CRAVEN'S WAR INTO THE FIRE by Nick S Thomas

Author:Nick S Thomas
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Swordworks
Published: 2020-10-31T00:00:00+00:00

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The last shovels of dirt were laid down over the graves of the town just a few hundred yards from the sight of the slaughter. Moxy knelt at the feet of one with a cross he had engraved simply with the name Ana, for he knew nothing else of her name. Pero pushed a cross into another grave of his aunt as his younger brother watched on. Nickle was buried beside them, too. They were all were gathered around in a circle, mustering the best service they could. The Caçadores lined up and to attention with their rifles ready for a final salute to the fallen officer.

“Would you like to say a few words?” Matthys asked Craven.

He could not muster any, and so the Sergeant went on as the closest thing they had to a priest.

“The people of this place embraced us as family. They welcomed us into their homes and into their hearts. They fed and clothed us. They worked to win this war in all the ways they could. Our Bandido brothers fought like lions and will be remembered as heroes. Lieutenant Jonnie Nickle gave his life for this land and these people, and he shall not be forgotten. May their souls rest in piece and be remembered for an eternity.”

Matthys nodded towards Ferreira who called out his orders in English so they would all understand.

“Present arms! Fire!”

The volley echoed about the whole valley and was the moment they had all been dreading. The moment they had to decide what to do next. Craven finally stepped up to Matthys knowing they needed some words from him, and yet still could not find them, and so it was Thorny who stepped up.

“I know you are hurting; we all are. But this is war. People die, sometimes those who should never have been in harm’s way. But what happened here tells me one thing, the work you have done these past weeks is working. The enemy is desperate. A desperate enemy is a very dangerous one, but we must not lose sight of what we have to do. Now is not the time to stop. I must return to the army, but I will be back. Do not despair. This is a foul day, but many better ones are yet to come. Keep your resolve, and trust in one another.”

He walked away to his horse, leaving Craven once again as the senior officer. All eyes were on him now, as they needed hope, or something to hold on to. He coughed to clear his throat, trying to set aside his own emotions.

“We’ve been through a lot together, and we will go through a lot more. This is not the end. For that is what the enemy wants. We will not submit to them, but we must take stock and lick our wounds. See to one another, and take two day’s rest. Let us heal wounds and hearts, and let’s have a great feast this night in honour of those we have lost.

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