The Quest

  Gann, on the next pole, called out, “Saw him go through his death throes.”

  Purcell moved to Gann and held the canteen to his lips while he drank.

  Gann said, “Save some of that.”

  Purcell assured him, “This will all be over in the morning.”

  “Indeed.”

  There wasn’t much else to say, so Purcell moved toward Vivian, who was washing Mercado’s face with the water.

  Purcell stood there, watching this display of womanly compassion and grief. Pietà. Which he knew in Italian meant both pity and piety. The dying son or husband, the warrior or father, comforted in the hour of death by the mother or wife, the pious woman, filled with love and pity. We should all be so fortunate, Purcell thought, to die like that.

  He said to Vivian and to Mercado, “I’m going to go up on that platform and get some sleep.” He assured Mercado, “I’m here if you need anything.” He gave Gann the same assurance, then climbed the three steps onto the crudely built platform. The moon was overhead now and illuminated the large, empty field.

  He counted ten poles running in front of the platform. Gann was to his left, standing straight, and the Ethiopian was also to his left, hanging dead by his wrists. He wondered what the man had done to suffer a death like that. Probably not much. To his immediate front was Henry Mercado, barely ten feet away, and he could hear Vivian speaking softly to him as she stroked his face. Mercado said something now and then, but Purcell couldn’t hear the words, and in any case he didn’t want to eavesdrop on their private moment—if one could call this place of public punishment and death private. He did hope, however, that Mercado was man enough, like Gann, to suffer in dignity, and that his words to his lover were as comforting as hers to him.

  Purcell spread the shirt from the hospital on the logs that made up the floor of the platform and lay down. He was fatigued beyond sleep and found he couldn’t put his mind to rest.

  At some point, maybe fifteen minutes later, Vivian joined him and without a word lay down beside him, though the platform was large.

  He shifted to his left and said to her, “Lie on this shirt.”

  She moved onto the shirt and lay on her back, staring at the sky.

  A wind came down from the surrounding mountains, and she said, “I’m cold. Move closer to me.”

  He moved closer to her, and she rolled on her side, facing him, and he did the same, and they wrapped their bare legs and arms around each other and drew closer for warmth.

  He could feel her heart beating, and her breathing, and her breasts pressing against him. Their shammas had ridden up to their thighs, and she rubbed her legs and feet over his, then rolled on her back with him on top.

  He hesitated, then kissed her, and she threw her arms around his neck and held her lips against his.

  He pulled both their shammas up to their waists and entered her without resistance. She raised her legs, then crossed them over his buttocks and pulled him down farther as he thrust deeper into her.

  Her body began to tremble, then stiffened, and suddenly went loose as she let out a long moan. He came inside her and they lay still, breathing heavily into the cool night air.

  “My God…” Tears ran down her cheeks.

  They lay on their backs, side by side, holding hands, staring up at the starry sky.

  They hadn’t spoken a word, and Purcell thought there was nothing to say, but finally he said, “Try to get some sleep.”

  “I need to check on Henry. And Colonel Gann.”

  He sat up. “I can do that.”

  She stood, took the canteen, and said, “Be right back.”

  Purcell stood as she descended the steps, and he watched her as she moved first toward Gann.

  The moon was in the west now and it cast moonshadows down the line of poles. Purcell realized that Mercado had walked himself around his pole and was now facing the platform.

  Vivian checked on Gann, then moved slowly toward Mercado, who was not looking at her but looking up at him.

  Was it possible, he wondered, that Mercado had seen—or heard—what happened?

  Vivian approached Mercado and he seemed to notice her for the first time.

  As she lifted the canteen to his lips and touched his face, he said in a surprisingly strong voice, “Get away from me.”

  She spoke to him softly, but he shook his head and wouldn’t drink from the canteen. She tried again, but again he said, “Get away from me.”

  Finally, she turned and moved back to the platform, and Purcell noticed that she was walking slowly, with her head down.

  He glanced at Mercado, who was looking at him again, and they made eye contact in the bright moonlight.

