The Dragon Coin (20 page)

Since Cedric knew virtually nothing about the flowers and their storied history with Roderick and me, he casually strode over to the latest roses and picked up the yellow one. He sniffed it, grimaced, and laid it back down. Meanwhile, Alistair hurriedly dug through the drawer with Roderick.

“Whew! Thank God they’re still here, Pops. All twenty-four previous silver shekels remain sealed inside the case.”

“What’s this?”

Roderick reached into the drawer and pulled out a small envelope. Even before he opened it, I dreaded its contents. Rather than share the note’s message with everyone, he handed the accursed thing to me.

Judas,

When you get this note, know that I am watching. Watching your every move, and anticipating each fearful thought passing through your head.

I know of your coins, and can take them all, should I be inclined to do so. You are running out of time, and someday I’ll come for you. Your loved ones will summarily be returned to Dracul’s menu.

Very sincerely,

Krontos Lazarevic

P.S. Surely you can appreciate how each rose carries a not-so-subtle message. The messages from these two are
not
rooted in elegance and happiness.

“Well, at least we know now who’s pursuing us,” I deadpanned, once it became obvious I couldn’t keep the message from Alistair and the others. “Looks like we’ll be moving very soon.”

“Why must we go? And, where could you take us that’s truly safe? This man sounds worse than what you told me about Dracul!” worried Beatrice. So much change for her in the past year, she was just getting used to our remodeled living quarters in Alistair’s spacious D.C. condo. Life had finally begun to make sense again, and now the rug had been pulled out from under her feet.

“Anywhere but here and the city of Washington,” I replied, feeling numb to the very core of my being. I pulled her close again, while ignoring the heated stare of Alistair, following my wife’s revelation that I had shared details about Dracul with her, and yet nearly nothing with him. “Probably nowhere near Virginia, either.”

“How about Indiana? I’ve got a cousin with a farm,” offered Cedric, chuckling when I gave him a surprised look.

“Or, Austin, Texas, where my brother resides,” said Amy.

“I’ve always liked New Orleans,” suggested Alistair. “But you had better start coming clean on the details we’ve been missing out on, Pops!”

Lots of possibilities, surprisingly. Other than Alistair’s barb, each one seemed to create slight increases in hope for our weary bunch, as we nodded thoughtfully to each suggestion.

“How about you, Rod? Where do you want to go?” He hesitated before answering me, looking around the room as if listening to some inaudible voice. “You do agree that we can’t stay here, right?”

“Yes, sadly I must agree,” he said. The multi-colored swirl of blue and gold of his irises was in full swing. “I have a place in mind, but it will remain a secret for now. Sometimes it’s best to play it close to the vest. You will simply have to trust me, Judas.
Everyone
will have to trust me.”

Trust. The key word to define our present and our future. From here on out, it would be us against the unknown, and a clever enemy we had only met in passing, centuries ago. Yet, the unavoidable confrontation with Vlad Tepes, Krontos’ friend and ally, had forever altered the landscape for us. And now, there was no turning back to an easier time.

We gathered our things, including my coins, and climbed into the spacious SUV we rented early that morning. With sorrow and uncertainty, we exited Roderick’s Abingdon plantation and headed west. It was the only thing he would share about our new destination.

Our fortitude would come from the knowledge we had each other to lean on, along with the burning hope that our salvation was right around the corner. May we find lasting peace and happiness at our next destination…the dream of every human being, immortal or not.

Despite losing the city I had called home for the better part of fifty years, as well as the familiarity of Roderick’s ancient homestead, I still had my loving family. I had the enduring friendships of my closest immortal and mortal allies. And, I had my destiny.

All of it brought me comfort, and gave me one hell of a head start on what tomorrow would bring.

