Out of the Ashes (30 page)

As soon as they left the building, the slope of the mountainside increased dramatically, and David understood what Sera had meant. At a steep grade of almost sixty degrees, they would have been nearly lying on their backs had they been in a normal tram carriage.

The windows had no glass, so as the car began its journey up the volcano, the fresh mountain breeze flowed freely through it. Sitting back to enjoy the ride, David could almost forget that time was slipping away.

A few hundred feet up the mountain, the track split into two separate rails. He thought nothing of it until he watched a second
funicular
pass them on its way down.

“Do you know the
funicular
doesn’t have any brakes?”

David turned to stare at Sera, not quite sure he had heard her correctly.

“What do you mean, there are no brakes on this thing?”

“The two cars are connected by the cable and act as counterweights for each other. While there are hand and electric traction brakes on each tram, it’s mainly the weight of each car that keeps the other one in check.”

“Well, that sure makes me feel safe.” David was unable to keep the sarcasm out of his voice.

After a steep climb of about a thousand feet, the tramcar pulled into the station near the top. They disembarked and walked along a narrow path to the edge of the volcano.

As they stood on the rim, David surveyed the wonder of Vesuvius. Inside, it looked like a smaller volcano sitting within a larger, wider crater, reminding him a little of a Mexican hat.

“Is Vesuvius two volcanoes in one?”

“Yes. The outer crater is called the
Somma
Caldera
. It’s the remains of an ancient volcano that erupted some seventeen thousand years ago. The inner cone is Vesuvius.”

They walked down a well-worn trail to the black bottom valley, where they paid one of the Italian guides to escort them across the hardened volcanic crust.

Sera took David’s hand and pulled him along the bed of hard, black lava.

“Watch your step. Don’t go anywhere where the lava is a glossy black. That’s new flow and is still very hot and
unsolidified
.”

As they made their way across the lava field, he couldn’t shake the impression that the inside of the caldera looked like an enormous pot where some mischievous Greek god had stirred up a batch of dark taffy, then left it to cool in black twists and curls.

All around them, fissures and cracks belched steam, and molten lava showed through the open vents just a few inches below where they walked. David wasn’t sure if it was his imagination or real, but his feet grew uncomfortably warm. He was quick not to stand in one spot too long, just in case the crust decided to give way.

The guide stopped when they reached the base of the inner cone, and Sera looked expectantly at David.

“Do you want to go up?”

He looked up at the cinder cone, about one hundred feet high. Steam poured from the top like a chimneystack, leaving a perpetual cloud to hover over the peak. Only a fool would get that close to an active volcano.

Then again, when would he ever get another chance like this?

“Let’s go.”

Taking her hand, they scrambled up the cinder cone. It was like walking up a dune of grey sand, their feet sinking with each step into the ash and pumice. Looking into the opening at the top was like looking into the spout of a boiling teakettle, all steam and white smoke. Far below, David could just make out the bright orange glow of the lava, churning and bubbling in its earthen caldron.

“This is incredible!” he shouted into its fiery depths.

Sera smiled. “I thought you might be impressed.”

He was. He’d never seen anything so powerful, so amazing. Standing there, on the very brink of the deadly volcano, David never felt more alive. Sera had given him a priceless gift. How many people could say they’d peered into the mouth of hell and lived to tell about it?

When the heat finally grew too intense, they made their way back down the cinder cone and across the lava crust to the trail out of the caldera. Stopping to rest on the edge of the outer crater, David stood in awe of the powerful mountain.

The view from there was beautiful, with the Bay of Naples sparkling a brilliant blue in the distance. As he looked out over the land, he could see the modern town of
Pompei
and her ruins just beyond. They seemed too far away for Vesuvius to have so easily reached out and touched them from here.

But she had, and probably would again someday.

Sera stood by his side, and David watched her eyes dance as she looked out on the valley, her skin glowing from the heat and exertion. Her eyes were so full of wonder and delight, as if her life force was fed by the power of the dozing giant under their feet.

She drew her strength from this mountain. Her blood flowed hot, like the lava just under the volcano’s crust, and every breath she took came from the soft breezes flowing off the Mediterranean Sea.

He put his arm around her and pulled her close, wanting desperately to hold onto her, even as he knew she would all too soon slip through his hands.

This was her world, her life. And, now more than ever, David realized that he had no place in it.

Sera watched David prowl the dig area.

He’d been acting strangely since yesterday when they returned from the volcano. Today had been no different while they worked at the dig. Throughout the morning, she’d glance over at him and catch him with a faraway look in his eyes, staring at nothing in particular. Then, several times, she found him looking at her with the strangest expression on his face, as if being back at the ruins with her pained him somehow.

She wanted to think it was just a natural reaction to being locked up for so long. She kept telling herself that maybe he just needed some time to readjust.

He stopped before the body mound, examining the earthen sarcophagus as if seeing it for the first time.

“Why haven’t you finished it?”

“I wanted to wait for you.”

