by T. G. Ayer
“Sorry, Les. I was sure I had it,” said Max, his expression filled with remorse. “I must have been concentrating more on my bag.” There was an odd note in his voice and it made Allegra wonder if there was more to his actions than accidentally dropping Les’s bag.
Les took a breath and straightened, a little hard to do while almost neck deep in running water but she managed. “It’s fine. I suppose I’ll have to do without it.” She sloshed on, bypassing Max and heading for the opposite bank, fueled by her anger.
As Allegra closed in on Max she asked. “What was that about?”
Max glanced at her but said nothing.
“You dropped her bag deliberately didn’t you”
Still not a word.
“Max?”
At last he glanced at her. “Did you wonder how it was we were tracked through the jungle so silently, and how it was they managed to shoot the chopper out of the sky when we had no previous indication they were even here?”
“You think she’s transmitting our location,”
“It could only be her.” Water sloshed as he took a step closer to the other bank. Les had gotten up onto dry land and was squeezing out her clothing. “I suspect it was a tracker of sorts. Possibly short-range. The long-range ones aren’t that trustworthy yet. Still in the early stages of development.”
Allegra looked over her shoulder. “So you think someone is following up, probably close behind?”
Max nodded. “We have to be careful. We’re going to change direction and double back. There’s a safe house two hours from here, due south-east.”
Allegra nodded. Her blood had grown cold and she wasn’t sure which was the stronger contributor; the icy river water or the fact that Les had possibly betrayed them.
Her clothing was sopping wet and clung to her body as she dragged herself up onto the bank. Max tossed his bag up and heaved himself onto the bank, leaning over to give her a hand.
She reached up and grabbed onto his open palm but her hands were wet and muddy and she slipped, bring him down on top of her.
Max grunted and she looked down to find his face smashed against her boobs.
Allegra began to giggle—while at the same time not unaware of the sizzle of electricity running through her body. Max just lay there, apparently not eager to relocate his body, or his face.
“Move, you big oaf.” She shoved at him and he moved away reluctantly. When she got to her feet she let out an annoyed sigh. “Now I’m all muddy.”
She glanced over at the water but Max lifted a hand. “We don’t have time. We keep moving. But don’t worry. There’s a place to bathe at the safe house.”
“And how do you know this?”
“Because when I began work with Aurelia I set up safe stations all across the northern half of this continent. I needed to be sure that whatever happened we’d have various options for safety.”
“Very efficient of you,” she murmured as she headed up the bank and into the tree-line. Les sat on the ground just in front of the tree line emptying water out of her boots.
She looked up at them, and though Allegra expected some comment or quip about their fumble on the water’s edge, the other woman said nothing.
Before long they were hiking again, this time heading south-east, Max taking them in a wide arc so Les would not suspect too soon. Not that she’d have any way of alerting the people tracking them unless she built a bonfire, or used gunfire to attract their attention. Neither were a possibility at the pace they were keeping.
Allegra suspected Max was doing it on purpose. To wear Les out and keep her focus on moving rather than coming up with a way to draw attention to their location.
After about three hours of walking Max came to a slow halt, scanning the trees around them. The air was thick with the sound of rushing water and Allegra understood what he’d meant about being able to clean up.
Max led them through the trees, pushing aside a thick clump of trunks growing so close together that they had formed a screen. Slipping between the narrow space they entered a clearing almost entirely hidden by, and covered in trees, leaves and branches. A small hut sat up within the branches of a giant tree. And in the very next tree hung a helicopter, covered in netting and tied to the thick branches by equally thick ropes. A pulley and crank system was set up near ground level, which Allegra suspected would allow them to release and lower the aircraft from its perch within the tree.
Ingenious.
Chapter 32
Below the house hung a rope ladder and Max motioned for them to head up. “I’m going to check the chopper. Make sure it’s all in order.”
Allegra nodded and followed Les who was already halfway up the ladder. The cabin was small but large enough to fit the three of them comfortably.
Large trunks lined the walls, filled with food supplies and drinking water as well as blankets, toilet paper and weapons.
A stack of low camping cots leaned against one wall, which for Allegra was a relief. She hoped—and suspected considering it was broad daylight—they would be waiting for nightfall before they moved off.
Max poked his head through the trapdoor. “If you need to bathe, the waterfall is through the trees over there,” he pointed east and Les nodded.
“I call dibs. I need to get out of this wet clothing.” She was rifling inside one of the trunks and pulling out dry clothing. Within seconds she was on her feet and hurrying down the ladder, towel wound around her neck, soap and toothpaste hanging from a small net bag.
Allegra and Max watched her walk across the field, and disappear between the trees.
“I hope I’m wrong.” Max’s voice was hard.
“Don’t be angry with her. I have a feeling she’s being manipulated beyond our understanding.”
“If she doesn’t tell us what’s going on how can we help her?” Max ran his fingers through his hair, messing up his usually neatly combed mane.
Allegra studied his face. “You still care for her.”
