Vistaria Has Fallen

by Tracy Cooper-Posey

  “You’re still worried.”

  “The worry is passing,” he assured her.

  “You’re also a liar,” she reminded him, softly.

  Chapter Eleven

  They did not make love that night. The farmer’s visit popped the bubble of isolation. Calli sensed the demands of Nick’s world reaching for him, calling for his attention. She did not intrude on his thoughts. She took care not to give any hint of her need for him, although she badly wanted him to take her in his arms. She needed him to assure her it would all go away, that he would be hers for just a little longer.

  When the moon hung high and small, he picked up her hand and helped her to her feet. “I’m sorry, Calli. This is not what I intended.”

  “I’d be a stupid fool to think it could stay away for as long as I wanted.”

  “I shared that wish. Let’s see what we can do to preserve what we can, hmm? A night of sleep, that might be free of dreams now I have tasted the reality, could be enough to push the ghouls away. I will make it up to you tomorrow, I promise.”

  Nick held her beneath the green quilt and kissed her cheek, yet his mind was elsewhere. He was preoccupied.

  Sometime later Callie woke to a soft growling by her head. She jerked awake, trying to orient herself. She lay on one side, her back up against Nick. He had his arm over her waist.

  The low growl came again, close by. She stiffened.

  “It’s all right,” Nick said by her ear. “She’s nosing around outside. It’s a restless night for everyone.”

  “You still can’t sleep?”

  “I’ve slept. Sleeping is waste of time when I have you in my arms. I feel I must make the most of the time I have.”

  “You’ve been watching me?”

  “And thinking, yes.”

  She turned all the way over to face him. The moonlight illuminated his face while his eyes were shadowed.

  “Black thoughts,” she whispered.

  He was silent for a long moment. “Yes,” he said at last, his voice soft.

  “Tell me,” she coaxed.

  He sighed. “My deepest fear is that Vistaria will be lost. The balance here is so precarious and there are so many wrong turns any one of us could make. That one wrong turn might be all that is needed to destroy the balance.”

  “Is that why you worry so much?”

  “It’s not worry that distracts me.” He touched her cheek. “If it was simply worry, then I would not have been such a poor host this evening.”

  “What is it, then?”

  “The weighing of decisions, of actions. All one of them must be considered. I must guess, estimate and measure the possible consequences.”

  “I was one of those decisions, wasn’t I?”

  Again, he sighed. “Bringing you here was selfish. I gave it no more thought beyond what I wanted. I did not consider the risks.”

  “Tonight, you wonder what the price will be for that indulgence.”

  “A little, yes.” His hand came to rest on her waist, heavy and warm. “Only a little, though. I will not regret this and neither should you.”

  She could hear the tightness in his voice. Fear? “You don’t sound very convincing, Nick.”

  His silence throbbed between them, speaking of the tension within him.

  Calli brushed her fingers across his cheek and kissed him. She did not speak of what was on her mind. The wish she hid from him had been growing all evening, shaping itself in her mind. She stored the impression of his hot body against hers. She would need such memories later, when she returned home.

  “Sleep,” she whispered and kissed his temple.

  She snuggled up against him, threading her arm under his and over his torso, to rest her hand against his heart. He picked up her hand, kissed her fingers. She sensed he intended to return her hand to where it had been resting. The motion was not completed. His hand grew heavy and dropped away from hers.

  He slept.

  * * * * *

  A little later, she roused from a light slumber. Nick still lay beside her. She couldn’t tell if he slept or not. At her movement, his hand sought hers and brought it to his lips. This time he completed the act. His lips touch the back of her hand.

  “That’s very Vistarian,” she said. “I like it.”

  “I am Vistarian despite my coloring. Sometimes I think I am more Vistarian than my brother who has a fondness for all things American.” The tension and worry had left his voice. He simply observed a fact now.

  “You mean Jose? Does he know about me, Nick? Does anyone?”

