Free Apocalypsis 1.05 Island of the Light by Mario Giordano Page B

protested.
    »I thought you didn’t want to return to Rome right now.«
    She gave him a grin. »But you will fly back to Rome tomorrow.«
    »I thought we were clear about this. This whole thing here is my problem, not yours.«
    She ignored his objection and stood up, too. All of a sudden, she was standing close in front of him. Very close.
    You could bend forward now and kiss her, just like that.
    But Peter did not move. He only looked at her and she returned his gaze, just like that. They were standing there so long, it felt like an eternity, until Peter took her hand. Just like that.
    »I…«
    »I am starving!« she said briskly, pulled her hand out of his grasp and began to roll up the parchment carefully. »I am terribly hungry. And after all, we are in France. Let’s go out.«
    Suddenly she seemed thoroughly cheerful and made a little too much fuss of laying the parchment and the amulet into the small desk drawer, locking it and putting the key into the pocket of her habit.
    »Madame downstairs watches the place like a hawk. So it won’t be easy for anyone to get up here. … Come on, Peter! Just for an hour.«
    Peter woke from his trance. »Okay. Fish or meat?«
    »Fish,« she said, beaming. »Fish, fish, fish!«

XLI
    May 13, 2011, Kuchinoerabu Island, East China Sea
    A nd what are we now? Guests or prisoners?«
    »I don’t know. What matters is that we are alive and together.«
    She gave a sigh. She hadn’t really expected any other answer. A strong wind was rising from the ocean and rolling up the pale cliffs, bringing with it scattered white cumulus clouds and the scent of salt and seaweed. Everything about this island was radiant: the green of the Japanese cedar trees, the purple of the Rhododendron blooms, the white of the cliffs, the cobalt blue of the ocean and the azure blue of the sky. It always seemed that there was a little bit too much of everything on this barely 8-square-mile island off the southern tip of Japan. In particular, too much ocean. Apart from the coastline of Yakushima Island, which was 10 miles away, there was nothing to see on Kuchinoerabu, just the ocean and the squat crater of Mount Furudake.
    »See it as our first vacation together.«
    She turned her head towards the man sitting next to her in a wicker chair, enjoying the salty breeze.
    »Our first vacation. Yes. But I know that you don’t see it like that. I am afraid, Franz. Very afraid. Not for myself. You know why.«
    Yes, he knew. He knew exactly why the woman in the wicker chair next to him was afraid and he shared her fear.
    »What do you want me to say, Sophia? You know how I feel deep inside.«
    »I don’t want apologies, Franz. To be honest with you, I am even happy that we are here now. It has been a long time since I was this happy. I’m just afraid that all this is just a temporary illusion and that we will soon be landing back in reality, with a thump. And I’m wondering whether we are ready for that.«
    A servant in traditional clothing brought them green tea. Sophia Eichner drank little sips from the small wafer-thin porcelain bowl and observed with fascination the way the large, rough hands of the man beside her gently cradled the delicate cup. Franz Laurenz had swapped his black priest’s garments for a pair of dark blue cotton pants, a white shirt, a navy blue sweater, dark brown yachting shoes and a plain blue jacket. He was wearing a pair of old American sunglasses and only his pallor gave away that he was not some wealthy elderly gentleman with a penchant for sailing.
    »Ready for what?« Laurenz asked.
    Sophia shrugged her shoulders. »You tell me. So far, I haven’t asked any questions. About two weeks ago you called to tell me you were resigning and that the two of us would have to disappear for a while. You told me not to ask any questions. You said it would only be for a short while and that you had arranged everything so that we would soon be back to the way things were. Of course, I believed you.