Coventina

by Jamie Antonia

  Quintus looked up at the sky full of stars. “Out there, somewhere.”

  “Can you communicate with them?”

  “We can’t but the one who brought us can.”

  “Who is that? Are they here? Can I meet them?”

  “I can ask.”

  “Let me guess, it is the small arena size craft that comes from the one the size of Rome?”

  “Yes. There are only three of them on it. When we return tonight after we leave here, I can ask them to give you an audience.”

  “How do you communicate with them?”

  “It is unnecessary to speak. They know what we would say before we could say it and respond, up here,” Quintus said, tapping his finger against his head.

  Layla came walking in to the house. “Pee pee time,” she giggled, seeming a little tipsy from the wine they were drinking.

  “Layla is my mate, my lover, and wherever I go she goes, so explain to them that if an audience is given it must be for both of us or none.”

  “I shall.”

  “Layla, please join us,” Denise said when she came out of the bathroom.

  “Sure baby, what’s up?”

  Denise explained to her what Quintus had told her and asked for her thoughts.

  “Wow. What would Sherlock Holmes do? I guess we need to start in England, where his family would have lived, if they survived, for quite some time, before relocating, if they have at all,” Layla said.

  “We will start this search in Britannia at York,” Denise said, “even though there is no certainty that if she is back in this lifetime, she is even a part of the same family in the same place.”

  “Be nice to arrive there with the Mustang and all of its unique features,” Layla said.

  “Yes. Quintus. Is this vessel large enough to transport us and our vehicle, our chariot?” Denise asked.

  “Yes.”

  “Well, then ask them if they can transport us along with our vehicle and you to Britannia, whether they agree to meet with us or not.”

  “I will ask Inquilina.”

  “Great. We have a starting point, one way or another. If we must get there on our own it will take up more time, but it is possible.”

  “Time is of the essence Inquilina. We have only been given a fortnight to find our mates, to choose, or we will be left here, and they will leave.”

  “Would that be such a horrible thing, to remain here on Earth, with mates?” Denise asked.

  “Unless something were to change, we have all chosen to return with them,” Quintus said.

  “Must be some place,” Denise said.

  “Time is wasting,” Layla said.

  “Yes. Perhaps we should call it a night. You must meet with them, and I must ask if Lucilla will accompany us, one way or another, to the U.K.”

  “We shall get started immediately,” Quintus said.

  “I cannot make you any promises Quintus, but if you have any living heirs, we should be able to find them, and that at least is a start,” Denise smiled.

  “Until tomorrow,” Quintus said as they walked back out into the yard where Denise collected Lucilla and Quintus mustered his men.

  “Until tomorrow,” Denise said.

  As they sat in the living room explaining it all to Lucilla, a bright light shined in through the windows from an area near the woods beyond the barn.

  10

  Morning

  The smell of freshly brewed coffee stirred Denise from her sleep. She slipped out of bed and walked to the bathroom before heading to the kitchen to pour herself a cup. She saw Layla through the window, out in the yard opening a large black garbage bag. Clean up time? she said.

  Good morning, and yes clean up time and yes you can join me if you like.

  “You’re in a surprisingly good mood this morning,” Denise said, stepping out into the yard wearing a tank top and panties. The overnight moisture on the grass felt refreshing against her bare feet.

  “I am in a good mood. Always wanted to go to England,” she laughed.

  “Well, it looks like we’re going one way or another.”

  “You know, I’ve been thinking,” Layla said, clearing off everything from the tables and grills that had not already found its way into a garbage can.

  “I love when you start really thinking so, lay it on me.”

  “What is to prevent them from leaving with us too?”

  “Well they certainly would not want us for mates don’t you think?” Denise smiled.

  “No, I mean THEM, not the Romans. I don’t like all this mystery and being screened to meet them.”

  “Well I’d say it comes with the territory whenever we meet a new species. Even our dear friends on the Tyrine kept much from us.”

  “Do you think we should make it clear somehow, that we should not be fucked with?” Layla said.

  “No. Clearly they communicate as do we, and may very well already know all of that. I don’t want to give them a reason to fear us, for now.”

  “Less is more?”

  “Precisely.”

  They finished up getting the remnants of the previous day’s party in the trash and headed back into the house. “How does cereal sound?” Denise asked.

  “Perfect.”

  They poured themselves each a bowl of Cheerios and sat down to breakfast.

  “Good morning ambassador,” Denise said, seeing Lucilla heading towards the kitchen.

  “Good morning.”

  “Coffee?”

  “Please, thank you.”

  It was only 8 a.m. when they finished up breakfast and Denise and Layla started a new pot of coffee. “I’m going to go home and pack, assuming that after what we discussed last night we may be leaving on a trip soon,” Lucilla said.

  When Lucilla walked towards her car she saw Marcus approaching from behind the barn.

  “Good morning Lucilla.”

  “It is a good morning Marcus. Where are your friends?”

  “On their way to Britannia, or already there. I must speak with Inquilina.”

  “Sure, come on.” Lucilla knocked on the door just in case.

  “Come in,” Layla shouted.

  “Marcus is here and has a message for you.”

