The Oracle's Message

“Of course. When the leader of the Spanish heard her pleas for freedom and learned how she intended to buy her way out of captivity, he could scarcely conceal his greed at the thought of possessing the pearl.”

“She gave it to him?”

“Queen Esmeralda ordered her subjects to bring the pearl to the Spanish. In exchange, she was to be freed.” Spier smiled. “But in a cruel ironic twist, Esmeralda herself was betrayed by the Spanish and, instead of freeing her, they refused to let her go. After all, they now had the pearl and the queen.”

“Nasty business,” Annja said.

Spier continued. “Esmeralda was distraught and managed to free herself from the chains that held her belowdecks. She made her way to the top of the main mast and threw herself overboard. But before she did, she cursed the entire Spanish flotilla. Then she dove into the sea, never to be seen again.”

“So the pearl made its way to Spain?”

Spier shook his head. “No, as soon as Esmeralda dove into the sea, the ocean grew violent. Dark clouds surged overhead while the waves pounded the fleet on all sides. As the sun vanished, the fleet was thrown into chaos. Two of the ships ran into each other, others were dashed on an unseen reef that tore their hulls wide open. As thunder and lightning crashed across the sky, the entire fleet was destroyed in the space of only a few minutes.”

“Incredible,” Annja said.

“When the clouds parted, the sea was like glass. There was no trace of the Spanish fleet. No survivors bobbed in the water on pieces of wreckage. It was almost as if they had never even been there at all.”

“But surely their ships would have come to rest underwater.”

Spier shrugged. “There have never been any found that could be attributed to the story.”

“So, it would seem that the story itself is rather suspect,” Annja said. “After all, reports of shipwrecks would mean the potential for something salvageable underwater.”

“Only if you knew exactly where the ships were supposed to have gone aground. Otherwise, how could you possibly say?”

Annja smiled. “And you think you know where they are?”

Spier grinned. “I might have an idea.”

“So what happened to the pearl, then? It was lost, too?”

“Legend has it that it returned to its proper owner—the very civilization that created it in the first place.”

“The civilization that no longer existed. Supposedly.”

“Yes.”

Annja sighed. “That’s an awful lot of supposed history right there, Herr Spier. I hope you’ll forgive me if I don’t fall for it hook, line and sinker.”

He chuckled. “I would have been disappointed in you if you had, Annja. I know you are a woman of facts, yet you are also a woman who can’t help but be intrigued by legends and myths.”

“I’m a romantic at heart,” Annja said. “What can I say?”

Spier eyed her. “Say that you’ll come diving with us. Say that you’ll help us find the pearl.”

“You’re serious about going after it?”

“Absolutely.”

“And the warning signs in your story? They don’t bother you at all?”

“What—that whoever possesses the pearl seems to come to an unfortunate end?”

“Yes.”

Spier spread his arms and laughed some more. “My dear, I am eighty years old. In some ways, I feel as though I were as young and strapping as Hans here. But I am not. Eighty is much closer to the grave than it is to the womb. And so, if the legends are true, then I will not go reluctantly should my time come to pass sooner than I expect. And even if it does, I should pass from this world to the next knowing that I had a hand in retrieving a truly wondrous relic.” He pointed his empty glass at Annja. “What could be better than that?”

Annja smiled. As much as she hated to admit it, Spier had intrigued her with his tale. And while she was supposed to be here enjoying her rest and relaxation, she’d already found she missed the excitement of exploration. The visit to the reef today had shown that she always needed a sense of some sort of adventure in her life. Wasn’t that why she’d gone against the dive master’s advice and went diving alone?

Spier watched her. “I may have only just met you, Annja, but I know people. And after eighty years on this planet, I think I have the ability to see some people better than they perhaps know themselves. You and I are alike in many ways. You have the thirst for adventure flowing deep within your very soul. And as much as you might want to fight against it from time to time, you know full well it will never relinquish its hold upon you or your heart.”

Annja grinned. “Not until I’m dead, I suppose.”

Spier nodded. “Exactly.”

“And what will you do with the pearl if you are actually able to locate it?” Annja asked.

“It’s my hope that we would present it to the world together,” Spier said. “That others might learn much from it. How it was made, what properties it possesses.”

“I’m interested in knowing how this ancient civilization was able to make a pearl at all, considering that we weren’t able to manufacture artificial pearls, per se, until quite recently.”

“Perhaps that old civilization was a lot more advanced than we would give them credit for,” Spier said. “Or perhaps they had access to a species of giant oysters that gave them such objects on a routine basis. Who can tell?”

Annja smiled. “Well, I suppose we won’t know for sure unless we manage to find it.”

“That’s the spirit.”

“How big is the pearl supposed to be?”

“Roughly the size of a child’s ball. Perhaps ten inches across.”

Annja sat back. “That would be massive for a pearl.”

“Absolutely.”

“And that would mean that if it came from an oyster, it would also have to have been huge.”

“Beyond measure almost,” Spier said.

Annja nodded. “Okay.”

Spier leaned forward. “Really?”

Annja smiled at him and then looked at Hans, who had remained silent throughout the story. “Well, it just so happens that I don’t have all that much going on aside from recovering from a mild concussion. So maybe a little excursion would be a good thing for me.”

“I assure you it will be,” Spier said. “The search for the pearl will prove to be a fantastic adventure, I’m certain of it.”

“Maybe we’ll even find it,” Annja said with a laugh.