Blood on the Water

by Mark Hildebrandt

  Cassandra rose and motioned for James to follow then turned to Optio and with an exaggerated bow said, “Very good Optio.” She picked up the wine bottle, “don’t forget your wine glass James,” and the two left.

  The beach was tranquil and calming. Shoes had been shed next to a couple of lounge chairs, and the two walked slowly, side-by-side, along the edge of the water. The warm Caribbean Sea and soft sand seemed to make all the events of the past few days seem inconsequential. At least for the moment, James’s mind was at peace. He glanced at the water, to see the only thing remaining of the sun, was a small brilliant orange sliver slowly slipping underneath the gray outline of the Yucatan coast. This was not the Hadrian wall trip he had planned, but sharing a private tropical paradise, with one of the most beautiful women he had ever met was not too bad. He looked at Cassandra in the fading light of salmon and orange pastels and smiled. The smile she returned was a powerful tonic for his soul. No words were necessary, so the couple turned and watched the sunset in silence.

  James distant thoughts were displaced by the sound of Cassandra’s voice. “I’m sorry, we had no right to drag you out of your world and deposit you in the middle of this turmoil. I was so preoccupied with the science, doing something that had never been done, I never considered the human problems success might bring. And now after our discussions on the plane, I can’t help but think that just like you, I am being used. We have become unwilling participants in a war. The scientist in me says if I had any idea this would have happened, I would not have never taken the project. There is another part of me that says, but this is a fight for the very existence of my family, and if I knew all the facts maybe I wouldn’t change a thing. Nothing is what I expected, but there is something else, I didn’t expect. I enjoy being with you, and I’m afraid you are going to make it difficult for me to be the dispassionate scientist.”

  James head was rushing around in circles at her words. What was she saying? He didn’t know what to say in response. So, he just stood there in the gathering darkness and tried to look into her eyes for some nonverbal signal. Then it came to him, the one thing that made sense; he leaned forward and kissed her. At first, she seemed frozen, completely unresponsive, so as he felt his heart break, he began to back away, but before he could move very far, he was stopped. Her arms had found their way around his neck and were pulling him toward her. The initial icy response was rapidly melting, as lips pressed more firmly together. James could feel his heart pounding, a beat that became intense at the point of contact between hungry mouths and tongues. He reached around her waist and while she was pulling his head to hers, he pulled her body close to his. Soon the undulation of mouths was matched by the grinding of hips. Then in the ensuing passion James completely lost track of the present. His senses were overloaded, and his heart was rushing from adrenalin. He had been drawn to this woman from the moment he first saw her, and now here she was in his arms, the two of them lost in the most basic human need.

  Suddenly Cassandra pushed James away, breaking the kiss and the magic of the moment. “James what are you doing?”

  James looked at her in bewilderment, “I was kissing you. I have been attracted to you since we first met. I thought a kiss was a natural expression of that attraction. Besides, if I’m not mistaken you were kissing me back.”

  “I may have been, but that doesn’t make it right. I guess in my own clumsy way, I was trying to say that I’m attracted to you too. But just because people are attracted doesn’t mean they should act on it.”

  Suddenly James world seemed to be collapsing, joy changing to confusion and then to heartbreak. “How can you say we should not act on our feelings? That kind of thinking makes for a very dreary life.”

  “Oh, James you know damn well it’s not that easy. You and I are from different universes. Why should we allow urges to consume us now, only to be replaced with hurt in the near future? You will not be here long, and I suggest we keep that in mind.”

  James began shaking his head, “You might know the future, but I sure as hell don’t. A couple of days ago, I might have thought differently, but my nice predictable life was turned upside down, when I passed through a wall from one universe to another.” Now in the darkness James could no longer see her face, and wondered what emotions were written on it. From her rigid posture, he feared that the words might not be what he wanted and figured he might as well finish what he had to say, “And being pulled across that barrier was only the beginning. I traveled to the edge of space and half way around the world to be plopped down in the middle of thousands of angry Mayan Militia, hell bent on capturing me, with only ten bodyguards for protection. Oh, and just to add a little redundancy, in case the Mayan’s fail, a highly trained assassination team has been or will soon be on my tail. So, if you have any idea what tomorrow will bring, you have far more insight than I.”

  Without saying another word, Cassandra turned, and started back to the compound.

  Chapter 18

  - That’s right the long count -

  As the two walked back to the main house, it took all of Cassandra’s concentration to keep the emotional volcano brewing deep inside her from erupting. Damn him she thought, of course no one could predict the future, but she was not prepared to adopt some fatalistic idea that since death might take them in the morning, hedonistic desire should run free tonight. Damn it, she would be strong, she reassured herself, until the image of his kiss was replayed in her mind. Suddenly the stalwart exterior she had constructed began to dissipate. In the brief few minutes of that kiss, she had felt something, she had never experienced, and she realized, he was different than any man she had ever known.

  Inside the darkened house, she told herself the reason for her weakening resolve was merely passion. After all it had been months, no maybe years, since she had been with a man. She couldn’t clearly recall exactly how long, probably because the experience wasn’t that satisfying. James was something completely different. Stop it she chastised herself once again and reestablished her Vespus demeanor as they walked onto the veranda.

