Jane dropped her rucksack on the hotel bed in Delphi and drew the curtains. She was exhausted and so needed something to eat. The journey from Africa had been long. They had decided to travel first by air to Tangiers, which took ten hours, then by road using a Nissan four by four, borrowed from a friend of Stan’s. Once they were in Europe, they drove to Greece. Even so, it had taken them three days to cover the 2,579 miles to Delphi.
She felt Mark’s arms slip around her and his lips touch her neck. ‘How are you doing?’ he whispered.
She turned and snuggled into his chest, enjoying the warmth and comfort it gave her. He kissed the top of her head and she looked up.
‘I didn’t expect this,’ she said softly. When she saw him frown, she quickly added, ‘The violence I mean, and being on the run from this man, Ferrand.’ She moved away and sat on the bed. ‘I was so naive, Mark, I just didn’t think this sort of thing happened in real life, and I didn’t expect it to happen to me.’
Mark came and sat next to her. ‘Do you regret your decision to stay with me?’
Jane turned to him, shocked by his words. ‘No, not at all.’ She took his face in her hands. ‘I love you. I don’t want to be anywhere else.’ She gently kissed him.
Mark kissed her back, then put his arm around her, drawing her closer so her head rested against his chest. ‘I’m so glad you are here. I don’t think I could have done this without you.’ There was a moment of silence before he said, ‘I confess that I wasn’t expecting Ferrand to be so violent.’ He paused as if remembering something. ‘I have been hiding from him for years and in all of that time, he didn’t touch my family until a few months ago, when he poisoned my mother.’
‘So why is he resorting to doing this now?’ Jane eased away so she could look at his face.
Mark thought for a while. ‘I think it must be because he can’t get the energy. He found out how to create the crystal, but something must have gone wrong, because it’s not behaving in the way my experiments did. He knows I have the answers, but until now, he wasn’t desperate for it. I knew he was a ruthless business man, but I didn’t think he would go so far as to kill for it.’ Mark shook his head.
‘I can’t stop thinking about Fiona. She had nothing to do with you, yet look what they did.’ Jane caught hold of Mark’s arm. ‘Your family, you have to warn them.’
Mark looked at her and she saw a deep sadness in his face. ‘I’ve tried. My father is no longer responding to our Internet link and, as for my ex-wife, well, I’ve no idea where she is. My father was my contact with the children, but when my mother took ill, they disappeared.’
Jane felt a rush of panic fill her stomach. ‘We have to find them, we must protect your family.’ She felt him take her hand and squeeze it. His voice was calm. ‘Easy now, I’m sure my parents are safe. My father said he was going to take my mother away and I expect he hasn’t got an Internet connection where he is. As for my children…’ He gave a short laugh. ‘You don’t know my ex-wife, but I can assure you, she has them safe, even from me.’
She saw his smile drop and the sadness return. ‘The only one I am worried about, is you. I love you so much, I couldn’t bear it if you were to get hurt.’
Jane snuggled into him, squeezing him tight. ‘And I couldn’t bear not being here, with you,’ she said softly. He caught her under the chin with his hand and lifted her head. His lips pressed on her, with an intensity that reinforced his love for her.
There was a knock on the door. Mark eased away to go and open it. It was James, who blustered into the room, looking like he was desperate to relay something. He held up his mobile and said breathlessly, ‘Just got a call from Stan.’
Jane stood up. ‘Fiona?’ she asked, nervously, her stomach tightening, expecting the worst.
‘She’s safe. Stan has her.’
Jane gave a big sigh and sat down again. She didn’t know what she would have done if something had happened to Fiona.
‘But!’ James continued, ‘A policeman died before Stan could stop it.’
The room was silent. Jane placed a hand over her mouth. ‘A death,’ she whispered through her fingers.
‘Well, actually, there were three,’ James said frankly.
‘Three!’ Jane shouted, hardly wanting to believe she was hearing correctly.
‘The other two were Ferrand’s men,’ James said, without emotion.
There was another moment of silence, before Mark said, ‘That means we’ll have the police after us as well.’
‘Not necessarily,’ James answered. ‘Stan says he has dealt with it.’
‘How?’
‘Well, not really sure, he didn’t elaborate. He just said, he’ll keep in touch and we’ll see him soon.’
Three deaths! Jane’s mind was reeling with the thought, yet despite being shocked, she felt detached emotionally. She was almost glad that Ferrand’s men got what they deserved and she was happy Fiona was okay. The only hint of regret she felt was for the poor policeman. If Stan, hadn’t been there… She shut the thought from her mind. ‘Where on earth did you find him, James?’ she asked, torn between being intrigued and extremely worried.
