Babylon (Eden Saga Book 2) Read online

  “I think I had a vision back there,” she said. “I was focusing on Benjamin and then I saw him. I’m not sure if it was the future or maybe just a delusion.”

  “Yeshua had that ability,” Erzulie said. “He could see many things at once when He wanted to. People believed Him omniscient, like His Father.”

  Alexandra concentrated and said, “It felt a lot like when I used the pool of water in Eden to find you and Koneh.”

  “In time, you might learn to master it. You won’t need pools.”

  “How does it work?” she asked. “I just focus on something and poof?”

  “Unfortunately, I’m not certain,” the angel said. “It’s like you have really sharp vision. For things now and always.”

  “So that scene with Benjamin might be happening right now?” Alexandra’s pulse sped. Was she too late?

  Erzulie eyed her. “Describe it to me.”

  “Well, there was a town square and lots of people with torches,” Alexandra said. “And it was dark. Padre Hernon was there, citing crimes.”

  “And how do you know it was a town square?”

  “I guess because there were buildings in the background-” her voice trailed as she realized her vision was the future, or a complete delusion. “They probably haven’t built anything that permanent yet.”

  “You’d be surprised what fanatical people can do in a short amount of time,” Erzulie said. “However, I agree with your assessment. You were probably viewing the future.”

  “Damn, we don’t have any time to waste, then!” Alexandra said.

  Erzulie nodded and said, “I will see you on the road, when I have information about Benjamin.”

  “No. I cannot ask you to do this. It was wrong of me to treat you that way.”

  The angel brushed past her. “When are you going to learn, my dear, that not everything is about you?”

  “Excuse me?”

  “Benjamin is my friend too,” Erzulie said. “Of course I will help him to the best of my ability.”

  “Oh.” Ashamed that the spoiled and selfish Alexandra showed herself again, she said, “I’m sorry, Erzul. How do you want to help?”

  “We’ll do it your way,” Erzulie said. “I can get there with great velocity, so you won’t be alone on the road for too long. I’ll find him.”

  Alexandra grasped the angel’s arm as she turned to leave. “And be careful. For me?”

  Erzulie smiled a girlish smile. “You keep repeating yourself, Lex. I heard you the first time you told me to ‘be careful.’ Trust that I haven’t forgotten.”

  Alexandra loathed situations where she didn’t have complete control. She wanted to give Erzulie a list of conditionals to follow. Erzulie needed to be prepared to handle a myriad of different situations. She didn’t want the angel endangering herself unless Benjamin’s life hung in the balance. However, all her anxiety flowed away as she looked into the angel’s eyes.

  Alexandra trusted her.

  “Well,” Alexandra said, “I’m going to keep saying it so you won’t forget.”

  “It is impossible for me to forget,” Erzulie said.

  “Just humor me on this one, okay?”

  Erzulie nodded. “As you wish.”

  “I’ll see you soon,” Alexandra said as she finally felt the weight of their task fall between them.

  Back to the bottom of the world? So soon? Could she make it again?

  As she finished packing, she rationalized the decision. This was probably one way the universe was telling her to return home. Eden was in that direction, and she was simply following her heart. There was no denying the truth that for a while now, her heart had pointed towards Eden like a compass. Like a guiding star.

  Her only star.

  Chapter 9

  Erzulie was already gone. She represented their best chance of reaching Benjamin in time. Like always, the angel said her farewells and launched into the roiling orange-black sky. Alexandra missed her friend the moment she disappeared in the clouds. Was she making the right decision?

  Before the doubts gripped her thoughts again, Alexandra departed the cathedral for the waiting jeep. As she expected, General Ryan was there. To her surprise, he wasn’t alone.

  “I believe you know Captain Morin?” the General said, motioning to the man to his right.

  “Yeah,” Alexandra said, “he was the first one to greet me on this trip to Brasilia. At gunpoint.”

  As they shook hands, Captain Morin said flatly, “Call me Zeke.”

  “I already told you, General - I’m going alone.”

