CRAVEN'S WAR UNBREAKABLE by Nick S Thomas

Author:Nick S Thomas
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Swordworks
Published: 2022-03-30T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter 10

This is a mistake, isn’t it?” Paget asked Matthys.

“Yes, but what choice is there?”

“We could negotiate. We could arrange a prisoner exchange. We could do something!”

“Mizon has taken Captain Hawkshaw because he wants Craven, and nothing else will do for him.”

“That is what worries me, and yet we play the enemy’s game.”

“Craven is playing the hand he has been dealt, but don’t underestimate him, for he still has a few surprises, I imagine.”

“I truly hope so,” muttered Paget, but his eyes soon lit up, “It’s the Captain!”

Craven was riding alone just as he had been when he had left them. A cheer rang out from the troops as he galloped alongside them and took up his position beside Paget.

“I had rather imagined you had left us to do this task all on our own.”

“You know that would never happen.”

“And so then where have you been, Sir?”

Craven looked at him and smiled, keeping his secrets to himself.

“The Colonel will expect you to try something,” said Matthys.

“Of course, he will,” replied Craven confidently.

“How is it, Sir, that you seem to attract these devils? The likes of Bouchard and this Colonel Mizon?”

“Because he is a pain in their arse,” replied Matthys.

Paget laughed, but soon pressed him further.

“Truly, though, Sir, there are so many thousands of men who fight this war, and yet you seem to be more a target than Wellington himself.”

“The enemy would take their shot at Wellington if they could, but I am regularly in their sights, and Wellington is not.”

“It is not about what he is, but what he represents,” declared Matthys.

“How so?”

“Craven is a symbol of resistance in the face of overwhelming odds. He is proof that this little army we have here can win against the might of Napoleon’s hordes.”

“Is that true, Sir?”

“I used to travel the country up and down, far and wide, and everywhere I went I was known as a great prize fighter. Such a reputation can attract those who wish to challenge you, but also many who want to follow. It is a powerful thing, fame.”

“And you had fame as a prize fighter, Sir?”

“As much as a prize fighter can be famous, they are not exactly royalty, but yes.”

“But what did it all mean, Sir?”

“People flock to an idea, just as Frenchmen follow Napoleon, as do men follow a revered fighter. It can fill men’s hearts with strength and belief they would otherwise not possess. That is the power of Napoleon, as it is for those who fight beside Craven,” added Matthys.

“Then you are a symbol? A force more valuable and greater than itself?”

Craven shrugged.

“A hero, like the great ones of antiquity, like Hercules,” declared Paget with great enthusiasm.

“They are powerful stories, are they not?” Craven asked.

“And so the is the myth of Captain Craven, whose exploits are so lavishly and enthusiastically embellished like all of the great heroes,” added Matthys.

“And the truth, does that not matter?”

“Why should it? What matters is the outcome,” replied Craven with a smile, as he appeared to lean into the cartoonish representation of himself.

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