The Quest: A Novel

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
    A t 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