The Last Oracle

by Colvin, Delia

  “We have to help him, Mani!” she cried, but Mani just held her.

  Alex held up his hands and shrugged. Suddenly, there was a loud hissing sound—much louder than before. Alex stared toward the studio and then at Valeria in alarm and yelled, “Propane! Get her out of here!”

  Mani lifted her off her feet and ran toward the woods as she kicked and struggled to get back to the cottage.

  The ground rumbled angrily in an ear-shattering explosion and she felt as if she were airborne. The next thing she was aware of was the cool earth under her body and face. Suddenly, she was transitioned into a silent world with no loud fire and no shouting, only the shrill ringing in her head. It was a few seconds before she turned her face—stunned—and brushed the dirt from her mouth. She felt the rumble of Mani’s chest. Did he say something? Then she was lying on her back and Mani was kneeling next to her. She couldn’t quite focus but he seemed to be surveying her as his mouth moved...still, there was only the ringing.

  In a daze, she reached her hand first to her hair, and felt that it was now tangled and entwined with pieces of pine and debris; then she moved her hand over her lower lip. When she moved her hand away, she saw the brilliant red of blood.

  Rolling onto her side, she sat up and saw hundreds of tiny flames that blazed on the ground near them. Her eyes rose with horror to where her husband had been moments before. The porch was still there but there was a huge hole in the roof where the stone fireplace stood.

  She tried to stand up but she was shaking so badly that she couldn’t find the strength. Instead, she began to scramble on all fours toward the cottage. She felt strong arms around her. Turning, she recognized Tavish. There was a loud crackling that broke through her wall of silence as a part of the roof caved in on their bedroom.

  Her left ear did an angry pop and she could hear the roar of the fire—although it was dimmed by the still intense and shrill ringing—and another high-pitched sound. Then she realized, it was the sound of her own screaming.

  Tavish clung tightly to her. He was saying something, but she was unable to make anything out. She fought him and cried out as the rest of the family arrived.

  Everyone seemed to be more concerned that she was upset than the fact that her husband was burning to death inside of their home. It was an incongruity to her. No one was going to get Alex out except her. She continued to struggle to get free of Tavish’s grip. Her ears popped again and she heard Tavish. “He’s all right, Lass.”

  “Why aren’t you getting him? He’s your friend! We have to get him out of there,” she sobbed.

  She saw Caleb and heard him say over the ringing, “I’ll get him, Val, I know where he is!”

  By then, Camille had arrived and, seeing Caleb running toward the inferno, she grabbed him by the shirttail so that he had to turn around. “Caleb! No! Your job is to stay by Val!”

  Valeria screamed Alex’s name over and over in a voice that she could barely hear over the ringing in her head as she fought against Tavish’s grip. She knew she was hysterical—but no amount of reason could make her understand why their friends wouldn’t let her get him. Camille moved her face inches from hers.

  “Val! Val!” Camille said calmly, her voice rising above the ringing. “Listen to me! You have to listen to me!” she commanded.

  “Why aren’t the fire trucks here? Why isn’t somebody doing something?” Valeria screamed.

  “Val!” Camille said, holding Valeria’s face for emphasis. “The cottage will be in ashes before the trucks can get here and we can’t let anyone on the property right now.” Valeria cried and continued to struggle. Camille raised her voice as she continued, “Valeria, listen to me! Listen! Alex is immortal! He will be fine! But you are in danger and we have to get you out of here now!”

  “I’m not leaving without him!”

  “Lass, you must do what Camille says. We have sworn an oath.”

  Mani walked back to Valeria and spoke calmly. “Valeria, an enemy has somehow broached our security. It is extremely dangerous for you to be here now. Alex will survive and will join you later.”

  She shook her head vehemently; if she left without him, she was terrified that she would never see him again—and that was a risk that she simply could not take!

  Pulling all her wits about her, she stopped struggling and forced herself to relax. Finding every bit of strength within her, she said, “No one is taking me out of here without my husband!” Her chest heaved heavily with emotion. “Do you hear me? Do you all understand me? I’m not leaving! Not without Alex.”

  Tavish said sadly, “We will force you if we must.”

