Destiny of Coins

by Aiden James

  “You will have to see the place to fully appreciate it,” he said. “For now, I want you to consider coming with me tomorrow to Abingdon. I understand Alistair shares these coin dedication ceremonies with you. Since it would mean moving all of the coins into one centrally secure location, he should be present as well.”

  “I would imagine Amy would wish to be there, too,” I said. “And, I doubt Beatrice would be as understanding about a drive across the state without her—especially since she loves the rich Virginian history. What will she say to your personal letter collection from the likes of Jefferson and Adams? Do you still have that correspondence locked away, or have you purchased a large shadowbox for it all?”

  “Very funny,” he responded dryly. “Those letters must never see the light of day again. However, I wouldn’t mind showing my collection to the one woman who has touched your soul above all others. Surely, Beatrice is worthy of the exception to my steadfast rules. But how do you expect her to react to my presence, since we have only met by virtue of mere references back and forth through you?”

  “She has wanted to meet you in person since last summer, when she started to become much more like herself again,” I assured him. “I will prepare her for your meeting tomorrow. I suggest we set early afternoon as our departure time, in the event she has made plans with her former nurse in the morning.”

  “The one who came to be with her while we were away?”

  “Yes. And, don’t worry…it will only be my wife and the pups who join us.”

  Not much else was discussed afterward—including very little about Cedric and his decision to join the Yitari. It was almost like we were both superstitious about jinxing his possible good fortune, since we both have had good and less-than-pleasant experiences with Agent Tomlinson down through the years. But I was admittedly pleased by Roderick’s thoughtfulness concerning where to safely hide my coins. In centuries past, his zeal to recollect my coins has often been greater than my own. He truly is a friend to my very soul….

  After we arrived at Dulles in the wee hours of Monday, we hailed a taxi to take us to the Fairmont, where Roderick was staying. Since he wanted to take advantage of the travel time to get to know Beatrice, he advised me of his preference to secure a spacious rental car and meet us all at two o’clock that afternoon. As for his cherished Z4, either he or his personal chauffeur would return later in the week to retrieve it from the Fairmont. With that decided, Alistair, Amy, and I returned to our condo. Larisa Jones was asleep on the living room sofa, and I tiptoed past her to the bedroom I share with my dear wife. Not quite two-thirty in the morning, I quietly undressed and tucked the coin deep inside the dresser drawer that holds my socks and briefs, and then climbed into bed.

  I steadily drew closer to Beatrice. She was lying on her left side and facing away from me. She moaned softly in her sleep as I gently wrapped my arms around her. In the dimness I saw her smile, and at that moment I was as close to heaven as I ever have been. I kissed her tenderly behind her ear, and she stirred for a moment…just long enough to pull my arms tighter around her waist. If she were worried I might disappear before sunrise, as I had often done so many decades ago, she needn’t trouble her mind or heart. I had already made up my mind that I would never leave her side for any more reckless wayfaring—for any reason, ever again.

  * * *

  Roderick was right.

  I wasn’t prepared for the incredible fortress he had constructed beneath an old barn at the edge of his main property, less than an acre away from the tobacco fields he still farmed nearly three hundred and fifty years after he first settled the area. I had assumed—as most anyone else would—that he would’ve chosen to build the underground structure much closer to his stately plantation house.

  As it turned out, the fortress extended several acres and likely passed under the house as it was. But knowing my friend’s hyper-paranoia about having the place discovered, he chose a location for the main entrance that would escape the attention of most anyone stopping by with bad intent. In fact, he had allowed the outside paint to weather away to where the barn was a slight eyesore when surveying the rest of the farm’s layout.

  But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

  Beatrice was truly delighted to find me lying next to her when dawn arrived. I had watched her awaken, as I often do—praising the Almighty for the miracle that is her continued existence. I had assumed long ago I would be desperately alone by now, especially when she hovered so closely to death’s doorway two summers ago. The severe mercy I had been granted would never be taken lightly. If nothing else told me that my own life had intrinsic importance, surely the ongoing presence of Beatrice and Alistair supported that notion.

