The air was dry and cold, lifeless. As he descended the steps, the earth opening like a mother's embrace, the smell of antiquity brushed his face. He had never been here but this place held a special significance, a hope for a life he had once lived. History was repeating itself and to be successful this time he would need her beside him.
The stone ceiling above him began to widen and flatten out; he was nearing the end of the passageway. As he descended to the last step he looked up to gain a bearing of his surroundings. Old lamps with fresh new wiring kept the tombs lit. To his right was a magnificent statue of the Christ figure with a lamb upon his shoulders. He realized the importance of this statue, at the entranceway of the catacombs, and what promise is bore for those buried there. Christ had saved that lamb, as he had saved many; their souls promised to the kingdom of God. Sentiment rarely graced his heart but this statue symbolized the hopes and dreams he believed in as a child. The foolish innocence of childhood.
The moment passed. Before him long passageways protruded. The paths were varied and grand but he knew his destination. His mind, ever precise, felt her presence; she had passed thousands of years ago but an echo of her existence remained.
He moved to the right and traveled miles along this path. He was alone; he forbade his subordinates to accompany him. They had traveled long and far with him and in his leave they were to breach the walls of the Basilica of St. Peter. It would be the most crucial of tasks; no doubt many forces sought to restrain him but none knew the plans in his mind.
Along the walls, in the tombs of the dead, he could see latin inscriptions. Most called for various saints to watch over their loved ones. Others heralded the majesty of Christ. One inscription caused him to stop.
"Cuius dies inluxit," it read. The day in which she entered into light.
He moved forward. The words of the ancients were profound to him, a grace and simplicity modern man failed to hold. His conviction grew stronger with these thoughts.
He had found her tomb. Behind stone the frail, brittle bones of his only love remained. With his death she had diminished and found solace in the Christians. In their faith she had found new life; in him she would find life renewed.
He stood before her tomb and with the power of his mind broke the stone open. Her body lay there, almost dust. He could not imagine the powerful being that this once was relegated to this residual state. He took a deep breath and raised his arms. He had never attempted such a feat but he would need his most trusted allies at his side. If he succeeded here in this tomb he could gather the others.
His hands radiated a clear beautiful white light. The light grew in intensity as he concentrated in his mind. Set forth from his palms two beams penetrated the ashen bones. The hole in the tomb cracked and smoked as the light filtered forth and spread throughout the catacombs. With brightness and intensity it grew, a light to rival that sent from the sun.
He became drained and weary from the toll this took on his physical form. His body, resurrected, was stronger and more resilient than the form he lived in before. But even this powerful body could not withstand the energy depletion he incurred. He stopped abruptly and fell to his knees in gasps.
His eyes looked up imploringly. Whatever God existed, whatever miracle that spawned life eternal, he hoped within his mind that force blessed him now. He brought himself up from where he knelt and as his eyes reached the hole in the tomb he fell back onto his knees.
"Wyatt," a woman's voice called.
"Marina?" Wyatt asked.
From the gape in the tomb emerged eyes the color of the sea. Bright and clear, wonder and astonishment peered forth from the orbs. As her face, and slowly behind her body, emerged forth from the tomb; recognition and familiarity swept across her face. Strands of honey fell to her shoulders in waves. Her nude form was fit and tone, the body of a warrior. The litheness undermined her strength. She was dripping in water, a puddle left behind of where she once lay.
In his embrace she gained strength and stood before him. She kept her eyes on his as she leaned forward and took her lips to his. Though he was drained he felt more powerful with her beside him.
"Take me to the sea," she commanded. And he obeyed.