  She had to calm herself so that they would listen to her. She drew several slow breathes.

  “Yes, Tav, you could,” she said as she nodded repeatedly for emphasis, and then drew another deep breath. “But how long will you hold me prisoner? Because I will come back here as soon as I can get away.” Tavish nodded. “So, I want all of you to listen to me now! Are you listening?” she said, trying to keep the tears out of her voice. “I am not leaving here without Alex. So let’s figure out how to save my husband from this fire! Alright?” She looked around and bit her lip, and even through her fog, she grimaced as her teeth braised the cuts on her mouth.

  Camille glanced at Lars who nodded, and with a resigned expression, he ran around to the back of the house and disappeared. There was movement through the flames and she knew Lars was inside. Valeria put her hand over her mouth and held her breath. A few moments later, Lars emerged carrying Alex over his shoulder.

  Mani said softly, “I’ll get my bag.” Then he headed toward his home.

  Lars coughed before laying Alex down on the ground. Valeria rushed to her husband and saw that his skin was covered in black soot and he was barely conscious. She touched the side of his face and gently brushed her lips over his; with relief, she felt that the air was still moving through his lungs, although it was weak.

  “You’re going to be fine now.” She kissed him again.

  His mouth began to move in unspoken words and his eyes fluttered, as if he was trying to open them.

  “Relax. Doc will be here in a minute,” she said, as calmly as she could.

  Lars issued rapid-fire orders, “Let’s revamp the escape plan. Mani can’t be a decoy—I want him to stay with Alex and Val.” Lars looked at the burns on his arms and hands. “I’m in no shape to drive for at least a few hours. Tavish, you’ll need to shave your beard—quickly. Where’s Daph?”

  Valeria paid no attention. She was watching Alex struggling to breathe and obviously in pain. Mani returned and started to place a mask over his face and, again, Alex moved his mouth and fluttered his eyes. Mani glanced at Valeria from head to foot and then responded aloud to Alex’s non-verbal question. “No serious injuries that I can see. A few minor abrasions. Nothing that will not heal soon.”

  Alex sighed and nodded, and then moved his mouth again. Mani answered, “Yes, my friend, we will keep her safe...as agreed.” Then, Mani placed the oxygen mask over Alex’s mouth.

  Camille said, “Caleb needs to stay with Val. I’ll drive.”

  “You’ll need additional protection,” Lars said. “I’d feel better if Tavish and Caleb went with you. I’ll be the decoy and Ava can drive.”

  “I think I need to stay with Val,” Camille said.

  Ava nodded. “I agree with Camille. And no one would believe that Alex would have Valeria driving in this situation.”

  “What do you suggest?” Lars asked.

  Just then, Daphne and Paolo emerged from the woods, running toward the blazing cottage. Paolo glanced at the fire and the color drained from his face as he cried out, “Is she...”

  Relief flooded Paolo’s face when he saw Valeria on the ground near Alex. Paolo went to her and touched her shoulder. “Bella! Thank God, you are safe!”

  For a moment, she seemed unaware of his touch and then she slowly turned her head and followed the arm up to see Paolo’s face. In an instant, she was s
tanding, suddenly enraged as her fists pounded on his chest and she cried, “You did this, didn’t you? You couldn’t allow us even…” she huffed, as tears escaped her eyes. “You couldn’t allow us one night of happiness!”

  Confused, Paolo bit back the pain of her rage and tried to pull her into him to comfort her. Instead, she screamed at his touch. Paolo winced as if he had been physically hurt by her actions, and he backed away from her. Daphne put her hand on Paolo’s shoulder and stared at Alex for a moment. Then she swallowed, and said to Valeria, “Paolo didn’t do this.” Daphne turned to Lars. “I was with him the whole time. I swear it!”

  Lars nodded to Daphne. “We need a decoy. Can you and Paolo do that?”

  “Yes,” Paolo said, resolutely, and then glanced at Daphne in confirmation.

  “Absolutely,” Daphne added.

  Lars went to reach in his pockets and then shook his head, frustrated that his hands were too badly burned. Ava reached into his pocket and then tossed the keys to Paolo.

