“Where are we going?” Valeria asked.
Myrdd’s face clouded as he stared at Alex. “The face in the stone…”
“Now they call it Tintagel,” Alex said.
∞
Their limo wound along the narrow, wintry road following the English cliffs; periodically, they would see older homes with their quaint thatched roofs. Myrdd sat quietly and then he turned to Valeria and said, “You must waste no time. When you find it—you must open it immediately! You must remove it—do you understand?”
Valeria glanced at Alex and then said, “Myrdd, what is it that I’m supposed to remove?”
Myrdd’s eyes clouded. “I...I’m not certain...”
“And this is the man who we are entrusting with Valeria’s life?” Paolo said to no one in particular.
“You said that I mustn’t waste time,” Valeria said.
Myrdd nodded. “Yes...that is correct...there is no time to lose...” Myrdd looked around and mumbled to himself, “I must keep my wits about me.” He took a deep breath. “What was it that you asked?”
“You said that there was something that I needed to remove,” Valeria said laying her head on Alex’s shoulder and then lacing her fingers with his, wondering if this excursion was a mistake.
“Oh, yes…oh, yes.” He thought for a moment. “You will know... But do not waste time! You must remove it at once...that is vital. Do you understand Cassandra?”
“I think so,” Valeria answered.
They arrived at the ruins of Tintagel castle and walked along the tourist trails. Myrdd took no interest in the tourist phenomena and hurried along a trail that was at first the main path into the castle, but then diverted his direction toward a coastal trail that was not commonly followed during the winter.
Undeterred by large waves that lapped at them, or signs that advised of falling hazards, Myrdd continued quickly along the trail. The land jutted out to the sea, giving them a spectacular view of the ruins.
“See the face in the stone?” Alex said as he pointed at the cliff below the ruins; it had a distinct face carved in it over the years by wind and salt and sea. The cliffs reminded Valeria of an old movie called, Widows’ Peak where the women plunged themselves off the rocky cliffs and into the violent sea in an effort to reunite with their lost loves. She shivered.
“We don’t have to do this,” he said, taking her into his arms.
“I’m...fine,” she said and nodded toward Myrdd.
Paolo followed along the trail occasionally complaining as if his considerations were of the utmost importance. As they made their way around a sharp inlet, the trail rose at a steep pitch. Valeria glanced down and watched the violent throws of the waves as they at first crashed and then snarled around the rocky inlet. Below them was a cave at the base of the cliff that was partially filled with water. Finally, Myrdd stopped and Valeria saw two ancient carvings on the cliffs.
Myrdd ran his fingers over one of the carvings of the labyrinth with its seven circles to the center. “The Walls of Troy!” he said with finality.
“It hasn’t changed much in 3,000 years,” Alex said.
Valeria was taken aback by Alex’s statement. “You know about this?”
He nodded as he appreciatively brushed his fingers along the carving on the right. “I created this one.” Then he pointed to the one on the left. “That one was already here when I arrived—I assume Myrdd carved it.”
“Not I...Apollo.”
“Apollo?” Valeria asked.
Suddenly, Myrdd looked out toward the sea and his lips pressed together in a thin line. His eyes gazed dreamily at the water. “If I live, I would like to see her again,” he said softly. Then the clouds returned to his eyes and he sank to his feet, wrapping his arms around his legs.
Instantly, Valeria felt a shadow cast over them. In a moment of sudden clarity, she felt the hopelessness of the situation, yet she knew that her path had already been chosen. Myrdd appeared completely disconnected, as if he had used every ounce of focus he could muster and now had to await the outcome.
“Val?” Alex asked, concern lacing his voice.
Turning away from Alex, she ran her finger around the carving. “It’s seven circles to the center. If we do this right, we get the snake that eats its tail.” Her finger traced the infinity symbol in the middle of the carving. “We get an eternity!” She forced a smile to her face. “Only seven circles to an eternity with you!” Then she wrapped her arms around Alex—suddenly afraid to let go. It would all be different soon.
