The Sibylline Oracle (8 page)

Rising from her to collect his own thoughts, Alex turned and walked toward the fireplace. The critical data had been conveyed and she hadn’t yet run, as he was certain she would. He had hoped that the transference would help to give her a new reality. And although Valeria hadn’t yet realized the main purpose of the transference, she seemed willing to accept the concept of immortality.

Alex heard Lars say in his head,
Don’t stop now, you’re on a roll.

But Alex needed another few seconds to collect himself. He had needed to touch her, if only from the fear that it would be his last opportunity before she left. He had looked into her eyes and imagined what it would be like to touch her face and hold her in his arms. But that was a luxury he couldn’t enjoy, just now.

“Lexi, do you need me to take over?” Lars asked.

Valeria watched Alex for his response. As she wrestled with calming her heart, for the first time, she wondered if Alex was doing the same. She noticed when he gave a slight shake of his head.

Alex’s voice was a bit hoarse when he continued. “Aegemon, so concerned with his own power and Apollo’s trust in him, sent troops out to kidnap the oracles from their homes. Camille and a few others saw them coming. Most of us didn’t. Some hid, but their friends and neighbors betrayed them.

“His first step was to have Cassandra identify us as the true oracles. But then Aegemon had a predicament…” Alex cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. “How do you maintain your power in the presence of more powerful beings?”

Valeria shrugged.

Camille jumped in. “The same way they do it today. You enslave them.”

“You make them slaves or you simply…drug them,” Lars added.

Alex nodded. “Even as a young child, Cassandra recognized Aegemon’s intentions and protected us; she selected only those oracles that were insane or already prone to ranting and would surely be put to death if not selected.”

Lars added, “Valeria, one thing to understand is that in ancient Greece it was believed that divine communication only occurred through drug-induced meditation.

“Mani suspects that it is the differences in our physical make-up that makes our reactions to mind-altering or psychotropic drugs more…devastating. For us, these drugs take on a whole new dimension creating what seems to be permanent damage.”

Alex nodded, taking a moment to enjoy the lines of Valeria’s face. “Aegemon recognized this and used various methods to drug the other oracles so that their visions were transformed into gibberish. One of Aegemon’s drugs was ergot-infected grains. Ergot is a fungus that causes hallucinations and insanity. Another hallucinogenic was laurel leaves. The sibyl’s frequently chewed them.

“Later, it was discovered that cracks in the earth’s crust in certain locations released ethylene gasses, which created similar effects. Aegemon used these locations as holy sites and homes to the various so-called oracles.”

“Those women, who became known as the sibyls, were driven further into insanity from Aegemon’s ergot-infested wines, the laurel leaves or from the ethylene gasses, or all three.

“Thanks to Cassandra, the rest of us survived─at least, from
that
attempted purge.”

“Alex, now that I think of it, were you there in that vision? There was a teen-aged boy that Cassandra seemed to be smiling at quite a lot.” Valeria’s eyes narrowed. “It’s as if the two of you shared a secret.” She studied Alex’s strong chin and straight nose. “Yes, I think that was you.”

Alex’s eyes sparkled for an instant. “Yes, I was there.” He turned again, feeling his heart begin to beat faster with hope.

Despite the fact that Alex and this little girl had been children in her vision, Valeria felt a tightening in her chest that she didn’t understand. She wondered, again if perhaps, it was jealousy.

Alex heard Lars’ voice again in his head.
She hasn’t put it together. I think we should tell her.

No! She can figure this out. We just need to give her some more time,
Alex replied silently.

What are you afraid about?
Lars pushed.

The answer, of course, was everything! He had waited an eternity for this moment. His gut told him that if he didn’t give her the space to figure this out, she would doubt it all. Still, he hadn’t factored that she was so used to invalidating herself, that she couldn’t see the truth.

Lexi, we only have days. We need to get to the point.

Alex shook his head.
Lars, I know she senses that there is something between her and
I─
she came with me! Let me try one more thing.

Daphne’s thoughts interrupted,
Oh, dear God, Alex. This is painful! The girl does not have the sense o
f
─

Daph, please! You aren’t helping! Alex needs to go at his own pace.
Camille added to their non-verbal conversation.

