by Amy Lignor
“Leah needs her walls. They protect her through all those dark tunnels she walks down. She’s lucky that way.”
“Lucky?”
“She has no problems if she shuts all this out.” Anippe’s voice grew soft and considerate, “If you do not believe in a tangible Satan then there is no way for him to get to you. Leah has stayed safe because of her unwillingness to accept everything on faith.”
“Not when it comes to her faith in Gareth,” Neith reminded her.
“That’s true love.”
“And she would do anything for the man she loves?”
“Yes,” Anippe responded quickly, feeling the need to defend Leah against unspoken accusations.
“You look up to her.”
Anippe couldn’t stop her chuckle. “I apparently admire her temperament.”
Neith smiled. “She certainly has her own flair. I am actually waiting for her to…how does she say it? Oh yes, clock me one.”
As they shared a laugh between mother and daughter, Anippe felt like an understanding was being reached between them. She suddenly hoped that the roots of a friendship had actually begun to grow.
CHAPTER 23
Without their relationship, Leah thought, her chance of winning any battle would be right on par with the guy who was besting Rocky Balboa right before the kickass music began to play.
Sitting in the hotel room, she watched Gareth’s sleeping form. They’d been through hell and back together; that was one fact that could not be argued. But it seemed like every day she learned something new about him—discovered some other wonderful trait that he’d been hiding from the world.
The muscular body of her Adonis rolled over and Gareth let out a loud snore. Leah stifled her laughter, wanting him to get as much rest as he possibly could. She already knew he was upset that she had declined going to the hospital for the thousandth time last night, begging for some rest instead. He’d given up on the subject, but she knew that the respite would be brief. For now, she hoped he was having a dreamless sleep, with no depraved icons making him dance around in the flames of a nonexistent purgatory. Those she wanted to reserve for herself. Her hero deserved his slumber.
God knows one of us should get some. “Ah, salvation,” she whispered, lifting her second cup of the rich morning blend to her lips and taking a grateful swig.
Turning back to the window, she scanned the Pergamon Acropolis and wondered if there was ever a Goddess of Caffeine. If one had existed, she would most definitely have been Leah’s hero. No other goddess’s cult would’ve stood a chance at claiming her loyalty.
Wow, she thought. I really am tired.
The problem was, every time she even attempted sleep, the image was waiting for her. The scene had officially taken the number one spot in Leah’s mind as being the most frightening, leaving Hansen’s melting red face in the dust. And on top of the eerie image that now wouldn’t let her go, the candlelight beaming off the liquid silver floor had made her eyes burn. Her pupils still hurt, as if the glow had somehow pierced her brain. When she looked at anything for too long, little circles flashed in the corners of her eyes, like stray bolts of lightning dancing in her peripheral vision.
Placing the cup down on the table, Leah whispered, “Maybe caffeine is making me nuts.”
“Finally she listens to me!”
Leah jerked around at the sudden outburst. His green eyes were wide and sparkling and his smile was like a beacon drawing her to his side. “I thought you were sleeping.”
He winked. “The gods must have woken me up. Apparently, they didn’t want me to miss the moment when you finally broke down and said I was right. Do you honestly think I could go on living if I slept through that once-in-a-lifetime event?”
“Enjoy it.” Leah smiled. “It’ll never happen again.”
Sitting up, Gareth reached out and pulled her into the warm bed beside him. His kiss was demanding, causing Leah’s brain to scream at her to forget the dumb trek they were on and relax—just scrap the whole thing and run far, far away with the breathtaking man.
“You agreed to marry me in a ceremony when we got back home,” he whispered against her neck. “Just a reminder.”
“I was drunk.”
He laughed. “We hadn’t had anything to drink.”
“Then you must’ve taken advantage of me when I was exhausted.” Leah could barely get out her words when his masterful hands began exploring her skin. “I was out of my senses…I’m sure of it.”
“Then I better get to work.”
“What?”
He smiled down at her. “I want to take advantage of you again before you come to your senses.”
When Gareth pressed his long, hard body against hers, excitement raced through Leah like an arrow from a hunter’s bow, igniting the passion she always carried for the one person in the universe she needed more than life.
Long after she’d more than willingly succumbed to her hero’s seduction, Leah got up from the bed slowly; her legs trembled a bit as she attempted to walk to the shower. “I hope everyone’s okay.”
“What do you mean?” Gareth watched her move around the room. He wore a gaze that reminded her of a hungry predator getting ready to strike, again.
Leah sent him a wink before peeking through the curtains at the picturesque Pergamon. “Good. It’s all still out there. I could’ve sworn there was an earthquake.”
“Earth moved for you, did it?” Gareth wiggled his eyebrows. “Angels sang, did they?”
Coming back over, Leah bent down and placed a kiss on his inviting lips. “Honey, I think they may have toppled from the heavens and broke their wings.”
Leaving him grinning from ear to ear, she closed the bathroom door behind her. Tossing the shower curtain aside to turn on the water, she let out a scream that would make Hitchcock proud.
Gareth raced through the door. His neck swiveled, searching wildly for the thing that had to be threatening her. “What is it? Where is it?”