‘Hmm, that’s another long story, that will have to wait. I’m famished so let’s go eat.’
* * *
The next morning, after breakfast, Jane climbed into the back of the car. James and Mark were sitting in the front and they set off to see the site of the Delphi ruins. According to the literature Jane was reading, it was an archaeological site on the slope of Mount Parnassus.
‘You know, Stan could be right about this being the place of Gaia,’ she said to no one in particular. ‘In the Greek world, Delphi was supposed to be the site of the Omphalos Stone, the centre of the Earth and universe.’
‘Is there anything in there that will help us find what we need?’ James called back to her.
Jane flicked through the pages of the book, speed-reading bits as she went. ‘It says that the temple lies on the site where there are two major fault lines, perhaps we should start there.’
James pulled the car into the parking lot and they got out. The sun was shining, but the temperature was chilly. Jane slipped on her coat and tucked the information book into her pocket. She followed James and Mark to the entrance of the site. Once inside, they followed the path to the Temple of Apollo. The scenery was spectacular. Mount Parnassus rose above them and across the valley were more mountains. Broken columns of stone and slabs lined the edge of where they were walking; the remnants of buildings and past monuments long since gone. The air felt clean and fresh, and she could only imagine how magnificent everything must have looked in ancient times.
Five, nearly complete, columns rose up above her as they reached the Temple of Apollo. They formed one end of what looked like a large building. There were no walls, but, on the ground, the remains of stone slabs marked the boundary of the outside of the building and the interior walls.
Jane pulled out her book. ‘This is the Temple of Apollo, but before it became dedicated to him, it was the sanctuary of the Oracle.’ She looked over the ruins and down into the valley. She didn’t know how to describe it, but she felt as if she knew this place. Perhaps she had been here before, in another lifetime.
She turned around and looked behind her. Rising back, into the mountain-side, was a magnificent amphitheatre. It was semi-circular in shape, with stone slabs arranged as seats rising up and back around an open horseshoe flat area. In her mind’s eye, she saw the theatre transformed to how it looked before, and imagined the rows of ancient Greeks, sitting and cheering as a play was being performed below them.
‘So is this where we start looking?’ Mark asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.
She turned to him. ‘I think so, but I don’t think we can go past the ropes around it.’
‘What are we looking for?’ he asked, stepping over the rope.
Jane quickly looked around and saw they were alone, with no one in sight. ‘There is a place called the Adyton, which was a room beneath the main floor. It was the smallest area away from the entrance. Usually in the west end of the temple.’ She pointed to a small, enclosed area.
Mark moved quickly and softly over the stones to the area indicated by her. He knelt down and carefully viewed the stones and ground, digging his fingers into the earth. Finally, he got up shaking his head and returned to her. ‘Nothing. You can’t even tell if it’s been an underground room. The floor is solid.’
Jane looked around, there had to be something here. She couldn’t believe they had travelled all this way for nothing. James and Mark did the same, but after half an hour she sat on a low wall and stared over the temple remains. Mark joined her. ‘There’s nothing here,’ he said quietly.
Jane shook her head, ‘There has to be, we’re not looking in the right places.’
‘So where do we look?’ Mark’s voice was edged with annoyance.
She took out her book, looking through it, searching for a clue. Anything that would lead them to a sign or message to find the fifth person. The book told of the history of Apollo’s visit; his slaying of the serpent Python (a child of Gaia) and the erection of his temple. She read how Delphi was known for the Oracle at the sanctuary, which then became dedicated to Apollo… She looked up quickly.
‘What?’ Mark asked.
‘I just want to check something.’ She flicked over a few pages, found it and read it out loud. ‘Delphi and its Oracle took place before the times of recorded history. Its origins are obscure, but dates to the worship of the great Goddess Gaia.’ She looked at him and pointed to the temple. ‘This is too new.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘The painting in Africa is from an ancient tribe. We need to find some petroglyphs from the same time, before the Apollo story.’ She looked around. ‘Where’s James gone?’
Mark stood up and looked too, then shrugged his shoulders. She got up and took his hand. ‘We must find someone who knows the older history of this place.’
Mark sighed, turned to her and said, ‘Jane, I don’t think that’s going to happen.’
She looked at him, noticing how despondent he had become. His eyes seemed mournful. ‘What are you saying?’ she asked.
