Diego nodded. “Yes, I felt it. Do you know what happened?”
“Not yet. But I’m sure we will soon enough. I would imagine if they were targeted, then we are on that same list.”
“It’s been a while since you and I were in such circumstances.”
“Yes, it has.” Juan looked over at the priest. “Father, what do you make of all this?”
“I’m not quite sure. I know that we are in America yet we did not take a plane. I would say that’s a bit odd.”
Juan smiled. “Yes, odd is as good a word as any to describe all of this. Has Diego told you about us?”
The priest nodded. “He has told some of who he is and his work in Ethiopia.”
“Do you believe what he says?”
“I am a man of faith. There is much I believe that others do not. But even so, I would not have believed him to the level I do if I was not sitting here now.”
“Why don’t I start from the beginning? You are part of this now. It’s only fair for you to know that in which you are involved.”
Juan inhaled and began his tale.
CHAPTER FOUR
“Back then, Diego and I were rivals, searching for the land of Bimini. Neither of us had any idea what the discovery would change.”
Juan ascertained what he thought then was an island. Diego found that same land days later and ordered an attack on Juan’s ships by natives.
Juan’s crew survived the skirmish but one of their ships was not so fortunate. In the process of the attack, they captured three assailants. It was with those three assailants that the actual story began.
Juan recalled walking below deck of the Santiago to speak with the strange men. As he cleared the stairs, he saw the three warriors chained to the underbelly of the ship. All three men were swathed in blood from beatings at the hands of Juan’s crew and at least one of the men had broken ribs.
With Juan that morning were his three captains and a ruthless sailor name Eduardo. It was Juan’s intent to extract information from the men by any means. To press upon the men that his intent was non-negotiable, Juan ordered the death of one of the warriors before he asked his first question.
Eduardo smiled grimly and drew his sword, sliding the cold steel into the gut of the closest warrior. The warrior stiffened and glared at Eduardo odiously but did not cry out. Eduardo slowly drew the sword upwards into the man’s chest, enjoying the work. A deep grunt escaped the warrior as his organs fell onto the floorboards, yet he remained stoic. Finally, the blade pierced the man’s heart and the warrior slid forward lifeless.
The killing did not impinge on the two warriors. It did, however reveal to them that Juan had power.
He asked his first question in Taino, the language of the native people of Puerto Rico. “Who are you?”
The warriors understood well enough. “Calusa.”
“Why did you attack our ships?”
The glower in their eyes made it clear that they were not afraid of him. For a moment, there was no reaction and Juan considered his options. Then, an unexpected answer came. “Columbus,” the taller warrior responded.
That single word surprised Juan and his face betrayed him. The tall warrior smiled knowingly.
Juan decided to come back to that line of questioning. “What of the healing waters?”
“The Snake River,” the shorter Calusa answered. He stared unflinchingly into Juan’s eyes.
The Snake River? Juan repeated to himself. He questioned them further and learned that the Snake River was a source of power to their people. Their High Priest knew the path to the waters, having been there many years prior.
The river was a month and a half journey to the north. Can La Florida be this large? “Tell me of Columbus.”
They told Juan that Diego arrived a few days after him.
“Why is he here?” Juan asked.
“He is here for your power.”
Juan pressed them and learned much about Diego’s plan. He also learned that Diego had help. With that he left them chained in the belly of the ship next to their dead companion. He retreated to his cabin and his thoughts.
The following morning, Juan ordered one of his ships to set sail back to Spain with Captain Buono helming the voyage. Buono was ordered to file Juan’s claim to La Florida with the courts; the two Calusa warriors would accompany. Juan’s expectation for Buono was to learn from them and at the same time, present them to the King as an example of the impetuous people that would be under service of the crown in the new land.
During the passage, Buono learned much about Calusa culture. The two warriors were nobles in the tribe: a distinction attained through success in combat. Each tribe had a High Priest who performed a ceremony before the warriors partook in battle, consulting with their god of warfare. No Calusa army would fight without assertion by the High Priest that their god would give surety of victory.
Buono was astounded with the complexities of Calusa culture. Equally, the Calusa were staggered by what Spain presented. They were taken before the King and added credence to Juan’s claim on the new island (the five thousand pesos didn’t hurt Juan’s cause), just as Juan had anticipated. The documentation was produced and Juan was now Governor of La Florida.
Three weeks into the journey back, Buono watched the morning sky stretch above the sails. As he studied the firmament for signs of rain, the taller warrior – Antonio came up next to him. “Buenos días,” Antonio offered. His Spanish had become quite proficient.
“Buenos días.”
“We’re sailing back