  Purcell turned and watched Vivian come up the steps. She threw the canteen on the floor, then lay down on the shirt and stared up at the sky.

  Purcell knelt a few feet from her and said, “Sorry.”

  She didn’t reply.

  He put ten feet between them and lay on his back.

  He heard her say, “Not your fault.”

  No, he thought, it certainly was not. He said, “Get some sleep. We’re going to have a long day.”

  “We’ll all be dead tomorrow. Then none of this matters.”

  “We will be in Addis tomorrow.”

  “I think not.” She asked him, “Will you make love to me again?”

  “No… not here. In Addis.”

  “If we get out of here, this won’t happen again.”

  He asked, “Will you be with Henry?”

  “Maybe… he’ll get over it.”

  “Good. We’ll all get over it.”

  “We will.” She said, “Good night.”

  “Night.”

  He looked up at the starry African sky. Beautiful, he thought. So very beautiful up there.

  He closed his eyes, and as he was drifting into sleep he heard her sobbing silently. He wanted to comfort her, but he couldn’t, and he fell into a deep sleep, and dreamt of Vivian naked in the water, and of Mercado shouting her name.

  Chapter 11

  At dawn, Purcell watched as a squad of soldiers marched through the ground mist toward the three men hanging from the posts.

  It was too early for a firing squad, he thought—the troops had not yet arrived to witness the execution.

  Purcell let Vivian sleep and he came down from the platform.

  The ten soldiers didn’t seem bothered by his appearance—they had no orders regarding him, and they didn’t know if he was the general’s guest or his next victim, so they ignored him.

  Purcell saw that Mercado was half awake, watching the soldiers approach. Purcell asked him, “How are you doing?”

  He looked at Purcell but did not reply.

  Purcell held the canteen to Mercado’s lips, and he drank, but then spit the water at Purcell.

  Purcell said to him, “You were delirious last night.”

  “Get out of my sight.”

  In fact, Purcell thought, Henry was having a recurring nightmare about Vivian that had come true.

  The soldiers were now unshackling Gann, who was able to stand on his own, then they moved to Mercado, leaving the dead Ethiopian hanging for the troops to see at the morning muster.

  Purcell went over to Gann, who was rubbing his raw wrists, and handed him the canteen. Gann finished the last few ounces, then asked, “How is Mercado?”

  “Seems okay.”

  “He had a bad night.”

  Purcell reminded Gann, “Neither of you would be hanging here if he’d stayed awake on the mountain.”

  “Don’t blame him. I should have stayed awake.”

  Purcell didn’t reply, and Gann said, “He was shouting at God all night.”

  Again, Purcell did not reply, but he’d heard Henry shouting at God, and also cursing him and Vivian, and Gann had heard that too, and probably surmised what and who Henry was angry at. But that was the least of their problems.

  Gann asked, “Where is Miss Smith?”

&n
bsp; “Sleeping.” He asked Gann, “What’s happening?”

  “Don’t know, old boy. But it’s either something very good, or very bad.”

  “I’ll settle for anything in between.”

  “That doesn’t happen here.” He asked Purcell, “Why didn’t you make a run for it last night?”

  “I fell asleep.”

  Purcell noticed now in the dawn light that the post from which Gann had hung was splintered and pocked with holes that could only have been made by bullets.

  Gann, too, noticed and said, “Well, the good news is that they do execute people by firing squad.” He nodded toward the dead Ethiopian. “Not like that poor bugger.”

  Purcell didn’t want to get into that conversation, so he returned to Gann’s other subject and said, “If I did make a run for it, where would I go?”

  Gann replied, “Well, first, I’d advise you to go alone. You don’t need a photographer.”

  Purcell did not reply, but he didn’t want to leave Vivian here.

  He continued, “About ten kilometers south and east of the Italian spa is a Falasha village. Ethiopian Jews. They’ll take you in and you’ll be safe there.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I know Ethiopia, old boy. That’s where I was going to head. They’re Royalists.”

