A Dream of Stewards (Keys of Time Book 1) by Yohann Martin

Author:Yohann Martin [Martin, Yohann]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9798985702804
Published: 2022-02-21T16:00:00+00:00

15

THE GRASS WITHERS, THE FLOWER FADES

How the hell did I get here?

Kirk watches as the team shuffles through the war-ravaged city. He knows that Reuben and everyone else doesn’t really want him here, but here he is—inexperienced, burdensome, and near useless.

Near useless, but not completely.

He found Rueben after all, and even now, the team is depending on Kirk to find a rendezvous site. He’s never been particularly smart and always struggled to get along with others. His resume could easily fit on a Post-it note with only his father’s name.

That’s how. That asshole is the reason I got here.

Nepotism be damned and the truth with it. Kirk can feel his chin strap loosen underneath his helmet as his jaw clenches tighter and tighter. Senator James Fowler is only a name to him, a stranger, the kind of man accustomed to using his family as a mere photo op. Building relationships with his children, remaining faithful to his wife, and caring for his widowed mother never seemed to fit the senator’s long-term strategy to climb the political ladder.

Image seems to be the only thing the senator truly cares for. Completely absent is the essence of family life—the joys of gathering, laughing, and bantering—and the sacrifices of time and self. He’s never cared for these things.

Why would he?

If cameras aren’t there to capture him helping his wife with the dishes or witnessing him attend his children’s school plays, why would he partake?

It’s the image that matters most to him, the façade of perfection. There are twenty-four hours in a day, and Senator James Fowler uses all of them to preserve that image as the objects of the image wither and fade.

The grass withers, the flower fades.

His grandmother’s words. In war, chaos, and bitterness, why have these words come to him now?

I may be a screw-up, but screw him. This team needs me, and my loudmouth ass is going to help them.

“Move!” Caleb shouts as he holds his rifle outward, pointing to a seemingly empty alleyway. He provides cover as the team continues bounding forward before pausing behind a wall.

Caleb takes a defensive position. “You’ve got less than ninety seconds. Any longer, and we’ll be begging for Nazis to swarm this spot.”

“I’m sure they’re running scared by now,” Alex says.

“And you’re the expert, Mr. Blindside?”

“Hey, man, I—”

“Can we please get to it?” Sky interrupts.

Caleb breaks with the sights of his weapon to look at the rest of the team. “All I’m saying is that a man is most dangerous when he’s afraid.” He brushes his chin before returning to the iron sights. “Now, hurry the hell up.”

“Where are we at with the rendezvous site?” Alex asks, looking to Sky and Kirk.

Sky shakes her head.

“Great.”

Kirk peers down, tapping his watch. His eyes widen as his breath leaves him.

“Naw, man, it’s not like that,” Kirk mutters to himself, feeling the large beads of sweat flow down his face.

“What is it?” Alex says.

“It’s these maps. I calibrated them when we got here, and now they’re all screwy.

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