She blinked her eyes rapidly, refocusing on the now completely empty space in front of her. The familiar eyes…were gone. “I-I don’t know. I’m sorry.” Leah’s voice sounded unnatural in her ears, as Gareth remained standing like a gladiator, ready to defend her from a completely invisible enemy. “I’m hallucinating…or something.”
His face went pale. “That’s it. I tried it your way. I tried to be understanding. But we’re taking you to the freaking hospital.”
“I’m just tired.”
“Leah, you will listen to me,” he stated, taking her by the shoulders. “You got a mouthful of mercury. It could be making you sick, causing hallucinations, screwing up your system somehow.”
“I’m fine. I promise.” Turning around, she exited the bathroom.
Gareth followed on her heels. “Leah, that crap creates delusions.”
“Gareth,” she sighed. “If I manifested what was in my brain it would be pictures of you.” She attempted a smile. “Pictures of you just like this. And believe me, I wouldn’t want to wake up from those hallucinations.”
“I won’t let you dismiss this.” Gareth’s voice grew stronger, “I will not lose you.” Throwing his clothes on the bed, he sent a glare across the room that told her their debate had officially come to an end. “You’re going to the hospital if I have to drag you there kicking and screaming.”
She wanted to talk him down but was far too exhausted to fight. “Whatever you say.”
CHAPTER 24
Dawn broke, and the only remnants of the storm now dripped from the eaves of the Coptic Museum. Fearsome bolts of energy were no longer responsible for the glow lighting the room. It was now the brilliant eye of the sun forcing the leftover clouds from the Egyptian sky.
Anippe was exhausted, but in a good way. Her mother had called it a night in order to get a few much-needed moments of rest, but Anippe felt as if she were alive with vigor. Perhaps it was the fact that she and Neith had shared such a nice evening together.
Rising
from the small chair, Anippe arched her back and let out a groan. “Time to stretch the limbs. See if the storm caused any damage,” she announced her goals to the empty room.
Turning toward the hall embellished with the engraved sign, “New Wing,” Anippe was grateful for the vitality that was making her feel light as air. Just a few hours ago the storm had raged. Acting like a catalyst, it had dredged up the past and allowed Anippe to engage in a wonderful talk that removed the proverbial chip that’d been weighing so heavily on her shoulder.
Passing the painting on the wall, she stopped and perused the fourth magi walking along with two colorful stones in his hands. Neith had told her the full story last night, and Anippe now felt a wealth of emotion for a man she’d never even known.
“His name was Artaban,” was how Neith had begun. “A Persian priest, I believe. He was just like the trio you are already quite familiar with.”
Anippe had stood there, thinking about the gifts Artaban held that no one had ever heard about. Gold, frankincense and myrrh were the standard answer to that question, but what the fourth magi had been carrying were beautiful jewels to give to the Son.
Anippe remembered the slight shiver that’d run through her body when Neith had proclaimed this fact, briefly wondering if this magi had been headed to the greatest birth of all with Satan’s emerald in his hands by mistake.
“Of course not,” Neith had laughed. She’d gone on to describe a ruby that reminded the magi of a summer sunset that lit the world; a pearl that represented purity and innocence; and, a stunning sapphire that was not pictured in the artwork.
Anippe had let her mother go on at her own pace, so intrigued with the tale that she wanted to learn all she could about the man who was entering the door to the lovely building. “He had been going to join the group,” her mother had explained. “But he was too late.”
Anippe had fallen in love with Artaban upon learning that he’d ended up even further behind his friends when he stopped to nurse a dying man back to health. When Artaban had said he was going to Jerusalem for the birth, this grateful man had pointed him toward Bethlehem instead, telling him that was where the Son would be born. Now days behind his friends, Artaban had chosen to sell the ruby he carried to buy a caravan that would get him there more quickly.
“He still ended up being three days late,” Neith had told her. “When he finally arrived in Bethlehem, the First Family had already left, trying to escape King Herod’s soldiers.”
Anippe then learned that Artaban had continued to be delayed when he’d heard the screams of a young mother. Herod’s army had entered the town, and a frightened woman stood between her son and the soldiers who were there to take her child’s life. That is when Artaban pulled out the priceless pearl and bribed the Captain of the Guard to leave the woman and her son in peace.
“He continued his search for thirty-three years to find Jesus, wanting to at least offer the sapphire he had left to give. But he was always waylaid, stopping to help the needy, cure the sick, or try to fix the broken spirits he ran across along the way.”
Anippe covered her heart with her hand, not knowing the pain Artaban must have felt when news of the coming crucifixion reached him and he’d rushed to Golgotha.
“He thought he could use the last brilliant jewel to save that very special person he’d always wanted to meet. But when he got there,” Neith had continued, “a young woman who believed in the Son with all her heart was being dragged along the ground by soldiers beating her with whips. When she broke away from the monsters, she ran to Artaban and begged him for help.”
“Such a hero,” Anippe whispered to the painting, “giving up the final gift you had to save a stranger from a fate worse than death.”
In the end, the fourth magi had lost all his gifts and lived his life for others, never realizing the one dream he wanted so desperately for himself.
