The Last Oracle

by Colvin, Delia

  Charon’s ferry began moving down the river. Alex continued to kick toward the edge but he was being pulled too fast toward Cerberus. He prayed that he could get Genni onto the ledge before they were in complete darkness. As the ferry passed Alex, Daphne watched sadly.

  The wake from the boat pushed Alex to the opposite side of the river. He grabbed onto the slick edge as Shinsu arrived.

  Shinsu unwound her long, silk scarf and tossed it to Alex. He grabbed it and pushed off, hearing the threats of Cerberus’s growls.

  Clinging to Genni and the scarf, Alex slowly worked his way across the river. Finally Shinsu put the wrap under her foot and reached for the child. As she secured Genni in her arms, Alex moved his free hand to the slick limestone.

  “Get Genni out of here! Caleb says something is about to happen. I don’t know what it’s about but...”

  Nodding, Shinsu hurried to the waiting gondola on the other side of the island.

  Paolo had beaten Erebos to a pulp and finally Erebos frantically dove into the river and swam past Alex.

  Just then, the dagger began to lose its glow and Caleb pulled it from Jeremiah and flung it deep into the cave past Charon. There was the sound of a yelp from Cerberus and Caleb laughed.

  As Jeremiah stood on the edge of the river, dazed and confused, Paolo moved toward him and smiled coldly. “Now, it is my turn!”

  Raising his arms in defense, Jeremiah said, “I have always tried to protect you! That woman, Cassandra—” Before Jeremiah could finish, Paolo’s fist slammed into his jaw, knocking him powerfully along the edge of the river. Jeremiah groaned and too weak from the shock he laid there. Paolo went to him, and lifted him again.

  “That one was for Genni and this one is for Valeria..she goes by Valeria now!” The force of the hit launched Jeremiah into the river.

  Paolo shook his head, enraged. “You don’t get off that easily!” Paolo dove into the river, continuing to beat a now terrified Jeremiah.

  Cerberus’s growls grew louder as Jeremiah and Paolo drifted past Alex.

  “Paolo!” Alex yelled, in an attempt to alert the man that had been his brother and his friend to the impending doom. Cerberus growled hungrily as Paolo disappeared into the darkness and Alex was stunned at the sudden loss that he felt.

  Strolling casually down the ledge, Caleb looked quite pleased with himself and seemed completely unaware of the tragedies that were unfolding.

  “Caleb, you need to go with Shinsu and Camille!” Alex shouted.

  With a casual glance back at the gondola, Caleb said, “Shinsu doesn’t want to go.”

  “What?”

  “Well, we were talking and we decided that it would be best if this place wasn’t here anymore. Seems like it’s causing more problems than it’s helping and Val agrees. Besides, Shinsu wants to be with Myrdd and if she leaves then there really isn’t a third triumvirate anymore.”

  Alex’s fingers slipped on the limestone.

  “Caleb...I can’t hang on. You need to leave, now!”

  “We all gotta leave.”

  Down the river they could hear the sounds of Cerberus and the crunching of bones and cries of men being eaten alive. Alex couldn’t stand it and yet he knew that was his fate.

  “What happens next, Caleb?” Alex said as he treaded water and clung to the slick wall.

  The boy’s eyes widened with excitement. “Um...well, the next thing is a really cool flood...more like a giant wave—you know, a tsunami! The first one’s kind of like a warning. The second one—”

  “Camille—get Genni out of here!” Alex shouted and with that he lost his grip on the limestone and began to flow down the river. “Caleb! You need to go with Camille!”

  “Don’t worry, I made sure Genni’s safe!” Caleb shouted.

  Suddenly, he was surrounded by blackness with the warm current and the frightening sound of flesh being torn. He thought of Paolo and the thought made him sick. Soon enough he would be there. He heard Cerberus distracted by the scent of him and gave into the inevitable. The womb-like sensation calmed him as he plummeted toward hell and he wondered momentarily if the river had been designed to lull one into a false sense of security. It would all be over in a moment, he thought...all of his dreams of a life with his love. After 3,000 years this was how it would end. He only prayed that someday he might be with his love in the Elysian Fields.