  “Duardo and Minerva do.”

  “My uncle suspects, I think.”

  “A great many people have suspicions. Suspicion comes easily to Vistarians these days. Truth is in short supply.”

  “You say you love Vistaria, yet you speak of the people so callously sometimes.”

  “Love always includes acceptance of weaknesses, haven’t you noticed? I know Vistaria and her people too well and love them too much to ignore their weaknesses. Besides, in a country this small where everyone knows a little of everyone else’s affairs, suspicion sprouts easily.”

  “Cynic.”

  “Realist,” he corrected.

  “I’m the realist. You’re the...” She cast about for the right word. The only one that came to her was savior and she fell silent, confused. Sadness touched her. His talk of love had released her awareness and opened her perceptions. She couldn’t speak or find the strength to pretend nothing had changed in the last second or two.

  “I’m the what?” he asked. “The doomed romantic?”

  She found her voice. “Now you’re being cynical again,” she teased, pleased with the casual tone that emerged. It hid her momentary confusion and welling sorrow. “Try to sleep.”

  “Para usted, mi dama fuerte, yo trataré,” he murmured.

  Calli knew enough Spanish to translate that. For you, my strong lady, I will try.

  She turned away from him and lay her head back on her pillow, letting the sadness that had washed over her dominate her mind.

  For only now she recognized she was the doomed romantic. Yes, Nick had coaxed that side of her to re-bud and bloom and now she faced an awful truth. She loved him. Within the next day, or perhaps two if she was lucky, he would say goodbye and they would never again lie like this together.

  La dama fuerte, she mentally whispered. Hold it together, Calli. Walk away with your chin up. That’s the bargain you struck, and now you must live with it.

  Chapter Twelve

  The next day Calli found out what a slice farm was.

  “There’s not enough flat ground in Vistaria for bulk crops,” Nick told her as they walked around the property. “Nor is there enough people to make farming a single product viable. Vistarian farmers figured out for themselves how to farm vertically, decades before the scientists talked about micro-climates.”

  He pointed to the top of the mountain. “Up that high, there are frosts. There, they will plant cherries and apple trees and other fruit. A little further down, apricots, plums and some of the hardy vegetables.” He pointed to the steep slopes lower than where they stood. “There will be coffee and lots of herbs. Down further still, pineapples, many more vegetables and spices.”

  Each time he pointed, Calli picked out a terraced piece of land laid out in orderly gardens.

  Nick brought his two index fingers together up in the air and traced an elongated triangle against the mountain in front of him. “There is not as much land at the top to share around, while more is given at the bottom for the crops that need room. So a framer will end up with a piece of the mountain that looks like a slice of pie.”

  “A slice farm,” Calli murmured. It was a simple concept, yet practical. Practicality seemed to be the flip-side characteristic of Vistarians, offsetting a love of drama and passion in their leisure pursuits and entertainments—like the Luna festival.

  Nick’s house sat on one of the middle terraces of the old farms he had ac
quired. They climbed to the upper levels to investigate the source of the waterfall—or at least, Calli wanted to investigate despite Nick’s assurance there was nothing to see.

  After climbing the winding path for two terraces, she was breathing raggedly and her thigh and calf muscles screamed for mercy. “My God, the farmers must be bouncing with good health, climbing these things every day!”

  “They’re very tough,” Nick said, grinning. He breathed easily.

  “I thought I was fit!”

  “You’re not at sea level, here.”

  “Montana isn’t at sea level, either. You’re not even breaking sweat. I hate you.”

  Nick laughed. “Army training is rigorous and thorough.”

  “You’re not in the army.”

  “I’ve taken every training camp, every course and every discipline they have.” He headed for the rocks that hid the top of the waterfall from sight.

  “Why would you do that?” Calli asked, scrambling to catch up with him despite the burn in her quadriceps.

  “So that every soldier knows the training they receive is a valuable thing and that civilians, even their leaders, desire it.”