  Optio was discussing the watch rotations with his men in the darkness. She was pleased he had not turned on the lights. Until she regained a firm grip on her emotions, it would be better to take refuge in the dark, she told herself. Optio had picked out the two-bedroom bungalow nearest the house for Cassandra and James to share. He had no intention of posting guards around two separate huts, and since this one was closest to the main building, it would be easy for his men to monitor.

  Without saying a word, the two went to their respective bedrooms and closed the doors. A low intensity light was on in the room, as Cassandra slumped in the bed. She had been on the go for almost twenty-four hours and felt exhausted, physically, but her mind would not slow down. After fifteen minutes of staring at some gaudy conch shell sculpture, and still unable to reconcile her thoughts, she got up walked across the hall and knocked lightly on James’s door.

  “Yes”

  Slowly she opened the door to find James reading a pamphlet in the dim light. “James, I can’t predict the future, and I don’t know how any of this will turn out, but what I said was true. I am very much attracted to you, and I want to be with you.” James began to stand, but Cassandra held up her hands to stop him. “Wait James. I have never felt quite like this and I need some time to figure it out.” Then before James could respond, she turned and closed the door.

  She went back to her room, lay on the bed and stared at the ceiling. Sleep came slowly and was filled with troubling unrecognizable images.

  ◆◆◆

  Cassandra awoke to a bright Caribbean sun, dressed, noticed James’s door was still closed and walked out onto the veranda. She was greeted by three of Optio’s soldiers. They were eating breakfast and drinking coffee. One of them offered her a cup, which she gladly accepted. In the morning light she looked briefly at the three. Where Optio was exactly like every crusty old legionnaire she had ever known, these three were the epitome
of all the young legionnaires she hand ever met. They were all between twenty and twenty-five with hair cut so close it looked more like a five o’clock shadow than hair. They almost looked like young clones of Optio; they were even the same size. Perhaps the Third got a deal for purchasing only one sized uniform.

  She sipped the coffee and paid little attention to the three, after all she had men just like these following her ever since she left home for school. At first that was difficult, she reminisced. Being a Vespus was tough, but having legionnaires dressed in civilian clothes follow you around twenty-four hours a day made it worse. It was like having a big sign around her neck saying, look at me, I’m a Vespus; you can tell by my guard. They are impossible to miss, it is all those members of the Third that look as misplaced as water lilies in the Gobi Desert.

  “Good morning.” James announced taking the large wicker chair next to Cassandra’s. “Have I missed anything?”

  “No, I’m just working on my first cup of coffee.”

  The legionnaire, who gave Cassandra her coffee, approached, “Good morning sir. Would you like some coffee?”

  Cassandra watched as James smiled, “Yes that would be great. You’re Corvin aren’t you?”

  The corners of the soldier’s mouth formed a faint smile, “Why yes sir.”

  “Thought so, I don’t know if I told you, but the dinner you prepared last night was excellent. And Corvin, please call me James.”

  “Yes sir, I mean James. I’ll be right back with your coffee.”

  During the exchange, Cassandra stared at James in amazement. She couldn’t tell any of these soldiers apart, but James could. “How did you do that,” she asked as Corvin hurried away to retrieve the coffee.

  “Do what?”

  “Remember not only the name, but which legionnaire it belonged to.”

  James just shrugged and Corvin returned with the coffee, “Here you are James, would you and Dr. Vespus like some breakfast? Amicus is in the kitchen at the grill. He is pretty good with eggs.”

  James turned to Cassandra, “Do you want some eggs?” Still staring at him she simply nodded, yes. “Yes, please Corvin, breakfast for two.”

  How in the hell had he done that, she wondered? Just calling him by name and making some comment about dinner and it looks as if the two are old buddies. The Legionnaire just spoke more words to him, then she could remember any had ever said to her. “Well how did you remember his name?”

  “Oh, it’s just memory game I learned to keep my students on their toes. You’d be amazed how much more work they do, if you simply call them by name. Haven’t you ever heard the old saying? ‘The sound of thy name is the sweetest that the human ear can hear’. Oh, I guess not, never mind. So, what are we going to today?” He asked changing the subject.

  “I thought as long as we are here, we could go down to the beach for a while, and let the military figure out what we should do next”

  James took a sip of coffee, smiled, “That sounds like a good plan. Since we are here; we may as well enjoy the place.”

  Cassandra was pretty sure the smile was somehow related to their stroll on the beach last night, at least that is the way she interpreted it, and soon a smile to match his formed on her face as well. Corvin interrupted the two, grinning like school kids, with breakfast. He was followed by Optio, who looked closely, first at James then Cassandra, the scrutiny made her feel like a recruit at her first inspection, and without any type of greeting, he sat down and joined them at the table, “Here is our situation as of this morning. I have spoken with Josephus. He has begun working on an extraction plan in case we need one. Dr. Vespus is busy with meetings and will contact us this afternoon. For the time being we are secure. The sensors will detect anyone entering the compound and give us time to react. You should be able to enjoy the island, but you must stay close to the main building, and you must stay with the team assigned to watch you.”