It wasn’t a question because Allegra could see his turmoil shining in his eyes. She felt a little jolt of fear, a tiny part of her wondering if a relationship had been rekindled within the trauma of the past few days. The only relationship she wanted rekindled was the one between herself and Max.
“Yes. And no.” Allegra glanced up, curious. Max cleared his throat. “Yes, I do care for her. She’s part of my past, and she’s got a place in my heart that won’t ever be erased. I used to wish I could wipe it off, like a stain . . . remove it forever to stop being reminded of the end of something special. But now I know I don’t need to erase her. What we had was important to the two of us. For a time it worked, but it didn’t end well. And now we’re here faced with worrying about her distrustful behavior.”
A word hung in the air. One he hadn’t spoken out loud. Again.
“She betrayed you?”
“Not in the normal sense.” Max shook his head and bent to sit on a nearby supplies box. “We both knew what we’d wanted out of our relationship, both been aware of each other’s purpose. But at some point things changed for her. It became more about her needs than mine. And when she gave me an ultimatum—especially one I couldn’t acquiesce to—I just couldn’t remain in the relationship.”
“Partnerships are not about control. I understand why you did it.” Allegra spoke softly, watching the light play on his head as the sun’s rays shifted through the trees. “I take it she didn’t understand?”
Max shook his head. “No, she didn’t. It took a few friends explaining to her that she was behaving irrationally for her to stop her insanity.”
“And by then it had been too late for you?”
Max nodded. “I couldn’t go back to trusting her. I just felt that remaining in a relationship where I was always afraid of the next time she would betray me would put a strain on what I felt for her. I preferred the relationship—not my affection for her—to die.”
Allegra nodded and shifted her gaze from his face.
&n
bsp; “I know you don’t trust me anymore. I’d like to know why.” He spoke so softly she almost didn’t hear him.
Allegra looked over at Max. “I heard what Aulus said. The instruction he gave you.”
Max’s eyebrows rose but he didn’t appear too surprised. “And you believed I was sent to seduce you. That I obeyed Aulus?”
She nodded.
Max took a breath. “It’s true.”
Allegra’s heart stopped, and she felt a sudden rush of heat filling her head. She almost didn’t hear him continue and had to force herself to pay attention.
“I was sent to bring you into the fold. At whatever cost.”
Her spine stiffened and she lifted dark angry eyes toward him. He seemed unaffected as a smile grew wide on his face.
“But Aulus always knew I would never sink to such depths. I told him as much. On more than one occasion.”
“But he said-”
Max shrugged. “Perhaps he’d hoped you’d overhear and that it would cause friction. Perhaps he merely said it as a reminder to me of what my original orders were. Who knows? Aulus is a manipulative conniving bastard capable of more than you, or I, can imagine. I’d long ago decided never to test him, but I wasn’t keen on being controlled especially when it meant I’d have to take advantage of you.”
“So . . . does that mean . . .” Allegra wasn’t sure what she wanted to say and ended up falling silent as she studied Max’s face.
“What it means is you can trust me, Allegra. I’m here for you. But there are things I need to tell you. Knowledge that I owe you.”
Allegra stiffened. “More things you’ve kept from me?”
Max smiled. “In a sense, yes. Aurelia forbade me from telling you. She felt you should only know when the time is right. She said I would know when the time is right to tell you, but that I should not rush it.”
“Aurelia told you that?”
Max nodded.
“She meant a lot to you . . . Aurelia?”
He nodded again, studying her this time, his expression curious at her line of questioning. “She . . . took me under her wing. She . . . trusted me. And in turn I trusted her, with my life.” Max laughed. “I trusted the Pythia Aurelia with the better part of my life. We met when I was fourteen. She was a shrewd old woman and she sought me out, convinced me of my worth and stationed me at her side until her death. She also left me with the responsibility of finding her successor. I swear the woman was one step ahead of me all my life.”
Allegra smiled, more at seeing the affection Max had with Aurelia than with the story of his relationship with her. Then she nodded, making the decision in the blink of an eye. “I accept Aurelia’s ruling. Whatever it is you need to tell me, you may reveal it when you feel I should know. Until then I will not pressure you, nor will I judge you for waiting.”
Max let out a bark of laughter. “You sounded so much like her right now that I’m a little creeped out.”
Allegra smiled. “I would have loved to have met her,” she said.
“Met who?” asked Les, as she poked her head up into the cabin. Her eyes went from Allegra to Max and back again. “Oh. Aurelia.” She fell silent and entered the cabin looking much cleaner and calmer than she had when she’d left.
Max got to his feet and so did Allegra. She dug inside the trunk for clothing and a towel and grabbed the bag of toiletries Les tossed at her. “I’m next. And nobody rush me. I need to wash my hair after the mud-wrestling match with this big oaf.”
Max laughed. “Trust me, you won’t want to spend too long in there. It may be a little on the cold side this time of year.”
“No. It isn’t.” Les looked over her shoulder. “The falls was actually very warm. Even the water in the pool has steam rising from it.”
Max lifted his brows and then said, “Well then. Enjoy your bathing. I need to check out the blades of the chopper so it’s ready to go in the morning. Save me some water.”
