Beyond the Garden

by S. Y. Thompson

  Suddenly, Lil blinked and the spell shattered. Dana realized she was surrounded by strangers in a place where being gay could get her killed. She inhaled sharply and pulled her gaze back to the fire. She affected not to notice when Lil joined them, laughing and talking with her men.

  Dinner was served a short time later. Lil was the first served, but she passed her plate to Dana with a question in her eyes. Dana avoided the look and poked at the goat meat that was roasted over the fire. Parts of it were charred and other bits completely raw. Some kind of boiled tubers accompanied the meat, but Dana was far too aware of Lil to eat much. It hadn’t escaped her notice how gently Lil treated her. Throughout the meal, she caught Lil watching her several times. Unlike before, she couldn’t detect any emotions whatsoever.

  Finally, she decided she was losing it. Dana was exhausted from constantly being on edge all day, nothing more. Lillian Primus was not romantically interested in her, simply baffled that Dana was acting like a ding-dong. She couldn’t really blame her there, but after such a long flight and practically no sleep, Dana thought her behavior perfectly understandable.

  She passed her almost full plate off to one of the men and left the group. Dana hadn’t any idea where she was headed, only that she needed some solitude. Lil hadn’t yet explained the sleeping arrangements so Dana struck out away from camp. After walking steadily for a few minutes over the dusty ground, she stopped and concentrated on drawing one deep breath after another.

  Dana searched the sky overhead, amazed as she usually was when away from city lights. The stars were so clear, numbering in the millions. They seemed almost close enough to touch. As she watched, a shooting star streaked by overhead. Dana smiled.

  “Are you okay? You seem upset.”

  Dana wasn’t sure why she felt so distressed so she changed the subject. “As a kid, I always thought that wishing on a shooting star would make my dreams come true. As an adult, the myth has been destroyed. Now I know that it’s nothing but a meteorite or space debris bouncing off the atmosphere. Sad. What I wouldn’t give to believe in magic again.”

  Lil’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Magic is all around us, Dana. Science doesn’t negate that fact.”

  “How do you know?” To Dana, it seemed the answer to that question was all that mattered. Her heart raced as she awaited Lil’s response.

  Lil shrugged. “I’ve seen it,” she responded simply. “Every moment of every day, I live it. I know that it exists.”

  “Just like the Garden of Eden?”

  “Exactly like that.”

  “And this…relic you’re looking for? You’re convinced it will show you the way?”

  “More than ever.”

  Dana had only one more question. “Why me? You said you needed a skeptic, but I think there’s more to it than that. You could have hired any scientist in the world, a lot of them with more impressive credentials. Yet, you settled for me. Was that just because I owed you something?”

  “You don’t owe me anything and I’ve told you why…”

  “You’ve told me nothing.” Dana bit the words off, suddenly angry and unsure why. “Tell me. I deserve to know why I’m out here in the middle of nowhere looking for something that doesn’t exist.”

  Lil’s square jaws clenched. Her hands fisted, but Dana refused to back down. She tried to hold the enigmatic gaze in the dark and Lil finally relented. “You’re here because…I find you intriguing.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Most people are an open book to me, but not you. I can’t get a sense of what you’re thinking or feeling. I have to admit, that makes me more than a little curious about you.”

  “So I’m here just to satisfy your curiosity?” Somehow the idea stung.

  “You do have the qualifications I’m looking for. That is the truth.”

  Dana waited a beat, hoping Lil would confess a reciprocal attraction. Saying she found her intriguing wasn’t quite the same thing. When the declaration she wanted wasn’t forthcoming, Dana suddenly felt more tired than ever. Lil wasn’t interested and it was something Dana would have to get over. All she could do was try to overlook her growing fascination and concentrate on her work. It was why she was here anyway.

  “Well, I hope that we find what we’re looking for.” The words tasted like ash. The truth was that she hoped for so much more than that. “I’m tired. I’d like to turn in. Can you show me where I’m sleeping?”

  “Of course. That’s a good idea for all of us. We should reach our destination the day after tomorrow.”

