Recruits (Keeper of the Water Book 2) (32 page)

“My two troops completely understood. They were just as ruthless as the former queen. But my attitude was quickly changing and being in the New World made me realize we could
all
become different, that we could
all
start over in a new land. Sure, it wouldn’t be an easy life but I’d been chasing an easy life for far too long and it was bringing me nothing but defeat. The first opportunity I had to speak with Isabella alone, I pleaded with her to forget the water, that the two of us could live a normal life together despite the twenty-year gap in our ages. My feelings for her weren’t exactly true love but I still thought we might be able to carve out an existence together.

“She became angry at the very notion of a
simple life
and I felt myself keeping a hand near my sword, ready to defend myself in case she decided to get rid of a
third
person who got in her way. But she stressed that we
would
be together one day
with
the water. Regardless of her psychotic tendencies, Isabella
did
love me in her own kind of way.

“Seemingly out of options, Isabella took it upon herself – as a woman – to figure out what to do next. She decided that by using her intelligence and ability to manipulate others, she would infiltrate the tribe of warrior women rather than try to destroy them. The idea sounded ludicrous to me.
What will you do? Just walk into their camp?
I asked her. She thought about it for a moment and I hoped she’d realize how ridiculous her plan was. But eventually she smiled and nodded her head.
That’s exactly what I’m going to do,
she replied with the utmost confidence. It seemed like she was going on a suicide mission but I wasn’t sure whether to feel worried or relieved by that. She told my troops and I to remain close to the warrior women but not
too
close to raise suspicion. Isabella said that when she wanted to communicate with us, she’d leave a signal on the ground so we should always be on the lookout.”

“A signal?” I ask, swallowing hard, afraid that I already know the answer. “A formation of rocks in the shape of a cross?”

John nearly spits out the water he’s drinking and coughs for a moment.

“How did you know that?” he asks.

“Let’s just say that Cassie was a much better queen than outdoorsman,” I say.

When I don’t offer more of an explanation, John nods and continues with his story.

“Isabella dropped her weapon and disappeared into the swamp, never once looking back. As ordered, my troops and I remained behind. Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months without a single signal from her. For all we knew, the warrior women killed her the second she stepped into their camp –
if
she made it that far. Another tribe of peaceful natives lived nearby and accepted us into their group with open arms. Unfortunately, it wasn’t long before my two troops took advantage of their kindness. After they forced themselves upon a few of the tribal women, a skirmish broke out in which several of the natives ended up dead. I was nearly killed while escaping even though I’d been nothing but respectful to the tribe the entire time I lived among them.

“That was the final straw for me. My two soldiers didn’t want to give up on the water dream and decided to stay in the area and wait for the queen’s signal. Based upon my travels with Columbus on his second voyage, I still had a good enough reputation in this area of the world. I sailed our ship south to some of the islands I’d visited before, finally settling on the island that would become known as Puerto Rico. I hoped to start a normal life and put the dreams of eternal life and power behind me. It wasn’t long before I was arranged to wed the daughter of an influential innkeeper. She was a lovely woman and I had high hopes for finding true happiness.

“But that wasn’t meant to be. My new wife cried all the time and I eventually convinced her to tell me why. It ends up she was in love with another man, someone her father did not approve of. I couldn’t even be upset with her. In fact, I actually blamed myself for our predicament. I felt like God was punishing me for my own indiscretions with a married woman, not to mention the loss of life associated with my multiple assaults to retrieve the water. Instead of forbidding my wife to ever see her lover again, I hired the man as my assistant and allowed him to move into our home. I had nothing to do with my wife becoming pregnant. My wife’s children may have had my name and lived under my roof but it was no secret in our household about who their
real
father was. It was not the ideal situation for any of us but my wife and her lover were thankful that I was so understanding and allowed them to maintain their love.

“Without a real family of my own, I had plenty of time to focus on other things. I ascended to minor power in the local government though I freely admit that I was a willing puppet to those in charge. I wish I could say that Isabella and the water no longer entered my mind but that wasn’t the case. On several occasions, I returned to Florida in the hope of finding a single trace of her. Time allowed me to realize how wretched Isabella was but she was the closest thing to a soul mate I ever had in my life… at least until I learned the meaning of true love 500 years later.”

My face flushes and for the briefest of moments my mind leaves the past behind us, returns to the here and now. As I stare into John’s scorching eyes, I realize that every word he says is the truth. He may have manipulated Cassie a long time ago but
I
would know if he were lying to me.

Wouldn’t I? Either way, I force a smile but don’t say a word.

“My troops were survivors, they always were… until they messed with you, that is,” John continues. “I ran into them during one of my return trips to Florida. They never strayed far from the swamps and were always checking for Isabella’s signal, though they never found it and also assumed she was dead. They always expected me to come back one day but I didn’t stay. When I returned to Puerto Rico, I was surprised to find not just that I’d been promoted to a higher post but also that I received a letter from King Ferdinand. At first, I was upset that my appointment needed royal approval; I never would’ve agreed if it meant informing the king of my whereabouts. But Ferdinand did not mention his wife in the letter – either he had no idea about my involvement with Isabella or he was so happy since remarrying after Isabella’s ‘death’ that he didn’t care.

“During the years that followed, I slowly began losing my mind; it’s not a time of my life I’m proud about, not that there
were
many proud moments back then. I tried having a normal life but things unraveled just as quickly as if I was off chasing magical water. My associates in the local government became too ambitious and we were forced to move several times, not to mention nearly being killed in native rebellions.

