They waited a few more minutes and surveyed their surroundings. Finally, Morgan commented that they could not stay in the cave forever and they left the cave, come what may.
They walked out into the open and found the land around them deserted.
“Do you know this land?” Adahy asked Morgan.
“It has been many years since my people lived in these lands. I was only a boy when we left. There is an ancient village near here but little is left.”
“If one direction is no better than another, then I suggest we travel north,” Adahy offered.
Juan agreed and they set out.
They traveled slowly, keeping an eye out for people as well as animals. Jaguars were prevalent in the area and they did not want to fall prey. As they traveled, Adahy seemed to grow weaker. He never complained and worked to not slow them down but in truth he was.
Juan was confused. Adahy was normally vigorous but now grew lethargic. They hunted for mule deer and Adahy’s spear bounced off the shoulder of the deer. That’s not like him, Juan thought. Adahy was one the best hunters he knew.
Then, Juan remembered the snake bite Adahy received in the prison. Juan pressed him to see it and at first, Adahy refused; but at Juan’s insistence, Adahy relented. The unclean wound oozed with puss and the skin around the wound had begun to turn grey. “Why didn’t you tell me about this?” Juan demanded.
“I was sure we would come across plants that would heal the wound but they have not yet been seen. I cleaned the wound with water in the caves but it did little good.”
Juan looked at Adahy seriously. “We need to get you somewhere where we can clean the wound properly and keep it clean.”
Adahy agreed and the following day, they came upon a ranch.
Juan approached the house and as he did, he heard guns cock. He kept his hands in plain sight.
“Who are you, stranger?” a voice from the house asked in English.
“My friends and I are looking for a place to lie up for a few days. My friend is injured and sick. He needs to rest.”
“Where did you come from?”
Juan saw little point in lying. “We were taken prisoner by some vigilantes to the south. They’d planned to sell us off as slaves but we escaped.”
“How many of you are there?”
“There are three of us.”
“What’s wrong with your friend? Why is he sick?”
“He was bitten by a snake. Not a poisonous snake but the wound was not cleaned properly and now infection has set in.”
“How do you know we won’t take all three of you back to the prison where you came from?”
Juan smiled. “Because you’re a good man.”
The voice didn’t answer at first. “I’m John Weathers. You can call me Cotton. Welcome to my home.”
CHAPTER THIRTY THREE
“From there, we rested a week and then headed back to Tennessee,” Juan finished his story.
“Did you see McKale again?”
“We did. We saw him again in Missouri. He killed Adahy and there was nothing I could do about it. He just appeared and with the death, he was gone again.”
Diego was familiar with the methods of the man who sometimes called himself McKale. “I’m sorry about Adahy. He sounded like a good man.”
Juan nodded sadly at the memory. “He was a good man. He didn’t deserve to be slaughtered by a coward. I knew it was going to happen but I couldn’t stop it.”
“What did McKale say to you at the prison?”
“Nothing important. He stared at Adahy for a long time and I knew he was considering how best to kill him.”
“What about Morgan?”
“He stayed to make sure that Adahy was well and then traveled south back to his people.”
“Do you know who his people were?”
“I think they must be descendants from some of the other great people we have met. Whoever they are, I’m sure they are a mysterious people.”
“More mysterious than us?”
Juan’s smile broke his seriousness. “There’s no one more mysterious than us.”
“What did you do after you returned to the village?”
“There I lived and have remained. The war was over and people of that area needed help. The war had damaged the economy and families were deeply affected by the death of those they loved. There were many people for me to assist.
“Over time, the world slowed and then grew fast again. We traveled to the moon and technology took over our lives. I kept up with everything and embraced the changing culture but stuck to the fountain. It was at the fountain where I found peace.”
Diego let Juan’s words linger for a moment before changing the discussion. “Why don’t we head to the gardens while we wait? It would do us both good to get outside.”
Juan agreed. In the previous days, they had spent many hours in the serenity of the gardens surrounding Solomon’s house and it was in these gardens that Juan did much of his thinking. He knew what must be done and continued to carry out the conversation with Solomon in his mind. All of the created universe relied upon that conversation going as planned.
They left the house and entered the gardens where they remained for several hours. Footsteps broke the silent peace and they saw Menelik approaching. “I’ve been looking all over for you. If you’ll come with me, my father would like to speak with you.”
They were led to the throne and as they approached, gave the required kneel and rose to face King Solomon.
“Welcome, one again. I apologize for the delay in us speaking further.”
“Thank you for seeing us again, King,” Juan offered.
Solomon looked closely at Juan and Diego.