  “Come in, please,” Denise said.

  “Where is everyone?” Layla asked.

  “Enroute to Britannia, or there already.”

  “They left you here?”

  “Yes, but not without purpose. In a few hours you are to meet with our friends,” Marcus said, pointing to the sky with his thumb.

  “Is that a thumbs up?” Layla laughed.

  That really got a laugh out of Marcus.

  “How are we to meet?” Denise asked.

  “Initially without your chariot or vehicle as you put it. Just the three of us, or four of us,” he said, smiling at Lucilla.

  “Well you are welcome to stay in here, it’s getting pretty warm out there,” Layla said.

  “I was just heading to my apartment to pick up some things I will need for a trip,” Lucilla smiled.

  Marcus’ eyes lit up. “May I accompany you Lucilla?”

  “Yes, of course. You can help me carry my bags,” she laughed.

  Oh baby, Layla said.

  Behave, Denise giggled.

  “Marcus, when are we supposed to meet with your friends?”

  “At the two o’clock hour.”

  “Ok, well there is plenty of time, so make sure you bring everything you might need Lucilla darling,” Layla smiled.

  “I will, thank you.”

  Marcus followed Lucilla out to her car and they headed into town.

  “Love is a many splendored thing don’t you think?” Denise asked.

  “Mmm,” Layla said, dragging Denise to the couch.

  11

  Apartment

  The apartment was empty when Lucilla arrived with Marcus. Her roommate was gone for most of the day. Being an artist, he spent long hours working in the studio. “All this guy stuff belongs
to my roommate Gary,” Lucilla said, closing the front door behind her.

  “Roommate?”

  “Yes, purely platonic. Sharing the rent makes it easier to afford on a student budget.”

  “I understand, I think.”

  “Have you eaten breakfast?”

  “No.”

  Lucilla went to the fridge and found it to be amply stocked with breakfast ingredients. “Have a seat, please, I will make us something to eat.”

  “Thank you,” Marcus smiled.

  Lucilla walked into the living room and turned on the television. “Gary insisted on cable television even though I rarely watch it and he is never home,” she said. CNN was on. She handed him the remote and explained how to change the channels. “I know you’re a warrior, but some of this stuff might scare even you,” she smiled. “If you have any questions please ask.”

  “I will, thank you.”

  When she was scrambling the eggs Lucilla noticed a disturbed look on Marcus’ face. “What is it?”

  “There is still so much violence on our world,” he said, watching a report of a terrorist attack in Iraq that killed 127 people.

  “Ok, I hate to sound like a mom, but no news before breakfast,” Lucilla smiled, before walking over to the remote and setting the channel to a movie rather than the news. “This is better, a love story.”

  “No violence before breakfast is a good thing,” Marcus smiled.

  Lucilla returned to the kitchen and set the table while the bacon cooked.

  “That smells wonderful,” Marcus said.

  “Yes it does. My neighbors will know what I had for breakfast,” she laughed.

  When the food was ready she asked him to join her at the table.

  “Did you get breakfast in when you were with your legion?” she asked.

  “Yes, a morning meal was had by all, unless of course we were in a situation where it was impossible to prepare food and eat.”

  “Here, now, there is a variety of foods, most of which are not too heavy, that are deemed breakfast foods, things like eggs, and bacon, pancakes and toast in many varieties that are made from grains, fruit and most importantly, coffee,” Lucilla giggled.

  “Coffee?”

  “Here,” she said, pointing to the cup of coffee she had already poured, “and I would recommend trying it for the first time with a little cream and sugar.” She added a teaspoon of sugar and some cream to the cup and offered it to him to try.

  His eyes smiled when he sampled his first cup of coffee. “It is delicious.”

  “Oh yeah, I can see you are totally going to be a regular at Starbucks for however long you are here.”

  “For however long?”

  “Yes, I mean after all, you have been given the option to return with your friends and it seems unlikely you will stay behind without them if they decide to return.”

  “The future is unwritten Lucilla.”

  “Yes, well let’s not dwell on that for now what do you say?”

  He followed her lead buttering his seven-grain toast and topping it off with strawberry preserves.

  “You know, so much of what we have today, of what we are as a people today, can be traced directly back to Rome.”

  “Really, what exactly?”

  “Language, roads, all that you built, art, government, and so much more actually.”

  “And conquest, war, slavery?” Marcus asked quietly.

  “There is still all of that unfortunately, although slavery has been abolished over most of the planet for the crime against humanity that it is,” Lucilla said.

  When they finished up breakfast Marcus helped her clear the table before she sent him back to the living room with his second cup of coffee in hand.

  “May I watch now that breakfast has ended?”

  “Yes, you may watch,” she laughed. “Do you remember how to turn it on?”

  “Yes.”

  When she finished the dishes, Lucilla left a note for Gary that she was going to take a trip and may be gone for a few days, and not to worry. She then went to her bedroom and packed a bag with items she might need for a short trip.

  “I am going to be out of touch for a few minutes in the bathroom, are you going to be alright?” she asked.

  “Yes Lucilla. I find this all fascinating. If we are responsible for all that you say there is much good and beauty in the world.”