  She watched him climbing from rock to rock. “I bet you were good at it, too.”

  He paused and waited for her to catch up with him. “I had to be. The brother of the President of the nation could not fail. It would not inspire confidence in the Escobedos.”

  No wonder soldiers like Duardo admired him and officers obeyed his orders without question. He had proven himself to them over and over again.

  She reached the rock he stood on and he turned her towards the north. “See, the stream comes from much further up the mountainside. You can trace it back to its source. From here the only way to do that would be to walk alongside the water.”

  “That’s bad?”

  “Water takes the steepest course down a mountain side.” He grinned. “Basic mountain climbing training. Don’t follow water courses. Up or down.”

  “My knees are ready to give in, so I’ll listen to you this time. Can I see the waterfall itself?”

  “I can do better than that,” Nick said. “Let’s go back.” He helped her down the rocks and they headed toward the house. This time Calli knew her legs would give out on her. She’d never thought going down a mountain would need more muscles and control than going up. It felt like she was leaning backwards, every muscle clenched so gravity wouldn’t pull her down the slope.

  When they reached the terrace where the house sat, she was sweating and her breath came as raggedly as when she had made the ascent. Nick, of course, still strolled as if it were a Sunday in the park.

  The idea of falling, cool water was delightful, although when they arrived at the foot of the falls, Nick picked up her hand and tugged it. “This way.”

  “But...!”

  “Trust me.” He led her around the bend of the creek, where it hugged the stone outcropping and bent north. The path sloped to follow the course of the water.

  “More downhill? And following water?”

  Nick looked over his shoulder. “It’s worth it.”

  There were rough stairs cut into the bank. She followed Nick down the steps. A dozen of the broad steps curved around the base of the waterfall, down to a flat, round apron of close-cut turf edged by rocks, unkempt grasses and bushes. On the left, the rushing stream tumbled over a ten-foot drop of rounded rocks into a deep, large pool. The water was crystal clear.

  The pool had no edge.

  Calli looked at it sparkling in the sunlight. There was no bank. She was looking at the edge of another small waterfall. The water slid over the edge without ripple or spray, creating the illusion that the water held itself there.

  “Can I go wading?” Calli asked, swallowing with her dry throat, her toes tingling as she imagined the touch of the cool water.

  “It’s much deeper than you think.”

  “You swim in it?”

  “Often.” He smiled. “Though it’s not good for laps.”

  “Don’t care,” Calli said, pushing off her sandals. She reached for her top and paused, for Nick still watched her. “You’re coming in, aren’t you?”

  “In a minute,” he promised.

  She hesitated, wondering why he waited. “Why in a minute?” she asked.

  He seemed awkward as he answered. “I like watching how you move. Especially when you’re not hidden behind cloth.”

  There were a dozen things he might have said that would have been more intimate—that he liked her naked body, that he liked watching a woman taking off her clothes—none of them would have made her blush as deeply as his simple, unexpected answer. She couldn’t think of a response that wouldn’t sound inane, so she took off her top instead. With another small hesitation, she undid her skirt and slipped out of it. She was naked beneath and wondered if he would realize she was bare beneath her clothes to give him easier access.

  Her cheeks burning even more, she stepped into the pool. Her foot didn’t meet the bottom when she thought she would and she plunged in up to her neck. She gave a gasping shriek and struggled to find her footing.

  “It’s ice water!” she cried.

  “Of course. It comes from a glacier.”

  She glared at him. “That’s what you were waiting for.”

  “Yes. The rest of it is true, though. I swear.” He laughed.

  She splashed at him. “Come and join me,” she said softly.

  His laughter was replaced by a smoldering, knowing expression. He understood.

  He stripped and walked to the edge. Excitement spilled through her. Calli let herself float, studying him as he paused on the brink. He was tanned all over, proof that he had not lied about swimming here often. His well-muscled body gleamed with a slight sweat from his exertion climbing the slopes. The sweat emphasized each dip and swell. His eyes were a mesmerizing dark blue in the direct light.