The End

The Judas Chronicles will return by Christmas, 2013

(Official release date for Book 5 to be determined)

Available now:

Curse of Stigmata

The Judas Reflections, Book Two

(Please read below for a sample)

For a pirate ship, our accommodations were impressive. Close to the Captain’s quarters, we each had a berth with enough space to be comfortable. I could hear Chivers above deck, barking orders to set sail while I unpacked. Being at sea was nothing new. I’d spent centuries aboard all manner of floating vessels, and it was not my first experience with pirates. I’d also developed a love-hate relationship with the ocean. I loved to stand on deck with the sun going down in the distance and dolphins swimming alongside. But I loathed the violent storms that threatened to capsize even the most stable vessel, and caused me to refrain from eating while I fought the dreaded seasickness, something I never expected considering my immortality. Two centuries ago, a wise friend, upon hearing my sea-going predicament, commented quite rightly. Mother Nature would always be in control.

Many a sailor called the storms, “God’s wrath as He did battle with mankind.” I was inclined to believe it, but doubted pirates prayed before they set sail. However, I did. This time it was a short, silent prayer asking for a smooth journey and a safe passage. It was a century for the Dutch to rule the waves and they did so with very few ships sunk. I hoped, in spite of the pirate status, we were in the hands of skilled seaman. Juan might never forgive me if we ended up shipwrecked and stranded on a desert island.

“I’m going up on deck, are you joining me?” I asked him, knowing he was wary of coming face to face with the entire crew.

“I know I have to do this sooner or later, so now will be a good time as any other,” he replied.

We arrived on deck to a howling wind and a mad scramble to set the sails. Within months, I would be wearing only my breeches and a vest as the weather improved. For now, it was extremely unpleasant.

“Best we go below, Juan,” I shouted against the driving gale.

Sheltered from the storm, the day passed peacefully enough. Food was brought to our cabin, basic but nutritious, and an invitation to dine later with the Captain.

I was familiar with a typical pirate menu, consisting of legs of meat to tear apart with bare hands all washed down with plenty of rum. There would be no need for me to dress for dinner and no standing on ceremony with table manners. I could behave anyway I wanted.

At eight o'clock, we were summoned to the Captain's quarters where I was faced with a sight to shake my bones and cause me to hold my breath. There, sitting like a princess next to the Captain in a scandalously low cut red dress, was Rachel, grinning from ear to ear with supreme satisfaction.

“Please tell me I have died and gone to hell,” I remarked, not caring of the Captain’s reaction. Juan, as shocked as me, tried to make sense of her presence.

“How did you get here when I put you on a boat bound for Holland? With my own eyes I watched you board. I paid with Emmanuel’s money for your passage!”

“I think she’s doing this to torture me, nothing more,” I lamented.

“Emmanuel, I do what I
want
to do, not what you tell me to do. I changed my mind when I was on the boat. Dirk took pity on my plight when I explained I had no choice but to leave France. He understands how it feels to be accused when you’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Wait until he sees you bleed, maybe then he won’t have such pity.”

“Bleed? What nonsense is this?” Chivers asked with caution.

“Oh, it’s nothing. Emmanuel knows I have a condition where I bleed easily when cut, that’s all it is. He can’t stand the sight of blood, which is why he overreacts. Ignore him and his futile snipes at me.”

I was now in yet another nightmare, the struggle to remove her from my life a dismal failure, and the decision to journey as far away as possible had backfired miserably. The snake had followed, determined to release its venom and watch with glee as it slowly and inadvertently spread. What pleasure did Rachel gain from taunting me? Had she set out to do me harm, considering I murdered her father, the main reason she was hiding the coin? Trying to think straight with my head pounding, I watched helplessly as she wound a hardened pirate around her little finger.

“Let’s forget what was said and be merry, shall we? Why, gentlemen, look at what your money has bought you, a veritable feast. Waste not want not, time to eat!” Chivers commanded as he brazenly placed a hand down the front of Rachel’s dress. It was now plain to see she had managed to con her way aboard by using her feminine ways and blatant sexuality. If I was to dare voice my opinion or make a stand by refusing the meal, I’d be insulting a pirate Captain, further resulting in a long walk off a short plank. The idea of a swim to shore wasn’t appealing, so I forced myself to eat and pretend to enjoy the company. Juan, not having been on the receiving end of Rachel’s talons, found it difficult to be in the middle. Somewhat embarrassed, he excused himself with contrived stomach pains, leaving me to suffer her abominable company.