He looked at her, and sadness clouded his features.

“Thanks. That means a lot to me.”

“The professor said we could begin removing the outer shell tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow.”

He said the word as if it had a different meaning to him. He looked like he wanted to say something more, but changed his mind.

“You look tired. Why don’t we call it a day?”

“All right.”

They gathered up their packs and rode back in silence to the
Angelicos
’ villa. He’d never escorted her home before, but she didn’t question why. She was just happy to have him with her.

They stopped on the walk outside the front door, and Sera reached out and put her hand on his sleeve. She could feel the tension in his arm, the muscles under his shirtsleeve bunching under her hand. He looked nervous, uneasy. And that made her nervous and uneasy, too.

“What’s wrong, David?”

He looked at her, and the emotions swirling in his eyes scared her. Something was wrong.

He opened his mouth and started to speak, but he never got the chance.

The blare of air raid sirens filled the air.

It took a second for the sound to register. People passing in the street stood motionless, and dogs answered the high whine of the sirens with baying howls. Then, everyone started moving at once, crowding and pushing each other to get to the safety of the bomb shelters.

“Oh, my God. It’s an air raid.” Sera grabbed David’s hand, toppling their bicycles as she pulled him down the street.

“Sera, wait.”

She ignored him. The sound of the sirens screamed through her brain, cranking up the urgency to get to safety.

“Hurry. We have to get to the shelter.”

Out in the street, people were everywhere, rushing to get to the designated shelters in the neighborhood. Women were screaming, carrying crying children in their arms, while men carried boxes filled with the family’s most precious possessions.

The roar of planes overhead sounded like they were already upon them. Why weren’t the citizens warned earlier? Fear pumped through her veins. Why were they bombing
Pompei
?

As they ran through the streets, paper started to rain down from the sky, floating like ashes in the wind. Sera slowed, watching the white sheets flutter to the ground, relief washing over her.

The planes weren’t bombers. They were dropping leaflets. People stopped on the street to pick them up. Sera reached out and caught one herself as it drifted down. She had a hard time reading it as people continued to jostle past her.

“Sera, don’t.”

She dug in her heels as David tried to urge her on to the shelter and jerked her hand from his grasp. She didn’t want to believe what she was reading.

“The Allies are going to bomb the German encampment within the hour. It says that all citizens should evacuate to avoid being injured by stray bombs that may fall on the city.”

Her hands shook as she gripped the paper. They were going to bomb the Germans, the ones camped right next to the ruins.

“How can they do this? How could they risk hitting the ruins? They’re irreplaceable.” She lowered the paper and looked to David for support.

Instead, an ice cold knife of betrayal sliced through her. The look on his face told her everything.

He already knew.

“You knew about this?” She waved the crumpled paper in her fist at him. “You knew they were going to bomb the German camp, didn’t you?”

“Sera, let me explain—”

She waved him off. She didn’t want to hear excuses. “How long? How long have you known about this?”

“Frank told me yesterday.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She couldn’t believe how much his admission hurt her. “You knew the whole time we were at Vesuvius and then today at the ruins, and you didn’t bother to tell me an air raid was coming?”

David lifted his hands to her, then dropped them to his sides in frustration.

“What was I supposed to say? That everything you love was at risk of being destroyed by the Allies? What good would it have done?”

“I don’t know.” She stalked a few steps away and then turned back on him. “But you could have warned us. We might have been able to save some of the artifacts.”

“How?” The word came out on a humorless laugh. “You can’t carry stone buildings away. Most of the statues weigh tons. Sure, you might have been able to save a few urns, some pieces of pottery, but you can’t move a whole goddamn city.”

 
The truth of his words didn’t make the fact that he’d kept this from her any easier to take.

“Why didn’t you try to stop this? Couldn’t you have told someone? You know how important it is. You know how priceless the ruins are. You’ve been there. You’ve dug in that dirt with your own hands. You should’ve—”

“I can’t change their minds. This goes way beyond me. I’m just one soldier in this godforsaken war. There’s nothing I could have done to stop this.”

She knew he was right, but she still felt betrayed. If he had only told her sooner, she could have had time to do something. She felt so helpless, defeated. So small and insignificant. All she could do was stand there and stare at him as people rushed past.

“Sera, I’ve been ordered to return to my unit.”

Those words seeped through her dazed mind and crushed her like no others could.

“You’re going to leave me alone, to face this by myself?”

“No, I’m going to get you to the bomb shelter where you’ll be safe.”

“And then you’re going to leave?” Her voice sounded so small, so frail, even to her own ears.

“I have to. I don’t have a choice.”

She started backing away from him. “Well, maybe you don’t have a choice, but I do.”

“Sera, wait. There’s no time.” David reached for her, but she pulled away before he could grab her.

“Go, David. Go back to the army. Be a good soldier. That’s what you came here for anyway.”

Sera turned and ran, leaving David standing in the street as the white leaflets fluttered down around him.

