just hiding it better.” He held her face in his hands, watching the tears fall. “One of the things I love about you is how you tell it like it is. But Philippa is telling it like it is, too, and neither of us likes this reality check. You need to go with Philippa. Now.”
“Why do you have to be so right?” Still holding onto Beck, she turned to Philippa. “Okay, what’s the drill?”
Philippa took Avery at her word and issued specific instructions. While flight arrangements were made through a private air carrier, Avery and Beck returned to the bedroom to gather their things.
Avery spent a few moments staring out the window. Beck decided to let her handle the moment in her own way. Finally, without a word, she turned back around and set about putting clothes together—a simple array of summer clothes for one bag. Then she stepped back and scanned the room. She turned and walked out into the living room. When she returned, she was clutching items selected from her memory wall: a few pieces of bead work, some bracelets, and the carved piece of bone. She was unclear why but felt she couldn’t leave it.
Avery threw the items on the bed. She put her hands on her hips and stared at them. “I’m getting it.” She pointed to the bag she was packing. “That’s what I’m taking with me, and I’m not coming back here. I’ll pack a few of my things for you to take to storage,” she sighed. “I guess I just abandon the rest. The landlord can give it to Goodwill.”
Beck nodded. “I’ll do the same at my place.”
“I’m back to being a vagabond,” Avery declared. “For so long I didn’t have a family to turn to. It was always just me—on my own. Now I have you, but us being apart right now is terrifying.”
Beck held her. “It’s temporary. You know I mean that.”
She sighed. “I do and I’m holding tight to us.”
When Avery went out to put her things in the car, Beck took Philippa aside.
“Thank you for everything you’re doing. Avery’s difficult and I appreciate how you’re handling it.”
“And I appreciate how you’re handling your part. I know there are things you have to do to put your affairs in order. You have my secure contact information. Get in touch when you’re ready to come and I’ll make suitable arrangements. Be careful.”
For the first time, Philippa hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.
~~~
Celeste was waiting for them at the small airport in Turks and Caicos. From what Philippa had told her, Avery had expected an older woman. But the Celeste they met looked to be in her mid-thirties. She was dressed casually in a turquoise sheath. Avery wondered about her long, blonde, curly hair.
Her gaze was soft, yet intense—as engaging as that of the woman Avery had seen in the waters off Alexandria. Celeste extended a graceful hand, her eyes steady on Avery. The look felt engaging rather than inquiring.
Celeste and Philippa fell into an intimate conversation as they walked toward a waiting car, which left Avery feeling the outsider. She scanned the quiet airport. Their plane was the only one on the little tarmac. Two women were offloading their luggage from the plane. Avery recalled her departure from the villa at Viareggio. Of course the two women were Andromeda. How efficient. Avery felt a void.
The landscape was flat and almost barren of trees. It lacked the urban pulse of the city, but had its own gentle rhythm. Avery scanned the bright white beaches and fell in love with the varied hues of the water. It was much more intimate than Miami. There were some hotels around the airport and a few small houses. Once away from the airport they encountered no other cars.
It was twenty minutes before they arrived at Celeste’s villa, which was more modest than Avery expected especially after seeing Philippa’s grand villa in Italy. In the entryway was a large oil painting of Celeste—a touching and haunting rendition. On a table below were artifacts of the same kind Avery had seen over the years in seaside villages. She hesitated to examine them and gazed up at Celeste’s portrait, then hurried after the other women.
The view from the living area featured a large pool and a beach lined with palm trees and other low vegetation, making it private.
Tea and British biscuits were brought to the table on the veranda. As they talked, Avery studied Celeste. The turquoise color of the water reminded Avery of Celeste’s eyes. But as she looked around Avery felt a growing discomfort. “Philippa, how safe are we here? I know we’re far away from Miami, but someone just tried to kill me. It’s a little hard to forget.” She stopped. “Should I be talking about this?”
Philippa took her meaning at once. “There are no secrets here, Avery.”
Avery nodded. “All I see right now are three isolated women. Perfect targets.”
Philippa smiled in reassurance. “We’re not alone. There are security people nearby. They have eyes on the sea, and there’s only one road in here. You can trust that we’re secure. You may have guessed our driver was Andromeda. And the other woman who helped with the luggage. They’re nearby.”
Celeste brought a large book to the table—clearly a diversion. “I thought it might be useful for you to know who you are.”
“Am I having an identity crisis without knowing it?” Avery quipped.
Philippa thought that amusing, Celeste less so. Avery thought Celeste very serious.
“Avery, I can see why you’re confused,” Celeste said. “This meeting is an opportunity to give you a perspective. There are important things happening worldwide. We are a part of it and I’ll show you how we fit in. Let’s begin at the beginning.”
Philippa broke in. “Avery, I hadn’t expected to meet my daughter in Alexandria. But I’ve come to believe it was not an accident at all.”
