Chapter 7: The Noose Tightens

Colonel Randall and Captain Taylor arrived and it was Captain Taylor who said, "Report, Corporal."

The other took a deep breath, his face pale. "Ain't ginna be able to say much, Cap." He sank down on his back, "'M feeling just a little puny. Bastard stuck me good, coupla' times."

He stopped talking for a second, panting. "Came at me from the front, out of nowhere. Right on the parade ground. Never saw him." He gestured at Claire. "She kept him off me. Damned if I know how! That bastard was fast! Strong!"

"Miss Story kept him off?" Colonel Randall asked, more curious than angry.

"Aye, he had me for fair, Colonel. I should be dead. Three times. Last time, he tried to kill her instead of me. Said," he repeated the three words and both Colonel Randall and Captain Taylor looked at Claire. "And that ain't my knife she's holding. That was his."

One of the captains came up and whispered in the colonel's ear.

Claire thought she'd seen the colonel in a towering rage before, now she knew she'd seen nothing of the sort. The look on his face then would have caused milk to curdle, cheese to form, and could have boiled water, all at the same time. "Captain Taylor, see to your wounded man, and then send four men with Captain Howard. Have them report to me in the Citadel. Miss Story, if you would, come with me."

He turned and gestured at one of the other officers. "Redouble the guards; there's at least one intruder inside the walls. I'll give two gold sovereigns to whoever kills him. I want him dead soon! Very soon! Check the guard posts; do that first."

He took her elbow and half dragged her towards the Citadel.

"The boys?" Claire asked, but was certain she already knew the answer.

He looked at her without expression, his eyes bleak. "When I wish you to speak, I'll ask you a question."

"If I don't ask questions, I can't do my job."

His eyes flashed and she could feel the grip on her arm grow painfully tight; he was half dragging her at a run, towards the citadel. "Listen and learn."

"Now," he said as soon as he was through the gate of the Citadel. "I want everyone in the main hall. Right now! I don't care what the excuse, five minutes. Not a second more."

Men jumped to obey; there was no arguing with the tone of the colonel's voice. He stood with Claire's arm still held tightly in his hand while people were hustled into the room.

Captain Taylor appeared. "I told them to take them to the infirmary. The doctor will take care of them."

"I ordered you to bring them here!" Colonel Randall thundered, in an awful rage.

"Sometimes, Colonel, imagination is a better ally than anything you can see directly. There was no need, sir. And might have worked against us."

Colonel Randall took a deep breath and then another. "Why do I have this feeling you want my job?"

Captain Taylor laughed sarcastically. "If you think that, then you are going to lead us to ruin! No one but an utter fool would want your job! I'm praying it never falls to me, Colonel. Never!"

"You could do it better, couldn't you?" Colonel Randall said, his voice almost level, but there was no hiding the bitter anger.

"I might do it differently, Colonel, but not better. We either live ... or we die."

Randall's eye slid past the captain, to the room full of people. They were sitting far more quietly than Claire could ever remember, even the children. But then again, they'd undoubtedly heard the argument.

"Captain Taylor tells me I can't have my way," Colonel Randall told them, a wolfish grin on his face. "Two boys snuck out past the guards, just after dusk. At least one of the Harn is inside the walls. He found those boys before we did. They were ... mutilated; they were killed very slowly and then mutilated."

There were gasps of horror.

"I wanted to show you the handiwork of the Harn. Maybe if your children had some understanding of what will happen to them if they do not obey, it might prevent other such deaths. At least, so was my thinking. It might convince you mothers of the very real danger we face.

"Captain Taylor disagrees." He turned to Claire. "Miss Story, hold up your knife."

She'd been holding it loosely, behind her. Several times blood had run down onto her hand; it felt terrible and she'd hidden that hand. She dutifully held it up; more blood ran down the blade, but at least it had congealed enough not to run down her arm.

"That's blood from one of my corporals. Miss Story couldn't keep the Harn off his back, but she surely kept the corporal from getting killed. Then she took the Harn's knife away. She fought her Harn attacker, in other words."

He reached out and twisted the knife from Claire's hand, then threw it as hard as he could, upwards. The blade buried itself in one of the timbers of the ceiling. "She fought! If you don't fight, you'll die! All of you! If you children don't do what you're told, you'll get yourselves killed and the men trying to protect you killed! And your parents! All of us!

"Fight! Fight, damn you all! Fight!" He turned and stalked out, leaving silence behind.

One of the women collapsed, shrieking for her lost children. Mrs. Sanchez sat on one side, holding her, another woman appeared on the woman's other side.

"I'll take care of this," Mrs. Sanchez said quietly, looking up at Claire.

"Do better than last time," Claire retorted, not at all gently.

The other sniffed. "I made a mistake. You will too. I'll do better. If nothing else you and Colonel Randall have concentrated our attention rather remarkably."

"It's not a joke," Claire told her, her voice angry. "People are dying."

"That's true. But if we don't joke, it will get to us -- the Harn will be the only winners then."

The older woman stood, turned and faced the others, still too shocked to do more than whisper quietly amongst themselves. "My son Jack played with Mrs. Dewayne's oldest. My boy told me a while ago that they'd gone out. They'd wanted him to come along, but he'd refused. He didn't rat them out, though. He thought he was doing them a favor." She nodded to where her son stood alone, along one wall, facing it. "Jack lost friends today, and just now gained a blistered behind. I hope to God, he learned something here, somewhere. I hope to God, everyone learns something.