“Then one day I became sick with the fever – something I’m sure you can relate to. My grip on sanity began to loosen. Though my body may have recovered over time, my mind never properly healed, at least not during
that
lifetime. It wasn’t long before I started spouting about the magical water to anyone who’d listen. I guess that’s why the history books link me with the fountain of youth. I gathered a few people and headed back to Florida, determined to retrieve the water. Had I been in my right mind, I would’ve realized how foolish it was to think my ragtag bunch of
troops
– if you can call them that – had a chance against the warrior women.

“Though crazy, my mind still remembered where to go. We were intercepted by my two soldiers, who returned to the tribe of natives and had been ruling them with an iron first for years. They tried to stop me from going and even convinced most of those with me to turn back. But they couldn’t stop
me
from heading into the swamps, even as they followed me toward the edge of where the warrior women patrolled.

“Javier was the first person to spot the formation of rocks on the ground. Somewhere in the back of my damaged mind, I knew that the cross meant something. My two troops wanted me to stop and wait for Isabella to show up but I refused to listen to reason, refused to accept the danger I put myself in with every step I took farther into the swamps. The two would finally go no further. With only a few weak followers remaining by my side, I proceeded into an even denser area of swamp. It was just about impenetrable and a wiser man would’ve turned back instead of trying to traverse the difficult landscape.

“But we didn’t have much farther to go. Even in my crazed state I could sense movement within the swamps. The others were afraid of gators but I knew we were about to face an opponent
much
deadlier. Several beautiful women emerged, scantily clad and armed with primitive weaponry. I didn’t recognize either of them from my time on the Greek island but my memory wasn’t too sharp back then. Apparently, they didn’t recognize me either or I doubt they would’ve simply warned us to stay away from their land unless we wanted a fight. While my few traveling companions were in awe of the women’s beauty, they could also tell that fighting them would
not
end well. These people weren’t proud, combative soldiers or hired mercenaries, a fact that probably saved their lives.

“I wasn’t so wise.
I know who you are and what you possess at your camp,
I yelled at the women.
I’m not leaving until you give me what I want.
I moved forward, my sick mind determined to get by them. They must’ve sensed I was ill because they did not kill me on the spot and pleaded with my companions to take me away. But I wasn’t taking no for an answer.
Let me through, I’ve come to find my true love!
I yelled. One of the women asked,
And who would that be?
I never had the chance to answer.

“Out of the shadows an arrow zipped toward me, grazing my leg. It shouldn’t have been a serious wound but I collapsed to the ground in agonizing pain. It felt like a wave of fire was engulfing every cell in my body. A third Amazon approached from the shadows and said,
That arrow was dipped in poison. He’ll be dead within the hour. And unless the rest of you want to suffer the same fate, I suggest leaving here now and never coming back, never mentioning what you’ve just seen.
The few people who’d braved the swamps with me up to that point finally lost their nerve and ran away, leaving me alone with the warrior women.

“
You didn’t need to kill anyone,
one of the women told the third one. The woman that shot me stepped out of the shadows and into the light.
They had to learn the hard way,
she said. I was fading fast but could still see that the beautiful young woman was Queen Isabella –
my
Isabella. She looked completely different than the last time I saw her. She was much younger, as our roles were suddenly reversed in the twenty-year age difference. And she was stunning, her hair long and full, her body tanned and strong, wearing the same garb as the other women. I had no problem recognizing the younger version of her but was worried that she
wouldn’t
recognize the older version of me.
I know who you –

“She moved lightning quick – so fast that I barely saw the blur of her movement. She kneeled on my chest and clamped a hand over my mouth before I could finish talking.
No need to make him suffer any longer,
she told the women as she pulled out a knife and held it to my throat.
I’ll finish him off and feed him to the gators if the two of you want to make sure the others are truly leaving.
My eyes went wide and I tried to mutter for help but Isabella’s grip over my mouth tightened. My body was so wracked with pain that my vision was quickly going black but I still sensed that the other two warrior women walked away.

“My life was fading so fast that I wondered if the poison or the knife would kill me first. Despite the intense pain, I still remember noting the irony about how Isabella was going to kill me after all. She let go of my mouth but I could hardly muster more than a groan to plead for my life. But through the growing darkness engulfing my vision, I saw the sparkle of bright blue light. She ordered me to drink but my mind was too hazy to understand what everything meant.
More poison?
I groaned. Isabella glanced around and her cruel glare softened; she actually appeared worried.
No, my love, it’s the water of life. You must drink it quickly, the poison is very deadly,
she whispered to me. I asked why she shot me and she explained that the others had to
think
that I was dead.
Now be quiet and drink
.

“She poured the water down my throat and a blast of iciness rushed through me, followed shortly after by extreme pain. She covered my mouth again to muffle the cries of a dead man. Once my initial suffering subsided, I could feel the water coursing through me, dousing the flames of poison that threatened to kill me. Not only did the water save me from the poison, it lifted the fog that settled over my mind ever since I was stricken with the fever. Once healed, I stood up, exhausted from the healing process but feeling better than I had in years… maybe ever. Isabella wore a huge grin and leaned forward to kiss me. You might think me shallow for admitting this, but considering how good she looked and how many years I’d gone without physical intimacy, I was far more excited to kiss her than I like to admit.