A Beckoning Hellfire by J.D.R. Hawkins

Author:J.D.R. Hawkins
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: thriller, suspense, historical fiction, civil war, confederate, jdr hawkins
Publisher: Foundations, LLC

Morning reveille came too soon. The boys dragged themselves over for roll, Jake still hobbling from the fall he’d taken. When they returned to their campsite with breakfast, he looked over at the field where they had tied their horses the previous evening.

“Where’s Stella?” he asked.

He hurried over to the edge of the open pasture. Renegade stood guard over the still form of Jake’s black Morgan mare.

“Stella!” Jake hollered.

He sprinted across the field, the bruise on his backside not slowing him much. David reached Stella first.

“Reckon she’s dead, Jake,” he observed sympathetically.

Stella lay on her side, her eyes mere glazed-over slits. Her tongue hung from her slack mouth. Jake bent down and gently patted his precious mare. For several minutes, their surroundings grew quiet except for a few chirping birds. At last, he slowly stood, and wiped his eyes with his shirt sleeve.

“She was a good horse.” He sniffed. “But she was old. I knew she might not make it. I was jist hopin’ she’d last a little longer.”

“She got you this far,” David said, “and that’s somethin’ in itself.” He walked over to Renegade and led him away from the dead mare.

Jake walked back to camp. He picked up a branch, lit it from the fire, brought it over to the deceased mare, and set Stella’s corpse on fire. Some of the men noticed, so they approached out of curiosity.

“Your horse give out on you?” Robert Campbell inquired.

Jake nodded in response to the obvious.

Alfred Crawford said, “Reckon someone should go tell the major.”

“I’ll do it,” offered another cavalier, who ambled off in the direction of the major’s tent. Within a few moments, he returned with Sergeant Williams.

“Jake’s horse died,” David told the sergeant. Jake stared at the dead mare, his eyes mirroring his disbelief.

“That’s a shame,” the sergeant responded kindheartedly.

David asked, “What’ll happen now?”

“Well, Kimball has ninety days to git himself a new horse. Otherwise, he’ll be reassigned to the infantry,” William explained.

“Ninety days? That ain’t till the middle of July!” Jake exclaimed. “I can’t wait till then to fight!” He looked at David and snorted. “Besides, where will I git another mount?” He gazed over at burning Stella, forlornly shaking his head. “Damn!” he spat.

The wind changed direction, forcing the small group of men to move away from the smoke and dreadful smell. They stood hypnotized, watching the flames die down to glowing embers, slowly envelope the deceased mare, and convert her carcass into smoldering ashes. Some of the men drifted back into camp until only Jake, David, and William remained.

“Reckon I’ll jine the infantry then,” Jake stated matter-of-factly. He winked at David, who was taken aback by his nonchalant reaction to the preceding event. “That’s what I’ll do,” he said to William. “Tell Major Warner I’m fixin’ to fight with Stonewall Jackson!”

“I’ll have him make the arrangements right away.” William gave him a reassuring smile before walking off.

“You sure you want to do that?” David asked.

“Hell, yeah, Zeke!” Jake exclaimed. “I didn’t come all this way to miss out on the fightin’, jist because my old horse up and died.

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