  “How was your trip, my love?” she said, as she snuggled close to me, allowing me to nibble on her slender neck from behind.

  I wrapped my arms around her tightly once more, pressing my body against hers. There was heat and the potential for passion ran high…higher than at any prior point. In truth, on the continual timeline that governed our familiar dimension, we had shared loving foreplay less than thirty hours earlier.

  Perhaps it was my most recent near-death experiences in Bolivia that colored my thinking, but I would’ve readily sworn that my beloved wife had changed in my brief absence. Not so much in the physical sense. But, certainly, the self-consciousness that had prevented our full physical union up until then had left her. Whether this was a permanent development or not, the urgency in her lovely eyes beckoned for me to take her as her man.

  I had barely enough time to tell her that the trip was a success before our lips met. From there, the passion spread quickly. The fire that had waited almost sixty years to be revisited had been fully ignited.

  At a later time, my dearest bride might allow me to divulge something a bit juicier about what goes on between Mr. and Mrs. Barrow. Knowing her supreme modesty, however, I wouldn’t get my hopes up it would be anything spicier than a typical Dear Abby column.

  Suffice it to say, Alistair and Amy weren’t the only ones holding hands in the backseats of the luxury SUV Roderick had rented. I even felt a tad sorry for my old friend riding alone up front. At least Amy and Alistair kept him entertained. Fully refreshed, they badgered him with a bevy of new questions that had come up since our departure from Bolivia.

  Meanwhile, Beatrice was still adjusting to Roderick’s unusual presence. His height and even his paleness didn’t affect her as much as his eyes, and as he had feared, his unusual voice. I caught her instinctively looking behind her a few times when he spoke, as if searching for his double to suddenly appear in the rear of the vehicle. By the time we had pulled up into the circular driveway in front of his estate, however, she seemed fairly used to the effect. More so, I could tell she was learning to genuinely like him—as I had always assured him that she would….

  “So, Judas, what do you think of this place? Could you see yourself with Beatrice, Alistair, and Amy sharing my underground palace with me?” All of us had just stepped out of the elevator that took us deep into a cave system—one where the walls and ceiling were reinforced with steel. Or, what looked like steel, since he soon told us that it was a special alloy resistant to rust and other corrosive elements. “There is very little here that doesn’t duplicate what you’ll find on the surface.”

  “I hope we’re never in that spot,” I said, while marveling at the amenities in abundance as we moved down a long corridor. They were excessive luxuries, in my opinion. Everything from Olympic-sized pools and Nautilus training rooms to posh living areas were on either side of us. It all garnered lots of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from Amy and Alistair, who lacked the ancient perspective on time and boredom I had learned all too well. “I’m surprised you think you could be happy here.”

  That got me looks from everyone.

  “Well it’s true,” I insisted. “You once told me yourself, my brother, that mankind’s purpose on earth was to bond and grow with those around us. How is that supposed
to happen if it is only you and us down here?”

  “Who says only you four are on my list of invitations?” he shot back, slyly. He picked up his pace while motioning to the end of the corridor, where a steel door awaited us. “We’ve almost reached the vault room, in case any of you are wondering…. I’m not suggesting any of you should move in with me this week. But, when things start to get really hot and heavy up there on the surface in a few years, remember my offer. I’ll be waiting.”

  Roderick moved up to the door. It was armed similarly to the secured entrances I once dealt with routinely when I was on the US government’s payroll. As soon as Roderick let the sensors read his right forefinger’s print and his left retina, the massive steel barrier slid open. He motioned for us all to step inside the industrial bank-sized vault. A variety of artwork, jeweled necklaces, weapons, and other artifacts from centuries past were carefully positioned on tall shelving units placed throughout the vault. Most of the items were undoubtedly priceless. I recognized quite a few things from when he and I resided together in Europe hundreds of years ago.

