The Symbolon (24 page)

“And what is your plan? We
get engaged and then what?”

“I wish to locate my sister. You could help. If we combine our efforts
, perhaps we could find her sooner.”

“Why are you doing this, Paolo? Just tell me!”

He got up and walked to the window overlooking the piazza. Valeria stood by the door and finally huffed and walked in to hear his response. She stood behind him silently waiting.

“Why should I try? You do not believe a word I say.”

Valeria glared at his back. “Tell me!”

He finally turned and looked at her critically
. “You began to care for me. I could see it in your eyes. I felt it when we kissed. You enjoyed it.”

She shook her head in disgust
. “I was lonely,
because of you
, incidentally.”

“You started to believe you could be happy with me. You will deny it. But I know it to be true.” Paolo turned to her
. “When I kissed you—”

She put her hands over her ears and walked away, but Paolo followed her back into the kitchen and put his hand on her shoulder so she would look at him. She brushed off his hand, and glared at him.

“Valeria, you asked me what I want!” Paolo’s eyes were intense. “I am aware that by following other’s…rules, I have made a mess of things. I have been forced to realize that I must fix this, before people I care for are harmed.” He looked up. “I am angry with Alex for the life my sister has had. But I would never wish him gone. And I would never wish that for you.”

“Well, what
did
you intend out of all this pain that you caused, besides gloating rights?”

“I wanted you,” he said, and then shrugged
. “And I wanted to gloat.” He looked down at her. “Valeria, I would probably do it this way again. Because if I had not interrupted your marriage to Alex, my sister would have lost, and she does not deserve to lose that way, abandoned as if she were nothing of importance. And you would be his, without choosing. You should choose.”

She nodded, feeling that
, for the first time since Alex’s transference, Paolo was capable of telling the truth. “I will always choose Alex!”

“Alex is married.
Valeria, there are not many immortals who are related by blood. My sister and I are very close. She has made some decisions that I do not agree with. But I love her and I want to find her. When Kristiana is found, if she does not perceive a threat from you, she and Alex can decide what they are to do, without you as a factor. It is right. It is fair.”

“There has to be another way.”

“Yes. We can continue with Alex and your family barred from your life until Kristiana is found. Regardless of what you wish to believe, Kristiana has a special connection to Alex and she knows what will happen—especially when it comes to him. Do you think she will be found, simply to be discarded?”

“When this is over, the engagement is over.” He shook his head. Valeria glared at him. “I would never marr
y you! Not in a thousand years!”

Paolo looked into her eyes and spoke softly, calmly
. “If our engagement was discovered to be a pretense, we would be charged with Frivolous Abuse of Council Time, as well as being charged with Council Deception. And the Law of Nevia might be enacted against those who were believed to be involved in the deception. Valeria, I could not accept a false engagement, and neither can you!”

Her eyes moved around the room. She couldn’t think. What if this was another trick? How could she agree to marry Paolo? Could she pull off any affection for him? She had. She had felt affection for him.

“I’ll have to think about this.”

He nodded.

The door opened and Shinsu walked in with a loaf of bread and a bag of produce. She looked at Paolo critically and he shrugged. She nodded and sighed. “Paolo, I think it is time for you to give the girl some space.” She winked at Valeria.

Paolo didn’t move. Shinsu gave him a slight smile, but her voice had power, “Now!” He nodded, dejected, and slipped out the door. She went to the dining room table
. “One thing we must always remember is that trickery and lies are not tolerated by the council. As a council member, I would never permit myself to be in that position.” She looked at Valeria, ensuring that she understood. Valeria nodded. She went on, “Good. Now, did anything happen while I was gone?”

Valeria thought for a moment. She wanted Shinsu’s input. She
desperately needed
Alex to tell her what she should do. She needed Camille and Ava and Lars and Mani;
she needed her family.
Valeria didn’t really know Shinsu well enough to know if she could trust her in this decision. She felt that she could. But who had sent for Shinsu? The first visit, Valeria had assumed it was Alex. Now, she wondered if it had been Paolo.

“Paolo asked me to marry him
,” Valeria said flatly, watching for a reaction. Shinsu’s eyes sparkled.

“I see. And have you made a decision?” Shinsu said, unpacking the produce and bread.

Valeria got up and went into the kitchen. She needed to see Shinsu’s face. “What do you think?”