  “Those are Alex’s keys. Drive to Rome,” Lars said. “That’ll give us enough time to get them where they need to go. Don’t stop anywhere. There are baseball caps and Alex and Val’s jackets in the back seat. Put the sunglasses on as soon as the sun comes up. The windows are dark enough that it should work,” Lars ordered. He glanced at his hands. “Damn this hurts.”

  Paolo and Daphne ran to the side of the house, where Alex’s car was parked. Within minutes, they were tearing down the road at breakneck speeds.

  Camille squealed a Mercedes SUV to the front of the cottage. She looked to Ava. “We need your car for Alex.”

  “Of course.” Ava nodded, holding on to Lars as he sat on the ground looking at his burns.

  Valeria couldn’t seem to grasp her new reality. She felt a hand on her shoulder and, this time, she turned to see Camille. The ringing lowered and then dissipated.

  She felt a blanket covering her shoulders and she was suddenly aware that she was shaking violently. She brushed Alex’s singed hair from his soot-covered face and his eyes fluttered for a moment.

  “It’s all right, Alex. I’m here. I’m not leaving you.”

  “Val, there’s a duffle bag with your clothes in the van. Why don’t you change? Put these on.” Camille set the turquoise flip-flops on the ground.

  Kissing his forehead, Valeria said, “I’ll be right back.”

  With that, she slipped her feet into the flip-flops and tightened the blanket around her. She stopped and turned. “Alex needs this more than I do.” She laid the blanket over him and a quiver of sobs came over her. She shoved them back and walked to the van.

  The seats in the back of the SUV had been laid down making room for Alex. In the front passenger side, she saw two black duffle bags, one of which had a pink band. She unzipped it and located a pair of jeans and underwear. Then, she walked to the other side of the SUV and pulled them on.

  The hatch opened and Camille tossed in Mani’s leather medical bag. Valeria saw Ava, Tavish, Caleb, and Mani as they carried Alex on the blanket toward the SUV.

  Lars continued to issue orders. “Tavish, once Alex is set, you’ll follow Camille in your car out the back gate.”

  “Right.”

  Lars added, “If there’s any trouble en route to the safe house, do whatever you have to do, but I want Val out of there—regardless of what she says! Understand?” Tavish nodded. Lars looked at Caleb who seemed particularly upset by all that had transpired. “Caleb, do you understand?”

  The boy nodded somberly.

  Camille crawled into the back of the vehicle and signaled to Valeria. “Come here. We’re going to pull Alex in on the blanket.”

  Mani and Ava arrived at the hatch with Alex. Camille and Valeria grabbed the blanket and pulled. Alex moaned and Valeria stopped, releasing a sob.

  “We’re hurting him!” she said.

  “Val, we have to do this quickly. Lift and pull on three. Ready?”

  Wiping her face with her sleeve, she nodded.

  “One, two, three,” Camille counted and nodded at Valeria; they pulled quickly. Alex cried out, causing Valeria to release another sob; he was unconscious, but inside the vehicle. Tavish drew a deep, shaky breath and then nodded to Camille as he shut the hatch. Mani climbed in the door opposite Valeria and tried to fit his long limbs into the cramped quarters in the back of the vehicle.

  “Please let me stay back here with him. I won’t get in the way,” Valeria said softly, and Mani nodded.

  Lars called to Tavish. “Tav, run up to the house and get your car. Camille will meet you there. Whatever happens, Caleb stays with Val! Alright?”

  Tavish nodded. “Yes,” he said, as he took off on the foot trail.

  Mani re-strapped the oxygen mask on to Alex’s face as Camille put the car in gear and they sped up to the main house. The tables and chairs were still where they’d been just hours ago, when they had danced so happily. The sky was soft blue and pink with a hint of sunrise kissing the hills.

  The memories were still so fresh in her mind that it made the current events seem as though they must be a nightmare. She kept imagining that she would wake next to Alex in their beautiful cottage and he would assure her that it had all been a bad dream. Then they would make love again.

  “Caleb, Val needs a jacket. There’s one in either of the duffle bags there by your feet,” Camille said.

