The Last Oracle (36 page)

Max tossed off the pain with the nearly imperceptible shake of his head. “In any case, I believe that Circe intended to use the visions from Myrdd to approach Aegemon so that she could become the Cumaen Sibyl. Those visions must have been what provided Aegemon with the locations of the oracles,” Max added. “
And
...it explains her link to Jeremiah.”

“How does Jeremiah fit in?” Valeria asked, as she pressed into Alex and his arm tightened around her.

“Circe had a fling with him, during the War of the Titans,” Max said.

“Jeremiah?”
Valeria said, completely appalled.

“Jeremiah—also known as Hyperion—the Titan who provided Circe a lock of his hair for Hecate’s evil eye that gave Zeus a peek inside the Titan camp. After the war, Hyperion convinced Zeus that he
and Circe worked together.  Hyperion was the only other Titan who was not cast to the underworld.

“Of course, being the two-faced traitor that he was—Zeus eventually banned Hyperion from history.”

“So, Jeremiah is Hyperion—Cronus’s brother!” Alex said in surprise. “Kristiana and Jeremiah must have plotted Myrdd’s demise...and Jeremiah’s rise to power.”

“Jeremiah eliminated anyone who might challenge his authority. But in order to gain power, he needed an army that could battle immortals! He needed—”

“Access to the underworld!” Alex said. “It was the dribs and Erebos who gave him the power.”

Max’s eyes widened.
“Exactly! And he gained access to the underworld once Kristiana was made the Cumaen Sibyl!”

“You believe Kristiana has been hiding here?” Valeria asked.

“I do.” Max looked up to the heavens. “Which means...she’s alive.” Valeria saw the relief that flooded his face. “My intention was to try to talk to her. Not that she would be willing to speak to me,” Max said. Again, Valeria could see a slight twitch in Max’s eye.

Alex turned to Valeria. “Val, you can’t go in there. Kristiana may be waiting for you. Myrdd and Max can go, while I take you back to the car.”

“No. Myrdd said that we have to see her.”

Sensing a disagreement, Max edged away from the couple, but neither noticed. “I’ll just be...over here,” he said.

Alex continued, “Well then, I’ll take you back to the plane and then I’ll come back.”

“I’m not leaving you!” Valeria said.

“Well then, it’s decided. We’ll disappear; we can just run away together,” Alex said, relieved.

“Alex, if I don’t go...we won’t make it,” she said in a near-whisper.

Feeling a hollow emptiness biting into his gut, Alex pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “Please don’t say that,” he whispered.

“I’m sorry.”

“You know this?” he asked, as his voice took on a foreign sound.

“Yes.”

Alex tightened his jaw, masking his emotions.

From up on the hill, with a tiny glow of gold along the purplish sunset, Myrdd’s silhouette stood out. “We must go now.”

Alex stared at Valeria, torn as his breathing increased. “You’re certain?” he asked, as his eyes filled with pain.

“We have to do this.” Alex nodded and took her hand.

Max lifted an arm to allow both Alex and Valeria to pass him on the path up the hill. “I’ll follow from the rear and stay out of sight. You’ll probably have better luck with her if she doesn’t see me.” He released a light chuckle that disguised his pain.

The three walked up the rocky hill following a stream of light from Alex’s flashlight. As they neared the top of the hill, Myrdd pointed to a rock.

“This is the place that cost me my mind,” Myrdd said. Alex moved Valeria back from the rock. “It is safe now,” Myrdd assured them.

“How do you know that? If you had known before, surely you wouldn’t have entered!” Alex said.

“It was the drink...it blinded me from the obvious.”

“It’s clean now. I would know if there were any more of the ethylene gasses,” Max said.

Myrdd moved a six-inch rock from its place by the boulder; suddenly, there was a low rumble as the façade on the front of the boulder moved, revealing a narrow corridor.

“If we go in here, is there a way to get out?” Alex asked Myrdd.

“Yes,” Myrdd answered as they entered. Alex, Max, and Valeria flipped on their flashlights. Myrdd placed his hand on the side of the wall and the door closed.

