Part 31 (2/2)

”Never,” he answered. ”And I've seen a lot.”

It took a sail once around the circ.u.mference of the island to determine its shape and size. It formed a parenthesis in the water, with a shallow bay, and a high craggy peak on its westernmost point. Huge, ancient plane trees and bits of scrub dotted the curved hills. The geography itself was not especially remarkable, but what the island contained just inland, beyond its eastern bay, made London's breath catch in wonderment.

The ruins of an amphitheater, carved from darkest stone. Seats had been hewn from the hillside, rising up above and around a semicircular area that had, at one point, contained dancers and a chorus. The remains of the stage sat directly behind the orchestra, so that the audience, when watching a performance, would have the beach and sea as backdrop.

In Athens, London had seen the ruins of the Theater of Dionysus and been suitably impressed by its age and consequence-even if most of the theater was lost to time. It had been the theater of the capital, the birthplace of drama, a white marble edifice that glowed in the noontime sun, yet one would have to draw heavily upon the powers of imagination to fully envision the scene.

Somehow, on this tiny island in an obscure pocket of the Aegean, a theater of black stone stood in almost pristine condition, barely touched by the destructive influence of time. Almost as strange, no other buildings or signs of previous life marked the island, as though only the theater needed sustaining and everything else, even shelter, was unnecessary.

This strange place was known to few, or the long dead. Now she and her friends and the man she loved were added to that company. Would the knowledge of the Black Temple die with them, as well? And, if so, how soon?

She would not think of death now, or the Heirs at their back. See this now See this now, she told herself. Live this moment. Live this moment.

They quickly anch.o.r.ed the boat off the beach. London, Bennett, and Athena waded to sh.o.r.e for reconnaissance.

Standing in the orchestra of the theater, London felt the powerful hum of something otherworldly resonating through her. What the origin of that intense sensation might be, she could not tell. As she scoured the amphitheater for writings she might need to translate, Bennett bounded up and down the tiers of seats with an alluring, muscular virility, searching for any other clues that might direct them.

”Why would this be called the Black Temple?” London asked Athena.

The witch turned from her examination of the stones lining the orchestra. ”The first theaters were temples to the G.o.d Dionysus,” she explained. ”His wors.h.i.+ppers performed songs and dances in his honor, and those evolved into dramatic performances. Yet I do not know why a theater such as this one, obviously not dedicated to Dionysus, exists all alone out here in the middle of nowhere.”

Athena's words were precise, but her gaze was far and pensive. London initially ascribed her friend's uncharacteristic behavior to the exceptionally energetic night spent with the captain. But that morning, upon rising, Athena told London and Bennett about the lament of the Nereids that had pierced her sleep. The revelation had sickened everyone on the caique.

However, Athena had grown even more abstracted since the island of the Black Temple was sighted. And, now that they were on land, actually standing in the midst of the theater, London had never seen the witch so preoccupied.

”Are you all right?” London asked.

The witch's eyes were dark, darker than night, and glittering. ”I can feel it. The magic of this place. The power. It would claim me, if I let it.”

Of course Athena would feel magic more strongly than London. She had steadily been using her magical abilities with much more frequency than she ever had before. Now her senses were alive with it, turning her into a perfect conduit for a Source. Surely the Eye of the Colossus, the Source sought by everyone, had to be here.

Bennett joined them in the orchestra. ”The Nereids said the Eye could be found in the temple beneath the temple. But I can't find anything that might lead us below. Not a doorway or crevice.”

”Perhaps there's another way below,” London said. ”I saw a sea cave in the cliffs to the west of the beach.”

A slow smile spread across Bennett's face as he followed the path her mind took. She saw in his face the same respect and consideration he gave to Athena, to anyone, man or woman. Though, she admitted, his expression when looking at London had a much more carnal undertone. It seemed, in truth, that one fed the other. And she had once despaired that any man could find her use of her mind to be at all enticing.

Oh, G.o.d, or G.o.ds, or G.o.ddesses, please let them make it through this mission. If anything happened to Bennett, she would find herself utterly destroyed.

”It's mostly submerged,” London noted. ”One couldn't wade or sail through it.”

”Which would make sense,” Athena said, ”if one was trying to find a secure place for something powerful.”