  Lil led her directly to the smaller tent near the fire. While they were talking, the men had dispersed. The only few standing around were those on sentry duty. Dana nodded to the man standing closest to the fire and ducked into the tent behind Lil. The first thing Dana noticed was that the tent was arranged for two people. Camp cots were set up to keep them off the ground.

  “We’re sharing?” She found the idea disturbing.

  “Many of the men are sleeping in the back of the trucks. Others will occupy cots inside the larger tents.”

  Dana’s pack hung from the tent frame adjacent to one of the cots so she moved over to sit down beside it. She planned to sleep in her clothes, but her boots were something else. After placing the utility belt on the ground Dana removed her footwear and slipped under the thin blanket. While she was busy, Lil stood watching her.

  “Aren’t you going to sleep too?”

  “In a moment. You might want to put the boots into the cot with you…unless you want camel spiders to take up residence during the night.”

  Dana’s face burned in embarrassment that she had forgotten about the little beasts. She relocated the boots to the foot of the cot and rolled over with her back toward Lil. Dana could hear her moving around, readying for bed but didn’t relax fully until the sounds stopped. Curiously, it was Lil’s quiet respirations that eased her into sleep.

  Chapter Nine

  Lil remained hyper-aware of Dana sitting beside her in the truck. The drive for most of the day had been silent, each of them speaking only when necessary. It had been like this since the first day on the road. Lil hadn’t intended to reveal so much when speaking with Dana that first night and remained uncomfortable for the lapse. Dana had a way of breaking through her barriers, despite Lil’s inability to read her. Perhaps because of that very fact.

  She snuck a peek at Dana from the corner of her eye, but needn’t have worried about being seen. Dana’s head rested against the side of the truck, her eyes closed. Her utility belt along with the sidearm rested on the floorboard, but Lil couldn’t find it in her to chastise the woman for the security lapse. Lil wasn’t wearing hers either and the dark circles on Dana’s cheeks indicated how little sleep she’d managed recently. Lil lay nearby each night, witness to her fitful tossing and turning.

  During Dana’s short snatches of slumber, Lil contacted Kaya to verify the well-being of her owl and that all was on track with the expedition arrangements. Even with the lack of rest and another early start, Dana never complained. Lil found her quiet strength compelling. She was also aware that she could be at least part of the reason for Dana’s weariness.

  She hadn’t missed the interest in Dana expression as she watched Lil from her place by the fire, an interest Lil returned. There was a time when Lil would have acted on that attraction. That was a very long time ago and Lil thought she’d outgrown such inclinations. She couldn’t understand why she even considered another involvement after so long. These things never ended well. Mortals always died and Lil was always left alone once more. Determined to put it out of her head, Lil gripped the wheel tighter and concentrated on her mission.

  The convoy would need to stop a few times during the day to eat and top off the gas tanks. There wasn’t such a thing as a filling station out here, but they’d brought everything required for the journey. Another twelve hours of driving would make for a long day, but Lil thought it worth the time behind the wheel. By taking longer legs the
first few days, tomorrow would require only a few hours on the road. Personally, Lil would rather drive straight through from Istanbul to the Gulf, but she had to make allowances for her weaker companions. Arriving exhausted to their final destination wasn’t conducive to quality work or clear thinking.

  The radio crackled to life again for the first time in days. Lil reached for the mic. Before her hand ever connected with the plastic, she heard the panic in her spotter’s voice. He shouted that the local skirmishes between ISIL and Kurdish forces had expanded. Still twenty miles north of Baghdad, Lil couldn’t understand the cause for his excitement. She reached for the mic to gather more information, but halted with her hand inches away. Suddenly, she had a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  A high-pitched whistling sound caused Lil to frown and scan the sky. Her limited field of vision through the windshield prevented her from seeing the incoming missile, but she had heard the sound before. An AT4 was the most common anti-tank missile in use anywhere in the world. As sun glinted off of the airborne metal, Lil swerved the wheel.

  Dana was thrown against the truck door, awakening abruptly as the seatbelt tightened around her body. “What the hell?” she shouted as she braced one hand against the dashboard and grabbed for the door’s safety bar with the other.