Myrdd whispered in the cramped hallway, “I must find the…oh, here it is,” he said as he moved a stone and another door opened to a much smaller cave that was only a few feet high. Myrdd got down on his hands and knees and moved into the tunnel.

“Follow me,” Alex said to Valeria, as he crawled into the cramped quarters.

Valeria hesitated. “It isn’t that I’m at all claustrophobic,” she huffed before getting down on her hands and knees, crawling into the darkness. She tried to focus on the thin stream of light ahead of her.

“Val, are you all right?” Alex whispered.

“Yes,” she said, although she didn’t feel all right. She was in a cave that felt too much like a tomb, about to meet the woman who had attempted to murder her several times and who would do anything to possess Alex.

Valeria heard a thump and a groan and then Myrdd whispered, “It ends here.”

There was the sound of metal creaking on rusty hinges, and then they crawled into a larger hall. Alex helped Valeria up. All four of them crowded onto a landing. Ahead of them were ancient stone stairs with a seemingly endless decent.

“The stairway to hell,” Max said with a chuckle.

“Watch the steps,” Myrdd said. “I have rolled down these stairs more often than I care to admit,” he whispered.

“Stay close to me,” Alex whispered hesitantly, with an unsteady breath.

The going was slow as she shined her flashlight in the blackest of black, ensuring that she saw each step before committing to it. A few minutes later, Alex took her hand, indicating that they were at the bottom. Hearing breathing a few feet from them, Alex threw his arms around Valeria, ready to carry her back up the stairs if necessary.

They heard the smooth Italian accent, “Who is there?” A flashlight blinded them and Valeria moved her arm up to cover her eyes—but she most certainly recognized the voice.

Alex shined his flashlight back on Paolo and then released an anxious sigh. “What are you doing here?” Alex asked.

“I could ask the same of you!” Paolo whispered, and then realized that Valeria was with Alex. “Valeria, you are better now?” he asked as he stepped toward her.

“She’s doing fine, pal,” Alex said, with mild irritation. “So, why are you here?”

Paolo said, “I should have come here many years ago. I only had reason to return recently—I’ve come to stop her.”

Turning to Myrdd, Alex’s eyes widened and his voice constricted in panic. “Kristiana sees Paolo’s thoughts. She will know that Val is here. It’s far too dangerous to continue now.”

Paolo narrowed his eyes. “Myrddin!” he said, with no effort to hide his antagonism. “I remember you.” Turning back to Alex, Paolo nodded his chin toward Myrdd. “Why is
he
here?” Something in Valeria’s appearance distracted him and he lowered his brows. He studied her face a moment, then his eyes critically moved down her body until Alex blocked his view.

“Do you mind?” Alex said, with a sharp edge. “That’s my wife you’re ogling,”

Ignoring Alex, Paolo cocked his head to the side so that he could see around Alex. Then he lifted his flashlight so that the light moved up her body, locking on her enlarged belly. Paolo nodded to himself, as he realized the deception.

“Well, now you know, and so does Kristiana!” Alex said with growing antagonism.

Myrdd said to Paolo, “Boy, you must place a wall around your thoughts.”

“I have not been a ‘
boy
’ for a very long time,” he said. Then, relaxing his tone, he said to Alex, “I realized how Kristiana was doing it, and I’ve already placed a wall around my thoughts. As an additional precaution, I have also taken moly.”

“
Moly?” Valeria asked Alex.

“Yes, bella, it is the herb that Hermes gave to Odysseus to protect him from,” Paolo hesitated, “Circe, who had similar powers as my sister’s.”

“Well, holy moly
!
You’re
sister
, huh?” Max said with a sardonic edge.

Paolo stared at Max, stunned, and then glanced at Myrdd.

“I see that,
for once
, I am not at a loss of paternal influence, although you are only a few eons too late.”

“Good to see you aren’t dust, yet,” Max said.

“You should not be here either,” Paolo said.

Sensing the growing tension, Valeria reached for Paolo’s arm. “Paolo, Myrdd says I must confront the sibyl if we are to survive. Will you help us?”