  “In the highly unlikelihood Viktor Kaslow returns to our realm from the one ruled by demons, he will have one hell of a time getting in here,” said Roderick proudly. His voice rumbled around us all, and even I caught a few willies from it this time. “But even if he does, he will have an especially hard time breaking into this…little vault.”

  He stooped down next to the wall ahead of us, and moved his hands in a snake-like motion past sensors that had been invisible until his fingers passed over them. A deep drawer that was at least six feet in length suddenly popped out from the wall. Inside the drawer were a number of items—most I recognized, including several dress pieces from another immortal acquaintance of ours.

  “Godfrey would be quite impressed that you still have this shit,” I teased, admiring the chain mail hood and armor that once belonged to our crusader friend whom we hadn’t seen since the early 1800s. He was posing as an Irish priest back then, and rumor had it that he was now hiding among the cardinals in Rome. “I take it that you want us to throw our coin collection in with this mess?”

  “Not throw it in…set them down gently in the space I have allotted for the case Alistair is holding,” he said, motioning to the 23 coins in my son’s present possession. Once you offer your blessing, or whatever it is you pretend to do, I’ll happily set the case inside here. Then, we’ll be on our merry way. Margolise is already preparing a wonderful roast for us this evening. Afterward, I’ll take you all on the latest tour of the house. Even you should enjoy that, Judas, since the place has undergone several updates since you last visited my plantation in 1708.”

  I ignored my boy’s and Amy’s curious looks while mouthing ‘I’ll tell you about it later’ to Beatrice.

  “Well, let’s get on with it,” I said, reaching for the cerecloth in my pocket. Alistair brought the case over to the steel drawer, and prepared to open it. “Ali, not this time. Maybe we can add this one to the other twenty-three when the deal is done. But I don’t think I can handle the vision for this coin again…at least not right now. Let it stay in its protective cloth. Okay?”

  I could tell he was disappointed, and perhaps he had put together a nice poetic speech for the occasion.

  “All right, Pops, let’s hear your dedication.”

  Well, maybe he hadn’t thought of anything. He handed the case to Roderick, who placed the case in its pre-selected spot, and then motioned for me to hand him the Singing Coin.

  “In a moment, Roderick…but Ali is right. I need to say something,” I said, looking at everyone else when Roderick offered only a slight nod for me to continue. “Okay here it is…. I wish to thank the Almighty again for saving us all. And, may He grant a much easier path to pursue when the next coin calls.”

  “That’s it?” asked Amy, chuckling.

  “Surely you can do better!” said Alistair, following his gal’s lead.

  “Nope. For now it’s enough.”

  Roderick reached out his hand to take the coin from me while shaking his head, as if mildly amused. I gave it to him without hesitation. I wasn’t at all tempted to linger in my pain this time, as I’ve done before. This coin wasn’t like the others, which I would sometimes grip tightly to generate the painful memories from long ago. Sort of a ritual in self-castigation. But this was like comparing a brief bee sting to sticking one’s hand down an active garbage disposal. I truly had endured enough with this one, and vowed right then to never touch it again until the day of my hoped-for redemption, once the last six coins were recovered.

  He laid the wrapped coin carefully upon the long mahogany case that held the others, and then he gently pushed the drawer back inside the wall. We were done. I should’ve felt elated, but I felt just as sad as I did relieved. It was bittersweet. The healing of a guilty heart is such a gradual thing.

  As if she could read my thoughts, Beatrice gently took my hand in hers as Roderick led us out of the vault and back down the long corridor. As the heavy steel door to the vault slid shut behind me, she looked up and smiled at me. Her incredible love for me burned brightly—I could see it so clearly in her eyes, and she squeezed my hand ever so slightly to let me know our connection was as strong as ever.

  Whatever tomorrow might bring, I could deal with it now. I had the devotion of the woman I cherish above all others, and the love and presence of my beloved son. And, I had friends looking out for my best interests—both here, and in the higher realms unseen.

  Everything, it seemed, was going to be all right.

  That’s good enough for me…at least for now.

