Page 20 of American Prince (New Camelot Trilogy 2)
But at the time, I only knew one thing.
Morgan was there.
Morgan was all I could think of as our Humvees raced through the valley, Morgan and that dumb church and how I was the one stupid enough to suggest she go exploring. Why did I do that? Why didn’t I insist she stay safe and sound in the village near the base? Or better yet, go home?
“You okay?” Dag asked quietly as we approached Glein. The smoke plumed up like a black chimney, faint pops and booms rattling the windows. The local militia trying to fight off the separatists and failing miserably.
“My sister is there,” I said, looking down at my hands. They were shaking. “She’s in that place.”
Dag nodded. He didn’t try to comfort me. He didn’t look for reasons why it might be okay.
I appreciated that.
Our convoy stopped about half a mile outside the village, and we got out. The captain was there somewhere, giving orders, but I barely listened. I found Colchester in the huddle of men and pulled him aside.
“Morgan’s here,” I said.
He pulled back to look me in the eyes. “What?”
“She’s here. In the village.”
Colchester’s voice was sharp. “Why?”
For some reason, that pissed me off. “She got tired of waiting around for you, so she went to see the church here.”
I dropped my voice to a mutter, half hoping he wouldn’t hear, half hoping he would. “Maybe if you’d just talked to her instead of ignoring her, she would have gone home or something. She would be safe.” It wasn’t fair, I knew it wasn’t fair, but I needed to blame someone. Hurt someone.
And I felt like shit the moment I did it, because it wasn’t Colchester’s fault at all, none of it was.
“We’ll do everything we can,” he promised, calm and kind despite my shitty outburst. His eyes searched my face. “I mean it, Embry. I’ll do whatever I can to save her.”
It was the use of my Christian name that stilled me, that calmed me enough to step back and pretend to listen to the captain’s strategy. Embry. It sounded strange on his lips, two warm syllables punctuated by the cracks and roars of the village burning behind us.
Was I a bad brother because in that moment I would have delayed going to Morgan’s side just to hear him say my name again?
Actually, don’t answer that.
The captain finished giving us orders; our three platoons split up and began working our way into the village at different angles. I say village, although at that point there was almost nothing recognizable about it. The streets were so covered with rubble that you couldn’t tell what had been a road and what had been a row of houses. Fires burned everywhere, hectically, merrily almost, like we were walking into a happily over-sexed pagan rite instead of a war zone. And the bullets came from everywhere. Fast, popping, chaotic.
We’d been at it less than five minutes when the captain came over the radio. “I’ve got new intel,” he shouted. “There’s a boat in the lake, a stranded boat with children. Who’s closest?”
“I am,” came Colchester’s reply. “We’ll go now.”
“And the church,” the captain said. “The adults in the town have been rounded up into the church. Take care of that boat as fast as possible and get to the church, Colchester. I think the boat’s a distraction.”
The church. Morgan.
I directed my men around a corner, and as we exchanged fire with some separatists across the street, I searched the buildings nearby for any sign of the church, and as I did, there was a massive boom, an explosion so violent it nearly knocked me off my feet. It came from the direction of our convoy, where the captain was. I stared at the cloud of dust and smoke at the edge of the village with a sinking heart.
Which was when Colchester swore loudly on the radio. “Four of mine are down. The boat’s on fire. I can see the children on it waving for help. Captain, we’re going in there but we might need more help. Captain? Captain?”
There was no response.
“Anybody?” Colchester asked. “We need help down here now!”
It was as if there was no one left. No one but me and my men. But Morgan…
I gripped my radio too hard as I pressed the call button, “We’re here, Lieutenant Colchester. We can come to you…but the church is important too.”