  Recalling what Mercado had said, Purcell pointed out, “The Royalists are being hunted down.”

  “The Falashas are immune for the moment.”

  “Why?”

  “It’s rather complex. The Falashas trace their ancestry to the time of Solomon and Sheba, and they are revered by some as a link to the Solomonic past, as is the emperor.”

  “And we know what happened to him.”

  “Yes, but the Ethiopians are a superstitious lot, and they believe if you harm a Falasha you have angered God—the common God of Christians, Jews, and Muslims.”

  “Works for the Falashas.”

  “For now. The name of this village is Shoan.” He suggested, “If you’re not being shot or chained up today, you should give it a try tonight.”

  “I was hoping for a helicopter ride to Addis this morning.”

  “And I hope you are having a whiskey for me tonight in Addis. But you should have an alternate plan.”

  “Right.”

  “And if you should ever find yourself in Shoan, tonight or some other time, they will know a thing or two about the black monastery.” He looked at Purcell. “If you are still interested in that.”

  Purcell had the feeling he’d stepped into Tolkien’s Middle-Earth. The mysterious dying priest, the surreal Roman ruin, the fortress city of Gondar, the good Prince Joshua, the evil General Getachu, Sir Edmund Gann, and the black monastery. And the Holy Grail, of course. And now the village of the Falashas. None of this seemed possible or real—but it was. Except for the Grail.

  Purcell looked at Gann. “Thanks.” He felt he needed to tell Gann about his former employer, Prince Joshua, so he did, sparing no detail.

  Gann listened without comment, and Purcell could see he was more angry than he was frightened that this could also be his fate. When Purcell had finished, Gann said, “Bloody bastard.”

  “He’s insane.”

  “Yes, but I’m sure you can convince him that a British soldier rates a firing squad, or at least a quick bullet in the head.”

  “I’ll try to do better than that.” He reminded Gann, and himself, “I’m not sure what Getachu has planned for any of us.”

  “He’s treading lightly with you and Miss Smith, or you’d be hanging on these posts.”

  “Good thought.”

  “Getachu may be insane, but he’s not reckless enough to endanger his own position with the Derg.” He explained, “They’d like nothing better than to find an excuse to summon him to Addis, and General Andom would be glad to arrest his rival and have him shot.”

  “That’s good.”

  “Or strangled.”

  “Even better.”

  “The Revolution,” said Colonel Gann, “eats its own.”

  “It always does.”

  “I predict that Getachu will put you and Miss Smith on a helicopter to Addis.”

  “And Mercado?”

  “Getachu will send him off to Addis to be dealt with at a higher level. Probably get expelled.” He added, “They’re not shooting Western reporters yet.”

  “Good. Well, you seem to know these people.” He informed Colonel Gann, “Getachu hinted that he may want you to train and advise his officers.”

  “That will not happen.”

  “Don’t turn down that job.”

  Gann did not reply, and Purcell pointed out, “The war is almost over. You won’t be helping him much.”

  “I won’t be helping him at all.”

  “Don’t be stupid.”

  “I’ve asked a favor of you. Please do it.”

  “Do it yourself.” He made eye contact with Gann and said, “Look, Colonel, I’m trying to save your life, and you’re not helping. Don’t take the knight thing too seriously.”

  Gann didn’t reply, but he looked past Purcell and said, “I think it’s time to go.”

  Purcell turned around and saw that Mercado was on his feet without help from the soldiers, and Vivian had awoken and was trying to minister to her lover, who was having none of it—which seemed to confuse the soldiers who’d missed the reason for Mercado’s bad behavior toward the lady.

  Purcell looked up at the dead Ethiopian, who seemed almost Christlike hanging there with his flesh torn. It occurred to Purcell that the new Ethiopia didn’t look much different than the old Ethiopia.

  Purcell turned to the rising sun above the eastern mountains, then to the large open field shrouded in morning mist. God did a good job with the heaven and the earth. Not so good with the people.

  The squad leader formed everyone up in a line of march and barked something in Amharic, then shouted, “Avanti!”