  Then he heard a loud rumbling from the bowels of the earth. Alex heard Cerberus whine and then Caleb shouted excitedly, “Here it comes!”

  There was a shuddering of the land and then he felt the strength of the current stop and suddenly he was headed the opposite direction, back toward Delos. With the new current, Alex fought to keep his head above water. Shinsu stood in the middle of the island as walls of water moved around her and somehow avoided her. Then Alex felt himself pulled back toward the underworld and was again cast into darkness. This time he was moving much faster than before. Alex struggled for breaths and to find something to hold on to, but he was roughly bounced against the cave edges and then he felt something near him.

  He heard the woman’s familiar British accent in the darkness. “Alex! I see you! Reach to your right. My arm is there...”

  “Daph?” Alex said in shock.

  “I’m right here—I can pull you in. I’m strong enough. Trust me!” she said.

  And in a moment he was on the ledge in the dark as Daphne’s arms went around his chest. He relaxed for a moment in relief, catching his breath. Alex knew he should move out of her arms. But emotional exhaustion took over and he couldn’t seem to budge.

  Finally he said, “I’m...sorry about Paolo.” Although he couldn’t see her, he felt her nod as she brushed her hand over his chest and kissed the side of his neck.

  “Daph,” he said softly. “Please don’t...”

  “Just once I just wanted to feel you in my arms,” she said. “I’ll...behave now.”

  Her hands took his and he was surprised how small they were. He squeezed them gently. “Thanks. Other than...well, you know—you’ve been a good friend.”

  “Have I?” she asked and then swallowed. “There’s another wave coming. This one’s much larger.”

  He heard the deep rumbling from the bowels of the earth and this time Cerberus began to howl. Quickly, the rumbling escalated and the cave began to shudder.

  “Will I see you again?” he asked.

  Daphne shrugged. “I don’t know,” she said.

  In an instant, the shuddering became a thundering roar. Alex felt himself pulled back into the water and away from Daphne and then the wave hit.

  He felt his body pummeled along rocks—uncertain if it was the top, base, or side of the caves. Then in the darkness, he prayed for those moments of cool air on his face when he could catch his breath and work to shield his head from the rocks.

  Suddenly, the temperature of the water dropped from bathwater warm to chilling cold. At that moment, he knew that he was no longer in Delos but in the cave that might take him out to the sea...or trap him deep inside the earth forever.

  As he slammed against a rock he felt the slimy algae of the rope and grasped frantically for it. He worked against the current that yanked his body around and finally wrapped his arms around it. Then he waited for a change in current and wrapped his legs around the rope, although by doing so he was underwater. He wondered if the tunnel had filled completely with water or if there might be a moment when he could breathe. His prayers were answered and the tide rolled out.

  He breathed and his arms and legs shook uncontrollably. Then he saw a flickering of light and saw Shinsu’s tiny frame at the entrance to Delos. She had a peaceful expression on her face as she lifted her hand as if to say goodbye and then he heard the low rumble and knew that the adamantine gates were closing forever and again he was cast into blackness.

  As he inched himself along on the rope occasionally rising to search for air pockets on the outflow of water he could hear the thunder exploding outside the cave. The l
ouder the thunder was, the closer he knew he was to the exit. As the water came back in he clung to the rope with his arms and legs and prayed that Caleb had gotten free. Then he thought of his love and he wondered where they would be reunited. Would she be at Morgana waiting for him? The dreaded image of her lifeless body on their bed came back to him and he shook his head, refusing that image.

  Suddenly he heard Hades warning, “Don’t look back.” He wouldn’t! He would wait until he was safely ashore...then he remembered the image of Shinsu closing the adamantine gate for the last time. With horror, Alex realized that he had looked back into Delos and suddenly a sick dread crept over him. That didn’t count! That wasn’t looking back—that was only because he was disoriented, he justified. But the thought refused to leave him.