  “Zeke and a few of his men volunteered.”

  Alexandra shook her head. “Then they can find their own way. I cannot afford to take anyone with me.”

  Zeke narrowed his eyes but allowed the general to respond.

  “These men and women are special forces,” General Ryan said. “I doubt they’ll get in your way.”

  She pulled him to the side and whispered. “Listen, I’m not the person I was in Veracruz. People have died under my watch and I’m just not comfortable asking anyone else to follow me to Eden again. I appreciate the help, I do. But the jeep is enough on this one.”

  “You might need them.”

  Alexandra had her response ready. “And they will likely die. I just can’t ask that of them.”

  “You don’t know that. And they volunteered.”

  “I won’t order more people to their deaths,” she said angrily as the memory of the cruise ship haunted her waking mind.

  “Sometimes,” he said, “to lead, we must make the decisions that nobody else wants to make.”

  “You forget,” she responded, “that I’m just a girl from San Antonio. I never asked for this and I certainly don’t want to be a leader.”

  “But you go headlong into danger anyway?”

  “Benjamin was a good friend to me on my journey, and I will repay that friendship the only way I am able. After that, I’m not sure where I’ll end up. I think it’s best I remain alone.”

  Alexandra realized she was more a coward for refusing the soldiers help than if she allowed them to join her. Her decision to return to Eden was the path of least resistance, but the destination dominated her thoughts. She wanted nothing more than to return to the safety and warmth of paradise. Hadn’t she earned it?

  “Okay,” General Ryan said, defeated. “I don’t know how you always convince me of these things, but you do.”

  Attempting to lighten the mood, she said, “Changing the mind of a Texas woman is like trying to change the weather. You’re better off just goin’ with it!”

  Forcing a chuckle, he said, “Yeah, I keep forgetting how stubborn you are. I have this image in my mind of when we first met and you healed me. That Alexandra is a perfect angel, the woman of my dreams.”

  “I don’t think I know her. Maybe someday we’ll meet,” she mused.

  “Well,” he said, raising his voice so the others could hear him. “I’m not going to force you. The jeep is stocked. You should have plenty to get you there and back. The GPS doesn’t work, but I left a few maps in the glove compartment for you.”

  Alexandra hugged him and kissed his cheek. “Thank you. Again. I’ll see you soon.”

  “See that you do,” he said as they parted and she climbed into the vehicle. “And remember, you’re always welcome here.”

  The maps weren’t as easy to follow as she had hoped. Most of the signs were destroyed or missing, so Alexandra had to do some backtracking during her first day on the road. The last time she traveled this route, Koneh led them in the direction they needed to go. He just seemed to know the way. Alone on the abandoned highways this time, Alexandra was forced to stumble her way south.

  In addition to serving as her transportation, the jeep made an excellent bed. Much better than the hard ground! Before she turned in for the night, she drew her sword and practiced the forms Koneh taught her. The wound on her thigh only provided minor discomfort. As she smoothly repeated the motions,
she wondered why the weapon wasn’t too heavy for her to wield. It felt as light as Erzulie’s sword, almost an extension of her own arms.

  No matter, she thought as she sliced the air, I won’t need this for too much longer. Her muscles responded to the activity without hesitation. She immersed herself in the practice and centered herself.

  The jeep’s back seat was a welcome departure from the dirt. As she drifted to sleep, she wondered why she never took advantage of Santino’s rig in this way. Perhaps it was the self-imposed silent social mandate that dictated one person shouldn’t benefit while others around them suffer. There just wasn’t enough room in the cab for everyone, and nobody wanted to broach the subject. Subconsciously, they were all content in misery together.

  No more misery. Alexandra dreamt of Eden and the comfort that awaited her. She opened paradise, and now wasn’t the time to be caught out in the darkness when she knew something brighter was on the other side of a silver gate.

  As she fidgeted in the seat, she wondered why she felt that doubt the Crone spoke of. Was she as sure of her path as she told herself? Why did the decision to reopen Eden haunt her like a nagging regret? Sleep didn’t come without a fight, nor did it last long. Within a few hours she was back on the road hurtling towards an uncertain fate.