“Well,” Shinsu
said, as she leaned over the counter between them. “I have known Paolo—and Kristiana, for that matter—much longer than I have known Alex and his family.” She looked to the side. “For such a small group, it’s amazing how long we can miss people in our own backyard, as Trento is.”

Shinsu took Valeria’s arm and led her to the couch
. “Do you at least like Paolo?”

Valeria thought for a moment, she had to be careful how she worded things
. “I was growing to like him. But Paolo will never —”

Shinsu raised her hand
. “Dear, be very careful with the word ‘never.’ You put into place postulates that are difficult to change, and I believe beings
can
change. People can be positively influenced by others. I do know Paolo has some growing up to do. I’m sure that is your concern.” Shinsu looked at Valeria squarely, waiting for her to acknowledge the comment.

“Yes. I have a concern about that.” Valeria jumped on the opportunity to ask what she should not
. “What if Kristiana and Alex dissolve their marriage?”

Narrowing her eyes, Shinsu stepped carefully, “I know that you were in love with Alex only a few months ago.” Valeria noticed that Shinsu used the past tense and that left a pain in her heart. “But if all goes as expected, you will be on the right path for you. It’s a different path, but it may end up even more exciting. Life can always change directions! Look at me; not so very long ago, I practically drooled when Jeremiah looked at me. Of course, that would be ancient history to you!”

Valeria’s face fell; she didn’t want to hear that someday she wouldn’t care about Alex. There were plenty of examples of love that survived time and trial—though most of her examples were fictional. Still, there were enough live examples, particularly Alex’s absolute devotion to her!

Shinsu smiled and squeezed Valeria’s hand as if she saw her thoughts and continued, “Right now I’m concerned about
some people
being so alone. I don’t think that’s good for
anyone
. I think it would be better if you had your family back, and they need you, as well.”

“What about Alex?’’ Valeria wondered if Alex had been included in the “all
.” Was Shinsu considering how this news would affect the only person who really mattered in this whole conversation?

“Alex has created a situation that needs resolution.” She spoke slowly and deliberately. “But I think this engagement can help resolve many of the wrongs and set you on the right path.” Valeria nodded, uncertain of what Shinsu perceived as the right path. “Dear
, I can tell you what I think. But remember
who you are
.” She tapped Valeria’s arm and winked.

Shinsu walked to the door, again picking up her flowered wrap, and threw it dramatically around her. “This time of year I still get chilled. Come, dear. You haven’t seen much of Florence yet, have you—at least not this visit.” She winked as they walked out the door.

They stepped down the rounded stone steps,
and then crossed the piazza with its restaurants now serving wine and appetizers. They passed the small patisserie where Valeria had purchased the cappuccino earlier that day.

Walking rapidly down an alley wide enough only for pedestrians or bicycles
, they arrived on a main street. A swarm of colorful Vespa motor scooters, driven by beautiful women in business suits, moved around the corner. Valeria stepped out of the way. Shinsu didn’t even blink and crossed the road between the swarm causing no upset at all. On the south side of the road was an ancient brick building with little architectural interest, an oddity in Florence.

Shinsu smiled
. “It looks like a prison from here. But inside, it is marvelous.” Then she looked at Valeria and said casually, “Well, you know.”

Valeria studied the building, but none of it was familiar.

“It’s Palazzo Pitti. Palazzo means palace. The Medici’s purchased it from a man named Pitti.” Shinsu smiled. “We must find time to have a glass of wine in the palazzo’s Boboli Garden. It is really fabulous!”

Glancing sideways to Shinsu, Valeria thought that
, although she liked Shinsu, she still wasn’t completely certain she could trust her. They continued along the street, with the Palazzo Pitti next to them as they approached the Ponte Vecchio, a bridge across the Arno River.

The bridge had multiple stories, with numerous shops and several arches in the center, providing an ideal view of the beautiful, gently flowing Arno. “You know, Cosimo Medici—oh he just adored you, by the way—Cosimo had a walk-way built from the palace over the Ponte Vecchio, to the Uffizi gallery. You can still see it!”

They stopped below one of the arches with a particularly fantastic view of the river. It was evidently a Florentine lover’s lane and several couples were taking advantage of the view. Shinsu looked at them in a way that said “move” causing two of the couples to cross the road to the other side. The other couple walked along the bridge, offering them privacy.