  “There is indeed.”

  Lucilla showered and returned to the bedroom with toiletries she would need for the trip in hand, adding them to her bag. She slipped into her clothes, black Capri pants, red tunic and black sandals before walking back into the living room to find Marcus expressing shock.

  “They,” he said, pointing to the television screen, “they just showed an image of Coventina, I am sure it was her.”

  “What?” she said, sitting down next to him on the couch, turning up the volume on the television. It was tuned back to CNN where they were interviewing a woman who was spearheading an agency that deals in human trafficking.

  “They showed images, of women, who are missing, taken,” Marcus said. “I am certain one of them was Coventina, unless she has a twin.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “It is a unique and beautiful face. I would stake my life on it. Lucilla they spoke of slavery, sex slavery.”

  “We better get back to Inquilina,” Lucilla said, noting the time the bit aired and the names of the woman who was being interviewed and her interviewer.

  She returned from the bedroom carrying her bag.

  “Here, allow me,” Marcus said, taking the bag from her.

  “Thank you.”

  Lucilla stopped for four lattes at Starbucks before heading back towards Makanda, calling Denise to inform her of what Marcus claimed he saw.

  12

  Coventina

  Denise answered the door wearing a dark green tank top with a red star on it and red shorts.

  “Intrare,” she said.

  “Lattes, how sweet of you, and four of them,” Layla said.

  “Yes,” Lucilla laughed.

  “Marcus, what do you think of your first latte?” Layla asked.

  “It is a taste I could easily get used to.”

  “Please have a seat and tell us what you saw?” Denise said.

  Marcus told them that he saw the face of Coventina move by on the screen when the woman was speaking about what happens to these women. “I am certain it was her face, the face you have in your barn.”

  Denise’s iPhone rang. “Hello.”

  “Hello, I am trying to reach Denise,” the woman’s voice said.

  “I am Denise.”

  “Denise, this is Judith Raphael. I received a message to call you, something about the spot we did on CNN.”

  “Yes, and thank you for getting back so fast. One of my colleagues was watching the spot and is convinced that he knows one of the women whose image scrolled across the screen during your presentation.”

  “Oh my, I am sorry if it upset them.”

  “The nature of the horrific low-life business you battle to end is indeed upsetting. Is there any way we could get a copy of the images you used in the presentation?”

  “Of course. Provide me with your email, but they will also be up on our website later today with a video of today’s interview.”

  They exchanged email addresses and phone numbers. “Well darlings, we have little to do but wait for those images. What time is it?”

  “Nearly one o’clock,” Layla said.

  “I’ll be right back,” Denise said. She walked out to the barn and returned with the head of Coventina she had been sculpting.

  “That is the face I saw,” Marcus said.

  “Okay Marcus, thank you.”

  Marcus marveled at the Internet as he watched Layla zipping through one Google search after another.

  “Marcus.”

  “Yes Layla.”

  “Can you tell me about your friends, upstairs?”

  “I w
ill try to answer any questions you have.”

  “What can we expect today?”

  “They are peaceful beings. Their appearance takes a little getting used to. They do not speak, although they do have mouths and are capable of speech. They communicate here,” he said, tapping the side of his head.

  “You simply reply with your thoughts?”

  “Yes, or verbally.”

  “Were you ever given a reason for your abduction?”

  “No. It is hard to grasp, especially since returning here. So little time passed for us and so much time has passed here. It has been like a dream.”

  “You have seen their world?”

  “Yes.”

  “And, would you choose to return or stay here after seeing it?”

  “It is a paradise, truly, beautiful beyond words, but I say that from a perspective prior to returning home,” he smiled, turning to look at Lucilla who was listening intently. “At this point I cannot say what I will choose, but it is a beautiful world.”

  “Fair enough,” Layla smiled.

  A soft gong chimed on Denise’s computer. She opened her email program to find an email from Judith Raphael with a link to her site where she found a copy of the video that Marcus saw earlier. She muted the sound and watched the video before showing it to the others. Midway through the video she got butterflies in her stomach as she watched the face of Coventina scroll across the screen. She backed the video up and froze it on the screen when her image could be viewed at it’s clearest and created a screen shot of it. She then replied to Judith with the screen shot attached, before forwarding the original email from her to Layla and Lucilla. “I’ve just sent you a link to the video Marcus saw earlier. Please watch it on your puter dear, I’m in the middle of something.”

  “Of course,” Layla grinned.

  Denise listened to the sound from Layla’s computer as she watched the video on her system. The image of the woman on the screen was definitely the image of the face she sculpted. “Marcus, can you communicate with your fellow legionnaires?”

  “Yes, but I must go through,” he said, pointing his finger up.

  “Well I’m thirsty. Would anyone else like some iced tea?” Denise asked after closing her MacBook, heading towards the kitchen.

  “You must have read my mind,” Layla giggled.

  Behave.

  As Denise filled four glasses with tea, she noticed Lucilla’s hand resting on Marcus’ shoulder as he marveled at the technology on Layla’s lap. She replayed the tape feeling blank, trying to imagine the task they had at hand.

  “Here you are,” Denise said, handing each of them a glass of tea.”