by Aileen Fish
“Thank goodness!” she gasped but he put his hand to his lips.
“I took out a guard to get in here but there are at least four more. I was trying to figure out why they would put you and Toby together but I guess it is to keep you well guarded. Come on, let’s go.”
“I have to stay, Kurt. If Andrews kills Kingsley, then Eric won’t have to. I can’t risk losing him.” Lily shifted Toby’s weight onto Kurt.
“What if Kingsley kills Andrews? What then?” Kurt’s face was hard. He clearly did not approve.
“It is still one less person for Eric to fight and I don’t think the Colonel will hurt me yet.” She looked away. She didn’t quite believe her own words.
“And what about the baby?” Kurt stared at her but she couldn’t make eye contact.
Their conversation was abruptly interrupted when they both heard the front flap of the tent being lifted. Lily felt her heart leap into her chest but she knew what she had to do. “Go. Tracker knows I’m here, he’s gone to Eric.”
This seemed to pacify Kurt who nodded but turned and whispered. “Remember your promise.”
Lily bit her lip. She had promised to stay alive and Kurt was right, it was a deadly game. She didn’t have time to think now. She opened the partition to see who was waiting on the other side.
Andrews stood looking at the cot, clearly perplexed she wasn’t there. She smiled ready for the next round. “Back so soon?”
“What were you doing back there?” Andrews looked genuinely puzzled.
“Was I not supposed to go back there? I heard crying, I went to see who it was then I put the child back to sleep.” She was careful not to use Toby’s name. She didn’t to remind Andrews again of her intimate relationship with Eric.
“That’s right, you are his stepmother. I can assure you I have no former children.” Andrews walked up to her, pulling her into his arms and kissing her long and hard. It didn’t seem to matter to him whether she kissed back so she stood passively. “I have taken care of the doctor, he will not come tonight. I am to move you to another tent so that the Colonel can use his own. Tonight is the last night we will have to pretend that you will marry him. Tonight, I will rid of us of our... problem.”
Lily wondered if she should ask more but decided against it so she merely nodded. If Lieutenant Colonel Andrews failed, she would want to know as little as possible. She looked briefly back at the tent and wondered if she should have listened to Kurt. If Kurt could get in to take Toby, why hadn’t Eric? Maybe Kurt was better able to sneak in being alone. She was glad, at least, that Toby had been able to leave.
“What are you thinking about?” Andrews’s eyes narrowed, he was obviously suspicious of her again as, she thought to herself, he should be.
“I’m just worried for you, that’s all.” Lily gave him her best smile and he returned it, obviously pacified.
“Don’t be, I have known Kingsley for a long time, I know exactly how and when to strike. Now, let’s get you to your tent.” Andrews held out his arm and Lily took it. She was still amazed that she could so easily deceive this man. He seemed well spoken and intelligent but clearly his ego got in the way of his better judgment. Lily was afraid that her assassination plan may be another example of this character flaw. She worried that Colonel Kingsley may be far more difficult to kill than Andrews planned.
Andrews escorted her the short distance to her new tent. As they stepped into the tent, he leaned down and whispered into her ear. “Goodnight, my love.” He left whistling and Lily turned to survey her tent. It was smaller, dirtier and even less appealing than Colonel Kingsley’s had been. She sat on the cot unsure of what to do.
The night lengthened and without meaning to, Lily slipped into sleep. In her sleep she heard yelling and shouting and she turned restlessly, wanting to rid herself of the terrible dreams that plagued her. Suddenly a hand grabbed her around the neck and yanked her out of her bed and out of sleep. The yells had been no dream.
The Colonel grabbed her by the hair, pulling her out of the tent. Still half asleep, Lily stumbled and he righted her by yanking harder on her hair. She cried out but tried to keep going. “You put him up to this, bitch!” She struggled to understand his words until she saw Lieutenant Colonel Andrews lying on the ground in a pool of blood, struggling to get up. His breathing was labored and Lily let out a cry. Colonel Kingsley shoved her toward the dying man and she knelt down on the ground next to him. Her hands shook as she reached down to touch him.