  Cassandra felt an involuntary twinge of irritation at the tone in Optio’s voice. Under normal circumstances she would have his ass for speaking to her like that, but this was not normal circumstances, so she gathered the strength to hold her temper, “Optio, I was hoping we could sit on the beach this morning for a while. Will that be acceptable?”

  “Yes ma’am, let me know when you are ready to head down, and please don’t swim too far from shore.” He stood bowed his head slightly and started up the stairs that led to the surveillance room on the second level.

  Breakfast finished, coffee cups refreshed, they sat and looked out into the bright tropical sun at the tranquil turquoise ocean. “Well enough of this,” she said, “Come on let’s go put on some swim wear.”

  Cassandra went to a closet at the back of the veranda, full of swimwear, and picked through the stacks of neatly folded suits. She selected a pair of boxer type shorts for James, and a form fitting one piece for her. The changing rooms were on either side of the swimwear locker, and after a quick change she emerged to find James already wearing his suit holding his coffee.

  She discreetly apprized his appearance, and decided his physique was even better formed than she had imagined. When her gaze got to his eyes, she noticed, he was not so discreetly apprizing her as well. She smiled to herself, and then to him, “Come on let’s go to the beach.”

  “Don’t you think we should wait and tell Optio?”

  “I don’t think so.” She said grinning, “Watch this. Optio we are headed to the beach.”

  “That’s fine,” a non-corporeal voice that sounded much like the Optio’s echoed under the veranda. “I will notify Team Two to be on the alert.”

  James looked dumbfounded as he said, “They really do keep an eye on you, don’t they?”

  “My whole life.”

  “Do you ever get any privacy?” He asked with a look of apprehension in his eyes.

  Cassandra smiled, “Sometimes. But don’t worry about that let’s go swimming.”

  The ocean was calm as were the morning breezes. Cassandra walked in waist deep and submerged, the initial shock was immediately replaced with a comforting warmth, yet when she turned around she saw James still standing on the beach. “Come on,” she urged.

  “I am, just give me a minute.”

  She waded back to the shore and stood next to him, “What’s wrong?” she asked shaking the water from her hair.

  He immediately stiffened and moved away from her, “It’s cold, just give me a minute, please.”

  Initially she was confused by his reaction, but that was quickly replaced with laughter, “Oh no you don’t, we came to swim.” She moved behind him, leaned into his back with all her weight and began pushing. His protests sounded sincere, but she knew they were not. Finally, his feet broke loose and the two tumbled into the water, and now both were laughing. They floated in the tranquil sea for the better part of an hour, talking, laughing and enjoying each other’s company.

  “James, we need to get out of the sun. I’m afraid your head and face are getting a bit red.”

  They arranged two comfortable lounge chairs side by side in the shade of several large palm trees at the edge of the beach. Once seated James reached over and took hold of Cassandra’s hand. For a few minutes the two sat in the shade and watched the sea while the salt water slowly dried. After a few minutes of staring with an unfocused gaze Cassandra broke the mutual spell, “James, you represent something to me, that I never thought I could have. I didn’t believe it would ever be possible to find a man interested in me. I don’t mean me the Vespus heir, I mean me the person.”

  “I don’t know how you can say that.” James responded the puzzlement in his voice was obviously sincere. “You are the perfect woman, intelligent, caring, charming, and very attractive. How could any man not want to be with such a woman?”

  She turned her attention from the water to James, smiled and patted his hand, “I am flattered by what you see, and I guess, the attraction in your eyes is reflected in my feelings about you. But you must understand, you are th
e only man in the world capable of seeing me that way. Every other guy sees a Vespus first, a pretty Vespus second and the rest is lost. This may be hard for you to understand but being Vespus is almost like being part of the Imperial family. To become part of the Vespus family means not only you will have a comfortable life, but also all your decedents, for thousands of years.

  “My brother was lucky. He found an exceptional match in Irena. They both are made for each other, and the best part, they are devoted to each other. They share that very illusive condition, particularly in the Vespus lineage, known as love.”

  James gently squeezed her hand, “Your voice sounds like you have already given up.”

  “Perhaps I have. It’s not so difficult when you realize that every time I thought love was beginning to take root, it was just wishful thinking, in reality, it was simply another man looking for a meal ticked.”

  “That cannot be true, look at your brother, you can’t give up.”

  “Do you know anything about statistics?”

  “I know some”

  “Well my brother is what is known in statistical terms as an outlier. My family history is full of unhappy unions. People marry and in a very short time they aren’t even sleeping in the same bedroom. Since divorce would be a major scandal in the Vespus family, they simply begin discrete extra material affairs. I will not live my life that way.”

  James was now sitting, “I can’t believe you a physicist, can have such a pessimistic view of the future.” Then he slowly bent down and kissed her.

  She didn’t turn away as her mind was telling her, when their lips met, but instead thought, this is going to be complicated. His kiss was tender, at first nothing more than the lightest touch, barley tickling her lips. The tickle sent shivers down the length of her body, the sensation was dizzying, and fearing she could take no more wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down on top of her.