  Lil didn’t have the time or inclination to respond. She was far too busy evading the incoming projectile and fighting the wheel as the tires slid through the sand once the truck left the roadway. Lil’s jaws clenched as the missile impacted close enough behind them to throw the vehicle forward. The rear tires left the ground, making control a fantasy.

  The resounding explosion deafened her momentarily, just as the blinding flash of light prevented Lil from seeing anything in front of her. The crimson inferno engulfed them, flames roaring past the truck before dissipating harmlessly in the air. It was the shrapnel from hitting the remainder of the convoy that did the damage.

  Lil lost her struggle with the steering wheel. She felt the truck beginning to roll up on one front tire, heeling dangerously at a canted angle in the prelude to flipping over. Instinctively, she translocated from the cab of the vehicle. Her feet hit the desert sand and she dropped to one knee, off balance from the sudden transfer. Lil could hear automatic gunfire chattering a short distance away and drawing closer. She was on her feet, sprinting toward the truck before the conscious thought to check on Dana even occurred to her.

  “Dana!” Lil shouted. There was no response as she approached.

  The truck lay on its roof, the hood and door closest to Lil caved in from the impact. The explosion shredded the rear cargo area and bodies lay strewn haphazardly across the distance. Some of the men moaned and attempted to move, but others were twisted at macabre angles that indicated they would never stir again. Parts of the canvas covering were on fire, but Lil’s concern was solely for the occupant of the cab.

  Lil grasped the bashed in door with both hands and tore it from the frame, heedless of watching eyes. She pitched the ruined metal away and dropped into the dirt to reach inside. Dana’s eyes were closed and blood streamed from a cut on her temple. Lil was aware of each drop that stained the roof of the truck and for one heart-stopping moment she thought Dana had not survived the crash.

  With trembling fingers, Lil reached inside and pressed against Dana’s carotid artery. She felt the flutter of life and almost sobbed with relief. Dana responded to the touch with a moan. She slowly opened her eyes and although her vision seemed a little cloudy, Lil was grateful that she lived.

  “I’m going to try and get you out. Grab hold of my shoulders.”

  Dana nodded and then clenched her teeth from the effort. She grabbed the shoulders of Lil’s shirt just as Lil unfastened the seatbelt. The restraint let go and Lil gently eased Dana out of the opening. The seatbelt had probably saved her life.

  Lil helped Dana to stand and kept one arm around her as she led her away from the wreck. She hadn’t time to reach for her crossbow or the utility belt containing the Glock pistol. Dana stumbled slightly and Lil saw her eyes drop to the truck door lying several feet away from the truck.

  “Did you do that?”

  “It’s not important. We have to get out of here before we get caught in the crossfire.”

  “Crossfire? Who’s shooting?”

  Dana seemed shaken, cut and bruised, but not badly injured. Lil ignored the nonsensical question and urged Dana to move faster. Lil wanted to check on her men, especially Muhammed, but one look at the burning remnants of the convoy assured her it was pointless. Only the men in the same truck as Lil and Dana had stood any chance of survival.

  The skirmish was rapidly approaching their location. Lil could now hear male as well as female voices shouting. Most insurgents were male, but Lil knew that the Kurds also had women warriors. She could sense fear, anger and zealous commitment, along with a myriad of other emotions surrounding them. If she could distinguish these individual emotions, then the fighters were too close for comfort. It was not Lil’s intention to become involved in a war.

  She urged Dana to run for the cover of a stand of nearby straggly trees and desert scrub. While Lil could have instantly translocated to safety anywhere on the planet, her abilities would not allow her to take a passenger larger than Pravde along for the ride. She refused to leave Dana behind again as she had when she vacated the truck. Regardless of her instinctive reaction to danger, Lil felt guilty that she reacted as she had.

  “Come on! We’re almost there. We can hide among the brush.” Even though that was a bit of an exaggeration, Lil recognized the importance of offering some hope to their situation.

