Casca 2: God of Death (19 page)

Moving his hand against the smooth railing, he muttered aloud:

"When will it end?"

A shiver ran over him as the Jew's voice came, unbidden:

"Till we meet again ..."

"Sir ... sir!"
The voice was insistent. It was as if the lights had been turned on. Goldman turned to the voice. He saw Johnson, the museum guard, standing there with a confused look on his face.

"Are you all right, sir?" Johnson asked. "You've been standing there for hours. Your friend said that you weren't to be disturbed, that you were studying the article. But
it's closing time now, and we have to shut up until tomorrow. You can come back then if you haven't finished examining the mask."

Goldman's mouth was dry.
Closing time. That meant he had been here seven hours. "Yes. Thank you." He read the guard's metal name plate. "Thank you, Mr. Johnson. Yes: I'm quite all right, thank you. May I have just one more moment, please – alone? Then I'll leave."

Johnson nodded.
"All right. But five minutes more is all I can let you have." Leaving Goldman, he shook his head. What the hell could be so interesting about an old jade mask from Mexico?

These brain types.
I'll never figure them out. How can they stand in one spot for hours looking at something that doesn't move or talk? Just sits there. Well, that's their business....

Not waiting until the guard had left, Goldman had turned back to the mask. Where had Casca gone this time? Would he return?
Somehow, Casca, I think we will meet again. I don't believe you've yet finished what you started.

He gave one last look at the jade mask. It seemed to mock him. The thin hairline scar running from the corner of the left eye to the mouth gave the immobile jade the same slightly sardonic look as Casca ... as if it knew a secret ... some as yet untold joke.

Goldman straightened, twisting his head to ease the stiffness in his neck.

He left the museum, the closing doors separating him from another world.

As Goldman was leaving, another man was standing in a line waiting to get airline tickets that would take him from Boston to Johannesburg and from there to Salisbury in Rhodesia. As he stood, patiently, he checked his papers, including the Spanish passport identifying him as Carlos Romano, of Sevilla. Everything was in order. He nodded wearily. Several people in the line tried to put some distance between themselves and the man with the scarred face, but he didn't notice.

Blood pouring from his wounds, the man on the cross looked down upon the Roman who had driven the spear into his side.  His eyes blazing, his voice great with an unknown power, he pronounced his terrible judgement: Soldier, you are content with what you are.  As you are, so shall you remain until we meet again.

And so began the curse which would condemn Casca to fight in the world’s bloodiest wars throughout all eternity.
  It was a curse which would follow him even to the shores of Ancient Britain and the plains of far Cathay, where he would be raised to the position of War Lord and be buried alive at the whim of a frustrated concubine of the Emperor.

For more information on the entire Casca series see
www.casca.net

The Barry Sadler website
www.barrysadler.com

By Barry Sadler

Casca 1: The Eternal Mercenary

Casca 2: God of Death

Casca 3: The Warlord

Casca 4: Panzer Soldier

Casca 5: The Barbarian

Casca 6: The Persian

Casca 7: The Damned

Casca 8: Soldier of Fortune

Casca 9: The Sentinel

Casca 10: The Conquistador

Casca 11: The Legionnaire

Casca 12: The African Mercenary

Casca 13: The Assassin

Casca 14: The Phoenix

Casca 15: The Pirate

Casca 16: Desert Mercenary

Casca 17: The Warrior

Casca 18: The Cursed

Casca 19: The Samurai

Casca 20: Soldier of Gideon

Casca 21: The Trench Soldier

Casca 22: The Mongol

By Tony Roberts

Casca 25: Halls of Montezuma

Casca 26: Johnny Reb

Casca 27: The Confederate

Casca 28: The Avenger

Casca 30: Napoleon’s Soldier

Casca 31: The Conqueror

Casca 32: The Anzac

Casca 34: Devil’s Horseman

Casca 35: Sword of the Brotherhood

Casca 36: The Minuteman

Casca 37: Roman Mercenary

Casca 38: The Continental

Casca 39: The Crusader

Casca 40: Blitzkrieg

Casca 41: The
Longbowman