The water gently flowed through the center of Florence. Shinsu leaned on the rail of the bridge and took in the view. There were other bridges that Valeria could see from her vantage point on the Ponte Vecchio but this location seemed special. “You sense it, don’t you, dear?” Shinsu said. Valeria looked at her quizzically. “When the Nazis left Italy, they didn’t want to leave all of these roads across the Arno. The Ponte Vecchio has existed since Roman times and is the only original surviving bridge. Of course, they rebuilt early in the
Renaissance.” Her face lit up. “What a wonderful time that was to be in Florence!”

Shinsu stared at the river and said, “Dear, it is important for you to understand that you don’t have to communicate everything you think. Do you understand?”

“I’m not sure.”

“If someone were to ask you how you felt about certain individuals, it would be important that you knew how to answer that question without causing concern. Do you understand?” Valeria thought for a moment and then shrugged. “You know about transferences?” Shinsu asked.

“Yes. I’ve had three of them with Alex and Mani. And I gave one to Jeremiah. He wasn’t very pleased.”

“Yes
, well, pleasing Jeremiah is…” Shinsu stopped, muttering something to herself as she rolled her eyes. “I did hear about it. Dear, you will most definitely be required to give at least one transference. You may even need to testify via transference to the council. It is important that we don’t,” Shinsu sighed, “waste council time. So I thought perhaps I could work with you on this.” Shinsu narrowed her eyes narrowed with significance. “Here is the important thing. You must learn how to only answer the question that was asked and place a wall around everything else.” Shinsu paused and stared into Valeria’s eyes to see if she got the point.

“I just don’t think I’m very good at that.”

“Well, you simply
must
become very skilled at this very quickly! There may be some who have concern about approving your marriage. We want to deliver information that needs to be transferred, but there is no need to deliver all of the information you have, especially regarding recent events. Do you understand?” Valeria shrugged. She didn’t want to marry Paolo.

“I’m…” Valeria wondered if she should say this, but the
words came out of her mouth before she could evaluate it. “Shinsu, I’m concerned about Alex.”

“We all are, dear!” Shinsu’s voice got quietly intense
. “How long do you think it will be until Alex violates the rules? Months? Years? Do you believe that on your birthday he will feel comfortable trusting that this curse has been removed?”

Shinsu took a breath and calmed herself
. “Alex is a good boy. But he needs to focus on his situation and he must get it handled.” She pulled Valeria around. “Do you understand, dear?” Valeria nodded and Shinsu smiled and winked. “Paolo said that you were a very bright girl!

“So
, dear, let’s…let’s try something, with far less charge on it.” Shinsu frowned for a moment and then lifted a finger to her. “All right, tell me about something important that happened when you were a child.”

Valeria thought for a few minutes and then shrugged
. “There wasn’t much that was important.”

“Was there something you decided you didn’t want anyone to know about?”

“No. I’m pretty much an open book.”

Shinsu took Valeria’s arm and spoke sternly, “Dear, you must listen to Su-su! You must
not
be an open book!”

A little frightened by Shinsu’s expression, Valeria mumbled, “All right.”

“So think of something that you don’t want anyone to know about.”

Valeria looked down the Arno. It was breathtaking with the pinkish sunset over fantastic rooflines. She remembered li
ving at the Wilson’s home. “All right. The time I lived with the Wilsons was…interesting.”

“When you say interesting, do you mean bad?”

Valeria only nodded.

“All right
, dear, now take what you don’t want to convey and put a wall around it. Only think of the nice things about the Wilsons. Focus very hard on the good things about the Wilsons. Don’t permit your mind to wander anywhere else. Do you think you can do that?”

“I think so.”

Shinsu nodded and took her hands. “Now, look me in the eyes and think very clearly only about the good things from the Wilsons. Think about the energy of that travelling from you to me.”

Instantly
, Shinsu pulled her hands back in irritation. “Well, dear, we are going to have to work on that!” She shook her finger at Valeria. “Those boys! Someone needed to…” she huffed.

Embarrassed, Valeria looked away
. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“Let’s try it again. Think of the good things about the Wilsons.”

Focusing for a few moments, Valeria said, “Okay. Let me try again.”

She again took Shinsu’s hands. And again, Shinsu yanked her hands back, stopping the flow a
s she cocked her head to the side. “Dear, I know you have the skill and the talent. What is it? Why are you unwilling?”

“I…Shinsu, I’m…” Valeria gulped
. “I want to do what you say…but I guess it feels like I’m lying if I wall in some memories.” Shinsu took Valeria’s arm and steered her back toward her flat along the Ponte Vecchio and past the Palazzo Pitti.