Lars’ eyes narrowed as he looked at Alex, and then he stood. “Valeria, if you would forgive us, I think it might be helpful to give you a bit of time to process all of this before continuing.”

“All right.” Valeria could sense that there was a private discussion going on. She stood. “I guess that means that you want me to leave?”

“That might be best,” Alex said, still not facing her. Valeria hadn’t expected Alex to desert her again.

“Do you need someone to walk you back to the cottage?” Lars asked.

Valeria stared at Alex’s back until he turned to face her. “I’ll walk her back,” he finally said.

“Don't bother. I can find my way.” Valeria nodded to the others and walked out.

Ignoring her comment, Alex stepped outside with her. The family discussion was upsetting him, but he would respond when he returned. As the door closed, she noticed that the room had erupted into a heated conversation. Alex followed her down the trail, placing his hand on the small of her back and giving her a brief hopeful moment that perhaps he would join her.

He stopped on the trail near the cottage. “I’m sorry, Val. This all
will
make more sense later,” he said, as he turned to head back up the path. “Help yourself to the books, or anything else you care for.”

“Some birthday week,” Valeria muttered in complaint as soon as Alex was out of earshot. Then, she immediately felt bad. She was in a spectacular place, with a spectacular guy. Even if he did belong to someone else, she loved his company; no,
appreciated
. Appreciating his company was safer.

Now, not only was this guy she appreciated incredible beyond words, but he was also, supposedly,
immortal!
Valeria rolled her eyes in disgust. The disparity between their attributes just continued to grow! She wondered why it was that she had even considered this a possibility. She decided she would think about that later.

Valeria realized that the romantic feeling from the previous days had given her hopes of much more─rather than Alex’s actual words or actions. Well, except, he
had
asked her to go away with him…but then deserted her, she reminded herself. She looked up to see the magnificent gingko tree and felt slightly better.

Stepping inside the cottage, she discovered that Alex had put
away their breakfast. Valeria pulled the container of fruit from the refrigerator. Her empty stomach had started complaining an hour before. She reached into the cupboard and pulled out a small bowl. The look and feel of it was far more extraordinary than her simple dinnerware. She noticed that the design matched the box that Alex had purchased for her in Verona. Valeria loaded some fruit into the bowl and poured herself a glass of the orange juice. The strawberries and mango were fresh and flavorful. She tasted something in the mix of fruit…was it cinnamon? She leaned against the counter while she ate.

What was it that she was supposed to infer from the discussion? She felt certain that Alex was waiting for her “aha moment” and she hated to disappoint him. But, he was used to very bright college students and she had barely survived high school! She thought again about the image she had seen from Mani. There was something she felt that she should know, but her brain just wasn't putting it together.

When she finished her bowl of fruit, she washed and put away the dishes. Then, she grabbed her glass of orange juice and went outside to sit on the porch swing. The temperature had warmed pleasantly.

An old man and woman appeared off the trail from the south with flower baskets. They smiled and spoke to each other in what Valeria thought to be Italian or Greek. They seemed to be talking about her.

She wondered what Alex’s purpose really was in bringing her here. And then there was the discussion about Greek gods…what was all that about? Valeria recalled that they claimed to be over 3,000 years old. She didn’t think she could buy that, but she would continue to listen and take in what they had to say. She wasn’t one to end a discussion simply because she was uncertain about a piece of it. Granted,
it was not a small detail!
Still, she tended to take in the data first. She rarely reacted to alarming information until later, when she was able to process it as a cohesive chunk. Maybe her mind was slower than most. Other people could see a situation and react immediately—not that she couldn’t when she needed to. There had been plenty of times when her quick actions had kept her from harm or saved an account. David had told her that her ability to take in all the data first was a winning business and diplomatic trait.

David!
Valeria realized that he would eventually remember her birthday. Perhaps he had even cancelled his event…

What was she thinking? David cancelling anything that had to do with his work? Never! Still, he had probably called and she wouldn’t have gotten his message up here in the mountains. Valeria was disgusted with herself for being here with another man—another man who didn’t even seem interested in her. Things would be over between her and David, and for what?
For the chance with Alex
, she thought with a deep sigh. She shook her head. This just wasn’t the way she did things. It felt dishonest. But it had happened so fast that she…just got caught up in it.