‘I’m saying that this has gone far enough. I know you believe in this, but to be honest, I can’t anymore. The virus is real, it was made by me.’ Jane moved to speak, but he put up his hand to stop her. He continued, ‘I originally created it, so must take some responsibility for it and standing here, listening to history stories, isn’t going to resolve it. I have to find a solution and I can’t, without doing research. I need a lab.’ He let go of her hand and began walking back along the path to the entrance.
Jane ran after him and pulled him to a stop. ‘You believed in this when we worked with Jasmine, why can’t you now?’
‘Because it was all in my head then, and what I believed I had done, wasn’t true. This is physical reality, Jane, and we need a physical solution. We can’t mend it in our heads.’
‘That’s because you don’t believe we can. But what if that belief isn’t true? What will it take for you to change your belief?’
Mark gave a short laugh, ‘You did this to me last time and…’ he stopped.
‘And?’ Jane questioned.
‘I had to concede you were right.’
‘So what will it take?’ she pushed.
‘A miracle,’ he said bluntly.
She looked up at the sky and then back to him. ‘A miracle is a tall order, but I’ll see what I can do.’ They laughed and, arm in arm, walked to the entrance where they found James waiting. He had a pleased look on his face.
‘So what have you done?’ Jane quizzed him.
‘What have I done? My dear lady, I have found someone, who knows of someone, who knows more about this place and we’re meeting him tomorrow.’
‘Do they know the history, before Apollo?’
James smiled and stretched himself taller. ‘He is nearly a hundred years old and his descendants were people of this land.’
‘Fantastic.’ Jane turned to Mark and said eagerly, ‘A miracle coming up.’
Mark frowned. ‘We’ll see. I’ll give you one more day.’
James looked puzzled. ‘What did I miss?’
Jane squeezed his arm. ‘Mark will tell you all about it as we walk to the car.’
* * *
That evening Jane fell asleep in Mark’s arms. She dreamt she was in ancient Greece. The ruins they had visited earlier in the day had transformed into a grand temple, with white stone columns supporting a roof made of marble. She was walking up the path towards the temple, dressed in a long silk robe that touched her feet and was clipped over her left shoulder. She could feel the softness of the silk brushing gently against her legs as she walked. Gold bands covered her forearms and precious gems, of ruby and sapphire, were set in rings on her fingers. Her hair was tied back from her face and when she looked down, she had soft, leather, open-toe shoes on.
She heard a rustle beside her and glanced to her right, noticing a young girl of about sixteen years old, dressed in a smock-like dress. It was tied in the middle by a decorative cord. Her dark hair was severely pulled back from her face, highlighting her blemish-free, pale skin. The girl was carrying a laurel branch and kept her pace so she walked slightly behind.
They reached the bottom of the ramp leading up to the Temple of Apollo and Jane stopped. The cloudless sky, above the temple roof, was a clear blue. Its colour had such intensity it made the white stones sparkle, like diamonds reflecting in the sun. The young girl came close and handed her the laurel branch, before slipping back to stand and wait at the side. Jane sensed that the girl was not permitted to enter the temple.
She began to ascend the ramp to the entrance. There was an eerie silence and the lack of people around enhanced it. She passed through the golden, metal gates into the temple entrance room. Above her head, engraved into the stone were symbols she had never seen before, but somehow she knew what they meant, “Know thyself”. As she walked across the beautifully decorated marble floor, another inscription was on the far wall, “Nothing in excess”. How true, she thought.
To the left and right of the main room, there were statues of Apollo and one drew her attention. He was stood in a triumphant pose, an arrow in one hand and a large serpent in his other. She stared at the rod standing beside him. It was of two snakes wrapped around a staff, facing each other, their heads meeting at the top under a pair of wings. She remembered reading how Apollo had killed Python and built his temple upon the place of his conquest. Because he had killed a child of Gaia, the gods had punished him by making him a sheep herder for a period of time.
Jane quickly moved on to the far end of the room, to a small opening leading to another room. A priest, dressed in colourful robes, appeared at the door and guided her down some steps to a room under the floor. It felt quite cold and was dark despite the torches of fire on the wall. The priest stopped in front of a veiled partition, turned and, with a slight bow, moved silently back up the steps.
Jane could smell the dampness of the ground, but also a sweet scent, like that of perfume. As the smell became stronger, she noticed she was feeling woozy. Behind the thin, silk-like curtain, Jane could see the shape of a woman sitting on a tripod. In her right hand she held a laurel wreath and in her left she held a shallow bowl, into which she was gazing.
