Indiana Jones & the Peril at Delphi

mentioned the return of a Dorian, did not specify that she was the oracle.

In spite of what had happened at the crevice, he was certain she was not Pythia. She was ruthless and cunning, and those were definitely not traits of a good Pythia. Maybe the high priest was cunning, but Pythia was an innocent, an immaculate peasant woman transformed to a divination tool.

When everyone left and he was alone and in charge of Delphi, he would quietly recover the black stone—the Omphalos. Then he would test the young village girls, and maybe among them he would find the true Pythia. More and more, he was feeling that it was his destiny, not Panos's, to nurture the new Pythia.

He would be the interpreter, the priest, and the one who would present her to the world.

The power would be his.

16

Royal Reception

His eyes blinked open, but Indy didn't move, barely breathed. He felt something in the air that shouldn't have been there, a presence. Someone was in here with him. His limbs tensed instinctively. Slowly, he turned his head, scanning the room.

Then he saw a figure standing in front of the window, silhouetted by the afternoon sunshine. 'Ah, Christ, Nikos,' he said as he recognized the aquiline nose and classical Greek features. 'What are you doing now?'

The kid was getting to be a pest. He'd been looking in on him every few hours for the past two days, and Indy had just talked to him before he'd fallen asleep.

'Sorry. I was just leaving, and didn't want to wake you up. I got the knapsack. I put it under the bed.'

'That was fast.'

'You slept almost four hours.'

'I did?' Indy grimaced as he sat up, and touched his side. The last time they'd talked he'd asked Nikos if he would discreetly pick up his knapsack from the workshop. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes. 'Did anyone see you?'

Nikos shook his head. 'No one was there. I got in through a window.'

Indy's gaze strayed to the bedstand. He squinted, trying

to make sense of what he saw. A ceramic bowl rested on the bedstand, and inside it were three heads of garlic twisted together. 'What's this?'

Nikos's dark eyes moved from the bowl to Indy. 'Moly. It will help you.'

Indy looked at it again. 'Moly. God, I haven't heard anyone call garlic by that name since I was a kid.'

Nikos took a couple steps closer to him. 'I didn't know there was moly in America. What did you use it for when you were a kid?'

'It's a long story.'

'Tell me,' he said, sitting at the foot of the bed.

Indy clasped his hands behind his head, and recalled the incident, one of those he would never forget.

'Get me the moly,' his father had said one day, and when Indy admitted he didn't know what he was talking about he was forced to eat a clove of garlic a day until he knew why it was called moly. The question mystified Indy for nearly two weeks, long enough for him to lose a couple of friends who thought he smelled. As a result, he spent more time reading Homer, another task required by his father.

Finally, while struggling through a scene in The Odyssey, he discovered moly. It was a species of garlic which supposedly possessed magical power. Hermes gave it to Odysseus for protection against the enchantments of Circe. After that his father never required him to either eat garlic, or call it moly.

'You think I need protection, Nikos?'

'Yes, I do.'

'Why?'

'There are strange things going on.'

'Like what?' he asked. He'd bet it had something to do with the Order of Pythia, and expected Nikos to tell him that Panos and Doumas had conspired to kill him. But he was wrong.

'After I got back from the workshop, two Americans came to the hotel. They were very friendly. They told me they knew you, and wanted to see you.'

'What?'

'Yes, but before I could bring them up here, three soldiers came and took them away.'

'Took them where?'

Nikos shook his head.

Indy was baffled. 'Did you get their names?'

'They didn't say, but there is something else I must also tell you.'

'Oh, what else?' Now he'd hear about the Order. Again, he was wrong.

'It's Dr. Belecamus. I didn't think it mattered, but now I am not so sure.'

Three sharp raps at the door cut Nikos off. He jumped off the bed as if he'd just been shocked by a jolt of electricity.

'Go ahead, open it,' Indy told him.

It was Dorian. She was dressed in a white gown, and looked as if she were on her way to a ball. Her black hair shone in the late afternoon light filtering through the window, and her beauty was startling. She glanced from Nikos to Indy. 'An I interrupting anything?'

'No. Come on in.'

'I have to go now,' Nikos said. He gave Indy a furtive look, and disappeared out of the door.

Dorian moved over to the bed. 'How are you feeling today?'

Indy shrugged. 'Better. Nice to see you.' His voice was tinged with sarcasm. It was only her second visit since his accident, and the first time she'd stayed just a couple of minutes. She'd apologized for the accident, but when he'd asked how it had happened, she'd said she had no idea. He didn't believe her. He was sure she'd been hiding something, probably her suspicions about Doumas.

'I've been busy, but I've been thinking about you. I hear Nikos has been keeping you company.' Her smile indicated she thought the boy's interest in Indy was humorous. 'That's nice, but what do you two talk about?'

'Lots of things. Just now, for instance, he was telling me about two Americans. He said they came to the hotel and were asking for me.'

'Did you see them? ' she asked brightly.

'No, Nikos said that soldiers came and took them away.'

'That was their escort,' she said. 'I met them at the taverna earlier, and invited them to the royal reception this evening. A charming couple. I came up to ask if you'd come, too.'

'But who are they? I don't know anyone in Greece.'

Dorian gave him a wicked smile. 'I found out a little bit about your past. It was your old girlfriend you left in Paris.'

'Madelaine?' Indy was baffled.

'That's the one. She was with a British man named Brent. Friendly chap. They were in Athens when they heard that the king was going to be here, and they came straight away.'

'I can't believe it. Why did you invite them to the reception?'

'Well, actually they were hinting around for an invita tion. They were delighted when I made the offer.'

'I can imagine. They're very good guests. They've got lots of experience at parties.'

Dorian sat on the bed and patted his thigh. 'You sound a bit jealous.'

He laughed nervously. 'No, not jealous. Just amazed.'

'Please come with me? I'm sure they would like to see you.'

'Think I'd like to see them myself.'

'Good. Then you must be feeling better.'

'Guess so. I know I don't like laying in bed day and night.'

'Now you'll get a chance to meet the king. I understand he's heard what happened to you, and I'm sure he'll want to see you. You can tell him all about your adventure into the heart of Delphi.'

'I was hoping you'd be interested yourself. You haven't even asked about the tablet.'