Then, Valeria reasoned that there wasn’t really anything wrong with all of this. Alex was with another woman, so it really wasn’t
that
way. Still, she knew that her attraction to him was why she was here. She had felt an immediate and strong bond with him that made her defy her own rules and logic. Then pushing thoughts of Alex away, she dialed David’s number. Before it rang, she hung up and dialed Weege instead.

“What happened to you, girlfriend?” Weege sounded concerned.

“I’m in Italy. I met a man—”

Weege interrupted, “You…you what? You ran off with someone! When did this all happen? You know David called me! Can you imagine? A diplomat called me! How did he even have my number? Well, I guess they have their ways.”

“Weege, you gave David your number when we went out to dinner last month.” Valeria laughed.

“Oh. Well, anyway, a diplomat has been desperately trying to reach you and has only been able to get your voice mail. It could be important, you know?” Weege took a breath.

“Was there an emergency?” Valeria asked, concerned.

“Well, how would I know? He’s a diplomat. He doesn’t have to tell me anything. I mean, I don’t have any kind of…immunity.”

Valeria laughed. “Weege, I’m sure he just dialed you because my phone didn’t appear to be working.”

“So, are you sleeping with him?”

Rolling her eyes, Valeria said, “Alex? No! It…well, it’s a bit complicated.” If she didn’t even understand it, how could she explain it to Weege?

“So, this guy...he didn’t sleep with you? What’s wrong with him? I mean, he isn’t gay is he?”

Valeria made an attempt to laugh again. “No, it’s not like that. I think he’s just being respectful…or something. But you’re right. What am I doing here when David is a day’s drive away? I am kind of engaged to him, I guess.”

“David did say you two needed to take the next step, right? And, he told me you were engaged. Of course, you are talking to a girl who took ‘babe, let’s move in together’ as a proposal from Jimmy,” Weege responded. “But it really isn’t like you to be so inconsiderate. So, this guy must be really hot!”

Weege’s words stung.
Did she really just ditch a perfectly nice guy to run away with someone because he was…hot?
What kind of person does that? There was probably some kind of karma kicking in and that’s why she was sitting alone on the porch. David was a good guy. And although he had never officially proposed—and she had never really accepted—there was kind of an
understanding
. What was wrong with her?

“Weege, you are right; I need to call David. I’ll do that now. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

Hanging up, Valeria started dialing. Suddenly, a few voice messages popped up from David.

“Hello, sweetheart. Just thinking of you. Great conference! I’ll try to call tomorrow night.”

Valeria hit the Call Back button and got the international prerecorded message that the lines were tied up. She had just started to redial when Caleb appeared on the deck. “Wanna see a trick?”

With his hands behind his back, Caleb walked toward her. When the Italian couple saw Caleb, they swore at him in their native language, making him laugh even more. As the couple hurried away, she noticed that Caleb was holding a light bulb by the glass.

“Okay,” he said. Then, he put his finger on the end of the bulb and it sparked and then lit up, causing him to break into a boisterous laugh.

“How did you do that?”

“It’s just one of my many abilities!” He sat the light bulb down on the railing. “I’m supposed to keep you company.”

Valeria frowned, irritated. “Why? You’re one of them. You should be there. I don’t need a babysitter!” She was immediately upset with herself for taking her anger out on Caleb.

“Well, I’m actually
not
like them. At least, we don’t think so,” Caleb said, as he took a seat next to her.

He held out his hand as if to shake hers. Valeria wondered what it was all about, but she reached up and took it. Immediately, she was zapped. “
Ouch!
” She pulled her hand back quickly.

“Sorry!” He laughed, unapologetically. “They wouldn’t let me do that this morning.”

“You mean that happens all the time?” she asked, as she rubbed her stinging hand.

“Yeah. You’re lucky I discharged on the light bulb first. Otherwise, it can be a little…electrifying.”

“I don’t understand. You aren’t an oracle?”