“Did you know Emmanuel thinks himself immortal, doomed to walk the earth scrambling around for coins he believes will redeem him in the eyes of God and our lord Jesus Christ? He claims to be Judas Iscariot, the betrayer.” She was relentless.

“So you both accuse each other of the strangest things, immortality, stigmata. I find it all very amusing!” He laughed heartily. “Silly girl, anyone knows that no one becomes immortal. We all die sooner or later.”

“Not this one,” she gleefully countered. “He’s been around for centuries!”

“Captain Chivers, with all respect, please ignore her mad ramblings, as I’ve had to,” I advised. “You’ll come to realize she’s little more than a backward child in a young woman’s body. Whatever she’s enticed you with, be wary. The girl
cannot
be trusted. On that note, I bid you a good evening and thank you for a wonderful dinner.” In no way did I wish to be trapped on a pirate ship while the captain and crew suspected me of being insane. He rose from the chair and patted me hard on the back—a good sign from a drunken pirate to let me know all was well and it was safe to leave. I envisioned taking Rachel with me, binding her hands and feet tight, and throwing her over to the sharks.

“A good evening to you, Emmanuel. Sweet dreams,” she said, seductively stroking the Captains hair while eyeing me as if she could discern my angry fantasy. She curled her tongue around her top lip looking straight in my direction… I didn’t have to guess what would happen when I was out of sight. Reason took over from anger. Kill her, I told myself and you
may
lose the second coin.

Isabella was a difficult woman, often downright cantankerous. Her violent outbursts were legendary. But compared to Rachel, the teenage temptress, she was Mary Magdalene.

“I would like to challenge God as to why I suffer such misfortune. Every time I look at Rachel, it’s like looking in the face of evil. Perhaps she’s a stigmatic sorceress and I’ve been cursed?” I confided in Juan.

“I left her on the ship, I swear.”

“I would like to see the look on Captain Chivers face when she has an episode,” I said, after nodding to acknowledge his words. “I doubt he’ll take it lightly. Pirates aren’t known for their religious understanding.”

“I know I left her on the ship… I was sober enough.” Juan seemed to be second-guessing himself.

“Stop berating yourself,” I told him. "She more devious than you or I can ever imagine. From this day forward, I’ll no longer underestimating her abilities.”

We were en route to the Island of Madagascar, where, true to pirate form, Captain Chivers and his motley crew would lie in wait for unsuspecting boats arriving from the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. From there, having stolen in abundance, he would no doubt hop over to the Island of Libertatia, a pirate colony I’d heard of in fables. Claimed to be inhabited by criminal sailors who, having jumped ship, set up a new life with Madagascan women. They had children, farmed the land and lived unhindered as a group, where no money was needed. It sounded like the ideal place to put Rachel, where she’d be forced to bear ten unruly children, become weakened and fade into obscurity. Of course, the journey to Madagascar would take the best part of a year. Perhaps it was wishful thinking on my part when I hoped she would soften and hand me what’s mine.

As time passed, Juan found himself something to do on the long arduous journey, cooking rice and potatoes in the small galley kitchen alongside the meat cook. Rachel did very little apart from following Captain Chivers around on deck and languishing in her cabin, eating and sleeping. I wrote a diary, an interesting daily account of the comings and goings aboard a pirate ship, most of it mundane. One or two violent storms managed to boost the adrenaline but I was itching for excitement, waiting in anticipation for something to happen. I constantly harbored the notion Rachel had stolen the other coin, often becoming paranoid believing Chivers was in league with her. It gave me something to do when listless and bored. Between cooking and listening to the endless woes of drunken pirates, Juan had drunk himself to sleep almost every night.

Weeks turned into months as the much-awaited warm climate became a way of life. Passing through the Mozambique Channel of Africa, I was sure the shade temperature was nigh on a hundred degrees. The sea was calm as a still pond, giving the crew great luck with fishing. Juan watched in anticipation, ready to cook what was caught. I marveled at his ability to enjoy the simple act of feeding others.