Indiana Jones & the Peril at Delphi

thoughts. As they passed the remains of Hadrian's Library and neared the Roman Forum, Indy gazed out at the refugee shanties that were built on top of the ruins. Smoke was curling from a few rooftops and reminded him of the vapors rising from the crevice in Apollo's Temple.

Then he saw her moving through the gray dawn, her long hair tied in a braid. There was no doubt in his mind that it was Dorian Belecamus.

'Stop.'

'What are you doing?' Shannon asked as Indy opened the door. 'We've got to get to Piraeus.'

'Listen, wait five minutes for me. If I'm not back, go on. I'll meet you at the ferry. There's something I've got to do.'

'We don't have much time,' Conrad warned.

'I know. I know.'

He slammed the door without another word and hur ried past a hodgepodge of shanties. She had been headed in that direction, and he thought he knew her destination. He passed by the ancient gate to the Forum, continued a ways, then saw the Tower of the Winds. She stood beneath it, gazing upward.

Dorian stared intently at the face of Lips, the southwest wind, who was speeding along the voyage of a ship. Jones and the others would soon be gone. The danger was over. And yet, she felt empty.

She would miss Jones. She had truly enjoyed his compa ny, something he would never believe. He wouldn't un derstand the complexity of her life, and how forces beyond her personal life were directing her.

She also knew that even if she had succeeded in breaking away from Mandraki and becoming Pythia, it would not have been any different. Those same political forces still would have driven her, and her fantasy about herself and Jones in the seat of power would have failed.

She didn't know what her future was. Maybe she would return to Paris. Maybe not. Nothing would be resolved until Mandraki acted. Her life was not really hers, and she detested that.

'Now I know why this is your favorite ruin.'

She spun around, startled. 'Indy!'

'You're just like it. Different faces for different winds.'

'What are you doing here?'

'On my way back to Paris. Just saying adio.'

She glanced around. Mandraki was inspecting the refu gee situation and he would meet her here any time.

'You shouldn't be here. Figete.'

He laughed. 'Now you're telling me to get lost. I'm not leaving until you've satisfied my curiosity. Why did Mandraki take you back after you shot him? He doesn't exactly seem like the forgiving type.'

She knew he wouldn't go away until she answered. 'He didn't know who shot him. You can see through the vapors better than you can see into them. He only heard me call his name.'

'That figures. You deceived him just like you did me and probably every other man in your life. And I thought for a while that I loved you.'

She met his cold stare. 'I'm not really a bad person, Indy. I do what I have to do. But you're a man. You wouldn't understand.'

He shook his head. 'Your gender has nothing to do with it. If every woman were like you, we'd all be in —'

'Just go. Please.'

But it was too late. Mandraki stood just five feet away, and he was raising a revolver.

The gun seemed to move in slow motion. This couldn't be happening. The vision couldn't be true. What about all the adventures? Had his entire future, or the lack of it, depended on whether or not he left the car to follow Dorian?

'Jones, you're dead.'

'No!' Dorian yelled, and she stepped between them.

'Get out of my way, Dorian. Now!'

'No. You aren't going to kill him.'

'Move out of the way.'

'You'll have to kill me first.'

'Damn you, Dorian.' The gun fired.

Indy caught Dorian as she collapsed. He felt the warmth of her blood seeping through his shirt and heard the soft, terrible wheezing as she tried to pull air into her lungs. He knew Mandraki was still standing there with the gun as he placed Dorian gently on the ground. He elevated her head so she wouldn't drown in her own blood.

'Dorian,' Mandraki whimpered. 'I didn't mean it. The gun just fired.'

She tried to speak, but couldn't. She tried to lift her hand, but couldn't do that, either. Indy bent over her, touched her cheek.

'Get away from her,' Mandraki yelled. 'You did this. You killed her. Now you're dead.'

Indy looked up into the barrel of the gun. Just like the vision. So this was it.

He heard a gunshot.

Mandraki staggered a couple of steps. 'Malaka,' he cursed, and he dropped to the ground.

Indy recognized the guard from the king's library, stand ing in the clearing. As the guard moved toward them, Indy saw Mandraki lift his weapon and aim it at him again.

But the guard was ready. He pumped several shots into him. The gun fell from Mandraki's hand. Blood oozed from his mouth. This time he wouldn't get up.

When Indy looked down at Dorian, she was dead. Her eyes gazed vapidly at the blue morning sky overhead. Oddly, he knew he was going to miss her. In spite of her shortcomings, she had influenced his life. He would never be the same person again, and he knew that he had found the career that would be his life's work. He brushed a hand across Dorian's cheek, then closed the lids of her eyes.

'Indy, are you all right?'

'Nikos! What are you doing here?'

Nikos glanced anxiously around. 'I hid in the palace garden all night, then I saw you leaving in the car. I followed you in a taxi, because I wanted to say good-bye.'

'I've got to get to the ferry.'

'C'mon. The taxi's waiting. You can still make it.'

He glanced once more at Dorian's frozen expression, and turned away.

The ferry's horn blasted as they arrived at the port. He shook hands with Nikos, and thanked him for his help. 'Come visit me in Paris.'

'I want to go to America too, and see a jazz band and the Grand Canyon,' Nikos called after him.

'Why not?' Indy said, and smiled. Then he strode up the gangway. The horn blasted one final time, and the gangway rose behind him.

As the ferry edged away from the pier, Indy heard another horn. It was Shannon playing his cornet on the deck. He strolled over to him, nodding to Conrad. Shannon blew a few more bluesy notes, then lowered the horn.

'You just made it, Indy. What the hell were you doing?'

'I'll tell you later. We've got plenty of time to talk. But what was that tune? Don't think I've ever heard it?'

'That's because you've only seen the lyrics. It's called 'Down in the Quarter.' Still need a singer, but at least I've got a new verse.' He snapped his fingers, then tapped a beat on his cornet.

Took a trip to Greece;

left the Quarter far behind.

But Lord, never

knew how I'd

miss that

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