  Lil slung one of Dana’s arms around her neck and pulled her along beside her. Dana was slow to respond, giving Lil the impression of being mired in quicksand. Finally, she lost her patience and swept Dana off her feet. She carried her like a small child, easily sheltered in the safety of her arms.

  She sprinted among the scrub, hoping to utilize the scorched convoy as additional cover. As the weeds caressed her legs, Lil felt a sense of calm returning. She placed Dana on her feet and encouraged her forward. Too late, Lil realized they were not alone. Lil blamed all of the emotions riding on the breeze for clouding her sight. Regardless, she barely registered the swatch of camouflage colored clothing before they came face to face with a boy holding a gun.

  He appeared barely old enough to shave, but obstinately pointed the AK47 at Lil and Dana. One glance told Lil he was terrified. He shouted something she couldn’t understand through the ringing in her ears, but didn’t wait for a response. Lil saw his finger tighten on the trigger. With her hands holding Dana upright, Lil had no chance. She spun around, throwing her body directly into the firing line even as she thrust Dana away.

  Bullets hammered into Lil’s body, tearing through muscle, bone and vital organs. Each impact was like a spike of agony. She heard Dana screaming, but only in the back of her mind. Her efforts were focused on the immediate threat. Lil concentrated past the pain and continued swinging around. She swung her right arm in an arc toward the assailant. The heel of her hand connected with the barrel of the AK47, knocking it into the air. At the same time, she strode forward and head-butted the man across the bridge of his nose. She felt the crunch of bone and the spray of blood. Soundlessly, he crumpled into the dirt.

  With the ruffian either unconscious or dead, Lil gave up on the struggle to keep moving. Her body collapsed forward. She caught herself by bracing her hands on her knees. She closed her eyes and took several deep, heavy breaths as she struggled not to lose consciousness. A touch on her back reminded her that she wasn’t alone.

  Dana’s hand slid across her back and encircled Lil’s waist. The grip was strong and sure and for once Lil was happy to lean on someone else.

  “I’ve got you.”

  Dana eased Lil to the ground behind the stunted scrub and then dropped down beside her. For a long while, they just lay there as the fighting shifted and moved away toward the foothills. L
il was content to rest in the dirt even though she could feel the life ebbing out of her. Blood flowed from the multiple puncture wounds and foam bubbled out of her mouth with every exhalation. A bullet had cracked a rib and forced the bone into one of her lungs.

  Her other injuries were just as grave. Lil figured she had a punctured spleen and damaged kidney at the very least. Another round had taken her high in the left side of her chest. She could sense her body’s frantic attempts to repair the damaged heart valve. Anyone else would have died instantly. If she had to be cursed with immortality, why did it have to hurt so damn much when she was gravely wounded?

  Dana rose up slowly to her knees, distracting Lil from her morbid thoughts. Her eyes tracked the movement because she had little energy for anything else. After a few more moments, Dana looked down at Lil.

  “We’re not out of trouble yet, but they moved far enough away that I think I can get to the truck. I’m going to get the first aid kit.”

  Lil attempted to shake her head. “Don’t…don’t bother.”

  She was trying to say that her wounds would heal, but Dana cut her off. “Don’t you dare give up on me. You’re stronger than that.” Her voice trembled with tears, but Lil couldn’t see them because her eyes had closed from exhaustion.

  “Just…” Lil swallowed past the blood in her throat. “Just a flesh wound.”

  Lil felt the air displacement as Dana stepped over her and headed toward the wreckage. She would only have a few minutes at most to act before Dana returned. Lil gathered her remaining strength and attempted to reach out toward Imani Bah. As the closest of Lil’s companions, Imani would be the logical choice to assist in a rescue. It was no use. No matter how hard she tried, Lil couldn’t make the connection.

  The gravity of her wounds required all of her strength and abilities to go toward healing. Until then, she couldn’t translocate, communicate telepathically or even stand without help.

  The sound of someone dropping down into the scrub apprised her that Dana had returned. Gentle hands reached for the buttons on Lil’s shirt and she heard the sound of a sharply indrawn breath. Lil forced her eyes open and looked up at Dana.