Page 79 of Villa of Secrets

Trust Irini to lift our spirits. For a moment, the tension was broken and a smile fluttered between us.

‘What happened to the other soldier?’ Irini glanced around, fear flashing in her eyes.

Giovanni scanned the woodland surrounding the lake. ‘Someone shot him. We’re being watched. That was a high-powered rifle.’

‘How come they tied you up?’ I asked, testing my voice and finding it still ragged and whining.

‘I was ordered to follow you as far as the tunnel, where another Andartes would take over – probably the shooter. I kept my distance, just watching to make sure you were all right. When you’d eaten the carobs, I thought I’d give you five minutes’ start and scoff a few myself.’

‘You followed us to make sure we were safe?’ I wanted to hug him.

He nodded. ‘But after you left, that jeep came down the road. I jumped on my bike and tailed it.’ He touched his forehead, stared at the blood on his fingers, and sucked air in.

Irini gawped at him. ‘You mean they were right behind us?’

‘They’d have caught you too, but they turned onto a track. They’ve robbed something. I’m not sure if it’s valuables from Jewish homes or guns from their stores, but I saw them haul a crate out of their vehicle and bury it near a stone wall.’ He held his hand out, watched it shaking, and tutted. ‘I thought one of them had gone for a pee, but I’d been spotted. He circled behind me and clobbered me.’ He touched the back of his head and winced. ‘Next thing, I was in the jeep and you know the rest.’

I stared in the direction of the bodies. ‘What’s going to happen now?’

‘Whoever fired that shot will take over. Don’t worry about it. You have to complete your task, and get to Kapitanos Nikos.’

Startled by the sound of a motor, we all looked towards the road over the tunnel in time to see the jeep driven away.

‘That’ll be the Andartes from Psinthos. They’ll stitch my head there. Try and forget what happened here, because you must go on. Good luck, Dora.’ He turned to Irini. ‘Are you all right to return the horse and mule to Filerimos?’ When she nodded he stood, staggered a little, and scrambled up to the road. A black car pulled up, Giovanni spoke to the driver and got in.

I couldn’t take my eyes off him as the car drove away, and suddenly I was crying, my heart breaking. Irini put her arms around me and held me until I could speak.

‘He nearly died, Irini. I might never have seen him again. I don’t think I can live without him.’

‘You have to accept you’re in love with him,’ she said softly. ‘It’s all right, Dora. You don’t have to fight it for me. I want you to be happy more than anything. I love you with an unconditional love, do you understand that? Your happiness is mine too.’

‘Oh, Irini, I love you as well. I’m all mixed up. Don’t ever leave me, will you? Promise.’

She smiled, pushed my hair back and kissed my cheeks. ‘Promise. Now, come on; we have to get going, kapitanessa.’

We returned to the tunnel. So much had happened since we found it. I hugged and kissed Irini, and promised we’d be together soon. I told her to keep an eye on Giovanni as he was prone to taking liberties, and would she make sure Xanthi took care of Evangelisa?

Irini assured me she’d do these things, and watched me enter the aqueduct.

After a short way I looked back. She was still there.

‘I’m fine! Leave before it gets dark!’ I cried. My voice echoed eerily. I saw her turn and go. ‘I love you, Irini,’ I whispered. ‘Stay safe.’

In the tunnel I was afraid something alive might drop from the ceiling onto my head. Perhaps there were snakes around my feet? The walls could collapse or be covered in millipedes. I clenched everything at the thought. What if bats rushed out into the evening and tangled in my hair, knocking me over? My own breathing grew louder as I waded through the icy water, counting my steps, trying not to touch the sides which were becoming narrower.

Again I turned to looked behind me. The entrance was hardly more than a dot of pale light. I tried to see ahead, but met only dense blackness. I wished Irini and Giovanni were with me.

Papa, I’m afraid of the roof falling in. Send me some courage!

I recalled my birthday wish, to be braver, and so, by reason, I was braver. Everything would have been fine, if the wish hadn’t reminded me of my birthday and the love and happiness of that day. My darling family.

Overwhelmed by images, my mind became a cinema screen. I recalled the flickering candles on the cake, heard Mama say, ‘Make a wish, Dora!’ There was Danial with his bottles of ink, granny and her scented bath cubes, and how thrilled I had been to receive the pen that I’m writing with. I evoked my father’s smile and his voice, ‘Follow your dreams, Dora.’

I turned, but the entrance was now only a spark. In my imagination, that tiny light was my family, constantly behind me, ready to catch me if I fell, there to support me if I needed it. A star in the dark – always there – even if I never saw them again.

Then I told myself I was being stupid. They will come home, every one of them.

I waded through the shallow stream, taking deep breaths, letting them out slowly. Just as I started to wonder if I’d missed the air shaft, I noticed faint light ahead. The distance was impossible to judge. Noise from the water seemed extraordinarily loud. My heart thrummed. What if I plunged into a sinkhole? I plundered on, splashing and stumbling, all my faith in Nathanial and his instructions. Was the journey a test? Lately, all of life felt like a trial.