Avery focused. “Because we needed to find each other?”
“I think that’s part of it. And now we need to try to understand why.”
Celeste said, “We haven’t known each other long. Understanding who we are to each other will come in time. The problem right now is that other things are being forced on us.”
Avery said nothing, waiting.
“Let me get to the book,” Celeste said. “Both Philippa and I believe that some specific things have happened for important reasons. Two have happened with you, which made us pay attention. The first was your experience at Laguna, and the other was the woman and child you saw near the pillars underwater in the port of Alexandria. Philippa told me about it. The fact that they happened, and the fact that you brought them to our attention, was significant.”
Philippa held up her hand. “And then there is the assassination attempt.”
Avery stared at Philippa. “I think you need to clarify that.”
“I agree with Beck that you were a target as well. My intuition tells me your hearing the Maelstrom was a warning. It’s important that we address reality,” said Philippa as she motioned toward Celeste.
Celeste had been studying the book in front of her and looked up. “Recently I was given a prophecy,” Celeste said. “It said there was a Discoverer who was to come to our attention. It was specific that the Discoverer was a woman and we should pay close attention. Are you coming to understand?”
Avery laughed and glanced at Philippa. “For a change I think I’m ah
ead of you. You think I may be the Discoverer because of what I saw at Laguna and what I experienced near Alexandria.”
“Precisely,” Celeste said
“I’m thinking you may be right. But, there’s just one teensy problem. I don’t know what any of it means. So, where did this prophecy come from?”
Celeste looked over at Philippa and back to Avery. “I understand you know about Tethyans and something about our communications. I’m a Progenitor which means I can live in the water and on land. I live mostly in a Tethys.” She motioned out to sea. “Just out there at the edge of the continental shelf. I was given an unspecified assignment to come from my Tethys to this villa. Then came the prophesy followed by Philippa’s summons to Italy. Given how things are among Tethyans I have to assume the prophesy came from our Earth Mother, Gaia.”
“So Gaia is telling you that I’m someone you should be paying attention to?” Avery said.
“Yes. And events are confirming it. You’re Philippa’s daughter and Gaia permitted you to see Progenitors in the water.”
Avery gave a deep sigh. “Do you have any idea what it is that I’m supposed to discover?”
“No,” Celeste said. “But, remember, Gaia does not prophesy without purpose.”
“I don’t like that answer at all. I’m a person who wants things spelled out, and these ‘it will become apparent’ responses aren’t sitting well with me.”
“I understand your impatience but we simply have to wait,” Celeste said and pointed to the book. “This has important genealogical information and contains your family tree.”
“About which I know almost nothing.”
Avery pulled a chair up next to Celeste, who then drew her fingers across diagrams which went well back into the past.
“I had no idea my people were from all these places,” Avery said. “What’s it all mean?”
Philippa said, “You’re from what we call a Primal family.”
“Which I’m still not clear about. How does it affect me?”
“We have to go further back into history before we can give you a satisfactory answer,” Philippa said. “Celeste, please continue, you can do this better than I can.”
Celeste resumed. “This is going to sound more than a bit biblical because it is.” She winked at Philippa.
Avery found herself puzzling over Celeste. She had so much power, seemed so detached, and then suddenly there was an intimate moment when she did something like wink at Philippa.
“You now know about Gaia our Earth Mother, who is both goddess and our home.”
“I don’t understand the last.”
“Gaia is both the name of the goddess and our home planet because they’re the same.”
Avery restrained herself from rolling her eyes. “And she speaks to us through prophecy and I assume other ways.”
“Philippa said you heard the sound of the Maelstrom before the attack. Gaia would have directed that to you as a warning. She talks to us through intuition, as well. Long ago she directed the creation of the creatures who became humans. We believe she considered us precious, but an experiment. And so very early, when the first sea animals were forming, she set up enclaves in the sea which were essentially a genetic repository from which new beings could be drawn if she had to start her project over. Since women are the primordial beings, the ones who dwelled there were predominantly female. The first enclaves were in the Tethys Sea. That was the sea between the original cluster of continents. The beings she created continued to evolve into who we are today, and the enclave cities still exist. They’re called Tethys after the sea where we were created. We, and you, are Tethyans.”
Celeste paused to assess Avery’s reaction before continuing. “The ones who live in the Tethys do indeed have fish tails when they’re in the water, and when sighted over the millennia have been referred to as mermaids.”
Avery said, “That sounds more mythical than biblical.” She stopped herself. “But I know what I saw at Laguna and in Alexandria.” She took a deep breath. “Could I get a beer? This is all more than a little hard to take.”
As soon as Avery left the room, Philippa leaned closer to Celeste. “I think she’s getting close to panic.”
“I agree,” Celeste said, ”But I don’t know what else we can do. We have to be alert to how she may react.”
