adorable. As was Orion.
She dreamed as everyone dreamed, but she couldnât remember such a vivid dream, and although she sometimes dreamed of diving, sheâd never included Greek warriors in her fantasy. Because Orion wasnât alone. Not far away, she could see other Greek or Macedonian infantrymen swimming on either side of them. The others were far enough away that she lost sight of them, and just when sheâd decided that they were a figment of her imagination, another soldier would appear. And the one she saw over and over in the distance seemed to be Orion, so that he was both carrying her and in another place at the same time. Decidedly odd, even for a nightmare.
The other Orion carried an Alexander the Great era sword and a round shield that she might have seen on display in a dozen museums around the world. This was definitely a better class of dream, and if she was permanently disabled by cracking her head on a rock, at least she wasnât counting endless white sheep jumping over a white picket fence.
Orion, the one with his arms around her, glanced down at her. âElena. Youâre awake.â
âYou think so?â she managed. If she was, she was in worse condition than sheâd thought. âWhere are we?â
âShh,â he said. âClose your eyes and sleep.â
âSleep, hell. I want to see.â She struggled to break free of his embrace.
âAll right.â He released her, and when she started to drift away, he caught her hand. âYouâre safe with me,â he assured her. âSafe with us.â
She didnât answer. Coming toward them was the largest turtle that sheâd ever seen. Moss and barnacles clung to his green shell and two black eyes stared from a massive head, eyes that seemed filled with both ancient knowledge and sorrow. Silently, the turtle glided by, so close that she could have reached out and touched him.
Some divers claimed that the sea was silent, but Elena had never felt that way. She always heard an inner music, a majestic symphony interspersed with the click of dolphins, the poignant cry of whales, and the rhythm of the tides. She heard it now, and the sheer beauty made her feel small and humble.
âCome,â Orion said. âSince youâre awake, swim with me.â
âBut how? Have I drowned? Iâm dead, arenât I? Is this some sort of test before I get to the place with the white light and the angel trumpets?â
He laughed.
She looked at him more closely. He wore not only a Greek helmet but a cuirass and greaves, gold arm bands, and a great black sword with a silver hilt, a sword definitely not Greek. It must be a sci-fi movie because she could swear his exposed skin was covered in tiny bluish scales, not repulsive fish scales, but intriguing. She reached out to touch his cheek and found it not cold, but warm and alive.
âAre you all extras in some sort of movie?â But she knew the moment it was out of her mouth that couldnât be the answer. Most filming was done on solid land and that that wasnât ⦠Well, even extras needed to breathe. Which meant that this she was definitely dreaming.
âI donât understand,â she said to him. If this was a nightmare, it wasnât a scary one, simply odd. She wasnât frightened, and she didnât want to wake up any time soon. There was too much to see.
âYou donât need to,â he said. âYouâre safe. I promise.â
Which was exactly what Howie McMann had said to her in the choir loft when heâd pulled out his teeny weenie and tried to persuade her that you couldnât get pregnant your first time. She hadnât believed it then, and she wasnât sure that she believed Orion now.
âCan you swim?â he asked. âI donât have much time.â
âYou mean that I have to wake up?â
A dolphin came out of the darkness followed by a younger one. Elena had