05 Craven's War: A Call to Arms by Nick S. Thomas

Author:Nick S. Thomas [Thomas, Nick S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781005605261
Publisher: Swordworks Books
Published: 2020-08-27T22:00:00+00:00

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Paget watched as a straggle of mounted French infantry came up over a hillside road. They carried muskets lazily at their sides or balanced on their shoulders, and rode like amateurs, with none of the discipline of cavalrymen. Neither did they have the sabres of such soldiers. There was at least a dozen as the newly promoted Lieutenant watched them, looking down the road in the direction they were heading. They were approaching a young local woman wearing a simple dress and shawl, and with a basket in her hands for collecting food from the land. The horsemen soon spotted the woman and approached with glee. Paget watched with concern before lowering his spyglass and reaching for his sword.

“Wait,” insisted Ferreira with a dozen of his rifleman hidden amongst some dense scrub, but that did nothing to quell Paget’s concerns.

“Wait for it,” whispered Ferreira. He slowly and quietly pulled back the cock of his firelock until it locked into the firing position, and then raised it up gently to his shoulder. They were a hundred paces from the lone young woman who was at the mercy of the French soldiers when Ferreira put a hand on Paget’s shoulder and held him back, seeing he could not stand by and watch any longer. Finally, the soldiers reached the woman. Two of them galloped past and turned back to block her path. The others encircled her, jeering at her as one jumped down to address her. Ferreira took his hand from Paget’s shoulder and readied his rifle once more as the French soldier reached for the woman’s face, pulling the shawl from her head, revealing the unmistakeable flowing hair of Vicenta.

A dagger seemingly came out of nowhere and was driven into the French soldier’s throat, causing blood to spurt out over her hand. He was struck before he had even known what was happening. The others were too stunned to react as she drew out the small dagger. She launched it at one of his comrades, embedding it in his chest.

She took up the musket of the one she had stabbed and primed it as the others frantically reached for their weapons. She had already cocked and shot another from the saddle before they had even got a hand to their locks. Ferreira took aim at one, shooting him out of the saddle as the rest of the riflemen joined in, and Paget soared forward with sword in hand. Craven and the others rushed up over a ridge on the far side of the road, crying as they charged forward. As they got within twenty paces of the enemy, they watched Vicenta swing the musket she had taken from the muzzle with both hands. She knocked the last one from the saddle before smashing his skull. Craven came to a stop ahead of his charge realising all the work was done for them. He looked in amazement at the carnage before him just as Paget arrived to join them.

Despite them

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