The Priest (18 page)

Nobody heard the third vehicle coming. It
stopped by the fugitives’ car with the tires sending up fumes. The
strident sound and the acrid smell elicited a mild interest in the
guards, who were closer to the car. Only when a door opened and
then slapped back in place with a fury did the colonel turn around.
“Madame President,” she greeted the imposing shadow, her voice
nervous.

“Mom?” Rosie raised one hand to screen her
eyes from the high beams.

Darya Layan, the President of Ginecea,
here. What an honor
. Mauricio, in his pain-induced haze, almost
found the situation funny. There was blood everywhere, and the
colonel was cowering under the President’s darting eyes.

“Rosie?” the President bellowed when she saw
her. “What did they do to you?” she asked horrified, once
closer.

Mauricio felt Rosie’s body become rigid when
her mother went to touch her. She had turned to look at him while
the other woman was trying to get her attention. Then she was torn
from him.

“What happened to her?” the President
screamed to anybody who would answer her question. She gathered a
bloodied Rosie in her lap and cradled her. In a few seconds, her
hands and her clothes were smeared in blood, too. “Rosie, where are
you wounded?” she asked.

Mauricio saw two women approaching and
recognized an out-of-breath Guen, who took a good look at Rosie and
then nodded at her.

“Rosie! Oh my Heavens, honey. So much
blood!” the other woman cried.

“Rina! I told you to wait in the car,” Darya
Layan said.

Rosie disappeared under her second mother’s
suffocating embrace.

“The First Lady was too worried,” Guen
explained to the President and then mouthed to Mauricio,
“Everything is going to be okay now.” She then crouched beside him
to check his pulse.

“I’m not wounded. I don’t have a scratch on
me. The men did nothing to me,” Rosie finally answered her mother’s
question. “Bruna ordered the colonel to kill me.”

“I—” The President stared at her
daughter.

“Mom, this man needs a doctor, immediately,”
Rosie said and then turned toward Guen and lowered her voice, “He
looks paler than he did a moment ago.”

“What are you talking about?” the President
asked.

“Rosie, we have wounded women here that need
medical attention,” Rina said, looking at the captain and at the
other guard lying on the ground.

“They don’t need anything anymore,” Rosie
impatiently said.

Her mother, Rina, opened her mouth to
intervene, but her wife spoke first. “Maybe they don’t, but Bruna
does.” The President looked at Rosie, shocked.

“She killed them. She doesn’t deserve to
live. You have to call the doctor for
this
man. Please, we
are wasting time he doesn’t have.” Rosie was getting anxious. “I
don’t care what you want to do with Bruna; she can wait, but he
can’t.” Rosie took Mauricio’s hand in hers.

Both of her mothers gasped in horror at the
sight of their daughter touching a man.

“Rosie? What is it happening here?” Rina
asked when it was clear that Darya was too shocked to talk.

“What’s happening?” Rosie repeated. “What’s
happening, you ask me? An innocent human being is bleeding to death
before your eyes, and you are doing nothing.”

“A slave’s life isn’t worth our bother,”
Darya answered.

Mauricio was trying to remain awake, but it
was getting hard to breathe.

“Rosie, something must be done immediately,”
Arias said.

“Moms! I’ll never forgive you if you don’t
try to save his life.” Rosie didn’t turn to see their reaction.
“Mauricio, I love you.”

“I love you,” he said through his blurred
vision, happiness spreading through his cold body.

She leaned closer and brushed his forehead
with her lips and then moved toward his mouth.

Mauricio’s heart somersaulted in his chest a
second time. Not so long ago, the proximity of her mouth to his had
elicited a similar reaction in his body.
If anything else,
you’re going to kill me for sure.
His lips curved up.

A scream stopped her from getting any
closer. Rosie’s protective shadow moved away, and he felt lost.

“Rosie! Move away from the slave.” Darya was
shaking. She raised her hand to slap her daughter, but Rina stopped
her before she could hit Rosie.

“The doctor is on her way. I called her as
soon as we arrived,” Guen said to Rosie, and then she turned to
face her mothers. “This semental is too precious. Tarin can’t
afford to lose a good specimen without reason.”