“Andrews?” she said softly. She drew her hand back unsure of where he was bleeding from.
“I had to try.” His breathing was labored and he paused. “So much to gain.” He paused again and she tentatively patted his head to give him some comfort.
A sick dread filled her stomach as the Colonel pulled her back up. “The boy is gone. You are all the leverage I have left.” He sneered in her face. He seemed to dislike her as much as she him. He turned to the woods.
“Sampson, I need her alive, I know you know that, but that doesn’t mean I can’t inflict horrible pain. Show yourself, let’s get this over with or you will have to listen as I torture your wife.”
Lily felt her insides lurch at the same time the Colonel started pulling her toward a stump. He stretched her hand out on the top and held it there despite her attempts to pull it away. She heard herself whimper unable to keep quiet.
“Do you want to hear what it feels like to lose your hand one finger at a time?” Out of the corner of her eye, Lily saw Sven approach with a hatchet in his hand. She tried to pull harder and she bit her lip to keep from screaming. Kingsley gave a maniacal laugh that echoed around her.
“Come on out, Sampson. She’s almost out of time!” Kingsley laughed again and Sven, now in front of them, raised the hatchet over his head. Lily couldn’t help it, she let out a cry and pulled frantically under the Colonel’s vice like grip. She heard Sven’s dull laugh as he leaned back for more power. “Only one finger now!” Kingsley’s voice rose with excitement and Lily allowed a sob to escape her lips. With sickening slow motion, Lily saw the hatchet falling toward her hand. She held her breath, waiting for the pain.
Suddenly, the hatchet, traveling in a perfect arch, stopped its descent then fell to the ground as a loud bang ripped through the air. Lily’s head jerked up to see Sven fall dead to the ground. Lily stared in disbelief, then saw the bullet wound in his temple. Twenty feet in front of them Eric stood with James and Mark behind him and ten other soldiers. They must have been the reinforcements Tracker had sent for. Lily let out another sob, this one in relief.
She tried to pull away and run but Colonel Kingsley was holding on to her with all the strength he had and she didn’t even budge.
“You killed one of my best men,” the Colonel growled.
“You kidnapped my son. You’re trying to kill me and marry my wife.” Eric cocked one eyebrow, as he reloaded his pistol.
“Fair enough. Frankly, she is nothing but trouble. She has turned several of my associates against me, including my partner.” Kingsley nodded his head toward Andrews, still struggling to breathe.
“Are you sure that’s Lily’s fault?” Eric seemed perfectly calm and Lily felt herself relaxing slightly, her head clearing.
The Colonel waved his hand, dismissing Eric’s comment. “You don’t hope to beat me and save your wife with that small group do you?”
“No, I have plenty more men waiting in the wings but as you asked me to step out, I brought a small amount of reinforcements.”
Lily felt Colonel Kingsley twitch slightly and she began to feel more nervous. Would he kill her out of spite if he thought there was no way he could win? She feared the answer was yes.
“Bargain for your freedom,” she mumbled to him. She saw Eric frown but she didn’t know if Eric was aware how much Kingsley disliked her or how unstable he was becoming.
He yanked her hair again. “I don’t need help from you!” He whipped her to the ground by her hair and Lily felt like ever
y strand was being pulled out of her head. The force of it sent her flying six feet from him and she allowed herself to roll, to gain some more distance between them. Her proximity to Kingsley must have been the only thing holding back the attack because as soon as she was clear, guns started firing all around her and the air was quickly filled with smoke. She stayed close to the ground and headed for the woods but it wasn’t an easy journey. She looked back twice to see if she could see her brother or Eric but couldn’t find either. Twice a man dropped in front of her, hit by a bullet and, as they were all wearing the same uniforms, she had no idea whose side they were on.