* * *

Sera returned to the villa, going straight to the
Angelicos
’ apartment instead of her own.
Heberto
nearly ran her down as he came out their door.

He looked completely surprised to see her standing there.

“Serafina? What are you doing here? Where is David?”

She tried to ignore the pain that knifed through her at the mention of his name.

“He’s gone. Probably for good. But that doesn’t matter.”
Yes, it does
, a little voice whispered to her.
Otherwise, your heart wouldn’t be breaking in two right now
. “Have you heard about the air raid?”

“Yes, yes. I just got a call from Professor
Moretti
. He wants everyone to meet at his villa now to figure out what to do.”

Sera nodded, eager for someone to tell her what to do, because her mind wasn’t cooperating. It was too busy trying to deal with the fact that her entire world seemed to be falling apart around her.

Maria’s small head appeared over
Heberto’s
shoulder. She craned her neck like an inquisitive ostrich to look behind Sera.

“Where’s David?”

Sera couldn’t stop the gritting of her teeth. Why were they so concerned about David when the ruins were at risk of being destroyed?

“Probably half way back to his unit by now.”

“What? Why?”

“He was called back. He knew about the air raid and didn’t tell anyone.”
Me
.

“I don’t believe it.” Maria shook her head. “How long has he known?”

“Since yesterday.”

“Yesterday?” Maria blinked several times. “Why are you so angry at him? That doesn’t seem to be too horrible a crime.”

“It is.” Sera defended her anger towards him. She knew it was unjustified, but it was the only thing keeping her going. Otherwise, the hurt would
seep
in and crush her. “It’s twenty-four hours we could have used to appeal to the authorities to do something to stop this. Twenty-four hours more we would have had to save the ruins than we have now.”

“Come, Serafina. He was probably afraid to tell you, knowing you’d react the way you are now.”

“That shouldn’t have mattered.” She wanted to scream. “If he cared about me, he would have told me. If he loved me…” She bit back the words. They were too painful to think of, much less utter aloud.

“He would have stayed?” Maria finished for her.

Sera didn’t answer. The reality of the truth was too hard to face.

Instead, she turned and went back outside to retrieve her bicycle, leaving the
Angelicos
standing in the hall to stare after her.

Marsha shoved at Hershel’s shoulders.

“Well, go with her.”

Hershel sputtered, suddenly called upon to act when he had been a silent bystander just moments before.

“And what am I supposed to do?”

“Your job. Watch over her. Keep her safe. In the meantime, I’ll do what I can to find David.”

* * *

David was almost to the edge of town when he turned back.

Thousands of small pieces of paper littered the street, floating on the evening breeze like confetti after a parade, remnants of the Allies’ warning only an hour before. The sirens continued to blare through the darkening night sky, wailing a warning for all who could hear.

Get out. Get out.

But another sound droned inside his head, a voice telling him to go back.

He understood Sera’s anger. He cursed her stubborn streak with every pump of his foot on the bicycle pedal. He knew she was hurt and upset, taking it out on the closest person—him. But that didn’t make it right.

He’d tried, damn it. Tried to tell her a thousand times, but the words always stuck in his throat. And then it was too late.

But he couldn’t leave it like this. He couldn’t go until he made her understand that he was doing what he had to do. He didn’t want it to end with her being angry at him.

And he damn well wanted to make sure she was safe.

Fighting his way through the throngs of people leaving the town, David made his way back to Sera’s. He took the stairs to her apartment two at a time. No one answered her door. Perhaps she’d already fled the city with everyone else.

Cursing his luck, he rushed back down the stairs, wondering if he had somehow passed her on the street. He couldn’t leave
Pompei
without seeing her one more time. He had to find her. He had to tell her—

David nearly stumbled on the bottom step, surprised to find Maria Angelico standing in her doorway, looking at him with a quiet reserve that set his nerves on edge.

“Signora Angelico, what are you still doing here? It’s too dangerous. You should already be in one of the shelters outside town.”

She tilted her nose up at him, managing to look brave and haughty at the same time.

“I’m waiting for
Heberto
and Serafina. I won’t leave without them.”

So, why did you?
Her unspoken accusation hung in the air, pinning him to the spot like nails driven through his shoes.

A cold chill raced down his spine.

“Where are they?” But he was afraid he already knew the answer.

“They went to the ruins with the others to save what they could.”

“Of all the stupid…” David cursed under his breath. He stopped his tirade when he saw Maria’s terrified eyes. Gone was the brave matriarch of the Angelico household, replaced instantly by a frail old woman worried for her husband and a young girl with more determination than common sense.

Dropping his pack at Maria’s feet, he headed for the door.

“Don’t worry, Signora. I’ll bring them both home.”

As soon as he was outside, David jumped on his bicycle like a rodeo star vaulting into the saddle. He pumped the pedals for all he was worth, his ass never touching the seat as he flew down the road to the ruins.

He just prayed he’d get to Sera and
Heberto
before the bombs started falling.