“This semental is worth nothing, and I have
already signed his death sentence.” Darya Layan, the President of
Ginecea once again, confronted Guen with a cold stare.

“I apologize, Madame President, I didn’t
know about your orders,” Guen lied, lowering her head.

At the same time, Bruna thrashed around,
moaning loudly, and the Layans hurried to her side.

“I’ll be right back,” Guen whispered to
Rosie and went to the colonel’s car, only to come back a few
seconds later with a briefcase. “Move aside for a moment. Let me
see if there’s something I can use from this first aid kit.”

Don’t leave me alone.
Mauricio was
glad for Rosie’s hands caressing his throbbing temples.
I’m so
tired.
His eyes weren’t working properly, red spots were
dancing where Guen’s face should have been.

“He needs blood,” Guen said.

Mauricio distractedly observed the woman
raising his shirt to expose the wound.
I don’t feel a thing. Why
don’t I feel anything?
He thought while Guen touched his
abdomen.

“I’m a universal donor. I’ll give it to
him,” Rosie proposed.

No, you won’t.

Guen slowly shook her head and said, “You’re
pregnant.”

“You must be kidding!” The President’s voice
came from behind Guen. She and her wife stood a few feet from them,
staring in horror at their daughter. “You can’t donate blood in
your state! And… to a slave. Are you completely insane?” Darya
stomped toward Rosie, but Rina took her arm.

“Think of your baby.” Rina kept Darya from
moving any farther.

“I am,” Rosie muttered under her breath.

Guen raised an eyebrow and gave Rosie a
pointed look.

“For Heavens’ sake, what are you talking
about?” Darya freed herself from her wife’s hold.

“What is she talking about?” Rina asked
Guen.

Bruna cried and compelled the Layans’ full
attention once more.

“Rosie, you should calm down.” Guen gently
touched Rosie’s forearm and then bent her head to whisper, “I don’t
think your mothers know anything about what you are saying, and I
don’t think it’s a good idea to talk before all these other
women.”

Listen to her.

“You know?” Rosie asked.

“If I understood what you were trying to
say, I know.” Guen looked behind her shoulders at the President,
who was leaning over a motionless Bruna.

“The incognito the Priestess used to make me
conceive my baby—” Rosie was interrupted by Guen’s hand over her
mouth.

“Then, I know,” Guen whispered and took away
her hand. “Maintain your calm now, and we’ll find a way to save the
three of them.”

“I’ll try—” Rosie looked down at Mauricio.
Then she tilted her head toward Guen. “How did you manage to get
away with helping me?” she asked, darting a glance beyond them
where the other women were.

“Nobody saw me, and when the electricity
came back, I was back behind my desk at the control room. As soon
as the distress call arrived, I volunteered to escort your
mothers.”

“Doctor’s here,” one of the guards
called.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Guen said, already
walking to meet the doctor.

Mauricio watched as Guen and the doctor were
directed toward Bruna by Rina. Rosie stood up, ready to make a
scene. “It’s okay,” he said, trying to raise his arm to touch her.
There’s nothing else you can do for me
.

Rosie didn’t seem to hear him, her eyes
looking at something shiny on the ground. “I need help! I’m
bleeding,” she screamed and rolled down as if in pain.

That woke Mauricio’s addled brain. “Rosie?”
Before he could articulate something more, she was back at his side
holding a dark, elongated shape in her hand.

Guen and the doctor ran to see what was
happening to her. The doctor promptly went to move Rosie away from
Mauricio.

“Don’t even think about it,” Rosie growled,
aiming a rifle at the doctor. “Now, you’ll take a look at him.”

The doctor looked at Rosie with a stupefied
expression, but she didn’t say anything.

“And, you’ll tell my mothers that everything
is under control here.”

“Rosie is fine, just a scratch. Keep
applying pressure on Bruna’s wound,” the doctor yelled, stopping
the Layans in their steps. “You can lower that rifle now, if you
want me to check on this slave.”

Rosie relaxed her grip on the weapon and
pointed it at the ground. The doctor leaned toward Mauricio, looked
at him, and touched his chest. When he didn’t react to the probing,
she shook her head.