  Forward.

  Chapter 12

  General Getachu sat at his camp desk in his headquarters tent, speaking to an aide in Amharic and ignoring his four guests who were sitting facing him.

  Mercado sat on the far right, and Vivian had taken the chair next to him, though Mercado was pointedly ignoring her. Gann had sat himself between Vivian and Purcell, and behind them was a soldier armed with an AK-47 automatic rifle.

  Purcell was surprised that Getachu had included Gann in this meeting, but possibly this was a summary court-martial, with the general acting as judge and jury, and the soldier as instant executioner.

  The tent was not as dark as it had been at night, and the morning sun shone through mosquito net windows, revealing a dirt floor strewn with cigarette butts. Getachu took a call on his field phone, and spoke as he signed papers for his aide. A busy executive, thought Purcell, but there’s always time for fun and sport.

  On that subject, Purcell saw that neither Prince Joshua nor his two officers were present, and Purcell wondered if Getachu had sent his royal highness to the women’s tent.

  The aide left and Getachu looked at Gann and asked, “Do you know that your prince is here?”

  Gann did not reply, and Getachu seemed angry at the insolence.

  Purcell volunteered, “I informed him.”

  “Do not speak unless spoken to.” Getachu looked at Gann again, smiled, and said, “That is what I learned in the English missionary school.” He also informed Colonel Gann, “The prince has confessed that you and he have engaged in war crimes.”

  Gann had no response.

  Getachu saw that this was not productive, so he looked at Purcell and asked, “Who gave you permission to leave the medical tent and walk through my camp?”

  “We had no indication that we were under confinement.”

  “This is a secure military facility.”

  “As you know, we were looking for our colleagues.”

  “Yes? And is Colonel Gann your colleague?”

  “According to you he is.”


  “Then you are all guilty by association.”

  “According to you.”

  Getachu was sipping water from a canteen cup and Purcell said, “We need something to eat and drink.”

  “Why should I waste food and water on people who are to be executed? But I promise you a cigarette before you are shot.” Getachu thought that was funny and he translated for the soldier, who laughed.

  Getachu tapped Vivian’s camera, then held up three notepads and said, “There is enough evidence here to condemn you, Mr. Purcell, and you, Miss Smith, and you, Mr. Mercado, to death by firing squad.”

  Purcell didn’t think so, but he also knew that Getachu didn’t need any evidence, except maybe to justify an execution to his superiors in Addis.

  Purcell said, “I must ask you, General, to return our personal property, including our credentials and passports, and to provide us transportation to the capital.” He reminded Getachu, “We came here expecting to be treated as journalists, not as criminals.”

  Getachu pointed out, “I think we have had this conversation.”

  “I think we need to have it again.”

  General Getachu looked at Colonel Gann, then said to his other guests, “Before we discuss your status, do you agree that this man deserves what he is to suffer?”

  Purcell replied, “No, we do not. Colonel Gann was captured in uniform and he is to be treated as a prisoner of war under the Geneva Convention, which Ethiopia has signed.”

  “That was the previous government.”

  Gann said to Purcell, “Save your breath.”

  “Excellent advice,” agreed Getachu.

  Mercado cleared his throat and said, “General… if you agree to release us, we will write and sign statements of any wrongdoing that we may have engaged in. We will also write a press story praising your victory and your qualities as a leader. We also agree to have our passports held by your foreign office and to stay in Addis writing articles for the duration of this war.”

  Getachu looked at Mercado. “Well, you are offering less than Mr. Purcell and Miss Smith have already offered.” He informed Mercado, “They offered to stay here with me for the duration of the war. I was looking forward to their company.”

  Vivian took a deep breath, hesitated, then said, “General, if this is supposed to be an inquiry or a trial, it’s actually a farce.” She concluded, “You are keeping us here unlawfully and against our will, and our press offices and our embassies know where we are, and they will be making inquiries, if they haven’t already. Please provide us with transportation to the capital and please return our belongings.”