“My darling girl, this is not about lying; this is about you choosing what you want to tell.” Before returning to the apartment
, Shinsu turned to Valeria and took her arms. “Dear, you need to master this. This is very important. You need to learn how to transfer some information, but not all information. Can you practice that?”

“I’ll try.”

When Valeria and Shinsu returned to the flat, Paolo was there. He glanced at Shinsu and she nodded and winked at him. Valeria noticed that Shinsu did not have the sparkle that she had before. They all knew the lesson had not gone well.

Valeria avoided eye contact with Paolo. She didn’t trust him and she was angry with him.

Shinsu sighed. “Paolo, you should go and take care of those details. Valeria needs to take a nap. Then the two of you should go to dinner.”

It normally would have been irritating to have her evening dictated
, but Valeria was too tired to think about it. Shinsu guided her to a nearby chair and Valeria slid into it and dipped her head into her hands. Valeria wondered how it could be that she was even considering marrying someone other than Alex. It was wrong on so many levels! How could she even consider marrying someone who had caused so much pain in her life and threatened the lives of all those she loved? And then there was the issue of trust…how could she marry someone she didn’t trust?

Still there had been moments when Paolo had seemed tender-hearted, like at the park. There was something in him that could be very sweet, but to be married to him and not to Alex was an overwhelming prospect. Why did it need to be resolved now?

There was one thing that both Shinsu and Paolo had said that had a significant impact on her; how long could she stay away from Alex? How long could he stay away from her? But with a council approved engagement, that would end the threat. At least she could talk to him then. At least they could see each other. They wouldn’t be exiled from each other’s lives. The real question was, could she marry Paolo and stay away from Alex? Was that even the plan?

The door closed and Valeria realized that Paolo had left. She was weary and her hand wandered over the arm of the chair and something fell. Valeria bent to pick it up and immediately recognized the stationary and the beautiful script. It was more than simply the business card from before…it was a letter from Alex.

She took a deep breath as the tears formed. She held the letter to her heart. Shinsu looked at Valeria. “I need to attend to my garden. Some things are private and should remain so.” Shinsu’s hand rubbed across Valeria’s shoulder with a soft pat, before she walked outside to her balcony and closed the door.

Valeria opened the letter.

Beautiful,

This is some mess, isn’t it? I want you to know that my deepest regret in life is the pain that I have caused you over the past few months! Because of my carelessness, you were left alone in the world again. I would have never chosen that for you. I wish the situation was different.

Paolo and I don’t agree on very much. But we do agree on this; you must take the next step. The family is eagerly awaiting the reunion.

Until we meet again,

Alex

She took the letter and ran into the bathroom. She pulled the lid down on the toilet and sat down, holding
Alex’s words closely to her heart as silent tears rolled down her cheeks.

∞

Once Valeria had finally dried her eyes and kissed the letter again, she discovered that Shinsu had left a message stating that she would be gone until late. Valeria saw that the large living area had been converted into a bedroom for her. She was certain that it had been planned to keep her in the flat, where everyone involved could keep a close eye on her.

The note said for Valeria to have a glass of sherry, and that Paolo would come in a few hours, so she should rest and then dress for dinner. Shinsu had hung up Valeria’s clothes, which would have been presumptuous from anyone else except Alex or Camille
, but for some reason, she didn’t mind.

She closed the door to the family room and
lay down, waking later to a knock at the door to her room. It was Paolo. She let him in, without pretending to be cordial; she wasn’t unfriendly, she just wasn’t about to make any pretense of her feelings.

“I have made reservations at my favorite restaurant. It is only a few blocks from here on
The Oltrarno, this side of the Arno, where there are fewer tourists.”

They walked down along the Palazzo Pitti and then turned at the Arno. He offered his arm and
, after a few near mishaps in her heels, she finally accepted his assistance. Still, Valeria’s mind was a hundred miles away, in a cottage north of Trento. She wondered if it would always be that way.

The restaurant was called Mamma Gina’s and the waiter clearly knew and liked Paolo. There was a special table in the back reserved for them. Paolo ordered in Italian and various dishes came out. Valeria had no interest in eating but she had learned long ago that there were ways to placate those around her.

They sat at a candle lit table for two. Paolo seemed nervous. She just went through the motions.

“Valeria, I believe this is the finest minestrone in all of Firenze—or Florence, as you call it. Try it,” he encouraged.
She sipped the Chianti instead. It was nine p.m. and the restaurant had just opened for dinner only an hour before.