“Did Artaban die that day too?”
Anippe remembered the warm, wonderful feeling that had washed over her when she’d learned of the man’s eventual success.
“No. He collapsed on the ground when the news that Jesus had been crucified reached his ears. But when he woke back up, a man stood over him. This man helped him up, smiled, and Artaban suddenly knew who he was. He immediately apologized to Jesus for not having the gifts he had wanted to give. But the Son reminded him about the dying man he had cured, the child’s life he had saved, and the woman he had freed who would’ve been held in the bowels of a palace far worse than Hell if Artaban hadn’t stepped in. Jesus told him that his actions were the best gifts anyone could receive.” With that, Neith had brought the beautiful story to an end.
Anippe created the image in her mind of Jesus taking Artaban in His arms and thanking him for the faith, loyalty and selflessness he’d shown over the years.
Suddenly, a thought rushed into her mind. “That’s why Leah’s mark is sapphire,” she whispered to the painting.
Anippe’s brain brought back a memory of a parchment that she’d read long ago. Without a second thought, she took off down the hall, running directly into the room that contained an overflow of documents and letters.
Finding a very familiar piece that’d been discovered in a jar buried in the desert for centuries, she scanned the parchment and found the notation she was looking for.
“The Gem of Heaven,” Anippe whispered, remembering that Neith had mentioned this particular artifact just recently. She continued to study and translate the ancient writing. “Blue marks are given to those protecting others as they continue to keep the Gem of Heaven out of the hands of those who wish to play the role of God.” Her pulse began to race. “Made from God’s throne, this small gem fell to Earth when Lucifer was cast out, losing his battle with Michael.”
Anippe paused, thinking out loud. “But how could the Devil not know of this gem if it came down with him?”
“Well, I don’t know him personally…”
Anippe practically jumped out of her skin as Uncle Aaron spoke from the doorway.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He smiled.
Letting out a calm breath at seeing the familiar face, Anippe held up the parchment. “Do you know of this?”
He nodded. “There are stories stating that a small piece of God’s sapphire throne was picked up by a protector and hidden before Lucifer even knew it existed.”
Anippe shook her head at the wealth of stories that had been written over time. It felt as if the amount of conflicting tales had been created on purpose, to forever confuse people so they would not dig up something they had no right to lay eyes on. “What did it do…supposedly?”
“It did quite a bit, depending on the tales you wish to believe.” Aaron grinned. “The most common is that it was one of twelve stones given to Moses. Even the staff Moses carried was supposedly infused with its power, just like the sword that was used to cast the Beast out of Heaven in the first place.”
Anippe raised her head from the document. “But the Archangel Michael’s sword was said to be gold.”
“Michael’s was a double-edged sword, Anippe. If a person was innocent, the sword turned gold. When they were found to be guilty, the sword burned with a sapphire glow that was said to be God’s own power.”
Anippe felt a crisp, cool breeze run through her long hair, and she turned to see the red curtains in the window behind her dance on their rods. Walking over, she pushed the silk aside.
“Ouch!” She quickly stepped back, staring down at the bright red blood that appeared from a large cut on her hand.
Walking quickly to her side, Aaron stared down at shards from the stained glass window that were lying on the floor. “Seems the storm did some damage after all,” he remarked. “I’ll go get something. We’ll have you fixed up in no time.”
As her uncle walked from the room, Anippe cradled her injured hand and attempted to stop the overwhelming feeling that had infused her soul. As she looked down at the drops of blood spattered across the broken,
stained glass face of Jesus, she’d never felt so sick in all her life.
CHAPTER 25
“I told you,” Leah said to Gareth as they took their seats. But even now, with the medical community backing her up, Gareth’s worried gaze remained firmly in place.
“It’s best to be sure.”
“You heard him, Gareth. Doc said all the tests were negative. No poison in the blood. I’m fine.”
“He didn’t say that, Leah. He said you would need another set of tests done in a few weeks to be completely sure.” The voice she loved lowered to a whisper as he turned away from her and looked out over the bright blue surface of the sea. “Your blood pressure was also high.”
Leah laughed out loud. “And you’re surprised by that? I was kind of shocked it wasn’t eighty over a hundred and sixty.”
His profile remained stern, and she patted him on the knee. “Anybody’s blood pressure would be high after what we went through. Horned vipers? I mean, come on.”
Closing his eyes, Gareth grimaced. “Doc also said too much caffeine intake can make it worse and cause really bad dreams.”
“Let’s not start this again,” Leah grumbled. “There are very few things in this world I really love and I’m not about to give one of them up because of an accidental sip of mercury. Can we just enjoy the ride?” She took a deep breath. “Please?”
Gareth reached out and grabbed a pillow from the young, tan steward whose job it was to take care of the passengers sailing on the Minoan Lines.
The ship was a good choice, Leah thought. It was much more comfortable than taking a helicopter to Crete, and she knew Gareth wanted her to have a time out. By traveling this way, they both had a better chance of getting a little rest.
He propped the pillow against his hip. “Stretch out. Sleep. Forget about everything else for a little while.”