by Greg Gotti
He shook his head and returned to the moment. The sun was far below the horizon, and twilight was upon him. John sighed and rose to his feet. He hiked back to a spot overlooking Maria’s house from about 100 feet or so down the hill. He could see her standing with her arms crossed just a few steps in front of her back porch. She had hung a lantern from the porch overhang and was looking in his direction. He felt a tug at his heart as she raised a hand in a small wave, which he returned. She was good about giving him time to himself. He had fallen asleep in her arms just last night, and his mind was experiencing great amounts of dissonance as he tried to process what was happening between them. He frowned and forced his mind to return to the issue at hand.
The Ristas might have routed his unit, but John knew the Soona could return with greater numbers and more firepower. He had been waiting for the Soona to make another move on this territory in the hope that they would push their position past where he was; allowing him to easily rejoin them. He had no idea if or when such a push would be coming, but he dreaded the idea of trying to make it across the river. He did not know the terrain like the Ristas did, and he would almost certainly be captured and tortured for information. He knew of the inhuman things the Ristas did to prisoners and wanted no part of it. He had already decided he wouldn’t allow himself to be taken alive. He would not take a chance they might break him to the point where he would give up Maria. He would rather die than let anyone hurt her.
John began making his way down the hillside to where Maria waited. The sky to the west still retained a hint of daylight, but the rest of it was a deep blue that would soon turn to black. The brightest stars were already clearly visible, and the waxing moon already hung well above the mountains. He was struck by how beautiful the scene before him was as he reached the level clearing where Maria’s house stood. He took a deep whiff of the warm, fresh air and detected what smelled like chicken roasting over a fire. He realized he could see smoke rising from the stone oven built into the back porch and felt his stomach growl. Something about the entire scene felt… perfect somehow. He approached her with his hands tucked into his pockets, and saw her smiling at him. He smiled back at her without even realizing it, and she reached up to clasp her hands behind his neck. He lowered his face to hers and kissed her. He could not fight it any longer; he was in love with the young Rista woman. He pulled her close to him and kissed her passionately. She returned his kiss and his ardor until he pulled his head away a few inches to stare into her eyes. She looked so beautiful here in the light of the lantern, and he forgot about his hunger. The stars were quickly filling the sky above them, and he leaned forward to kiss her forehead. She smiled with her eyes full of love. Taking him by the hand, she led him into the house. They sat on the couch comfortably entwined with each other and cuddled as they waited for dinner to be ready. Outside, the last hint of twilight disappeared from the horizon as nighttime brought the familiar chorus of crickets to the woods. The smoke from the oven rose silently towards the heavens, and for one night, two people remembered what it was like to feel “normal” once again.
The next morning, John and Maria woke to overcast skies as they made their way through their morning duties. The air was just a bit foggy but warmer than normal. She had given him a thick quilt to carry, and she carried her shotgun along with a canvas bag that hung from a strap over her shoulder. They never went anywhere without firearms after their close call with the intruders. He wondered how long it would be before she felt safe again. There was something horribly violating about being attacked inside one’s own home. He had slept very lightly the entire night. He had woke-up no less than a half-dozen times to listen for any sign of danger. Maria’s room had aired out from its chemical cleansing, so she had returned to her bed. He’d slept on the couch with the loaded shotgun on the floor just beside him. His ribs were aching this morning; he hadn’t been able to get comfortable and had slept on them wrong. He grimaced as he followed her from trap to trap; always on the lookout for danger as the daylight grew slowly brighter around them.
She checked the last of the traps, turned and smiled with a shrug. No luck this morning, but she didn’t seem disappointed at all. She kept her smile as she reset the trap. She turned to him and touched his arm.
“Ven conmigo,” she said with a smile that made his heart leap within his chest.
“Okay,” he said with a smile.
She had taught him a few key phrases and he knew this one meant for him to follow her. He walked happily beside her as she led him along the path leading back to the clearing where the house stood. He smiled as he enjoyed the beauty of the early morning. There was not as much light as usual due to the overcast skies, but he had no trouble seeing far enough in any direction to put him at ease. The area was thick with bushes and smaller trees growing under the umbrella of the tall trees that filled the woods. The air had a warm, damp smell to it filled with the normal scent of decomposing leaves and aspirating plant life. He inhaled deeply. He enjoyed the warm summer weather. He had not felt so relaxed and at ease since before Vanessa had fallen ill, and he suddenly felt some measure of peace about her passing for the first time. He had mourned her constantly since the day he had lost her, but he knew Vanessa would want him to find comfort and peace in this life until the day he joined her in the next.