  She refrained from thinking of Koneh lest he visit her again and scold her. Instead, she focused on Erzulie while she enjoyed an MRE ration. For a moment she felt as if she was soaring through the air. Her balance askew, she almost fell from the jeep.

  “Whoa,” she said aloud.

  Perhaps Erzulie was on to something. Could Alexandra really see her friends? Was this a skill she even wanted to explore?

  Shaking her head, she returned to the jeep and finished her meal. She wasn’t interested in strange powers or her possible divinity. She wanted only one thing: to return to Koneh. Everything else was a distraction.

  After another day of driving Alexandra spotted a distant campfire. She immediately killed the jeep’s headlights and pondered her next move. Avoid them? Approach? The last time she investigated survivors she lost Father Callahan.

  “Too risky,” she whispered to herself as she started her wide circle around the fire.

  She stopped the jeep after a few hundred feet and wrestled with the thought of abandoning them. Perhaps they didn’t need help, she rationalized. Maybe they were doing just fine. How could she know?

  After temporarily resuming her course, she halted again. The nagging voice in her head refused to be ignored. Someone could be hurt, that voice said. You are better than this, Alexandra. Or have you forgotten so soon? Are we back to the old Alexandra?

  “Dammit,” she breathed.

  Before she maneuvered the jeep towards the light, she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye. Something was in the scrub ahead. She strained to hear what was making noise and then heard someone cussing softly. At least she thought it was cuss words. Her Portuguese hadn’t improved, even though she had visited Brasilia twice over the past few months.

  “Hello?” she called as she cautiously approached the source of the sound, sword drawn and ready.

  “Sim!” a voice called. “Over here.”

  Alexandra rounded a cluster of dead vegetation and found a young Brazilian man on the ground. He clutched his ankle and fought back tears when he saw Alexandra.

  “Americana?” he asked.

  “Well, yeah. Sorta. What happened?”

  He noticed her brandished sword and he began to panic.

  “You want to kill me?” His lips trembled with fear.

  “No, no,” Alexandra said as she sheathed her sword. “I didn’t come to hurt you. I saw the fire!”

  “Sim, fire!” he said. “I was finding sticks and I fell.”

  Alexandra recalled her flight from the mob all those months ago. She twisted her ankle trying to reach safety. Then, Koneh saved her. Or rather, he allowed the situation to progress to a point where she needed to be saved. He smartly realized that she’d never trust him without some measure of trickery. Koneh. Her Koneh. Wandering the wasteland again, she felt lost without his sure hand and quiet resolve.

  “You can help me?” the young man asked.

  He possessed a warm smile and the copper-olive skin shared by most Brazilians. His large eyes calmed as he waited for her answer. Alexandra noticed his meager pile of sticks scattered nearby. Everyone was just trying to survive. Why did she almost abandon them?

  “Let me help you with those,” she said as she scooped the sticks under her arm. With her other hand she helped him to his feet.

  “I’m Alexandra,” she said. “Here, lean on my shoulder. Your camp isn’t far.”

  “Hector,” he said and he blushed slightly as he put his arm across her shoulders.

  “What are you doing way out here?” she asked.

  Hector grimaced as he struggled to keep weight off his wounded ankle. “We follow our people to a place. But we cannot go on so we come back to Brasilia.”

  Her heart missed a beat. “You’re from Brasilia?”

  “Sim.”

  So there was a migration. Padre Hernon led an expedition from Brasilia to Eden. Hector was tangible evidence.

  “What is this place you speak of?” she asked.

  “Heaven,” Hector said, his eyes sparkling through the pain.

  “You were promised Heaven?”

  He nodded and Alexandra’s stomach churned. Hernon likely drove many people to their deaths through the wasteland and the dried ocean floor, into the frigid rocks of former Antarctica. Koneh believed the Earth shifted upon its axis, allowing for more moderate temperatures. Alexandra still found the place a frozen den of death.