  After nearly an hour of working his way through the powerful currents and clinging to the rope during the ingress of water, Alex finally saw the reflection of a flash of lightning followed by earth-shattering thunder and briefly saw the white foam—he was at the entrance. The water had been warmed by the River Styx, preventing hypothermia.. Out in the sea, it would most certainly would be a problem.

  He remembered swimming out with Valeria nearly a year before and the feeling of her alive and in his arms was nearly an overwhelming thought. He waited for the outflow of water and dove down near the bottom of the cave and prayed that he was still heading in the right direction—remembering that the waves could wash him to the center of the earth and he would never find his way out again. Without the night vision goggles that he had used the previous attempt, he had no way of knowing if he was headed in the right direction. He prayed that his friends, his family and his daughter had survived somehow. Then he wondered if all of this had been for nothing? If he didn’t make it, no one in the family would come looking for him as they would assume he was permanently locked in the underworld.

  His face broke the surface and he heard thunder as he gasped for air and then heard another wave and dove. Don’t look back!

  The rain began pounding down in large drops as the winds picked up. At least the lightning occasionally lit his surroundings. He surfaced and now finally free of the rough inbound currents, he searched for a sandy beach that he could safely swim to.

  There was another flash of lightning and he saw something in the water. He stared and tried to get his eyes to focus and then he heard the voice.

  “Alex!”

  It was Caleb. Alex swam the short distance and found the boy clinging to a log. He grabbed at the log and tried to avoid touching Caleb. But the rough current made it impossible and soon he rammed into Caleb and noticed—there was no electrical shock!

  “Caleb!” Alex cried in desperation. “Did you see Genni?”

  “Genni is safe. I made sure Camille got out before I...”

  Alex’s eyes narrowed, “Caleb did you,” He sucked in part of a wave and coughed it out. “Did you...make that wave?”

  “Umm, yeah,” he said a bit sheepishly. “I told you that you didn’t have to worry! I’ve been waiting here a long time for you! Everyone else just rode it out.”

  “Everyone else?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Oh,” Alex said unable to comprehend the events of the last few hours as he kicked his legs heading toward a sandy shore.

  “Caleb?” It was time to ask the question and, although he was terrified to hear the answer, he had to know. He gulped back a tear. “Caleb...do you know? Did she...did Val...” He couldn’t finish the question.

  Lightning struck and the rain began to pound even harder. In an instant, Alex found himself pleading, “Do you know? Did she make it?” Sobs began to overtake him.

  Suddenly, there was a light moving toward them from the sky and Alex thought he heard the sound of an engine. But with the loud whistle of the wind and the crashing of waves, he thought it might be his imagination. A moment later, he heard a splash in the water near them. Then he saw the diver.

  “They said you speak English,” The diver said.

  “Yes,” Alex said, confused.

  “Good! I am going to take the boy up first and then we’ll get you.”

  Alex tried to think of how to avoid killing this diver with Caleb’s touch. But then the diver wrapped a harness around Caleb without any zapping sound or cries of pain, and in a moment, the boy was being pulled up into the helicopter.

  “You’re next!” the diver said as the cable lowered for Alex.

  A few minutes later, Alex was airlifted out of the water. He wondered what turn of fate had him being rescued from the sea during a storm such as this. As he was hoisted up into the helicopter, a hand reached out for him and Alex took it and was pulled into the darkness inside the helicopter. He busied himself with unfastening the harness when the lightning flashed and he saw the person responsible for the rescue—it was Paolo!

  As if out of his control, Alex wrapped his arms around Paolo and held him with relief, as if he was his long-lost brother. After some time, Alex shouted over the engines, “How?”

  Paolo shrugged and yelled, “Evidently, I am an acquired taste.”

  Alex wiped the water from his face and then stared at Paolo in disbelief.

  “Cerberus and I played when I was a child.” When Alex’s eyes widened, Paolo shrugged. “All boys should have a pet, no?”

  After a few minutes of taking in the situation, Alex said, “I don’t know about Val...” Then he noticed that they were heading northwest toward Venice. The rain and the wind shoved the chopper around until a few hours later they touched down on the front lawn of the main house at Morgana.