Avery returned with a beer bottle in hand and sank into her seat as if she was exhausted. She took a long draw on the bottle, keeping her eyes on Celeste.
Celeste read the vigilance and continued.
“All this used to be a well-kept secret, but for a variety of reasons we believe it won’t be secret much longer. From time to time some of the Progenitors come to live on the land. When they do they’re transformed from how they are in the water, and the tail and webbing of the hands temporarily disappear.”
Suddenly Avery held her hand up. “It’s not just a matter of aquatic people who exist. You’re talking about a transformation.” Avery’s eyes widened. “Wait a minute. When—when I was sixteen, I was in a bad car accident. The boy driving was drunk and we ran off a bridge. I was the only one who escaped the car. But I later remembered being in the car, in the water, for a long time. It’s unclear because…I think I was in and out of consciousness. When the rescuers came an hour later, they found the rest of the kids drowned in the car. I was lying on a bank at the side of the river. Everyone tried various explanations about why I survived. Mammalian diving reflex and all the rest.” She looked from Celeste to Philippa.
“So you think you survived because of your heritage?” asked Philippa.
“Maybe so.” Avery had a far-away look on her face. In her mind she was wrestling. What does that say about me? Am I a Progenitor? She pushed the thoughts into silence.
“Does that make all this easier to bear?” asked Philippa.
Momentarily Avery looked confused. Then she brightened. “Maybe. It begins to help me understand why I’m part of all this,” she said, not entirely convinced by her own words.
~~~
At length Philippa said, “I think that’s enough for now.” She and Celeste withdrew to put lunch together, leaving Avery to sit staring out to sea. Her hosts had sensed her state of mind and the need to sift and absorb what she had heard. The talk over their salads was kept to trivial matters. After lunch Avery excused herself and went to lie in the sun. Late in the afternoon she went to bed and didn’t wake up until the following morning. The night was filled with outlandish dreams and at one point Beck seemed to be trying to talk to her.
The next day when she came out to the pool, Celeste was already there. Avery sat down next to her.
“Celeste, I have a question which I hope is not too personal.”
“Feel free to ask whatever you wish,” said Celeste.
“I’m curious about the painting in the entryway. I assume it’s of you. But there’s a disconnect for me. You come from a Tethys and it strikes me as unlikely you would have your portrait painted.”
Avery caught an uncharacteristic look of distress crossing Celeste’s face. She took a deep breath. “You’re very perceptive, Avery. There is a story.”
“If this is painful, you don’t have to tell me,” Avery said.
“You should know. Progenitors like me are often assigned important roles, and my assignments have brought me out into the larger world. In an earlier time, I fell in love, but it was not an ordinary love affair. I had a mission that included him, and it was fulfilled. And then I had to leave. He was a rare male Progenitor and the parting deeply wounding.”
Avery reached out and put her hand on her arm. “Celeste, you don’t have to continue.” She could see the depth of feeling in a woman usually so reserved.
“No. Let me continue. He was everything I could have hoped for or even dreamed of. But we had barriers, which came to be insurmountable. He had his own missions in life which took him away from me, and I had my missions. In the end our relationship s
imply couldn’t endure. One of his talents was painting and he left me that painting as a remembrance.”
“Doesn’t having it here give you continuing pain?”
“Avery, each of us has to face who we are, and I had to do it, too, and accept the loss. But there’s another facet to it. The affair was so fulfilling, he gave me something I’ll always cherish. I remember him and what we had, fondly. And it’s a joy in my life that I had it, even if it was only for a time. The remembrance is something I treasure.”
Avery was too choked up to speak. Slowly she regained control. “He left you with something you could cherish.”
“Yes. And the reason I needed to tell you the story is that it has meaning for you. I know, and Philippa understands, how hard all this is. But your circumstances are different. We believe that in Beck you’ve found an enduring love that you can take with you. I can’t say why we believe it, but just as we believe you’re the Discoverer, we believe your love with Beck will prove out. No matter what, it’s always to be cherished. And surely that love will give you strength in the time ahead.”
Avery wondered just how much strength she was going to need.
Chapter 41
Now I Get It
Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts
Beck could feel the danger. He drove to his apartment, packed his things, and took them and Avery’s to a storage unit he rented under another name. He left his car, with the keys in it, in a neighborhood where he knew it would be in a chop shop within hours.
A taxi took him to the Fort Lauderdale airport. There he rented a car and began to drive north. Taking the plane had been one option, but a long drive would give him time to think.
By North Carolina he was exhausted and pulled into a small seaside town. A full run up the East Coast was simply too far to go in one day. He wanted to be reasonably refreshed for what he thought might be a confrontation with his parents.
The next night was spent outside of Falmouth so he could arrive mid-morning at Martha’s Vineyard. After the long trip he was grateful that the ferry to the island was leaving momentarily. As he drove in the driveway of his parents’ home, he saw his mother was standing in the door waiting for him.
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