Grasping her hand, Paolo said, “Bella, I have sworn to always protect you.” Valeria pulled her hand back with irritation. “Please leave with Alex and the others.”

“Fate determines who shall stay,” Myrdd said, his deep voice resonating through the cave. He lifted a long spindly finger at Max. “You must wait here for now.”

“Good!” Paolo said, giving Max an arrogant smile.

“As must you,” Myrdd said, pointing at Paolo.

“I’ve heard that a little father-son time never hurt anyone,” Max said, then he winced. “Well, except for Cronus—who ate his children and mutilated his father. And, of course, there’s Zeus who banished his father to hell...and then, well, Oedipus and his father. Come to think of it, maybe you had better leave. But then, who knows who your father really is...”

Paolo’s nostrils flared. “You really are an ass!”

Max’s eye’s narrowed as a shield. “So I’ve heard.”

Suddenly, they heard footsteps that echoed from a distance. Alex held up a finger in front of his mouth to silent Paolo and Max. The intensity of the footsteps increased and they both nodded.

Alex, Valeria, and Myrdd continued down a stone hallway that descended at a steep angle. Again they came to a solid surface. Myrdd felt along the wall; finding a slight indentation, he pressed and a door opened. Valeria glanced around the enormous room—it was as if they had been transported to a medieval castle. It was lit by candelabras with worn tapestries that hung from stone walls. Ahead of them were heavy, once luxurious, red velvet draperies. Myrdd pushed back the drapery to reveal an equally enormous hall that lead to what appeared to be the main room. 

They cautiously entered the hallway, following Myrdd, who seemed unperturbed by their surroundings. From one of the rooms ahead came the deep cough of a man, followed by slow footsteps on the stone floors from the main room ahead.

A moment later, they heard a cacophony of hacking, metal hitting a wall, and the shattering of china.

Then a man’s voice yelled, “Damnit! I said Earl Grey—not English
Breakfast!”

A pale, bald man with a skeletal face exited a chamber with a silver tray topped with broken china and Valeria recognized a drib from the underworld. 

The drib disappeared around a corner—but left the curtain open to the room where the man was located. Alex stepped cautiously back into the hallway pulling Valeria behind him. They tried to get by the bedroom, but there was no way around it—the person in the room would see them. As they moved by, Valeria’s eyes narrowed and she pulled Alex into the room where they had heard the man.

The room was barren of most furniture, except for a large bed, an armoire, and a desk. Valeria narrowed her eyes as she stepped toward the man on the bed, with Alex standing protectively near her.

The body in the bed rolled over and sat up fearfully. To Alex and Valeria’s surprise, it was Aegemon. After the initial shock, Aegemon laid back down, indifferent to their presence. He was as pale as a drib and painfully thin, with deep purple and blue spheres protruding under his sunken orbs.

“If you’ve come here to kill me...again...you will have to take it up with the witch,” he said.

“Aegemon?” Valeria said.

“She’s decided to keep me alive.” He looked away.
“If you call this living.” Then he wearily lifted a finger at Valeria. “Apollo warned me that if I attempted to harm you, I would lose. I mistook you for an innocent, but the way you infected me with pneumonic plague was brilliant. I never took you as a master of subterfuge.” Aegemon laughed, which transgressed into a coughing fit.

As they began to back from the room, they heard the shrill voice of a woman.

“Guests!” Kristiana said, her voice full of venom. Alex and Valeria spun and realized that Myrdd was nowhere to be found. Kristiana’s eyes were glazed with glee and machination, as they wandered down to Valeria’s swollen belly.

“So, my Paolo has misinformed me.” She lowered a brow as she brushed her fingers over the crystal on her neck. “Or perhaps you deceived him,” she said to herself and then nodded as if she had determined that was the case. Her eyes rapidly shifted to Alex and widened for no more than an instant with an innocent joyfulness.

“Hello, Kristiana,” Alex said softly, soothingly. Valeria noticed how his chest was rising and falling a bit too fast. “I would have liked to have settled things with you long ago. But that’s all right. We can resolve everything now.” Alex glanced subtly at Valeria, attempting to minimize Kristiana’s attention on her. “You should go.”