Is bad this time, isn’t it?

“What is it?” Rosie asked.

“There isn’t time to go back to the
infirmary.” The doctor raised her eyes to look at Guen.

I guessed so myself.

“Okay, let’s do what we can here.” Guen
stood up and called one of the guards.

It’s colder all of a sudden.

“He’s shivering a lot,” Rosie said.

Mauricio felt her hands protectively resting
on his shoulders, and he smiled.
Leave us alone for a
moment.

“I need help clearing a space where I can
clean the slave’s wound and remove the bullet. I am not sure if it
will be enough,” the doctor said.

“She’ll help me clear the space.” Guen
pointed at the guard, “And, you, go with the doctor, see if she
needs anything else,” she added, looking at Rosie.

“I am not leaving him.”

Please, stay. I need to tell you
something…

“Would you rather dig a grave for him? Every
hand is needed, and we don’t have a nurse,” Guen said, and the
doctor nodded.

“I’ll be right back,” she answered.

Without Rosie holding him, Mauricio felt
colder while the pain made him shiver and sweat. He closed his eyes
and hoped to faint, but remained awake. A few feet from him, out of
earshot from the other women, the President and the colonel were
having an animated discussion. When Guen directed the guard toward
them, the two women moved closer to Mauricio.

Don’t mind me.

“Madame President, it seems that your
daughter is in possession of information that is potentially
dangerous for the Ginecean society,” the colonel said. “I don’t
know exactly what it is that scared your publicist, but she was
ready to kill all of us to keep it a secret. This slave took the
bullet meant for your daughter. Although his life is expendable, it
seems that your daughter has formed a bond of some sort with him.
And I am worried about two things…”

“Which are?”

That she’s a decent human being for
starters?

“The first is that we don’t know exactly
what secret Rosie is keeping, and she was adamant about using that
knowledge to save these men. The second is that the guards have
seen the way Rosie interacted with this slave, and I can’t
guarantee that they will keep their mouths shut. Perversion is the
most horrible brand. Even if she doesn’t say what she knows, she
has already proclaimed that she wants to leave with these men. Your
family, and your career, will be ruined by the scandal.” The
colonel spoke slowly.

Oh, that would be too bad, I suppose.

“And being so… what do you suggest?” Darya
asked.

“I suggest letting the doctor save the
slave–” the colonel started.

I like that.
Mauricio’s hopes were
kindled for the briefest of moments.

“I won’t listen to this. Even if he did save
my daughter!” the President exclaimed.

“He did—”

“He is just another worthless slave, for
Heavens’ sake.”

“I agree with you…”

“But?”

“But, if the slave dies, and your daughter
thinks that we haven’t tried everything possible, who knows how she
would react. She seems… well… deranged, with all due respect.” The
colonel made an apologetic expression and raised her hands.

“You have my permission to talk.”

“Tell your daughter you’ll let the doctor
save the slave, with the conditions that she won’t follow him
anywhere, and that she’ll tell you what she knows in private,” the
colonel finished.

“Why are you doing this? Why are you trying
to help me?”

“Because it’s my job, and I voted for you,”
the colonel answered.

“I have never thought that one day I would
have to confront something… like this.” The President of Ginecea
turned her face slightly toward Mauricio, and he saw the anger in
her face.

“She’ll be fine when the baby is born. Marry
her off right away,” the colonel said, looking at Rosie coming back
with the doctor. Guen followed a second later, accompanied by two
guards.

No!
He was dying, but the idea of her
married to someone else was too painful to bear.

“Bring him here,” Guen commanded the
guards.

Careful, it hurts!
Mauricio hated the
cruel hands that hauled him onto the blanket spread over the
cleared patch. Rosie was immediately by his side, and she kept
touching him while the doctor cut his shirt down the front. He was
in tremendous pain, and his body was going into shock. He heard
Rosie crying.

“I’m sorry for everything,” he said to her.
You deserved so much better.

“I’m not going to lose you! Do you hear me?”
Rosie said.

“Mistress, if you don’t calm down, I’ll have
to give you a sedative, and I’d rather avoid that,” the doctor
said.