The firing of guns and the screams were deafening. If she wasn’t so afraid, she would have cried. She said a prayer that Toby wasn’t there and that Toby and Kurt were all right. Now she could hear the clash of metal on metal and knew that some of the men must have drawn swords. The smoke began to clear and she could see that she had almost made it to the cover of the woods. Lily doubled her efforts. She was just crawling into the cover of the underbrush when a hand grabbed her ankle and started pulling her out. This time, she wasn’t going to be a victim. Kingsley was behind her and she used her free foot to kick him as hard in the face as she could. His nose began to instantly spurt blood and she felt some small measure of satisfaction after all the bruises he had caused her. She reached to her left and grabbed a large branch, and inch and half think and three feet long. She got up on her feet ready to defend herself.
The Colonel stood and lunged for her but she jumped out of the way and came down with stick across his back. Clearly the exertion of the fight had tired him and Lily played her advantage by moving several feet away onto the edge of the woods. She looked quickly around but saw only a few groups fighting here and there, several men were strewn on the ground but she assumed many were being chased through the woods. Where was Eric?
“Know this. If you do not leave with me and marry me, I am going to make you suffer until I kill you slowly and painfully.” Kingsley practically snarled at her and despite herself a small laugh bubbled out of her mouth. It’s not that she didn’t believe him, she did. His offer was so ridiculous that it was no choice at all.
Kingsley, however, did not appreciate her reaction and pulled a knife from his belt. Her stick suddenly felt a great deal smaller but she held it tightly.
“Feeling confident are you?” He sneered. “Your husband is most likely dead, along with your brother, and no one is coming to save you.”
She felt the color drain from her face and the stick in her hand dropped a few inches. Lily raised it up. “Then I choose death. I would rather die a slow and painful death than be married to you.”
“Oh, I think it will be both. I am not going through all this without first getting your inheritance but originally I planned to settle down, now, I will discard of you at the first possible convenience.” He smiled a very cold cruel smile but Lily set her jaw.
“Then you are doing me a favor. I would much rather be dead than settled down with a vile man like you.” He was moving slowly closer and Lily realized that she needed to come up with a plan. Fight, run, or stall, she had to do something. She backed up a few more feet.
“You can’t keep backing up, my dear, eventually I will catch you.” The colonel took two more steps, further closing the gap and Lily felt her heart hammering in her chest.
Suddenly she felt a hand at her back and she jumped to the side, unaware of who it was. She swung the stick with all her might but Eric ducked just in time.
“Eric!” Tears stung her eyes, she was so relieved to see him and she wanted to throw her arms around him but he gently touched her cheek then tucked her behind him.
“Sampson, not dead yet, huh?” The knife in the Colonel’s hand shifted but Eric didn’t move.
“If I’m going down, you’re coming with me.” Eric sounded extremely casual while Lily’s heart was hammering a mile a minute.
His relaxed attitude was clearly making Kingsley more nervous and Lily realized that Eric was strategically placing the Colonel at a disadvantage.
She was feeling more confident but then four men joined the Colonel’s advance. She recognized Bags but none of the other men. None of them were in uniform and she guessed that these were his real smugglers and thieves. Lillian held her stick higher but she could feel herself trembling. From out of the woods, however, she clearly saw the silhouettes of James and Mark Summers in the dim morning light. Just behind them, the swarthy figure of Kurt lumbered, as if on deck, directly toward her. Her heart soared.
The Colonel paused for just a moment then covered the last few steps in a run “Kill them all! Leave the girl.” And he tried to jab his knife into Eric’s stomach. Eric was ready for the attack however and sidestepped the move, making a sweep with his own knife at the Colonel’s side who just stumbled out of the way. The two men squared off again, as Bags and another man made a move toward her while the other two engaged James and Mark.
Kurt knocked one of them off balance but Bags swung at him, just skimming his arm with the knife and leaving a shallow gash. Kurt seemed not to notice as she shoved Bags to the ground and the other man attacked again. Kurt spun him around and sent him head first into a large boulder were he crumpled to the ground but Bags saw his opportunity and stuck his knife into Kurt’s side. She heard Kurt’s grunt of pain but he grabbed the knife and Bags’ hand and Lily took the opportunity to come around Kurt and hit Bags over the head with her stick using every ounce of energy she had. He fell to his knees when Kurt then grabbed the stick from her hand and hit him hard upside the head. The man crumpled to the ground.