He left the cabin, and Allegra shook her head as she waited for him to jump off the ladder. When she looked up at Les she found the other woman watching her, her expression intense. “You are okay with the whole Aurelia thing?”
“What thing is that?” Allegra asked. The way Les spoke you’d think Max had had an affair with the old woman.
“That he spends so much time with her. Or rather spent so much time with her.” Les made a face. “I supposed you are the one now . . . who he would be spending that time with . . . so the question would be moot.”
Allegra paused. “Was it so bad?” she asked Les.
“What? Sharing him with her?” Allegra nodded. “Only when he was gone. Which felt like all of the time.” Les shrugged. “But I was being selfish. I know that now.”
“It couldn’t have been easy. I can see how that would be hard.”
Les shook her head. “No. It was something important to him. But I began to feel like there was no place for me in his life, that she consumed him so much she left little of him for me. I was selfish, and jealous and I didn’t understand. Until now.”
“What’s different now?”
“You.”
“Me?”
“You understand him better than I ever did. It’s as if he was made for you and he was just biding his time until you came around.”
“That would make him the selfish one.”
“No. I don’t mean in a conscious sense. I mean . . .”
“I think I understand.”
There was an awkward moment in which Allegra wasn’t sure what else to say. Then she gave Les a nod and descended the stairs.
Chapter 33
Following the narrow path through the trees, Allegra made her way in the direction of the sound of crashing water. She came upon the end of the river and stood on the edge, staring down at the cascading water as it fell down into the pool below.
The spray from the falls filled the air, caught by the sunlight and turned into double and triple rainbows that undulated as the misty air moved on the breeze.
Allegra felt the spray coat her skin, surprisingly warmer than she’d expected. As she stared down at the pool she recognized the rising steam, just as Les had described.
Sighing, already feeling the relaxing pull of the warm sunshine, the birdsong and the shimmering rainbows, Allegra picked her way down the narrow path that seemed to have been gouged out the side of the hill.
Her muscles ached now, the trek through the jungle taking its toll on her body. Her calf and thigh muscles burned and she sighed with relief when she finally reached level ground.
The pool was large and from its blue-black color she guessed it was not terribly deep. Steam curled from the surface and lay over the water like a pale ghostly blanket. Beyond the mist the waterfall crashed into the pool sending spray in all directions.
The noise was thunderous and yet so peaceful.
From where Allegra stood she made out a ledge at the base of the falls, the perfect spot to wash up with the falling sheet of water to screen her for a little bit of privacy.
She gripped her packages and walked along the water’s edge until she reached the far wall of the falls. Small hand-holes had been dug into the wall, enabling visitors to climb up if they wished to avoid the path. A precarious climb, but probably fun.
She laid her clothing beside the sloshing water, just far enough away to keep it dry. Then she undressed and—grabbing her towel and soap—slipped a toe into the water to test the temperature.
Pleasantly warm, the water encased her foot in a heated embrace and Allegra entered the pool. She sank deep until the water reached her neck. Holding her items high above her head, she waded across toward the falls and slipped through a gap in the falling sheets of water.
Safely on the ledge, she set the towel against the back wall and edged toward the water, slipping under the spray and encasing herself in hot water.
There must be a geyser somewhere upriver for the falls to be so warm, and Allegra thought they’d come upon a brilliant stroke
of luck. The mad rush out of Qusqu had been borderline crazy, enough to set her nerves on edge. This little reprieve was so welcome.
She washed up then lathered her hair, listening to the birds and watching the sun dance on the spray and turn into rainbows.
As she rinsed her hair out a noise filtered through to her, loud enough to hear above the rushing water.
Heart thudding, Allegra peered through the water and saw the outline of a man as he trudged up the path alongside the pool. Wiping her eyes, she sighed with relief as she realized it was Max.
It took a moment for it to dawn on her that she stood naked under the falls and he’d see her as soon as he drew closer.
She was done with her hair, and had a towel wrapped around her when Max slipped inside the alcove.
Stark naked.
Averting her eyes—regretfully though as she really did want to get a good look at his . . . physique—Allegra hurried past him and moved to the lower edge where she sat, dropped the towel and slid into the water.
She left him to his ablutions and enjoyed the warmth of the water within the pool. She didn’t want to get out of the water while she knew he could see her.
Men in this day and age were very different about nudity. They revered the male physique which was why it was no surprise that a few groups were lobbying to require participation in the Olympics to require nudity.
Allegra thought the idea ridiculous, especially considering the female participants.
To be honest, as much as she appreciated the male form, the idea of watching hundreds of men prance around naked wasn’t something that piqued her fancy.
She liked her men naked, yes, but preferably one at a time.
Speaking of naked men, Allegra swung around as a splash drew her attention. Max must be done. But when she turned she couldn’t tell where he was.
She shrieked as his head popped up out of the water two feet from her.
Max laughed, the sound refreshingly relaxed as it echoed around the room. He had a nice smile and she wondered when last she’d seen him this relaxed.
