The Symbolon (28 page)

Caleb was only too anxious to fill the void and play in the water
, although he had to wear a wet suit so that Paolo could help him. They intended to kayak and snorkel, and Paolo said maybe even do some scuba diving. Valeria didn’t know what the rules were in Greece, but she wasn’t really comfortable with Caleb scuba diving when he wasn’t certified. Paolo promised he would take good care of the boy. She was surprised that Caleb and Paolo seemed to have an instant camaraderie. Occasionally, Valeria would hear an echo of Caleb’s joyful laughs coming over the sound of the surf. Paolo and Caleb were gone for almost five hours before Paolo conceded that he needed to get some sleep.

∞

That evening, while Caleb played a video game, Camille, Lars, Paolo, and Valeria loaded onto the trog, the low boat that would take them into the underworld. Valeria was reminded of that momentous evening, now almost four months ago, that had changed her happy future.

Because she hadn’t gone shopping, Paolo had arranged another dress for this evening. He had selected a white Grecian style one-shoulder gown with a gold cord that wrapped around her. This gown was as beautiful as the one the night before and she decided to wear her hair up.

The mood was far more somber than it had been on the previous trip. Everyone except Valeria seemed nervous, particularly Paolo. “Remember, bella, you must not offer the council more information than necessary.”

She remembered. He had said the same thing three times
in the past hour. Still, she didn’t know what to expect. They all hoped that she would not be required to testify or answer questions. Two of the council members were already convinced that she should marry someone other than the man whom she truly loved. Hopefully, that would be enough. She attempted unsuccessfully to keep her mind from wandering to the “ifs”: If the marriage was approved, could she end the engagement and go back to Alex? Or, if the marriage was refused, could the Law of Nevia still be removed? She didn’t suspect the answer to either question was yes.

The boat turned off its lights as it approached the east coast of Paxos and continued just off the rocky cliffs. They laid their seats back and Valeria was reminded of Alex sitting next to her, with the wind blowing through his hair, his champagne glass coolly in his hand. That thought swelled her heart.

The driver throttled the engine to position the boat toward the steep cliffs where, hidden from view, there was an opening into another world. She heard the familiar gunning of the engine timed in between the swells, as they headed for the cliffs. Still, the view caused her heart to pound.

“Valeria, I’m certain that you recall that you must remain reclined
,” Paolo warned.

The driver revved the engines and headed toward the cliffs. Moments later
, they were in total darkness and the only sound was that of the surf crashing on the entrance to the cave behind them. Valeria felt Paolo’s hand on her arm. He must have sensed her anxiety.

Finally, she felt the boat stop and heard the sound of a match being struck as the cave filled with light. They stepped onto the ledge and she watched as the trog used a
thick rope that ran along the cave’s edge to retrace its journey and then disappeared. Then Lars held the torch, leading them along the path. She heard a loud creaking sound as the bridge was lowered.

They transferred to the gondola, with a drib gondolier. The pale, skull-like faces of the dribs still frightened her. Their boat glided smoothly into the Delos chamber and pulled up to the landing. They crossed the foot bridge, this time without fanfare.

She could not help but remember the last time she had been here and, with that thought, she was forced to also remember who Paolo had been to her that night—the enemy. She again worked to block out that thought.

As Jeremiah approached, Valeria pasted on her sweetest smile—she had a lot more practice hiding her real emotions
now. A server came by and Paolo lifted two glasses of champagne from his tray and handed one to her. Jeremiah leered at her with a raised eyebrow. “A hair of the dog?” She smiled, without saying a word.

Glancing down at her, Paolo kissed her cheek. “You look ravishing.” He glanced at Jeremiah
. “Would you excuse us, Jeremiah? I would like to introduce Cassandra to some of the immortals.”

As soon as they had turned, she could see Paolo relax slightly. He walked her to a table laden with exquisite food
. “Valeria, please excuse me, there is business that I must attend to.”

Valeria realized that for the first time in months she was famished! She took a plate and loaded it with a few slices of beef wellington. She was certain that Paolo hadn’t eaten and it made her feel a bit guilty that she had an appetite and he, evidently, had none.

There were a group of immortals in the distance who laughed and her ears suddenly perked up. Could that have been Alex’s musical laughter in the mixture? She scanned the crowd and saw a man leaving the group. There were too many people between them but it looked like Alex! He passed behind others, so she moved to get a closer view. Was it him, or was it merely wishful thinking?

It was probably just that she was thinking of him or
about the last time she had been here—her heart lurched—she couldn’t think about that now. The man passed another group and she lost sight of him; but, peeking through the crowd, she thought it looked similar to his dark blond hair.

Now stepping around the table, she began to follow the man.
Through a group of people, she saw the flash of his oracle blue eyes for just an instant.
Was she imagining things?
She knew she shouldn’t follow him, but now she was drawn and completely incapable of stopping herself. She saw the man step behind a stone wall along the edge of the River Styx.

She peeked around the wall and the man was facing away from her, picking something up—or setting something down—then he quickly stood and turned toward her
. Alex!

“You look breathtaking!” His face lit with his brilliant smile.

She held out her arms but he put up a hand to block her advance. “Sorry, beautiful! Not here. Not now.”

“I didn’t realize you would be here,” she said, beaming in his presence.

“I was summoned.”

She looked critically at Alex
. “Is that bad? Why were you summoned? It wasn’t because of last—”

He interrupted her, “No. I received the summons yesterday afternoon. Frankly, I was planning on coming anyway.” He looked into her eyes
. “Any chance to see you.”