  She shivered, from more than the chill of the water.

  Nick stepped off the edge, judging his footfall, so he stood thigh deep, then pushed off into a glide through the water towards her. The water lapped about his shoulders as he stopped in front of her. He pulled her into his arms and she came willingly. His hand slid around her waist and held her against him.

  “Gracias, Calli,” he said.

  “For what?”

  “For forcing the issue. For insisting on this pocket of time. For knowing I didn’t have the courage to take it for myself.”

  Tears gathered in her eyes, the pressure of them painful. She was glad they stood in water and her face was wet, hiding them.

  She had to swallow hard to clear her throat enough to talk. The need to speak her heart and mind pushed at her. Her time with Nick was nearly over. Even Nick sensed the end drew near and wanted to tie up loose ends and finish things off properly.

  “I was just being selfish,” she said at last. Her voice was thick with the dammed tears. She hoped he would assume it was the touch of his hands and body that caused her thick voice. Before she gave away more than she intended or her voice or face betrayed her, she lifted herself up and kissed him. His arms tightened, holding her in place as his mouth opened beneath her lips.

  She thrust her tongue inside, tasting him, exploring the even edges of his teeth, the sweetness of his mouth. She licked his damp cheek, then slid up to his ear and flicked her tongue around the curves and ridges before probing inside.

  He groaned and his hand on her buttock pressed her harder against him.

  The little movement sent water that hadn’t been warmed by their bodies eddying around them and she shivered violently.

  Nick chuckled. The sound reverberated against her.

  “We need to get you warm,” he said.

  “I’m all for that,” she agreed. “It’s so nice here, though.”

  “I’m not taking you far.” He stepped back, bringing her with him through the water. He was heading for the little cascade on the far edge of the pool. Now she was closer
she could see why the spill seemed so clear and soundless. The edge was made of a flat, wide rock, four feet across. The water slithered noiselessly across the flat top and rippled down the sloping side to the streambed two feet below.

  The floor of the pool sloped up to the rock edging. When they reached it, the water was only hip deep. Calli was more than grateful for the touch of the sun and the ambient warmth.

  Nick helped her sit on the rock, which had worn smooth from eons of water eroding the surface. Water pushed at her left hip and thigh, a cool caress that passed around her buttocks. She shivered again.

  “Let me do something about that shiver,” Nick murmured, kissing her. His lips moved down to her throat, then lower. Calli propped herself on her hands, her head falling back, as Nick made love to her with his lips and tongue and his hands.

  The distracted leader of last night was gone. He played with her, bringing her to peaks of pleasure over and over again, using his whole body to drive her mindless with the rich sultry bombardment.

  Until finally, they were replete. Nick lay beside her, his thigh resting over her hip and between her thighs in an agreeably possessive way. He propped his head up on one arm and smiled at her.

  “I will never look at this pool the same way again,” he told her and kissed her forehead.

  She laughed. “You flatter me. I am not the first woman you have brought here.”

  He frowned. “There has never been a woman I wanted to see this, to bring here, to my place. Until now.”

  “You’re not joking, are you?”

  His hand, the one that did not prop up his head, had dropped to her waist. Now he idly stroked her skin, making the quiescent nerves twitch. “No joke,” he assured her. “You are the only one who has ever found her way this far into my life.”

  This time she had no water and no time to disguise her reaction. The tears sprang without warning and rolled down the sides of her face. She did not dare say a word, for she knew she could not speak without sobbing. She did not wipe at her tears for she didn’t want to draw attention to them, either.

  Nick wiped them for her. “Such courage,” he said. “You’ve dared much, haven’t you? Yet you’re overwhelmed by the mention of your own achievements. You think so little of yourself, Calli. I wish I could teach you to see better, to see how I see you.”