She shivered as a cold wind whipped over the coast and Alex said, “At least it isn’t as cold inside the cave.” Before releasing him, she brushed her hands over the side of his face and then through his hair, savoring the moment and creating a memory.
“You know I adore you,” she said, as tears flooded her eyes.
“We’ll be on our way to Puerto Rico in no time!” he said. But she could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn’t believe it either. A tear streaked down her face and he brushed it away.
“We can turn around,” he whispered. “It’s not too late.”
She bit her lip and closed her eyes for a moment. “This...this is our path,” she sighed.
There were steps carved into the sandstone. Alex turned to Paolo. “You go first. I’ll help Val. But if you could, please give her a hand up.”
Paolo lowered his eyebrows in irritation. “Of course I would help Valeria!” Then he climbed up the six steps.
“I don’t need any help,” Valeria said to Paolo, as she climbed up the stairs. But the fact was that she was grateful that Alex stood behind her and Paolo was at the top. Her balance wasn’t what it used to be.
Once Alex reached the top, he pulled Valeria into his arms and kissed her. “Gorgeous view here,” he said, standing on the narrow ledge.
Paolo grumbled, “Let’s get this over with so that we can return to some semblance of sanity.”
Alex pulled three flashlights out of his backpack and handed one to Paolo, who headed off into the cave; he handed another one to Valeria.
“Sometimes, there are bats in the cave’s entrance. Paolo’s probably already scared them off, but why don’t we give him a minute.” Alex held her behind him. Satisfied that the bats weren’t an issue, he stepped inside the cave. She took a moment and, instantly, the musky moisture of the cave filled her senses as the dark absorbed them. She saw Alex’s light move rapidly up as he disappeared from sight. Then she heard struggling.
“Alex?”
“Val, run!” he shouted. But she was frozen. She held her flashlight up, but the movement was so rapid she couldn’t determine what was happening. Then she heard the unmistakable sound of a woman’s growling and grunting—Kristiana!
“I’m not leaving you!” Valeria said as she tried to shine a light on Alex and Kristiana. Where was Paolo? She backed away from the struggle, uncertain whether to move back toward the entrance, or further inside the cave. She raised her flashlight to use as a weapon, but as soon as she did, she could no longer see them.
“Alex!” Valeria cried.
In the darkness, she could only see an occasional flash of what she was certain was Kristiana’s dagger, captured by the sunlight that was filtering into the cave. Valeria tried to determine what exactly was happening and how to help, but with the few inches of coverage from her flashlight, and their rapid movement, she couldn’t determine what to do. Then she saw that Alex had Kristiana pinned against the wall. He turned to Valeria as Kristiana fought him like a wild animal.
“Run, Val! Please!” he pleaded.
“I’m not leaving you,” she said.
“Please!”
Valeria began to move toward the entrance and nearly tripped. She shined the flashlight behind her and saw Paolo lying against the wall with a bloody hole in his chest.
Suddenly there was something obscuring the light at the cave’s entrance and Valeria recognized Myrdd standing tall. “Run, Cassandra!” He pointed into
the cave.
Kristiana struggled away from Alex and ran with the dagger toward Valeria and Myrdd.
“No!” Alex yelled, as he grabbed Kristiana, but her forward movement was too fast and instantly, Alex, Myrdd, and Kristiana went over the ledge outside the cave. She could hear the thuds of bodies, and the distinct sound of a body slamming against the rocks that jutted from the cliff, falling over a hundred feet to the sea below.
Stunned and terrified, Valeria moved toward the entrance. Well below them, she saw Myrdd’s body on a rock as the waves crashed over him. Valeria glanced around the water for Alex, but didn’t see him.
She stepped outside the cave, onto the narrow ledge and there Valeria saw Alex face down and unconscious on the ledge below. She glanced around nervously. Where was Kristiana?
A hand grabbed at her foot and she stomped on it just as the dagger swung, barely brushing the flesh of her ankle. She felt a frantic kick of her child, and she turned and ran back into the cave. Instantly, she was cast into total darkness, except for the small stream of light coming from her flashlight.
