Fire And Steel: There Can Be Only One Outcome Victory Or Death by Louis Harper

Author:Louis Harper [Harper, Louis]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Auctoritas Publishing
Published: 2021-06-01T04:00:00+00:00

11

11

‘Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot my f-friends… We’re friendlies.’

A small mix of Belgians and Frenchmen sprinted towards us in blood-stained and torn clothing, their faces black from smoke and powder. Their chests heavy with breath. We lowered our muskets to welcome them.

‘Thank Christ,’ I said, making way for the newcomers. ‘About time more joined us.’

Paul pushed me forward with the hoist of his flag and introduced me. ‘This is private Sébastien Chapardeur, in command.’

Both mine and the Belgian officer’s face lit up in surprise as we viewed each other. No doubt he couldn’t believe a drenched, sweaty private with stains of powder on my hands and mouth was the leader of this small band of Frenchmen. Neither could I envisage him as an officer. He had the smoothest face I have ever seen, and a dopey smile, both of which made him look no older than twelve. The fact he was tiny was even more baffling.

‘Y-you’re in command here?’ He asked, rubbing his face with his glove.

I nodded and said nothing as he looked at all of us. We were only thirty-six men and tired beyond comprehension.

‘How many do you lead?’ I asked, looking at his men who looked equally bedraggled and worn out by their labours. The aroma of sweat melted from their bodies, their lungs heaved with effort.

‘Forty-one, counting myself.’

‘So we’ve got seventy-seven in all then.’

‘Not a bad number,’ Paul said. ‘An average sized company if not on paper.’

‘Is this e-everyone?’ He was panting, out of breath, but I saw him shaking and his hands trembling under his blackened leather glove.

‘Unfortunately,’ I replied. ‘But at least the bastards aren’t coming for us yet. We’re gonna have to keep moving though.’

The Belgian officer twisted his mouth and let his shoulders fall loose. ‘They’re… they’re too close. We cannot outrun their cavalry. We are all lucky to have made it this far. Only a few survived from the first battalion. Of the second… Well, you only have to look across the field.’

‘We’ll get our vengeance,’ I said, but the Belgian officer didn’t seem to listen, his mind preoccupied with death.

‘They slashed them all down,’ he told me. ‘They took no prisoners. Not a single one. I saw a few flee into some trees but they won’t survive long in there.’

My breath left in a deep sigh. Since we left the confines of the border, we had received nothing but bad luck. First the enemy cavalry stalked us and tricked us by drawing our eyes in the opposite direction to where they planned their ambush. Then we ran into a motley lot of Belgians who wanted nothing more than to plunder, letting their guard down as they waited for us to reach the Chateau de Beloeil. Then more ambushes arrived, and in our trouble betrayed by the very men who vowed to keep us safe. It was a disgrace, the whole expedition. A complete failure. Yet I would not give up, not in the slightest. The enemy may have reduced our forces, but we still had our muskets, our bayonets.

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