Chapter 79

 

 

BAIE ROUGE

FRENCH CARIBBEAN ISLAND OF ST. MARTIN

ONE MONTH LATER

 

Nash slithered to the edge of the cliff, a few paces from his new villa–a 7,500 square foot, roofed living space. Curved ceilings merged with a long terrace, surrounded by white columns and archways. Slightly raised, the villa commanded a stunning and pronounced view of Anguilla, and the narrow channel separating both Caribbean islands.

The warm sun beat on his face as he pondered. Being with Calla had its challenges but not once did he anticipate that the people he was trying to protect, her people would be the ones to turn on him seven months ago. They’d begged her to leave him. Begged? Commanded.

Calla took a seat on the rock next to him and allowed the wind to rake through her hair. “Soldier, you’re quiet.”

She glared out to the sea as the sunset was about to set in. The auburn sun touched her soft face and turned her eyes amber green in the process. He drew her into a hug. “Sorry we couldn’t find Merovec after trying every possibility your mother could think of. He must have come to her and not the other way around.”

She sighed deeply. “It only matters if we take on the mandate. Hey, let’s just take in this place. Must be nice to have a new safe house.”

He grinned. “You’ve no idea.”

“Quite a change isn’t it? A bit opposite in climate?”

“Better. Besides, it brings out the olive color in your skin very nicely.”

He drew in the gentle scent of unexpected combinations of grapefruit, gardenia and vanilla in her hair. “Happy here, beautiful?”

Calla’s eyebrows knit. “Never been better, Nash.” She smiled. “Soldier, I’m keeping you.”

“Even when the operatives told you to doubt me?” He saw the slight flicker of uncertainty for a moment behind her eyes, then it disappeared. “Your father guessed they would try to take you from me.”

“I never believed them. I wanted to get away from all the operatives and what the mandate asked of me. Besides, look what Lascar turned out to be, a traitor to his own mission. Vortigern hasn’t been heard from since I saw him last. It must’ve been too embarrassing for his son to turn against the operatives.” She took a deep breath. “For me, the choice between the mandate and you was always clear.”

His eyes smiled at her. “That means giving up everything for me. I know what the mandate asks of you. I can’t let you walk away from your destiny. It’s really important.”

Calla slid her head in to his chest. “Nash, sometimes standing still and embracing your current destiny is more important than chasing one. You might miss life.” She paused. “You’re important to me. And I never agreed with Vortigern and Allegra. I don’t care that we’re different. Besides a few boosts in genes on my side and a little help from the galaxies, we’re two beings with feelings, emotions, and passion.”

He gently stoked her hair as it fell like a curtain on his shoulder. “What do we do now with the mandate? It sits on your head like a bad dream that won’t go away. Are you sure you don’t want it? “

“She does!”

The insistent voice cut harshly through the crashing of the waves beneath them. They zipped their heads around and caught eyes with a tall man. A noble and spirited face, with fair and faintly wavy hair, and black bending eyebrows. Intense, probing blue eyes accompanied by an expression of authority, stared at them. “I heard you were looking for me. I’m sure you know Taiven.”

Taiven’s frame drew into form behind the man.

Calla stood to his level. “You are him . . . ?”

Merovec glanced over at Nash who rose slowly from the rock. “Nash Shields, this concerns you too.”

Nash ambled to them.

“Now, Calla,” Merovec began. “I admire the courage you have to stand up to me. A Cress determination that I saw from the first Cress who penned the Deveron Manuscript. Now I’m here to let you know that you are free to do as you will and can walk away from the mandate. Alternatively, you can be part of history. The Cresses’ mandate is to preserve history, look after the world’s technology systems and scientific balance. You saw a fraction of what a global attack on technology systems can do. We’re only at the beginning of a digital underground. Cyber criminals are on the loose crippling systems, creating data breeches, social networking threats, and the list goes on. It takes one new piece of software for ten security threats to surface on its log-in password.” He glanced at Nash. “You know that.”

“What’s your angle?” Nash asked, a protective streak ringing in his voice.

“This is the new attack on this world, not famine, not hunger and other disasters, but technology because the world depends on it more than anything else. Think of it. It even dictates the food brought to your table. Next time, look at your plate and decide how many items made it there without a megabyte. I need you to take that on with the operatives and offer you much influence and decades of research. If you refuse, well I guess I could try something else, but—”

Nash interjected. “But she’s one of the smartest and bravest operatives you’ve ever had and you know it to the core–one that can stand up for both the average person and the operatives as a unit.”

Merovec watched Nash, his eyes strangely impersonal. “I see why you chose him. I like him.”

“Then why did you impose an alliance embargo between operatives and non-operatives,” Nash asked.

Merovec tilted his head. “It’s not my embargo, but nature’s warning. I’m sure you met Laskfell’s triplets. “

Nash nodded.

Merovec rose. “They were the result of such an association. You’d think that the offspring of an operative and non-operatives would be a weaker breed of each. Not in this case. The possibilities with your offspring, as you saw with the triplets, are bewildering. Somehow, it reproduces a stronger version of the two–taking the best from both sides and creating an unstoppable being.”

Calla glared him in the eyes. “Why’s that such a bad thing?”

“A force that’s not nurtured is a disaster waiting to happen. Now multiply that. I’ll leave the results for you to ponder, but I must warn you that this is what you two are in danger of. I’ll wait till next July for you to consider. Now, good day.”

Merovec and Taiven began a descent toward the house.

“Wait!” Nash said.

They turned around. “Is Merovec really your name?”

Merovec grinned. “I go by many. Merovec is the one you need to know.”

“Who are you really?”

He drew in a deep breath and took a step toward Nash. “If you ever want to know who she is and where I come from, I can only leave you codes. H 13-2 and P 91-11. That should give you sufficient knowledge of me and why Calla is really here. You’re a smart cryptanalyst, you can figure it out.”

Merovec and Taiven headed away from the beach as Calla turned to Nash looking for any reaction from his face. When she turned to follow his gaze after the two, their visitors had disappeared.

“You get your wish. You found him,” Nash said.

She lifted her face. “Nash, Merovec himself said the only way this mandate can be released from me is to pass it on to another Cress.” She suddenly went quiet, churning thoughts round her mind. “Eloping with you to Colorado was the best thing I ever did.”

“You know we couldn’t tell anyone about us getting married. It was too dangerous. We’d never have heard the end of it from the operatives . . . and possibly, my mother.” He let out a little laugh. “Are you having second thoughts?”

“Not at all, Nash, remember when I said it would just be us. Nash I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t go ahead with the operation. I knew it would break your heart and . . . mine.”

Nash tossed her a smile. “Let’s take our time.”

“I don’t think we can, Nash.” She slowly took his hand and placed it on her abdomen. “This next Cress is going to need the protection and determination of a strong father.”