Keeping one hand on the inner wall to guide her, she wondered if Alex was alive. Would he recover? Suddenly, the vision of Myrdd in the sea filled Valeria’s vision. She wondered if Alex would survive only to be killed, with her and their child. No! She forced the thought away.
She continued through the labyrinth, wishing that Alex was beside her. What if she never saw him again? She choked back a cry. Then she heard Kristiana, singing the haunting lullaby from her nightmare.
“Kame nana na kimithis...Kame nana na kimithis...” The contrast of the sweet lullaby of a mother calming her child’s fears in a slightly off-key rendition, as she came to murder another mother and child, was terrifying.
Valeria picked up her pace and wondered how many circles she had run. She desperately wanted to cry out for Alex, but she didn’t want Kristiana to hear her. She moved faster, feeling the terror building within her.
Her foot hit a rock and she tripped. Valeria caught herself on her hands, but her small cry alerted Kristiana, who released a mad cackle. Then Kristiana continued her song—as it transformed into a battle march.
Picking up her pace, Valeria realized that she had felt an occasional knob on the side the cave. She had passed two of them. They must identify the circles. That would leave five circles remaining. She felt herself moving deeper and deeper into the mountain; as her claustrophobia began to take control, she forced it away. She thought about Alex, but now it wasn’t just their love and their lives that mattered anymore. There was only one thing that mattered and that was keeping their child safe!
Valeria’s hands were covered in sweat and the flashlight slipped out of her grasp. As it hit the ground, the light went out and she fumbled around desperately searching for it. When her foot kicked it, she followed the sound until she found it. Rubbing her belly, she whispered, “I won’t let her harm you!”
She passed another bump in the wall—three more circles—as she listened to the sound of Kristiana’s lullaby. Over the sound of her heart pounding it seemed as if she had increased the distance between her and Kristiana. Then she wondered if it was just the change in acoustics with the increased number of turns in the wall.
She thought of Alex again and prayed that somehow she might see him again. Already the emptiness was nearly overwhelming. She wondered how she would keep her promise to her child.
The memory of the bloody hole in Paolo made her nauseous and she wondered if he would recover. Despite everything, he had become a friend. Then she thought of Myrdd and how easily Kristiana had slaughtered him. Suddenly she had a near-paralyzing thought—if Kristiana had thrown Alex over the cliff, he would drown and that would be the end of him. A pain hit her chest. She couldn’t think that! She had to believe that Alex was safe—that they would all be safe.
Valeria counted, one more circle. The distances were shorter and shorter around each turn now. At last, the cave opened to a circular chamber the size of the large living room. There was nothing in there except for a large metal crate with intricate symbols carved into it. Valeria recognized some of the symbols, including the triquetra and another three-pronged symbol. The crate stood waist high and a light shined down from the roof of the cave on two carvings of labyrinths, just as she had seen at the cave’s entrance. Kristiana’s voice was even closer now. Myrdd had told Valeria to remove something. She remembered the rules, she had to turn the labyrinths, but not too far, or she would have nothing. As she rotated the knobs on the box, they slipped through her fingers—her hands were too sweaty.
Using the bottom edge of her shirt, she wrapped it over the knobs. Turning them with all of her might, she felt them give, and then she heard a latch release. She lifted the lid of the box and inside was a large book with an infinity symbol painted in gold on the cover.
“You must remove it!” She remembered Myrdd’s words—was this what he was referring to? She could still hear Kristiana and knew she would be there in less than a minute. She began reading the pages as quickly as she could. There had to be some clue that would tell her how to protect herself and her child against Kristiana.
“Val!” She heard Alex’s frantic cry through the tunnels and she felt immediate relief; he was alive, even though, he was too far away to help her now. She shook the thought off and continued to read. Flipping back several hundred pages she read as quickly as she could. Just then, the volume of Kristiana’s song increased.
