Page 95 of After 5

On the heels of Ace’s exit, voices moved toward the thicket of trees we occupied. Sam hastily shoved General Lee’s coat in the knapsack Marco had left behind.

I picked up the discarded musket.

“They’re Rebels.” Sam shook his head and laid a hand across the barrel of the gun, causing me to lower the weapon.

When the men entered the thicket, they didn’t see us at first, hidden in the shadows of the trees. Five men, part of a company patrolling the woods. Two of the men favored each other, dark hair, sharp chins, and hawk noses. Brothers or cousins, I surmised.

“Did ye see that light?” One of them asked. “It’s them damn Yankees playin’ tricks on us.”

“Damn Yankees think we’re dumb as rocks, but we showed ’em,” one of the hawk-nosed soldiers said.

“We’ll show them again t’morrow.” The burly one spat a wad of chew.

“We’re goin’ to whip their tails as soon as Old Granny gives the orders.”

When they spotted me, they slapped a salute.

I returned the gesture, and they relaxed. “Sorry, Doc, didn’t see ya there,” one of the hawk nose said to me.

I cleared my throat. “Carry on, men,” I echoed the orders General Lee had issued to me earlier.

“Doc, you lost?” Burly guy asked.

“Uhm…naw, just waiting for sunset to tend the wounded. I’ll make my way safely back to camp after I’ve done all I can do here.”

“God bless you,” the other hawk nose said.

The men saluted again. I stared for a moment, realized I was to return the gesture in approval of their exit.

The men proceeded on their way, leaving me with the setting sun illuminating a crop of lifeless bodies among what used to be a golden field of wheat.

Gunfire boomed in the distance, and the sun’s final rays turned the sky a smoldering purple haze.

“What should I do about the general’s horse?” Sam asked me.

“Horse?”

“Well, yeah, General Lee always rides Traveller when he goes out in the field. He’s tied up yonder tree.” Sam pointed in the direction the good general had left his mount.

I needed to find Gertie, but I also needed to wait for young Caiyan to appear and follow him.

“I’ll watch over General Lee’s horse while I wait for—uhm, the general to return. Can you find the man that was with me earlier?”

“The soldier who hit me?”

“Uhm, yes, that one, and the woman who was with him. It’s important I know their whereabouts to ah…find General Lee.”

Sam, used to taking orders, straightened his shoulders and saluted. “I’ll return as soon as I have located the soldier, sir.” He waited.

I waved a salute, and he disappeared, leaving me alone for the first time since I had arrived in Gettysburg. Moans from the wounded echoed across the battlefield, and it gave me chills. There wasn’t a book I had read or a movie I had watched that truly captured the horrific reality of the Civil War.

As I waited in the shadows for the young Caiyan to appear, I settled myself. My mind rotated through the happenings of the past few hours. I had landed in the wrong spot at the tail end of a violent battle on top of a dead man, lost General Lee, saved a boy whom I shouldn’t have, and played a hand in Marco and Caiyan getting shot. My day had not been a productive one.

When I thought about Caiyan, my heart skipped a beat. I had faith in our doctors and in Eli. My brother wouldn’t be happy with me for telling the WTF he had skills and a key, but I hoped he would forgive me.

I only had twenty-four hours to find the seer. Caiyan didn’t leave me much to go on. First order of business was to prioritize my mission. One. Find Marco and Gertie. Two. Find a way home. Three. Find the seer. Four. Prevent Mortas from gaining the seer’s key.

This wasn’t the order in which a good WTF agent worked. Caiyan would find the seer first and prevent Mortas from harming her and taking her key. Friends would come last, no, scratch that, he wouldn’t have brought any friends with him.

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