Jane felt her sight begin to blur, and blinked her eyes quickly to clear it. Slowly she lowered herself to her knees and placed the laurel branch she was carrying on the floor before the curtain. Gently she slipped the rings off her fingers and placed them either side of it. Keeping her head bent, she said, ‘Great Oracle, the world is in danger. We seek a fifth person and our journey has led us here.’
A soft, almost angelic whisper floated through the veil. ‘Seek the Stone People.’
‘We have looked, but the stones of the temple have nothing to tell us.’ Jane could hear the desperation in her own voice. ‘If we don’t find this person, all will be lost.’ Tears filled her eyes so quickly she began to cry.
The soft voice came again. ‘Ancient stones, hidden from eyes, are still dark, except one. The way is unclear. Child of Gaia, rising with the power of one. Light of stones, shine bright again.’
Jane looked up with tear-filled eyes. ‘There’s still hope?’
‘Always.’
The priest appeared beside her and helped Jane to her feet. ‘Thank you,’ she said to the veiled figure and turned away. The priest helped her to the steps and she caught sight of a huge stone standing to her left. It was covered in raised markings and flanked by two stone eagles. She didn’t stop, she felt faint and very weak. Her head was spinning and she seemed removed from her body, so much so, her legs wouldn’t do as she instructed. With the help of the priest, she got to the top of the stairs and into the room above. He gave her a beaker of fluid, which tasted like water, and Jane drank it all. Within minutes, her head began to clear and she was able to stand without assistance. Jane returned to the entrance of the temple and looked up at the sun. Its warmth was comforting and made her feel better. The Oracle’s words were still in her mind. Now all she needed to do was make sense of it.
* * *
In the morning, Jane woke with a thumping headache. The pain was prickling behind her eyes and pressing at the back of her head. She would have put it down to the wine she had at dinner, except she had only had one glass. She also noticed the scent of the sweet perfume of the Oracle was still in her nose.
‘You look terrible,’ Mark said, handing her a glass of water and some headache tablets. She looked at him, noticing he had shaved and was already dressed. She swallowed the tablets in one gulp and rested back against the pillow. Mark drew back the curtains and her right hand quickly covered her eyes, against the light from the window. ‘No more wine for you, then,’ he continued.
‘It wasn’t the wine, I’m sure I only had one glass.’
‘There were three empty bottles. I wonder who could have drunk that much?’
When Jane sneaked a peek at him, through her fingers, she saw him smile. ‘Must have been me and James then.’
She groaned; his cheerfulness was annoying. The bed creaked as he sat down.
‘So where were you last night?’ he asked softly.
Jane dropped her hand and forced her eyes to focus on him. ‘What do you mean?’
‘You were dreaming and mumbling in a strange voice, using words I didn’t understand.’
Jane sat up, then grabbed her head as pain blinded her for a moment. ‘I was in the Temple of Apollo. I spoke to the Oracle and she said…’ Jane told Mark the details of what the Oracle had told her. ‘What do you think she means?’ Jane nursed her head. The effort of thinking seemed to make the pain worse.
‘Well, “Seek the stone people” must mean the answer is written in stone. “Ancient stones, hidden from eyes, are still dark” could mean the writings are not discovered yet, like the painting in Africa.’
‘That’s it! The stone paintings have yet to be found. They could be in a cave.’
‘Except one,’ they both said, together.
‘Maybe the museum has a painting?’ Jane suggested.
‘Which museum?’ Mark pondered, then continued, ‘“The way is unclear” could mean it’s dark or the location is obstructed, somehow.’
Jane gently nodded her agreement.
‘“Child of Gaia rising, with the power of one”, I have no idea what that means.’
‘In the history of the temple, the Child of Gaia referred to the serpent Apollo killed. Could that be what it means?’ Jane nursed her head again. Why was thinking so painful?
‘But aren’t we all the children of Gaia?’ Mark said, pushing back her hair from her face. He smiled, ‘But I like the last part, “Light of stones, shine bright again”, I think that means the crystals will again shine.’ He took a deep breath and his smile faded. ‘But, this is just a dream.’
Jane took his hand. ‘I think it’s more than that. I believe it’s a message. The Oracle said, there’s always hope.’
Mark kissed her forehead. ‘Then you must hope for both of us, for I seem to have lost mine.’ He got off the bed and picked up his coat. ‘I’ll see you down at breakfast.’
Jane watched the door swing shut behind him. She hoped that today would bring results, not only for her, but for Mark too.