Bride of the Night by Heather Graham

Author:Heather Graham
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HQN
Published: 2011-06-15T16:00:00+00:00

CAPTAIN CALLOWAY SAT behind his desk in his command office at Fort Zachary Taylor, staring at the men before him with incredulity plastered upon his worn face.

“Let me see if I have this straight, gentlemen,” he said. “You went after a blockade runner, lost a ship, but then caught the blockade runner, and found another Union ship with monsters aboard? I believe that you both might be in serious need of long leaves!” He stood at the last, staring at them.

“Captain Calloway!” Finn said. “I assure that we are of sound mind. This is something I know about because the capital was recently made aware of the disease that claims and kills men—but makes each victim a machine of death in himself. Harpers Ferry was just so plagued in the midst of war. It is a very real threat.”

“We returned here to warn you of this threat,” Tremblay said. “We might have continued on, sir, but we feared for the men at the fort, and for the citizens of the island.”

“The Rebel-loving horde!” Calloway said, sniffing his dismissal of the danger. “We have had the organization of troop movement to the north from here in the days that you have been gone. General Newton received information that the Confederate, General Milton—son of the state’s governor—was reinforcing troops to the west of the state. We are down in numbers here, and I cannot be worried about the fates of men and women who would spit on my men if given the chance. Especially for some such ridiculous report about diseased men attacking.”

Tremblay walked forward and slammed a fist on Calloway’s desk. “I have long served the Union with my passion and my life. And you will listen to me now, sir! I saw these beings in action. They set upon my men with the fury. We found all aboard the Union ship I then commanded dead. Or in the final throes of dying of the disease. You must understand this. The danger could be coming here.”

“We are a sound fort. We can withstand the rabble on the island, and we can withstand any assault by sea,” Calloway said.

Finn hesitated. “No, you won’t be able to withstand it, sir, because you won’t know when it’s coming, and you may not know when it’s here. It’s like a disease, sir. One man gets it, and then others are inflicted. And it could happen within the walls of the fort without your ever realizing it’s begun.”

“This is insanity!” Calloway said.

“I swear to you that it is not. Ask any man who was with us on our ill-fated voyage,” Tremblay said.

Calloway sat again, staring at them. “I admit to being stunned, gentlemen. What would you have me do? You caught a blockade runner—one who fired at you and sank a Union vessel! The captain of that runner must face trial—since he made war on us, he should be hanged!”

“No, sir. He should not,” Tremblay said stoutly. “When we were besieged, he fought with us. And he saved many of my men, no doubt.

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