“Kurt, are you all right?” Her hands trembled as she helped him to the ground.
“I’ll be fine, you stick close to me.” She nodded, then turned to see the Colonel miss again as he lunged for Eric. Eric was clearly besting Kingsley and it was only a matter of time before Eric would win. James and Mark were slowly subduing their opponents as well when Lily saw the flash of metal from Colonel Kingsley’s belt.
“Let’s get this over with.” Eric stood poised like a panther, ready to jump, as Kingsley took aim. Suddenly a figure streaked across the field, knocking Kingsley off balance, sending the bullet off in another direction. In an instant, Lily recognized Tracker. She heard his groan and stood, looking to see where Kingsley had stabbed him. “Traitor!” The Colonel yelled as he raised the knife again but another gun went off. This time, however, it was Eric who fired and he didn’t miss. Kingsley dropped to the ground dead.
Lily ran to her husband and Tracker. Tears of joy and worry flooded her eyes. Eric wrapped her up in her arms. Holding her tight for one second before he set her down and they both went running for Tracker. He was holding his leg, a deep gash oozing blood.
“Eric, get a fire going, needle and thread, boiling water. I need to get Tracker and Kurt stitched up.” Lily began ripping strips from her dress. She looked up to see James approaching, the other two men had run as soon as Kingsley had died.
“Thank you, James.” She wrapped her arms around her brother and he returned the hug. “Help me get some fabric from my dress.” He nodded and began working on her petticoats as Mark joined to help.
Lily wrapped Tracker’s leg tight to stop the bleeding then went to stitch Kurt. She knew his wound had to be sewn up soon, it was to the body. She bathed the wound then sewed it as quickly and neatly as she could.
“I’d be worried if I hadn’t already seen you do this.” Kurt gave her a weak smile.
“With two brothers, she stitched loads of cuts.” James patted Kurt’s arm.
She turned to Eric. “Where is Toby? And Tom?” Panic filled her voice.
“Not to worry. Tom returned with Toby.” Eric gently stroked her cheek
Lily set to work on the wounded. She worked quickly washing wounds stitching both men then moved on to other soldiers who had been wounded. They quickly set up a medical tent of sorts in Colonel Kingsley’s tent. Eric and the others began clearing the bodies
and assessing the damage.
Hours passed and Lily could feel exhaustion setting in. As the finals patients were treated, Eric walked into the tent.
“You must be ready to drop, we need to get you home.” He folded her in his arms. As he spoke, a caravan of soldiers arrived. Tracker gingerly got up and went to greet them. Lily saw the stripes of a general as Tracker motioned toward the bodies of Colonel Kingsley and Lieutenant Colonel Andrews. Was this who Tracker had really been working for? She was too tired to think anymore. She leaned into her husband ready to go home and go to sleep. A small smile touched her lips as she realized that the nightmare was over.
The next day passed in a blur. Lily and Eric had to tell their story to General Wilson who had been leading an investigation against Colonel Kingsley for the past few years, trying to have him removed from service and jailed. By the end of the day, Lily finally collapsed into bed with Eric on one side of her and Toby on the other.
The next morning she awoke famished. She got out of bed quietly, not wanting to disturb Eric. A brief look in the mirror told her that it had been all been real. Her face was bruised and battered and there were several more bruises on her body. Eric winced as he came up behind her.
“I am so sorry you had to go through all of this.” He winced again as he touched a particularly bad bruise under her eye. She turned to him, he too had several bruises and scrapes covering his body.
She smiled and touched his cheek. “I’m just glad we’re both still alive.”
He returned her smile. “Me too.” He grimaced again looking at a few more bruises. “How is the baby?”
She smiled. “Everything seems fine. The doctor seemed to think that everything was still going well. But I can tell you one thing. Baby is hungry and so am I.”
Eric laughed. “Then let’s get you down to breakfast!”
Lily had expected an air of jubilation when she entered the dining room but instead everyone was very hushed. She got several hugs but very few words. She was initially worried that everyone was put off by her bruised and battered face but finally she couldn’t take the silence. “What is wrong?” She finally asked the general assembly.