Bennett took London's hand, his eyes vivid and bright in the sun. ”Looks like we're going to get wet again.”

The cave peered up, a dark crescent, above the water. They had raised the caique's anchor and sailed as close to the entrance of the cave as possible. No way to know how far back the cave went or its height. From what Bennett could tell, there was just enough room for someone swimming through to bob up for air, but not much else. He wished he could scout the cave first before London went down there. The idea of sending her someplace unknown and uncertain maddened him. But time was short, and the Colossus had been clear in its instructions that both Bennett and London had to go to the Black Temple to find the Eye.

So it was with no small measure of trepidation that he and London readied the water-tight packs. The dry bags were of heavily waxed cotton, double-lined, and he packed his with a revolver, cartridges, the Compa.s.s, two of Catullus's illuminating cylinders, and a set of clothes, including his boots. A c.u.mbersome load, but he was a strong swimmer. London packed her bag with trousers, a s.h.i.+rtwaist and her boots, a much smaller burden, but they hadn't tested her swimming ability in such arduous territory. Streams and ponds were not as challenging as the cave would likely be. She might not have the strength needed for the upcoming task.

He'd carry her on his back if he had to. Doubts about protecting her never entered his mind.

Athena came forward, her palms cupped. ”These might be needed for your journey.”

He and London peered into the bowl of her hands. Two fish scales gleamed there.

”You may find,” the witch said, ”in your swim through the cave, that air is scarce. I have placed an enchantment on these scales. One is for your journey out. The other for your return. To activate the spell, just cast a scale into the water.”

Bennett picked up one of the scales. It seemed a perfectly ordinary fish scale, but he'd not question Athena's spell casting. Ever since the mission had begun, weeks ago, the witch's use of her powers increased dramatically, and with that usage, came growth in strength-even if she held back from the larger spells. As he examined the scale, Athena wrapped the other in a small parchment envelope and tucked it into his pack.

When he moved to cast the scale into the water, Athena cried, ”Wait! The spell's life is brief. Do not put it in the sea until you are completely ready to swim, and swim speedily.”

One way to a.s.sure that they would swim as fast as possible was to reduce drag, which meant swimming naked. Bennett, never shy, shucked his clothes quickly, but London, blus.h.i.+ng, performed her task with a bit more slowness. Kallas politely averted his gaze. Bennett was tempted to watch and linger on the sight of her bare skin in the sunlight, but there would be time for that later. He hoped.

Only when London had slipped on the straps of her pack and slid into the water did Kallas turn back. Bennett also lowered himself into the water after donning his pack. At least the sea was warm and gentle, lapping in calm waves. They both tread water as Athena, standing at the rail, asked, ”Are you set?”

”Almost,” Bennett said. ”Just be ready and be careful, both of you,” he added, looking from Athena to Kallas and back again. ”The Heirs are coming.”

”That has not escaped me,” Athena said gravely.

”Looking forward to pounding them against the rocks like octopi,” Kallas said.

Good enough for Bennett. He glanced at London, treading water beside him. Her face, now impossibly beautiful to him, was set with determination and also-this is what he truly adored-illuminated with excitement at the prospect of an adventure. ”Ready?” he asked her.

She smiled in response. He swam closer to her, then kissed her.

”I love you,” he said.

”I know,” she answered.

He grinned, then turned back to Athena. ”Now.”

Athena dropped the scale into the water. Almost at once, it grew, glowing, until it took the form of a fish. Bennett was an amateur angler, but he'd never seen a fish like this one before. It was the size of his hand, but emitted a bright golden radiance like a tiny, swimming sun.

”Through the cavern,” Athena commanded the fish. It immediately darted toward the entrance of the cave. ”Go! Hurry!” she shouted at Bennett and London. ”You must stay with the fish or else you will not be able to breathe in the water.”

Bennett and London swam in pursuit, he at the lead. They quickly breached the mouth of the cave. Inside, it was much darker and close, the roof of the cave sometimes only just missing Bennett's head when he rose up for breath. Damp, sea-carved rock loomed all around them. Light receded completely, so that the only illumination came from the incandescent fish. Then even the small headroom disappeared as the cave dipped lower, the pa.s.sage entirely filled with water.

They paused just before the airway vanished, just able to tilt their heads to the side to draw breath.

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