“What will happen?” she asked, now concerned.

He sighed and shook his head, but both of their moods were lighter than they had been in months. “I don’t know.”

She offered a small laugh
. “Some bunch of oracles we are, huh?” She glanced down, wishing she could hold his hand.

“We had better get back with everyone.” He winked at her.

Suddenly, Paolo came around the corner. Without a word, he took Valeria’s arm and guided her to the front of the room.

The gong sounded, and this time
, all nine of the elegant chairs were occupied.

Jeremiah began
. “Paolo has a request. A rather interesting request considering what occurred here several months ago.”

Paolo glanced down momentarily and something in his expression caused her to wonder if he had changed his mind. If he did, what would happen to her and Alex? She glanced toward Alex and he looked away.

Pulling her into the spotlight, with less affection than she typically expected from him, Paolo said, “I have proposed marriage to this immortal, and she has accepted. We request council consent for our marriage. And, as my last petition involved Cassandra and Alex, I would like it withdrawn.”

One of the council members said, “I really don’t understand how this all shifted so quickly. Paolo, was this the design of your actions here a few months ago?”

Paolo looked as if he had expected this question. Shinsu gave him an emotional nod.

“No
, council. I was married to an incarnation of Cassandra—there is a prior emotional connection. However, my actions at the previous council meeting were only to protect my sister’s interests. My sister requested that I join her in signing the petition and that I deliver it to the council.

“Since that time, the Trento Family has provided substantial resources in the search for Kristiana and they have promised a continuation of those efforts. It is also evident that with Cassandra’s extraordinary gifts, we may be able to locate Kristiana more rapidly. Lastly, Cassandra and I have spent considerable time together and
, with the support of her family, she has come to recall the depth of her feelings for me,” Paolo took Valeria’s hand and kissed it, “as Jeremiah confirmed last night.”

She thought it odd to hear talk of her great gifts. She had no evidence of any special gifts.

Several council members nodded. Then another council member spoke up. “Was Cassandra aware that you were going to withdraw the petition?”

“Not initially. However, we did discuss it the day of our engagement. I wished to invite her family to our engagement party and so informed her of my plan.”

“Do you believe that Cassandra intends to be a good wife to you Paolo? Is it possible that her purpose in agreeing to the marriage is so that the council would agree to remove the petition?”

Paolo shook his head, but Valeria could tell he was nervous. “Cassandra has been a good wife to me in the past. We share affection and many
similar interests. I believe we could have a successful marriage.”

Shinsu spoke up, “Paolo, just months ago, you accused Cassandra of malicious misconduct. What has changed?”

“I witnessed her behavior over the past several months and they were not those of someone intending to interfere in a marriage.” Valeria thought Paolo’s response sounded a bit rehearsed.

Another council member turned to Valeria and she felt Paolo’s grip tighten on her hand. “Cassandra, do you now love Paolo?”

“I care for Paolo.”

“That wasn’t the question.”

Shinsu interrupted, “The girl has answered the pertinent question. She cares for Paolo. That’s more than many of you had prior to your marriages.”

Jeremiah
narrowed his eyes. “Yes, Shinsu. But because the girl was accused of maliciousness only months ago, I believe that this council has a responsibility and right to question this marriage more stringently. It is our responsibility to approve only marriages that are most likely to be successful.” He pursed his lips and glared at Valeria. “I would like to know if you intend to be a good wife to Paolo.”

Valeria wanted to ask Jeremiah if he considered himself a good husband but good sense kicked in and she decided to leave her sarcasm outside of the cave. “I’m sorry, but I’m not certain what a good wife is. Are you asking if I’ll cook and clean?”

The council looked upset and Paolo leaned down to her. “You must answer ‘yes,’ bella.”

She knew she should do what Paolo said, but he did say that she needed to be truthful
. “I’m sorry, but I really can’t answer the question truthfully if I don’t know what you mean by being a good wife.”

“Will you have extra-marital affairs?” Jeremiah asked, now irritated.

She looked down to hide the sarcasm that now flooded her face. Paolo sensed her mood and tightened his grip on her hand. Valeria glanced toward Alex but he looked away again.

“No. I would not have extra-marital affairs.”

Jeremiah glanced toward Alex and back to Valeria. “Would Paolo be first in your heart?”

“I would place my husband’s needs above others.”

Jeremiah continued, “All others?”

Paolo pulled Valeria close and kissed her neck whispering, “Please let me help you.” Paolo spoke up, “Council, please! I don’t understand the purpose of this questioning. Cassandra has never been one to cause trouble. That would not change.”

Jeremiah leaned forward in his chair, tapping his cane on the floor for emphasis. “You say that now, but several months ago, you said something quite different! Paolo, it is our responsibility to investigate this! I believe there is a problem!”

“And last night you received a transference that demonstrated that she only thinks of me!” Paolo challenged.

Shinsu gave Paolo a look that said she did not approve of his disrespectful tone and then said, “Jeremiah, though I do not approve of the way in which Paolo stated his concern, he does have a valid point. These questions were all answered last night. And now let’s just get this business done with and enjoy ourselves,” she huffed.

Jeremiah glared critically at Valeria and then toward Alex again
. “I believe that there is more to this than is being said.” He clasped his hands over his cane as his eyes locked on Valeria’s. “Last night you disappeared.” Valeria blushed and shrugged, but out of the corner of her eye she could see from Paolo’s expression that this was going badly. “You must speak the truth to this council, do you understand.”

“I don’t lie.” But she knew that she would have to find a way to answer the next question. “I am not a public person. I needed time away from the crowd.”