The Harvest of Souls

CHAPTER 41

"But Charlotte, Fernand may have nothing to do with it..," Richard began.

"It's a possibility, but anyway, Fernand was undercover in Vindobona when he informed me that he would be with his family in Tachlovicka, and he blew up the room with the most obscure and unique documents in the world. Even you have to assume, there are too many controversies in this story, and we found Fernand in the middle of everything," Charlotte said. "You will return to Asturias today. Use your ship to return. I understand that you should go as soon as possible."

ASTUR

12.01.8462 - 6:30 AM

The first rays of the sun appeared, illuminating the sea that bathed Ástur. Some livelier people were already running along the shore when they were surprised by something never seen before. Some soldiers appeared with their green and brown cars along Ocean Avenue and invaded one of the most beautiful beaches in the city. Four cars stopped forming a huge square on the beach. Some soldiers got out of the vehicles and started asking people to deviate from the place.

A few minutes later, a copper-colored triangular craft emerged in the sky floating over the ocean, calmly approaching the beach. Endora hovered for a moment over the empty space opened by the military and then began to fall slowly through the air until it landed gently on the soft sand. As soon as the noise generated by the Ship subsided, a ramp appeared at the bottom, and Richard got out, soiling his leather shoes on the beach. Richard completely ignored the presence of the military around the ship and just crossed the sand towards the boardwalk.

Richard stopped before crossing the street, waiting for the traffic lights to indicate that the crossing was open to pedestrians. He watched Anna get out of her car across the street and pull two huge baskets out of the trunk. As soon as the traffic light cleared the pedestrian crossing, Richard quickened his pace toward Anna.

"Anna!" He shouted when he was in the middle of the street.

"Richard!" Anna replied excitedly. "I just saw you landing. Did we come together to cheer the crowd up?"

"Yes! I hope we cheer them up," Richard said, reaching Anna.

Anna closed the trunk with a wave and released the two baskets that remained floating in the air. The two hugged each other tightly. Richard was happy to feel such warm human contact.

"What do you bring there?" Richard asked.

"I decided to bring some things to organize breakfast. Breakfasts in hotels are very impersonal. I hate it!" Said Anna.

"Really?" Richard asked indignantly. "I love having breakfast in hotels."

"Now you're making me think that my gesture was unnecessary," Anna said, putting her hands on her hips.

"No way. Your gesture is super nice," Richard said, guiding Anna towards the hotel entrance.

"Richard, and all this mess? And Fernand? Have you heard from him?" Anna asked, worried as they entered the hotel lobby.

As soon as Richard entered the Hall, the few staff at reception lowered their heads and bowed. Richard just waved his hand and headed for the elevator.

"Unfortunately not. I don't think Fernand is to blame, but he owes me some explaining, so does Lélia," he spoke as he closed the folding elevator door.

"They are on the sixth floor," Anna said, pressing button number six on the elevator.

"Yes, Charlotte told me."

"I'll organize the breakfast in a spare room. You call them?"

"Of course, but is it not too soon? They must have had a rough night. Wouldn't it be better to let them sleep?" Richard asked.

"We can call them to breakfast, and then they go back to rest if they need to," said Anna.

"Okay, but if anyone complains, I'll make it clear that the idea was yours."

They both exited through the sixth-floor corridors, Anna leading the way toward the rooms everyone was sleeping. She opened the door to one of the rooms carefully and made sure it was empty, then walked in with her two baskets floating beside her.

"I'll use this room. The guys are in the next rooms, all the way down the hall," Anna pointed to the other doors in the hallway.

Anna wore an orange turban and a dress all printed with sunflowers. She began to remove a series of slices of bread, cold meats, and juices from the two baskets. She also took out a bottle of champagne, remembering then that she was supposed to get the ice bucket on the sideboard in the hallway. She then went to the sideboard and took the bucket and the two bottles left in it. She then returned to the bedroom and concentrated on the small table, trying to make everything contained in the basket fit. Anna was focused on her task when an outcry started in the hallways on the sixth floor of the Kotakahuana Palace. She raised her head quickly when Scarlet's voice yelled,

"Anna, come here, now!

Anna left the room in a hurry to find Scarlet running down the hall and entering a specific room. Anna then ran to the room Scarlet had just entered, a room to the left three doors in front of which she was setting up breakfast. When she reached the door, she crossed the living room and went to the suite, where she found everyone around the bed, Lélia was standing in a corner crying with her hand on her nose, Scarlet hugged Mário and Nair, while Marta was with her daughter in her arms, crying loudly. Richard was kneeling on the left side of the bed, holding Vaughan's extremely white arm that hung across the bed.

"My God!" Said Anna.