“I found Alex a little over 2,300 years ago. I was supposed to find him. I don’t remember why.” Caleb got thoughtful. “Tavish helped me so that I don’t electrocute anyone…well, most of the time. It’s not as bad now. But not a lot of people like that.”

Reaching under the table, Caleb pulled out a small leather case and suggested they play backgammon.

“Caleb, are you from the states? You don’t talk like you’re Italian.”

“I’m on the Web a lot…and I watch a lot of American movies.” He finished setting up his pieces. “We travel a lot. You start picking up things like languages pretty easily.”

They sat on the porch for hours, engrossed in the game. Valeria found Caleb’s playfulness a welcomed distraction.

“Caleb, are any of the family members married?” She was interested in only one person in particular.

“I think Lars and Camille have something going,” Caleb said matter-of-factly, concentrating on the backgammon board for his next move.

“Lars and Camille, really? What about Daphne?” she asked in her most innocent voice.

Caleb laughed like there was an inside joke. “
Oh, yeah!
Daphne and Alex are friends.”

She attempted a laugh, as if there was humor that statement. Valeria asked, “Are they friends, or are they…”

“Don’t worry about Daphne!” Her next move cost her two chips in the game. He laughed and put his arms up in the air. “Sweet!”

Valeria re-grouped. “Alex and Daphne seem like they have a
special relationship.”

“Yep.” He made another move, snagging another two chips and blocking her route out. “Oh, they want us to go up to the house now,” Caleb said

“Caleb? How do you talk to each other like that?” she asked, moving her pieces back into the tray.

“Like what?”

“Well, how did you know they were ready for us?”

He looked up. “I don’t know. I never thought about it. I just heard Lars telling me to come up to the house. And Alex is
constantly
asking me if you are alright.”

“What did you tell him?” Valeria asked defensively.

Caleb shrugged. “Oh, you know…that you aren’t very good at backgammon.”

“Oh.”

“I guess we've just been together for so long that we don’t need to talk if we don’t want to. Well, as long as we aren’t too far apart.”

“What’s too far?”

Scratching his head, Caleb said, “I guess like a mile would be too far.” He turned up toward the main house and yelled, “
All right, we
’
re coming!
” He rolled his eyes. “But sometimes voices work better.” He laughed.

Then, suddenly, Caleb frowned. “Uh-oh! Guess I’m in trouble for saying too much!”

Coming from the woods, Camille bounded down the trail, up the steps, and onto the deck. She smiled sweetly at Caleb. “Why don’t you go finish your chores?”

“See what I mean!” he pouted.

Camille smiled warmly at Valeria. “They aren’t quite decided on how they want to proceed. Alex doesn’t want you involved in that discussion. He doesn’t want to worry you.”

“Camille, what does all of this have to do with me?”

“Let’s walk,” Camille said. “Alex wants the opportunity to explain it all to you, and I need to respect that.” She glanced sideways at Valeria as they stepped off the deck. “Caleb told me that you wondered about our relationships.”

Valeria blushed. “I would guess that you are very much like a family, and that everyone else is…kind of an outsider. So, I just thought that because you are all so...unique that you probably keep your relationships within your—” Valeria realized she had headed down a conversation she didn’t want to finish.

Camille laughed softly. “First off, I don’t have any idea what Caleb was telling you about Lars and me. Lars is married to Ava. I think she is supposed to be here tomorrow. She’s my closest friend. And I can totally see us—you, me, and Ava—being the three musketeers!” Valeria flushed at being part of a friendship.

Continuing, Camille said, “Alex is a bit concerned. He’s afraid you will be overwhelmed by all of this…information, and want to leave.” She rolled her eyes. “We've all been telling him that you don’t seem that fragile.”

“I’m not fragile,” Valeria said defensively.

“That’s what we’ve been telling him. Lars feels a time pressure to jump into the real business.” Camille looked up at the house. “Looks like Alex won the debate for now. Let’s head back up.” They continued up the trail.

Valeria stopped. “Camille, my guess is that this is a pretty closed group.”

Analyzing the question before responding, Camille said, “Yes, we are. When you are the only ones together for thousands of years, you become very close. And we trust each other. We disagree a lot, but we do trust each other. And not to invalidate your reality, but mortal relationships of fifty years are considered short term for us.