“Why did you come here?” Kaia asked. “It is a dead place.”
“I was charged with remembering and examining the past.” the oracle said simply. “And as all oracles, to wait.”
“And now the time has come,” Kaia said. “The Shadow has already caused much destruction among the Romans, and a gate grows to the north.”
The oracle nodded. “I have felt it.”
“What am I here for?” Kaia asked once more.
“To go into the Earth,” the oracle said. She stood and gestured for them to follow. They exited the cave and stood on the rough beach. “All was not lost when Thera was destroyed. With a finger that wavered, the oracle pointed at Palaia Kameni, which lay not far away. “There is where you must go. There is an opening that you will go into. Then you must follow your instincts.”
“What am I looking for?” Kaia asked.
“You will know it when you see it.”
“Which means you don’t really know,” Falco spoke for the first time, tired of oracles and priestesses and their vague words.
The old woman looked at him. “You have a dark soul.”
Falco shrugged. “I’ve been told that many times.”
The oracle’s eyes shifted from Falco and Kaia. “Interesting,” was all she finally said.
“What is interesting?” Falco asked.
“The balance between the two of you,” the oracle said.
Falco laughed. “She is light to my darkness?” he asked, indicating Kaia.
“No. She is the light that will illuminate your shadow side,” the oracle said.
“Do you sense the darkness that is close by?” Falco asked, changing the topic from himself.
She nodded. “Yes, It is closing. Valkyries are coming. There is not much time.”
“Then stop playing word games,” Falco said, “and tell us what we need to know.”
“There is a way to stop the Shadow,” the oracle said. “You” — she pointed at Kaia—“are part of it. You also need a staff with one end a seven-headed snake. On the other end is a blade. It is called a Naga staff. It must be wielded by a warrior.”
“My oracle told me that.” Kaia said.
“That blade will work against the Valkyries. And you will find it where I send you. That you did not know. But what I do not know is if there is a place for all this to come together near this new Shadow.”
“What kinds of place?” Falco asked.
“You will see when you go there,” she pointed once more to Palaia Kameni.
“Then let us go.” Falco headed toward the boat.
Kaia reached out and took the old woman’s hands in hers. “Thank you.”
“I wish you well on your journey,” the oracle said. “I am the last of my line here.”
“I suggest you leave,” Kaia said.
“And go where? And do what?” The old woman shook her head. “This is where I belong. Go now. Your killer is right. There is not much time.”
Kaia and General Cassius joined Falco who was waist deep in the water, ready to pull the boat offshore. With a heave, he had them afloat, and he jumped aboard, grabbing an oar. Falco concentrated on rowing, his muscles enjoying the feel of the wood in his hands, the strain of exertion. He looked up and saw the oracle was still standing on the shore, watching them. Then he glanced over his shoulder and saw another small section of beach, a dark hole just above it. He adjusted his stroke so the nose of the boat was headed toward it. Within minutes, they were ashore.
As Kaia scrambled up the slope toward the opening, Falco paused. He could see the smoke coming out of the top of the cone that made up most of the island they were on. Then he looked around. There was a hint of darkness in one of the openings that led to the outer sea. He turned and ran after Cassius and Kaia.
“We have no light,” Cassius noted as they stood just outside the opening. A tunnel dove steeply into the side of the cone, the sides of it smooth. They could feel heat coming out of it, washing over their skin.
“I can find our way in the darkness,” Kaia said. She pulled two short pieces of rope out of her pack. She handed both to Cassius. Then she took the end of one and signaled for Falco to take the end of the other. “I’ll lead.” She stepped into the opening and began descending, the two Romans following, like sheep on a tether.
The light from the opening faded as they went down, and soon they were moving in complete darkness. Falco wasn’t worried, though, because he could sense what Kaia did, the path of the tunnel as it made slight turns left or right, but always descending. The temperature was rising, and sweat poured down Falco’s skin, irritable underneath his armor.
Kaia suddenly halted, Cassius bumping into her. “What is it?” the general asked.
“There is a branch here; two tunnels,” she answered.
“Left,” Falco said from the rear.
“Yes, left,” Kaia agreed after a moment, and they continued on their way.
Falco could sense something ahead and below, something of considerable power but not active. It wasn’t the dormant volcano, although he was picking up the power in the Earth, but something different. He stumbled as a vision of a stepped pyramid, a woman lying on a platform on top, came to him unbidden. Then it was gone, as quickly as it had come. He continued on, by then he paused when the others did, as the Earth shook under his feet.
On the small beach of Nea Kameni, the Akrotirian Oracle had watched the three disappear into the opening. She had never set foot on the other island, even though it was so close. She had always known it would not be her fate to go there. She was just a signpost.
Despite the darkness she sensed coming, her heart was joyful. When she had produced no heir to her post, she had worried that her line would die without fulfilling its destiny. But now she could die in peace, knowing that what had been slotted to her line had been accomplished. It would be up to others to take the battle further.
She startled as the ground shook. The quake lasted for almost ten seconds, then stopped. She turned toward the main island, where her gatekeeper was looking out at her, his hand covering his eyes. She waved, indicating for him to leave, but she knew he couldn’t see well anymore. She yelled as he got into a second boat that he kept at the small dock and began rowing toward her.
“Go away, old fool!” she called.
He didn’t stop rowing.
“Nectarous, go away. Save yourself!” she called out, but he kept coming. She sat down wearily on a stone. Then her eyes were transfixed by the site of a brownish gray fog boiling in over the water, coming through the southern gap.
“Hurry,” Falco was whispering, although why, he didn’t know.
“I’m going as fast as I can,” Kaia replied. “What if there is a sudden drop-off or a chasm?”
“Then you die,” Falco said. “But if you don’t hurry, you’ll die anyway.”
“Hold!” Kaia called out, and Falco felt it at the same time. The air was much hotter and the walls had disappeared. They were in an open area, deep underground, how large he didn’t know. Then he blinked as there was a very faint light ahead and above them.
“What is that?” Cassius asked.
“Where we are going.” Kaia began moving. The others didn’t need to hold the rope now as their eyes, so used to the dark, locked onto the light like a beacon. As they got closer, Falco could make out a pyramid enclosed inside the large chamber, the light coming from the top of it. It was the same as the one that had been in his vision. They reached the base and began going up the wide steps toward the top.