Valeria read a line and lowered her brows. “A blinding sword?” She lifted the tome, but there was no sword to be found. She set it back down. Valeria knew that she would not attack Kristiana with a sword, but perhaps she could somehow defend herself and her child.
The speed of Kristiana’s song increased with the volume, “Na meroni na ksupna, na megaloni o...”
Suddenly, Valeria was keenly aware that the singing had ended and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise at Kristiana’s presence. She needed something to protect herself from the dagger she knew Kristiana still had, and so she lifted the tome. When Valeria turned she was stunned to see that Kristiana’s once beautiful face had withered, with black patches marring its surface from her brief moment without the crystal.
“In all of these years, I have only had the pleasure of killing you myself but twice. The first time you returned, my husband saw the vision of you in the river. Fortunately, he told me how and where I would kill you before I had even decided. His mistake was that he took the time to pack...I did not!” Kristiana sighed happily. “I would like for him to know that he caused your death this last time.” She tapped her foot impatiently and growled, “Call to him!”
“Alex!”
His voice was a cry of desperation. “Val! Are you okay...is she...” Kristiana laughed hysterically and it echoed throughout the tunnels.
Valeria could hear his struggled breathing as he raced to her and it broke her heart to know that he would see the inevitable.
“I’m bored.” The corners of Kristiana’s face rose in a macabre smile as she grabbed her dagger and hurled it toward Valeria. Lifting the book, Valeria successfully blocked the blade from her chest.
The room filled with an enraged battle cry as Kristiana ran at Valeria and knocked her to the ground. Then, pulling her dagger from the tome, Kristiana thrust it at Valeria in rapid-fire succession, while Valeria tried to block the blows.
The thrusts stopped and Valeria felt extraordinary and immediate relief when she saw Alex and Paolo grab Kristiana and pull her away.
Alex took the dagger and Paolo locked Kristiana’s arms behind her, as Alex ran to his wife. Valeria sat up slowly. She had lived!
“Alex?” she said wrapping her arms around his neck. He held her close and she could feel the pounding of his pulse.
Kristiana craned her neck back to look at Paolo. “Paolo, my sweet boy...you live!”
His voice came as a whisper. “Yes...” Then his eyes filled with tears. “I am sorry, Mother.�
� He reached to her neck and, suddenly, Kristiana acquiesced and leaned her head against Paolo’s chest.
“My beautiful boy!” Kristiana said softly as Paolo yanked off the leather cord that held her lifeline.
In that instant, her eyes filled with horror. Her skin began to wither, turning green and brown and then, finally, black. Kristina’s voice was almost like an echo, as she hummed her haunting lullaby that eerily continued a moment after her body turned to dust.
They stared at her remains in a mix of shock and relief. Alex’s expression went from relief to sudden horror as he stared at Valeria. She saw Paolo staring at her with the same expression.
“We’re safe now,” she said. But she didn’t feel safe. She felt a strange feeling as if the world was moving away from her. She glanced down and saw blood gushing from dozens of wounds in her chest.
Gathering every bit of strength she had in her, she brushed her hand over Alex’s face. “I’m sorry,” she whispered before losing consciousness.
Alex picked her up. “Hang on, Val! Hang on! We’re going to get you out of here!” A sob caught in his throat and then he said, “Doc’s going to fix you up! Paolo! Let’s go, Paolo!”
Paolo seemed in shock, but then picked up Valeria’s flashlight and ran back into the labyrinth. Alex followed carrying Valeria in his arms.
“She’s still breathing! Hurry, Paolo!”
The circles seemed endless, but finally they saw the light. Mani and Lita, having received the silent communication from Alex, were at the entrance to the cave with supplies and a blanket to act as a stretcher. Mani wrapped gauze tightly around Valeria’s wounds and then they carried her along the rugged trail.
By the time they got her to the car, she was drenched in blood and had stopped breathing. Alex began CPR, while Mani tried to stop the massive hemorrhaging.
The Last Oracle Page 37