  Alex shed the blanket, jumped from the helicopter, and ran through the marshy grass to the trail that led to the cottage. The rain poured down on him as he arrived at the ginkgo tree. He felt the trembling deep within him as he realized that the light was on in the master bedroom. He rounded the porch and flew up the steps. He couldn’t bring himself to look in the bedroom window. Instead, he took three breaths and then pushed open the large wooden door—praying he would see her.

  The great room was empty. He brushed his fingers through his soaked hair as he wiped the rain from his face.

  “Val?” He closed his eyes willing her to answer.

  There was no response. As his hope began to fade, he glanced around the great room, searching for signs of her presence. Then he worried—what if she had floated out of Delos? What if she was stuck behind the adamantine gate, now barred forever? What if Hades took her because of his error of looking back at Shinsu?

  With a clap of thunder, he willed those fears away and moved toward the bedroom. He couldn’t bear it if she was still there...dead. Bracing himself on the doorframe, he felt his heart pounding as he stepped around the corner and forced himself to look.

  His breath caught when he saw that it was empty. Alex searched the house and then recalled the hole in the ground that Homer had dug, and a sick panic rose within him. He couldn't bear to think of that. No! She was alive...she was up at the main house or perhaps she had gone somewhere else because of the storm. He walked back out onto the porch and stood there trembling. Where was she? Suddenly, the pain of the past few days overtook him and he fought back the tears that threatened to cloud his vision. He couldn’t believe she was gone from him forever. He couldn’t think that! His feet began to move on their own cognizance down the road and toward the family plot. With each step, his hope plummeted further.

  Within minutes, he found that he was running. His speed increased as he passed the new homes for the oracles and beyond Mani’s house and then he slowed unable to take in the reality.

  The hole had been filled and he sunk to his knees and clawed at the soil as he cried, “Oh, Val...”

  He lay there for minutes and then he heard a voice, as if from a dream, “Alex!”

  Turning his head slowly, willing it to be real, he saw her, still in the white gown as she had been on Charon’s boat. His heart pounded—needing her to be real. She took a step to him but his limbs
seemed frozen...afraid that he might discover that she was still only an apparition. He noticed that she was soaked and then he glanced to her feet and saw she was barefoot.

  She wiped the rain from her face. “I woke and you weren’t there...so I—”

  Alex was on his feet. But he couldn’t bring himself to reach for her—terrified that the very real vision of her would disappear. He swallowed.

  “Are you...real?” he choked. Tears filled her eyes and she nodded.

  He released a short sob and still unconvinced he asked, “This isn’t a dream?”

  She took a step toward him and took his hand in hers. She lifted it to her lips and caressed his hand. “Feel my breath?” she asked.

  Alex nodded, feeling mesmerized by her touch, but still too uncertain to respond. Then she took his hand to her heart that was pounding as heavily as his.

  “Feel my heart?” she asked.

  He stood in stunned silence as the tears flooded his eyes and then he asked, “Are you...”

  Valeria smiled softly. “My love, we are as we once were, immortal symbolons with our eternity ahead of us.”

  Alex pulled her into his arms and brought his mouth down on hers with an avalanche of joy and love and passion.

  CHAPTER 35

  It was spring and the dogwoods and tulips were in bloom. Spring at Morgana was as beautiful as Valeria had always dreamed it would be. The family pictures hung on the walls and now there were more...considerably more. Alex had replaced most of her belongings, including her china, from museums and other collections.

  But the most beautiful thing in the world was in front of her...it was her beloved husband—her symbolon—playing with their daughter, Genesis. Alex released his beautiful musical laughter, followed by Genni’s exquisite childlike giggles and Valeria decided that the combination had to be the most beautiful sound in the world.

  Caleb and Tavish sat on the porch in front of a chessboard that they had been concentrating on for nearly an hour. Caleb reached down and brushed Charlie’s floppy ears. Charlie leaned his head into Caleb’s hand, grateful for the touch. When Genni cooed, Caleb rose and went to Alex. As he approached, Genni reached out her arms for Caleb.