  Hernon. What did he expect to do with Eden once he arrived? Was he planning to enter and rule? Was his task to prepare Eden for conquest by Derechi? Await the arrival of the church?

  “Hector!” a voice called from the camp. Alexandra hadn’t noticed the progress they made.

  An elderly Brazilian woman emerged and her eyes widened when she saw Alexandra.

  Pointing at her, the woman said, “She is the one! She save Medina! I see it with my eyes! She is Guadalupe!”

  The camp exploded into activity as people converged to discover the source of the excitement. Alexandra guessed there were only a handful of people, mostly Brazilian. Supplies and debris littered the area. A few tents suggested they had camped in that location for perhaps a few days. Everyone’s face wore the bedraggled mask of life in the wasteland.

  Hector leaned backwards to get a clearer look at Alexandra. “We hear about you,” he said. “Padre Hernon say you are a devil, but I know Medina. You did save her?”

  “Is Medina here?” Alexandra asked, unconcerned with their awe.

  “No,” Hector said. “She is with Padre.”

  Alexandra felt a connection to those she healed and she had often thought about the Brazilian girl, Medina, during her trek to the bottom of the world. Shot during Alexandra’s escape from Brasilia, Medina didn’t deserve that fate. Alexandra risked her own recapture to heal the girl. So many events had gone awry during her journey, Alexandra wondered why she felt the need to risk even more on a return trip.

  You know why, that voice in her mind responded. You are linked to Benjamin too. As much as you try to sever the connections you make, you fail and head in the opposite direction. Silly girl.

  The elderly woman fell to her knees, as did most of the other assembled people. Alexandra understood a few words and two names: Guadalupe and Tonantzin.

  She was familiar with both.

  Frowning, Alexandra reached for the woman and said, “I am not Guadalupe. Please stand.”

  If the Mexicans and South Americans thought she was the Virgin of Guadalupe, come to lead them into the promise land, then Alexandra reasoned she was in trouble - more so than the Christians believing she was a child of God. From what Alexandra knew of Guadalupe, she was the most revered religious image in Mexico.

  “I�
��m not Guadalupe,” she repeated. Then, she turned to Hector. “Can you tell her?”

  Puzzled, Hector spoke to the woman in Portuguese. They argued for a few moments and the worshippers grudgingly rose to their feet.

  The old woman said in broken English, “I know who you are. Your face is known for many hundreds of years.”

  “I’m sorry,” Alexandra said as she wondered how she’d plead her case.

  They seemed to understand what she was saying, but their faces still contained a measure of awe and reverence.

  “You stay, yes?” the old woman said as she waddled into the center of the camp. “Stay. Eat.”

  “Hector!” a young female said, her voice scolding. “You are never careful!”

  “My sister,” Hector said to Alexandra. Then turning to his sister, he said, “I was careful, Via. The ground has many rocks.”

  After flashing a challenging glance at Alexandra, Via said, “Your head is full of rocks.”

  Via’s English was better than her brother’s. Perhaps she spent some time in America. The girl’s sharp eyes bore into Alexandra. Though they had just met, Alexandra guessed those eyes judged everyone around her at all times. She was an angry girl.

  “This is her?” Via asked as she inspected Alexandra like a jealous girlfriend.

  “Sim,” Hector said. “She helped me back.”

  After an uncomfortable silence, Via said, “I heard you can heal? Why do you not heal my stupid brother?”

  “I’m not who you think,” Alexandra said. “I was just passing through when I saw your fire.”

  “She says she’s not Guadalupe,” Via said. “I told you your head is full of rocks. Come, I will help you to your tent.”

  Alexandra joined the small group for a meager meal of bland soup and canned beans. Everybody was quiet and on the brink of exhaustion. They had been traveling for days without reprieve. On the brink of collapse, the elderly woman kept everyone together. She was Hector and Via’s grandmother and her name was Maria.

  Alexandra estimated these people wouldn’t make it to Brasilia on their own. The events of the cruise ship played through her mind again. Was this destined to be a repeat performance?