He looked to Maria walking at his side, and she smiled brightly at him. He returned her smile and felt a strange, pleasant feeling within his chest. He realized he loved her. He was sure of it. He hated the Ristas, but he could not help but love her. He loved everything about Maria: her spirit, her work ethic, her hair, her face, the way she smelled. He especially loved the sound of her voice when she held her lips close to his ear and spoke softly to him. He could not understand much of what she said, but that did not matter to him. He found her lovely, and he wished he could bring her with him when he went home. He wondered if he could; would she go? Would she leave behind everything she knew to go with him? John knew it was impossible. The Soona had strict laws against intermarrying with the Ristas. The penalty for marrying or even cohabitating with the nemesis of the Soona was death for the Rista and years in prison or even death for the offending Soona. His nation would never recognize such a union. The Ristas were said to have even stricter punishments for such a thing, which included death and the exile of the offender’s entire family. Maria had been risking her very life from the first day she had saved him from capture to this morning as they walked.
He was surprised when they reached a place where the path came to a sort of fork and Maria did not take the way to the left that led back to the house. He froze for a moment, and she looked back at him with a smile and motioned with one finger for him to follow. He smiled and complied. He trusted her completely, and wherever she wanted to take him; he wanted to go with her. He shifted the large, bulky quilt in his arms and followed her into an unfamiliar part of the woods. The morning light was not nearly as bright as usual due to the fog, and he could only make out silhouettes and shapes ahead of them as they walked. She led him to an area where large rocks jutted up from the ground, and he realized they were near one of the steep cliff faces of the mountain. They walked through a narrow passage winding through the trees and rocks, which rose higher and higher around them as they walked deeper into this strange, new area of the mountain. They finally arrived at a place where she stopped and looked around at the trees above them. He followed her gaze and felt a raindrop splash against his face and then another. The trees were not as thick here due to the rocks, and the canopy that normally sheltered them from the rain was not sufficient to shield them from getting wet. It began to rain more steadily, and she led them to where one of the large rocks formed a type of umbrella. They hurried underneath, and she took the quilt from him. He helped her spread it over the ground as the rain began to fall heavily around them. The rock offered them protection from the storm, and the ground beneath them sloped downward away from their position. He sat on the quilt with his back again
st the large rock while she snuggled between his knees, her back resting against his chest. He looked up at where the rock stuck out about 20 feet from where they sat and estimated the protective shelter to be about 12 feet above them. He relaxed, knowing they could wait the storm out here while remaining dry.
The air was still warm, even with the sudden rainstorm, and he wrapped his arms around Maria as he watched the rain fall. The small Rista woman pulled his arms tightly to her and laid her head back against his shoulder. They sat in silence for a few minutes; just enjoying the peace and tranquility of nature. He felt perfectly as ease as he held her. There was no more conflict within him. His earlier confusion at the feelings she caused within him was gone. Being here with Maria felt like the most natural thing in the world, and he didn’t care what anyone would say about it if they knew. He wished he could freeze the moment and stay here with her in it forever. He gave a deep, contented sigh, and she turned her face upwards to look at him. He looked into her eyes and saw the love shining there. He felt his heart dancing within his chest as he kissed her forehead. She shifted within his arms to rest on one hip, and she brought her lips to meet his. He felt as though he could melt right into her as they passionately kissed; like there was no one in the entire world but the two of them here alone on the side of this mountain. She turned to face him, bringing a knee to each side of him and clasping his face between her hands. There was no lie in her eyes as she stared deep into his. He realized in that moment there was nothing in this world that could tear him away from her; not duty, not obligation, nothing. She put her hands behind his head, kissing him passionately, and he returned her affection in kind.
He had come here leading a mission to completely annihilate the Ristas in the area. He had brought with him his hatred of them. He had borne his pain across the river, through the woods and into the hills where the Ristas had deprived him of his men with their ambush. They had almost taken his life from him, and they would have were it not for Maria’s intervention. He had brought his pain, his hate, and all of his loss with him to the moment where Maria had saved him and nursed him back to health. He had carried it with him to this place on this rainy morning. He had clung tightly to it, as he had for so many years. The loss of his wife, his son, his men; all of it meant nothing because of the love of this one Rista woman. He let go of it all so his arms would be free to embrace Maria now. He had come to this land to give the Ristas his hatred, but it was now himself that he gave freely and willingly to this woman who loved him. It was there under that rocky overhang that John Wallace was changed forever. He offered all that he was to Maria, and she offered herself in return. He lie back on the quilt, and she climbed atop him, her long, dark hair falling into his face as she leaned forward to kiss him. He still didn’t know what her story was, but there among the rocks she gave herself to him as he offered himself freely in return. A lone sunbeam peaked through the clouds for a few moments before disappearing, and the rain fell all around two lovers as they let go of a lifetime of loss and found each other.
Colonel Martinez stood with a group of RID operatives in a vast stretch of open desert far to the southeast of Maria’s house in the mountains. The men were setting up a series of lights in two lines along the ground on either side of a long strip of asphalt that was still in reasonably good shape. Tonight’s operation, if successful, would be the biggest moment in the history of the Rista Federation. It was so highly classified that he was one of the few people outside of the Executive Board and President who knew its purpose. Their guest would be arriving before dawn, and he was personally overseeing things to ensure nothing went wrong.