  With Tavish’s car behind them, they raced off to the back gate as Caleb tossed a tan trench coat to Valeria, who took it and wrapped it around herself.

  Mani opened his leather bag and then glanced at Alex, who was moving his jaw but no sound was coming out. “Yes, I am aware of the symptoms of shock,” Mani said matter-of-factly.

  “Shock?” Valeria asked.

  Mani pulled out a small flashlight from his shirt pocket. “Yes. Alex is concerned that I will be distracted with his injuries and fail to care for you.”

  “Follow the light,” he said, and she looked from left to right with some irritation. Alex was the one who needed the care. Mani touched her face and neck. “Are you still cold?”

  “No,” she said, although she was still shivering. He pulled the jacket tightly around her.

  “Caleb is there any water?”

  “Check the center console,” Camille said to Caleb, who dutifully pulled out a bottle and handed it to Mani.

  “I want you to drink this. Stay warm and I believe you will be fine.”

  “Yes,” she whispered, as her voice was nearly gone from all of her screaming. Despite the fact that Alex clearly had third-degree burns over his hands and arms, he would be unhappy if she argued.

  Mani pulled on some rubber gloves, and then removed several packages of sterile gauze pads and a liquid. Pouring the liquid onto a gauze pad, he turned Valeria’s face toward his and looked at her lip.

  “This will sting for a moment.”

  She cringed and saw the cloth come off her lip with just a trace of blood. She would have fought him, but she was certain that any argument would only delay Alex’s care.

  Then he turned to Alex and lifted his arm.

  “Mani, shouldn’t we wrap the blanket around Alex? He is probably in shock.”

  Nodding in a way that seemed more as if he had only acquiesced, Mani said, “Caleb, is there another blanket?”

  “Caleb, there are two sweaters in Alex’s bag. One is for Val to put on. The other is for Alex.”

  As Mani lifted Alex’s arm, Valeria got a closer look at the charred skin, blood, and soot.

  Glancing at Valeria critically, he asked, “Would you like to help?” She nodded.

  “Hold the gauze in place while I tape it, please.”

  She held the bandage on Alex’s hand as Mani began to tape it to an unburned portion of Alex’s arm. Alex’s fingers curled a fraction on hers. The love that she felt in that subtlest of movements overwhelmed her, and a few tears escaped. She would have wiped them away except she would have had to release his arm.

  “Umm,
shouldn’t we clean the burns first?”

  “Later will be better,” he said, glancing at her. “He will heal, Valeria.”

  As Mani opened another package of gauze, Alex’s eyes flickered almost open for a moment. He moved his finger as if he wanted to say something. Mani nodded again. “Are you certain?”

  “What?” Valeria asked.

  Mani drew in a deep breath. “I will do as you wish.”

  “What did he say, Doc?”

  As Mani finished wrapping the gauze around Alex’s forearm and elbow, he reached into his bag. “He wants Morphine.” Mani glanced up. “And he wants me to tell you that he will be all right.”

  “It didn’t look like he said that much.”

  “He asked for morphine.” Mani pulled out a vial and switched on the overhead light. “He is getting weaker. But he has been asking us to assure you that he will be all right.”

  Valeria forgot that they were able to use thoughts instead of words. “He doesn’t look all right,” she said quietly, as she brushed Alex’s hair from his forehead.

  Rifling through his bag again, Mani said, “I can assure you that he will be all right…but it will take time.”

  Pulling out a hypodermic needle from the bag, he inserted it into the vial and held it up toward the light as he drew the plunger. Valeria touched Alex’s unburned fingers, and they again curled slightly on hers. Another tear escaped and rolled down her chin.

  “I thought immortals recovered quickly.”

  “Yes, but these are serious injuries. They will take more time.”

  Valeria eyed the third-degree burns on his arm. “His burns?”

  Mani shook his head, then tapped the hypo and squirted the air with a small amount of liquid that came from the needle. “It is the smoke inhalation that will kill—” he stopped abruptly as Valeria choked back a sob before it completely surfaced. Mani glanced at her and restated, “His body cannot survive this much damage.”

  She felt herself going into hysterics and felt Alex’s fingers move again on hers. “You said he would be all right!” she said, hyperventilating.