  The End

  To be continued in:

  The Dragon Coin

  The Judas Chronicles, Book Four

  Available now

  (Please read on for a sample)

  Getting out of Podgorica proved easy enough, and we were on the main highway by four-thirty that Monday afternoon. Traveling by train would’ve been quicker, but having a car as a possible getaway source seemed to be the wiser choice. Besides, if Roderick wasn’t correct about Dracul’s residence being in or near Budva, a car gave us more immediate options to rectify that potential problem.

  That was my opinion, anyway.

  We checked into the Hotel Astoria shortly after six o’clock, and after a quick dinner overlooking the beach we headed downtown. Standard logic wouldn’t necessarily help in determining the layered illusion supposedly waiting for us from Dracul. But we went with a version of common sense anyway, visiting the oldest part of the city first. A place that preceded my existence by more than five hundred years.

  The locals refer to this area as ‘Old Town’. In truth, it has always been Budva’s trademark, and is a sandy peninsula that once was an island. Legendary even when Roderick and I first visited this area of the Adriatic coast eighteen hundred years earlier, it remains the biggest tourist attraction in the area.

  The ancient walls of this section are a huge draw, and have survived at least two major earthquakes, in 1667 and again in 1979. The walls form the cornerstone for the labyrinth feel of the place, because of the braided streets, squares, bulwarks and towers. No wonder Dracul chose to be close, since this certainly fit his taste.

  “Do you think he would be so obvious as to set whatever trap he has in mind for us in the citadel?” I asked, as we approached the city’s oldest standing structure. It appeared deserted and locked up. “I see it’s a theater now, one that’s apparently closed on Mondays.”

  “Hard to say,” said Roderick, looking around warily. I felt a cold chill traverse along my spine. “He’s watching us.”

  “He feels close.”

  “Yes, he does,” he agreed, turning away from the citadel/theater. He began walking back to where the car was parked. “We’re wasting our time here. I could almost feel him laughing at us.”

  He was right, that’s exactly how it felt.

  “Then where is he? Or, better yet, where does he want us to go?” I
said, getting increasingly irritated. Yeah, I know...like I should be in such a hurry to die, right? “Is this part of the game?”

  “What, like foreplay?” Roderick chuckled and picked up his pace. “I just received an image of an immense dark castle, somewhere near water. No, that’s not quite right…the place is surrounded by water, lots of water.”

  “Could be another dead end,” I said. “Especially if he knows you are getting mental images, this might be nothing more than another session of ‘fuck with the druid’.”

  He laughed, shaking his head as he continued to move back to the parking garage where we left our rental.

  “I’m serious!”

  “I know, “ he called over his shoulder. “You might be right, Judas. But one thing is for certain. He isn’t here.”

  “How can you tell?”

  “Because the images of the castle are getting stronger…as much as I would like to not follow them, I feel it will be worse for us if we don’t hurry to try and find this place. Somewhere on the coast, and if we go now, we’ll still have plenty of daylight.”

  Roderick’s sense of urgency won the battle over my desire to stay longer and have a better look around in ‘Old Town’. Unlike our casual pace from Pedgorica to Budva, and from the hotel to the older section of the city, he drove the Camry we rented with near abandon, and almost ran down a pair of bicyclists on the main road back to the beach. Following his inner voice, he took us further south and let up on the gas as he became calmer. Then, without warning, he pulled the car over and parked in front of one of the many scenic beaches the area is known for. At the moment, it appeared to be crowded with tourists and local sun-worshipers alike.

  “So, are you looking for some cryptic clue beneath a sunbather’s umbrella that will lead us further on this wild goose chase?” I asked, smiling wryly.

  “Shhh! Let me listen for a moment.” He stared out the windshield as if expecting such a clue to suddenly appear among the beach tenants, or the rising tide sending deeper swells toward the shore. Only a handful of surfers braved the bigger waves, and other than a few sailboats in the distance, the sea sat empty. The shoreline, on the other hand, was teeming with swimmers in the shallow depths while couples walked close to the water. “Come on, let’s go have a look.”