He wondered how many in the Federation were aware of its actual goals. Even in Hidalgo among the aristocracy, most had no idea of their country’s true purpose. They lived indulgent lives; oblivious to what went on around them. As long as it didn’t affect them or their status, they couldn’t care less. Martinez had grown up as one of them; a member of one of the Federation’s most prestigious families and the son of a powerful politician. He had joined the RID full of enthusiasm and determined to finally win the wars raging all around his nation. It was only after he rose to his current position of commanding all RID field operations that he learned the true nature of the RID. He now reported only to the RID Director, and the Director reported directly to the Executive Board. He knew he should feel proud and accomplished, but something about it all bothered him.
He shook his wandering thoughts from his head and concentrated on the mission at hand. Tonight had to go off without a hitch. He was not about to be the one who screwed up the most important RID operation in history. He watched as the lines of lights grew longer and found himself growing excited. He had seen one in a museum as a teenager, but he’d never actually seen one in action up close. He had the area secured and the transports prepared. Now, he just had to wait…
John was falling… falling…
John shot up to a sitting position as he woke from his nightmare. His heart was pounding like a jackhammer and he was drenched in sweat. Maria sat up beside him and put an arm around him to pull him close. She had shared her bed with him since that day in the rain, and the two of them had begun to understand fragments of each other’s speech. He couldn’t speak her language, but he could understand more of the basic words each day. She had proven a quick learner, and she had begun to speak some basic words and phrases of the Soona tongue.
“You good,” she assured him, rubbing her hand in a circular motion on his bare back.
He felt his heartbeat begin to slow. He hung his head as he tried to slow his breathing. This was the third nightmare he’d had in as many nights, and each time he awoke filled with terror. This one was the worst yet. He felt as though death was steadily creeping closer to him each time he went to sleep. John threw the blanket off and rose to his feet. He walked to the window and looked out into the moonlit night. His breathing was returning to normal and he no longer felt as though his heart was trying to burst through his chest. He took a deep breath and exhaled. The grass was illuminated by the moonlight, but the trees surrounding the house were as dark as always. He wondered if anyone could be hiding just inside the tree line; watching them and waiting for the perfect time to strike. He felt Maria come to his side and wrap her arms around him as she laid her head against his arm. He put his right arm around her as he leaned against the window frame with his left hand. He doubted anyone would be dumb enough to be out in the wilderness in the middle of the night, but that hadn’t stopped the three men who had invaded their home just over three weeks ago. As he had pushed southward driving the Ristas out before him, many civilians had found themselves suddenly homeless and wandering the land looking for shelter and food. He figured the three men had stumbled across her house at some point and decided to come back at night when nobody would see them coming or going. He looked down at the diminutive woman resting her head against him as she looked out the window and felt his heart swell with love for her.
He turned towards Maria and wrapped his arms around her. He pulled her to him and kissed her willing lips. She kissed him hungrily and he returned her passion with equal ardor. He picked her up and carried her back to bed. He wasn’t afraid of nightmares now. He could only think of how much she meant to him. He laid her down and saw her beautiful eyes staring back at him in the moonlight that streamed through the windows. John didn’t care about the war right now, and he didn’t care if death was stalking him. Right now, there was just the two of them alone on the side of this mountain with the moon and stars looking on in approval. The room was filled with a soft, ethereal light as they lost themselves in each other. The world felt like a dream to John; a good one this time. He knew he’d never be the same. He was happy to leave it all behind. Something new was starting; something good and worth living for. He realized he wanted to live. He wanted her. Nothing else mattered. She brought her lips to his again, and he felt the memory of years of pain melt away.
Chapter Six
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nbsp; The first blue hues of daybreak were just beginning to fill the eastern sky as John and Maria finished their morning rounds. Their traps had been more successful than normal lately, and as a result they had more meat then they could eat. He had prepped a wild hog they had caught the previous day and left it in the smokehouse before they left. His mouth watered as he thought of that meat and the dinner they would enjoy that night. She would make a salad from the vegetables she grew, and he would cook the meat until it was just perfect. They made a great team; at least he thought so. It felt like he and Maria had been living together for years rather than weeks. He watched as she reset one of the traps that had been sprung but failed to capture whatever had set it off. He found her so beautiful. Everything about her made him smile. The way she hummed as she worked, the way she moved and the way she smiled at him; all of these made him feel as though his stomach was turning somersaults. He somehow felt as though Vanessa was happy for him. He couldn’t explain the feeling; it was like he just knew somehow. John knew his people were at war with Maria’s, but it was like the two of them lived in a bubble of some kind where nothing outside it mattered.
